It was the sweetened brew that Zhang Guangyou had specially prepared using spiritual herbs. He had put in some much effort preparing it.
When they saw this, Zhang Han and Zi Yan on the third-floor balcony exchanged glances.
“My dad has got everything so thoroughly prepared.”
Zhang Han could not help but chuckle. “Mengmeng won’t be tired out drinking a few mouthfuls of that brew, although we don’t know how much of it she can absorb. Most ordinary spiritual herbs can only help improve your constitution. The better ones are of no help to you. If Mengmeng inherits your powerful genes, her body will reject the brew too.”
“But will it do Mengmeng good taking spiritual herbs at such a young age?” Zi Yan asked, rather worried.
“Everything the old man prepared is good.” Zhang Han shook his head slightly, his eyes riveted on Mengmeng. Then he said, “Hmm, not an ounce of energy wasted? Our daughter must have good potential for cultivation.”
“She must take after you.” Zi Yan also relaxed and started smiling.
Under their gaze, Zhang Guangyou began his education.
His hands behind his back, his head bowed slightly, he stared at Mengmeng and said slowly, “Kungfu is another term for martial arts. What does it mean? ‘Martial’ means to stop conflicts and ‘arts’ means to establish connections and go along with the flow. Martial arts can help strengthen the physique and defend against enemies. One can act chivalrously upon encountering anything unjust. To put it plainly, you can protect both yourself and others. Martial arts practitioners like us can enhance our body, mind and soul, promote security and energy, and remain in equanimity… ”
He gave a long and eloquent lecture.
Zhang Guangyou felt that he had already explained enough, yet Mengmeng seemed not to have understood.
She raised her head, and there was perplexity in her clear eyes.
“What a complicated topic martial arts are! So difficult to understand.”
“Grandpa, how are martial arts different from that?” Mengmeng asked.
“Huh? Different from what?” Zhang Guangyou started.
“Um, from what Grandpa had displayed.” Mengmeng brandished her small arms a little.
“Grandpa’s movements were very dashing, but why is he standing here now talking without showing them?”
“Oh, you mean that!”
Zhang Guangyou could not help but laugh. “That is a stance you can only show when you’ve made some progress in martial arts. Um, granddaughter, you have just started learning. We must begin with the basics.”
“So what are the basics?”
“The basics are the fundamental movements. The first we will learn today is the horse stance. To put it simply, it is a simple stance yet rather difficult. Since this is the basic, your lower body will be steady if you master it. What is your lower body? It means your legs. You should be totally inert like a virgin when you are still, yet as agile as a hare when you are active. All these actions must act in accordance with your hip and waist movements. Take this as an example: kicking a leg sideways.”
“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!”
Zhang Guangyou balanced himself on a single left leg, his body leaning back slightly. In a moment, his right leg had kicked five times successively. His movements were so fast that wind whooshed on his pants.
“Wow, Grandpa is awesome!”
Mengmeng complimented her grandfather.
“Look, whether I kick upwards or downwards, or use my left or right leg, my body remains immobile. This is what it means by having a steady base. Do you know what will happen if you are unsteady?”
Zhang Guangyou gave another few kicks, then said, “Try it, Mengmeng,”
“Mm.”
Mengmeng nodded obediently. She raised her right leg, trying to kick sideways.
However, she kicked too powerfully and wobbled on her left leg. Her right leg swept to the left, causing her body to topple. She fell down onto the field.
“Huh? How come it’s different?”
Mengmeng was stunned.
“Grandpa had kicked so swiftly and imposingly, yet why had I toppled at my turn?”
“Hahaha, of course there’s a difference.” Zhang Guangyou chuckled. “It’s because your lower body isn’t steady. Grandpa had trained long and hard on my horse stance. Granddaughter, if you want to be highly skilled like me, you must take one step at a time. We’ll start with the horse stance and then move on to the rest. Of course, once you master it, I will give you a little red flower. Let’s start now. You do the horse stance for forty minutes. After that, you can have these fruit jellies as a reward for the day.”
As he said that, Zhang Guangyou took out three fruit jellies from his right pocket and placed them on the side table.
Mengmeng was quite eager since they were her favorite.
“Grandpa, you mean you will give me another red flower after I master it?”
Mengmeng tried to confirm with a question.
“Yes. If you master it, I’ll give you another little red flower. Then I’ll tell Teacher Lu how many flowers you have earned from me. Once you have accumulated fifteen flowers, Teacher Lu will present you with a trophy,” Zhang Guangyou said with a smile.
“Okay, then I’ll learn it. Let’s start now, Grandpa.”
Mengmeng stood stiffly erect.
“Granddaughter, now follow me. Stand with your legs a little apart. A bit wider. Yes, that’s right. Lower yourself a little, like Grandpa. Yes, that’s it, but your hips aren’t in the right posture. Do this. And your upper body must be upright. Hey, Dahei, Little Hei and Tiny Tot, what are you guys doing? Hurry up and do the posture!”
After adjusting Mengmeng’s posture, Zhang Guangyou saw that the three brothers were watching them. He immediately waved his hand at them.
After that, he realized that Dahei’s horse stance was correct, but Little Hei and Tiny Tot… didn’t know how to do it.
Little Hei had not hesitated. It placed its body weight on its thighs and moved backwards to steady itself, assuming the horse stance. But it looked somewhat awkward. Tiny Tot looked like a penguin. Its legs were already so short, and the stance it took looked like nothing in this world.
Zhang Guangyou gave them a couple of glances and said nothing. After all, they were just accompanying the girl.
“That’s right, this is the right posture. Don’t move. If you do, it won’t be right.”
Zhang Guangyou stood before Mengmeng, taking up the horse stance. In this way, both grandfather and granddaughter began practicing martial arts.
But it was indeed tough for a five-year-old kid to remain motionless.
Before two minutes was up, Mengmeng said, “Grandpa, time’s up.”
“Huh? What do you mean? There’s still a long way to go.”
After another half a minute:
“Grandpa, I’m tired. I don’t want to do the horse stance anymore.”
“Don’t you want the little red flower, Mengmeng?”
After another five minutes:
“Is it time yet, Grandpa?”
“Not yet. Soon. Hold on, and then we can have the fruit jellies.”
After a few more minutes:
“Grandpa, time’s up.”
“Not yet…”
So Mengmeng asked every few minutes.
One could see Zi Yan’s complexion change every now and then.
“Is it alright? Won’t Mengmeng be tired after doing the stance for so long? Why don’t you talk to Dad? Tell him to make it easy on the first day.
“Mengmeng doesn’t seem to be able to take it. What now?”
“…”
Zi Yan used to be Mengmeng’s disciplinarian. Yet she felt her heart ache after seeing her daughter do the stance for so long.
“It’s okay. Dad has fed her a few mouthfuls of that brew, so Mengmeng won’t be tired out. Let Father teach her. It will do her good to practice some martial arts. That way, she won’t be bullied in school.”
Zhang Han was rather relaxed. He had spoken to his father and felt that learning martial arts was a good decision. It would not affect what he would later teach Mengmeng and would also satisfy his father. It was killing two birds with one stone.
Yet the girl’s mother was still worried.
It was because Mengmeng was too young. She was just five years old.
“I’m making breakfast for all of you.”
After watching for some time, Zhang Han walked to the kitchen. After taking two steps, he halted, pulling Zi Yan’s hand. “Come, let’s do it together. It seems that the last time we prepared a meal was at the little restaurant.”
“Okay.”
Zi Yan hesitated a little. After watching for more than twenty minutes, she felt that Mengmeng would be fine. It must be that herbal brew. She became less worried and walked with Zhang Han to the kitchen with a gentle smile.
“Let me show you what I’m capable of this time.”
“Okay.” Zhang Han nodded.
“Humph, you never let me cook in the past…”
“Um, I’m unwilling to let you do that now too. I’m just asking you to keep me company.”
“Then I’ll chop the vegetables and help you prepare the ingredients.”
So the two of them divided the tasks between themselves and walked into the kitchen. Zi Yan put on a kitchen apron and helped Zhang Han put on his.
“Let me warm the milk and boil the eggs first.”
The kitchen was very large, roomy enough for two. Zhang Han was warming the milk by one side, while Zi Yan was washing the mushrooms by the other. Then she began dicing them. She was wearing a one-piece dress today. Looking at her from the side, Zhang Han found her proportions curvaceous, her apron bulging with her bust while her butt protruded in her dress. Her figure was a standard S-curve. Zhang Han’s desires were aroused. He embraced Zi Yan from behind and their bodies touched…
Very soon, Zi Yan felt her face redden.
“You’re so annoying.”
Zi Yan turned her head back to berate him. But the moment she turned, Zhang Han moved forward and planted a kiss on her sexy, ruby lips.
“Ummm…”
While Mengmeng was out practicing kung fu, the couple was engaged in lovey-dovey acts in the kitchen.
“Grandpa, it’s been ages. Is it time yet?”
Mengmeng had asked more times than he could remember. Zhang Guangyou answered patiently, “A bit longer, it’ll be time soon. Let’s persevere.”
“…”
Had it been another child, he would have been exhausted and given up after a few minutes. But not Mengmeng—she was after all the daughter of Zhang Han and Zi Yan, and no ordinary child. Besides, Zhang Guangyou had taken great pains and made her drink the brew. Of course she could persist in training for some time.
Forty minutes passed in a flash. Zhang Guangyou saw that Mengmeng could still keep the posture, so he made her do another twenty minutes for a whole hour.
“Okay! Time’s up!”
Zhang Guangyou wiped the sweat on his forehead and instantly relaxed.
“So tough.”
He felt that the questions he answered Mengmeng had made his head swell.
But things are always difficult at the start. If she could persevere on the first day, it wouldn’t be so tough on the second.
At this moment, Zhang Han and Zi Yan walked over.
After finishing the last fruit jelly, Mengmeng ran to greet them. She mumbled, “PaPa, MaMa, I did the horse stance for a long time.”
“Papa has seen that. You’re great, Mengmeng.”
Zhang Han complimented her, making the little princess chuckle.
“Well, practicing martial arts doesn’t seem to be too difficult after all!”
