Chapter 10, Heizi

"Where is there a surname for a dog?" Mother Chen shook her head and said, "Let's just call him Heizi."

Oh," Chen Mo replied in a dispirited manner, weakly carrying his small backpack and shouldering a small hoe as he ran outside, always troubled by the issue of not being able to give his dog a surname.

As she watched her son's silhouette, Chen's mother felt her smile gradually turn bittersweet. How long has it been since this child has displayed such emotions that only a young child would have?

"Alright." Mother Chen nodded.

The once quiet farmhouse courtyard was infused with a bit more vitality, and Chen's mother seemed to feel much more at ease.

The little black dog has already gotten up. Yesterday, Chen's mother helped it set up a temporary little nest, and a better one will be prepared when Chen Mo has some free time. However, the little creature is clearly very satisfied with its new home. At this moment, seeing Chen Mo writing, it joyfully runs around the branches with its limbs spread out, occasionally rolling on the ground and exposing its belly.

Lacking a touch of elegance! Chen Mo imitated the manner of Wu Zhangfang, stroking his chin, but unfortunately, he did not have the tuft of goat's beard that Wu Zhangfang possessed, speaking in a refined manner

"How should a dog's name be elegant when going to farm?" Chen Mu was amused by Chen Mo's appearance and playfully slapped him while laughing.

The new skills provided by the mysterious presence in his mind seemed to point Chen Mo in the right direction. The next morning, upon waking, he eagerly urged his mother to teach him the second section of the Analects. Although he did not fully understand some of the content from the first section, the repeated memorization and writing throughout the previous day had already been firmly etched in his mind.

The martial arts training on the first day did not yield as many impressive skills as Chen Mo had hoped; it was merely a standing posture. This left him with a sense of regret, as he, being young, still harbored aspirations of becoming an undefeated general who could traverse the battlefield. However, the reality was so monotonous that it constantly gave rise to thoughts of giving up.

The chick, flapping its wings in dissatisfaction, wanted to follow inside and continue competing with Heizi for food, but ended up being chased around the yard by the impatient Heizi.

Name: Chen Mo

Acquiring three more skills signifies that he is one step closer to his goals. As for what his goals are, Chen Mo himself cannot articulate them clearly; the general direction is to stand out. After witnessing the prosperity of the county town and the harsh realities of life, this thought has become even more resolute. He does not want to spend his entire life as a dung collector; he aims to revitalize his family and ensure that his mother lives a good life

This dog is quite human-like. Mother Chen glanced at the dog, placed a broken bowl as a food dish beside its mouth, and poured some porridge for it to eat. A few chicks seemed to have forgotten the fear they experienced yesterday at the hands of the dog, as they moved their little feet to the doghouse, peering in and pecking at the porridge in the bowl.

Chen Mo took a moment to poke it with a branch, and the little creature immediately rushed to Chen Mo's feet to bite.

Especially after persisting for a quarter of an hour, on his way home, Chen Mo felt that his legs were trembling uncontrollably, and any external force could cause him to fall to the ground.

Yesterday, while practicing standing meditation, Chen Mo's legs were clearly unable to endure any longer. However, upon waking today, he appeared completely unaffected. After finishing his farm work, Chen Mo had nothing else to do, so he practiced standing meditation while repeatedly practicing a segment he learned today on the ground with a branch in hand

How to do it, Chen Mo did not know, but this mysterious existence in his mind pointed him in the direction, which is to become stronger, to continuously become stronger. When he becomes strong enough, what he lacks will only be an opportunity, but before that, he must have the ability to seize the opportunity

My name is Chen Mo, and it is called Chen Hei, how about that? Chen Mo said excitedly

Possessing money: 813 five-zhu coins

Combat Skills: None

In this era of education, it is generally not enforced for individuals to understand; rather, the emphasis is on memorization, followed by gradual experience and comprehension later on. Chen Mu's mother learned in this manner back in her day, so after ensuring that her son Chen Mo had indeed memorized the material well, she began the second phase.

Mother, I see that everyone else's dogs have names, why don't we give it one as well? Chen Mo said with a smile

Commander-type skills: None

Fortune: 10 (the minimum fortune of an ordinary person; if the fortune falls below this minimum value, a person's luck will continuously deteriorate)

The restoration of luck to 10 made Chen Mo very happy. After returning from the county town, although he did not encounter any major incidents, he either stumbled or tripped, or stepped in excrement or urine. In short, his mood was quite unpleasant. When he checked yesterday, his luck was at 9, but today it has returned to 10, and indeed he did not encounter any misfortunes throughout the day, which relieved Chen Mo's mind.

No, knowledge is a gradual process; this is true for everything in the world. No one can excel from the very beginning. My son was able to write the characters correctly after just one reading yesterday, which is already remarkable. Mother, do you remember when your father taught me to write? I was not as good as my son.

"Mo Er, it is time to eat." Chen's mother called out to Chen Mo as she came out of the house

"Wait a moment, we are almost there!" Chen Mo said, glancing at the sun on the horizon.

Little Black followed Chen Mo all the way to the door, watching Chen Mo's figure leave while barking incessantly. It was not until Chen Mo's silhouette disappeared that it reluctantly returned to its doghouse, lying quietly inside with its small, pea-sized eyes fixed on the direction of the door, ignoring even the chicks that began to wander around.

Heizi glanced at the door, then looked at the chicks, silently using his claws to scrape the broken bowl into his nest, with his back turned to the chicks, crouching in the doghouse to eat.

Lifespan: 10 (the initial lifespan of an ordinary person; natural disasters and man-made calamities can reduce lifespan, while an elevation in status can increase lifespan)

Although he had the experience from yesterday, today he could only persist for a quarter of an hour before he could no longer hold on. He sat weakly on the ground and began to eat the porridge his mother had prepared for him. He wondered if he could practice for another quarter of an hour after returning home in the evening

Mother Chen looked at Chen Mo with a twinge of pain in her heart. She prepared an extra meal in the evening, and as she watched her son devour the corn rice, she felt both happy and pained.

Chen Mo felt somewhat dissatisfied, always thinking that it lacked a certain literary elegance, which did not align with his identity. After all, he considered himself a scholar now, capable of reading and writing. Shouldn't his dog be different from others'?

Chen Mo has noticed for a long time that his physical strength seems particularly abundant; no matter how tired he is the day before, he finds that all fatigue is completely gone the next day after waking up

Life Skills: Farming Lv7, Manure Production Lv6, Memorization Lv1, Calligraphy Lv1, Body Conditioning Lv1

Unfortunately, today Uncle Wang and Uncle Cai went into the mountains to hunt and have not returned. Chen Mo could only go back home to practice. Heizi had long been lying at the door, and upon seeing Chen Mo, he joyfully rushed over, wagging his tail and circling around Chen Mo's feet. Even when Chen Mo was standing still, Heizi remained at his feet, unwilling to leave. A few chicks were leisurely strolling in the yard, but as soon as they got a little closer, they would be chased away by Heizi, not allowing them to come even a step nearer.

Heizi

"Mother, is my handwriting very ugly?" Chen Mo replicated his mother's handwriting and, noticing her careful observation, spoke somewhat bashfully.

In the evening, Chen Mo summoned the ethereal presence for worship as usual, but he noticed some differences compared to before