Xia Xiao had fetched spring water from Stone Pond on Nanhua Mountain, and now all the water used in the products developed by Gao Xia Biotech was extracted from this very pond.
The pond, Xia Xiao had already asked Feiteng to protect, forbidding anyone from getting close.
The four-year-old Shitou followed a group of soldiers in their training every day. Of course, he couldn’t endure like these special forces soldiers could, but when they ran, he followed behind them, when they jumped, he jumped too, when they boxed, he threw punches as well.
When he got tired, he rested; Shitou never thought of outdoing them nor could he possibly do so. He just wanted to exercise his body, to make the most of the summer break learning here because once he left, he might have to face those who would want to kidnap him.
The daily training for the special forces was tough and serious. After all, their exercises were like passing through the gates of hell, a matter of life and death played out at breakneck speed.
Yet this serious training somehow became slightly comical because of the addition of a child like Shitou.
Nevertheless, our Shitou’s little face was always filled with seriousness; he trained in a very dedicated and earnest manner.
Shitou jogged slowly while Gao Jiaxing followed beside him, resting whenever he got tired. So it went, running and walking, running and sitting, establishing a pattern until Shitou finally completed a lap, just as the special forces finished their running task.
When everyone practiced sprinting and jumping, Shitou couldn’t keep up, but he mimicked the motions of the exercise by their side.
Then came the sparring; when the special forces exchanged blows, Shitou would practice the moves on the side. Some soldiers couldn’t help but laugh when they noticed Shitou’s antics, but that moment of distraction led to them revealing openings and getting knocked down.
Gao Jiaxing watched the special forces sternly and gave them a severe scolding. Shitou’s presence, although out of place among the well-trained soldiers, was another form of test for them.
When it came to shooting, Shitou had a small gun in his hand, which Gao Jiaxing only gave to him at the shooting range.
Shitou watched how Gao Jiaxing disassembled it, assembled it, engaged the safety, and fired, memorizing everything.
At first, Shitou was not adept, and his movements were very slow; he was thinking.
But after once, twice, thrice... ten times, Shitou hit the bullseye with a bang, bang, bang—every shot in the ten rings. The special forces soldiers all stopped their work and stared wide-eyed at Shitou as if seeing a monster.
Even though they, as snipers, hit the ten rings with every shot—a result of daily rigorous training—they couldn’t understand how a four-year-old child could do the same.
The kids nowadays are such prodigies; it seems the new waves of the Yangtze River are pushing the old waves, and the old waves die on the beach.
The special forces were shocked, and so was Gao Jiaxing, his mind constantly reaffirming—genius, genius, genius—his grandson was a genius.
While feeling proud, Gao Jiaxing was also filled with admiration. Being among the most formidable within the special forces and always taking first place since his enlistment had been his biggest advantages. But now, seeing his grandson, Gao Jiaxing was also astonished; indeed, each generation outdoes the last.
"Grandpa, give me this gun, it fits my hand well," Shitou said, clutching the gun close and seemingly unwilling to let it go; it was perfect for him, a child.
Gao Jiaxing couldn’t help but nod, having had the gun made especially for Shitou. At first, Gao Jiaxing had asked someone to prepare two dainty handguns for Xia Xiao’s hands, but thinking of Shitou, he requested an even smaller one be made.
Now it seemed, the gun was exceptionally suited for Shitou.
Nonetheless, Gao Jiaxing immediately confiscated the gun from Shitou’s hand, "You will get it back during shooting practice every day."
Shitou pouted, feeling discontent. Although it wasn’t his first time handling a gun, it was his first time firing one, and he was not yet satisfied.
Although Xia Xiao’s space also had firearms, those were too large and not suitable for Shitou; hence, he longed for the one he had just used.
Now, watching Gao Jiaxing walk away, Shitou silently followed, pondering how to persuade Gao Jiaxing to let him keep the handgun.
After training for the morning, Shitou followed Gao Jiaxing to the cafeteria to eat, garnering everyone’s attention and goodwill.
After all, Shitou was only four years old. Just the fact that he could train with them earned their respect, not to mention Shitou’s performance today had dazzled them.
After eating, the special forces had two hours of rest. Shitou followed Gao Jiaxing back to the dormitory, his gaze fixed on Gao Jiaxing’s pocket.
Once Gao Jiaxing had taken off his uniform, Shitou sprang onto him like a bullet, snatched his trousers, and pulled out the handgun from the pocket.
Gao Jiaxing didn’t stop Shitou’s actions. Instead, he raised an eyebrow at him. Shitou, holding the gun, beamed with a broad smile, clearly overjoyed.
Gao Jiaxing said, "You’re still young, and common people aren’t allowed to carry guns on them; that’s illegal."
Shitou knew this well but he loved it regardless, and he thought, as long as it stays undiscovered, it’s fine.
Then Shitou sat on a chair, disassembled the gun, and reassembled it repeatedly until proficient.
Seeing this, Gao Jiaxing brought out another gun, "Take this one apart and see."
Shitou observed earnestly for a while, then began to work, quickly mastering the disassembly and reassembly.
Gao Jiaxing was delighted with Shitou’s excellent memory—he learned by just watching once.
He patted Shitou’s little shoulder and said, "Time to sleep. When you wake up, Grandpa will take you to play with guns."
Upon hearing this, Shitou obediently climbed into bed to sleep.
Gao Jiaxing and Shitou slept for an hour before waking up. The special forces had gone to field training, and Gao Jiaxing then took Shitou to play with guns. The armory had a wide array of firearms, large and small alike.