Chapter 239 Practicing Martial Arts at Crowing Time
When the first rooster crows.
Zhao Sanniu and Zhao Sidan got out of bed.
Zhao Dashan groggily opened his eyes and came out: "What are you two doing up so early? Be careful not to wake Zhuzhu."
"Big brother, we're moving very quietly," Zhao Sidan said stealthily. "Today is our first day practicing with Master. We agreed to arrive at cockcrow. Third brother, wait for me!"
The two walked into the courtyard, where Cheng Wanwan was already waiting.
She's someone who likes to sleep in late, so this was the first time she'd gotten up and dressed before the rooster crowed.
She handed them the gifts, saying, "It's your first day learning kung fu, so it should be a little special. These are gifts your mother prepared for you."
Zhao Sanniu and Zhao Sidan took the items; they were two wooden swords.
She originally wanted to buy an antique-style iron sword, but since the two boys were beginners, she was worried they might hurt themselves, so she bought a wooden sword instead.
Zhao Sidan and Zhao Sanniu were overjoyed. They held the sword and looked at it for a while before hurrying off to find He Xiao.
It was the middle of the night, and a crescent moon hung in the sky, dotted with stars, so it wasn't too dark.
He Xiao was already standing in the courtyard. He wasn't using a cane; he stood like a pine tree.
"Master!"
Zhao Sanniu and Zhao Sidan clasped their hands together and respectfully greeted him.
He Xiao nodded. The first day had arrived at the crack of dawn, which meant that the two children really wanted to learn martial arts.
He began, "On your first formal martial arts training day, I've prepared a gift for you both..."
He had only spoken halfway when he noticed that Zhao Sanniu and Zhao Sidan had swords clipped to their belts. He asked slowly, "What are these?"
Zhao Sidan immediately drew out the wooden sword: "Master, this is the sword that my mother just gave to my third brother and me. Although this sword is made of wood, the blade is very sharp, and there is a tiger carved on the hilt. It looks very majestic!"
Zhao Sanniu also boasted, "The scabbard is engraved with many intricate patterns, including auspicious clouds and waves, it's very imposing..."
He Xiao took the sword.
As soon as he held it in his hand, he felt that it was different from others. This wooden sword was very heavy and was made of excellent wood. From the hilt to the blade, it was exceptionally smooth, and there was not a single burr to be found.
Most importantly, the scabbard and the blade are decorated with intricate patterns and carvings, which cannot be completed in just over ten days, nor can they be carved by an ordinary carpenter.
These two swords are far superior to the wooden swords he carved himself.
His gift for meeting the person suddenly seemed rather inadequate.
Zhao Sidan asked curiously, "Master, didn't you say you prepared a gift for us?"
He Xiao had one hand behind his back, holding two wooden swords in his hand.
He took a step back and said calmly, "The gift is inside the house. Please wait a moment."
He quickly turned around and went into the inner room.
Zhao Sidan asked excitedly, "Third Brother, what do you think Master will give us?"
Zhao Sanniu shook his head: "Anything is fine with me, I'll like it."
A moment later, He Xiao came out with two cups of tea: "This is tea that I specially brewed for you, called 'Calming and Tranquilizing Tea'."
I can't offer the wooden sword anymore, so I'll just use two cups of tea to fool them for now.
In the future...
Forget it, there's no future for him anyway. He's just a down-on-his-luck martial artist, with no chance of future glory.
Zhao Sanniu and Zhao Sidan gulped down their tea. The strong tea instantly sobered them up, even though they were still a little sleepy.
"First, run," He Xiao said calmly. "Run three laps around Dahe Village and then come back for the second."
The two nodded and started running without saying a word.
Running is a way to build willpower and also a warm-up. After warming up, you should do a horse stance.
Zhao Sanniu and Zhao Sidan had been practicing horse stance at home every day before. Zhao Sanniu would squat in horse stance to chop wood, while Zhao Sidan would squat in horse stance to read books. This was not a difficult task for the two of them.
After the horse stance was completed, a faint white light appeared on the horizon.
It's already the hour of Yin (3-5 AM). In another half an hour, it will be dawn.
Just then, the village patrol arrived.
Since the two members of the Zhao family were disciples of the sect, they needed to come here to practice at the crack of dawn. As for the other people in the village, they were not even considered outer disciples to He Xiao, so there was no requirement for them. He only suggested that they come here to practice for one hour every day at the third quarter of the morning.
The village patrol members needed to do farm work, some also had to help Cheng Wanwan's family, or carry heavy loads in town. After their morning martial arts practice, the new day would officially begin, and nothing would be delayed. Most importantly, learning martial arts didn't cost any money. For the poor villagers, learning martial arts for free was a huge advantage. Not taking advantage of such a bargain would be foolish. Even some kids who liked to fight mingled in the crowd and started learning in a rather convincing manner.
The morning practice ended just as the sun was about to rise.
Zhao Sanniu and Zhao Sidan returned home drenched in sweat, completely exhausted, wishing they could just lie in bed and die.
"Go take a shower first, then come and eat something," Cheng Wanwan said to the two of them. "If you feel too tired, you can give up now. I support whatever decision you make."
Zhao Sanniu jumped up like a calf: "Mom, I'm not tired, not at all. I can still work after I finish eating!"
Zhao Sidan quickly got up too: "I'll go to school after I've eaten my fill."
Cheng Wanwan chuckled: "You guys didn't like to sleep at noon before, but starting today, you'll sleep for half an hour every day at noon to replenish your energy."
The two nodded immediately.
For breakfast, we had wild vegetable and egg pancakes, made by mixing wild vegetables and flour together and sandwiching a fried egg in the middle.
Chunhua was in charge of preparing all three meals a day, with Cao Yingying assisting. Wen Shi was mainly responsible for preparing postpartum meals, while Wu Huiniang's meals were prepared separately each day.
Ms. Wen was making rice wine and egg custard to promote lactation.
She took out an egg, and when she looked up, she saw that Chunhua had taken more than a dozen eggs, and then cracked them all into a large porcelain bowl.
On her first day, Ms. Wen was taken aback by the extravagant spending, but after three days, she had gotten used to it.
Each person gets an egg in the morning; this is standard practice in my sister-in-law's family.
At noon, each person had a bowl of dry rice, white rice. A family in the village had given her ten catties of rice before, and she thought her sister-in-law would take it to exchange for money, but unexpectedly, she just kept it at home to eat.
In the evening, the dishes are usually plentiful. Vegetables are the most basic, and eggs are never lacking. If the family runs a braised food business, there is no shortage of meat.
She stayed at her sister-in-law's house for three days and ate her fill at every meal, feeling like she had gained several pounds.
Even if her sister-in-law doesn't give her money, she still makes a profit.
She finally understood why the third son's wife was so desperate to come and work at her sister-in-law's house.
Wen worked even harder.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
