Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life

Chapter 20: 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.

are the main branch, and the

"Then this gift..."

'Catering to Preferences, Precision Strike'. We need to

Zhao Rui

what do you suggest we buy? Scholar's four treasures? That's even more expensive! A decent

Yu's tone, his voice calm. "Let's not

"Gather what information?"

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

stared at

that giving a gift could involve so many twists and

do we

locust tree, Xu's bookstall. There are many people

and added: "The money your

was completely baffled by his words, but eventually found

west corner of the city was indeed much

locust tree spread like an open umbrella. In its shade, a white-haired old man had laid out a blue cloth on the

with yellowed

the bookstall of

dressed scholars were squatting on the ground, intently flipping through

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

picked up a

first understand the 'user profile'. These county records are Qingshi

quickly—his purpose wasn't to memorize, but

and randomly flipping through it, but his eyes kept glancing at several scholars nearby who were talking in low

"Have you heard? Director Zhou has been

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

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

your voice down. Don't let

their voices were soft, every word clearly reached

finger, which had been turning pages, paused

Zhou, Zhou Wenhai. Son, Zhou Yulin.

this in

This is our 'market

Su Ming's heart stirred.

Techniques" discussed agricultural matters—how to breed seeds, how to compost, how to distinguish

this have to do with "Investigation of

Investigating things to extend knowledge! It's about exploring the principles of things! While others research lofty

sprout faster after soaking in warm water? Why do different soils produce different crops? Doesn't this count as Investigation of Things? It

sky, we'll dig for gold from

Ming's breathing