First Position

Chapter 13: This is Reality

Initially, Ren Xiaosu pondered deeply and concluded that being a teacher would be the easiest way to earn gratitude. However, he overlooked a crucial point. It was true that he was eager to learn, and indeed, his thirst for knowledge was undeniable, but that was because he had grown up in a distorted environment, where the scarcity of knowledge once led him to long for it so desperately. The more one lacks something, the more one craves it. But the things he yearned for, the other students did not necessarily share the same desires. The children who attended school in this era generally came from well-off families, each benefiting from the protection of their parents. After attending school for a few years, these children found teachers to be a nuisance, always assigning them tasks—reciting lessons, writing homework. For most of their time, students and teachers were natural adversaries.

Although Ren Xiaosu was teaching the class on survival, which was something the students enjoyed, their attitude toward him could hardly be described as genuine gratitude. Ren Xiaosu thought, perhaps if he taught a bit longer, the students would appreciate him? The school in the town usually let out at 4 p.m., and the town's bell tower rang every two hours starting from six in the morning to mark the time. Normally, Zhang Jinglin never kept the students past the bell. However, today, Ren Xiaosu, in his desire to gain the students’ gratitude, nearly exhausted all his field survival knowledge, lecturing until five o'clock... It was deep autumn, and by five, the sky was already darkening. The students watched him, silently thinking, “This guy really talks too much...” At this point, even Zhang Jinglin couldn’t take it anymore and went out to chop a cabbage for dinner.

One student couldn’t hold it in any longer: "Sir... if you don’t end the class soon, it will be dark, and the town won’t be safe." The student, clearly fearful of the infamous tough guy in town, didn’t dare speak boldly in front of him. Ren Xiaosu paused, thinking to himself, “Not even a thank you, and now they want me to end the class?” But understanding the importance of safety, he glanced at the sky and reluctantly waved his hand: “Class dismissed.”

"Thank you, teacher!" "Thank you, teacher!" The students rushed out of the classroom, and two of them, just to express their gratitude for the words "class dismissed," actually thanked Ren Xiaosu. They were truly grateful! They were about to throw up if he didn’t end the class soon! Ren Xiaosu suddenly realized that two coins of gratitude had indeed appeared in his metaphorical palace, and he felt overjoyed. He didn’t know why the students were thankful; he just thought his lecture must have been really good! Ren Xiaosu thought to himself, "It seems my hard work wasn’t in vain; after such a long class, the students still appreciate me."

Yan Liuyuan, with a dark face, said, "Can you stop dragging out your classes in the future?" Before Ren Xiaosu could reply, Zhang Jinglin walked in while eating his dinner and said carefully, "Xiaosu, I know you love teaching, but keeping the students late like this really isn’t good. And what if you get exhausted?"

Ren Xiaosu wasn’t having it. It wasn’t just about dragging the class; it was about dragging the money, dragging the students' sincere gratitude! "No," Ren Xiaosu said solemnly. "I am willing to dedicate my life to education. It's nothing to stay a bit longer!"

"Cough!" Zhang Jinglin nearly choked on his food. But seeing Ren Xiaosu’s attitude, he didn’t have the energy to argue further. "Fine," he said reluctantly.

The two students who had thanked him didn’t know that their words of gratitude had brought them a huge disaster. There’s an idiom that explains such a situation: "Trouble comes from the mouth…"

On the way home, Yan Liuyuan was sulking and ignored Ren Xiaosu. They could have gone to the town together after school, but that idea was now ruined. As they passed the pawn shop near the city gate, Yan Liuyuan suddenly tugged at Ren Xiaosu's sleeve and pointed inside. Ren Xiaosu saw Xiaoyu in there, seemingly talking to the shopkeeper.

Ren Xiaosu and Yan Liuyuan moved closer and overheard Xiaoyu saying to the shopkeeper, “These earrings are really valuable. Can’t you offer me a bit more?” The shopkeeper grinned lewdly, eyeing Xiaoyu, “You don’t need to pawn anything. Why bother…” But before he could finish his sentence, he stopped when he saw Ren Xiaosu entering the shop. The entire town already knew about Xiaoyu’s close relationship with Ren Xiaosu after last night’s incident.

Not everyone becomes fierce in a world of survival of the fittest; in fact, every era has its cowards and tough guys, and the tough guys generally live well. The shopkeeper was one of the cowards, too afraid to mess with the strong. Ren Xiaosu, having killed someone notorious in the town just the night before, was now considered the fiercest of the fierce.

The shopkeeper, pretending to drink, glanced nervously at Ren Xiaosu, unsure if he had heard his previous remark. Ren Xiaosu, with a smile, counted out 620 yuan from his pocket and handed it to Xiaoyu, saying, “You don’t need to sell your things. This is for the three anti-inflammatory pills from last night.”

Xiaoyu, having lost her source of income, was now barely surviving, but Ren Xiaosu couldn’t bear to watch her suffer like this. Xiaoyu tried to return the money, but Ren Xiaosu said, "I was going to buy medicine anyway. Take it. It's not that I don't want to owe you, but from now on, let’s not be so polite."

Xiaoyu was stunned for a moment. “What do you mean by that…”

Last year, Ren Xiaosu had barely escaped the jaws of a pack of wolves, and he had never told anyone how he managed to do so. But after coming back, it was Xiaoyu’s medicine that saved his life. Without those antibiotics, he would have died long ago. So what he owed Xiaoyu wasn’t just a few pills—it was a life.

Ren Xiaosu looked at Xiaoyu seriously and said, “Don’t worry. As long as I have a bite to eat, you’ll have a bowl of soup.”

"Brother, that’s not right," Yan Liuyuan whispered. "Aren’t we supposed to share the meat? Why is it just soup for her?"

Ren Xiaosu nodded and changed his words to Xiaoyu: "From now on, if I have a bowl of soup, you’ll have a dish to wash!"

Yan Liuyuan: "???"

"Ha!" The shopkeeper, who was drinking water, suddenly spat it out. But Xiaoyu didn’t mind. "Alright, then I’ll wash your dishes and clothes from now on."

When she said this, she didn’t even consider whether there would be enough water. It was just a promise to get by.

The shopkeeper, watching them leave, turned to his assistant and muttered, “Don’t mess with them, got it?”

As Ren Xiaosu and the others stepped out, they suddenly heard a voice calling out: "Doctor, please, save my husband! If we lose him, our family won’t survive!"

A middle-aged woman was kneeling at the door of the clinic, begging the only doctor in the town. But the doctor sneered, "What good is money if you don’t have it?"

"If you save him, our whole family will be eternally grateful," the woman cried. "The old doctor was kind-hearted. You must have inherited his kindness."

"My father was kind—that’s his business!" The doctor turned, slamming the clinic door shut. Beside the woman lay a man, bleeding profusely from his abdomen.

Ren Xiaosu didn’t step forward or try to be a good Samaritan. He could tell the man had already passed away. He merely observed the scene calmly and said, "Liuyuan, remember everything you see here. This is reality."