Rest Day, Fireworks

The next day happened to be a day off from the academy.

Chen Mo packed up early and returned to Qinghe Town.

When he reached the door, before he even entered the courtyard, he heard Chen Huan reciting her lessons inside.

"Heaven and earth are dark and yellow; the universe is vast and primordial..."

Her voice was crisp and clear.

Halfway through, she suddenly got stuck.

"Heav—"

The room fell quiet for a while.

Then Chen Huan shouted:

"Brother!"

Chen Mo had just pushed the door open.

"What is it?"

"Come here."

"What now?"

"I can't memorize it."

Chen Mo set his things aside.

"What can't you memorize?"

Chen Huan pushed the book toward him.

"Teacher told me to memorize this."

Chen Mo glanced at it.

"But haven't you already memorized it?"

"I forgot just now."

"Recite it again."

"I forget whenever I get nervous."

Chen Mo sat down beside her.

"Do you know what it means?"

Chen Huan shook her head.

"No."

"Then that's the problem."

"What is?"

"If you don't even know what it means, how can you remember it?"

Chen Huan tilted her head.

"Then you know?"

"Of course."

"Tell me."

Chen Mo looked at the book and thought seriously for a moment.

"It means..."

He paused.

"Heaven is heaven, and earth is earth."

Chen Huan glared at him.

"Did you really need to tell me that?"

"There's more."

Chen Mo continued:

"Basically, heaven and earth are vast, and there are lots of things in them."

Chen Huan listened for a while.

"That's all?"

"More or less."

"Brother, did you not learn it either?"

Chen Mo's face stiffened.

"I'm teaching you to understand it."

"Liar."

"Why would I lie to you?"

"You stopped just now."

"That was called thinking."

Chen Huan snorted.

"I think you simply don't know it."

Chen Mo reached out and tapped her on the head.

"Enough nonsense. Recite it again."

"Don't tap me."

"Then recite it."

Chen Huan looked back at the book.

"Heaven and earth are dark and yellow; the universe is vast and primordial..."

This time, she got through it much more smoothly.

After finishing, she looked at Chen Mo smugly.

"How was that?"

"Not bad."

"What do you mean, 'not bad'?"

"Better than before."

"Then that means I'm amazing."

"Did you decide that yourself?"

"Yes."

His mother, Liu-shi, came in from outside just in time to hear that.

"Showing off again?"

Chen Huan immediately said:

"Mother, I recited it!"

"So impressive?"

"Mm!"

"When your teacher comes back to ask you, don't forget it again."

Chen Huan immediately stopped smiling.

Chen Mo said from the side:

"If she forgets, just teach her again."

"Brother, help me."

"Fine."

Only then did Chen Huan relax.

After lunch, Chen Mo helped the family gather firewood.

Bamboo strips lay drying in the courtyard while his mother wove a basket.

His father, Chen Shan, did not return until the afternoon.

He had a small bundle of firewood slung over his shoulder.

Chen Mo took it from him.

"You went again today?"

"I just walked around nearby."

Chen Shan sat down and moved his legs a little.

"I didn't go far."

Chen Mo looked at his legs.

"Do they hurt?"

"A little."

"Then why did you go?"

Chen Shan laughed.

"What else could I do?"

"Earning a little less would be fine."

"Does the family eat for free?"

"..."

Chen Mo was left speechless.

Liu-shi laughed beside them.

"Your father simply can't sit still."

Chen Shan waved a hand.

"The villages nearby haven't been peaceful lately either."

Chen Mo looked up.

"What happened?"

"The livestock were bitten by something again."

"Where?"

"To the south."

Chen Shan said:

"I heard two sheep disappeared, and at another house, something slashed a line across a cow's leg."

Chen Huan asked from the side:

"Was it a wolf?"

Chen Shan shook his head.

"Who knows?"

"Did they catch it?"

"No."

"What did the county say?"

"What else could they say?"

Chen Shan lifted his tea bowl.

"There have been more creatures in the mountains lately. They've been coming out."

Liu-shi sighed.

"The town posted another notice a few days ago."

"Telling everyone not to go into the mountains so much."

Chen Shan nodded.

"That's why I didn't go farther in."

Chen Mo said:

"Don't go too far in the future."

"I know."

"What if you really run into something?"

Chen Shan glared at him.

"Run."

Chen Mo froze.

"That decisive?"

"What else can I do if I don't run?"

Chen Shan broke into laughter.

"Your father isn't an idiot."

Chen Huan said from the side:

"Brother, did you hear that?"

"I heard."

"Even Father knows to run."

Chen Shan laughed and scolded her:

"You little girl."

The family exchanged a few jokes, and the atmosphere soon lightened again.

At dinner, Chen Shan suddenly brought up the academy.

"Aren't you about to have your Quarterly Assessment?"

"Mm."

"Are you confident?"

Chen Mo nodded.

"Top ten shouldn't be a problem."

"What about first place?"

Chen Huan immediately perked up.

"Yeah, can big brother take first?"

Chen Mo glanced at her.

"First place is worth fighting for."

"Then can you win it?"

"Of course."

Chen Shan smiled.

"Having ambition is a good thing."

But Liu-shi placed a piece of food into Chen Mo's bowl with her chopsticks.

"Don't think only about rankings. You still have to eat."

"I know."

"And don't practice until midnight every day."

"I won't."

Chen Huan said softly,

"Big brother practiced boxing after he came back yesterday."

Chen Mo looked at her.

"How did you know?"

"I saw you."

"You weren't asleep?"

"I got up to drink water."

"Then hurry up and eat."

"Oh."

The family continued eating.

They only talked about trivial household matters.

Whether there was enough firewood.

How long their grain would last.

When Chen Huan's private school tuition had to be paid.

How much dry rations Chen Shan should bring the next time he went into the mountains.

There was nothing important.

After dinner, Mother cleared the dishes, while Chen Huan returned to her room to recite her lessons.

Chen Mo walked into the courtyard alone.

The night wind carried a slight chill.

The old tree's branches and leaves swayed gently.

He stood in the courtyard for a while.

The things that had happened at the martial arts hall these past few days kept flashing through his mind.

Zhao Ming had spoken of taking on official work in the future.

Zhao Chuan had been shouting every day about the Quarterly Assessment.

Zhou Ye kept watch over everyone's punch counts.

Wang Lie was thinking of finding someone to spar with.

And there were those senior disciples who had returned from outside.

They carried injuries, yet scarcely mentioned what had happened on this trip.

Chen Mo thought for a while, but still could not make sense of it.

He raised his head.

The mountain range to the west was nothing more than a blurry black shadow in the night.

It was far away.

Nothing could be seen.

Chen Mo stood there for a moment.

Then he slowly let out a breath.

"I hope the family stays safe and sound."

With that, he turned and went back inside.

Early the next morning, he returned to Blue Martial Arts Hall.

The moment he entered, Zhao Chuan rushed over.

"Chen Mo!"

"What?"

"Didn't you practice yesterday?"

"I did."

"How much?"

"I didn't count."

Zhao Chuan immediately grinned.

"Then you definitely did less than me."

Zhou Ye passed by nearby.

"He practiced yesterday."

Zhao Chuan froze.

"How do you know?"

"I saw him."

"How do you know everything?"

"Because you two talk about it every day."

Zhao Ming laughed from behind them.

"Stop arguing."

"The Quarterly Assessment is only a few days away. None of you should even think about slacking off."

Zhao Chuan nodded.

"Then shall we compete today?"

"Compete in what?"

"Punch counts."

Zhou Ye said,

"The loser buys steamed buns?"

"Right!"

Zhao Ming became interested too.

"Count me in."

Zhao Chuan's eyes widened at once.

"You too?"

"What, I can't?"

"You can!"

Wang Lie walked past the wooden posts.

Zhao Ming called out to him.

"Wang Lie, are you joining?"

Wang Lie stopped.

"I am."

Zhao Chuan immediately sensed trouble.

"The three of you together?"

Wang Lie nodded.

"Mm."

Zhao Chuan swallowed.

"Then forget it."

"Hahahaha!"

The training ground immediately erupted in laughter.

Zhao Chuan's face turned red from being laughed at.

"I'm not in good condition today!"

Even Chen Mo could not help laughing.

"Weren't you at ninety punches yesterday?"

"My hand hurts today."

"You were just saying you wanted to compete."

"This is a strategic adjustment."

"Fine."

Chen Mo nodded.

"Keep adjusting, then."

"..."

Laughing and joking, they walked over to the wooden posts.

Not far away, several senior disciples emerged from the inner courtyard, their expressions still quieter than usual.

But the youths of the outer courtyard had already begun practicing their fists again.

"Begin!"

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

The sounds of fists rang out one after another.

The Quarterly Assessment was right at hand.

Some watched the rankings, some watched the medicinal powder, and some wondered whether they could take on official work in the future.

Chen Mo stood before a wooden post and raised a hand to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

Then he settled back into his stance.

Seventy-Three Forms Basic Fist.

The first punch fell.

Across the training ground, the youths' voices rose and fell.

Just as always.