The next day, Jiang Yilu's biological clock woke him up at dawn. He rubbed his eyes and tiptoed out of bed. When he felt the cold air, he shuddered and couldn't be more awake.
He quickly put on his clothes, lay down on the kang, reached out and grabbed a pair of half-worn rubber shoes from the ground, tied the laces tightly and stomped his feet. The shoes were still a little big. Jiang Yilu thought about it and stuffed a piece of cloth into one end. Now they finally fit his feet. Satisfied, he walked out of the house.
"Guangpiao, Tiezhu, why are you two here so early?"
As soon as Jiang Yilu opened the curtain, he saw two people sitting in the main room. Their parents were also there. When they saw him come out, they all turned their heads.
"Xiaobao——"
Guangpiao and Tiezhu came running over howling like ghosts and wolves, hugging Jiang Yilu and crying loudly. Jiang Yilu was tightly entangled by the two men and before he could think clearly, he was entangled so hard that he couldn't breathe.
"Xiaobao, I'm glad you're okay. I will listen to you in the future and never run around again." Guangpiao sobbed like a wronged young wife and spoke.
"And it's all my fault. I forgot that you went up the mountain to find Guangpiao. I'm just too stupid." The fat boy Tiezhu pursed his lips, looking guilty, his brows almost wrinkled into an embarrassed look.
Jiang Yilu smiled awkwardly. Actually, he had done something wrong in that matter as well. However, since the two younger ones were willing to admit their mistakes, it would be better for him not to refuse. He would let them learn their lesson and be more cautious in doing things in the future.
Tiezhu is a timid person, so he is not worried that anything will happen to him. It's just that Guangpiao is a little too brave. After this lesson, even if he can't completely change his bad habits, he can be a little more honest for a while.
"Aunt Miao, these are the biscuits my husband sent from the army. They're for Xiaobao to sweeten his mouth." Tiezhu's mother took out a tin can, which was the size of a palm. There were two little dolls painted on it. It looked very high-end.
“This is what Jianjun sent to Tiezhu. We don’t have the nerve to accept it.” Old Mrs. Miao refused at first, but Tiezhu’s mother insisted that she accept it.
"It's getting late, I'll go back first. Tiezhu can stay and talk to Xiaobao." Tiezhu's mother put the biscuit jar on the table and turned away in a hurry.
"That's right, Aunt Miao, we two are going back too. Guangpiao will be left here. The two children have already had breakfast, so you don't have to worry about them." Jiang Dashan also put down a bag of things and hurried away with his wife.
Before Old Lady Miao could finish her words, the person ran away.
"These two things are really confusing." Old Mrs. Miao was puzzled by their strange behavior. Seeing the two things on the table, she thought she should take them into the house and hide them to prevent them from being taken away by the cat.
"Xiaobao, then you play with the two children in the yard for a while. Your Uncle Dawu will be here soon." After giving some instructions, Old Mrs. Miao took the things and went back into the house.
Jiang Yilu looked outside the house and felt that something was strange today. It was still dark, so why did these two families come to his house? Moreover, canned biscuits were high-end goods these days, so how could Tiezhu's grandmother be willing to send such things to his house? You know, Grandma Gao was just like his grandmother, both of them were stingy.
And Uncle Dashan, the look in his eyes just now was weird.
Jiang Yilu was doing the normal washing and brushing teeth after getting up every day while observing the expressions of his two friends.
"Xiaobao, what are you doing?" Guangpiao looked at the toothbrush in his hand and the white foam in his mouth curiously.
Nowadays, toothpaste and toothbrushes are already popular, but people in Qingshan Village are still accustomed to using the most primitive tea. They drink a sip of strong tea every day when they wake up, chew the tea leaves in their mouths, and then spit them out. This is the most economical way to brush your teeth.
There are several brands of toothpaste in the supply and marketing cooperative in the county town. The most famous one is the China brand toothpaste. Unfortunately, those toothpastes and toothbrushes can only be purchased with industrial coupons. Villagers have no way to get such coupons in those days, so naturally the matter came to nothing.
The tube of toothpaste was sent to the Jiang family by Jiang Dazhen, along with a few toothbrushes. However, the Jiang family was used to the old-fashioned way of brushing their teeth. To them, toothpaste, although rare, tasted strange and was troublesome to use. After only trying it once or twice, they threw it away.
At Jiang Yiliu's strong request, several sisters started to use toothpaste to brush their teeth every morning and evening. Every once in a while, Jiang Yiliu would remove the iron sheet at the bottom of the toothpaste and pour some toothpaste that tasted similar to this toothpaste into it to slow down the consumption of the toothpaste. Even so, the tube of toothpaste was now only a flat tube, and he was still thinking about how to buy another tube of toothpaste.
Jiang Yilu spat out the white foam in his mouth, picked up the enamel cup beside him and rinsed his mouth: "This is toothpaste, use it to brush your teeth and they will be clean." After that, he wiped his face with a towel and asked Guangpiao, who was holding the toothpaste with a curious look on his face, directly: "What on earth are you two doing here so early this morning?"
Guangpiao touched his big bald head and smiled a little embarrassedly. The usually carefree man became like a shy young wife, hesitating and not speaking.
Jiang Yilu's face was filled with black lines, and he became more and more curious about the purpose of their trip.
"Actually, Uncle Dashan admires Uncle Dawu's skills. He knows that you are practicing martial arts with Uncle Dawu every day, so he wants Guangpiao to practice with you. When my grandma heard this, she was also a little moved. You know, my grandma has always hoped that I can join the army like my dad and bring honor to the Gao family."
Tiezhu puffed out his chest, the fat on his face swayed, and he spoke with a longing look on his face.
"That's right." With Tiezhu speaking up, Guangpiao was no longer so shy: "Now it's all over the village. People say that it's because you learned martial arts from Uncle Dawu that you were able to kill a wild boar with your bare hands. Everyone says that Uncle Dawu is the peerless master in the storybook. If you become his apprentice, you won't be afraid of having no meat to eat in the future."
Jiang Yilu patted his head speechlessly. He finally realized the power of this rumor.
"Didn't Uncle Dashan and Grandpa tell you how the little wild boar died? Why do you believe those rumors? Look at my small body, do I look like I can kill a wild boar with my bare hands?"
Jiang Yilu said helplessly, looking at his fist which was not much bigger than a duck egg, and was somewhat curious about the source of the rumor.
"Who knows? Anyway, everyone said so when they talked about it last night." Guangpiao chuckled and said, "I want to be a soldier in the future. My dad said that Uncle Dawu is a sharpshooter. It's always a good idea to learn something from him."
When Guangpiao talked about his dreams, the expression on his face became much more serious and no longer so playful.
Jiang Yiliu could see his seriousness and was silent for a while: "Wait until Uncle Dawu comes, I will ask for you. As for whether he will accept it or not, that is not certain."
Jiang Yilu's promise made Guangpiao jump for joy. Tiezhu followed suit, and seeing everyone so happy, he also started laughing happily.
"When we grow up in the future, we will sign up when the county comes to recruit soldiers. We want to be good brothers for life." Guangpiao patted his chest and said to Tiezhu and Jiang Yilu.
"I will be the battalion commander, Xiaobao will be the staff officer, and as for Tiezhu..." Guangpiao looked at his chubby figure and paused for a second: "You will be the cook, and the three of us brothers will still be together."
"Hello, cook. My dad said that the food for cooks in the army is very good. I want to be a cook." Tiezhu swallowed and thought about the delicious wild boar meat he had eaten last night. It is said that if you become a cook, you can have meat to eat every day.
Jiang Yilu smiled. They were still children, so who could predict what would happen in the future?
"What are you doing--" When Jiang Yilu was thinking about what to say, Huo Wu walked into the yard with two sandbags in his hands.
As soon as Guangpiao and Tiezhu saw Huo Wu appear, their eyes lit up. Their eager look was no less than the enthusiasm of some modern little girls when they see their idols.
Jiang Yilu thought about his current image in the villagers' minds. As a man who killed a nest of wild boars alone, Uncle Dawu's image was probably even more powerful. He wondered if he was rumored to be a hero who could fly over eaves and walls and was omnipotent.
"Uncle Dawu, Guangpiao and Tiezhu also want to learn martial arts with you." Jiang Yilu saw Guangpiao winking at him, curled the corners of his mouth and said to Huo Wu.
Huo Wu frowned and looked at the two children standing next to Jiang Yilu. One was as thin as a bamboo pole, and the other was as fat as a pig. No matter how you look at it, they are less suitable for martial arts than Xiaobao before.
"Guangpiao is Grandpa Tang's grandson and Uncle Dashan's son. Tiezhu's father is a soldier and was sent to the Tibetan area last year." Jiang Yi stayed beside him and reminded him in a low voice.
Huo Wu frowned even more tightly, and glanced at Jiang Yiliu's small body. This kid was still scheming, afraid that he would not accept those two guys.
"I have requirements for accepting disciples. If you want to learn martial arts from me, you must complete the tasks I set. This applies not only to you two, but also to Xiaobao."
Huo Wu had a serious look on his face. Guangpiao and Tiezhu couldn't help but get nervous when they saw his expression.
"If Xiaobao can do it, we can do it too." Guangpiao gritted his teeth, raised his head and said firmly to Huo Wu.
Tiezhu looked at Guangpiao, then at Jiang Yilu, and he also mustered up his courage and shouted, "We can do it!" After shouting this, his anger was punctured and he became listless.
Huo Wu raised his eyebrows. This Qingshan Village was really a strange place. In the past, when he was in the army, the new recruits who had just entered the barracks were scared like quails and trembled. But since coming here, Xiaobao was not afraid of him. Not only did these two children dare to talk back in front of him, which was already very remarkable.
He didn't know how long he would have to stay in this small mountain village. Maybe he would have to stay here for the rest of his life. He couldn't let his master's martial arts be lost in his hands.
"Okay, starting today, you will follow Xiaobao and run around the village. After running two laps, rest for half an hour and then do horse stance. Xiaobao, you are responsible for watching these two children, and you are not allowed to let them go."
Huo Wu said to Jiang Yilu, "Tie these two sandbags around your ankles and start practicing weighted running today, two laps as usual." After that, he handed the sandbag in his hand to Jiang Yilu, looked deeply at the children, his serious expression changed, and he left with a smile.
"What do you mean? Uncle Dawu agreed." Guangpiao poked Jiang Yilu's back and asked in a low voice as he looked at Huo Wu's receding back.
Jiang Yilu nodded, and Guangpiao and Tiezhu immediately cheered, "Let's run!" and ran out cheering.
Jiang Yilu shook his head, tied the sandbag slowly, felt the heavy footsteps, slowly maintained the frequency, and ran in the direction the two people left.
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