Heaven Rewards Diligence

Zhou Yan finished handling everything, then glanced around and asked, "Where are the third one and the little sister?"

"The third one went out to play, and the little sister is sleeping in her room," Mother Zhou replied casually.

Upon hearing this, a slight bitterness tugged at Zhou Yan's heart.

The reason his little sister was sleeping wasn't out of laziness, but to conserve her body's energy.

In this era lacking in fat and oil, everyone needed to consume large amounts of food just to meet their body's basic requirements.

If they were to eat their fill, Zhou Yan alone could polish off over two pounds of grain in a single meal, let alone the needs of the entire family.

Being completely full was already a luxury for those at the bottom of society.

"Mother, don't save that meat; cook it all."

As Zhou Yan walked out of the kitchen, he called out a reminder.

If he hadn't spoken up, he truly feared Mother Zhou would only pick out a few scraps of meat for the dish and hide the rest away as cured meat.

"I know, I know."

Mother Zhou responded with a hint of annoyance.

Clearly, had Zhou Yan not spoken, Mother Zhou truly would have had exactly that in mind.

Zhou Yan shook his head helplessly.

He considered himself frugal enough, but compared to Mother Zhou, he was still a minor player.

However, Zhou Yan's reasoning was perfectly sound; children needed nutrition to ensure healthy growth and to fight off illness.

Otherwise, children's bodies were ultimately no match for adults', and they could easily perish prematurely.

This was precisely why the infant mortality rate in this era was as high as nearly forty percent!

Zhou Yan hadn't rested for long before his third brother, Zhou Chuan, learned that his second brother had returned and came running home in high spirits.

"Second Brother."

Zhou Yan looked at Zhou Chuan and nodded with a smile: "You're back. Hurry and go wake up the little sister, then wash your hands and get ready to eat. Second Brother brought you something delicious today."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Chuan let out a cheer.

He knew his second brother was a man of his word and often brought back tasty treats.

Therefore, every time his second brother returned was the happiest moment for him.

Zhou Yan watched Zhou Chuan dash into the inner room, a smile appearing on his face.

To be honest, if he hadn't frequently fed the two little ones, his grain reserves could have easily increased by at least half again.

But hoarding grain was ultimately for the sake of his family.

In his previous life, he was an only child and couldn't fathom this feeling.

But in this life, he could truly feel that sense of blood connection.

Before long, Zhou Chuan and Zhou Jing walked out.

"Second Brother."

Seeing Zhou Yan, Zhou Jing immediately called out sweetly.

His little sister, Zhou Jing, was the youngest child in the family at only nine years old, yet she was very sensible and obedient, serving as the family's little ray of sunshine.

"Mm, good girl, get ready to eat." Zhou Yan smiled and patted Zhou Jing's head.

Zhou Jing nodded obediently, a look of deep affection and reliance on her face.

An elder brother is like a father; to Zhou Jing, Zhou Yan had almost entirely replaced the role of their father.

"Wow, there's meat to eat, and it's big, fatty meat!"

When Zhou Chuan saw the meat, his eyes practically lit up.

It wasn't just him; Zhou Jing's eyes also revealed a look of pleasant surprise.

However, neither child reached out; they just stared longingly, which made Zhou Yan feel both gratified and heartbroken.

"Come on, everyone eat."

Zhou Yan personally picked up his chopsticks and first placed a large piece of meat into Mother Zhou's bowl.

He knew that if he didn't make the first move, Mother Zhou likely wouldn't touch a single piece of meat throughout the entire meal.

Afterward, he placed a large piece of meat into both Zhou Chuan's and Zhou Jing's bowls, before finally taking a piece for himself.

"Let's eat."

The whole family ate happily, the room filled with laughter and joy.

Although it was just a humble dwelling and they lived in poverty, their spiritual life was incredibly rich and fulfilling.

After the meal, Zhou Chuan and Zhou Jing helped Mother Zhou wash the dishes and handle the chores.

As for Zhou Yan, he walked out of the house and, after traveling a distance, arrived at a relatively secluded patch of wasteland.

He stood still for a moment, then suddenly raised his hands, lunged forward, and his spine arched and stretched like a great dragon.

This is the first form of the Five Animal Frolics, Tiger Pounce!

At the same time, a light screen visible only to Zhou Yan appeared before his eyes.

[Five Animal Frolics proficiency +1]

Three years ago, when Zhou Yan awakened the memories of his past life, his system arrived along with them.

This was a "Heaven Rewards Diligence" system, and its functions were very simple: it only had proficiency enhancement and "Proof Once, Eternal Proof."

It was precisely with the help of this system that Zhou Yan had been able to persevere ever since he started pulling carts at the age of thirteen.

[Name: Zhou Yan]

[Age: 16]

[Skills: Cart Pulling (Great Success 175/1600), Five Animal Frolics (Proficient 89/400), Spring Leg (Minor Success 267/800)]

The Five Animal Frolics was something Zhou Yan had learned in his previous life to nourish his body.

As for Spring Leg, it was something almost every cart puller could learn; while called a martial art, it was more of a technique to train the legs and feet to pull carts more effectively.

To truly achieve success in cultivation, one needed not only time and energy but also a large amount of grain and meat to boost one's vital energy and blood.

If it weren't for Zhou Yan having the "Heaven Rewards Diligence" system, he would never have been able to achieve any success in his cultivation.

It was precisely by relying on his Minor Success level Spring Leg and his Great Success level cart-pulling technique that Zhou Yan was able to see his cart-pulling skills skyrocket in just three years, making him one of the highest-paid workers at the cart station.

In fact, he was the highest-paid of them all.

However, he kept a low profile; apart from Mother Zhou, no one truly knew how much money he made, and he continued to live a modest life.

After Zhou Yan practiced the Five Animal Frolics once, his vital energy and blood smoothed out, and much of his fatigue and hidden injuries faded away.

Immediately after, he began to practice Spring Leg.

Spring Leg was an external martial art; unlike the health-nourishing Five Animal Frolics, the more powerful it became, the greater the damage it caused to the legs and feet.

It was fine when one was young, as the vital energy and blood were vigorous enough to suppress the damage.

But once one grew old, that damage could no longer be contained.

Furthermore, external martial arts had another drawback: they caused vital energy and blood to decline particularly rapidly.

Once vital energy and blood decayed, not only would one's martial arts skills be reduced to a fraction of their former strength, but one would also suffer from various ailments and chronic pain.

This was the reason why many people, despite having martial arts skills, chose not to practice them.

However, Zhou Yan had the Five Animal Frolics to nourish his body, and coupled with a decent diet, he had managed to grind his Spring Leg skills up day by day.

If he were to go and join a gang now, he could probably manage to become a minor leader.

But Zhou Yan had no such intentions; he only practiced Spring Leg for self-preservation and would not easily reveal it.

[Spring Leg proficiency +3]

[Spring Leg proficiency +1]

[...]

After performing a few rounds of Spring Leg, Zhou Yan's vital energy and blood were churning, and his stomach felt suddenly empty.

With three years of experience, he knew he could not continue training any further.

Otherwise, he would end up harming his body instead.

Thus, he stopped practicing Spring Leg, performed the Five Animal Frolics once more, and then packed up to head home.

After returning home, he washed himself off and lay down on his bed.

Within just a few breaths, Zhou Yan was fast asleep.