The weather was unusually clear today, with not a cloud in the sky. Old Zhang wheeled himself outside to bask in the sun.
The sweltering summer had long since passed. A cool autumn breeze blew by, making him feel a little drowsy.
He gave the burly Zhou Ning a sidelong glance and shook his head.
"You both grew up on Old Factory Street, but you're nowhere near as good as Xiao Qin."
Zhou Ning pouted and muttered,
"Old Qin was always studious and quick-witted, even as a kid. Because of him, I got yelled at and beaten up countless times. How could I ever measure up to him?"
Before Qin Shi failed to get into New No. 1 Middle School, he had been the quintessential "other people's kid."
Around Baogong Street, everyone attending the Cadre School had heard the same thing more often than anything else: "Look at how hard Xiao Shi works."
Old Zhang lifted his eyelids and glanced at Zhou Ning.
"Learning martial arts takes hard work. The prestige you enjoy in front of others is earned through hardship behind the scenes. You cried for your parents the first time you did Muscle Twisting and Back Stretching. How are you supposed to keep up?"
Zhou Ning grinned.
"I'm not competing in anything. I'll just take the Rank-Placement Exam, then go to college. My dad's already made arrangements. Once I graduate, I'll join the factory's security department and save myself twenty years of detours."
Old Zhang sighed. The kid really had no ambition.
For Xiao Qin's sake, he offered a few words of advice.
"Old Nine has you practicing Standing Post, stretching your major tendons, and loosening up your body. That's all basic training. New Martial Arts focuses on exerting force through the muscles, while Old Martial Arts emphasizes