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墨書 Inktalez
This year, Annan County's Eighth High School has unprecedentedly enrolled eight first-year classes, breaking a record that has stood for decades.
During the freshman orientation ceremony, Hu Ruoyun was called on stage to perform. This time, instead of showing off his skills with a staff, he demonstrated his agility and strength through a series of martial arts moves. At one point, he delivered a powerful punch that struck the wooden platform with such force that it trembled three times.
In the end, the homeroom teacher, Wang Hongjian, tossed a walnut up to him from a distance. Hu Ruoyun executed a beautiful leap and caught it mid-air. When he landed, the hard walnut shattered into pieces in his hand.
This impressive display left a deep impression on the new students.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Hu Ruoyun's father and Second Uncle went to Caoguying to visit Uncle. There, they learned from Second Cousin that his eldest son had also been accepted into Annan County's Eighth High School. "It's quite an achievement," they said, but since he was just a distant relative, Hu Ruoyun didn't inquire further.
Winter always feels particularly long, and with no farming activities left to occupy their time, some idle individuals began to stir trouble.
The boys' dormitories of the first-year classes at Annan County's Eighth High School were repeatedly harassed by local youths. In one class, two boys had five meal tickets stolen from them; in Class Three, several boys were robbed of three yuan each; and in Class Five, a handsome boy who was quite popular with the girls even received two slaps across the face.
As a result, fear spread among all first-year students.
One day during the lunch break, someone knocked on Hu Ruoyun's dormitory door. Ye Jianghe, who was sleeping by the door, opened it to find a boy with long hair wearing a loose batwing shirt and flared pants standing there. He had fair skin and somewhat feminine features. "Is Hu Ruoyun in this dormitory?" he asked.
Hu Ruoyun sat up and looked at the striking boy before him but couldn't recall ever meeting him. "Who are you? Do we know each other?"
The boy smiled and replied, "I'm Mu Shengli. My dad is Mu Baishun..."
Only then did Hu Ruoyun realize that this was his Second Uncle's child. Remembering how his family often behaved, he initially didn't want to engage but thought better of it since the boy had come looking for him. So he got dressed and followed his cousin to talk privately.
This distant cousin had come seeking help.
Mu Shengli was a year younger than Hu Ruoyun. His father, Mu Baishun, was quite influential in Caoguying, earning six or seven hundred yuan a month—wealthy enough to be considered significant in their community. His uncle was a village official and his third uncle was a doctor in the village; naturally, Mu Shengli felt like he was someone important too.
Though his studies weren't great after entering high school this year, his father's wealth allowed him to dress in the latest fashions and eat only the best food. With his sharp tongue and good looks, he quickly became a prominent figure among the eight first-year classes and often acted quite ostentatiously.
There's an old saying in rural areas: "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down." Unbeknownst to him, some other boys began to resent him for this attitude. In Class Eight, there was a local boy named Hu Dacheng who was no pushover himself. Feeling superior because he was "native," he often flaunted his status. Seeing this handsome boy steal all the attention made him want to teach Mu Shengli a lesson with the help of his older brother on the "street," Hu Jiakai.
Under Hu Dacheng's guidance, a group of idle boys from Gaoqiao Town approached Mu Shengli for money and meal tickets; they kicked him around and slapped him several times. Yet Hu Dacheng remained unsatisfied and instructed them to issue an ultimatum to this pretty boy, threatening further punishment.
Finally frightened by these events, Mu Shengli realized that there were dangers beyond Caoguying...
After explaining the situation, Mu Shengli pulled out a letter sent by Hu Jiakai. When Hu Ruoyun read it, he saw only one crooked line: "Kid, get ready for trouble; I'll be waiting for you on your way home!"
Mu Shengli stammered nervously, "Brother Yun, I don't even dare step outside school anymore!"
Reporting such matters to teachers would be useless; in this era, there was no concept of calling the police—everything had to be settled privately.
To be honest, Mu Shengli wasn't sure if this so-called cousin could help him at all; however, he felt utterly helpless at that moment.
Hu Ruoyun tossed the "challenge letter" back at him: "Don't worry; I'll take you out this weekend!"
Mou Shengli left with a mix of doubt and curiosity.
On Saturday, after finishing two self-study sessions, Hu Ruoyun stepped out of the classroom and saw Mou Shengli waiting for him at the door. "Brother Yun, can we go together? Or should I call a few of your classmates?"
Hu Ruoyun ignored him. "Let's go!"
Not long after they left the school gate, Hu Ruoyun noticed a half-grown kid following them. Once they got off the main road behind the school, there weren't many people around. Hu Ruoyun sat in the back seat of Mou Shengli's bike, letting him ride ahead.
After about seven or eight minutes with no one around, Mou Shengli suddenly slammed on the brakes. "Bro, they're blocking the way up ahead!" His voice was filled with panic.
Hu Ruoyun jumped off the bike and looked ahead. A group of seven or eight half-grown kids stood in their path, each holding a short wooden stick about the thickness of an egg. The leader was at least six feet tall, with just a hint of dark fuzz on his upper lip, but he wasn't Hu Jiakai.
The guy tapped his stick against his palm. "So you're Mou Shengli? I heard you're quite something at Eight Middle School?"
Mou Shengli was so scared he couldn't speak, looking helplessly at Hu Ruoyun beside him.
Hu Ruoyun stepped forward. "Where's Hu Jiakai?"
The big guy seemed surprised. "Does this need our boss? By the way, who are you? Are you stepping in for this kid? Aren't you afraid of getting dealt with too?"
Hu Ruoyun knew reasoning wouldn't work with these guys and kept moving forward. "Why don't you give it a try?"
The big guy was clearly angered and suddenly swung his stick at Hu Ruoyun.
In reality, these so-called punks rarely dared to hit someone seriously; intimidation was their main tactic. The big guy thought that after swinging his stick, Hu Ruoyun would quickly dodge back, allowing him to pull back his attack.
However, Hu Ruoyun had other plans. There were too many opponents this time; if he didn't make these "doorstep tigers" submit now, Mou Shengli would face trouble later on.
As the stick came swinging toward him, what the big guy didn't expect was that Hu Ruoyun not only didn't dodge but instead charged forward quickly, grabbing the stick from his hand while delivering a swift kick to his stomach with his right foot.
In just one exchange, the tables turned. Hu Ruoyun seized the stick effortlessly while the big guy staggered back seven or eight steps before collapsing onto the ground!
Hu Ruoyun didn't advance further; instead, he gripped the stick tightly and with a forceful twist, it snapped in two with a loud crack!
The big guy sat on the ground for a long time without getting up, staring at the broken stick in Hu Ruoyun's hands as he muttered, "Are you the one who can crush walnuts with your hands?"
The seven or eight half-grown boys in front of him, along with Mou Shengli behind him, were all stunned.
In the distance, two bicycles kicked up dust as they sped toward them. The lead cyclist shouted as he pedaled hard, "Don't fight! Don't fight!"
As they got closer, it turned out to be Hu Jiakai and behind him was Hu Dacheng.
Hu Jiakai first looked at Hu Ruoyun. "Bro, are you hurt?"
Hu Ruoyun shook his head and pointed at the big guy who was being helped up by his friends while laughing. "Kai Ge, are these all your brothers?"
Hu Jiakai scratched his head apologetically. "Sigh, it's all because you guys are following me around..."
The Big Guy leaned in, looking aggrieved. "Brother Hu, he hit me!"
Hu Jiakai was a bit confused. "Come on, you all have sticks in your hands, and you're saying he hit you?"
The six or seven who hadn't fought also gathered around. "Brother Hu, what Brother Ding said is true! That kick sent Brother Ding flying... Let's all go together!"
Hu Jiakai grew anxious. "Go together? What the hell! We're all on the same side!"
It turned out that Hu Dacheng had seen Hu Ruoyun with Mou Shengli as they left the school and hurried to inform his brother Kai. After hearing the news, Hu Jiakai rushed over, but by the time he arrived, a fight had already broken out.
When he heard that Hu Ruoyun faced seven or eight people alone without fear and even kicked down Big Guy Ding Dali, he felt relieved. "Damn, good thing it wasn't me who got involved; otherwise, my reputation would be ruined!"
In front of Hu Dacheng and the others, Hu Ruoyun scolded Mou Shengli. "When you get home, shave that ridiculous Chung Mao hairstyle of yours and wear proper clothes to school... If you don't listen, I won't need anyone else to teach you a lesson; I'll handle you myself!"
Turning to Hu Jiakai, she said, "Kai Ge, this is my cousin!"
Mou Shengli quickly lowered his head and replied, "Got it, brother!"
Hu Jiakai pulled Mou Shengli over. "Let's go home quickly; everything will be fine from now on..."
Hu Ruoyun approached Big Guy Ding Dali and extended her hand. "Brother Ding, I apologize for that kick earlier; it was a bit too hard."
Ding Dali chuckled foolishly as he reached out his right hand to shake hers while his left hand rested on his stomach. "Damn, that move of yours was really cool..."
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