Cheng Family

Old Master Chen made his way to Yazi Bay with shuffling steps.

"Eldest daughter-in-law... A Qing..."

The grass curtain was lifted, and Madam Han poked her head out.

When she saw it was the old master, a trace of surprise appeared on her face, followed at once by a hint of wariness.

"Father?"

Madam Han smiled. "What brings you here, Father? Come in and sit."

She stepped aside to make room at the narrow entrance, her movements somewhat stiff.

Old Master Chen stooped as he squeezed into the cabin, and a heavy smell of Rice Bran mingled with damp wood rushed over him.

He instinctively reached for his pipe, but seeing how cramped the little boat was, silently tucked it away again.

"Father, have some water."

Madam Han brought over a chipped coarse pottery bowl filled with cloudy cooled boiled water.

The old master took the bowl, his fingers trembling slightly.

"Eldest daughter-in-law..." Old Master Chen finally gathered his courage and said softly, "I came this time because there's something..."

Madam Han said nothing. She had already vaguely guessed what it was.

Avoiding Madam Han's gaze, Old Master Chen spoke with difficulty. "It's about Xiao Heng. He said he's reached the critical point of breaking through to Hidden Strength and urgently needs Blood Vitality Pills."

"Blood Vitality Pills?"

Madam Han cried out, "I heard those things cost a fortune!"

"I know, I know they're expensive!"

The old master hurriedly cut her off, his face burning. "But Xiao Heng said this is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity! He... he's the only hope of our Old Chen Family!"

"The only hope?"

Madam Han repeated those words, her voice beginning to tremble.

Years of grievance, bitterness, and unfairness surged forth like floodwaters bursting through a broken dam.

She abruptly rose to her feet and pointed at the dilapidated cabin.

"Father! Look! Look at the life my son and I have been living! In your eyes, only Xiao Heng is the Chen Family's hope. What about A Qing? Isn't A Qing your grandson too?! His father was seized to dig the canal, and no one even knows whether he's dead or alive! He left us, a widow and orphan, here in Yazi Bay, surviving on this broken boat. I've woven nets until my eyes are nearly blind, just barely managing to keep us fed! A Qing has worked hard too. He found himself a master and learned martial arts, enduring until he reached Bright Strength, yet we can't even afford a decent meal of meat! The sweat he sheds in training is mixed with Rice Bran gruel!"

Her tears slowly streamed down, rolling over her rough cheeks. "Do you know how my son and I made it through all these years? To save a few copper coins for salt, we even had to lick clean every speck of oil from our vegetable soup! The silver A Qing used to take a master was Huiniang's secretly saved dowry money! How are we supposed to repay what we owe her?!"

"And now, just because Xiao Heng wants to break through some barrier, you come to this broken boat of ours to borrow money? Where would we get any money?! Can silver be pried out of these rain-leaking planks? Or can gold be poured from these sacks of grain?!"

Old Master Chen's face turned deathly pale. His lips quivered, but he could not utter a single word.

The old master shakily rose, as though he had aged another ten years in an instant.

"Mother, I'm back."

Just then, a sound came from outside the boat.

"Grandpa!"

As the cloth curtain was pulled open, Chen Qing immediately spotted Old Master Chen.

"I... I'll be going first."

The moment Old Master Chen saw Chen Qing, guilt rose in his heart. He staggered out of the cabin.

Before Chen Qing could even react, Old Master Chen had already left.

Seeing Madam Han's red, swollen eyes, he hurriedly asked, "Mother, what happened?"

"Nothing."

Madam Han unhurriedly wiped the corners of her eyes with a corner of cloth. Her movements were composed. Though those "red, swollen" eyes were still somewhat damp, her gaze was clear and bright.

"He came to borrow money to buy some Blood Vitality Pills for your brother Xiao Heng. I cried poverty until I cried him away."

She then walked to the small stove in the corner and lifted the lid from the pot. The simple, earthy fragrance of Mixed Grain Beans spread through the cabin. "Eat while it's hot."

That tearful outpouring just now—"I've woven nets until my eyes are nearly blind," "we even had to lick clean every speck of oil from our vegetable soup," "we owe Huiniang her dowry money"... every word dripped with blood, every sentence pierced the heart.

It had not been an uncontrolled release of emotion, but a blade precisely aimed at the old master's guilty weak spot!

She knew that partial old man too well. Meeting him head-on would only earn her accusations of "failing to consider the bigger picture." Only by tearing open her own bloody wounds could she shut that mouth that came demanding things for his beloved youngest grandson.

Chen Qing nodded as if enlightenment had dawned on him.

Madam Han placed a steaming bowl of Mixed Grain Beans on the table, then returned to where she wove nets and picked up her shuttle.

She gave a soft snort. "He wants to pry money from between the teeth of my son and me, to pave his precious grandson's road to wealth and glory? Not a chance. Dream on!"

The next day, at the River Bureau.

Chen Qing had just finished roll call when Cheng Ming walked over.

"A Qing,"

Cheng Ming got straight to the point. "I've seen you training more diligently than ever lately. How has your Qi and Blood accumulated? Have you touched that layer of 'membrane' yet?"

He was referring to the bottleneck between Bright Strength and Hidden Strength.

Chen Qing smiled. "I'm still accumulating it. I always feel like I'm just short of that final spark."

Once his Qi and Blood had accumulated enough, he could attempt the breakthrough.

Cheng Ming nodded, speaking with the feeling of someone who had been through it. "For this second attempt at breaking through, what you need isn't merely the slow grinding of time, but real, solid 'firewood'! Large amounts of meat to nourish yourself, high-grade Blood Vitality Powder, even Blood Vitality Pills—those are all piled up from gleaming silver!"

"At your age, this is the golden period for breaking through. Miss it, and it'll become difficult. The Martial Arts Examination is close at hand, and the River Bureau's meager salary, together with what your family can provide, is but a cup of water against a cartload of firewood. The Cheng Family... may be able to help you once more."

Over this period, he had carefully observed Chen Qing and found that his skills far surpassed those of his peers. He was by no means comparable to an ordinary Bright Strength martial artist.

Moreover, he was diligent and hardworking, with a steadfast temperament. If fortune favored him in his second breakthrough attempt, he might well become a formidable martial artist. His potential could not be underestimated.

Chen Qing's heart stirred, and he looked up at Cheng Ming. "Boss, you mean...?"

Medicinal supplements could speed up his progress. He truly needed them badly.

"I'll go back and discuss it with my family."

Cheng Ming did not make any promises, but his eyes were serious. "I'll see if I can get some more Blood Vitality Powder for you. But I can't make the decision on this matter. I'll need to ask my eldest sister."

The Cheng Family had rules. Any funding for promising talents had to be approved by the family head.

"Thank you, Boss!"

Chen Qing cupped his fists solemnly, warmth welling up in his heart.

Cheng Ming truly treated him with sincerity.

That night, in the Cheng Family's inner hall.

The lamplight flickered, illuminating Cheng Huan's somewhat stern face.

After hearing Cheng Ming's account of Chen Qing, she furrowed her brows slightly, her fingers unconsciously tapping on the table.

"A Ming."

Cheng Huan spoke. "It's not that your eldest sister is stingy. Supporting a Bright Strength disciple with ten jin of meat and one liang of Blood Vitality Powder each month is already out of consideration for you. And now you open your mouth asking for more? Our Cheng Family is not a charity hall!"

She paused, then looked sharply at her younger brother. "You've favored several promising talents before, haven't you? Which one of them ever amounted to anything in the end? Wasn't all the silver we invested thrown into the water? A packet of Blood Vitality Powder costs one liang of silver; it isn't blown in by the wind! Our family has two boats to keep, a hundred mu of fields to pay rent on, and dozens of mouths above and below waiting to eat. What part of that doesn't require money?"

Cheng Ming grew somewhat anxious. "Eldest Sister, this time is different! Chen Qing, he—"

"What's different?"

Cheng Huan cut him off, a hint of rebuke in her tone. "His natural aptitude is middling at best, and it took him nearly three months to break through to Bright Strength! There are heaps of people with that sort of aptitude in martial arts schools! You expect him to break into Hidden Strength? Even if he succeeds by sheer luck, so what? Is the Martial Arts Examination so easy to pass? Look at those old Patrol Guards in the River Bureau. There are several at Hidden Strength, yet haven't they still squandered half their lives? Our Cheng Family is a small household with a narrow foundation. We can't withstand you throwing silver into the water again and again!"

She stood and walked to the window, gazing at the heavy night beyond. Her tone softened somewhat. "A Ming, if the Cheng Family is to gain a foothold and climb upward, every bit of silver must be spent on the blade's edge. When supporting people, either cast a wide net to catch a big fish, or find someone with genuine potential who can bring returns! This Chen Qing... I don't see where his 'blade's edge' lies."

Cheng Ming opened his mouth, but when he saw the faint strands of gray at his eldest sister's temples and remembered how she had exhausted herself for the Cheng Family over the years, he swallowed the words that had reached his lips.

How could his eldest sister's concerns be unreasonable?

A small family like the Cheng Family truly could not afford the cost of making too many mistakes.

He sighed and said quietly, "Eldest Sister, I... I understand."

With that, he silently turned around and walked outside with heavy steps.

Seeing her younger brother's dejected back, Cheng Huan's heart softened as well.

Her younger brother valued loyalty and sentiment. He had taken work at the River Bureau to open up another path for the family.

But in this world... how could loyalty alone support a family?

Just as Cheng Ming's hand touched the doorframe, Cheng Huan's voice rang out again.

"Wait."

Cheng Ming halted and turned back in astonishment.

Cheng Huan did not look at him. Her gaze remained fixed outside the window, her tone calm but decisive. "If you truly think this kid is worthwhile... a few trifling coins won't make much difference to the family."

Cheng Ming froze at first, then immense delight surged through him. "Eldest Sister! You agreed?!"

Cheng Huan turned around, her face expressionless as she merely waved a hand. "Go on, go on. There won't be a next time."

"Yes! Thank you, Eldest Sister! I'll go tell A Qing right away!"

The gloom was swept from Cheng Ming's face, and he rushed from the inner hall with light steps.

"It's only a few liang of silver, after all. Forget it."

Cheng Huan let out a silent breath, as if persuading herself.

She sat back down at the table and picked up the account book, but her thoughts had already drifted far away.