Translator: Transn Editor: Lucas
In the afternoon on the 20th, Lou Cheng and Yan Zheke went to Gao Fen East Station. They got on the bullet train back to Xiushan.
After having a leisurely date, they visited the animal park and closely observed postures such as “Huxing” (tiger form tactic) and “Houxing” (monkey form tactic). Furthermore, they also watched some panda cubs basking in the sun. They took some pictures of the memorable moments they had during this trip. That afternoon, they chose to stay at home after finishing their morning exercises instead of playing outside. Sometimes they kissed each other and sometimes they leaned against each other while watching TV programs on the iPad.
At that time, it was the third day for the delegation of Bruder to visit Gao Fen. Oblak was invited to participate in the activities held by martial arts fighters of Gao Fen and he was disappointed for failing to find a fighter with a superpower.
The bullet train went so fast through the mountains and across the fields. As Lou Cheng was sharing a funny post with Yan Zheke, he suddenly received a phone call from Wu Ting, a VIP student of the summer class who was still a freshman in high school. Her hair was always tied in a ponytail.
“Hello?” Lou Cheng answered the call, puzzled.
“Lou Sir, Lou Sir, when do you plan to come back to Xiushan?” Wu Ting asked in a happy tone.
“What’s up? I probably won’t do the part-time job in the martial arts club during this winter vacation.” Lou Cheng thought that she just wanted to continue martial arts training.
This did not mean that he did not want to make money. After he returned to school, except for the allowance from his parents, he had spent a lot of money but had made none. Even though he had gone on fewer dates with Yan Zheke, his expenses on other things increased a lot. For example, after studying for a period of time, Queen of Thought and her partners had made a prescription which could be used to help people master the inner practice of the “Swordsman” Formula. Geezer Shi then passed this prescription on to him. He also got a lot of other similar things from his master. Although the Ice God Sect would provide him some materials for practicing martial arts every month, he still needed to buy more by himself. Several months later, it cost Lou Cheng almost 80,000 Yuan to buy those extra materials.
He did not get his strength as strong as a Professional Sixth Pin without any effort!
Furthermore, Lou Cheng also spent a large amount of money on the date, on presents, and on the hotel booking, so his deposit now was less than 200,000 Yuan. Since he temporarily could not find any source of income, it was inevitable for him to think of a part-time job, such as teaching some students. However, the martial arts club would also be closed and had no winter classes during the Chinese New Year.
Hearing Lou Cheng’s reply, Wu Ting was disappointed, but still maintained a happy attitude. “If I’ve nothing to say, then I won’t be allowed to call you?”
“No, you won’t,” Lou Cheng said half-jokingly.
“... ” Wu Ting was speechless at that moment. She kept silent for 10 seconds, then laughed angrily. “I see that Lou Sir has a sharp tongue! I didn’t call to ask you for a favor. It’s my dad, he is looking for you.”
“Why is your dad looking for me?” Lou Cheng became more confused.
Wu Ting laughed happily. “My dad has a martial arts supply company. He would like to invite you to endorse some shoes to let that brand spread out from Xing Province and be popular across the country!”
“Endorse?” Lou Cheng was shocked.
At such a low level, I can endorse products?
Shouldn’t the Mighty Ones with Physical Invulnerability be the ones with these endorsement deals?
Sitting next to him, Yan Zheke was attracted by their conversation, so she turned her head and winked with confusion.
“My dad said your future is bright. Um, you will not only have a bright future but also a limitless future. You will certainly come to the peak of martial arts,” Wu Ting explained to him happily.
My Lou Sir is so amazing!
Lou Cheng replied consciously, “But what you said is all about the future; no one dares to promise you the future. If your dad chooses me to endorse the shoes now, he might end up losing money... ”
“No, he won’t. Lou Sir, you’re popular now. All of us have watched the match between you and Peng Leyun! My dad said that as a favored fighter of the age and a local fighter in Xing Province, you can help him expand the provincial market and even get a chance to develop the regional market.” Wu Ting added, “Anyway, you don’t need to do any other things. You don’t need to film an advertisement. All you need to do is to wear the specific martial arts shoes we made for you in every Challenge Tournament that you participate in.”
“Then they will be broken into fragments,” Lou Cheng said humorously.
Wu Ting again was speechless. She laughed and, after hearing what the people next to her told her, said, “What are you afraid of? Which martial arts shoe brand won’t be broken? As long as we design them to look cool and you wear them, some people, like me, who always follow the latest fashion, will buy shoes that you endorse if you can wear them for several matches.”
She bluntly deprecated herself.
“This news is too sudden. Right now, I’m so surprised that I don’t know how to respond. I’ll reply to you after I think about it carefully.” Lou Cheng did not impulsively accept her suggestion immediately.
Wu Ting laughed cutely. “My dad means that after you return to Xiushan, you can go to the company when you are free to talk about this with him face to face. If you think the conditions are good enough, they will measure you there immediately so that the workers can design the most suitable martial arts shoes for you.”
“OK, I’ll be back in Xiushan this afternoon. When will your dad be available at the company?” Lou Cheng decided to talk about the specific terms with her dad.
“Well, my dad will have a business trip tomorrow, but he is in the company today. So, how about you go to talk to him before 6 PM?” Wu Ting asked tentatively.
“OK, send me the address. I’ll tell you when I go out,” Lou Cheng said with discretion.
Wu Ting chuckled and said, “Yes, Sir!”
After he hung up the phone, he looked at Yan Zheke sitting next to him. She had already figured out what was going on, so he needed not explain. She pursed her lips and laughed. “You even got an endorsement contract now!”
“Holy high, my Cheng!”
“I still have no idea what the specific conditions are, but I’m guessing they won’t offer that much money.” Although Lou Cheng was very happy, he remained sober.
With his current strength and his present level, he could not get a very high-paying endorsement.
But it still could be considered as a complement to me, because I am unable to earn a stable income on my own .
Yan Zheke looked up and said with great concern,
“Even if those conditions were not bad, still you shouldn’t rush to sign the contract. First, you can take it back to a lawyer to have a look at it in case it’s a trap. While not many would dare to cheat you, there are still some people intending to mess you. They are like pieces of sh*t. Even though they are unable to set a trap for you, they can still disappoint you.”
“Sure, Coach Yan!” answered Lou Cheng gladly.
Yan Zheke pursed her lips and smiled. She suddenly sighed. “In the future, I will have no chance to buy martial arts shoes for you.”
“No, you can. I just have to wear them when I’m in a match. In my personal time, I’ll still think the shoes you bought for me are the best! I’ve only worn the first pair of shoes you gave me a few times, so they are still new.” Lou Cheng took the opportunity to flatter his girlfriend.
Yan Zheke smiled and looked out the window, wearing a slightly proud expression.
It only took about an hour to travel from Gao Fen to Xiushan by bullet train, so they quickly found some familiar scenery. Yan Zheke got a phone call from Empress Dowager.
The reason why they deliberately chose this bullet train was that its arrival time was exactly similar to the arrival time of one of the high-speed trains from Songcheng to Xiushan.
“Um, I’ll arrive in a minute!” Yan Zheke hung up the phone and saw Lou Cheng taking down their luggage. She looked at him gently and reached her hand out to help him tidy up his clothes.
Once they have arrived back in Xiushan, they would be very busy because of the New Year. In addition to the morning exercises, they might have fewer chances to meet each other...
After stepping off of the car, they reluctantly waved goodbye to each other in the arrival hall.
Lou Cheng walked out of the station carrying the luggage. After he replied to the girl’s message, he called his mom.
“Mom, I am home!”
Qi Fang seemed to be in a noisy environment, so she said loudly on the phone, “Your dad and I are busy with the renovation of the house, so we had no time to buy food. Go to the market and buy something that you like. I’ll make food for you when I get back home. Ah, the new year is coming. The decoration workers are absent-minded now for they are eager to return to their homes. So I have to supervise their work and urge them to finish working on the water and electricity before the spring festival.”
“That’s my mother! The moment I come back home, she begins to instruct me to complete so many tasks!” Lou Cheng found her funny but still agreed to do what she said.
After a long period of careful selection, Qi Fang finally chose a house of 130 square meters, which had three bedrooms, two living rooms, and two kitchens. This house also had two bonuses, which were the entrance and the terrace. It cost them more than 550,000 Yuan in total to buy this house, including the tax that they paid. Because they paid cash, Lou Cheng’s parents also spent all of their money except for the 400,000 Yuan that Lou Cheng had given to them. Only two months later, his parents had saved enough money to start the water and electricity renovations.
Because if it was not necessary, Qi Fang, who had suffered a lot because of borrowing money, did not want to try it again.
Lou Cheng got on a shaky bus and went back home. As he was walking toward his house, the uncles and aunts he encountered on the way warmly greeted him and said something like: “Oh, Cheng has become outstanding now”. They also praised him for the grateful heart that he held toward his parents and for the act of providing money to buy a house for his family.
Lou Cheng felt a little proud and excited while watching the envious and thoughtful neighbors. But he still had one idea in his mind, which was, “How many people did my mother tell that I gave her money to buy a house? How much did she show it off? How many people know about it?”
When he came near the doorway, he met another acquaintance, Wang Xu’s father.
“Hello, Uncle Wang.” Lou Cheng greeted him politely.
Wang Xu’s father walked with a slight stoop and his hair had become grey. He looked like a person of 60 or 70 years old. He then looked at Lou Cheng and laughed. “Cheng, have you come back from school? You are already so successful. Your father and mother will enjoy a happy life from now on.”
“Please don’t say that, Uncle Wang. You can only believe half of my mother’s words.” Lou Cheng ridiculed his mother.
“Even if the truth is half of whatever your mother has said, it’s already quite a feat.” Wang Xu’s dad sighed with emotion and walked out of the building. He turned to find the group of old men who were playing chess.
Lou Cheng turned around to watch him go away. Lou Cheng then sighed and had some mixed feelings in his heart.
If a person chooses the wrong way, it will hurt not only himself but also others.
This accident was not as serious as before. If I have some time, I’ll ask Uncle Xing for help and go visit Wang Xu in jail.. .
He recovered his thoughts and emotions. When he returned home, he put his backpack down, picked up a basket, and headed to the market.
The last time he went to the market alone was when he was in the fifth grade of primary school. That time, he went to the market not to buy food, but to look for his mother.
“Thinking about grocery shopping by myself, I’m suddenly a little nervous.” Lou Cheng smiled as he sent the message to Yan Zheke.
Yan Zheke sent a “half covering the mouth and whispering” emoji.
“I’ve never been to the market before... ”
“Then I’m better than you.” Lou Cheng sent an emoji “laughing with its hands at its sides”.
“Hmph, are you able to bargain?” Yan Zheke sent an “angry face” emoji.
“No, I’m not!”
“Are you able to tell the quality of meat?”
“Probably a little?”
“Can you tell if they injected water into the meat?”
“No, I can’t... ”
“Can you pick out good quality vegetables?”
“No, I can’t... ”
Her questions made Lou Cheng lack self-confidence. He found that his personality as the Champion of the Youth Tournament did not work in the market.
“Can you distinguish wild animals from domestic poultry?” Yan Zheke kept asking him.
Lou Cheng’s anger was mixed with amusement, so he sent her an emoji with words:
“Classmate, you’re killing our conversation!”
“Haha.” Yan Zheke sent a “laugh while thumping on the ground” emoji and said, “Go buy food now. I’ll wait for your messages!”
After entering the market, Lou Cheng bypassed various stains with his flexible footwork. He then casually stopped at a pork stall and asked the boss, who had a fat face, “How much are the ribs?”
Ah, tonight I want to eat some winter-melon pork rib soup!
Even though he bargained with the boss, the price was still the same. He looked at the boss, who was helping him chop the ribs, and asked, “Can I pay for this with my mobile phone?”
“Yes, please scan my QR code.” The boss pointed to a picture on the wall.
To pay by mobile phone was so convenient now. People did not have to bring any cash or change with them... Lou Cheng used the phone to sweep the code. After his phone identified the QR code, he suddenly found that the nickname of the boss was:
“The past has gone with the wind and only exists in dreams”.
“What a literary name that is!” Lou Cheng looked up at the fat boss with astonishment. Looking at the flashing, shiny oil on his face, he still could not believe he had such a literary name...
“Well, I paid.” Lou Cheng paid for the ribs.
The boss helped him pack the ribs and then wiped his hands. He then picked up the phone and checked it.
“Okay, I received the money.”
“He really has such a nickname...” The corners of Lou Cheng’s mouth twitched slightly and he put the ribs in the basket. He then went to another stall.
Later, he met a fishmonger called “Love You Forever” and a vegetable seller called “Abandoned Child”. He found that his worldview was refreshed, so he shared these humorous names with Yan Zheke.
At 15:30, he went out again after he brought the food back home. He took a taxi to the address that Wu Ting had sent him.