Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life
C11: Inventorying Supplies

In the schoolhouse, the clear sound of reading aloud couldn't suppress the children's excited discussions.


"My father said if I can get the spot, he'll buy me a complete set of writing materials!" a chubby boy wearing silk clothes boasted loudly.


"I heard from my second uncle that Qingshi Town is huge, a hundred times bigger than our village!"


Su Ming turned a deaf ear, spreading out the hemp paper Su Shan had bought him, carefully copying the lesson text stroke by stroke with his new brush.


His concentration caught Teacher Zhou's attention, and also drew dissatisfaction from another person.


"Hmph, what's the use of cramming at the last minute?" a sarcastic voice sounded.


Su Ming looked up—it was Zhao Rui, the village chief's son. His family was well-off, he was one of the top students in the schoolhouse, and also the strongest contender for this spot.


Zhao Rui glanced sideways at the new paper and brush on Su Ming's desk, curling his lips: "Oh, got new gear? Your family's really willing to spend. But even with the best brush, what you write still looks like chicken scratch."


Several followers immediately burst into laughter.

Su Ming ignored him, lowering his head to continue writing.
While Su Ming endured torment in the schoolhouse, Lin Yu was taking stock of his "assets" inside the ring.


"Ah, I'm really dirt poor."


His soul form floated in the storage space, looking at the scattered items before him.


In the corner sat a small pile of dull, lackluster stones—a few low-grade spirit stones with nearly depleted spiritual energy.


"Just this little stash isn't even enough to fill the cracks between teeth. If used for Su Ming, I probably wouldn't even hear a sound."


Beside them stood a broken sword, with only half the blade remaining and an ancient hilt, covered in rust stains.


"A murder weapon, pass. This thing has too much killing intent—Su Ming's frail body would get seriously ill just from touching it."


What concerned Lin Yu most were three jade slips lying quietly.


He moved his soul form closer, extending his consciousness into one of them. Complete chaos—the restrictions on it couldn't be broken with his current soul power.


"Damn, encrypted files."


He probed the second one, succeeding this time. Countless pieces of information flooded his mind—it was a cultivation method called "Greenwood Longevity Art."


"A wood attribute technique, balanced and gentle, actually suitable for beginners. But..." Lin Yu carefully "read," "The opening requires drawing energy into the body, visualizing green wood, communicating with the essence of Yi Wood... This kid doesn't even recognize all the characters yet. If he misunderstands a single word and visualizes the essence of Yi Wood as the big locust tree behind the outhouse, qi deviation would be the least of his worries—he might instantly turn into a vegetable."


He shook his head, abandoning this tempting idea.


"No, the risk is too high. On the path of cultivation, one wrong step leads to countless more. Practicing recklessly without guidance equals suicide. We still need to solidify his cultural foundation first, then find a reliable sect to serve as the 'starter village'—that's the safest strategy."


He looked at the final jade slip, which only had two ancient characters carved on it—"Alchemy Formulas."


"This might be useful later."


After finishing his inventory, Lin Yu let out a long sigh.


"A pile of scrap metal, a few dead batteries, and three pieces of software that need 'activation codes' and 'beginner tutorials.' My golden finger is practically a hell-difficulty start."


Before school ended, Teacher Zhou conducted his usual questioning session.


His gaze swept across the room, finally settling on Su Ming.


"Su Ming, you tell us—what does 'reviewing the old to know the new' mean?"


This question was very simple; almost everyone knew the answer.


Zhao Rui's face showed a contemptuous smile as he waited to see Su Ming embarrass himself.


Su Ming stood up, nervously clutching the hem of his clothes: "Teacher, this student believes 'reviewing the old' means reviewing what has been learned. 'Knowing the new' means understanding new principles."


"Hmm, what else?" Teacher Zhou pressed further.


Su Ming paused, then followed the train of thought Lin Yu had taught him last night, speaking haltingly: "This student thinks... reviewing old knowledge is like repeatedly walking a path you've taken before. The more you walk it, not only do you remember the path better, but you might also notice flowers and plants by the roadside that you didn't pay attention to before, or find a new shortcut. That's the 'new.'"


This analogy was simple but very vivid.


Teacher Zhou's eyes lit up.


He nodded approvingly: "Well said! The metaphor is simple, but the principle isn't shallow. When studying, the biggest taboo is swallowing dates whole. To have such insight shows you've truly applied yourself. You may sit down."


Zhao Rui's face instantly turned beet red.


Su Ming sat down, quietly sighing with relief in his heart.


"Excellent!" Lin Yu snapped his fingers in Su Ming's mind. "You both demonstrated your depth of thinking and maintained the 'simple and dull' persona. Now when Teacher Zhou looks at you, he's probably automatically added eight layers of 'uncut jade filter.'"


The sun gradually sank westward.


In the small Su family courtyard, the atmosphere was so oppressive it felt suffocating.


Mrs. Chen paced back and forth in the yard, occasionally looking toward the village entrance.


Wang Chuntao had also stopped her work, sitting on the doorstep with worry filling her eyes.


After eating dinner, Su Shan brought a stool and sat at the courtyard gate.


The sky darkened bit by bit.


Su Ming's heart also sank along with the fading light.



"Master, they... couldn't have had an accident, could they?"


Lin Yu: "Don't scare yourself. Your eldest brother is an experienced hunter—he knows his limits."


Although he said this, Lin Yu's soul form was also tense.


His weak spiritual sense couldn't extend far beyond the ring. Right now, he was just as blind and deaf as Su Ming—they could only wait.


This feeling of being unable to control the situation made him utterly despise it.


Just as the atmosphere in the courtyard was about to freeze solid, faint footsteps came from the direction of the village entrance.


One stumbling, one heavy.


Su Shan abruptly stood up, while Mrs. Chen and Wang Chuntao rushed to the courtyard gate.


Two dark figures slowly approached under the moonlight.


It was Su Feng and Su Yang!


Su Yang was dragging a dead river deer with one hand! Su Feng seemed to be carrying another smaller prey on his shoulder.


"They're back!" Mrs. Chen's voice carried urgency and finally released tension as she rushed forward first.


"Brother!" Su Ming also rushed over. Under the moonlight, he saw clearly: Su Feng's sleeve was torn with a gash, his arm showing some scrapes and dust; Su Yang's clothes were splattered with dark red bloodstains, clearly from the prey, his face showing exhaustion but his eyes bright.


"It's nothing," Su Feng grinned, showing white teeth, his smile full of weariness and pride. "We spent half the day dealing with that wild boar—it just grazed me, didn't even break the skin. Finally took it down in the end!" He threw the smaller prey he was carrying onto the ground with a dull thud.


"Little Ming, we have enough money for going to town." Su Feng patted his younger brother's shoulder, his voice filled with satisfaction.


Su Ming looked at the two heavy prey on the ground, at the bleeding scrapes and dust on his eldest brother's arm, at the large dark red stains on his second brother's clothes and the sweat still on his forehead—something scalding surged into his eyes.


He didn't cry, just bit his lip hard.


He stepped forward, silently taking the largest river deer from Su Yang's hands, using all his strength to lift it onto his own thin shoulders.


The weight was heavy, almost crushing the breath out of him.


He knew this wasn't just the weight of a river deer.


This was his future, the future his two brothers had fought with all their might to secure for him.


 
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Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life
C12: I want to go next time too
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The roe deer on Su Ming's shoulders pressed down until his bones ached, but he didn't retreat a single step.


He could smell the heavy scent of blood and earth coming from the roe deer, mixed with the mountain forest aroma his eldest and second brothers had brought back. This odor rushed into his nostrils, carrying more weight than any words could.


"Hurry, hurry inside!" Mrs. Chen's voice carried a sob as she stepped forward to help, but Su Feng stopped her.


"Mother, we've got this."


Su Feng and Su Yang worked together to drag the two prey animals into the courtyard, the heavy thud of their landing startling half the yard.


"Oh my heavens!" A head popped up from behind the neighboring wall—it was Widow Li from the village.


"Su family's eldest, you... you've hunted wild boars?" Her voice was particularly loud in the quiet night.


Su Shan kept his head down, tapping his tobacco pipe against the doorstep as a form of greeting.


Wang Chuntao had already recovered from her initial worry, now wearing a somewhat proud expression as she declared loudly, "Sister Li, your eyesight is quite sharp. Not just wild boars, but a fat roe deer too!"

Widow Li's eyes instantly lit up like two lanterns. She quickly circled out of her own courtyard gate and approached the Su family's entrance, craning her neck to peer inside.
"Goodness, so big! Su Feng, Su Yang, you two are truly skilled! This means a small fortune for you!" She clicked her tongue in admiration. "Taking these to town tomorrow should fetch quite a bit of money, right?"


"It's for Xiao Ming's travel expenses to register as a Child Scholar in town." Wang Chuntao's words carried a barely noticeable hint of boasting.


At these words, Widow Li's expression became even more animated.


"Child Scholar? Xiao Ming is going to become a Child Scholar? Oh my, this is wonderful news! Our village is going to have a scholar!" She slapped her thigh, getting as excited as if her own son had passed the exam.


Su Ming stood to the side, listening to these words, feeling his face grow warm.


Looking at his eldest and second brothers' exhausted faces, his heart was filled with mixed emotions.


"Alright, alright, it's late at night, stop making so much noise." Mrs. Chen said while anxiously pulling Su Yang aside to check him over, urging, "Chuntao, go quickly and heat some water for them to wash up. There's still warm food in the pot, heat it up for them."


"Understood, Mother." Wang Chuntao responded promptly, turning to enter the kitchen. Soon the whooshing sound of the bellows could be heard.


Su Shan stood up, walked over to the small wild boar, crouched down to carefully examine its wounds, then touched its tusks. After a long moment, he finally uttered, "Well done."


Receiving their father's approval, both Su Feng and Su Yang showed smiles—smiles that carried the relief of having a heavy burden lifted.


The night grew deep.


After washing up, Eldest Brother Su Feng was pulled back to his room by Wang Chuntao. Faint sounds of murmuring conversation and worried complaints could be heard through the door panel.


Su Yang finished bathing, changed into clean old clothes, and was holding a bowl of steaming meat broth, slurping it down noisily.


Mrs. Chen sat right beside him, using the dim oil lamp to apply ointment to the cut on his arm from a tree branch scrape, continuously muttering, "I told you not to go deep into the mountains, but you wouldn't listen. What if you had encountered a black bear..."


Su Yang chuckled, "Mother, Eldest Brother and I knew our limits. That wild boar was cunning—we spent half the afternoon circling around it before finding an opportunity."


Su Ming sat silently on a small stool, watching everything unfold.


During this meal, he had eaten almost nothing.


When everything was finally tidied up, Su Yang yawned but didn't return to his own bed, instead walking straight into Su Ming's room.


"Xiao Ming, I'm sleeping with you tonight." He plopped down onto the earthen bed, patting the space beside him.


Su Ming nodded, took off his outer clothes, and lay down too.


The two brothers lay side by side in the darkness, only able to hear each other's breathing.


"So, what do you think?" Su Yang suddenly spoke up, his voice carrying a hint of pride. "Your second brother is pretty capable, right? Said I'd get you the travel money, and I definitely got it!"


"Mhm." Su Ming squeezed a syllable from his throat.


"You didn't see that wild boar charging at us—it was like a small mountain!" Su Yang grew animated and began gesturing enthusiastically as he described the scene. "Your eldest brother shot an arrow into its hind leg, which really pissed it off. It went crazy and charged straight at us. I was standing there with my firewood knife, thinking, 'This is it, I'm done for today.'"


Su Ming's heart tightened.


"Luckily I reacted quickly and threw myself against that big tree next to me. The beast slammed headfirst into the tree, knocking itself senseless. Your eldest brother took the chance to shoot another arrow..."


Su Yang recounted the story with great excitement, as if telling someone else's adventure.


But Su Ming could hear the life-and-death danger hidden beneath his brother's deliberately casual tone.


"Second Brother," Su Ming turned over to face him, "did it hurt?"


Su Yang's movements stopped.


In the darkness, he remained silent for a moment before saying in a low voice, "Just some scraped skin, what kind of pain is that?"


He continued, "Xiao Ming, you don't know this, but Father actually went to town secretly to ask around. Just to register at the county school, you need to pay fifty copper coins as 'tuition gifts.' Round-trip travel expenses, lodging costs, plus gifts for the teacher—all together, you can't get by without at least one tael of silver."


One tael of silver.


For this family, it was an astronomical amount.


"Eldest Brother and I discussed it—the harvest from the fields is just enough to get by, so selling grain isn't an option. We had no choice but to take our chances in the mountains." Su Yang's voice grew very soft. "Father and Mother are getting older, so this task could only fall to Eldest Brother and me."


Su Ming's nose stung with emotion. He bit his lip hard to keep any sound from escaping.


"Don't overthink it." Su Yang seemed to sense his emotions and reached out to pat his shoulder. His palm was warm and rough. "You're the only one in our family with the talent for studying. Eldest Brother and I were born to work with our strength. If you can pass the Xiucai exam and become an official, then our lives will have been worth it."


"When that time comes, your second brother can also benefit from your success, strutting around town proudly. Let's see who would dare look down on us mountain folk then!"


Su Yang said this and laughed first, his laughter filled with longing.


"Second Brother, next time I want to go too." Su Ming said softly.


"Go to sleep." Su Yang didn't want his younger brother taking risks. He yawned and turned over. "Tomorrow you need to get up early for schoolhouse. Make sure you remember everything Teacher Zhou taught you, don't bring shame to our Su family."


Soon, even snoring sounds filled the room.


 
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Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life
C13: This business will drag the whole village down with it.
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Su Yang was completely exhausted, practically falling asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.


Su Ming, however, lay awake with his eyes open, staring at the pitch-black ceiling, completely devoid of sleepiness.


Lying beside him was his second brother.


An older brother who, in order to scrape together one tael of silver for him, dared to risk his life against a wild boar.


"I must secure that spot," Su Ming declared in his heart, his voice quiet but firm as molten iron.


"Nonsense, your two brothers almost sacrificed their lives! If you don't get it, I'll be the first to refine you into the ring's artifact spirit!" Lin Yu said irritably. "You need to learn something from this experience!"


"Learn what?"


"Learn the essence of 'laying low'!" Lin Yu's voice was thunderous. "Why did they have to risk their lives? Because they had no other options! They have no skills, no safer channels to earn money! So, once this matter is settled and you return from town, our top priority is to launch the 'Family Poverty Alleviation and Prosperity Drive' Plan Number One!"


"What plan?"

"I need to consider this carefully, but I will absolutely help your family escape poverty and become prosperous," Lin Yu's voice carried a confident, strategic tone.
Su Ming's heart was stirred into activity by Lin Yu's words.


Prosperity? Poverty alleviation?


This notion, like a seed, fell into his heart.


"So," Lin Yu's tone softened, "for now, put away those useless feelings of gratitude and guilt. Your brothers' investment is a 'sunk cost'—it's already been spent. The only thing you can do is ensure this investment yields the maximum return."


"Sleep now, conserve your energy. Starting tomorrow, you need to show Teacher Zhou a 'clumsy uncut jade' who will exhaust every effort to seize this opportunity. Play the part fully, secure the spot. That is the best repayment for your brothers."


Su Ming slowly closed his eyes.


Second Brother's even snoring was right beside his ear, that warm body heat passing through the thin clothing, gradually warming his icy hands and feet.


He clenched his fist.


He knew that from tonight onward, the burdens he carried were different.


As dawn's first light barely touched the sky, the Su family's small courtyard was already stirring.


Not the usual leisurely pace of farm life, but a kind of busyness suppressed with excitement.


Wang Chuntao was packing several black steamed buns into a cloth bag, muttering, "Father, Eldest Brother, eat these on the road, don't go hungry."


Mrs. Chen stood to the side, repeatedly checking the hemp ropes binding the game, afraid the pelts might get damaged on the bumpy road and not fetch a good price.

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Su Shan squatted in the center of the yard, taking puffs from his long-stemmed pipe one after another, smoke swirling around him, obscuring his expression.


Su Feng and Su Yang were carefully wiping mud off the wild boar's tusks with a ragged cloth. The small wild boar and the roe deer were placed side-by-side on the flatbed cart, like two silent trophies.


"Father, I want to go with you too," Su Ming walked out of the house, a trace of pleading in his eyes.


Su Shan lifted his eyelids to glance at him, didn't speak, just shook his head.


"Little Ming, don't cause extra trouble," Su Feng straightened up, wiping sweat from his forehead. "The road to town isn't easy; your small frame can't handle the strain. Stay home and properly review your lessons—that's your real task."


Su Yang also chimed in: "Yes, Little Ming, we'll be back before dark. Wait at home for our good news!"


Su Ming looked at them and didn't insist further.


He knew that in this family, everyone had their own battlefield.


His battlefield was in the schoolhouse, in the books. His brothers' battlefield was in the mountains and forests, on the muddy path leading to town.


The creaking sound of the cart faded into the distance. Su Ming stood at the doorway until the three figures disappeared around the bend at the village entrance.


"Master, will they get a good price?"


"Don't know," Lin Yu's voice was lazy. "I'm not a market analyst. But according to the principle of equivalent exchange, one small wild boar plus one adult roe deer should be more than enough to cover the initial investment for your Child Scholar candidacy."


He paused, his tone taking on a teasing note: "What? Afraid they'll lose their shirt?"


Su Ming didn't speak, turned back to his small room, and picked up the already dog-eared "Three Character Classic."


That day, Su Ming was distracted.


Teacher Zhou's lessons sounded vague and indistinct. The provocative looks Zhao Rui threw his way, he ignored completely.


His thoughts, following that creaking cart, had flown dozens of miles away to Qingshi Town.


He imagined his father haggling over prices, imagined his eldest and second brothers carrying the heavy game, imagined the shrewd or mean face of the town butcher shop owner.


Finally, as the sunset glow dyed the sky orange-red, familiar footsteps and cart sounds came from the village entrance.


Su Ming was the first to rush out.


Su Shan walked at the front, his pipe already lit, his steps noticeably lighter than when they'd left.


Su Feng and Su Yang followed behind, one pushing the empty cart, their faces unable to conceal their exhaustion and smiles.

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"You're back!" Mrs. Chen and Wang Chuntao also went to greet them.


"How did it go? How much did you get?" Wang Chuntao's voice was the most urgent.


Su Feng grinned, pulled a heavy cloth bag from his chest, and handed it to Su Shan.


Su Shan didn't take it, just gestured with his chin toward Su Ming.


Understanding, Su Feng walked over and stuffed the bag into Su Ming's hand.


"Little Ming, take it. This is yours now."


The bag felt surprisingly heavy in his hand.


Su Ming untied the opening. Inside were two pieces of broken silver and a large string of heavy copper coins, gleaming temptingly in the sunset light.


"That butcher shop manager was fairly honest," Su Yang said excitedly. "He gave eight hundred coppers for the boar, five hundred for the roe deer—thirteen hundred coppers total! That's over one tael of silver!"


One tael of silver!


This number made Mrs. Chen's eyes instantly redden.


Wang Chuntao was even more overjoyed, her voice rising an octave: "Heavens! Over a tael of silver! Now Little Ming's travel expenses to town are absolutely covered!"


Su Ming clutched the bag, his knuckles white from the force.


He could feel that this bag didn't contain cold silver and copper, but his eldest and second brothers' blood and sweat, the hope they had exchanged by risking their lives against wild beasts.


The weight of it burned, making his palms tingle.


That night, Su Ming lay on the heated bed, placed the money pouch by his pillow, and tossed and turned, unable to sleep.


"Feel it?" Lin Yu's voice drifted up. "This is the primitive accumulation of capital. Bloody, violent, full of uncertainty. Your eldest and second brothers were lucky, exchanging their efforts unscathed for one tael of silver. If luck had been bad, what might be lying on that cart now could be them."


Su Ming remained silent.


"One tael of silver, thirteen hundred coppers. Sounds like a lot, right?" Lin Yu's tone became like a shrewd accountant. "But how long can this money last? The tuition gifts for your registration at the county school—fifty coppers; round-trip travel expenses—at least one hundred coppers; lodging and meals in town—even at thirty coppers a day, ten days is three hundred coppers; plus the cost of ink, brushes, paper, inkstones, social expenses and networking... Kid, this one tael of silver will at most let you loiter at the 'newbie village' gates; it won't even buy you a full ticket."


Su Ming's heart sank. He had never calculated so meticulously, always thinking one tael of silver was an astronomical figure. Now, dissected by his master, he realized how inadequate it truly was.


"So, we can't let them risk their lives anymore," Lin Yu's tone turned serious. "This kind of one-off deal carries too high a risk for too low a return. What we need to do is establish a sustainable, low-risk, high-return industry!"


"Industry?" Su Ming was unfamiliar with the term.


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"Yes, industry!" Lin Yu's voice took on a grand, strategic quality. "Let me ask you, what do you lack most in your studies?"


"...Paper," Su Ming answered immediately.


The few sheets of hemp paper on his desk were bought by Su Shan gritting his teeth; he used them with extreme frugality.


"Exactly! Paper!" Lin Yu sounded like he'd snapped his fingers. "For scholars, paper is food, it's weaponry! And this stuff—your father knows best how expensive it is in town. We'll go into this business!"


"Paper-making?" Su Ming was so startled he almost sat up. "Master, I... how would we know how to make paper?"


"You know, because I know," Lin Yu said confidently. "That bamboo grove on the back mountain is the best raw material. The plant ash by the river is natural alkali. Once you master the method, even producing the roughest straw paper can be exchanged for strings of copper coins in town!"


Su Ming's breathing grew rapid.


The bamboo on the back mountain, the plant ash by the river—these most ordinary things in his eyes, under his master's description, seemed to transform into a mountain of gold.


But then he cooled down: "Master, no. If our family suddenly knows how to make paper and sells it for money, what will the villagers think? What will the Village Chief think? I understand the principle—'wealth shouldn't be flaunted.' We'd be targeted."


"Teachable, indeed!" Lin Yu exclaimed in admiration. "You haven't been blinded by the mountain of gold; you still consider the risks. Good! The first principle of the 'Laying Low Way' is safety! So of course we can't operate alone!"


"Not alone?"


"Right! How can we hog such a good thing all to ourselves?" Lin Yu's laughter held a cunning edge. "You have to drag the whole village into this with you!"


Su Ming was completely bewildered.


"Listen carefully, here's my plan," Lin Yu's voice lowered, like a military strategist imparting a secret scheme.


"Step one: the source of the technology. You'll say that when you go to town this time, you accidentally found a tattered piece of paper tucked inside an old book while browsing in a bookstore. This reason is untraceable and unverifiable!"


"Step two: disclose the technology publicly. You find your father, then have your father approach the Village Chief. Say that your Su family is willing to offer this formula to lead the entire village to prosperity together!"


Su Ming couldn't help interrupting here: "Give it away? Then wouldn't our efforts be wasted?"


"Silly boy, think long-term!" Lin Yu said, sounding exasperated. "This is called technology equity! Think about it—the formula is ours, the core technology is in our hands. The Village Chief wants reputation, wants achievements—he'll definitely support it. The villagers want to earn money, want work—they'll treat your family like living bodhisattvas!"


"When the time comes, establish a village-run paper-making workshop. The Village Chief acts as general manager, responsible for external sales and handling trouble. The villagers provide labor—cutting bamboo, burning lime—earning hard-work money. And your Su family, as the technology provider, doesn't need to do anything, just sit back and collect a share!"


"A... share of what?" Su Ming felt his heartbeat accelerating.


"Thirty percent! Not a single percent less!" Lin Yu stated decisively. "You must tell your father, this is the bottom line! We're providing the pot that lets the whole village eat their fill; taking thirty percent of the broth is perfectly justified! The Village Chief takes twenty percent as compensation for management and risk-bearing. The remaining fifty percent is distributed among the villagers who contribute labor. No one can find fault with this distribution plan!"


Lin Yu's voice was magical, sketching a grand blueprint in Su Ming's mind.


"Imagine that scene. Your rival Zhao Rui—his father Zhao Dequan, for the sake of the workshop's business, not only can't cause you trouble, but has to treat you like a treasure, afraid you, the 'Technical Director,' might quit."


"The uncles and aunts in the village, when they see you, won't call you 'that bookworm from the Su family' anymore, but 'the Literary Star who brought us wealth.'"


"Your family will become the core of the entire Su Family Village. This is called transferring risk to the collective, binding interests and people's hearts to yourself! This is the ultimate secret of the 'Laying Low Way'—the safest fortress is to make yourself the interest community of everyone!"


Su Ming lay in the darkness, his eyes frighteningly bright.


He could almost see the bamboo grove on the back mountain not as bamboo anymore, but as rows of wealth waiting to be harvested.


The money pouch in his hand was no longer just travel expenses to town, but the first stepping stone to launch this enormous plan.



 
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Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life
C14: This Uncut Jade Seems a Little Off

Morning mist had not yet cleared when Su Ming stepped through the dew toward the schoolhouse, the edge of his worn cloth shoes fraying a little more. Master Lin Yu’s “earnest counsel” still echoed in his mind.


“Remember your persona: poor family background, average talent, but suddenly awakened, determined to be the hardworking, slow-but-steady kid. Your eyes must look pure, your answers sincere, even the sting of poverty on you must radiate the glow of striving. If you play this part well today, the spot is yours; if you botch it, all is lost. Understand?”


Su Ming didn’t reply. He only gripped the corner-worn Analects in his arms a little tighter.


The atmosphere in the schoolhouse was heavier than usual. Even the most restless kid, the one nicknamed Monkey, held a book, but kept glancing toward the door and at Teacher Zhou who sat upright.


Everyone knew the moment had come to decide who would go to town to compete for the Child Scholar exam spots.


Zhao Rui sat in the front row, wearing a brand-new indigo tunic, his hair slicked properly with hair oil. He lifted his chin slightly, a smile of confident entitlement at his mouth, as if the spot was already his to claim.


When he saw Su Ming enter, his gaze swept over Su Ming’s faded clothing and scuffed shoes. He snorted, not loud but perfectly audible: “Tch, some people just can’t see their place. Think a little grit will flip their fate? They don’t even see if they’re made of the right stuff.”


A few students who usually followed his lead let out low, muffled laughs.


Su Ming’s step faltered; his knuckles went pale.

“Ignore him.” Lin Yu’s voice sounded lazy and drawling, “Your stage isn’t here, it’s up there.” He was pointing at the empty space in front of Teacher Zhou.
Su Ming lowered his eyes, took his seat, and took out his book, pretending not to have heard. That silent defiance hit Zhao Rui like a fist on cotton; his face tightened.


“Quiet.” Teacher Zhou tapped the ruler on the desk, then swept a calm gaze across the room, lingering slightly on Su Ming and Zhao Rui.


“Only two spots are available for the town exam.” Teacher Zhou spoke slowly and clearly, “This will affect your future. We will not test recitation or dictation today; I’ll ask one question.”


He turned and wrote two strong characters on the dark wooden board behind him with white chalk—


Why.


“Why study?” Teacher Zhou set down the chalk, his eyes steady, “Come forward one by one, write your answers on the board, and recite them to everyone. No word limit, speak from the heart.”


“Zhao Rui, you first.”


Zhao Rui straightened, smoothed his collar, strode forward, and after a brief hesitation put pen to board. His handwriting showed some skill: composed structure, clear strokes.


“To study is to seek clarity, to learn propriety and righteousness, to understand changes through time, to bring honor to the family and not disappoint one’s parents’ hopes.” He read aloud, voice resonant, carrying obvious confidence.


A few approving sounds came from below. The answer was steady, unimpeachable, and very much the straightforward ambition of many scholars.


Teacher Zhou gave a slight nod, neither approving nor dismissive. “Mm, you may step down.”


Zhao Rui glanced with pride at Su Ming and returned to his seat.


One by one, the other students went up.


“My father says studying will exempt you from corvée…”


“My mother says if I study I can go to the city and be an accountant, not work the fields…”


“If I study… I can eat full meals…”


Answers were all sorts of things, honest and sometimes comical, and the atmosphere in the schoolhouse lightened a bit.


Finally, Teacher Zhou called the last name.


“Su Ming.”


Su Ming rose and walked to the board. He did not start writing immediately. He closed his eyes.


Flashes ran through his mind: Eldest Brother Su Feng silently wiping his hunting knife, the ugly old scar on his forearm; Second Brother Su Yang shouldering firewood, a fresh blood scratch across his sweat-damp back from a branch; his father at night on the threshold, puffing dry tobacco, his face carved by worry and hardship by firelight; his mother touching the one, two, three coins they’d gotten from selling a wild boar, equal parts joy and fear, secretly dabbing at her tears.


That money was heavy, pressing pain against his chest.


He opened his eyes, inhaled deeply, and began to write. His handwriting remained crooked, even clumsy from pressing too hard, yet every stroke carried a fierce determination.


He wrote only a few lines.


When he finished, he set down the pen, turned to face everyone, his cheeks a little flushed but his eyes unusually clear as he looked straight at Teacher Zhou.


“I study,” his voice low, a young hoarseness to it, yet it cut clearly into every ear, “so that my eldest brother and second brother won’t have to risk their lives in the mountains anymore.”


The schoolhouse fell silent at once.


Silence so complete you could hear a pin drop.


The kids who had been laughing moments ago were stunned. They might not understand bringing honor to the family, but they knew wild boars bite, they knew parents worry, they knew how heavy the word steady could be.


The smile on Zhao Rui’s face froze; his mouth opened but any mockery felt suddenly cruel and hollow. He could feel the eyes around him shifting oddly.


“Perfect!” Lin Yu cheered in Su Ming’s head, “True feeling, straight to the heart! That sealed it!”


Teacher Zhou leaned forward slightly, his hand on the lesson plan, knuckles whitening. He had taught for many years and heard all sorts of answers, grand or pragmatic, but never had an answer, spoken in such plain language by such a frail boy, felt so heavy and so burning.


This was no longer an abstract goal; it was a real future a boy was trying to shoulder for his family, perhaps for the whole village.


After a long moment, Teacher Zhou exhaled heavily. He rose, walked up to Su Ming, and his penetrating gaze rested on the boy’s face for a long time, as if relearning him.


In the end he did not offer praise in words. He reached out with his broad, rough palm and slapped Su Ming’s thin shoulder three times, each smack measured and firm.


Each one felt like a silent entrustment.


He returned to his desk. His voice regained its calm, but carried an undeniable authority that spread through the schoolhouse:


“The two spots for the Qingshi Town exam are decided—Su Ming and Zhao Rui.”


 
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C15: The Old Fox


When Teacher Zhou finished speaking, his words landed like a stone thrown into a calm pond, sending out a thousand ripples.


Inside the schoolhouse, the children's expressions were a spectacle. Some were shocked, some puzzled, some jealous, but most were simply bewildered.


They couldn't understand how Su Ming's few blunt, homespun sentences could be put on the same level as Zhao Rui's grand-sounding words, and even seemed to have the upper hand.


Zhao Rui's face shifted from the color of pig liver to deathly pale, then swelled into a bluish-purple. He felt Teacher Zhou's phrase "I'll award it to Su Ming and Zhao Rui" was not an announcement but a verdict.


A verdict of his failure.


The literary talent he prided himself on looked so pale and powerless compared to Su Ming's words, which smelled of blood and soil—a joke.


"Class dismissed." Teacher Zhou tapped the ruler, and did not add another word.


The students left one after another. As they passed Su Ming, their gazes grew complicated.


Zhao Rui let out a haughty snort through his teeth, shoved Su Ming hard in the shoulder, and strode off.

"Alright, alright, don't stare, they'll be gone soon." Lin Yu yawned in Su Ming's head.
"Su Ming, stay behind." Teacher Zhou's voice came again.


Su Ming stepped to the desk, bowed respectfully and saluted, "Teacher."


Teacher Zhou looked at him with approval, with sentiment, and with a faint, hard-to-notice worry. He took a booklet from his book chest.


The booklet wasn't thick. Its cover was yellowed coarse hemp paper, stitched with thin hemp thread, the corners worn—clearly handled countless times by its owner.


"This is the Thousand Character Classic." Teacher Zhou handed the booklet to Su Ming, "I copied it by hand when I was young, and I added some of my annotations."


Su Ming received it with both hands. The booklet felt warm, carrying a faint scent of ink and the weight of years.


"Teacher, this is too precious…"


"Take it." Teacher Zhou waved a hand, "Your literacy is shallow, your foundation unstable. In town, even in the county, there will be plenty of people smarter and better-off than you. What you said was very good—its merit is in being 'true', in being 'real'. But remember, there are many people who prefer pretty words. Your path is going to be much harder than Zhao Rui's."


"Student remembers."


"Go, study well these few days. Do not disappoint your brothers' hard efforts, and do not… disappoint the heart within you."


Su Ming cradled the Thousand Character Classic, bowed deeply, and left the schoolhouse.

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Lin Yu's voice thrilled, "This old teacher truly favors you! This hand-copied volume is worth more than ten taels of silver!"


By the time Su Ming returned home, the news had flown through the whole village like it had grown wings.


In the courtyard, Mrs. Chen and Wang Chuntao were surrounded by a group of women, led by Widow Li, the village's mobile gossip hub.


"Oh, Sister Chuntao, I told you, your Xiaoming is the Literary Star descended to earth! Now he’ll become a Child Scholar!"


"Yes, yes, when he becomes an official, don't forget us villagers!"


Wang Chuntao stood straighter than ever, her smile impossible to hide, while she modestly said, "Oh, nonsense, it's not even started yet; he's just going to see the world a bit."


Su Shan squatted on the threshold, the pipe smoke from his tobacco blinking in little bursts. The faint smile at the corner of his mouth was more genuine than usual.


Su Yang and Su Feng grinned widely, stupidly happy.


When they saw Su Ming return, the courtyard's mood reached its peak.


"Xiao Ming is back!"


The commotion made Su Ming a little awkward. He hugged the Thousand Character Classic and greeted everyone in turn.


At that moment, a strong, full-voiced call came from the gate.


"Brother Su, at home?"


Everyone turned and froze. The visitor wore a silk shirt, his belly neither large nor small, his face bearing a friendly smile—Village Chief Zhao Dequan.


Behind him trailed a sulking Zhao Rui.


The courtyard conversation fell silent. The villagers politely said hello and dispersed.


Su Shan quickly stood, patted his chest, and rushed to greet them, "Village Chief, what wind has brought you here? Come, sit in the house!"


"No, no." Zhao Dequan waved, his gaze landing directly on Su Ming, as if appraising a newly unearthed porcelain.


"I'm here to offer congratulations." Zhao Dequan said with a chuckle, "Su Ming, that child has promise! I heard my son tell me about what he said at the schoolhouse—well said! It touched the hearts of us farmers! Filial, steady! This is how a scholar should behave!"


His string of praise left the entire Su household dumbfounded.

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Su Shan and Mrs. Chen didn't know what to do with their hands, only managing to keep saying, "Village Chief, you flatter us."


Zhao Dequan tugged his son closer by the shoulder and, addressing Su Ming, said, "Su Ming, look, my boy was spoiled by us since childhood. He recited a few dead texts and doesn't know his place. The road to town is long and as his father I'm really uneasy. You're steadier and more sensible than he is. On the journey, I ask you to bear with him, to look after him."


At these words even Su Yang's eyes widened.


Ask Su Ming to look after Zhao Rui? The sun must have risen in the west.


Zhao Rui's face flushed bright red, ready to retort, but his father shot him a glare that quieted him.


Zhao Dequan pulled a small pouch from his pocket and thrust it into Su Ming's hand, "One hundred wen here. Not much—consider it this elder's gift to buy you two tea along the road. Don't refuse, or you'll be insulting me the Village Chief."


Su Ming held the pouch and it felt hot in his hand.


"Accept it!" Lin Yu's voice decisively rang in his head, "Not accepting would be a public slap in his face. Take it, smile! Yes, that simple, honest, slightly overwhelmed expression—hold on to that!"


"Th—this is too much, Village Chief…" Su Ming stammered.


"Do accept!" Zhao Dequan didn't wait for objections; he pushed the pouch into Su Ming's bosom and patted his shoulder, "It's settled! On the journey, you two must be like brothers and support each other! I must go now, I still need to check the fields."


With that he pulled the humiliated-looking Zhao Rui and left, briskly, not giving the Su family time to respond.


Once the father and son disappeared through the gate, the Su family came back to themselves.


"What was that about?" Su Yang couldn't help but blurt, scratching his head.


Only Su Shan, smoking in silence, after a long time, exhaled, "He's buying favor for our family."


"Father's right." Lin Yu analyzed in Su Ming's head, "That old fox is a hundred times smarter than his son. He knows you've made a name for yourself with Teacher Zhou and the villagers."


"He sent money and publicly 'bound' you two as brothers. It's an investment. If his son fails, and you succeed, he can always pull out today's good deed as leverage. If something happens on the road, or his son gets into trouble, he can say, 'I entrusted my son to Su Ming's care,' and wash his hands of responsibility."


"That one hundred wen is not for tea. It's your liability insurance. Welcome to the adult world, kid."


Su Ming lowered his head and looked at the little pouch. For the first time he felt how many curved paths and hidden meanings there could be in human interactions.


That night, the Su household packed Su Ming's things.


Mrs. Chen dug out the best patch-free old garment, folded it again and again, and put it in the bundle. She baked ten dry, hard loaves of black bread and wrapped them in oiled paper.



"Save these for the road, town food is expensive." She fussed as she packed, her eyes rimmed red.


Su Shan handed Su Ming a cloth bag containing a bit of silver and said only two things.


"Keep the money safe, don't show it off."


"When you reach town, first find Teacher Zhou's friend and follow his arrangements."


Eldest brother Su Feng was taciturn, merely checking Su Ming's shoes. Finding a few loose stitches, he threaded a needle and clumsily repaired them by lamplight.


Late at night, Su Yang quietly slipped into Su Ming's room.


He pressed a small knife into Su Ming's hand. The sheath was wooden, the handle wrapped with hemp cord, polished shiny from wear.


"Second brother, this is…"


"Take it." Su Yang lowered his voice, "It’s the skinning knife Father used for hunting. I sharpened it. Keep it on you for protection."


He hesitated, then his gaze turned solemn, "Remember, it's not for seeking trouble. It's to give you the confidence to stab if someone tries to harm you. We don't bully others, but we mustn't be bullied."


Su Ming took the cool-iron knife and gripped it tightly.


He knew this bundle held his mother's care, his father's instructions, his elder brother's meticulousness, and his second brother's protection.


This was everything his family had prepared for him.


At dawn the next day, the path outside the Su yard was already filled with people.


Su Ming shouldered his modest bundle and bowed deeply to his family.


"Father, Mother, Big Brother, Sister-in-law, Second Brother, I'm leaving."


"Be careful on the road!" Mrs. Chen couldn't hold back and wiped her eyes.


Su Shan puffed his tobacco, the smoke blurring his face.


Su Ming turned and walked step by step toward the village entrance.


Under the old locust tree a cart hitched to a mule waited.


Zhao Rui sat impatiently on the cart. Seeing Su Ming approach alone, a sneer of superiority flickered across his face.


Su Ming ignored him and stopped a few paces from the cart.


"Hmph, country bumpkin, can't even hire a cart." Zhao Rui muttered under his breath.


Su Ming looked up at the winding mountain road in the distance, then glanced back at the figures at the village entrance that were already blurring.


"We're off." Lin Yu's voice sounded in his head with a touch of schadenfreude, "'Newbie village babysitting mission' officially begins. Mission objective: protect our 'giant-baby ADC', ensure safe arrival at Qingshi Town. Mission reward: unknown. Mission penalty: unknown."


"Good luck, young man."



 
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C16: The First Lesson in Social Practice
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The mule cart creaked and jolted over the stone-strewn dirt road, kicking up a cloud of yellow dust.


Zhao Rui sat on a soft cushion, still feeling uncomfortable all over. He lifted the cart curtain and looked at Su Ming walking silently by the roadside, a mocking smile curling his lips.


“Hey, Su Ming, are your legs made of iron? We’ve been walking almost an hour, aren’t you tired?”


Su Ming didn’t turn his head, answering calmly, “I’m fine.”


“What good is saving a few coins on carriage fare? By the time we reach town, you’ll be worn out, how will you study then?” Zhao Rui’s voice dripped with superiority. “Not like me. I conserve my energy, so I’ll be full of vigor when we get to town.”


The driver was an old man in his fifties, surname Qian, hired by Zhao Dequan from the neighboring village. He kept his head down and drove, ignoring the boys’ conversation, the wrinkles on his face deeper than the ruts in the road.


“So far, your choice seems right. Look at that Zhao Rui, like a peacock spreading its tail, afraid no one will notice his bright feathers,” Lin Yu observed calmly.


Just as the mule cart turned a mountain bend, several people suddenly appeared in the middle of the road.


Five burly men blocked their path, chests exposed and darkened. They carried all kinds of weapons—machetes, wooden clubs, and even a rusty firewood knife.

The leader had a scar running from his eye to the corner of his mouth; when he grinned, the scar crawled like a living centipede.
Old Qian’s face drained white in an instant; he could no longer grip the whip, and his hands trembled as he halted the mule.


Zhao Rui inside the cart hadn’t grasped the situation yet, and peered out impatiently. “Old Qian, why aren’t you moving? Stop dawdling!”


When he leaned out, his gaze met the malicious eyes of the scar-faced man.


Zhao Rui’s face turned as white as Old Qian’s.


“G—good sirs, what—what is the meaning of this?” Old Qian asked in a trembling voice.


The scar-faced man hoisted his machete, strolled forward, and tapped the cart pole with the blade’s flat. “Nothing special. This road? My brothers and I just fixed it up, filled all the holes. If you want to pass, you owe us some hard-earned money, right?”


“Toll for fixing the road?” Zhao Rui heard clearly from inside the cart, and anger flared in his chest.


He had always been the village bully; he had never suffered such humiliation. He figured these men were common thugs looking to extort money.


“‘Giant Baby ADC’ is getting emotional, showing signs of initiating a group attack! Su Ming, hold him back! Don’t let him speak!” Lin Yu fretted, practically about to combust.


But it was already too late.


Zhao Rui whipped the cart curtain aside, leaped down, his calves trembling but his bravado fully on display.


“Do you know who I am? My father is the village chief of Su Family Village, Zhao Dequan! If you dare touch me, aren’t you afraid my father will report you and have you thrown in jail?”

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At those words, the air froze.


Old Qian closed his eyes in despair.


Su Ming’s heart sank to the bottom of his stomach.


The scar-faced man paused, then exchanged glances with his brothers and burst into a thunderous, mocking laugh.


“Hahahaha! Village chief? How terrifying!” the scar-faced man laughed until he seemed to cry. “Brothers, today we’re lucky—we’ve hit a big fish! The son of the village chief!”


“The village chief’s son must be loaded!”


“Strip him and see if the village chief’s child has gold trim!”


The mountain bandits laughed uproariously. The way they looked at Zhao Rui was like looking at a lamb already skinned and cleaned, ready for the pot.


Lin Yu calmly instructed, “Disciple, maintain your poor identity. You’re safer than Zhao Rui now. If anything happens to Zhao Rui, run into the forest immediately.”


Zhao Rui’s face drained of all color. He finally realized that the identity he had boasted about was not a talisman here, but a death sentence.


“What…what do you want?” His voice shook desperately.


“We don’t want anything.” The scar-faced man’s smile vanished; his eyes went cold. “Originally, we’d have been satisfied with eighty or a hundred wen as tea money, get friendly, and move on. But you had to use your village chief father to press down on us.”


He stretched out a big hand like a palm fan, grabbed Zhao Rui by the collar, and hoisted him up.


“I hate people like you the most, always pressing others with your status!”


“Unload this cart! Everything down!”


Two bandits rushed forward, roughly tossing luggage, cushions, and provisions from the cart onto the ground.


Zhao Rui’s ornate case holding brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone was kicked open; its contents were scattered everywhere.


“There’s…money in my bosom…” Zhao Rui wailed, trembling as he pulled out a heavy pouch.


One bandit snatched it, hefted it, and counted through it with bright eyes. “Big brother! Not small! Three or four hundred wen!”


“Search him! Search carefully!” the scar-faced man ordered.


Soon, the purse Zhao Dequan had tucked in for him and the few silver pieces he had hidden in his shoe were all produced.


Two bandits forced Zhao Rui to the ground; his cotton robe was torn to shreds, and he looked as miserable as a beaten rooster.


Throughout, Su Ming stood rooted in place, motionless.


He bowed his head, both hands clenching his little bundle, his body trembling slightly, his eyes filled with fear—perfectly playing the part of a frightened, impoverished youth.


But his hand was always on the skinning knife his Second Brother had given him, hidden in the bundle.


The knife’s cold handle steadied the blood hot in his veins.


He knew that rushing in now would only add another corpse to the tally.


“Lie low. Let him be. The wind brushes the ridge while the strong do as they will; the bright moon shines on the great river while the wicked act as they please,” Lin Yu’s voice hummed in his head like a lullaby. “Your money is your family’s hard-earned sweat and future investment. Zhao Rui’s money is his father’s—money meant to buy lessons. They’re different in nature and value; don’t confuse them.”


The scar-faced man’s gaze finally landed on Su Ming.


He appraised Su Ming from head to toe—his laundry-faded old clothes, the frayed cloth shoes, and the pitiful little bundle.


“Come over here.”


Su Ming stiffened, slowly lifting his head and looking at him with a timid expression.


He shuffled over.


“What’s in the bundle?” the scar-faced man asked.


“Uh…just some hard black wheat buns, and…two old sets of clothes to change into,” Su Ming’s voice was thin as a mosquito’s, trembling with fear.


“Open it. Let me see.”


Su Ming’s hands shook harder as he untied the bundle, revealing dry, hard black wheat buns wrapped in oiled paper.


A bandit reached in and rummaged; aside from a few patched-up clothes, there was nothing else.


“Big brother, just a poor bastard,” the bandit sneered with disgust.


The scar-faced man frowned and looked at Su Ming again.


He saw Su Ming’s eyes.


They held fear and nervousness, but deep within them was an odd calm, like an ancient well that ran deep under a storm.


This wasn’t the look of a stunned child.


The scar-faced man’s chest gave a sudden, inexplicable jolt.


He’d been on this road for over ten years, seen many desperate men, and killed more than one. He had a beastlike instinct.


This shabby kid, unremarkable as he seemed, gave him a faint, indescribable sense of danger.


Like a snake hidden in the grass.


Leave it alone, and nothing happens; move, and someone dies.


“Forget it,” the scar-faced man waved, irritation flaring for no reason. “A penniless kid—what could he have? Bad luck!”


“Let’s go!”


He shot one last vicious glare at Zhao Rui sprawled on the ground, hoisted the stolen goods with his men, and strode off.


Only after the group disappeared over the next ridge did the world regain its deathlike silence.


All that remained were the mule’s anxious whinnies and Zhao Rui’s uncontrollable sobs.


Old Qian slumped to the ground, gasping for breath as if pulled from the water.


Su Ming slowly loosened his grip on the knife handle; his palms were slick with cold sweat.


“Crisis resolved. This social practice class is a success,” Lin Yu breathed out. “Disciple, you applied the core ‘survival’ principle—being poor is the best shield—perfectly avoiding all risk. Class rating: excellent.”


Listening to his master’s summary, Su Ming walked over to Zhao Rui and, seeing him with his face smeared with snot and tears, felt no schadenfreude.


He bent down and quietly picked up the scattered books and brushes, one by one, putting them back into the torn case.


Zhao Rui lifted his head and stared at Su Ming with bewilderment, humiliation, and an undefinable complex mixture of emotions.


He couldn’t fathom why those brutal bandits had taken everything from him yet left this poorer bumpkin untouched.


“Don’t…don’t touch my things!” he suddenly screamed, shoving Su Ming away. He crawled on the ground and clutched the books to his chest like a madman.


Su Ming stumbled but didn’t get angry; he only watched quietly.


After a long while, Zhao Rui’s cries gradually quieted.


He sat on the cold ground, clutching the tattered case like a child abandoned by the world.


Old Qian recovered himself and looked at the ruined mess and the emptied mule cart, grief tearing at him.


“What…what should we do now…how will I report this to the village chief…”


Su Ming walked over to Old Qian, took two black wheat buns from his bundle, and handed one over.


“Old Qian, eat something.”


Old Qian took the hard bun dumbfounded, staring at Su Ming’s calm face. His mouth opened but no words came out.


Su Ming took one bun himself and ate small bites.



 
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C17: First Steps into Qing Shi

The black wheat bun was dry and hard, scraping his throat until it ached.


Su Ming nibbled at it in small bites, like a squirrel stashing food for winter; every motion showed how precious it was to him.


The remaining road felt so stifled the atmosphere could be wrung dry.


Zhao Rui hunched on the cart board, covering his head with a ragged coat, saying nothing. He looked like a plucked rooster that could no longer fluff up.


Old Qian’s whip arm had lost much of its strength; he kept glancing back at the empty cart bed and letting out long sighs.


Only the mule still trod tirelessly, the creaking wheels the lone soundtrack of the journey.


Su Ming swallowed the last bite of bun, drank some of the slightly cool water from his waterskin, and turned his gaze to the distance.


At the edge of the horizon, a faint blue-gray line appeared.


As the mule cart drew closer, that line thickened and rose, until it resolved into an imposing city wall.

The wall was built from massive bluestone blocks, each stone mottled and weathered by wind and rain, like the wrinkles on the face of a taciturn old soldier.
“Arriving at the Newcomer Village main city—Qingshi Town,” Lin Yu’s voice carried a flicker of interest.


The mule cart stopped at the end of the line before the city gate.


People and vehicles entering the city formed a long serpent: farmers pushing wheelbarrows of vegetables, itinerant merchants carrying crates, and several ornate carriages with curtains tightly drawn, giving off an air of aristocratic unapproachability.


It was the first time Su Ming had seen so many people.


A jumble of sounds poured into his ears like boiling porridge: hawking cries, bargaining voices, the lowing and snorting of oxen and horses, the rumble of wheels...


A complex smell hung in the air: livestock dung, the sour stench of sweat, and an indistinct tantalizing aroma of food drifting from the city.


All of it excited and at the same time instinctively tensed his body.


He reflexively pressed his hand against his chest, where one or two or three qian of silver were hidden, and that cold skinning knife.


That was all the courage he had.


“Don’t be nervous, relax,” Lin Yu soothed. “What you need to do now is observe and learn. Watch their clothes, listen to their accents, analyze their identities. This is a real world, far more vivid than anything in your books.”


When it was their turn to enter, a sallow-faced city guard sauntered over and prodded the cart board with the spear in his hand.


“Where from? What business in the city?”


Old Qian hurriedly fumbled out a few copper coins and, wearing a smile, handed them over. “Captain, they’re from Su Family Village, bringing two young gentlemen into town to seek schooling.”


The city guard weighed the coins, then glanced at the two boys on the cart.


His eyes fell first on the disheveled, listless Zhao Rui, then at the raggedly dressed Su Ming, and a trace of contempt crossed his face.


“Seeking schooling? Looking like this?” He scoffed, waving his hand. “Move along, move along! Don’t block the way!”


Zhao Rui’s body twitched; the coat slipped from his head, revealing a face flushed bright, but he did not jump up to argue as he used to.


A bandit’s blade is far sharper than a city guard’s mockery.


The mule cart creaked through the gate.


Darkness fell for a moment, then the scene burst into light.


Qingshi Town revealed itself before Su Ming without reservation.


Wide streets were likewise laid with enormous bluestone slabs, polished smooth and shining by the years. Lining the roads were row upon row of shops.


Restaurants, teahouses, cloth shops, rice stores, pawnshops... signs of all kinds swayed in the breeze.


People jostled shoulder to shoulder, neatly dressed. Men wore silk shirts, women sported silver hairpins; even the children wore brand-new cloth and chased each other through the crowds.


The prosperity made Su Ming feel as if he’d stepped into a surreal dream.


He had never seen such tall buildings, such bright fabrics, nor smelled such enticing steamed meat bun fragrance.


He stood at the roadside like a small weed uprooted from rural soil and suddenly planted into a wealthy flowerpot, utterly out of place.


“Disciple, tuck away that country-bumpkin look! Yes, exactly like that, keep your head down, watch the road. Show a little humility and timidity—it's in line with your current persona.”


Zhao Rui jumped down from the mule cart as well.


The moment his foot hit the familiar bluestone, the confidence that came from being the Village Chief’s son seemed to return a little.


He straightened his torn clothes, lifted his chin, and resumed that haughty posture.


Seeing Su Ming’s “dumbfounded” expression, the resentment inside him finally found an outlet.


“Hmph, peasant!” Zhao Rui’s voice was low but full of deliberate disdain. “Eyes all wide? Never seen anything before? This is Qingshi Town!”


Su Ming only silently withdrew his gaze, making no reply.


His silence, to Zhao Rui, was assent—a sign of inferiority.


“Don’t you dare talk nonsense when you meet my aunt, or you’ll embarrass my father!” Zhao Rui grew more animated, as if loud boasting could wash away the humiliation of the road. “My aunt handles the records at the county academy; she manages the student registrations for the whole town. Whether you can be registered as a Child Scholar depends on her good graces!”


Old Qian drove the cart to a designated carriage depot, then led the two through a maze of alleys.


Su Ming walked and silently committed the route to memory.


His mind was a dry sponge, greedily absorbing everything around him: which shop clerks looked most alert, which alley reeked the worst, which beggar in the corner seemed the most dangerous...


When they passed an herbalist’s shop, his steps suddenly paused.


A bamboo plaque outside the medicine shop displayed various herbs drying in the sun.


“Stop.” Lin Yu’s voice turned suddenly serious. “Look at the plaque on the left, third row—see the plant that looks like dry grass with blackened roots?”


Su Ming scanned it.


It was an unremarkable withered weed: yellowed leaves, shriveled roots, mixed among higher-quality herbs as if tossed in casually.


“This is ‘hei jie cao’,” Lin Yu said, a hardly noticeable excitement in his tone. “It’s worthless on its own, a poor herb for feeding livestock. But look closely at its root—doesn’t it have a faint ring of silver veining that other hei jie cao lack?”


Su Ming focused and indeed saw, on that shriveled black root, a hair-thin circle of silver lines that was barely visible in the sun.


“This is a mutated specimen subtly nourished by residual spiritual energy! The spirit energy content is negligible, but it proves one thing!”


“Near Qingshi Town there must be a spiritual energy node! Even if it’s a nearly exhausted micro-node!”


Lin Yu’s voice was like Columbus discovering a new world: “This is a clue! It’s the spark of hope for our ‘spiritual energy prospecting project’! Boy, remember this medicine shop, remember what that plant looks like! This is our first major breakthrough!”


Su Ming’s heart thudded wildly in response.


“What are you gawking at? A pile of rotten grass—what’s so interesting?” Zhao Rui snapped impatiently and shoved him aside. “Move on! Dawdling country bumpkins are country bumpkins, you don’t even know herbs!”


He cast a contemptuous look at the cheap herbs at the medicine shop entrance.


Su Ming straightened after the shove but felt no anger. He glanced back at the shop named “Hui Chun Hall” and etched its location into his mind.


After winding through a few more alleys, Old Qian stopped before an imposing residence.


A vermilion wooden door stood between two stone lions, and a plaque above the lintel read “Zhou Residence.”


Zhao Rui immediately straightened, and then stamped the door knocker with a loud “bang bang bang.”


“Who is it?” came an impatient voice from inside.


After a moment, a side door creaked open and a footman in a green cap peered out, rubbing sleep from his eyes as he surveyed them.


When he saw the tattered Zhao Rui and Su Ming, and Old Qian beside them, his brow immediately furrowed.


“Beggars, move along! This is the Zhou Residence, not a charity!” the footman waved irritably, about to close the door.


“Impertinent!” Zhao Rui’s face flushed dark. “Open your dog eyes and see who I am! My aunt is the second madam of your house! Go inform them at once and tell them Zhao Rui from Su Family Village is here!”


The footman hesitated, reexamining Zhao Rui with suspicion.


“Su Family Village? Zhao Rui?” he sneered. “Wait here.”


With that he slammed the door shut with a bang.


 
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C18: The Zhou Residence's Show of Power

The door slammed shut right in front of them, the gust of air it created ruffling the disheveled hair on Zhao Rui's forehead.


The purplish-red flush hadn't even fully receded from his face before a new layer of humiliated fury painted it a sickly green.


"Snobbish bastards who judge people by their appearance!" Zhao Rui cursed under his breath at the tightly shut wooden door, though his voice lacked any real conviction.


Old Qian stood to the side, wringing his hands, his expression uglier than if he were crying.


Su Ming stood quietly, his eyelids lowered, as if everything that had just happened had nothing to do with him.


The sun slowly moved from the eaves in the east directly overhead.


The stone lions flanking the entrance grew hot under the sun. Occasionally, servants dressed in decent clothes would enter or exit through a side gate nearby. Spotting the three "country bumpkins" standing at the main entrance, they would cast looks of disdain or curiosity before deliberately walking around them.


Zhao Rui's emotions shifted from initial rage, to restless anxiety, and then to unease. He paced incessantly, like a wild beast trapped in a cage.


Outside the gate was the dusty reality; inside was the glamorous, respectable home of the relatives he had fantasized about.

"*Creeeak—*"
That side gate finally opened again.


It was the same servant in the blue clothes and small cap. He sauntered out, his face wearing undisguised mockery.


"Follow me." He snorted through his nose, turned, and walked inside without even bothering to give them a proper look.


He didn't lead them along the wide, smooth main path. Instead, he guided them onto a narrow, crushed-gravel service path meant for servants.


The path was very narrow, bordered on one side by a high courtyard wall and on the other by the rear walls of various compounds.


Through gaps in the foliage, Su Ming could catch glimpses of the exquisite pavilions, terraces, and towers within the main courtyards and hear the faint sounds of laughter and conversation drifting from within. It all seemed so distant.


After traversing the long service path and rounding a corner piled with miscellaneous items, the servant stopped before a small courtyard that looked particularly remote and desolate.


This courtyard wasn't much larger than Su Ming's own home courtyard. A few sickly, crooked-neck trees grew within, making it appear bleak and oppressive.


"Second Madam, your nephew is here," the servant called towards the house, his voice dripping with perfunctoriness.


The door curtain was lifted, and a woman emerged. She wore a slightly worn sapphire-blue robe, with only a single silver hairpin in her hair.


She appeared to be in her thirties, her face somewhat haggard. Seeing the three disheveled figures in her courtyard, especially taking in Zhao Rui's bruised, swollen face and tattered clothes, her eyebrows immediately knitted tightly together.


"Rui'er? You... how did you end up in such a state?"


This woman was precisely Zhao Rui's paternal aunt, the wife of the Second Branch of the Zhou family, Zhao Chunlan.


"Aunt!" Seeing a familiar relative, Zhao Rui's nose stung with sudden emotion. All his grievances surged up, and his eyes instantly reddened. "We... we were ambushed by mountain bandits on the road!"


Zhao Chunlan's face changed color. She hurried over, pulling Zhao Rui to check if he was injured, and asked in a hushed, urgent voice, "The money? The belongings? Were they all lost?"


"They... they were all robbed," Zhao Rui's voice dropped low.


Zhao Chunlan's face instantly turned deathly pale.


Just then, the curtain of the main room was lifted again, and a middle-aged man with a goatee, dressed in scholar's robes, walked out.


He was tall and thin, with a slightly sallow complexion. His eyes held the scrutinizing arrogance of someone long accustomed to a position of authority.


"All this racket and commotion, what kind of propriety is this!" The man's opening words seemed to make the air in the courtyard grow several degrees colder.


This man was precisely Zhao Chunlan's husband, Zhou Kang, who served as a Record Keeper at the County School.


Zhou Kang's gaze swept over Old Qian and Su Ming. The look in his eyes was as if he were viewing two piles of annoying rubbish. Finally, his eyes landed on Zhao Rui, and his frown deepened.


"You are Zhao Dequan's son?" he asked, his tone flat yet exuding a condescending aloofness.


"Yes, Uncle, I am Zhao Rui." Zhao Rui hurriedly bowed in greeting, appearing ill at ease.


"Hmm." Zhou Kang grunted from his nose. "I heard from your aunt that you received a recommendation from that old Xiucai in your village, and you've come to register for the Child Scholar exam?"


"Yes, Teacher Zhou said..."


Zhou Kang cut him off without any courtesy, a trace of contempt curling his lips. "Studying for the imperial examinations relies on family scholarly tradition and guidance from renowned teachers. What real accomplishment can possibly come from studying in the rustic countryside?"


His words made Zhao Rui's face alternate between red and white. He couldn't utter a single word in response.


Finally, Zhou Kang's gaze, like a bestowed favor, fell upon Su Ming.


"You too?"


"Yes, this student is Su Ming. Greetings, Sir." Su Ming imitated the manner he'd learned at the schoolhouse, bowing and performing a salute.


"Su Ming?" Zhou Kang looked him up and down. Seeing his faded old clothes and patched shoes, the disdain in his eyes intensified. "Another mud-legged peasant, dreaming the daydream of a carp leaping through the Dragon Gate."


He waved his sleeve dismissively and said to Zhao Chunlan, "Alright, take them to stay in that empty room next to the woodshed in the backyard. Don't let them wander around the front areas. They might offend important guests and embarrass me."


Having said that, he turned and went back into the house, as if looking at them for a moment longer would dirty his eyes.


Zhao Chunlan's face was full of embarrassment and humiliation, but she didn't dare offer the slightest rebuttal. She forced a smile and said to Old Qian, "Old Qian, you've worked hard. This is for the cart... you... you should head back first."


She fished several dozen copper coins from her sleeve and handed them over. Old Qian, as if granted a pardon, took the money and fled the troubled situation as if escaping.


Finally, Zhao Chunlan led Su Ming and Zhao Rui to a low, small building in the corner of the backyard.


The room was tiny, right next to the woodshed. A damp, musty smell assailed their nostrils. Inside was only a bare wooden plank bed and a table missing a leg.


"You... just make do here for now," Zhao Chunlan said, her eyes darting around, unable to meet theirs. "Don't wander around. If you need anything... just tell me."


Having said that, she hurried away, as if staying there a moment longer was torture.


Inside the room, a deathly silence fell.


Zhao Rui stood dumbfounded, looking at this room that was barely better than his family's pigsty. Recalling his uncle-in-law's scornful gaze and his aunt's evasive attitude, all his fantasies and pride were shattered to pieces in that moment.


*BANG!*


He violently kicked the broken table, sending it crashing to the ground.


"Why! Why!" he roared in a low voice, like a wounded beast. "My father is the Village Chief! My aunt is the Second Madam of the Zhou family! How dare they... how dare they treat us like this!"


Su Ming didn't speak.


He silently walked over, righted the broken table, then took a few of the hard, dry black wheat buns from his small bundle and placed them on the table.


Then, he began to clean the room.


He used his old clothes as a rag to wipe the dust off the wooden plank bed and swept away the cobwebs in the corners.


He didn't work quickly, but he was very thorough.


As if this wasn't a dilapidated room next to a woodshed, but his own home.


After his outburst, Zhao Rui had exhausted his energy. He slumped to the ground dejectedly, watching Su Ming's busy back with a complex look in his eyes.


He couldn't understand why Su Ming could be so calm.


Robbed by mountain bandits, he was calm. Humiliated by the Zhou family, he was still this calm.


Didn't he feel any anger or humiliation at all?


Night fell.


A servant brought their dinner: two coarse porcelain bowls containing half a bowl of thin porridge and a lump of pickled vegetable.


Zhao Rui glanced at it and turned his head away.


Su Ming, however, picked up a bowl and began drinking it in small sips. He even used his tongue to meticulously clean every last grain of rice from the bottom of the bowl.


"Psychological Fortitude Course, Lecture One: Cognitive Reframing," Lin Yu's voice sounded in Su Ming's mind. "When the external environment cannot be changed, change your definition of the environment. This is not a prison cell; it's the 'Qingshi Town Strategic Development Base.' This bed is not a wooden plank; it's a 'Cultivation Platform.' This bowl of porridge is not slop; it's 'Basic Energy Supplement.'"


"See? Doesn't it feel much better when you call it that?"


After finishing the porridge, Su Ming neatly placed the bowl and chopsticks aside.


He looked out the window. The town's lights were brighter than the stars in the sky.


He sat for a long time before finally turning his head and speaking to Zhao Rui, who had remained silent the whole time.


These were the first words he had spoken to him since entering the Zhou Residence.


"Zhao Rui, tomorrow, I want to go take a look at the bookshop in town."


Zhao Rui's head snapped up, as if he hadn't heard correctly.


"Bookshop? To look at what?"


Su Ming's gaze was very calm, like the water in the ancient well at the village entrance.


"Teacher Zhou said that when we get to town, we should read more books to broaden our horizons."


Zhao Rui was stunned.


He looked at Su Ming, at those eyes that seemed especially bright under the dim oil lamp, and suddenly felt as if he had never truly known the person before him.


"Alright... alright," he nodded, as if compelled by some unseen force.


 
Contact - ToS Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life
C19: Can a scholar's affairs be called spending money?

The sky had brightened.


Not the kind of awakening brought by rooster crows and dog barks in the village, but a listless light that filtered through the gaps in the window paper, having been strained once by the high courtyard walls.


Zhao Rui hadn't slept all night, lying awake on the cold wooden plank bed like a fish thrown ashore.


His uncle's contemptuous words, the servants' mocking faces, and that bowl of watery porridge worse than pig slop—they pricked him like needles all over, making him utterly uncomfortable.


Su Ming was already up, practicing a strange set of fist movements in the corner of the courtyard with meticulous precision.


The movements were very slow, very clumsy, like elderly villagers stretching their joints.


Zhao Rui couldn't understand it, finding it only ridiculous, but looking at Su Ming's calm face, he couldn't bring himself to laugh.


That face held no anger, no humiliation, only a kind of focus completely unfamiliar to him.


"You... you're really going to the bookshop?" Zhao Rui finally couldn't help speaking, his voice dry and hoarse.

Su Ming finished his fist movements, exhaling a long puff of white breath, and nodded: "Yes."
"...I'll go with you." Zhao Rui climbed off the bed plank, his voice as small as a mosquito's buzz.


He didn't know why he wanted to tag along either—perhaps simply because he couldn't stand this suffocating courtyard anymore, couldn't bear facing his shattered pride alone.


The streets of Qingshi Town awakened in the early morning like a giant beast yawning.


Early-rising shopkeepers removed their door panels, assistants splashed water to sweep the streets, steamers from bun shops emitted white heat, mingling with the aromas of meat and dough, making people's stomachs growl with craving.


Zhao Rui kept his head down, instinctively wanting to hide his face in his collar.


He felt like everyone on the street was watching him, looking at his shabby clothes, the bruises on his face.


But Su Ming walked steadily.


His gaze didn't linger excessively on the dazzling array of goods, but rather absorbed everything around him like a sponge.


The location of the carriage house, the prices at the grain and oil shop, the patrol routes of the street guards...


"Disciple, see that?" Lin Yu's voice sounded in his mind, like an experienced tour guide. "That cloth shop on the left displays fine cotton and silk fabrics, indicating many wealthy households in town. But the pawnshop on the right has a queue outside, meaning there are even more poor people."


"This is a typical feudal society model with clear class division. Our goal is to climb from the exploited class to the exploiting class as quickly as possible... no, to become self-sufficient independent individuals who aren't exploited by anyone."


"Remember, the prosperity is theirs, the dangers are theirs too. We're just passing through."


The two wound through the streets, following the route Su Ming had memorized yesterday, until they found the town's largest bookshop—Wenbao Zhai.


The shopfront was made of black lacquered wood, exuding a solemn air.


A shopkeeper wearing a long gown with a mustache shaped like the character "eight" was lazily dusting the counter with a feather duster.


He lifted his eyelids, saw Su Ming and Zhao Rui entering, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.


Especially when he saw Zhao Rui's wretched state, the disdain in his eyes nearly overflowed.


"You can look at books, but wash your hands before touching them." The shopkeeper's voice was neither warm nor cold. "Don't dirty the books—you couldn't afford to replace any here."


Zhao Rui's face flushed crimson instantly, his fists clenching, but he didn't dare lash out like he used to.


Su Ming, however, acted as if he hadn't heard. He walked to the wall, washed his hands meticulously in a water basin, dried them with his own clothes, and only then approached the bookshelves.


"Good, disciple, your 'Way of Survival' mindset has improved further," Lin Yu praised. "Enduring humiliation to preserve strength offers the highest return on emotional investment. Getting angry at irrelevant people wastes nothing but saliva and yields no benefits."


Wenbao Zhai had many books, rows of shelves reaching the ceiling, the air filled with the scent of ink and the unique smell of old paper.


Su Ming took a deep breath.


This smell was more fragrant than meat buns.


He didn't look at the prominently displayed "Classics Collection Explanations" or "Key Points of Policy Essays"—those books used premium materials and clearly cost a fortune.


He went straight to the innermost corner, where some yellowed old books and miscellaneous texts were piled.


He pulled one out, squatted in the corner, and began reading as if no one else was around.


Zhao Rui stood in place, not knowing where to put his hands and feet.


The shopkeeper's contempt, the strange looks from other scholars in the bookshop—all made him feel prickly discomfort.


Seeing Su Ming squatting on the ground reading with relish like a true bookworm, a sudden inexplicable anger rose in his heart.


But this fire couldn't quite ignite.


He could only imitate Su Ming, find a corner, pick up a book, and pretend to read.


Time passed bit by bit.


Su Ming became completely immersed in the world of books.


He read broadly—geographical records, biographies, even some agriculture-related texts.


This knowledge opened windows for him, showing him the vast world beyond Su Family Village.


"Disciple, just reading isn't enough—you need to leave evidence," Lin Yu's voice chimed in timely. "Go, buy two books."


Su Ming replied mentally: "Master, money... we need to spend carefully."


"Foolish!" Lin Yu's voice turned serious. "Can this be called spending? This is strategic investment! Let me ask you, where will our papermaking formula come from in the future? You can't say you dreamed it up at night, can you?"


Su Ming froze.


"You'll say you found it in an insignificant miscellaneous book! Untraceable! What is this called? This is building an 'intellectual property firewall'! Spending a few dozen coins to buy a flawless excuse, avoiding endless future troubles—is this deal worthwhile or not?"


"Moreover, we're staying at the Zhou family's place, saving a large sum on inn expenses. That money should be used where it's most needed! Knowledge is our sharpest blade right now! Go, find one book about regional customs and another about farming techniques. The older and cheaper, the better!"


Su Ming's mind suddenly brightened.


He stood up and began searching through the pile of old books.


Just as he reached for a heavily damaged "Essential Farming Techniques" buried at the very bottom, another hand reached for it too.


It was a very clean hand, with slender fingers and distinct knuckles.


Su Ming looked up and saw a youth.


The youth appeared about fourteen or fifteen, wearing faded blue cloth clothes. Though the material was ordinary, they were cleanly laundered without a single wrinkle.


He had a lean face, tightly pressed lips, and eyes like deep pool water—unusually serene for someone his age.


Seeing Su Ming, he paused briefly, then silently withdrew his hand.


Su Ming noticed the youth had a small book box at his feet. The box was open, containing not valuable books but a stack of neatly cut rough paper and a simple set of writing implements.


He had actually been here reading while copying texts.


Those who copied books here were either from poor families who couldn't afford books, or possessed extraordinary dedication to scholarship.


Su Ming felt an inexplicable closeness toward him.


He took out the "Essential Farming Techniques" and offered it: "You read it first."


The youth shook his head, his voice cool yet clear: "No need, I've finished reading. You take it."


After speaking, he packed his small book box and turned toward another bookshelf.


Su Ming watched his retreating figure, then found another book with a faded cover titled "Records of Southern Border Wonders." Holding both books, he approached the counter.


"Shopkeeper, how much for these two?"


The mustached shopkeeper took the books, flipped through them lazily, and snorted through his nose: "Sixty coins, not one less."


Sixty coins.


This was almost half a month's living expenses for the Su family.


Su Ming reached into his clothes, touching the heavy string of copper coins.


The coins still carried the warmth and sweat of his eldest and second brothers.


His hand trembled slightly.


Zhao Rui, watching nearby, felt mixed emotions.


Su Ming took a deep breath, carefully counted out sixty copper coins from the string, and placed them on the counter.


"Here."


The shopkeeper took the money, pushed the two shabby books toward him, and paid no further attention. The shopkeeper's eyes shifted to the youth and said: "Surname Xu, get out."


Su Ming carefully stored the books in his small bundle as if holding two rare treasures.


He turned and left the bookshop.


The youth who had been copying also came out. He looked at Su Ming, hesitated for a moment, then spoke up.


"Books in Qingshi Town are expensive," the youth said. "Under the old locust tree at the west city corner, there's a bookstall. His books are all handwritten copies—half the price."


After speaking, he said no more, nodded slightly to Su Ming and Zhao Rui, shouldered his small book box, and walked straight away.


Su Ming watched his retreating figure, silently memorizing the words "west city corner, old locust tree, bookstall."


"Disciple, see? This is also a smart person," Lin Yu remarked with feeling. "He knows how to use information to exchange for a potential favor. If such people aren't enemies, you can try befriending them. On the 'Way of Survival,' having one more friend means one more information channel, one more layer of safety."


Stepping out of Wenbao Zhai, the outside sunlight was somewhat dazzling.


Zhao Rui remained silent until they had walked quite far before he asked in a low voice.


"You... why did you buy those two shabby books? They're useless for the exams."


Su Ming's steps didn't stop. Looking at the bustling crowd ahead, his voice was soft yet clear.


"Reading isn't just for exams."


Zhao Rui's footsteps halted abruptly.


He looked at Su Ming's back—that fellow villager he'd always seen as somewhat dull and slow—and in that moment, he seemed both unfamiliar and somehow taller.


 
Contact - ToS Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life
C20: Gift-giving is an art

The midday meal was still delivered by a servant to the door of that dilapidated house, then set down like throwing away garbage before they left.


Two coarse porcelain bowls. This time, the contents were slightly more "abundant" than last night's thin porridge.


It was half a bowl of coarse rice, the grains dry and hard, topped with a few wilted pickled vegetables.


Zhao Rui stared at that bowl of rice, his expression shifting several times, before he finally picked it up and fiercely shoveled the food into his mouth with chopsticks, chewing as if he had a grudge against someone.


He was hungry.


Dignity was no match for hunger.


Su Ming still ate quietly and seriously, as if savoring some rare delicacy.


"Second lesson in Cognitive Restructuring: Sublimation of Suffering." Lin Yu's voice sounded lazily in Su Ming's mind. "Disciple, you must imagine this bowl of rice as a whetstone. Every chew is sharpening your character. Every swallow is consuming humiliation, transforming it into motivation for your progress."


"See? Thinking like this, don't you feel like you're engaged in a great cultivation practice? Even the pickled vegetables become Zen-like."

Su Ming ignored his master's nonsense, simply eating every last grain of rice in his bowl clean.
After finishing the meal, Zhao Rui slammed his bowl heavily onto the broken table and spoke in a muffled voice: "My aunt came secretly this morning."


Su Ming looked up at him.


"She... she gave me some money." Zhao Rui pulled out two strings of copper coins from his chest, probably about two hundred wen. He placed the money on the table, his eyes avoiding contact. "She said we should be smart when we go to register at the County School. It would be best... best to buy uncle a gift to calm his anger."


His voice grew quieter as he spoke.


Just yesterday he thought his uncle was detestable, but today he already had to think about how to please him.


"Buy what?" Zhao Rui scratched his hair irritably. "At the best 'Drunken Immortal Pavilion' in town, a single jar of good wine costs one tael of silver! With our meager money, we can't even afford the wine jar!"


Su Ming looked at the copper coins on the table without speaking.


"Master, this is an opportunity, but also a trap," he said to Lin Yu in his mind.


"Correct." Lin Yu's tone was unusually serious. "Gift-giving is a skilled craft. Done right, it's a stepping stone; done wrong, it's dirty water thrown on your own face. Your companion here is clearly an amateur."


"Disciple, let me ask you, what are we most lacking right now?"


"Money, resources, a stable cultivation environment," Su Ming answered.


"Wrong!" Lin Yu firmly rejected this. "What we're most lacking is 'information'! Information about the Zhou family, about Qingshi Town, about that upcoming Child Scholar examination!"


"Zhao Rui wants to use these two hundred wen to buy Zhou Kang's 'favor'—that's a classic case of barking up the wrong tree. Someone like Zhou Kang, who looks down on everyone, if you give him something worth two hundred wen, he'll only think you're even poorer and more unsophisticated. Even if you gave him something worth two hundred taels of silver and he accepted it, he might not think any better of you."


Su Ming listened quietly.


"So our target can't be him." Lin Yu's voice carried a confident, strategic tone. "He's just a Record Keeper for the second branch. Above him are the main branch, and the Zhou family head, that County School Director Zhou Wenhai. Zhou Kang is just a minor gatekeeper; we don't need to waste our ammunition on him."


"Then this gift..."


"We'll give a gift, but not to him." Lin Yu chuckled. "Disciple, I'll teach you a move called 'Catering to Preferences, Precision Strike'. We need to make these two hundred wen produce the effect of two thousand wen!"


Su Ming looked at Zhao Rui and spoke: "Buying wine is inappropriate."


Zhao Rui was taken aback, then asked irritably: "Then what do you suggest we buy? Scholar's four treasures? That's even more expensive! A decent inkstick alone could feed us for a month!"


"We won't buy expensive things, only the right things." Su Ming imitated Lin Yu's tone, his voice calm. "Let's not rush to buy anything yet. First, we'll gather information."


"Gather what information?"


"Find out what your uncle Zhou Kang, and the Zhou family head Zhou Wenhai, usually like." Su Ming's thinking became clearer. "For example, what tea they prefer to drink, what books they read, or... what troubles they might have."


Zhao Rui's mouth hung open as he stared at Su Ming as if looking at a monster.


He had never imagined that giving a gift could involve so many twists and turns.


"This... how do we find that out?"


"Go to the place that copying youth mentioned yesterday." Su Ming stood up. "West corner of the city, old locust tree, Xu's bookstall. There are many people and loose tongues there, plus plenty of scholars. We might hear something. Also, we can check if the books there are really cheap."


He looked at Zhao Rui and added: "The money your aunt gave shouldn't be wasted."


Zhao Rui was completely baffled by his words, but eventually found himself nodding inexplicably: "Alright, I'll listen to you."


The west corner of the city was indeed much quieter than the main street.


A massive old locust tree spread like an open umbrella. In its shade, a white-haired old man had laid out a blue cloth on the ground with several dozen books scattered on it.


Most books were handwritten copies, with yellowed pages and crude binding.


This was the bookstall of the one surnamed Xu.


Already three or four plainly dressed scholars were squatting on the ground, intently flipping through books.


When Su Ming and Zhao Rui approached, Old Xu just lifted his eyelids before lowering his head again to doze off, seemingly unconcerned about anyone stealing his books.


Su Ming squatted down and picked up a handwritten copy of "Qingshi County Records".


"Well done, disciple." Lin Yu praised. "To strike precisely, you must first understand the 'user profile'. These county records are Qingshi Town's 'product manual'."


Su Ming flipped through quickly—his purpose wasn't to memorize, but to find useful information.


Zhao Rui imitated him, picking up a book and randomly flipping through it, but his eyes kept glancing at several scholars nearby who were talking in low voices.


They heard a tall, thin man say: "Have you heard? Director Zhou has been in a bad mood lately."


Another square-faced man responded: "What else could it be? It's about his precious son Zhou Yulin. Young Master Zhou is about to take the academy examination, but he just can't produce an enlightened essay for the 'Investigation of Things' subject."


"Investigation of Things?" The tall, thin man curled his lip. "That thing is vague and elusive—who can explain it clearly? Director Zhou himself is an expert in this field, and even he can't teach it well. What hope do the rest of us have?"


"Shh, keep your voice down. Don't let anyone hear."


Though their voices were soft, every word clearly reached Su Ming's ears.


Su Ming's finger, which had been turning pages, paused slightly.


"Director Zhou, Zhou Wenhai. Son, Zhou Yulin. Trouble, 'Investigation of Things' subject."


He silently noted this in his mind.


Lin Yu's voice became excited: "Here it comes! Here comes our opportunity! This is our 'market demand'! Disciple, that 'Essential Farming Techniques' book you bought yesterday is now our only ammunition!"


Su Ming's heart stirred.


"Essential Farming Techniques" discussed agricultural matters—how to breed seeds, how to compost, how to distinguish seasonal periods.


What did this have to do with "Investigation of Things"?


"Fool!" Lin Yu sounded exasperated. "What is 'Investigation of Things'? Investigating things to extend knowledge! It's about exploring the principles of things! While others research lofty topics like wind, rain, thunder, lightning, and celestial movements, we'll take the opposite approach!"


"We'll start from the most humble 'farming activities'! For example, why do seeds sprout faster after soaking in warm water? Why do different soils produce different crops? Doesn't this count as Investigation of Things? It absolutely does!"


"While others are drawing pies in the sky, we'll dig for gold from the earth! This is called 'differentiated competition'! Understand?"


Su Ming's breathing became slightly rapid.


He understood.


He put down the county records and continued searching through the bookstall.


Finally, he spent two wen to buy the cheapest handwritten copy available—"Miscellaneous Discussions on Plants and Trees" that explained plant identification.


Zhao Rui watched dumbfounded: "You're buying this?"


Su Ming nodded, carefully storing the book away.


"Let's go buy the gift," Su Ming said.


As the two left the bookstall, Zhao Rui couldn't help asking: "What exactly are we going to buy?"


Instead of answering directly, Su Ming led him into a general store.


He walked around the shop, then finally his gaze settled on a bundle of seemingly ordinary hemp rope and some of the cheapest coarse pottery jars.


"Master, will this work?" Su Ming asked in his mind.


"It will work! It will work perfectly! Disciple, you've already grasped the essence of 'Way of Survival' gift-giving!" Lin Yu's voice was full of satisfaction. "Remember, the gift itself isn't important—what matters is the 'story' and 'pretext' it carries!"


Su Ming spent ten wen to buy a small bundle of hemp rope and two palm-sized coarse pottery jars.


Zhao Rui was completely stunned.


"Su Ming, are you... are you sick? We're going to give these things as gifts? My uncle will definitely chase us out!"


"These aren't for your uncle." Su Ming said calmly. "These are our 'bait' for Director Zhou."


Looking at the thoroughly confused Zhao Rui, he patiently explained for the first time.


"We're insignificant people with weak voices. Wanting to see Director Zhou is harder than climbing to heaven. If we directly give gifts, he won't accept them. So we need to create an opportunity to meet him and make him interested in us."


"I just learned that Director Zhou's son is struggling with 'Investigation of Things'. And that 'Essential Farming Techniques' book I bought yesterday happens to contain some unusual methods about crop growth."


Su Ming pointed to the pottery jars in his hand and the newly purchased "Miscellaneous Discussions on Plants and Trees".


"We'll use these jars to try growing something in the courtyard. Then use the methods recorded in this book to make some special fertilizer. When the time comes, we just need to let this matter 'accidentally' reach Director Zhou's ears."


"A poor boy from the countryside, not studying the classics, but tinkering with plants in the courtyard, and actually achieving some results. Do you think Director Zhou, who's worried about his son, might become a little curious about us?"


Zhao Rui listened blankly, his mind completely empty.


He felt like he was listening to fantasy.


Yet he also felt that every word Su Ming spoke carried a strange magical power that made it impossible to refute.


 
Contact - ToS Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life
C21: This is called differentiated competition
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Zhao Rui looked at the bundle of coarse hemp rope and two ugly clay pots on the table, feeling like his brain couldn't process what he was seeing.


He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but found he couldn't utter a single word.


He was certain Su Ming had gone completely mad.


Being robbed by mountain bandits, then humiliated by the Zhou family—this series of blows had finally driven the usually quiet youth over the edge.


"Su Ming, you..." Zhao Rui's voice came out dry and strained, "We... we're really going to use these?"


"Mhm." Su Ming responded briefly, already carrying the clay pots to the corner of the courtyard.


That corner was piled with old fallen leaves and mud. He brushed aside the surface layer of loose soil with his hands, revealing the relatively moist earth beneath.


"Disciple, pay attention to your technique, make it look professional." Lin Yu's voice echoed in Su Ming's mind, like a director coaching actors on set, "Don't dig like you're unearthing sweet potatoes—there should be a sense of ceremony. You're not playing with mud right now, you're constructing a 'micro-ecological circulation system'."


Su Ming's hands paused briefly, then he followed Lin Yu's guidance, making his movements slow and methodical.

He first laid a layer of small stones at the bottom of the clay pots, then carefully filled them with soil. When they were half-full, he gently compacted the earth with his fingers.
Zhao Rui just stared blankly.


He watched as Su Ming carefully picked out three shriveled beans from that precious bundle he guarded so closely.


These were the last remaining provisions they had brought from the village.


Su Ming pressed the beans one by one into three different clay pots, then covered them with a thin layer of soil.


Throughout the entire process, his expression remained intensely focused, as if he were carving a priceless work of art.


"He's mad, completely mad." Zhao Rui slumped weakly onto the bed board, covering his face with his hands.


Lin Yu continued his on-site instruction, "Disciple, remember, from now on, this isn't called planting beans—this is called 'Investigating Things to Extend Knowledge: Comparative Examination of Plant Growth.' The pot on the left, watered daily, is called the 'Natural Way Group.' The middle pot, using the hemp rope you bought to draw water for continuous moisture, is the 'External Intervention Group.' The right pot, not watered initially, left to struggle on its own, is the 'Adversity Survival Group.'"


"Listen to those names, that commanding presence! Old scholars like Director Zhou eat this stuff up! What is this called? This is called professionalism!"


Hearing his master's twisted logic, the corner of Su Ming's mouth twitched involuntarily, but his hands never stopped moving.


After arranging everything properly, the three crude clay pots stood side by side in the corner, looking both pitifully shabby and strangely peculiar.


Just then, the courtyard gate creaked open a crack.


Zhao Chunlan poked her head in, and upon seeing the two youths in the courtyard, forced a strained smile onto her face.


She carried a small cloth bundle, quickly entered, and shoved it into Zhao Rui's hands.


"Rui'er, these are a few steamed buns to fill your stomachs for now." She lowered her voice, her eyes filled with worry and apology, "Your uncle... that's just how his temper is, please don't take it to heart."


Her gaze fell upon the three strange clay pots in the corner, and she froze for a moment.

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"What... what is this?"


Zhao Rui's face instantly flushed bright red, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into.


But Su Ming straightened up at that moment, calmly meeting Zhao Chunlan's gaze as he bowed respectfully.


"Aunt, this student is merely conducting some academic inquiry."


"Academic inquiry?" Zhao Chunlan looked even more confused.


"Yes." Su Ming's voice remained steady and unhurried, as if reciting a thoroughly memorized text, "This student happened to read some miscellaneous texts and saw the saying: 'One leaf can reveal autumn's arrival, one tree can show the forest's nature.' All things that grow follow their own principles. Therefore, emulating the ancient sages, I use the subtle changes in plant growth to glimpse the great way of Investigating Things."


His speech was half-classical, half-vernacular, entirely composed of the explanations Lin Yu had taught him last night.


Zhao Chunlan didn't understand a single word of it, but she caught the terms "academic inquiry," "Investigating Things," and "great way."


Looking at this youth in tattered clothes yet standing straight-backed, at those clear, bright eyes that remained undimmed despite adversity, she suddenly felt a strange sense of awe.


Though she didn't understand, she felt that this seemed... impressive.


"Good... good... you... just focus on your studies." Zhao Chunlan stammered, offered a few more words of advice, then hurried away.


After she left, Zhao Rui jumped up abruptly.


"Su Ming! What nonsense were you spouting to Aunt! What great way! What Investigating Things! It's just planting beans!"


"Matters of scholars," Su Ming looked at him, enunciating each word clearly, "how can they be called merely planting beans?"


Zhao Rui was left speechless, completely stumped.


In the Zhou family dining hall, the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive.


Family head Zhou Wenhai sat at the main seat, his face dark as water. Nearly fifty years old with temples slightly graying, he wore a scholar's robe that was impeccably clean, his brow carrying natural authority.


The youth beside him was his only son, Zhou Yulin, who currently kept his head bowed, not even daring to touch his chopsticks.


Zhou Kang of the Second Branch sat in a lower seat. Seeing his elder brother and nephew's expressions, his eyes shifted as he decided to lighten the mood with some casual conversation.


"Elder Brother, speaking of which, there's recently been an 'Investigating Things' master appearing in our backyard." He began with a hint of sarcastic amusement.


Zhou Wenhai lifted his eyelids slightly but said nothing.


Zhou Kang continued on his own, "It's my wife's worthless nephew and a companion he brought along. That companion is called Su Ming, also recommended by Teacher Zhou. This kid, who knows what nonsense he read in some wild text, has started planting beans in broken clay pots in the courtyard, even grandly calling it 'glimpsing the great way of Investigating Things'! It's absolutely laughable!"


He had expected his elder brother to chuckle dismissively or scold it as "mischief."


But Zhou Wenhai's reaction completely defied his expectations.

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"What did you say?" Zhou Wenhai set down his chopsticks, his gaze sharp as he stared at him, "The person who recommended him was Teacher Zhou from Su Family Village?"


"Y... yes." Zhou Kang felt unnerved under his stare, "That old fellow who spent his whole life studying only to achieve the Xiucai degree."


"Silence!" Zhou Wenhai's low roar, though not loud, made Zhou Kang tremble, "Teacher Zhou has been like half a mentor to me! He is upright in character and solid in scholarship, absolutely not the frivolous person you describe!"


Zhou Kang's face instantly paled. He never imagined his elder brother would get so angry over a rural old Xiucai.


Zhou Wenhai ignored him, turning instead to his despondent son.


"Yulin, you tell me, what is Investigating Things?"


Zhou Yulin stood up and answered respectfully, "Replying to Father, Investigating Things to Extend Knowledge means exhaustively studying the principles of things to seek the acquisition of knowledge."


"Well said." Zhou Wenhai nodded, then asked, "Then do you know where the principles lie?"


"The principles are in books, in the classics of the sages."


"Wrong!" Zhou Wenhai slammed the table abruptly, "The principles are in all things between heaven and earth! You spend all day clinging to old texts, delving into profound discussions of wind, thunder, and stars, yet you can't explain why a blade of grass grows or why a drop of water freezes! Your essays have splendid rhetoric but no foundation whatsoever! This is the reason you cannot make a breakthrough!"


His words made Zhou Yulin blush with shame, his head bowing even lower.


Zhou Wenhai took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart, and looked back at Zhou Kang.


"You just said, that youth named Su Ming, what is he doing?" His tone had become extremely serious.


Zhou Kang broke out in a cold sweat, not daring to show any further disrespect as he stammeringly repeated exactly what his wife had described—Su Ming's explanations about the "Natural Way Group," "External Intervention Group," and so on.


With every sentence he spoke, Zhou Wenhai's eyes grew brighter.


By the time he finished, Zhou Wenhai's face was full of shock and... a hint of excitement.


"Comparative... examination?" Zhou Wenhai murmured to himself, "Using the natural way, human effort, and adversity as guides to examine their principles... Excellent! What a magnificent 'one leaf can reveal autumn'! This youth is extraordinary! To have such insight!"


He stood up abruptly and began pacing back and forth in the hall.


"Teacher Zhou... Teacher Zhou indeed didn't misjudge his person! This examination method, seemingly simple and unadorned, goes straight to the heart of Investigating Things! The great way is supremely simple! Why didn't I think of it! Why didn't I think of it!"


Zhou Kang and Zhou Yulin were both utterly dumbfounded.


In their eyes, this absurd "bean planting" had become, in the family head's words, a "great way" that "goes straight to the heart of Investigating Things"?


Zhou Wenhai stopped pacing, his burning gaze fixed on his son.


"Yulin!"


"Your son is here!"



"Aren't you troubled by your Investigating Things essay? The opportunity has arrived!" Zhou Wenhai pointed toward the door, "Go! Go to the backyard! See for yourself! No, not just see—go to learn! Go seek instruction from that Su Ming!"


"What?" Zhou Yulin and Zhou Kang exclaimed simultaneously.


Have the Zhou family's eldest young master, the County School Director's son, go seek instruction from a poor country boy living next to the woodshed?


If this got out, what would become of the Zhou family's dignity?


"Father, this... this is absolutely unacceptable!" Zhou Yulin said urgently, "He's just a country village child! Perhaps he's merely picking up others' scraps, accidentally spouting a couple lines of twisted logic! How can I..."


"Fool!" Zhou Wenhai roared angrily, "The accomplished are teachers—what does status matter! If you still cling to these prejudices about family background, your imperial examination path ends here!"


Looking at his son's face, filled with reluctance and humiliation, his tone softened slightly.


"Your father isn't telling you to acknowledge him as your master. Just go, go ask, go look, go record. See exactly how he does it and how he thinks. If he truly has genuine talent and learning, what's wrong with lowering yourself to befriend him? If he's just a fame-seeking fraud, you'll see through his façade and report back to me, settling this matter once and for all."


Zhou Yulin bit his lip, his heart in turmoil.


Finally, under his father's unwavering gaze, he yielded.


"Yes... your son obeys."


...


In the backyard, inside that dilapidated room.


Su Ming sat before the three-legged table, using the dim light to read the newly purchased "Essential Farming Techniques."


Zhao Rui tossed and turned on the bed board, sighing repeatedly.


"It's over, it's over, my aunt definitely thinks we're madmen. Tomorrow, my uncle will probably throw us out."


Su Ming ignored him, his entire mind immersed in the book and Lin Yu's teachings.


"Disciple, see? This is called an 'information gap.' Your companion only sees bean planting, while we see a shortcut leading straight before Director Zhou. Remember, knowledge itself is worthless—only knowledge that solves problems has value."


Just then, the courtyard gate was gently pushed open.


The person entering wasn't a meal-delivering servant, nor was it the apologetic-looking Zhao Chunlan.


It was a youth wearing clean blue robes, with delicate features, yet whose expression carried a mix of arrogance and reluctance.


Behind the youth followed a stern-faced old servant in gray clothes.


Seeing the newcomer, Zhao Rui sprang up from the bed board, his mouth agape.


He recognized this youth—it was the Zhou family's eldest young master, Zhou Yulin!


Su Ming also looked up. He set down his book and calmly looked at the two unexpected guests at the door.


The air in the courtyard seemed to freeze at that moment.


Zhou Yulin's gaze immediately fell upon the three ugly clay pots in the corner.


His eyes held curiosity, scrutiny, disdain, and a hint of... anticipation that he himself was unwilling to acknowledge.


He cleared his throat, trying to make his voice sound steady and detached, devoid of any emotion.


"You, are you Su Ming?"



 
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Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life
C22: How can the affairs of scholars be called deception?

Zhou Yulin's voice carried a trace of deliberate maturity put on by a young man, but his trailing tone couldn't hide that condescending scrutiny.


The gray-clad old servant behind him stood like an emotionless stone statue, his gaze sweeping indifferently across this shabby room. His eyes lingered on Su Ming and Zhao Rui for less than a breath before lowering again, as if looking any longer would be a waste.


Zhao Rui was already too frightened to make a sound. He instinctively shrank back, not knowing where to put his hands and feet.


This was the Zhou family's prized son, the County School Director's only heir, someone all the scholars in Qingshi Town had to look up to.


Yet Su Ming merely gently closed the book in his hand, placed it by the table, then stood up and looked back at the other party without servility or arrogance.


"I am Su Ming."


His voice was very calm, as if stating the most ordinary fact.


This composed attitude instead made the barrage of questions Zhou Yulin had prepared get stuck in his throat. He had anticipated the other might panic and lose composure, might flatter and fawn—he just hadn't expected such straightforwardness.


"My father heard that you are here investigating the Way of Investigation of Things?" Zhou Yulin's gaze finally fell on the three plain-looking clay pots in the corner.

Dirt, beans, hemp rope.
No matter how you looked at it, it reeked of country bumpkin poverty and nonsense.


If not for his father's solemn admonishment, he would never have set foot in such a filthy place.


Lin Yu's voice sounded leisurely in Su Ming's mind, "Disciple, steady. Right now he's here to verify, his heart is more uncertain than yours. Remember, you're not planting beans, you're expounding the ultimate principles of heaven and earth. Bring out the energy you used reciting your script yesterday, your eyes should be ethereal, your speech pace slowed, make him feel every word you say contains profound meaning he can't comprehend."


Su-Actor-Ming took a deep breath, silently recited his master's teachings in his heart, and a perfectly measured trace of indifference appeared on his face.


"I dare not claim such." He shook his head slightly, pointing to the three clay pots. "I'm merely emulating the ancient sages, conducting some shallow examinations."


"Examinations?" Zhou Yulin frowned. He'd heard this term from his father, but coming from a country youth's mouth, it felt somewhat strange.


"Exactly." Su Ming stepped forward, slowly walking to the clay pots. Seeing this, Zhao Rui hurriedly followed, like a nervous attendant.


"Young Master Zhou, please look." Su Ming pointed to the leftmost pot. "This pot, I call it the 'Natural Way Group.' Planted with beans, watered daily only according to the four seasons' rhythms, normal watering, left to grow without any human interference. This is following heaven's way, observing its natural state."


His voice was neither hurried nor slow, carrying a peculiar rhythmic quality.


Zhou Yulin's gaze slowly shifted from initial contempt to focused attention.


Su Ming then pointed to the middle pot using hemp rope to draw water: "This pot, I call it the 'External Intervention Group.' Using hemp rope to draw water, emulating the ancients' 'siphon method,' keeping the root soil constantly moist. This is human intervention, observing the variables."


Finally, his finger landed on the rightmost pot that looked dry and withered.


"And this pot, I call it the 'Adversity Survival Group.' After planting, no water is given for three days, observing whether it has any survival strategies in desperate circumstances."


The courtyard fell extremely quiet for a moment, only the rustle of wind through the old locust tree leaves.


Zhao Rui's mouth hung open. Yesterday he thought Su Ming was crazy, but today hearing this "group by group" explanation, though he still didn't understand, for some reason it felt... really impressive.


Zhou Yulin was completely stunned.


Heaven's Way, human effort, adversity.


Following heaven, variables, strategies.


He understood all these terms—they were in the sage's books. But he'd never imagined these profound concepts could be so intuitively presented using three shabby clay pots and a few beans.


Was this... this was what his father called "the great Way is supremely simple"?


The Investigation of Things essays he'd been struggling with always tried to start from grand themes like wind, rain, thunder, lightning, celestial trajectories, but always felt hollow and hard to put into words.


Yet this shabbily dressed youth before him had dug out a whole new world from the humblest dirt and seeds beneath his feet.


"You... why are you doing this?" Zhou Yulin's voice unconsciously carried a tremor.


"The Great Learning says: The extension of knowledge lies in the investigation of things. When things are investigated, knowledge is extended." Su Ming raised his head, looking at him with clear eyes. "I am dull-witted, unable to comprehend the great principles of heaven, earth, wind, and thunder, so I can only observe the growth of each plant and tree, the changes of flourishing and withering, to glimpse a trace of the 'principle' behind all things."


"How a bean breaks through soil is principle. Why a leaf faces the sun is principle. How a root seeks water is also principle. The convergence of these myriad minute principles might help us... gaze upon the great Way."


These words exploded like thunder in Zhou Yulin's mind!


He stood rigidly in place, his face alternating between pale and flushed, his eyes full of shock and shame.


Yes!


Principle exists within all things!


Why had he always abandoned the near for the distant, aiming too high, yet failing to see the reality beneath his feet?


His father was right to scold him—all those books he'd read had gone to the dogs!


"Masterful! Truly masterful!" Lin Yu cheered excitedly in Su Ming's mind. "Disciple, not bad! This performance, master gives you full marks! Look at that kid, his soul is practically hooked! This is called dimensional reduction strike! Using our simple materialist worldview to strike his vague idealist metaphysics!"


Su Ming remained expressionless on the surface, but thought inwardly: "Master, isn't this called deception?"


"Nonsense!" Lin Yu declared righteously. "How can matters of scholars be called deception? This is 'conceptual reshaping' and 'intellectual enlightenment'! We are helping a lost lamb find the correct scientific research method!"


Zhou Yulin took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart. He stepped forward and actually bowed solemnly to Su Ming.


"Brother Su, Yulin has been enlightened."


This address of "Brother Su" made Zhao Rui's eyes nearly pop out.


Su Ming calmly accepted this bow, sidestepping half a step to avoid facing it directly, and returned the courtesy: "Young Master Zhou flatters me. I am merely picking up others' crumbs, engaging in armchair strategy."


"No, this is not armchair strategy!" Zhou Yulin's eyes became fervent. "Brother Su's method strikes directly at the core! Yulin... Yulin wants to know, what results will these three examinations yield later?"


He wanted to know too much!


He seemed to see a shocking Investigation of Things essay slowly sprouting within these three ugly clay pots.


The opportunity had arrived.


Su Ming's heart stirred, but a trace of difficulty and regret appeared on his face.


"To be honest, my companion and I are only staying here temporarily, waiting for County School registration. Counting the days, we can linger here at most five or six more days before leaving this place."


He sighed, his gaze sweeping over the three clay pots.


"Plant growth is not the work of a single morning. To observe the entire process and see the final results, I'm afraid... I won't have that opportunity."


As these words came out, the fervor on Zhou Yulin's face instantly froze, turning into extreme disappointment and anxiety.


What?


He'd just seen a glimmer of dawn, and the guide was about to leave?


This couldn't be!


"Master, the timing is about right." Su Ming said inwardly.


"Mm, perfectly measured." Lin Yu lazily affirmed. "Disciple, remember master's words. Giving someone a fish is not as good as teaching them to fish. But sometimes, just showing them how to use the fishing rod without giving them bait works better. We don't know this Zhou Wenhai's character—what if he's narrow-minded? If you hand over everything, he gets the benefits, then turns around and cuts off you, the 'source'—wouldn't that be unjust?"


"Adding legs to a snake is a major taboo. We just need him to know you have something, and it's good stuff—that's enough. Let him itch for it himself, come begging himself, then we can take the initiative."


Su-Deep Strategist-Ming deeply agreed.


Looking at Zhou Yulin's anxious face, he said sincerely: "Actually, this method is quite crude. If Young Master Zhou is interested, you could easily try it yourself. The Way of Investigation of Things values personal practice, not hearsay. What I can see, if you apply yourself, you can certainly see too. You might even see deeper 'principles' that I cannot see."


These words were both modest, flattered the other, and kicked the "ball" back.


Hearing this, Zhou Yulin's anxiety slightly eased, replaced by a strong impulse.


Right!


Why can't I do it myself?


If Brother Su can think of it, can't I, Zhou Yulin, think of it too?


Looking into Su Ming's clear, candid eyes, the last trace of doubt and arrogance in his heart dissipated.


This person had broad-minded integrity and extraordinary insight—definitely not someone chasing fame and reputation.


"Brother Su's words are deafening." Zhou Yulin bowed again. "Today's guidance, Yulin will remember in my heart. When I return and report to my father, I will certainly visit again."


After speaking, he took another deep look at the three clay pots, as if wanting to carve their images into his heart, then turned and quickly left with the gray-clad old servant who hadn't spoken a single word from start to finish.


Only when their figures disappeared beyond the courtyard gate did Zhao Rui, like a deflated ball, suddenly collapse sitting on the ground.


"Oh my mother..." he gasped, looking at Su Ming as if seeing a monster. "Su Ming... you... what kind of person are you? You actually... convinced the Zhou family's eldest young master?"


"I said nothing," Su-Mystic-Ming calmly walked back to the table, picking up the "Essential Farming Techniques" book again, saying lightly, "I was merely discussing scholarship with him."


"Discussing scholarship..." Zhao Rui murmured to himself, feeling his worldview had suffered a violent impact.


So, studying could be done like this?


So, gift-giving could be done like this?


Looking at the remaining hundred-plus copper coins on the table, then at the three clay pots in the corner that cost only a few coins, he felt for the first time that Su Ming, this companion, was truly unfathomable.


 
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C23: This isn't stealing, it's academic borrowing

The oppressive atmosphere in the Zhou family dining hall was instantly ignited by Zhou Yulin's return.


He practically charged inside, his face bearing a mix of excitement, shock, and fervor, completely lacking the steadiness expected of a young master from an established family.


"Father!"


Zhou Wenhai was holding a teacup. Seeing his son in such a state, his brows furrowed slightly. "What matter has you so flustered? This is utterly unbecoming!"


Zhou Kang, who had been sitting awkwardly to the side unsure whether to leave or stay, also looked up curiously.


Zhou Yulin paid no heed to his father's scolding. He rushed to the table in a few quick strides, his breathing somewhat unsteady from running so urgently.


"Father! That Su Ming... he... he is absolutely no ordinary person!"


Zhou Wenhai's hand, holding the teacup, paused mid-air. His sharp gaze settled on his son.


"Explain in detail."

"Yes!" Zhou Yulin took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, and recounted everything he had seen and heard in the backyard exactly as it happened.
Imitating Su Ming's tone, he named the three ugly clay pots the "Natural Way Group," the "External Intervention Group," and the "Adversity Survival Group."


He quoted Su Ming's statement about "peering into the principles of the minute to gaze upon the Great Way."


With each sentence he spoke, the gravity on Zhou Wenhai's face deepened.


Meanwhile, Zhou Kang's face beside them turned from pale to green, then from green to purple, as if he had been publicly slapped back and forth over a dozen times, his cheeks burning with shame.


The very jokes he had used to mock Su Ming earlier were now, spoken from his own nephew's mouth, becoming profound insights containing supreme wisdom.


This was simply absurd!


"...And that's what happened." After finishing, Zhou Yulin looked at his father with blazing eyes. "Father, I presume to ask, could I also set aside a plot in our backyard to emulate Brother Su's method, establishing these three groups for verification? Observing and recording day and night, within half a month, my Investigation of Things essay will surely achieve a breakthrough in understanding!"


He expected his father to readily agree, perhaps even praise him extensively.


*Crack!*


A sharp sound rang out.


Zhou Wenhai slammed the teacup heavily onto the table. Tea splashed out, leaving a few dark stains on his meticulously kept scholar's robe.


"Foolish!"


Zhou Wenhai's voice wasn't loud, but it struck Zhou Yulin's heart like a heavy hammer.


Zhou Yulin was stunned. "Father, I..."


"I ask you," Zhou Wenhai stared at him, his gaze cold and sharp as ice, "who created this verification method?"


"It's... it's Su Ming, Brother Su," Zhou Yulin answered instinctively.


"Since you know it was obtained through another's diligent thought, you wish to take it for your own use without his permission? What difference is there between you and a roof-sneaking gentleman or a street-side thief?!"


Zhou Wenhai's voice suddenly rose sharply: "My son, Zhou Wenhai's son, the prized child of the Zhou family, is your way of scholarship to take without asking?!"


*Whoosh*—Zhou Yulin's face instantly flushed a purplish-red, shame and grievance twisting together within him.


"Father, this... this can't be considered stealing!" he argued urgently. "The path of learning is inherently about mutual verification and borrowing from each other. Since Brother Su's method is for investigating things, it belongs to the world as a public tool, I..."


"Silence!" Zhou Wenhai stood up abruptly, pointing at his son's nose. "Borrowing? You don't even say a word, secretly imitating behind his back, and you call that borrowing? That's plagiarism! The most despised conduct for a scholar! If you engage in such underhandedness today, tomorrow you'll entertain crooked ideas in the examination hall! Where have all your studies of the sage's books gone?!"


He paced back and forth in the hall, furious, his chest heaving violently.


Zhou Yulin was thoroughly scolded, hanging his head, fists clenched so tightly his nails nearly dug into his palms, his heart filled with resentment.


He didn't understand. Why was a clear shortcut to success seen by his father as such a despicable, unorthodox path?


Just as the father and son were locked in a stalemate, the atmosphere so thick it felt about to drip with tension, a gentle voice came from behind the beaded curtain, like a spring breeze melting frost.


"Master, what has provoked such great anger? Be careful not to harm your health."


Before the words faded, a woman dressed in an elegant long gown, with a gentle face and a refined, serene demeanor, gracefully stepped out. She was Zhou Yulin's mother, Zhou Wenhai's wife, Lady Liu.


Lady Liu immediately sensed the discord in the hall. She first soothingly patted her husband's arm, then glanced at her son's flushed face with concern.


"Lin'er, speak properly with your father. What is all this about?"


Seeing his mother, Zhou Yulin seemed to find his anchor. He recounted the whole story from beginning to end again, his tone full of grievance.


Lady Liu listened quietly, an understanding expression appearing on her face.


She didn't directly comment on who was right or wrong, but instead said softly to Zhou Wenhai, "Husband, Lin'er is also acting out of eagerness for his studies. Calm your anger first."


She paused, then shifted her tone. "In my humble opinion, this matter might not be as simple as Lin'er thinks, nor as despicable as you say, husband."


Zhou Wenhai looked at his wife, the fire in his eyes subsiding slightly.


Lady Liu continued, "From what Lin'er says, that young master Su, though young, possesses extraordinary insight and, more importantly, a broad mind. Since he could explain this method fully in front of Lin'er, it shows he is not someone who hoards his knowledge."


"Our Zhou family is a scholarly family; we value etiquette above all. For Lin'er to imitate directly was indeed improper. But why can't we try a different approach?"


Her voice was gentle, yet each word was clear: "Husband, why not have Lin'er prepare a modest gift and visit him personally tomorrow morning under the pretext of seeking guidance? Honestly state our intention, saying we greatly admire his 'method for investigating things through verification' and wish to learn a little from it, to see if he agrees."


"If he agrees, we owe him a favor and will treat him well in the future. If he doesn't, that is his right, and we will desist without pestering. This way, we neither lose the dignity of our Zhou family nor thwart Lin'er's sincere desire to learn. Wouldn't that achieve both goals?"


These words gradually smoothed the furrow in Zhou Wenhai's brow.


Observing the change in her husband's expression, Lady Liu gently added, "Husband, think about it. Could someone who devised such a marvelous method be an ordinary village child? Teacher Zhou recommended him; there must be a deeper meaning. Today, if we set aside our pride, interact with him respectfully, and forge a positive connection, for Lin'er's future... perhaps it could be a tremendous opportunity?"


The word "opportunity" acted like a key, finally unlocking the lock named "principle" in Zhou Wenhai's heart.


Yes.


He himself was a scholar and understood one truth better than anyone: true knowledge is more precious than any gold or treasure. A youth with such uniquely clear thinking, his value far exceeded just one essay on Investigating Things.


Forming a connection, rather than simply taking.


That was the superior strategy.


Zhou Wenhai let out a long sigh. The tense atmosphere in the hall dissipated along with it.


He sat down again, looking at Zhou Yulin, his gaze having returned to its usual calm and authority.


"Your mother is right. I... was being narrow-minded." He frankly admitted his own bias, then his tone shifted, becoming extremely serious. "I was also worried you would seek quick success and take a crooked path."


"Your son recognizes his mistake." Seeing his father's attitude soften, Zhou Yulin quickly bowed in acknowledgment.


"Recognizing your mistake is good." Zhou Wenhai nodded. "Tomorrow morning, you will go to the backyard yourself."


He pondered for a moment, then made a decision.


"From my study, take that 'Layered Peaks Amidst Clouds' Duan inkstone, paired with that pair of wolf hair brushes made by the Li family of Huizhou. Take them together."


Both Zhou Yulin and Lady Liu were startled.


That Duan inkstone was Zhou Wenhai's beloved possession; he usually hesitated to use it frequently himself.


"Father, this... isn't this gift too heavy?" Zhou Yulin asked hesitantly.


"Not heavy!" Zhou Wenhai stated decisively. "Knowledge is priceless! We are going to seek guidance, not to bestow charity. A heavy gift shows our sincerity. Remember, when you see Su Ming tomorrow, your posture must be even lower than today, your words even more earnest than today. You must make him understand that our Zhou family genuinely admires his scholarship, not that we merely covet his method."


"Your son... your son understands!" Zhou Yulin's heart settled greatly. His face regained its brightness, and he nodded firmly.


As this family meeting, triggered by "planting beans," moved towards a satisfactory conclusion, no one noticed that Zhou Kang, the head of the second branch who had been like a transparent presence from start to finish, had already silently withdrawn from the dining hall.


He walked into the shadows under the corridor. The evening breeze blew past, bringing a touch of coolness, but it couldn't disperse the humiliation and jealous fire in his heart.


His face contorted in the dim light, appearing particularly vicious.


His elder brother's reprimand, his nephew's admiration, the trouble his wife brought back... each and every incident pierced his heart like needles.


Why?


Some poor brat who crawled out from who knows which forgotten corner, with a few broken clay pots and some twisted reasoning, becomes the "extraordinary youth" in his elder brother's mouth, the "Brother Su" whom his nephew must treat with formal courtesy?


And they want the Zhou family to take out a treasured Duan inkstone as a gift of respect?


Lady Liu immediately sensed the discord in the hall. She first soothingly patted her husband's arm, then glanced at her son's flushed face with heartache.


A sinister thought, like a venomous snake, slithered out from the darkest corner of his heart.


He tightened the fist hidden in his sleeve, his knuckles turning white.


He couldn't let that kid step on his, Zhou Kang's, dignity so easily and rise swiftly to success.


Absolutely not!


 
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C24: Receiving Gifts

The next morning, as daylight first pierced through the dilapidated window lattice, casting mottled shadows on the ground.


Zhao Rui was holding a broken bowl, squatting in the corner, staring dazedly at the three clay pots while muttering under his breath.


"Natural Way Group... External Intervention Group... Adversity Survival Group..."


Each time he recited one, he scratched his head, feeling like all the books he'd read over the past decade had been fed to the yellow dog at the village entrance.


Meanwhile, Su Ming was under the old locust tree in the courtyard, slowly and steadily practicing a set of fist techniques. This routine was something Lin Yu had concocted based on ergonomics, blending the health exercises of elderly gentlemen from parks in his previous life with some basic combat stances, randomly naming it the "Body Refining Foundation Building Exercise."


The movements weren't fast, but every stretch, every exertion of force, engaged all the tendons, bones, and muscles throughout Su Ming's body. Sweat trickled down his refined cheeks, dripping onto the yellow earth beneath his feet, creating small dark patches.


"Disciple, tighten your core, sink your energy to the dantian! You're not practicing fist techniques, you're kneading dough! So soft and floppy, what kind of appearance is that!" Lin Yu was conducting his routine supervision inside Su Ming's mind, "Remember, what we're pursuing isn't lethal power, it's endurance! If you can't win a fight, you've got to be able to outrun them!"


Just then, light footsteps sounded at the courtyard gate.


Zhao Rui jolted, whipping his head around to see Zhou Yulin standing at the entrance with the gray-clothed elderly servant.

Unlike yesterday's scrutinizing gaze, today Zhou Yulin's expression carried clear respect mixed with a trace of barely noticeable nervousness. The elderly servant behind him held an exquisite rosewood box in his hands.
Zhao Rui was so startled he nearly dropped the bowl in his hand, quickly standing up and rubbing the corners of his clothes awkwardly.


Su Ming concluded his fist stance, regulated his breathing, wiped his sweat with the cloth towel hanging around his neck, and calmly looked at the visitors.


"Young Master Zhou, good morning."


"Brother Su." Zhou Yulin quickly stepped forward, cupping his hands respectfully toward Su Ming, "Hearing your words yesterday was more enlightening than reading for ten years. After returning, I couldn't sleep all night, repeatedly pondering, and increasingly felt that Brother Su's method of Investigation of Things is truly a golden key to unlocking the doors of wisdom."


He spoke with utmost sincerity, his eyes sparkling with the light of inquiry.


"Today I'm presuming to disturb you again because I have a request to make."


As he spoke, he turned sideways, and the gray-clothed elderly servant immediately stepped forward, presenting the rosewood box in his hands.


"My father heard of Brother Su's profound insights and also praised them endlessly. This is a small token of my father's esteem, and I must ask Brother Su to accept it. I boldly wish to seek instruction from Brother Su on the essence of this 'verification method,' would that be possible?"


When the wooden box opened, a serene fragrance of ink and wood instantly filled the air.


Inside the box lay bright yellow silk, upon which rested an inkstone with warm hues carved with layered mountain peaks, accompanied by two wolf hair brushes with smooth shafts and upright tips.


Zhao Rui's eyes instantly bulged.


Though he couldn't recognize quality, just looking at the stone quality of the inkstone and the carving craftsmanship of the wooden box, he knew this thing was so expensive that even selling himself wouldn't cover the cost.


Su Ming's heart also leaped violently, but his expression remained unchanged.


He glanced at the valuable Duan Inkstone, then shook his head and gently pushed the box back.


"Young Master Zhou, this is too valuable, this student absolutely cannot accept it." His tone was very sincere, "Investigation of Things to extend knowledge is the common pursuit of all scholars. This student's occasional insights are merely fortunate coincidences, how could I profit from them. If you're interested, we can explore them together."


These words made Zhou Yulin admire him even more.


Look at this! What breadth of mind! What moral character!


Treating gold and silver as dirt, valuing only knowledge. Father was right, this person is no ordinary talent!


"Brother Su, you're mistaken!" Zhou Yulin firmly pushed the box back again, "Though knowledge is a public tool, Brother Su's wisdom is unique. This gift isn't a transaction, it's my Zhou family's respect for Brother Su's scholarship! If Brother Su doesn't accept it, you're looking down on my Zhou family, looking down on my heart for seeking knowledge!"


With him putting it so strongly, any further refusal from Su Ming would seem hypocritical.


"Steady, disciple, he's using rhetoric to pressure you into compliance." Lin Yu calmed down and began tactical guidance, "Don't panic, first show a troubled expression, then reluctantly accept. Remember, make him feel that you're accepting not because of the item's value, but because of his 'sincerity.' This is called control! Keep the initiative firmly in your hands!"


Following instructions, Su Ming showed a troubled expression on his face, pondered for a moment, then let out a long sigh.


"Since Young Master Zhou has put it this way, if this student continues to refuse, it would seem petty." He extended both hands and solemnly accepted the wooden box.


He handed the box to the dumbstruck Zhao Rui beside him, instructing him to keep it safe.


Zhao Rui held the heavy wooden box, feeling like he wasn't holding an inkstone but a mountain, so heavy his hands trembled slightly.


Seeing Su Ming accept the gift, Zhou Yulin was overjoyed, his smile becoming much more genuine.


"Thank you, Brother Su, for obliging me!"


"No need for formal instruction." Su Ming waved his hand, leading him to the three clay pots, "This method actually doesn't have much mystery, its value lies in persistence and recording."


Pointing at the clay pots, he elaborated some more detailed thoughts.


"For example, this 'Natural Way Group,' we shouldn't just observe when it sprouts and when it grows leaves, but also record daily sunlight duration, whether the weather is cloudy or clear. These are all part of the 'Natural Way.'"


"And this 'External Intervention Group,' we used the siphon method, but regarding the amount of water, is one drop more causing waterlogging, or one drop less causing drought? The 'measure' within this is the 'principle' that 'human effort' needs to explore."


"As for this 'Adversity Survival Group,' it still hasn't sprouted today, but has its seed already died? Or is it gathering strength, waiting for an opportunity? This is the mystery of 'adaptation.'"


Su Ming didn't speak quickly, but each sentence seemed to open a new window for Zhou Yulin, allowing him to see an unprecedented microcosm composed of countless details.


Zhao Yulin listened as if intoxicated, nodding frequently, extraordinary light shining in his eyes.


Their discussion lasted for half an hour.


It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that Zhou Yulin reluctantly took his leave. Before departing, he repeatedly requested to visit often for guidance in the future.


After seeing off Zhou Yulin, Zhao Rui finally let out a long breath. He looked at Su Ming, his expression extremely complex.


"Su Ming... I used to think studying was just memorizing books, but today I learned that studying... can be done like this." He shook the heavy wooden box in his hand, "This... what do we do with this thing?"


"Keep it safe." Su Ming's expression returned to calm, as if the person who had been authoritatively directing the world wasn't him, "This is our 'travel funds.'"


He turned to look in the direction of the town, his gaze profound.


"Let's go, to register at the County School. After handling official business, we can focus on 'Investigation of Things' with peace of mind."


...


At the Qingshi Town County School office, the minor official responsible for student record registration was surnamed Qian, with a pointed mouth and monkey cheeks, his eyes constantly darting around in their sockets, exuding an air of shrewdness.


Zhou Kang had come specifically to find him.


He didn't use the main entrance but entered through the backyard, meeting Clerk Qian in a secluded tearoom.


When Clerk Qian saw it was the Second Master of the Zhou family, he immediately bowed and scraped as he welcomed him, personally brewing premium tea.


"Second Master, what brings you here today? If there's anything, you could have just sent someone with instructions."


Zhou Kang picked up the teacup, leisurely skimmed off the foam, didn't drink it, but placed the cup on the table with a light click.


"Old Qian, you've been working at the County School for over ten years now, right?"


"Thanks to your blessings, Second Master, just scraping by." Clerk Qian smiled until the wrinkles on his face piled up.


"Hmm." Zhou Kang nodded, asking as if casually, "I heard Teacher Zhou recommended two country children this year to register for the Child Scholar examination?"


Clerk Qian's heart skipped a beat, knowing the main topic had arrived.


"That's correct. The documents just arrived yesterday, one named Su Ming, the other Zhao Rui."


"Su Ming..." Zhou Kang repeated the name, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth, "I've heard about this child. Quite clever, but... his family background isn't very clean."


He lowered his voice, speaking mysteriously, "I heard that his family, in earlier years, had sticky fingers, stole things in the village. Though it didn't blow up, everyone in the village knows about it. Tell me, what kind of place is our County School? It's a sacred ground for selecting pillars for the court! Moral character is the foremost requirement."


Cold sweat instantly broke out on Clerk Qian's back.


How could he not understand the implication in Zhou Kang's words.


"This... what should be done?" He pretended to be troubled, "What about Teacher Zhou..."


"The old teacher is kind-hearted and easily deceived by superficial appearances." Zhou Kang sighed, putting on a pained expression, "We juniors need to screen properly for him, can't let his lifelong reputation be tarnished by a boy with moral flaws."


He patted Clerk Qian's shoulder, "You're a smart person, you know what to do. The matter doesn't need to be handled too harshly, and don't offend the teacher. Just say... their documents are incomplete, or their guarantor's qualifications are questionable, make them go back to rectify it. After going back and forth like this a few times, when their travel funds run out, they'll naturally retreat from difficulty. This way, we preserve the teacher's dignity and protect our County School's reputation, don't you think that makes sense?"


Clerk Qian immediately understood perfectly, nodding repeatedly like pounding garlic.


"Second Master is absolutely right! Second Master's insight is brilliant! Rest assured, this matter is in my hands, I'll handle it perfectly, definitely won't cause any trouble for you or the teacher!"


Zhou Kang smiled with satisfaction.


He stood up, straightened his robes, as if he had just come for tea and nothing had happened.


This was exactly the outcome he wanted.


He wanted to make sure that boy named Su Ming couldn't even touch the County School's front gate!


Thinking he could climb up by stepping on Zhou Kang's face?


Dream on!


 
Contact - ToS Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life
C25: is done.

The facade of Qingshi Town's County School office was modest, with two stone lions so weathered by wind and rain their features were barely discernible, exuding an air of aged authority.


Zhao Rui stood at the entrance, his palms sweating with nervousness. He tugged at Su Ming's sleeve, his voice trembling: "Su Ming, I... my legs feel like jelly. This is the County School, the place that oversees all the scholars in our entire town."


Su Ming patted the back of his hand, signaling him to relax. His expression was calm, but only he knew that beneath that calm was the result of half an hour of mental preparation from his master, Lin Yu.


Lin Yu's voice sounded lazily in Su Ming's mind, "Disciple, remember, rules are rigid but people are flexible. If he handles things smoothly, we respond with smiles. If he puts on airs and tries to control us, don't panic. We have a contingency plan."


"What contingency plan?" Su Ming asked mentally.


Lin Yu played coy, "You'll find out when the time comes."


The two entered the County School office, greeted by the musty scent of old ink and decaying wood. The main hall was dimly lit, with only a minor official dozing behind a glossy, oil-shined counter.


"Esteemed... esteemed sir." Zhao Rui mustered his courage, his voice as faint as a mosquito's hum.


The minor official's eyelids twitched as he slowly raised his head, revealing a sharp-featured, weasel-like face. It was none other than Clerk Qian.

He glanced at the two of them, took in their faded coarse clothing, and didn't bother to conceal the disdain in his eyes.
"What do you want?" His voice was drawn out, dripping with impatience.


"Sir, we're here to register our examination credentials." Su Ming respectfully presented the recommendation letter written by Teacher Zhou along with both of their household registration documents.


Clerk Qian didn't even lift his eyelids, using two fingers to pinch the papers as if they were something filthy.


He gave them a cursory glance, then slapped the documents back onto the counter.


"Not compliant with regulations."


Zhao Rui's face instantly turned pale.


"S-sir, what's not compliant? These were personally written by Teacher Zhou, and they bear his seal..."


"Teacher Zhou?" Clerk Qian sneered, picking at his teeth with a fingernail, "Even Teacher Zhou can't break the County School's rules. This guarantor's seal is blurry and unclear. And these household registration documents—the paper is crude, the handwriting is practically fading. How can these be filed?"


Everything he said was pure nonsense, nitpicking flaws where none existed. The seal was perfectly clear, and the documents were legitimately issued by the village.


Su Ming's heart sank. He knew trouble had arrived.


"Then... may I ask, sir, how should we go about rectifying this?" Su Ming suppressed his anger and asked in a low voice.


"How to rectify it?" Clerk Qian acted as if he'd heard the biggest joke. He looked up, pointing his chin at Su Ming, "Go back, have Teacher Zhou re-stamp it using the County School's official inkpad. Then have your Village Chief countersign the household registration documents to verify your identities. Come back after you've done that!"


Hearing this, Zhao Rui grew anxious: "Sir, it takes nearly a full day's walk to get from Qingshui Village to town! If we have to go back and forth like this, we'll miss the registration deadline!"


"That's your problem, what does it have to do with me?" Clerk Qian waved his hand impatiently, as if shooing flies, "Next! Don't block the way here!"


Zhao Rui trembled with rage, wanting to argue further, but Su Ming grabbed his arm and pulled him back.


Su Ming shook his head at him.


"See that, disciple? Classic delay tactic." Lin Yu's voice turned cold, "He's not following the rules; he's targeting us. If there's no one behind this, I'll kick my own soul around like a ball."


"What do we do then, Master?" Su Ming clenched his fists inside his sleeves.


"Initiate Plan B." Lin Yu's voice regained its composure, even carrying a hint of leisurely amusement, "Remember that box I told you to bring?"


Su Ming's heart stirred.


"Don't argue with him, and don't show any fear." Lin Yu directed, "Just place that rosewood box on the counter. Do it slowly, steadily. Then open it, saying you need to check your writing tools to make sure they weren't damaged on the bumpy road."


Su Ming took a deep breath and followed the instructions.


Without saying a word, he silently placed the heavy rosewood box onto the counter.


"Thud."


A dull sound, not loud, but it made Clerk Qian's eyelids jump.


He frowned, looking displeased at Su Ming: "What are you doing? I told you to leave, can't you understand plain speech? Take your junk away!"


Su Ming ignored him, simply extending his slender fingers to slowly unlatch the box's brass clasp.


"Click."


The lid lifted slightly, revealing the bright yellow silk lining inside. That silk seemed to glow with its own light in the dim hall, dazzling Clerk Qian's eyes.


"This student merely wished to check whether the writing tools gifted by Young Master Zhou were bumped or damaged during the journey."


Su Ming's voice wasn't loud, his tone flat, but the three words "Young Master Zhou" struck Clerk Qian's heart like a heavy hammer.


Clerk Qian froze mid-action.


Young Master Zhou? Which Young Master Zhou?


His gaze was involuntarily drawn over.


Su Ming's fingers continued their movement, fully opening the box lid.


Instantly, a serene fragrance of ink mixed with the scent of precious wood permeated the air. The "Layered Peaks Amidst Clouds" Duan Inkstone lay quietly on the silk, its stone texture warm and smooth, carving exquisite, emitting a subtle, restrained glow under the light. Beside it, the pair of Wolf Hair Brushes had shafts made of high-quality mottled bamboo with natural patterns, the brush tips upright and full, clearly extraordinary items.


Even more critical was the extremely small, seal-script character branded on the inner lid of the rosewood box.


Others might not recognize it, but Clerk Qian, having worked in the County School for over a decade, identified it at a glance!


It was Zhou Wenhai's personal mark!


Clerk Qian's mind buzzed as if stung by a hornet.


He abruptly looked up, reassessing Su Ming before him.


This youth was plainly dressed, with delicate features, his expression calm as an ancient well. Yet this seemingly ordinary country boy held in his hands an item gifted by the Zhou family's eldest young master, Zhou Yulin!


A thought exploded in Clerk Qian's mind: Could this poor boy be an honored guest of Young Master Zhou Yulin? Or... perhaps a lesser-known relative of the Zhou family?


Connecting this to yesterday's instructions from Second Master of Zhou Family, Zhou Kang, cold sweat instantly broke out on his back.


The Zhou family's deities were fighting amongst themselves; if a mere mortal like him got involved and picked the wrong side, he'd be lucky to survive with his life!


Zhou Kang was indeed the Zhou family's second master, but Zhou Yulin was the future family head! The Zhou family's prodigal son!


Offending Zhou Kang would, at worst, cut off some unofficial income streams. But if he offended someone valued by Zhou Yulin...


Clerk Qian's face turned even paler than Zhao Rui's had moments before.


The flesh on his face contorted as he desperately tried to form a smile uglier than crying, his voice beginning to tremble.


"Aiyah! This... this young master, please forgive my poor eyesight! Getting old, my vision is blurry!"


As he spoke, he frantically snatched the two documents back from the counter, bringing them close to his eyes, pretending to examine them carefully.


"Aiyo! Upon closer inspection, this seal is stamped with such force it shows through the paper, perfectly clear! And these documents, while the paper is simple, it shows durability, perfectly matching our scholarly ethos of plainness and lack of ostentation! Good! Very good!"


His face-changing speed was faster than flipping a book.


Zhao Rui, standing to the side, was completely dumbfounded, his mouth agape, unable to utter a single word.


"Ahem," Clerk Qian cleared his throat, his attitude now as humble as if he'd become a different person, "A misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding! I'll process things for you two right away! Immediately!"


He picked up a brush, dipped it fully in ink, and swiftly wrote Su Ming and Zhao Rui's names in the register. Then he took out two brand-new wooden examination tokens, meticulously writing the information in small regular script, stamped them with the County School office's official seal, and presented them with both hands.


"Young masters, these are your examination registration tokens, please keep them safe. For the Child Scholar examination next spring, make sure not to be late."


Su Ming silently put away the wooden box, accepted the tokens, and handed one to the still-stunned Zhao Rui.


He gave a calm nod to Clerk Qian.


"Thank you, sir."


"Not at all, not at all! It was my failure to recognize importance, delaying your important matters. I hope, young master... you might put in a good word for me in front of Young Master Zhou." Clerk Qian bowed obsequiously, his face covered in fawning smiles.


Su Ming said nothing more, pulling the still bewildered Zhao Rui as he turned and walked out of the County School office.


Only when the warm sunlight fell on them again did Zhao Rui finally let out a long breath. He looked at Su Ming, his expression as complex as if he were seeing a monster.


"Su Ming... just now... what was that all about?"


Before Su Ming could answer, Lin Yu's triumphant voice sounded in his mind.


"See that, disciple? That's called 'a fox borrowing the tiger's fierceness.' We didn't spend a single copper coin, yet the Zhou family's reputation handled things for us. Low cost, fast results, no side effects."


Lin Yu's soul crossed his legs inside the ring: "When dealing with these petty officials who treat people differently based on status, if you reason with them, they quote rules at you. If you quote rules at them, they act shamelessly. Only when you reveal a backing harder than their master's will they kneel down and reason with you properly."


"Is this the wisdom of survival you spoke of, Master?" Su Ming asked mentally, looking at the examination token in his hand, his emotions surging.


"No," Lin Yu corrected, "This isn't called wisdom, it's called risk management. Zhou Kang is our risk, Zhou Yulin is our hedging tool. Remember, never place your hopes on others' goodwill. Learn to utilize every resource available to build your own safety barriers."


"Today's lesson is more useful than reading Sage's Books for ten years. Congratulations, disciple, you've advanced another step in your cultivation of the Way of Survival."


 
Contact - ToS Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life
C26: Retreat First, This Place Is Not Worth Staying For Long


Warm sunlight dispelled the chill in the County School office, yet Zhao Rui felt cold all over, as if he had just been fished out of an icy cavern.


He clutched the smooth wooden examination plaque, his palm drenched in cold sweat.


"Su Ming... that... that Qian fellow... how did he just..." Zhao Rui stammered, his mind tangled like a mess of thread that couldn't be straightened out.


One moment he was throwing his weight around, shooing them away like flies; the next he was bowing and scraping, practically kneeling to call them father. The change happened faster than mountain weather.


Su Ming tucked his own examination plaque into his chest, his movements neither hurried nor slow.


"Because of that box." His voice was calm, as if discussing something unrelated to himself.


"The box?" Zhao Rui lowered his head, glanced at the rosewood box Su Ming was holding again, his eyes filled with confusion and awe.


"He recognized it belonged to the Zhou family's eldest young master." Su Ming explained concisely.


Zhao Rui's mouth formed an "O" shape. He seemed to understand, yet felt even more confused.

"Disciple, don't explain too much to him, let him figure it out himself." Lin Yu's voice sounded in Su Ming's mind, carrying a tone of cunning calculation. "The person who gave us trouble earlier was almost certainly acting under the instructions of Zhao Rui's uncle-by-marriage, Zhou Kang."
"Since Zhou Kang would resort to such despicable methods, we can't rule out follow-up moves." Lin Yu's analysis continued. "The minor official in the government office was intimidated by us using Zhou Yulin's name, and Zhou Kang will soon know about it. A cornered dog will jump over the wall. If he becomes enraged and secretly hires some thugs to give us an 'accidental death,' that wouldn't be fun at all."


"Disciple, my advice is to immediately initiate 'strategic retreat.' This place is enemy territory, not suitable for staying long. First go to the medicine shop to inquire about the spirit grass source, then go to the book stall to buy some books."


"Yes, Master," Su Ming replied silently in his heart.


He turned to Zhao Rui and said, "Zhao Rui, we won't go to the Zhou Residence first. After finishing our business, we'll return directly to the village."

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"Ah? Not... not going?" Zhao Rui was stunned.


"What would we do there? Wait for your uncle to personally come and chase us out?" Su Ming retorted.


Zhao Rui's face turned red then pale, unable to utter a single word. The humiliation on the road and the danger just now intertwined, completely breaking his spirit.


"Let's go, first take care of some proper business." Su Ming didn't look at him again, taking the lead to stride forward.


Su Ming led Zhao Rui and, relying on memory, accurately found the medicine shop called "Hui Chun Hall."


The medicine shop was quiet, with only a young clerk wearing a gray short jacket dozing off at the counter, drool nearly dripping onto the account book.


Su Ming gently tapped the counter.


"Tap, tap."


The clerk jolted awake, suddenly lifting his head and sleepily wiping the corner of his mouth.


"Cu... customer, need medicine?" When he saw Su Ming and Zhao Rui's shabby attire, the enthusiasm in his eyes quickly cooled, returning to his lazy posture.


"Brother, asking about something." Su Ming took out two copper coins from his chest, subtly pushing them toward the clerk's hand. "I want to buy some hei jie cao, do you know which village you get this grass from? If it's nearby, I can go cut it myself and save some money."


His approach was completely that of a calculating country youth.


The clerk's gaze fell on the two copper coins, his eyes lighting up slightly. He inconspicuously swept them with his sleeve, and the coins disappeared.

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Having taken the money, his attitude improved somewhat.


"Hei jie cao?" He curled his lip, pulling open the bottom drawer of a row of medicine cabinets behind him, which was messily piled with dried grass.


"This stuff isn't valuable, who would specifically remember where it came from?" The clerk casually grabbed a handful and threw it on the counter. "It was all collected years ago when the shopkeeper followed traveling merchants to villages, gathered here and there. It's already been processed, who knows which remote mountain corner it came from."


He examined Su Ming again: "If you want to cut it yourself, just go to any hillside outside the city, why bother asking?"


Su Ming's heart sank. The lead was broken.


"Master..."


"Expected." Lin Yu was quite calm. "This kind of low-grade medicine shop has terrible information management. However, we got one key piece of information—'years ago.' This indicates that spiritual energy node might have existed many years ago, just very weak, or possibly even dried up already."


"No matter, this is called eliminating wrong answers. At least we know we can't get results following the medicine shop lead in the short term. Make a note of it for later. Let's go, to the book stall to get our papermaking formula."


"Thank you, brother."


Su Ming expressed thanks, pulling Zhao Rui to turn and leave.


The clerk watched their retreating figures, weighed the two copper coins in his sleeve, sneered, then lay back on the counter to continue his sweet autumn dreams.


West city corner, old locust tree.


The dense shade cast by this towering ancient locust tree separated the street's noise and summer's heat, spreading a patch of coolness on the ground. Under the tree shade, several straw mat book stalls were arranged as usual.


Su Ming led the still somewhat dazed Zhao Rui closer, his gaze habitually scanning toward the usual sitting spot behind the book stall—last time, it was a middle-aged man with weathered features and thick knuckles silently guarding these handwritten books.


However this time, the figure squatting beside the straw mat, carefully wiping a book cover with a half-dry linen cloth, made Su Ming slightly start.


"Him?" Su Ming's heart stirred. Wasn't this young man before him precisely that aloof figure from Wenbao Zhai who was scolded by the clerk yet still left with his spine straight? Although it was just a brief glance at the time, that calm yet resilient temperament left a clear impression on Su Ming. Back then he thought it was just a poor scholar who couldn't afford books, never expected...



 
Contact - ToS 
Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life
C27: Xu Qing

The young man heard footsteps and looked up. When he saw the newcomers were Su Ming and Zhao Rui, a faint trace of surprise flickered through his eyes, which were usually as calm as deep pools. He clearly recognized them too, especially Su Ming—from the entrance of Wenbao Zhai. His face remained expressionless, but he gave a very slight nod toward Su Ming as a form of greeting. For Zhao Rui standing beside him, he merely glanced over before refocusing on the book in his hands.


"Master, it's him! The one from Wenbao Zhai..." Su Ming said inwardly to Lin Yu.


"Oh? That kid protecting the books?" Lin Yu's voice carried a hint of amusement and understanding. "Interesting. Him being here... it seems the man you saw at this book stall last time was most likely his father. The Wenbao Zhai assistant chased him away, probably because he wanted to copy books there. Tsk, this book stall is his actual 'territory.' Disciple, opportunity has arrived, have a good chat!" Lin Yu's thinking was extremely sharp, instantly connecting the two events and pointing out the key details.


Su Ming's mind suddenly cleared. So that was it! No wonder he was chased out of Wenbao Zhai—he must have been copying books there.


"I came to look at books." Su Ming suppressed his thoughts and walked to the book stall, also nodding toward Xu Qing.


"Mm, feel free." Xu Qing's voice remained cool, but seemed slightly less tense than at Wenbao Zhai's entrance.


Zhao Rui stood to the side, looking at the spread of yellowed old books and unconsciously frowned. In his past understanding, books should be brand new and crisp like those in Wenbao Zhai, not casually laid out on a grass mat like this.


Su Ming naturally squatted down, his gaze roaming through the book piles. The books here were more varied than at Wenbao Zhai and much cheaper. He picked up an elegantly handwritten "Qingzhou Local Records" and selected another book about basic arithmetic called "Simple Explanations of the Nine Chapters."


"Disciple, ask him." Lin Yu's voice carried encouragement. "Establishing effective communication is the first step in developing connections. Start with this book stall."

Su Ming picked up "Qingzhou Local Records" and looked at Xu Qing: "Are all the books here copied by you alone?" His tone carried genuine curiosity rather than doubt.
Xu Qing paused in wiping a book cover and looked up at Su Ming. Seemingly surprised by the question, or perhaps because Su Ming was the only one who had spoken up for him at Wenbao Zhai, he remained silent for a moment before answering: "Not all. Some I copied, some were handwritten by classmates from the County School who had nowhere to sell them, so they consign them here with my father." Though his voice remained flat, there was a slight explanatory quality to it now.


"County School students?" Zhao Rui couldn't help interjecting nearby, his tone carrying a subtle complex emotion—envy? Or some kind of disappointment?


Xu Qing glanced at Zhao Rui but didn't respond, tacitly confirming it.


"I see." Su Ming nodded understandingly.


"See that, disciple." Lin Yu's voice held some excitement. "This is a ready-made, highly potential information node! He doesn't just sell books—more importantly, he connects to those impoverished County School students who copy books to make a living, who thirst for knowledge but have empty purses! This channel is far more valuable than a simple book stall. This person, think long-term, is worth deepening ties with!"


"How much for these two?" Su Ming handed over his selected books.


Xu Qing took the books and glanced at them: "Local Records, forty coins, Simple Explanations of the Nine Chapters, fifty coins, total ninety coins." The price remained far lower than Wenbao Zhai.


Su Ming promptly counted out ninety coins from his robe and handed them over. Xu Qing took them, carefully counted them, and put them away. He looked at Su Ming, a barely noticeable recognition appearing in his eyes. This youth before him, dressed just as roughly, didn't focus solely on imperial examination stepping stones like many educated people in town. The books he chose—one on local geography, one on practical arithmetic—both revealed a pragmatic and broad-minded approach.


"You bought these for the imperial exams?" Xu Qing surprisingly took the initiative to ask, his tone carrying some inquiry.


Su Ming put the books into his bundle and said frankly: "Studying isn't just for exams."


The same words once again came from Su Ming's mouth.


Zhao Rui standing nearby felt as if something had struck his heart, leaving him feeling stuffy and somewhat confused.


Xu Qing's eyes, however, suddenly brightened. He looked at Su Ming, remained silent for a moment, then suddenly said: "You... if you come to town often, you can come here to read books. Just reading without buying is fine too." He said this quickly, then slightly lowered his gaze to the book in his hands, seeming unaccustomed to actively offering such kindness.


This was almost the greatest generosity a poor scholar could offer.


"Thank you!" Su Ming clasped his hands respectfully and gave his name: "I'm Su Ming, from Su Family Village."


"Xu Qing." The youth briefly responded with his own name.


These simple two lines of dialogue, without extra politeness, silently built a bridge between the two.


"Success! Excellent!" Lin Yu praised in Su Ming's mind. "Initial interpersonal node successfully anchored! Ninety coins bought two practical books, but more importantly, using 'studying isn't just for exams' opened the door to this aloof youth's heart, and earned a precious 'knowledge access' permission. This investment shows foresight, with long-term returns!"


"Alright, disciple, the primary and secondary objectives of this trip have been achieved, with additional substantial gains. Zhou Kang remains a hidden danger, it's not wise to linger here, time to go home."


"We should go home."


Su Ming nodded, clasped his hands toward Xu Qing, then turned and walked toward the city gate with Zhao Rui, who still seemed somewhat dazed.


Xu Qing watched their retreating figures until the two disappeared around the street corner, then squatted down again and continued wiping his precious old books. Only this time, the corners of his mouth seemed to hold a very faint smile.


 
Contact - ToS Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life
C28: Human Relationships

Su Ming and Zhao Rui walked along the cobblestone-paved street.


The book stall and that aloof youth named Xu Qing faded into the distance with the flow of people.


Zhao Rui remained somewhat absent-minded, like a puppet whose soul had been extracted, mechanically following Su Ming's footsteps.


Two sentences echoed repeatedly in his mind.


One was what Xu Qing had said: "Some were handwritten by classmates from the County School who had nowhere to sell them, so they consigned them at my father's stall."


The other was what Su Ming had said: "Studying isn't just for examinations."


Students from the County School actually needed to copy books to earn a few coins?


Studying wasn't just for examinations? Then what was it for? Zhao Rui's worldview had been completely overturned and thrown into chaos by these two statements.


"Good job, disciple." Lin Yu's lazy voice broke the tranquility in Su Ming's mind, "The initial interpersonal anchor point has been established. That kid named Xu Qing is a potential stock worth long-term investment."

Su Ming mentally acknowledged with an "mm" sound, his footsteps never pausing.
"But..." Lin Yu's tone shifted, "Establishing external connections alone isn't enough. Fortresses are most easily breached from within. Our 'base area' also needs proper maintenance."


"Base area?" Su Ming was somewhat puzzled.


"Your home, and your Teacher Zhou." Lin Yu's voice carried a calculating tone, "Whose effort made it possible for you to come to the County School for registration today?"


"Teacher Zhou." Su Ming immediately answered.


"Exactly. How much travel money do you have left after saving on accommodation and meals this time?" Lin Yu guided patiently.


Su Ming quietly touched the money pouch in his robe and calculated mentally: "Ninety coins spent on books, eight hundred fifty coins remaining."


"Over eight hundred coins! A fortune!" Lin Yu's voice exclaimed exaggeratedly, then turned serious again, "But, disciple, money is just lumps of copper when held in your hand. Spending it wisely, on what truly matters, and next time you come to Qingshi Town, you'll probably have received the first payment from papermaking!"


Lin Yu's internal monologue was quite different: "Oh my, my little ancestor, I can't sleep peacefully with over eight hundred coins on you. What if you get robbed on the road, or you get hot-headed and pick a fight? Who would I complain to then? Quickly convert it into 'fixed assets,' and specifically 'human relationship assets' that generate long-term benefits—this is the safest investment!"


Su Ming stopped walking, glanced back at the still dazed Zhao Rui, and pulled him under a relatively quiet eave by the street.


"Master, what do you mean?"


"I mean we need to go shopping." Lin Yu's voice carried an air of strategic command, "This is called 'human relationship investment,' an extremely important aspect of the 'Way of Survival.' Spend small money to accomplish big things, use minimal cost to maintain the most crucial relationship network, ensuring you live comfortably and securely in the village—this is more important than anything!"


"Then... what should we buy?" Su Ming was completely clueless about these matters.


"Follow my instructions." Lin Yu cleared his throat and began issuing orders.


"First, Teacher Zhou. He's your guide into the scholarly world and a major support for your future in the village. We can't neglect him. Go to a pastry shop and buy a respectable box of pastries. Then go to a general store and buy two liang of leaf tea. Nothing too expensive, just enough to show sincerity. This is called 'respecting teachers and valuing principles.'"


"Second, your father. He enjoys his pipe tobacco. Go to a tobacco shop and buy him a pack of the best tobacco shreds. Let him show off to his old friends while smoking, saying 'My third son bought this for me in town.' This is called 'filial piety,' and it will make him more determined to support you."


"Third, your mother and your eldest sister-in-law. Women are the most practical. Go to a cloth shop and buy two chi of durable blue cloth, dark-colored and stain-resistant. Let your mother make an apron or your sister-in-law sew sleeve covers—both would be good. This is called 'thoughtfulness.'"


"Fourth, your eldest brother. As head of the household, he carries great pressure. Let's buy something substantial—go to the butcher and get two jin of pork belly, so he can satisfy his cravings and add some richness to his meals."


"Finally, your second brother." Lin Yu's voice paused, taking on a solemn tone, "He was willing to risk his life for you—that's life-and-death friendship. Ordinary gifts would seem distant. You need to be thoughtful. I noticed the blade of his firewood knife is chipped. Go to the blacksmith and buy him a high-quality whetstone. Tell him that good steel should be used for the blade's edge—a sharpened knife makes chopping wood and hunting easier and safer."


After Lin Yu finished speaking, Su Ming's mind had already painted vivid pictures.


His father holding new tobacco shreds, showing a rare smile in the sunset. His mother and sister-in-law holding new fabric, complaining about wasting money but with joy shining in their eyes. His eldest and second brothers eating delicious pork belly, their mouths glistening with oil.


That weight felt much heavier than the nine hundred coins themselves.


"Alright, Master, I've remembered everything." Su Ming nodded firmly.


He turned and saw Zhao Rui staring at him blankly.


"Zhao Rui, I need to buy some things for my family. What about you?" Su Ming initiated the conversation.


"I..." Zhao Rui opened his mouth, his face showing confusion and embarrassment, "My... my father doesn't lack anything..."


"Your father is the Village Chief, so naturally he lacks nothing. But what you bring back yourself is different from what your father buys, isn't it?" Su Ming imitated Lin Yu's tone, speaking a rather philosophical sentence.


Zhao Rui was struck speechless by these words, his face turning red as he lowered his head.


"Come on, let's go look together." Su Ming didn't say more, pulling him toward the bustling East Market of the town.


The East Market was filled with noisy crowds—hawkers' cries, bargaining voices, and children's laughter mingling together, creating a vibrant atmosphere of daily life.


This lively energy helped Zhao Rui regain some awareness.


Following Lin Yu's instructions, Su Ming first found a pastry shop.


The shop assistant glanced at two boys in coarse clothing and barely lifted his eyelids.


"What do you want?"


"Excuse me, I'd like to look at the hibiscus cakes over there." Su Ming pointed to an exquisitely packaged box of pastries on the counter.


The assistant glanced sideways at him: "Thirty coins per box, no bargaining."


"Disciple, don't buy that." Lin Yu's voice interjected, "Flashy but impractical, good-looking but not tasty. Ask if they have freshly baked date paste cakes, wrapped in oil paper instead. Affordable, generous portions, and good flavor. We're giving gifts, not packaging."


Su Ming followed the advice: "Shopkeeper, do you have loose date paste cakes? Freshly baked ones."


The assistant finally looked properly at Su Ming. Seeing he spoke clearly, unlike ordinary village children, his attitude improved slightly: "Yes, ten coins per jin. How much do you want?"


"Two jin."


The assistant quickly wrapped two large packages in oil paper and handed them over. Su Ming paid twenty coins and carefully placed the pastries in his cloth bag.


Zhao Rui watched from the side, his expression complex. When he previously came to town, his mother always bought him the most expensive hibiscus cakes, which he'd reluctantly nibble at.


Next came the tea shop, tobacco shop, and butcher shop.


At each stop, Su Ming first listened to Lin Yu's analysis in his mind, then spoke calmly. He didn't say much, but always asked pertinent questions, neither showing timidity nor appearing like an easy target.


When buying meat, he specifically asked the butcher to select good pork belly with balanced fat and lean portions, and sweetly complimented, "Master, your knife skills are really sharp!" The butcher, pleased, even threw in a small piece of bone marrow.


Zhao Rui followed behind like a shadow. Watching Su Ming skillfully interact with various shop owners, his heart felt like a mixed spice jar had been overturned.


He realized he had never truly known this village boy before.


The Su Ming he previously saw was just a quiet, somewhat stubborn bookworm.


But today, he witnessed Su Ming's principled arguments at Wenbao Zhai's entrance, his respect for poor scholars like Xu Qing, and now his shrewdness and attentiveness while shopping for his family.


There was something about him that Zhao Rui couldn't quite describe—a seriousness and engagement with life.


Finally, they arrived at the cloth shop.


The shop owner was a shrewd woman with darting eyes who enthusiastically approached when she saw Su Ming and Zhao Rui.


"Young gentlemen, what fabric would you like? For your mothers or sisters?"


"Shopkeeper, I'd like to look at that blue homespun cloth, the durable kind." Su Ming said.


The woman immediately guided them to a row of fabrics: "Young sir has good taste. This blue cloth is most wear-resistant, perfect for fieldwork. Fifteen coins per chi."


"Fifteen coins?" Su Ming frowned—this was higher than he expected.


"Disciple, watch her eyes." Lin Yu reminded, "Her pupils are darting around—the price is inflated. This cloth is twelve coins at most. Bargain with her!"


Su Ming took a deep breath, imitating how his father usually shopped. He reached out to touch the fabric, then examined it against the light.


"Shopkeeper, your fabric is good, but the color... is too dark. We farming folks aren't too particular, actually. If it were ten coins per chi, I'd take three chi."


"Oh dear, young sir, you drive too hard a bargain!" the woman exclaimed, "I'd lose money at ten coins! Fourteen coins at most!"


"I just came from the butcher—the best pork belly was only fifteen coins per jin." Su Ming said unhurriedly, "Your fabric shouldn't be more expensive than meat, should it? Eleven coins, that's my final offer. I'll buy from you if you agree."


Zhao Rui watched in stunned silence.


He had never imagined shopping could involve such back-and-forth negotiation.


Seeing Su Ming's "take it or I'll leave" attitude, and glancing at Zhao Rui who clearly came from a wealthy family, the woman gritted her teeth: "Alright, alright, you win! Twelve coins, my lowest! Consider it making friends with you, young sir!"


"Deal." Su Ming promptly took out his copper coins.


Three chi of fabric cost thirty-six coins.


Leaving the cloth shop, Su Ming felt sweat on his back.


"Master, I..."


"Excellent work!" Lin Yu praised generously, "Reminds me of my younger days! Remember, when navigating the world, the 'Way of Survival' means not spending an extra coin where you should save, and not blinking at spending a hundred taels where you should spend. This is using good steel for the blade's edge!"


Su Ming exhaled deeply, feeling he had learned another valuable skill.


They finally found a blacksmith shop at a street corner.


The "clang-clang" of hammering and the wave of heat made Zhao Rui instinctively step back.


But Su Ming walked in.


A bare-chested muscular man was hammering a piece of red-hot iron, sparks flying everywhere.


"Master, pardon the interruption." Su Ming spoke only after the man finished a strike, "I'd like to buy a whetstone."


The blacksmith set down his hammer, wiped sweat with a cloth hanging around his neck, and asked in a deep voice: "For what kind of knife?"


"A firewood knife, and a skinning knife for hunting."


The blacksmith glanced at Su Ming, then picked a grayish-blue rectangular stone from a pile in the corner: "This one, blue sandstone. Fine texture, produces slurry quickly, sharpens blades to be sharp and durable. Fifty coins, fixed price."


Su Ming picked up the whetstone—it felt heavy in his hand, with a smooth surface and detectable fine granular texture.


"Disciple, this is the one." Lin Yu said, "This blacksmith is honest—he didn't overcharge. This stone will last your second brother ten years."


"Good, I'll take this one." Su Ming paid and carefully wrapped the whetstone.


With this, the shopping was complete.


Su Ming calculated: pastries twenty coins, tea fifteen coins, tobacco shreds twenty coins, pork thirty coins, fabric thirty-six coins, whetstone fifty coins—total spent one hundred seventy-one coins.


The money pouch felt slightly lighter, but the cloth bag was stuffed full.


As they left the blacksmith shop, Zhao Rui suddenly stopped and said quietly: "Su Ming, you... wait for me a moment."


Then, red-faced, he turned and ran back into the pastry shop they had visited earlier.


Moments later, he ran out carrying a box of hibiscus cakes exquisitely packaged in fine paper, his face showing unnatural embarrassment.


Su Ming looked at him and smiled.


Neither spoke further as they walked side by side toward the city gate.


The setting sun stretched their shadows long behind them.


"Disciple, how was today's harvest?" Lin Yu's voice carried a hint of laughter on their return journey.


"I learned a lot." Su Ming said sincerely.


"Remember, we're not spending money—we're spending human connections, bonds." Lin Yu summarized, "Every gift you give weaves a safety net for you in places you can't see. It lets you study peacefully in the village, eases your parents' worries, and deepens your brothers' affection. This net is stronger than any armor. This is the essence of the 'Way of Survival'—acting subtly, nourishing silently like spring rain."


Su Ming tightened his grip on the cloth bag containing the gifts. That weight now felt incredibly solid and reassuring.


 
Contact - ToS Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life
C29: Sales Channels

The last traces of sunset were swallowed by the western mountains, the sky rapidly shifting from orange-red to indigo.


The outline of Qingshi Town grew blurred behind them, with only a few scattered lights resembling beans accidentally spilled by distant households.


The dirt road back to the village was rugged and uneven, the ruts pressed into it by ox carts during the day appearing like deep scars in the twilight.


Zhao Rui walked somewhat awkwardly, holding the hibiscus cakes packaged in their exquisite paper box.


The box had sharp, defined edges, unlike Su Ming's bundle wrapped in coarse cloth that could be casually slung over a shoulder. He alternated between tucking it under his arm and cradling it in his arms, finding no comfortable way to carry it, looking rather discomfited.


"Su Ming." He finally couldn't resist speaking, his voice sounding abrupt in the quiet wilderness.


"Hmm?" Su Ming responded, turning his head to look at him.


"You... you bought all those things, spent so much money." Zhao Rui's tone was complex as he looked at the bulging cloth bag on Su Ming's shoulder. "Why didn't you buy anything for yourself? Even just a candied hawthorn stick would have been something."


In his simple understanding, going out should always involve bringing back something for oneself as a memento.

"What belongs to my family, belongs to me." Su Ming's reply was simple, almost blurted out.
Lin Yu snorted lightly in Su Ming's mind, his internal monologue rich enough to stage an entire opera: "Well now, not bad, my disciple! Your awareness is quite high! Those words are spoken with such collectivist spirit! You've truly grasped the essence of my 'Way of Survival' principle of 'shared risks, shared benefits'! By binding your family to your chariot, your safety factor increases exponentially!"


Zhao Rui was stumped by these words.


Holding the hibiscus cakes in his arms, the delicate aroma of the pastries now seemed somewhat bland and uninteresting.


He thought of his own father, that Village Chief who always wore a stern face. What would his father say when he brought back this box of the town's most expensive pastries? Most likely, he would frown and say "wasting money," and that would be the end of it.


What belongs to my family, belongs to me?


Zhao Rui chewed on this phrase, feeling as if something was stuck in his heart, making him feel stifled and uncomfortable.


"Disciple, ignore him." Lin Yu's voice sounded lazily. "This kid is going through a phase of worldview reconstruction, his mind is a complete mess like a pot of congee. He won't comprehend anything you say to him right now. Let him ponder it himself. Let's talk about some serious business."


"What serious business?" Su Ming asked, slowing his pace to wait for Zhao Rui who had fallen behind.


"The papermaking matter." Lin Yu's tone turned serious. "You didn't think that grand vision of 'making the entire village prosperous' I painted for you could be achieved just by shouting slogans, did you?"


"Of course not."


"Good. For a plan to succeed, there are three key points: technology, production, and sales. Technology, we have me, no problem. Production, we'll get the whole village involved, plenty of manpower. Now, the most crucial link has arrived – sales."


Lin Yu patiently instructed: "Once we produce our paper, who do we sell it to?"


Su Ming thought for a moment and said, "The bookshops in town? Or general stores?"


"Foolish!" Lin Yu criticized without mercy. "That's practically throwing a newly hatched chick directly into a weasel's den! You, a poor kid from the village, go to those merchants who eat people without spitting out the bones with a brand new, low-cost product? What do you think they will do?"


Su Ming's mind immediately conjured images of the shrewd or arrogant faces of the shop assistants in town.


"They would push our price to the absolute minimum, interrogate us about our papermaking formula, and even... might even send people to steal it!" Su Ming quickly grasped the key issues.


"The boy is teachable!" Lin Yu praised. "Correct! Before we have sufficient strength to protect our own interests, rashly contacting those major channels is seeking our own destruction! This violates the fundamental principle of our 'Way of Survival' – safety first!"


Lin Yu's internal monologue became even more active: "Just kidding, if I let you, kid, go compete with those old foxes, what if you got tricked into revealing information, or simply got kidnapped? Where would I find another host as easy to use as you? Do I still want to sleep my five-hundred-year peaceful sleep or not!"


"Then... then what should we do?" Su Ming felt somewhat troubled.


He felt like he was guarding a gold mountain but couldn't find a safe path to dig it out and sell it.


"That's why your vision is still too narrow, kid." Lin Yu's tone carried a hint of strategic pride. "Who said selling things must involve finding merchants? What we need to find are 'end users'! And specifically, the kind of end users who need us the most and won't pose a threat to us."


"End users?" Su Ming was unfamiliar with this term.


"The people who actually use the paper!" Lin Yu explained. "Think about it, who did we meet in town today?"


Instantly, a lean and stubborn figure flashed through Su Ming's mind.


"Xu Qing!"


"Bingo!" Lin Yu seemed to snap his fingers. "Him! Think about his situation. He copies books himself, and his fellow County School students also copy books. What do they need the most?"


"Paper!" Su Ming's eyes lit up.


"Exactly! Large quantities of cheap paper!" Lin Yu's voice was excited. "The paper from Wenbao Zhai is ridiculously expensive. These poor students have to pinch every copper coin until it screams. The grass paper we produce, even if it's rough, is a hundred times better than the repeatedly soaked, washed waste paper they use now where the characters almost blur into blobs! For them, our paper would be like sending charcoal in snowy weather!"


Su Ming's heartbeat began to accelerate.


He seemed to see a clear path unfolding before his eyes.


"We sell the paper to Xu Qing, we can set the price much lower than the market rate. He can use it himself and also help us sell it to other poor students at the County School. This way, we get a stable and safe sales channel!"


"Most importantly," Lin Yu added, "Xu Qing himself is a person of proud integrity, with high self-esteem. Doing business with him is an exchange between scholars; we don't have to worry about being cheated or robbed. Behind him is a large group of poor students. This group is our perfect 'seed users'!"


"This is called what? This is called 'targeted marketing'! Selling the most suitable product, through the safest channel, to the people who need it most! We earn money, gain goodwill, and avoid attracting the greed of jackals and wolves. Three benefits with one action, perfect!"


Su Ming was completely ignited by the blueprint his master painted. He wished he could run home right now and immediately start cutting bamboo to make paper.


However, Lin Yu's voice poured cold water over his head like a bucket.


"However..." he changed his tone, "don't celebrate too early."


"What's wrong, Master?"


"Think about it, Xu Qing and the others are, ultimately, a group of poor students." Lin Yu's tone became calm and objective. "How much money can they possibly have? Even if our paper is cheap, how much can they afford to buy? Relying on them might earn your family some pocket money, but if you want to support the entire village's papermaking workshop and let everyone get a taste of the meaty broth, their purchasing power is a mere drop in the bucket."


The flame that had just risen was instantly suppressed by more than half.


Su Ming fell silent.


Indeed, Xu Qing hesitated even when buying a book. Those County School classmates relied on copying books to supplement their family income. How much spare money could they possibly have to buy paper?


"Then... then why are we going to such great lengths to get the whole village involved if..."


"Silly boy, you must eat rice one mouthful at a time, and walk the road one step at a time." Lin Yu said with some annoyance. "The Xu Qing connection isn't our only sales route, but it is our best 'stepping stone' and 'safe harbor'!"


"Stepping stone?"


"Yes! Think about it, once our paper, through Xu Qing, spreads among the poor students of the County School, its reputation will be established. By then, naturally, real big buyers will come sniffing around. At that time, we will have mature technology, stable production capacity, and the word-of-mouth from our first batch of users. We will have the leverage to negotiate prices and terms with them!"


Lin Yu's voice became profound: "Remember, disciple. 'Surviving cautiously' isn't about not doing things; it's about making every step steady and minimizing all foreseeable risks. Approaching Xu Qing first is the opening move in our grand plan. This move doesn't seek profit, but stability!"


Su Ming let out a long sigh, the fog in his heart completely blown away.


He understood.


His master's every plan placed "safety" as the top priority. Seek stability first, then victory.


Just then, Zhao Rui, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke: "Su Ming."


 
Contact - ToS Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life
C30: Don't Go Into That Temple!

Night fell like an ink stick slowly saturating water, silently staining through the last trace of rosy glow at the horizon.


The mountain path became rugged and indistinct, and the friendly chirping of insects from the daytime now carried a somewhat mournful tone.


"Su Ming... how... how much further?" Zhao Rui's voice was clearly breathless, the box of hibiscus cakes in his hand almost crushed out of shape by his grip.


His legs felt like they were filled with lead, each step lifting sending protests of soreness and numbness from his thighs.


Su Ming's condition was slightly better, but the heavy cloth bundle also weighed down on his shoulders, making them ache.


He glanced back at Zhao Rui's pale face and slowed his pace. "Almost there. Once we cross that mountain ahead, we should be about halfway. We'll find a place to rest soon."


"Disciple, letting your little friend suffer a bit more is beneficial." Lin Yu's voice sounded in Su Ming's mind, carrying a hint of laziness. "Jade must be carved to become a vessel. The shocks this kid has received these past few days are more than he's had in the past year. His temperament is being reshaped. Let him walk more at night, temper his character. He might even become a useful helper in the future."


Su Ming acknowledged in his heart but said nothing aloud.


He knew his master was right. The experiences of these past few days were a vivid lesson for both Zhao Rui and himself.

Suddenly, Zhao Rui seemed to have discovered something. He stopped, pointing at a dark silhouette in the mountain hollow ahead, his voice brimming with barely suppressed excitement.
"Su Ming! Look! Over there! Is that a temple? And there's firelight!"


Su Ming followed his pointing finger. Indeed, under the deep night sky, the outline of a dilapidated temple was faintly visible. More noticeable was a faint, warm, orange-yellow flicker of firelight escaping from a broken window of the temple, gently swaying in the night breeze.


"Great! It must be traveling merchants or pilgrims resting inside! Let's hurry over. At least we can find shelter from the wind, maybe even beg for some hot water!" Zhao Rui's fatigue vanished instantly, as if he had come back to life, grabbing Su Ming's arm to pull him that way.


Just as Su Ming was about to step forward, alarm bells blared in his mind.


"Halt!"


Lin Yu's voice, for the first time, was so serious, carrying an unquestionable chill.


"Master?" Su Ming's foot froze mid-step, rooted to the spot.


"Disciple, what is the first principle of my 'Way of Survival True Scripture'? Recite it."


"Safety first, think thrice before acting, anything unusual must harbor evil." Su Ming answered swiftly in his mind.


"Good!" Lin Yu's voice softened slightly but remained grave. "Now, use this principle to analyze the current situation."


Lin Yu's inner thoughts were a raging storm.


"Oh my god! This is deadly! Desolate mountains, ancient temple, midnight, ghostly fire! Isn't this the standard plot of 'exit the newbie village, turn right, straight to the mass graves'? Is this Zhao kid afraid he's lived too long? Beg for hot water? More like water from the Yellow Springs! My pension plan can't have just paid the down payment and then get cut off!"


Su Ming took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down and begin the analysis.


"This place is remote, not an official road. Ordinary merchants wouldn't come here. The temple is dilapidated, clearly long abandoned, making the presence of pilgrims even less likely. So, that firelight..."


"That firelight is the biggest problem!" Lin Yu took over, his voice exuding the steadiness of an old hand. "Disciple, think. If they were decent folk, lighting a fire in this wilderness, would they make it big and bright, both for warmth and to scare off beasts? But look at that firelight. Small, weak, hidden inside the temple, flickering, as if afraid of being discovered. What does that mean?"


A chill ran down Su Ming's spine. "It means the people inside don't want to be discovered! They are not good people!"


"A teachable student!" Lin Yu praised. "Either debt-dodging gamblers, fugitives chased by the authorities, or at worst, highway robbers who kill for money! Two half-grown kids like us, carrying big and small bags, walking up there would be like two little fat sheep delivering themselves to the door!"


After this analysis, a cold sweat broke out on Su Ming's back.


That point of orange-yellow firelight no longer seemed warm in his eyes. Instead, it looked like the single eye of a beast opening in the darkness, full of greed and malice.


"Zhao Rui, wait!" Su Ming grabbed Zhao Rui, who had already taken a few steps.


"What now? If we don't hurry, they'll be asleep!" Zhao Rui turned back impatiently.


"That place, we cannot go." Su Ming's tone was calm but carried a firm resolve.


"Why?!" Zhao Rui's volume jumped an octave, his face full of disbelief. "Su Ming, have you gone stupid from walking at night? There's a building and you don't want to stay? You'd rather drink the wind outside? I'm exhausted!"


"Think carefully," Su Ming began to guide him, mimicking Lin Yu's logic. "The temple is so broken, clearly no one lives there. Why would someone light a fire inside for no reason? And that fire is so small, don't you find it strange?"


Zhao Rui was stunned. He had only been happy earlier and hadn't considered any of this.


Prompted by Su Ming, he too felt an indescribable eeriness emanating from that flickering light.


"What if... what if they are bad people?" Su Ming lowered his voice. "We just came back from town today, carrying things with us. If they target us..."


Zhao Rui's face instantly turned pale as a sheet.


He thought of Clerk Qian's vicious face at the County School office, of the possible traps his uncle-in-law Zhou Kang might have set. If the town was that dangerous, this remote wilderness was even more hopeless, where cries to heaven and earth would go unanswered.


A gust of night wind blew past, rolling up a few fallen leaves, making a rustling sound as if something was watching from the shadows.


Zhao Rui shivered, instinctively moving closer to Su Ming.


"Then... then what do we do?" His voice carried a tremor.


"Go around." Su Ming said decisively. "We'll keep our distance, cut through that grove over there. It's a longer walk, but it's safe."


"O-okay!" Zhao Rui didn't object this time, nodding like a chick pecking at rice.


"That's more like it." Lin Yu said approvingly in Su Ming's mind. "Problems that can be solved with words, never use force. Crises that can be solved with feet, never get close. This is called 'strategic risk avoidance,' one of the core mysteries of the Way of Survival."


Without further hesitation, Su Ming led Zhao Rui, turning away from the mountain path and plunging into the adjacent woods.


The path through the woods was even harder. Underfoot was a thick layer of rotting leaves, soft and spongy, making each step uncertain. Tree shadows loomed, the moonlight cut into fragments, casting countless shifting black patches on the ground.


Zhao Rui was too scared to breathe heavily, sticking close behind Su Ming, glancing back now and then, afraid something was following them.


They walked with their heads down for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, panting with exhaustion.


"Sh-should we have gone around by now?" Zhao Rui leaned against a tree, gasping for breath.


Su Ming also stopped to catch his breath, looking up to get his bearings.


But when he pushed aside a bush in front of him, his entire body froze.


Not far ahead, in the mountain hollow, the dark silhouette of that dilapidated temple still stood quietly.


That point of orange-yellow firelight, visible through the swaying branches, was aimed right at them, like a mocking eye.


"How... how is this possible?" Zhao Rui's voice cracked. "Weren't we walking forward? How are we back?!"


"Don't panic. It's too dark, maybe we circled in the woods." Su Ming forced himself to sound calm, but his own heart sank.


"Disciple, the situation is wrong." Lin Yu's voice also lost its usual laziness. "I sense an extremely faint energy fluctuation, very similar to a certain kind of... mind-befuddling formation. To put it plainly, you might have encountered a 'ghost wall.'"


"Ghost wall?" Su Ming's heart skipped a beat.


"Don't be afraid. These low-level maze formations usually just trap people, with little killing power. But its very existence means there is definitely something strange in that broken temple!" Lin Yu's inner monologue was scrolling rapidly. "We're done for! I knew it! Horror movie laws don't lie! Great, we've switched from 'active suicide' mode to 'passive containment' mode! What the hell is being raised in that temple?"


"Let's... let's try again!" Su Ming gritted his teeth, pulling up the nearly paralyzed Zhao Rui, choosing a different direction, and setting off again with heads down.


This time, he deliberately used a stone to mark the trees they passed.


However, half an hour later, when they stopped, utterly exhausted, the trunk bearing his mark appeared right before their eyes.


And not far away, that dilapidated temple still clung to their line of sight like a persistent maggot, a lingering ghost.


"Ah—!"


Zhao Rui finally broke down. He plopped down on the ground, his face devoid of color, lips trembling as he pointed at the temple, unable to form complete sentences.


"G-ghost... there's a ghost! Su Ming! We're haunted! By the ghost in that temple!"


Fear, like icy vines, instantly wrapped around their hearts.


The surrounding woods seemed to come alive, every shadow like a monster baring its fangs, the wind turning into a mournful wail.


A chill also ran down Su Ming's spine, but he knew he couldn't panic.


If he panicked, it would truly be over.


"Master! What do we do?" He cried out urgently in his heart.


"Calm down! Disciple, the more critical the moment, the calmer you must be!" Lin Yu's voice was like a stabilizing pillar. "Panic solves nothing. It only accelerates your physical exhaustion and plunges you into deeper despair. You are my disciple, Lin Yu's disciple, the future inheritor of the Way of Survival. A mere ghost wall, why panic!"


Lin Yu's inner thoughts: I'm panicking! I'm panicking! I'm just a wisp of a remnant soul, forget fighting, I can't even see what a ghost looks like! Disciple, you must hold on, you are my only hope!


Scolded by his master, Su Ming shuddered violently, his mind clearing a bit.


He took deep breaths, forcing himself not to look at that heart-palpitating temple, and began carefully observing their surroundings.


"Master, is there a way to break this formation?"


"A way... theoretically, yes." Lin Yu pondered. "All things have their formation core. Find the core, destroy it, and the formation dissolves. But the problem is, my soul power is weak now, my perception range limited. I simply can't find where the core is."


He paused, his tone becoming exceptionally heavy.


"Moreover, such maze formations usually have one characteristic."


"What characteristic?"


"It continuously drains the stamina and mental energy of those trapped. When you are utterly exhausted and your mental defenses collapse, that's when the master of the formation... comes out to 'harvest.'" Lin Yu's voice echoed eerily.


"So, disciple, we now face a choice."


"Either, we keep circling in these woods until we die of exhaustion or fright."


"Or..."


Lin Yu didn't finish, but Su Ming already understood.


He raised his head, his gaze piercing through the layers of tree shadows, landing once more on that dilapidated temple exuding an ominous aura in the night.


That sole flicker of firelight was like a fatal lure, yet also the only possible exit.


The wind grew colder.


Su Ming clenched his fists, nails digging deep into his palms.


He looked at Zhao Rui, slumped on the ground and starting to sob quietly, then looked at that temple that seemed impossible to escape.


There was no way back.


 
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