Chapter 83 (1/2)
You Are My Little Apple
“Please have this tea, Master.” Xia Lei knelt with both knees on the floor in the martial arts school, holding a cup of black tea high above his head.
Liang Zheng-Chun accepted it gravely and took a tiny sip. His expression was grave but under his seriousness was a happiness which his brows could not contain. A disciple like Xia Lei was one in a hundred years to a martial art practitioner like him. Meeting him was pure coincidence and luck.
Applause rang throughout the martial school. All the students, new and old, were happy for Master Liang and Xia Lei.
Lu Sheng also clapped but the smile on his face seemed a little forced.
Liang Si-Yao carried a tray piled with red envelopes and handed one out to every student. There wasn’t much money in the red envelopes, just a hundred, but this was the custom of the Fo-Shan people; they did not care about the amount of money to draw a picture of auspiciousness.
Liang Si-Yao gave Lu Sheng a red envelope and said quietly, “Monk, I know you’re unhappy but some things can’t be forced. It’ll be good if you think it over.”
“I’m okay. Xia Lei is stronger than me. I’ve practiced Wing Chun for years and him days but I could not beat him. He is most suited to be the successor of Master’s art. I seldom admit defeat to others but Xia Lei is one.”
“Mm. It’s good you think that way,” Liang Si-Yao smiled.
Xia Lei kowtowed, his head banging on the ground three times, then called, “Master.”
Liang Zheng-Chun put down his cup and helped Xia Lei to his feet. He could not hold back his smile anymore and beamed as he said, “Master has some advice for you. Be a good person and do what you do well.”
Xia Lei nodded, “I shall remember that, Master.”
Liang Zheng-Chun patted Xia Lei on the shoulder, “You are one of my Wing Chun people now after entering the doors of Wing Chun. I will not let you off if you use what I teach to do evil or to harm others.”
Xia Lei nodded again and thought, ‘Master isn’t usually so long-winded. Why is he nagging like this today?”
Liang Zheng-Chun leaned close to Xia Lei’s ear and spoke in a low tone, “Si-Yao says she’s working in your company. Is it true?”
Xia Lei kept nodding, “Mm, it’s true.”
Liang Zheng-Chun was silent for two seconds before he spoke again, “Take care of her. If any suspicious men approach her or have designs on her, I’d like you to beat them away.”
Xia Lei paused, then nodded again.
Men with unmarried daughters were mostly like that - afraid that their daughters would be duped by bad men. It wasn’t strange at all for Liang Zheng-Chun to have thoughts like that.
Liang Si-Yao walked over after giving out all the red envelopes, “What are you guys talking about?”
“Don’t tell her,” whispered Liang Zheng-Chun.
Xia Lei’s mind worked nimbly, “Master was teaching me martial arts.”
Liang Si-Yao smiled, “Really, you two. You’ll have plenty of time. Let’s have hotpot tonight. How’s that sound?”
Before Xia Lei could agree, Lu Sheng spoke loudly, “Yes, today is a great day for Xia Lei. Let’s have the young disciple treat us all to a meal, yeah?”
“Yeah!” cheered the students.
Xia Lei laughed as he said, “Okay, okay, it’s my treat. Don’t hold back, guys. Make sure to eat and drink happily.”
The martial hall was filled with happy voices.
Xia Lei had one too many to drink and could not drive after they were done with the hotpot meal so Liang Si-Yao drove him to his neighbourhood in his car.
“Which floor do you live on?” Liang Si-Yao helped Xia Lei out of the car but did not know where to go in the midst all the residential buildings.
Xia Lei pointed at the stairwell facing the front of the car and said vaguely, “Sixth… floor.”
He was so drunk he could not make out which floor his home was on.
“I’ll help you home.” Liang Si-Yao supported Xia Lei as they headed for the stairwell.
When they neared the stairwell, Liang Si-Yao saw a woman on the balcony of the first floor eating a watermelon and staring straight at her and Xia Lei. Her gaze was weird and Liang Si-Yao thought, ‘This woman is strange. Doesn’t she know it’s rude to stare like that at people?”
As she was thinking, the watermelon-eating woman suddenly threw her watermelon away and went into her flat.
Liang Si-Yao had just helped Xia Lei into the stairwell when the watermelon-eating woman suddenly opened her door and walked out, then smiled as she looked at her and Xia Lei. She stood in the middle of the stairs and didn’t look like she intended to get out of the way at all.
“Miss, please move aside,” said Liang Si-Yao politely. She did not know that this woman was Jiang Ru-Yi and that she had an ambiguous relationship with Xia Lei.
“Oh my, isn’t this our Lei?” said Jiang Ru-Yi, pretending to meet them by coincidence in the stairwell.
“Our Lei?” Liang Si-Yao asked curiously, “Who are you?”
“He didn’t tell you about me?”
“No,” said Liang Si-Yao.
Jiang Ru-Yi came forward and slapped Xia Lei lightly on his head, “You rascal, you only know how to get drunk. Why didn’t you tell me you’ve made a new friend?”
“Who… hit me?” Xia Lei mumbled, then closed his eyes again.
‘Is this woman Xia Lei’s girlfriend?’ thought Liang Si-Yao.
“I’m so sorry our Lei has troubled you. You can hand him to me. I’ll take care of him,” said Jiang Ru-Yi.
Liang Si-Yao hesitated. Though she suspected that this woman was Xia Lei’s girlfriend, it was just a guess and she was not comfortable simply handing Xia Lei off to a strange woman.
Jiang Ru-Yi, on the other hand, grabbed Xia Lei’s other arm and prattled on, “You know, our Lei will make a fuss when he’s drunk and vomit all over. He’ll also strip naked and roll on the ground. It’s horrifying.”