Martial Arts Master

“Cheng?” Lou Cheng’s mother shouted, just as she opened the door.

Lou Cheng quickly put the mouse down and walked out. He said in a surprized and delighted tone, “You guys came back so early!”

“Early? Not really. If your father hadn’t been slacking off, I would be cooking already!” Lou Cheng’s mother replied while changing her shoes.

Lou Cheng’s father wore glasses with gold rims, had stubborn hair that refused to be straightened out, and a face that looked pale white after shaving. He smiled bitterly, “Your mother is always in a hurry. After getting up in the morning, she was anxious to come back before we even had breakfast. I said, ‘What’s the point? We haven’t eaten breakfast, and it’s not time to make lunch yet. Why the rush?’ ”

“Yes, you’re always right!” Lou Cheng’s mother shot a glare at him and said, “So you mean that I don’t need to go grocery shopping? Aren’t you worried about your son?”

“Cheng is an adult now. He has hands, feet, money and a cell phone. What’s there to be worried about?” Lou Cheng’s father changed into his slippers and slowly walked into the living room, his hands clutching his thermos.

He wore a black overcoat, stood about one meter seventy, and was slightly shorter than Lou Cheng. His figure was thin, and his face showed signs of adversity. He didn’t have many wrinkles, but his cheeks were already sagging slightly.

Seeing his parents squabble, like they always do, made Lou Cheng feel his heart reverberate with warmth. He chuckled, “I went out to exercise, and ate breakfast with Jiang Fei.”

“Exercise?” Lou Cheng’s mother glared at him and said in doubt. “Cheng, you used to sleep in until noon during the holiday, when have you changed?”

She wore a red, fitted, down jacket, and had even purposely coiled up her hair because she was attending a wedding. She had obvious crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes, and she had put on a little weight, but she looked to be in good spirits, and her complexion was fantastic.

“What’s wrong with exercise? Health is wealth!” As an intellectual, Lou Cheng’s father had always felt obliged to give his opinion.

“You talk too much! I’m speaking with my son!” Lou Cheng’s mother glared down at him once again.

Lou Cheng restrained his laughter and said, “Haven’t I told you? I joined the university’s martial arts club. I’m used to getting up early and doing exercise every day now.”

“Martial arts club? You shouldn’t fight with others and get yourself hurt,” Lou Cheng’s mother jawed. “Now I must go grocery shopping and prepare a delicious meal for you. You seem to have lost a lot of weight. Obviously, you didn’t eat well in the university.”

Lou Cheng replied at a loss, “Not true. I have actually gained almost fifteen pounds.”

“Look at your face, is there any sign of getting fat?” Lou Cheng’s mother asked in disbelief.

Knowing that actions speak louder than words, Lou Cheng took out the electronic scale, took off his coat and stood on it.

“Is this scale broken? Run out of power? How did you put on fifteen pounds?” looking at the number, Lou Cheng’s mother asked with surprize.

Lou Cheng laughed and pointed at his arm, “The added weight is in the muscles. Although I’m not fat, my muscles grow robust; this is due to the martial arts training. I can eat two-and-a-half times what a senior year in high school can. Mom, you’ll need to prepare more food later.”

He was light in weight before. But now, with his increased capacity for eating and strengthening his muscles, Lou Cheng was at the normal weight of a fighter. However, in Geezer Shi’s words, he should be heavier to have enough strength for fighting.

“Robust is good,” Lou Cheng’s mother said with a smile. “You can go to the marketplace with me tomorrow and pick stuff up for me. New Year’s is coming, we’ll hoard some food. Otherwise, it will be difficult to buy it during New Year’s time.”

Before Lou Cheng replied, she rushed into the kitchen, and took the draggable trolley, then changed her shoes, pulled open the door, and left.

Unscrewing the thermos cup, Lou Cheng’s father took a sip of strong tea and said while shaking his head, “Your mom has been an impetuous person all her life.”

“That’s OK,” Lou Cheng walked to the couch beside his father and sat down, “she always goes on about your stubborn temperament too.”

Putting the thermos cup on the tea table, Lou Cheng’s father sat down and asked, “How are you doing in school?”

He had already heard the answers from Lou Cheng’s mother about these questions, but felt he would seem indifferent if he didn’t even mention it.

Hearing his father’s words, Lou Cheng laughed and said, “I was wondering whether you would ask this cliché, and you finally asked!”

Lou Cheng’s father was stunned and suddenly sighed, “Cheng, you have become more cheerful after half a year in the university.”

“Dad, was I austere or introverted before?” Lou Cheng asked in doubt.

Lou Cheng’s father replied with a smile, “I don’t mean that you were austere before. I just think you’re more cheerful now. In the old days, you just answered the questions one by one. But now, look at you, you take the initiative.”

Lou Cheng’s father said humorously, like the actor’s lines in the short play.

Lou Cheng laughed and subconsciously replied, “It might be that there is a lot less pressure in school, and my roommates are all friendly and easy to get along with. So, I have become more cheerful.”

More accurately, it was that he had become more talkative. Thanks to Little Ming!

Practicing martial arts uplifted his spirit, chasing Yan Zheke exercised his speech, and squabbling with Little Ming improved his sense of humor. These were all indisputable facts; which to the others made him seem comfortable, leisurely, and dynamic.

The ancients often spoke about good teachers and helpful friends. And Lou Cheng’s change must be the result of good friends, and he would benefit from this throughout his whole lifetime.

As the saying goes, “The fox changes his skin but not his habits.” However, human nature became fixed through a slow process. Lou Cheng himself was just now shaping up and was still undergoing changes. Therefore, he would still be affected by his surroundings. It was lucky for him to have good friends, good masters, and to have met a nice girl. Of course, even though his nature had become fixed, he might change after going through misfortune or adversity.

“Umm, it’s good for you to be the way you are now.” Lou Cheng’s father nodded his head and said, “But you should still devote yourself to your studies even if there isn’t much pressure. The efforts you invest now will forge your ability in the future. The newly hired college students in our factory indeed know nothing… Don’t listen to the bullshit that you can just relax and have fun after entering the university. Or else, you’ll end up regretting it”

Before, Lou Cheng had always been impatient with these teachings. But now, not at all his usual self, he said, “That’s true. I have three roommates who are enthusiastic in school. Every time I see them, I feel meek and push myself to work harder.”

He found his father was gazing upon the Ningshui hard liquor, so he explained, “It’s the original-proof spirits that Wang Xu brought. He drank two cups himself.”

“Old Wang’s boy?” Lou Cheng’s father muttered. “Don’t get too close to him. It’s a pity that, because of his son, Old Wang has to suffer in his old age after a rough life.”

“Dad, I understand. I’ll avoid contact with these hoodlums.” Lou Cheng had come to his decision calmly through his chatting with Yan Zheke.

“It’s good for you to get to this point. You know, I made friends with several well-known bosses in Xiushan. Although they look polite and friendly and speak sensibly in business, they must have employees that would kill and fight for them. Otherwise, why would anyone be polite and friendly to them? Every boss just strives to get to the top, through killing and fighting. When they have no money and no relationships, they must be incredibly cruel to keep their people in check.”

Lou Cheng’s father couldn’t help but have these strong feelings. He had helplessly watched the transformation of young workers into hoodlums, some of which even got addicted to drugs and brought instability to the community.

Lou Cheng nodded his head and said, “Anyway, I don’t like to be exposed to these dark things.”

Wasn’t it much better for a man to live in the sunshine?

“I hope that Old Wang’s boy could have a change of heart in a few years,” Lou Cheng’s father sighed.

As one grows older, he shouldn’t dare to risk his life killing and fighting without a good reason. If he hasn’t yet ascended to a higher position, he should fade out from the game gradually. Of course, that’s assuming he hasn’t been involved in some serious crimes and is still alive at that time.

Lou Cheng was about to reply when his father added, “Do you still remember Old Han’s son?”

“Yeah, I remember. What happened to him?” Lou Cheng asked in surprise.

Old Han’s son was a legend of the community and the senior of Wang Xu and others. He was talented in martial arts and got close to the professional level. Leading a group of youth workers from the factory, he pioneered a world of his own among the gangs in Xiushan. But several years earlier, he killed three men fighting for a mine and the situation got violent. Displeasing so many people, he ran away and lay low for years.

Lou Cheng’s father sighed, “After hiding himself for several years, he thought his case was forgotten. So he came back alone in November but was blocked on the national highway. In the police’s words, he made a last-ditch fight and was shot on the spot.”

“Shot on the spot…” Lou Cheng gasped.

He used to listen to the kidnapping case from Cai Zongming, and he didn’t have any feelings when he heard the gangster was shot to death. But now it was different because the dead person was his acquaintance who lived next door. And he was just shot on the spot?

“I hope that Wang Xu could get away from this fate… ” He made a wish.

Instead of continuing this depressing topic, Lou Cheng’s father turned the TV on. As he watched, he talked with Lou Cheng about his life in the University until Lou Cheng’s mother got back from grocery shopping. Then he took a drink of strong tea and went into the kitchen to help with cleaning vegetables and cutting meat.

A few moments later, Lou Cheng smelled a pervasive fragrance coming from the quick-fried eel, which was his favorite. Unconsciously, he swallowed some saliva, feeling that he could eat an entire bowl of rice with just that smell.

His appetite was cultivated from childhood. No matter how delicious the food outside was, he would feel that it was no better than the food eaten at home. Surely, there must be some truth that his parents were skilled cooks, and not just cooking casually.

Lou Cheng made a clean sweep of the dishes on the eating table. His mother felt delighted that her cooking was appreciated and started to talk about family matters, like having the New Year’s banquet at Grandpa’s; how much lucky money to prepare for the younger kids; and the cousin who suffered setbacks managing the restaurant and went back to work.

While drinking original-proof spirits, Lou Cheng’s father once in a while interjected a remark.

Under the intimate atmosphere, Lou Cheng felt content about the food, from his stomach to his heart.

He decided that he would mention the martial arts practice and competition when he gave presents to his parents!

In the afternoon, he chatted with his mother for a while first, then he made an appointment with Cheng Qili and went out to buy presents.

…

“Cheng, I want to confess my love for the Monitor during this party,”

Cheng Qili dropped this bombshell message inside the water club as soon as they met each other, which left Lou Cheng in shock for a while.

“When did you fall in love with Qiu Hailin? I have never heard about it from you,” Lou Cheng asked crossly.