Chapter 13: Hungry Tiger
Chapter 13: Hungry Tiger
"You kid, you didn't dress carefully enough and cut such a long hole."
Zhou Youniang kept complaining as she worked on her needlework, "This material is really good. Was it given by the martial arts school?"
This set of clothes was given by a senior brother from the inner courtyard. The fabric is top-notch and the workmanship is also extraordinary.
"Don't even mention the children. The market is not peaceful. Yesterday, Old Li's house was robbed."
Father Zhou puffed on his cigarette and said, "There are fried crispy fruits in the pot. Take some and eat them."
"After eating the fried crispy fruit, there is also a chicken stewed in the pot. You have been practicing martial arts and have consumed a lot of energy. You must eat well when you go home."
Zhou You lifted the lid of the pot and a fragrant aroma of oil hit him in the face.
Pick up a piece of fried golden and crispy noodles, and you will feel the satisfying taste in your mouth when you bite it.
Fried crispy fruit is a kind of fried pasta. It is crispy and fragrant when eaten. It can only be eaten at home during festivals.
Because it requires high-quality white flour, it consumes a lot of oil, and it is only available during festivals.
It’s not a festival, how can we eat fried crispy fruits?
"A few days ago, a young oil seller came to my house. He sold oil at a very low price and gave me an extra half bucket."
"I heard him say that he was your friend."
As soon as Zhou You heard the name, he knew it was Song Fugui. What a nice guy.
"Yes, he's my friend, I met him at the martial arts gym."
My mother mentioned, "The oil seller is very sweet, always calling me aunt, but he's not in good health and walks with a limp."
Zhou You ate the fried fruit silently, he knew the reason.
After Song Fugui left the martial arts hall, he returned the wooden sign to the eldest senior brother.
The guys who were previously afraid of the martial arts school's reputation now swarmed around like flies smelling blood, and extorted more harshly than before.
In order to protect his family business, Song Fugui fought several fierce battles and defeated those thugs.
During this period, he suffered from wounds of varying sizes all over his body, and still had to go from street to street selling oil.
"It's not easy. I see that the oil seller is about the same age as you, You'er."
Mother said softly.
"Whose family has it easy these days?"
Father Zhou sighed in the smoke, "There are still two months left. If You'er can't get a permanent job, our family will be in big trouble."
Tu Laosan has not made any move so far. It’s not that he suddenly became a good person, but that he is waiting for an opportunity.
Once Zhou You is expelled from the martial arts hall, the Zhou family will be doomed.
"His father, don't tell me, these clothes, fabrics, and needlework are for the young masters to wear."
After the mother finished mending the clothes, she couldn't help but ask Zhou You, "Where did you get it?"
"There is a senior brother in the inner courtyard. His family runs a business and owns a company. I heard his last name is Shen."
Father Zhou slapped his thigh and said, "The boss's surname is Shen. His third son has entered a martial arts school to learn boxing. Isn't this a coincidence?"
After all the fuss, it turned out that the generous senior brother from the inner courtyard was actually the son of Old Man Zhou's boss.
"You'er, our family doesn't accept favors for nothing. Find a time to thank them in person."
Zhou You nodded in agreement, but was thinking in his heart.
With his potential to travel around the future, what's wrong with accepting a few pieces of clothing from him?
If there is an opportunity in the future, I will definitely return it a hundred or a thousand times.
The family ate fried crispy fruit and talked about the recent upheavals in the city.
Sucheng suffered from famine and was plagued by bandits. After its destruction, a large number of refugees left their homes and fled to Gongliang City.
The scenes I saw on my way home were just the tip of the iceberg.
"The second manager of our company took advantage of the chaos to lower the price and bought a virgin girl as a concubine for 5 taels of silver."
"The second shopkeeper is almost fifty, isn't this a disgrace to the girl?"
"What do you know? At least you can have something to eat so you don't starve to death."
When Father Zhou said this, he suddenly thought of something and said, "You'er, how about I buy you a wife?"
Zhou You almost choked, pounded his chest and shook his head quickly, "No hurry."
"You old man, my daughter You'er can't find a good daughter from any family to marry, so why does she have to look for a refugee?" Mother was angry and kept complaining about the bad idea given by Father Zhou.
Old Man Zhou muttered that many of the refugees were originally from good families, and many of the women were well-educated and well-mannered, so it was a good opportunity to pick up some bargains.
And there is no need to prepare a dowry, you can just give money and take the woman home to consummate the marriage.
"Dad, I've told you not to rush. Our martial arts school says that young people should maintain their Yuan Yang. You don't understand Yuan Yang. In layman's terms, it means a virgin body."
Speaking of virginity, the parents became nervous again. He said, "Just practice martial arts, why do you have to leave no descendants?"
Zhou You was sweating profusely as he spoke, but he finally managed to smooth over the issue.
When Zhou You returned to his room to sleep that night, he discovered that there was something new in the room.
"Dad, Mom, why is there an extra painting on our wall?"
When Zhou You first walked in, he was so scared that he almost turned around and left.
It turned out to be a picture of a tiger on the wall. At first glance, it looked lifelike, and the white-browed tiger with hanging eyes seemed to be jumping down from the wall.
The invisible evil and murderous aura is overwhelming!
I heard my mother's answer.
"An old man passed by the day before yesterday. He didn't look like a refugee, but a scholar."
"He was very hungry and came to ask for food."
"Your mother was such a nice person that she gave him two overnight steamed buns made from mixed grains. The old man was quite stubborn and said he was not a beggar. He insisted on paying, but he couldn't even afford a penny."
"He took out a pen and paper and drew a picture on the spot."
Old Man Zhou has worked as a clerk in a business for most of his life, so he has some experience.
He pointed at the painting on the wall and said, "You'er, this is a good painting. If it were sold in the store, it would be worth at least two taels of silver."
"We still made a profit."
Zhou You looked at the content of the painting. There were jagged rocks and dry grass. A skinny tiger was lurking among the rocks and grass, patiently waiting for its prey.
The tiger was extremely hungry, its fur had lost its luster and it was extremely emaciated.
However, it lies dormant patiently, its eyes dim but concealing terrifying explosive power.
Any prey that comes into the tiger's sight will be jumped upon by it and eaten till not a bone is left.
He is worthy of being the king of beasts and the strongest one in the food chain.
Zhou You was stunned by the overwhelming momentum, and after a long while he exhaled, "Nice painting!"
The title of this painting is "A Hungry Tiger Lying Dormant", and there is a poem in the blank spaces.
"Just like a tiger lying on a barren hill, lurking with its claws and fangs, enduring."
The Fu Hu Quan of Jianxiong Martial Arts School imitates the posture of a tiger hunting and pouncing on its prey, which is fierce and sharp.
During the practice, tiger bones are used as medicine to strengthen the body.
Zhou You had only studied for a month and used four patches of tiger bone ointment, but his physical fitness had already improved greatly.
Tiger skin, bones, and tendons are all far more tough than usual.
The refugee's sneak attack barely scratched the leather of his vest. This kind of ability would have been unimaginable in the past.
When he saw the dormant tiger in the painting, he felt a sense of resonance in his heart.
Aren't I just like the hungry tiger in the painting? I have great fighting spirit, but due to the current situation I can only endure it for the time being.
Once the opportunity comes, he will be able to give full play to his strengths and become the king that shocks all beasts.
That night, after Zhou You fell asleep, he dreamed of the hungry tiger hiding among the rocks on the barren hills, looking at him with a pair of dark eyes.
Zhou You was not afraid, because he knew that he was not the prey, but himself.
As he fell asleep...
Under the moonlight, the picture of a dormant tiger hangs quietly, and the tiger's eyes emit a faint light.
(End of this chapter)