A Very Busy Day

When Blink entered the kitchen to talk with his brother-in-law over a cup of coffee, the fearful feeling evoked by the dream of the glowing hand had faded well enough for Blink to maintain a normal frame of mind.

Blink and Jogr launched into a few minutes of bantering, mostly started by the latter who kept mentioning names of girls Blink could potentially marry in the near future, if not right away. Since Blink knew all the girls named by Jogr (since everybody of the less than five thousand residents in the village of Kasgar knew each other), and found them nowhere near half as lovely as his beloved Berge, Blink did not have anything nice to say about them. In fact, he even said a few awful comments that shocked his elder sister.

Blink ridiculed one of the girls as too skinny even crocodiles won't deign to eat her as her bones had been sticking out too long that they just might prick a crocodile's digestive tract and get stuck in there.

"Girls who are all bones rub painfully on me," Blink added.

Jogr then dropped the name of Nitka, a really plump girl.

"Fine, as long as you help me build the pen to helm her in lest she'll lose weight and not be attractive enough on market day," Blink guffawed at his own self-proclaimed wit.

The clanging of a pot cover falling startled Blink. He turned towards the direction of the sound and saw his elder sister glaring at him, hands on her hips.

"Nimgun, even if I don't personally approve of those girls for you, you could at least speak with a bit more modesty," Magra reprimanded Blink.

"That's right, Nimgun," Jogr chimed in. "That comment about Nitka was totally uncalled for."

Blink was about to show a submissive expression towards his Namgan Magra but balked upon hearing his brother-in-law's opportunistic criticism of him.

"You're one to talk, who started it?" he protested vehemently.

"It's not who lit the fire, but who fanned the flame," Jogr cooly replied.

Blink was taken aback momentarily. "You probably played out that dialogue many times over in your mind, didn't you?" Blink accused his opponent in this verbal crossing of swords.

Jogr was about to dish out another witticism Blink suspected the latter had memorized when Magra interjected.

"You two can cut it off! All I'm asking is for you to not price yourself too much." She was looking at Blink with her usual overbearing glare.

"Fine," Blink shrugged his shoulders. "But I really was only joking. It's Namgun who's taken his matchmaking role a tad too seriously."

At that his brother-in-law protested. "Of course I was only joking. I'm well aware you have a girlfriend who is rumoured to be so beautiful kings would barter their kingdoms if only to be favored with her smile."

"Well, she's not bad looking."

"Oh, c'mon! That's all you're going to say about her? She's not bad looking? You can do better than that."

"Okay, she's exceedingly beautiful."

"That's more like it!" Jogr reached out an open palm to Blink and the latter slapped it playfully.

Suddenly, a naughty glint passed in Jogr's eyes.

"Have you…" Jogr winked his eyebrows at Blink twice.

Blink furrowed his brows, not understanding Jogr's meaning at first. Then, as the realization dawned on him on what the two winks meant, he was at first flummoxed than later on indignant.

"Just what kind of a man did you take me for!" he bellowed in his soft-spoken voice. Blink could be quite angry already yet the other person would still not realize it because he had a soft gentle voice that seemed to caress one's eardrums.

"See, I was just joking and you're taking it too seriously again. Of course, I think you're a well-mannered gentleman through and through. Sheez, over six years at the Ragha Martial Arts Academy and you haven't gained just a bit of a sense of humor."

"It was a lame joke," Magra harped at her husband.

"What she said," Blink added.

Jogr lifted his cup and took a long gulp.

"I'm done with my cup," he said. "I'm off to check on the farm and be back in time for breakfast."

"I'll go with you, Blink offered.

"Nimgun, hold on. There's something I want to talk to you about." Magra waited for her husband to head out.

"In that case, I'll be off first," her husband said. He exited the kitchen and strode out into the direction of their farm.

"What is it?" Blink said. He was worried that his sister would ask the same question she asked the day before.

Magra took her time before saying something, as if weighing on her mind how to best say whatever needed to be said.

"Um…Ah…It's like this, Nimgun. The heads of each family will convene at the village center this morning two hours from now…"

"You want me to help Namgun get elected as village chief," Blink finished the sentence for her.

Magra looked startled. It took her a while to recompose herself.

"Yes, that's exactly what I was going to ask of you. Can you …get it done?"

"I'll most certainly try. Anything else?"

Magra collected her thoughts for a while but still seemed flustered over something. "I think that's it," she said at last. "And thank you."

"No problem, Namgan," Blink assured her. "I'll head out to the farm then to make sure the next village chief doesn't come late to his election."

For a moment, Blink turned a little hesitant. "He doesn't know, does he?" Blink asked.

Magra shook her head. "It's just between the two of us."

Blink smiled radiantly. "You sure are the best, Namgan. I'll go see Namgun now."

Magra nodded her head.

Over at the farm, Blink and Jogr revisited some of their old bantering topics while picking out weeds and pests. Blink worked furiously. He knew that his brother-in-law would not deign to leave the farm unless he was satisfied with the amount of work done.

"Slow down, Nimgun, we got all the time!" Jogr chortled.

Blink didn't mind him one bit and even increased his pace. "This is going to be a day you won't ever forget," he declared before his brother-in-law.

Jogr was quite baffled. "You mean you're going to try to do more work in one hour than ten men could do in two hours?"

"No, it's bigger than that. This one will be a life-changer."

Jogr scratched his head. "What is it?" he asked.

"You'll find out later."

"Why are you suddenly being mysterious?"

"He he."

"Oh, come now and tell me what's this life-changer you were talking about."

"Good things come to those who wait."

"You played that dialogue in your head many times, didn't you?"

Blink just laughed heartily.

When they had been in the field an hour, Blink dragged his brother-in-law under the pretense that he needed to attend to something important that morning. Since, Blink had done a very thorough job, Jogr didn't protest.

During breakfast, Blink instructed Hubr to report to the training center saying he would see him there after attending to something.

Magra then casually reminded Jogr that he should attend the meeting of family heads to select the next village chief for the next five years.

Jogr didn't want to go, but Magra insisted that it was his duty as the head of the family to be there. Blink voiced out his agreement and added that he would accompany his brother-in-law to the meeting.

"But don't you have some important matter to take care of?" Jogr asked.

"The important matter is something I have to discuss with them," Blink replied matter-of-factly.

Seeing no choice for him but to go, Jogr proceeded to the village center together with Blink after breakfast. He wanted to go straight after eating his fill, but his wife insisted that he should take a bath first and change into something more presentable. When he came out of the master's bedroom, he was wearing a fine purple dress that radiated nobility. He looked rather aristocratic for a change.

As for Blink, he was already waiting by the door garbed in a white robe that Magra had painstakingly sewn. He looked every bit like a scholarly warrior.

At the meeting, Jogr introduced Blink to the other heads of families. Many were happy to finally meet the number one disciple of the Ragha Martial Arts Academy. There were some, however, who could not hide their displeasure.

When the old village chief called the meeting into order and explained the purpose for the meeting, a middle-aged man immediately raised his voice to oppose Blink's presence in the gathering.

"We all know that this meeting is only supposedly for heads of families," he started. "While we all respect his accomplishments in martial arts and feel grateful towards him for bringing a great change into our village, we must remember that his status and his very young age does not qualify him to be village chief yet."

"That's right, Village Chief," another middle-aged man said. "But if he were to marry my daughter and have children with her, I wouldn't really mind him as our village chief before he turns thirty."

Everybody had a good laugh at that, including Blink.

"So, if it's all right with Master Kraszad, would you mind stepping out of the village center until we conduct our business here?" a man in his late thirties spoke in a gentle voice.

Blink cleared his throat. "You mistake my intentions, my good sirs," he said. "I am not after the position of village chief, nor do I intend to participate in this election.

"However I did come to recommend somebody who is very much qualified and more than competent to be your next village chief."

"Who do you have in mind, Master Kraszad?" the village chief asked.

Blink smiled towards the old village chief.

"I am just a disciple, so it's very inappropriate to call me Master Kraszad, Village Chief. Master Tszarek is the only master in our academy. As to who I'm recommending, I'm recommending to you my brother-in-law, Jogr!"

Blink's pronouncement started a loud hubbub inside the center. A few men wanted to voice out their opposition but their voices were drowned out by those who found merit in Blink's recommendation.

All this while, Jogr was looking at Blink, seeming to only then beginning to understand the subtle hints he had been dropping since they were at the farm earlier.

Blink raised both arms to signify to the crowd that he was about to say something. The noise lowered enough for Blink to say his piece.

"My namgun may be young. But you all know the adversities he was able to overcome in his life as an orphan at the age of six. You all know the goodness in his heart and how he is always ready to lend a helping hand regardless of who you are without asking for anything in return. Lastly, this village center and the stone-paved roads you're walking on would not have been possible without his painstaking efforts. So, I shall consider it a big favor if one of you were to nominate him and I earnestly hope you elect him as our village chief. Thank you. I shall now take my leave and let you conduct your business."

As soon as Blink stepped out, one of the younger fathers nominated Jogr. The nomination was warmly received among those in their 20's and 30's and even from some of those in their 40's.

The middle-aged man who first opposed Blink's presence was also nominated. Another man in his 50's nominated himself—he had been doing so for the past 20 years.

In the end, Jogr dominated the election. He received all the votes from the younger generation and even took away some votes from the older generation.

The middle-aged man who opposed Blink's presence could not even muster a fourth of Jogr's vote.

As for the man who nominated himself. He got only one vote. His vote.

Everybody congratulated Jogr. Everybody except the middle-aged man and his cohorts.

The old chief and Jogr talked for a while. Then, Blink was called back into the center by both the old and new village chiefs. They told him about a certain troublemaker and asked him to deal with the ruffian.

Blink immediately set out and, in less than thirty minutes, the troublemaker was presented before the gathering, already hogtied and beaten up.

As Jogr could not simply leave, Blink asked permission to head towards the martial arts training center.

At the training center, Blink saw the chaotic situation that the trainees were in. There were over two hundred trainees practicing in a space that could only accommodate about forty kids at once.

He saw Hubr in sparring. The boy took a few hits, but defended well against a taller and bigger opponent quite admirably. He even managed to land few blows.

After his sparring bout, the instructor called Hubr over to his side and asked the kid a few questions. Hubr looked around until his gaze fell on Blink. Then, he looked at his instructor and pointed towards his nangku.

The black-robed disciple nodded towards Blink and signified for the latter to approach. He had a heavy cast on his right leg. He explained later on that he chased after a group of bandits and walked into a trap and fractured the leg. The bandits were all captured, but the instructor could only sit helplessly as he barked instructions to the trainees that mostly fell on deaf ears.

"I never thought I'd see you here," he greeted Blink.

"I'm being allowed a furlough, Senior. I'll be hitting the road soon enough."

The instructor had a helpless look in his eyes as he gazed at Blink. He wanted to tell his junior something but found it rather awkward.

"As you can see, I have a broken foot and couldn't teach as effectively as I would have wanted to," he began. "I was wondering if you could fill in for me for a few days starting tomorrow."

Before Blink could even respond, the instructor was already apologizing.

"I know that you're supposed to be enjoying your time with your family whom you had not seen for a long time, and I really hate to impose on you, so it's okay if you say no but I'd really, really appreciate it if you agree."

"Senior, no problem," Blink simply replied.

"Yeah?"

"Of course," Blink assured him.

The instructor could finally relax into a smile.

"Tomorrow then," he said. "And wear your disciple's robe."

In the afternoon Blink doubled up on his training. He missed his morning run and didn't train the whole morning, so he had to make up for it.

After an exhausting training that included his palm techniques, Blink walked towards home. He was anticipating a sumptuous dinner and a long blissful sleep after that.

Unfortunately, many of the young fathers came home with his brother-in-law to celebrate. They all gathered around Blink wanting to know more about the disciple who routed bandits and earned himself a funny nickname.

In the end, Blink was only able to sleep at past midnight.