(6) A Real Man
Although I felt a strong connection with Zhuxiangxiang's mother as soon as I saw her, I didn't want her to treat me like a child. I had already grown out of that stage and could have an adult conversation with her, or at least, approach it with a mature attitude. However, I was feeling so excited that my body couldn't help but tremble uncontrollably! I took a deep breath and tilted my head to the side. When I wanted to show my pride, this was the body language that would naturally come out. So, I looked at the setting sun. The sun had turned bright red and looked more like a big fireball, but I couldn't feel any heat from it. The sun was surrounded by thick clouds, which reflected a blurry red color, giving the clouds a description of "red clouds" in writing. Despite being blocked by high city walls and the howling north wind, the wind still felt like a stabbing pain all over my body. Due to my excitement, I was sweating profusely. When the cold wind blew, the sweat evaporated, taking away the heat and making me feel even colder. As a result, my body trembled more and more violently. I knew I must have looked extremely embarrassed and wanted to run away to avoid further embarrassment. But at that moment, two hands rested on my shoulders, accompanied by a soft and pleasant voice: "Do you want to hear a true story?" I turned my head and saw Zhuxiangxiang's mother looking at me. I could feel that her gaze was friendly and that she didn't treat me like a child. I pursed my lips and nodded. She pointed to the foot of the city wall and said, "It's less windy there, not as cold!" My body was still trembling, but I naturally resisted and said, "I'm not cold!" Zhuxiangxiang's mother smiled mischievously and raised her eyebrows. "So why are you trembling? Are you afraid of the story I'm about to tell?" I raised my voice, "I'm not afraid of anything!" She laughed, "I believe you! You're brave...very brave. Your performance just now has proven your bravery!" Everyone likes to be praised, especially when it is sincere and heartfelt. It made me feel extremely comfortable, and naturally, my trembling stopped. I politely said, "Thank you. I think people should be brave in order to face life!" She nodded and walked towards the foot of the city wall. I followed her and sat down on a large stone. It was much less windy there. After Zhuxiangxiang's mother sat down, she looked up at the sky, gazing at the gradually fading red clouds. I was waiting for her to start telling the story, but she said, "It's going to snow soon!" I didn't say anything, I just looked at her carefully. The more I looked, the more I felt that she resembled the woman who appeared on the "Ghost Bamboo". They were the same person! (At that time, and for a long time afterwards, I couldn't imagine why there would be a human figure on the "Ghost Bamboo". I couldn't even imagine what the "Ghost Bamboo" was!) (Of course, whenever I had the opportunity, I would mention this experience from my youth to people who could listen to my stories. Naturally, these people were also very imaginative, just like me. They couldn't explain it either, and most of them exclaimed, "There are so many incredible and unimaginable things in the world!" Some people were even more melancholic, saying, "The level of human knowledge is still very low!") If she didn't speak up, I was about to ask her how her appearance ended up on the magical "Ghost Bamboo". She sighed first, "Many years ago, two passionate young men, just like today before the snowfall, felt that the country was in trouble and needed their help. So they left school and joined the army, just like the ancient heroes. These two young men had similar interests and were true friends, willing to live and die together." She spoke slowly. I was always impatient and liked to show off, so I could guess the identities of these "two young men". So, I said impolitely, "One of them is Zhuxiangxiang's father!" Zhuxiangxiang's mother wasn't surprised by how I guessed it. She continued, "The reason they became good friends is interesting. Their names were the same, and their surnames were also half the same. After they entered middle school, they found a classmate with a name that was 84% similar to their own names on the student roster. They introduced themselves to each other and became instant friends. Their names were Zhiqiang, a very common boy's name. Zhuxiangxiang's surname is Zhu, as you know." With this last sentence, she admitted that I had guessed it correctly. I now knew that Zhuxiangxiang's father was named Zhu Zhiqiang, which was indeed a very common name. At this point, Zhuxiangxiang's mother's expression was strange, as if she was saying, "Can you guess the other young man's surname?" With so many surnames in China, it was difficult to guess. However, she had already given me a clue in her words: their names were 84% similar. With a name composed of three characters, the two characters "Zhiqiang" were the same, accounting for 66.6%. If the surname was half the same, it would be around 84%. I thought for a moment, starting with the radical, the character "Zhu" belonged to the "Shi" radical. I thought of "Qi," "Zu," and even the very rare surname "Xiang." Then suddenly, the character "Fu" came to mind. I blurted out, "The surname is Fu!" Zhuxiangxiang's mother looked surprised, "Who has the surname Fu?" I confidently replied, "There is, a general named Fukang'an during the Qing Dynasty!" (This Fukang'an is an important character in legendary novels. It is said that he was the illegitimate son of Emperor Qianlong, so he appears in many novels. However, it was not until he was portrayed in Jin Yong's novels that he truly became famous. I love reading all kinds of novels, so subconsciously, I had a deep impression of him. Zhuxiangxiang's mother smiled, "Fukang'an is a Manchu. His surname is not Fu, but Fuchacha." Fortunately, it was already dark at this time, so she couldn't see if my face was red. I thought for a moment and gave up searching for the surname based on radicals. The other half of the character "Zhu" was the character "Xiong." Originally, it would not have been easy to find a surname by following this "Xiong" character. But suddenly, I thought of another person, which gave me a glimmer of hope. I calmly asked, "When is the competition?" Zhuxiangxiang's mother looked surprised, "Tonight, after the grand banquet at the county government. Will you come on time?" I turned around, "I will be there on time!" Zhuxiangxiang's mother didn't stop me or try to persuade me to reconsider. I walked away, facing the cold wind, with determined steps. Do you remember one of my classmates nicknamed "Big Eyes"? He had the skill of shooting projectiles with a slingshot with 100% accuracy. I called him out from his home and told him what had happened. After hearing it, he turned pale and shook his hands repeatedly, "We're good friends, but I can't let you shoot eggs at my head... I can't!" I shook my head, "You shoot eggs at my head!" Big Eyes started crying in panic, "Wei Sili, although we're good friends, I've never touched a gun before. It's impossible! Impossible! Impossible!" He repeated "impossible" three times, and I stomped my foot, "You shoot with a slingshot, how do you aim?" Big Eyes stopped crying, "To be honest, I learned from a master. The secret my master taught me is that as long as I concentrate my mind on the target, the projectile will follow my thoughts and hit the target." At that time, I had never heard of this mysterious "mind-aiming method." It wasn't until many years later that guided missiles with laser guidance were developed, which had some similarities in theory. I said firmly, "Then use your method to shoot at me!" Big Eyes panicked and covered his head with both hands, spinning around in a frenzy, "If there's a slight mistake, your head will explode, and you'll die!" I said even more confidently, "I would rather die by your gun than suffer such humiliation!" Saying that, I dragged Big Eyes and walked towards the location of the banquet. It was quite a distance, and it took us some time. By the time we arrived, the banquet had just ended. As I stepped into the hall, I heard Kuo Yinghao laughing like an adult, "That Wei boy won't come. He dares not come, and he can't find a partner!" His words made me furious, but another girl's clear voice rang out, "Wei Sili will come, even if he can't find a partner, he will come alone!" It was Zhuxiangxiang's voice! In an instant, my blood boiled, and I pulled Big Eyes, raised my head high, and walked in with confident strides. As soon as we entered, the hall was brightly lit, but I couldn't tell how many people were there. I only saw a table in the middle with several imposing figures sitting at it. Zhuxiangxiang and Kuo Yinghao were there, as well as two of my elders. In this situation, it would be abnormal not to feel nervous, but Big Eyes, who was standing next to me, also straightened his body, his face extremely pale but determined. When everyone saw the two of us, they fell silent. A dignified middle-aged man (he was wearing civilian clothes, but I believed he was General Kuo) asked, "Have you two practiced shooting?" I replied, "I've never seen a real gun!" General Kuo turned to Big Eyes, who answered before being asked, "I've only shot slingshots!" The hall erupted in laughter, like a flood that could drown us. But despite the laughter, we persisted, and the competition began. As expected, Zhuxiangxiang was Kuo Yinghao's partner. When we each placed a small ring on our heads with an egg inside, hundreds of people fell silent. Kuo Yinghao came over with two guns and asked Big Eyes to choose first. Big Eyes randomly picked one. The distance was ten meters, and General Kuo signaled by throwing a cup. Both guns fired at the same time, and there was only one gunshot. After the gunshot, I felt sticky liquid all over my head. At that moment, I really thought it was egg and brain matter, but of course, it was just egg white and yolk! Big Eyes succeeded, and I wiped my face with my hand, seeing Zhuxiangxiang on the other side with egg white and yolk all over her face! The applause and cheers in the hall lasted for a long time. General Kuo stood up, and I could see that he was extremely excited. When the applause subsided slightly, he loudly proclaimed, "Everyone, this is how a real man should be!" As he spoke, he pointed at me and Big Eyes. I had already calmed down and gave him my answer, "I dare not, but one of the three conditions of a real man is unwavering might, and that I can do!" As I said this, I looked at Kuo Yinghao, who applauded me, his applause louder than anyone else's.