Chapter 545 - Chapter 545: Chapter 532: Benefits and Grudges Over a Handful of Rice (1/2)

Chapter 545: Chapter 532: Benefits and Grudges Over a Handful of Rice

“Football” sounded fresh, and the kids loved to play it. At this age, children had nothing to do and would cause trouble everywhere. Kicking this ball might get them a reward. Every family that had half a child sent their child out to kick this ball.

After establishing some simple rules and giving a brief lesson, the children picked it up quickly and soon got the hang of it.

Zhuang Qingning, seeing they were almost ready, let them try it out to see how it went.

Believe it or not, it looked quite professional.

However, Zhuang Qingning couldn’t tell Chu Jinnian all this. Instead, she explained, “I saw the children playing Cuju here and had the idea of having a leather ball made for them to play with. Since it’s a ball that you kick, we’ll call it ‘football’.”

“In the winter, when there’s nothing to do in the village, people tend to gossip, which does more harm than good as it can cause conflict. Doing something like this not only strengthens the body but also provides us all with some fun.”

“Hmm, not bad,” Chu Jinnian approvingly nodded.

When people gather, the more idle chatter there is, the more they tend to think. Giving them something to do helps keep their minds away from troublesome thoughts.

Chu Jinnian admired Zhuang Qingning’s unique way of thinking and laughed, “This football is really fun. Miss Zhuang, why don’t you tell me the rules? When I return to the capital city, I can share this interesting game with others.”

Cuju required a high degree of skill because the goal was high off the ground. Football, on the other hand, was played on the ground, so anyone could play. Furthermore, the vast field required extensive running, which was a significant test of endurance.

It could be said that any novel game would attract people’s interest.

And this also gave him another opportunity to converse with Zhuang Qingning, didn’t it?

“Master Chu, if you’re interested, I can explain it to you. But I must warn you, I came up with this game on the spur of the moment and probably didn’t think it through completely. If any adjustments need to be made, we’ll have to add them later.”

Although Zhuang Qingning had watched football games in her previous life, she wasn’t really a die-hard fan. She knew little about the specifics of the rules, so she decided to make this clear from the start.

“No problem. Many things develop over time. You don’t need to worry…”

“Goal!”

Cheers immediately erupted. Some, caught up in the excitement, even started clapping their hands and shouting praises. The area quickly became lively.

Zhuang Jingye, seeing everyone so enthusiastic, couldn’t help but nod frequently.

As expected of Qingning, always able to think out of the box.

During the winter, quarrels often arise from the endless gossip about others. As the village chief, these conflicts always fell on him to resolve, which was bothersome. Discontent could also emerge if someone felt the issue wasn’t managed fairly, leading to further trouble…