Carrying a Jurassic on me

Feeling deeply fooled, Yan Fei returned home with a heavy heart.

Xu Xiaoyan saw him come back empty-handed and unhappy, she asked curiously, "What's wrong, why are you so miserable after selling everything? Can it be something happened?"

Yan Fei took out the sixty dollars from his pocket, swaying it in front of her: "Yes, I sold it, but it's over now. I guess Uncle Baoguo will know about it soon, he won't let me out at night anymore, and he'll probably tell my parents, maybe I have to go to school in the county."

Xu Xiaoyan didn't understand the despair in his heart at all: "Isn't it good to go to school in the county? So many people want to go but can't."

Yan Fei found life so gloomy, "freedom" was waving goodbye to him, the thought was enough to drive him to despair, he didn't even want to speak anymore.

Just as Xu Xiaoyan was thinking about how to comfort him, she saw Yan Fei, who had been sprawled out on the rattan chair like a noodle, suddenly jumping up: "No, I will not lose my freedom, I will fight for it!"

Then the girl next to him was dumbfounded. She watched Yan Fei pacing around the room like a delirious chicken. He would think deeply for a while and then sigh in grief. Sometimes his face was full of fighting spirit, other times he looked depressed...

After pacing for a long time, Yan Fei was genuinely anxious. According to his understanding, Lin Baoguo would definitely not wait until the evening to come, if he didn't come before lunch, he would definitely come after lunch.

Then everything would happen as he imagined. He would first warn me not to go out at night, then tell my parents, then my parents would come back and insist that I go to the city. From then on, he would have to share a tiny room with his annoying little brother. He wouldn't even mention the dream of living on an island or turning into a dinosaur, even strolling around at night would become a luxury...

He felt totally hopeless just imagining such life.

In the midst of his daydream, Xu Xiaoyan finally couldn't hold it in anymore: "Yan Xiaofei, what the hell is wrong with you? I'm getting dizzy watching you go in circles!"

Yan Fei glared at her: "How can you understand my desire for freedom..."

Xu Xiaoyan scoffed at him: "Admit you love to play! You're quite the chatterbox!"

Yan Xiaofei sighed heavily. He knew he couldn't say the real reason why he wanted to live alone, so he continued to spin his story: "Xiaoyan, how could you know how a person like me, who yearns for freedom, feels about living in a small room with a snot-nosed kid? It's like a majestic eagle that used to soar in the sky being locked up in a cage. Even walking around has to be careful not to knock things over. I can't even cook for myself when I want to. What if I want to practice my boxing, that could even bring down the house..."

Xu Xiaoyan couldn't help but laugh at his dramatics: "Really, you're a majestic eagle that soars in the sky? Practicing boxing? I remember you only practiced when you had a whim, normally you wouldn't practice even when your grandparent and uncles told you to!"

Yan Fei didn't even blush a bit: "You wouldn't understand. They're all blindly practicing all day and night, and it's useless. For a prodigy like me, I make more progress by thinking more. Even if I practice less, I'm still a hundred times better than them."

Xu Xiaoyan rolled her eyes at him: "Stop kidding me, Yan Xiaofei. You dare to say this nonsense? By your logic, pigs are even smarter, they think all day long... What a genius, you're really shameless!"

After messing around with her, Yan Fei felt a little better knowing that worrying wouldn't solve anything, he snorted, "Come in, close the door. Let me show you what it means to conceal one's strengths... "

Seeing him heading for the yard, Xu Xiaoyan quickly closed the door behind her. Not caring that the door banged open again, she sat inside the house waiting to watch his "performance".

Yan Fei really felt that his moves were more fluid than before, hadn't he improved in chopping meat lately? Although he had never seriously practiced kung fu, he was certain that he was more than a little stronger than before.

As soon as he practiced a few moves in the courtyard, his heart cheered, this was it indeed!

Before it was more posing than boxing. Now he really felt different: his punches and jumps were more agile than before, the originally sluggish moves now hinted some fluidity.

Playing around in the small yard, the more he practiced, the more he felt it. He practiced the routine again and again, getting more and more into it, he didn't even notice Xu Xiaoyan's surprised expression.

After a few rounds, he even felt a gust of wind following his punches, the pride was indescribable. Having finished a round of boxing, he looked at the jujube tree in the yard. Suddenly, a thought occurred. After two steps forward, he did a couple of punches on the tree, then did a backflip and landed back on the ground.

He squatted slightly to steady himself, even he couldn't believe it.

"Excellent! Xiao Fei, I didn't realize you had such a talent for boxing. You used to refuse to train, but now you're so diligent. Were you sneaking in practice all those days at home when you were eating and drinking so heartily?"

At some point, a man had appeared at the door, unbeknownst to the surprised Xu Xiaoyan in the room.

Upon hearing the voice, Yan Fei jumped, and his mind began to race, but he managed to respond, "Oh yeah, Uncle Baoguo, when did you get here?"

Lin Baoguo was genuinely surprised. He knew that this guy was quick at learning boxing but lacked discipline. His own cousin had once mentioned how wasting Yan Fei's good physique was a shame, a remark he had initially thought to be an exaggeration.

Lin Baoguo's cousin was Yan Fei's grandfather. However, a grandfather is not the same as a father, and since Yan Fei was not raised by him, whether Yan Fei practiced boxing or not, the most he could do was subtly hint at it. It wasn't his place to insist, given that Yan Fei's grandfather was still alive.

Blacksmith Yan, Yan Fei's grandpa, knew his grandson was a "monster". As long as his grandson's most serious secret remained undiscovered, he barely intervened in his day-to-day affairs. As a result, Yan Fei flirted with various interests but never remained committed.

Still, Lin Baoguo continued to praise Yan Fei: "That's the way to practice boxing. You've got to suffer if you want to achieve. This past while, I thought you were just gorging and slacking off, but it turns out you've been training hard at home!"

If it were any other parent, they'd consider boxing a waste of time that could interfere with studies. The more progressive ones might just think that practicing kung fu was good for physical health. However, despite Lin Baoguo's young age, and being a police officer, he grew up in a village where everyone practiced martial arts. In his view, diligent kung fu practice was indeed "serious business."

Yan Fei's mind was still racing. He hadn't been fooled by Lin Baoguo's "sugar-coated bullets" and was well aware that his visit was not going to bring him any good news.

While thinking, he went along with Lin Baoguo's remarks, saying: "Yes indeed. Ever since my grandfather passed away, I've been feeling listless. Then I thought, since I'm not particularly good at studying, perhaps I should get serious about kung fu. It wouldn't be right if I were neither a scholar nor a fighter, would it?"

Meanwhile, Xu Xiaoyan beside him was trying hard to sit up straight and hold back her laughter.

Lin Baoguo smiled and continued to praise him: "Hmm, good on you, Xiao Fei. You're starting to take care of serious matters!"

Yan Fei pretended to be bashful: "There's nothing to it, really. It's just that my grandfather often brings me stuff, and he always wanted me to practice kung fu, which I didn't. Now that I think about it, I feel somewhat guilty."

Upon hearing this, Lin Baoguo felt a warmth in his heart: "The kung fu you practice is yours and nobody can take it away from you. Your grandfather recognized your potential for martial arts, he mentioned it to us several times. Your being able to consider all these things shows that you're becoming considerate."

After racking his brain for quite a while, Yan Fei finally had a flash of inspiration and his speech grew sharper: "True! I was young and foolish before, now I've realized I should take the training seriously. Let's not talk about whether I'll make any progress or not, as long as my grandfather is happy, it's all worth it."

Without waiting for Lin Baoguo's response and disregarding the girl beside him who was trying not to laugh, Yan Fei continued: "In fact, when my parents suggested that I study in the county city, I thought about it. Staying home would provide a place for my grandfather and uncles to rest when they go to the market. Also, I would have a place to practice my kung fu."

"In the county, the space is too small for practicing boxing. Also, my little brother is there, and my parents having to work wouldn't be able to attend to us often. So, I think it's better if I watch over the house. As long as I study well, it doesn't matter where I am, right?"

Lin Baoguo's wife was heavily pregnant and he wasn't a father yet, so he couldn't fully understand the joy an elder would feel when a child is becoming mature. However, Yuan Fei's sudden transformation to being so sensible, repeatedly mentioning his grandfather and uncle, really made him very happy: "What you say makes sense. Even though the city has better facilities, one has to pay for each grocery item. It's surely not as convenient as being here."

Going with the flow, Yan Fei's true intentions began to show: "Indeed. It's great to be home. Yesterday I sweated a lot during my workout. In the evening, I took a bath in the river, and I was extremely lucky to catch a wild chicken. Afterwards, I strolled along the river and even managed to catch a wild rabbit. Can't deny it, practicing Kung Fu has its uses. I would never have been able to catch them before! When my grandfather comes back, I'll tell him all about it. It'll make him so happy."

By his side, Miss Xu Xiaoyan was suffering greatly between holding back her laughter and the pain from pinching and twisting her own leg under her skirt. She was even considering relieving herself by stabbing herself with a kitchen knife from the vegetable stand, to prevent exposing this shameless guy.

Finally, Lin Baoguo, prompted by Yan Fei, remembered his original purpose of the visit: "Speaking of, that's the reason why I am here. Today, I heard that you caught a wild chicken and a rabbit, and I thought you had gone out to play late at night. We'll let it slide this time, I won't lecture you. But you need to be careful and avoid staying out late at night."

'Good boy' Yan Fei nodded in agreement: "Oh, yes, yes, I've been very careful! I was scared coming home late yesterday, I won't dare to do it again!"

Feeling as if he had witnessed a 'naughty child' successfully turn into an 'ambitious youngster', Lin Baoguo was quite delighted. He continued chatting with Yan Fei, complimenting and encouraging him.

Yan Fei was very obedient, nodding in agreement. When Lin Baoguo thought of going home to cook for his pregnant wife, Yan Fei didn't forget to give him some eggs from his house for his aunt to strengthen her health. Even though Lin Baoguo declined the eggs, he left Yan Fei's house whistling happily.

After seeing off Uncle Baoguo, Yan Fei exhaled a long sigh of relief. As he turned around, he saw Xu Xiaoyan rubbing her leg, crying and laughing at the same time, he exclaimed, "What's wrong, Xu Xiaoyan?"