Gou Zai Wu Dao Chao Shi Xing Nian Da Gong

As the sun set, the light inside the small shop gradually dimmed.

However, Zhou Fugan seemed to see boundless light before his eyes—a bright future he could look forward to.

"Free for seniors..."

Zhou Fugan pondered intently.

Undoubtedly, this cheat is closely related to the free senior citizen card he had just acquired in his previous life. Its function can be summed up in four words: no cost, retains effectiveness.

According to his understanding, this function is most suitable for martial arts practice.

He had previously made clothes for a nearby martial arts school, so he knew a bit about martial arts. Practicing martial arts requires toughening the body, and only the young, strong, and vigorous can withstand it.

At his age, his body is frail and his blood and energy are depleted; normally, he wouldn't be able to practice at all—his body couldn't handle it. But with this cheat, the cost of cultivation is eliminated, while the effects are not diminished in the slightest, so there's no need to worry about his body not being able to take it.

Furthermore, he had heard that martial arts cultivation required the use of medicinal aids. These martial arts drugs were known for their potent effects and alarming side effects, so even the most vigorous young men dared not use them excessively. But he was different; his cheat code exempted him from these side effects. As long as he had money, he could consume them freely and relentlessly boost his cultivation level.

Looking at it this way, it seems like this cheat code was tailor-made for him by God to help him learn martial arts.

"Then it's settled!"

Zhou Fugan stood up abruptly and said in a solemn voice.

"Father, are you sending He'er to the martial arts school?"

Suddenly, a sharp, surprised voice came from behind, startling Zhou Fugan so much that he trembled all over.

Turning his head, he saw his second daughter-in-law, Li Qiuhua, standing at the back door with a happy expression, probably there to call him for dinner.

We'll talk about it later.

Zhou Fugan gave a casual reply, walked to the front door and looked out. Seeing that the small wine shop across the street was still open, he picked up a small jar from the table and walked over.

Although he was convinced that this cheat was designed for martial arts practice, he still wanted to test whether it had any other uses.

...

An old wooden sign hangs at the entrance of the small tavern, bearing the four characters "Zhang's Tavern".

As Zhou Fugan stepped inside, he saw a dimly lit oil lamp and a thin, old man, about his age, bending over to tidy up the tables and chairs.

"Old Zhang, bring me half a jin of liquor, two years old."

Old Zhang looked up, saw it was him, and grinned: "Old Zhou, you're usually so stingy, how come you're willing to buy two-year-old aged wine? Are you done with it?"

"Stop teasing me, you old rascal. Everyone gets to eat meat once in a while."

Zhou Fugan laughed and cursed.

In the past, to save money, he would only occasionally buy the cheapest wine—it was really cheap, but it was also really bad, cloudy and weak, with a sour taste.

Although he wanted to test out the cheat this time, he really didn't want to suffer that ordeal again.

"Alright, I'll call you right away."

The old man smiled, took the jar, poured out the wine, and handed it back.

"Ten coins."

"You want more money?"

"How rare! You're not charging people for tailoring clothes?"

"Haha, I mean Chen Zhen has really become expensive these past two years!"

Zhou Fugan laughed it off.

He then took the wine jar, pulled out ten copper coins from his pocket, and handed them over. The price of this half-jin of wine was enough for his whole family to have a meal.

"Cheat codes are useless for buying things..."

"If I were the protagonist of a novel from my past life, this would definitely be the author trying to manipulate me. What happened to free services for seniors? Why do I still have to pay for things?"

Zhou Fugan silently complained to himself.

...

Back at the tailor shop, Li Qiuhua came up to them again, relentlessly pressing for answers: "Dad, you don't mean to send Zhou Sheng, do you? He'er is the most well-behaved, unlike Zhou Sheng who's so disobedient..."

Zhou Fugan's face darkened, and he interrupted her: "Alright, Second Brother's wife. I have my own plans regarding learning martial arts. Besides, we don't have enough money, and the eldest brother's family is making a scene right now, so let's put this on hold for now."

Li Qiuhua opened her mouth as if to say something, but seeing her father-in-law's bad expression, she didn't dare to persist and said meekly, "Yes, Father, it's time to eat."

"Um."

Zhou Fugan nodded and walked away with the wine jar.

Li Qiuhua went to the front door, carefully closed the door, bolted it, and then used a thick wooden stick to secure it before following behind.

...

The tailor shop's back door leads to a small courtyard. The courtyard isn't large; there are three main rooms at the back and a side room on each side. The walls of the entire courtyard are mottled, the doors and windows are old and faded, and several roof tiles are missing, giving it a somewhat dilapidated appearance.

"father!"

A tall, thin man came out of the west wing, wearing an apron and carrying a tailor's basket. He greeted him respectfully.

This is his second son, Zhou Guangcheng, who inherited his tailoring skills and has now mastered them to a high degree, enough to support the shop. Over the years, Zhou Fugan has gradually relinquished control, handing over most of the tailoring work to him.

"Um."

Zhou Fugan glanced at his son and nodded slightly.

"grandfather!"

A boy of about half a year darted out from the east wing, grinned, and came up to him, clinging to his arm and acting all cute.

This is Zhou He, the second grandson.

Zhou Fugan frowned slightly, said nothing, but simply raised his hand to pat Zhou He's head before walking towards the main house.

Zhou He was taken aback—usually, when he acted cute, his grandfather would be all smiles and would surely take out some delicious food and fun toys for him. Why was something different today?

However, he was too lazy to think about it further and followed along with a grin.

...

The west wing was where clothes were made, the east wing was the kitchen, and meals were eaten in the main hall in the middle of the main house.

The family sat down around the eight-immortal table.

The food was very simple: a plate of salted vegetables, a bowl of thin porridge, and a vegetable pancake for each person.

"Second brother, bring me a bowl. Pour some wine, let's have a couple of drinks."

Zhou Fugan pointed to the wine jar and gave the instructions.

"Okay!"

Upon hearing that there was wine to drink, Zhou Guangcheng's eyes lit up. He got up and went out, returning in the blink of an eye with two wine bowls. He picked up the jar and poured wine for the two men—half a jin of wine was divided among them, leaving each bowl with only half a bowl.

"Oh, this wine smells like it's been aged for two years, right? Dad, why did you have to buy this?" Zhou Guangcheng sniffed, both surprised and delighted.

"Heh, don't worry, from now on your father will treat you to good wine and a good life."

Zhou Fugan chuckled.

He recalled a time when he also enjoyed having a drink with the children, and that image warmed his heart.

Actually, his children are filial now, but he used to favor his second son's family too much, which caused resentment among his eldest son's wife and daughter. His second son's family, spoiled by him, has inevitably become somewhat arrogant. This situation will improve in the future.

"That's wonderful! We'll enjoy the good life with Father then. Father, I salute you."

Zhou Guangcheng picked up his wine bowl and laughed.

Zhou Fugan smiled and took a sip of wine. A fiery sensation spread across his tongue.

Suddenly, he was stunned.

The virtual interface in my mind flashed, and a message appeared:

"When the host consumes inferior liquor, the effects are: to clear the meridians, promote blood circulation, remove blood stasis, calm the mind, and aid sleep."

Cost: Damages the liver and stomach, paralyzes and harms nerves, and shortens lifespan with long-term use!

"An exemption can be activated without incurring a cost, while retaining its effectiveness."

Zhou Fugan's heart skipped a beat.

"The cheat program is working."

Just as he expected, the medication could indeed be exempted from the cost.

All that's left is to find a martial art to try out.

Zhou Fugan smiled and downed the liquor in his bowl in one gulp. A warm current slowly spread from his stomach, making him feel completely comfortable.

"Dad, what's wrong?"

Zhou Guangcheng noticed his strange expression and asked curiously.

"Nothing, just remembered something."

Zhou Fugan glanced at his family's probing gazes and casually brushed them off.

...

Seeing that her father-in-law was in a good mood, Li Qiuhua secretly nudged Zhou Guangcheng.

A hint of hesitation flashed across Zhou Guangcheng's face, but he still mustered his courage and spoke up: "Father, what do you think about He'er learning martial arts...?"

Zhou Fugan's face darkened. He put down his chopsticks, glanced at the two of them seriously, then looked kindly at Zhou He, who was engrossed in eating, and asked, "He'er, do you want to learn martial arts?"

"think!"

Zhou He immediately raised his head excitedly. He had long since heard enough of the storytellers' tales of the martial arts heroes—heroes who upheld justice, held high positions, and were as powerful and prestigious as could be.

"Do you know how tough it is to practice martial arts? You practice from morning till night every day, it's exhausting."

"Are you that tired?"

Zhou He's excitement immediately faded, replaced by hesitation.

Zhou Fugan turned to Zhou Guangcheng and his wife: "Look at you, He'er is still young, spoiled since childhood, and can't endure the hardship of martial arts training. If he's afraid of hardship and fatigue later, wouldn't all this money and this opportunity be wasted?"

"Father, are you really going to send Zhou Sheng there? You're so biased!"

Li Qiuhua panicked and stood up abruptly to question him, not bothering to think things through.

Zhou Fugan almost laughed out of anger—it's true that he's biased, but it's all biased towards your branch of the family.

"How dare you speak to your father like that!"

Zhou Guangcheng, who was always somewhat afraid of his wife, blushed, slammed his hand on the table, stood up, and glared at his wife.

"Alright, everyone sit down."

Zhou Fugan shouted. The couple dared not say another word and obediently sat back down.

"The eldest sister says I'm biased, and I accept that. But you have no right to say that. What good things in the house weren't saved for you?"

"Guangcheng, you two brothers both learned tailoring from me back then. Your brother's skills are better than yours. But he said you've been weak since childhood and he's willing to give up the tailor shop to you. He likes fishing, so he asked me to ask your Uncle Lu to teach him."

"Besides the corvée labor, the eldest brother has gone three times already, shouldn't it be your turn soon? But with your health, I'm afraid you won't come back. So I had to ask your brother again, and he agreed without saying a word."

"..."

Zhou Fugan didn't argue or curse; he simply recounted the past events one by one, making Zhou Guangcheng blush with embarrassment, wishing he could disappear into the ground.

He turned his head sharply and said resolutely, "Father, stop talking... This opportunity to learn martial arts should be given to Sheng'er. I remember my elder brother's kindness."

Li Qiuhua also looked ashamed and didn't say anything more.

Zhou Fugan's expression softened, and his tone became gentler: "It's good that you think this way. A family should love and care for each other. Actually, this is also my fault; I didn't think things through. Don't worry, whether it's He'er or Sheng'er, they will both be sent to learn martial arts."

"But...where will the money come from?" Zhou Guangcheng asked hesitantly.

"I have my own way. Alright, let's not rush this. Tomorrow, you two should go to your sister-in-law's house and apologize."

"OK!"