The dinner was arranged at a restaurant for seven that evening. Chu Yifeng also passed along a message from his grandfather.
Old Master Chu had been practicing the Health Fist for some time. He had a military background and, in his youth, had been skilled at fighting. Later he had studied for a while under a martial artist. From the beginning, he sensed that there was something extraordinary about these movements.
Although it was called the Health Fist, the routine seemed strangely akin to ancient cultivation techniques. Old Master Chu was more knowledgeable than Old Master Zhou, and after only a few days he discerned its subtleties. He ordered every member of the household, young and old, to learn it. The younger generation groaned, but under his authority they had to get up at dawn to practice. Only those living at school escaped. After a while, however, even Chu Hong and the others discovered that it really did help.
Then the old master came up with the idea of introducing the Health Fist throughout the military district.
But the routine had been devised by Wang Cheng’s teacher. Although that teacher had passed away, Wang Cheng was his successor, so his permission ought to be sought.
“The old master said that if you agree, he can help apply for a patent for the Health Fist,” Chu Yifeng relayed.
Wang Cheng waved a hand. “There’s no need. The old monk devised the Health Fist on a whim and never cared for such empty honors. Besides, even if everyone learned it, without the guidance of a proper master it would only be a form of exercise. Apart from strengthening the body and prolonging life, it wouldn’t do anything else.”
“How do you mean?” Chu Yifeng had not expected the Health Fist to conceal a secret.
“I’ve told you before that the old monk created it based on the martial arts he learned. Well, take a martial art that needs both its mental method and its physical moves to show its true power. Neither can be omitted. The Health Fist is like the physical moves. Without the mental method, learning the routine won’t give you that power.”
Chu Yifeng smiled. “So that’s why you aren’t worried about teaching it to everyone?”
“Partly. Since the old monk taught the village elders the Health Fist himself, I doubt he’d object to its spreading.”
They let the subject drop. When Old Master Chu learned the details later, he nevertheless arranged for the Health Fist to be patented in the old monk’s name. Chu Hong and Chu Lei were put in charge of teaching the young soldiers. At first, many thought the slow, soft movements could not possibly be useful. But after a period of practice, enthusiasm for the Health Fist swept through the military district, and within a few years it was being practiced in military districts across the country.
Wang Cheng told Butler Zhou that he would not be back for dinner.
Since he was meeting a parent, it would not do to dress too carelessly. But spring had arrived and May was almost upon them, so Wang Cheng had gone out without a suit. He wore casual trousers, a shirt, and a wool sweater, comfortable and informal, much like his personality.
Chu Yifeng thought he looked fine and told him there was no need to change.
They were meeting at a proper Italian restaurant because Chu Yifeng’s mother did not like Chinese food. It was almost seven, but neither parent had arrived. The restaurant was already nearly half full for dinner, although it remained quiet.
Chu Yifeng passed Wang Cheng the menu. “See what you’d like.”
Wang Cheng had never eaten Italian food, though he had heard pasta was good. Opening the menu, he discovered a bewildering number of different kinds, and Chu Yifeng eventually recommended one.
Just before seven, a small commotion arose near the entrance. Wang Cheng instinctively guessed that it had something to do with Chu Yifeng’s parents. Turning around, he spotted Chu Li, but then noticed something unexpected.
He leaned toward Chu Yifeng. “Am I seeing things, or have both your parents brought dates?”
Each of Chu Yifeng’s strikingly attractive parents had someone beside them. Chu Li’s companion was a beautiful, alluring woman with her pale shoulders completely bare, even though plenty of people were still wearing sweaters in the chilly weather. Chu Yifeng’s mother, meanwhile, had exquisite features, a tall figure, full hips, and a narrow waist. One glance was enough to eclipse Chu Li’s companion. Her own male companion was handsome as well, though next to Chu Li he lacked a little charm.
Four such attractive people together were bound to draw attention.
Just as Wang Cheng anticipated a spectacular confrontation, the former spouses said something to their respective companions. Chu Yifeng’s mother then naturally linked arms with Chu Li, and the two walked into the restaurant as though they were a couple. Their abandoned dates stood outside, dumbfounded.
“They’ve always been like this. No need to be surprised,” Chu Yifeng said. He was used to it.
Both parents were well past their youth but still pursued their separate pleasures. They never made embarrassing scenes in public, and both knew how to let go gracefully.
Wang Cheng thought it was no wonder Chu Yifeng had become such a headache for his grandfather. With a son and daughter-in-law as unconventional as these, how could their child possibly be ordinary? Still, he was glad Chu Yifeng had not inherited their completely uninhibited approach to romance. Otherwise, he would have a headache himself.
“Hi, sweetheart! It’s been so long! Did you miss Mommy?” The beautiful, exuberant Emily immediately released Chu Li’s arm and gleefully wrapped her arms around Chu Yifeng’s head.
Wang Cheng almost sprayed the water he was drinking. The sight was hard to look at.
Chu Yifeng calmly pushed Emily away. “No. Go back to your ex-husband.”
Emily instantly looked wounded. Clinging to Chu Li’s arm, she complained, “Chu Li, our boy doesn’t want me anymore! I’m so sad.”
The corner of Chu Li’s mouth twitched. “At least look at where you are. His partner is right here, so hugging him like that isn’t appropriate. Besides, it’s hardly the first time he’s rejected you. What’s there to be sad about? He’s been rejecting me for more than twenty years… Hey!”
But Emily’s attention had already flown to Wang Cheng. Discovering a remarkably handsome young man, her eyes lit up. She pushed aside the unprepared Chu Li, rushed over, and seized Wang Cheng’s hand. “Hello! It’s wonderful to meet you. I’m Emily, your boyfriend’s mommy. You can call me Mommy Emily!”
“It’s wonderful to meet you too. You can call me Wang Cheng or Zhou Cheng.” Wang Cheng tried to withdraw his hand, only to discover that her grip was surprisingly strong.
Chu Yifeng rescued him by pulling Emily away. “Mom, if you know he’s my partner, stop holding his hand. I’m the only one who gets to take liberties with him.”
Emily covered her face in delight. “I never imagined my boy would be so possessive! He won’t even let Mommy touch him. But he’s so handsome and cool! I never knew this was what he was like when he fell for someone. Those excellent genes certainly came from his parents.”
Chu Li could not stand it anymore and pressed her into a seat. When he had been married to Emily, he had never noticed this side of his former wife. If he had not witnessed it so often by now, he would never have believed the dignified Emily could be so obsessed with her son. Whenever the boy was present, every measure of her enthusiasm went off the charts.
Throughout dinner, Emily kept finding opportunities to speak to Wang Cheng. She appeared merely curious about him, but her questions probed his family and personal circumstances, as though assessing him on her son’s behalf. At heart, after all, she was still a mother. Or rather, a mommy.
What she learned was quite unexpected. When Chu Yifeng first told her about Wang Cheng, he had described an ordinary man who was an employee of his company, and said that they were together. Emily had assumed he came from a typical family. But such a distinguished background? Was this really the same person her son had told her about?
Chu Yifeng guessed what confused her and explained it briefly.
“I know! In Hua Country you have a saying about a sparrow turning into a phoenix. Is that it?” Emily noticed their silence and excitedly offered another possibility. “Or is it the one about the liberated slaves singing?”
Elio’s Notes: Emily’s first guess is the familiar “sparrow turns into a phoenix” expression for a rise in status. Her second is a muddled reference to the Chinese song Emancipated Serfs Sing Proudly. Neither is quite the right description, which is why everyone is speechless.
Chu Li scooped the filling from a mussel and put it into Emily’s mouth. “My dear Emily, the more you talk, the stranger you sound. You’re going to scare our guest away, and then our son will hold you responsible.”
Emily cast Wang Cheng a plaintive glance. “All right.”
Wang Cheng would be part of her family sooner or later. Couldn’t she have a little fun teasing him?
Wang Cheng secretly wiped away his sweat. Having such a mercurial mother could not have been easy for Chu Yifeng. He could almost imagine his childhood.
Luckily, Emily’s outbursts were occasional, and she behaved properly for the rest of the meal. In her serious moments, she was a pleasure to look at even in middle age. Famous foreign actresses on television could scarcely compare with her. She was already in her fifties, yet looked as though she were in her thirties. Chu Li was the same: neither person’s looks betrayed their age. Men who went out with Emily rarely believed how old she was.
The former spouses shared another trait. Both were constantly surrounded by admirers and rarely stayed interested in the same companion for more than a few months. They usually ended things cleanly, but there were always a few who would not give up and believed they could change the other person. Such troublesome former companions occasionally appeared, including now.
They had finished dinner and were preparing to pay when a beautiful, delicate-looking woman suddenly approached. She gazed at Chu Li with an injured, yearning expression.