New Year's Eve

"Dad, Mom." Pushing open the door, he was greeted by the aroma of food from the kitchen and the busy figures of his parents.

"Up already? Hurry, go wash up, breakfast is ready." His mother Wang Juan, her face carrying a busy yet satisfied smile, quickly walked toward the small table in the living room carrying a steaming bowl of meat congee.

The rich meaty fragrance of the congee hit his nose, instantly stirring Li Wen's appetite.

"Mmm! Smells great!" he praised sincerely, following his mother into the cramped washroom.

Cold water washed away the last traces of sleepiness, and a hearty breakfast was already laid out on the small table—not just meat congee, but also specially prepared fried eggs and side dishes.

The family of three sat around the table, their juice glasses gently clinking in midair.

"Cheers! Happy New Year's Eve!" they said in unison, smiles blooming on their faces.

The worries about debt, illness, and the hardships of cultivation were temporarily forgotten in the corner, buried under the warmth of family smiles and the crisp sound of clinking glasses.

This breakfast stretched on unusually long, taking a full hour, as rare warmth flowed slowly through the modest living room.

The bowls and chopsticks were set down, the sound of water ran in the sink, and mother Wang Juan spoke again, with an understanding concern:

"Ah Wen, go study in your room. Leave everything out here to me and your dad."

"Okay, Mom." Li Wen didn't refuse at all; he had long understood this silent expectation.

After the brief warmth came clearer, heavier responsibility. The key to changing this family's predicament lay in his daily cultivation and study.

Only by mastering stronger power sooner could he truly change everything. He turned and went back to his room, gently closing the door behind him, shutting out the noise of the outside world.

At his desk, he took a deep breath and picked up the brick-thick Galactic Common Language (Basic Advanced Edition), flipping it open.

Words and sentences poured into his mind like a dense river of stars. In his mind, the panel's notification sounded like a precise pendulum, ringing out at regular intervals:

[You studied earnestly for ten minutes, Scholar experience +1]

[You studied earnestly for ten minutes, Scholar experience +1]

Time slipped away piece by piece, and the Scholar's experience grew bit by bit.

While Li Wen studied earnestly, outside, Father Li and Mother Li were talking quietly in the kitchen.

"Are you really not going to tell Ah Wen about your illness?" Mother Wang Juan asked, head down as she chopped vegetables.

"Cough~, telling him won't help. Besides worrying, what else can he do?" Father Li Hong bent over, plucking duck feathers, letting out a light cough.

"Are you feeling better after taking the medicine?" Hearing Li Hong's cough, Mother Wang Juan asked with concern.

"It's about the same, but I definitely won't die anytime soon. The doctor said if I take my medicine on time, living another year or two shouldn't be a problem. That's enough. By then, Ah Wen will be in college." Thinking about Li Wen's recent progress, the pain on Li Hong's face lessened a bit.

In the first few days after learning he had a serious illness, his biggest worry was that Li Wen wouldn't get into a martial arts university.

Now, not only had he made it into the top three of his class in the final exams, but he'd also won a Scholarship. The weight on his heart had finally eased by more than half.

He just had to wait five months for the college entrance exam results. Once Li Wen got into a martial arts university, his last shred of worry would completely disappear.

No one who got into a martial arts university had ever failed to become a martial artist.

As long as Li Wen could become a martial artist, life for mother and son in this society would become much easier.

The only pity was that he wouldn't live to see his son start a family.

Time flowed like sand in an hourglass, slipping away silently, while the [Scholar] experience points representing wisdom and spiritual power slowly climbed toward the halfway milestone, one notification at a time.

Six hours passed. The fullness of knowledge and a slight mental fatigue washed over him simultaneously.

[You studied earnestly for six hours, Scholar experience +36]

[Class: Scholar Lv5 (740→776/1600)]

"Phew..." Li Wen closed the book and rubbed his slightly aching temples.

"776... still 824 to go. As expected, the further you go, the more experience each level needs. Leveling up is really slow..."

He muttered to himself, with a hint of helplessness, but also filled with determination to keep moving forward.

At that moment, a rich, tempting aroma of food forcefully penetrated the thin door and hit his nose.

That was... the smell of braised lion's head meatballs! His favorite dish! It instantly stirred up a fierce craving in his stomach.

Li Wen got up and opened the door. Behind the glass sliding door connecting the kitchen and living room, his mother, wearing an apron, was focused on stir-frying the last batch of lion's head meatballs, glossy red and fragrant.

His father was helping on the side. The scene was ordinary and warm.

A few minutes later, Li Wen carried the freshly cooked, sizzling lion's head meatballs in both hands and carefully placed them on the table, which was already covered with dishes.

Nine dishes and one soup crammed the small round table full, creating a striking visual impact.

Several of the dishes clearly contained expensive, high-energy ingredients, emitting an enticing aura of energy—this was a deliberate "extravagance," moving the New Year's Eve feast to noon to fuel his afternoon of intense cultivation.

"Let's eat!" His mother untied her apron, her face flushed from work and wearing a satisfied smile.

"Cheers!" Li Wen raised his juice glass, looking sincerely at his parents.

"Cheers!" Li Hong and Wang Juan responded with smiles, and the three glasses filled with juice gently clinked together again, producing a crisp sound.

After more than half an hour of ravenous eating, Li Wen stuffed the last large piece of energy-rich exotic beast meat his parents had given him into his mouth, chewing and swallowing with satisfaction. He picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth.

"Dad, Mom, I'm heading to Xinhuo Hall."

"Mm, be careful on the way, watch out for cars." His parents spoke in unison, their eyes filled with unspoken concern and support.

Li Wen slung his already-prepared backpack over his shoulder—stuffed with a few cheap energy drinks and some high-calorie compressed food bars—and under his parents' gaze, pushed open the front door, stepping out into the slightly chilly afternoon sunlight of New Year's Eve.

In the first-floor lobby of the Xinhuo Hall's Qingshi Branch, the usual solemnity was tempered by a festive bustle, yet the will to train in martial arts had not paused for the holiday.

The flow of people was still considerable, most of them young people like Li Wen, unwilling to slack off even for a moment on the path to strength.

His gaze swept across the crowd, and a few familiar figures came into view—Xue Jun and a few people from his circle had just come out from the service counter and were heading together toward the turnstile leading to the higher floors.

Their eyes met briefly in the air. A flicker of obvious surprise crossed Xue Jun's face; clearly, he hadn't expected Li Wen to be hanging around the lower floors on the afternoon of New Year's Eve.

His gaze lingered briefly on Li Wen's training clothes and the backpack behind him, a hint of something complicated deep in his eyes. Then he looked away, muttered something to his companions, swiped his card, and disappeared into the elevator entrance leading to the higher-level areas.