Chapter 1: The Successor of Yan Qing

  It was a winter in the 1960s, and the cold weather was frightening. The fields on both sides of the road were filled with withered grass that trembled in the remaining snow. Only a few sparrows were searching for the last few grains of food on the ground. A military jeep was running on the road like a spinning top, occasionally tossing the people inside high into the air. However, the female soldier sitting in the back seat seemed unaffected, while the little boy in her arms was getting carsick and fainted, twisting his body vaguely. The female soldier looked at the child in her arms, tightened the coat wrapped around him, and sighed.

  "Mom, are you really going to leave little brother at grandma's house?" a girl of around ten years old next to the female soldier asked unhappily.

  "What else can we do, your sister is going to high school, your brother is going to junior high, and you still have to take care of your little sister. Dad and mom are busy with work and can't take care of her." The female soldier said helplessly.

  The girl wiped her eyes and turned her head to stare blankly out the window, no longer speaking. The female soldier felt a pang in her heart. The child's father was now a regimental commander, and the border area was not peaceful. Every day, the troops were on high alert, grabbing onto every training exercise, never staying at home for a whole day. She herself had to be on duty at the hospital, and their two older children would have to board next year. This youngest one might have been born during a difficult period, and her nutrition hadn't kept up, now she was already two years old but still unsteady on her feet, thin as a bean sprout. Next year they would have to move again, and the new place didn't even have a kindergarten.

  "Dr. Yan, we're almost there, right?" the driver asked.

  "Ah?" The driver's words broke the female soldier's meditation, and she hurriedly directed the driver to turn onto a village road.

  Before long, the car stopped in front of a house, and upon hearing the sound of the car, the gate creaked open. An elderly couple quickly walked out, with the old man looking spirited and standing up straight, not at all like a sixty-year-old. The old lady was wearing a pair of small shoes and had her hair styled in a common rural bun, dressed in a clean and tidy black cotton outfit that made her look like a capable person.

  "Dad, Mom!" The female soldier shouted loudly and hurriedly got off the bus.

  The old couple smiled and nodded in agreement. The old woman stepped forward, took the child from the female soldier's arms and said: "Xiufang, this is Peng'er, how come he's so light?"

  "Grandpa, grandma!" The little girl called out as the old couple also got off the car.

  "Zhang Qin has also arrived!" The old couple hurriedly greeted them and led the two children into the house.

  At this time, the driver and Wang's consultant had already sent the things they brought in the car to the house and said to the female soldier: "Dr. Yan, we need to rush to the county town before dark, so let's not delay, and come back to pick you up the day after tomorrow."

  "Alright, then we won't keep you any longer, be careful on your way." The female soldier sent the two off in their car.

  At this time, the old man ran out and found that the car had left. He was furious with his daughter's slow treatment.

  The next day, Yan Xiufang found that her second daughter Zhang Qin was a bit strange. From last night, Zhang Peng would drink water, eat and sleep with her together, and even go out with him on his back. When relatives came to visit at home, they teased Zhang Peng, and she would turn her face away from others.

  At night, after dinner, the whole family sat on the kang chatting. Zhang Peng sat in Zhang Qin's arms, staring at the oil lamp on the table with great curiosity, his eyes following the flickering flame with a carefree expression. Zhang Qin asked softly: "Peng Peng, did you miss your sister when she left?" Zhang Peng replied without hesitation: "Of course I do, just like my second sister, all good things are kept for me."

  "Mom, let's not leave Pengpeng behind, okay? I'll take care of him," Zhang Qin said to her mom.

  "It's no use." Yán Xiùfāng sighed and said.

  Zhang Qin stopped talking and hugged her brother, sobbing.

  "Qin er, don't cry, Grandma and Grandpa won't let Peng Peng suffer, wait until he grows up and you can take him away." Grandma hurriedly came forward to comfort.

  "Alas, Qin'er is the most sensible child. Pengpeng has always been led by Qin'er. The eldest and second child only know how to have fun, while the fourth child can't even take care of himself. These past two years, we've had to rely on Qin'er a lot."

  At dawn, the old couple had already prepared breakfast. Zhang Qinhong, with red eyes, held Zhang Peng and sat beside him at the table, unable to eat, staring blankly at his bowl of rice.

  "Sister, eat!" Zhang Peng clumsily scooped up a spoonful of corn porridge and blew on it before feeding it to Zhang Qin.

  "It's so delicious!" Zhang Qin choked back tears and swallowed it down. "Little brother, you eat too. From now on, you'll have to feed yourself, sister won't be feeding you anymore."

  Zhang Peng didn't understand why his sister, who had always fed him, said she wouldn't take care of herself anymore, so he started feeding her even more enthusiastically. The siblings fed each other, and the adults watching couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. The old man hastily ate two mouthfuls and went out to look at the car, while the old lady said she needed to pack up the things they were taking with them and hid in the inner room.

  "When Pengpeng grows up, we'll come back for him, what else can we do......" Yanshuifang also reddened her eyes and couldn't speak anymore.

  "The bus is here, let's go." Shouted Ershu who lived next door in the yard.

  "Let's go, let's go home." Zhang Peng pulled Zhang Qin excitedly towards the door.

  Zhang Qin bent down and kissed Zhang Peng on the mouth, then suddenly flung open his hand and ran out crying.

  "Pengpeng is waiting for me, I will definitely come to pick you up!"

  Zhang Peng saw his mother quickly walking away and hurriedly went to hug her leg, but ended up empty-handed. At this time, he was picked up by his second aunt.

  "I don't want you, I want Mom, I want my sister..." Zhang Peng had realized he was going to be left behind and struggled desperately in his second aunt's arms. When Zhang Peng broke free from his second aunt and ran to the gate, the car was already out of sight.

  Zhang Peng was ill. After his mother and sister left, he cried heartbreakingly, and no one could comfort him. His grandfather said he was like a bird in the forest, too hot-tempered.

  Yan Xiufang returned home to find that her originally lively and cheerful second daughter had changed, although she was back in body, her spirit was gone. One day, Yan Xiufang found a piece of paper on the table filled with Zhang's handwriting: "Brother, grow up quickly, I'll come to pick you up." Yan Xiufang handed the paper to her husband, and they sat together on the sofa for a long time without speaking.

  The grandma's house is located in a mountain village at the junction of two provinces in the north. The south of the village is a continuous hillside with various fruit trees planted at the foot of the mountain. The north of the village is a small river about 10 meters wide, locally known as the Jade Belt River. The north bank of the river is a vast expanse of farmland that stretches as far as the eye can see. Thanks to this river and the fruit trees on the mountain, the villagers have overcome difficult times and are now living relatively well. The houses in the village were built along the river, and Grandma's house was located at the east end of the village, a row of six rooms with blue bricks and tiles, with courtyards in front and back. The backyard is only about 30 meters away from the river bank, where Second Uncle's family of four and Grandma and Grandpa live together.

  The rooster crowed, and Zhang Peng hurriedly got up from the kang, rubbing his eyes as he made his way to the backyard. The sky was already dimly lit, and Grandfather was already waiting there. Zhang Peng quickly stood facing east, assuming a "holding the moon in his arms" pose, his body slowly rising and falling with each breath. He had been standing in this pose for some time, braving wind and rain.

  When Zhang Peng first arrived at his grandmother's house, he would get sick with even the slightest change in weather - a bit of cold, a bit of heat, a gust of wind, or a sprinkle of rain. As a result, most people in the village didn't know what Zhang Peng looked like, as his activities were strictly limited to within the courtyard. However, there was one exception: the village doctor, who was a frequent visitor.

  The doctor was an unlicensed practitioner who had switched from Western medicine to traditional Chinese medicine after attending a medical training class at the county level. He had great respect for China's long-standing medical culture and always wore a stethoscope around his neck, although it seemed he never used it. The Western pills in his medical box were probably all expired.

  Whenever the doctor treated Zhang Peng, he would not give him injections but instead use acupuncture and herbal medicine. This made Zhang Peng feel like a "young master," as the whole family would gather around to hold him down while the doctor administered the treatment - one person holding him down, another feeding him medicine, and yet another pinching his nose shut.

  Later on, whenever the doctor came to visit, Zhang Peng would quickly put on his shoes and try to get out of bed. However, he didn't have the energy to run away; he just wanted to show the doctor that he could get out of bed, that he was already better or that his illness was "very" mild. But the doctor never let him off the hook - as soon as he took Zhang Peng's pulse, he would mutter to himself and write a prescription. Then, with one glance, the whole family would pounce on Zhang Peng, holding down his arms and legs, and in no time at all, he would be transformed into a "porcupine" with needles sticking out of him everywhere.

  Finally, one day the "Liberation Army" arrived. The sky was very blue and the grass was green (it was actually overcast with a light rain, and the grass had just sprouted). "Mood, do you understand what mood is?" Zhang Peng later explained.

  That day, Zhang Peng, who had just been punished, sat bored on the threshold, looking at the hazy rain, smelling the occasional "medicinal fragrance", thinking about his own "bitter" days, extremely depressed.

  "Time for your medicine soon!" Grandpa said. Zhang Peng made a sour face and didn't say a word.

  "Don't you want to eat?"

  "What's there to ask!" Zhang Peng retorted with a look on his face that even an idiot would understand.

  "I have a way, but I'm afraid you won't agree," said Grandfather with a smile.

  "What's going on?" Zhang Peng hastily asked.

  "Come on and learn boxing from me." The old man said calmly.

  "Hit... hit boxing, and learn boxing with you, so we don't need to take medicine anymore?"

  "Of course, boxing can strengthen one's body and improve health, if your body is good, what medicine do you need to take?"

  "So will you? I've never seen you practice."

  The old man looked at Zhang Peng with an expression of disbelief, and without saying a word, he suddenly darted from the house to the courtyard. The old man seemed to have transformed into another person, moving swiftly and nimbly, his fists and feet flying in all directions. With one swift punch, the wind generated was so strong that it seemed as if the trees in the courtyard were swaying in the breeze. In an instant, the old man darted back, not panting at all, his face not red, and his clothes not even damp.

  "Are you out of your mind? You're still okay?" said the old man, looking at Zhang Peng who was staring blankly with his mouth agape and slobber almost dripping to the ground.

  "Study, I'll study!" Just now, Grandfather's set of fists thoroughly attracted Zhang Peng's curiosity, and he even felt that dyeing the old man's hair and beard white would make him look just like the old immortal in the storytelling books.

  "You really want to learn? Practicing boxing is also very hard, don't regret it later!" The old man took advantage of the situation.

  "I won't regret it, I can get by without taking medicine." Zhang Peng said gritting his teeth.

  "Haha, okay then, let's start tomorrow." Zhang Peng suddenly found that his grandfather's expression was similar to that of Er Niu from the second uncle's house when he cheated him out of his watermelon sugar.

  At first, practicing martial arts was a real challenge for Zhang Peng. His grandfather said that to practice boxing, he had to stand still, and after standing for a while, his legs would shake uncontrollably like a pendulum. Thinking about not having to take medicine or get injections, Zhang Peng gritted his teeth and persisted. Gradually, Zhang Peng became more stable, and slowly discovered the benefits of it - his body became stronger day by day, his appetite increased, and the old man often praised him for eating as much as a pig in the pen. The doctor even stopped coming for a while.

  "Cultivate the spirit and nurture the energy, cultivate the work and see the true self. The elixir field cultivates longevity treasure, don't give it to others even if you have a million taels of gold." This is what the old man often says. Standing stake should stand out with vitality, like spring has come, all things revive, and there is a sprouting movement on the body, which is the internal power that has been practiced. Zhang Peng practiced for a period of time, and his body had a feeling like blood flowing, in this flowing sensation, some parts of the body were smooth, while others were stagnant, so he slowly rotated or shook until the whole body was unblocked. The pores on his skin seemed to be closing with each breath, and a hot air inside him flowed continuously like a small stream.