bookandnovel Chapter 36 The Courtyard
Chapter 36 The Courtyard
Lin Youfu stood at the door with a bowl in his hand. He opened his mouth, coughed, and finally managed to say, "I...I was just about to knock."
Lin Mu turned and went into the courtyard.
Lin Youfu rubbed his fingers back and forth on the rim of the bowl, unsure whether he should put the food in or not.
Finally, mustering his courage, he awkwardly said, "These are steamed buns made by your aunt, made with fresh flour. I'll leave them here and go."
"Eat it while it's hot."
He placed the steamed bun on the stone table in the courtyard and turned to leave.
As he approached the courtyard gate, he paused and turned back.
"We have received the copper coins you gave us, and we have used them to buy writing materials for Ming Sui."
I'll pay you back when I have the extra money.
Lin Mu did not respond.
Lin Youfu waited for a while, and seeing that he didn't say anything, he prepared to leave.
"Second Uncle," Lin Mu said.
"How are you doing next year?"
"Not bad." Lin Youfu rubbed his hands together, his tone a little cautious. "The master said he's diligent and has some talent."
"When will the children take the imperial examination?"
"Next month, the ninth day of the first lunar month."
Are you confident?
Lin Youfu hesitated for a moment, then shook his head: "Who knows?"
"However, the gentleman has great confidence in him." As he said this, Lin Youfu's brows relaxed.
"Do you have enough money?"
Lin Youfu quickly waved his hand: "That's enough, that's enough. I haven't even spent all the money you saved last time."
Lin Mu didn't ask any more questions. He took out three strings of copper coins from his sleeve and placed them next to the white steamed buns on the stone table.
"Take these for now."
Lin Youfu looked at the three strings of coins, raised his hand and then put it down again, his throat bobbing.
"Brother Mu, you... you have to spend money to practice martial arts."
"I heard the storyteller in town say that the poor study literature and the rich practice martial arts. Those who practice martial arts rely seven-tenths on food and three-tenths on training."
"Keep it for yourself, I'll figure something out."
"I have a temporary post, so I have enough money."
"In addition, I plan to rent a courtyard in town, close to the martial arts school, so it will be convenient to practice boxing."
"After renting it, we need someone to cook and someone to look after the house."
"If you don't mind, you can lend me a hand. The monthly salary is three hundred coins."
"However, I haven't chosen a courtyard yet. If you have time tomorrow, please help me look for one."
"I'm asking for a lower rent, and a location about 100 meters away from the martial arts school, towards the Chang Le gambling den."
"Ideally, it should be a secluded house, so as not to disturb others when practicing martial arts."
Lin Youfu was stunned.
He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
"The town is also close to next year's private school."
Lin Mu added, "He can come over for dinner right after school, saving him the trouble of traveling back and forth."
Lin Youfu lowered his head and looked at his cracked fingernails.
After standing there for a while, he finally managed to say in a hoarse voice, "Brother Mu, you...you don't hold a grudge against me?"
Lin Mu didn't say anything, and picked up the white steamed bun to eat.
"Hey, hey, take your time eating. I'll talk to your second aunt about it."
......
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Lin Youfu and his second aunt went out.
Auntie carried a basket, and Lin Youfu carried an old cloth bag. The two walked along the village road toward the town, their pace much faster than usual.
"What did Brother Mu say yesterday?"
"It's close to the martial arts school and the Chang Le gambling den."
Meanwhile, Lin Mu had already returned to the martial arts school, greeted Senior Brother Zhou and Junior Brother Liu, and started practicing standing meditation.
Senior Brother Zhou and Junior Brother Liu stood in a horse stance, their bodies lowered, chatting casually as they practiced.
"I heard that the Golden Sands Gang and the Blazing Flame Gang have been taken over by another gang."
Senior Brother Zhou's voice wasn't loud, as if he were just chatting casually.
Junior Brother Liu nodded: "Yes, it's the Wind Control Gang."
"Wanruo was overjoyed to hear that."
"Nobody cares about their body-strengthening techniques anymore."
"The two gangs were fighting so fiercely, how come they were suddenly taken over?"
"I heard that the leader of the Wind Riding Gang has reached the Transformation Realm."
No wonder.
At this moment, Yan Hua walked in from outside the door, glanced at the group of people, and went straight into the inner courtyard.
After he had walked away, Junior Brother Liu said in a low voice, "You've lost so badly, and you're still looking down on people."
Senior Brother Zhou shook his head: "He's a genius, even if he loses, he's still a genius."
"Practice your boxing skills diligently."
"Look at other people."
Senior Brother Zhou nodded towards Lin Mu.
Lin Mu had already started practicing boxing.
With no odd jobs to do during this period, I suddenly had plenty of free time.
He spent the entire day pondering body-strengthening techniques.
He always felt that the potential of body-strengthening techniques was not limited to this.
He thought about it when he was practicing standing meditation, when he was practicing boxing, and even when he was eating, his chopsticks were suspended in mid-air, and his mind was constantly simulating the route of blood and qi circulation.
At the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), the moon rises above the willow branches.
The other disciples all went back.
Lin Mu summoned his senior brother.
"Senior Brother, try hitting me twice with your hidden strength."
"Can it work?" Bai Yungui hesitated for a moment, but seeing Lin Mu's confident attitude, he carefully kicked out two circles.
The first punch landed on Lin Mu's shoulder.
The hidden force enters the body like a needle piercing the skin and flesh, drilling down along the meridians.
Lin Mu was prepared. He activated his Body Tempering Technique, and the power of the Long Wind Fist flowed along his meridians to meet the hidden force, pulling it outwards.
Just like when he dealt with Zhao Lie, he pushed it out from his palm.
He looked down at his palm; it was slightly hot, but the hidden energy was indeed gone.
"Again," Lin Mu said.
Bai Yungui threw another punch, this time harder.
Lin Muyi followed suit, using the power of the Long Wind Fist to wrap around the hidden force and draw it outward.
The hidden force was released from the palm and dissipated into the air.
However, he was unable to convert the internal energy within him into his own combat power.
Lin Mu tried seven or eight times, and each time it was the same.
Once the internal energy is drawn out of the body, it dissipates.
Left with no other choice, he had to put it aside for the time being and continue practicing the Long Wind Fist.
Blood and qi surged to the soles of his feet, he felt rooted to the ground, and his muscles and bones resonated with a crisp sound that exploded in the empty courtyard.
He didn't fully release his boundless energy until 9 PM.
The appointed time for the people at Chang Le Gambling House was approaching.
Lin Mu finished getting ready and prepared to leave.
As soon as I arrived at the entrance of the martial arts school, I saw Lin Youfu squatting on the steps.
The night breeze was a bit chilly, so he tucked his hands into his sleeves and hunched his neck, like a quail that had been chilled by frost.
"Have you been waiting long?"
Lin Youfu stood up, dusted off his clothes, and rubbed his hands together. "Not long ago, not long ago. It's just... that courtyard in town, I found it."
"What's going on?"
"It's about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to walk past the east side of the martial arts school."
"It costs eight hundred coins a month."
"However, the courtyard is very large, and the front and back are not adjacent, making it convenient for practicing boxing."
Lin Youfu paused, and seeing that Lin Mu remained silent, he added a couple more sentences.
"It's the Sun family's courtyard."
"His daughter married into a wealthy family in the inner city, and the whole family moved there."
"The house was just sitting empty anyway, so I rented it out."
Lin Mu nodded: "Let's go take a look."
The two arrived in the courtyard, and Old Sun led them on a tour.
The courtyard is quite large, with two sections, and it is kept clean and tidy.
There is also an old locust tree in the inner courtyard.
Lin Mu looked towards the martial arts school and nodded.
It's close to the martial arts school, so the senior brother will know about any disturbance immediately, which is a good thing.