Chapter 27

Zhao Jin's life remained monotonous. In the shop that Zhao Zhenxing guarded, there were many items left behind, such as account books and writing brushes. Zhao Jin collected these items and took out the ink and inkstone from his home. He used the wobbly brush strokes to record some key memories he deemed important, then stored the papers in a corner of the shop.

In this monotonous and dull life, Zhao Jin could clearly feel the changes in his body. He was more robust, stronger, and more energetic. In the past, running from home to the martial arts training place would make him pant and sweat, but now it was almost normal. When fighting with other young people in the cargo yard, the time it took him to knock others down was getting shorter.

Although Zhao Jin had only started practicing martial arts for less than a month, the young body responded quickly. As long as he practiced, he would get stronger. Every morning, he ran, and every evening, he did push-ups and sit-ups in his room. With a good diet, his physical fitness rapidly improved. Due to the horse stance and other training, his body's stability, strength, and speed all increased rapidly.

Recently, it was the autumn execution season. Zhao Zhentang went out every day with high spirits and came back drunk at night, giving more silver to He Cuihua. The executioner was naturally the busiest during the execution season, but he was also happy because benefits rolled in from all directions.

The weather was getting colder, and by mid-month, Zhao Jin had already changed into a cotton coat. He noticed that there were more and more constables and patrolmen on the streets. Although the clerks in the government office also patrolled the streets, in such cold weather, no one wanted to suffer and freeze. They all stayed in the government office to warm themselves by the fire or went to teahouses and gambling dens for entertainment. It was rare to see them patrolling so frequently. On several occasions, Zhao Jin even saw his father, Zhao Zhentang, and more surprisingly, soldiers in tattered armor patrolling.

Zhao Jin knew he didn't need to ask; he could get the answer from the conversations at home. His parents had a deep affection for each other, and He Cuihua was not an ignorant woman. Zhao Zhentang often talked about things outside with He Cuihua, and from these conversations, Zhao Jin learned a lot of information. Zhao Zhentang didn't hide anything from him, perhaps thinking that a child wouldn't understand. Because of this, Zhao Jin listened even more carefully.

The reason there were so many constables and patrolmen on the streets was that a high-ranking official from Xuzhou had retired and returned to his hometown. Zhao Jin didn't understand this term at first, but he later learned it meant retirement.

Xuzhou was known for its martial spirit, but its literary culture was relatively weak. In the Wanli era, only one scholar had passed the imperial examination. This person, who had passed the examination twelve years ago, was a source of pride for Xuzhou. It was thought that he would achieve great things in his official career, but unexpectedly, he returned to his hometown after only twelve years in office.

Although his tenure as an official was not long, his status as a scholar and a high-ranking official in the capital made him a significant figure in Xuzhou. Even in the capital, he had considerable influence in his hometown. Returning to live in retirement was like raising a banner in Xuzhou. The governor of Xuzhou did not dare to be negligent and was busy making arrangements to give this official a good impression.

Zhao Jin found this strange. He thought that while it was normal for people to flatter and fawn over an official while he was in office, this retired official was now just a commoner. The governor of Xuzhou, a high-ranking official in a large state, should not be so cautious and accommodating. However, Zhao Zhentang and He Cuihua found this natural, and Zhao Jin had no chance to ask.

After this conversation, Zhao Jin didn't think much about it. The next morning, while running around the streets, he saw someone leaning against a wall, seemingly asleep.

The weather was already very cold, and he had to run three laps before his body warmed up. This person was actually sleeping there.

When Zhao Jin returned home, his father, Zhao Zhentang, had already gotten up and was practicing with a knife in the courtyard. He was petting a monkey.

This petting was not affectionate; he was pinching the back of the monkey's neck with his fingers. Zhao Zhentang's eyes were half-closed, and his movements were very gentle, but the usually bold monkey was hunched over and trembling slightly.

"Father, there's someone sleeping on the road. It's so cold, I wonder how he can sleep," Zhao Jin mentioned casually. After more than a month, he had adapted to this identity and grown closer to his parents.

Zhao Zhentang opened his eyes. In that instant, Zhao Jin felt his warm body turn cold. Zhao Zhentang shook his head, removed his fingers from the monkey's neck, and the monkey, as if released from a great burden, screamed and darted into the side room.

"Someone sleeping on the road?" Zhao Zhentang asked in surprise, then frowned and stood up, muttering a few curses as he strode out of the courtyard.

At breakfast, Zhao Jin learned the reason. He Cuihua asked why her husband was late for breakfast, and Zhao Zhentang spat and said, "Another person died on the road. They just carried him out of the city. What a bad omen in the morning."

"Isn't it the same every year? When it snows and gets cold, some people can't make it," He Cuihua said calmly.

Zhao Zhentang scolded Zhao Jin, "Do you know that every day in Xuzhou, people die from the cold and hunger? You take a dozen pastries every day and waste them, never practicing seriously. What are you standing there for? Eat your breakfast."

After saying this, Zhao Zhentang and He Cuihua began eating calmly, but Zhao Jin was stunned. He finally realized that the person on the road was not just sleeping but had frozen to death.

What shocked Zhao Jin even more was his parents' demeanor and tone. They were not surprised at all. In their minds, it was normal for people to freeze to death on the streets in such cold weather. If it weren't for the retired official, the frozen bodies would likely have been ignored. Zhao Jin's understanding of the cruelty of this era deepened.

As the weather got colder, the young people in the cargo yard also changed. Although new people kept joining, the number was decreasing. In such cold weather, one had to be well-fed and warmly dressed to go out. Many families couldn't afford this, so those who came here were at least from well-off families.

Shi Manqiang and Ji Xiang were not as well-off as the Zhao and Chen families, but compared to others, they were still considered well-off, with cotton coats and enough food.

Another group was like Liu Yong. They might not be well-fed or warmly dressed, but winning a pastry was crucial. Some ate it themselves, while others took it home to share with their younger siblings. In the cold winter, being well-fed was even more important. Without money at home, the only way was to win in the cargo yard.

Because of these changes, the fights among the young people became more intense. Shi Manqiang, Ji Xiang, and Sun Dalei could no longer always make it to the top eight, but strength was still strength. Chen Sheng still won the most.

On October 20th, the martial arts training content finally changed. In addition to the horse stance and holding a wooden rod, they added a new item: holding a wooden rod and thrusting.

Zhao Zhenxing was extremely strict about the accuracy of the movements. According to him, only the correct posture could generate the maximum force and ensure accuracy.

The seemingly simple movements were actually very difficult to execute. Stepping, swinging the arms, and coordinating the whole body, one mistake would greatly reduce the effect. Because of his mistakes, Zhao Jin was beaten countless times with a rattan stick.

At first, Zhao Zhenxing was worried that Zhao Jin would be unwilling to learn martial arts after being beaten, but after more than a month, he no longer held back when punishing Zhao Jin, treating him like a real disciple.

Even though he was wearing a sheepskin coat, the rattan stick always hit the weak spots. Zhao Jin gritted his teeth in pain but endured it. He noticed that his uncle, Zhao Zhenxing, looked much worse after winter set in, with his coughing worsening. The cold seemed to be taking a toll on his health.

Zhao Jin developed a habit of wandering around the abandoned shop and warehouse during his free time. Since it was already abandoned, it didn't matter.

The warehouse was full of heavy items. Zhao Jin would crawl around inside and come out when it was time to practice. Children love exploring unknown spaces. The shop and warehouse were locked, making them very safe. Zhao Zhenxing let his nephew play there, thinking it was better than running around the streets, but he didn't know what Zhao Jin was doing inside.

Every time Zhao Jin went in, he would spend a long time at the counter, using the paper and pen hidden there to record things he found important.

He laboriously drew a square on a piece of white paper, then drew four smaller squares at the corners of the large square. He bit the pen and pondered for a moment, then wrote "spearman" in the large square and "musketeer" in the smaller squares.

A friend who read military history to him while he was sick often showed him illustrations in the book, pointing out the formations.

"It looks like the Portuguese... no... it's the Spanish tercio..."