Chapter 077: The Clever Chen Juanjuan (Please add to your favorites and vote for recommendations...)

Page 1

"Uncle, sit here at my place. I’ll call a classmate of mine right now to see if he has any solution."

"Alright." His second uncle was an honest man; even though his wages were being docked by fifty yuan a day, he intended to endure it in silence.

If Chen Anquan could help him recover his wages through peaceful means, he was more than happy to accept.

Meanwhile, Bai Wen, who was at home eating, received a call.

"Hello, Anquan? What’s the good news?"

"Bai Wen, do you know the foreman Lao Wang from Wangjia Village?"

"Of course, he’s my uncle on my mother’s side."

...

A relative—imagine that!

Chen Anquan then explained the whole matter regarding himself and his second uncle.

"Don’t worry, Anquan. I’ll help you get back both your wages and your uncle’s. I’ll call my uncle right now."

"Thank you so much."

"Heh, don’t be so polite with me! Just remember to treat me to a meal. And make sure to bring Chen Juanjuan along, I’ve been thinking about that for a while!" Bai Wen chuckled. He had his own matters that needed Chen Anquan’s help; this was a trivial issue for him.

"No problem!"

Ten minutes later, Bai Wen called back, saying that his second uncle could go to Lao Wang’s house tomorrow to collect the docked wages, plus Chen Anquan’s additional one hundred yuan per day.

In other words, Chen Anquan could still receive another seven hundred yuan in wages.

"My, who would’ve thought your classmate was this capable!" His second uncle beamed at Chen Anquan.

"Of course! He’s already a paper mill owner at such a young age," Chen Anquan replied, eager to sing Bai Wen’s praises.

His second uncle nodded. "Paper mill owners used to be quite well-off, but now we’re not allowed to make fireworks here anymore. They’ve all started to transform their businesses and are making packaging boxes instead."

"I see," Chen Anquan said. He knew little about the industry; his impression was still of the red firecracker paper mill Bai Wen’s family used to run.

His second uncle laughed. "The county industrial park has a big company that’s a major consumer of boxes. If your classmate can work with them, he’ll make more money than he could ever spend."

"Oh, I see." Having worked at the hospital since graduation, Chen Anquan felt his social experience was lacking. He probably knew less about these things than his uncle did.

After his second uncle left, Chen Anquan finished his dinner quickly and began his evening practice.

"Anquan!"

Just as he had changed into his black training clothes, one hand holding the custom peachwood sword his uncle had made, the other carrying a small bag and preparing to go out, he heard Chen Juanjuan’s voice on the basketball court.

"Juanjuan, what brings you here?"

"Hee!" Chen Juanjuan smiled brightly. "I’m not working until tomorrow morning. I’ll just get up a bit earlier; it’s no problem."

Anquan nodded. Plenty of their hospital colleagues lived in the countryside and woke up early every day to catch the bus into the city.

Page 2

"You’re tired enough during the day, you should just rest at home," Anquan said, not wanting her to disturb his training. He wished this sticky troublemaker would just go away.

It’s said that women slow a man’s sword draw—the greatest obstacle on the path of cultivation!

"Hmph! So what if I follow you? Can’t I just watch you practice?"

"Well..." Anquan couldn’t think of a reason to refuse, so he relented. "Fine, you can come with me. But if you interrupt my training, I’ll have to hit you."

"Hee hee hee." She clung to him like a little girl.

Ever since he’d saved her life the day before, and after all they’d been through together today, she already considered Anquan a true friend.

Yes—a good friend, not a boyfriend.

Under the cover of night, Anquan walked toward the edge of the village. Chen Juanjuan followed, phone in hand, flashlight app switched on, trailing carefully behind.

"Slow down, Anquan! It’s so dark, be careful not to trip. Why don’t you use a flashlight? Can you see anything?"

In truth, he could see perfectly well. Since his attributes had each surpassed two points, he’d noticed his night vision had greatly improved.

As long as it wasn’t absolute darkness, even without any artificial light—so long as there was moonlight or the faintest glow—he could see for over a dozen meters.

Chen Juanjuan was wrapped in a black woolen coat, her hair cascading like a waterfall, a light fragrance wafting from her.

"We’re here," Anquan said, arriving at the foot of the mountain where he usually trained. He handed his bag to her. "Hold this for me."

Without protest, she took the bag and stood aside, watching him.

"This used to be a stone quarry. Now that mining is banned, it’s been left like this," she remarked.

"I know. There’s plenty of rocks and rough terrain—perfect for training."

She said nothing more, spinning in place before finding a large rock to sit on. She pulled out her phone and began playing.

Seeing she’d left him alone, Anquan was relieved and started his night training.

This time, his secret was completely exposed to Chen Juanjuan.

Clang!

A crisp metallic sound rang out as the blade was drawn from its scabbard.

Startled, she dropped her phone. As it was about to hit the ground, a foot slid under it, catching it gently.

A mischievous smile appeared on her lips. She glanced at the phone resting on the boot, then at Anquan, absorbed in practice. When she saw he hadn’t noticed her, she gave her ankle a little shake and flipped the phone back into her hand.

Lost in his Taiji sword practice, Anquan had missed her nimble display. He repeated the movements over and over.

There were many sword techniques, but all stemmed from the same foundations. Master the basics ten thousand or a million times, and one could fully understand them—even create new styles.

He never considered himself a prodigy, just an ordinary person among the masses—perhaps even of mediocre talent, as evidenced by his mere junior college entrance.

Time slipped by.

Chen Juanjuan had changed positions several times, each one lasting only ten or twenty minutes before boredom prompted her to shift again.

Page 3

Now she sat with her legs together, chin propped on her hands, watching Anquan practice Taiji sword with little enthusiasm.

Unknowingly, two hours had passed.

At last, Anquan stopped, resting his peachwood sword and looking at Chen Juanjuan.

She let out a breath of relief, picked up the scabbard from her feet, and tossed it to him.

Anquan caught it, twirling it deftly by the tip so that it bloomed like a flower in his hand.

"Anquan, your hand skills are impressive!"

He grinned, stopped spinning the scabbard, then reversed his grip on the sword.

Clang!

The blade slid into the scabbard, ringing out with a metallic hum.

"But your sword is made of wood. Why does it sound like steel?" she asked, seizing on a topic to keep him company.

It was chilly here, the night wind biting. Even wrapped in her black coat, she was freezing.

"I’m not sure myself. I had my uncle make it for me; I heard he was a carpenter when he was young."

She nodded, eyeing the peachwood sword. "May I have a look?"

He tossed it to her.

She caught it with both hands, drew the blade, and—

Clang!

"It really does!" she laughed, pulling the sword in and out dozens of times, amused.

Then Anquan began his physical training:

Five hundred one-handed handstand push-ups, five hundred single-legged frog jumps, and ten rounds of the most difficult breakdance moves.

Time slipped by once more. Soon, it was nearly midnight.

Straightening up, Anquan felt the ache throughout his body and grinned.

Today’s gains weren’t bad at all!

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