Chapter 9: Surprise
"No big deal! Little by little, if I can gain 0.1 cm in height and 0.2 kg in strength every day, that's 3 cm and 6 kg in a month, and in a year or two, as long as I keep going, I'll be able to knock out Mike Tyson with three punches!"
Thinking this way, Chen Jingle immediately became fired up.
He could almost picture himself as a muscular beast—punching down old age homes on the South Mountain, kicking kindergartens in Beihai, defeating gods and Buddha with every strike.
It felt exhilarating.
However, before he could daydream for too long, the soreness in his limbs caused him to stumble and almost fall.
With no choice, he sat down on the ground and started punching his muscles to relieve the pain.
Stretching after exercise is crucial, or he’d be in for a world of pain tomorrow.
[It’s time for dinner. A balanced diet with a proper mix of proteins and vegetables is crucial for your growth. Please make sure to complete your meal within the hour. You can do it, right?)]
The system’s gentle reminder interrupted Chen Jingle’s muscle recovery session.
"Wait, didn’t I already eat earlier? Why do I need to eat again?"
[Meals outside of scheduled times don’t count as part of your task.]
"Alright..."
Though a bit speechless, he accepted it. After all, fitness is more about eating right than just working out, and multiple smaller meals are the way to go.
Still, it had only been a few hours since his last meal, and digestion takes time. Even though he was hungry, he couldn't eat much at the moment.
So, he simply boiled some noodles, cracked an egg, and tossed in some vegetable hearts, planning to wait until his stomach had time to digest before eating more.
...
Just then, his phone buzzed with a message.
"Hey, hey, hey? Are you there?"
It was from his cousin, Chen Xiuyun.
Chen Jingle was surprised. "I’m here, what’s up?"
Chen Xiuyun responded with a big smiling emoji. "I’m heading back to the village later, and I’ll bring you some mooncakes."
"You’re back in Jiangbei?"
"I’ve always been in Jiangbei! Please, keep up with current events!"
"Uh, I haven’t checked my WeChat feed in years..."
Chen Jingle scratched his head awkwardly. "Didn’t you say you were working as a counselor at the teacher’s college?"
His cousin was pretty low-maintenance.
She had originally planned to take the civil service exam, but with the competition getting so fierce in recent years, she found that nearly all the candidates for her chosen position were top-tier graduates, even from Tsinghua and Peking University.
It was brutal.
She ended up ranking fifth in the exams, which wasn’t enough to get in, but fortunately, she was later hired as a counselor at the teacher’s college.
Since she had studied there for her undergraduate degree, it turned out to be a decent choice.
All in all, although she had hit a few bumps along the way, her life was going well now.
She was married, her husband was also great, a high school classmate working at an e-commerce company.
They were planning to have a child in a couple of years, living the typical, happy, ordinary family life that most people dream of.
Chen Xiuyun said, "Our department moved to the new campus here, so naturally, I’m working in Jiangbei now."
"I see."
Chen Jingle awkwardly shuffled his feet. "That’s nice, it’s close to home and commuting is easy."
Her husband lived in the northern part of the city, not far from the new campus of the teacher’s college.
Chen Xiuyun replied, "Exactly! It takes only five minutes on my little electric scooter, and I no longer have to wait until the weekend to come back from Chibu."
"Got it! I’ll head out now. Should take about ten minutes."
"Drive slowly~" Chen Jingle quickly reminded her.
Ten minutes wouldn’t be enough to get from her husband’s house to his own.
There was no reply from her, and he wasn’t sure if she was already on her way.
Chen Jingle put down his phone and thought for a moment. "Mooncakes... Mid-Autumn..." Well, it didn’t matter much. His parents weren’t home, so celebrating the holiday alone wasn’t much different from any other day.
He figured he’d just buy some fruits to send to Grandpa, Grandma, and Uncle Two later.
...
As soon as Chen Jingle finished his noodles, Chen Xiuyun arrived.
Her red little Nissan Tiida was very noticeable.
"Yah-ho~!"
She jumped out of the car, making a weird noise and laughing loudly, waving her hand energetically. "Chen Jingle, I’m here!"
Can you imagine a girl with such a spirit?
Chen Jingle couldn’t help but wonder how her well-groomed husband could fall for someone like her and love her so obsessively.
It was the greatest question of the year, to say the least.
Chen Jingle sighed, "You're nearly thirty, and you still don’t act your age."
"What thirty? Nonsense! I’m in my twenties, in the prime of my youth!"
Chen Xiuyun grinned, countering, "Young people should look young—full of energy, vitality! Someone like you, all lifeless, is the real problem. You should be criticized!"
"Yeah, yeah," Chen Jingle replied noncommittally.
"Here, I know you like sweet stuff, so I brought lotus seed paste mooncakes. And I also got a Shatian pomelo."
"Thanks, now I don’t need to buy anything for Mid-Autumn." Chen Jingle accepted generously.
"No need to be polite," Chen Xiuyun waved and, after handing over the goodies, claimed Chen Jingle’s rocking chair for herself.
Chen Jingle didn’t mind and pushed the fruit and snack cart out, sitting on another plastic chair.
Chen Xiuyun sighed, "You really know how to enjoy life! This small villa, this yard, rocking chair, fruits, and snacks—tch, tch, tch."
"Isn’t your big flat nice?"
Chen Jingle chuckled.
Chen Xiuyun immediately frowned, "Ugh, living with seven or eight people in one house, my in-laws like the hustle and bustle, but I prefer peace and quiet. Just cooking every day is exhausting."
"Yeah, I get that."
Chen Jingle agreed.
Chen Xiuyun seemed to notice something and stared at Chen Jingle. "Hmm, why does your complexion look so much better than before? Have you been using new skincare products?"
A person’s appearance is very intuitive—everything from their outward look to their expression and aura can reveal subtle changes, and those close to them can usually spot any differences right away.
For Chen Xiuyun, her cousin was clearly not the same as before.
How should she put it? He looked much more pleasant now, no longer as gloomy as he had been.
Yes, gloomy!
A young man just past thirty should have some energy, not resemble an old man nearing death with no vitality, smelling of age, more like an eighty-year-old than her granddad.
Chen Jingle blinked. "No, I haven’t been using anything new. I even use face wash less now and just rinse with water. Maybe it’s because my diet and daily routine have been more regular lately."
"That could be it."
Chen Xiuyun was a bit envious. Her cousin’s skin seemed even better than hers.
Damn!
Could early retirement really have such magical effects?
Chen Jingle didn’t feel like there had been much of a change. Although the system had helped him with some skin issues like enlarged pores and some acne scars, his facial features hadn’t changed at all.
He hadn’t expected Xiuyun to notice the changes after just a few glances.
"I guess I’ll have to stick with it."
Who wouldn’t want to keep improving a little bit every day?
...
"Hey~ Did you cut this yourself?"
Chen Xiuyun, munching on the watermelon Chen Jingle had cut, turned her gaze to the row of potted plants in the yard.
