In the city of Hangzhou, the practice of martial arts prevails, and there are many martial arts institutes in the city, the largest of which is the Tianxing Martial Arts Academy located in the south of the city.

This martial arts academy was opened by the famous martial arts sect Tianxingmen in the south of the Yangtze River, and there were six masters who taught martial arts, all of whom were good at the Tianxingmen, and there was also a chief instructor Liu Yanfeng, who was also the head of the martial arts academy.

At present, there are more than 400 disciples in the Tianxing Martial Academy, most of whom are the children of wealthy families in the city, and there are also a few less wealthy families who grit their teeth and send them here because their children love to practice martial arts.

As the saying goes, the cost of practicing martial arts is usually larger, not to mention the expensive annual tuition, which is the daily food and nourishment, which is far beyond the level of ordinary people.

Although there are 400 disciples in the Heavenly Star Martial Academy, the number of people who come to the Martial Academy to cultivate every day may not be full, some people come every day, and some people come every three or five times.

At dusk that day, the head of the sect, Liu Yanfeng, gathered more than 300 disciples together and began to give regular lectures.

"A few days ago, I told you about the situation of the Jiangnan Junying Competition, and now there are still six months before the competition, and then all the gangs and martial arts institutes of Jiangnan Martial Arts will send young talents to participate in this grand event, and my Tianxingmen is no exception. Looking at the situation of your martial arts practice recently, except for Xiao Renyuan, Wang Chaoyang, Zhuo Yimin and other three, the rest of the disciples are still a lot behind. In this competition, five people from each gang can choose to participate, and the remaining two candidates will depend on how you progress in the past three months. I hope that you can cherish this great opportunity to exchange and practice diligently to prepare for the selection. ”

After speaking, Liu Yanfeng waved his hand and ordered the disciples to disband.

The disciples stepped out of the martial arts academy and gathered in groups of three or five to make a bunch, talking about the Junying Competition.

"Master Liu said that this Junying Contest is jointly organized by the Feiyan Sect, the largest sect in Jiangnan, and the other three sects, and there are many sects in Jiangnan that participate, and when the time comes, there will be hundreds of disciples participating in the competition. ”

"Yes. I also heard that the rewards are quite rich, and the disciples who enter the top ten, in addition to the expensive bounty, can also win a jade dragon bottle for the sect, this bottle is made of fine jadeite, in addition to the high value, it also represents the glory of the sect. ”

"I'm hopeless. However, I'm curious who will go to these two remaining places?"

"We are qualified to be selected in the Martial Academy, I think there are only six or seven people, among these people, I think Xia Fan is the most promising, he practices diligently, and his progress is faster than ours. ”

"Well, yes, I'm also optimistic about him, this guy doesn't practice day and night, after all, he is a child from a poor family, and he can endure hardships better than us. ”

"And then there'...... Well, I don't need to say it, he's out. ”

I saw another wave of people walking out of the martial arts courtyard, the first one was sixteen or seventeen years old, his eyebrows were flying obliquely, his face was handsome, but he was arrogant. This man was richly dressed and went out, and he didn't look at the disciples, but walked to two four-wheeled carriages not far away.

"Hmph, although he is not bad at martial arts, his eyes are above the top, and he looks like Lao Tzu is the best in the world all day long, teaching people to look upset. If he wins, I hope he will make a big start in the competition. ”

"That's it, this Shangguan Junfeng's kung fu is still a lot worse than Xiao Renyuan and Zhuo Yimin, but he prefers to show off in front of us, what's the big deal? I think, Xia Fan is much stronger than him!"

"That's it, Xiao Renyuan, Brother Xiao is much better than him! Alas, it's a pity that he didn't come today. It was a girl who said this, with a look of admiration and adoration.

A few boys next to him pouted together, thinking to themselves what do you girls know besides being handsome?

Another fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy walked out of the martial arts courtyard, with a wide forehead and high eyes, and a strange appearance. The young man was dressed plainly, and when he went out, he walked to the west street of the courtyard alone.

A few people chatting hurriedly stopped him: "Xia Fan, what are you doing so fast? ”

The young man looked back at them, hesitated for a moment, walked over, greeted a few people with a smile, and said, "Several, what gossip do you have to say?"

Those few people said: "Xia Fan, the candidate disciple of this competition, we are all optimistic about you!"

Xia Fan smiled and said, "Thank you for looking up to me so much." But I know that my kung fu is still a big step behind, like Shangguan and Jiang Haoran, they are not under me, this time as a candidate disciple, I can only do my best, if I want to say that I am elected, I am not at all sure. ”

Several disciples said: "Shangguan that guy, we don't think he is as good as you, you practice hard, beat him down, and tell him to show the land lord!"

Xia Fan smiled bitterly and said: "I have a maximum of half a catty and eight taels with him, how can it be so easy! The last time I competed in the Martial Arts Academy, I almost lost to him." His family background is good, and there are martial artists at home who make up lessons every day, but I don't have this condition, and it's not easy to surpass him. ”

A few disciples said: "He also relied on opening a small stove, and I heard that he also took medicine to replenish his physical strength, but in terms of qualifications, he is not as good as you." Our master also said in private that your martial arts qualifications are not worse than Xiao Renyuan and Zhuo Yimin, but you just entered a few years late, and then you fell. ”

Xia Fan said: "The hard work that fell in the late years is not something that can be caught up in these few months. Okay guys, my little sister is still sick and wants to go back to take care of her, so I'll leave first. ”

Looking at his departing back, a disciple sighed, "Alas, why are there always more sick people in poor families?"

*

When I returned home, I smelled the usual medicinal fragrance again. Xia Fan went to the kitchen to take a look, and saw that the medicine was fried thickly, bubbling hot.

When I went to the little sister's room to look, my sister Xia Wen was lying on the bed, playing with her fingers alone.

Xia Fan asked, "What about Mom and Dad, aren't you at home?"

Xia Wen coughed twice and said, "They went to buy vegetables and will be back in a while." ”

Asked how long the medicine had been boiling, Xia Wen said that her father and mother had boiled it when they went out, and it was almost half a pillar of incense.

Xia Fan nodded and said, "It's almost, I'll bring it to you." ”

I went to the kitchen and took a big bowl and poured the medicine into it, and looked at the big bamboo basket next to the stove, and there were seven or eight pears.

He took the knife, sharpened two, and put another bowl in it, and put both bowls in a large wooden plate, and brought them to the girl.

Her sister has lung disease, and the family has bought a lot of pears in addition to medicine during this time.

Xia Wen wanted to eat pears first, Xia Fan said: "Drink the medicine first, then eat the pears, so that your mouth is sweet; What do you want?"

Xia Wen frowned and pouted, pointing to the medicine bowl.

After pouring a bowl of medicine easily, Xia Wen couldn't wait to grab a pear, took a big bite, and the pear juice entered her throat, only to feel much more comfortable.

She said: "Langzhong all say that medicine is not as good as food, I think it will be good to eat pears every day in the future; ”

Xia Fan glared and said: "That's after the illness is cured, you still have to drink medicine every day!"

Xia Wen coughed twice, frowned and muttered, "I hate it to death!"

After a while, my father and mother came back, saw Xia Wen, and went to the kitchen to cook.

When dinner was served, there were meat and vegetarian dishes, fish and meat, but Xia Wen was sick and couldn't eat the fish, so she ate some vegetarian dishes and drank a bowl of winter melon soup.

Xia Fan ate four large bowls of rice, and also ate a lot of fish, meat and vegetables. Xia Wen looked at her brother with a smile and said, "Brother, since you practiced martial arts, you have become a rice bucket." ”

Xia Fan chewed the rice in his mouth and said indistinctly: "Nonsense, I used to eat, and there were so many!"

Xia Wen said with a smile: "Ah, you used to be a rice bucket too." ”

Parents smiled and said, "Those who practice martial arts should eat more." Xiaofan, don't save vegetables, eat in big bites! We can afford this bit of food. ”

Xia Fan's family background, if you say poor, it is not very poor, his parents opened an oil, salt and rice shop, and the neighbors near him bought rice and oil in his shop, and the business was good, and he also had an income of seven or eight taels or more than ten taels of silver every month, which could be regarded as a small and middle-class family.

Practicing martial arts in Tianxing Academy, the monthly tuition fee is three taels of silver, and with the situation of Xia Fan's family, it can barely cope with it.

Naturally, compared with the rich family, it is far inferior, like today's chicken, duck and fish, not all can be eaten at once, only once in seven or eight days.