Chapter 63: The Fiery Youth

  The affairs of China, the most feared is that someone takes the lead, and fortune-telling is no exception. Under the woman's enthusiastic promotion, I took on a few more orders. In order not to arouse the attention of the Korean police, in the end, under the strong request of a group of tourists, I boarded the big bus with the tour group.

  Sitting in an air-conditioned tourist bus to tell fortunes, it feels much more comfortable than standing on the street and drinking northwest wind. It took another two hours to finish all the business. And in the poor Taoist's green cloth bag, several rolls of Korean currency with a copper smell were stuffed in.

  "Master, see you again!" After I got off the bus, those bosses still opened the window, stuck out their heads and waved their arms loudly to bid me farewell as I walked along the street.

  "Goodbye, until we meet again!" At this time, I couldn't care about the dissatisfied or puzzled glances from the Koreans beside me either, and raised my arms to loudly shout at the tourists on the bus.

  My shoulder-length hair fluttered in the cold wind, and the sunset's afterglow shone on my face, making me look so holy. The surrounding crowd and traffic seemed to slow down instantly. People's eyes were all attracted by my handsome and holy figure at this moment.

  "Ah! Oppa~!" A group of Korean schoolgirls, who had just been dismissed from school, covered their mouths with their hands and shouted in unison. At this moment, my melancholic eyes and upright posture had inevitably left a deep impression on their hearts.

  "Sa-rang-hae-yo!" I said, using a Korean phrase I learned from TV last night that can make people scream, and waved my hand at those cute girls.

  "Ahh~ Oh my gosh, so cool!" The cute girls blushed and shrieked, and after a while, they all interacted with me in unison. It was only then that I realized, Korean girls' aesthetic sense is actually so on-trend.

  "It turns out that the girls from South Korea are also very lovely!" I muttered to myself, waving my arm at those innocent girls once again. Then, amidst their repeated cries of "Oppa, hwaiting!", I turned around and left with a flourish.

  "You're here to eat noodles again, how's it going? Have you found a job yet? If not, I can talk to the boss and you can work here temporarily. Even if it's just an off-the-books job, it's better than starving, right?" I had money in my pocket, so I wasn't worried. I went into a public restroom and changed out of my Taoist robe and back into my casual clothes, then returned to the same fried noodle restaurant as yesterday. As soon as I walked in, the foreign student who had chatted with me for a long time yesterday came over and asked me with concern.

  "Thanks for still remembering me, same as before, two bowls of zha jiang mian!" I patted his shoulder to show my gratitude. Then sat down at the seat from yesterday and ordered two bowls of zha jiang mian.

  "You can't just eat noodles every day, it's not good for you if you eat too much. How about this, wait a bit and we'll have a competition between Chinese students and Korean students later. After that, there will be a dinner party, come with me. Everyone is Chinese, no one will say anything to you. If we win tonight, the president might even take us out for Korean beef!" The other person was enthusiastically inviting me to join their gathering, but I was more interested in the competition he mentioned.

  "What game is this?" I poured myself a cup of tea and asked casually while drinking.

  "It's a match between Chinese martial arts and Korean Taekwondo! We've already lost one round, if we lose again today, there won't be a third round. The Korean sticks are being arrogant, spreading to international students from various countries that Chinese martial arts originated from Korea. They've been saying this nonsense for so long, it's gotten other international students to believe it." The young man said in my ear while pretending to wipe the table, indignantly.

  "The school allowed students to form their own interest clubs. Some classmates from the mainland who had a background in martial arts couldn't bear the Koreans' absurd behavior, so they applied to form a national martial arts club and challenged them!" The young man clenched his fist and pounded it on the table as he spoke.

  "Isn't the result a bit unsatisfactory?" I looked at his face and asked softly.

  "Hmm! Most of the students in the martial arts club are just hobbyists, and some even joined just because they were dissatisfied with the Koreans' behavior. Very few people have actually practiced martial arts, not to mention being able to complete a full routine. The classmate who went on stage last week had three ribs broken by the stick, and is still in the hospital now. Not only will this semester's credits be incomplete, but even medical expenses and living expenses are becoming a problem." By now I finally understand, it turns out that they're just a group of hot-blooded young people competing against professional fighters, how can they not get taken advantage of?

  "Are you confident of winning tonight's match?" After hearing his words, I couldn't help but sweat for the contestants who will be on stage tonight!

  "No! But even if we lose the battle, we won't lose our dignity. One day, we'll defeat them fair and square in the arena!" The young man said with a hint of despondency, but then his eyes sparkled with determination as he declared this boldly! Looking at his unyielding spirit, I couldn't help but applaud him silently in my heart. That's what Chinese people should be like - having an unyielding spirit. Only Chinese people are worthy opponents for other Chinese people, no exceptions!"

  "Then I'll go with you to take a look!" Saying this, I also decided to visit the university where the young people are studying to see how our country's overseas students, knowing they can't win, still fight on. Even if we lose again today, it doesn't matter. As long as we have the conviction of winning in our hearts, and don't give up or get discouraged, one day we will welcome a thrilling victory.

  At 8 o'clock in the evening, the young man finished work. I accompanied him walking on the cold street, neither of us spoke a word. Knowing we would lose, yet still choosing to fight. This made both of us feel some sadness, even sorrow. No one wants to lose, but if you're not skilled enough, you have to accept defeat. It's a very complicated feeling, a helpless feeling!

  "It's often not that we're not trying hard enough, but that we're powerless." The young man finally said after a long time.

  "If you want to be able to do something in the future, you must work twice as hard!" I saw that he seemed a bit discouraged, so I patted him on the shoulder and encouraged him.

  "Yes! I must work twice as hard!" The young man soon came out of his depressed mood, grinned at me and nodded, saying with a smile.

  "We've known each other for two days and talked so much, but we still don't know each other's names. My name is Xiao Zhenhua, what about you?" The young man wrapped his down jacket around him, blowing air into his palms as he asked me.

  "Awesome!" I put my hands in my pockets and stomped my feet lightly on the ground!

  "You must be lacking water in your five elements, so your family gave you this name!"

  "Your family must have had high hopes for you when they gave you this name!"

  Xiao Zhenhua and I both finished speaking, and we burst out laughing. The feeling of anxiety that had been weighing on our minds had vanished into thin air.

  I ignored Xiao Zhenhua's obstruction and insisted on stopping a taxi. After getting in the car, I signaled him to tell the driver our destination in Korean. If I hadn't made any money today, I would rather freeze and walk than stop this taxi. But I did make money this afternoon, and quite a bit at that. In such a situation, I absolutely wouldn't go out of my way to inconvenience myself. To put it bluntly, I'm the kind of person who eats meat when there's meat, and drinks congee when there isn't - a lazy and easygoing temperament.

  The speed of the car is, after all, much faster than human legs. 5 minutes later, we arrived at the entrance of the university. For the convenience of students who work part-time to support their studies, this university usually locks its doors only at 10 pm. This can also be considered a relatively humane aspect!

  After I paid the car fare and walked into the school gym with Xiao Zhenhua, I found that unlike the deserted scene at the school gate, the gym was already bustling with people and very noisy! In the middle of the basketball court in the gym, a temporary boxing ring had been set up. At this time, a group of energetic boys and girls were warming up on it, dancing wildly to the exciting music before the competition began.

  A proud-looking young man, wearing a taekwondo uniform and a black belt tied around his waist, sits at the edge of the ring, listening to his coach's guidance. Behind him, hundreds of enthusiastic Korean students are seated, cheering him on.

  "Boom boom boom! Boom boom! Great Korea!" I have to admit, they have their own unique way of creating momentum. With this uniform and energetic cheering, the Chinese overseas students were already at a disadvantage from the start.

  Looking at the Chinese overseas students, apart from a few dozen martial arts club members who were desperately shouting there, more people stood in the back with their arms around their chests, watching from the sidelines. Perhaps in their eyes, this battle was destined to fail.

  "Doesn't our side have a cheerleading squad?" I asked Xiao Zhenhua in a relatively quiet corner.

  "Everyone is not easy to study abroad, and leisure time is either going out to work or studying hard in the dormitory. For this challenge match, many students think we are not doing our main job. So... except for the national arts club's classmates who are still supporting us with all their might, other classmates are more treating the game as a farce! Xiao Zhenhua smiled bitterly and shook his head saying that."

  "Everyone has their own ambitions, and cannot be forced." I nodded my head to comfort him. At that time, the per capita income of our country was not high, and many families of these students who went abroad to study were already heavily in debt. So, in the minds of the students, doing things other than studying or alleviating family burdens during their studies was considered a waste of time and unjustifiable.

  The indifference of the students to this challenge does not mean that they are not patriotic. When they finish their studies and return home, I believe they will shine in their respective fields and bring glory to the country!