The Farm Girl’s Charismatic Fortune
Chapter 241 - 237: Contest

Chapter 241: Chapter 237: Contest

Xuanyuan Que saw Ruo Xuan surrounded by a throng, which led to him being encircled by these human whelps as well. The scent of strangers filled the air around him, making him intensely uncomfortable, thus his little face was a sheet of ice-cold.

He noticed Ruo Hai and a few soldiers walking away, intending to have a competition, Xuanyuan Que said to Ruo Xuan, "Your uncle is going to compete with someone, do you want to go watch?"

Ruo Xuan certainly wanted to watch, so she told her little friends, "Practice a bit more following my method before you compete. I’m going to find my uncle."

The children, brimming with enthusiasm, were eager to take down the four-hundred-meter target. They only urged Ruo Xuan to hurry back.

After agreeing, Ruo Xuan took Xuanyuan Que and went to find her uncle.

Ruo Hai and the few new recruits were only competing in strength, not intending to compete further.

He needed to showcase his ability in order to earn the others’ respect and admiration.

But since it was just the beginning, he couldn’t be too showy, or he would be deemed arrogant, which would cause dislike. Moreover, the taller the tree, the more likely it is to catch the wind, and the gun targets the bird that sticks its head out.

Beyond that, he believed that everyone should keep their trump cards hidden. Trump cards are the secret to victory; the more one has, the more they can win by surprise and amaze onlookers.

When you amaze onlookers often, others will think more highly of you. For comrades, this gains their hearts; for enemies, it warrants fearsome respect.

The strength competition was simple. The military camp had stone cauldrons of various sizes and weights, specifically for the soldiers to train their strength, ranging from fifty to over a thousand pounds.

Many power-type soldiers would lift cauldrons daily to train their strength.

The group arrived at the stone cauldron training ground. At this moment, since everyone was called to watch the children compete, the training ground was empty.

Deciding who was the strongest simply meant lifting a heavier stone cauldron implied victory.

Ruo Hai gestured invitingly to He Dayong, "Brother He, please go first."

He Dayong did not hesitate. Before he enlisted, he worked at a quarry. Thanks to his strength, he could lift stones weighing two hundred pounds. His employer valued him highly, and he earned a monthly wage of three taels of silver, the highest in the quarry aside from the foreman.

If the foreman hadn’t been the boss’s uncle, the boss might even have wanted him for the foreman position.

His father said that it would be a waste not to use his strength for the country, so he urged him to join the military and serve the Imperial Court. He even mentioned the possibility of rising to the rank of Chiliarch, bringing honor to his ancestors.

So he joined the military.

Each stone cauldron was marked with its weight. He Dayong thought, since Brother Ruo boasted of his strength, lifting a hundred pounds should be easy; otherwise, what kind of strength would that be?

After some consideration, he decided to first lift a cauldron weighing a hundred and fifty pounds to gauge the opponent’s ability.

Lifting a hundred and fifty pounds with one’s hands wasn’t something everyone could do. In fact, many could not. Those who could were considered as strong as an ox.

He grasped the cauldron’s two legs with both hands and shouted, "Up!"

Subsequently, he exerted force with his waist, hands, and feet at the same time, clenched his teeth tightly, and slowly lifted the cauldron over his head, straightening his arms.

"Good!" Someone cheered anonymously.

Ruo Xuan also clapped her small hands, "This uncle is really strong!"

Ruo Hai smiled as well, "Brother He, what great strength!"

He Dayong slowly placed the stone cauldron back down and brushed off his hands, "Excuse me, Brother Ruo, it’s your turn! Be careful not to twist your back."

Ruo Hai stepped forward and similarly lifted a cauldron weighing a hundred and fifty pounds, doing it effortlessly as if it were lighter than what He Dayong just lifted.

He handled it with ease, seemingly much more at ease than He Dayong.

"Good! Brother Ruo truly conceals his prowess! Impressive, impressive!" A soldier who came along exclaimed.

He Dayong also laughed, "It seems I have met my match today!"

After setting down the stone cauldron and brushing off his hands, Ruo Hai said, "Brother He has been generous."

He Dayong chuckled, "Let’s continue, continue! Brother Ruo, this time I’m going for two hundred pounds, how about you?"

It was the first time He Dayong had encountered someone with more strength than him, and he was very curious about how strong Ruo Hai really was.

Ruo Hai gestured for him to proceed, "Same as you, Brother He, please go ahead."

This time, He Dayong was challenging a cauldron that weighed two hundred pounds.

Two hundred pounds was almost his limit; even if he could lift more, it would only be by an extra ten or twenty pounds.

This time, it was much harder for him to lift than it was for 150 pounds.

But he still lifted it!

"Good!" the soldiers beside him cheered him on.

After He Dayong carefully put down the Stone Cauldron, everyone turned expectantly toward Ruo Hai.

"It’s your turn, Ruo brother!"

"Ruo brother, it’s up to you now!"

"Hurry up, Ruo brother, let us see your strength."

Ruo Hai stepped forward with a smile, pretending to strain more than necessary as he lifted the Stone Cauldron.

Two hundred pounds was not his limit, not by a long shot!

But he couldn’t show it, firstly, to conserve his strength, and secondly, to spare He Dayong some face.

"Good!"

"Amazing, amazing!"

"Born with divine strength!"

"Keep going! He brother, Ruo brother, continue! Two hundred and fifty pounds!"

"Two hundred and fifty pounds! Two hundred and fifty pounds!"

...

At this time, some soldiers who had left the scene returned for more training and couldn’t help but egg them on when they saw the competition.

New recruits entering the camp with incredible strength wasn’t a surprise; they all wanted to see the strength of the newcomers.

Ruo Hai looked towards He Dayong, "He brother, do you want to continue?"

"I’ll try the two hundred and fifty pounds," He Dayong attempted to lift two hundred and fifty pounds.

But this time, He Dayong couldn’t do it. He could only lift two hundred and fifty pounds to a hug, and trying to fully lift it might result in an injury. He put it down with a laugh, "I can only hug it, lifting it is too much! Ruo brother, you try, I think you can do it!"

Ruo Hai then said, "I’m almost at my limit too, I can barely lift two hundred and fifty pounds, any more is impossible for me."

After saying this, Ruo Hai stepped forward, straining, and tried twice before he barely managed to lift the two hundred and fifty-pound Stone Cauldron.

He really appeared to be struggling enormously.

When Ruo Hai put down the Stone Cauldron, he simply dropped it onto the sandy ground, giving the impression that although he could manage to lift it, placing it down properly was out of the question.

But this was already very impressive!

He Dayong: "Ruo brother is amazing! Much stronger than me, I really couldn’t lift it."

The veteran soldiers couldn’t help but cheer:

"Two hundred and fifty pounds, that’s awesome!"

"Ruo brother, you were being modest just now; you’re not just strong, you’re strong as a bull."

"Ha ha... our camp has gained another strongman."

"No, that’s two strongmen, to be accurate, this brother just lifted two hundred pounds as well! When Daniu first arrived, he could only lift one hundred and fifty pounds; he developed the ability to lift two hundred pounds later."

"In our camp, aside from General Yan, it’s Daniu who has the greatest strength, and he can only lift two hundred and thirty pounds. Daniu, you’ll have to give up your position as the strongest soon!"

"I give it up, give it up, give it up, ha ha... whoever’s the strongest is the boss! But sooner or later, I will reclaim the first place; just so you know, I can almost lift two hundred and fifty pounds too."

"Blowing your own trumpet, you keep blowing!"

"Ha ha....."

...

In the military camp, most of the soldiers were hot-blooded; they worshipped strong people, sincere in their praise and real in their admiration, without much envy but merely a competitive and ambitious spirit.