Chapter 31 – Fatty Wants To Practice Martial Arts
Ever since, my relationship with Huang Shulang had been improving, and even Teacher Lin had begun to believe that we two were working hands in glove with each other. Consequently, Huang Shulang, who was sitting close to me, shifted away. Huang Shulang got the “fortune” to be seated next to Li Lijuan.
As a result, tragedy struck Huang Shulang just as the time for siesta came.
A rural primary school didn’t have a dormitory to enable children to take an afternoon nap. Consequently, during noon time, all of the students just lie down on their benches and tables. If one sits straight and puts his head down on the table to sleep, then after sleeping for a long time, the legs and feet would go numb. Therefore, of the two deskmates, one would sleep on the table, and one would sleep on the seat.
Huang Shulang’s body was so large, if he were to lay down on the bench, he wouldn’t be able to sleep, so he could only sleep on the table. Li Lijuan laid down on the bench. As a result, on the first day, Huang Shulang rolled down from the table and directly pressed down onto Li Lijuan.
Usually, girls mature earlier than boys, and become sensible quite early.
Li Lijuan pushed Huang Shulang down to the ground, and after that, used her leg to kick him incessantly while simultaneously cursing: “Rotten hoodlum, stinking scoundrel!”
Since the advent of TV dramas, girls have begun to mature much earlier. Huang Shulang was already muddleheaded from sleeping, and in addition to that… with a blank look on his face, he didn’t dare to retaliate, while Ma Jindong straightaway ran to call over Teacher Lin.
Although I, as a person, was sitting in the classroom, my mind was roaming beyond the ninth heaven. By the time I woke up, I was able to hear Huang Shulang’s loud scream. I, too, didn’t know whether or not this fellow, by accompanying his father as he butchered and ate leftovers from other house’s meat, managed to learn to scream like a pig so vividly and perfectly.
My relationship with Huang Shulang was already unlike that of the past. Hearing this fellow screaming, I naturally wouldn’t let things continue as they were. I quickly ran and pulled away classmate Li Lijuan: “Do you want to kick him to death, do you want a life sentence?”
“I’ll kick him to death, rotten scoundrel.” Li Lijuan still felt that she hadn’t vented enough.
“Huang Shulang, what did you do?” I asked.
“I also don’t know? I just now woke up, and I was already lying on the ground.” Huang Shulang was scowling miserably.
“Huang Shulang took advantage of me while I was sleeping, and pressed down on me. Rotten scoundrel!” Li Lijuan cursed while pointing at Huang Shulang.
“Ah!”
A section of the classroom cried out, it seemed that there were a lot of precocious children in the class.
Teacher Lin walked in, and after hearing of the matter, promptly said: “You all are still children. You musn’t learn from those people in the TV. Huang Shulang had fallen asleep, by no means did he intend to drop down. It was not deliberate. However, you must note one point for the future. Student Li Lijuan, beating up people is also wrong. In case if something like this happens in the future, you must hand over this matter to the teacher to deal with. Everyone move on and go to sleep. Nobody is allowed to make noise; otherwise, they would be detained after school to come clean up.”
Teacher Lin glanced at me, as if any matter that happened in the class must have some relation to me. Only this time, I was still forthright.
After school, Huang Shulang took my hand and said passionately: “Yang Yang, teach me martial arts, ok? I know that you are able to do martial arts. Even that person who had come down from the mountaintop was afraid of you.”
As soon as I heard of Huang Shulang wanting to learn martial arts, I couldn’t help but softly laugh: “You also want to learn martial arts, are you able to suffer hardships?”
I knew the Xing Yi Quan Five Fists, but looking at Huang Shulang’s figure and his perseverance, I was really suspecting whether he would be able to practice even the basic movements of any of them.
“I certainly can suffer hardships. From now on, I shall lie on firewood and taste gall. When I succeed in learning martial arts, the first order of business would be to settle accounts with Li Lijuan.” Huang Shulang was unusually resentful regarding this consummate beating of him by Li Lijuan. [TLNote: Lying on firewood and tasting gall is an idiom to signify one to be suffering patiently, but be firmly resolved on revenge]
It was rare to see such a firm and determined expression on Huang Shulang’s face, so I agreed.
“Then, first come practice the chopping fist. If you are able to practice the chopping fist nicely, there won’t be anyone in the class who would be able to beat you up.” I knew that Huang Shulang wouldn’t be able to persevere for a long time, so I just randomly picked a set of movements from the Xing Yi Quan Five Fists for Huang Shulang to learn.
Huang Shulang didn’t last for even five minutes before he began crying for his father and yelling for his mother: “Yang Yang, isn’t there anything that is a bit easier than this Chinese boxing? I have barely begun practicing boxing and you have already taken out such high level kung fu for me, how could I learn it? Isn’t there any martial art like the Star Sucking Great Skill from《Smiling, Proud Wanderer》?”
[TLNote: Star Sucking Great Skill is the martial art for which Ren Woxing is renowned for in “Smiling, Proud Wanderer” a famous Jin Yong novel. Also, the online nickname Ren (RWX) from Wuxiaworld is inspired from this character Ren Wo Xing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smiling,_Proud_Wanderer]
“There isn’t. I don’t know if Star Sucking Great Skill really exists or not, but I know only this one kung fu. If you like it, then learn; otherwise, don’t learn. In any case, you have thick skin; having Li Lijuan beat you up wouldn’t make you go short of fat.” I deliberately mentioned the most humiliating thing to Huang Shulang.
“I’ll learn it!” Huang Shulang said while biting his teeth.
This time, Huang Shulang persevered for more than half an hour. By the time when Teacher Lin returned home, Huang Shulang was already limply lying down on the floor.
“Huang Jingyang, did you play some trick on Huang Shulang?” Teacher Lin asked reproachfully.
I laughingly said: “This cannot be blamed on me. He, on his own accord, asked me to teach him martial arts. Teacher Lin you yourself have said, students amongst themselves should help each other. I have been very selflessly helping Huang Shulang. If you don’t believe, then ask him yourself.”
Even though Huang Shulang was very exhausted, he was still able to happily say: “I shall become a martial arts master. When I become a martial arts master, I shall beat Li Lijuan up till she calls out for her mom and dad.”
“You are a really shameless boy, that Li Lijuan’s house is already so poor, yet you still want to go bully her.” Teacher Lin immediately became partial towards Li Lijuan.
Huang Shulang wanted to cry, “There is really no justice, ah. Does it seem that the person who is bullying is me?”
Li Shaoqing, after suffering a big loss at my hands earlier, didn’t come to the village for a very long time. Liu Jinan actually came quite frequently, but he didn’t say much about archaeological matters.
However, one day, he inadvertently let slip that the Archaeology team had already made a breakthrough, making everyone strained as Jiu Kuai had found the accurate position of that cultivator from ancient times’ coffin.
Hong!
Several days later, a loud noise nearly turned over almost all of the tiles and bricks in the Ba Jiao Village, but even if it were so, there were many houses whose glasses were shattered.
“What is going on? Is it an earthquake?” Teacher Lin immediately rushed out from the room while pulling me.
“Look at that!” I said while pointing my finger at Ba Jiao Mountain’s main peak.
The only thing to be seen was a column of thick smoke rising from Ba Jiao Mountain’s main peak. It was clearly the source for that great explosion sound from just a moment ago.
“They are definitely using explosives to open up the ancient tomb.” Grandpa said.
However, exactly what was going on, nobody knew. Also, ever since that day, those few members of the archaeology team were not seen again. Even Liu Jinan, who would be frequently seen coming to Ba Jiao Village, also never appeared again.
Li Shaoqing had cultivation, yet he also didn’t appear.
What exactly had transpired within the tomb, no one had a clue.
Later, the villagers went up to have a look, and aside from discovering an unexpectedly large cave on the mountain top, they didn’t discover anything else. That large cave looked like a big open mouth, opening up wide like the mouth of a big man-eating monster, preparing to chomp down at any time. It seemed unusually terrifying.
Even though the villagers were anxious that this cave would turn into a source of disaster for Ba Jiao Village; due to the cave being really immense, there was no easy way for it to be plugged. There was no other option but to leave it as it was and come down. After returning to the village, all the villagers warned their children, that they mustn’t go to the Ba Jiao Mountain under any condition, and especially not to the main peak.
Chapter 31 – Fatty Wants To Practice Martial Arts
Ever since, my relationship with Huang Shulang had been improving, and even Teacher Lin had begun to believe that we two were working hands in glove with each other. Consequently, Huang Shulang, who was sitting close to me, shifted away. Huang Shulang got the “fortune” to be seated next to Li Lijuan.
As a result, tragedy struck Huang Shulang just as the time for siesta came.
A rural primary school didn’t have a dormitory to enable children to take an afternoon nap. Consequently, during noon time, all of the students just lie down on their benches and tables. If one sits straight and puts his head down on the table to sleep, then after sleeping for a long time, the legs and feet would go numb. Therefore, of the two deskmates, one would sleep on the table, and one would sleep on the seat.
Huang Shulang’s body was so large, if he were to lay down on the bench, he wouldn’t be able to sleep, so he could only sleep on the table. Li Lijuan laid down on the bench. As a result, on the first day, Huang Shulang rolled down from the table and directly pressed down onto Li Lijuan.
Usually, girls mature earlier than boys, and become sensible quite early.
Li Lijuan pushed Huang Shulang down to the ground, and after that, used her leg to kick him incessantly while simultaneously cursing: “Rotten hoodlum, stinking scoundrel!”
Since the advent of TV dramas, girls have begun to mature much earlier. Huang Shulang was already muddleheaded from sleeping, and in addition to that… with a blank look on his face, he didn’t dare to retaliate, while Ma Jindong straightaway ran to call over Teacher Lin.
Although I, as a person, was sitting in the classroom, my mind was roaming beyond the ninth heaven. By the time I woke up, I was able to hear Huang Shulang’s loud scream. I, too, didn’t know whether or not this fellow, by accompanying his father as he butchered and ate leftovers from other house’s meat, managed to learn to scream like a pig so vividly and perfectly.
My relationship with Huang Shulang was already unlike that of the past. Hearing this fellow screaming, I naturally wouldn’t let things continue as they were. I quickly ran and pulled away classmate Li Lijuan: “Do you want to kick him to death, do you want a life sentence?”
“I’ll kick him to death, rotten scoundrel.” Li Lijuan still felt that she hadn’t vented enough.
“Huang Shulang, what did you do?” I asked.
“I also don’t know? I just now woke up, and I was already lying on the ground.” Huang Shulang was scowling miserably.
“Huang Shulang took advantage of me while I was sleeping, and pressed down on me. Rotten scoundrel!” Li Lijuan cursed while pointing at Huang Shulang.
“Ah!”
A section of the classroom cried out, it seemed that there were a lot of precocious children in the class.
Teacher Lin walked in, and after hearing of the matter, promptly said: “You all are still children. You musn’t learn from those people in the TV. Huang Shulang had fallen asleep, by no means did he intend to drop down. It was not deliberate. However, you must note one point for the future. Student Li Lijuan, beating up people is also wrong. In case if something like this happens in the future, you must hand over this matter to the teacher to deal with. Everyone move on and go to sleep. Nobody is allowed to make noise; otherwise, they would be detained after school to come clean up.”
Teacher Lin glanced at me, as if any matter that happened in the class must have some relation to me. Only this time, I was still forthright.
After school, Huang Shulang took my hand and said passionately: “Yang Yang, teach me martial arts, ok? I know that you are able to do martial arts. Even that person who had come down from the mountaintop was afraid of you.”
As soon as I heard of Huang Shulang wanting to learn martial arts, I couldn’t help but softly laugh: “You also want to learn martial arts, are you able to suffer hardships?”
I knew the Xing Yi Quan Five Fists, but looking at Huang Shulang’s figure and his perseverance, I was really suspecting whether he would be able to practice even the basic movements of any of them.
“I certainly can suffer hardships. From now on, I shall lie on firewood and taste gall. When I succeed in learning martial arts, the first order of business would be to settle accounts with Li Lijuan.” Huang Shulang was unusually resentful regarding this consummate beating of him by Li Lijuan. [TLNote: Lying on firewood and tasting gall is an idiom to signify one to be suffering patiently, but be firmly resolved on revenge]
It was rare to see such a firm and determined expression on Huang Shulang’s face, so I agreed.
“Then, first come practice the chopping fist. If you are able to practice the chopping fist nicely, there won’t be anyone in the class who would be able to beat you up.” I knew that Huang Shulang wouldn’t be able to persevere for a long time, so I just randomly picked a set of movements from the Xing Yi Quan Five Fists for Huang Shulang to learn.
Huang Shulang didn’t last for even five minutes before he began crying for his father and yelling for his mother: “Yang Yang, isn’t there anything that is a bit easier than this Chinese boxing? I have barely begun practicing boxing and you have already taken out such high level kung fu for me, how could I learn it? Isn’t there any martial art like the Star Sucking Great Skill from《Smiling, Proud Wanderer》?”
[TLNote: Star Sucking Great Skill is the martial art for which Ren Woxing is renowned for in “Smiling, Proud Wanderer” a famous Jin Yong novel. Also, the online nickname Ren (RWX) from Wuxiaworld is inspired from this character Ren Wo Xing. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Smiling,_Proud_Wanderer]
“There isn’t. I don’t know if Star Sucking Great Skill really exists or not, but I know only this one kung fu. If you like it, then learn; otherwise, don’t learn. In any case, you have thick skin; having Li Lijuan beat you up wouldn’t make you go short of fat.” I deliberately mentioned the most humiliating thing to Huang Shulang.
“I’ll learn it!” Huang Shulang said while biting his teeth.
This time, Huang Shulang persevered for more than half an hour. By the time when Teacher Lin returned home, Huang Shulang was already limply lying down on the floor.
“Huang Jingyang, did you play some trick on Huang Shulang?” Teacher Lin asked reproachfully.
I laughingly said: “This cannot be blamed on me. He, on his own accord, asked me to teach him martial arts. Teacher Lin you yourself have said, students amongst themselves should help each other. I have been very selflessly helping Huang Shulang. If you don’t believe, then ask him yourself.”
Even though Huang Shulang was very exhausted, he was still able to happily say: “I shall become a martial arts master. When I become a martial arts master, I shall beat Li Lijuan up till she calls out for her mom and dad.”
“You are a really shameless boy, that Li Lijuan’s house is already so poor, yet you still want to go bully her.” Teacher Lin immediately became partial towards Li Lijuan.
Huang Shulang wanted to cry, “There is really no justice, ah. Does it seem that the person who is bullying is me?”
Li Shaoqing, after suffering a big loss at my hands earlier, didn’t come to the village for a very long time. Liu Jinan actually came quite frequently, but he didn’t say much about archaeological matters.
However, one day, he inadvertently let slip that the Archaeology team had already made a breakthrough, making everyone strained as Jiu Kuai had found the accurate position of that cultivator from ancient times’ coffin.
Hong!
Several days later, a loud noise nearly turned over almost all of the tiles and bricks in the Ba Jiao Village, but even if it were so, there were many houses whose glasses were shattered.
“What is going on? Is it an earthquake?” Teacher Lin immediately rushed out from the room while pulling me.
“Look at that!” I said while pointing my finger at Ba Jiao Mountain’s main peak.
The only thing to be seen was a column of thick smoke rising from Ba Jiao Mountain’s main peak. It was clearly the source for that great explosion sound from just a moment ago.
“They are definitely using explosives to open up the ancient tomb.” Grandpa said.
However, exactly what was going on, nobody knew. Also, ever since that day, those few members of the archaeology team were not seen again. Even Liu Jinan, who would be frequently seen coming to Ba Jiao Village, also never appeared again.
Li Shaoqing had cultivation, yet he also didn’t appear.
What exactly had transpired within the tomb, no one had a clue.
Later, the villagers went up to have a look, and aside from discovering an unexpectedly large cave on the mountain top, they didn’t discover anything else. That large cave looked like a big open mouth, opening up wide like the mouth of a big man-eating monster, preparing to chomp down at any time. It seemed unusually terrifying.
Even though the villagers were anxious that this cave would turn into a source of disaster for Ba Jiao Village; due to the cave being really immense, there was no easy way for it to be plugged. There was no other option but to leave it as it was and come down. After returning to the village, all the villagers warned their children, that they mustn’t go to the Ba Jiao Mountain under any condition, and especially not to the main peak.
