"Uh, old sir, this is just Eight Section Brocade. It's the same wherever you go, very common."
Liu Chen blinked her eyes and quickly dodged in the direction Shen Laoyezi was about to bow. She worried about bringing bad luck if a man in his seventies or eighties bowed to her.
"Benefactor, you say it's Eight Section Brocade, but the Eight Section Brocade practiced outside can at most make one's palms warm. It doesn't have your power to unblock blood. What happened today, both Wu Zhi and I guarantee to keep secret.
However, if you are not ready to submit this set of boxing techniques, then, this old man dares to say, next time you practice Eight Section Brocade, be sure to close your doors and windows, otherwise, who knows, someone like Old Man Wu Zhi might see it and learn it."
Wu Zhi was unhappy hearing this.
"You old scoundrel Shen, making me sound like a pervert?" he grumbled, then turned to look at Liu Chen beside him. "But what Old Man Shen said is right, you can't let others know your Eight Section Brocade is so powerful."
Liu Chen blinked, her attention caught by the first sentence.
"What do you mean by 'submit'?"
"It means submitting it to the army, to teach them how to practice this Eight Section Brocade," Shen An said, sitting on the hospital bed, his eyes fixed on the young girl. Wu Zhi was also visibly excited.
Liu Chen did not disappoint them. Her young face held a resolute expression. "If it's for the soldiers, I'm willing."
Upon hearing this, Shen An and Wu Zhi immediately stood in awe.
"If you agree, then I think we need to rearrange many things. You go back first, and after I resolve this mess at home, I'll find Old Xu. He's not retired yet and can ensure we get the compensation we deserve to the greatest extent possible."
Liu Chen knew this was Shen Laoyezi repaying her kindness. After all, she was just a young girl who had just graduated from high school. To put it bluntly, perhaps a few hundred thousand or a few million yuan would have been enough to make her sell the Eight Section Brocade to them.
However, Shen Laoyezi had no such intentions. He laid everything out clearly, stating that to strive for deserved compensation, the "deserved" part had more implications.
At this moment, Ren Yu walked in after finishing her phone call. Shen Laoyezi and Wu Laoyezi's expressions immediately changed.
"Ren family, your family has found a good godchild. It's so late. With Old Wu here, you take the little girl back to rest."
...
They arrived by ambulance, and on the way back, they hailed a taxi at the entrance. With an extra two hundred yuan for the empty ride, the driver reluctantly agreed to take them to Yalong Bay.
Sitting in the car, Liu Chen intensely wished for ride-sharing apps from her past life to come out sooner. With such apps, their travel would be more convenient, and drivers wouldn't have to worry about empty rides.
With outsiders present, the two did not discuss the earlier events further.
Fortunately, her mother was taken away by that guy Chen Long that night, so Liu Chen's late return did not attract attention. After washing up and lying on the soft, large bed, she quickly fell asleep.
...
Late at night, Shen Hong made a phone call, directly rousing the Shen family from their beds, flying to Sanya overnight.
On the plane, the Shen family members' faces were somber. After all, the death of an ordinary elder was a major event, but the death of their elder would not only be an emotional blow but also disrupt many family arrangements.
"What did Ren Yu tell you?"
Shen Dad, Shen Yuan, asked Shen Hong, who was sitting behind him with his eyes closed, his brow furrowed.
Shen Hong couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Of the many people in the family, who wasn't curious? Yet, his own father, Shen Yuan, was the most impatient. It was no wonder Grandpa had always held his father back from advancing.
Despite being the descendant of a great general, he was merely a small police captain in Beijing. With such a temperament, it was only a matter of time before something went wrong if he rose higher.
He mentally complained, but Shen Hong opened his eyes and said with a worried expression:
"He said Grandpa suddenly vomited blood tonight and fainted. He's been sent to the hospital. When the call came, he had just woken up and was being wheeled out of the emergency room, asking everyone in the family to come. There are matters to arrange."
After Shen Hong finished speaking, the Shen family members had mixed reactions. Shen Dad, for instance, looked worried, both for his father and for his own prospects. He had hoped to get promoted again before retiring so he could have more benefits. Now, it seemed unlikely.
Being able to retire peacefully would be a blessing.
Shen Hong glanced around at the relatives on the plane, feeling a bit melancholic. His grandfather had three sons and one daughter in his lifetime. The youngest aunt married a foreigner and hadn't returned for many years.
Of the three sons remaining in China, his father was the eldest, and also the weakest and most indecisive. His second uncle was clever, but perhaps too clever; he would dare to dabble in anything for money. His third uncle was the one Grandpa doted on the most.
Whether in academics or career, he had progressed smoothly. The only thing was that Grandpa refused to offer him any help.
In Grandpa's view, being his son was the greatest help he could offer. Anything else? You had to earn it yourself!
Even regarding the family fortune, Grandpa had said that he would only leave one-third to the family, and the rest would be distributed to the students and subordinates he had supported over the years.
Shen Hong didn't care. He was following his eldest brother, and his future was bright. Moreover, from the tone of his eldest brother's call earlier, Grandpa's health was not seriously affected.
But if his health wasn't seriously affected, why would he rush the whole family here?
...
When Liu Chen woke up, the room was still dark. She instinctively reached for her phone on the bedside table, but it wasn't there. Then she remembered that the Nokia phone that had accompanied her for a whole year had been damaged by water yesterday and was unusable.
She got up, put on the hotel's disposable slippers, walked to the window, and pulled back the curtains. Dazzling sunlight streamed in.
It looked like another sunny day.
She took a hair tie from her suitcase and tied her hair neatly. She turned on the TV and checked the time in the bottom right corner.
8:30 AM?
Looking at the sky outside, which was almost as bright as noon in C City, she knew she hadn't missed breakfast. Liu Chen then grabbed her room card and prepared to go out.
As soon as she opened the door, Liu Chen saw Shen Hong and Ren Yu standing outside.
"Uh, what's up?"
Shen Hong scratched his head, a little embarrassed, and produced a brand new, unopened mobile phone box from behind him.
"Old man insisted I give you a phone, and he put his and Grandpa Wu's phone numbers below, hoping you can call them if you need anything in the future."
Liu Chen looked at the familiar Apple phone packaging box. To be honest, the most expensive phone she owned in her past life was a Xiaomi.
Phones like Huawei and Samsung were too expensive; she couldn't bear to buy them.
Liu Chen didn't dwell on the "I can't accept this, I don't deserve it" sentiments. Instead, she picked up the phone box, opened it, and inserted her SIM card as she walked.
By the time she reached the breakfast buffet, the phone was fully set up.
Seeing Liu Chen's proficient actions, even Shen Hong was amazed:
"I say, Liu Chen sister, this is the latest smart phone, and you set it up without even looking at the manual? Tsk tsk, young people nowadays are amazing, right Ren Yu?"
The three ate together. Shen Hong occasionally chimed in with jokes, and breakfast lasted half an hour. As they were leaving, Liu Chen looked at the large, layered swimming pools to the right of the hotel and decided to change into her swimsuit to learn how to swim.
Ren Yu noticed Liu Chen's gaze and followed it, seeing the hotel's outdoor swimming pool.
"Going swimming?"
Liu Chen shook her head and pressed the elevator button. While waiting for the elevator, she explained, "I can't swim, and since I'm in Sanya, it would be a shame not to learn." She then looked at Shen Hong, who had been following her and Ren Yu. "Brother Shen Hong, aren't you going to the hospital to stay with Grandpa Shen?"
"The old man told me to be responsible for accompanying you and playing. So, Liu Chen sister~~ want to learn to swim? Your Brother Shen Hong is capable. There's no swimming pool in Beijing that I haven't been to!
I'm not bragging, but if I hadn't been passionate about computers back then, maybe the men's swimming event at the Olympics last year would have featured your Brother Shen!"
In reality, Liu Chen was a bit worried about the hotel's in-house swimming lessons. Not because they weren't professional, but because she was concerned about the pace.
Learning to swim with a bunch of little kids would put too much pressure on her progress.
Finally, the three agreed to meet at Liu Chen's door at 10 o'clock and then go to the outdoor swimming pool to learn.
After entering the room and changing, Liu Chen realized she had a phone. She quickly opened QQ and logged in. In the small group chat of four, Mi Zhuzhu was asking everyone what they were doing during the day.
'Change into your swimsuits and meet me at my door. We're going swimming.'
Liu Chen sent the message and, without looking back, threw her phone on the bed and started changing. When she finished and stepped out, she found almost everyone waiting outside, even her cousin Jiang Di.
"The adults all went for massages, so it's just us left in the room," Mi Zhuzhu said, being the first to complain when Liu Chen opened the door.
She wanted to go for a massage too, but the adults had all unanimously said that children don't have waists, so her suggestion was flatly rejected.
The seven of them walked in a group to the poolside. After entering the water one by one, they started swimming. When Mi Zhuzhu swam back after a lap, she noticed that the chubby Brother Shen Hong was teaching Liu Chen how to swim.
"Good, hold your breath, relax, just float on the water like this, yes. When you feel you can't hold your breath any longer, press down with your hands, curl your legs towards your chest, and then straighten up. As long as you learn this posture, you won't choke in shallow water."
Liu Chen held her breath and pushed down with her hands, curling and then straightening her legs.
'Acquired Swimming (Beginner Level)'