Chapter 26 : Chapter 26
Chapter 26. Two New Roommates
“Yes, Brother Xu, we just finished eating. Our stomachs are still full, and moving vigorously right now would feel uncomfortable,” Li Shan also advised.
“Last night, I took a look at the Benlei Fist and found it quite interesting. I wanted to strike while the iron is hot and study it a bit more,” Xu Yuan explained.
“Alright then, Xu Yuan, you keep practicing. The rest of us will head back to the dorm and rest for a while,” Wang Huan suddenly said. It was obvious that he was still brooding over what had happened yesterday afternoon, and there was a faint hint of exclusion and alienation in his tone.
The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Li Shan hesitated, just about to smooth things over, when Tian Yang’s voice rang out, “Brother Yuan, I will practice with you.”
Li Shan secretly let out a sigh of relief. As long as someone stepped in to ease the tension, it would be fine. So he added, “Alright then, Brother Xu, you two go ahead and train. I will come over tomorrow.”
At this moment, the usually silent Xiao Sheng also spoke, “I will train with you as well. My aptitude is poor, so I have to make up for it with diligence.”
Wang Huan’s expression turned somewhat unpleasant. He had intended to isolate Xu Yuan, but instead, the situation had turned into a clear division of sides.
Chen Sanli still wore his usual cheerful smile, as if he had not noticed the undercurrents in the room. He casually picked at his teeth, seemingly savoring the taste of the recent meal.
In the end, the six of them split into two groups—three went to the training ground to practice martial arts, while the other three returned to the dormitory to rest.
…
Evening.
After dinner, the six of them returned to the dormitory together. On the surface, everything appeared harmonious, as if nothing had happened before.
However, upon entering the dorm, they found two unfamiliar faces already inside. Xu Yuan finally met the last two of their roommates.
One of them had fair skin, narrow eyes, and thin lips, giving off a sharp and somewhat intimidating aura.
The other had wheat-colored skin and a tall, slender build. With his slightly pointed chin, he looked almost like a bamboo pole.
A martial instructor with a ruddy complexion stood beside them and introduced, “Due to the shortage of beds for martial trainees, some of you have been arranged to share rooms.”
After speaking, he pointed at the narrow-eyed man and said, “This is Qin Yang… and this one is Gao Yuan.”
Not long after the introduction, the instructor left the dormitory.
Seeing that these two were trainees from the front courtyard, the others could not help but observe them with curiosity.
Chen Sanli, ever sociable, stepped forward with a smile and said to Qin Yang, “Brother Qin, my name is Chen Sanli. We will be living in the same dorm from now on—please take care of me.”
Qin Yang merely gave a slight nod. As a trainee from the front courtyard, he looked down on these former menial workers, carrying an obvious sense of superiority.
Seeing his cold attitude, Chen Sanli did not change his expression. He turned to Gao Yuan and said, “Brother Gao, nice to meet you. I hope we can learn from each other.”
Gao Yuan’s attitude was relatively friendly, and he smiled as he responded.
After everyone introduced themselves, they began chatting quietly with those they were more familiar with. The dormitory seemed to be invisibly divided into several small circles.
Among Xu Yuan, Wang Huan, and Xiao Sheng, there were still some common topics to discuss.
Qin Yang and Gao Yuan, both being martial trainees, instinctively stuck together, chatting intermittently. Most of the time, Qin Yang did the talking while Gao Yuan simply responded.
However, perhaps because none of them came from particularly well-off families, the barriers of class had not yet fully solidified. Or perhaps it was because they all knew they were now martial artists, standing on the same level.
After three or four days, Qin Yang and Gao Yuan gradually blended into the group. At least on the surface, everything seemed harmonious.
…
In the blink of an eye, it was the last day of the month.
Xu Yuan and the other two were still practicing at the training ground. Wang Huan was often there as well. Li Shan would occasionally come by, but he was soon dragged off by Chen Sanli to who-knows-where for leisure.
Although Gao Yuan appeared friendly on the surface, there was still a faint sense of distance between him and the others. From time to time, he would visit other dormitories to spend time with old acquaintances, remaining rather mysterious.
As for Qin Yang, he often slipped out in the afternoons to watch operas. After returning to the dorm, he would hum a few lines when he had nothing to do, calling it “warming up his voice.”
Evening.
As usual, Qin Yang returned after watching an opera. He carried a paper-wrapped package in his hand, humming an off-key tune.
Seeing this, Xiao Sheng could not help but laugh. “Brother Qin, had a good time again today?”
“Ah, it was just so-so. Tomorrow the group training starts, so I thought I would come back earlier. There was still one show I did not finish watching,” Qin Yang waved his hand, looking regretful. Then he clicked his tongue and said animatedly,
“Let me tell you, the troupe brought in a stunning new dan performer. Her skin was so tender it looked like water could be squeezed out of it, and her figure was as slender as a willow branch. When she moved, it was like rolling waves—soft and flowing…”
The others listened, their imaginations stirred. They could not help but swallow.
Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow. Did you really just go to watch opera?
“Yangzi, it is not that I want to lecture you, but you should put more effort into your martial training. We are still at the initial stage,” Wang Huan said. He considered himself the most talented and did not think much of martial trainees. He still carried himself as the eldest figure in the dorm. Though his words were reasonable, they carried a lecturing tone.
Qin Yang was speaking enthusiastically when he was suddenly interrupted. He frowned, somewhat displeased.
“Did I not just train yesterday? Besides, I used to train so hard. Now that I have finally become a martial artist, can I not enjoy myself a little?”
As he spoke, he opened the paper package in his hand. “Pastries from Sanlixiang. Who wants some?”
“Me, me! I will take some! I just finished practicing and I am starving. Thank you, Brother Qin!”
Chen Sanli hurried forward and grabbed a large handful. However, when he saw Qin Yang frown, he loosened his grip and let some fall back, all while saying things like “Brother Qin is truly timely help” and “Brother Qin is generous.”
After all the flattery, Qin Yang could not say much more. Seeing this, Chen Sanli added, “I think Brother Qin is right. We have just become martial artists—it is time to relax a bit.”
Hearing this, the others could not help but twitch the corners of their mouths.
“Relax? You have been relaxing for days already,” Li Shan rolled his eyes at him. “But since you have eaten so much of Yangzi’s food, it makes sense for you to say a few nice words.”
Qin Yang then distributed pastries to the others. Xu Yuan declined, saying he had just eaten and was not hungry. Tian Yang also politely refused.
“Thanks, Yangzi. I heard that Sanlixiang’s pastries are quite famous. I have never tried them before,” Li Shan said, holding a piece of nut pastry. Then he kindly advised,
“However, being a martial artist is expensive. You should still be careful with your spending.”
He knew that Qin Yang’s family circumstances were somewhat better than the others, but not by much. He still often relied on support from home.
Qin Yang waved his hand. “What is this little bit of money? It is just a snack.”
Li Shan shook his head inwardly. Sanlixiang’s goods were not cheap, and Qin Yang also liked watching operas. He probably spent quite a lot on these things.
However, since he had eaten Qin Yang’s food, a few words of advice were enough. Pushing it further might damage their relationship.
The atmosphere in the dormitory stiffened briefly before quickly becoming lively again.
Xu Yuan, Xiao Sheng, and the others discussed their experiences with stance training and the Benlei Fist.
Meanwhile, Chen Sanli and Li Shan listened with great interest as Qin Yang talked about amusing stories from the opera troupe. Their laughter was occasionally mixed with some risqué jokes, causing the young men to blush.
At that moment, Gao Yuan returned from another dormitory, bringing a gust of cold air with him.
Seeing this, Wang Huan could not help but complain, “Yuanz— I mean, Gao Yuan, honestly, you are always running off to other places. What, is our dorm not good enough for you?”
Gao Yuan smiled awkwardly, then his expression turned serious as he said,
“Everyone, I heard some news from a friend—absolutely reliable!”
…