Chapter 5: Self-examination Thrice A Day
That noon when returning to the dental clinic, Chen Wujun was covered in bruises from falling.
Chen Hanliang saw his appearance and was immediately startled: “Did you get into a fight?”
“No, from practicing stance training.” Chen Wujun said in a muffled voice.
Today Senior Brother Li praised him a few times, but while practicing Golden Rooster Stance, he kept falling down and getting back up.
This left him feeling pent-up inside.
Even Lin Zetao and the other students were watching with their mouths agape.
When Senior Brother Li taught them, he wasn’t this strict.
It was as if Senior Brother Li had a grudge against Chen Wujun.
But they also knew this was Senior Brother Li looking at Chen Wujun differently, and they felt both envious and jealous.
Although Chen Wujun felt a bit resentful, he wasn’t someone who didn’t know good from bad.
In the afternoon, Chen Wujun tried using the breathing method Senior Brother Li had just taught to practice Charge Stance, controlling his state to be on the verge of “on the verge of a great enemy” without fully entering it through breath control.
Occasionally his body hair would stand on end, then return to normal, his body only slightly sweating, unlike before when he couldn’t control his body, suddenly lunging forward and then drenched in sweat, nearly exhausted.
Moreover, in this state, his attention and spirit were far more focused than usual, everything around him very clear, able to sense the slightest breeze or movement, just a bit weaker than when on the verge of a great enemy.
Chen Wujun pondered in his mind that this state seemed usable in daily life.
Whether walking or resting, if he could always maintain this state, he wouldn’t fear being ambushed.
While Chen Wujun was practicing standing meditation there, his dad Chen Hanliang was tossing and turning on the recliner nearby.
Just as he was about to doze off, he felt a chill like needles pricking his body, startling him awake.
Opening his eyes to look, Chen Wujun had already returned to normal.
After an hour of this, dad Chen Hanliang got up and shooed him away: “If you have nothing to do, go home to practice, don’t disturb the guests here!”
Who could stand this constant startling?
Chen Wujun thought there were no guests, no one had come all afternoon, dad was just waiting for an old customer to pick up custom dentures.
“Then I’ll go home!” Chen Wujun didn’t want to stay in the dental clinic anyway, so he simply went home to practice.
While walking, he was still pondering how to maintain the stance posture in daily life.
With every step, his toes gripped tightly downward, grasping the ground through the soles of his shoes.
“Shouldn’t wear sneakers, the soles are too thick, toes can’t grip the ground, and the feet are too soft, not steady enough.”
“Need to wear thin-soled shoes, and flat-bottomed ones.” This thought suddenly popped into Chen Wujun’s mind.
He saw Senior Brother Li wearing black thin-soled cloth shoes, he hadn’t noticed before, but now suddenly realized.
Although he took off his shoes to practice stance, sneakers weren’t convenient for walking.
Immediately he turned his feet, heading along Long Jin Road’s main street to buy shoes.
Though it was the main road, it was just a bit wider and busier than others, still no bright lights visible.
Clearly afternoon, yet it was like evening here, shops on both sides lit with lamps.
Looking up, overhead were densely tangled various wires and pipes, plus a thick pipe constantly dripping water downward.
This pipe was the street hydrant, the entire Walled City relied on it for water supply.
Passing the convenience store, Chen Wujun felt his pocket, wanting to go in and buy snacks.
He had 172 bucks in his pocket now, 10 from his dad Chen Hanliang’s pocket money a few days ago, 162 was what his mom gave to the gambler, which he directly pocketed.
The kid whose lollipop he snatched last time was at the convenience store entrance biting his finger, upon seeing Chen Wujun his eyes widened, then he burst into tears.
Chen Wujun’s brow twitched, his steps about to enter the convenience store immediately turned, slipping into the crowd.
At the same time feeling some regret in his heart, unexpectedly remembered by that kid.
Looked like from now on doing things, he must cover his face, so no one recognizes him.
If he couldn’t hide his identity, then make sure the other can’t speak.
Otherwise, who knows when it might cause trouble, or disrupt his plans.
Like this time, he originally wanted to go to the convenience store to buy stuff, but got recognized and had to leave.
The book says “examine oneself three times a day”, Chen Wujun felt this was right, he had figured some things out again.
Bought a pair of cloth shoes, spent 20 bucks.
Then took a detour, avoiding that convenience store before going home.
Chen Wujun’s walking speed wasn’t fast, every step his toes gripped forcefully downward, these thin-soled shoes indeed as he thought, more convenient for exerting force.
Walking like this was tiring, but Chen Wujun felt the subtle changes in his body with every step, so he didn’t feel fatigue or boredom.
Back home, Chen Wujun switched to practicing Golden Rooster Stance.
Golden Rooster Stance is standing on one foot gripping the ground, the other leg as shield, as hammer, as weapon to kill, much harder than Charge Stance.
Chen Wujun couldn’t stand long, his form would sway, unable to root to the spot.
……
In the evening, the family was eating dinner when the house door was suddenly pounded loudly from outside.
The whole family exchanged glances, Chen Hanliang got up and passed through the narrow living room, opened the wooden door, only to see several guys in floral shirts, looking sleazy, blocked outside by the iron gate.
Walled City was stuffy and hot, most houses’ windows faced inward, not outside the Walled City, not opening the door would be suffocatingly hot, but opening had security issues.
So generally households had two doors, outside an iron gate like bars, inside a wooden door.
When hot, open the wooden door for ventilation.
“Collecting debt! Where’s the gambler? Get him out!” The people outside banged on the iron gate with unfriendly faces.
Hearing this, Chen Hanliang’s face turned ashen, mom Huang Meizhen also put down her chopsticks, standing up worriedly.
The worst had come.
Ever since the eldest son got hooked on gambling, dad Chen Hanliang and mom Huang Meizhen had worried about loan sharks coming to the door.
Now what was supposed to come had come.
“Don’t know where that deadbeat went, haven’t seen him in days! If you’re looking for him, look elsewhere!” Chen Hanliang said with a face of steel.
“If the gambler’s not here, where is he?” The leader stopped the others from speaking, looking at Chen Hanliang lazily, then sneered: “Doesn’t matter if he’s not here, he’s your son, if he can’t pay, you pay!”
Chen Wujun stood up and walked behind Chen Hanliang, eyeing the few outside with hostile expression, and said:
“You’re collecting debt at the wrong place!”
Total of four people, two in floral shirts skinny, looking hollowed out by wine and women, each holding a stick.
The leader was burly, looked trained.
“Kid, what kind of look is that?” One in floral shirt noticed Chen Wujun’s gaze, pointed at him and scolded.
“What do you want? That gambler’s debt, don’t drag us into it.” Chen Hanliang immediately interrupted him.
The leading man sneered: “Even banks collecting debt consider inheritance distribution, let alone us loan sharks! One owes debt, whole family liable. Gambler’s gone, you pay!”
Finished speaking, he waved an IOU in front of Chen Hanliang.
“I’m telling you, the gambler now owes us 28,961 bucks! If not paid in ten days, I’ll burn your house down!”
Hearing this, Huang Meizhen and Chen Hanliang’s faces turned pale.
“How so much? How could he owe so much?” Huang Meizhen cried out.
Hearing this number, she felt the sky had fallen.
“It clearly says borrowed 6,000 bucks there!” Chen Hanliang pointed at the IOU in the man’s hand, angrily.
“He did borrow 6,000 bucks, but he never paid back, with compound interest it’s this much!” The leader sneered coldly.
“Don’t say I didn’t give you a chance! Ten days to raise the money, then pay up. Oh, forgot to say, in ten days it’ll be 37,650…… Have the money ready then, I’ll come collect.”
Hearing this, Chen Hanliang and Huang Meizhen’s faces grew even paler.
“Why don’t you go rob? We can’t come up with it.” Chen Hanliang only felt blood rushing to his head.
The man craned his neck to look inside, saw little Chen Wuqi standing at the back, immediately grinned maliciously: “What a cute kid!”
“What do you want?” Chen Hanliang immediately blocked in front of Chen Wuqi.
“Nothing! Just saying your son is cute!” The man said maliciously: “Anyway, pay up in ten days, all good.”
“If can’t pay…… whatever happens then, don’t blame me.”
“Also, don’t you have a dental clinic? We know where your dental clinic is!”
“Otherwise you think why I’d dare lend him money?”
After threatening, the man sneered a few times at the door, then left swaggering with his underlings.
On leaving, he kicked over a stack of cardboard boxes nearby.
Chen Hanliang closed the wooden door, clutched his chest and gasped heavily, couldn’t even eat dinner anymore.
Huang Meizhen kept shedding tears.
“What to do now?”
“That wastrel!” Chen Hanliang angrily said: “Knew he’d cause this sooner or later, ever since he got into gambling, I’ve been on edge every day fearing loan sharks at the door!”
Over 37,000 bucks, the dental clinic needed over half a year to earn that.
The whole family still needed to eat.
Where to borrow? How to pay?
Hardest thing in Walled City is borrowing money!
And after paying this, who knows if there’s a next one?
But if not paid, those loan sharks have no humanity, capable of anything.
His family had been in Walled City for years, naturally knew what those people were like.
In this small living room, the oppression made it hard to breathe.
Chen Wuqi didn’t know the family situation, but the atmosphere suppressed him into silence.
Only Chen Wujun silently ate his meal, he needed to eat his fill, only then have energy for martial arts practice.
After eating, he returned to his room.
No mood to look at Vivian Chow’s poster, no mood for stance training, he directly lay on the bed to ponder.
This money the family couldn’t come up with, even if borrowed and paid, the next one or two years they’d have to tighten belts to repay.
How could he still go to the martial arts school?
He had a bold idea in mind.
Debts must be repaid as a matter of course, but if the creditor dies, no need to repay?
If they died, the problem would be solved!
So they should go die.
As long as others die, problem solved, Chen Wujun felt this was fair.
But what if there were people behind them?
Chen Wujun thought it over, felt he still needed to scout around.
Anyway, still ten days……
Scout clearly then decide what to do.
Before that, still need to diligently practice martial arts.
Thinking this, Chen Wujun jumped down from the upper bunk, barefoot on the floor practicing Golden Rooster Stance.
At the same time imagining an enemy standing before him, as if ready anytime to knee strike and shatter the opponent’s internals.
And the enemy in his imagination was the leader among those who came to collect the loan shark debt just now.
