For freshmen entering high school, the summer vacation before school starts was the most enjoyable. Without summer homework, they could play the entire vacation to their heart’s content.
When Jiang Li was scrolling through social media, she noticed that her classmates were either traveling around the country or going abroad. In comparison, her life seemed much more monotonous. On weekdays, she split her time between the Feng family’s residence and her uncle’s research institute while on weekends, she learned self-defense techniques from her second brother.
Though her life was simple, it was quite fulfilling. She quickly reviewed the first semester’s lessons for her first year and learned a lot of theoretical medical knowledge. Her Sanda skills also seemed to improve.
Running regularly with Feng Qi had noticeably improved Jiang Li’s physical fitness. In the beginning, it took her over an hour to run from the Feng family’s residence to the research institute. Now, she could complete the run in just a little over half an hour.
However, the person who ran with her clearly had not reached his limit. Let alone breaking a sweat, Jiang Li had never even seen Feng Qi breathing heavily.
“Uncle, didn’t you say it takes at least half an hour to get from home to the research institute?” Jiang Li looked at Feng Qi and asked curiously.
Feng Qi nodded, “Your fastest time was 34 minutes.”
Jiang Li was astonished. “So, when you said at least half an hour, you were actually talking about me?”
Feng Qi’s eyes held a hint of a smile. “What else did you think?”
Jiang Li sighed and chose to accept the reality. After a while, she suddenly said, “How about we try running at your speed next time?”
Feng Qi gave her a meaningful smile. “Are you sure?”
Jiang Li thought for a moment and shook her head. “Never mind, I’m afraid I can’t handle that kind of shock.”
“How’s your Sanda training going lately?” Feng Qi changed the topic.
Jiang Li’s eyes lit up. “I love it! Do you know that even my second brother praised my talent?”
Feng Qi raised an eyebrow. “Would you like to try attacking me?”
Jiang Li immediately said, “Alright, let me get my gear. But do you have any protective equipment, Uncle?” If he didn’t, she would have to borrow her second brother’s, but Third Uncle was slightly taller, so it might not fit.
“We don’t need protective equipment; you can just attack me directly.” Feng Qi shook his head.
“Isn’t that a bit risky?” Jiang Li was surprised. Without protective gear, there would be a high risk of injuries!
Feng Qi reassured her, “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.”
“But I’m worried about hurting you!” Jiang Li said helplessly. Without protective gear, she couldn’t boldly attack. She only had one Third Uncle!
Feng Qi replied with a smile, “Feng Song can’t hold on for ten seconds against me.”
Hearing this, Jiang Li’s eyes lit up again, “I see! Then, let’s start. Third Uncle, be careful!”
Jiang Li was full of confidence at first, but in less than ten seconds, she was totally deflated. Feng Qi had easily caught her on her first move, causing her to be suspended mid-air. As a result, the techniques taught to her by Feng Song became totally useless.
Jiang Li waved her hands in the air and complained: “This is not Sanda!”
Feng Qi smiled and nodded, “Well, it’s not exactly Sanda, but I’m definitely more than capable of taking you down.” He gently placed Jiang Li on the ground and gave her casual compliments, “Your practice has actually shown some results.”
Jiang Li didn’t feel particularly consoled, but she quickly changed her mind and looked at Feng Qi with admiration. “Uncle, how about training me from now on?”
Feng Qi just smiled without saying a word.
Jiang Li hurriedly grabbed his sleeve and pitifully looked up at him. “Wouldn’t you like to accept a disciple? A cute one!”
Feng Qi was a bit amused and couldn’t help teasing her, “What benefits can I get from a cute disciple?”
After a moment of thought, Jiang Li said, “I’ll give you a shoulder and back massage.” She had occasionally given her grandfather massages, and he seemed to enjoy them.
Feng Qi, with a hint of a smile in his eyes, agreed, “Deal.”
…
Three days later, on the weekend, Jiang Li practiced Sanda with Feng Song again. However, Feng Song quickly realized that Jiang Li’s attacks today were faster and fiercer than before, and it was a completely different style. If he didn’t have protective gear on, he might have ended up with bruises.
Feng Bai was standing by, making fun of his brother, “Bro, did you forget to eat today? How come you can’t even beat Xiao Jiang Li?”
Feng Song frowned at his twin and, at that moment, he got kicked by Jiang Li. He quickly called for a break.
Sitting on the ground to rest for a while, Feng Song gradually regained his composure. Feng Bai finally noticed something was off and looked at Feng Song with suspicion. “Didn’t you let her win?”
Feng Song glared at his twin. “Why don’t you try sparring with her?”
Jiang Li walked to Feng Song’s side and asked softly, “Second Brother, are you alright?”
“I’m fine.” Feng Song immediately shook his head. His voice and expression softened by a few degrees when facing Jiang Li, “Has Third Uncle been training you?”
Jiang Li nodded. “Yes, he’s been making time to practice with me for half an hour every day.”
Feng Bai immediately exclaimed, “You’ve been practicing with him?”
Jiang Li nodded again. “Yeah. Uncle said that not all of these techniques are from Sanda, but they’re still useful for self-defense.”
Feng Bai shrank his neck and mumbled, “Self-defense? Yeah, sure.”
Jiang Li asked curiously: “Have you practiced with Third Uncle before?”
Feng Bai: …
Seeing he didn’t want to answer, Jiang Li shifted her gaze to Feng Song.
Feng Song smiled wryly as he replied, “Well, we practiced once, and then both of us lay in bed for half a month.”
Jiang Li looked surprised. “Why were your injuries so severe? Didn’t you wear protective gear?”
Feng Bai chuckled in bitterness, “If we didn’t have protective gear, you might not have seen us again.”
Jiang Li:…
Apparently, the hellish training she underwent under Third Uncle was still considered merciful.
Recalling the memories seemed to bring back past trauma to Feng Bai. He shuddered for a moment, then, looking up and down at the totally energetic Jiang Li, he asked, “Did Third Uncle give you practical training or did he only give you instructions from the side?”
Jiang Li hesitated for a couple of seconds and replied truthfully, “Well, we did practical combats.”
Feng Bai was puzzled, “What kind of protective gear did you use then?”
Jiang Li: …
Should she tell her second and third brothers that she had fought Third Uncle without any protective gear?
Even if she didn’t say anything, Feng Bai had already guessed the truth. He looked at her in disbelief. “Third Uncle is playing favorite!”
Feng Song gave him a glance. “Would you dare say that in front of Third Uncle?”
Feng Bai shrank his neck. “Even if you lent me your courage, I still wouldn’t.”
Still, he understood Third Uncle’s mindset. After all, Xiao Jiang Li was so cute; who would have the heart to go all out against her?
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