One morning, when the air tasted like frozen dust, Old Madam Chen banged on Lin Wei's door.
"Wake up! Something's happened to the main hall!"
He ran out still half-dressed.
Neighbors stood outside, pointing at the aging building. A loud crack ran across the beam at the entrance. Snow piled thick on the roof, threatening to break through.
Uncle Luo cursed."Damn thing's about to collapse—someone go get ropes!"
But Lin Wei moved before anyone else.
"Stand back!" he shouted.
He rushed inside, boots slipping on the wooden floor. The beam groaned as though the whole house exhaled for the last time.
"Move!" someone outside yelled.
Lin Wei grabbed the sagging beam. It was heavy—impossibly heavy—but his arms tightened with a strength he didn't know he had.
The system hummed.
[Hard Work Detected: Emergency Structural Support – Extreme Difficulty][Rewarding Courage… Strength x15 for 24 hours]
Power surged through him. He held the beam as neighbors scrambled to reinforce the sides. Snow fell around his shoulders like glittering ash.
By the time the danger passed, his knees buckled and he collapsed outside, gasping.
As his vision blurred, a soft chime rang in his ears.
[Major Achievement Unlocked: Protecting the Community][Reward: Heavenly Insight – Architecture Lv.1]
Knowledge flooded his mind—angles, force distribution, wood grain analysis, traditional building methods.When he opened his eyes, he understood the siheyuan more intimately than any carpenter in the district.
The neighbors stared at him like he was glowing.
Liu Fang's face was pale."You… how did you…?"
Lin Wei only shook his head."I was lucky."
But heaven knew it was more than luck.