Su Yu yawned as he pulled open the door, and a thick, fishy stench immediately hit him.
At the doorway stood his third aunt, Mrs. Chen, her hands on her hips. Her upturned eyes scanned him from head to toe, her face an open mask of disgust.
"Yu, it's still so early, and you're already at home resting? I was wondering why I didn't see you at the fish market. So you were just lazing about at home."
She began in a passive-aggressive tone, "Oh, Yu, it's not my place to say, but with your father gone, you should be trying to make something of yourself. Sleeping all day—you think a wife is going to materialize from your dreams?"
Su Yu nonchalantly dug a finger in his ear, not wanting to bother with an explanation.
The woman was his third uncle's wife. She had a sharp tongue and had always looked down on him.
Seeing his shameless indifference, Mrs. Chen lost interest. She pursed her lips and finally got to the point. "Alright, come to your grandfather's for dinner tonight. There's something important to discuss."
With that, she turned and sashayed away.
Su Yu closed the door and splashed cold water on his face. Only then did the exhaustion and fear from the previous night finally fade away.
He gazed out the window as the sky began to darken.
'Casting Net... still needs two more Skill Level points. I'll just go tomorrow during the day,' he muttered to himself.
...
「Night fell. Qingxi Village, the Su Family's Old Mansion.」
In the small, stone-paved courtyard, seven or eight members of the Su Family, young and old, sat around an old locust wood table.
The dishes on the table were considered a feast in the village: a large basin of wild vegetable porridge, a platter of glistening steamed fish and potato cakes, a stack of grayish-black coarse rice pancakes, a braised Black Water River carp, and, in the very center, a plate of pork belly stewed with cabbage.
The white cabbage leaves were saturated with oil, and the few precious slices of fatty pork glistened invitingly under the dim yellow light.
Su Yu was seated among them, his head down, shoveling rice into his mouth in silence.
This was the home of Elder Su, Su Manjiang, and also where his third uncle, Su Da Wen, and his family lived.
In his younger days, Su Manjiang had traveled far and wide, building a small fortune before settling down in Qingxi Village.
Su Manjiang had three sons. The eldest, Su Dahai, was conscripted for corvée labor years ago and never returned, leaving behind only his son, Su Hong. The second son, Su Dashan, was Su Yu's father, who had perished in the Black Water River a few months ago. Now, only the third son, Su Da Wen, and his family remained.
Before long, the meal was nearly finished. The last piece of fatty pork on the platter seemed particularly conspicuous under the gaze of several pairs of eyes.
His third aunt immediately shot out her chopsticks, snatched the last piece of pork, and unceremoniously plopped it into her son Su Can's bowl.
Su Can's face flushed red in an instant. He buried his head in his bowl and silently ate the pork.
"Now that everyone's about done eating, I have something to say."
Su Manjiang produced a long-stemmed pipe from somewhere, tapped it twice against the table leg—BANG, BANG—lit it, and took a deep drag. The swirling smoke obscured his deeply wrinkled face.
"Yesterday, Master Liu from the city came to assess Can'Er's bone structure. His aptitude is upper-mid grade. He's prime material for learning martial arts!"
The moment he finished speaking, the dinner table fell silent, then erupted in celebration.
"Oh, my dear sister-in-law! This is wonderful news!" the first aunt was the first to congratulate her. "If Can'Er becomes a Martial Artist in the future, he'll bring glory to our ancestors!"
Mrs. Chen beamed with joy, her back straightening with pride.
His cousin Su Hong also offered his congratulations, but a flicker of gloom passed through the depths of his eyes.
A few years ago, he hadn't believed in so-called innate talent either. Relying on his own daring and tenacity, he had joined the Snow Wolf Gang to learn martial arts from a minor leader...
Su Yu offered his congratulations as well, his expression calm. He had also had his bones assessed. The evaluation was "very ordinary." 'But that was before I got the panel!'
"Since Can'Er has talent, the family must support him with everything we have!" Su Manjiang's voice held an unquestionable authority, and his murky eyes shone with irrepressible hope. "The goal is the Martial Examination! To become a Martial Scholar!"
He had struggled his whole life just to build up a single fish stall.
If his grandson could become a Martial Scholar and lead the family to move into the city, his life would have been a success.
"I asked Master Liu to recommend the best martial arts hall in the city, the Hongshan Martial Arts Hall. The apprenticeship fee... is thirty taels."
"Thirty taels?!" the first aunt cried out in shock.
"Grandfather, a regular martial arts hall only costs ten taels..." Su Hong couldn't help but say.
"No!" Mrs. Chen's shrill voice cut him off. She shot Su Hong a vicious glare. "My son has talent! He must go to the best martial arts hall!"
Su Manjiang was silent for a moment before nodding. "Going to the Hongshan Martial Arts Hall will ensure his potential isn't wasted. I've scraped together twenty taels, so we're still short ten. Su Hong, Su Yu, you're the older brothers. Your families can each contribute five taels."
As soon as the words left his mouth, the first aunt's tears began to fall.
"Father! Dahai left and we've heard nothing since. I'm just a widow who struggled to raise Hong'Er. Where would I find any spare money?!"
Su Manjiang puffed on his pipe, the wrinkles on his forehead bunching together like old tree bark.
"Eldest Sister-in-law!" Mrs. Chen shot to her feet, grabbing Su Can's shoulder. "When Can'Er becomes a great Martial Scholar, how could he forget your kindness? Can'Er, hurry and kowtow to your first aunt!"
"Mother, don't..." Su Can's face was beet red with shame. "I'll be fine at a regular martial arts hall."
"You shut your mouth!" Mrs. Chen's eyes were wide and frantic. "You're my only hope in this life! I'll risk everything to give you the best! If you don't study martial arts properly, your mother will never be able to rest in peace!"
Beside them, the third uncle remained silent.
In the end, it was Su Hong who spoke up. "Alright, little brother. I'll cover the money. Just focus on your training from now on."
"Oh, my dear eldest nephew is so sensible!" Mrs. Chen's tears instantly turned to a smile.
With the eldest brother's family agreeing, the pressure instantly shifted entirely onto Su Yu.
Mrs. Chen's gaze was like a knife. "Yu, you can't just stand by and watch your younger brother's future go down the drain!"
Su Yu put down his bowl and chopsticks and shook his head decisively. "Third Aunt, I don't have the money."
"You do!" Mrs. Chen's voice suddenly screeched. "When your father had his accident, the Water Snake Gang paid five taels of silver in compensation! And it was your third uncle and eldest brother who went and got it back for you!"
Su Yu's brow furrowed slightly. That was true.
"Yu," Su Manjiang spoke, his tone final. "You're the second-eldest brother. You have to pay this money."
Su Yu looked up, meeting his grandfather's gaze, and shook his head again. "Grandfather, I'm going to learn martial arts too. This money is for my own apprenticeship fee."
"Nonsense!" Su Manjiang slammed his hand on the table, furious. "Don't you know your own aptitude? Learn martial arts? You want to learn how to squander what little the family has left?! Your father refused to accept his fate, and that's why he lost his life in the Black Water River! Are you going to follow in his footsteps?!"
The old man's heavy gasps were filled with deep disappointment and sorrow.
He had seen too many young men who refused to accept their fate. With poor aptitude, they still insisted on trying their luck with martial arts, only to be crushed by reality and left to rot in the mud at the bottom of society.
"Oh, Yu, don't try to fool your third aunt..." Mrs. Chen thought Su Yu was just making excuses. "And don't worry about the future. As long as your aunt and uncle have food to eat, we won't let you starve!"
Su Yu didn't explain further. He simply stood up and left.
Behind him, he heard Su Manjiang's furious roar, "You bastard! Cough... COUGH, COUGH..."
"Father!"
"Grandfather!"
...
Outside the old mansion, the night wind was bitingly cold.
Su Yu felt little resentment in his heart, only a weary sigh.
'Sometimes life is just this fucked up. To put it bluntly, it's all because I'm too weak, with no money or status, that I face so many hardships.'
He clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white.
'Maybe it would be easier to just live for myself from now on.'
Back home, he felt for the six taels of silver at the bottom of the jar, his gaze becoming incredibly determined.
'Tomorrow, I'm going to the Black Water River!'
KNOCK. KNOCK.
Just then, a knock sounded on the door.
Su Yu opened the door, puzzled. Bathed in the moonlight stood his cousin, Su Hong.
"Second Brother, don't blame Grandfather and the others."
"I'm just afraid Third Aunt already hates me," Su Yu said with a self-deprecating smile.
Su Hong didn't say any more. He carefully pulled a heavy coin pouch from his robes and pressed it into Su Yu's hand. "I know you want to give it a shot. Take these five taels of silver. Just consider it your loan to Third Uncle's family."
Su Yu fell silent, his eyes fixed on the hideous scar that ran from the corner of Su Hong's eye down to his chin.
He had gotten that scar while risking his life to save a minor leader of the Snow Wolf Gang.
He wanted to refuse.
But Su Hong gripped his shoulder, his voice low and firm. "Second Brother, you can't deny Third Uncle's kindness!"
An image flashed through Su Yu's mind: a few months ago, just after his father had died, the local bully Niu Er had come to their door to cause trouble. It was his quiet, taciturn third uncle who had grabbed a Fish-killing Saber and driven the man away.
In the end, he accepted the pouch of silver.
...
「The next morning, Su Yu delivered the five taels of silver to his third uncle's house.」
His tall third uncle, Su Da Wen, said nothing, only patting him heavily on the shoulder.
After leaving, Su Yu felt inexplicably lighter. He returned home, slung the tattered fishing net over his back, and strode toward the Black Water River.
The sky was just beginning to brighten, and a biting wind blew off the river.
One cast, two casts...
As he hauled in the third net and saw several crucian carp flopping about inside, a long-awaited voice sounded in his mind.
[Skill]: Casting Net (Perfection)
[Skill has reached Perfection. Consume 1 Breakthrough Point to perform a Breaking Limit?]