A Leisurely and Extravagant Life - Chapter 15

Chapter 15: Teaching the Lady Teacher a Lesson

Seeing that the rice was only slightly burnt, Luo Tianwang actually smiled—since it wasn’t too bad.

It wouldn’t affect the food much; at worst, it just meant there was a layer of crispy rice at the bottom. He loved that, and would’ve been happy if it burned a little more.

As soon as Xiao Chunxiu came back, she smelled it. “Burnt! Burnt!” she exclaimed, then seeing the fire in the stove already out, she gave her grandson a reproachful look. “You ran off to look at the loaches and forgot the rice, didn’t you?”

“Crispy rice tastes good,” Tianwang replied, not feeling guilty at all.

“Too much of that is hard to digest. It’s a waste of grain too. If your great-grandmother were still alive, she would’ve scolded you for being wasteful. When I first joined this family, I burned the rice once and got scolded so harshly I couldn’t lift my head. You young people nowadays wouldn’t stand it.” Remembering her early days as a daughter-in-law, Chunxiu sighed with emotion.

“What’s the point of telling that to a child?” Luo Baolin cut her off. He couldn’t bear to hear his wife talk about his late mother. Even though she was long gone, buried and turned to dust, he still couldn’t stand it.

“This morning, Jingzhi passed by our pond on her way to cut pig grass,” Tianwang said.

“Ah, that poor girl, such a hard fate. You mustn’t bully her, understand? Xiao Xia is truly cruel. When the girl’s real mother wanted to take her away, she wouldn’t allow it. She wouldn’t let her go, yet she doesn’t treat her like family either. Calls herself an aunt but acts without a shred of kindness. Doing such heartless things… one day she’ll face retribution.” Chunxiu couldn’t help adding a few sharp words.

“Don’t meddle in other people’s affairs. Tianwang, don’t you ever repeat this outside,” Baolin warned.

“Okay.” Tianwang nodded.

Knowing her grandson loved crispy rice, Chunxiu scooped the rice out of the pot carefully without breaking the golden crust. She stoked the fire again, then pried the whole sheet of crispy rice out.

Eating it was simple—you just grabbed a piece while it was hot and crunchy. No seasoning or side dish was needed; the fragrance of rice alone was delicious.

Of course, you could also dry it out and fry it in oil—then it would be even crispier, with a rich flavor.

Meanwhile, Baolin had brought back another bowl of loaches. He asked Tianwang whether they were to be eaten or raised. But before he could finish, Tianwang had already taken the bowl and dashed to the pond.

“Well, so much for eating loach anymore.” Baolin chuckled helplessly.

“Why’d you even ask? If it were me, I’d fry them right away and see if he eats them or not,” Chunxiu muttered. She worried about her grandson’s growth, loach was highly nutritious. But Tianwang was obsessed with raising them; no matter how many they brought home, he always dumped them back into the pond.

At the pond’s edge, just as he was about to pour them in, Tianwang worried they might’ve been injured during capture. Quickly, he formed a character and merged it into the bowl. At once, the already lively loaches thrashed about even more energetically, as if injected with raw energy. Only then did he pour them with the water into the pond.

Just like before, instead of swimming away, the loaches lingered. The pond’s resident loaches gathered too, and the two groups clashed, the water bubbling as if boiling. Luckily, loaches had no claws or teeth, so their fight couldn’t last.

Soon, they mingled together. Still, Tianwang was anxious, thrusting his hand into the water to stir things up. Immediately, all the loaches crowded around his small hand. The dark water seemed filled with wriggling fish. If he cast a net, it would surely be brimming full.

“Tianwang! Hurry back for breakfast, or you’ll be late!” Baolin shouted.

Tianwang scrambled back. His bowl was heaped with a chunk of crispy rice, a fried egg on top, and several pieces of meat.

Afraid of being late, he wolfed it down in big bites. With strong teeth and a healthy appetite, he polished off the bowl completely.

On the way to school, he ran into Luo Jingzhi.

She was walking while quietly sobbing, wiping tears with her sleeve.

“Jingzhi, why are you crying? Hurry, or we’ll be late,” Tianwang asked curiously. Normally, she was never late.

“My aunt burned my homework notebook in the stove. I didn’t finish my homework today,” she said sadly.

“No problem, I’ll give you some of mine. There’s still time before class.” Tianwang pulled a few notebooks from his bag and handed them to her.

“What about you?” she asked gratefully.

“I don’t do homework anyway, and the teacher doesn’t say anything. I’ll just sleep in class.” Sleeping had already become his privilege.

Jingzhi looked at him in shock. “Tianwang, have you been pretending to sleep all this time?”

“No.” He shook his head. He’d truly never pretended.

“Then… are you better now?” she pressed.

Scratching his head, Tianwang sighed. Why did girls have so many questions? Still, he answered patiently, “I don’t know. Don’t ask anymore—just hurry to class and do the homework.”

“And you?” she asked again.

His eyes widened. “If you keep nagging, I’ll hit you!”

Startled, Jingzhi flinched and bolted into the classroom.

Tianwang burst out laughing behind her.

“I knew it—you little rascal, always pretending to sleep.” An unfriendly voice rang out.

It was Teacher Cheng Yulian.

“Teacher Cheng, why did you let Luo Zejun splash water on me the other day? If I caught a cold, I’d hold you responsible. I’m sick, everyone in Hemawan knows it. If my illness got worse, I’d move right into your house to eat and sleep. The principal can’t cover for you—I’d take it to the school district. Somewhere, there has to be justice.” Tianwang wasn’t afraid of her at all.

Being stared down by him made Cheng Yulian uneasy. His eyes were too bright, as if they could see through her.

“When did I ever tell him to splash you with water?” she stammered.

Tianwang noticed her flustered look and pressed harder. “The education bureau clearly forbids corporal punishment. And I’m sick! You were deliberately trying to make me worse.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about! Don’t think I don’t see through you, you’re just faking being sick!” Cheng Yulian snapped, then hurried away.

Everyone in Hemawan knew about his illness—even in Shuikou Town. If the matter reached the school district, she really wouldn’t win. If his family clung to it, she’d be in real trouble.

Just then, Zhao Pingshui emerged from the nearby toilet. “Luo Tianwang, looks like you’re getting better. You even dare bully the lady teacher now.”

With a smile on his face, Zhao’s stance was unclear, and Tianwang didn’t dare speak.

“Come on, let’s get back to class. It’s about to start.” Zhao Pingshui said cheerfully.

Relieved, Tianwang darted toward the classroom.