Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life

Chapter 8: Crouching Dragon

The morning cooking smoke and the silence at the dining table were the unchanging melody of the Su household.

Su Ming buried his head in his bowl, quickly drinking the rice porridge so thin you could see your reflection, his movements swift like a fledgling bird afraid of having its food snatched away.

"Oh, look at our little scholar, trying to chew through the bottom of the bowl and eat the characters right into his stomach?" Wang Chuntao's voice carried its usual sharpness as she tapped her chopsticks against the rim of her bowl. "What's the use of just eating? The knowledge needs to go into your brain."

"Say less!" Mrs. Chen came out carrying a plate of pickled vegetables, glaring at her eldest daughter-in-law. She walked to Su Ming's side and transferred the boiled egg from her own bowl into his.

"Xiao Ming, eat more. Studying taxes the mind."

Su Ming's movements paused briefly, but before he could speak, his father Su Shan put down his own bowl and grunted a muffled "Hmm" from the side.

Su Ming split the egg into two halves, returning one half to his mother's bowl and burying the other in his porridge. Then he lifted the bowl and drank it all in one go.

"I'm going to school." He put down the bowl, grabbed his cloth bag, and slipped out of the courtyard like a gust of wind.

In the courtyard, Su Yang watched his younger brother's retreating back, then glanced at their father's gleamingly sharpened firewood chopper, lost in thought.

At the schoolhouse, Teacher Zhou was explaining a new short essay."...Therefore, the superior man is cautious when alone." He stroked his beard, his gaze sweeping over the students below.

"Who can explain the meaning of these two characters, 'cautious when alone'?"

The children looked at each other, the children from wealthier families avoiding eye contact, afraid of being called upon.

A thin, weak hand hesitantly rose in the corner.

Teacher Zhou looked somewhat surprised as he turned to Su Ming. "Su Ming, you may speak."

Su Ming stood up, his cheeks slightly flushed as all eyes in the schoolhouse focused on him.

"Replying to Teacher, I... I think 'cautious' means to be careful, and 'alone' means by oneself. So it means even when you're by yourself, you should still be careful."

laughable, drawing soft snickers from

about?" Teacher Zhou

to do bad things." Su Ming's voice grew even softer. "Because even if no one sees,

surprise in Teacher Zhou's eyes deepened as he looked at this youth who had been beaten for skipping school just days before. Though still somewhat awkward, there was

to sit down. "Though not entirely accurate, you're not far off. 'Cautious when alone' speaks of how a superior man's conduct and integrity should still conform to righteousness even when unsupervised. That

hear that? Studying isn't just about recognizing characters, it's about understanding principles! Though Su Ming may be slow, he

been snickering

letting out a sigh of

Concealing One's Edge. You demonstrated your 'diligent thinking'

I

be the most conspicuous one, whether

Night.

become his secret

down! Who are you

relentlessly drove him on in his

autumn wind, sweat soaking through his back, flowing down his spine groove

I... I can't take

is replacing the keel of your broken-down ship! Every extra drop of sweat now means one more breath you can take when running for your

my retirement insurance! This is all future premium payments,

time ended. Su Ming plopped down on

catch his breath,

up, lie

"Huh?"

Dragon Crawls'." Lin Yu thought to himself, "I'm truly a

a Prostrate

up and down like a stick." Lin Yu concisely explained the new cultivation exercise

When you get knocked down in the future, you'll be able to get up faster

his teeth, Su Ming

One, two...