After thinking it over again and again, Ren Xiaosu finally concluded that becoming a schoolteacher should be the easiest way to receive gratitude.
However, he overlooked one problem. It was true that he loved learning, and it was true that he longed for knowledge—but that was because he had grown up in a warped environment. It was precisely the lack of knowledge in his past that had made him crave it so intensely.
The more you lack something, the more you desire it.
But what he desired was not necessarily what other students desired. The children who could attend school in this era generally came from decent families, each enjoying the protection of their elders.
After spending years in school, what these kids hated most were teachers—teachers who made them memorize texts and assign homework. During adolescence, students and teachers were, for the most part, natural enemies…
Even though Ren Xiaosu was teaching their favorite subject—survival—the students' attitude toward him could hardly be described as sincere gratitude.
Ren Xiaosu thought that maybe if he taught more classes, the students would eventually appreciate him.
The market town school normally dismissed at four in the afternoon. Inside the refuge stronghold, the day started at six in the morning, with a bell ringing every two hours to mark the time. Under normal circumstances, Zhang Jinglin never dragged out a class.
But today, in order to earn the students' gratitude, Ren Xiaosu poured out nearly all of his wilderness survival experience. Once he started lecturing, he went on until five o'clock…
It was already late autumn, and by five o'clock the sky was nearly dark. The students stared at him with pitiful expressions, thinking, Isn't this bastard way too good at talking…
By this point, even Zhang Jinglin couldn't take it anymore. He went into the courtyard, chopped up a cabbage, and started cooking.
One student finally couldn't hold back any longer."Sun… Teacher, if you don't dismiss class soon, it'll be dark. It won't be safe in town."
The student was still somewhat afraid of this notorious tough guy in the market town, so he didn't dare say anything harsh to his face.
Ren Xiaosu froze for a moment, thinking, Damn it, not thanking me is one thing, but now they actually want the teacher to end class? Still, he was sensible enough to know that safety came first. After glancing at the sky, he helplessly waved his hand.
"Class dismissed."
"Thank you, teacher!""Thank you, teacher!"
The students swarmed out of the schoolhouse. Two of them said "thank you" specifically because of the words class dismissed. They were genuinely grateful—if class hadn't ended, they felt like they were going to throw up.
Suddenly, Ren Xiaosu noticed that inside his palace, there were actually two more gratitude coins. He was instantly overjoyed.
How could he know why the students were grateful? He only felt that it must be because he taught well!
Ren Xiaosu thought to himself: Looks like my hard work wasn't in vain. After lecturing for so long, the students really do appreciate me.
Yan Liuyuan said darkly, "Can you stop dragging out class in the future?"
Before Ren Xiaosu could reply, Zhang Jinglin walked in, carrying his bowl and eating as he spoke. He chose his words carefully."Xiaosu, I know you're passionate about education, but dragging class out for so long really isn't good. Besides, what if you exhaust yourself?"
Ren Xiaosu wasn't having it. Is this just dragging class? This is dragging money. This is dragging out the students' heartfelt gratitude!
"No," Ren Xiaosu said righteously. "I'm willing to dedicate my life to the cause of education. Teaching a little longer is no problem at all!"
"Cough!" Zhang Jinglin nearly choked. Seeing Ren Xiaosu like this, he couldn't be bothered to argue anymore. "Fine."
Those two students who had said "thank you" had no idea that their words would bring them such a huge disaster.
There was a saying for this phenomenon: trouble comes from the mouth…
…
On the way back, Yan Liuyuan was sulking and ignored Ren Xiaosu. After school, they could have gone strolling around the market town together, but all of that was ruined.
As they passed the pawnshop at the city gate, Yan Liuyuan suddenly tugged on Ren Xiaosu's sleeve and pointed inside. Ren Xiaosu saw Sister Xiaoyu there, seemingly talking to the shopkeeper.
They moved closer and heard Sister Xiaoyu say, "These earrings are really valuable. Can't you give me a bit more?"
The shopkeeper gave her a flirtatious smile. "Actually, you don't have to pawn anything. Why go to all this trouble…"
Before he could finish speaking, he shut his mouth. He saw Ren Xiaosu walking into the pawnshop.
What happened the night before had already spread throughout the market town. Everyone knew that Li Xiaoyu now had a close relationship with Ren Xiaosu.
It wasn't that in an era of survival of the fittest everyone became fierce. In fact, in every era there were cowards and tough guys—and tough guys generally lived pretty well.
The shopkeeper was a coward. Cowards only dared to bully the weak and fear the strong. The man Ren Xiaosu had killed last night was already a well-known tough guy in town, which meant Ren Xiaosu was now a tough guy among tough guys…
The shopkeeper's eyes darted around as he pretended to drink water, unsure whether Ren Xiaosu had heard what he said earlier.
Ren Xiaosu counted out 620 yuan from his pocket and stuffed it into Sister Xiaoyu's hands."You don't need to sell your things. This is the money for the three anti-inflammatory pills from last night."
Li Xiaoyu had lost her source of income and could only live off her savings, but Ren Xiaosu couldn't bear to see her in such misery.
She tried to push the money back, but Ren Xiaosu said, "I was planning to buy medicine anyway. Just take it. It's not that I don't want to owe you—I just don't think we need to be so polite with each other anymore."
Li Xiaoyu was stunned for a long moment. "What do you mean by that…?"
Last year, Ren Xiaosu had barely escaped from a pack of wolves. He never told anyone how he survived, but after he came back, it was undeniably because of the medicine Li Xiaoyu gave him that he lived. Without those antibiotics, he would have died long ago.
So what he owed Li Xiaoyu wasn't a few pills—it was his life.
Ren Xiaosu looked at her seriously and said, "Don't worry. As long as I have a bite of meat to eat, you'll have a bowl of soup to drink!"
"Brother, that's not right," Yan Liuyuan whispered. "Isn't it usually eating meat together? Why does it turn into her drinking soup when it's you?""And besides, we don't even have any meat at home right now…"
"Oh," Ren Xiaosu nodded and changed his wording. "Then as long as I have a bowl of soup to drink, you'll have a bowl to wash!"
Yan Liuyuan: "???"
"Pff!" The shopkeeper next to them spat out his water.
But Li Xiaoyu didn't mind at all. "Alright. Then I'll wash dishes and do laundry for you."
When she said this, she hadn't even considered whether there would be enough water. She figured she'd agree first and worry about the rest later.
Smacking his lips, the shopkeeper watched the three of them leave. He turned to his assistant and said, "Don't mess with him, got it?"
Just as Ren Xiaosu and the others stepped outside, they suddenly heard a cry.
"Doctor, please save my husband! If our family loses him, we really won't be able to survive!"
At the clinic entrance, a middle-aged woman knelt on the ground, kowtowing to the town's only doctor. The doctor sneered."No money, and you still want to see a doctor?"
"If you save him, our whole family will be forever grateful to you," the woman sobbed. "When the old doctor was still alive, he was such a kind-hearted man. You're his son—you must be kind-hearted too, right?"
"My father's kindness was his own business!"
The doctor turned around and slammed the clinic door shut. Beside the woman lay a man whose abdomen was still bleeding heavily.
Ren Xiaosu didn't step forward, nor did he try to play the role of a good Samaritan. He could tell the man was already dead.
He simply looked at the scene and said calmly,"Liuyuan, remember everything you're seeing right now. This is reality."