NFBE Chapter 1907 The Dark Side of the Lamp? Grandpa is Actually a Reclusive Master?
Chapter 1907 The Dark Side of the Lamp? Grandpa is Actually a Reclusive Master?
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the winter chill had not yet completely dissipated.
Li Xiangnan woke up earlier than usual because he was preoccupied with the matter of the Western Mountain Temple and the Little Buddha.
After a quick wash, he wrote down some things to note about the hospital, Nanyi Medical Equipment Center, Chunyu Medical, pharmaceutical factory construction site, hotel construction site, and so on on the table, intending to have Wang Defa take them to the relevant persons in charge after dinner.
I opened the door here, ready to stretch my muscles and get my thoughts organized for the trip to the Western Hills Temple.
However, the scene in the backyard made him freeze in place, almost thinking he was still asleep.
Under the jujube tree, Wang Defa and Song Ziming led the way, followed by Xu Damao, He Dashuang, and Yuan Zhencheng. The five of them stood, squatted, or sat in a row, each holding a large bowl filled with steaming porridge and pickled vegetables. Their eyes were wide open, staring intently at the center of the courtyard.
There, just like every morning for the past twenty years, Grandpa Li Dequan, wearing his faded practice clothes, practiced his Tai Chi with complete focus, as if these people didn't exist at all.
His movements were slow and graceful, like drifting clouds, his breath long and controlled, creating a comical contrast with the few onlookers around him, who were staring intently at him while holding their rice bowls.
Li Xiangnan rubbed his eyes, making sure he wasn't seeing things, and walked around the flower bed, laughing and crying at the same time. "Hey guys, what's going on? Did you all come together early in the morning to watch the old man do boxing? It feels like watching a show, and you're eating this porridge and pickles with extra flavor?"
Upon hearing his words, the five turned their heads, their faces displaying a mixture of extreme admiration, boundless longing, and a touch of embarrassment.
Wang Defa shoveled a mouthful of porridge onto his plate, then raised his head toward Li Xiangnan. "Little Li, you don't understand. We're learning here. First, we look at the form, then the meaning, and with a little understanding, we can integrate it all!"
"Yes, yes, yes!" He Dashuang nodded vigorously. "The book says that to learn martial arts, you must first learn the form. We have to understand it before we can practice! The essence of Grandpa's Tai Chi is definitely not an ordinary boxing style!"
Xu Damao leaned closer with a mysterious look on his face and whispered, "Dr. Li, could you talk to the old man when you have time and see if he can take us on as disciples? I want to learn that bone-dislocating hand technique from yesterday. Tsk, in the future, when we brothers are out in the world... oh no, I mean, protecting the compound, we'll have more confidence, right?"
He gestured as he spoke, almost spilling the porridge from his bowl.
Yuan Zhencheng and Song Ziming didn't speak, but the fervor in their eyes was no less than that of others.
Li Xiangnan couldn't help but chuckle as he watched these five grown men, who seemed to be attending a class like elementary school students. Although they couldn't understand what they were saying, they were incredibly attentive, and he felt that the chill of the early morning had been somewhat dispelled by this lively and cheerful scene.
He smiled and shook his head, about to say that his grandfather's Tai Chi was just an ordinary health practice, when he suddenly noticed that Defa was looking at him strangely.
Besides the joke, there seemed to be a hint of...inquiry and surprise in his eyes!
Wang Defa had just finished eating. He put down his bowl, pulled Li Xiangnan to the covered walkway by the back gate, away from the four clowns watching, and said in a low voice with disbelief on his face, "Damn, Li... you don't know anything yourself, do you?"
"What do you know?" Li Xiangnan was taken aback by the question.
"The old man is really good at kung fu! And he's not just good at it, he's incredibly skilled!" Wang Defa said excitedly, vividly describing to Li Xiangnan how the old man had subdued that burly man with lightning speed yesterday. He especially emphasized the old man's fast, accurate, and ruthless techniques and his imposing manner, as well as the burly man's helpless predicament under the old man's hands.
"...You wouldn't believe it, just like that, with a snap, that guy was down there! We were completely stunned. It was a struggle for the four of us to hold him down, but the old man did it with one hand! His presence, his methods, it was simply amazing!"
Wang Defa was spitting as he spoke, and he couldn't help but mix in profanities.
Li Xiangnan was stunned by his description. The smile on his face gradually froze, replaced by deep shock and bewilderment.
Yesterday, all his attention was on the little Buddha. When he got back, he was in a hurry to share the information with his grandfather, so he automatically ignored the details.
When Grandpa recounted what happened in the courtyard yesterday, he deliberately omitted the part about how capable he was, only mentioning it briefly, which is indeed in line with Grandpa's personality of not wanting to be high-profile.
but……
Grandpa knows martial arts?
And it's actually that powerful?
Li Xiangnan subconsciously turned his head to look at the old man in the backyard whose movements were still gentle and peaceful, as if he were detached from worldly affairs.
The morning light shone on his grandfather's gray hair and peaceful face. He confirmed once again that this was indeed the grandfather he had known and loved the most for the past twenty years!
He then tried to search his memory.
Yes, it really is Grandpa!
Grandpa has been practicing Tai Chi since Li Xiangnan can remember, without fail. He's gotten used to it!
He always thought that it was just an ordinary way for people his grandfather's age to exercise and enjoy their later years.
Aren't all the elderly people in the village like this?
Moreover, what kind of skill can Tai Chi Chuan possibly possess?
It's soft and fluffy, and doesn't look very powerful...
When he was a child, his grandfather asked him to practice, but he was too playful and had to get up early to go to school, so he didn't have time to learn this "showy move".
Later, with school, medical studies, travel, and cooperating with the "sent-down youth" movement, his life became busy and fulfilling. He had no time to care about this, and never delved into whether there was anything hidden behind his grandfather's daily morning exercises.
He even occasionally teased his grandfather, saying that the movements were too slow and lacked power, to which his grandfather would simply laugh it off.
Looking back now, I realize that I was completely oblivious to my own shortcomings for the past twenty-two years.
The grandfather he lived with day and night possessed such a unique skill, and he, the grandson, was the last to know.
A complex and indescribable emotion welled up in Li Xiangnan's heart.
There was shock, realization, a deeper curiosity about my grandfather, and regret for my carelessness!
He finally understood why Wang Defa and Song Ziming were looking at him with such a mixture of admiration and inquiry, and he also understood why Xu Damao and the others were so eager to become his disciples.
It turns out that there has always been a "peerless master" by my side!
Thinking about Grandpa's personality, that's definitely true!
If he hadn't taken the initiative to tell me, how would I have known about the Mu family and what happened to my grandmother back then?
How could he possibly know about his various connections with the Song and Qin families?
Oh, this is truly laughable—the darkness is right under one's nose!
Just as Li Xiangnan was lost in thought, gazing at his grandfather's figure, an unusual commotion suddenly arose from the front yard. It seemed that many people had come in, and Zhou Yuejin's raised voice, filled with surprise and wariness, was also heard.
Then, a loud, resonant voice, carrying the dignity of someone long accustomed to a position of power, clearly echoed throughout the backyard.
"Li Zhongmo! You old codger, you returned to the capital without a word, hiding in this little courtyard, living the life of a carefree immortal? If it weren't for Fugui bringing your invitation to my door, I would have thought you were already buried in southern Anhui and turned to ashes!"
The voice was like a booming bell, startling everyone in the backyard.
Li Dequan, who had been immersed in the essence of Tai Chi, slowly stopped, opened his eyes, and a faint smile seemed to appear on his lips as he calmly looked towards the hanging flower gate in the backyard.
Li Xiangnan, Wang Defa, Song Ziming, and the others looked at each other, all stunned by the sudden and astonishing aura.
Who is here?
Such an arrogant tone, even calling Grandpa by his given name?
The tone of his voice sounded extremely unfriendly!
But he said his father came to the door with a visiting card. What's going on?