Chapter 468: Out in the world, it

「Lu San'er is here, Lu San'er is here…」

Lu San'er's nickname started when a classmate came over to play at his home, heard the neighbors shouting like that, and then it spread at school.

As for how widely it later spread, even in society, some thugs and hooligans would know who it was just upon hearing 'Lu San'er,' entirely because he earned it with his fists.

Wherever he fought, the nickname Lu San'er would follow; it all comes from his fists being hard enough.

So as soon as he arrived at Hua Bing Chang, everyone automatically made way for him.

Everyone knew Lu San'er had arrived, which was tantamount to gaining a powerful ally.

The blue side, dressed in labor-cloth cotton monkey outfits, instantly gained confidence.

As long as Lu San'er was there, whether fighting or arguing, they never lost.

No, wait, it seems they did lose once.

I recall a few years ago, there was also a friction with the kids from the Grand Courtyard, and Lu Cheng was there too.

Because he had just been scolded by his father, he was in a bad mood, got a few words wrong, and then wanted to bring people to fight the Grand Courtyard.

Who would have thought that a guy from the Grand Courtyard would pull a Type 56 semi-automatic rifle from his military coat, plus three hand grenades…

Damn, this isn't a fight—it's practically warfare.

At that moment, everyone on the scene was subdued; Lu Cheng lost that time, having no choice—his physique couldn't match theirs, and they at most had a few kitchen knives and bricks.

However, that guy from the Grand Courtyard didn't get off easy either; reportedly he was locked up at home for three months.

Hua Bing Chang was also rectified because of that; after that, no firearms ever appeared, at most someone would slip a brick into their bag.

As long as there were no guns, the Grand Courtyard kids' aura weakened a bit; the moment they saw Lu Cheng approach, the crowd would immediately stir.

Today, few from the blue team came to play; Xiao Piqiu had his hat knocked off, and at this moment he was being shoved by several Grand Courtyard kids.

"Is this military cap yours? Where did you steal it from?"

"Damn it, this is mine."

"Even if it's yours, does your family have anyone in the military? You're not qualified to wear a military cap!"

"……"

Several Grand Courtyard kids traded barbs, leaving Xiao Piqiu unable to retort, until someone shouted 'Lu San'er is here,' and his spine instantly straightened.

"You bastard, who are you saying isn't qualified? Believe it or not, I'll chop you—single fight or group brawl, you pick one!"

Seeing Xiao Piqiu so arrogant, the Grand Courtyard kid opposite immediately took off his military coat.

"No need for a group fight; better avoid having the security squad chase us all away and bother others. Today I'll duel you—whoever hits the ground first calls the other 'grandpa'…"

Xiao Piqiu, seeing the opponent take a stance, immediately shouted: "Hold on, when I said a duel I didn't mean me—you, you fight him… my big brother is coming."

As Lu Cheng glided over on his ice skates, Xiao Piqiu hurried to greet him as if seeing a relative.

"Big brother, your timing is perfect—this turtle bastard knocked off my hat and wants to duel you; I thought we couldn't back down, so I immediately agreed on your behalf."

Lu Cheng gave him a sideways glance: "Go to hell, as if I didn't hear you—clearly it's you who wants to duel; if you've got the guts, step up."

Xiao Piqiu immediately yielded: "Don't, Lu San'er, help me get the military cap back; worst case I'll treat you to hot‑pot lamb, you owe me a favor."

"I just had hot‑pot lamb; treat me to roast duck instead."

"No problem."

Only then did Lu Cheng look at the group of Grand Courtyard kids opposite; they were unfamiliar, all about sixteen or seventeen.

At a glance they were just newly out mixing; on this ice rink, kids of this age always predominate, like leeks—one batch after another.

Because once they get a bit older, their families try to send them into the army, just like Wu Zhekun.

To be honest, Lu Cheng still feels a bit wary of kids this age—rebellious, unresponsive to reason, hot‑tempered.

That's not the main point; the key is that kids this age really fight recklessly—using Capital City slang, they're just troublemakers, hotheaded youths.

Lu Cheng himself came from that age, and he knows that fighting such kids, even if he wins, is meaningless.

Looking at those kids, Lu Cheng asked: "Do you know me?"

The leader, scowling: "Who the hell are you? Why should I know you?"

Given Lu Cheng's current disposition, facing a few kids he couldn't be bothered to get angry.

What do kids know? When you're out mixing, it's all about money and connections.

Of course, nowadays the wealth gap isn't huge; nobody has much money.

So the only thing left is connections.

"Do you know Wu Zhekun?"

Sure enough, the kid froze for a moment.

"I know him—I call him brother; Uncle Wu is my dad's superior."

Lu Cheng nodded; since they knew each other, there was no need to fight today.

"The 'Uncle Wu' you refer to is my brother, so by seniority you should call me uncle."

This time the kid flared up, seeing Lu Cheng so young, he simply didn't believe it.

"Bullshit, how old are you? How old is Uncle Wu? There's no way you're his brother!"

Lu Cheng laughed: "Don't keep shouting 'damn it'; when I was out mixing, you were still swaddled in your mother's belly."

The onlookers burst into laughter.

"You…" the kid, angry, reached out, but Lu Cheng, quick‑reacting, snatched the military cap and tossed it to Xiao Piqiu.

"Kid, don't lose your temper; I'm letting you off for Wu Zhekun's sake—I don't want to beat you. If you don't believe me, go ask your elders; if I'm telling even half a lie, I'll never come back to Hua Bing Chang."

The kid hesitated for a moment; if what Lu Cheng said were true—that he's Uncle Wu's brother—then if they fought today, he might end up hitting his own kin.

Seeing the military cap retrieved, Xiao Piqiu also lost interest in arguing with the kids: "Let's disperse, let's disperse…"

"How's it dispersing?" Yang Yin arrived late, holding a brick she'd picked up from somewhere.

"Are we still fighting or not? Hurry up and fight…"

Lu Cheng was speechless, hurriedly took the brick from her hand: "I discovered you're even more fierce than them."

"Then we're not fighting? It would be lively if we fought."

"What fight? A large-scale brawl like this isn't something you can just start."

Coming here to play is just to show off, flirt with girls; when normal friction arises, it's not about first starting a mass brawl, but finding a mediator to make peace, so both sides can save face and step down.

Yang Yin instantly lost her spirit: "I thought we could fight, but forget it, let's go skating."

Since we're here, Lu Cheng also put on his skates and followed Yang Yin, skating lap after lap on the rink.

Lu Cheng liked the feeling of speed, bending his waist, hands behind his back, legs pedaling rhythmically.

When the speed picked up, he would occasionally do a big turn or sudden stop, kicking up a spray of ice crystals, then drawing whistles of admiration.

"Lu San'er, slow down a bit, I can't catch up to you."

Lu Cheng's posture was graceful, he traced a beautiful arc and stopped on the ice: "Can you handle it? If not, go play with the ice sled."

Yang Yin glanced at the side of the rink, where an old man was playing with a child on a sled-like ice cart, made of wood or iron pipes welded together, very crude but suitable for kids to play with.

Obviously, Lu Cheng was saying she was a child.

Yang Yin immediately puffed her cheeks in dissatisfaction: "You're saying I'm stupid! Hah, bring it on!"

Yang Yin pushed hard with her right foot, quickly catching up, and the crowd on the ice kept chasing each other, laughter filling the air.

At that moment, the sunlight suddenly broke through the clouds, and the whole rink became a huge, dazzling silver disc.

This is the ice rink of Shichahai in the 1970s.

It is rough, noisy, full of sweat and vibrant vitality.

It is not merely a sports venue; beneath the ice lies sleeping lake water, above it is an era's vibrant youth and winter.