"Mo, you're back."
When Chen Mo came out after finishing his research, he saw that his foster mother, Liu Yiyi, had woken up and was cleaning the room.
Remembering how tired she had looked even in her sleep, Chen Mo immediately went forward, took the mop from her, and said, "Sister Yiyi, let me do these chores. You should rest a bit more."
Liu Yiyi was, in effect, Chen Mo's foster mother, but Chen Mo's household registration was actually under Liu Yiyi's parents. This meant that, according to the official documents, they were considered siblings.
The reason for this peculiar relationship was a long story.
Years ago, Chen Mo's parents had entered an instance together, one they believed wasn't particularly dangerous. Unexpectedly, however, that instance was connected to a Treasure Secret Realm. Someone in their team recklessly activated the Treasure Secret Realm, causing a powerful BOSS to emerge and annihilate everyone.
Chen Mo thus became an orphan. Liu Yiyi, who had once received a great kindness from Chen Mo's father, had secretly been in love with him. But since he had a wife and child, she could only bury this love deep within her heart.
After Chen Mo's parents met with their accident, she unhesitatingly shouldered the responsibility of raising him.
At that time, she herself was barely an adult, still a young maiden.
How could Liu Yiyi's parents tolerate their beautiful, pure, and precious daughter suddenly taking on an adopted son out of nowhere? Raising a son for a man with whom she had no official ties! Her parents believed that with their daughter's beauty and qualifications, finding an excellent husband would be exceedingly simple. Yet, here she was, seemingly throwing herself away. On one hand, they felt heartbroken that their daughter wasn't valuing herself; on the other, they worried. What if people, unaware of the true circumstances, started spreading malicious gossip and fabricating baseless stories? How damaging would that be to her reputation? How would their daughter find a marital home in the future?
Originally, Liu Yiyi's father had stipulated that he and his wife would only adopt Chen Mo if Liu Yiyi agreed to get married.
But Liu Yiyi adamantly refused. She insisted on raising Chen Mo herself and declared she would not marry until he came of age.
Because of this, their relationship became extremely strained. In the end, Liu Yiyi's mother, unable to sway her daughter, went behind her father's back and processed Chen Mo's adoption papers. This only infuriated Liu Yiyi's father further, to the point that father and daughter eventually had a major falling out, separating their households. They haven't spoken to each other in ten years now.
Only Liu Yiyi's mother would occasionally visit Liu Yiyi.
So, while Chen Mo was nominally the son of Liu Yiyi's parents, he had, in reality, been raised solely by Liu Yiyi. Naturally, he regarded her as his mother.
Liu Yiyi's parents never asked Chen Mo to call them "Mom" or "Dad"; they only had him call them Grandpa and Grandma.
And in Chen Mo's heart, they indeed held the significance of grandparents.
It was strange, though. Despite the strained relationship with Liu Yiyi, her father was always pleasant towards Chen Mo whenever he saw him, as happy as if he were seeing his own grandson.
Later, Chen Mo learned from his grandmother that his grandfather had accepted the situation long ago. He just couldn't bring himself to swallow his pride and reconcile with his daughter first. The old man hoped Chen Mo might one day mediate and help them reconcile.
It was strange how things worked out. My original world had a similar situation. There, my parents died in a car accident, and Liu Yiyi, also out of gratitude for my father's kindness and her secret affection for him, resolutely stepped forward. Though the worlds are different, the experiences are strikingly similar.
This was why Chen Mo had adapted so quickly to this new world. After all, the people he knew were almost unchanged from his previous world, so the familiar emotions allowed him to integrate immediately.
"Alright then, after you finish mopping the living room, go and watch some TV. I'll go wash the vegetables and cook," Liu Yiyi said with a smile, handing the mop to Chen Mo.
As she turned away, she suddenly remembered that today was the day of Chen Mo's Profession Awakening. "Oh right, Mo, how did your Profession Awakening go today?"
"My results were great!" Chen Mo replied.
"Oh, really? What profession did you get?"
"Skeleton Mage."
"Skeleton Mage? That two-star profession?"
"Yeah, but…"
Just as Chen Mo was about to tell her about his hidden profession, Liu Yiyi quickly interjected, "No matter how many stars, awakening a combat profession is good. You must work hard in the future, understand!"
Having said this, Liu Yiyi affectionately patted Chen Mo's head and turned to wash the vegetables with a smile.
When Chen Mo said his results were great, Liu Yiyi had initially assumed he'd awakened a four-star profession.
After all, I graduated from Seaside Second Middle School, and I know its standards very well. In all these years, no one from there has ever awakened anything higher than a four-star. Chen Mo getting a four-star would be the best he could do. But then he tells me it's Skeleton Mage, one of the weakest two-star professions. How could that be considered 'great results'?
However, not wanting to discourage her child, Liu Yiyi didn't say anything more.
Besides, as she had said, awakening any combat profession, even the lowest one-star, was still better than a lifestyle-type profession.
After cleaning the room, Chen Mo also helped out in the kitchen.
The two of them enjoyed a simple but delicious meal of two dishes and a soup.
During dinner, Liu Yiyi said to Chen Mo, "Mo, don't push yourself too hard during the novice assessment tomorrow. Although good results have their advantages, steady improvement is the goal. Over the years, even with powerful individuals looking out for them, some rash students don't heed warnings. Often, their protectors overlook something, ultimately endangering their lives. You mustn't be like that."
"Okay, I'll be careful."
"Sister Yiyi, now that I can earn money, you won't have to work anymore. You can just let me support you," Chen Mo said with a grin after quickly eating a mouthful of rice.
"I don't need you to provide for me right now," Liu Yiyi said, her expression somber yet serious. "This is a critical stage of growth for you, and you'll need a lot of resources. You'll need money for many things, much more than before. So, don't worry about me; try to use the money you earn to improve yourself. I don't really have much ability to make money, so I can't help you much in that regard. How could I possibly hold you back?"
Seeing Liu Yiyi's serious face, Chen Mo didn't dare to argue and simply nodded in agreement.
After dinner, they took a walk to aid digestion, then returned home to rest.
「The next morning.」
Chen Mo, eagerly looking forward to the day's novice assessment, woke up early. However, Liu Yiyi was up even earlier.
She had to get up early to make breakfast for Chen Mo.
The sky was just beginning to lighten, and their west-facing house received no morning sun, making it seem even darker inside.
Watching Liu Yiyi's busy figure in the dimly lit kitchen under the pale yellow light, Chen Mo felt an unexpected ache in his eyes.
They weren't related by blood, yet she had sacrificed her best years for him—an unnecessary burden. She worked tirelessly day in and day out, ignoring her own exhaustion, just to care for him. He owed his foster mother so much.
Hearing movement behind her, Liu Yiyi continued her work without turning around and said, "Mo, you're up early today. Breakfast will be ready soon; sit down for a bit."
Without a word, Chen Mo walked up behind Liu Yiyi and hugged her from the back.
His eyes were slightly red, his expression deeply moved. He buried his head in her back, quietly feeling that warm, loving, and reassuring presence.
"You child, still acting like this at your age." Startled by the sudden embrace, Liu Yiyi paused for a moment, then turned around, patted Chen Mo's head, and said with a smile, "You're a big boy now; you can even start looking for a wife. You can't be acting like a little kid anymore."
"Sister Yiyi, I will make sure you live the happiest life possible in the future," Chen Mo said with deep conviction.
"Silly boy," Liu Yiyi laughed, shaking her head as she turned back to continue making breakfast. "As long as you're happy, that's happiness enough for me."
Liu Yiyi didn't take his promise seriously, but he etched it in his heart as a vow!
After breakfast, seeing it was still early, Chen Mo rested for a while and watched some TV before heading out to walk to school.
On the way, he quietly set a goal for himself.
Making money to improve myself is one thing. But earning enough to get Sister Yiyi out of this cramped, dim Tube Building, to make sure her future days are free from exhaustion, filled with comfort and joy—that's what I need to achieve as soon as possible.