Tai Chi Hoe???

After eating, Lin Yuan bought ten jin of raw beef at the market, along with two fruit gift packs and a case of herbal tea drinks, then drove back.

But he did not head straight home. He first made a trip to Second Uncle's house.

He had promised yesterday that he would visit, so he could not go back on his word.

Besides, since he was home, he ought to visit relatives and keep up appearances.

When he arrived at Second Uncle's house, he gave them a bag of fruit and a case of drinks, calling over his younger cousins to have some.

Second Uncle had a son and a daughter. His daughter had married into the neighboring village, while his son was still working out of town.

After staying at Second Uncle's for a while and eating several bowls of Rice-wrapped Meatballs, he went to Uncle's house and gave them a bag of fruit as well.

Compared with Second Uncle, he was less close with Uncle's family, so after exchanging a few words, he went home.

In the courtyard, Li Xiuqing was spreading peanuts out to dry in the open space.

Seeing Lin Yuan come back carrying a large black bag, she asked, "What's in that bag?"

"Ten jin of beef."

Li Xiuqing's eyes widened. "Why did you buy so much beef?"

"To eat, of course."

"Can you even eat that much?"

"Anyway, don't worry about it. For the next three months, whatever you see me doing, don't make a fuss."

"Fine, fine. Make your own decisions. How do you want this beef cooked?"

Grinning, Lin Yuan stepped forward, took the rake from Li Xiuqing's hands, and said ingratiatingly, "Just braise it. Five-spice flavor."

"Also, I can eat a lot now, and I get hungry fast. You saw it last night—I cleaned out all that food. From now on, make enough for five people, and add more meat."

"Son, are you sick?" Li Xiuqing suddenly asked. "I heard before that there's a kind of illness where people are always hungry, just like you. Should you go to the hospital and get checked?"

"It's nothing like that. My usual energy expenditure has just increased."

Seeing the concern on his mom's face, Lin Yuan could only say, "Mom, I won't hide it from you. For these three months, I'll be doing Martial Arts Practice at home."

Since he would not be able to keep practicing martial arts at home without his mom knowing, he might as well come clean.

"Martial arts?" Hearing that, the worry on Li Xiuqing's face deepened. "Son, are you really not sick?"

Just now, she had thought there might be something physically wrong with her son. But now, she suddenly wondered whether he had developed a mental problem.

Lin Yuan had expected this, so he did not waste words.

He walked straight over to the Chestnut Tree in the courtyard and struck it with his palm.

The Chestnut Tree, as thick as a thigh, shook uncontrollably as though it had been struck by tremendous force. Ripe chestnuts rained down from above, yet not a single one hit him.

Then, Lin Yuan began practicing Tai Chi beneath the tree.

This time, he did not follow the usual form. Instead, he made every move as forceful as possible. Every punch and kick carried the sound of rushing wind.

Li Xiuqing stood nearby, utterly dumbfounded. She could hardly believe that the person before her was her own son.

A few minutes later, Lin Yuan stopped.

"Do you still think I'm sick now?"

Li Xiuqing was silent for a while. Though she still did not understand why her son wanted to practice martial arts, she said nothing more.

As long as he did not have some kind of delusion, she could accept it. She would let him do as he pleased. It was only three months, after all—she could consider it a way for him to strengthen his body.

She did not dwell on the matter any longer. Instead, she said, "Come to the fields with me this afternoon and turn over the soil."

That afternoon, at around four o'clock, Lin Yuan took the farm tools and followed his mom to their family's fields.

When the family had split up, his dad had received two and a half mu of land. Later, one and a half mu had been taken back, leaving them with one mu.

Do not underestimate one mu of land. It was nearly 666 square meters. Their family usually grew vegetables, peanuts, and the like on it.

Nearly half a mu was planted with peanuts. The rest held some vegetables, while part of it was left empty.

The peanuts in the field had been harvested last month. They had been planted in spring. Now they had to turn over the soil and plant the autumn peanuts.

Lin Yuan picked up the hoe, but instead of immediately starting to till the soil, he began swinging it.

A hoe could barely be considered a weapon. During peasant uprisings in ancient times, farmers often used the things as weapons.

However, the hoe's design itself meant that its moves were more rigid and far less flexible than those of conventional weapons.

It was not that Lin Yuan had never considered learning a weapon style. But after thinking it over, he decided to wait until he had mastered all five Tai Chi forms before doing so.

Weapons were extensions of one's fists and legs. If he trained his fists well, it would naturally help him learn weapons later on.

No matter what kind of weapon it was—swordsmanship, spear techniques, saber techniques... in the end, it all came down to achieving unity between person and weapon, making the weapon in one's hand as connected and responsive as one's own limbs, striking wherever one pointed.

Still, what boy did not love wielding sabers and spears?

Though he only held a hoe, Lin Yuan was still brimming with excitement as he swung it through the field with imposing force.

And it actually looked rather impressive. The hoe whistled through the air, appearing even more intimidating than bare fists and feet.

"Ha! Behold the might of my Tai Chi Hoe!" Lin Yuan could not help shouting in a chuunibyou manner when he got carried away.

In truth, many weapon combat arts had evolved from fist techniques. Tai Chi Sword, Tai Chi Spear, Eight Trigrams Saber, and the like had all originated from fist techniques before developing into forms suited to their respective weapons.

This perfectly proved the saying that weapons were extensions of fists and legs.

Seeing her son fooling around instead of doing proper work, Li Xiuqing immediately said, "Stop playing around and hurry up and turn over the field. It'll be dark soon."

"This lady warrior, I see that your bones are extraordinary. You are a natural talent for martial arts. I have newly comprehended an unparalleled art—Tai Chi Hoe. Are you willing to study under me? Once you master it, plowing a thousand mu a day will be nothing."

Li Xiuqing was both annoyed and amused. "Great Hero Lin, I think you're just itching for a beating."

"Oh? Does this lady warrior wish to exchange pointers with me?"

"You're still not going to turn over the field?" With that, Li Xiuqing rolled up her sleeves, pulled a stern face, and walked toward Lin Yuan.

Seeing this, Lin Yuan immediately stopped and hurriedly scampered into the peanut field.

"This lady warrior truly has excellent skills. Before you even arrived, your move had already landed. I surrender!"

"Never serious." Li Xiuqing smiled faintly.

At first, when she saw her son come back, she had been somewhat worried. But now, she felt that living like this was not bad at all.

She did not ask for him to become rich and powerful. As long as he was happy and healthy, that was enough. Children and grandchildren had their own blessings.

In the peanut field, Lin Yuan began swinging his hoe and turning over the soil.

Before long, evening arrived.

The sun hung low in the west, staining the sky with a hazy red. Evening clouds curled between the clouds, and the rosy glow blanketed the whole land. Lin Yuan wiped the sweat from his forehead, leaned on the hoe with one hand, and looked at the results of nearly two hours of work.

Half a mu of land had already been completely turned over. The speed truly astonished his mom, who was picking vegetables nearby.

She had planned to spend several days turning over the field, but she had never expected her son to finish it already.

Lin Yuan glanced at his mom and smiled. "So, has my Tai Chi Hoe caught this lady warrior's eye?"

Li Xiuqing now understood one benefit of practicing martial arts: it made plowing fields faster.

"Alright, let's go home."

"You go back first. I'll practice some boxing here in the field for a while. When dinner's ready, just call toward this side. Oh, and make more meat. Martial arts practice burns a lot of energy. I can't hold up without eating more meat."

Hearing that, Li Xiuqing carried a bucket of freshly picked vegetables home by herself.

After she left, Lin Yuan began practicing Tai Chi in the field.

As long as life continued, martial arts practice would not stop.

Soon, the sky had completely darkened.

Only when he heard his mom calling for him from the direction of home did he return.