Chapter 2: Chapter 2 Chopping Wood
Before Gu Sheng could speak, Gu Erniu spoke first:
"Steward Gu He, although Asheng is small and thin, he can endure hardship. Cutting two hundred sticks of wood a day is no problem at all. It definitely won't delay your tasks."
He continued, "Asheng's father just passed away, and the crops in the field were ruined by beasts. I beg your mercy, sir. If he doesn't have this job, he won't survive the winter."
Gu Sheng pursed his lips and remained silent—it was best not to interject at this moment.
Gu He's tightly furrowed brow slightly relaxed, as if stirred by compassion. Finally, he sighed and said:
"Alright, let's give him the job. But let me make it clear: at least two hundred wood pieces must be chopped each day, no more, no less. For every hundred sticks of wood, it's one coin. If he fails to deliver, I'll have to find someone else."
Gu Erniu was overjoyed and expressed his thanks repeatedly, patting his chest in assurance.
"You're truly kind-hearted, sir. Rest assured, if I see any fine goods in the mountains, I'll be sure to deliver them to you."
"Tomorrow morning, send him to chop wood over at the north courtyard of the main house."
After speaking, Gu He shook his head and walked away with his hands behind his back.
Earning two coins a day—barely enough to buy even a pound of rice bran—how long could this boy hold out?
Gu Sheng and Gu Erniu's voices followed Gu He's departing figure:
"Thank you, Steward Gu He!"
Joy rose in Gu Sheng's eyes—at last, he had a way to earn money. Though it was just two coins a day, it was temporary. If he became proficient later, perhaps he could chop even more wood each day.
The most important thing was, he had no other choice.
Even securing such a job must have required significant effort from Gu Erniu.
Gu Sheng looked at Gu Erniu with genuine gratitude and said:
"Erniu, thank you!"
Gu Erniu grinned widely, seeming even more simple and honest.
"Silly boy, your father entrusted me on his deathbed to look after you. No need to be so formal. Seeing you pull yourself together now is already a relief for me."
"No matter what, staying alive is what matters most."
"Tomorrow, when you arrive at the main house, be cautious with your words and behavior. Chopping wood is tough work, but if you do it well, earning two coins a day, plus what Uncle Shun left behind for you, you'll get through it. Things will get better after that."
Gu Erniu patted Gu Sheng on the shoulder—their contrasting builds were obvious, with Gu Erniu towering over him.
Gu Erniu, in his prime, had strong archery skills and physical strength; with regular meat in his diet, his complexion was rosy.
In comparison, Gu Sheng...
Just over fourteen years old, malnourished and frail.
"Erniu, have you eaten yet? Would you like to come in and join me?"
Gu Sheng invited him.
Gu Erniu shook his head with a smile. "My wife's already prepared dinner at home. After settling your affair, I plan on taking a few days to rest before heading into the mountains. Help your sister-in-law while I'm away."
Gu Sheng nodded hurriedly.
"Erniu, be careful. The beasts that invaded the fields recently are still unaccounted for. The mountains are very dangerous right now. How about waiting a little longer before you go?"
"The skilled hunters in the manor searched for days but couldn't find anything. I can't wait anymore. If I don't venture into the mountains now to hunt more game, surviving the winter will just be too hard."
Gu Erniu sighed and gave Gu Sheng a few more reminders before turning around and heading back home.
His house wasn't far from Gu Sheng's—about a hundred meters away.
Gu Sheng watched Gu Erniu's back with a hint of envy.
Mastering archery and knowing the lay of the land meant one could hunt in the mountains and live far more freely than the average tenant farmer.
"Still, it's a risky trade. If you encounter a tiger or bear, it could mean losing your life."
Gu Sheng shook his head.
But if given a choice, he would still prefer being a hunter.
The high risks came with high rewards—catching valuable prey could lead to substantial wealth.
Otherwise, farming for a lifetime offered no chance at change.
Just like his father, unable to save even a single tael of silver his entire life.
"Unfortunately, skills like archery are almost impossible to learn unless passed down from father to son."
Even with his good relationship with Erniu, Gu Sheng didn't expect Erniu to teach him archery.
That was Erniu's livelihood—something he wouldn't share lightly.
"For now, my priority is survival, then saving up as quickly as possible to buy my first tael of silver. If not by age fifteen, then by sixteen!"
Gu Sheng's gaze was unwavering.
"I must learn martial arts! Only through martial arts can I escape the fate of being crushed at the bottom of society!"
He entered the house and began cooking.
The meal was cooked with rice bran—notoriously coarse and hard to swallow. The side dish was wild vegetable roots, with just a sprinkling of bitter salt scraped into crumbs for flavor—barely edible.
Even so, Gu Sheng ate one bite after another.
If he didn't eat, he couldn't live.
...
The next morning, early.
After breakfast, Gu Sheng locked the door, packed a few rice bran cakes, and headed toward the north courtyard of the main house.
Gu's Manor housed over a thousand people, with households sprawling outward from the main house at its core.
The closer a household was to the main house, the wealthier they were.
Gu Sheng kept his head down and hurried along without glancing around.
Soon, he stopped at a courtyard with green stone tiles on the walls. Branches of peach trees stretched outward, starkly different from the grass-roofed hut and fence of his own home. He knocked on the door, and a servant peeked out.
"Steward Gu He sent me to chop wood," Gu Sheng stated his purpose.
The servant gave a cursory look at Gu Sheng's thin frame, showing a slight disdain but said nothing more.
He simply led Gu Sheng inside.
The two didn't exchange words. The servant twisted and turned through the paths, finally stopping at the back yard with the wood shed. There were piles of round wooden logs stacked there.
The servant said, "You'll chop wood here. Don't wander to other places. Before nightfall, Steward Gu He will check the amount of wood chopped and settle your pay."
With that, the servant left without looking back.
Gu Sheng didn't mind.
He took a brief look around the yard before focusing on the stacks of wood.
Estimating by eye, each pile contained about fifty logs, each log about the length of a forearm and the thickness of a bowl.
His task was to split these logs in half and then once more into quarters.
Two hundred logs—it was a daunting challenge, just as Gu He had said.
Without wasting time, Gu Sheng placed the rice bran cakes and water he'd brought aside, then picked up an axe from a nearby rack.
The axe was quite heavy but very new, with a sharp blade.
Gu Sheng tested its weight in his hand and placed a log upright on the chopping stump, gripping the axe with both hands.
His gaze became stern as he took a breath. Raising his arms high, he swung the axe down forcefully.
Thunk!
The axe blade embedded into the log. Gu Sheng lifted the log and axe together, raised it high again, and struck down hard.
Crack!
The log split roughly in half, falling to either side of the stump. Though not evenly split, it was still passable. The axe continued its arc, with the blade sinking nearly halfway into the stump.
A reverberating force traveled through the stump, leaving Gu Sheng's arms numb and sore.
His face turned slightly pale.
"Chopping wood is no easy task. With the axe being this sharp, I'll have to conserve my strength. Otherwise, at this pace, forget chopping two hundred logs—just a hundred would drain me entirely."
Gu Sheng understood his limits. Although he felt fine now, it was because he hadn't yet exerted himself fully. Later, he might struggle to chop even a single log without resting.
"Let's keep going and finish this log first!"
Retrieving the two halves of wood, Gu Sheng set them upright. A few more swings of the axe split them again into four quarters.
One log done.
Gu Sheng inhaled deeply, his arms aching faintly.
One log alone felt exhausting—his body was indeed weak. Still, he had no choice but to complete the demanding work.
He piled the chopped wood to one side and rested briefly.
Then, Gu Sheng set up the second round log on the stump.
Thunk!
Crack!
Crack!
...
Inside the wood shed, the sporadic sounds of chopping echoed, though the frequency slowed more and more as time passed.
A quarter of an hour later.
Gu Sheng finished chopping his tenth log, already breathing heavily, sweat beading on his forehead and soaking his back.
He realized he had underestimated the difficulty of chopping wood.
"Two coins are really hard to earn."
Gu Sheng sighed, stopping for a moment. Suddenly, a strange thought crossed his mind. Subconsciously, he opened the proficiency panel.
To his astonishment, the Martial Arts section had changed:
[Martial Arts]: Chopping Wood (entry-level 1%).