Section 27: Beauty and Football
Mr. Yushan has been looking very well lately. Not only did Yun Ye bring the old gentleman’s family from the distant Shu to Chang’an, but he was finally admitted to the Hongwen Academy, where he was officially appointed as a fourth-rank official. Although he is a non-official, it is also a kind of affirmation of his life.
He would never go to the Academy of Literature. He never respected those hypocritical scholars who schemed and fought for power. He thought to himself that he didn’t have to lower his status and curry favor, and he didn’t have to live in fear of scheming and fighting all day long. As long as he did what he loved most, he could rise to the top. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction. He was old, and his luck in officialdom finally came to him.
The academy had specially vacated a courtyard to temporarily house the families of the old teachers. Yun Ye was going to build dozens of small buildings along the Dongyang River. After seeing the renderings, each small building was beautiful in the eyes of Mr. Yushan, and he was worried about how much it would cost.
He told Li Gang his doubts, but Li Gang snorted and laughed, telling him not to worry about money, because money seemed to be no problem for Yun Ye.
Old Li thought about the thousand kuan of money he had saved by eating frugally and felt distressed that it had been so easily deceived by Yun Ye with four broken iron bars. Thinking about this, Li Gang said to Mr. Yushan, “My family will arrive in Chang’an soon, and this house on the east bank of the Yangtze River will definitely have a set for me. It can’t be small. We don’t need to save money for him. The bigger the house is, the better. The more complete the repairs inside are, the better. It’s best for me to be able to move in with my luggage.”
“Old Li, don’t you have an old house in Chang’an?” Mr. Yushan was a little surprised.
“I’m going to spend the rest of my life in the academy, so why would that kid care about a house?” Li Gang was a little smug, thinking to himself, “My 1,000 strings of cash is not so easy to come by!”
“Right, Yushan, watch your front door. This academy is full of the most famous young scoundrels in Chang’an. Your granddaughter is as beautiful as a flower and has been well-educated by your eldest son. She is an excellent child. Don’t let her be corrupted by the scoundrels in the academy.”
“Hahaha, my granddaughter is not a match for the average playboy. That child has always been smart, and those playboys in the academy are not her match.” Mr. Yushan said confidently.
“Hmph! You’re too happy too soon. Even if your granddaughter is a top-notch smart kid, if the biggest playboy in the academy sets his mind on her, I’m afraid you’re too happy too soon.” Li Gang didn’t think highly of Mr. Yushan’s self-confidence.
“Who? Chang Sun Chong, Li Huai Ren went to the battlefield, the two princes are too young, the rest are not enough to talk about.” Mr. Yushan disagreed.
“You forgot Yun Ye, the demon. I’ve seen him do things, and he’s never failed to get what he wants. Do you think your granddaughter has a chance against him?” Li Gang was a bit gloating.
Mr. Yushan’s face immediately turned dark. He didn’t dare to guarantee that his granddaughter could be Yun Ye’s opponent. Thinking about the unpredictable methods of that kid, he couldn’t help but worry greatly.
“You don’t have to worry. Although that kid has a reputation as a playboy, you and I both know that he is a rare genius. He has status, wealth, and means. Such a golden son-in-law, your granddaughter marrying him is not a good thing?” Li Gang glanced at Mr. Yushan and lamented in his heart why his two sons had not given him a beautiful granddaughter, so that Yushan had taken the lead.
“Do you think it’s suitable?” Yushan asked Li Gang.
Mr. Li could not stand the ugly behavior of his old friend, who took advantage of the situation and then acted like a good boy.
Yushan is now very lively. Since Yun Ye invented football, the students in the academy have become crazy about this crazy sport.
Every time class is over, even if it’s only twenty minutes, they will race against time to play a few rounds of soccer.
So sports shorts appeared, as did cross-bar vests, and football boots with short iron spikes on the leather soles, and they were divided into left and right. If anyone in the academy didn’t have such a set of equipment, they would be despised, and they would be ashamed of themselves.
The old masters didn’t understand why twenty or so people chasing after a leather ball could be so interesting. It wasn’t until they saw a real game that they discovered the deep intricacies of the game, the ever-changing nature of offense and defense, and the deep military strategy. The most difficult thing was the emphasis on teamwork. Even if a person’s skills were very high, it was difficult to defeat the opponent’s overall cooperation. This was very important for establishing the school’s academic atmosphere, so they no longer stopped it and let it develop freely.
The raggedy field is naturally not a place for ladies to stay. They don’t like to see dozens of hairy men sweating all over their faces, and they find it disgusting.
At least, that’s what Runniang said, but she was slapped hard by her grandmother. How would she know that men are hairy if she hadn’t seen it?
Yun Ye played a few games, but he didn’t get a chance to show off his extraordinary footwork. He was either knocked into the air by the half-ton Yuchi Dasha, or he would encounter the bald man Duan Meng. The tradition of the Duan family is to have a bald head, and even the eyebrows are gone. It is already considered unfilial to have a few eyebrows, and you dare to have hair?
The family’s iron head technique collided with Yun Ye’s head, and Yun Ye felt like he had hit a rock. Xiao Duan snatched the ball and joyfully attacked Yun Ye’s door, while Yun Ye lay on the grass counting the golden stars that were popping up in front of his eyes.
On purpose! Absolutely on purpose. As the only teacher among his peers, he was naturally antagonistic to his students, especially after Liu Xian’s brutal preschool education, and was full of a desire for revenge.
A few old men dare not offend, offending the old guy will be worse than death when he returns home, offending the elite of Shu will eat duck eggs, and the result is as above, bumping into Liu Xian will be painful for three lives. You haven’t seen the weasel now drilling holes in the mountains, just to find a suitable jade table for Liu Xian to use at home, or a dining table for twelve people.
After much deliberation, only Yun Ye was the most suitable. He was neither too big nor too small, neither fat nor thin, and he was comfortable to beat and kick without any after-effects. On the surface, he dared not, but on the field, isn’t there such a thing as a reasonable collision?
Yun Ye doesn’t have the habit of getting into fights, so every time he can only stand on the sidelines and worry. It’s not uncommon for him to get angry and jump up and down, cursing people. So it’s not uncommon for footballs with pig bladders to fly at his face.
In desperation, Yun Hou had to leave the pitch and go to Mr. Yushan for tea…
Mr. Yushan’s habits have long since changed. He probably felt that he did not have the talent of Zhao Yanling. After tasting the tea he made himself, especially after Li Tai vomited in front of him, he put away the tea set and stopped tormenting others.
In the spirit of recycling, Yun Ye took over the old man’s mantle and, after much hard work, created a new method called Kung Fu Tea.
After everyone had tasted it carefully, Zhao Yanling praised it as having a unique flavor, and said that it was comparable to the method of making tea in Sichuan. Although it did not have the rich flavor of sencha, it was sweet and fragrant, and left a lasting impression.
After drinking it, Mr. Yushan was invigorated and stubbornly believed that Yun Ye had only improved on his own method of making tea. He stubbornly named this method of making tea the Yushan method.
The old guys congratulated Mr. Yushan on his fame that would last for thousands of years. As for Yun Ye, he was pitifully in the position of a passerby, and no one would remember him…