Dawn was just breaking when Yang Mengchen dressed quietly and stepped off the "kang" (a traditional Chinese heated bed). She opened the door and walked out, then carefully closed the door behind her.
In the profound gray-white sky, the morning light gradually revealed itself, and a few stars lingered, reluctant to leave. Everything was enveloped in the mysterious half-light of dawn, and the air was fresh with a fragrance of earth, uplifting the spirit.
Everyone in the family unanimously told the visiting villagers that it was a Taoist priest's doing that she had regained her clarity and intelligence. After all, many villagers had seen the priest, a compassionate figure with the aura of an immortal, and they did not doubt his role.
She had slyly gathered from her brothers that this was a fictional era, comprising the states of Dong Chu, Nanping, Xiliang, and Beiyue. She had heard that beyond the vast Manwen Sea lay another nation, Qing'an.
The Yangliu village, where she lived, was the largest and most populous in Yongchang Town of Dongchu Country, with about six hundred households primarily with the surnames Yang, Liu, and Chen. There were also smaller families that had migrated or married into the village from other places.
To the north stood several tall mountains. The village had more wasteland than fertile fields, and the yield of crops was meagre. After paying taxes, there was not much left. During the slack farming season, the able-bodied men would go to the town or city to do odd jobs or hunt in the mountains to support their families. The villagers were poor, and this was the same for other villages too.
"Jiujiu, why are you up?" Yang Chengning, who was cleaning the courtyard, hurried over. "You haven't recovered yet, go back and lie down."
Hearing no noise inside the house, Yang Mengchen pulled Yang Chengning into the yard and whispered, "Second Brother, I've been lying on the 'kang' for nearly half a month and feel like I'm getting moldy. Exercising will help me recover faster." While pleading, she tugged at his arm, coquettishly seeking the affection she had no psychological barriers in displaying to her loving family.
"Really, will that make you recover faster?" Yang Chengning looked skeptically at his sister, but seeing her nod confidently and put on a cute and charming act, his heart immediately melted, though he still cautioned, "If you feel unwell, hurry back inside at once."
Yang Mengchen agreed, hugging Yang Chengning, "You're really the best, Second Brother!" Then she walked to the cleared space in the neatly swept courtyard.
She had fortuitously befriended a master of traditional medicine who had become her close, albeit senior, friend. Knowing she was unwell, he had crafted a set of exercises for nurturing vitality and replenishing energy just for her—an adapted version of Tai Chi.
"Second Brother, what is Jiujiu doing?" Yang Chengrong, coming from the back yard, nudged Yang Chengning: "It looks like she's dancing?"
"Exercising to get better. Jiujiu said it would help her recover faster," replied Yang Chengning, also puzzled.
Hearing her brothers' conversation, a shrewd gleam flashed in Yang Mengchen's eyes. Suddenly, she spun around, grabbed each of her brothers by a wrist, and with a slight sweep of her right foot, the two unsuspecting brothers fell to the ground. Yang Mengchen looked at them with a mischievous smile, "I'm not dancing; I'm practicing martial arts."
After a moment of stunned silence, the two brothers quickly scrambled to their feet, eyes shining as they looked at their sister: "What kind of martial arts is this? Can we learn it too?"
"I was planning on teaching the whole family," Yang Mengchen nodded. "This Tai Chi is based on the principles of balance between yin and yang, using the mind to control the body, achieving calm through relaxation, guiding the 'qi' with intention, using qi to spur the form, with the goal of strengthening the body and improving health and longevity. It also allows for internal and external cultivation, combining hardness with softness, and can be used in combat."
"What a marvelous martial art!"
Yang Mengchen stood opposite her brothers: "Now, follow my movements," she said, and began demonstrating the well-memorized moves.
Yang Chengrong and Yang Chengning were quick learners, and after practicing a few times, they picked up the basic form. This set of moves seemed simple but was full of variations, so the brothers practiced even more earnestly.
The other young members of the Yang family joined in, with Yang Chaowu and Yang Chaoyi also catching on quickly. Three women watching from the side laughed joyously. Regarding Yang Mengchen's martial arts skills, everyone tacitly agreed not to ask further.
"What's going on here? Why is it so lively?" Hearing the commotion, Old Master Yang and Madam Yang Zhou stepped outside to see, finding it quite curious that their children and grandchildren were following their granddaughter around the yard, making all sorts of gestures.
"Grandpa, Grandma." Yang Mengchen ran up to the two elders, her little face beaming: "We are practicing Tai Chi. My second uncle, dad, and brothers are all very clever, they picked it up in no time. This martial art can strengthen the body and improve health, prolonging life, so the whole family must learn it."
"You know, after only practicing for a while, I feel very relaxed and refreshed; Tai Chi is really quite something," Yang Chaoyi exclaimed admiringly.
Yang Chaowu's expression was somewhat vacant: "If the soldiers in the army could learn this martial art, perhaps it would reduce casualties on the battlefield."
During that war between Dong Chu Country and Beiyue Country years ago, he and all the other new recruits were sent directly to the battlefield without any training.
He could only fight on helplessly as he watched his comrades, with whom he had shared day and night, fall and die. When he returned home a year later with a severed left arm and a body full of scars, the pain from that campaign stayed with him for life.
Everyone fell silent; that year, most of the young men from the village who joined the military died on the battlefield, and for a long time, the village was immersed in sorrow.
And Yang Mengchen silently sighed to herself.
In the era of cold weapons, the outcomes of wars were related to the abilities of the generals as well as fundamentally to the quality of the soldiers themselves. If the soldiers could learn some combat skills before going to the battlefield, then naturally, the chances of survival would be higher.
The atmosphere had become too heavy and sentimental, when suddenly Old Master Yang raised his voice: "If Jiujiu says this martial art is good, then the whole family should learn it earnestly from her."
Everyone responded in unison.
"Look at our dear granddaughter, drenched in sweat, hurry back inside before you catch a cold." Madam Yang Zhou pulled her granddaughter inside, wiping her forehead with a handkerchief as she went, and didn't forget to instruct her daughter-in-law: "Qiu Lan, prepare some hot water quickly, let Jiujiu have a good wash."
"Mother, rest assured, I already prepared the hot water," Shen Qiulan said as she carried a bucket of water from the kitchen. Yang Chaoyi hastened to take it to his parents' room.
After practicing Tai Chi for nearly half an hour and having taken a hot bath, Yang Mengchen felt thoroughly refreshed. Seeing a bowl of thick rice porridge, two eggs, two white steamed buns, and a plate of stir-fried vegetables on the table, tears glistened in her eyes. She placed the eggs and steamed buns onto a plate, then carried the bowl and plate into the main room.
The family divided into two tables; each table had a basin of crystal-clear sorghum rice congee which reflected people's faces, a few pieces of dark bread, and a small dish of pickles. Despite the simple fare, no one gobbled down their food. Instead, they chewed slowly, with small bites and elegant movements.
For nearly half a month, Grandma had been bringing her meals to her room three times a day, watching her finish eating, drink her medicine, and fall asleep before she went to eat herself.
On the third evening after Grandma left, she suddenly felt thirsty. The kettle was empty, and when she went to the kitchen to look for water, she passed by the main room and saw her family eating such simple meals. Her heart was both sour and touched. Holding back tears, she quietly returned to her room, understanding her family's intentions, and so she pretended not to know.
Startled by her sister's appearance, Yang Chengrong jumped up: "Jiujiu, why did you come here?"
The others quickly got to their feet and blocked the view of the food on the table, their eyes filled with worry and panic as they looked at Yang Mengchen.