Chapter 4

(Listening) (New book seeks various forms of support)

Luo Tai led Chun Li, relying on his memory, and made his way to the Jingwu Hall. By this time, it was already late. As they entered the gate of the martial arts hall, Luo Tai suddenly thought of something. He turned to Chun Li and said, "Chun Li, from now on, you are not allowed to call me Master. Instead, you should call me Brother Tai, understand?"

Luo Tai thought it through. Since Chun Li would be inseparable from him, even sleeping together, he couldn't let her call him Master when they met Huo Ting'en. It wouldn't be appropriate for her to be his sister either; siblings don't sleep in the same room, right? That would make them just like the people in the islands.

Therefore, Chun Li could only appear as his wife, not even as his fiancée. This was the Republic of China era, where the social norms were still relatively conservative. Cohabiting before marriage would invite gossip from others.

Chun Li was a bit confused. She lowered her head and slowly said, "Does Master dislike Chun Li? That's why you don't want me to call you Master anymore?" As she spoke, the first female fighter from Street Fighter, actually had tears welling up in her eyes.

"No, no, no," Luo Tai quickly waved his hands and said, "How could I? I really like you. It's just that I don't like being called Master; it makes me uncomfortable. Calling me Brother Tai is the same as calling me Master."

"Really?" Chun Li asked.

"Of course," Luo Tai said.

Chun Li nodded and smiled, then said, "Then I'll call you... Brother Tai from now on."

"Right," Luo Tai smiled and continued, "Say it again?"

"Brother Tai."

"Yep, that's it. No matter what, call me that from now on," Luo Tai instructed again.

"Chun Li understands."

After teaching Chun Li, Luo Tai turned around with a sense of satisfaction and began knocking on the door of the Jingwu Hall. To be honest, Luo Tai felt a sense of fulfillment, which came from Chun Li's respect and obedience.

In reality, he had never had a girlfriend. The reasons were, first, he was too introverted and would blush when he saw girls; second, and more importantly, he was too poor. As a small electrician, he could barely support himself, and in modern society, how could he date a girl without spending money?

His best friend, Sun Fat, had a famous saying: "In the world of 'Black Mushrooms,' no matter how hard a diao si (loser) tries, he can't match a rich and handsome guy who does nothing."

Luo Tai believed this saying contained profound wisdom! The taste of it, sigh... hard to describe!

Soon, the door of the Jingwu Hall opened, and the servant named Zhao Si, who had opened the door before, saw Luo Tai and said, "Mr. Luo, the Master has been waiting for you all day."

Luo Tai said, "I went to pick up my wife."

"Wife?" Zhao Si looked behind Luo Tai and saw a beauty like a lotus flower emerging from the water. He thought to himself, this Mr. Luo's wife is truly a great beauty. He then stepped aside and gestured, "Please come in, both of you."

Luo Tai and Chun Li entered one after the other. Because Luo Tai had generously donated five gold bars to the Jingwu Hall during the day, his name had spread throughout the hall. In the chaotic era of the Republic of China, money was not worth much. The real hard currency was still gold and silver.

Luo Tai wasn't quite sure what five gold bars meant, but Huo Ting'en and Uncle Nong knew very well. These five gold bars, if not used to expand the hall, could support the hundred or so people in the hall for more than five years. Even if part of it was used to recruit more disciples, the remaining three years would be no problem.

Therefore, it didn't matter if Luo Tai brought back a wife, or even three wives and four concubines; Huo Ting'en would still arrange a place for him. With the gold bars as a foundation, Luo Tai naturally introduced Chun Li to everyone with confidence. He thought, I donated five gold bars, bringing one more person is just one more mouth to feed. Even if Huo Ting'en were stingy, he wouldn't refuse.

Moreover, in the movie, Huo Ting'en and Uncle Nong were not stingy with money. They just had some differences in their martial arts philosophy with Chen Zhen. Plus, Chen Zhen had a Japanese woman, Kogane, which made him unwelcome at the Jingwu Hall.

Luo Tai still couldn't figure out which part of the movie this was, as he hadn't seen Chen Zhen yet. In the movie, after Huo Yuanjia died, Chen Zhen returned and stayed at the hall. But why couldn't he see him?

"Brother Luo, I've been waiting for you all day. I was worried something had happened to you, so I even sent someone to look for you," Huo Ting'en said politely when he saw Luo Tai.

Luo Tai returned the courtesy, first exchanging pleasantries, then pulling Chun Li forward and introducing her to Huo Ting'en and Uncle Nong, "Uh, let me introduce you. This is my wife, her name is Chun Li. I just went to pick her up. Chun Li, this is Master Huo of the Jingwu Hall, and this is Uncle Nong."

Chun Li gracefully bowed to the two and said, "Chun Li greets you."

Chun Li's appearance made Huo Ting'en and Uncle Nong's eyes light up. They saw not only her beauty but also the aura of a martial artist.

Huo Ting'en first smiled and bowed to Chun Li, then turned to Zhao Si and whispered a few words. Zhao Si understood and hurriedly left. Huo Ting'en said to Chun Li, "Mrs. Luo is also a martial artist, right?"

Chun Li turned to look at Luo Tai, who stepped forward and smiled, "Uh, my wife has practiced... this... kickboxing... uh... free fighting... for a few years... her leg techniques are very powerful. Hehe, don't laugh, I don't know much about martial arts."

As Luo Tai introduced her, everyone smiled. They could tell he was a layman in martial arts and waited for Chun Li's response.

Chun Li smiled and said, "I have practiced martial arts since childhood, learning various Chinese boxing styles, specializing in swallow kicks and spinning kicks, and I have created the Overmounting Mountain Ascending Kick."

Chun Li's words not only impressed Luo Tai but also amazed Huo Ting'en, Uncle Nong, and the disciples. The martial techniques she mentioned were unknown to these martial artists. This was not surprising, as there were no televisions in the Republic of China era, and how could they have seen a video game?

Huo Ting'en, of course, couldn't show his ignorance in front of the disciples. He nodded and put on a knowledgeable look, saying, "Mrs. Luo is indeed a martial artist. I've heard the names of those techniques from my father, but I've never seen them. Mrs. Luo, if you stay at the Jingwu Hall, I would like to learn from you."

Chun Li humbly nodded and then stepped back to Luo Tai's side.

Uncle Nong, holding a pipe, stepped forward and said, "It's getting late. Brother Luo and Mrs. Luo must be tired after a long day. Ting'en, I think we should let them rest early."

Huo Ting'en said, "Yes, I initially prepared a small room for Brother Luo, but I asked Zhao Si to prepare a larger one."

"Oh," Luo Tai replied, "Master Huo is too kind. My wife and I have been wandering, and a bit of hardship is nothing."

Just as they were talking, Zhao Si ran over and whispered a few words to Huo Ting'en. Huo Ting'en smiled and said to Luo Tai and Chun Li, "The room is ready. Please come in."

Thus, Luo Tai and Chun Li, led by them, walked past the main hall and through a garden to the back rooms. At this point, Luo Tai realized how large the Jingwu Hall was, something that couldn't be seen in the movie.

The room Huo Ting'en prepared for them was spacious, with all the necessary furniture and daily items. After everyone left, Luo Tai stretched, flexed his wrists, and then sat on the bed, patting the bedding a few times. He then said to Chun Li, "Money really can make the devil push the mill. If it weren't for the five gold bars, we'd probably be sleeping on the street."

Chun Li smiled and quietly stood by Luo Tai's side.

Luo Tai looked at Chun Li and inwardly praised her figure. He cleared his throat and said, "Uh, that... tonight... how are we going to sleep?"

Chun Li immediately turned to Luo Tai and said, "Brother Tai, you can sleep on the bed. Chun Li will sit beside you and meditate to recover her strength."

Luo Tai laughed and said, "Chun Li, this isn't Street Fighter. You can't just sit on the side and get back into the fight. Although men and women should not be too close, we are now a nominal couple. If I sleep and you sit... that... that would be inappropriate, and others might think I'm mistreating you."

Since coming here, Luo Tai felt that his other skills hadn't improved, but his ability to talk to beautiful women had certainly grown.

Chun Li smiled and said, "Chun Li will follow Brother Tai's arrangements."

"Uh...," Luo Tai nodded, rubbed his chest to calm himself, and thought for a moment before saying, "This bed is big enough for both of us. You sleep on the inside, and I'll sleep on the outside. We'll both... sleep in our clothes, without disturbing each other."

Chun Li didn't say much, only adding, "Brother Tai, for your safety, you should sleep on the inside, and Chun Li will sleep on the outside."

Luo Tai nodded and said, "Okay, you're thoughtful. Let's do it that way."

After that, the two lay down on the bed as they had agreed.

After lying there for a while, Luo Tai couldn't help but sneak a peek at Chun Li. Seeing her prominent chest rise and fall, he felt his heart race.

"Chun Li, I usually sleep alone and don't know if I snore. If I do, just nudge me," Luo Tai's Adam's apple moved up and down.

"It's fine. I won't nudge Brother Tai; it would disturb your sleep."

"Chun Li... this... this... are you cold? We should cover ourselves with a blanket," Luo Tai said.

"Whatever Brother Tai says."

"Chun Li, I... how... how do I always feel that sleeping in clothes is a bit tight... I might have a sore back by tomorrow. I think we should take off our clothes."

"Whatever Brother Tai says."

"Swish, swish, swish..."

"Chun Li... I just want to see if you're real..."

"Whatever Brother Tai says..."

Is this still the Luo Tai who would blush when he saw a girl? Obviously not!

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