Chapter 26: Waaah, why is Grandpa making us practice martial arts?
The battle situation at Heavy Mountain Fortress was unknown to Yang Zhengshan, who was still training the young men of Yang Family Village.
After nearly a month of training, the young men of Yang Family Village had developed some discipline, not yet reaching the level of “military orders as sturdy as a mountain,” but they could at least follow commands and move in unison.
On the barren hills behind Yang Family Village, over a hundred young men stood still, holding their long guns.
The cold north wind swept through the hills, passing through the shadows of the young men, but they remained as still as rocks.
Yang Zhengshan beamed with joy and satisfaction at the sight.
He had almost daily come to observe their progress, witnessing the growth of these young men from initial shock to excitement, and now his heart was filled with joy and satisfaction.
“Yang Zhengshan, you’ve worked hard this period!” Yang Zhengshan’s father said, turning to him.
Yang Zhengshan shook his head slightly, “It’s not me who’s worked hard, but them!”
As an instructor, he might have worked hard initially, but now the training had entered a routine phase, and the team leaders could take charge of the training themselves, without needing his direct guidance.
So, the ones who truly worked hard were these young men of the Yang family, not him.
Yang Zhengshan’s father turned to walk towards the village, “The outposts in the mountains are almost ready, and the food supplies have been sent up as well.”
Yang Zhengshan followed him, thinking for a moment before saying, “I suggest we conduct an evacuation drill!”
“Evacuation drill?” Yang Zhengshan’s father was puzzled.
Yang Zhengshan explained, “Let everyone get familiar with the mountain roads in advance, and set up teams for everyone. If we encounter enemies, we can retreat in an orderly fashion, rather than panicking.”
This was a matter of life and death for the entire Yang Family Village, and any preparation was better than none.
Moreover, it was still winter, and people had nothing much to do, so spending some time on the drill wouldn’t be a waste.
“From our village to the outpost, it’s a 20-li mountain road, which is not easy to walk. If people are not familiar with the road and mountain environment, they might get lost.”
“Furthermore, some elderly people in the village might not be able to walk such a long distance, so we’ll need to arrange for people to carry them up the mountain.”
“And for the children, we’ll need to assign adults to look after them, making arrangements in advance to avoid any oversight.”
“Lastly, we should also contact the neighboring villages, like Jiang Family Village, Wang Family Village, and Li Family Village, to see if they can prepare as well.”
Yang Zhengshan spoke his mind slowly.
Retreating to the mountains was the last resort for Yang Family Village, and this path must be guaranteed to be safe and unobstructed.
During the evacuation, there might be chaos and oversights, so it was essential to make preparations in advance.
As for the neighboring villages, Yang Zhengshan wasn’t one to bother others unnecessarily, but there were some things he had to do.
Take, for example, the neighboring villages around Yang Family Village; Yang Yunyan was in Jiang Family Village, the mother-in-law of the eldest son was from Wang Family Village, and the mother-in-law of the second son was from Li Family Village, and many villagers in Yang Family Village had relatives in these villages.
It was impossible to take care of those far away, but since they were nearby, it was natural to provide more care.
Yang Zhengshan’s father listened to his suggestions, sighed softly, and said, “Yang Zhengshan, I think you’re more suitable to be the leader!”
He felt that Yang Zhengshan had considered every aspect, taking care of everything.
Yang Zhengshan chuckled, “I’m still young, and I still want to explore the world outside!”
Yang Zhengshan’s father was taken aback, then laughed loudly, “That’s true, you’re still young!”
He wasn’t jealous or resentful of Yang Zhengshan, and he even had thoughts of passing on the leadership to Yang Zhengshan.
Yang Zhengshan’s words were a refusal to become the leader.
Of course, if Yang Zhengshan’s father had any jealousy or resentment, Yang Zhengshan would also try to dispel them.
Although Yang Zhengshan’s father was already approaching old age, his spirit was still very strong, and he walked with vigor.
After getting Yang Zhengshan’s suggestion, he immediately took action, putting the evacuation drill on the schedule.
When Yang Zhengshan returned home, he saw that his family was still in the hall, attending classes seriously, and he nodded in satisfaction.
Although the training had taken up a lot of Yang Zhengshan’s time, the family’s small school had not stopped.
Yang Mingcheng, Yang Mingzhi, and Yang Minghao were all participating in the training, while Wang Shi, Li Shi, and Yang Yunxue were still in the early stages of learning, and Lin Zhan was fully qualified to be their teacher.
When Yang Zhengshan returned, Wang Shi and the others didn’t stop their lessons, which was Yang Zhengshan’s requirement, and the classroom discipline was still very strict.
Yang Zhengshan didn’t disturb them but went to the kitchen to add water to the fire.
After boiling two buckets of water, Yang Zhengshan took out two bowls of Spirit Spring water and diluted it.
Although the diluted Spirit Spring water had reduced effects, it still had the benefit of nourishing and toning.
With the cold weather, those young men training would inevitably get wind-chilled, so Yang Zhengshan prepared some diluted Spirit Spring water for them to drink every day.
Otherwise, who knew how many people would have caught a cold by now?
After taking the hot water to the back hill, Yang Zhengshan pointed out their mistakes in practicing the Yang Family gun technique.
In the evening, Yang Zhengshan arranged for people to take turns keeping watch.
Although he didn’t know the situation at the border, he had already arranged for people to keep watch for Yang Family Village, setting up several lookout points around the village to avoid being caught off guard.
When Yang Zhengshan returned home, the whole family was already waiting for him at the dinner table.
“Father!”
Yang Mingcheng immediately brought him a bowl of hot water to drive away the chill.
The winter in Anning County was not only long but also cold, and it was already February, so Yang Zhengshan estimated the temperature should be around -7 or -8 degrees Celsius.
After taking a sip of the hot water, Yang Zhengshan felt his body warm up a lot.
“Let’s eat!”
Everyone started eating.
The food at Yang Family Village had become increasingly abundant.
The villagers were now uninterested in meat and preferred to eat vegetables, mushrooms, and wood ear fungus instead.
The changes in the villagers during this period were also enormous.
Each of them had a reddish glow on their faces, and their bodies had become more robust.
Especially the eldest daughter-in-law, Wang Shi, who seemed to have developed some horizontal growth as well.
Looking at Wang Shi eating with gusto, Yang Zhengshan’s mouth twitched slightly.
“Yunxue, from tomorrow, bring your two aunts to practice martial arts with you!”
The dinner table suddenly fell silent, especially Wang Shi and Li Shi, who looked at Yang Zhengshan with incredulity.
“Father, do we have to practice martial arts too?”
Wang Shi asked nervously, with a hint of fear.
She was respectful and obedient towards her father, Yang Zhengshan, who had become more gentle and warm.
Yang Zhengshan dug into his food, nodding slightly.
You’re all becoming lazy, and it’s time to move a bit.
He wanted Wang Shi and Li Shi to practice martial arts not to become warriors but to have a healthy body, and if they could develop some self-defense abilities, that would be even better.
“Father, we have a lot to do!” Wang Shi said cautiously.
“Let Yunxue and Yunqiao help you with that,” Yang Zhengshan replied without looking up.
Actually, Yunxue and Yunqiao usually helped Wang Shi and Li Shi with their chores, but Wang Shi and Li Shi wouldn’t let them do too much.
Wang Shi looked at Yunxue, wanting to say something, but Yunxue spoke up first, “Father, I’ll teach the two aunts seriously.”
Yang Zhengshan nodded slightly.
Although Yang Yunxue was spoiled by the Yang family, she didn’t develop a lazy and arrogant nature, as the Yang family was just a farming household, and it was impossible to spoil her into a young lady.
Wang Shi and Li Shi exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with worry and reluctance.
Practicing martial arts was hard!
Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter