New Goal Setting

Zhang Chunhua hurried in, and the moment she saw the huge bowl of fish meat, her whole body stiffened on the spot.

"Mother!"

"Guoguo made something delicious!"

Seeing Zhang Chunhua enter, Xiao Shitou spoke happily.

Looking at the heartfelt smile on her younger son's face, Zhang Chunhua opened her mouth as though she wanted to say something, but for a moment, she did not know what to say.

"Mother, you're back!"

"I was saving some for you too."

Chen Xuan came out of the kitchen just then. Seeing the complicated expression on Zhang Chunhua's face, he hurriedly spoke.

"Er Gou!"

Zhang Chunhua called out instinctively, yet she still unconsciously sat down on the stool.

"Mother, hurry and eat, or it'll get cold later!"

Chen Xuan said with a smile, stuffing mouthfuls of fish meat into his mouth. Even the bones, he tried his best to chew into pieces and swallow.

Seeing her son like this, the words Zhang Chunhua had wanted to say ultimately remained unspoken.

"You two eat. Mother isn't hungry!"

Zhang Chunhua spoke softly, gently stroking her son's head with heartache.

"Mother, it's fine. We still have food."

Hearing Zhang Chunhua's words, Chen Xuan naturally understood what she meant and smiled as he spoke.

"There's more food?"

Zhang Chunhua was somewhat puzzled.

"Mother, come with me!"

Chen Xuan spoke softly. He then set down his earthenware bowl and pulled Zhang Chunhua toward the kitchen.

Though Zhang Chunhua was puzzled, she still let Chen Xuan tug her along.

But the instant she entered the kitchen, Zhang Chunhua froze.

"This is...?"

Zhang Chunhua's eyes widened as she stared at the extra Mountain Chicken hanging beside the fish meat, her face full of disbelief.

"Mother, I picked this up by the river today. It should be enough for us to eat tomorrow. As long as we hold on for these next few days, Father will be back, won't he? Then we won't go hungry anymore."

Chen Xuan spoke with a smile.

His brilliant smile nearly brought tears to Zhang Chunhua's eyes.

"Mhm, mhm. Once Er Gou's father comes back, we won't go hungry anymore."

Zhang Chunhua's eyes grew misty, and she nodded heavily.

"That's right. So Mother has to eat properly. That way, Father will be happy when he comes back."

Chen Xuan said with a smile, pulling Zhang Chunhua back into the room.

This time, under Chen Xuan's watchful gaze, Zhang Chunhua finally placed a piece of fish meat into her mouth.

The fish meat melted in her mouth, making Zhang Chunhua's taste buds tremble and her saliva flow. As she ate, tears fell without her noticing.

Chen Xuan neither looked at her nor disturbed her.

The hardship of a mother raising two children alone, especially in this damned world—being a transmigrator, he could naturally understand some of it.

The family of three kept their heads lowered, with only the sound of food being swallowed.

After the meal, Zhang Chunhua once again carried her bamboo basket on her back and headed toward the rear mountain.

Chen Xuan did not stop her. He merely watched her leave.

Their lives were still difficult now, and Chen Xuan knew that what he had just said was simply impossible.

The original owner's father had not gone on a journey. He had been taken away for conscription, and honestly, the chances of his return were extremely slim.

Just like the original owner's elder brother, who had left seven or eight years ago and had not sent back a single word since. Without any surprises, the original owner's father would likely meet the same fate.

Shaking his head, Chen Xuan began cleaning up.

As he cleaned, a voice soon sounded from outside the door.

"Er Gou, Er Gou!"

"Open the door!"

"It's Er Zhuang, Guoguo!"

Xiao Shitou cried out excitedly and ran off to open the door, his little feet pattering.

The main gate opened.

Chen Er Zhuang entered carrying a small sack of items.

"Second Zhuang Brother!"

Chen Xuan rose to his feet, looking at his cousin with some surprise.

"Er Gou, look what I brought you."

Chen Er Zhuang spoke with a grin, gesturing toward the little sack in his right hand.

Following Chen Er Zhuang's gesture, Chen Xuan's gaze could not help shifting over.

"What is this?"

He asked instinctively, his expression puzzled.

"Didn't you bring fish meat to our family yesterday? My father told me to bring your family some millet. Hurry and take a look."

Chen Er Zhuang was somewhat reluctant, but he still hurriedly handed the millet over to Chen Xuan.

"Millet!"

Chen Xuan froze for a moment and took it instinctively. When he opened the small sack, kernels of unhulled Foxtail Millet appeared before his eyes, weighing roughly two jin.

Chen Xuan was somewhat surprised and instinctively tried to hand it back.

Chen Er Zhuang immediately took a step back.

"Er Gou, don't give it back. If you make me take it home, my father will break my legs."

Chen Er Zhuang hurriedly said.

"Then, thank you!"

"And thank Second Uncle and Second Aunt for me as well."

After a brief silence, Chen Xuan nodded.

That was how family was. In his memories, after his father disappeared, Second Uncle's family had always helped support them.

Without Second Uncle's family, Mother likely would not have been able to hold on while raising them.

"Hehe, then I'll be off first. My father told me to go to Uncle Zhang's house."

Chen Er Zhuang said with a grin.

"Uncle Zhang!"

Hearing Chen Er Zhuang's words, Chen Xuan's heart stirred, and he instinctively asked a question.

"That's right, the family east of us. I think my father wants me to learn some hunting from him. Once I learn how to hunt, my father, my mother, Er Gou, and Third Aunt won't go hungry anymore."

Chen Er Zhuang nodded excitedly as he spoke.

Chen Xuan smiled and nodded, not shattering the other boy's fantasy.

Hunting was not so easy.

Zhang Shan was a renowned hunter in the village, and his circumstances were indeed better than most villagers'. But as for never going hungry, that did not seem to be the case either. After all, prey did not appear every day, and hunting was an extremely dangerous business.

Shaking his head, Chen Xuan prepared to continue sorting things out. He still had a Mountain Chicken to deal with.

Yet at that very moment, he suddenly stopped.

His eyes immediately lit up.

"Hunting!"

Chen Xuan murmured, his gaze involuntarily turning toward his Conceptual Ability.

Hunting was an extremely difficult matter for others, but for him, that might not necessarily be the case.

With his Conceptual Ability, he only needed to set a goal to accomplish it.

From his attempts over this period of time, he had learned that the better his circumstances were, the more likely the goal he set could be achieved, and the simpler the path to completing it would be.

If he mastered hunting skills, could he then ensure that he had prey every day?

If so, would that not be far more reliable than relying on the system's ability to wait by a tree stump for a rabbit each day?

After all, when waiting by a tree stump for a rabbit, no one knew which day it would stop being possible.

The system's ability looked invincible, but it only looked that way. It was not truly invincible.

It was indeed true that setting a goal would theoretically produce a path, but that did not mean he could complete every path.

For instance, becoming a god as before—that was impossible for him to accomplish.

Likewise, with waiting by a tree stump for a rabbit, perhaps he could directly set a fixed goal, but someday, the path to accomplishing it would ultimately reach a point beyond his ability.