Age: My Small World

Chapter 56 Mr. Liu

Yongquan Hutong.

After walking all the way here, Yang Jun couldn't help but feel a little out of breath.

He had asked for the address along the way and the distance was not too far, so he did not take the bus and almost regretted it.

The provincial capital's public transportation system is quite developed. After all, it has a long history. Buses have appeared since 1917. Now the new Songhuajiang brand buses have been introduced to transport together with the old brand Laobizi buses, which also accelerates the disappearance of the latter.

The Songhua River bus can carry 60 people at a time, which is much more than the 20 people that the Lao Bizi can carry at a time.

The fare ranges from three to five cents, depending on the length of the route.

Since he couldn't take the bus, Yang Jun regarded it as an exercise.

When he reached the door of No. 181, he reached out and knocked.

While waiting, I finally had the time to take a closer look.

The buildings in this place are somewhat retro, with single-family houses on both sides, and are highly private.
After a while, a somewhat alert voice came from inside.

"Who is it?"

"Creaky..." As the door opened, a figure in his fifties or sixties came into view, with a gray beard similar to that of Uncle Seventh.

"Is this Mr. Liu?"

Liu Shangxun was relieved to see that he was a bookish boy, but he still asked cautiously, "Whose child are you? What do you want from me?"

Yang Jun carefully looked at the man, who he didn't know whether to call uncle or grandpa. His appearance matched what Mr. Hu described, especially his eyebrows that were almost growing together, which confirmed his identity.

It's not okay to recognize the wrong person.

He handed over the letter written by Mr. Hu Ba and said, "This is a letter for you. You will understand after reading it."

Liu Shangxun took it with doubt. When he saw the handwriting on the envelope, his face changed slightly. He quickly pulled Yang Jun and went into the house together.

"Please sit down first. Let me read the letter."

A different scenery appeared in the house.

This is a relatively compact small courtyard with a pool in the middle and the living room further inside.

Yang Jun was secretly surprised when he saw this situation.

"It seems Mr. Liu's family is doing well, as he was able to keep this house."

Of course, the better life is now, the worse it will be in the future.

When they arrived at the living room, Yang Jun sat quietly on a chair.

On the other side, Liu Shangxun looked at the letter more carefully.

Following a sigh, Yang Jun heard Uncle Liu ask, "I know about your situation. Is Mr. Hu all right? How's his health?"

"Mr. Hu is in good health, probably even better than me." Yang Jun thought about the power of the old man's punch and was afraid that he would not be able to block it.

Liu Shangxun couldn't help but laugh when he heard this: "Of course, Eighth Master was very good at this back then. Even seven or eight people couldn't get close to him easily."

Yang Jun asked curiously, "Uncle Liu... Uncle Liu, do you know what the move that Master Ba is practicing is called?"

He has always been curious about which school of thought Mr. Hu came from.

"Just call me Mr. Liu, don't call me uncle." Liu Shangxun curled his lips and twitched slightly. He is a cultured man.

"Yes, yes, Mr. Liu." Yang Jun changed his words immediately.

Liu Shangxun nodded, put the letter away, and stood up with his hands behind his back.

It was only then that Yang Jun noticed the old man's attire.

With short hair and a mandarin jacket, he exudes the air of a cultured person, just like a private school teacher in the past.

He slowly said: "Speaking of which, Mr. Hu's moves were learned by chance." As Mr. Liu spoke, Yang Jun realized that Mr. Hu was once a very prestigious person in the capital (based on the words Mr. Liu missed).

In the 1910s, the family hired a security guard with superb martial arts skills. The young and competitive Mr. Hu had been very strong since he was a child. After a fight with the security guard, he admitted defeat and decided to become his apprentice. Seeing that the young master was willing to learn from him, the security guard naturally did not hesitate to pass on his skills and passed on his martial arts to him.

This martial art is the Tongbeiquan which is very famous in Tianjin.

"Tongbeiquan, no wonder the old man's arms usually look so big and strong."

He recalled in his mind that Mr. Hu's hands were indeed slightly longer, and his muscles were not what someone of his age should have.

I used to think it was innate, but now I think it may be due to acquired training.

Mr. Liu didn't elaborate on the Eighth Master's affairs. After briefly discussing martial arts, he looked at Yang Jun with a piercing gaze and said, "Eighth Master said you had something to talk to me about. Tell me, what is it?"

Just when he thought something big was happening, Yang Jun spoke.

"I'd like to know where the secret market in the provincial capital is, and if there are any rules there."

Mr. Liu was silent.

That's it? You went to all the trouble to find me with Mr. Ba's letter just for this?
He looked at Yang Jun in disbelief, but unfortunately what he saw was an innocent face.

"Mr. Liu, don't you know either?"

"Cough cough."

"Yang Jun, right? Don't you have anything else to talk to me about?"

He was quite famous in the capital back then, but how come even a child doesn't care about him now?

"Oh, right..." Yang Jun slapped his head in annoyance, as if he just remembered something.

Mr. Liu was shocked. As expected, he knew that no simple matter would happen to him.

"Do you know where to get to the newspaper office in the provincial capital? It would be best if you could mark it on a map for me. Do you have a map of the provincial capital?"

Liu Shangxun sat down dejectedly, thinking he was overthinking it. He waved his hand casually and said:

"Yes, I have them all. I'll show you the way later. If you have nothing to do, take a rest. I'll take you to the dark market in the evening."

He felt quite powerless.

After waiting for a while, he concentrated again and asked, "How is Mr. Ba doing with you? Is there any difficulty in life?"

He suddenly remembered that with Eighth Master's personality, it would be difficult for him to integrate into the ordinary people, so it would not be surprising if he was in financial difficulty.

Even though my life is not very affluent, I have enough food and clothing. I am afraid I must be sad that Mr. Ba has disappeared for many years.

Being in good health does not mean living a good life.

Yang Jun waved his hand: "He's fine. He just lies down to enjoy the cool air when he has nothing to do. He's having a leisurely time."

Before coming, Mr. Hu warned Yang Jun not to reveal where he was or other situations, so Yang Jun didn't say much.

"Okay, okay." Mr. Liu frowned slightly, as if he thought of something, and waved his hand helplessly.

"You must be hungry now. I'll get you something to eat."

The old man stood up and walked to the other side.

Seeing that he walked with a special gait, Yang Jun became more and more certain that he must have been a private school teacher.

When Mr. Liu came back, he was holding a bowl with some pastries in it.

"I bought this at a big bakery. You can use it first and then start cooking later."

Out of caution, he cooks at a fixed time every day.

　New books for collection
　　
　
(End of this chapter)