Under the fist

Chapter 63 Everything is settled, life choices
It was late at night when we finished the meal.

At the dinner table, Zhao Lanxiang asked a lot about her son's various experiences in the forest farm. With Zhao Xiaozhi adding fuel to the fire, she almost praised Lian Youming to the skies.

This person was not only a good dancer, but also a smooth talker. When he found out that Zhao Lanxiang was a veteran of the cultural troupe, he became even closer to her, calling her "Auntie" this and "Auntie" that. He managed to coax Lian Youming's mother so much that she was completely bewildered and couldn't stop laughing.

Lian Youming muttered to himself, "I've never seen the other person so talkative when we were at the forest farm. How come he's become such a different person as soon as we returned to the city?"

Although they were sent to the countryside in the same place, one was huddled in the group of female educated youth and the other huddled in the group of male educated youth, so they had very few interactions.

They're really not strangers at all.

However, Zhao Xiaozhi did him a great favor today and they became friends.

And after chatting for a while, it turned out that this girl was indeed a military family member. Her father was from a military unit. The reason she went to the Northeast to work in the countryside was simply to experience the old path that her predecessors had taken.

With his aunt occasionally letting out a few exclamations of surprise, and Lian Shuang and Lian Lei joining in the fun, he didn't have a chance to speak at all.

"They really hid it well."

Indeed, it is profound. The children of military families who can silently hide among a group of educated youth, willingly endure the same hardships and toil, without anyone knowing, often have such awareness cultivated by their parents from a young age.

At this time,

"Sister-in-law, my brother said he won't be back tonight, and told you not to wait for him."

In the alley, someone rode by on a bicycle in a hurry, and shouted into the courtyard as they went.

Upon hearing that his father wouldn't be coming home that night, and seeing the women chatting animatedly, Lian Youming wisely returned to his room.

After lying in bed for a while, he took out the things he had brought back from Northeast China one by one.

Tiger bone, pearls, two large yellow croakers, a few silver dollars, the novel Journey to the West, and the Buddhist scripture containing the "Twelve Gates Golden Bell Cover" technique...

Lian Youming carefully checked everything, and finally his gaze fell on a jade box.

This is what Xie Laosan gave him before he died.

There were originally two maps inside: one was a map of the Kwantung Army's underground fortress, which Lian Youming had already given to Li Da; the other was a leather map.

He carefully took out the map and looked at Changbai Mountain on it. According to Li Da, there was a large tomb deep in the mountains, and it seemed that something extraordinary was buried inside.

"A large tomb?"

When Lian Youming thought of the tomb, he naturally thought of the dark room in the forest farm.

To this day, the secret that the old man guarding the mountain has become a knot in his heart. Who is the person Yang Shuang mentioned who is buried in the ground and is still alive?
There's also the ancient poem on the stone carving in the dark room, and whether Mount Lu holds any hidden meaning.
Who was the person killed in the stone coffin?

What are Xue Hen and Gong Wuer searching for?
What are those demons of the White Lotus Sect always pursuing?
I have a headache.

Lian Youming couldn't help but think about it.

Because his dream of wandering the martial arts world began there, and it was also the place where the story first started.

All of this, tracing back to its source, must return to that place, to the secret that the old man guarding the mountain was keeping.

Lian Youming's eyes flickered, and he carefully put everything away again. "It's alright, everything will be revealed."

……

The next day, it was dawn.

A cold wind blew overnight, and a layer of frost formed in the courtyard.

"Squeak!"

As the dry, creaking sound of the gate hinges turning filled the air, a middle-aged man in a dark blue uniform, pushing a bicycle and wearing a woolen hat, entered the courtyard.

There were two lunch boxes in the car, containing the food I had brought back, wrapped in a cotton towel to keep it warm.

This man was broad-shouldered, with a lean face, bright and piercing eyes, and was in excellent spirits.

After parking his bicycle, the middle-aged man took off his gloves, revealing a pair of large hands. These hands, though riddled with holes and covered with various crisscrossing old scars and wounds, looked as hard as iron, all badges of honor left by the hardships of the past.

"Lanxiang, I brought back some food, so you don't need to make breakfast."

He wiped the snowflakes off his stubble and went inside with his lunchbox.

But when the curtain was lifted and he saw two unfamiliar girls inside, the middle-aged man was first taken aback, then with some self-doubt, he withdrew from the yard and hurriedly looked at the neighbors on the left and right.

"I didn't go to the wrong place, this is my house!"

When Lian Youming poked his head out, the man narrowed his eyes, looked left and right, and finally asked tentatively, somewhat unsure, "Little brat?"

Hearing this unchanging address, Lian Youming's lips twitched. "Dad!"

This is his kind and lovable father, Lian Bin.

"Life is better in the Northeast, but even being sent to the countryside can raise a person like this. Your mother is still worried that you're not getting enough to eat. If you ask me, she's just worrying unnecessarily."

Looking at his son's tall and straight figure, which was even taller than his own, Lian's father smiled happily. He first patted Lian Youming's shoulder, and then put his arm around his waist to test his weight.

"Oh my, this portion is way too much." Zhao Lanxiang also came out, glancing at the father and son. "We still have guests at home. You're not young anymore. Do you think your son is still seven or eight years old? Don't twist your back again."

Unlike Qin Yuhu, who was so rigid, Lian Youming's father, although very principled and disciplined, didn't always have a stern expression. He would beat his children when they did something wrong and praise them when they did something good. He could also tease his three children occasionally.

Seeing the two girls sitting inside, the father decided not to come in. "Alright, I'm going to the factory first. I'll spar with you again tonight... Being strong isn't enough. If you can't do anything, you're just a good-for-nothing. If you dare forget what I taught you, you'd better be ready to be punished tonight."

After saying that, he hummed a tune and rode his bicycle out of the yard.

Without much gossip, after breakfast, Lian Youming went to the neighborhood office to process his household registration and identity, and then went out with Yan Tao and Zhao Xiaozhi.

It's likely that Sun Duhe will rush over here as soon as he receives the news. Judging by the time, he should be able to arrive around noon.

Out of hospitality, Lian Youming simply took the two women for a tour of the city and introduced them to the local customs and culture of Guanzhong.

In those days, the Textile City in Xi'an was considered the most prosperous place, known as "Little Hong Kong." Five or six state-owned enterprises were crammed into a row, including the No. 3, No. 4, No. 5 State-owned Cotton Mills and the Dyeing and Printing Factory, lined up from north to south. They had a large number of employees, and it was like a battle of thousands of troops when people went to and from get off work.

But there are also many hooligans.

They're called "hooligans," but they're really just unemployed people who stay at home.

Over the years, countless educated youth have returned to the cities, but very few have managed to secure stable jobs. With too many wolves and too little meat, unable to find employment and not pursuing further education, they were all bored out of their minds. Every now and then, they would wander around aimlessly, and as they wandered, they would gather in twos and threes, exchanging ideas, and perhaps cause some trouble.

There were also many female workers from state-owned cotton mills, and many of them liked to gather in the textile city. When they finished work, they would crane their necks to get there. In addition, there was a roller skating rink on the main street. In this era, this was one of the few forms of entertainment for young people. They relied on their roller skating skills to show off and flirt with girls, so it naturally became a major gathering place for young people.

Too many people, and it becomes chaotic.

Every now and then, people would secretly arrange fights and brawls, causing quite a commotion.

Lian Youming's father was the head of the security department of the Third Factory, and his mother was also a factory worker. So he grew up with many other workers' children, but he rarely got into fights and was considered a relatively well-behaved person.

Actually, I had caused trouble before, but I wasn't careful and beat up a kid from a family, and then I got a good beating. That taught me a lesson.

The two women strolled around along the way and spent some time playing on the roller skating rink. One was quiet and elegant, while the other had a heroic air about her. With Zhao Xiaozhi's dancing figure and a pair of roller skates, she immediately captivated everyone's attention as soon as she appeared on the rink.

Some people tried to strike up a conversation, but when they saw Lian Youming's fierce physique and met his eyes, their eyelids twitched wildly, and they all had to swallow hard. Especially after someone recognized him, they all avoided him.

Seeing that Lian Youming was standing still, Zhao Xiaozhi skated over and said, "Lian, they seem to be afraid of you."

"How can I not be afraid? Last time, a guy who harassed a young girl was hospitalized for half a year."

Lian Youming briefly recounted what had happened, but surprisingly, he felt no ripples in his heart; he was unusually calm.

As for the girl he rescued, his third aunt secretly told him last night that she went to work in the Gobi Desert in Xinjiang and never came back, so she probably stayed behind.

Lian Youming really wanted to tell them that they were overthinking things. Perhaps he was a little resentful at first, but if it weren't for this incident, he wouldn't have had the chance to glimpse that world.

Every drink and every bite seems to be preordained.

Moreover, he was only resentful of the outcome; he never regretted his choice.

Seeing that it was almost time, Lian Youming led the two women to the train station.

After waiting for nearly forty or fifty minutes, Sun Duhe rushed out of the station exit, his eyes bloodshot and his expression panicked. When he saw Yan Tao standing safely in front of him, he almost burst into tears.

"It's good that you're alright, it's good that you're alright, I was so worried."

Yan Tao also wiped away her tears.

Sun Duhe turned to look at Lian Youming, his eyes wide, took a deep breath, and said in a hoarse voice with red eyes, "Brother, I won't say anything more. In the future, as long as I, Sun, become successful, I'll give you a share of what I earn... If this girl were gone, I would have no hope of living. You've saved both of us."

"I think to be on the safe side, you should leave her at home. She should have her own things to do."

Lian Youming expressed his opinion that Yan Tao was too naive and that it was too dangerous for her to go out and explore with Sun Duhe.

Sun Duhe gritted his teeth, still terrified, and held Yan Tao's hand, saying, "As long as you're alright, anything is fine."

Lian Youming turned to Zhao Xiaozhi and said, "Alright, you can go back to Beijing with them too. Everyone can go back to their own homes and find their own mothers."

Zhao Xiaozhi chuckled, "You think you can get rid of me now? Let me tell you something, I'll be a flight attendant soon."

Lian Youming wanted to retort, but remembering what had happened on the train, he couldn't help but remind her, "You'd better be careful, some people are not easy to deal with."

He paused, then added, "If you encounter a tricky situation, don't act recklessly."

Zhao Xiaozhi smiled, her eyes sparkling, and asked with seven parts expectation and three parts joy, "So you can care about people. Can I ask you for help when I encounter something difficult?"

Lian Youming thought for a moment and said seriously, "It depends on the situation."

Zhao Xiaozhi laughed and said, "It's settled then. Lian, I'll be counting on you for my future promotions."

Soon after watching the three disappear into the crowd entering the station, Lian Youming turned around and went home.

He is now facing an important choice in his life.

Studying and taking the college entrance exam.

(End of this chapter)