Chapter 2

A figure flashed, and a middle-aged man of average height, dressed in a black traditional Chinese robe, quickly walked out of the warehouse. Seeing Zuo Xiaoyou, who was dressed in Western attire (casual wear from 2015), his eyes showed a mix of surprise and anticipation. He asked, "I am Yip Man. Are you here to learn martial arts?"

Seeing this middle-aged man, who was a head shorter than him and had a face identical to Donnie Yen, Zuo Xiaoyou felt a bit excited. Brother Yen! This is the living Brother Yen!

For a small-time actor who had been running minor roles for over a decade, Brother Yen was undoubtedly a legendary superstar. If it weren't for knowing that this person was just a character played by Brother Yen, he would have really wanted to ask for an autograph.

"Master Yip," Zuo Xiaoyou said respectfully, bowing with clasped hands, "I have long admired your name. Disciple Zuo Xiaoyou humbly requests that Master Yip take me as a disciple."

"Sure, no problem," Yip Man smiled, but his smile was a bit shy as he rubbed his hands, "First, pay the tuition, pay the tuition."

"..."

It was true that Yip Man was currently poor and desperate, willing to teach anyone for the tuition, and the tuition was incredibly cheap, only five yuan per month.

In Hong Kong in 1950, if you only ate steamed buns, five yuan could feed an ordinary person for half a month. But Yip Man had a family of three, and his wife was pregnant. Five yuan would only be enough for the family's food for three days, far from enough to live on.

"Master, your Wing Chun is so powerful, and you only charge five yuan per month?" Zuo Xiaoyou wanted to help Yip Man raise the price, "That's too cheap! Fifty yuan a month is the minimum."

"No, no, five yuan is enough, more than enough," Yip Man was a straightforward person, "Fifty yuan is too expensive; no one would spend that much to learn martial arts."

"..."

It was impossible to speak tactfully with a straightforward person. Zuo Xiaoyou took out all the hundred yuan from his pocket. After thinking for a moment, he added another twenty yuan, making it a total of one hundred and twenty yuan, which he handed to Yip Man.

"What is this?" Seeing so much money, Yip Man was taken aback, not understanding what Zuo Xiaoyou meant.

"Master, this is two years' tuition," Zuo Xiaoyou knelt down and bowed, "I humbly request that Master impart the essence of Wing Chun to me."

Zuo Xiaoyou's "sincerity" (the money) moved Yip Man, who quickly helped him up and said happily, "Alright, if you want to learn, I will teach you with all my heart. Come, I will teach you Wing Chun now."

"Thank you, Master!"

"Main mission 1 completed: Become Yip Man's disciple."

Zuo Xiaoyou sighed in relief, remembering something, he said, "Master, can we start tomorrow? I have some things to do today."

"Sure, go ahead! Come early tomorrow." With one hundred and twenty yuan, Yip Man was in a great mood. This money would be enough for his family's living expenses for two months, so he had no problem with Zuo Xiaoyou's request.

"Thank you, Master."

After bidding farewell to Yip Man, Zuo Xiaoyou went to the nearby police station to resolve his identity issue in this world. In 1950s Hong Kong, household registration management was very relaxed. No matter where you came from, as long as you registered with the local police station, you could immediately obtain local household registration. With household registration, you could buy property in the area.

The process of obtaining household registration was very simple. After finding the local police station, it only took half an hour to get a legal household registration. Zuo Xiaoyou then hurriedly went to look for a house.

At this time, Hong Kong's real estate market was not as tight as in later years, and there were new developments waiting to be sold. Zuo Xiaoyou quickly found a newly built, decent property, a thousand-square-foot luxury apartment on the second floor.

Many people are not familiar with Hong Kong's so-called "thousand-square-foot luxury apartment." Most people might think it means a thousand square meters or three hundred square meters, but that's not the case.

A "thousand-square-foot luxury apartment" is actually only 91 square meters.

You didn't hear wrong. In Hong Kong, a 91-square-meter apartment can indeed be called a luxury apartment. In mainland China, you wouldn't even call it a luxury apartment unless it was a two-story villa over 300 square meters. In ancient cities, the mansions of princes and nobles are like parks, and you could easily get lost without a guide.

Zuo Xiaoyou's apartment, by 1950 standards, was the latest type of building, but in his eyes, it was very simple, especially the toilet, which had a squat toilet instead of a flush toilet.

A squat toilet is better than nothing, at least better than an outhouse.

The new house had been simply renovated, with the floor laid, walls painted, and all utilities installed. After a quick clean-up and buying some furniture, it would be ready to move in.

After giving the salesperson ten yuan as a tip, the salesperson enthusiastically helped Zuo Xiaoyou find a cleaner and contacted a furniture factory. By nightfall, the place was somewhat presentable.

Zuo Xiaoyou didn't buy kitchenware.

First, there were no exhaust fans in this era.

Second, there were no gas stoves; people cooked with firewood or coal, and the more advanced used coal briquette stoves. For a modern person like Zuo Xiaoyou, using those things was too painful and unhealthy.

He didn't buy kitchenware, but he did buy some teapots, bowls, and chopsticks. The house had three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a balcony.

Zuo Xiaoyou put a wooden bed, a large wardrobe, and two sets of bedding in each room.

The living room had no sofa, only an eight-person table, four wooden chairs, and plenty of open space. Since he had just moved in and didn't have enough time, he could add more furniture later.

In addition, Zuo Xiaoyou bought two new sets of clothes as a backup.

In 1950s Hong Kong, you could still buy high-quality clothes if you were willing to spend the money. There were many places to buy Western-style clothing, and you could even have them custom-made.

Zuo Xiaoyou put these two sets of clothes in the watch's storage space for easy access.

For dinner, he ate beef noodles at a street stall downstairs. The beef was plentiful, the noodles were chewy, and the soup was excellent, leaving Zuo Xiaoyou very satisfied. When he settled the bill, it was only two yuan... This was because the beef was plentiful; otherwise, a bowl of beef noodles without meat would only cost fifty cents, which was incredibly cheap.

This era was so wonderful... if you had a million yuan.

...

"What's going on?"

Before going to bed, Zuo Xiaoyou went to the bathroom to brush his teeth and saw a shocking sight in the mirror.

His eyes were bright, his skin smooth and tender, and the dark stubble from frequent shaving was gone. He truly looked like a vibrant young man.

Zuo Xiaoyou touched his face, his eyes filled with unease. This was exactly how he looked at twenty.

"Xiaohei, what's going on?"

Xiaohei was the name Zuo Xiaoyou gave to the AI in his watch. The watch was black, and the name fit well.

"The user underwent a temporal cleansing during the time travel, causing the body to reverse age."

"Reverse age?" Zuo Xiaoyou's face changed, thinking of a very terrifying consequence: "Does that mean I will become ten years younger each time I travel? If I travel three times..."

"Please rest assured, the temporal cleansing only happens once and will not stack."

Xiaohei's answer relieved Zuo Xiaoyou, but he was still a bit worried, "What about when I return to the real world?"

In reality, he was a thirty-year-old man, and returning like this would definitely raise suspicion.

"The user can settle in a remote mountain area," Xiaohei suggested.

"..."

Being ten years younger had its benefits. It was like getting ten more years of youth for free. Feeling great, Zuo Xiaoyou threw himself on the bed and turned off the light. After a tiring day, he soon fell into a comfortable sleep.

In the morning, Zuo Xiaoyou got up from bed, full of energy, and went to the bathroom to use the toilet. He brushed his teeth, washed his face, and wiped his body with a wet towel.

There were no water heaters in 1950s Hong Kong. Zuo Xiaoyou was lucky that this new building had a bathtub, but the water from the tap was cold. To take a hot bath, he would have to heat the water himself.

Zuo Xiaoyou didn't buy a coal stove, so there was no hot water, and he had no interest in a cold bath. He just wiped his body with a wet towel.

The wet towel felt cool on his skin, making him shiver. Soaking the towel in water, Zuo Xiaoyou patted his face in the mirror, "When I get back to the modern world, I'll definitely take a hot bath."

After getting ready, Zuo Xiaoyou left the house and went to a street stall downstairs for breakfast.

Before and after the war, many refugees from mainland China fled to Hong Kong, bringing with them a variety of regional cuisines. As a result, Hong Kong's food scene was very diverse.

Breakfast options were varied, such as shrimp dumplings, fried noodles, pan-fried buns, and stir-fried beef noodles, generally leaning towards southern Chinese flavors.

Zuo Xiaoyou, being from the north, preferred noodles. He bought ten pan-fried buns and a bowl of tofu pudding, simple but delicious. When he settled the bill, it was only 2.2 yuan... so cheap that it was unbelievable.

Looking at his watch, it was 7:30 AM. The place where he would practice martial arts was not far, only a ten-minute walk.

He took a leisurely stroll to digest his food. When he arrived at the rooftop, he found the door locked and no one in sight.

"Where is Master?"

Zuo Xiaoyou was a bit bored. He didn't know where Yip Man lived, and there was no way to call him in this era. He could only sit on the rooftop and wait patiently.

Sitting on the edge of the rooftop, he looked into the distance. The old buildings and people dressed in traditional Chinese clothing confirmed that this was an era full of darkness but also one of revival, filled with unknown wonders.

"Yip Man's world..." Zuo Xiaoyou murmured.

After waiting for about twenty minutes, Yip Man finally arrived.