"Finally, Small Success!"
Gu Sheng's eyes lit up with joy. The efforts of the past three days had finally borne fruit.
Achieving Small Success in chopping wood meant being able to easily leverage force, channeling most of his body's strength so that one axe swing could split the wood effortlessly.
Although it slightly increased the momentary energy consumption, the overall efficiency was boosted by at least fifty percent!
"Now, my chopping efficiency should be comparable to that of an average adult. Cutting five hundred logs per day shouldn't be a problem."
Gu Sheng estimated in his mind.
Five hundred logs meant five coins, which was already quite a decent income.
If Gu Sheng ate only one pound of rice bran a day, he could save one coin.
"This is a good start. Just achieving Small Success has increased my efficiency significantly. If I reach Great Success, or even Perfect mastery, I'll be able to earn even more."
"Currently, eating two pounds of rice bran daily costs just over eight coins. Achieving a balance between income and expenses is only a matter of time. Eventually, there might even be a surplus."
"The only thing I need to consider is the household's demand for firewood. But no need to worry — factoring in their winter storage, I'll have enough to earn what I need."
Gu Sheng let out a light breath, pondering the final issue.
"At the Small Success level, how many logs do I need to chop for a 1% increase in proficiency?"
Soon enough.
Gu Sheng got his answer.
In the final two hours before sunset, based on his previous efficiency, he'd been capable of chopping at most sixty or seventy logs.
But now.
Over a hundred logs!
And his proficiency had successfully reached 2%.
"After achieving Small Success, does chopping fifty logs increase proficiency by 1%?"
Gu Sheng nodded subtly to himself. Given such a rate of improvement, perhaps he wouldn't even need ten days to grind chopping wood to Great Success!
When that happened.
He would have firmly established himself in Gu's Manor and could gradually start planning for martial arts training afterward.
...
The steward's courtyard.
Gu He looked at Gu Sheng with slight astonishment.
"You said how many? Three hundred and sixty-four logs?"
Gu Sheng pursed his lips and nodded, pretending to look simple-minded as he fixed his gaze on Gu He.
Gu He scrutinized Gu Sheng for a while, particularly examining his arms closely, almost to the point of reaching out to touch them.
"How odd. Over just a few days, the amount of wood chopped increases daily. Could it be innate strength?"
He was inwardly surprised and made a mental note to keep an eye on this.
For the past two checks conducted on the amount of wood Gu Sheng had chopped, not a single piece was missing — it was clear he was not trying to deceive him.
Gu He did not say much further and handed Gu Sheng four coins.
Gu Sheng took the initiative to say:
"Thank you, Steward. I'll slowly repay the remaining portion."
Gu He nodded slightly and called for the next day laborer to settle accounts.
Gu Sheng paid no attention to this and walked out of the courtyard. A few glances from other laborers lingered on him — perhaps it was due to Gu He's slightly different attitude toward him, or maybe it was because he was too young.
Gu Sheng returned home.
He started a fire and cooked his meal, eating a large basin of rice with wild vegetables. He missed the taste of rabbit meat he had before, licking his lips unconsciously.
He then extracted a black, sticky ointment from the earthen jar and applied it to his arms, lower back, and abdomen.
A cool sensation spread through him, and the effect was remarkable.
The smooth progress of Gu Sheng's experience-grinding was partly owed to this ointment. Otherwise, even with his strength backed by a status panel, he might not have been able to chop two hundred logs the next day.
Looking at the jar's bottom, it held only a thin layer left.
"Barely enough for one more use, but it'll suffice. Afterward, I'll rely on my body's natural recovery. Then I'll return the jar to Brother Er Niu."
Beneath the night sky.
Summer's characteristic chirping sounds mixed faintly with the breeze, drifting into Gu Sheng's ears. He was too hot to fall asleep.
Gu Sheng leaned against the heated bed, hands behind his head, and mused about his future plans.
"I'm fourteen now. Relying on chopping wood, saving one tael of silver within a year isn't out of the question."
"But once I begin martial arts training, the expenses will be the biggest challenge. There's an old saying: literature thrives in poverty, while martial arts need wealth. Even chopping wood consumes so much daily; martial arts will only cost more."
"Once I've firmly established myself, I'll need to think about better ways to make money."
"Over the year, I'll try to earn as much as possible while gradually strengthening my body. To build muscle and gain strength, just eating grain won't cut it — I'll need meat, but meat is so expensive."
"Money! Money! Money! It always comes down to money!"
Gu Sheng couldn't help but feel a headache.
Despite having innate wisdom from his past life, even a skilled housewife cannot cook without rice.
For now, he was just a skinny fourteen-year-old boy, armed with little more than a Small Success in chopping wood for a slight edge. If he were to come up with a plan to make big money...
He might not even live to see the next day, his corpse left to rot in the wild.
"Asheng! Are you asleep?"
A deliberately suppressed voice broke Gu Sheng's train of thought.
Gu Sheng flipped off the heated bed and opened the door. Outside the woven fence, Gu Erniu was calling softly.
Seeing Gu Sheng, Gu Erniu beamed and gestured for him to come over, handing him a small piece of smoked meat and saying:
"Don't rush to refuse. Brother Erniu has a favor to ask."
Gu Sheng froze as the smoked meat was pressed into his hand. He brought Gu Erniu into the straw house, closed the door, and said seriously:
"Brother Erniu, what kind of person do you think I am? After my father passed away, you've been the only one to treat me sincerely. Naturally, I'll never refuse your requests."
Gu Erniu burst out laughing and patted Gu Sheng's shoulder.
"You sure are a stubborn kid. Just take the meat and eat it. Starting tomorrow, I'll be heading into the mountains for a few days — three to five days at most, one or two days at least. During this period, if my wife needs anything, you'll have to lend her a hand."
Gu Sheng nodded repeatedly, "Rest assured, Brother Erniu."
He hesitated briefly before asking:
"Brother Erniu, going into the mountains for three to five days — won't there be any danger?"
Gu Erniu lowered his voice and said:
"No, this time it's a hunting expedition organized by the manor. I'm merely guiding the way, and there'll be great experts accompanying us. If luck favors us, we might have a big harvest, and I'll share some meat with you to help you build up your body!"
His tone carried excitement, making it clear this was a good opportunity.
"You must keep this confidential."
Gu Sheng felt vaguely puzzled. Anyone Gu Erniu would call a great expert must surely be a Martial Artist. But why was the manor suddenly arranging for Martial Artists to join hunters in the mountains?
However, as just a lowly wood-chopping boy, such matters were none of his concern.
Even if he wanted to meddle, he lacked the capability.
Gu Sheng still reminded him:
"Brother Erniu, take care and stay safe."
Gu Erniu nodded with a smile and left.
He didn't consider himself in any danger; evidently, the Martial Artists from the manor had given him strong reassurance.
Coming by at night to ask Gu Sheng's help served two purposes: one was as extra insurance for his absence, ensuring his wife had someone to turn to if needed; the other was to find a pretext to gift meat to Gu Sheng.
Gu Erniu knew that Gu Sheng, like his father, was stubborn by nature and wouldn't easily accept favors from others.
The ointment and small piece of rabbit meat last time were already the limit.
The next day.
Gu Sheng went about his usual routine, chopping wood for the manor, while Gu Erniu ventured into the mountains.