"I'm sorry, Du Fei, my place is a bit of a mess."
The old man's house was small, only three rooms, one of which looked like a later addition and was particularly rudimentary.
Outside the house, the open ground was piled high with various paper boxes, tin sheets, and other junk.
Seeing Du Fei looking at the scrap, the old man showed a hint of embarrassment.
After inviting Du Fei into the house, the old man tidied up the only table and brought over a stool for Du Fei to sit on.
"Grandpa Cheng, please don't be so formal. I can stand."
Du Fei quickly took the stool from his hand.
Grandpa Cheng chuckled, "How can that be? You're a guest, after all. It wouldn't be proper for you to stand."
He then thought of pouring Du Fei some water, but this time Du Fei stopped him, saying he wasn't thirsty.
"Du Fei, please wait here for a moment. My grandson, Xiao Long, should be off work and will be back soon."
Grandpa Cheng had told Du Fei on the way that his grandson worked as a waiter in a bar and gave him his salary every month, showing great filial piety.
As for why Grandpa Cheng sold antiques, it was because his ancestors were officials, but his generation had fallen into decline.
However, even a broken ship has three thousand nails. Grandpa Cheng had grown up under his father's influence and had a deep understanding of antiques.
Now, by setting up a stall in the flea market, he could earn some money in addition to making ends meet.
As the two chatted, Du Fei's ears twitched slightly.
Then, Grandpa Cheng heard some commotion outside and said to Du Fei, "That must be my grandson back."
With that, he got up and walked outside.
"Xiao Long! Xiao Long, what's wrong?"
Unexpectedly, as soon as Grandpa Cheng stepped outside, his exclamation was heard from outside.
Du Fei also hurried out, wanting to see what was happening.
Coming outside, he saw a boy kneeling in front of Grandpa Cheng, covered in blood and with a swollen face.
"Hoo, hoo," the boy panted, "I'm, I'm fine, Grandpa. Don't worry, I'm okay."
However, seeing his grandson covered in blood, how could Grandpa Cheng not worry?
"Grandpa Cheng, I know a little bit of medicine. Let me take a look at your grandson."
Du Fei, seeing Grandpa Cheng's worried expression, stepped forward.
The boy turned his head to look at Du Fei, "Grandpa, who is this guy?"
"Xiao Long, don't be rude. Du Fei is a guest I invited..."
Then, Grandpa Cheng recounted what had happened to Du Fei at the flea market.
When the boy heard that Du Fei was a skilled fighter, his eyes lit up, and then a look of doubt appeared on his face.
After all, Du Fei looked only a few years older than him, so how could he be the expert his grandfather spoke of?
But his grandfather was his family, and he wouldn't lie to him.
"Du Fei, then I'll trouble you."
Du Fei nodded and proceeded to examine the boy.
After carefully examining the boy, Du Fei said, "Grandpa Cheng, don't worry. Although your grandson has bled a little, he hasn't suffered any internal injuries. He'll be fine after a good night's sleep tonight."
Most of the blood on the boy was from his broken nose, which had already healed.
As for the bruises and swelling, they would just have to heal on their own.
In short, the boy only looked bad on the surface; there was nothing else wrong.
Hearing that his grandson was not seriously injured, Grandpa Cheng's heart, which had been in his throat since seeing his grandson covered in blood, finally began to relax.
"Brother Fei, my grandpa said you're an expert. Is that true?"
Although Du Fei had said that his grandson Cheng Xiao Long was fine, he still decided to go to a nearby small hospital to buy some antiseptic to apply to his grandson.
After Grandpa Cheng left, Cheng Xiao Long, having rested a bit, had recovered some of his strength.
He looked Du Fei up and down, but couldn't see any expert aura about him.
"Hehe," Du Fei saw through Cheng Xiao Long's thoughts at a glance, "Then what do you think an expert should look like?"
Cheng Xiao Long scratched his head, "Experts should be like those in TV shows, with a cool demeanor, a single glance that sends shivers down your spine, and..."
In the end, Cheng Xiao Long was still a child. When Du Fei asked him, he couldn't help but blurt out the images of experts from the martial arts dramas he had watched on TV.
Du Fei listened and smiled.
Seeing Du Fei smiling, Cheng Xiao Long thought he was making fun of him, and the young man immediately became a little unhappy.
"Brother Fei, how about we spar?"
To be honest, Cheng Xiao Long was quite confident in his fighting skills.
After all, he had been looked down upon since he was young. Later, after being bullied too much, he started to fight back.
At first, Cheng Xiao Long was always beaten black and blue, but his greatest virtue was that he never gave up.
Then Cheng Xiao Long started to learn from TV and books, figuring things out on his own every day, and practicing various methods of fitness and martial arts.
Indeed, after practicing for a few years, no one around could match Cheng Xiao Long anymore.
Sometimes, even three or five people were not his match. After all, ordinary fights relied on sheer ferocity. Once Cheng Xiao Long took down the fiercest one or two, the rest naturally became insignificant.
At this moment, although Cheng Xiao Long addressed Du Fei as "Brother Fei," it was purely out of respect for his grandfather.
In his heart, he thought his grandfather had been fooled by Du Fei, because no matter how he looked at Du Fei, with his thin arms and legs, he couldn't possibly be an expert.
"Alright, I'll play with you then."
Du Fei readily agreed.
The two found a relatively open space.
"Brother Fei, be careful. I can be rough when I start fighting. Don't get hurt."
Standing opposite each other, Cheng Xiao Long spoke first.
Although Cheng Xiao Long's words were a bit blunt, Du Fei saw the seriousness in his eyes, clearly not intending to mock him, but genuinely afraid of hurting him.
So, Du Fei said, "It's alright, just use your strongest moves."
The next moment, Cheng Xiao Long's eyes sharpened. He stared intently at Du Fei, like a leopard ready to pounce.
However, Du Fei, standing opposite him, was relaxed and calm.
Cheng Xiao Long thought Du Fei wasn't taking him seriously. A trace of resentment flashed through his mind, and he threw a punch at Du Fei.
Despite his young age, Cheng Xiao Long had been training since he was a child, coupled with a quick mind and extensive fighting experience.
The punch he threw was quite impressive.
However, the punch that Cheng Xiao Long was so confident about missed its target.
Just as Cheng Xiao Long's fist was about to hit Du Fei, he leaned slightly to the side, dodging the punch.
"You got lucky this time. Next time, I won't hold back!"
Cheng Xiao Long thought Du Fei had dodged his punch by luck. Then, he used his hands and feet, launching a barrage of attacks towards Du Fei.
However, to Cheng Xiao Long's great frustration, no matter how fast his punches and kicks were, or how stealthy his moves, he couldn't even touch a single hair on Du Fei.