hotmtlnovel Chapter 98: Can You Beat the Monkey?
Chapter 98: Can You Beat the Monkey?
Chapter 98: Can You Beat the Monkey?
As the Spring Festival drew closer day by day, Xu Qing’s martial arts journey was finally on track.
After several postponements, Jiang He finally began teaching him boxing.
Tangshou Quan was called a "fist" technique, but it didn’t use the fists much. It mainly relied on the palm. According to Jiang He, once you mastered the "three sharp points"—the palm, grappling, and leg techniques—you’d basically be ready to graduate.
"Why does it look so ordinary?" Xu Qing asked as he waved his hand.
In her hands, it felt powerful and fierce. In his, it was like an old man brawling. He wasn’t even sure if he could beat the Lightning Five-Strike Whip.
"Tangshou Quan focuses on quick, decisive moves. It’s all about spotting the enemy’s weaknesses and striking a killing blow. Look at this move..."
Jiang He was about to demonstrate when Xu Qing, terrified, quickly shouted, "Wait! I haven’t learned it yet! Don’t use me as a guinea pig!"
"..."
"And why would I need to learn a one-hit kill move? You’re afraid I won’t get arrested? What if I end up killing someone in a fight..."
Xu Qing practiced the three moves she just taught him, kicking and punching, then suddenly asked, "If I learn this, can I beat a monkey?"
Jiang He paused, puzzled. "Why do you want to fight a monkey?"
"Just wondering... I guess I could knock them out with one punch." Xu Qing clenched his fist and got motivated again.
Luckily, they were on the first floor. No one would come complaining about the noise from his stomping and kicking. Otherwise, the door might have been knocked down by now.
"Practicing stances helps you commit them to muscle memory. When the moves become second nature, you’ll know how to exploit the enemy’s weaknesses without thinking. So practice diligently..."
"I know, like how a singer keeps practicing scales and a boxer never stops throwing punches," Xu Qing replied.
He didn’t know much about martial arts, but he was familiar with that principle. That scene where Jet Li punched the pillar in Fearless, saying, "This punch has twenty years of training behind it," used to get him so hyped up he wanted to go find a stone slab and start punching every day.
He spent his mornings doing stance training, evenings practicing his punches, handling his tasks during the day, and at night, watching movies with Jiang He or helping her learn pinyin. Writing movie reviews to maintain his online presence made life feel fulfilling. It almost made him think he was the chosen protagonist, eagerly awaiting some evil organization to come knocking so he and Jiang He could team up to defeat them.
Knock knock knock!
His wild fantasies were interrupted by a knock at the door. Wiping his sweat, Xu Qing opened the door to find Xiao Yan, who came to play with Winter Melon and get some homework help.
"Xu-gege!" she called cheerfully.
"Come on in. Is your grandma out again?" Xu Qing ruffled her hair as she entered.
"Uh-huh!"@@@@
"Winter Melon can’t do it."
"Teach it, and it’ll learn."
"Oh."
Xiao Yan considered it, then sat on the couch, opened her math book, and started calculating while chatting with Winter Melon.
As night fell, Jiang He finished her grind, stretched, and looked over at Xu Qing working on his laptop, Xiao Yan counting on her fingers, and Winter Melon looking miserable. After a moment of quiet, she poured hot water for everyone.
"You should look at her homework. Using your brain helps keep you sharp," Xu Qing said, nodding toward Xiao Yan.
"Really?"
Curious, Jiang He picked up a language workbook. Xu Qing saved his video and went over to check on Xiao Yan’s progress.
"I don’t know these," Xiao Yan pointed to the tricky problems, pulling the reluctant Winter Melon back to listen to the explanation.
Xu Qing took the pen and examined her homework. "This one..."
Jiang He held the workbook, stealing glances at Xu Qing patiently helping Xiao Yan. The scene reminded her of the old accountant back in the village, who taught her to read in the same way.
Except Xu Qing didn’t sigh or grumble, and he knew far more than that old scholar.
By the time they finished, it was 8 p.m. Xiao Yan reluctantly let go of Winter Melon and said goodbye.
"Walk her upstairs," Xu Qing said casually to Jiang He.
"Huh? Oh, okay."
Jiang He paused, then grabbed her coat.
"It’s just a few floors. I won’t get lost," Xiao Yan said.
"I’m just worried you’ll trip and roll down the stairs," Xu Qing teased. "Go on."
Xiao Yan carefully climbed the stairs, afraid of tumbling down like Xu Qing joked. At her door, she knocked loudly.
"Grandma, open the door!"
Cheng Yulan shuffled over, opened the door, and froze briefly upon seeing Jiang He.
"Thank you, jiejie! Bye, jiejie!" Xiao Yan waved.
"You’re welcome," Jiang He replied.