"Be careful, don't let the wound soak in water."
Hua Lian'er busily darted in and out like a whirlwind.
By the time Chen Ping got all soapy in the big wooden tub, Hua Lian'er was nowhere to be seen.
The soap was made from pig pancreas and plant ash, with a peculiar smell that wasn't unpleasant. The long hair was soaked and scrubbed thoroughly in the water, then rinsed with clean water...
The key was the back, which itched so much that Chen Ping twisted and turned, rubbing against the tub, yet it still wasn't clean enough.
If this were back in the modern era, he would definitely have to hire two professionals to scrub him hard...
The water turned as black as tar.
He felt quite disgusted with himself.
Feeling a bit helpless, he called out, "Hua Lian'er, give me a hand."
"Seventh Brother, you sure have a lot of needs."
Hua Lian'er, like a ghost, appeared from the outer room without warning, speaking in a muffled voice with a wandering gaze.
Though saying so, his hands didn't hesitate, vigorously scrubbing Chen Ping's back with a towel.
For some reason, Chen Ping felt that the little guy's breathing was a bit heated, and his strength was a bit weak.
Thinking of the other's musical talent, he guessed that before becoming a beggar, Hua Lian'er must have been the child of a wealthy family... being pampered daily, and now lacking strength from doing a little work.
"... Comfortable!"
Taking a bath without someone scrubbing your back lacks soul.
After being roughly scrubbed by the not-so-skilled Hua Lian'er, Chen Ping felt completely relaxed, as if floating in the clouds.
"Wow..."
He stood up, drops of water rolling off, squinting his eyes in pleasure, he picked up a basin of warm water nearby and poured it from head to toe. In that moment, even his injured leg seemed less painful.
Faintly, he heard a "phew," and amidst the splattering water, a figure hurriedly dodged and dashed out of the room.
There's no obstacle in the world that can't be overcome; being alive is truly wonderful.
Chen Ping changed into his newly bought coarse cloth clothes, drained the dirty water, and walked out of the room in high spirits... The courtyard was warmly lit by the sun, and Zuo Duanshou and the Kuihua Brothers were huddled over a table, eating heartily.
"Hua Lian'er, there's still hot water, wash up quickly and come eat."
Shouting in rough tones, Chen Ping called out as he headed to the courtyard.
For some reason, he felt that the people eating shared an odd expression, with both shoulders shaking slightly, seeming to be stifling laughter.
Looking again, it felt like an illusion.
"Seventh Brother, eat quickly, you're injured. Earlier, we didn't buy any wine, so eat more meat to nourish yourself. By the way, the medicine is already brewing..."
Zuo Duanshou eagerly offered a seat, his facial muscles twitching as he spoke, holding back his breath.
"Are you hiding something from me?"
"No, it's just worry, yes, worry... What if the people get tired of listening to this piece if it's sung too much?"
Zuo Duanshou hurriedly responded.
"Yeah, yeah."
Little Table and Little Stool nodded repeatedly like chickens pecking at rice.
"No matter how nice the tune is, it can't endure being heard repeatedly. If they get tired of it, no one will give silver, then we'll..."
"There's no need to worry about that now; when the time comes, we can just sing a new tune... Everything is difficult at the start, the challenge is making a name for ourselves. In the future, the people who come will only increase, not decrease."
Chen Ping was unconcerned, grabbing a shiny red elbow of meat to gnaw on, finding it chewy, fragrant, and tender.
Having lacked oily food while hungry, once he saw the meat, he couldn't stop after taking a bite.
Raising his eyes, he noticed Zuo Duanshou and the others seemed a bit absent-minded, avoiding even looking at him.
Occasionally, they'd glance toward the room, as if thinking about something.
The sound of water rustling reached his ears.
Chen Ping frowned slightly, hesitantly put down the elbow, and stood up to walk into the room. He saw a figure with hair hanging loose, holding a basin, with hot water pouring down from head to toe.
The dirty clothes they were wearing stuck to them, soaking wet.
Indeed, Hua Lian'er was bathing.
But looked like a drenched chicken, quite miserable.
"Are you bathing like this?"
Washing with clothes on?
Thinking maybe the little guy had even been bathed by his mom before becoming a beggar, didn't even know to take off clothes.
Can't mess with a rich family's child.
"It'll only get dirtier the more you wash. How long will this take?"
Chen Ping, helpless, amused and irritated, moved forward… as he swiftly tore off the soaked and tattered clothes, saying, "Fine, I'll help scrub your back too..."
His eyes swept over.
And there.
Like a lotus bud just showing its tip, a dragonfly had already perched.
Hua Lian'er pushed aside the hair, with a pair of shiny black eyes, staring straight at him.
...
"..."
"This, that..."
Suddenly, Chen Ping felt his injured leg twinge, and his head ache... Silently, he helped change a basin of warm water, speaking in a low voice: "Wash with a couple more basins of water, hurry out to eat, or else the others will finish it."
If I'm not embarrassed.
Then it's others who will be embarrassed.
With a calm expression, and a limp, he slowly walked out of the room.
He barely had taken a seat, when he heard Zuo Duanshou and the Kuihua Brothers stifling laughter with 'ku ku' noises, their bodies trembling violently.
Without a hint of memory of the past self.
The trap was right here.
Apparently, the few people in front of me knew it.
Yet, not a single one reminded me.
Hua Lian'er turned out to be...
A woman.
Moreover, judging by the scale.
She must have already reached maturity.
Earlier, seeing her short stature, I thought she was young.
But I hadn't considered that in some situations, being small doesn't necessarily mean being young.
A child's voice doesn't necessarily sound childlike; there's another possibility, it's a woman's voice.
Being prejudiced is unwise.
Her face was painted with flowers, making it completely indistinct. Plus, in this era, both men and women kept their hair long; Chen Ping never even thought in that direction.
Of course, it also had to do with Hua Lian'er's bold demeanor.
"Laugh if you want, laugh until you're full, you surely won't want to eat... go train your body, it'll be more effective when you need to escape."
Chen Ping said this, reaching out to gather all the food.
The few were dumbfounded.
Suddenly, they couldn't laugh.
They could only obediently run under the tree to train their bodies.
At this moment, there's no concern about things like post-meal health care, not exercising immediately.
After a while, Hua Lian'er came out.
Holding a bowl of black, murky medicinal soup.
"Seventh Brother, time to take your medicine."
She had changed into rough cloth blue clothes, her face adorned with new floral designs.
Whether it was an illusion or not, she seemed so delicate and pretty.
In the center of her brow, a fingernail-sized crescent-shaped red birthmark added a touch of softness.
Standing there, it was hard to look away.
Indeed, those brows, those eyes, that refined nose and mouth, even if her features weren't clear, they were undeniably delightful... what kind of vision had I previously had to not notice?
"Let's eat, don't go out this afternoon. First, practice the new tune thoroughly, so tomorrow we can alternate it in our performances."
A single tune can't dominate the world.
Chen Ping can foresee that this "business" won't last long...
No matter the trade, once it involves profit, there's no way that a few street urchins can keep it; they'll be either absorbed or exploited.
Singing for a long time, fame reaches a certain level, and might attract even more bizarre and unpredictable events.
Vice Incense Master Chang has already seen, that person doesn't seem like someone with responsibility.
In case of trouble, people like him would certainly dissociate themselves.
Could end up selling us directly.
"Another new tune? What's the lyrics..."
Hua Lian'er was in great delight.
To have encountered such a pleasant tune was already rare enough.
She never expected there would be more.
See, just like this.
Even Hua Lian'er, upon discovering the lyrics and tune, reacted with such emotion.
It's imaginable that the classics from future generations, once widely spread, will cause immense waves in this era.
"Shuidiao Ge Tou."
Chen Ping smiled.
Looking at Hua Lian'er's smiling face, he cast his troubles aside.
Just let it be.
Until the leg injury has healed, nothing can be done.
Once healed and the body trained to its peak, then he'll have the right to say "no."
...
After eating and drinking the medicine, Chen Ping dragged his injured leg, walking in circles in the courtyard.
The Eight Trigrams Palm is not only about the palm, but also the fist, primarily the body technique.
Circle left, circle right, countless circles form a whole.
Hands, eyes, body, steps; tendons and bones, skin and flesh, all merge into one primordial state, like a rusty machine, start moving again... the food transforms into energy, gradually replenishing the foundation, strengthening tendons and bones.
This is a water grinding practice.
Feeling the mind growing robust and qi and blood getting stronger little by little...
By the time darkness falls, the few have already gone to sleep, yet Chen Ping remains awake, closing his eyes focusing his thoughts solely on the injured leg.
This is the key to the fist study, the principle of storing thoughts and guarding intent.
By concentrating your thoughts, channeling to a particular part of the body, it accelerates cell regeneration, allowing the injured leg to heal faster.
No scientific basis.
Yet Chen Ping knows, this method is indeed effective.
'Now that the night is deep and quiet, won't disturb others. Perfect time, let's see how these two points of Fortune will change my destiny?'
Chen Ping suddenly opened his eyes, filled with anticipation.