Lu Yuan's father was Lu Xinghua. The small shop primarily sold grains and oils, and also carried cigarettes, snacks, beverages, daily necessities, and so on. Even Lu Yuan found it somewhat difficult to accurately describe the nature of his family's shop.
When Lu Yuan reached the shop's entrance, he saw his mother, Zheng Qiuling, fanning herself while watching TV. He glanced at the television screen, which was playing an old family drama. He called out, "Mom," then went to the upright freezer by the entrance and grabbed a drink, choosing the cheapest one.
"You're back."
When his mother saw Lu Yuan, she smiled. Just as she was about to speak to him, a customer happened to come in to buy cigarettes. So she quickly said to him, "Your meal is ready upstairs. Go on up and eat."
"Got it."
Lu Yuan nodded, walked into the shop, and wove his way past stacks of rice, neatly arranged buckets of cooking oil, and shelves laden with snacks and seasoning bottles, before exiting through the back door.
From here, a flight of stairs led upwards. Several bicycles and electric scooters were parked in the hallway beside the stairs, and at the end of the hallway was a small courtyard. The building was old. The stair railings were thick with rust, and cobwebs clung to the corners. The building had five floors in total. The shop on the first floor was rented, while Lu Yuan's family owned the side apartment on the second floor.
Lu Yuan climbed the stairs step by step. Upon reaching his apartment door, he took out his keys and unlocked it. The small apartment opened into a living room, and beyond that, one could see straight to the dining room. The decor was also very old-fashioned.
The apartment was quiet. Though it was lunchtime, no one was home. Lu Yuan silently changed his shoes and went inside. After washing his hands, he sat at the dining table. Three dishes and a soup were laid out on the table: stir-fried bitter gourd, braised pork, smashed cucumbers, and a bowl of winter melon and pork rib soup. Lu Yuan served himself rice and began to eat in silence.
He had grown accustomed to eating alone at the table recently. His mother, Zheng Qiuling, had to be at the shop almost all day, from seven in the morning when it opened until nine or ten at night when it closed. Family members had to bring her meals down in a bowl, and she could only use the restroom when there were no customers. His father, Lu Xinghua, had been caring for his grandfather in the hospital for the past few days. His father had probably made lunch; Lu Yuan could tell from the taste.
As for his sister, Lu Jing. She was studying archaeology at university and had gone on an expedition with an archaeological team some time ago; she hadn't returned yet. She had video-called a couple of days ago, saying she was in a place called Xixu, an area full of Gobi and desert landscapes. Lu Yuan had looked it up on a map and found that Xixu was over three thousand kilometers from his current location, Burnt Rock City. It was almost at the border of Sum Country—truly a remote place.
Lu Yuan quickly finished his meal. He ate a good portion of the bitter gourd and braised pork but left the rib soup untouched, taking it downstairs to his mother.
He sat on the sofa watching TV for a while. Remote control in hand, he flipped through the channels. His eyes were fixed on the television screen, but his mind was preoccupied with the matter of the elective course.
It wasn't that he was still clinging to hope for the Martial Arts course. Rather, Lu Yuan was considering telling his parents not to enroll him in any elective course for the time being—none at all. Once this difficult period for the family was over, it wouldn't be too late to sign up for something. And the money he had saved up—he planned to take all of that out too...
I'll talk to Dad about it this afternoon when I visit Grandpa at the hospital.
Lu Yuan finally made up his mind.
Having decided this, he quickly turned off the TV, went to the kitchen, washed the dishes and utensils piled in the sink, and arranged them neatly on the drying rack. Then he went into his room. He pulled down the blinds, turned on the air conditioner, and sat down at his desk.
Lu Yuan checked the time on his phone. It was 12:05 PM.
I'll win this battle by three o'clock!
He set an alarm for two and a half hours. Then, he took a deep breath, his gaze fixed on the pile of test papers and homework before him. His eyes became calm yet sharp, like those of a seasoned warrior.
Activate—Absolute Focus!
Lu Yuan silently recited in his heart.
Instantly, all the ambient noise swiftly faded away. The occasional blare of car horns from the street, the loud voices of people downstairs, the hum of the air conditioner in the room—at that moment, they all vanished. Lu Yuan felt as if he had entered a separate space where only he existed. Before him lay only the pile of textbooks and test papers.
BEEP BEEP BEEP—
The mobile phone beside him blared piercingly. Its body vibrated, and the screen lit up, displaying: 2:35 PM.
Hearing the alarm, Lu Yuan, who had been sitting bolt upright at his desk, writing furiously, abruptly deflated like a punctured inflatable toy and slumped back in his chair.
HUFF—
Lu Yuan breathed a long sigh. His face was now rather pale, and a deep weariness enveloped him. With some difficulty, he lifted his hand, opened the desk drawer, and took out a box of gold-wrapped chocolates. He took one out, tossed it into his mouth, and washed it down with the water he had ready, swallowing it whole as if without chewing. After downing four or five pieces of chocolate in quick succession, Lu Yuan finally felt some strength return. He managed to sit up a little straighter, pressing his hands to his temples and massaging them slowly.
And before his eyes, lines of notifications that only he could see rapidly appeared.
[You focused on studying for ten minutes, Occupational Experience Points +1]
[Your Mathematics skill has improved, Experience Points +2]
[Your Physics skill has improved, Experience Points +4]
[You focused on studying for ten minutes, Occupational Experience Points +1]
Two and a half hours... Mathematics gained 9 Experience Points, Physics 12 Experience Points, Chemistry... Occupational Experience Points increased by 15. Nearly all the homework assigned by the school was finished. The results were pretty good.
A satisfied smile touched Lu Yuan's lips. His eyes flickered, and a pale blue virtual screen appeared before him.
[Name: Lu Yuan]
[Age: 17]
[Occupation: Student Lv. 3 (233/400)]
[Strength: 7]
[Agility: 8]
[Physique: 7]
[Intelligence: 10]
[Occupational Basic Skills:
Language Lv. 3 (203/400)
Mathematics Lv. 3 (329/400)
Physics Lv. 3 (209/400)
Chemistry Lv. 3 (224/400)
Biology Lv. 3 (150/400)
History Lv. 3 (78/400)
Geography Lv. 3 (137/400)
Information Technology Lv. 3 (238/400)]
[Occupational Core Skills: Absolute Focus Lv. 1 (Active)]
[Attribute Points: 0]
[Skill Points: 0]
The entire interface was minimalistic, resembling a character panel from an online game. This was Lu Yuan's cheat. When he had first transmigrated and encountered this virtual panel, he'd assumed it was some kind of auxiliary optical computer that everyone in this world was equipped with. After all, the technology in this world was far more advanced than in his previous life. Only after a period of repeated verification did he realize this was something unique to him. As its name suggested, this occupational panel existed to improve a person's professional abilities.