Chapter 206: Okay, Bro You
Agula had planned to stay home for a few more days, but school exams were coming up. He only ended up staying for one day.
Zhou You also lingered an extra day at the Third Prince Banner. Agula’s father invited him for a meal, thanking him for looking after Agula at school.
The trip went fairly smoothly, despite a few minor hiccups.
Bater, now 25 and in his prime, felt restless stuck in a small county town and wanted to venture out. Even without Zhou You’s involvement, he’d likely have left soon anyway; this just gave him an excuse to see the world. A single man with no ties—easy to pack up and go. He threw a few things together and headed back with Zhou You and the others.
They returned to the capital first, returned the car to Yu Qian, spent a night there, and flew straight to Luzhou the next day. Sun Li planned to visit home over summer break before settling long-term in the capital.
At the Zhulang Gym, they first arranged for Batu to stay on the third floor. Then Zhou You had Li Houliang contact archery instructors. Just thinking about the fun ahead made him ecstatic.
Batu wasn’t a stranger to travel; he’d represented the grasslands in competitions and been around. At first, he thought Zhou You’s main gig was running a training business, but after a few days of interaction—especially hearing from Agula—he realized that wasn’t it. Zhou You ran a kickboxing gym mostly for his own enjoyment, not to make money. That stunned Batu. Spending that much on a hobby wasn’t something just anyone did.
No rush, he’d take it slow. From what Zhou You had gathered over the past few days, wrestlers generally had the best stamina. Maybe he could even boost his own physical condition further.
“Bro You, how’d you get so tan?” Wang Fangfang couldn’t help teasing. Zhou You had only been on the grasslands a few days, and his skin had darkened again.
“Had too much fun, didn’t pay attention. Besides, why does a guy need to be pale? You being fair is enough.” He helped her up as she’d been kneeling on the bed too long—legs numb.
The next few days, Zhou You’s life fell into a routine: classes, learning Russian, Japanese, Korean, and practicing wrestling.
Only after starting wrestling did Zhou You grasp Xiao Si’s pain. He also finally understood what the “Eighteen Falls on Contact” in ancient martial arts novels meant. Touch someone, and you’re thrown. He got so dizzy from being tossed around that he dreaded close contact, but without a weapon, he couldn’t land a one-hit KO and usually ended up on the ground anyway.
Later, he had Li Houliang try a few rounds. Li lasted longer but was still in danger once grappled. However, Li knew some throws and anti-throw techniques, so they were evenly matched. Other kickboxing coaches at the gym took turns, all getting thoroughly thrashed.
“Bater, how’s it been here a few days?” Zhou You lay on the floor, unwilling to move, sore from all the falls.
“Not bad, just the food’s a bit hard to get used to. Other than that, fine,” Bater replied. They were rough guys, not ones to complain.
“Interested in staying long-term? I’ll pay you 20,000 a month, plus a year-end bonus.” Zhou You offered a high salary outright, higher than most kickboxing coaches. No choice—the skill level demanded it.
Bater had planned to leave after a while, the food really was an issue. But hearing that wage, he figured his stomach could take a little hardship. “Okay, Bro You.” He almost said more or tried to haggle, but he was afraid—what if Zhou You took his modesty seriously? His old salary was just over 3,000 a month, enough in a small county but barely covering food and leaving nothing. Now it was multiplied several times—Bater counted on his fingers: one, two... seven, nearly seven times, not counting the bonus. Room and board were free. A year’s work could buy a house in the Third Prince Banner; two years, a wife. Why did he train in wrestling? To make money, of course. Heh, he wasn’t leaving.
Zhou You hadn’t expected Bater to agree so readily. When he mentioned the food issue, Zhou You thought it might not work out and he’d have to recruit from sports schools or through contacts on the grasslands. He’d looked into different wrestling styles from various regions. He didn’t understand the pros and cons, but watching grassland wrestling got his blood pumping, so he wanted to learn. Simple as that.
“As for food, just tell the kitchen what you want. They can make it for you, switch things up.” Zhou You knew the misery of dietary discomfort. He’d traveled nationwide for work once and had to stay in Yuzhou for a month. That month tortured him—everything was spicy, and back then he couldn’t handle it. He lost ten pounds. But after that ordeal, he could eat a bit of spice now. His poor rear end had suffered greatly, though.
Bater was touched by Zhou You’s concern. “No worries, Bro You, I’ll adapt slowly. It was the same when I traveled for competitions across the country.”
Money in hand, duty done. Bater was settled here for the short term. Word about the salary spread, and everyone envied it, but they admitted it: in martial arts, you respect skill. If you can’t beat someone, you accept they earn more. Besides, their own pay wasn’t bad—most were over 10,000 now, plus commissions and bonuses, solidly high for the times. They put more effort into teaching afterward.
“Common wrestling techniques include entering, hooking, lifting, tripping, entangling, stuffing, kicking, twisting, kneeling, leaning, hugging, snapping, leg grabbing, inside leg hooks, flash inserts, and inside blade hooks,” Bater taught Zhou with full dedication. Xiao Si served as the demonstration dummy, looking resigned but secretly pleased he wasn’t being left out.
“Bater, can you demonstrate some defensive throws?” Zhou You, traumatized by being thrown, wanted defense first.
Bater’s dark face flushed slightly, realizing he’d thrown Zhou You too hard the past few days, leaving a mental scar. He waved his hand, and Xiao Si stepped forward, ready for anything.
“Bro You, see, the most common is pressing down with the hips—” Xiao Si interrupted: “Bro You, grassland wrestling is pretty different from regular wrestling. The rule against leg grabs alone changes a lot of techniques, not to mention others.”
Zhou You thought it over. “No big deal, I’ll learn one thing at a time. Besides, I usually don’t go for leg grabs anyway.” Xiao Si suddenly laughed. Bro You wasn’t a pro competitor; he was learning for fitness. Making him bend over to grab a leg was less cool than a crisp roundhouse kick.