ebookland Chapter 720 is full of talented people
Chapter 720 is full of talented people
The three of them, laughing and joking, came out of Lin Bufan's room number 5 and were about to go downstairs when they saw the door of room number 2 across the street open. A middle-aged man with a calm demeanor, wearing a Chinese-style jacket with frog buttons, slowly walked out. He was holding a string of dark prayer beads in his hand, his expression peaceful and his eyes gentle. It was Ma Qiushan, who lived in room number 2.
"Master Ma!" Chen Nanxing greeted him first with a smile, his tone familiar. Xu Hongdou also smiled and nodded.
Hearing the sound, Ma Qiushan looked up, a gentle smile appearing on his face. His gaze swept over Xu Hongdou and Chen Nanxing, finally landing on the unfamiliar Lin Bufan, where he nodded slightly in greeting.
Chen Nanxing stepped aside and introduced them: "Uncle Ma, this is our friend, Lin Bufan, who lives in room number 5. Bufan, this is Ma Qiushan, Uncle Ma, our neighbor in this courtyard."
Master Ma?
Trying to take advantage of your buddy?
That won't work!
"Old Ma! Hello, hello!" Lin Bufan stepped forward enthusiastically, grabbed Ma Qiushan's hand, shook it vigorously, and smiled broadly without any reservations: "My name is Lin Bufan. I'm new here, so we'll be neighbors from now on. Please take care of me!"
Ma Qiushan was clearly taken aback by Lin Bufan's overly direct and enthusiastic way of addressing him as "Old Ma," but as someone who had weathered many storms, he quickly regained his calm and collected demeanor. The prayer beads on his fingertips slid down imperceptibly, and he replied with a gentle smile, "Mr. Lin, you're too kind. It's fate that we met, and we should look after each other."
Lin Bufan let go of Ma Qiushan's hand, his gaze sweeping over the shiny prayer beads in Ma Qiushan's hand and his Chinese-style clothes with frog buttons. For some reason, the more he looked, the more he wanted to laugh!
To avoid laughing out loud and being considered impolite, Lin Bufan quickly changed the subject: "Old Ma, judging from your demeanor... you must be a cultivator, right?"
"I dare not claim to be a practitioner!" Ma Qiushan waved his hand with a smile, feigning humility: "I just meditate, drink tea, and occasionally practice the Eight Pieces of Brocade to loosen up my muscles and bones."
"Eight Pieces of Brocade is great, it's good for health!" Lin Bufan's eyes lit up, and he quickly added, "Old Ma, to be honest, I'm quite knowledgeable about our traditional martial arts. Look at my physique, I can tell I'm a trained practitioner, right? I specialize in Tai Chi!"
With that, Lin Bufan took a step back, assumed a fighting stance, and was about to demonstrate to Ma Qiushan. He took a deep breath, and his right fist slowly rotated and shot out from his waist. It seemed slow, but the fist suddenly accelerated halfway through, bringing with it a sharp "whoosh" of wind!
The wind came suddenly and fiercely, directly towards Maqiu Mountain. Master Ma's long, flowing hair was violently whipped back by the gust, his facial muscles were slightly deformed, and his loose-fitting, buttoned-up shirt was billowed and clung tightly to his body.
At this moment, Ma Qiushan looked as if he were facing a full-power, three-speed industrial-grade electric fan!
Maqiushan: "..."
The wind stopped!
It seems like it hasn't stopped!
Because the corners of Machu Mountain's mouth were still twitching wildly, as if he were still enduring a strong wind!
nonsense!
If you're so capable, try it and see if your mouth twitches!
Ma Qiushan looked at Lin Bufan as he slowly withdrew his fist, his eyes filled with disbelief and a silent accusation of "You call this Tai Chi?" Whose Tai Chi could produce the effect of an electric fan with a single punch?
Lin Bufan seemed completely oblivious to Ma Qiushan's inner turmoil. He stopped punching, stood still, and asked with a hint of anticipation, "How was it, Old Ma? How's my Tai Chi? How's it going? Interested in sparring and exchanging tips?"
Ma Qiushan took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the turmoil in his heart. He clenched his prayer beads tightly with his fingertips, forcing a smile that was extremely strained and even carried a hint of survival instinct. "Mr. Lin... Mr. Lin's skill is profound, and I... admire him! However, my knowledge is shallow, and I really dare not show off my limited skills in front of Mr. Lin. As for the matter of sparring... let's just leave it at that." As he spoke, he unconsciously took half a step back, afraid that Lin Bufan might get excited and demonstrate a move like "White Crane Spreads Wings" for him.
"Old Ma, you're too modest!" Lin Bufan stepped forward and patted Ma Qiushan's arm warmly. "It's all about exchange and learning. Participation is key. We can learn from each other and make progress together!"
Although Lin Bufan didn't use much force when he hit him, somehow Ma Qiushan was still knocked off balance!
"Old Ma, are you... alright?" Lin Bufan quickly reached out to help him up.
Ma Qiushan waved his hands repeatedly, taking a small step back with slightly unsteady steps, maintaining a forced but polite smile on his face: "It's alright, it's alright, Mr. Lin, there's no need to worry. It's just... it's just that I meditated for a while, and my legs are a little numb. It's nothing, it's nothing."
In order to end this nerve-wracking conversation as soon as possible, Ma Qiushan immediately made an excuse: "Um... Mr. Lin, you two talk first. I have some trivial matters to take care of downstairs, so please excuse me."
Before he finished speaking, Ma Qiushan had already turned around, his pace noticeably faster than usual, and headed towards the stairwell.
"Hey, Lao Ma!" Lin Bufan called out enthusiastically from behind Ma Qiushan, "It's a deal! Once your legs aren't numb anymore, let's spar again when you have time! I'm available anytime!"
Ma Qiushan's back stiffened noticeably, and he quickened his pace, almost as if he were riding on wheels of fire, disappearing in a flash around the corner of the stairs without even leaving a polite word.
Chen Nanxing watched as Master Ma almost fled in panic, and couldn't help but cover his mouth and chuckle. He nudged Lin Bufan with his elbow and whispered, "Look how scared you've made Master Ma."
Lin Bufan spread his hands innocently: "What did I do? I was just having a normal conversation! Old Ma was just being too modest!"
Xu Hongdou shook her head helplessly. She was already used to Lin Bufan's ability to quickly cause "trouble" wherever he went.
The three chatted and laughed as they walked down the stairs to the small courtyard on the first floor. The courtyard was clean and elegant, with several potted green plants thriving. Just as they entered the courtyard, they saw a girl dressed simply and with a gentle demeanor carrying a canvas bag walk in from outside.
Without the two introducing her, Lin Bufan recognized her at a glance: this was Nana, who lived in room number 1!
"Nana!" Chen Nanxing greeted her with a smile.
Nana looked up at the sound and saw Xu Hongdou and Chen Nanxing. A gentle smile appeared on her face: "Hongdou, Nanxing, you're back from shopping?"
Immediately afterwards, her gaze fell on Lin Bufan, with a hint of inquiry.
"Yes, we went for a walk in the village and had a meal," Xu Hongdou said with a smile, introducing the two: "Nana, this is our friend Lin Bufan, he just moved into room number 5. Lin Bufan, this is Nana, she's in room number 1, and she's very..."
Xu Hongdou originally wanted to mention that Nana was particularly enthusiastic, but now she felt it was unnecessary, because someone even more enthusiastic had appeared!
Yes, that's right!
It's Lin Bufan!
Before Xu Hongdou could even finish her introduction, Lin Bufan greeted her with a bright smile and extreme enthusiasm: "Hello, Nana! I'm Lin Bufan. I just moved in, so we'll be neighbors from now on! If you need any help here, just let me know, don't be shy! Whether it's fixing the plumbing or electrical work, moving heavy things, or just looking for someone to share a meal or chat with, just come to room 5 anytime. I'll be there whenever you call!"
Nana was taken aback by the overwhelming enthusiasm. She had a strange feeling that she was the newcomer and Lin Bufan was the old one, no... he was almost as enthusiastic as the landlord!
Nana subconsciously reached out and shook hands with Lin Bufan: "Ah... okay, thank you, Mr. Lin."
"Hey, don't call me Mr. Lin, that's too formal!" Lin Bufan released his hand, his tone familiar: "Just call me Brother Bufan, or Brother Lin! We're all friends now, let's help each other out!"
Nana was taken aback by Lin Bufan's sudden enthusiasm and the way he addressed her as "Brother Bufan," and she stood there awkwardly, frozen in place.
Seeing this, Xu Hongdou was both amused and annoyed. She gently slapped Lin Bufan's arm and said in a low voice, "That's enough, don't scare Nana." She turned to Nana and explained with an apologetic and helpless smile, "Nana, don't mind him. That's just how he is. He doesn't speak seriously and likes to joke. He doesn't mean any harm."
Nana snapped out of her daze and looked at Lin Bufan's bright and innocent smile. She couldn't help but laugh too, waving her hand to indicate that she didn't mind: "It's okay, it's quite funny, it's great. I feel like the courtyard is going to be lively from now on." She paused and then said, "Then I'll call you Lin Bufan from now on."
Lin Bufan rubbed his arm and muttered softly, "I still think Brother Bufan sounds better..." Before he could finish speaking, Xu Hongdou pinched his other arm lightly with precise precision, her eyes carrying a gentle warning. Lin Bufan immediately cooperated by making an exaggerated expression of pain, which made Chen Nanxing and Nana laugh.
Watching the two interact, Nana couldn't help but chuckle and said with a smile, "Okay, let's get serious. I work at a small restaurant in the village. If you're free to come over tomorrow, I'll treat you to our local specialty drinks and let you try my cooking."
"I'll definitely go! I absolutely have to go!" Lin Bufan immediately perked up, patting his chest to assure her, "Nana, since it's your invitation, I definitely have to go and support you! We'll head over as soon as we wake up tomorrow!"
"Okay, it's settled then." Nana smiled and nodded, exchanged a few more pleasantries, then picked up her bag and went back to her room.
After Nana left, Lin Bufan looked around the quiet and cozy courtyard shrouded in twilight and asked knowingly, "This courtyard is really nice. The atmosphere is great, quiet and elegant. Are there only a few of us living here? Are there any other neighbors?"
Xu Hongdou chimed in, "When we arrived, Xie Xiaochun—the girl in charge of managing the courtyard—gave us a brief introduction. Including us, there are currently seven people living in the courtyard. Room 1 is Nana, Room 2 is Master Ma, and Rooms 3 and 4 are also occupied, but we haven't met them yet."
Chen Nanxing added, "I heard from Xie Xiaochun that the person living in room 3 is a writer, I think his name is Da Mai. He is a bit introverted and doesn't like to go out much. The person living in room 4 is a musician named Hu Youyu. He often sings at bars at night, so his schedule is probably different from ours."
Lin Bufan, who already knew this, was naturally not surprised, but he still pretended to say, "Writers and musicians, this little courtyard is full of talented people, I love it here!"
Xu Hongdou: “…”
Chen Nanxing: "..."
Exhausted from the day's journey, Xu Hongdou and Chen Nanxing went back to their room to rest early.
Bored, Lin Bufan returned to his room, took out his laptop from his system space, connected to the internet, and logged into the game with practiced ease. Almost as soon as he logged in, "Sang Biao's" avatar lit up in his friend list, sending a team invitation.
[Sang Biao]: Prince, come quick, I'll help you rank up!
[The Dream of 3 Billion Women]: You bastard, you think you're so great? Believe me or not, I'll fly back right now and beat you up.
……
Soon, the room was filled with the sounds of intense keyboard typing and game sound effects as Lin Bufan became completely absorbed in his battle in the virtual world.
……
As night deepened, the lanterns under the eaves of the courtyard emitted a warm, dim light. Nana and Ma Qiushan sat at the wooden table in the courtyard, chatting quietly. The night air was cool and fragrant with the scent of grass and trees, making it exceptionally pleasant.
Hu Youyu, carrying a guitar on his back and a barbecue bag emitting an enticing aroma, walked in with a grin. Seeing Nana and Master Ma engrossed in their conversation, he deliberately raised his voice and called out with a hint of teasing, "Nana!"
The sudden sound startled Nana and Ma Qiushan, who were engrossed in their conversation.
Nana clutched her chest and glared reproachfully at Hu Youyu!
Ma Qiushan was so startled that he paused in his prayer beads and shook his head helplessly.
Seeing this, Hu Youyu chuckled smugly, stepped forward, and placed the barbecue bag on the wooden table: "Master Ma, Nana, I brought you some late-night snacks!"
Nana politely thanked her!
Hu Youyu waved his hand, then seemed to remember something. His gaze swept over several brightly lit doors, and he asked with a hint of excitement, "Hey, I heard there are some new guests checking in today? How about we invite them down for a bite to eat, to make it more lively!"
Upon hearing this, Nana explained, "She just took a plane and a car today, so she's probably tired and has already rested."
Hu Youyu, however, was not giving up. She looked up and pointed to the window of room number 5 upstairs, where the light was still on: "Look, isn't the light still on in room number 5? They must not be asleep! I'll go and call them, to get to know my new neighbor!"
Seeing his enthusiasm, Nana didn't want to stop him anymore, so she just smiled and said, "Suit yourself, but don't make too much noise for others."
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing," Hu Youyu said, then turned and quickly went upstairs. He first went to the door of room number 3, knocked lightly, and asked in a low voice, "Da Mai, are you asleep? I brought some barbecue, want to come out and eat?"
From inside the door came Da Mai's somewhat panicked and timid voice: "Thank you, Teacher Hu... No, no need, I... I don't want to eat!"
Hu Youyu seemed to be used to it and didn't force it. He said "Okay!" and then turned to the lit room number 5 with great interest.