"Time to test my strength again!"
Leaping down from the wall, Chen Cheng walked over to the water vat in the courtyard and filled a wooden bucket with water.
The wooden bucket itself weighed a dozen or so pounds, and once filled with water, it was roughly fifty or sixty pounds.
"Up!"
With a low shout, Chen Cheng lifted the bucket with one arm, then raised it higher until it was level with his shoulder, and finally hoisted it above his head, holding it steady.
'I've still got some strength left, but not much!'
After holding it for a moment, his arm began to ache and go numb. Chen Cheng set the bucket down, now having a basic grasp of his own strength.
'I've always had a weak constitution, making me a bit less strong than the average adult male. But now that my Iron Armor Skill Cultivation has reached the Beginner Level, I should be much stronger than an ordinary man—perhaps even on par with a common brawny man.
And that's just a comparison of strength. My agility and speed are also far greater than an ordinary person's.
If I run into a brawny man who's stronger than me, even if I can't beat him, I can definitely outrun him!'
All things considered, he had only been cultivating the Iron Armor Skill for about half a month, and just the Beginner Level was already this powerful!
If he cultivated it to Small Success, Great Success, or even Perfection, just how incredible would it be?
'The future is bright! The future is bright!'
Chen Cheng was ecstatic!
"Time to eat."
Mu Xiaowan finished cooking and walked out of the kitchen. When she saw Chen Cheng standing before the water vat, holding himself tall with a look of soaring ambition, her heart couldn't help but sink, and a worried expression surfaced on her face.
She remembered with perfect clarity how not long ago, Brother Cheng had become obsessed with martial arts, practicing some Martial Arts Skills day and night, only to end up falling gravely ill and almost not making it.
'Only a few days have passed, and now Brother Cheng is acting like this again. Don't tell me his old obsession is back?'
"Brother Cheng, are you practicing martial arts again? You've only just recovered. You absolutely can't go back to cultivating recklessly. If something goes wrong again, what am I supposed to do all by myself?
If you really want to practice martial arts, our family can scrimp and save on food and expenses. We can slowly save up some silver coins and find a master for you to learn from properly."
Mu Xiaowan was a child bride Father Chen had bought three years ago. Under his careful guidance, she became very sensible despite her young age. When Father Chen died from a serious illness half a year ago, Chen Cheng was working at the Prison, so she took over managing the household, keeping everything in perfect order.
When Chen Cheng had been injured and bedridden, it was thanks to her that he recovered, as she bustled about, meticulously caring for him day and night.
All the neighbors spoke of the Chens' child bride with nothing but praise, full of admiration.
"Mm, I'll listen to you."
Not wanting her to worry, Chen Cheng smiled and agreed.
Mu Xiaowan's face broke into a smile, and she pulled Chen Cheng into the kitchen.
The Chen Family's kitchen was small and simple. Besides the stove, there was only a small wooden table for eating and two low stools.
The meal was already set on the table: two bowls of rice, a bowl of braised pork, a bowl of cabbage soup, and a small dish of pickled radishes.
One bowl of rice was pure millet, a large, full bowl. The other was millet mixed with brown rice and soybeans, and it was a smaller portion, only about three-quarters full.
"Brother Cheng, eat." Mu Xiaowan handed the bowl of pure millet rice to Chen Cheng.
She always insisted that Chen Cheng eat better, reasoning that his work at the Prison was hard and tiring, while she didn't do much work at home.
Chen Cheng had tried to talk her out of it a few times, but she wouldn't listen and was very stubborn. If he spoke too harshly, she would feel wronged and just lower her head to wipe her tears.
How could Chen Cheng stand to see that? He could only let her have her way.
'A wife this virtuous... you couldn't find another one even if you searched with a lantern. Once I have money, I'm going to make sure she lives a good life.'
Thinking this to himself, Chen Cheng smiled and accepted the bowl of rice. But as his gaze swept past the stove, his expression suddenly turned grim.
Beside the stove was a large bundle of dry branches. Mu Xiaowan had secretly gone behind his back again, heading out of the city with the women from their alley to gather firewood.
These were chaotic times, with war and turmoil everywhere. Even inside the city, where constables from the City Guard Department patrolled to maintain order, it wasn't completely safe. Brawls, thefts, and robberies were common occurrences.
Outside the city, without the restraint of Officials, outlaws were even more brazen. Bandits, brigands, and all sorts of Jianghu desperados often lurked about. One could only imagine the terrible consequences if a weak girl like Mu Xiaowan were to run into such villains.
"Xiaowan, why didn't you listen to me again?"
BANG! He slammed the ceramic bowl onto the table, causing several grains of millet to spill out.
'Brother Cheng was truly angry!'
Mu Xiaowan flinched in fear, instinctively standing up. With her head bowed low, she quietly explained:
"Bro... Brother Cheng, we were running out of firewood, and it's so expensive right now. I thought if I went with Auntie Cuihua and the others to gather some dry branches that the woodcutters leave behind, it could help supplement our household expenses.
Don't worry, there were more than ten of us together, and we only gathered firewood in the woods right by the city gate. Nothing will happen."
After Mu Xiaowan finished speaking, the air in the kitchen suddenly fell silent.
The embers in the stove cast a faint red glow, occasionally letting out the soft CRACKLE of burning charcoal.
'Brother Cheng isn't saying anything. He must be really angry!'
Mu Xiaowan's little head drooped even lower.
After an unknown amount of time, she lifted her head slightly and stole a glance at Chen Cheng. He still had a stern expression, so she quickly lowered her head again.
"Forget it! Let's eat."
With a soft sigh, Chen Cheng picked his bowl up again, gathered the spilled grains of rice from the table back into it, and then placed several pieces of braised pork into Mu Xiaowan's bowl.
They ate in silence.
Of the pound of pork they had just bought, Mu Xiaowan had only cooked half of it. The bowl of braised pork only had a few pieces to begin with, and now half of them were in her bowl.
She really wanted to move the braised pork back to Chen Cheng's bowl, but seeing that he was still angry, she didn't dare. She could only eat it in small, aggrieved bites.
Chen Cheng saw her pitiful expression but didn't say anything more.
The Great Yu Dynasty had been established for nearly a thousand years. Linji Prefecture City was a major city that was several centuries old, with a population of over a million. The surrounding mountains and forests had long since been completely deforested.
The closest forests with any firewood were several miles from the city, and even those were mostly controlled by the Firewood Gang and a few wealthy landlords. Woodcutters had to pay a fee just for the right to chop wood.
Those who couldn't afford the fee could only go to the deeper, more distant mountains and old forests to cut wood.
In recent years, there had been successive cold disasters, and a good number of the city's poor froze to death every year.
This year was even worse. Snow had fallen right at the start of winter, and it was freezing everywhere. The price of firewood had long ago soared to a level that ordinary commoners could no longer afford.
Chen Cheng himself had been planning to buy firewood as soon as he received his monthly salary.
The two of them finished their dinner in silence, and Mu Xiaowan busied herself with clearing the table.
Chen Cheng suddenly spoke up. "What's that bruise on your forehead? Tell me the truth!"
"It was Er Lengzi..." Mu Xiaowan didn't dare to hide it, so she told him the whole story of how she ran into Ma Liu and Er Lengzi on her way home.
Afraid that Chen Cheng would blame her, she added:
"Brother Cheng, I'm usually very careful. This time... this time it was an accident."
How could Chen Cheng possibly blame Mu Xiaowan? The only ones to blame were Ma Liu and Er Lengzi for bullying her.
Yama is easy to provoke, but his imps are a nuisance. Chen Cheng was an "imp" of the Prison, while hooligans like Ma Liu were the "imps" of the slums.
"Does it still hurt?"
Chen Cheng gently stroked the spot on Mu Xiaowan's forehead.
Mu Xiaowan felt a warmth spread through her heart. She gently caught Chen Cheng's hand and said with a smile, "It really hurt when it happened, but it's better now."
"As long as it's better." Chen Cheng said softly. "Do you remember what I told you before?"
"What you told me before?" A flicker of doubt crossed Mu Xiaowan's mind. But when she saw Chen Cheng's eyes, bright as stars and filled with a deep, unwavering resolve, she understood in an instant and nodded solemnly.
"Brother Cheng, I won't go gather firewood anymore. N-Not only will I not gather firewood, I won't go out alone either."
"Mm, that's a good girl."
Chen Cheng smiled and gently pinched her cheek, then walked out of the kitchen.
An inexplicable joy welled up in Mu Xiaowan's heart, and her movements were lighter and quicker than usual as she cleared the table.
Chen Cheng picked up his Constable's Saber, left his courtyard, and headed straight for Widow Tian's house.