Monthly Stipend and a Glimmer in the Little Home

Early the next morning.

As soon as dawn broke, Clear River Martial Hall grew noisy.

On the training ground, the disciples had already begun their morning practice.

Chen Mo stood among the crowd, following Instructor Li's movements over and over.

After practicing last night, he had become much more familiar with Basic Fist.

At least he no longer fumbled so badly that his hands and feet failed to work together like they had the first time.

Still, compared to Wang Lie and the others, he lagged a fair distance behind.

After finishing a set of punches, Zhao Chuan shook out his arms.

"This thing looks simple, but it's really exhausting to practice."

Zhou Zhan laughed.

"Who was it yesterday that said he'd punch through a wooden post one day?"

Zhao Chuan shot him a glare.

"That means I need to practice it properly first."

Chen Mo could not help laughing beside them.

"You sure know your own limits."

"I'm taking it one step at a time."

Zhao Chuan spoke with a perfectly serious expression.

"First, I'll master the punches, then I'll break a wooden post."

Chen Mo shook his head with a smile.

"You should probably stop hitting yourself first."

After chatting for a few moments, the group lined up again.

Chen Mo raised his hands as well.

He lowered his head and glanced at his fists.

That awkward feeling from yesterday was still there.

But it had already improved greatly compared to when he had first begun practicing.

At least during that set just now, he had not stopped because his footwork became tangled.

Just then, a middle-aged man walked over from the side.

"You newcomers, once you're done practicing, go to the storeroom to collect your monthly stipend."

Zhao Chuan froze.

"Monthly stipend?"

Someone beside him laughed.

"It's what the martial hall gives out every month."

Zhao Chuan's eyes immediately lit up.

"There's something like that?"

That person glanced at him.

"You didn't know?"

Zhao Chuan rubbed his nose.

"It's my first time here. How would I know so much?"

Chen Mo chuckled beside him.

"Yesterday, you said you'd prepared quite thoroughly."

"I prepared to practice punches, not to collect things."

"You really have a lot of excuses."

Before long, the group followed the steward to the storeroom.

The storeroom was not large.

Several wooden racks stood inside.

The storeroom steward sat behind a table, holding a ledger in his hand.

When he saw them enter, he said nothing more and simply lowered his head to check their names.

"Wang Lie."

Wang Lie stepped forward.

The steward handed him a small clay jar, a packet of medicine, and several copper coins.

Wang Lie accepted them, gave them only one glance, then tucked them into the cloth bag he had brought along.

Zhao Chuan stared at him.

"You're not even going to check?"

"Once it's in your hands, it's yours."

After saying that, Wang Lie stepped aside.

Zhao Chuan curled his lip.

"How boring."

When it was his turn, the steward handed the items over.

Zhao Chuan picked up the copper coins first and weighed them in his hand.

"There really is money."

He said it quietly, but he was delighted.

Chen Mo leaned over.

"What are you planning to do with it?"

"Save it first."

Zhao Chuan grinned.

"If I get the chance to go to the county town someday, I can't exactly go empty-handed, can I?"

Chen Mo nodded.

"That does sound like something you'd do."

When it was the next person's turn, though, things slowed down a little.

The youth looked at the clay jar in his hand and frowned.

"This is the monthly stipend?"

Someone beside him asked,

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

The youth lowered his head and looked at the medicinal liquid inside.

"I heard people say that the things martial halls gave out were all very good."

"I thought..."

He did not finish what he was saying.

Someone beside him smiled.

"The big martial halls in the county town are definitely different."

"It's already good enough that our place has these things."

The youth said nothing else and put the items away.

Soon, it was Chen Mo's turn.

"Chen Mo."

The moment he heard his name, Chen Mo stepped forward at once.

The steward handed him the items.

A small clay jar.

A packet of medicine for external wounds.

And several copper coins.

Chen Mo accepted them and lowered his head for a look.

"This is mine?"

"Yes."

A hint of a smile immediately appeared on his face.

There were not many copper coins.

But this was the first monthly stipend that belonged to him.

More than the money itself, he cared about that packet of wound medicine.

He quickly thought of his father.

Chen Shan often came back injured from going into the mountains.

In the past, he usually endured the minor wounds until they passed.

This could come in handy.

Chen Mo held the wound medicine separately in his hand.

Then he looked at the copper coins again.

A few coins like these could not buy much.

But bringing them home would still be of some use.

"Don't use the medicinal liquid recklessly."

The storeroom steward suddenly said.

Chen Mo looked up.

"This can only help you build your foundation."

"What truly makes you stronger is what you practice every day."

"Don't think that a little medicine can save you years of hard work."

Chen Mo nodded.

"I understand."

The steward lowered his head again and continued sorting through the register.

The group left the storeroom carrying their things.

Zhao Chuan was still counting his copper coins as they walked.

"What number count is this?"

Chen Mo asked.

"The fifth."

"Did anything change?"

"No."

"Then why are you still counting?"

"It makes me happy to look at them."

Chen Mo could not hold back his laughter.

"You're really hopeless."

"You're so impressive, then stop looking."

Chen Mo immediately turned his head away.

"I wasn't looking."

"I clearly saw you staring at my money just now."

"I was looking at your hand."

"What's so interesting about that?"

"It's black."

Zhao Chuan angrily shoved him.

The two bickered all the way, and much of their earlier fatigue faded away.

A few days later, on the martial hall's rest day.

Chen Mo returned home with a bundle on his back.

When he pushed open the courtyard gate, Chen Shan was chopping firewood in the yard.

Hearing the sound, his axe paused for a moment.

"You're back?"

"Yeah."

Chen Mo set the bundle down beside him.

Lady Li heard the sound from inside the house and came out as well.

"Why are you back so soon?"

"The martial hall is closed today."

Chen Huan ran out from the house.

"Brother!"

Chen Mo smiled and gently rubbed her head twice.

"Have you been studying obediently?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Of course it's true."

Chen Huan wrinkled her little nose.

"Mother can prove it."

"Fine."

Chen Mo smiled and glanced at her.

The courtyard was still the same courtyard.

The house was still the same house.

It seemed that ever since he had entered the martial hall, nothing at home had really changed.

Yet when he returned now, it felt different from before.

At the very least, he had truly found his footing in the martial hall.

During dinner that evening, Chen Mo took out the packet of wound medicine.

"Father, take this."

Chen Shan froze for a moment.

"What is this?"

"Wound medicine issued by the martial hall."

Chen Mo pushed it over.

"When you go into the mountains later, if you get wounded, use this."

Chen Shan accepted it and examined it.

"The martial hall gives out this too?"

"Yeah."

Chen Shan fell silent for a moment.

"Keep some for yourself."

"No need."

Chen Mo shook his head.

"I haven't been hurt much lately."

"Besides, when you go into the mountains, you're far more likely to get hurt than I am."

Chen Shan looked at him and did not push it back again.

He merely put the medicine away.

Beside them, Lady Li looked at the few copper coins.

"Were these issued by the martial hall too?"

"Yes."

Chen Mo handed the coins over.

"Mother, keep them."

"Keep them for yourself."

"I eat and sleep at the martial hall, so I don't need them for now."

Chen Mo thought for a moment.

"They can come in handy at home."

Lady Li held the copper coins without speaking for a long while.

In the end, she still accepted them.

"Then we'll keep them at home for now."

"Mm."

Chen Mo nodded.

Dinner continued.

Holding her bowl, Chen Huan ate while staring at Chen Mo.

"Brother, are you really amazing now?"

"Not at all."

"Didn't you already enter the martial hall?"

"Entering the martial hall doesn't make you amazing right away."

After saying that, Chen Mo deliberately put on a stern face.

"When I'm truly amazing someday, I'll show you."

Chen Huan immediately perked up.

"Then I want to learn too!"

"First, make sure you can write your characters properly."

"I already write very well."

"The last time you wrote the character for 'person,' its arms were practically running away."

"They were not!"

The whole family burst out laughing.

After dinner, Chen Mo sat with Chen Huan by the table for a while.

The little girl took out a sheet of paper.

It was filled with crooked, wobbly characters.

She pointed at one of them.

"Brother, look at this one."

Chen Mo leaned over and studied it for quite some time.

"What is this supposed to be?"

"'Mountain.'"

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Chen Mo held back a laugh.

"Then why does your mountain have an extra leg?"

"Brother!"

Chen Huan angrily reached over to push him.

Chen Mo hurriedly dodged.

"Alright, alright, mountain it is."

Laughter rang through the house again.

Once Chen Huan lowered her head and resumed writing, Chen Mo finally quieted down.

His father sat to one side, sorting through things.

His mother cleared away the bowls and chopsticks.

Everything was still just as it had been before.

Not long after, Chen Shan suddenly spoke.

"Things in the mountains have been a little restless lately."

Chen Mo looked up.

"What happened?"

"A few days ago, a hunter was scratched by something wild."

Chen Shan spoke calmly.

"The injury wasn't too serious."

"It's just been happening more often than before lately."

Lady Li frowned.

"Wild beasts again?"

"That's what it looked like."

Chen Shan paused.

"But when going into the mountains lately, we still need to be careful."

After hearing that, the smile on Chen Mo's face faded somewhat.

"Father."

"Yeah?"

"From now on, try not to go too deep into the mountains."

Chen Shan glanced at him.

"I know."

"It's not my first time going into the mountains."

Chen Mo nodded.

"As long as you know."

Chen Shan smiled.

"You brat, now you're starting to tell me what to do."

"I'm reminding you."

"Fine."

Chen Shan waved a hand.

"I'll listen to you."

Late at night, the family gradually went to sleep.

Chen Mo sat alone beneath the old locust tree in the courtyard.

He held that small clay jar in his hand.

He looked at it for a while, then put it away again.

He had always thought that entering the martial hall would bring enormous changes to his life.

But now that he looked at it, it was not all that dramatic.

There was an extra monthly stipend.

A few more copper coins.

A packet of wound medicine.

None of these things were particularly valuable, yet they really could make life a little easier for the family.

Thinking of this, the corners of Chen Mo's mouth lifted involuntarily.

At least this trip had not been in vain.

Still, the things his father had said earlier lingered in his mind.

He raised his head and looked west.

Beyond the houses and fields, nothing could be seen.

Chen Mo sat there for a while before finally rising to his feet.

"I still have to practice my fists tomorrow."

He dusted the dirt from his trousers.

"I should hone my own skills first before anything else."

With that, he turned and went back inside.