Su Jin caught everyone off guard with her swift actions. They were still experiencing the shock from her casually flaunting an astronomical amount of money, which most commoners would never have a chance to see in their lifetime.
Liu Jianren cried out in pain while tumbling on the floor. His blood boiled as he yelled at Su Jin. “Who the hell are you? This is not a place for women to roam around freely!”
The rest of the students gradually regained their senses one after another and expressed similar sentiments. “Yes, how did you get in here? Outsiders are prohibited from entering the premises of the academy.”
“Didn’t she claim herself to be Su Ce’s sister?”
Even Su Ce was taken aback by her sudden appearance and inquired, “Su Jin, what brought you here? You should leave as soon as possible.”
Without saying a word, Su Jin patted the shoulders of her brother. Her eyes moved to the faculty staff of the private academy seated a few stairs above, whose facial expression conveyed displeasure with a stern glare.
With a poised stance, she greeted the person of highest authority here. “Su Jin pays respect to the esteemed teacher. How I gained entry is of little importance and can be addressed at a later time. Currently, the most pressing issue is that your private institution openly maligned a virtuous student, and even permitted this deceptive lowlife to slander my sibling. Since you did not handle the situation with impartiality, my next course of action would be to escalate it to court officials.”
As soon as Liu Jianren heard that she planned to involve the officials, his back became soaked in sweat from anxiety as he urged the teacher. “Excuse me Sir, how can you allow a woman to do as she pleases in this private academy? This would severely damage the school’s reputation. Please make a wise decision and chase her out!”
The teacher, who had grown weary of the charade, became annoyed and flared up at him. “Cut your nonsense! The private institution is an establishment dedicated to empower the pursuit of knowledge and fine literature, not a place for distasteful squabbles. Pack up your belongings and leave, Liu Jianren. Today’s matter ends here.”
Liu Jianren’s complexion paled in an instant while he protested, “Sir, I am innocent! It was Su Ce who did it! I have been falsely accused, teacher!”
The teacher shook his head in dismay, but before he could speak, Yan Xing stepped forward confidently while flipping his folded fan. He carefully observed Su Jin for some time, indicating a certain level of interest from his gaze.
He then gestured to his two followers and made a statement. “Since this young lady can effortlessly produce a substantial sum of money, the line of reasoning for suspecting her brother has become invalid. The mystery surrounding the origin of his calligraphy set has also been addressed. Given the situation now… then Jianren, you must be pretty proficient at manipulating behind the scenes. You have taken the silver for yourself, right?”
Yan Xing had no interest in uncovering the identity of the culprit. He fixed his gaze on Liu Jianren as though he had found a new toy. With a wicked grin on his face, Yan Xing bent down slightly and tapped the man’s cheeks with his fan.
“I like the proposal from the young lady. Drag him to the magistrate court.”
Liu Jianren was frightened out of his wits. He prostrated on all fours, bowing his head while he pleaded for mercy. “Young master Yan, I am innocent. This is all a misunderstanding…”
Before carrying out the deed, he had already devised his escape path when he noticed that a fellow poor student, Su Ce, suddenly began using higher quality calligraphy materials. Not only did he feel jealous, he also believed that this was a godsend opportunity. Little did he anticipate that his plans would be thwarted by the entrance of Su Ce’s wealthy little sister…
“Sorry to interrupt, Miss. May I have the honour of making your acquaintance?” Yan Xing said with a smile, adjusting his shirt collars and twirling his fan, while attempting to leave a suave impression on Su Jin.
Su Jin returned the smile, raising her eyebrows as she pointed towards the ink supplies scattered all over the floor. Yan Xing froze in place, and then presumed that the young lady must be subtly hinting for some form of compensation. Right before he was about to speak, she leaned down to retrieve the inkwell.
Thereafter, she held the object in front of him with both of her hands, and a “clicking” sound was heard. The inkwell… broke into halves…… with a simple twist of her bare hands. She effortlessly broke it…
Yan Xing’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets. The base of the inkwell of this quality was made using premium grade pinewood. It was not an item that could be broken with bare hands…
A suppressed laughter emanated from Su Jin’s lips.
(Heh. Try casting that vile gaze towards me again and I’ll serve another can of whoop-ass.)
The amiable smile on Yan Xing’s face vanished instantly. “I shall excuse myself, young lady!”
Just as he took the first step, Su Jin deftly flicked a fragment of the shattered object in the direction of his leg.
“Did you obtain permission before taking your leave? I believe there should be some form of an apology due? Perhaps you require a new mouth for it?”
Due to the sudden intense pain on his leg, Yan Xing was forced to kneel on the ground. Someone as arrogant as him could never silently endure such humiliation. “How dare you do this to me? Do you have a death wish?”
“Do I come across as someone who lacks guts?” Su Jin grinned as she tightly clenched the broken ink materials in her fist. When she released her grip in the next moment, the shattered ink supplies, which were hard to cut even with a knife, had disintegrated into fine powder scattered by the rustling breeze.
A deep silence engulfed the surroundings.
Yan Xing no longer displayed any conceited behaviour. In a frightened state, he rapidly apologized to Su Ce and scooted off without a trace.
Su Jin picked her eyebrows and blew the dust off her hand while casting a smile at each and every one of the students in the hall.
When her gaze met with the students’ eyes, an apprehensive shiver ran down their spines. This… was a threat from her, right? Indeed, there was no room for misinterpretation. That was undoubtedly a threat. Any brave souls attempting to lay their hands on Su Ce in the future would likely face complete destruction, leaving no remains for their loved ones to mourn over.
It was a true blue smile coated with poison ivy from his little sister.
Su Ce remained composed as he observed the situation. His eyes showed a hint of happiness and his expression became more light-hearted, devoid of the usual gloom he had. In exchange, it had somewhat been replaced with feelings of helplessness towards his sister now.
It did not matter to him anymore if she was the same Su Jin of the past. Given the substantial change since her return, it was inconceivable for Su Ce to not notice. Although his mother and the other family members might naively trust her, he was not gullible like them. It was impossible for a person’s personality to transform to that degree within a brief span. He had previously spent a significant amount of time speculating on potential explanations for that. But they were no longer necessary now.
They are siblings. That was the only thing he needed to understand.
Although she now had a strong-willed personality, she treated her family with immense warmth and passion, like the scorching sun shining radiantly in the skies, brightening up the days of the family and his heart as well.
With a subtle grin, Su Ce shifted his gaze upwards towards the sky. The gloomy atmosphere surrounding him had been fully dispelled.
By the time Su Jin left the private school, dusk was already nearing. The evening twilight illuminated her path back home amidst the otherwise misty weather.
“System, do you have access to recipes for spicy strips? I want to eat some.” Su Jin asked out of the blue.
The system was puzzled. “Spicy strips?”
“Yup. It may sound a little strange, but lately, I have been experiencing sudden cravings for spicy food. It would be perfect if there is a slight tinge of sourness to it as well! Considering that we already possess chilli as the key ingredient, it would be a missed opportunity to not turn them into spicy strips. Just imagine how addictive that snack could be… The more one consumes, the stronger their feelings of yearning for more would become! When I return home, I want to try making them. Can you assist me to search for some recipes? Just to note, I am aware that you frequently watch y**tube behind my back!”
The system paused for a moment before muttering in a soft voice, “I can only recite the instructions for you.”
Truth to be told, this was an act that would breach the rules and regulations governing the system, as it had the potential to disrupt the order of the universe. But System#2250 had completely forsaken its duties and strayed off the path of a proper upright system, enjoying the life of a sloth.
Wasn’t it an awesome to live a lifestyle spending every day munching on sunflower seeds and watching videos?
Love it, hate it, so be it! Even if it broke the rules for this, what impact would a small, insignificant spicy strip create? It’s not like it was capable of causing a ripple and revolutionizing the food industry, or empowering its host to operate a chain of restaurants and become the wealthiest person in the Great Yuan Dynasty. Such a scenario was highly improbable.
“That’s more than I could ask for. Some rough guidance on the recipe will do, since it is a contemporary snack which contains certain ingredients not available in the current era.”
As the lone individual and system conversed along the journey, they came across an individual who was sprawled out on the ground in their path. Su Jin frowned as she disembarked the carriage and approached the body.
“Hey, wake up, old man.”
Su Jin had mixed feelings as she observed the elderly man with white hair, whose breathing was normal and eyelids hinted at obvious movements beneath them.
(At least put in a little more effort in the act to appear convincing? Do your eyes have a separate consciousness of their own?)
As the man showed no signs of budging, Su Jin decided to change her route and headed back to her carriage.
Shortly after she resumed on a different path, the elderly man, who was previously prone on the ground, abruptly darted to the front of her new path with incredible speed, before stumbling and laying down flat in her path again.
There were no more doubts at this point.
This was obviously a fake porcelain bumper scam! A poorly executed one at that.
“If you have something to say, old man, make it quick. It’s almost dark and I have to hurry home for dinner.”
As soon as the old man heard the word “dinner”, he immediately sprang to his feet. Su Jin almost thought her eyes had played a trick on her. The old man moved with agility that surpassed that of a healthy youth.
“Hungry, time to dine.” The old man acted pitifully in front of Su Jin.
There was no way Su Jin could abandon an elderly in such a state. Although she had no qualms in going all out to squash scumbags, she was at a total loss as to how to handle this elder.
She let out a sigh of defeat and gave up.
“Where do you live, I’ll send you home.”
Su Jin spoke to the elderly man in a gentle manner, as she noticed his plain clothes and grey hair.
“I don’t remember.”
“Do you not remember where you live, or have you lost your memory?”
“I don’t remember anything. Hungry, time to dine.” The old man shook his head and looked at Su Jin again with pitiful eyes.
(Time to dine? Where did he come from to be able to speak in such an archaic manner?)
“Okay, okay, I concede. Let’s go, I’ll bring you back with me in the meantime until I find your family. People don’t just magically appear from thin air anyway.”
Su Jin stepped forward and was ready to assist the old man up the carriage, but to her surprise, he nimbly sprang aboard the carriage with a single leap and made himself comfortable beside the window, acting as though he owned the place.
Su Jin: “……”
TL Corner: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Do let me know in the comments or discord if there are any errors or mistakes.
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