Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life

Chapter 16: The First Lesson in Social Practice

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?”

At those words, the air froze.

Old Qian closed his eyes in despair.

Ming’s heart sank to the bottom

man paused, then exchanged glances with his brothers

cry. “Brothers, today we’re lucky—we’ve hit a big fish! The son

village chief’s son must

him and see if the

mountain bandits laughed uproariously. The way they looked at Zhao Rui was like

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

realized that the identity he had boasted about was not

do you want?” His voice

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

stretched out a big hand like a palm fan, grabbed Zhao Rui by the collar,

most, always pressing

cart!

tossing luggage, cushions, and provisions

brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone was kicked

my bosom…” Zhao Rui wailed, trembling as he pulled

it, hefted it, and counted through it with bright eyes. “Big brother! Not small! Three or

him! Search carefully!” the scar-faced

in for him and the few silver pieces he had hidden in his

ground; his cotton robe was torn to shreds,

Su Ming stood rooted in place,

bundle, his body trembling slightly, his eyes filled with fear—perfectly

knife his

knife’s cold handle steadied the

rushing in now would only add another corpse

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

scar-faced man’s gaze finally

from head to toe—his laundry-faded old clothes, the frayed cloth shoes, and the pitiful little

“Come over here.”

slowly lifting his head and looking

He shuffled over.

in the bundle?” the

change into,” Su

it. Let

untied the bundle, revealing

and rummaged; aside from a few patched-up clothes, there was nothing

poor bastard,” the bandit

man frowned and looked at

Su Ming’s

but deep within them was an odd calm, like

wasn’t the look of a

man’s chest gave a sudden, inexplicable