The Chen's house was brightly lit.
The whole family sat around the dining table. No one touched their chopsticks, and they waited in silence.
Chen Yiming didn't hide it from his family, so they already knew that he would be working on a job with Chen Shaojie for the first time that night.
Although Chen Yiming had repeatedly emphasized that there wouldn't be any danger, his family was still worried. They had heard about the chaos in the village from their neighbors.
The son was a rookie who had just joined the martial arts school for a little more than a month. What if he ran into some fiendish bandits? Just the thought of it was terrifying.
At 7:52 pm, Chen Yiming rushed home with his hands full of the night's loot.
In order not to cause too much trouble, he did not choose to enter through the front door. Instead, he jumped down from an angle such that no one could see him, landing in the courtyard from the roof.
Mother Chen was startled when she saw Chen Yiming suddenly appearing in the courtyard.
"What have you done, Son? Why are you sneaking around with so much stuff in your hands?"
"Brother, you look like a thief now," Chen Yingying whispered.
When the family members saw that Chen Yiming had returned safely, the tense atmosphere instantly dissipated. Father Chen stepped forward to help take the things from him.
"Dad, there are important things inside. Help me put them in the basement first," Chen Yiming said to Father Chen.
"What are these?"
Father Chen tried to lift them up and found that they were not light, especially the sack containing the dried mutant beast meat.
"I don't have time to explain all the details, I have to go to class now. Chen Yingying, come with me," Chen Yiming explained to Father Chen simply.
"Brother, why should I go with you?" Chen Yingying asked.
She was very satisfied with her current life. She stayed at home every day reading her books, and did not have to go out.
"I'm bringing you to observe the class. From now on, I'll teach you martial arts," Chen Yiming blurted out the decision he had made earlier.
The world was unstable now, and only martial arts could offer protection for oneself. Even though he knew that Chen Yingying did not like to exercise and preferred to study quietly, he had no choice but to force his sister to walk the path of martial arts.
This was his responsibility towards her and his family.
"Isn't it enough for our family to have you? Besides, I don't have the talent for it," Chen Yingying reflexively refused.
Every year, the junior and senior high schools would conduct a standardized test to select students with martial arts talent. Chen Yingying's martial arts talent was similar to that of Chen Yiming's body's owner. They were both of the type that was not worth nurturing.
"That's right, son. You should spend all your money on your own cultivation. Your sister isn't particularly talented in martial arts, so she can just continue studying in the future," Mother Chen said from the side. She was unwilling to let Chen Yingying practice martial arts.
"Yingying, go change your clothes and get ready to leave with me. Listen to me. I have my own judgment. Yingying won't need to spend much money practicing martial arts."
Chen Yiming rejected Mother Chen's suggestion and stuck with the arrangement he had made for Chen Yingying.
"Oh, wait for me, I'll be right out."
Chen Yingying had a weak personality, so she gave in to Chen Yiming.
The night in the village was quiet and only the occasional barking could be heard.
Mother Chen helped Father Chen move the things that Chen Yiming had brought back to the basement of the house. Chen Yingying returned to her room and changed into sportswear.
Chen Yiming made Chen Yingying sit on the back seat of the bicycle, and the two of them set off for the Power-doubling Martial Arts Training Center.
…
At 8:05 pm, Chen Yiming and Chen Yingying arrived at the Power-doubling Martial Arts Training Center.
Due to the fact that he was carrying Chen Yingying, his speed was much slower than cycling alone, so they were a little late.
At the waiting area of the training center, Xie Xuejiao and Luo Yafang were chatting in low voices.
Both of them had a pair of long legs. At this moment, they both had one leg crossed over the other leg. Their high heels were hanging off their toes and swaying in the air, revealing their small feet in black stockings.
"The young man you were in charge of receiving the last time is too unreliable. How can he be late on the second day?"
Luo Yafang had nothing to do and just said whatever came to her mind.
"Maybe something happened on the way," Xie Xuejiao said uncertainly.
"If you ask me, when he comes later, you should directly warn him about how he shouldn't be late. Otherwise, your bonus for next month will be deducted by god knows how much."
Luo Yafang thought about the bonus and helped her colleague to come up with an idea.
"Come on, what nonsense are you spouting? If I dare to do that, the company will probably fire me first."
Xie Xuejiao laughed.
"I'm just kidding. We get our money deducted for no reason and we're not allowed to complain even in private?"
Luo Yafang rolled her eyes in response.
There was a rule within the company that the person in charge of receiving the teacher would have a certain amount of bonus deducted according to the number of times the teacher was late or absent.
On the other hand, if a martial arts teacher failed to complete the company's mandated teaching class, the senior management of the company would discuss whether to dock their pay. Generally, it would be left unsettled.
Chen Yiming brought Chen Yingying out of the elevator. He wanted to go straight to the class, but he remembered that he had something to discuss with Xie Xuejiao, so he headed straight to the reception.
At this moment, Xie Xuejiao had no time to chat with Luo Yafang. She hurriedly put on her high heels and went forward to receive him.
"Teacher Chen, who is this?" Xie Xuejiao asked Chen Yiming when she saw a young girl beside him.
"This is my sister, Chen Yingying. I asked her to come and observe the class."
Chen Yiming made the introductions. Out of respect, he decided to inform the people at the training center. Otherwise, he would appear too high-handed.
"Teacher Chen, your sister is really pretty," Xie Xuejiao praised, not daring to mention the matter of the registration fee.
Chen Yingying remained silent. Her face had turned red after hearing the compliment.
"There's something else I want to discuss with you. Can I increase the number of students in the swordsmanship class? After all, there's still plenty of room in the class," Chen Yiming shared his thoughts.
"Of course. I'll arrange it for you immediately," Xie Xuejiao agreed.
She had a smile on her face the entire time and maintained a respectful attitude, but her heart was already blooming with joy.
In need of money? She immediately added a new piece of information to her notebook. She believed that she could sell it for a good price.
Chen Yiming had finished telling Xie Xuejiao what he wanted to say. Seeing that he was late, he did not continue chatting and brought Chen Yingying to the class.
In the classroom, the students of the swordsmanship class had already lined up in preparation for the class. However, Chen Yiming hadn't arrived even though it was after 8 pm. Thus, they had dispersed and were sitting by the wall, bragging.
Chen Yiming pushed open the door and entered the room. All the students stood up reflexively and lined up in rows within half a minute.
They heard some rumors today that someone was trying to get into the class.
If the total number of students remained the same, someone would have to leave to make room for the new student. Chen Yiming was an outstanding trainee in the martial arts school, and it wasn't easy to meet such a teacher.