hotmtlnovel Chapter 201: People who practice martial arts are very violent
Chapter 201: People who practice martial arts are very violent
Chapter 201: People who practice martial arts are very violent
With the big plush bear between them, their feet pressed together. Jiang He listened to Xu Qing’s gradually steady breathing, then suddenly turned her head to look out the window.
The summer moon was always so bright and clear, its soft glow filtering through the frosted edges of the window sticker.
A year ago, she had been in the storeroom, facing this entirely unfamiliar era, feeling lost about the future...
She carefully withdrew her hand from Xu Qing’s palm, groping through the darkness until she placed it on his stomach, slowly moving it around.
Morning.
Xu Qing opened his eyes to find Jiang He sitting cross-legged beside him, hands resting on her knees, back straight as a rod, staring at him unblinkingly as if she were practicing some kind of cult ritual.
"Uh... how long have you been sitting there?"
He casually grabbed his phone from the bedside table to check the time—just past eight.
"A little while."
"Is there something interesting to look at?"
Jiang He shifted her gaze slightly. "Did you... have a dream?"
?
Xu Qing pulled the thin blanket that had been kicked aside back over himself. "I didn’t dream. This is just what being young is like."
"Oh..."
"You mind stepping out? I need to change."
Jiang He was already fully dressed, clearly having washed up before coming back to sit on the bed. Had she been curious enough to poke at him while he was sleeping?
Xu Qing suddenly sensed danger—this little curiosity monster was right beside him, who knew what strange things she might do...
"Wait... where did you change your clothes?"
Just as Jiang He reached the door, he called out.
That whole set of pajamas... seems like I missed something major.
"None of your business." Bang! Jiang He shut the door.
The big plush bear was still lying in the middle of the bed, the gem on its nose glinting.
Xu Qing sat there for a moment, stretching lazily with a satisfied expression before finally changing out of his pajamas.
Sharing a bed wasn’t as awkward as he had imagined. As for Jiang He observing him in his sleep... if he didn’t know about it, then it didn’t count.
Next time, I’ll wake up earlier and observe her.@@@@
Breakfast was already prepared. While Xu Qing was changing, Jiang He had taken it out of the pot and was now sitting at the table, slowly eating a steamed bean bun while waiting for him to wash up. ℞ἈNοВƐs
The buns weren’t homemade but store-bought—too much hassle to make from scratch. Jiang He had carefully considered this and concluded that it wasn’t worth the effort. If it were the past, she would’ve excitedly kneaded dough and steamed them herself, but now she had learned to let money handle some things.
Because her time was worth more now than when she first arrived.
Back then, she knew nothing, so anything she did was a waste of time—saving effort meant saving money. Now, her time had gained value. This was the benefit of investing in her own knowledge.
"So that’s why so many women choose to work or start businesses instead of staying home cooking and raising kids, right?" Jiang He shared her observation with Xu Qing, surprising him.
"That makes sense. In life, there’s always an optimal allocation of resources. If you could earn in a month what we’d spend in a year, I definitely wouldn’t make you stay home raising kids while I went out earning peanuts. That’d be stupid."
Xu Qing took a bite of the bun—soft and well-fermented. "But that would also make me look like a freeloader, which is why women generally prefer men who earn more than them—so they can focus on home life without judgment."
"So, if I end up earning more than you, you’d be willing to be a stay-at-home dad, cooking, cleaning, taking care of kids, and playing games every day?" Jiang He’s eyes lit up.
"Yeah. Wanna have a kid?" Xu Qing asked.
"No way!"
"Then keep dreaming. You can’t even study properly, and you want to turn me into some... what was it? A brainless stay-at-home dad? Ridiculous."
Xu Qing scoffed at her unrealistic dream—if it could even be called a dream.
After breakfast, he opened his computer to check the video he had uploaded the night before. Overnight, it had already gained over 200,000 views, and the numbers were still climbing.
A thousand views earned about three yuan, and the increased engagement would boost his other videos and gain more followers...
A quick calculation, and Xu Qing felt like his golden era had arrived.
Comments flooded in:
“No arguments here—Lord Qing really knows Kung Fu!”
“That palm strike on the street was peak wuxia!”
“A martial arts enthusiast’s frustration with idol dramas disguised as wuxia—an essay.”
His follower count was skyrocketing, thanks to both trending topics and meme edits bringing in views.
"I’m heading out."
Jiang He slung her bag over her shoulder, taking out some potatoes as she called out before leaving.
After a year here with no way back, she had accepted that she probably never would.
Once in a few millennia—this kind of thing didn’t just happen twice. As long as she carried the corn Xu Qing packed for her, she’d be fine.
"Fishing again?" Xu Qing noticed her picking up the fishing rod.
"Yep."
"Want me to come with you?"
"Uh..." Jiang He hesitated. "We only have two rods. I’ll tell Pingping to get her own."
She pulled out her phone.
"Never mind then. I’ll stay home and work."
Hearing that that woman would be there, Xu Qing lost interest.
Fishing alone with Jiang He was nice and relaxing. Adding a third person ruined the vibe.
"You sure?"
Jiang He was confused. "Get what?"
"Nothing."
Jiang He thought for a moment but couldn’t figure out what she meant. Did she guess that Xu Qing couldn't actually beat her?
From Xu Qing’s place to the riverbank, she and Xu Qing always walked, never in a hurry. Along the way was an old vending machine with a small dent on the casing—one that Jiang He had smacked with her palm before.
Gong Ping, on the other hand, hated long walks. She was a homebody who only liked lying around.
"You want something to drink?"
Stopping in front of the vending machine, Gong Ping turned to ask Jiang He.
"This machine gets stuck a lot. Last time, we lost several bottles to it," Jiang He warned her.
"Come on, we can't be that unlucky."
Ignoring the warning, Gong Ping tapped the screen, selected a herbal tea, and scanned the QR code.
Clunk!
She opened the bottom compartment to grab her drink—nothing.
Peering through the glass, she saw two bottles stuck inside.
"There's another one in there! If I shake it loose, I'll get an extra drink—profit!"
Gong Ping was thrilled, turning back excitedly.
"Uh..." Jiang He hesitated, looking a bit conflicted.
Clunk!
Another one got stuck.
"I think you should call for a refund."
Jiang He offered a reasonable suggestion. This machine was definitely rigged—it always jammed.
She suspected the owner did it on purpose, scamming people in a hurry who wouldn't bother getting their money back.
"But I'm thirsty."
Gong Ping angrily kicked the vending machine. "If Xu Qing were here, he could probably shake them loose with one kick, huh?"
"Hmm..."
Jiang He hesitated. "Probably."
If she kicked it, the drinks would definitely come loose—but she wasn’t with Xu Qing right now.
If she was with him, she wouldn’t have hesitated at all.
"I'll try one more time. If it doesn't work, I'll ask for a refund." Gong Ping bought a cola, hoping it would knock the others down.
Clunk!
The cola rolled out smoothly. The stuck ones remained stuck.
"...This one's yours. I'll try again." Gong Ping handed her the cola.
"I already have water." Jiang He lifted her large thermos, showing off the boiled water inside.
"Fine, whatever."
Gong Ping took a sip of her drink while calling for a refund.
"Look at this dent—someone must've tried smashing it with a hammer after getting their drink stuck." She examined the machine while waiting for the call to go through.
"If I told you Xu Qing did that with one punch, would you believe me?" Jiang He asked.
"Huh?" Gong Ping blinked.
"Just one punch—bam! And all the drinks fell out."
Jiang He demonstrated the motion, watching Gong Ping’s reaction closely.
"That strong?"
"Terrifying, right?"
"Super terrifying! If he punched you, wouldn’t you just fly away?"
"...Yeah, I’d definitely go flying." Jiang He nodded seriously.
"People who practice martial arts are always so violent," Gong Ping muttered, still amazed by the dent.
That criminal on the news, the one who got knocked out with a single slap—was he brain-damaged now?
At the riverbank, there weren’t many fishermen this early, so they easily found a shaded spot near the bridge.
If they had come in the afternoon, the shaded spots would’ve been taken, forcing them to walk much farther.
Jiang He pulled out her small folding stool, while the bait and fishing rods were in Gong Ping’s red bucket.
The river breeze was cool and refreshing.
"You guys are getting popular," Gong Ping said while opening her fishing gear. "Yesterday’s livestream had so many viewers. I bet tonight’s gonna be even bigger."
"Hopefully. Everyone’s tuning in to watch Xu Qing practice."
Jiang He set up her fishing rod, brushed back a stray strand of hair, then pulled a book from her bag. From her pocket, she also took out a bag of dried sweet potatoes and handed some to Gong Ping.
Gong Ping gave her a weird look. Ever since she met Jiang He, she felt like the girl was some kind of magic pouch—always pulling random things out of nowhere.
Last time, she even pulled out a potato. Who the hell carries a potato around?
Some people looked quiet and reserved, sitting by the river in a baseball cap, fishing peacefully... but in reality, they were walking treasure chests.
"You and Xu Qing must be fun together," Gong Ping remarked, chewing on the dried sweet potato.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because you’re fun. And he seems fun too."
Jiang He thought about it, then nodded slightly, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Yeah... he's pretty great."