Chapter 268 Where to Go (Part 2)
"Really? I started learning martial arts when I was five, and started delivering packages when I was eleven. Since then, I've been living in society and have never received compulsory education." Chu Hengkong shrugged. "Don't laugh. Ask the foreman. I guess he started working earlier than me."
Lao Fan touched his helmet and smiled awkwardly, "A few years earlier than you, I started working as a handyman in a small restaurant when I was eight."
"Yeah, that's normal. That year-old guy who's very good at math can master it in a month or two." Chu Hengkong squatted down. "But everything has its pros and cons. If you make some money early, you'll also suffer some setbacks early."
"I have the ability, so why should I be afraid of being humiliated?" Some children were not convinced.
"When I first started delivering packages, I didn't recognize many of the words on the lists," Chu Hengkong said. "But I had to deliver them. If I couldn't, the customers would go hungry, and I wouldn't get paid. So I had to stop people on the street, looking for someone who looked friendly, and ask, 'Sir, can you please tell me where this street is?'"
"I'm lucky. People are willing to tell me because I'm young. But then they look at me with disdain, thinking, 'You little idiot can't even read.' I'm really upset. I have all the skills in the world, but I have to ask for help on such a small matter. But you have to ask for help! You don't understand it yourself."
The children were all silent. Chu Hengkong continued, "This is too embarrassing. There's nothing I can do. I use my wages to buy books after get off work and read them in my rented room. ABCDEFG... I don't know how to pronounce the phonetic symbols, so learning is extremely painful. There's nothing I can do. I've never been to school. I have to spend a lot of money and time to learn things from scratch that the local children already know."
"Inspector Chu, we know we were wrong." A child whispered.
"You're not wrong, what do you mean by admitting your mistakes?" Chu Hengkong laughed. "My hometown is different from here. If you practice martial arts well and become a Transformer to protect the city, you'll be respected and honored. If you find cutting trees fun, you can become a high-level carpenter, and you'll have a bright future.
But life is different from reading a book. You only live once. I hope you will try more before deciding what to do or not to do. If you make a decision after careful consideration, I think Qingxia will support it.
The children began to murmur, and Qingxia waved her hand and announced, "Since we're already working today, let's just do our job well. We can discuss the rest after we get home from get off work!"
"Yes, Lord Blood Knight!"
Qingxia turned and walked away, and the children began to eat their boxed lunches again. Chu Hengkong helped the foreman straighten his clothes and said, "Parents may have a quick temper, please forgive me."
"It's not a problem, it's not a problem." Old Fan smiled innocently. "Even though it's Inspector, this... isn't subjective negligence... there won't be a fine, right...?"
"The relevant regulations haven't been perfected yet, so of course there won't be any fines. But next time you recruit, remember to be careful and make sure you know the age of the person before hiring them."
Chu Hengkong took two quick steps to catch up with Qingxia. The centaur girl, rarely looking worried, clung to a small tree and swayed anxiously.
"I need to discuss this with grandpa..." she began.
She scratched her head and said with a wry smile, "No, I'm the warrior leader now. I have to handle these things myself."
"That's why I never do management." Chu Hengkong shrugged.
“Should I ask other people for their opinions?”
"You could ask others for their opinions. Qisu and Ji Huaisu both have experience in management, and Fen Ya is particularly experienced. I suggest you focus on asking her," Chu Hengkong said. "But this is the settlement you lead, so the final decision always comes from you."
"Uh-huh……"
Qingxia pondered for a while, then ran away: "I need to think about it first. Thank you, Chu Hengkong!"
Chu Hengkong picked a fruit from an old tree nearby and thought that if a little child were to lead a group of children younger than her, it would be hard to say who would suffer the most.
·
The next day, Qingxia, who knocked on the door to visit, turned back into a human. After entering, she curled up on the sofa like a big cat, obviously exhausted.
"I talked to them one by one last night," Qingxia said.
"how?"
"Thirty percent of the children originally planned to study, and fifty percent decided to go to school for a few years first, working part-time while studying, and then make further plans after they have learned the basic knowledge." Qingxia muttered.
"It's much better than I thought." Chu Hengkong was surprised.
"Fen Ya told me that the elders should take the lead, so I went to the bookstore and ate a bunch of books..."
Chu Hengkong's face was stiff: "Eat?"
Qingxia had an indigestion expression. "I'm a lustful demon, so I can read information after eating it. Then, when we talked, I told them that the Blood Knight has already mastered all the knowledge you will learn, so he doesn't need to go to school. If you have my ability, you don't need to study..."
“That’s really a role model.”
"Most of the children have been persuaded. I've let those like Vita, who absolutely refuse to study, go their own way." Qingxia yawned. "Anyway, they're all very happy to learn martial arts, so I'm not worried about them wasting their time."
"If you ask me, the children in the settlement are already very worry-free. On Earth, many children don't study because they have nothing to do and don't strive for progress, but they don't study to do more meaningful things." Chu Hengkong rubbed her head. "They all came from the despair of the wilderness. After such a difficult childhood, they must know the preciousness of life. You don't need to worry too much."
"I almost messed up yesterday." Qingxia said sullenly, "If you hadn't come to help, I was going to catch them and bring them back to school."
"What Vita said is right, isn't it? You know that studying is good, but you don't know why studying is good." Chu Hengkong pointed out the problem.
"When I was in Jinye City, I saw many children studying in school. They all looked so happy, and I thought I'd let the children in the settlement live like that in the future," Qingxia said. "But that's just my opinion. They have their own ideas, too. How they live their lives is ultimately their own choice, right? They can't become like Vansalar."
"It's quite competent as a negative example."
Qingxia suddenly sat up and said, "Chu Hengkong, can you make a book about the story of Grand View Garden for me?"
"Something to print." Chu Hengkong took out his phone, connected it directly to the device and started printing. "Are you going out?"
"After talking with everyone last night, I realized the kids are all thinking about their futures. They've all changed a bit compared to before," Qingxia said. "But I'm still used to relying on others... I used to ask Grandpa when I had problems, but now I subconsciously want to come to you. I don't think that's going to work."
"After all, we are graduates of the Wilderness. We can't become people who can't fly." Qingxia smiled, "I want to challenge Wangyue too. I'll finish reading this book on the way! When we get back, I'll listen to your other stories!"
"You are very ambitious. Silar will be happy to hear it." Chu Hengkong handed her the printed manuscript. "Remember to be well prepared before going out. Stock up on medicine and food. Safety first."
Qingxia sat still, with her face slightly raised.
"...We are going to separate for a while, can you give me a gift?" the girl whispered.
Chu Hengkong hesitated for a moment, thinking that since he already had a romantic partner, it wouldn't be good to be intimate with someone else...
He was deceiving himself, he thought. He was making himself look like a gentleman. What did he mean by "others"? There were no other people.
He leaned over and kissed Qingxia's lips gently.
"Don't tell Ji Huaisu." He pinched Qingxia's pointed ears.
The tips of Qingxia's ears turned a lovely pink, and she rushed over: "Give me another one~~"
"Don't push your luck, I'm warning you."
"It's so hot in the room, I'm going to take off my clothes~"
"Miss Qingxia, I'm warning you. If you do this again, I'll kick you out! Don't take this opportunity to kiss me!"
Qingxia hugged him and cuddled with him for a long time before jumping out of the window. Chu Hengkong, with his messy hair on his head, thought that this girl needed to go out and explore the world sooner rather than later, otherwise she would never truly grow up.
Fan De was not in the dormitory this morning, leaving only a note. This guy had been leaving early and returning late for several days in a row, and no one knew what he was doing. He went downstairs to the common area and saw Qing Ye flipping through a book called "Must-Reads for Newcomers to the Resurrection Army." Seeing this, he chuckled, "Mr. Chu, you're cheating~~~"
He quickly straightened his collar: "Keep your voice down!"
"There's no need to be so cautious. Aside from the traditional Dragon Country martial artists and the Canxin, very few Transformers truly adhere to monogamy." Qing Ye said, "Instead, Mr. Chu, you're a minority because you're so traditional."
"...Do you think your sister Huaisu is in the minority or the majority?"
"I think she's of the 'too lazy to bother with this' type." Qing Ye made a scissors gesture. "By the way, I'm of the 'dating without getting married' type."
"Your view on love is even more problematic than that of a lustful demon."
"They say family can make people weak." Qing Ye closed the book. "By the way, can you give me a letter of recommendation? I want to apply for an internship in the Resurrection Corps."
Chu Hengkong was a little surprised: "These things in the city are nothing to you."
"If I went to other Dust Islands, I should be able to experience more battles. But I don't think what I lack right now is combat experience," Qing Ye said seriously. "How does society operate? What do people from all over the world think? How do ordinary people outside of Shura Island live? What do ordinary people want from life? Why do some people choose to commit crimes? Why do they approach the outsiders despite knowing the dangers? Why do they use the power of relics to take risks despite repeated warnings?
I know the answers to these questions, but I don't know them clearly. If my understanding of the world is limited to this, even the most powerful techniques and swordsmanship will not be able to change my hometown. So please, give me a chance to understand the world.
"You've thought about this much more than I have." Chu Hengkong smiled. "Do your best. I look forward to your performance."
"Yes, Inspector!" Qingye saluted playfully.
He walked downstairs and ran into Shax, who looked embarrassed. Gulibo and Jie An had bundled up two large bags for him, one on each side, and tied them to the Wheel of Judgment.
"Bon voyage, Bo!" Gulibo waved her handkerchief.
“It seems afraid that I will starve to death.” Shaxx sighed.
"A very realistic concern." Chu Hengkong commented, "What's the destination?"
"Wherever you fly to," Shax tossed over a silver metal block. "Contact me if you have any orders."
"Give me a 20% discount."
"Full price." Shax lit a cigarette. "See you somewhere in the world."
The Wheel of Judgment took off with a roar, carrying Shax toward the harbor, setting off on a journey of wandering once again. Chu Hengkong looked in the opposite direction and saw another crimson meteor flying away from Huilong City.
Everyone embarked on their own journey, just like going their separate ways after a graduation trip. He felt a little bleak, but sincerely hoped that the travelers could gain something from it.
At this time, Gulibo tugged at his trouser leg: "When are we leaving?"
"?" Chu Hengkong was stunned. "We?"
"Didn't Fan De tell you?" Gulibo had a question mark on his forehead.
Chu Hengkong then remembered that Fan De, who had left early, might have left a note in the room, but he hadn't read it because of Qing Xia's visit. He saw Ji Huaisu rushing towards him in an SUV. The Eye Demon waved its tentacles at him through the window glass: "Hold on, buddy! The ship leaves in five minutes. If you miss this, you'll have to wait three months!"
"Right away." Chu Hengkong dragged Gulibo into the car. "Where are we going?"
"I'm going to Jingsha City-State to deliver a package," Ji Qiufeng said with a smile. "Hengkong, you just said you wanted to go on vacation, so I'll take you guys along this time."
He sat in the back seat, holding the potted Fen Ya in his hands. Ji Huaisu whistled, "Hold on tight! We're going to sprint!"
"What does it mean to take with you?" Chu Hengkong noticed another problem.
"Considering the heavy karma between you and Huaisu, who knows what kind of incident you'll get involved in if you go out alone..." Ji Qiufeng waved his folding fan, "I'll go with you this time!"
"That's like a vacation." Chu Hengkong said.
"Let's go to Shenshu City for summer vacation!" Vander said happily.
The off-road vehicle sped along, reaching the deck of the dragon boat amidst the long blast of its whistle. The dragon god soared through the air, bidding farewell to the people who were setting off again with a long chant.
The aimless chat came to an end here.
A brand new story is about to begin.
(End of this chapter)
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