The Secret of the Yoga Club: The Women's Identity is Not Simple

As the car turned into that familiar alley in Qingyuan's old town, the sunset on the horizon was at its reddest.

The leaves of the old locust tree rustled in the evening breeze, and a fragrant aroma of bamboo leaves and glutinous rice wafted through the courtyard, mixed with the unique scent of wood and old books from the old house.

The old man was sitting in a wicker chair in the yard, with a little yellow dog lying on his lap, and slowly fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan.

Shen Qianqian moved a small stool and sat next to him, peeling a freshly cooked zongzi. Her fingers were burning from the heat, and she kept pinching her earlobes, but she was still babbling to her grandfather.

"Grandpa, the swimming pool at our school recently got a new coach, and he's really strict. He makes me swim several hundred meters more each time I have a lesson. But now I can swim the whole lane in freestyle in one go. Lin Feng even praised me when he came to watch me swim last time."

The old man chuckled, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan. "You're so happy just because he praised you? I never saw you this excited when I praised you."

"That's different."

As soon as a car sounded at the gate, the little yellow dog jumped up and ran towards the gate, its tail wagging like a small fan.

Shen Qianqian turned her head and her face lit up. She put the zongzi in the bowl and ran over.

"Mom! Lin Feng! Why are you so late? Grandpa's been talking about it all afternoon! He just said that if you hadn't come soon, he would have given all the rice dumplings to Grandma Wang next door."

The old man snorted in his wicker chair, "I didn't say that. It's just that this girl is so anxious that she can't sit still. She runs to the alley entrance every few minutes to check."

Shen Qianqian blushed, turned around and glared at her grandfather. "Grandpa!" Lin Feng took out bags of gifts from the trunk. The little yellow dog circled around his feet several times, sniffing the zongzi gift box in his hand, probably thinking it was a treat for it.

The old man stood up from his rattan chair, took two steps forward with his cane, looked Lin Feng up and down, and then nodded.

"It's good that you're here. Come inside and eat. Qianqian, go and bring out that pot of ribs from the kitchen, and also the braised beef your mom brought last time, which is frozen in the refrigerator, take it out and cut it up too."

Dinner was set out under the old locust tree in the courtyard, with a small square table crammed with dishes.

The old man personally made salted egg yolk and pork rice dumplings, Ye Qinghan brought braised beef, Lin Feng bought a roast duck from Hohai, and the old man made a cold dish with cucumbers and tomatoes picked from his own garden.

The old man picked up a zongzi (sticky rice dumpling) and put it in Lin Feng's bowl, then picked up another one and put it in Shen Qianqian's bowl. He then picked up a piece of cucumber salad and slowly chewed on it.

"Lin Feng, I've been using that blood pressure monitor you gave me for a while now, and it's quite accurate. It's just that there are too many buttons, and I still don't understand some of the functions."

Lin Feng put down his chopsticks. "Grandpa, I'll take a look at it for you after we finish eating. Actually, those functions aren't complicated. There are only two commonly used buttons. I'll show you a few times and you'll get it."

The old man nodded and put another piece of pork rib into his bowl.

Shen Qianqian poked at the rice dumplings in her bowl with her chopsticks, secretly winked at Lin Feng, and whispered, "Grandpa started wrapping rice dumplings this morning, he wrapped dozens of them. I said we couldn't finish them, but he said if we couldn't, we should take them back. Actually, he just wanted to wrap more to make it seem more special."

The old man probably heard it, coughed lightly, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and pretended nothing had happened.

Ye Qinghan sat opposite Lin Feng, occasionally glancing up at him while picking up food. She wore a white short-sleeved shirt with dark blue jeans, and her hair was loose over her shoulders, making her look much gentler.

"Mom, try these ribs. Grandpa made them with a new recipe, and they taste better than last time." Shen Qianqian picked up a piece of rib and put it in Ye Qinghan's bowl.

Ye Qinghan took a bite and nodded. "It's really good. Dad, your cooking is getting better and better."

The old man waved his hand. "Nothing new, just a bit more soy sauce. By the way, Lin Feng, how's that company you mentioned last time doing?"

He put down his chopsticks, picked up his teacup and took a sip. His tone was casual, as if he were asking about the weather, but his eyes kept glancing at Lin Feng's face.

Lin Feng put down his chopsticks and answered seriously, "Not bad. The business department has recently signed several new contracts, and the development of the tourist attractions is progressing according to schedule. The earthwork project for Deputy Director Lin of the Highway Bureau, whom you helped contact last time, has been completed and passed inspection. We are also working on several other projects."

The old man nodded and didn't ask any more questions. He simply picked up his teacup, took another sip, lingered on Lin Feng's face for a moment, and then turned to chat with Ye Qinghan about everyday matters.

But Lin Feng noticed that after he put down his teacup, he tapped the table twice with his fingers, the rhythm slow and regular.

After the meal, several groups of the old man's students came to visit. Some of them held quite high positions, and they all brought gifts when they entered. They spoke politely and sat down in front of the old man to report on their recent situations with utmost respect.

The old man responded to each question, nodding occasionally.

"Teacher, the suggestion you gave me last time regarding the protective development of the old city area of ​​Qingyuan City has been submitted to the Municipal Planning Bureau for approval. There will be an expert review meeting next month, and I would like to invite you to attend and provide guidance."

The speaker was Zheng, the deputy director of the Qingyuan Municipal Development and Reform Commission. He was in his forties, wore silver-rimmed glasses, and leaned slightly forward as he spoke.

The old man leaned back in his wicker chair and nodded. "I can go, but I won't say anything. You young people can decide your own affairs."

Lin Feng chatted with several visiting guests in the courtyard for a while. Director Zheng recognized Lin Feng and shook his hand, smiling as he said, "Mr. Lin, we met briefly at the bidding briefing last time. I didn't realize you were my teacher's grandson-in-law. If you need anything for business in Qingyuan, feel free to contact me anytime. We're all family, my teacher's students."

Lin Feng exchanged business cards with him, exchanged a few polite words, and silently memorized the name.

After seeing the guests off, it was completely dark. The old man pulled Lin Feng to set up a chessboard under the old locust tree, while the little yellow dog, as always, lay dozing beside the chessboard.

After playing a few rounds, Lin Feng lost several games in a row, while the old man's beard stood on end in victory.

"Your chess skills haven't improved at all. Have you forgotten all the moves I taught you last time?"

Lin Feng smiled and rearranged the chess pieces. "Then teach me a few more moves. I wrote down those moves in my notebook last time, but I always forget how to use them in actual games."

The old man snorted, "You can't play chess by just memorizing notes. You have to think it through carefully. Here, I'll give you a handicap of one knight this time. Let's see if you can win."

That's what he said, but after the game started, he began explaining the thought process behind each move to Lin Feng as he played, as if he were his chess coach.

Shen Qianqian moved a small stool and sat down to watch the game. The little yellow dog had somehow climbed onto her lap. She held the dog in her arms, and both of them were getting sleepy watching the game.

After nightfall, the old man went back to his room to sleep. Before going upstairs, he patted Lin Feng on the shoulder and said, "Let's play a few more rounds next time you come." Ye Qinghan and Shen Qianqian stayed in the large bedroom on the second floor, while Lin Feng stayed in the small guest room next door.

The wooden floors of the old house creaked softly underfoot, and the chirping of insects outside the window, mixed with the occasional bark of a dog in the distance, made the whole night exceptionally peaceful.

Not long after Lin Feng lay down, the door was gently pushed open. He smelled the familiar strawberry yogurt scent on Shen Qianqian, and before he could speak, a warm and soft body slipped into his bed.