Chapter 425 The Children Are Grow Up

After the meal, the father and his two sons leisurely embarked on a journey to digest the food.

The three children follow their father Liu Zhiye closely like little tails. As long as he is at home, this close relationship is always with him and they cannot be separated from him.

The father and his two sons strolled leisurely on the spacious and clean streets. After a circle, they returned to the compound leisurely.

At this moment, the front door of the Liu family is very lively. A group of lively and active little guys, like impatient little "monkeys", are looking forward to the three siblings of the Liu family joining them and joining in the fun game of "hide and seek" together.

In the evenings of those years, little rascals like them would often gang up to play hide-and-seek, or fight with each other with slingshots. The fights would often get so intense that it was common for them to be dragged home by their ears by their parents.

When we were young, we had fun and were carefree. We would play until midnight and would not go home unless our parents called us.

Unlike children in later generations, who would definitely be locked up at home at night, parents would never let their children go out alone at night because they would definitely be worried.

In the 1970s, children had a lot of fun playing at night, such as hide-and-seek and statues, and skipping rope, kicking shuttlecock, and playing flip flop during the day.

Some boys fanned foreign paintings, pushed iron rings, played in the mud, hid leaves in the soil and found them for each other, picked up popsicle sticks, and used crutches...

Some children also play Gobang with stones, jump with rubber bands, jump rope, roll balls, play seven rifles, etc.

I didn't feel bored at this time.

There are so many things to do that I can't count them all. In those days, most rural areas had poor material conditions, and of course Liujiazhuang was not one of them.

Childhood is a fun time. There was no child trafficking in those days, and children would play hide-and-seek in the middle of the night.

Students don’t have homework these days, and all homework is done in school.

In most rural areas, students and children go out to play on the streets at night, while adults sit under oil lamps, or spin in the moonlight.

Some are sewing shoe soles, some are making flower curls, and some are making thread.

Although life was hard at that time, many people in later generations still miss this era, and even dream of living at home with their parents, brothers and sisters as children.

During the difficult period, food was extremely scarce. Some families usually had mixed soup for dinner, and there were frequent power outages at night.

Ordinary people don’t have televisions at home, only radios. When there is a power outage, the radio goes out, and there is nothing to listen to or watch after dinner.

Most rural areas are similar. There is a playground at the entrance of the village, and many children play on the playground. They can only chase and play hide-and-seek with their peers. After chasing and fighting, the children disperse and go home to sleep. Occasionally, they will go to the production team's field to steal a melon to eat.

After dark, everyone goes home to sleep.

Most people think that rural people nowadays probably go to sleep after dinner, but this is not the case.

At that time, material and cultural life was not as rich and colorful as it is now, but it also had its own characteristics, and there were endless things to do.

Generally speaking, for rural people living in the 1960s and 1970s, it was basically dark when they came back from collective work during the day.

First, they would find the children, chickens, ducks and dogs that were flying around and bring them home, then cook dinner. After the family finished dinner, the men would sit in the wheat field and smoke a few bags of dry tobacco, while the women would clean up the table and then either teach the children to read and write or help them wash and go to bed.

A man who cares about women will help them take care of their children and do housework, or chat with them and coax them to sleep early. But in fact, there are still many things waiting for women to do.

I have to wash all the dirty clothes that the whole family has changed out of, cook tomorrow's pig manure, and mend the clothes that were accidentally torn during the day...

The housewife can only take care of herself and prepare for bed after everyone is asleep. If the elderly at home are healthy, she can do a lot of housework. If the elderly are not in good health, the couple will have to take care of the elderly after work.

In fact, during the busy farming season of "double guns" (rushing to harvest early rice and rushing to plant late rice), the production team would also organize "night work", which means that after everyone had a simple dinner at home, they would go to the fields to work under the bright moonlight, either pulling seedlings or cutting rice.

Whether male or female laborers, as long as they are in good health, they must participate.

In order not to miss the farming season, rural people work very hard. They are very tired, but they are not afraid of tiredness or hardship.

Because there are few entertainment activities at night, the adults go home and go to bed after work, so many families have only a few children.

Nowadays, every family has at least three children, and some have at least seven or eight. In some places there is no electricity at night. People are tired from working during the day, and the only entertainment activity at night is sexual intercourse between husband and wife.

Therefore, the most lively and happy thing in the countryside was the production team showing movies.

That was even more exciting than the Chinese New Year. When I was a kid, watching an open-air movie was like celebrating a festival, because cultural life was lacking in those days. As soon as we heard that a movie was showing in a certain village, we would prepare early to reserve seats, bring some melon seeds and dried sweet potatoes, and go with the kids, very excited.

The weather is hot, and people hold Portuguese fans in their hands. In most rural areas, movies are occasionally shown in the threshing grounds in the summer.

In those days, we used kerosene lamps and had no television, so we could only watch a few open-air movies throughout the year. It was really exciting to walk 5 miles along the country path to watch an open-air movie.

After watching the movie, I excitedly rushed home with a flashlight. Sometimes the road was long, and I could walk ten or twenty kilometers, but I still didn’t feel tired!

It was dark when we came back, and people walked home quickly, one foot deep and one foot shallow...

Compared with other villages, Liujiazhuang is undoubtedly synonymous with happiness.

Ten years ago, they were the first to enter a new era of "freedom of movie watching".

Today, when night falls, Liujiazhuang is not only filled with the warm atmosphere of open-air square movie screenings, but also has a modern cinema.

There, the audience can walk in leisurely, sit in the soft seats, and enjoy the visual feast of the latest films.

From classics to trends, from domestic to international, all kinds of films are available to satisfy every fan's infinite imagination of the world of movies.

In Liujiazhuang, cinemas, drama troupes, song and dance troupes and traditional art centers complement each other, forming a beautiful landscape of spiritual civilization construction.

These cultural treasures not only embellish the night sky of the countryside, but also greatly enrich the spiritual world of local people, making their lives colorful and full of laughter.

This has gone a bit off topic, let’s get back to the point.

When Liu Wen and Liu Wu saw that their friends had been waiting for them, they cheered excitedly and quickly joined their team.

Liu Zhiye turned around, with a bit of curiosity in his eyes, and asked his eldest daughter: "Xiaoxian, why don't you go play with them?"

Liu Shuxian curled her lips, with obvious disdain in her tone: "I won't participate in those childish games! Dad, how about you go back and teach me a few more boxing moves?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Zhiye couldn't help but reveal a trace of helplessness on his face, thinking to himself that perhaps he had led his daughter astray, making her prefer martial arts rather than the gentleness of a girl. Since childhood, she has lost that gentleness and has become more like a lively tomboy who has a special liking for swords, guns, sticks and clubs.

Liu Zhiye looked at his daughter, whose height had reached his chest, and felt mixed emotions. He was shocked to find that she had quietly turned thirteen.

If it were a time before, a girl of this age might have been married, but now she is still the treasure in his palm.

However, the girl's personality gave him a headache. She was strong-willed and competitive, just like him. To be honest, he and Gan Ning had devoted a lot of effort to their daughter's education and cultivated her talents, including dance, music, and painting.

But her temper seemed to be predestined. No matter how many artists were invited to teach her, they all left in the end because of her stubbornness.

In the end, Liu Zhiye could only compromise helplessly, "Forget it! Let the child do whatever she likes! At worst, I can personally send her to the military camp in the future..."

As soon as he said this, Gan Ning immediately rolled her eyes at him in reproach, secretly resenting Liu Zhiye in her heart, always feeling that it was Liu Zhiye who led their precious daughter astray.

She was supposed to be a gentle and virtuous lady, but now he has inadvertently transformed her into a heroic and dashing female man.

Who can I go to for justice?
Liu Zhiye took a glance and his two sons, who were already in the second grade of primary school, disappeared from his sight in an instant along with a group of friends like ponies running away from their reins.

"Fortunately, these two guys haven't grown up yet..." Liu Zhiye was secretly thankful, otherwise he would have to consider training a small trumpet with Gan Ning again.

He turned to look at his eldest daughter standing beside him, scratched his head again, and said with a smile: "Okay, Shuxian, today Dad will teach you Tai Chi..."

Unexpectedly, Liu Shuxian looked displeased after hearing this, "Dad, I don't want to learn Tai Chi, it's soft and boring. You should teach me Bajiquan, which is more powerful!" After saying that, she looked at her father expectantly.

When Liu Zhiye heard this, his feet suddenly slipped, and endless despair suddenly surged in his heart. He gritted his teeth and said in a deep voice: "Okay, since you have decided to practice this boxing, you must be mentally prepared. Suffering is inevitable..."

Liu Shuxian's face lit up with joy when she heard this. She shouted excitedly, "Dad, you are finally willing to teach me?"

Liu Zhiye didn't look back, but just said briefly: "Let's go back, change clothes, and show your true strength in the martial arts field." Liu Shuxian responded: "Okay!" Then she turned around and rushed back to her room like the wind.

Liu Zhiye looked at his daughter's impetuous look and he wanted to slap himself in the face, "What a sin! How can she get married in the future?" For a moment he became a little gloomy.

The Liu family's backyard is quite large, enough for more than a dozen people to practice martial arts at the same time. The ground is paved with uniform stone slabs, which looks both simple and solid.

In this empty space, there is nothing else but a few pieces of equipment designed for martial arts and fitness standing quietly, revealing an atmosphere of simplicity yet power.

In the center of the courtyard, Liu Zhiye stood tall and ready to meet the upcoming challenge. Every move he made seemed so focused and powerful, as if the entire backyard came alive with his presence.

In the memory of the little girl Liu Shuxian, her father Liu Zhiye was not only skilled in martial arts, but also had a good knowledge of literature and good eloquence.

Whenever Liu Zhiye has free time, he will tell famous works such as "Journey to the West", "Water Margin" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" to the adults and children in the courtyard.

At that time, her family still lived in the courtyard house at No. 95 Nanluoguxiang.

At that time, people in the hospital were very lacking in spiritual life, and they looked forward to Liu Zhiye coming back every day to tell stories together.

Whenever he got to the exciting part, everyone's eyes widened and they dared not breathe.

If anyone dared to cough, everyone would stare at him. Listening to Liu Zhiye telling stories was the greatest enjoyment.

Later, the family returned to Liujiazhuang.

When Liu Shuxian was over 6 years old, she began her formal martial arts career.

At the beginning, in addition to teaching her the basic skills passed down from his ancestors, Liu Zhiye also required her to practice Chen-style Tai Chi five times a day.

Liu Zhiye was known for his strict teaching. When he watched Liu Shuxian practice boxing, he not only required her to perform the moves accurately, but also required her to perform the moves in place and keep her posture low. She had to practice the required number of times every day, not even once less.

Although Liu Shuxian was young, she had a good memory and practiced boxing in a very good manner. After Liu Zhiye finished teaching her, he asked her to practice boxing with her brothers.

Liu Zhiye usually pays great attention to Liu Shuxian's single-style practice. During each inspection, Liu Shuxian cannot move unless Liu Zhiye says to stop, and must always maintain standard movements.

Because Liu Zhiye said: "If you don't practice the things of our ancestors a certain number of times and don't endure great hardships, you won't be able to comprehend the mysteries within. Practice a thousand times, and the body movements will become natural. Practice ten thousand times, and the divine power will appear. Practice a hundred thousand times, and you will reach the Mahayana realm."

Liu Zhiye's boxing education for children is very unique and he teaches according to their aptitude.

He let his three children raise cats and dogs and let the children observe their agility and see how they attack each other and defend themselves.

Liu Shuxian particularly likes the cat's agility. When I was stroking the cat's head, a mouse jumped by and the cat rushed out from under her hand and caught the mouse.

Its speed and flexibility are beyond the reach of humans.

In addition, Liu Zhiye asked Liu Shuxian to grab the cat's four paws, lift it high up, and then let go to see how it would fall to the ground.

At the moment of release, it flipped its waist with force, always with all fours facing downwards, firmly touching the ground, and it could not be thrown down.

Liu Zhiye told her, "The key lies in the strength of the waist."

People often say that people age from their legs first. In fact, it is the kidneys that age first. Once the waist loses its strength, the legs cannot be lifted.

Sometimes, Liu Zhiye also asked the children to watch the rabbit kicking the eagle.

Liu Shuxian raised rabbits and chased them to see how they reacted when they turned around and kicked her.

This is why she keeps rabbits. When the rabbits kick her, they bite and kick her at the same time.

That one blow was as powerful as if an adult had kicked her hard.

She does the same with dogs, provoking them and watching how they resist.

This is how father Liu Zhiye uses children's playful nature to observe and study the fighting characteristics of animals to guide them to learn boxing.

Teaching martial arts is also a way to educate people. Liu Zhiye not only teaches children martial arts, but also teaches them the principles of being a human being and doing things.

People who practice martial arts focus on keeping fit, strengthening their bodies, and cultivating their bodies. Specifically, they focus on maintaining their bodies, strengthening their bodies for self-defense, and cultivating their bodies and minds.

We should attach great importance to martial ethics, etiquette and benevolence. Bullying the weak and being competitive are strictly prohibited.

"Adhere to martial virtues and be kind and benevolent; cultivate yourself and pay attention to etiquette, cultivate your character and abandon tyranny.

Help the poor, drive out evil, and uphold justice; do not argue over who is superior or inferior; accumulating good will bring you blessings, accumulating virtue will leave a good reputation for generations to come. "

The main purpose of Liu Zhiye teaching his children martial arts is to strengthen their muscles and bones, cultivate their temperament, temper their will, strengthen their physical fitness, cure diseases and prolong their life, as well as to protect themselves from violence.

Instead of cultivating a few spoiled brats who are competitive and bully the weak.

Compared to her elder sister Liu Shuxian's fanatical love for martial arts, her two younger brothers seem to have little interest.

On the road of learning martial arts, they often show slackness, "fishing for three days and drying the nets for two days", and lack persistent enthusiasm and enthusiasm.

Liu Zhiye did not force them, but just let nature take its course, as long as they were in good health.

Sometimes, Liu Zhiye is not at home.

The brothers Liu Wen and Liu Wu were having fun, leading their gang of "little monkeys" like the Monkey King, holding shovels, pickaxes, rakes and buckets like weapons, and marching into the open space outside the back village, loosening the soil, leveling it, sprinkling water, doing warm-up exercises, stretching their legs, squatting, lifting barbells, walking with dumbbells, and practicing with barbells.

As the saying goes, children aged seven or eight are annoying. Children of this age do not understand human affairs, do not know what is good for them, are naughty and playful, and are disliked by everyone. They often do absurd and stupid things, causing trouble for their parents and teachers.

The Liu family lives not far from the Yongding River, which is a paradise for these boys.

On summer afternoons, as long as someone in the alley shouts, "Let's go swimming," a group of children will quickly jump out.

Liu Wen, Liu Wu and their gang not only swam, but also caught fish bugs and shrimps, and in the woods by the river, they caught crickets, cicadas and dragonflies.

There are many ways to catch dragonflies. They find old screens, iron wires and bamboo poles and make their own nets to catch them.

Another way is to find some rubber cut from tires, boil it into sticky black glue, and then smear it on the pole. When you go out, two people will cooperate, one holding the pole and the other holding the bag.

After the dragonfly lands on the pole and gets stuck, another person quickly catches it and puts it in the prepared pocket.

Sometimes they eat the caught dragonflies raw. When they pluck out the two wings, the fresh meat is exposed. In fact, it doesn’t taste good, mainly because many people don’t dare to eat it. If someone eats it, then that person’s prestige among the children will immediately increase.

But most of the dragonflies they caught were fed to cats, or kept in the house to eat mosquitoes. Some people with a bit of economic sense also caught ground beetles, which were sold at the village drugstore for 3 cents each. If you sold 10 of them, you could buy 100-shot "Liuyang River" firecrackers.

They also make their own kites, which are called "hupilian" in the old capital.

Bamboo strips are very difficult to find. I get very excited when I see someone’s door curtain is made of bamboo, and I always think about it.

Whenever they got the chance, they would secretly stretch a few strands and then find some paper. After they were done, the children would go to the Yongding River to play with them. Everyone imitated each other and it wouldn't be long before the door curtain of that house was stretched out, and they would inevitably be scolded again.

Liu Zhiye was deeply afraid that the children in the village would frequently go to the river and cause misfortune, so he made a suggestion to his uncle Liu Yuanhai, proposing to strengthen the patrols of the militia, especially in the waters around Liujiazhuang, to ensure that they could respond quickly and provide assistance in case of danger, thus building a solid line of defense for the safety of the children.

In addition, he also prepared more than a dozen car inner tubes for the children to use as swimming rings.

From swimming in the river to catching fish, to climbing up the roof to rob bird nests, there is nothing they dare not do.

One day, Liu Zhiye took out his treasured pistol to examine it carefully, then accidentally left it in the study and forgot to put it back in the warehouse.

Unexpectedly, they were spotted by the brothers Liu Wen and Liu Wu. They secretly went out with guns and played a simulated war game with a group of children...

Afterwards, Liu Zhiye learned about this and broke out in a cold sweat.

Fortunately, this was not his service gun and the magazine was empty, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable.

(End of this chapter)