The Toiling Chi-Chi

East Sea.

Two white streaks of light shot across the sky at incredible speed, skimming the ocean's surface and carving two white trails through the waves with their air currents.

Son Goku and Son Gohan stopped above an open stretch of sea.

Beneath their feet was nothing but seawater, an endless expanse of blue.

Son Goku looked down at the ocean, then at his son, and scratched the back of his head.

"Gohan, why did we fly all the way out here?" He frowned, as though something had come back to him.

"This area used to be Red Ribbon Army territory, didn't it? There was some kind of base here. But I destroyed it when I was little."

"You'll find out soon, Dad."

Son Gohan took out the detector Bulma had modified from his pocket, placed it over his right eye, and pressed the switch.

"Beep, beep-beep—(code)"

The detector activated. A scanning beam shot from its lens and swept across the sea below.

Son Goku could not make sense of what his son was doing and rubbed his head.

The sea breeze howled.

About five minutes passed.

Then, suddenly, the detector's frequency changed.

"Beep—beep-beep."

"Beep beep beep beep beep—!"

Even Son Goku could tell something was off. He leaned closer and looked at the detector's tiny screen, where a red dot was blinking.

"Found it?"

Son Gohan did not answer. The corners of his mouth rose as white energy flared around his body.

Boom—

The pressure of his aura forced a depression into the sea, sending water spraying in every direction as he plunged into the ocean.

Son Gohan wrapped his body in ki and dived downward. The light around him grew dimmer and dimmer, while the occasional fish swam past him.

The detector kept beeping.

The farther down he went, the stronger the signal became.

He had found what he was looking for.

On the muddy seafloor lay heaps of gold and jewels, resting quietly beneath the water.

Gold coins, gold bars, gems, jewelry—like trash someone had casually dumped there.

Son Gohan landed on the seafloor, stirring up a cloud of murky silt.

Looking at the mountain-like pile of gold and jewels before him, he picked up a gold coin and rubbed the mud off it with his thumb.

The coin glinted once in the darkness.

That was right. These were treasures left behind by ancient pirates, sunken on the ocean floor for more than a decade.

Son Gohan tossed the coin back and held out his right hand.

The ki within his body began to seep from his palm, spreading over the pile of treasures before him and wrapping the entire mountain of gold into a single whole.

He opened his eyes and jerked his hand upward.

Above the sea.

Son Goku floated in the air, bored out of his mind, occasionally glancing down into the water.

He had stared for so long without seeing anything that he was just wondering whether he should go down and take a look when the sea suddenly exploded.

A column of water shot into the sky as a seven-year-old child burst out of the sea, dragging a huge glittering mass behind him. Seawater streamed down his body with a loud splash.

Son Goku blinked.

Then he saw the thing behind Gohan.

Gold and jewels, enough to make a small mountain.

"Gohan, where did you go? What's that huge pile behind you?"

Son Gohan steadily held the massive clump of gold in midair, took off his detector, and grinned.

"Dad, this is something that'll make Mom happy."

"Make Chi-Chi happy?"

"Yep." Son Gohan smiled slyly. "It'll keep both of us from getting yelled at by Mom. Alright, let's go home."

With that, his aura flared again, and he dragged the small mountain of gold toward Mount Paozu.

Son Goku froze for a second, then flared his own aura and followed after him.

One large and one small, two white streaks of light cut across the sky above the sea, creating a strange and striking sight.

While they were flying, Son Goku suddenly spoke.

"Gohan."

"Hmm?"

"Are you sure Chi-Chi will be happy when she sees all this shiny stuff?"

"I really don't want to get scolded."

"She's really terrifying when she gets angry."

Son Goku swallowed as he said this. One look was enough to tell that he got scolded often.

"Don't worry, Dad. When have I ever lied to you?"

"Uh..."

"Once we bring this gold and jewelry home, Mom will definitely be very happy." Son Gohan's tone was certain.

"Then the two of us can focus on training and prepare for the androids three years from now. You won't have to get lectured by Mom either. It's killing two birds with one stone." Son Gohan promised confidently.

"I see." Son Goku scratched his head. Only then did the usually carefree Son Goku finally relax. "That's good."

Son Goku unleashed an even more powerful aura and flew side by side with his son, their speed increasing by another level.

Two figures and a mountain of gold streaked across the sky toward Mount Paozu.

At the same time.

On the dirt road from West City to Mount Paozu, Chi-Chi was on her way back from the market, carrying two huge bags of meat and vegetables nearly as big as she was, with another sack of rice on her back as she desperately ran up the mountain.

The grunting of a pig came from behind her. A wild boar, its eyes red, was chasing after her.

"Why does this always happen whenever I go grocery shopping—!!!"

Chi-Chi shouted as she ran, her cloth shoes nearly sparking against the ground.

This was already the third time she had run into that boar. Every time, it chased her relentlessly as though she were its mortal enemy.

After finally making it over a slope, the boar gave up the chase and disappeared back into the woods.

Chi-Chi bent over with both hands on her knees, gasping for breath.

Sweat dripped from her forehead, soaking the clothes on her back.

She looked up at the mountain path that still stretched endlessly ahead. Gritting her teeth, she picked up the two large bags again and kept walking.

Everyone at home needed to eat.

Son Goku and Son Gohan were both Saiyans, and there was also her father, Ox-King. Any one of them could eat in one meal what an ordinary person would eat in a week.

She had to go into the city to shop at least twice a week, each time returning loaded down with bags.

When she could carry them, she carried them herself. When she could not, she pushed them on a cart. Even now, she had not had a single sip of water.

A sedan sped past her on the road, kicking up a cloud of dust that hit her full in the face.

Chi-Chi stood by the roadside and watched the car's taillights grow farther and farther away, unable to stop herself from sighing.

"If only we had a car..."

She muttered to herself, sighing inwardly.

"That guy Goku spends all day either fighting or training. He never takes care of anything at home."

"Gohan still has school—tuition, cram school, food expenses, everything costs money. She was supporting this family all by herself, wishing she could split every penny in two."

After sighing, she continued onward.

By the time she got home, it was already afternoon.

Chi-Chi pushed open the door, dropped the two huge bags onto the floor, and collapsed straight onto the sofa.

Her whole body ached. The shopping bags had left red marks on her shoulders, and the wind had blown her hair into a tangled mess.

She closed her eyes, her chest rising and falling.

After barely resting for a while, Chi-Chi opened her eyes, pushed herself off the sofa, walked into the kitchen, tied on an apron, and began washing vegetables.

Then she washed another huge pile of vegetables, chopped them, and sorted everything out.

She dumped a basket of greens into the sink. As she picked through the leaves, she calculated next month's expenses and muttered under her breath. Once the vegetables were washed, she began chopping, the knife going thud, thud, thud against the cutting board.

In the living room, Ox-King sat on a small stool, watching his daughter bustle around in the kitchen.

After chopping the vegetables, Chi-Chi went out into the yard to bring in the laundry. She folded the clothes from the line one by one and put them into the wardrobe. Then she picked up a broom and swept the house inside and out.

Ox-King watched the entire time without saying a word.

He remembered what Chi-Chi had been like as a child. How lively she had been back then, wearing pretty dresses and riding on his shoulders.

Now her hands were covered in calluses from housework, and wrinkles had already appeared at the corners of her eyes.

"Ah..."

Ox-King sighed, and Chi-Chi heard him.

"Dad, why are you sighing?" Chi-Chi asked, her broom never stopping.

"Nothing." Ox-King answered in a muffled voice. After a moment of silence, he said, "Chi-Chi, I just think you're working too hard. It hurts me to see it."

Chi-Chi's movements paused for a moment.

Then she resumed sweeping, her voice calm.

"What's so hard about it? Isn't this just how life goes?"

"It'll be fine once Gohan grows up. Once he becomes a great scholar and earns lots of money, I won't have to do anything anymore."

When she said that, it was as though she were trying to encourage herself.

Ox-King watched her back and sighed again.