Chapter 13: 13, This is reality

Originally, Ren Xiaosu thought and pondered until the end, and he felt that being a schoolteacher should be the easiest way to receive gratitude.

However, he overlooked one problem: he was indeed eager to learn, and he did crave knowledge, but that was because he had grown up in a deformed environment, where the scarcity of knowledge had led to his hunger for it.

The more you lack something, the more you crave it.

But the things he craved, other students did not necessarily crave. These children who could attend school in this era generally came from families with decent conditions, each able to receive their elders' protection.

These children, after a few years of schooling, found the most annoying thing to be the schoolteacher—making them recite texts and write homework. In their youth, students and teachers were, in most cases, natural enemies...

Although Ren Xiaosu spoke about the survival lessons they loved most, the students' attitudes toward him were far from sincere gratitude.

Ren Xiaosu thought, perhaps if he taught a bit more, the students would thank him.

The township school was supposed to dismiss at four in the afternoon. The refuge barrier began at six in the morning, with a bell striking every two hours to mark the time. Under normal circumstances, Zhang Jinglin never dragged out the class.

Yet today, Ren Xiaosu, in order to gain the students' gratitude, almost poured out all his experiences of surviving in the wild. This lecture went on until five o'clock...

Now it was already deep autumn, and at five o'clock, the sky was almost dark. The students stared at him, thinking in their hearts: This bastard can really talk!

At this moment, Zhang Jinglin could not bear it anymore and went to the courtyard to chop a cabbage for dinner.

One student could not hold back any longer: "Sir... Teacher, if you don't dismiss us soon, it will be dark, and the town will be unsafe."

This student was somewhat afraid of this notorious tough guy in the town, so he did not dare to speak harshly in front of him.

Ren Xiaosu was stunned for a moment, thinking: Damn it, if they don't thank me, that's fine, but they even want me to dismiss class. However, he was a sensible person who understood that safety came first. After glancing at the sky, Ren Xiaosu reluctantly waved his hand: "Dismiss."

"Thank you, teacher!"

"Thank you, teacher!"

The students swarmed out of the schoolhouse. Among them, two students said thanks to Ren Xiaosu for the words "dismiss," and they were truly grateful! If he didn't dismiss soon, they would vomit, right?

Ren Xiaosu suddenly noticed that there were indeed two more gratitude coins in his palace, and he was overjoyed.

He did not know why the students were grateful, only thinking that he had spoken well.

Ren Xiaosu thought: It seems my hard work was not in vain. After speaking for so long, the students were still grateful to me.

Yan Liuyuan's face was black: "Can you stop dragging out the class in the future?"

Before Ren Xiaosu could speak, Zhang Jinglin entered with his meal, eating while walking. He carefully chose his words: "Xiaosu, I know you love the education industry, but dragging the class for so long is really not good. Moreover, what if you get tired?"

Ren Xiaosu would not accept this. Was this dragging the class? This was dragging money, this was dragging the students' sincere gratitude!

"No way," Ren Xiaosu said earnestly: "I am willing to dedicate my life to the cause of education. It's fine to speak a bit longer!"

"Cough!" Zhang Jinglin almost choked on Ren Xiaosu's words. But seeing his expression, he could not be bothered to say anything: "Alright then."

Those two students who had thanked him did not know that their words of thanks had brought such a great disaster upon themselves.

There is an idiom explaining this phenomenon, called "trouble comes from the mouth"...

...

On the way back, Yan Liuyuan was sulking and would not reason with Ren Xiaosu. Originally, they could have gone for a walk in the town after school, but it was all in vain.

As they passed the pawnshop at the town gate, Yan Liuyuan suddenly tugged Ren Xiaosu's sleeve. He pointed to the pawnshop, and Ren Xiaosu saw Li Xiaoyu inside, seemingly talking to the shopkeeper.

Ren Xiaosu and Yan Liuyuan approached a bit. They heard Li Xiaoyu say to the shopkeeper: "My earrings are very valuable. Can't you give me a bit more?"

The shopkeeper smiled lewdly at Li Xiaoyu: "Actually, you don't need to pawn anything. Why go through all this...?"

He had not finished speaking when he stopped, because he saw Ren Xiaosu walking toward the pawnshop. The events of last night had already spread throughout the town. Everyone knew that Li Xiaoyu and Ren Xiaosu were now closely connected.

It was not that in an age of survival of the fittest, everyone would become ferocious. In fact, in any era, there are cowards and fierce people, and fierce people generally live well.

The shopkeeper was a coward, one who only dared to bully the weak and fear the strong. The man Ren Xiaosu killed last night was already a notorious fierce man in the town, so Ren Xiaosu was now a fierce man among fierce men...

The shopkeeper's eyes flickered, pretending to drink water. He was not sure if Ren Xiaosu had heard his words.

Ren Xiaosu counted 620 yuan from his pocket and gave it to Li Xiaoyu: "You don't need to pawn anything. This is the money for the three doses of anti-inflammatory medicine last night."

Li Xiaoyu had lost her source of income, so she could only sit and eat in vain, but Ren Xiaosu could not bear to see her in such a state.

Li Xiaoyu wanted to give the money back to Ren Xiaosu, but Ren Xiaosu said: "I was originally going to buy medicine. Just take it. I am not unwilling to accept your kindness, but in the future, we don't need to be so polite."

Li Xiaoyu was stunned for a long time: "What do you mean..."

Last year, Ren Xiaosu had barely escaped from the pack of wolves. How he had escaped, he had never told anyone. But after returning, he had indeed survived because of the medicine Li Xiaoyu had sent. Without those antibiotics, he might have died long ago.

So what he owed Li Xiaoyu was not a few pills, but a life.

Ren Xiaosu said seriously to Li Xiaoyu: "Rest assured, as long as I have a mouthful of meat to eat, you will have a mouthful of soup to drink!"

"Brother, you're wrong," Yan Liuyuan said quietly. Everyone eats meat together, why does it become drinking soup with you... "Besides, our family doesn't have any meat now..."

"Oh," Ren Xiaosu nodded and changed his words to Li Xiaoyu: "As long as I have a mouthful of soup to drink, you will have a bowl to wash!"

Yan Liuyuan: "???"

"Pfft!" The pawnbroker, who had been drinking water beside him, sprayed it out in one gulp.

However, Li Xiaoyu did not mind: "Alright, then I will wash your dishes and do your laundry in the future."

She had not even considered whether there was enough water. Anyway, she would agree first and talk later.

The pawnbroker watched the three of them leave, his mouth agape. He turned to the shop boy and said: "Don't provoke him, understand?"

As soon as they left, a shout was heard: "Doctor, please save my husband! Our family will really not survive without him."

At the clinic entrance, a middle-aged woman knelt on the ground, kowtowing to the town's only doctor, but the doctor sneered: "What disease can you treat without money?"

"You save him, and our whole family will thank you for your great kindness," the woman cried: "When the old doctor was alive, he was a kind-hearted good man. You are his son, so you must also be kind-hearted."

"My father's kindness is his own business!"

The doctor turned and slammed the clinic door shut. Beside the woman lay a man whose abdomen was still bleeding.

Ren Xiaosu did not step forward, nor did he play the role of a good Samaritan. In fact, he could see that the man had already died.

He only watched the scene calmly and said: "Liuyuan, remember this. This is reality."