Seeing Luo Cang leave, Luo Jiujiang calmed down and put the gong into his storage bag. The school was completely silent, and everyone stared at each other in amazement. The sound of Luo Jiujiang's movements became even louder.
Luo Qi hesitated for a moment, then rubbed against Luo Jiujiang and said, "Brother Jiu, this... the gentleman is leaving now?" He was just angered and left?
"Can he just leave like that?" Luo Jiujiang curled his lips. "From my perspective, he's a mean-spirited person. I'll be surprised if he doesn't find a reason to punish me soon. Ah Qi, tell Qian Ling later. If it's a light punishment, ask him to bring me a meal. If it's a heavy punishment... ask him to work hard and help me pick that herb. I think it might be useful."
"Medicine?" Luo Qi was stunned for a moment, realizing that this was something he shouldn't have asked. He nodded quickly, then hesitated, "Brother Luo, if there's a severe punishment, shouldn't we inform the old lady?" "So that your grandmother can be so kind and come to the rescue?"
"No need," Luo Jiujiang said succinctly. Seeing the puzzled look on Luo Qi's face, he explained, "This is just a small matter of me disrupting class. At most, a beating will be enough. If I invite my grandmother over, it will cause too much trouble, and the news will spread far and wide, which will not benefit Qianling."
The root of this misfortune lay with Han Qianling. A small matter had escalated into something bigger. Luo Jiujiang might have been fine with some gossip behind his back, as he was known for his open-mindedness and never took it to heart. But Han Qianling's background and the rumors about him being a "bastard" were bound to be a source of gossip for a while. Luo Jiujiang didn't want to see that happen, even if Han Qianling was more forgiving.
Luo Qi opened his mouth to say something more, but the supervisor walked in from the wide-open door. He pointed at Luo Jiujiang and said, "You are disrespecting your teachers and disrupting order. You will be punished by standing in silence for three days and repenting."
The punishment is quite light. Luo Jiujiang raised his eyebrows in surprise and followed the supervisor out of the classroom. Before leaving, he patted Luo Qi on the shoulder, indicating that he should tell Han Qianling as he had just instructed.
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Han Qianling saw from afar Luo Jiujiang's back as he stood in the scorching sun as punishment.
There were many rules for standing in the classroom. They emphasized solemnity, upright posture, and deep self-reflection. Often, afterward, students were required to recite a "Self-Examination." However, Luo Jiujiang stood with such casual abandon that any supervisor who saw him would leap over and smack him with a stick.
Han Qianling didn't realize it, but the corners of his lips curved up the moment he saw Luo Jiujiang. He pulled a peanut from his sleeve, crushed the sandy shell, and lifted a peanut kernel between his fingertips. With a forceful flex, the peanut seemed to have eyes and flew towards the back of Luo Jiujiang's head.
Just as the peanut was about to pop against Luo Jiujiang's head, he suddenly turned around and stretched his neck slowly. His dark pink tongue curled in the air, and in the blink of an eye, the peanut fell into his mouth.
After chewing it twice, Luo Jiujiang smiled at Han Qianling and said, "It tastes good. Feed me another one."
There was indeed a peanut in Han Qianling's palm. He looked up at Luo Jiujiang, smiled, and without hesitation, slapped the peanut into his mouth.
"Yeah, it's delicious."
There was a hint of mischief and amusement in both of their eyes. They looked at each other for a moment and laughed in unison.
"Jiujiang." Han Qianling walked towards Luo Jiujiang and asked him, "There's a question I've been curious about for a long time. If someone made iron lotus seeds into the shape of peanuts, would you just swallow them without thinking?"
"Forget the iron lotus seeds. If I don't know anyone for no reason, even if they gave me a real peanut, would I really eat it?" Luo Jiujiang laughed. "If I want to eat food from a stranger, peanuts won't be enough. I have to give chestnuts at least... Well, speaking of chestnuts, I'm really hungry. Qianling, is there anything to eat?"
"No." Han Qianling spread his hands and said insincerely, "I only have one peanut on me, and you and I just divided it up."
"Just a peanut? Go feed it to the birds." Luo Jiujiang sighed, not even standing up, but sitting down on the ground. He reached out to the storage bag and took out a steaming, fragrant roast chicken, pulling it apart by the legs. "Okay, I'm generous, I'll give you half too."
Han Qianling didn't reach out to take the half roasted chicken dripping with oil. He looked at Luo Jiujiang helplessly and sighed, "What's in that storage bag of yours..."
Storage bags, where time doesn't flow, can indeed store fresh food. However, they're expensive, and few teenagers their age can afford them. Even if they were able to obtain a storage bag like he and Luo Jiujiang did, they'd still have to use the small space frugally. Unlike Luo Jiujiang, who keeps all sorts of things in it... roast chicken? A gong?
"What else do you want?" Luo Jiujiang took a bite of the chicken leg, patted the sword on his waist, and said indistinctly with the chicken in his mouth, "I have this old friend, it's enough for me."
This wasn't the Chen clan's ancestral tomb. When Han Qianling's talent first emerged, yet he insisted on joining the Luo clan, the Chen clan erupted in a furious uproar, intimidating and coercing him for nearly half a month. Ultimately, the Chen clan lost their right to be buried in the ancestral tomb as a result of these threats and intimidation.
Chen's burial site was rich in vegetation and water. While not exactly picturesque, the environment was pleasant enough. It was just that the tomb was deserted. Apart from Han Qianling himself, no one came to attend the funeral.
Han Qianling was carefully painting the stone tablet with gold paint. Luo Jiujiang took a glance and saw two concise and clear lines of text: "Tomb of Chen Shuhong - erected by Han Qianling".
Han Qianling retracted his wrist, drew the last stroke, placed the pen on the inkstone beside him, and turned to look at Luo Jiujiang: "Didn't you go to Mr. Luo to practice? Why are you here?"
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