Chapter 27: Practicing Martial Arts

When Jiang Yiliu had just come near, Huo Wu had already noticed him. However, he had a habit of never stopping before finishing a complete set of his boxing routine. Even though the little brat’s gaze was scorching hot with curiosity, Huo Wu maintained his own pace and completed the whole routine.

This set of boxing moves lasted almost half an hour. By the time Huo Wu finished his last movement, a thin sheen of sweat had already formed across his entire body.

Jiang Yiliu very sensibly handed over the towel in his hand. “Uncle Da Wu, wipe your sweat first. It’s so cold today if you catch a chill, that wouldn’t be good.”

Huo Wu took the towel from him and quickly wiped off the sweat. Then he grabbed the clothes hanging on the drying line in the courtyard and pulled them on in just a few swift motions.

He still hadn’t spoken, wanting to see what this unusually attentive kid was scheming.

Yesterday, the boy hadn’t been this warm and helpful. He thought he hadn’t noticed but when they’d first met, this little brat’s eyes had been full of scrutiny and calculation. From what he’d observed, the other members of the Jiang family didn’t have this kind of mindset. Who knew how such a clever and shrewd boy had come from such an honest household.

“Uncle Da Wu, what kind of martial art were you practicing just now?” Jiang Yiliu trailed after Huo Wu like a little tail, pretending to ask casually.

Huo Wu immediately understood he wanted to learn martial arts. His gaze swept over Jiang Yiliu, then revealed a trace of disappointment.

Too frail. It was only early autumn, and he was already bundled up like a ball clearly showing that his constitution was weak and prone to cold. Look at those skinny arms, barely thicker than a reed, delicate skin and tender flesh, this kind of physique couldn’t possibly handle his boxing style.

Jiang Yiliu didn’t notice the flash of disappointment in Huo Wu’s eyes. He kept probing, “Uncle Da Wu, can I learn that boxing routine from you?” His bright little eyes were full of hope.

He wasn’t expecting to become as formidable as Huo Wu. As long as he could train his body and build up his strength, that would be enough. Jiang Yiliu looked bitterly at his own small body wrapped up so tightly. As someone with great ambitions, he couldn’t allow himself to be held back by a frail body. Besides, knowing martial arts was an advantage. When he set out into the world in the future, if he ran into trouble, at least he’d have some means to defend himself.

Huo Wu didn’t give a direct answer. He simply gave him a deep look and turned to leave.

Just when Jiang Yiliu thought this was a rejection, Huo Wu’s voice came from ahead. “Tomorrow morning at five, get up and come running with me. If you can keep it up for two months, I’ll teach you the boxing.”

In Huo Wu’s view, while this kid was steadier than most children his age, after all, he was still treated like a little treasure by the Jiang family. With such a demand, the boy probably wouldn’t last even a few days. In this way, it was basically a roundabout way of turning him down.

He and Uncle Ruan still had to stay in Qingshan Village for a while. The Jiang family’s attitude was especially important. He didn’t want to cause any tension over such a trivial matter.

“What do you think of that boy?”

Huo Wu stepped into the house where they were living. Ruan Yuanjiang and Bai Fangqiu were standing by the little window, watching the scene in the yard. When they saw Huo Wu come in, they smiled and asked.

Huo Wu shook his head. “His body’s no good. I’m afraid it’s just a child’s momentary enthusiasm. He won’t last more than a few days.”

It wasn’t that Huo Wu looked down on him. His standards were simply too high. A five-year-old child’s inertia would always outweigh his self-discipline. Even the soldiers under Huo Wu’s command had struggled to endure his training methods. He didn’t believe that little brat could persist.

“How about I make a bet with you?” Bai Fangqiu smiled as he took off his glasses and carefully wiped the lenses, which were fogging up a little. In this small village, getting new glasses was impossible, so he had to take extra care with them.

Huo Wu felt a bit curious, could it be that Uncle Bai thought the kid could really last?

“What are you betting?” Huo Wu probed. He knew Uncle Bai was good at reading people, but everyone could be wrong once in a while.

“I’ll bet those packs of cigarettes in your kit.” Bai Fangqiu grinned like an old fox who’d become a spirit. Don’t think you’d hidden them well, when Huo Wu was rummaging through his things last night, the corner of the pack had peeked out, and the old man had seen it clear as day.

Huo Wu hurried over to the kang and opened his bundle. Seeing his precious cigarettes intact, he let out a sigh of relief and snapped, “Uncle Bai, didn’t you say yourself last night that smoking’s bad for you? And now you’ve set your sights on my cigarettes again?”

Huo Wu wasn’t addicted to smoking. He just liked having one when he was feeling irritated. Nowadays, you needed ration coupons to buy cigarettes. These few packs had been gifts from his old soldiers before he left, all scraped together bit by bit.

Bai Fangqiu chuckled. “This old man has no other hobbies, just likes a few puffs. At my age, who knows when I’ll kick the bucket? Naturally, I should enjoy what I can while I can.”

The local tobacco here in the countryside was too harsh. Just yesterday, he’d smelled it at Grandpa Jiang’s place and found it unbearable. But the cigarettes in Huo Wu’s bundle were different. From his years of experience smoking, he could tell they weren’t the usual Zhanzhengpai or Daqianmen brands. They were Peony cigarettes, special supplies reserved for municipal and provincial leaders. Soft and mellow, perfect for an old man like him.

Who knew where he’d gotten such good stuff?

Bai Fangqiu squinted, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes bunching up, and looked at Huo Wu with a sly expression. “What, are you afraid to bet with this old man?”

Huo Wu knew perfectly well this was reverse psychology, but he couldn’t stand the way Uncle Bai said it. He looked down at his cigarettes, wavering.

Seeing he was tempted, the old man fanned the flames. “I saw you have four packs, right? I won’t be greedy, let’s bet just two packs. If I lose, I’ll give you my treasured liquor coupons. Next time Dahai goes to the county, he’ll bring back some wine for you. Think about it, liquor’s no worse than cigarettes. And even if you lose, you’ll still have two packs left. Plus, you’ll have gained a fine student. If a child that young has that kind of determination, his future achievements might not be any less than yours.”

Liquor! Huo Wu’s resolve was loosening further. Cigarettes, he could take or leave. But liquor, liquor was something else entirely. As long as it was strong enough, he didn’t care about the quality. Huo Wu thought the bet seemed all in his favor. He looked at the old man, gritted his teeth, and agreed.

Ruan Yuanjiang, who had been watching quietly, grinned and joined in. “Da Wu, you still have two packs left. Why don’t you bet those with me too?”

The look on his face seemed to say Huo Wu was doomed to lose.

What, did Uncle Ruan also think that brat could stick it out? Huo Wu glanced at the two old men who were clearly confident in their judgment and silently vowed, he absolutely wouldn’t make it easy for that little rascal. He didn’t believe he’d really persevere.

Ruan Yuanjiang and Bai Fangqiu exchanged a knowing smile, one only the two of them understood.

Back in the house, Jiang Yiliu sneezed. He wondered if he was about to catch a cold again and quickly added another layer of clothing.

Early in the morning, after finishing breakfast, everyone hurried to the brigade office to assemble. Every day, there were assigned tasks, because different jobs earned different work points. The brigade’s accountant would record each person’s work and how many points it earned, then tally everything when it was time to distribute grain and money.

Ever since Jiang Cheng had a grandson, he insisted on going to the brigade every day to do some light chores. He didn’t earn many work points, but at least he could save up a bit to leave something for his grandson.

Ruan Yuanjiang and the others also had to go to the brigade office. Captain Mo had said last night that today he would introduce them to the villagers and explain their identities, so they walked together with the Jiang family in that direction.

Ruan Ruan was still small, and these matters had nothing to do with her. They left her at the Jiang house, where Grandma Miao stayed behind. With Sini and Jiang Yiliu, two children about her age, keeping her company, the adults felt perfectly at ease.

Grandma Miao’s attitude was completely different from the night before. If last night she’d looked at Ruan Yuanjiang and the others with a touch of reluctance, then today her face was lit up with a bright smile, as if she wished they would stay in the Jiang house forever.

Jiang Yiliu knew perfectly well why. To make Grandma show that expression, those few must have given her quite a few benefits last night, probably grain coupons or cloth coupons. With their backgrounds, they certainly didn’t lack those things. A lean camel was still bigger than a horse. Anyone capable of getting their place of re-education reassigned to this village had surely done a lot of preparation before coming.

When Grandpa Jiang led them to the brigade office, most of the villagers had already arrived. Hearing footsteps, everyone turned their heads in unison to look at Ruan Yuanjiang’s group. Seeing that it was just two old men and a strong young fellow, they all looked a little disappointed.

These days, every village had its share of re-educated laborers labeled as “reactionaries,” as well as plenty of educated youths sent down from the cities. Neither group was known for being good workers. The first type was a little better, after all, with a criminal label, they were at least motivated to work harder so their lives wouldn’t be too miserable.

But the second type, those delicate city kids, were truly hopeless. Doing any manual labor was like sentencing them to death. All day long, they only knew how to loaf around. Whenever they had the chance, they’d run to the county seat to pull strings and try to get out of this godforsaken place. If that failed, they’d look for ways to transfer to a wealthier production brigade. In any case, they just refused to stay in Qingshan Village.

A handful of sensible ones couldn’t change the villagers’ overall impression of the educated youths.

Since that very first group of educated youths, Qingshan Village had received several more batches. By now, there were thirteen of them in total, scattered among the small teams. Every day, the other team members had to pick up their slack, and the villagers had long since built up a lot of resentment.

Originally, people thought that this time, having a few re-educated “reactionaries” would be better, they wouldn’t have to look after a bunch of pampered babies. But now, it looked like while there were no children to fuss over, they’d gotten two old ancestors instead. Apart from the younger man who looked like he could work, the other two already had one foot in the coffin. What could they possibly do?

The villagers all sighed.

Seeing the villagers’ expressions, Captain Mo knew they’d definitely misunderstood. He quickly explained the distribution plan that he and the other cadres had worked out the night before. As soon as everyone heard it, their looks toward Ruan Yuanjiang and the others immediately changed.

A doctor, a strong laborer, and someone who had volunteered to take on the filthiest, hardest job of managing the livestock pen, where could you ever find such good fortune? The villagers’ faces turned much friendlier, and even when Captain Mo proposed letting them draw some grain in advance, not a single person objected.

“Pick a few people to help repair the livestock shed roof and build a kitchen. It’ll count for twelve points. Anyone interested, go sign up with Accountant Cheng. For these days, they’ll stay and eat at Uncle Jiang’s house. Once the livestock shed is ready, they’ll move over.”

Captain Mo briefly explained why Ruan Yuanjiang’s group would be living with the Jiang family, then moved on to the routine task assignments.

“Just look at your father,”

In a corner, Fan Xiaojuan tugged resentfully at her husband’s sleeve.

“He’s got all this food but would rather feed a few reactionaries than help us out.”

In the past few years, she had aged a lot. Without the support of the old couple from the Jiang family, she and Jiang Dachuan had no choice but to earn work points themselves in the fields. Her skin had long since lost its former smoothness.

Back when they argued with the old couple and severed ties, the house quickly ran out of grain. Fan Xiaojuan had no choice but to swallow her pride and go back to her parents’ home, trying to reclaim the grain she’d sent over the years. Out of several hundred jin, she’d only managed to get a few dozen back. Even so, whenever she went back, her eldest sister-in-law would still use this to stab at her, always looking at her with disdain.

Fan Xiaojuan didn’t resent her own family. Instead, she directed all her bitterness toward the Jiang family, and it only grew deeper and deeper.

After listening to his wife, Jiang Dachuan’s gloomy gaze swept over Ruan Yuanjiang and the others in the distance. He didn’t say a word.

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Chapter 27: Practicing Martial Arts