Severing Time & Space

Stand Up, Part I

There were already a lot of people at the dining hall, but the several empty seats near the front told Wu Jian they were still a little early. He looked at the food everyone was eating as he walked by. It looked like they were having congee.

Same as usual then.

Wu Jian and Wu Meiying sat together at one of the tables and a serving girl soon arrived with two trays for them. The congee had been served with sliced green onions, fried shallots, and a raw egg. Wu Jian was quick to c***k the egg into the bowl. He stirred the congee until it formed silky threads. The scent wafting from the bowl wasn’t the most mouth-watering, but congee was a satisfying meal to have first thing in the morning. Wu Meiying added the green onion slices to her.

Several people pointed at them and whispered, but he was positive they were just admiring Wu Meiying as usual.

As they ate, Wu Yong, Wu Fei, and Wu Ming entered the dining hall. Wu Jian felt like a magnet. Wu Yong’s eyes found him the moment he entered. The older boy pursed his lips in disdain, then glanced at Wu Meiying next to him and scowled as he turned away.

“Problem?” asked Wu Meiying.

“No. Wu Yong is just glaring at me, but he always does that, so it’s not a big deal,” Wu Jian tried to play off his fear with a smile. He hid his shaking hands underneath the table.

Wu Meiying found Wu Yong among the crowd, frowned, and turned back to Wu Jian. “He’s just jealous. Try not to pay him any attention.”

“I’ll do my best, but I don’t think I’ll be able to ignore him during training,” Wu Jian said.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be your sparring partner.”

Wu Jian’s relief was almost palpable as he smiled. “Thanks, Meiying.”

After breakfast, all of the younger children were directed toward the training courtyard. It was a large space with a floor made of wood panels, surrounded by rocks, trees, and a four-sided, open walkway. There were several mats meant for sparring. Standing on one side of the training courtyard was a man around Father’s age with the black hair and black eyes of the Wu Clan. He was tall, had broad shoulders, a thick chest, and his hair was spiked up in all directions. A single scar running down his left face gave him a menacing appearance. Well defined muscles flexed beneath his orange training gi.

“It looks like you’re all here. Good. Everyone, form up!”

“Yes, teacher!” the students shouted as they formed four rows of five.

There were twenty students. Six of them were girls, including Wu Meiying. The rest were boys.

Wu Jian and Wu Meiying stood in the front row next to three boys. Wu Nai, Wu Tao, and Wu Bu were branch clan members. They didn’t have the same problem with Wu Jian or Wu Meiying that Wu Yong did, so he generally got along decently with them, but at the same time, they were not what he would consider friends.

“Good. I’m glad to see you’re all able to form up on command now. Let’s begin today’s training with some basic stretches. After that, we will practice the Wu Clan’s martial arts before breaking into pairs and practicing how to properly fall.”

“Uncle Lan doesn’t waste time,” Wu Meiying muttered under her breath as they began stretching.

“That’s just how he is,” Wu Jian said, though he agreed.

The stretches they did in the training hall were not as complicated as the ones written on the scrolls they got from the library, but they still served to warm up the body. When their stretches were done, Wu Lan had them get into their basic stances, then made them go through the forms for the Wu Clan martial arts.

Perhaps it was because of what Wu Meiying had said earlier, but Wu Jian felt like the Wu Clan martial arts did not fit him. He couldn’t properly explain it. He just knew that it didn’t feel natural, like his body was meant to go left when the martial arts was trying to make him go right. Yet even though it didn’t feel natural, he still completed the forms alongside everyone else. When he was done, he turned to look at Wu Meiying, who had worked up a light sweat alongside him.

“Excellent! Good job, everyone. Now, break into pairs and practice falling properly,” instructed Wu Lan.

When Wu Lan said to practice falling, what he meant was they would pair up and one person would hit the other, while the other person would lessen the impact by falling backward. This resulted in reducing the pain and chance of having the air knocked from one’s lungs. There were several ways to take a hit depending on where someone got struck. This was a lesson they had already learned and were now putting into practice.

Wu Jian tried to pair up with Wu Meiying like he always did, but Wu Yong stepped up before they could begin practicing.

“Wu Jian, why don’t you practice with me instead today?” he asked with a smile. “You’re always practicing with Wu Meiying, but you’ll never grow stronger if you always rely on a girl to help you.”

While his comment caused the girls present to glare at him, Wu Jian was getting ready to reject him. He knew that Wu Yong just wanted to use helping him as an excuse to beat him up.

“I believe Wu Yong has a point,” Instructor Lan said, arms crossed as he watched on. “Gender notwithstanding, Wu Meiying is always going easy on you. If you really want to learn how to take a hit, then you need to pair up with someone who won’t hold back.”

There was nothing Wu Jian or Wu Meiying could say now that their teacher had spoken up. Wu Jian grimaced as he clasped the fist of his right hand in the palm of his left and bowed to Wu Yong.

“I understand. Please instruct me well, elder brother.”

“Of course. Just leave everything to your big brother,” Wu Yong said. He was smiling, but Wu Jian thought it looked vicious.

Wu Meiying paired up with one of the girls, who seemed grateful since it meant she wouldn’t have to be paired with her current male partner. A few of the boys in class were mischievous and liked to play pranks on the girls. Wu Jian and Wu Yong found their own space and faced each other.