What Does Sweet Taste Like?

What they did not know was that the moment they turned the alley corner, a figure silently emerged from the shadows behind them.

Zhou Chen stood in the darkness by the wall, cold light in his eyes as he heard every word of their conversation.

The more he thought about it on the way back from buying meat, the more uneasy he felt. In the end, he had turned back to take a look, only to overhear their scheme!

As long as Zhang Mingfei lived, the string in his heart would remain taut, and he would never be able to practice martial arts in peace.

But it did not matter. With his current strength, killing Zhang Mingfei and the others would be enough.

Carrying the meat in his hand, Zhou Chen returned home first, only to run into several neighbors pushing out a cart loaded with a corpse covered in white cloth.

Zhou Chen glanced at the person on the cart. An arm, nothing but skin and bones, protruded from beneath the white cloth. Bluish veins bulged beneath the skin, and the joints stood out sharply from how thin it was. If he remembered correctly, they were a pair of siblings next door. Their parents had died in a Mist Monster attack, and the siblings had not lasted even a month before starving to death at home.

He had heard the neighbors say that the sister could not bear to watch her little brother starve to death. Unable to borrow food, she had grown desperate and fed him her own blood. By the time the neighbors discovered them, her arms were covered in knife cuts. She had not even had the strength to make the final cut, and in the end, she had held her brother as the two of them starved to death against the wall.

Thinking of what Lian Taoze had told him today about the Inner City, he could not help but sigh.

Alas, this world...

Zhou Chen stepped aside and let them pass first.

When the people pushing the cart saw him returning in the impressive uniform of the Zheng Family Martial Arts Hall, they were all taken aback. Then low murmurs began to spread.

"That Zhou Household brat really went? Where did they get the money?"

"His father's coffin money, probably. Sigh, why not accept his fate? What a waste of a year!"

"Exactly. That family has lost its mind, still refusing to give up. Hmph, they were born to suffer in poverty. Change their fate? Maybe in the next life!"

The voices reaching his ears were full of mockery. In a world like this, the understanding of common folk like them was truly limited. Learning a trade, filling their bellies, marrying a wife, and carrying on the family line—those were the great matters of life. Martial arts training cost too much and had too little chance of success. Few dared to stake everything on one throw.

Everyone had grown accustomed to these bitter days, to the point that they had even grown numb to them.

If Zhou Chen had not been a transmigrator, perhaps he too would have muddled through an entire lifetime.

When he returned home and pushed open the door, Zhou Chen saw his mother sitting inside, unable to hide the anxiety on her face.

When he told her that he had successfully taken a master, she froze at first. Then her eyes reddened, and as she wiped away her tears, she said, "I'll go tell your father!"

Little Zhou Yu had been squatting by the threshold. The moment she saw him return, she sprang up and rushed over. Her pair of rough little hands carefully touched his new clothes and the date-red token at his waist, her eyes sparkling. "Big Brother, I've never seen clothes this handsome before."

After touching them twice, she suddenly seemed to realize that her hands were rough and dirty. She hurriedly drew them back and lightly wiped the places she had touched with her sleeve, as though afraid she might dirty the clothes.

Seeing this, Zhou Chen's heart ached. He reached out and rubbed her little head, smiling. "Once your brother makes something of himself, I'll buy you dresses to wear. Prettier than this."

Zhou Yu smiled shyly and shook her head, saying in a low voice, "No... Expensive dresses are for young ladies from rich families..."

The words of children from poor families always carried an instinctive sense that they did not deserve such things.

She hesitated, then tugged at Zhou Chen's sleeve and whispered, "Big Brother... when you make something of yourself, just buy me a candied hawthorn skewer. Everyone says candied hawthorns are sweet, but I... don't know what sweet tastes like."

Hearing that, Zhou Chen froze. For a long while, he could not say a word. He lowered his head and looked at his little sister's pale, peeling hands, then nodded hard, his voice a little hoarse. "All right. I'll buy lots of them. As many as you can eat."

Before long, Zhou Tian emerged with Zhang Fang supporting him. He looked up at Zhou Chen, a trace of guilt surfacing on his face. "It's a pity we don't have money at home right now. Otherwise, we ought to buy something and celebrate for you..."

"Just so happens my cousin gave me two pounds of Gray Meat. We'll cook it tonight and treat it as a celebration."

Zhou Chen shook the meat in his hand.

"That child Zhang Ying, honestly. Her own days are already tight, and she still gave you two pounds of meat!"

Zhang Fang chided him lightly. "Ah Chen, when you make something of yourself, don't forget your cousin's family. She's been so good to you."

"Don't worry, Father, Mother. You don't need to tell me that."

Supporting his lower back, Zhou Tian slowly sat down in a chair. Looking at the other two parcels wrapped in banana leaves, he pursed his lips and asked, "What's in those two bundles?"

"A senior brother I met at the martial arts hall asked me to cut some Black Meat for him to take back and feed his dog."

Zhou Chen used the same excuse to brush them off, and the two elders did not suspect a thing.

Seeing Zhou Tian preparing to apply medicine, Zhou Chen walked over, picked up the prepared medicinal ointment beside him, and said, "Let me apply it for you, Father."

"All right. Heh, I never thought I'd have the fortune to enjoy my son applying medicine for me."

Zhou Tian did not refuse. Instead, he looked rather pleased with himself, earning a glare from Zhang Fang.

Zhou Chen smiled and began applying the medicine to Zhou Tian.

Although he had already calmed down, the sight of Zhou Tian's gaunt back, every rib standing out clearly, and the bruises covering it still made the fire in his heart surge upward again and again!

His father's scar-riddled back looked so much like his father's dignity, trampled and ground into the dust by their clan relatives.

The fingers holding the ointment tightened slightly.

If he had strength, how could they dare bully his family?

Become stronger!

He had to become stronger!!!

After applying the medicine, Zhou Chen saw Zhang Fang still using a shuttle to mend fishing nets. Realizing something, he frowned and asked, "Father, are you still going out fishing tomorrow? Your injuries haven't healed yet..."

But before he could finish, Zhou Tian coughed and said, "Of course I'm going. Opportunities to fish are few. If I don't go, the boat boss will give my spot to someone else. When would I get another chance after that? I heard martial arts training costs money everywhere you turn, not to mention your mother and I are still trying to save money to find you a wife."

Zhou Chen did not argue, nor could he bring himself to tell his father to rest for a few more days. He only felt a wave of powerlessness firsthand. Without strength, he could not decide for the boat boss to let his father rest.

Then he explained the rules of the Zheng Family Martial Arts Hall to his parents. Zhou Tian and Zhang Fang were both somewhat frightened. For a moment, they sat there in stunned silence, not daring to say anything. Their lips moved hesitantly as they exchanged a look, their faces awkward and uneasy.

They spent so much money, only to gain a chance to try?

Was that not far too difficult?

Zhou Yu did not understand it very well, but she could still sense that her big brother seemed to be walking a very difficult road.

"For these three months, work hard. Don't go sell fish during the day anymore. Your mother and sister can go. Whenever you have time, practice martial arts. Don't delay."

After Zhou Tian said this, perhaps afraid it would put too much pressure on Zhou Chen, he hurriedly smiled and added, "Martial arts are hard. Your father knows that. Didn't several people in our district sign up last year? Not a single one made it. And if you don't make it, that's fine too. Fish with your father. When I get old, you can take my place working at the fish market, marry a wife, have a few more children. That would be pretty good too."

"Father, rest first. I'll go cook the meat."

Seeing that his father was about to start rambling, Zhou Chen quickly found an excuse and turned toward the kitchen.

"You practiced martial arts all day. You must be tired. Let your mother do it."

Zhou Tian called after him.

"I'm not tired. I'll do it."

Grabbing the parcels of meat, Zhou Chen hurried into the kitchen and casually left the door slightly ajar behind him. He still planned to test which kind of Black Meat worked best for him, so naturally he could not let his family follow him inside.

He had already made up his mind. He would cook the Gray Meat for his family, while he himself would eat the Black Meat.

After cooking the Gray Meat, he sliced it and carried it out. Zhou Yu stared at the plate of meat, swallowing hard, yet she obediently did not touch it. Instead, she looked first at Zhang Fang.

"You can have a taste, but let your brother eat the rest. He practices martial arts and needs to eat more."

After saying that, Zhang Fang looked at Zhou Chen again. "Don't feel sorry for your sister either. A child eating it would only satisfy a craving. If you truly feel sorry for her, then eat all the meat and turn it into strength in your body! Your father and I have even less need to eat it. At our age, no matter how much meat we eat, it won't do much good!"

Zhang Fang did not understand any grand principles, but she knew that Zhou Chen had to come first now.

Zhou Yu hurriedly added, "Big Brother, eat quickly. I'm not craving it!"

After rubbing his little sister's head, Zhou Chen quickly said, "Father, Mother, the martial arts hall provides all the meat I can eat every day. I ate three huge bowls of beef today, and I really can't eat any more right now. Don't worry about me. Rest assured, I'm not the sentimental type. You eat this meat!"