Start with everyday skills and grind your way to immortality.

The bustling streets and the rising smoke of cooking fires are palpable.

Chen Qian walked among them, his hair tied up tightly and his face washed clean.

Apart from a slight pallor due to blood loss, the sickly and melancholic air of the past had faded from his brows, and his eyes, though calm, revealed a sharpness that was not easily detected.

The sunlight fell on him, and even his shadow seemed straighter than before.

The street scenes, sounds, and smells all seemed clearer and more vivid than ever before.

Walking down the bustling street, Chen Qian suddenly realized that his senses were surprisingly sharp.

The sounds of drinking games from the tavern on the left, the rhythmic hammering from the blacksmith's shop on the right, and even the low murmurs of a woman three zhang behind me were all clearly audible.

It was as if the sound had been combed through by an invisible hand.

A variety of smells also wafted in, distinct in layers.

He understood that this was due to the silent improvement in his auditory and olfactory recognition abilities.

This feeling of gradually opening up the five senses and gaining control over everything around us is truly fascinating.

We stopped in front of a butcher shop.

The pork belly, with its alternating layers of fat and lean meat, glistened with an oily sheen on the cutting board.

Without hesitation, Chen Qian took out the silver.

"Cut a pound of the best pork belly. Add two pork bones and make soup."

Carrying the pork wrapped in oil paper, he went to buy a few bunches of fresh green vegetables, and finally bought three bushels of brown rice.

As Chen Qian passed by the candied fruit stall, he paused and picked out the biggest and reddest string of candied hawthorns.

That little girl, Xiaoyu, would always stare longingly whenever she passed by, but she never dared to ask for anything.

She knew her family didn't have the money to buy these "useless" things.

"That little girl, Xiaoyu, must be overjoyed."

I carefully picked up my things, turned around and walked home, my steps a little lighter than usual.

Just as I turned into the alley where my house was located, about ten steps away from the door, a familiar yet jarring sound came from the other side of the wall.

The man's angry curses, the woman's sobs, and the dull sound of whipping.

A girl's shrill, tearful voice could be heard pleading, "Father! Don't hit Mother! Please..."

It's Zhang the butcher's house next door.

This scene plays out every now and then; it's nothing more than a man taking out his anger on his wife and daughters after drinking or losing money gambling outside.

The original owner was already numb to this in his memories, and Chen Qian, who had transmigrated here, had also encountered it more than once.

I ran into that family's daughter, Aqing, a few times on the road. She was thin and small, always with her head down, being ordered around to run errands and fetch wine.

Even if you greet her, she will walk away quickly.

Once, Xiaoyu's kite got caught on the persimmon tree in their yard, and it was the girl who quietly moved a stool and carefully took it down.

Upright officials can hardly break housework.

These words are cruel, but they are a true reflection of the reality in many corners of the world's underbelly.

He himself is barely able to survive, and the livelihood of his family is hanging by a thread. What can he do?

He could only sigh silently in his heart, his brows furrowed slightly, and without stopping, he walked straight past the courtyard gate from which the crying and cursing sounds came.

I just want to get back to my little nest as soon as possible, which is poor but still peaceful.

Before even entering the door, I sensed something was wrong.

The courtyard gate was wide open. At this time of day, my sister-in-law would usually be picking vegetables in the yard, and Xiaoyu would be squatting on the ground playing in the mud.

But today, the courtyard is deathly still.

Faint sobs could be heard coming from the main room.

At this time of day, my sister-in-law would be picking vegetables and washing clothes in the yard, while Xiaoyu would be squatting in the corner watching ants or playing with the clay figure he had given me last time. The whole yard would have a bit of a mundane atmosphere.

But today, the courtyard was unusually silent, even the chickens were huddled in the corners and didn't make a sound.

A series of intermittent sobs drifted out from under the door of the main room.

Immediately following, Chen Ke, the elder brother, said in a hoarse voice, his voice choked with sobs: "If something really happens to Aqian, how will I face our parents in the afterlife!"

"Husband, don't be like this, let's look again, let's look again." It was his sister-in-law, Lin Xiu, who was trying to comfort him with a sob in her voice.

He stood at the wide-open gate of the courtyard and saw his sister-in-law, Lin Xiu, wiping away tears with her sleeve inside the main room; her eyes were red and swollen.

The little fish huddled in the corner by the stove, its little hands clutching the clay figurine he had given it last time.

Her little face was streaked with tears, and she was sobbing so hard that her body was trembling.

She didn't understand the pain of life and death, she only knew that her beloved uncle was gone and the sky was falling.

Even Chen Ke, the elder brother who has always been the pillar of the family and a steady and reliable man, had tears in his eyes at this moment.

He was hastily putting on an outer garment, looking as if he was about to disregard everything and go looking for the person again.

The near-death experiences in the Black Mountain and the precarious situation he faced dealing with Zhao Rong were nothing compared to the turmoil this scene before him stirred in his heart.

In this world, there is still a place where someone will be anxiously worried about him not returning home all night, and will be heartbroken at the thought that something might happen to him.

He took a deep breath, lifted the heavy pork and the string of bright red candied hawthorns in his hands, and stepped over the threshold.

A clear voice broke the somber mood in the room: "Brother, sister-in-law, Xiaoyu, I'm back."

That sound was like a pebble thrown into stagnant water.

The crying inside the house stopped abruptly.

Three pairs of bloodshot eyes turned to look at them simultaneously.

Sunlight fell on Chen Qian.

He carried an oil paper package in one hand and held a string of glistening red candied hawthorns in the other. He had a gentle smile on his face and stood tall and straight. There was no trace of the sickly and weak appearance he used to have, where he would have been blown away by the wind.

"Uncle!!"

After a brief silence, a child's scream pierced the dullness of the courtyard.

Chen Xiaoyu dropped the mud figure, took short strides, and rushed into Chen Qian's arms like a cannonball.

Chen Qian bent down and caught his little niece who was rushing towards him, then nimbly spun her around.

A few days ago, this little dumpling would probably have knocked itself backward.

"Uncle, I knew you would come back!" Chen Xiaoyu hugged his neck, smiling so hard that her eyes disappeared, tears still clinging to her eyelashes, but she couldn't suppress her smile.

"Did you behave when I wasn't around?"

"I'm being very good!"

The little fish nodded its head like a chick pecking at rice.

"Then this one will be awarded to the best-behaved little fish."

Chen Qian put her down and, as if by magic, produced a bright red, glistening candied hawthorn from behind his back.

"Wow!"

The cheers nearly lifted the roof off.

She accepted it with both hands, her eyes already shining, unsure whether to look at it or eat it.

This treasure, which you could only drool over on the street, is now in your hands.

"Mom, look!" Xiaoyu exclaimed to Lin Xiu as she looked at the glistening candied hawthorns.

The elder brother, Chen Ke, stepped forward, his brow furrowed, his tone filled with barely suppressed fear and reproach, "Qian, where have you been these past two days? How could you stay out all night? Do you know your sister-in-law and I..."

"Brother, sister-in-law, I'm sorry to have worried you."

Chen Qian composed himself and then explained.

"Yesterday I went to the outskirts of Black Mountain to collect some herbs to supplement my family's income. Unfortunately, I missed the appointed time. It was dark and the road was dangerous, so I dared not travel at night. I simply found a sheltered place nearby to spend the night and only returned this morning."

He paused, then took out a small coarse cloth bag and the rice and pork he was carrying from his bosom, and handed them to Lin Xiu, who was standing beside him.

"I went to sell some medicinal herbs at noon. I was lucky; they were some in-demand herbs, and I got some money from them."

Chen Qian untied the cloth bag, revealing gleaming silver coins inside, his tone gentle yet sincere:

"Here is two taels of silver. My sister-in-law works hard to manage the household and take care of me and Xiaoyu. Please keep this money to help with household expenses."

This was the amount he had carefully considered.

If they take too much, they won't be able to explain the source, which will only make their brother and sister-in-law panic.

Two taels of silver, though a huge sum, is reasonable to say that it was earned by risking one's life to collect herbs in the Black Mountain.

Chen Ke's eyes reddened, and he let out a deep sigh: "How could you possibly go to Black Mountain? Never again! Money is a small matter, but life is a big deal."

Lin Xiu, standing to the side, looked at the heavy rice, the glistening pork belly, and the glaring two ounces of silver.

This is the salary my husband earned by working himself to the bone at the grain store for a whole month without eating or drinking!

In the past, she might have been overjoyed.

But at this moment, looking at Chen Qian's body covered in mud that couldn't be washed off and the holes in his clothes, she felt that the silver was burning hot.

She recalled how she had been angry just a few days ago about having another mouth to feed, and how she had complained that her brother-in-law was just a burden who only knew how to study.

Now, this burden is going to work tirelessly in that godforsaken place, Montenegro, for the sake of the family.

Lin Xiu hurriedly wiped her hands on the apron, wanting to reach for it, but feeling that she couldn't quite reach out.

"This...this is too much."

Lin Xiu lowered her head, her voice tinged with a barely perceptible sob and guilt.

She knew how hard it was to earn this money.

Lin Xiu took a deep breath before gathering all the items into her arms.

He said in a deliberately relaxed tone, "It's good that you're back. It's better that you're safe and sound. You two talk first, I'll go to the kitchen and get something to eat."

After saying that, he picked up his things and turned to go into the kitchen.

Chen Ke pulled Chen Qian aside and sat him down on a stone bench in the courtyard. He asked Chen Qian a few questions about the situation in the mountains, but Chen Qian only told him about the parts that were uneventful.

Little Fish nestled against Chen Qian's legs, taking small, precious bites of the candied hawthorn, and occasionally tilting her head up to give him a sweet smile.

After talking for a while, seeing that his elder brother's expression was gradually easing, Chen Qian said, "Brother, I'm still a little tired and would like to go back to my room to rest."

Chen Ke hurriedly said, "Go and rest. I'll call you when the food is ready."

Chen Qian nodded, rubbed Xiaoyu's head again, and then turned around and went back to his small room.

The door was slightly ajar, shutting out the sounds from the courtyard.

The gentle smile on his face slowly faded as he sat down at the table and took a deep breath.

It's time to break through that final barrier.

His mind stirred slightly.

The words "[Literacy and Character Interpretation (Proficient in 489/500)]" clearly appeared in my mind.

Just one last bit of accumulation is needed.

Chen Qian became completely absorbed in the words, and the sounds of the outside world faded into the distance.

Those passages that originally required repeated contemplation now seemed to come alive, being disassembled, reassembled, and connected in my mind.

……

The aroma of food wafted from outside, mingled with the long-lost scent of meat.

Just as Chen Qian turned to the last page of the book "History and Humanities," which he had read countless times,

[Literacy and Character Interpretation Experience Points +1]

[Current: Literacy (Great Completion → Perfection) 501/1000]

[Acquired Trait: Broad Knowledge and Strong Memory (What the eye sees, it takes root in the mind)]

Chen Qian closed his eyes and concentrated, his mind stirring slightly.

Try to recall what you just read.

The stain in the lower left corner of page 27 of "History and Humanities" is now vividly imprinted in my mind, appearing in the smallest detail.

Hard work pays off.

"Is this the benefit of achieving mastery of skill? It's truly miraculous."

"Photographic memory..."

"What amazing changes would occur if other skills were perfected?"