Chapter 4

The Zhao family residence was located west of Xuzhou City, not far from the Wuan Gate. It didn't take long to reach the place. The cargo yard was vast and empty, and when they arrived, quite a few children were already playing there, some in groups on the east side and others on the west.

In his memory, Zhao Jin didn't particularly like this place because everyone here always liked to fight or wrestle, and the frail Zhao Jin often suffered.

When Chen Sheng and Zhao Jin arrived, several children immediately greeted them and gathered around. It seemed that everyone knew Zhao Jin had been scared to death by the beheading, so seeing him alive and well, the children were very excited and came over to ask questions. Some even thought Zhao Jin might be a ghost, which was quite amusing.

After a while, Chen Sheng waved his short stick and raised his voice, saying, "I've learned new moves! Who wants to fight me?"

Seven children gathered around, three of whom were clearly older and taller than Chen Sheng. However, upon hearing the word "fight," they all shrank back, and the others were even more hesitant. This made Zhao Jin feel very strange. Boys are competitive and never shy away from a fight, so why was no one responding?

The other groups of children looked over, clearly very interested in the "resurrected" Zhao Jin, but they didn't respond to Chen Sheng's challenge.

"Whoever beats me, I'll give them a sesame cake to eat tomorrow!" Chen Sheng shouted even louder, waving his short stick, but still, no one responded.

Over the past few days, Zhao Jin had noticed that most of the adults and children he saw were thin and malnourished. Chen Sheng, being fat, was quite rare. Even Zhao Jin's own frail body looked healthy in comparison. Most people were hungry, and a sesame cake was a rare treat. The children playing in the cargo yard were often pale and thin, and many wore tattered clothes. So why wasn't anyone tempted by the sesame cake?

In the next moment, Zhao Jin realized that it wasn't that no one was tempted, but that no one could actually win against Chen Sheng. Despite his plump appearance, Chen Sheng was very skilled. Since he started challenging others to fights two years ago, no one had ever beaten him.

In his memory, Chen Sheng always carried this short stick, but his victories weren't due to his opponents being unarmed while he had a stick. Some children had used longer sticks, but still lost to Chen Sheng. Even older boys, who were taller and stronger, couldn't gain an advantage. Over time, no one wanted to challenge him anymore, as they would get hurt and still not win the prize. Why bother?

"Look, I pinched him, he's not a ghost! Ghosts are intangible!" Someone pinched Zhao Jin's arm, and another child pointed excitedly at Zhao Jin's shadow, shouting, "Look, look, he has a shadow! Ghosts don't have shadows!"

No one paid attention to Chen Sheng, and a group of children began to study Zhao Jin. Zhao Jin, though outwardly a frail child, was not so in his mind. He found the children's actions annoying. Chen Hong had already come over, carefully touching Zhao Jin, and Chen Sheng, too, was curious and eager to join in.

Zhao Jin felt very uncomfortable, as if he were a lab animal being studied. Surrounded by the children, it was hard to break free. In frustration, he raised his voice and shouted, "Chen Sheng, I'll fight you!"

At this, the children surrounding Zhao Jin fell silent for a moment, then dispersed, looking at him with disbelief. Some whispered, "Zhao Jin, can you do it?"

"Chen Sheng hits really hard..." another child whispered. Zhao Jin nodded and said, "We'll see after the fight."

Zhao Jin didn't usually fight with children or engage in pretend battles. He knew he was weaker than Chen Sheng and that winning would be difficult, but he preferred to take a beating rather than be surrounded and questioned about whether he was human or a ghost, which was incredibly annoying.

"Zhao Jin, you want to fight me?" Chen Sheng asked, incredulous, then excitedly added, "You're the only one who hasn't fought me here. If you win, I'll give you a sesame cake, or even osmanthus sugar."

Zhao Jin felt very awkward. He wanted to finish the fight quickly and go play elsewhere. He didn't run away or back out, knowing that would cost him friends and playmates. He remembered his uncle Zhao Zhen's advice to make more friends. Adapting to this era meant making more friends of his own age, which he had regretted not doing in the orphanage, where he had been aggressive to avoid being bullied and thus had few friends. Zhao Jin didn't want to make the same mistake again.

Seeing Zhao Jin nod, Chen Sheng enthusiastically said to his younger brother Chen Hong, "Ehong, you start the fight!"

The children had already cleared a space, and the other groups of boys had gathered to watch. Chen Sheng stepped back five paces, creating distance between himself and Zhao Jin. He gripped the short stick at the bottom and slowly raised it.

Seeing this, Zhao Jin immediately felt something was wrong. Chen Sheng's small hands looked like two white buns, plump and round, and his round face was trying to look serious, which made him look very cute. But now, Chen Sheng seemed like a different person, as if he were holding a knife instead of a short stick.

Zhao Jin instantly realized that this chubby boy must have trained. Just as he thought this, Chen Hong excitedly shouted, "Start!"

In a daze, Zhao Jin felt as if he had returned to his childhood, when he often fought others in the orphanage and at school. Back then, he was also frail, and the way to avoid being bullied was to strike first and be even more ruthless!

Zhao Jin suddenly charged forward, and the children watching let out a collective gasp. They had expected the timid Zhao Jin to be scared, and many of the children who had fought Chen Sheng knew that when he stood firm and raised his short stick, his opponents often felt intimidated.

Chen Sheng was also surprised. He paused for a moment before stepping forward. As he moved, he used his upper body and back to generate power, and the short stick came down with great speed.

The stick hit Zhao Jin's forearm with a heavy thud, causing him to stagger and nearly fall. His left arm throbbed with pain, as if it were about to break. In a typical children's fight, a hit like this would usually make the other party give up, but Chen Sheng's movements were smooth and continuous. He flipped his wrists, and the short stick swung upward, aiming for Zhao Jin's chin.

Indeed, he had trained, Zhao Jin thought, but he didn't stop. He bent over and continued to charge forward. In two steps, he was close, and he punched Chen Sheng's stomach with his right hand. The punch sank deep, and Chen Sheng, who was indeed very fat, seemed to have a ball of cotton in his belly.

The children watching gasped again. In fights with Chen Sheng, his first strike often knocked people down, but Zhao Jin had managed to withstand it and even landed a punch.

Chen Sheng, hit in the stomach, let out a cry of pain. When children fight, they often admit defeat or cry after feeling pain, but Chen Sheng managed to endure. He gripped the short stick with both hands and used the end to strike Zhao Jin's back hard.

With a "thud," Zhao Jin gasped, feeling his entire back go numb. But he was determined and lunged forward, grabbing Chen Sheng's thick waist and using his legs to push, flipping him to the ground.

At this point, even the gasps stopped. All the children in the cargo yard stared in shock as the timid Zhao Jin had managed to flip Chen Sheng to the ground.

On the ground, Chen Sheng's stick fell from his hand. He hadn't expected Zhao Jin to flip him over and was now in a panic, reaching out to pull Zhao Jin off him.

As soon as Chen Sheng grabbed Zhao Jin, Zhao Jin knew it was bad. This chubby boy was definitely stronger than his peers, and pulling him off would be difficult. At that moment, Zhao Jin forgot that even if Chen Sheng pulled him off, it wouldn't be a big deal. But Zhao Jin had returned to his childhood fighting mode, and once a fight started, he had to win.

Zhao Jin shook his shoulder to break free from Chen Sheng's grip, then lunged forward, using his head to strike Chen Sheng's nose.

With another "thud," Chen Sheng's movements weakened, and his hands stopped pulling, instead covering his face.

Zhao Jin's headbutt had hit Chen Sheng's nose. Although it wasn't very hard and didn't draw blood, it made Chen Sheng's nose sting, and tears and snot streamed down his face, making it impossible for him to continue the fight.