In the 90s, you could acquire max-level skills every 14 days.

"Sit down! Why are you making such a loud noise! ​​Aren't you ashamed?" Li Guilan quickly pulled Zhang Defa back onto a stool.

"Honey, let me ask you, in your area of ​​Baoding, how much does it cost to build a two-story brick house in the suburbs of a county town...?"

Before Li Guilan could finish asking, Zhang Defa started counting on his fingers.

"Foundation, bricks, cement, steel bars, timber, labor... at least fifty thousand." He swallowed hard. "If it includes a yard, it'll easily cost sixty, seventy, or eighty thousand."

"No wonder," Li Guilan sneered. "No wonder you come every year, always complaining about being poor, and always talking about money."

"Over eight thousand yuan, plus the money I earned running errands for Ma Degui, it all went to that kid!"

"I saved so many years—" Her voice choked.

Zhang Yong quickly chimed in, "Mom, we'll get the money back."

Li Guilan looked up, her eyes red-rimmed. "What are you going to do with it? The building's already been built! Are you going to tear it down and move it back?"

"I have IOUs, remittance slips, and police station records in my hands," Zhang Yong listed them one by one.

"It's a two-story house, after all, and it'll be worth a lot if we sell it. If we really can't get through civil mediation, we'll have my dad go back to Baoding and ask some of the older, more senior members of the Zhang family and the village head to step in and get justice."

"When his aunt finds out about this, she'll be the first to punish him."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Defa suddenly raised his head.

"You...you're going to tell your aunt?"

"Dad," Zhang Yong looked at him. "Do you think you can keep this a secret? The person is already at the police station."

Zhang Defa felt unwell again.

"Yongzi, you don't know, I only remember my sister-in-law in my family. She was really good to me, she raised me like a second son."

"I'm good to my brother because I remember my sister-in-law. Back then, we were poor, and my sister-in-law was afraid we would go hungry, so she dug up wild vegetables, turned over sweet potatoes, wove brooms, and did everything. She took care of all the land at home, and she even sent me out to study..."

"I'm afraid she'll be upset if she finds out..."

He got to the point where he was feeling sad, turned around, walked to the window, and pressed his forehead against the glass.

The only sound in the room was the television, with the announcer reading a news report about agricultural production.

"Snap—"

Without any hesitation, Li Guilan slapped Zhang Defa on the back.

"Stop whining. Our sister-in-law probably understands things better than you do. If you really care, why don't you bring that little house back for her to live in?"

She stood up and pushed the sliced ​​watermelon towards Zhang Yong.

"Never mind him, eat it. Save the skin for me."

Zhang Yong took a bite of the melon; it was sweet, but he sighed inwardly.

The police station, established for 26 years, is large and systematic. Cases are entered into the computer in minutes, and manpower is allocated for cross-regional collaboration.

That wouldn't work in the 90s.

There are only two or three local police officers in each area, responsible for thousands of households. They really don't have enough manpower.

On the other hand, ordinary people are afraid to go to the police station when something happens, partly because they are afraid of trouble and partly because they are afraid of losing face.

Nobody wants to deal with the government unless someone dies.

The fact that things went so smoothly this time was partly due to Zhang Defa's reputation for honesty and integrity, and the trustworthiness of the local police officer.

The other half is that Xiao Li is young and conscientious, while an old hand would be too lazy to bother with these kinds of messy family matters.

If it's someone else, in a different place, and they call the police, there might be no further communication.

They couldn't count on the local police station in Baoding, so they had to rely on the elders of the Zhang family to intervene.

Sigh, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.

……

After dinner, it got a bit cooler in the yard.

Downstairs, someone was playing chess under a tree with a palm-leaf fan in hand. Grandpa Chen changed the station on his radio; it was playing a crosstalk performance by Hou Baolin.

Zhang Yong stretched his muscles and loosened his shoulders at the entrance of the building.

The pain from Dazhuang's kick is still sore.

"dad."

Zhang Defa was squatting by the flower bed smoking when he heard the sound and looked up.

"Don't you know military boxing? Teach me a few moves."

Zhang Defa stubbed out his cigarette and stood up.

"Why do you suddenly want to learn this? Weren't you absolutely against it before?"

Zhang Yong spoke casually, "I just ate too much and wanted to exercise."

Zhang Defa chuckled.

He took off his coat and draped it over the flower bed railing, leaving him only in a white vest, revealing the muscular physique he had developed during his time in the army.

"It mainly consists of military-style boxing routines, and it's not very effective in actual combat."

Zhang Defa flexed his wrists. "But the basic punches, blocks, and throws are enough for you."

"Come on, stand up straight first."

Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, lower your center of gravity, and slightly bend your knees.

Zhang Yong did as instructed.

Zhang Defa circled around him and patted his shoulder and waist with his palm.

"Your back is too straight, sit down. Yes."

"When you throw a punch, the power comes from the soles of your feet, passes through your waist and shoulders, and finally reaches your fist. It's not just your arm that's working; your whole body is striking."

Zhang Defa kicked off with his right foot, twisted his waist and hips, and punched the air with a loud thud.

His appearance was so striking that he didn't look like someone in his forties at all.

Zhang Yong stared at it twice, then threw a punch at it himself.

The force was there, but the shoulder was extended too early, and the fist was thrown out before the waist had finished rotating.

"That's not right." Zhang Defa walked over, pressing one hand on Zhang Yong's shoulder and the other on his hip. "Turn him here first, then send him here. Don't get the order wrong."

Zhang Yong threw another punch.

This is much better.

"Again."

One punch.

Two punches.

Three punches.

Zhang Defa's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

"You little rascal...not bad! Hey! Yes! That's how you throw a punch."

Zhang Yong didn't reply; he was staring at the line of text that popped up in his mind.

[Fighting Lv.0: Unlocked - Beginner Progress: 22%]

Okay, even what your own father taught you counts.

"Dad, can you teach me something else?"

Zhang De was stunned for a moment, then grinned.

"Fine! I'll show you everything I've got up my sleeve today!"

He rolled up his sleeves, his eyes shining.

"Come on! Let's learn this outside block first—when the opponent throws a straight punch, you extend your left arm outward to block, grab their wrist in the process, and thrust your right foot forward—"

Snapped.

Zhang Yong fell flat on his backside.

Uncle Wang, who was playing chess by the flower bed, looked up and glanced at it.

"Old Zhang, what are you practicing?"

"I'll teach him a couple of moves of military boxing!" Zhang Defa said with a booming voice. "He said he was too full and wanted to get a beating!"

"Hey!"

Zhang Yong was unconvinced, so he got up from the ground and dusted off his pants.

Come again.

[Fighting Lv.0: Unlocked - Beginner Progress: 28%]

The tasting event is less than a week away.

Before that, this skill must be unlocked.

He stretched his sore tailbone and waved to Zhang Defa.

"Dad, one more round!"

Zhang Defa clapped his hands together, his movements powerful and energetic.

"You little rascal! I'll throw you eight more times and you won't even be out of breath!"

Li Guilan peeked out of the upstairs window.

"You two, take it easy, don't trample on the flowerbeds!"

Behind the curtains in the next unit, Sun Lei pressed his face against the glass, staring at the father and son practicing boxing downstairs.

He looked at it for a while, clenched the note with the phone number on it, and then drew the curtains again.