Chapter 23: Short Stick, Master Level!
Chapter 23: Short Stick, Master Level!
The sky turned completely dark.
Every household tightly shut their doors and windows, and even when speaking, they did so in hushed tones.
Chen Sao and her daughter sat at the table, having dinner.
The meal was simple, with spicy kimchi and a side of tofu soup.
Lin Yue took small bites, and suddenly she sniffed, looked around, and said, "It smells so good? It seems like... the aroma of roasted sweet potatoes?"
Chen Sao also smelled it, and indeed, it was the fragrance of roasted sweet potatoes.
"Mom, is Jiang Cheng roasting sweet potatoes?" Lin Yue asked softly.
The aroma made her feel as if the cabbage and tofu before her had lost their taste.
Chen Sao glanced at her and lowered her head, saying, "Eat your food."
"Oh."
Lin Yue responded, and just as she lowered her head, a faint knock sounded from outside the door.
"Chen Sao, are you asleep?"
Jiang Cheng's voice came from outside.
The two inside the room were momentarily stunned, not expecting this.
The next second, Chen Sao stood up, walking towards the door while asking, "Xiao Cheng, it's so late, what's the matter?"
"Chen Sao, it's like this. My roasted sweet potato skills have improved. I specially roasted a few tonight, for Grandma to taste, and also sent two over, wanting you and Lin Yue to try." Jiang Cheng said.
As his words fell, Lin Yue, behind him, subconsciously licked her lips. The aroma of roasted sweet potatoes grew stronger.
"This, you don't need to bother."
Chen Sao hesitated slightly, politely declining, "You can keep them for yourself, we just finished eating."
Lin Yue's face showed a hint of disappointment, and she lowered her head again.
If calculated, it had been over a month since she last had roasted sweet potatoes.
Even when she did eat them, it was because of Jiang Cheng's illness and financial difficulties. If he brought them, her mother wouldn't accept them.
"Chen Sao, I've already roasted them. And I roasted five at once, if you don't take them, I'll have to eat them all, and they won't taste good tomorrow."
There was no response from inside the room.
Jiang Cheng sighed, his tone filled with resentment, "Chen Sao, if you don't want the things I sent at noon, fine. But you won't even take two roasted sweet potatoes? This doesn't cost much, to be honest, what you're doing, it's really hurtful."
Chen Sao also realized that she was being a bit unreasonable.
"Fine, I'll take them."
Chen Sao opened the door, seeing Jiang Cheng holding a sea bowl, with two golden-brown, steaming hot roasted sweet potatoes inside.
The aroma hit her, and she couldn't help but swallow.
"Chen Sao, here, I just roasted these. Recently my skills have improved, today's sales were over a hundred more than yesterday, and tomorrow's will be even better."
Jiang Cheng intentionally repeated himself, handing the bowl to Chen Sao. "Just return the bowl tomorrow, that's all. Good night, Chen Sao."
After saying this, he winked at Lin Yue, who was peeking from inside the room, and left.
Chen Sao reacted, quickly thanking him.
Hearing the sound of the neighboring door closing, she also locked her door, holding the two roasted sweet potatoes, and walked to the table.
Seeing her daughter staring intently at the bowl, Chen Sao smiled, "Eat, your Jiang Cheng gave these to you."
"Mom, you eat too."
Lin Yue said softly.
She then took one and placed it in her bowl, taking a bite, and the sweetness reached her heart.
"So sweet, so delicious."
She urged her mother, "Mom, hurry and try it, Jiang Cheng's roasted sweet potatoes this time are truly good."
Chen Sao was half-believing, half-doubting.
She felt that anyone who ate roasted sweet potatoes once every ten days or so would find them incredibly delicious.
But after taking a small bite of the flesh, she was stunned.
The flesh melted in her mouth, sweet without being cloying, as if all the day's fatigue had been dispelled.
"Isn't that so?"
Lin Yue smiled and said, "I think this is the best roasted sweet potato I've ever had."
Chen Sao smiled and suddenly remembered what Jiang Cheng had said when he opened the door earlier.
His skills have improved.
Today, he sold over a hundred more than yesterday.
He will sell even more in the future.
"If that's the case, then that's great."
She thought so, feeling genuinely happy for Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng had already returned home and sat at the dining table.
The food on the table included the roasted sweet potatoes from earlier, as well as cabbage and pork, century egg soup, and vegetable soup.
Compared to the previous few days, it was quite a sumptuous dinner.
"Xiao Cheng, there's also a pound of meat, Grandma will make it for you tomorrow, Chen Sao said not to worry, otherwise things wouldn't be like this."
The elderly woman sighed.
"Don't worry, Grandma."
Jiang Cheng reassured her, "Business has been good these past few days, and it will continue to be good. When our lives get better, we'll send some things to Chen Sao and her family, and at that time, Chen Sao won't refuse."
"Mm."
The elderly woman smiled.
She was certain that Jiang Cheng's roasted sweet potato skills had improved significantly.
Good food sells itself.
Soon, the plate of meat on the table was finished by Jiang Cheng, and he still seemed to want more.
He ate another bowl of rice, two roasted sweet potatoes, and quite a bit of vegetables, and finally belched in satisfaction.
He was full.
Jiang Cheng put down his bowl and chopsticks down, feeling emotional inside.
After finishing the meal, they washed the bowls and chopsticks and started cleaning the sweet potatoes.
The two of them worked much more efficiently, and in less than two hours, they had washed over a hundred pounds of sweet potatoes.
"Xiao Cheng, go to bed early."
The elderly woman smiled.
"Grandma, I'll exercise for a while."
Jiang Cheng blinked.
He had to set up his stall during the day, so he would practice his short stick skills early in the morning or evening, and he had just finished cleaning the sweet potatoes, which was also a way to settle his stomach after a meal, and exercising vigorously right after eating was very easy to cause accidents.
The elderly woman nodded, "Don't practice too late."
It had been several days since Jiang Cheng practiced his stick skills, and nothing had happened, so she gradually felt relieved.
Adding to that, there was good news that evening, and her mood had improved significantly.
The future was filled with hope.
"I understand, I'll practice for a couple of hours and then sleep."
Jiang Cheng walked over and picked up the short stick.
He was not far from the Master Level, with not much experience value. That night, he would definitely practice the short stick to the Master Level!
An hour passed, and Jiang Cheng's clothes were already soaked with sweat.
With the final strike, a large segment of memory suddenly appeared in his mind.
Jiang Cheng's body froze in place, as if paralyzed, not moving a muscle. After a moment, he exhaled.
He looked down at the short stick in his hand.
At this moment, he felt like he had practiced for three or four years.
His mastery of footwork became even more profound, and he also gained an understanding of the power mechanism.
Chops, sweeps, and smashes, including thrusts, were all part of the short stick technique. Even combination techniques were just variations of these basic moves.
The key to unleashing the greatest power from these basic techniques lay in understanding the power mechanism.
(End of Chapter)
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