Cao Chong nodded: "I like it."
"Go find a master and learn a skill. What do you want to learn?"
Since there aren't any systematic classes yet, the children follow their teachers based on their own interests. Often, a kid will be listening to something in one area, then run off to another that seems interesting. The most popular class, however, is the one led by the adorable, chubby Duan Tianbao, specializing in light-footed kung fu. Cao Chong looked left and right, then suddenly sprinted over to Cheng Fengshou, who had only a few students, and started squatting in a horse stance.
Just then, Cheng Fengshou saw me, walked over, and smiled. He looked at Cao Chong and asked me, "This is...?"
"Hehe, this is my son. He's here to learn some skills."
These words had an immediate impact; more than a dozen heroes swarmed around, all asking, "Where did you get your son from?"
Dai Zongzheng was leading Wang Wuhua around the track, and as he passed by us, he shouted, "Xiaoqiang, let your son run with me. I guarantee he'll break the 9-second barrier in the 110-meter hurdles within a year."
As Wang Wuhua ran, she said, "Master, 9 seconds is nothing, I will definitely break 10 seconds!"
Zhang Qing rushed forward and said, "Don't argue, don't argue, let him choose for himself." Then, as if showing off, he ordered the shepherd boy next to him, "Apprentice, give them a performance, shoot the bird in that tree."
The free-range child weighed the half-eaten bean bun in his hand, glanced at the bird in the tree about 15 meters away, and tossed it. It bounced like a shooting star, and we watched in amazement as the little bird... continued preening its feathers.
Everyone was stunned for a moment, then a scream of pain came from the cafeteria entrance, which was far away from us. Turning around, we saw Brother Tom with blood streaming from his nose, and half a steamed bun rolling around on the ground in front of him... Xiao Liu, having been a student at Yucai School, had long since developed a keen sense of crisis. He grabbed a pot and put it on his head, shouting, "It's my fault that the steamed bun was too alkaline today, but it doesn't have to be like this, does it?"
Zhang Qing slapped the shepherd boy on the back of the head, and after a moment of embarrassment, he managed to salvage the situation: "Although the aim was a bit off, the force was there."
Dong Ping reached out to pull Xiao Caochong, saying in a mocking tone, "Good boy, Uncle will take you to see the goldfish."
Cao Chong pushed Dong Ping's hand away, continued to squat in the horse stance, and said with his face raised, "To learn kung fu, you must master the basics. Do you understand?"
Everyone was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Cheng Fengshou smiled and said, "This child is destined to be with me. I'll take him as my disciple."
I squatted down and said to Cao Chong, "From now on, you'll be living here. Are you scared?"
Cao Chong glanced at me and Xiang Yu with reluctance, but still said, "I'm not afraid, but I'll miss you and Sister Baozi."
I said, "It's okay, Dad will pick you up to stay with us every weekend."
By this time, Dai Zong and Wang Wuhua had already run another lap. Hearing us talking, he shouted, "What are you waiting for? Just practice with me. We'll only run a couple of steps and then head back!"
And so, we entrusted young Cao Chong to their care. I didn't reveal Cao Chong's true identity to the heroes; I thought that having him follow a modern man like Cheng Fengshou would be helpful for his future life.
As Xiang Yu and I walked back to the carriage, preparing to leave, a man in his thirties riding an electric bicycle passed by us. Seeing that we had just come from that direction, he put his feet on the ground and asked, "Hey, is that Yucai up ahead?"
"yes."
The man started riding away without saying a word, so I quickly called out to him and asked, "Hey buddy, how much did you pay for that electric bike?"
The man had a somewhat wicked look in his eyes. He had been lost in thought, but when I asked him that, he paused for a moment and could only helplessly say, "Sixteen thousand."
I turned to Xiang Yu and said, "I've always wanted to buy Baozi a car."
Just as the man was about to leave, I stopped him again and asked, "How often do you charge your phone?"
"...3 days." This guy was completely exasperated.
I felt a little embarrassed, so I said, "Thanks, what's your surname?"
Unable to contain himself any longer, the man kicked off his horse and flew away, only to tossing a name back at us from afar: "Li Tianrun!"
Chapter Sixty-Three Strokes in Ten Days
Li Tianrun rode his electric bicycle and caused trouble at our Yucai School!
My first reaction was anger. Because, you know, you can tell how much your opponent values you from your equipment. In the past, when two swordsmen dueled, they would carry swords, spears, soft swords at their waists, and hidden weapons in their pockets, riding tall horses—that way, even if they couldn't win, they could run away.
But if your opponent comes to challenge you to a duel while holding a bowl of noodles with soybean paste, it means they don't take you seriously at all. Of course, another possibility is that they're determined to die and come to annoy you.
The problem is, regardless of whether this guy surnamed Li has either of the two purposes mentioned above, I can't stand it. Yucai is not a place for duels, and this era is not an era for duels. Moreover, the hatred between Li Tianrun and the heroes is a blood feud. Zhang Qing died at his hands, and the guy riding the electric bike didn't have a good ending either. After being captured, he was killed by Lu Junyi who ripped out his heart. Just thinking about it makes me want to vomit.
"Li Tianrun?" Xiang Yu murmured, then patted me and said, "Go see him, I've been looking for him for a long time." Only then did I remember that he had promised Zhang Shun to help him get revenge.
Xiang Yu strode off in the direction we came from, and I chased after him, calling out, "Brother Yu, don't make a move yet..."
As Xiang Yu walked, he said, "Didn't you want an electric bicycle? You don't need to buy one!"
I'm sweating profusely. What kind of bicycle do you think I need?
They hadn't gone far when they saw a large group of heroes surrounding Li Tianrun; they clearly recognized him. Lin Chong and Dai Zong stood beside Zhang Qing, obviously to prevent him from acting impulsively. The shepherd boy looked up at Zhang Qing and asked curiously, "Master, why does the flesh on your face tremble? Can you teach me?"
Lu Junyi stood at the front, constantly gesturing to stop anyone in the crowd who might try to rush out and challenge him. He looked at Li Tianrun and said, "Why do you dare to come alone?"
Surrounded by enemies, Li Tianrun remained calm and composed. He braced himself with one foot on the ground, placed his hands on the handlebars, and coldly sized up the heroes before finally saying, "I've come to issue a challenge."
Zhang Qing stepped forward and said sternly, "Give it to me, then offer your neck and die!"
Li Tianrun laughed and said, "You think you're worthy? Where's Xiao Qiang? Tell him to come out and see me."
I had just walked up when I heard him call my name, which startled me. I hadn't expected that I was involved, so I quickly stepped forward and asked, "Why did you call me?"
Li Tianrun turned around and was also taken aback when he saw me. He asked in confusion, "You're Xiao Qiang?"
I had a cigarette in my mouth, and while fumbling for a lighter, I realized I'd left it in the car. I picked up a still-burning cigarette butt, lit it, blew a smoke ring, and said, "That's me."
Li Tianrun was stunned. It took him a while to recover. He clasped his hands in a fist and said to me, "I misjudged you just now."
Dong Ping shouted, "Hey Li, enough with the nonsense. What are you here for?"
I glanced at the growing crowd and said to Li Tianrun, "It's not convenient here, let's talk in private."