Chapter 6: Chapter 6 Budget Balance
Gu Sheng set aside his lingering worries and focused on chopping wood.
Right now, he could barely take care of himself. Though somewhat concerned about Gu Erniu, there was nothing he could do.
After reaching Small Success in chopping wood.
Just as Gu Sheng had estimated, the count of logs he could chop in a day reached over five hundred!
When Gu Sheng received the five Copper Coins from Gu He's hand, he could clearly sense the astonishment in Gu He's eyes.
It was intense.
Gu Sheng understood what Gu He was thinking—his rapid increase in workload in such a short time was bound to draw attention.
But he didn't mind; truth be told, this change wasn't all that significant.
Besides, he had already prepared an explanation.
Gu He looked at the frail young man in front of him. He couldn't tell if it was just his imagination, but compared to the first time they had met, this lad's physique seemed to have grown a bit sturdier.
He left the task of settling accounts to his assistant servant and led Gu Sheng to the woodshed instead.
Piles of neatly stacked chopped wood were arranged to one side, earning an approving nod from him.
"Show me how you usually chop wood," he said, harboring some guesses in his heart.
Gu Sheng didn't waste any words.
With practiced movements, he positioned a round log firmly, raised the axe with both hands, turned his body, pushed off with his right foot, rotated his waist and abdomen, channeled his strength through his arms, and struck fiercely.
Crack!
A crisp sound of splitting wood accompanied the perfectly halved log.
The entire process was decisive, without any redundant movements.
Gu He's eyes grew increasingly astonished. Though he had trained in martial arts in his youth and wasn't a Martial Artist, his judgment wasn't ordinary.
In his eyes, Gu Sheng's ability to mobilize his entire body's strength to such a degree, delivering a single strike, was already comparable to most adults.
Only highly experienced woodchoppers possessed such skill.
"Not born with Divine Power..."
Gu He murmured internally, then asked aloud:
"Who taught you how to chop wood before?"
Gu Sheng first nodded, then shook his head.
"I've watched others chop wood but never tried it myself."
Gu He nodded slowly, a hint of approval in his expression:
"Good intuition. Work hard. In the future, the wood-chopping tasks from the landlord's household will be enough to support you."
Perhaps it was the sight of a helpless young boy relying on his own hands to find his footing in this world, but Gu He's face showed faint joy, and his tone softened slightly.
Gu Sheng nodded in response, quietly watching Gu He walk away.
He had wanted to ask about Gu Erniu going into the mountains, but the words stopped on his lips.
It didn't seem appropriate.
Leaving the landlord's household,
Gu Sheng retrieved a clay jar of medicinal ointment from home. After spreading the last thin layer of ointment, the jar was thoroughly empty.
Gu Sheng washed the jar clean, scrubbing every corner.
After pondering for a moment, he picked some wild grass and began weaving. Before long, a simple grasshopper made from wild grass appeared in his hand. In the dim night, it bore an uncanny resemblance to the real thing.
Looking at his handiwork, Gu Sheng smiled contentedly and headed to Gu Erniu's home carrying the jar and the grasshopper.
Gu Erniu's house was clearly more well-off than Gu Sheng's. The clay-brick walls outside the thatched cottage appeared sturdier, with fewer holes, and its size was at least twice as large.
"Erniu's wife, are you home?"
Gu Sheng asked softly from outside the fence.
"Is that Asheng?"
"It's me."
The door creaked open, and Li Lian cautiously glanced outside. Seeing it was Gu Sheng, she exhaled in relief and then said with feigned annoyance:
"Why come this late, Asheng? You scared me!"
Gu Sheng scratched his head awkwardly and laughed:
"Busy chopping wood during the day..."
"Sis, I came to return last time's jar, and I also brought this little toy for Xiao Wan."
He handed over the two items.
Li Lian's eyes lit up when she saw the woven grasshopper. "Asheng, you know how to make this?"
"Just something I fiddled with in my free time."
"Such a waste! If you were in the city, this skill would be enough for a living. Xiao Wan's asleep now, but I'll thank you on his behalf—he'll be thrilled when he sees this toy tomorrow."
Li Lian accepted the items with a smile, appreciating Gu Sheng's thoughtfulness. After exchanging pleasantries, she suddenly sighed:
"Did your brother Erniu send you here? He's always like this... Who knows when he'll come back this time after heading into the mountains."
Clearly,
Li Lian was also worried about Gu Erniu's trip to the mountains. Normally, such excursions didn't take this long.
Gu Sheng remained silent, offering comfort instead:
"Don't worry, Sis, there are Martial Artists from the village accompanying him this time. It won't be dangerous."
Li Lian sighed deeply. "I hope so."
"It's late now, Asheng. Go back and rest early. You have more wood to chop tomorrow. Your brother Erniu, honestly..."
Gu Sheng nodded with a smile.
"Rest assured, Sis. I'll be chopping wood at the landlord's house during the day. If you need help with anything, just call me—I can handle the workload now without any issues."
"Alright, alright, go on home then!"
Gu Sheng turned and made his way home. Seeing that things seemed fine at Li Lian's place, the tension in his heart eased.
Returning to his house, he quietly calculated his household savings.
"These past few days, I've been consuming about two pounds of bran per day. The rice jar has enough left for roughly twelve more days—should be enough to hold out until I reach Great Success in wood chopping."
"So far, I've earned a total of fifteen copper coins. I'll leave them aside for now and wait until I achieve Great Success to balance income and expenses before buying more millet from the village."
"From now on, I'll need to eat two pounds of grain daily or I won't gain muscle. Being too thin won't do."
These past few days, eating well and chopping wood for training, Gu Sheng felt his body growing noticeably stronger.
This was a good start.
"Although it's slow, it's safe."
Gu Sheng wasn't arrogant despite awakening a panel, knowing this world was dangerous. Slow and steady was the way to go.
The hardest part was the first step.
The first bit of savings was always the hardest to earn.
...
In the following days,
Gu Sheng continued chopping wood, living a simple life that alternated between work at the landlord's and rest at home—very disciplined.
Occasionally, he visited Gu Erniu's home to see if there was any heavy work he could lend a hand with.
Originally, Gu Erniu had promised three to five days at most, but by the fifth day, he still hadn't returned.
Gu Sheng could see the growing anxiety and worry on Li Lian's face—it was increasing palpably.
In times like this, if the breadwinner of the family were gone, it would be incredibly difficult for a widow and her child to survive.
All he could do was offer consolation:
The villagers who went into the mountains hadn't returned yet, which meant they had only been delayed.
He was also comforting himself this way.
Gu Erniu hadn't come back, but life had to go on.
Gu Sheng continued chopping wood, grinding through experience points.
Each day, his progress was steady—sometimes as much as 14%, sometimes as little as 10%. He was drawing closer to the Great Success realm bit by bit.
Gu Sheng could feel his body growing stronger, his strength edging closer to a higher realm.
On the eighth day since Gu Erniu went into the mountains,
The sun was about to set.
Gu Sheng was chopping wood in the landlord's back yard.
As usual, he used leverage to swing his axe, but this time, something felt different.
In that moment,
Gu Sheng sensed all his strength converging, flowing seamlessly from his legs, hips, waist, and arms, channeling fully into the axe blade without an ounce wasted.
Crack!
Thud!
The log split effortlessly into two halves, and the axe blade continued downward, lodging powerfully into the wooden stump below!
This strength wasn't merely greater than before—it far surpassed most adults.
Gu Sheng froze momentarily.
Then delight surged across his face. Opening his panel, he spotted the changes under the Martial Arts category.
[Martial Arts]: Chopping Wood (Great Success 0%)!
A grin spread across his lips as he couldn't suppress his joy.
"With Great Success in chopping wood, my efficiency should at least double! I can finally achieve income-expenditure balance and even have some surplus!"
Gu Sheng felt hopeful for the first time—his life was starting to improve.