Chapter 13 of 100

Chapter 13

15 min read3,755 words

Although he was said to be a child, Chen Sheng was actually taller and more robust than Zhao Jin. When Mu Shulan saw Chen Hong, she smiled and reached out to pat his head: "Ehong, do you miss your sister?"

Chen Hong nodded obediently there, but Chen Sheng ignored Mu Shulan and said to Zhao Jin with a sullen face: "Didn't we say we would spar today? You didn't show up all day. I only found out you were here when I went to your place. Come on, let's fight."

"Look at me now, how can I fight you? I have no strength left, I can't even walk," Zhao Jin said with a bitter smile.

"Exactly, exactly, Little Jin practiced all day and is exhausted," Mu Shulan chimed in from the side.

It was obvious that Zhao Jin was weak, and Chen Sheng's face fell. He said unwillingly, "I've been waiting for you all day, and I even brought out a wooden sword."

Only then did Zhao Jin notice the short stick in Chen Sheng's hand. It was different from yesterday's, shaped like a sword with a curve. Zhao Jin suddenly thought of the Japanese sword he had seen at his uncle's house. Although the sizes were different, the shapes were very similar.

Seeing this, Zhao Jin was even less willing to spar. Not to mention his lack of strength, even if he had full strength, Chen Sheng with a suitable weapon and not underestimating him, would definitely have the upper hand. Zhao Jin would definitely suffer a great loss.

Zhao Jin was extremely tired and just wanted to go home to eat and sleep. He took a step, but seeing Chen Sheng's disappointed and dejected face, he stopped and said with a smile: "I won't fight you. You can find others to spar with. There were quite a few stronger than me among those kids yesterday!"

Among the children at the cargo yard yesterday, there were a few who were taller and more robust than Chen Sheng. Even without using any special tactics like Zhao Jin, they wouldn't necessarily be at a disadvantage when fighting Chen Sheng. Chen Sheng could easily find them to spar.

Hearing this, Chen Sheng's face fell, and he pouted: "They won't fight me."

There was nothing to be done. Zhao Jin shook his head and prepared to go home. Chen Sheng continued: "I thought I would start with the weak ones and then fight the strong ones. But after winning a few, they wouldn't fight me anymore. Cowards, it's so boring!"

Listening to Chen Sheng's frustrated complaint, Zhao Jin laughed. He had already figured out the reason. After all, he had been through this time before. Zhao Jin said: "Chen Sheng, I'll teach you a method to ensure that someone will fight you."

Hearing this, Chen Sheng's eyes lit up. Not only him, but even Mu Shulan and Chen Hong looked over. The little girl knew about Chen Sheng's problem and was immediately curious when she heard that Zhao Jin had a solution.

"Offer cakes as prizes, and everyone will be willing to fight you. But once they see they can't win, they won't get any cakes and will also get beaten by you. No one wants to suffer. You need to give them some incentive," Zhao Jin explained.

The other three children couldn't help but widen their eyes. Although Zhao Jin tried to keep it simple, Chen Sheng and Mu Shulan still found it impressive. In his previous life, Zhao Jin's job was to deal with people, and he was good at understanding human nature. The simple thoughts of children couldn't escape him.

But to the other children, Zhao Jin's theory and analysis sounded very reasonable and impressive.

Zhao Jin continued: "If you're willing to offer cakes, let them fight each other first. The winner gets a cake, and then you fight the winner. If you win, you get two cakes. Even if they can't beat you, they still get a cake, so they'll be willing to fight."

Chen Sheng nodded, thinking for a moment, then suddenly waved his wooden sword down and clenched his fist: "You're right. I'll do that tomorrow. There will definitely be many people willing to fight me."

Seeing Chen Sheng's glowing face, Zhao Jin felt happy and added: "If no one still wants to fight you, do this: say that whoever can hit you or make you step back will get a reward. This way, everyone will think it's easy to get the cakes, and someone will definitely fight you."

Chen Sheng nodded vigorously, grabbed Chen Hong's hand, and was about to leave when he remembered something and asked with a smile: "Zhao Jin, I heard you're also learning martial arts. You can beat me, and you'll definitely be even stronger after learning. When can we spar again?"

"When I'm not so tired, I'll definitely fight you!" Zhao Jin replied with a smile.

Chen Sheng left with his brother, excited. After standing there for a while, Zhao Jin felt somewhat recovered and slowly walked back with Mu Shulan.

As they walked down the street, Mu Shulan stared at Zhao Jin and said: "I never realized how impressive Little Jin is!"

Zhao Jin found it amusing and asked: "Did you think I was terrible before?"

Mu Shulan nodded instinctively, then realized it and started shaking Zhao Jin's arm, looking resentful. Zhao Jin laughed heartily, and his fatigue from the day lessened.

All of this was observed by Zhao Zhen, who was following behind. He was quite surprised. His nephew used to be timid and reserved in front of Mu Shulan, but now he was natural and proactive, and could talk confidently with other children. His nephew used to be shy and restrained in front of others, but now he was more open. And the changes he had noticed during today's martial arts practice—this illness had truly brought some good fortune to his nephew.

Following them to the street in front of the Zhao family, Zhao Zhen turned back as Zhao Jin was about to reach the door.

In front of the Zhao family's door stood a middle-aged man in a dark robe, his hair simply tied up. He looked different from the people on the street, but his attire wasn't that of a scholar. The man was quite handsome, with a beard, and looked very elegant.

Seeing the man, Mu Shulan let go of Zhao Jin and happily called out, "Dad," then skipped over. Zhao Jin politely greeted him, but the man only nodded indifferently and led Mu Shulan away.

At this moment, Zhao Jin vaguely remembered that Mu Shulan's mother had been dead for a long time.

After returning home, the dinner was already prepared. Seeing Zhao Jin's exhausted state, He Cuihua felt very sorry for him. She took the leftover pancakes from lunch and stewed a bowl of meat.

Dinner was uneventful. Zhao Zhen returned and ate with them. Seeing Zhao Jin's tired appearance, he sneered, "You're asking for it," but didn't say anything else.

Before going to bed, Zhao Zhen came to massage Zhao Jin's muscles. Zhao Zhen used quite a bit of force, making Zhao Jin cry out, but after he was done, Zhao Jin felt much less sore. It seemed that his father wasn't just good at beheading.

After finishing, Zhao Zhen slapped Zhao Jin's buttocks hard, making him cry out in pain. Zhao Zhen grunted and said, "You're no good. After two years of studying, you don't recognize a few characters, but you have spirit when learning martial arts. You're destined for a hard life."

It seemed that a lot had happened in the past. Zhao Jin felt drowsy, and his eyelids drooped. He couldn't even feel the slap on his buttocks. At this moment, He Cuihua entered the room, blew out the lamp, and covered Zhao Jin with a blanket.

In a daze, Zhao Jin asked, "Mom, Second Uncle said Little Lan comes to our house to avoid kidnappers. What are kidnappers?"

He Cuihua was taken aback, sat beside Zhao Jin, and patted him while explaining, "Little Jin, kidnappers are despicable people. They trick children and sell them to others."

Zhao Jin was just making small talk, but he didn't expect He Cuihua to elaborate: "If they sell you to a good family, that's one thing, but some are sold to brothels, some are sold to work as slaves, and some are sold for medicine. Some people in the south are even more cruel..."

"Stop making noise, the child is sleeping!" Zhao Zhen's low voice came from outside the door. He Cuihua tucked Zhao Jin in and left the room.

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