Chapter 177: Chapter 177: Who Did You Learn That From?
The issue with Li Chengze was perfectly resolved.
An Ning returned to her usual routine.
Every day after waking up, she would run around the village, dragging Li Chengze and An Guoping along with her.
After a few days, Jiang Xia and Da Huang simply joined in. Later on, all the children in the village joined as well.
The villagers’ consensus was: if someone as incredible as An Ning was still running, why shouldn’t their little rascals?
And so, early every morning, a big rooster would tear off in front, shedding a trail of feathers, followed by a pack of frantically chasing children, ranging from five or six to their teens.
An Ning suspected the children were all seeking revenge for being chased by roosters when they were young.
The big rooster from Anning’s house was chased so relentlessly that its slightly atrophied flying instincts were on the verge of re-evolving.
An Ning followed at a distance. Any closer and she’d be eating dust.
"Looks like evolution really does need pressure."
Jiang Xia caught up from behind, looked at the scene ahead, and said, "This isn’t pressure. This is a life-or-death crisis."
An Ning nodded solemnly.
"Makes sense."
The group kept running. Jiang Xia and An Ning were so relaxed they hardly seemed to be trying. Li Chengze was the second person, after An Guoming, to be smart but uncoordinated.
An Guoping was doing pretty well. He didn’t feel much strain and got used to it after a few runs.
As he ran past Li Chengze, he said comfortingly, "Don’t be discouraged. You’re much better than my second brother."
"Let me tell you, my second brother is the definition of weak..."
"An Guoping!"
The familiar voice made the hairs on the back of An Guoping’s neck stand up. He immediately changed his tune. "My second brother may be weak, but he’s persistent! Through his unyielding efforts, he finally achieved unexpected results, so you have to keep at it!"
After saying this, An Guoping turned with a goofy grin and chuckled at the suddenly-appeared An Guoming.
"Second Brother, what are you doing back?"
An Guoming walked over with a fake smile and snorted.
"If I hadn’t come back now, who knows what you’d be making up about me!"
An Guoming walked up to the two who had stopped, adding fuel to the fire. "Don’t stop! Keep running! The key to running is persistence. Look at me now, I’m much stronger."
Just as the boasting An Guoming finished speaking, he heard a familiar CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK.
His legs started running instinctively.
"Hey! I just got back! Why are you chasing me?"
It was hard to say if the big rooster was doing it on purpose, or if it had a belly full of pent-up anger and decided to take it out on An Guoming.
In any case, it charged toward An Guoming, neck outstretched, its sharp beak ready to peck him at any moment.
And just like that, things got even more chaotic.
An Guoming led the way, the big rooster was in the middle, and the children brought up the rear.
That morning, the whole village was brought to life by them.
After desperately running a full lap, An Guoming was completely out of breath. He plopped onto the ground, one trembling hand raised in the air, unable to speak a single word.
An Guoping jogged over jauntily, with a bit of a smug air, and looked down at An Guoming.
"Second Brother’s training has really paid off."
Still on the ground, An Guoming couldn’t speak, but he glared at An Guoping.
’You little brat, just you wait until I get up!’
An Guoping was all too familiar with that look. With a triumphant smile, he hid behind An Ning, who was jogging over.
"Sis, Second Brother wants to beat me up!"
Hearing this, An Ning gave An Guoping a meaningful look, then turned to the suddenly returned An Guoming.
"Second Brother, you should beat up your little brother while you have the chance. But with your current physique, you might not win. You should act within your capabilities."
An Ning then looked at An Guoping and broke into a smile, making An Guoping’s heart sink.
"Three extra laps for you today. You can do it."
After giving An Guoping his new task, An Ning stopped running and led the big rooster home.
An Guoping puffed out his cheeks and, with tears welling in his eyes, ran another three laps.
’His sister wasn’t the same sister she used to be!’
An Guoming also realized that his little sister’s tongue was getting sharper and sharper.
He sat on the ground for nearly ten minutes before finally getting up with An Guoping’s help and shuffling home one step at a time.
In the courtyard, An Ning was helping Lin Cuihua chop frozen tofu.
The axe made sharp CRACKING sounds as it chopped. She took a moment to turn and look at An Guoming, saying, "Oh, right, Second Brother is back."
"Who?"
Lin Cuihua’s single word, "Who?", made An Guoming, who was standing at the entrance, unsure whether to step in or step back out.
"Mom—it’s me! You don’t recognize your own son?"
An Guoming walked in. Lin Cuihua shot him a sidelong glance.
"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in."
"What gives you the time to come back today?"
Just two sentences, and An Guoming’s face was already burning.
"Mom—you’re making it sound like I committed some unforgivable crime! I was away on a trip, and I came straight home as soon as I got back."
"You have no idea how homesick I was."
An Guoming was telling the truth. During this time, he had gathered a few people and driven the truck An Ning had bought to the south and back several times.
Of course, Lin Cuihua knew An Guoming was working. But the little rascal hadn’t made a single phone call or sent a single telegram, and she was worried.
The south was so far away, and her second son was so weak he couldn’t win a fight against anyone. What if something happened?
Lin Cuihua kept having nightmares of her second son being hacked to a bloody pulp, and it scared her so much she couldn’t sleep night after night.
"Right, you’re the one who’s always right."
Lin Cuihua didn’t say any more. Her words were harsh, but her heart was soft. "Have you eaten?" she asked.
"No! I’m starving to death."
An Guoming put on a pitiful act, but Lin Cuihua still hurried inside to cook him a bowl of noodles.
As soon as Lin Cuihua went inside, An Guoming pulled a paper bag from inside his overcoat.
"Flatbread, Little Sis. For you."
An Ning took the flatbread and casually asked, "How many did you eat, Second Brother?"
"Only three—Little Sis, you’ve changed!"
An Guoming was caught off guard by An Ning’s question and blurted out the truth.
An Ning wasn’t the least bit embarrassed. Instead, she said proudly, "I’m just training your reflexes, Second Brother. It would be a terrible thing if you were out and about, and someone tricked you into spilling your guts just like that."
"No need to thank me."
An Ning patted An Guoming’s shoulder and went inside with the flatbread.
Standing outside, An Guoming watched An Ning’s antics. ’Who on earth did she learn this from?’
Meanwhile, Jiang Xia was doing the exact same thing. He patted Li Chengze’s shoulder and said, "It’s not that I’m forcing you to wash the dishes. This is to train your temperament for apprenticeship. If An Ning didn’t want to test you, would she have let you come to the countryside?"
"Since she brought you to the countryside, of course she wants you to experience everything. Don’t you agree?"
Li Chengze held a bowl, his hands still in the basin of hot water.
Something felt off, but he couldn’t quite find a reason to argue.
"I guess so."
"It’s definitely the case. Work hard, and I’ll put in a good word for you."
Jiang Xia patted Li Chengze’s shoulder twice and made a successful retreat.
