126 Age Is Not a Problem-Reborn to Infinite Dreams(Wu Ming)

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"What 'ah' are you talking about? If you don't believe me, look at this photo, and this one, and this one. Put these six together and see," Yang Tang pointed out.

Wu Hao took the six photos Yang Tang indicated and flipped through them one by one. "Hmm."

"What do you think, Haozi?"

"It's a bit... a bit like that. These two most likely have an affair!"

"Bingo!" Yang Tang pointed at the young punk girl in the photo. "Ran Bai is so flashy, yet she’s actually tucking her hair behind her ear in front of this guy. If you tell me there's nothing going on between them, I’ll never believe it, even if you kill me!"

Wu Hao couldn't help but shake his head, spreading his hands. "Brother Tang, if you say it like that, then Old Hua is in big trouble!"

"Why?" Yang Tang was stunned for a moment, then realized something. He pointed to the punk girl in the photo. "Is she Old Hua's girl?"

Wu Hao nodded.

Yang Tang was speechless. The man flirting with the punk girl in the photo was clearly not Old Hua.

"Should we let Old Hua know?" Wu Hao asked.

Yang Tang turned to scan the surroundings. Not seeing Old Hua, he said, "No need. He should be able to figure this out himself." Saying this, he walked over to a large comprehensive strength training machine, adjusted it, and sat down with a serious expression.

There are generally two ways to control a sudden increase in strength. One is fine-tuned adaptive control—simply put, taking it slow and steady to gradually adapt to micro-output levels of force. The other is the rough, violent control method: essentially, you push the weight to the limit and engage in repetitive, brutal training. This forces the muscles to form a fixed memory. For example, if you practice with dumbbells for two hours and then go shoot basketballs, you’ll definitely be hitting the rim repeatedly. But once the muscle memory gradually fades, the strength becomes controlled.

As for which of these two methods is better, there has been no consensus in the academic world. But for the current Yang Tang, the one that worked the fastest was naturally the best, so he logically chose the second method: brutal training via extreme methods.

Consequently, as soon as Yang Tang started the "lat pulldown" exercise, Wu Hao’s eyes went wide.

Generally, a comprehensive strength training machine has two vertical stacks of weights—ten plates per stack, each weighing 7.5 kilograms, totaling 150 kilograms. Some have fifteen plates per stack, totaling 225 kilograms.

As luck would have it, the machine Yang Tang was using was the fifteen-plate-per-side model. Yet, the moment he sat down and started pulling, all thirty plates were lifted in a rapid, continuous motion for a dozen reps without any sign of slowing down.

After staring for another two or three minutes and seeing Yang Tang maintain a steady rhythm during the "lat pulldown," Wu Hao swallowed hard. He tossed the photos aside and leaned in. "Brother, can I ask you something important?"

"Go ahead."

"You know, I’m a bit immature. Although I'm about to enter my third year of high school, I’m still forty days away from turning seventeen."

"Then why were you looking at those photos so intently?" Yang Tang teased. "Those photos weren't given to you by Old Hua, were they?"

"Brother, that’s not the point. Please, just let me finish."

"Fine, go on," Yang Tang agreed, while continuing to pump out three or four more reps, seemingly not tired at all.

Wu Hao gasped inwardly and continued, "Brother, if I’ve taken a liking to a twenty-six-year-old woman and want her to be my girlfriend, what should I do?"

"What should you do? If you want her to be your girlfriend, just go chase her!" Yang Tang replied dismissively, though he thought to himself: knowing the way of your Wu family, even if you can't win her over, you’d probably just force it!

"I have no problem chasing her!" Wu Hao said, looking miserable. "But she’s ten years older than me. If my dad finds out, he’ll beat me to death, won't he?"

Yang Tang was taken aback. He thought, he wouldn't beat you to death, but that twenty-six-year-old girl would probably end up as your stepmother! Instead, he said, "What year do you think it is now? As long as it's true love, never mind a ten-year age gap—even if you were the same gender, it wouldn't be an issue! By the way, how did you get interested in a twenty-six-year-old older woman? Is she stunningly beautiful?"

"No!" Wu Hao shook his head. "In terms of looks and figure, if she’s an eighty-five out of a hundred, that’s the ceiling. But the point is, like you said, I really like her, and I really want to make her my wife!"

Yang Tang was surprised. "Are you serious? You aren't even fully grown, and you're already thinking about settling down? You must have an excess of hormones!"

"Absolutely not!" Wu Hao stared intently into Yang Tang's eyes. "I’ve spent five nights thinking this over."

Yang Tang almost burst out laughing but managed to hold it back. "Then tell me, how did you meet this older woman? What exactly do you like about her? Oh, and you must have at least found out her name, right?"

"Her name is Wang Xinyi. She works at the Municipal Science and Technology Commission. That day, I was loitering on the side of the road, feeling lonely and empty..."

"Hold it!" Yang Tang suddenly interrupted. "What do you mean 'lonely and empty'? You're just a kid, what do you know about that?"

"No, Brother, I really was feeling lonely and empty that day. I almost wanted to find a car and jump in front of it!"

"What happened to you? Which day was this?" Yang Tang raised an eyebrow.

"You weren't there that day. Your dad said you’d gone traveling alone. I’m telling you, Brother, I really wanted to die that day. I went to a classmate's house in the suburbs and took a bus back to the city center, but my wallet and phone were stolen. When I realized it, I couldn't find the thief. In a fit of temper, I got off at a station in the middle of nowhere. I was standing on the platform yelling and shouting, but the driver just stepped on the gas and drove off. I wanted to kill him right then!" Speaking of this, Wu Hao was still gnashing his teeth; it was clear that the situation had infuriated him.

Yang Tang kept up the "lat pulldown" motion, asking at the right moment, "And then?"

"Then, the locals were extremely xenophobic. Once they heard my accent wasn't local, they wouldn't even let me use a public phone. They even set dogs on me. With nowhere else to turn, I tried asking passersby to borrow a phone to make a call, but I was rejected over and over. I really wanted to die."

Yang Tang could hear the resentment and anger in Wu Hao's voice; it was easy to imagine how hard that day had hit him. "What happened next? Did you run into Wang Xinyi, and she lent you her phone?"

Wu Hao shook his head. "She didn't. That’s exactly why I like her so much. She handles things with the same reason and propriety as my dad—flawless!"

"Oh?"

Wu Hao continued, "When she heard I wanted to borrow a phone, she hesitated for a moment, took a wad of small change out of her back pocket, counted out ten yuan for me, said she was in a hurry, and then walked away."

"She has both a helpful heart and caution," Yang Tang couldn't help but nod slightly. Wang Xinyi was indeed someone hard to find fault with. It was no wonder a kid like Wu Hao would feel such gratitude and affection for her.

"Exactly! Wang Xinyi is ten thousand times better than those little girls," Wu Hao rubbed his hands together. "The girls at our school, besides being petty, acting spoiled, and competing with each other, they don't do anything else. If they see a beggar on the street, they wouldn't even spare them a glance. It's just ridiculous!"

At this point, Yang Tang was still doing the "lat pulldown." "Haozi, you've told me all this, but what exactly do you want from me?"

Wu Hao looked embarrassed. "Brother, I don't mean anything else. I just want you to talk to my dad about it..."

Yang Tang chuckled. "I think you’d better forget it. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to step in!"

"Why wouldn't it be appropriate?" Wu Hao was anxious. "My dad has even said that among the people I know, you’re the most insightful and clever. I can only rely on you for this, Brother!"

Yang Tang smirked. "It’s exactly because I’m clever that I can’t step in."

"Why?" Wu Hao asked, stunned.

"What do you mean, why? I’m clever, but do you think your dad is a fool? I’m an outsider, after all. If I suggest that a woman ten years older than you—this 'virtuous wife and mother' I’m supposedly curating for you—should be introduced to your dad, Old Wu, how do you think he’ll react? He’ll definitely think it’s a trap waiting for him!"

"This..." Wu Hao froze, realizing that the scenario Yang Tang described was highly likely to happen.

"So, it’s not appropriate for me to come forward. You need to find someone who is your father's peer, who has the standing to speak to him, and who isn't considered an outsider by your family. Only then will you have a chance."

"Then who should I look for?" Wu Hao asked, feeling frustrated.

"That, I don't know. You’ll have to figure that out yourself." Having said this, Yang Tang stopped paying attention to him and focused his energy on training his arm strength.

*Grunt, grunt.*

He practiced for two more hours. It wasn't until four in the morning that Yang Tang felt a slight soreness in his arms. By then, Wu Hao was already asleep on the sofa, looking troubled.

Yang Tang didn't rest, moving on to train his leg muscles until dawn. Old Hua came up from downstairs. "Yo, Brother Yi, up so early?"

"I didn't sleep."

"Uh... would you like some breakfast? I'll have someone bring it up!"

"Sure, come eat with me!"

Hearing this, Old Hua was overjoyed. "Got it!" He hurried off enthusiastically.

During the meal, while Wu Hao was still asleep and the coast was clear, Yang Tang chewed on a fried dough stick and said, "Old Hua, I know you’ve been wanting me to point you in another direction. I won't say much else, but once you’ve saved up twenty million, if you want to go legit, open a purified water plant!"

"Ah?! A purified water plant?"

"Don't speak, just listen," Yang Tang glared at him. "The plant should ideally have two production lines. Then, lease a mountain spring. One production line will produce pure water, and the other will produce blended water."

"Blended water!?"

"Standard mountain spring water contains too many minerals, which is fine for small amounts, but drinking it long-term leads to issues. You need to use pure water to dilute the mineral content per unit of volume until it meets national standards. The technicians can handle the specifics; you just need to know that this is the path to take!"

Old Hua nodded while taking notes in a small notebook.

A new week, please add to your collection, please add to your collection, please add to your collection!!