Chapter 17: Strengthening the Body Before Strengthening the Bloodline

Wang Hao had barely reached the dormitory door when, out of nowhere, someone slapped his left shoulder. He turned his head but saw no one, turned further but still spotted no familiar face. Puzzled, he turned back around, only to find Fang Changan had already walked up to the dorm entrance.

“Aren’t you running anymore?”

Wang Hao was surprised but also relieved—this was more like it, after all. Who would be foolish enough to go running of their own accord? Being forced to run by a teacher was another matter.

“Just changing my shoes,” Fang Changan replied.

He didn’t have a suitcase—those things cost at least seventy or eighty yuan, far too expensive. His mother had sewn him a large bag from leftover scraps she hadn’t managed to sell from the family business, and inside were two pairs of cloth shoes.

They weren’t those time-consuming, traditional thousand-layer soles. Kids wore through shoes too quickly for that. Instead, they were made with foam soles bought at the market, layered with fabric and stitched together with needle and thread, black on top, white on the bottom.

When he was in school, Fang Changan had felt embarrassed by these cloth shoes. After graduating, when he could afford better ones, he found himself nostalgic for the simple comfort of the cloth shoes. His mother’s eyesight had worsened with age, so he secretly bought all kinds, expensive and cheap, online—but none of them quite matched the familiar comfort.

One pair was new, the other old. He slipped on the old pair, put his sandals under the bed, stowed the bag at the head of the bed, and left the dorm again.

After all that, he only managed half a lap when he got to the track—less than two hundred meters before he was gasping for breath, worse than running five kilometers in his later life. Fang Changan pushed himself through another two hundred meters before slowing to a walk.

He could have forced himself to keep running, but that wouldn’t have been wise. These things took time, and he didn’t want to be limping in pain the next day. He also had to consider his energy—money was tight, and he was barely eating enough. If he overexerted himself, he might end up worse off.

He walked for a bit, then returned to the dorm, changed back to sandals, and took his washbasin to the sink to wash his face and brush his teeth. Like the old Fang Changan, he rarely brushed at night—sometimes he skipped the morning instead, but always brushed at least once a day.

After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he rinsed his feet and went back to the dorm.

Wang Hao had also washed his feet and was already sitting on the bed. He glanced at Fang Changan, clearly uneasy about sharing a bed with someone. Fang Changan, however, had grown up sharing a bed with his younger brother, Fang Changming, so he didn’t mind.

Well, that was the old Fang Changan.

With the soul of his later life, it had indeed been a very, very long time since he’d shared a bed with another man.

But after his rebirth, he’d been sharing a bed with Fang Changming every day, and with things as they were now, there was no other way. Fang Changan tried to convince himself to endure old hardships once more. After drying his feet, he sat on the bed and asked Wang Hao, “Do you want the inside or the outside?”

“I’m fine with either,” Wang Hao replied.

“Then take the inside. I get up earlier than you.”

“Oh,” Wang Hao said, spreading his quilt on the inside. Fang Changan took the outside, reminding him, “Just don’t stick your feet out—I tend to bite things in my sleep.”

Wang Hao couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s fine, go ahead and bite, I’m not scared.”

“I’ll stink you to death!” Fang Changan threatened, pretending to shove his foot in Wang Hao’s face. Wang Hao, somewhat intimidated by him, dodged to the side and didn’t dare retaliate.

Fang Changan didn’t actually touch his face—he retracted his foot and suddenly noticed two pieces of peanut candy flying through the air, then a third. He looked over and saw Liu Cheng leaning over the edge of his bed, grinning, “My brother’s just like that—he wouldn’t really hit you, honest, he’s just putting on a show. Don’t be upset!”

Fang Changan considered this, then said, “Give me one more.”

Liu Cheng was briefly startled but quickly reached for another piece of peanut candy and tossed it over. Fang Changan caught it, smiled amiably at Liu Cheng, and said, “I’m not that petty—sometimes a fight is just how you get to know someone. I think your brother’s alright; we should have a meal together sometime.”

Liu Cheng was surprised but nodded eagerly, “That’s good, that’s good. When I have money, I’ll treat you.”

“Alright, whoever has money first treats,” Fang Changan agreed, giving Liu Cheng another smile. Then he picked up the other three pieces of peanut candy from the bed and tossed one to Wang Hao. Wang Hao, a little flustered by the gesture, tried to return it. “I don’t want it.”

Fang Changan slipped the three pieces under his pillow and said offhandedly, “Just take it. We’ll be sleeping together for a year, so what’s a little candy? If you have something tasty, share it with me too—that way we’ll stay nutritionally balanced.”

Wang Hao hesitated, then accepted it. “Thanks.”

Fang Changan said nothing more, undressed for bed. Wang Hao leaned over, lowering his voice, “If you really had money, would you treat those two to a meal?”

Fang Changan folded his pants and T-shirt, placing them by his pillow. The quilt was thin, it wasn’t cold, so he didn’t rush under the covers. He looked at Wang Hao curiously, “No, why would I?”

“But just now you said…”

Fang Changan saw Wang Hao’s perplexed expression, momentarily confused himself, then realized, “I didn’t say I’d treat them. I said whoever has money first treats.”

“Oh…” Wang Hao looked as if his worldview had just been upended.

Fang Changan ignored him, checked the time on his little alarm clock—lights out was at ten-thirty, and it was already past ten. The students, perhaps gradually warming to each other, weren’t tired at all and were still making a racket.

He was about to lie down when he remembered he hadn’t drunk any water. Naked, he reached under the bed for his thermos, only to recall he hadn’t filled it with hot water. “Did you get any hot water?” he asked Wang Hao.

Wang Hao was undressing, his skin dark and a little chubby around the chest and belly. Hearing Fang Changan, he replied, “Yeah, it’s on my side.”

“Lend me some? I’ll pay you back next time.” Hot water was twenty cents a bottle—not much, but a gesture was necessary.

“No need, you gave me candy,” Wang Hao replied honestly.

Fang Changan didn’t argue, got up and took Wang Hao’s thermos. It looked like an old one from home, full of hot water. He poured some into his rice bowl, and since it was too hot to drink, left it under the bed and lay down.

Having woken early, skipped his midday nap, spent the day thinking, and just gone for a run, Fang Changan was exhausted. At first, the surrounding noise was jarring, but he soon grew used to it and drifted off.

He’d set his alarm for six, but his sleep was good and he woke naturally at five-fifty. He pulled the quilt that had slipped to the floor back up, turned off the alarm, and quietly got dressed.

“Ah—” Even though he’d only run two hundred meters the night before, his arms and thighs were sore. Fang Changan grumbled, wincing from time to time as he dressed and got up.

Taking his washbasin, he went out and saw the boys’ dorm gate was already open—luckily, he didn’t have to disturb the guard.

He went first to the southeast corner toilet, braving the stench to relieve his heavy bladder, then brushed his teeth, washed his face, rinsed his mouth, drank half a bowl of cool boiled water, and, still in the old cloth shoes, headed to the track. He warmed up briefly and started running.

His body was too “delicate”—the muscle ache was severe. Considering energy expenditure and his limited food intake, Fang Changan ran only about 150 meters along the track from the dorm to the school gate before stopping and heading to the classroom.

By that time, many day students had arrived, most of them ninth graders. As Fang Changan turned, he suddenly noticed someone among those approaching from the school gate waving to him.

He had already turned away but turned back, pausing when he recognized his cousin, Fang Danran.

Uncle Fang Luguo had one son and one daughter; cousin Fang Changqing was in his first year at the county high school, and cousin Fang Danran was a ninth grader—also a student of his uncle.

“Danran!” Fang Changqing and Fang Danran both lived in town with their parents, so they hadn’t been particularly close growing up—their interactions were always polite, not warm. It wasn’t until later in life, after the cousins married, that they became familiar through the constant urging for Fang Changan to find a girlfriend.

Both cousins were honest, reliable people. Since Fang Changan wanted to integrate his resources and manpower, it was only natural to cultivate a good relationship with trustworthy family. Recognizing his cousin, he called out warmly and waited where he was.

Fang Danran was surprised. She knew her younger cousin was introverted and not close to her. To avoid awkwardness, she’d debated whether to say hello at all. When she saw him running closer, she decided to wave.

She’d only expected a brief greeting, not for Fang Changan to stop and wait for her.

These thoughts flashed through her mind as she approached, a gentle smile on her slightly baby-faced cheeks, her voice soft as she asked, “What got you up running so early?”

Fang Changan smiled, “I just heard the high school entrance exam includes a physical test. I tried running last night—not even two hundred meters before I was exhausted. I figured I’d better start training, or there won’t be time by the third year.”

Fang Danran was even more astonished. It was only the first day of seventh grade and he was already planning for exams two years away?

She herself was a little chubby and preferred quiet to activity. She couldn’t score full marks on the PE section either. Hearing her cousin say this, she felt a bit embarrassed and laughed, “I’m about to take the exam, and I haven’t even started training.”

“Then you should, Danran. It’s a shame to miss out on those points, and it never hurts to exercise,” Fang Changan replied bluntly—after all, with family this close, there was no need to stand on ceremony.

Of course, this only worked if you understood the other person’s character.

Fang Danran wasn’t used to this side of her cousin—he seemed different from her memories. But kids changed at this age, and she was good-natured, not one to get upset. In fact, she felt warmed and pleased by his concern. “You’re right,” she smiled. “I’ll practice when I have time.”

By now, they’d reached the teaching building. The ninth graders were on the first floor. Fang Changan waved, “I’m heading up.”

Fang Danran waved back, but after a few steps, she heard him call, “Danran!”

She looked back. From a distance, Fang Changan tossed something her way. She caught it—it was a piece of peanut candy.

“My deskmate gave it to me—there were just two pieces.”

Fang Changan smiled, not giving her the chance to refuse, and jogged up the stairs.

Fang Danran opened her mouth, but no words came out. Watching his back as he climbed the stairs, she felt dazed. She’d just seen him at her house a couple of days ago—how could he seem so different today?

Candy wasn’t a rare treat in those days, and Fang Changan could have bought it himself if he wanted. Her own family was a bit better off, so it wasn’t special to her either. But this kind of sibling interaction was a first.

It felt unfamiliar—but nice. It finally felt a little like what having a younger brother should be.