Carrying a Jurassic on me
Chapter 973 - 525 How much does it cost to feed a tiger?

Chapter 973: Chapter 525 How much does it cost to feed a tiger?

There’s a saying that goes, "Joy taken to the extreme leads to sorrow."

Just as Yan Fei was rubbing his fingers, about to ask Comrade Old Wang for New Year’s money, Yanfei’s father, standing behind him, finally snapped to attention.

Just now, Yan Chao had been hurriedly sent by his brother, and his actions were so swift that Yan Wenhai and his wife didn’t recognize Old Wang at first, only realizing what was happening when Old Wang took out his money. Seeing how familiar Yan Fei was with the man, they wanted to maintain their son’s dignity in front of a stranger. After all, Yan Fei was not only their son, but also a boss.

But when they saw Yan Fei also stretching out his hand for New Year’s money, Comrade Old Wang once again had a bitter smile on his face, and Yanfei’s mom couldn’t help but smack him lightly, "We have guests, and you’re not offering them to come in for a cup of tea, and yet you have the nerve to ask for New Year’s money?"

Old Wang hurriedly said with a smile, "No problem, no problem, we have a close relationship and often joke around. You must be Xiaofei’s parents, right? I work at the county’s Forestry Bureau, and I’m Ma Yongming’s father-in-law. Actually, our connection is quite close, it’s just that we’ve never had the chance to meet before. We should visit each other more in the future."

Yan Fei felt a jolt inside, looking at Director Wang’s attitude, which seemed overly eager, he was certain there was a "great conspiracy" at play!

After Old Wang exchanged pleasantries with his parents for a while, he was about to take Old Wang back to the office at the cattle farm when he suddenly looked west and laughed, "We’ll have to wait a moment, the martial arts team is coming from over there, and the leader is my grandpa..."

Indeed, a group of people carrying spears, swords, and cudgels, along with three-section sticks and nine-section whips, complete with gongs and drums, was the martial arts team from Shanglin Village.

The smiling old man marching at the front was indeed Yan Fei’s grandfather. At this moment, dressed in a dashing short jacket for martial arts, he carried a Daguan Knife with formidable vigor. The red tassel spears and dark broadswords carried by the group behind him added to the old man’s impressive aura.

Heizi this time had the good sense to meet them from afar, offering seats and bustling to bring tea and water upon their arrival. There was no choice. Not only was the old man leading the charge, but the uncle who Yan Fei’s aunt described as "not able to fart with three prods," was also there, as well as Yan Fei’s cousin who loved to join in the festivities and had come along during the holiday break.

This fellow was quite familiar with Heizi and his crew, and upon arrival, people were already jesting with him, "Huzi, carrying that spear, are you also going to perform?"

Lin Haihu blushed for once, "I’m just a reserve, usually, there’s no need for me to take action."

It wasn’t that there was no need, it was because even villagers have pride; having such a semi-skilled person perform might bring injury to himself, how would they then face performing in the village in the future!

Yan Fei’s grandfather, however, was full of fighting spirit. After exchanging a few words with the group, he waved his hand grandly, "Stop fussing, we’ve arrived a bit late, let’s not delay any longer. Start the fireworks!"

If you say so, setting off the firecrackers wasn’t easy, hoisting the big bamboo poles wound with firecrackers was indeed taxing. Heizi and a few others were taking turns holding the poles, and at this particular moment, Xiaosong was guarding the pole wrapped in firecrackers. Hearing the command, he promptly lifted the pole, Heizi approached with a lighter, and the crackling of firecrackers began resounding.

The cattle farm actually had one advantage that other places lacked: the area was relatively open, so when the firecrackers went off, the sound echoed around. Plus, the smoke from the firecracker’s gunpowder dispersed quickly, and as soon as the fireworks ceased, a young man lifted a long staff with a short stick attached and burst into the arena covered in fragments of red paper.

This type of staff, with a long stick connected to a short stick, is also known as a long-short staff. Everyone knows the power of nunchucks, and this type of staff essentially amplifies that power. The long stick, when swung around, is much more formidable than the short nunchucks, and the short stick attached to the top, when flicked in motion, creates a force far greater than ordinary sticks and cudgels.

However, this kind of weapon, which is more practical than showy, is on the brink of extinction. In fact, this sort of weapon has a wide range of applications, with chain hammers also utilizing this swinging force to deliver powerful strikes—when people think of chain hammers, they often imagine the weapons of ancient Western armies, but in fact, such weapons have been in use in various forms for countless years in China’s five-thousand-year-old civilization, both in daily life and in the military.

The performance with the long-short staff had not yet ended when another young man brandishing a broadsword rushed in. The broadswords from Shanglin Village were thick-backed machetes, like the ones made by the old ironsmiths of the Yan family, used for chopping off the heads of "devils" (enemy soldiers).

Although this type of sword doesn’t present as elegantly as the now-popular willow leaf knife—with its thiner blade, especially the flexible tip that trembles with a flick of the wrist and produces a ringing sound, and its dazzlingly shiny blade—a stark contrast to the thick-backed machete, it wasn’t as visually appealing.

Yet, back in the day when they were chopping off the heads of enemy soldiers, it was this unattractive swordplay that decapitated countless enemies on the battlefield. To this day, the people of Wan City still fondly remember those battalions of broadsword wielders.

Following that were more ornate performances with the nine-section whip and then Yan Fei’s uncle took the stage to swing around the three-section stick. After him, there were duets and sparring.

The first performers dressed in martial arts jackets, and later, some who needed to tumble on the ground went so far as to go shirtless for their act. This was in the cold weather, showing a true indifference to the cold.

The climactic moment was the sparring between the broadsword and the red-tassel spear, where a young man’s spear, topped with a red tuft, never strayed from his opponent’s head. The crowd was on edge as the spear’s tip barely missed his head with each maneuver, drawing gasps from the onlookers.