Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 61 Those Are My Jobs

Before Gao Jingming could go find them, Zhou Lin and the others swarmed over, asking about what happened after he was taken away. The little kids were also very gossipy.

However, Gao Jingming just ignored Zuo Yan and laughed it off, not saying a word. At such a young age, he kept his mouth shut. He didn't reveal a word even when his friends threatened or bribed him. He could even resist the temptation of helping him wash his smelly socks for half a month.

If he keeps his mouth shut like this, he will definitely make fewer unnecessary mistakes in the future, not to mention doing big things.

Children's emotions are always changing. When Gao Jingming shouted about playing football, they immediately threw away their previous curiosity with great interest. How could asking meaningless gossip be as fun as playing football?

The flat ground in front of the classroom was divided into areas for playing football, and there was more than one. When Chen Xuan and his friends arrived, many children had already formed teams to compete on two of the "fields".

It was quite interesting to watch, the teams working together so well that many people were watching and eager to get involved...

It was all children playing, with no adults participating. The energetic children, the youngest being six or seven years old, and the oldest being around ten years old, seemed to be playing with their own children of the same age, and there was no bullying of the younger ones.

This is not the football that Chen Xuan knows. Gao Jingming and others call it Cuju, so naturally the playing field is also different.

The court was about the same size as Chen Xuan's tennis court, but instead of soccer-like goals on either side, there was a gate-like frame in the middle of the court. On top of the frame was a wooden board with a basket-sized hole cut out in the middle...

There was still some space on the field, so Gao Jingming and his team took to the field directly. Deng Lingfeng immediately shouted to the people around him, "Class D, second hall, do you dare to send five people to compete with us? Last time, your hall didn't beat us, so this time we'll give you another chance to be defeated!"

This is a good way to create hatred.

Immediately, someone nearby became angry, and a dozen or so kids rushed out to the opposite side, talking all sorts of things.

"Hehe, a temporary win or loss doesn't mean anything. We were just careless last time."

"That's right, don't be so arrogant. I will make sure you lose miserably this time."

"Huanyang County's Five Tigers, today I will turn you into Yang County's Five Insects..."

Gao Jingming and the others directly retorted, saying that if they could beat you once, they would keep winning. What's the point of just talking nonsense? The real evidence will be revealed on the ground...

Amidst the commotion, the other side decided to leave five people behind, while the others went ahead to cheer.

There was no referee or anything. The competition began after the number of people on both sides was determined.

Xiao Cai and the others had previously explained to Chen Xuan that the Yushan Academy had a four-year curriculum, divided into four levels: A, B, C, and D. Each level had one or two classes, the number depending on the number of students each year. But here, a class was called a hall, and Level D was for students who had just enrolled, while Level A was considered the graduating class.

But in addition to Class A, there is also a special advanced training class. In the words of Chen Xuan’s hometown, it is a repeat class. The people in this advanced training class are mixed. Some are children aged eleven or twelve, there are teenagers aged seventeen or eighteen, and even adults in their twenties and thirties.

As for fame and fortune, the older ones always have a little fantasy, hoping to come to the advanced level to learn something and make a sprint...

When Gao Jingming and his classmates from the first and second classes of the D-level team started playing Cuju, Chen Xuan put his thoughts aside and watched from the sidelines of the court. Although they were just kids, it was quite interesting to watch.

There were quite a few people watching, making a lot of noise and saying all kinds of things. Combined with the competition on the court, it didn't take long for Chen Xuan to figure out the rules.

Cuju is a popular sport, but Gao Jingming and his team are not currently competing in a formal competition. The number of players must be determined by themselves. It can be three, five, nine or even eleven, but the number usually does not exceed eleven.

The rules are also very simple. The ball used for Cuju cannot be touched by hands, but there are no restrictions on other parts of the body. The most important thing is that once the ball is served, it cannot fall to the ground. If it falls to the ground, you lose the game.

Then players from both sides cannot cross the line to the other side, otherwise it will be a foul. This can prevent physical contact between players from turning into a conflict.

The process is to control the ball without letting it fall to the ground, and kick it from the middle "Fengliu Eye" to the other side. If the other side fails to catch it and it falls to the ground, they lose the game. If they catch it, they kick it back from Fengliu Eye without letting it fall to the ground, and so on, until one side falls to the ground and loses the game.

In addition, if the ball is kicked to the opposite side from anywhere outside the Fengliu Eye, it will be considered a miss and will not count. The other side will then serve. However, the ball cannot be missed intentionally. If one side misses the ball more than three times, it will be considered a loss. Otherwise, it would be too cheating. It is not a good idea to kick the ball randomly if you can't catch it.

Typically, this event was a best-of-five game, with no set time limit, but it greatly shortened the match. Of course, if both teams were skilled enough to keep the ball from hitting the ground, the duration would be much more complex, depending on both players' skill and strategy. Once the rules were clarified, Chen Xuan realized that Cuju was infinitely more difficult than football. Simply preventing the ball from hitting the ground was incredibly difficult, and Chen Xuan knew he couldn't do it. He couldn't even juggle the ball, and he had never had much interest in ball sports.

It's no wonder that Gao Jingming was so good at controlling the ball before. The ball seemed to be growing on his legs, bouncing around without falling to the ground, and he could still walk and move normally.

Anyway, this activity is quite interesting. Both sides run passionately, kicking the ball from Fengliuyan to each other, cooperating with each other, and the atmosphere outside the field is enthusiastic. This is youth.

When they grow up, they are entangled in worldly affairs, and it is difficult for them to have such a carefree time to work hard. Well, rich people don’t count...

Just as Chen Xuan was watching with great interest, a voice suddenly rang out from the side, saying, "Excuse me, little brother, what's your name? I'm not familiar with you, but are you a new student at Yushan Academy?"

Chen Xuan was stunned when he heard this. He was indeed talking to him. How could a stranger actually greet him?
Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw that the person speaking was a child of about eleven or twelve years old. He was dressed simply and had a slightly dark skin, but a sunny and cheerful face. He was looking at him with a friendly smile on his face, as if he knew him well.

This person must be from the 'senior grade', or maybe even the 'remedial class'. After confirming that the other party was talking to him, Chen Xuan replied: "I am Chen Xuan, not a student of Yushan Academy, but a companion student of my young master. My young master is playing Cuju over there."

Chen Xuan pointed to the court and said, "What do you want from me?"

The other party did not show any disdain because Chen Xuan claimed to be a study companion. Instead, his smile became even more enthusiastic and he said, "So it's Brother Chen Xuan. My name is Shu Yao. I hope you can remember my name. Let's just be friends."

"Ah?" Chen Xuan was a little confused. There was actually a senior student who took the initiative to come and make friends with him?
As the saying goes, if someone shows kindness without any reason, he is either a traitor or a thief. Chen Xuan subconsciously became alert.

The young man who called himself Shu Yao seemed to be a smart person. He saw Chen Xuan's vigilance and quickly said, "Brother Chen Xuan, please don't misunderstand me. I have no ill intentions. To be honest, I come from a humble background. I have studied at Yushan Academy for several years, but I didn't pass the entrance exam. I am now studying hard in the advanced level."

He paused for a moment, then continued with a frank smile, "Because my family is poor, I should have dropped out of school and returned home to help out at my age. However, I was unwilling to do so, so I wanted to work harder. However, studying is quite expensive, and my family can't afford it at all. So I took shortcuts and did some odd jobs in school to earn some money. The teacher knew about this and didn't stop me from doing so."

"From now on, if you don't mind, little brother Chen Xuan, you can just ask me if you need anything. Fetching water, getting food, washing clothes, sweeping the floor, or even running errands, I can do it all for you beautifully. Just think of my hard work and give me some money when you are happy. My fees are not expensive. Running errands in the school costs three or five copper coins. Even washing clothes and sweeping the floor only costs a large sum. If you think I have served you well, give me some money. You will be my second parents."

After listening to what he said, Chen Xuan looked at him with admiration. This is what love is like.

When he saw that he was a stranger, he came quickly to develop the market. Moreover, he was not shy about what he did and did not even feel ashamed. He was extremely frank and could even say something like "reborn parents". Chen Xuan could only describe him as a talent and he really admired him.

Born in a humble family, as a scholar, he does not care about worldly views and is good at specializing in and actively looking for opportunities. Such a person may not be noticeable now, but if he is given a platform in the future, he will definitely not be mediocre.

Everyone is trying hard to live.

But the problem is, all these things you want to do are my jobs!

What, a job with a gun?

So Chen Xuan let down his guard a little and said with a smile: "I'm afraid I'll disappoint Brother Shu Yao. If I give you all these things to do, and the young master's family finds out, I'll probably be kicked out and beg on the street."

"Haha, it doesn't matter. Even if the deal doesn't go through, we still have friendship. Just treat it as making friends. If you need help in the future, just let me know. Everyone has their own troubles, right?" Shu Yao said without any concern, as if he didn't hear Chen Xuan's intention to shirk responsibility.

Secretly giving him a thumbs-up, Chen Xuan then jokingly asked, "So, can I ask you for help with schoolwork or something?"

"Ah, this..., that's fine, but you can't make it public, and definitely not let the master know, otherwise you'll be punished," Shu Yao hesitated for a moment and whispered, as if he didn't want to give up Chen Xuan, a potential client.

This is all fine, awesome.

Without waiting for Chen Xuan to continue, he said in a measured manner: "It's a pleasure to communicate with you, little brother Chen Xuan, I won't disturb you. Remember, if you have any problems in the future, just let me know. Anyone who asks around in the school will know where I am."

After saying that, he smiled, nodded, and left tactfully.

After being interrupted by him, Chen Xuan's interest in watching the game faded a little. Children's competition was nothing special. Looking at Shu Yao's departing back, he was lost in thought. Such a man of such a good mind, who knows how to handle things, maybe he could use his help, like asking him to find out about the situation on the Yushui River...

(End of this chapter)