Chapter 4: Marriage

  Gongyi County town is not big, but it's always the most densely populated place in Gongyi County, so all the well-known and respected families in Gongyi County have their own houses here.

  The Fan Mansion is located in the south of Gongyi County, and it's called the Fan Mansion, but actually it's just a few houses similar to those found in Shanxi's large courtyards surrounding a yard, far from being a grand mansion.

  Mr. Fan Tianyang is now 47 years old, but to put it in modern terms, he's still got a good appetite and his body is in top shape, with plenty of energy to spare.

  "Son-in-law is here, why didn't Hong'er come with you? Quick, go inside and sit down. Come on in, hurry up and serve tea..." His loud and clear voice, combined with his dark red face, robust physique, and standing next to Zhang Shiwen, made the two of them look like they were truly father and son.

  Inside the house, looking at Zhang Shiwen's face full of red light, Fan Tianyang was also very happy in his heart. The Fan family had escaped from Liaodong, and those ruthless Khitan people and later the queue soldiers had caused enough disaster to the good land of Northeast China. According to Fan Tianyang's grandfather, the Fan family had more than 20 people when they left, but only two brothers were left when they arrived in Xiqin. Although the water and soil of Xiqin were not as fertile as the black soil of Northeast China, the politics were clear, and several generations of wise rulers had been in power, rectifying the internal affairs and resisting external enemies. As a result, more and more outsiders like the Fan family came to this place. Speaking of which, the Fan family had been living in Gongyi County for 15 generations, but their population had never been prosperous. By the time of Fan Tianyang's generation, only his older brother was left, and although the family business was doing well and they had no worries about food and clothing, he still felt that something was lacking. Because he had only two sons, and eight daughters were born, except for two who died young, all the others were fine, but daughters were a loss of money, and in the end, it was still up to the son to support them in their old age.

  The Fan family started out with a leather goods business in Saiwai, but by the time of Fan Tianyang, they no longer engaged in that kind of business that brought them wealth. They had become landowners and lived off collecting rent from their tenants.

  So Fan Tian has lived for most of his life, and there are only a few things that he is proud of. However, being able to form an alliance with the Zhang family through marriage is one of the few things that he can be proud of.

  The Zhang family was a native Qin family, and they were also considered to be a family of poetry and books. In this era, people who could read were few, and it was natural for the Fan family, as a local landlord, to be proud of having such a good marriage connection.

  He's even more pleased now, secretly sighing that he was wise back then to swallow his pride and take the initiative to propose to the Zhang family. Although the third son of the Zhang family is not as good as the eldest son, he is much better than the second son. Look, in just a few days, the little tax collector has become the dignified Salt Control Officer. From now on, it's impossible for him not to be impressive when going out. Imagining the envious looks of his old friends, Fan Tianyang feels extremely comfortable in his heart.

  Thinking of this, Fan Tian's eyes had already narrowed into a slit as he smiled, and the master who didn't recognize a single character suddenly became eloquent. "Son-in-law, don't leave tonight, we have to celebrate such a big happy event. Let Hong'er's mother personally cook in the kitchen, and let us two drink a few cups."

  "Father-in-law, you're not busy." Zhang Shiwen thought to himself and finally decided it was better to be straightforward, so he said directly, "I have something to discuss with you, let's talk about it first."

  "Oh?" Seeing his son-in-law's serious attitude, Fan Tianniang also put away her smile, feeling a bit puzzled. She knew her son-in-law's temperament well, and he was like herself, always putting on the best face. Since marrying her daughter, he had never asked for anything from her before, so why now that he had been promoted to an official position would he come to ask her for something?

  Zhang Shiwen rubbed his hands together, it wasn't that he was being coy, but this matter today would be a big deal even if it were to happen in the Zhang family. It's said that back then, Father had only taken one glance at Mother in the countryside and from then on couldn't eat or sleep, suffering greatly before finally marrying Mother into the family, and almost getting kicked out of the house by Old Master.

  After he became the salt controller, his nephew's marriage also became one of his concerns. He didn't think too much about it, but in his heart, although his nephew was young, he had helped him so much, and he should find a good girl from a good family for his nephew. After thinking about it, he suddenly thought of his wife's younger sister who was only eight years old this year, which was just right for his nephew, so he hurriedly came to the door.

  "Hmm, listen to me, whether it works out or not doesn't matter, but please don't get angry after hearing this. Think about it first... today your son-in-law came here to be a matchmaker..."

  Fan Tianyang was delighted to hear this, although the salt controller was not among the nine ranks of officials, but when it came to it, it could also be considered a real court official, with a salary higher than that of the county magistrate, and its power was not subject to the jurisdiction of the county magistrate. The amount of silver handled was unimaginable, it was truly a fat position, whoever saw it had to call out "master", and the son-in-law who became the salt controller personally came to guarantee the match, how could he go wrong?

  "Is Shiwén talking about that girl Wan'er? I was worried that this girl's temperament is too wild, no one wants her. Tell me, what kind of family is the other party from, how old are they, we're not outsiders, what can't be said? Look at you, what's going on."

  "Oh, Xiao Shu said it wasn't Wenyu, but... Rourou..."

  "What?!" Although it's not uncommon for families to arrange marriages for their children, Fan Tianyang was still taken aback. His family had two unmarried daughters, one of whom was the 14-year-old Yuanyuan he mentioned earlier, who had reached a marriageable age. The other daughter was only eight years old this year and still just a child. He hadn't expected his son-in-law to be referring to the younger one.

  Rou'er is only eight years old this year...

  "It's like this, my younger brother-in-law has a cousin who is 11 years old this year. I've watched him grow up, and his character is impeccable. His appearance is also quite decent... It's just that his family background... is somewhat lacking, but... My cousin is not an ordinary person. To be honest, compared to my younger brother-in-law, in terms of intelligence, there's no comparison."

  "Originally, my younger brother was still young, and it wouldn't be too late to find a good match after he grew up a bit. But my uncle only had this one child, so he was naturally anxious and entrusted this matter to his son-in-law, so...". Zhang Shiwen felt awkward for the first time as a matchmaker and spoke hesitantly.

  As the saying goes, "the older you get, the more cunning you become." Fan Tian, having lived to such a ripe old age, wasn't one to be trifled with. He immediately asked, "Where is your uncle's family from?"

  "Hunter." Zhang Shiwen said dryly, this matter can't be hidden anyway, he didn't think of hiding it either, but he had already prepared some words to say, and continued: "Listen to my son-in-law finish speaking... ... You also know that my son-in-law has become the salt controller. To be honest, with my skills, such a position with so many eyes on it would not have been mine even if I wanted it. My older brother didn't want to help either, he just wanted me to go to the capital, but my son-in-law is different from my older brother, he's not ambitious and never thought about bringing peace and prosperity to the people or becoming rich and powerful. We don't have that kind of ability or fate either. The imperial city is a prosperous place, but my son-in-law thinks clearly too. Under the emperor's feet, there are countless officials and nobles. If we go there, what can we do besides kowtowing and making bows? Just thinking about it makes me feel uninterested. It's better to live freely in the countryside. But I couldn't disobey my older brother's wishes either?"

  It just so happens that the other day, my son-in-law visited his uncle's house. He originally thought he would ask if there was anything he could help with before leaving, but didn't think much of it. However, my younger cousin pointed out a few things to him. Although my younger cousin is young, in just a few words, he clearly explained the things that had been troubling my son-in-law for many days. As the saying goes, "at three years old, one can see how a person will be when they are small; at eight years old, one can see how a person will be when they are old." My younger cousin's family may be poor, but he is clearly someone who will achieve great things. Coincidentally, my uncle entrusted me with arranging his marriage, and I thought that among the many women in Gongyi County, only our family's Rong'er would be suitable for such a person. So, I came to you.

  If you don't agree, then there's nothing much to say, and we'll just have to let big brother search around in the capital. But anyway, even if an ordinary family's daughter wants to find a son-in-law like my cousin, even if your uncle agrees, I won't agree...

  "Uh, today's matter you don't have to answer whether or not, the most important thing is just don't let my older brother know. My older brother's temper you also know, if he finds out that this idea was proposed by his nephew, he'll definitely send his nephew away. His family has only him as their only child, and I think my cousin isn't someone who wants to travel far either. My aunt and uncle might not agree either. Today I'm just telling you the truth, in front of my older brother I haven't mentioned a word about my cousin's matter."

  Zhang Shiwen didn't quite believe Fan Tianyang's words. Even if he said something nice, it was still reasonable, but that wasn't what Zhang was thinking about. Since this son-in-law had personally spoken up, and in the past had never asked him for anything, now that his status was different from before, this favor couldn't be refused.

  "Or else... let's have the doll come here for a visit and I'll take a look myself?"

  "Uncle, you should take a look at him yourself, shouldn't you? After a few days, when I've finished dealing with the saltworks, I'll bring him to see you. But first, let me tell you, my cousin is a bit cold in nature, but capable people are often like that, there's nothing strange about it. He's still young, isn't he? My older brother was just as arrogant when he was younger, now look at him, he's become a humble and gentle gentleman, haha."

  。。。。。。。。。。。。。

  Zhao Shi naturally didn't know that things had turned out contrary to his wishes, and just because of a few words from him, he ended up with a daughter-in-law who was even younger than himself. He quietly savored the abundant energy and strength within his body, then contentedly took the handkerchief handed over by the little girl beside him and wiped away the sweat on his face.

  This is the course he must do every night, since he learned this eight-extreme boxing from a coach, it has been uninterrupted for many years, unfortunately, he learned too late, his body has already taken shape, otherwise, with his understanding and perseverance, there would be a day of great accomplishment, these are the original words of that coach.

  That instructor naturally couldn't have imagined that this young man, who had an extraordinary talent for close combat, would have such a bizarre encounter. In Zhao Shi's view, Chinese martial arts had become mere forms in modern times, with little practical use in actual combat. Ba Yiquan was no exception. If you were still using martial arts forms when engaging in close quarters combat with the enemy, that would be suicidal behavior. Of course, perhaps there were some skilled martial artists among the civilians, but Zhao Shi hadn't seen any. Even if it was the instructor who had taught him this boxing technique, if they were to engage in a sparring match, what he would use would still be standard military hand-to-hand combat techniques, with only occasional glimpses of Ba Yiquan's influence visible in some of the moves.

  Zhao Shi practiced this set of Bajiquan for such a long time because it has some benefits in terms of physical coordination and power application. For example, the "Tie Shan Kao" (Sticking Mountain Shoulder) technique in Bajiquan is said to have been used by ancient practitioners to lean against walls or trees with great force. This involves the application of full-body strength, where the focal point appears to be the shoulder but actually originates from the waist, using twisting force to concentrate the body's power on the shoulder before releasing it.

  Chinese martial arts may not be as good as Sanda, Tangshou or joint techniques in actual combat, but in terms of power application, it really has its own unique place, which is also the reason why Zhao Shi is so diligent in his practice.

  Of course, hard qigong is a compulsory course in the military. Generally speaking, hard qigong is not so much about qigong as it is about adapting one's pain nerves to external blows and pains. Over time, it can indeed stimulate the body's potential and have some effect. As for rumors of being invulnerable to knives and guns, those are just exaggerated stories.

  The little girl beside Zhao Shi is now his younger sister, and since rural people can't come up with good names, the little girl's name became Zhao Cui'er.

  The little girl is just six years old, and she looks very much like her mother, thin and weak, but still quite pretty. Although the little girl isn't particularly close to Zhao Shi, she's used to playing behind him, and now, despite having a bit of fear towards this cold and distant brother, she can't break the habit. Moreover, there's an air of mature stability about Zhao Shi that children wouldn't normally possess, which gives the little girl a strange sense of security, so now there's often a little tail following behind him.

  He subconsciously touched his chest, where a dull ache would appear after intense exercise. It was the third time he had completed a mission, and due to a moment of weakness, he had left a souvenir - a knife wound that almost pierced through his chest. The one who gave it to him was a seemingly harmless girl. Fortunately, she hadn't hit his heart, but he still fought with death for ten whole days before managing to cling to life. Since then, every time it rained or after intense exercise, this place would ache, but the pain also served as a constant reminder to show no mercy to his enemies. From then on, Zhao Shi's ruthlessness and brutal nature began to emerge.

  But he didn't feel anything, his hands were smooth to the touch, and all he could sense was the gradual rise of solid muscles. It wasn't until then that Zhao Shi realized he was no longer his former self. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, barely managing a bitter smile. The more he tried not to remember something, the more it occupied a prominent place in his memory. He glanced at the timid little girl staring at him, and the peaceful life they had lived for a year couldn't completely free him from his memories. He had also tried hard to adapt to normal life, but the result was laughable - one unassigned task had rendered all his previous efforts useless. It was undeniable that when he effortlessly hunted down those targets, he felt excited and good. He knew this was an abnormal reaction, no normal person would feel genuine pleasure in killing, but he couldn't suppress this feeling.

  Putting aside the annoying feeling, Zhao Shi led his sister into the house. If he were seen by his teammates from that time and space, they would surely notice a few more points of human aura emanating from Zhao Shi's back now compared to before.

  As soon as the gate was closed, the light from the lamps inside the house was shut in, and the courtyard returned to its usual tranquility.

  In the distant north, a 19-year-old Mongolian youth, like a wolf, with eyes burning red from hatred and ambition, solemnly made a vow to the Eternal Heaven in front of Mount Burkhan, deciding to go to war against the powerful enemy Merkid tribe, because the Merkids had taken away his newlywed wife, an insult no Mongol could bear. According to the rules set by the Eternal Heaven, he would repay his enemies with blood and battle.

  But this Mongolian youth, who had once dyed the earth red with blood in another time and space, did not know that in the distant south, where the Han people lived, his greatest enemy was yearning for a peaceful life, trying to wear off the bloody smell on his body.

  Here is the translation:

  "Some historical figures here may appear confusing, but it can't be helped. Everyone just don't argue with me about this anymore. Also, I originally wanted to write martial arts as being more powerful, but a few days ago I watched some trash program called "Martial Arts Congress" or something, which was supposedly prepared for the Olympics. It featured people competing for the right to represent certain schools of martial arts. I was appalled - if that's what top martial artists are like, then Chinese martial arts might as well be replaced with wrestling. The endurance is terrible and the fighting skills aren't even as good as a street brawl. It's depressing. So now I seriously doubt the practical effectiveness of martial arts, which is why I toned down the effects of Bajiquan. Just don't say anything about it."