Chopping Wood

Before Gu Sheng could speak, Gu Erniu beside him spoke first:

"Steward Gu He, although Ah Sheng is a little slight, he can endure hardship. Two hundred pieces of firewood a day won't be a problem for him. He definitely won't delay your work."

He continued, "Ah Sheng's father has just passed away, and the crops in his fields were all ruined by beasts. Please be merciful, sir. Without this job, he won't survive the winter."

Gu Sheng pursed his lips and said nothing. At a time like this, it was best not to interrupt.

The furrow between Gu He's brows eased slightly. He seemed to feel some sympathy, and finally sighed.

"Fine. Give him the job. But let's be clear beforehand: at least two hundred pieces of firewood every day. More is fine, less is not. One copper coin for every hundred pieces chopped. If he can't manage it, I can only replace him."

Gu Erniu was overjoyed. He thanked him repeatedly and thumped his chest in assurance.

"You have the heart of a Bodhisattva. Rest assured, if I find any good goods in the mountains someday, I'll definitely bring them to you."

"Have him chop wood at the main family's northern courtyard first thing tomorrow morning."

After saying that, Gu He shook his head, clasped his hands behind his back, and left.

Two copper coins a day could not even buy a pound of rice bran. How long could this boy hold on?

Gu Sheng and Gu Erniu's voices chased after Gu He's retreating figure.

"Thank you, Steward Gu He!"

Joy rose in Gu Sheng's eyes. At last, he had a way to earn money. Though it was only two copper coins a day, that was only temporary. Once he became more skilled, perhaps he could chop even more wood each day.

The key was that he had no choice.

Even for a job like this, Gu Erniu must have put in no small amount of effort.

Gu Sheng looked sincerely at Gu Erniu and said gratefully:

"Brother Erniu, thank you!"

Gu Erniu grinned, making him look even more honest and simple.

"You silly kid. Before your father died, he asked me to look after you. There's no need to be so formal. Seeing you pull yourself together again has put my mind at ease."

"No matter what, staying alive is what matters most."

"When you get to the main family's place tomorrow, watch your words and actions. Chopping wood is hard work, but if you work diligently, two copper coins a day, plus what Uncle Shun left you, should be enough to get by. Things will get easier after that."

Gu Erniu patted Gu Sheng on the shoulder. Their builds were strikingly different, with Gu Erniu a full size larger.

Gu Erniu was in the prime of his youth and possessed respectable archery skills. His arms were strong, and with meat to nourish himself from time to time, his face glowed with health.

Gu Sheng, on the other hand—

He had only just turned fourteen and had suffered from malnutrition for years. He was terribly thin and weak.

"Brother Erniu, have you eaten? Come in and join me."

Gu Sheng invited him.

Gu Erniu smiled and shook his head. "Your sister-in-law has already prepared food at home. After settling this matter for you and resting for a few days, I plan to head into the mountains. When the time comes, help your sister-in-law out more."

Gu Sheng nodded repeatedly.

"Brother Erniu, you must be careful. No one knows where that beast that broke into the fields some time ago has gone. The mountains are extremely dangerous now. How about waiting a while before going?"

"The village's experts searched for several days and found nothing. I can't wait any longer. If I don't head into the mountains now and hunt more prey, winter will be hard to endure."

Gu Erniu sighed, gave Gu Sheng a few more reminders, then turned and headed home.

His house was not far from Gu Sheng's, about a hundred meters away.

Watching Gu Erniu's back, Gu Sheng felt a little envious.

With archery skills and familiarity with the mountains, one could enter the mountains to hunt. It was far more carefree than the life of an ordinary tenant farmer.

"But it's also a profession with your head hanging from your belt. If you carelessly run into a tiger or a black bear, you might lose your life."

Gu Sheng shook his head.

Of course, if given the choice, he would still rather become a hunter.

High risk brought high rewards. If he hunted a valuable prey animal, he might accumulate enough wealth.

Otherwise, he would farm for his entire life with no hope of ever changing his lot.

Like his father, who had never managed to save even one tael of silver in his entire life.

"What a pity. Skills like archery are basically impossible to learn unless they are passed down from father to son."

Even though he was close with Gu Erniu, Gu Sheng did not expect Gu Erniu to teach him archery.

It was the means by which he earned his living, and it was not easily taught to outsiders.

"For now, I need to survive first, then find a way to save one tael of silver as quickly as possible. If I can't save it before I turn fifteen, then I'll do it by sixteen!"

Gu Sheng's gaze was resolute.

"I must practice martial arts. Only martial arts can change the fate of those at the bottom!"

He went inside to light the fire and cook.

The meal was cooked from rice bran, coarse and difficult to swallow. The vegetables were wild roots he had dug up, barely seasoned with some bitter salt scraped from a salt block. It had a little flavor, but it was truly awful.

Still, Gu Sheng ate it bite by bite.

If he did not eat, he could not live.

Early the next morning.

After breakfast, Gu Sheng locked his door, tucked several rice-bran cakes into his clothes, and headed toward the main family's northern courtyard.

Gu Family Village had over a thousand households, scattered outward from the main family at its center.

The closer a household was to the main family, the wealthier it tended to be.

Gu Sheng kept his eyes lowered and hurried along without looking around.

Before long, he stopped outside a courtyard enclosed by blue-gray brick walls and tiled roofs. Peach branches extended from within, a world apart from the thatched cottage and fence at Gu Sheng's home. He raised his hand and knocked. A servant poked his head out.

"Steward Gu He told me to come chop wood," Gu Sheng explained.

The servant looked Gu Sheng's thin frame up and down with some disdain, but said nothing.

He merely led Gu Sheng inside.

Neither spoke. The servant led Gu Sheng through several twisting paths before stopping in the backyard behind the woodshed, where piles of dry logs had been stacked.

The servant said, "Chop wood here. Don't wander anywhere else. Before dark, Steward Gu He will settle your wages based on the amount of wood you chop."

With that, he left without looking back.

Gu Sheng did not mind.

After briefly surveying the courtyard, he turned his attention to the piles of firewood.

By Gu Sheng's estimate, each pile contained around fifty logs. Every dry log was as long as an arm and as thick as the mouth of a bowl.

His task was to split each round log in half down the middle, then split those halves again.

Two hundred pieces of firewood. Time was tight. Just as Gu He had said, that number was a challenge for Gu Sheng.

Gu Sheng did not waste time. He set the rice-bran cakes and water he had brought aside, then picked up an axe from the rack nearby.

The axe was somewhat heavy, but it was new, with a sharp edge.

Gu Sheng weighed the axe in his hand, set a log upright on the chopping block, and gripped the axe with both hands.

His eyes hardened. With a silent shout in his heart, he raised his arms high and brought the axe down.

Thud!

The axe blade sank into the log. Gu Sheng lifted both the log and the axe together, raised them again, and chopped down fiercely.

Crack!

The log split roughly in two and fell to either side of the chopping block. Though the halves were not especially even, they were passable. The axe continued downward, with nearly half its blade embedded in the block.

A force of recoil traveled up from the chopping block, leaving Gu Sheng's arms numb and sore.

His face paled slightly.

"Chopping wood isn't easy. Since this axe is so sharp, I need to conserve my strength. If I keep using this much force, let alone two hundred pieces, I won't even finish a hundred."

Gu Sheng knew that although it seemed easy right now, that was only because his strength was at its peak. Later on, he might need a long time to recover his stamina after chopping just one log.

"Keep going! Finish this log first!"

Gu Sheng picked up the two scattered halves, set them upright, and brought the axe down several more times. The round log was soon divided into four pieces.

At that point, one log counted as chopped.

Gu Sheng could not help panting, his arms faintly aching.

He was already exhausted after one log. His body was truly in poor condition, but Gu Sheng had to finish this hard-won job.

He stacked the chopped firewood on the other side.

He rested briefly.

Then Gu Sheng set the second round log upright on the chopping block.

Thud!

Crack!

Crack!

From time to time, the sound of splitting wood echoed through the woodshed. But the rhythm was intermittent, and it gradually slowed.

A quarter of an hour later.

Gu Sheng had finished chopping the tenth log. He was already gasping for breath, sweat beading on his forehead and soaking his back.

He realized he had underestimated the hardship of chopping wood.

"Two copper coins really aren't easy to earn."

Gu Sheng sighed helplessly, then froze. An inexplicable thought surged into his mind, and he instinctively opened the Proficiency Panel.

He saw that the martial arts section had actually changed.

Martial Arts: Chopping Wood (Beginner 1%)