13: Chapter 13 One, two, three, why is it all...?

Chen Zhen paused his hand. "No, I don't."

"Really nothing?"

"Really, nothing."

"It's just that... I saw on a public account that if a child's behavior is suddenly abnormal, one might need to pay attention to their mental health, you know?"

"Although you've been changing for the better recently... Mom is still worried that you might have encountered something that caused such a sudden change."

"Mom, I'm really fine. It's almost senior year, so of course I need to study."

"As for running, that's because sticking to it helps with my studies. Besides, sitting for long periods without exercise isn't good; I should be getting some exercise."

"Hmm... then Mom is relieved. Don't push yourself too hard!"

"Don't worry, Mom."

After washing the dishes, Chen Zhen wiped his hands dry and returned to the living room.

Zhou Shu had already dragged her small suitcase out.

His father stood up. "Let's go. We should head to the station early to avoid traffic."

"Aunt, I'm leaving now," Zhou Shu said to his mother.

"Alright, take care on the way." His mother handed her the insulated food container. "Eat the dumplings on the way. Send me a message when you arrive."

"Okay, thank you, Aunt."

"Study hard... but don't stay up too late," his mother added. "Your health is your most valuable asset."

"Mm." Zhou Shu nodded obediently.

His father picked up the suitcase, and Zhou Shu put on her backpack.

"Let's go."

The three headed out, and his mother saw them to the elevator.

They got into the car.

His father drove, Zhou Shu sat in the passenger seat, and Chen Zhen sat in the back.

Zhou Shu was a little prone to carsickness.

So, the car window was left half-open, letting the wind rush in, carrying the heat of the afternoon.

Although the window was open, the car's air conditioning remained on.

Chen Zhen leaned his head toward the window, feeling the wind against his face.

This was his favorite part of driving on the highway—it felt so refreshing.

"Xiao Shu," his father suddenly spoke up.

"Yes?"

"Your parents are busy with work and can't look after you much, so make sure to take care of yourself."

"If you run into any trouble, just call me or your aunt. You can call Chen Zhen too—don't be shy about it."

"I'll remember that, Uncle."

"Just do your best with your studies; don't stretch yourself too thin." His father paused, then added, "Your health is the most important thing."

Huh?

Chen Zhen was a bit surprised.

He never expected to hear those words from his father.

In his memory, his father always liked to say things like "You have to push yourself" or "You have to make something of yourself."

They arrived at the station in the blink of an eye.

His father parked the car and helped Zhou Shu get her luggage out.

Zhou Shu took the suitcase, then looked at her Uncle and then at Chen Zhen.

"Uncle, Brother, I'm leaving now."

"Mm, be careful on the way. If anything comes up, give me a call."

Zhou Shu hesitated for a moment, then suddenly stepped forward and gave Chen Zhen a light hug.

It was very light and very quick.

Then she let go and pulled her suitcase toward the station entrance.

This girl was truly very introverted.

After walking a few steps, Zhou Shu turned back and waved.

Chen Zhen waved back.

Only after Zhou Shu's figure was swallowed by the crowd did his father say, "Let's go back."

On the drive back, his father didn't say a word.

On the way home, Chen Zhen sat in the passenger seat, resting his head on his hand as he watched the streetscape whiz by outside. Suddenly, he asked:

"Dad, what do you think... is the most important thing in a person's life?"

His father glanced at him through the rearview mirror.

"Why the sudden question?"

"Just... had a sudden thought. Let's talk about life."

His father was silent for a moment before saying, "Your health. If your body isn't well, everything else is meaningless."

"What about studying? Or work?"

"They're important too, but compared to your health, they have to take a backseat."

Chen Zhen turned his head to look at the back of his father's head.

He didn't notice it on a daily basis, but in that moment, he realized his father's hair had turned quite grey, shimmering with a silver light under the sun.

"Dad, did you think that way when you were young?"

"No."

His father shook his head.

"When I was young, I felt I had to fight, to strive, to make something of myself."

"Now, I realize that none of that compares to the whole family sitting together for a meal."

Chen Zhen nodded, half-understanding.

The car turned into their residential complex.

"You've been..." His father parked the car but didn't get out right away. "Are you working on something... unusual lately?"

Chen Zhen: ?

"Why are you asking that too, Dad?"

"Your mom said so," his father replied. "She said you've changed—getting up early, exercising, focusing on your studies, and even learning to cook."

Just how rebellious was he before? Now that he'd changed, everyone was so attentive and worried about him.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"It is," his father looked at him. "It's just... it happened a bit too suddenly."

"Well... haha, your son has just grown up, that's all." Chen Zhen scratched his head.

Father and son sat in the car for a few more seconds before his father pushed the door open to get out. "Let's go. Time to go home."

They returned home and walked inside.

His mother was tidying up the living room.

She was taking off the sheets and quilt cover that Zhou Shu had used, ready to throw them into the washing machine.

Seeing Chen Zhen enter, she didn't stop what she was doing. "Did you see her off?"

"Mm."

"That child..." his mother sighed. "She's so sensible—it's heartbreaking how sensible she is."

"Yeah."

He should call her more often to check on her.

Chen Zhen returned to his room.

His tasks for the afternoon were English and Chinese.

While doing an English cloze test, he ran into a long, convoluted sentence with multiple layers of clauses.

The system panel broke the sentence down, highlighting the main clauses and subordinate clauses in different colors and drawing a tree-like structural diagram.

Oh, wow, it was much clearer when viewed this way.

Once he understood the meaning of the sentence, the question was solved.

[Completed high-difficulty English question. Learning Dimension experience + 1.2]

[Grammar analysis ability improved. Extra reward: Cultivation + 0.08]

For Chinese, it was composition practice.

The topic was "On Persistence," and it required an 800-word argumentative essay.

It was a classic topic, and it was easy to find examples.

First, he made a draft: thesis, evidence, and how to argue his point.

Then, he came up with the examples he wanted to use.

He made sure to address the theme in both the beginning and the end, using versatile, memorized sentences.

He also needed to connect it to the perspective of a young person.

...

[Completed argumentative essay writing. Learning Dimension experience + 2.5]

[Logical expression improved. Extra reward: Cultivation + 0.15]

By 4:00 PM, all of today's study tasks were finished.

Chen Zhen closed his book and rubbed his tired eyes.

A string of numbers popped up on the system panel: Health Dimension experience + 3.2, Learning Dimension experience + 15.8, Cultivation + 0.96.

Adding the 0.18 from his morning run and the scattered rewards, he had accumulated a total of 1.34 points of Cultivation today.

[Current Cultivation total: 10.56 / 100]

He had completed one-tenth.

There were still ninety days until the Hundred-Day Foundation Building, and he was eighty-nine points of Cultivation short.

But the accumulation would get slower and slower, so he needed to think of a way to accelerate it.

Chen Zhen opened the system panel and carefully examined the various data points:

Health Dimension: 24.5 / 100

Learning Dimension: 51.4 / 100

Social Dimension: 76 / 100

Skill Dimension (Cooking): 35 / 100

The Social Dimension had been rising quite quickly recently, mainly due to his interactions with his family and helping Zhou Shu.

At this rate, he might be able to unlock something new in a few days.

He was looking forward to it.

For dinner, his mother prepared three dishes with medium portions.

His parents were quiet during dinner today, so Chen Zhen could only hear the soft clinking of chopsticks against bowls.

Halfway through the meal, his father suddenly spoke up. "My workplace might be laying people off next month."