Chapter 013: Sensing the Surge of Power (Please add to your favorites, vote, and support...)

Just moments ago, he suddenly felt a surge of energy at his waist, as if a breath of air had rushed through, instantly unblocking his vital channels. The second aunt, who had been about to continue her tirade, saw her husband’s condition improve and immediately understood that Chen Anquan was helping treat his illness.

Massage without medicine or ointment, curing back pain—surely that was nothing short of a miracle!

Chen Anquan gradually released his hands. “Now you can try to bend at the waist. Move slowly, and make it a big motion.”

“Alright!” Second Uncle squinted his eyes, his hands frozen in the air as he slowly bent forward. “It doesn’t hurt as much as before!”

“That’s good!” Chen Anquan let out a long breath.

Following his guidance, Second Uncle began to slowly perform deep bends, stretches, left and right twists, and slow steps—all a series of movements.

Ten minutes passed.

Second Uncle, his complexion mostly restored, smiled at his nephew. “I owe it all to you, Anquan. I never would have thought it could be so miraculous!”

Second Aunt looked awkwardly at Chen Anquan, a bit embarrassed—she had just spoken harshly to her nephew.

She forced a smile. “Anquan, Second Aunt’s words were a bit unpleasant just now. Don’t take it to heart.”

Chen Anquan waved it off. “It’s nothing.”

“What’s this method called?”

“Traditional Chinese medicine.”

“Traditional Chinese medicine?” Second Aunt’s eyes widened. “I never imagined it could be so magical!”

The last large bag of corn was left for Chen Anquan to carry alone onto the three-wheeled motorcycle.

Chen Anquan drove, Second Uncle sat in the passenger seat, and Second Aunt, with no room left on the small vehicle, had to walk home.

It was Chen Anquan’s first time driving a three-wheeler, but under Second Uncle’s simple instructions, he managed to drive it properly back to their house.

By the time they got home, night had fallen, and they had long missed the best time to dry the rice.

That evening,

Second Aunt busied herself in the kitchen, cooking. The small kitchen at the front of the bungalow glowed with a dim orange-red incandescent light.

Second Uncle sat on a chipped wooden sofa. Usually, he preferred the bamboo chair, but now didn’t dare.

“Second Uncle, does your back feel better?” Chen Anquan asked.

Second Uncle frowned, his long, thin arms propping himself upright, shifting the burden from his waist.

“It’s still painful, but not as bad as before!”

“Then lie down, I’ll help you some more.” Chen Anquan glanced around the simple hall, spotted a blanket in the distance, grabbed it, and spread it over the wooden sofa. “Get up, I’ve laid it out, you’ll lie here.”

Second Uncle followed instructions. Chen Anquan gently lifted his shirt, revealing a slender waist.

Years of farm work had given rural folk strong muscles. His waist, supple like a water snake, was far more attractive than those of bodybuilders.

Chen Anquan had once seen a fifty-year-old farmer, who, after removing his shirt, revealed a perfect physique, easily outshining professional athletes.

He balled his fist and began rolling it along Second Uncle’s back and waist. With his strength at 1.27 and constitution at 1.02, the force he exerted far surpassed what he used in daily labor.

From the kitchen, Second Aunt heard a series of pig-like screams, one after another.

Anyone unaware might have thought Second Uncle was being tortured.

After some time,

Second Aunt carried in a large plate with three bowls of unappealing, unpalatable stir-fried dishes.

“Zhaodi, dinner’s finally ready, I’m starving!” Second Uncle, his back and crotch damp with sweat, urged her.

Second Aunt looked at her husband with disdain. “All you think about is eating—are you a rice bucket?”

*

*

*

Dinner wasn’t very tasty, but Second Uncle ate with relish. Chen Anquan forced himself through two bowls.

In the past, he’d never been picky, but Second Aunt’s cooking was notoriously bad; eating one bowl was already giving her face.

Tonight, though, something was different—even with the unpleasant dishes, Chen Anquan couldn’t help but want more.

After two bowls, he felt only seventy percent full.

He carried his empty bowl to the aluminum pot on the floor, only to find it empty.

All the rice was gone...

Second Aunt smiled apologetically. “Sorry, I didn’t expect you to eat so much...”

Second Uncle had two bowls, Chen Anquan two bowls, and Second Aunt herself had three.

Perhaps those who cook always believe their own food is gourmet fare, so Second Aunt ate especially much each meal.

“It’s fine,” Chen Anquan replied with a smile. “I’ll go take a bath.”

Chen Anquan set down his bowl and headed toward the bathhouse.

He still needed to practice Tai Chi that night and didn’t want to waste time chatting.

“Anquan!” Just as he reached the corridor, Second Aunt called out to him. He turned to see her say, “Since you’re staying here long-term, you’ll need a bed. Nowadays, a bed in town costs eight or nine hundred. We have an old one at home—take it for now.”

Chen Anquan was surprised; he had indeed planned to buy a bed in town.

He never expected his notoriously stingy Second Aunt to offer one herself.

“Alright,” he replied.

“Your Second Uncle has a strained back, so you’ll have to move it yourself!”

“No problem.”

Chen Anquan walked straight out from the corridor. He knew exactly where the spare bed was kept.

It was stored in his own hall...

He felt his way through the night, listening to the village dogs barking endlessly at the roadside, passed by two ponds, crossed the basketball court, and returned to his old house.

It was his first time visiting his old home at night.

Bang!

A loud metallic crash startled him.

“What happened?”

He found some powdery substance had fallen onto the back of his hand. Instinctively, he reached over with his right hand to touch his left.

Soft...

It was sawdust.

Grasping the door latch again, Chen Anquan noticed it had loosened. Yesterday, it was hard to turn; tonight, it opened effortlessly!

A clear increase in strength!

His face lit up with joy. No wonder earlier that evening, he could carry two large bags of corn at once!

Inside the hall, he saw the bees—so noisy during the day—had disappeared. He lifted his phone, shining its flashlight at the hive on the beam. It was still there.