A hundred flavors of life

Chapter 1409 The King of the Kids in the Alley! (Please Subscribe!)
The afternoon sun slanted into Textile Lane 3, casting a warm glow on the bluestone pavement.

Hua Shier was escorted out of the courtyard by Zhuang Tunan, Zhuang Xiaoting, and Lin Dongzhe. Before they even reached the alley entrance, Zhuang Tunan stopped, turned around, and his face was full of resentment.

"Pengfei, I refuse to accept this!"

Zhuang Tunan put his hands on his hips, like a spirited little rooster: "I want to compete with you in other things. If I win, you'll have to call me 'brother'."

Hua Shier looked at his cousin, who was half a head taller than him, and couldn't help but smile.

Eleven-year-old Zhuang Tunan was wearing a faded blue long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Fine beads of sweat glistened on his forehead, and his eyes were full of the stubbornness unique to teenagers.

"Tunan!"

Hua Shier said slowly, "It seems you're quite obsessed with being the older brother."

Zhuang Tunan's face flushed red, as if someone had seen through his secret:

"It's not that I'm obsessed, it's just that I am your brother, okay? Just tell me if it's okay or not!"

"Okay!"

Hua nodded, a mischievous glint in his eyes:
"Then I'll give you a chance. As long as you don't do those disgusting things and can beat me in any other aspect, I'll call you 'brother'."

He paused just now because some absurd plots from fanfiction inexplicably flashed through his mind. However, he was certain that Zhuang Tunan was a man of principle and would not do anything as outrageous as Sha Zhu jumping into a cesspool for victory in some stories.

Shazhu: What kind of fanfiction are you reading? I've never jumped into a cesspool, okay?!

Hua Shier: No, you jumped. I've read so many novels where you jumped, and then you even slapped Xu Damao in the face.

Sha Zhu paused for two seconds: "You threw it in Xu Damao's face? Okay then."
Xu Damao: You idiot Zhu! You're not human!

Zhuang Tunan was delighted to hear Hua Twelve agree:
"I admit you're good at drawing pictures, good at playing marbles, and better at math than me, but now the teacher says we should develop morally, intellectually, physically, and aesthetically in an all-round way, so I want to compete with you in sports!"

He straightened his back as he said this, thinking that he was a few years older than Xiang Pengfei, taller and with longer legs, so he couldn't possibly lose in a sports competition.

Zhuang Tunan could already picture himself crossing the finish line first, with Pengfei having no choice but to call him "Brother Tunan".

Hua Shier almost burst out laughing.

If it were a competition of solving problems, Zhuang Tunan might have a one in a billion chance of winning, since what if he lost focus?

Competing with him in sports is practically suicide.

“Okay,” Hua Shier readily agreed, but then added, “But this time you have to honor your bet. If you lose, you have to call me brother. You can’t cheat.”

"I won't renege on my promise!" Zhuang Tunan immediately declared.

Lin Dongzhe, his eyes darting around, darted between the two:

"I want to play too! If I win, you guys have to call me 'brother'!"

Zhuang Tunan and Zhuang Xiaoting both showed expressions of disgust.

"Get out of here and cause trouble!" Zhuang Tunan reached out to push Lin Dongzhe.

Lin Dongzhe nimbly dodged, speaking with righteous indignation: "Pengfei already said it's the rule in Guizhou, whoever wins is the boss. Are you afraid of losing if you won't let me play?"

He deliberately raised his chin as he said this, and his "I see through you all" expression made Zhuang Tunan so angry that he gritted his teeth.

Hua Shier looked at these two clowns and smiled as he tried to smooth things over:
"Okay, then you're on the list. But Dongzhe, even if you lose, you'll have to call me 'brother'."

"no problem!"

Lin Dongzhe patted his chest, full of confidence.

He was mischievous from a young age, excelling at climbing trees to raid bird nests and scaling walls to pick fruit. His athletic ability and physical fitness were renowned among the children in the neighborhood.

Even though Zhuang Tunan is a year older than him, he is not afraid.

"Since it's all settled, what do you want to compete in?" Hua Twelve asked leisurely.

"Run!" Zhuang Tunan blurted out. He wanted to make the most of his height and long legs.

"Jump rope!" Lin Dongzhe shouted at the same time. He was considering the technical aspect—jumping rope was his forte; he could jump more than two hundred times in one go without even panting.

They spoke in unison, then looked at each other, both seeing a hint of reproach in each other's eyes: "Why are you so different from what I thought?"

"Running is good! Let's race!"

"Jump rope is the fair way!"

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Hua Shier raised his hand to stop them: "Stop arguing, let's compete in both, running and skipping rope count."

Zhuang Xiaoting, who had been standing quietly to the side, suddenly brightened up. She carefully took half a step forward and spoke in a soft, gentle voice:
"I want to play too. If I win, will you all have to call me 'sister'?"

After speaking, she looked at Hua Shier and Zhuang Tunan with eager eyes, her eyes, which were very similar to her mother Huang Ling's, shining with anticipation.

Zhuang Tunan felt betrayed by his younger sister and laughed in anger:

"Zhuang Xiaoting, are you trying to rebel against the Heavenly Gang?! You want to be my sister?! Get out of my way!"

Zhuang Xiaoting pouted after her brother said that, and her eyes were about to redden.

Seeing the little girl's aggrieved look, Hua Shier smiled and smoothed things over:
"Then let's bring Xiaoting along. Tu Nan, you're not afraid of losing to Xiaoting, are you?"

"Am I afraid of losing to her?"

Zhuang Tunan raised his voice, as if he had heard a joke: "Fine! Let's compete! Anyway, I don't think I'll lose to my sister."

Their commotion was quite loud. It was a summer afternoon, and children from other families in the alley came out one after another. When they saw Zhuang Tunan, Lin Dongzhe, and their group arguing about something, a few children curiously gathered around.

"Tunan, what are you arguing about?"

A girl with two braids asked. She was wearing a floral shirt, had delicate features, and spoke with the soft, sweet accent typical of girls from Suzhou.

Hua Shier looked in the direction of the voice and recognized that it was Wu Shanshan, the eldest daughter of the Wu family. Behind her were two children. One was her younger brother, Wu Jun, who looked about eight or nine years old and had a chubby face. The other was Zhang Min, the daughter brought by their stepmother. She was a little older than Zhuang Xiaoting, with short hair that reached her ears, and looked a little shy.

"Sister Shanshan!"

When Zhuang Xiaoting saw her playmate, she immediately ran over and chattered on about the rule that "whoever wins is the older brother".

Wu Shanshan's eyes lit up after hearing this: "That's so interesting! Let's participate too!"

"Sis, we can't outrun Brother Tu Nan," Wu Jun whispered from the side.

"Then let's not compete in running." Wu Shanshan was clearly resourceful. "We can compete in other things. I can play shuttlecock, I can jump rope, and I can also play hopscotch and hopscotch."

"Throwing beanbags! Throwing beanbags is so much fun!"

Another boy who came over shouted, "This boy is called Wang Lei. He lives at the other end of the alley and is even more resilient than Lin Dongzhe."

Hua Shier found it amusing to see the growing number of children gathering.

He cleared his throat and raised his voice, saying, "Sure, everyone can participate. But the loser has to call the winner 'brother' or 'sister' from now on, and the winner will also accept challenges, so that the loser can easily seek revenge later."

"it is good!"

"no problem!"

The children readily agreed, each one eager and ready to try.

Zhuang Tunan, being one of the older members, consciously took on the responsibility of organizing the event.

“Take it one step at a time, don’t rush. Let’s start with the 100-meter race. Run from one end of the alley to the other. I measured it with my steps yesterday, and it’s about 100 meters.”

The majority of those who signed up for this program were boys—Zhuang Tunan, Lin Dongzhe, Wu Jun, Wang Lei, and two other boys. Only one girl, Wu Shanshan, raised her hand.

"Shanshan, are you really going to run away?" Zhuang Tunan asked, somewhat surprised.

"What, you look down on girls?" Wu Shanshan raised her chin, her strong will already beginning to show.

Hua Shier watched from the side, nodding inwardly.

In the original storyline, Wu Shanshan grew up to be a beautiful woman with a strong personality. Under the repression of her family of origin, she gradually showed signs of becoming somewhat ruthless. Now, it seems that she has indeed been a competitive person since childhood, and she is indeed very beautiful, even a tiny bit prettier than her cousin Zhuang Xiaoting—of course, this cannot be said out loud.

"No, no." Zhuang Tunan quickly waved his hand, not wanting to offend Wu Shanshan: "If you want to participate, then participate!"

In the end, seven people were confirmed to participate in the run.

Zhuang Xiaoting volunteered to be the referee. She stood at the entrance of the alley and, imitating the physical education teacher at school, had the participants line up in a very professional manner.

"On your marks—" Zhuang Xiaoting drawled out.

Hua Shier suddenly raised his hand: "Wait a minute."

Everyone looked at him.

Hua Shier earnestly told the children, "Be careful when you run. Run along the right side of the street and don't run into the middle of the road. Stop at the end of the street and don't keep running forward."

Although there are fewer cars these days, it doesn't mean there aren't any. It would be bad if something really happened, so it's better to explain things.

He spoke these words naturally, yet with an undeniable certainty.

The children paused for a moment, then nodded obediently.

Zhuang Xiaoting shouted again: "On your marks—get set—go!"

The children dashed off like arrows released from a bow.

Hua deliberately started half a beat slower than others, wanting to see the true level of these children.

Zhuang Tunan indeed took the lead, striding with his long legs and a large stride.

Although Lin Dongzhe was shorter, he moved quickly and kept up closely behind.

Wu Shanshan was not to be outdone, coming in fourth place with her ponytail flying behind her.

After running about thirty meters, Hua Shier felt he had observed enough, so he adjusted his pace and sped up.

It was a completely different running style, not just fast, but light and coordinated. Every step seemed to be precisely calculated, landing, pushing off the ground, and taking off. The rhythm was so perfect that it didn't seem like that of an eleven-year-old child.

Zhuang Tunan was giving it his all to take the lead when he suddenly felt a shadow whiz past him. His eyes widened – it was Pengfei!
That wasn't all. After Hua Shier overtook Zhuang Tunan, he even imitated Usain Bolt from later generations, turning around to see how his opponents were running, then grinning at the kids behind him and encouraging them with his chatter:

"Keep going! Run faster and you'll catch up with my shadow!"

After he finished speaking, he turned around and ran backwards, then turned back around and laughed loudly, his sarcasm reaching its peak.

But this kind of cool and pretentious behavior is unprecedented these days; where have the kids ever seen anything like it? The children watching from the sidelines were stunned, and then burst into excited screams and cheers.

"Pengfei is amazing!"

"He runs so fast! He can even look back!"

In the words of later generations, Hua Shier's behavior was incredibly cool in the eyes of these kids in the late 1970s.

In the final twenty meters, Hua Shier even slowed down, taking the lead as if strolling through a garden and rushing past the old locust tree at the end of the street—the finish line designated by Zhuang Xiaoting.

He turned around and looked at the children who were catching up behind him, panting.

Zhuang Tunan arrived second, bent over with his knees on his hands, panting heavily, his face full of disbelief.

Lin Dongzhe came in third, and as soon as he reached the finish line, he plopped down on the ground, exclaiming, "Pengfei, you... how could you run so fast?"

Wu Shanshan was the fourth girl, and the first to arrive.

She stood with her hands on her hips, her chest heaving, but her eyes were fixed on Hua Shier, her gaze filled with shock, resentment, and a barely perceptible hint of admiration.

"In running, Pengfei is number one!"

Zhuang Xiaoting announced the results, her voice filled with pride, as if she herself had won.

"No, no!" Zhuang Tunan straightened up, still stubbornly insisting, "This is only the first event; there's still rope skipping and shuttlecock kicking!"

It seems that skipping rope is something that transcends time. Elementary school students started skipping rope in the 1960s and 70s, and it remains a staple in elementary school physical education classes in later generations. There is no one present who doesn't know how to do it.

Hua Shier sighed: "Alright, then I'll set an example for you!"

A child brought a jump rope, and Hua Shier took the rope, smiling as he said, "It's been a long time since I've jumped, I don't know if I'll still be able to do it!"

When he was training in boxing, he specifically learned the fancy rope skipping techniques that Tyson and Mayweather used for a while. Now, when he used them, his various fancy moves were so skillful that they amazed all the children.

After he finished jumping, Zhuang Tunan said, "Jumping rope is too easy, let's have a shuttlecock kicking competition!"

Several children burst out laughing.

Zhuang Tunan is really good at playing shuttlecock. There are many female workers in the cotton mill, and many of them like to play shuttlecock. Huang Ling and Song Ying both know how to play, and they usually like to play with their children. So Zhuang Tunan is quite good at it and can kick it fifty or sixty times in one go.

"Okay." Hua Shier took a shuttlecock made of chicken feathers and copper coins from Wu Shanshan, weighed it in his hand, and asked, "Who wants to go first?"

"I'll go first!" Zhuang Tunan wanted to turn the tables.

He caught the shuttlecock, took a deep breath, tossed it upwards, and caught it steadily with the inside of his right foot. Then he began to count: "One, two, three, four."

Zhuang Tunan played very well; his movements were coordinated, and the shuttlecock rose and fell in a regular pattern.

The children formed a circle and counted together: "Twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty."

When he kicked forty-seven times, Zhuang Tunan's foot veered slightly, and the shuttlecock flew outwards. He hurriedly tried to save it, but stumbled, and the shuttlecock still landed on the ground.

"Forty-seven!" Zhuang Xiaoting announced the number.

Zhuang Tunan wiped his sweat, somewhat satisfied with the result. He looked at Hua Shier, his eyes filled with provocation: "Your turn."

Hua Shier smiled slightly, picked up the shuttlecock, but instead of starting immediately, he looked at the children watching:

There are many ways to kick a shuttlecock. How do you usually kick it?

"Just kick it like this." Lin Dongzhe gestured as he caught the shuttlecock with the inside of his foot.

“Then I’ll demonstrate a few different ones for you,” Hua Shier said.

He gently tossed the shuttlecock up, but instead of catching it with the inside of his foot as usual, he hooked it with his right foot and caught it with the instep, sending it bouncing upwards.

Then, he slightly shifted his body to the side, wrapped his left foot around behind him, and kicked the falling shuttlecock up again with his heel.

"Wow!" the children exclaimed in amazement.

That wasn't all. Hua Shier began to demonstrate what he called "fancy kicking techniques"—the shuttlecock flew in front of and behind him, sometimes he would lift it with his knee, sometimes he would flick it with his toes, sometimes he would alternate between his two feet, and sometimes he would kick it repeatedly with one foot.

His movements were so fluid, it was as if a shuttlecock was stuck to his body, dancing to his will.

“This is called ‘Xiangling’.”

Hua Shier explained as he kicked: "This is the Swallowtail Kick, this is Snowflake Searching for Plum Blossoms, this is the Mandarin Duck Kick, this is Single and Double Swallow Flying, this is Butterfly Flying Through Flowers."

He changed his kicking style every time he said a name.

The shuttlecock traced various beautiful arcs in the air, but refused to land.

The children stared in disbelief. Zhang Min covered her mouth, her eyes wide open; Wu Shanshan bit her lower lip, her expression complex; Lin Dongzhe couldn't help but start imitating the actions, almost tripping over himself in the process.

Zhuang Tunan stood there, feeling the last bit of hope in his heart slowly fading away.

Watching Hua Shier's fluid and graceful movements, he finally realized that this cousin from Guizhou was far superior to him.

Hua Shier kicked the shuttlecock nearly two hundred times in one go, and when he felt that was enough, he deliberately let it fall to the ground. Without even breaking a sweat, he smiled and asked:
"Is there anyone else who wants to challenge?"

A silence.

Then, the children swarmed around them all at once.

"Brother Pengfei, how did you do that kick from behind just now?"

"I want to learn how to kick in a spinning motion!"

Zhuang Xiaoting, Lin Dongzhe, and Zhang Min all pestered him to teach them how to play shuttlecock.

Wu Shanshan stood a little further away, her eyes shining. Although she didn't crowd around like the other children, her longing gaze said it all.

Only Zhuang Tunan stood there, feeling a deep sense of despair.

He is clearly the eldest brother, so why is it so difficult for him to reclaim his status as the eldest brother?

"Alright, alright, one at a time." Hua Shier finally managed to calm the excited children down. "Let's finish the competition first, and then I'll teach you later."

The next project is a foregone conclusion.

Jumping rope—he, a boy, was able to jump to a height of 'great leap' (the rope is held above his head).

Hopscotch—he can land on every square perfectly even with his eyes closed.

In the beanbag toss game, he was both the most agile at dodging and the most accurate at throwing, easily taking down even the smallest kids!
With each activity Zhuang Tunan participated in, his confidence was eroded a little.

Later, he became numb and just mechanically followed along, his initial thought of 'winning back' long since vanished.

The other children were in similar situations. After being hit in the head three times in a row by Hua Shier during the beanbag toss game, Wang Lei said with a mournful face:

"Brother Pengfei, I'm not competing anymore. Can't I just call you brother?"

Wu Shanshan was the one who persisted the longest. The stubbornness in this girl's bones made her unwilling to admit defeat easily, and she gave her all to every project.

The harder you try, the more you feel that despairing gap.

In the end, she got a leg cramp and was helped by Zhang Min to sit on the stone steps by the roadside. She watched Hua Shier leap lightly in the hopscotch circle, her eyes filled with complex and indescribable emotions.

As the sun began to set, Hua Twelve had overcome numerous obstacles and exhausted all the ways the children had suggested to play.

The children's gaze towards him has completely changed. From initial curiosity and defiance, to later shock and admiration, it is now filled with worship.

"Brother Pengfei, is there anything you can't do?" Lin Dongzhe sat on the ground, looking up at Hua Shier with an expression as if he were looking at a god.

Hua Shier thought for a moment and said very seriously, "I probably won't have children."

"Pfft!" The other children were stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

Zhuang Xiaoting laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight, and Zhuang Tunan couldn't help but laugh too. The alley was filled with the children's clear laughter, and even the evening breeze seemed much lighter.

Just then, the wooden door of the house at the alley entrance creaked open, and a young man walked out.

He looked to be in his early twenties, wearing a white t-shirt and blue trousers, holding a palm-leaf fan, as if he was out for a stroll to cool off.

"Brother Yiming!" Zhuang Tunan, with his sharp eyes, was the first to spot him and quickly greeted him.

The other children joined in, shouting, "Hello, Brother Yiming!"

Hua Shier sized up the young man—Li Yiming, one of the older kids in the alley in the original drama, a former student of Zhuang Chaoying, who started a small business after failing the college entrance examination, and later became one of the first households with ten thousand yuan after the reform and opening up.

Li Yiming walked over with a smile:
"So lively? I could hear you laughing from far away!"

He suddenly saw Hua Twelve and, finding him unfamiliar, asked, "Whose child is this?"

"Brother Yiming, this is Xiang Pengfei, it's me."

Zhuang Tunan paused halfway through his introduction. Thinking of his crushing defeat earlier, he sighed and resignedly said:
"This is my brother Pengfei. He's from Guizhou and he's spending his summer vacation at my house."

He spoke very softly when he said "Brother Pengfei," and his face turned bright red.

Lin Dongzhe, being quick-witted, recounted the whole story, emphasizing the rule that "whoever wins is the boss" and how Hua Shier was invincible and had a spectacular victory.

After hearing this, Li Yiming laughed: "That's interesting? Then I'll participate too?"

He said this jokingly, mainly because he thought it would be fun to tease the child and also to stand up for the teacher's son!
"Brother Yiming, you want to play too?" Zhuang Tunan asked in surprise.

"What, you're not welcome?" Li Yiming looked at Hua Shier and smiled.

"Isn't it said that whoever wins is the older brother? If I win, do you have to call me older brother too?"

"Of course!" Hua Shier chimed in, smiling innocently, "What do you want to compete in?"

Li Yiming thought for a moment and said, "How about we play chess? You should know a little bit, right?"

He put it mildly, but what he really wanted was to find a chess partner to pass the time.

When playing chess with kids, he can easily win even with a handicap of rooks, knights, and cannons.

Li Yiming went home to get a chess set, and the two squatted down on either side of the bluestone slab, spreading out the chessboard, with a circle of children watching the fun around them.

"Give me a ride?" Li Yiming asked politely.

"No need." Hua Shier waved his hand: "Let's be fair, so you won't complain if you lose!"

Li Yiming found the child interesting and stopped insisting.
"Then you take the red one and go first."

Hua Shier didn't hold back either, raising his hand to make a move of "Cannon 2 to 5" - the Central Cannon Opening, the most orthodox and skill-testing opening move.

Li Yiming was slightly taken aback. The move itself was nothing special, but Hua Shier's movement was too steady—his fingers held the piece, then gently placed it down without the slightest hesitation, and without the impetuousness often seen in children playing chess. His demeanor was like that of a seasoned chess player.

"That's interesting." Li Yiming became interested and responded with a move of "horse 8 to 7".

The two exchanged blows, starting off in a fairly standard manner.

But after walking a dozen steps, Li Yiming gradually realized that something was wrong.

This kid's chess style is so sophisticated.

Each step may seem ordinary, but they are all laying the groundwork for what follows.

Li Yiming attempted to attack, but found that his pieces were unknowingly restrained. He wanted to defend, but felt passive in every situation.

Most of the children watching couldn't understand the game and could only judge the situation from the expressions of the two players.

Li Yiming's brows furrowed more and more, and he would occasionally reach up to scratch his hair; Hua Shier, on the other hand, always had a smile on his face, making quick and easy moves, and occasionally he would look up at the sky, as if the game of chess did not require any effort from him.

Twenty minutes later, Li Yiming stared at the chessboard, sweat beading on his forehead. His veteran general was in grave danger.

“General.” Hua Twelve gently pushed the “chariot” forward.

Li Yiming stared at the chessboard, pondered for two minutes, and finally sighed, "I lost."

The children gasped in surprise. Although they couldn't understand the game, they could understand Li Yiming's expression of conceding defeat.

"One more round!" Li Yiming protested. He felt he had underestimated his opponent earlier.

“Okay.” Hua Shier began setting up the chess pieces.

In the second game, Li Yiming unleashed his full potential.

But this time he lost even faster. In just fifteen minutes, Hua Shier used a set of exquisite "Thirteen Moves of Abandoning Horse" to defeat him and leave him in disarray.

In the third game, Li Yiming got a little anxious and started aggressively. As a result, Hua Shier seized the opportunity and launched a counterattack, leading to another defeat in twenty minutes.

"Three rounds already," Hua Shier said with a smile. "Brother Yiming, shall we continue?"

Li Yiming stared at the chessboard and started scratching his head.

He truly never expected that someone who had won a chess competition during his school days would be defeated three times in a row by an eleven-year-old child, and he couldn't even muster a fight against the loss.

"Pengfei, who taught you chess?" Li Yiming couldn't help but ask.

"I just figured it out myself," Hua Shier said.

Li Yiming didn't believe this, but he could also tell that the child was unwilling to say more.

He sighed and said with a wry smile, "Fine, I give up."

Before dinner, Zhuang Chaoying pushed her bicycle back, with a vegetable basket hanging on the handlebars.

At this moment, Zhuang Tunan and Lin Dongzhe went to the restroom, while Hua Shier waited outside. Just then, he saw Zhuang Chaoying returning from grocery shopping and took the initiative to approach her.

"Uncle, let me help you carry it."

“Okay!” Zhuang Chaoying didn’t stand on ceremony. Since the vegetables weren’t heavy, he handed the lighter cloth bag to Hua Shier.

The two walked side by side into the alley and encountered Li Yiming, who was standing in front of his house looking depressed.

"Teacher Zhuang!"

When Li Yiming saw Zhuang Chaoying, he immediately stood up straight and greeted her.

"Yiming," Zhuang Chaoying nodded with a smile, "Have you eaten yet?"

"have eaten!"

Zhuang Chaoying smiled and nodded, then naturally introduced Hua Shier:

"This is my nephew Pengfei. He's here from Guizhou for the summer vacation. Pengfei, this is your brother Yiming. He used to be my student. Quickly greet him!"

Hua Shier looked at Li Yiming with a smile, without saying a word.

Li Yiming's face flushed red instantly. After a couple of seconds of hesitation, he managed to squeeze out a sentence through gritted teeth: "Hello, Pengfei."

Thanks to: 08a, Little Tiger of the Demon Realm, Three Watches and Book 10096, God of Death Li Meng, and Who is Madman for their donations. Thanks also to the brothers who voted for monthly tickets and recommendations. Thank you so much!