Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life

Chapter 53: Killing the Chicken to Warn the Monkey

The snow fell without a sound.

Overnight, Su Family Village was wrapped in a thick layer of white. Roof eaves, withered branches, and field ridges—all their sharp edges were smoothed away. The world between heaven and earth was utterly silent, as if even sound had been swallowed up by this heavy snow.

Su Lai was like a cough in this snowy weather, arriving abruptly and then disappearing without a trace.

No one mentioned him. No one asked about him.

When villagers passed by the tightly closed wooden gate of his house with their heads lowered, they would unconsciously quicken their pace, as if some monster that devoured gazes lurked behind that door. His wife, who usually loved to curse and shout at the village entrance, had also fallen silent, staying behind closed doors all day long.

Su Lai, along with his malicious, triangular eyes, had been cleanly and decisively carved out of Su Family Village's memory.

This collective amnesia was more chilling to the heart than any hoarse, screaming invective.

Inside the workshop, the smell of caustic soda and paper pulp mingled with the warmth of the furnace fire, creating a world apart from the one outside.

Su Ming walked past rows of men toiling with their heads down, carrying a batch of newly produced straw paper samples.

The atmosphere had changed.Those faces that just a few days ago were gathered together, eyes flickering, whispering and calculating something, now all looked like eggplants beaten by frost. They worked harder than ever before, their hands moving swiftly, yet each had become a silent gourd. Apart from the clatter of tools colliding, not a single word of idle chat could be heard.

A newly arrived man accidentally knocked over a bucket of clean water. The loud "clatter" of the wooden bucket rolling echoed with particular harshness in the workshop shed.

Instantly, everyone stopped their work. Dozens of pairs of eyes, like startled birds, shot towards him. The man's face turned deathly pale from fright, and he stood frozen on the spot, at a complete loss. Only when the foreman came over, cursing and shouting for him to clean it up quickly, did everyone seem to snap out of it. They silently lowered their heads again, but the force in their hands grew even heavier.

"See that?" Lin Yu's voice sounded in Su Ming's mind, carrying a hint of a lazy drawl. "Fear is the best bridle. More effective than money, less troublesome than reason."

That old fellow Zhao Dequan, what

delivered the samples to Zhao Dequan's

still idly rubbing that glossy, oil-shined pipe tobacco holder in his hand. He seemed more leisurely than usual, just gazing

are ready," Su Ming said, handing over

took the paper, merely rubbed it with his fingertip, and then

at Su Ming. Those eyes, which always

lately," he said. It wasn't a question, but a

is busy," Su Ming replied in

and said, "Quiet is good. When people are quiet, their minds become clear, and their hands and feet become nimble. This

it was like a cold stone thrown into Su

only then did he realize that a thin layer of sweat had

atmosphere finally seemed to

paper-cuttings were pasted on the windows of every household. The bright colors stood out starkly against the backdrop of white snow. From the eastern end of

different from previous

felt that the red this year was a bit too glaring. The

smiles on people's faces seemed like masks hung up, polite yet distant. When neighbors met, their conversations were limited to the weather and the harvest.

in the center of the village,

there casually, hands clasped behind his back, looking up at the snow piled on the withered branches. He did nothing. He said nothing. Yet everyone passing by him would unconsciously slow their steps, bow

from the marrow of their

feels like everything has changed," Su Ming whispered in his heart. "Su Lai is like a stone thrown into a pond, not

ripple?" Lin Yu's voice held a touch of mockery. "The 'quietness'

was named Su Lai. Now, all the monkeys in the

Su Ming fell silent.

had said—"find yourself a plank

truly understand that this ship named Su Family Village was far more complex than he had imagined. The captain, Zhao Dequan, was also far colder than he appeared. On this ship, any disobedient sailor could