Cangmang Asks the Way 1: Guardian of the Lamp

The workers surrounded Cang Lifeng and led him back to their own private room.

The moment the heavy door to the private room closed, it felt as if two worlds were separated. The dazzling lights and whispers of the outside world were instantly cut off, replaced by a brief, suffocating silence. A dozen or so men stood on the luxurious carpet, their suppressed anger at the front desk, the humiliation of being scorned, and a sense of suffocation from not fitting in rapidly fermenting in the safe corner.

"Damn it! That kid just now, and that bespectacled guy later, what the hell are they?!" Old Li suddenly cursed, his face trembling with anger.

"Exactly! Boss, that was so satisfying! That's how you deal with people like that!" Another burly coworker echoed in a deep voice, calling out "Boss" naturally for the first time.

Cang Lifeng didn't speak, but simply walked to the head seat and sat down. The bricklayer Xiao Zhang, sitting next to him, silently picked up the teapot and filled Cang Lifeng's empty cup with hot tea. Another coworker, Da Zhou, who was usually quiet and meticulous, quietly moved his chair closer to Cang Lifeng, as if to get closer to their "backbone."

"Boss," a fellow worker who had gone with Cang Lifeng to demand unpaid wages gave a thumbs-up and said excitedly, "That was fucking satisfying! Those words you said were more effective than beating him up!"

"Yes! Boss! That's how we deal with them! 'We can't wait for the rain from the sky, so we can only dig the well next to us first'! That hits the nail on the head!" More voices responded excitedly, and the title of "Boss" began to rise and fall.

Cang Lifeng waved his hand, his voice steady: "Brothers, I appreciate your kindness. But let's still call each other brothers, or just call me Lifeng. I don't deserve the title of 'boss.' How much ability can I, Cang Lifeng, have on my own? Isn't it all thanks to your help?"

"That won't do!" Old Li stood up abruptly. This usually cheerful man's eyes were now red, and his voice was hoarse with emotion. "Before, calling you 'boss' meant working for you and getting food. Today, calling you 'boss' means following you as a person! You stood up for us brothers, protected us poor folks, and just now you showed us the courage and responsibility to not let us poor people lose face. You deserve to be called 'boss'! Brothers, don't you agree?"

"Yes!" the workers shouted in unison, as if taking an oath. Their eyes shone with an astonishing light, fueled by alcohol and passion.

Looking at these rough yet sincere faces, at the unreserved trust and reliance in their eyes, Cang Lifeng knew that behind that title of "Boss" lay a weightier burden of loyalty and responsibility than ever before. He no longer refused, nodding firmly to accept this immense trust. "Alright! Since my brothers trust me, I, Cang Lifeng, will not let you down!"

After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became even more lively. The topic naturally shifted back to the bank robbery from before the new year and Cang Lifeng's fighting skills.

"Boss, those were shotguns back then! (pointing to a hunting rifle) Weren't you scared at all?" A young coworker, Xiao Chen, leaned closer and asked, his eyes full of lingering fear and admiration.

"Boss, your moves are so fast! Your kung fu is amazing! Could you... teach us?" Another young man named Xiao Wang mustered his courage, his eyes filled with anticipation.

"That's right, boss!" Old Li chimed in, his eyes earnest and serious. "We don't expect to be as skilled as you, we just want to learn a couple of moves, get stronger, and avoid getting sick. Just in case... just in case we run into some troublemakers, or some scoundrels bully our coworkers, we can lend a hand. We can't let you shoulder everything alone! We need to be able to protect ourselves and help our brothers!"

These words immediately resonated with everyone, who enthusiastically echoed them. Their yearning for power stemmed not only from a desire for strength, but also from the most basic sense of crisis and instinct for mutual assistance arising from their impoverished living conditions.

This unwavering trust weighed heavily on his shoulders. He recalled his master Chen Jiren's admonition to "strengthen the body and protect oneself" when teaching him the "Thirteen Postures of Tai Chi," and he also remembered his original intention to help more people like him and the brothers before him, who had suffered so much, to stand tall. This was not just about teaching the moves, but about passing on a spirit of resilience, self-reliance, and mutual assistance.

He picked up his wine glass, stood up, and scanned the room. He said in a deep voice, "Thank you for your trust, brothers! Since you all want to learn, as long as you're not afraid of sweating and losing weight, I'll start teaching you tomorrow morning! But there's one thing: martial arts training isn't for brawling and fighting, it's for strengthening our bodies, straightening our spines, and protecting the people and things we should protect! This is our 'rule,' and the 'way' that allows us to stand firm in this southern city!"

"good!"

"Listen to the boss!"

Thunderous cheers and applause erupted from the private room. A cohesive force based on shared beliefs and camaraderie burned brightly and unbreakably among these simple laborers.

As night deepened, the banquet ended. On the way back to the work shed, the workers were still excitedly discussing the banquet and the upcoming martial arts training. They surrounded Cang Lifeng, like a moving, noisy dam, separating him from the cold, neon-lit city lights around them.

Cang Lifeng walked silently, the cold scrutiny of Zheng Yaoxian disguised under politeness, the clear and firm gaze of Lin Wei when she protected him, and the unreserved trust of his fellow workers intertwined and collided in his heart. However, when his gaze swept over the faces of his fellow workers, weathered by life but now slightly radiant with hope, all the noise seemed to instantly subside.

He subconsciously moved his left shoulder, and the deep wound where the gunshot wound had healed no longer just felt sore and swollen, but also carried a strange, solid feeling, as if roots were deeply embedded in the earth. This feeling was so concrete that it overwhelmed the pressure brought by Zheng Yaoxian's words.

He knew that the empty title of "hero" was fading rapidly in the wind, revealing the more real and heavier burden of the world he had to shoulder. He stopped and looked back at the massive architectural framework they were building brick by brick, already taking shape, like a crouching behemoth in the night. And they, these people as insignificant as dust, were trying to breathe life into it with their own flesh and blood.

A gust of cold wind blew by, but he didn't feel cold at all. Instead, he straightened his spine even more, as if he wanted to forge himself into the bones of the city.

Back in the workers' shed, most of his fellow workers quickly drifted off to sleep, snoring loudly. Cang Lifeng sat down on his bunk in the corner, and by the dim light, pulled a thin, worn-out old book from under his pillow—"An Introduction to Economics (1985 Edition)," which he had bought for two cents at a secondhand bookstore. The pages were rough, and the print was somewhat blurry, but he read it slowly and carefully. Those unfamiliar terms about "cost," "profit," and "market" were painstakingly connecting with the sand, gravel, and cement of the construction site, the sweat and hopes of his fellow workers. He knew this road would be long and difficult, but the idea of ​​a martial arts school, of creating a new world for his brothers, had taken root in his heart like a seed. He had to find soil and nutrients for it, even if it meant starting in the most clumsy way.

The road is still under his feet. The storms ahead may be even fiercer, but he has already seen clearly that he is the pillar his brothers need most. Only when this pillar is driven deep enough and stable enough can it provide them with a sky where they can breathe and stand tall in this world full of invisible barriers.