I Never Expected You to Be This Kind of Person

Hearing this, Jiang Mengyun was momentarily stunned before shaking her head in refusal. "No need, just tell me how to do it."

Su Yang crossed his arms and grinned. "This is something you have to feel—it can't be explained in words. Unless I show you myself, I can't really describe it. You need to get the hang of it to aim properly."

"Hmph, I don’t believe that~"

Listening to Su Yang’s nonsense, Jiang Mengyun frowned slightly and swung the axe at the wooden block again.

Thwack!

This time, the axe didn’t even graze the wood, landing instead on the edge of the chopping stump.

Su Yang smirked. "See? I told you—you need to experience the feeling of hitting the target first."

Jiang Mengyun looked up, her brow furrowed. "Fine, then teach me."

"Now you’re talking."

Su Yang chuckled as he walked over to her. "Pick up the wood."

Jiang Mengyun bent down, picked up the wood, and placed it back on the stump.

Then, Su Yang stood behind her, reaching out naturally to take hold of her delicate hands.

The moment he touched her, Jiang Mengyun stiffened. "You—"

"What about me? I’m teaching you," Su Yang said calmly.

"Do you really need to hold my hands?"

"What else am I doing? How else am I supposed to help you get the feeling?"

"Fine."

Su Yang grinned, wrapping his arms around her and guiding her hands on the axe. "Follow my lead, okay?"

"Close one eye and aim for the center of the wood, then lift the axe."

"Lock onto the target—good."

"Now, chop!"

As soon as he spoke, Su Yang guided her hands in a swift downward strike.

Crack!

A crisp sound rang out as the wood split cleanly in half and flew off, landing on the ground.

Su Yang quickly stepped back with a satisfied smile. "See? How was that?"

Jiang Mengyun stared at him, bewildered. "I barely felt like I used any strength—wasn’t that just you doing the chopping?"

"If I guided your hands, then it’s the same as you doing it. Now try it yourself."

......

Nearby, Song Anquan and Song Da, who had been squatting and watching the whole time, were wide-eyed and slack-jawed in disbelief.

Su Yang turned to them with a grin. "Hey, what’s with you two? Staring like that."

"Huh? Oh, uh—nothing," Song Da stammered, hastily wiping the drool that had nearly escaped his mouth.

Song Anquan, meanwhile, muttered under his breath in amazement, "Damn, Su Yang… I never knew you had moves like this. I need to learn from him sometime."

Meanwhile, Jiang Mengyun picked up another piece of wood, placed it on the stump, and tried again, mimicking the steps Su Yang had shown her—aiming, lifting, and swinging the axe down.

Thwack!

This time, the axe struck the wood perfectly, though her lack of strength meant it didn’t split all the way through.

Su Yang clapped in approval. "See? I told you—just one lesson and you’re already hitting the mark!"

Jiang Mengyun pulled the axe free and glanced at him. "I hit it, but I didn’t split it."

"Well, that’s just a matter of strength. You’re not strong enough yet. A few more tries and you’ll get it. Go on—again!"

"Alright."

Jiang Mengyun nodded and continued chopping. After four more attempts, she finally managed to split the wood, though the cut was uneven.

"Not bad. Had enough practice? Hand it over—there’s still a lot left, and I need to finish."

Su Yang reached for the axe, but Jiang Mengyun sidestepped him. "Let me chop two more."

"Seriously? Since when are girls so into chopping wood?"

"Is that a problem?"

"No, but you’re slowing down my progress here."

"Pfft—" For the first time, Jiang Mengyun’s usually expressionless face broke into a faint smile.

She looked at Su Yang. "Two more, then it’s all yours."

"Fine, fine. Hurry up, then."

Jiang Mengyun bent down to place another piece of wood, but this time, she missed again.

She turned to Su Yang. "What happened?"

"What do you mean? You still need teaching. Come here—last lesson, I swear." Su Yang stepped forward and took hold of her hands again for another "demonstration."

"Holy crap—again?" Song Da muttered enviously from the sidelines.

Song Anquan gulped. "Damn, my boy’s got game now."

"No wonder he drives a Rolls."

"I’m ditching Hangzhou—I’m moving to Haicheng to follow this guy!"

......

After another hands-on lesson from Su Yang, Jiang Mengyun finally managed to chop two more pieces successfully.

She handed the axe back to him with a small smile. "Good teaching."

"Right? Anything related to physical activity, I’m basically unbeatable. If you’re interested in this kind of stuff, feel free to ask me anytime."

"Oh? What a coincidence—I actually love sports."

"Really? Perfect. How about we exchange WeChat?"

Jiang Mengyun nodded. "Sure."

She pulled out her phone, and the two added each other on WeChat.

This move left the two bystanders utterly dumbfounded.

Just like that? She gave him her WeChat?

After putting his phone back in his pocket, Su Yang grinned. "I heard you’re from Haicheng?"

"How did you know?"

"Word gets around."

Jiang Mengyun’s eyes flickered in realization. "Oh—you overheard me talking with my uncle earlier, didn’t you?"

"Heh, guilty."

"Yeah, I’m from Haicheng. Why? You too?"

Su Yang nodded. "Yep."

"Alright." Jiang Mengyun smiled slightly.

Su Yang didn’t press further and resumed chopping.

Ten minutes later, the remaining dozens of logs were all split.

Jiang Mengyun, watching from the side, remarked, "You really are skilled—not a single miss."

"Told you. Anything sports-related, I’m unbeatable."

"Braggart."

"Hey, don’t believe me? Give me a chance, and I’ll show you what else I can do."

Jiang Mengyun folded her arms. "Looking forward to it."

......

As they chatted, Song Haihua approached from a distance.

Seeing the pile of chopped wood and Su Yang holding the axe, he called out, "Xiao Su, did you do all this?"

Su Yang turned with a smile. "Yes, Uncle Song."

"Ah, Anquan! What the hell are you doing? Letting our guest do all the work while you just squat there?"

Song Anquan stood up with a sheepish grin. "He insisted on doing it."

"You brat—no sense of hospitality at all! How can you make a guest do manual labor?"

Su Yang interjected, "It’s fine, Uncle Song. I had nothing better to do—just helping out."

"Well… alright. Thanks for your help, Xiao Su."

"No need for thanks. What should we do with the chopped wood?"

"Don’t worry about it—Anquan will handle it."

"Got it." Su Yang set the axe down on the stump, then bent over and effortlessly lifted the massive chopping block—nearly 70 cm in diameter and 50 cm tall—carrying it to the fence at the edge of the yard before setting it down.

Song Haihua watched with admiration.

"Impressive, Xiao Su. Even someone like me, used to farm work, struggles to lift that stump. You made it look easy."

Su Yang grinned. "You flatter me, Uncle Song. I just work out a lot—used to handling heavy stuff."

"Exactly. Nowadays, young people, especially those middle and high schoolers, can’t even do a single pull-up. They’ve got no masculinity at all. A man ought to act like a man—someone like you is just right."

He turned to look at Song Anquan, who was bending over to gather firewood nearby. "And you, kid—complaining about being tired just from chopping wood? Look at Su Yang here. You’re around the same age, and he didn’t even grow up in the city, yet he’s way tougher than you."

Song Anquan straightened up with a goofy grin. "Heh, my buddy’s pretty strong, sure, but I’m no slouch either. It’s just that I’ve been worn out lately with all the wedding preparations."

"Well, that’s fair. Hurry up and carry that firewood over. It’s almost time to eat."

......