Volume 1: New People of Great Ming Chapter 10: Small Livestock

  In this era, boxing and wrestling are sports projects that children love. However, Xu Yuansuo's physical condition is slightly poor, and if he participates in such activities, it is easy to become the object of play. As for classic aerobic exercise: running, it is not accepted at present, not only is it considered impolite behavior, but also a heavy burden on washing clothes.

  Xu Yuansuo, in addition to strength training, must also have sufficient aerobic exercise to lose fat, otherwise he can only build a figure with a layer of fat.

  Xu Yuanshuo chose swimming.

  Swimming is very helpful for body shape, with a general fat-reducing effect, but it can avoid sports injuries, especially for fat people, this point is extremely critical.

  Moreover, living in Jiangnan's water town, swimming is also a compulsory course for every child.

  Formerly, Xu Yuansuo didn't like swimming, simply because of the psychological problem of "Rain Man": as long as he stood by the river, he couldn't help but count the boats and goods on them. Now this problem doesn't exist, Xu Yuansuo stripped naked at home, wearing only a pair of shorts that reached his knees, and with one swift motion, he dove into the river from the backyard.

  The river water is clear and cool, with a depth of about one zhang. Due to the annual dredging, the silt at the bottom of the river is not thick, and small fish swimming in the water can be seen clearly.

  Xu Yuansuo swam along the riverbed for three to five zhang before finally emerging from the water, only to feel that his buoyancy was almost lifting him out of the water's surface. It seemed that having a larger body also had its advantages.

  "Fat brother! The boat is coming!" someone shouted at Xu Yuansu.

  Xu Yuansuo turned his head and saw a small boat coming towards him.

  In Jiangnan, there are more boats than cars and more rivers than highways. Swimming in the river is just like running on a highway.

  Of course, the ship speed is also fast nowhere to go.

  Xu Yuansuo swung his arms and legs in a familiar motion, naturally leaning the boat towards the riverbank, clearing the bow.

  "Didn't you go to school today?" Xu Yuansuo wiped his face and said to the young man on the boat.

  The young man was somewhat surprised. He naturally knew Xu Yuansuo, but didn't expect this "fat brother" to take the initiative to talk to him. To say that he and Xu Liangsuo were good friends, but with Xu Yuansuo, they were quite estranged.

  "Uh-huh, helping out at home today." The young man reacted quickly and asked again: "What's Fat Brother busy with?"

  Xu Yuansuo looked at the increasing number of boats in the river and thought about going to the lake outside. He thought it was also a good ten miles or so, so he simply took a convenient boat. He swam over, pressed down on the side of the boat, and with both hands pushing, he was about to get on board.

  The small boat shook violently, and the young man on board quickly grabbed Xu Yuansuo's arm to help him.

  Mainly afraid this fat guy will capsize the boat.

  "I'm going for a swim in the lake, take me along." Xu Yuansuo wiped away the water droplets on his face and asked, "Where is this boat headed?"

  "Shanghai." The young man looked back at the old man poling the boat and said in a low voice, "The ship that went to the East Ocean has returned, they are short of people to pull goods over there."

  "Has the ship going to Japan returned?" Xu Yuansuo asked.

  The young man sat down next to Xu Yuansuo, his feet also dangling in the water, gently slapping it, and mysteriously said: "This is not something that can be said. Let's just do our own thing."

  Xu Yuansuo looked at this thin and frail young man with great appreciation: "I didn't expect you to be so tight-lipped."

  The young man did not hear Xu Yuanshuo's praise and hastily explained: "The adults said that what they do is a beheading business, don't ask too much."

  Xu Yuanshuo smiled: "I'm complimenting you. When going out, it's always good to observe and listen more, rather than commenting."

  That young man raised another doubt and said: "Fatty, you seem more cheerful after not going to school."

  "Really?" Xu Yuansuo chuckled: "I don't think so."

  "I don't like reading either. Once I've learned the route, I'll go back home and help with the family boat, no more school for me." The young man said: "What's the use of recognizing a few characters? It's better to practice knotting, who knows, maybe one day you can get a job at the dock."

  Before the Arabic numerals were introduced, there were two systems of Chinese numeral writing. The "①②③④" style was convenient for labeling goods and was a common script. As for the more complex formal characters "壹贰叁肆", they were only used for accounting, and even many accountants could not write them fluently.

  "Reading is still useful." Xu Yuansu wasn't someone who disliked reading, but looking at the young age of this youth, he couldn't help but have some elder's tone of advice.

  The young man looked at Xu Yuansuo in surprise, disbelieving in his heart, but didn't say a word.

  "Hehe, it seems I'm not very convincing when I say that." Xu Yuansuo didn't get any feedback, so he could only laugh at himself.

  The boy also smiled foolishly and didn't say anything else.

  Although it was already early autumn, the Jiangnan region was still sweltering. Xu Yuansu sat on the boat and didn't feel cold at all. Looking at the people walking along the riverbank, everyone lived a poor but regular life. This made Xu Yuansu quickly blend into this world, and he became more subdued. He not only wasn't affected by the emerging hormones, but also became more mature and stable than before crossing over.

  "Didn't Niu Dalì bother you?" The young man suddenly asked.

  Xu Yuansuo was somewhat at a loss.

  My previous self was too "simple" and had no grudges with anyone. As for the young man's mention of "Niu Dali", this name is somewhat familiar, but the face has not been retained in my 90% new brain.

  "Hmm, why is he looking for trouble with me?" Xu Yuansu asked.

  "Did you forget?" The young man looked a bit embarrassed: "Once, in front of his younger brothers, you said he was wrong and made him lose face... I'm not meddling, but later he did say that he wanted to teach you a lesson."

  Xu Yuansuo is no wonder he can't remember.

  "Oh, what's the big deal." Xu Yuansu didn't mind at all, thinking that it was just a small episode of youth between young people. He said: "He probably doesn't even remember it either. Who would be so petty?"

  "That's also true, we're all neighbors, no need to make it like a feud." The young man followed Xu Yuanshuo's words and added a sentence.

  Xu Yuansuo took a closer look at the young man and suddenly found that he was not very old, but his words were quite interesting. He always followed others' tone to speak, while his true thoughts were buried in his heart.

  Of course, it's also possible that he didn't have any ideas in the first place.

  Xu Yuansuo looked ahead and saw that the water was getting wider, so he stood up, stretched his limbs, warmed up a bit, and said: "I'll be back soon, I'm going to dive in and catch two fish."

  The young man also stood up and said, "Be careful of the water grass, Fat Brother."

  "Don't worry." Xu Yuansu smiled and had already dived in headfirst.

  The young man was watching Xu Yuanshuo emerge from the water, feeling envious and wanting to join in on the fun. Suddenly, a loud shout came from not far away: "Xu Yuanshuo! You short-lived beast! Come here!"

  A middle-aged man, short and stout, holding a long umbrella, stood at the bow of the boat, pointing at Xu Yuansuo and scolding him.

  Xu Yuansuo followed the sound and looked over, the anger that had just flashed in his eyes was immediately suppressed.

  Because that stout figure with a scowl on his face was Xu Yuanshuo's father.

  Biological father.

  Scolded by dad and beaten by mom, where can you reason with them?

  The new book starts by abusing the main character, and Xiao Tang is also nervous! As the saying goes, to get ahead, one must first ask for votes. Dear readers, please be kind and give Xiao Tang some votes! Also, don't forget to collect it!