Martial Arts Master

“Yeah, I mentioned it to you earlier, remember?” Lou Deguang glared at Erzi.

“That was too long ago for me to remember…” The poor guy patted his forehead and said in a tone of frustration.

When Lou Deguang introduced his relatives to him, he didn’t listen carefully and thus forgot the names.

After pausing for several seconds, Erzi asked, “When did fourth grandpa’s family leave?”

“Didn’t I tell you? They left a long time ago!” Lou Deguang got a little angry and began smoking a pipe fiercely.

While Lou Zhilin, Ezri’s father, was looking at him in confusion, Erzi paced back and forth and then said, “Grandpa, give me fourth grandpa’s phone number and I’ll call him to give my regards and offer an apology.”

Lou Deguang was satisfied with his grandson’s attitude and smiled again.

“That’s more like it! Well, his phone number is…”

He was happy to see Erzi starting off on the right foot with his relatives.

After writing down the number, Erzi called it immediately. After a while, he heard an old man answering in confusion,

“Hello?”

“Hello, Fourth Grandpa, this is Erzi.” He smiled and introduced himself first so that the old man wouldn’t regard him as a swindler.

“Erzi? Are you home? Why are you calling me?” Lou Debang felt so happy and excited, though he was still slightly confused.

Erzi said respectfully, “I was too busy to come home on time. So I’m calling to apologize.”

“You needn’t apologize to me. Business is more important.” Lou Debang was overwhelmed by his unexpected courtesy.

“I remember I was in my teens when I met you for the first time. After that, I never had the opportunity to meet you again, and I have always regretted that. Fourth grandpa, how about I visit you during the New Year’s festival? Will you welcome me?” Erzi said as if he had known Lou Debang for a long time.

“Okay! Just come here whenever you want!” Lou Debang replied with great joy.

After chatting for a while, Erzi wished the old man good health and ended the call. Seeing the satisfaction in his grandpa’s eyes, he turned to look at his father and said, “Dad, let’s visit fourth grandpa’s home during the New Year’s festival.”

We can’t change our attitude overnight and become too enthusiastic towards them. Visiting them as relatives is the best way! 

Lou Debang’s grandson, Lou Cheng, was a 19-year-old fighter of Six Pin Dan stage and could be regarded as a local hero. Not to mention the two giant forces that were supporting him, the Ice God Sect and the Wuyue Club.

“What?” Lou Zhilin was stunned.

He did not know why his son’s attitude had changed so quickly and immensely as if he had been bewitched!

…

In Lou Zhiqiang’s living room, Lou Debang put down the cell phone, feeling satisfied with being respected by his relatives. The wrinkles in his face smoothed as he smiled happily.

“Erzi’s good, Erzi’s good. He respects us old guys,” he murmured and began to talk about Erzi with Lou Cheng’s parents.

Even now, Lou Cheng, who was sitting in the living room, had not heard Erzi’s name. Smiling as if he recalled something, he continued chatting with his little fairy through his cellphone.

“I’ve finished eating. Now you can send me the photos of the tofu feast!” Yan Zheke said with a “sitting in a cute manner” emoji.

Her family had dinner a little late today since some relatives were visiting them.

“Okay.” Lou Cheng sent all the dishes made of tofu to her, like tofu ball, crab tofu, tofu and pork, etc.

“Are these all made of tofu? So rich in variety! They all look delicious.” Yan Zheke sent a drooling emoji.

Lou Cheng snickered. “But my favorite tofu was absent.”

“You Lothario!” Yan Zheke sent an angry emoji.

“What are you thinking about… I was talking about the crunchy tofu that absorbs soup. It’s usually served with shredded radish, vinegar and soy sauce, and you’ll never forget its taste once you take a bite of it… tut-tut, am I really such a Lothario? What was going through your mind just now?” Lou Cheng sent an emoji of “pushing up sunglasses”.

“… I, I won’t talk to you anymore…!” Yan Zheke replied without an emoji.

Feeling it hard to keep a serious face in front of the elders after seeing Zheke’s reply, Lou Cheng stood up and went to the balcony, where Ma Xi, his youthful cousin, was enjoying the view of the city at night.

“Xiushan has been developing so fast.” Lou Cheng took a glance out of the window and saw many estates, skyscrapers, and the lights of every family.

“I envy you so much…” Ma Xi sighed to herself, and Lou Cheng could sense the sadness in her tone.

“Why do you feel depressed about everything from such a young age?” Lou Cheng pretended to chide the girl, smiling.

Ma Xi was amused by him. “Brother, didn’t you go through adolescence? Don’t you know that teens at my age are often sentimental?”

“I wasn’t so rebellious or sullen and downtrodden during that period…” Lou Cheng was speechless.

He had been studying hard in junior and senior high, which resulted in his good grades. In his leisure time, he liked reading and playing games instead of hanging out with his few friends, who were all nice guys and did not like fooling around all day either. So Lou Cheng was never a rebellious or sullen and downtrodden boy.

As for his unrequited love towards Yan Zheke, he had never expected that it would one day come true and just regarded it as a nice dream.

“… Are you a robot?” Ma Xi did not know what to say and thus changed the topic. “Brother, I moved to the school dormitory.”

“School dormitory?” Lou Cheng asked in surprise.

“Yeah, I felt unhappy at home since Dad and Mom both favor Ma Jiale. In school, they would call me occasionally, which was better than how things are now,” Ma Xi said like an adult, still looking out of the window.

“Not bad. Remember the saying? The closer you…” Lou Cheng wanted to show he was knowledgeable but forgot the sentence.

“The closer you are to someone, the more you’ll dislike them. It doesn’t suit my situation!” Ma Xi laughed. “Brother, have you started forgetting what you’ve learned in school?”

“Well, in spite of the professional knowledge, I’ve actually gained most of my comprehensive knowledge in the last year of senior high.” Lou Cheng felt embarrassed.

Seeing his sister finally straighten out her thinking, Lou Cheng sighed with relief.

~

Several days passed and Lou Cheng again began training alone. Both Yan Zheke’s father and mother, his future parents-in-law, came back home on furlough, and Zheke was now in her grandpa’s home in Zhengque County with them. They would stay there until the third day after New Year’s Eve.

Lou Cheng felt a little depressed about it since he had expected Zheke’s parents to invite her grandparents and other relatives to Xiushan for the long holidays. Now he had to be separated from Zheke for several days.

The first day after the New Year’s Eve, February 2nd, was Lou Cheng’s 20th birthday!

However, his depression did not last for too long since he received a call from Old Shi and was ordered to go to Wu Yue and light incense in front of the memorial tablet of the founder of his sect. He would do this for the first time as a formal disciple of the sect on the first day after New Year’s Eve to show its importance.

Both Zheke and him were busy these days, and he could do nothing but accept that fact.

After spending several days in his grandparents’, Lou Cheng came back home before New Year’s Eve. On the last morning of the lunar year, he was still doing exercises in the chilling wind, feeling that he had broken through the bottleneck of a weak Six Pin and was now an authentic six-pin fighter.

This time last year, he was still a greenhorn fighting for the rank of Professional Ninth Pin.

After morning exercise, he went out jogging but suddenly came to a stop. There was a pretty girl in a white coat sitting in the park bench, smiling at him.

Lou Cheng blinked to make sure it was not a dream, and then shouted excitedly,

“Ke?”

Isn’t she suppose to be in Zhengque County?

Yan Zheke stood up and turned her head in another direction.

“I forgot to give it to you.”

“What?” Lou Cheng said as he rushed to her side.

“Well, your birthday gift. A custom wallet.” Yan Zheke handed him a blue wallet while trying to feign a casual manner.

Feeling too happy to hide his smile, Lou Cheng grasped her hand as he received the wallet, feeling Ke’s hand that had become cold because of the winter wind. “You coming here is the best gift for me.”

Dis-gus-ting… Yan Zheke turned her gaze sideways while complaining with joy in her mind. “Your old wallet has been offending my eyes for a long time!”

She was hiding her true thoughts with such an excuse.

Driving the hot current within his body to warm her hands up, Lou Cheng sat down again with her and began reminiscing.

“I felt so excited when you called me on my birthday last year and sang a birthday song to me. I even wanted to shout on my aunt’s balcony!”

“Hm, did you know how much courage it took me to call you? You dared to force me to sing that song!” Yan Zheke complained with joy in her eyes.

“Well, you gave me an inch and naturally I wanted to take a yard.” Lou Cheng slipped his arm around the girl’s waist and gave her a kiss while there was no one around.

After whispering sweet nothings to one another, Yan Zheke suddenly realized how late it was.

“I must go back home. I just told them that I was going out to buy something. They wouldn’t think I dared travel to Xiushan!”

She took the earliest train here and had to get back before lunch.

“Er…” Lou Cheng came up with a good idea. “Let me send you back to Zhengque.”

“Okay.” Yan Zheke nodded in joy without hesitation.

~

On New Year’s Eve, Lou Cheng, who had just finished traveling back from Zhengque County, was enjoying a happy time at his grandpa’s. Every once in a while, he would put his hand inside his pocket to touch the new wallet.

Lou Cheng had made some big achievements, and Lou Yuanwei had not caused trouble. Therefore, the Lou family, satisfied with this year, was cheerfully waiting for the new year.

When 12 o’clock was approaching, Lou Cheng received someone’s call as he was about to go to the balcony.

It was the little fairy’s call.

“What a coincident. I was about to call you,” Lou Cheng said with excitement as he leaned against the balcony wall.

“I wouldn’t have called you if it wasn’t your birthday.” Yan Zheke sent a proud emoji. “Let me say happy birthday to you and then I can go to bed!”

“Anyway, I feel surprised and happy. ” Lou Cheng smiled to show his excitement.

“Haha.” Yan Zheke laughed.

They did not chat for long since firecrackers started exploding violently outside, preventing them from hearing each other. Just like the previous year, they stopped talking so they could use their keen ears and listen to the sound of each other breathing, which kept echoing in their minds

When the noise winded down, Lou Cheng said calmly and gently,

“Happy new year.”

“Happy new year~ and happy birthday~”

“Happy birthday to you, too.”

“Haha, my birthday?”

“It’s my birthday, but naturally you feel happy, too.”

“Okay, okay.”

“Could you sing a song to me again?”

“Which song do you want? Birthday song?”

“Sing I’ll Marry You Tomorrow. ”

“No way!”

“Please.”

“…Just one sentence, one!”

…

The new year arrived with fireworks filling the sky brilliantly and magnificently.