Chen Ping'an wasn't particularly deft with his hands, but his work was decent.
"That should do it."
He slid the freshly carved wooden stick into the door latch. It was a perfect fit—not too tight, not too loose.
"Wow, you're the best, Brother!"
Chen Erya clapped from the side, showering him with praise.
"Alright, I'm going to practice my martial arts now. Nannan, if you get sleepy later, don't wait up for me. Just go to bed."
"Okay," Chen Erya replied.
Chen Ping'an fetched some undergarments from inside the house.
These undergarments had now become his training aids for the Iron Cloth Shirt. They were too worn to be worn properly anymore, but they served their new purpose well.
'Once I have some money,' he thought, 'I'll definitely buy proper soft cloths to practice the Iron Cloth Shirt.'
'The conditions for practicing martial arts are just too crude.'
'Without the Golden Finger Panel, I wouldn't be confident I could master this at all.'
After folding the undergarments properly, he wrapped them around his chest and back several times, then began his Cultivation of the Iron Cloth Shirt.
After two successful sessions, he was quite familiar with the process this time.
He vigorously rubbed all over his body, then bent and stretched his elbows and arms, causing his chest to expand and contract. He repeated this over and over.
Again and again, again and again.
As he rubbed forcefully, Chen Ping'an felt his body gradually heat up. Then, as it grew hotter, a faint sense of pain began to emerge.
As he continued to rub, the pain intensified, becoming more and more distinct.
However, the pain was still within his tolerance.
Chen Ping'an gritted his teeth and persisted.
Then, in the next moment.
A "+1" symbol flashed across Chen Ping'an's vision.
Name: Chen Ping'an
Realm: None
Martial Arts: Iron Cloth Shirt (Not at Entry Level) (3/5)
...
'Excellent!'
The lines of text floating before him, especially that incredibly conspicuous "3," made Chen Ping'an's heart surge with exhilaration.
'Two points. Just two more experience points, and I'll meet the requirement for the Iron Cloth Shirt's Entry Level.'
Lost in his happy thoughts, Chen Ping'an unwrapped the garments from his chest and back. The skin underneath was flushed red. His entire body felt numb—a complex sensation of numbness mixed with pain, and pain mixed with an itch.
"Brother..."
Chen Erya, ever the thoughtful sister, obediently handed him a bowl of water.
"You're the best, little sister!"
Chen Ping'an praised her, took the bowl with one hand, and gulped it down. GLUG, GLUG, GLUG.
After drinking the water, he didn't sit on the wooden stool. He walked a few steps and sat right on the threshold of the courtyard gate.
They had eaten dinner early, and after cleaning up and his half-hour of practice, it was still not very late.
Chen Ping'an wanted to see if he could manage two Iron Cloth Shirt training sessions tonight.
Sitting on the threshold, Chen Ping'an felt a tingling numbness all over his body, as if tiny insects were crawling everywhere. Compared to just a moment ago, the pain had subsided quite a bit.
He rested on the threshold for a good twenty minutes before slowly getting up. Once on his feet, he didn't immediately try to practice the Iron Cloth Shirt again. Instead, he adjusted his posture slightly and relaxed his muscles.
"Nannan, you should go wash up. When you're done, go straight to bed. Don't wait for me."
Chen Ping'an said, glancing at Chen Erya, whose head was drooping with sleep as she waited for him.
"Mm, okay," Chen Erya replied.
'Again!'
Chen Ping'an picked up the undergarments, wrapped them around his chest and back several times, and expertly began his Cultivation of the Iron Cloth Shirt.
His hands rubbed forcefully all over his body. It was bearable at first. He could manage. But after just a short while, he felt an unbearable pain spreading through his body.
Chen Ping'an gritted his teeth, wanting to push through, but the subsequent pain grew more and more intense. And it wasn't just the pain; he felt as if his skin was about to split open.
'I can't keep going!'
Chen Ping'an made a swift decision to stop this training session. It wasn't that he couldn't endure this level of pain, but he was worried that if he broke his skin, it would affect his Iron Cloth Shirt practice for the next few days.
It seemed that with his current physique and skill level, it was impossible to practice the Iron Cloth Shirt twice in quick succession.
The only reason he'd managed to practice twice yesterday was that he had done it once in the morning, rested well all afternoon, and then started the second session at night.
'Wake up earlier in the morning, practice once before heading to my duties as an Upper Official, and then practice a second time at night. If I do that, I should be able to train twice a day.'
'Right. I'll get to bed early tonight and try again first thing tomorrow morning!'
Having made up his mind, Chen Ping'an removed the wrapped undergarments. He drew a basin of water and carefully wiped his body with a cloth.
Speaking of water, their courtyard didn't have a well. About a li east of their home, there was a small stream with a well dug beside it. For their daily water needs, they had to fetch it from there and store it in the large water vat in the kitchen.
'There's still half a vat of water, so there's no rush to fetch more.'
Chen Ping'an thought to himself.
Although Chen Erya was clever for her age, she was still just a little girl, and a physical task like fetching water was difficult for her. Chen Ping'an could fill the vat in about ten trips. If it were Chen Erya, it would probably take her more than twenty.
After washing his body, Chen Ping'an cleaned himself up and went to rest.
When he entered the room, Chen Erya was still awake.
"Are you done, Brother?"
"Yeah."
Chen Ping'an replied.
Before bed, the brother and sister chatted for a while, as they always did.
Chen Erya gave Chen Ping'an a general update on their household supplies.
For instance, even though they used candles sparingly, they were about to run out and needed to buy a new one to have on hand. They were low on salt, so they needed to buy a little tomorrow. There was still plenty of rice and oil, but those needed to be sorted tomorrow to prevent mice from getting into them. She also shared some neighborhood gossip she'd heard while out buying vegetables.
All in all, it was mostly about the mundane details of daily life.
Most of the time, Chen Ping'an just listened without interrupting. During pauses, he would also briefly share what his days as an Upper Official were like.
The brother and sister slept in the same room. This nightly routine likely brought them both a sense of peace and security.
...
HUFF... HUFF... HUFF...
First thing in the morning, Chen Ping'an was already training in the small courtyard.
Compared to last night, his body felt immeasurably better. His hands rubbed continuously, moving all over. His elbows and arms bent and stretched, causing his chest to expand and contract.
Today, Chen Ping'an had woken up over an hour earlier than usual. He had started practicing the Iron Cloth Shirt before the sky had even begun to lighten.
Chen Erya had been asleep, but she was eventually woken by the noise of Chen Ping'an's training.
Seeing her brother working so hard first thing in the morning made her heart ache for him.
But no matter how much her heart ached, the only way she could help was to cook a bowl of hot porridge for her brother.