Yu Mao wanted to act ignorant, but Auntie Wang reminded him.
“There’s a child who’s asking for buns!”
Auntie Wang was soft-hearted and couldn’t bear to ignore Helian Beifang who was wearing such battered clothes. He was clearly a child from a poor family.
“Huh?”
Yu Mao turned and looked toward Helian Beifang.
“Uncle, please give me another basket of buns.”
Helian Beifang spoke up with great vigor.
When Yu Mao heard the amount he asked for, his brows raised and he refused with a bad temper. “There’s no more!”
“No more?”
Helian Beifang frowned. “Didn’t the food voucher write that we can eat everything we want?”
“Yes, but how much have you eaten?”
Yu Mao wasn’t someone unreasonable. (If you were to ask for one or two, I’d give them to you. But you’re asking for one basket of it, who’d be able to take it?)
(Isn’t it tiring for the people making the buns?)
Yu Mao did a calculation. This barbaric young man had eaten ten baskets’ worth. After Sun Mo became the logistics department head, his expectations for food became very strict.
Meat buns’ fillings must be at least two-thirds in volume. Although everyone didn’t know what two-thirds meant, to make it simple, the meat must be twice the amount of vegetables.
To speak the truth, one wouldn’t be able to find a second place in the whole of Jinling that could provide buns with such full fillings. The kitchen workers would often bring a few of them back home with them after work as they were really satiating.
Helian Beifang’s face flushed up. It was true that he had eaten a lot.
“Leave, leave! They are sold out!”
Yu Mao urged. (These northern barbarians are really stinky. Did they sleep in the sheep pen every day?)
Helian Beifang lowered his head and left. However, he hadn’t walked far away when he heard a girl’s sweet voice.
“Uncle Yu, give me two buns!”
Helian Beifang couldn’t help but turn back. After all, the voices of girls from the south sounded really nice. He wanted to see how she looked. He then saw the uncle opening the steam basket and took out another two buns.
“Thank you, Uncle!”
The girl walked away, but Helian Beifang didn’t check her appearance. Instead, he stared at the steaming basket as it was half-filled with buns and emitting piping hot steam.
A fragrance was drifting to his nose.
Helian Beifang’s countenance changed and he felt that he had been humiliated. Therefore, he took big strides and dashed up to Yu Mao.
“Aren’t there still a lot left? Why did you say that they were sold out?”
Helian Beifang bellowed.
Yu Mao couldn’t keep his face up to have his lie exposed in public. He wasn’t a weak person and bellowed back in an even louder voice.
“Why the hell are you bellowing?” With a bang, Yu Mao smashed his fist onto the table. “Why? You want to beat me up?”
Given Yu Mao’s long experience as an old dog, he was not only thick-skinned but was also good at changing the topic.
“I didn’t think of beating you up!”
Helian Beifang’s face flushed up. “I only want to know why you lied to me about there being no buns left!”
“Then why are you bellowing so loudly? You’re even grabbing onto your blade. Did you want to kill me?”
Yu Mao tried to avert the topic.
“Answer my question.”
Helian Beifang bellowed. The reason he grabbed onto his blade was purely a habit of the barbarians. After all, on the plains, people would draw their blades and fight with every disagreement.
Talk reason?
Sorry, fighting was talking reason. The person with the biggest fists would be the one who was right.
To speak the truth, Helian Beifang had become a lot more restrained. When he first headed south, he had been through many fights.
“You’re just someone who’s out to scam for food and drinks. Not only are you eating food from the Central Province Academy, but you also want to beat someone up? Who gave you the guts to do that?”
Yu Mao was very crafty. He elevated the contradiction to the school level.
The students who ate in the canteen had only wanted to take a look when they heard the commotion. However, when they heard the words ‘Central Province Academy’, they instantly got up and gushed over.
In this era, students had a strong sense of belonging to their school. Moreover, with the Central Province Academy advancing to the ‘C’ grade, the students felt even prouder and regarded it as their greatest glory.
Upon hearing that there was someone creating trouble in the school, they immediately felt infuriated.
When everyone gathered over and saw that it was a barbarian young man, they showed even greater hostility.
In the students’ knowledge, the tribesmen from the north were b*stards who were rough, barbaric, and only knew of killing and seizing. They didn’t work in production labor and would always head south to snatch crops, food, and women.
Helian Beifang was still considered lucky. After all, Jiangnan hadn’t been invaded by the northern barbarians yet. If he was in Jing Province, the guys from the northern borders would have beaten him up.
Helian Beifang watched the surroundings warily, grabbing on the handle of his blade even tighter.
“Didn’t you want buns? There!”
Yu Mao grabbed a bun and smashed it at Helian Beifang’s head.
Pa!
The bun rolled down.
“Eat it. Eat it and then scram! Our Central Province Academy doesn’t need barbarians like you who don’t know any etiquette!”
Hearing Yu Mao’s bellow, Helian Beifang drew his blade.
Clank!
“Don’t waste food!”
Helian Beifang let out a furious bellow like a bloodthirsty lone wolf. “I might not know any etiquette, but I’ll study seriously. I won’t be like you, judging someone based on their own preferences.”
“Oh, you want to fight?”
Yu Mao shouted loudly, “You’re too much! Do you know what place this is? This is the ‘C’ grade famous school, the Central Province Academy. You dare behave so atrociously? Don’t you want to live anymore?
“Put down your blade!”
“Put down your blade! Otherwise, don’t blame us for not holding back!”
“How dare you draw your blade in school! Let’s take him down first before we talk!”
The students were very enraged. They kicked up a fuss and wanted to make a move.
In this situation, it was even harder for Helian Beifang to put down his blade. He even slashed it around as a demonstration.
Just as the situation was getting out of hand, a dignified voice rang throughout the canteen.
“Be quiet!”
Swoosh!
As this voice rang out, a golden light halo spread. Even if they were unwilling, everyone still shut up.
It was because this was Profound Words. It forcibly ordered others to do as told.
Sun Mo made a path through the crowd and walked in.
An Xinhui was next to him and she couldn’t help but throw a glance at Sun Mo. (You’re using your great teacher halo so skillfully!)
After five seconds, Sun Mo removed the Profound Words.
“Good afternoon, Headmaster An!”
“Good afternoon, Teacher Sun!”
Over 300 students present lowered their heads in unison, bowing to greet respectfully.
“Good afternoon!”
An Xinhui nodded.
“What’s going on?”
Sun Mo assessed Helian Beifang and then threw a glance at Yu Mao. “Auntie Wang, you go on!”
Auntie Wang was about to speak up when Sun Mo spoke out again.
“I’ll ask three people. If the three of you don’t say the same things, I’ll fire the one who exaggerates things.”
Auntie Wang shivered. She no longer dared to side with Yu Mao and could only speak the truth.
Cold sweat dripped down furiously from Yu Mao’s forehead. He couldn’t help but glare at Auntie Wang. (Where’s your usual intimacy when you flirt around with me and receive rouge as well as powder from me?)
Auntie Wang also felt very helpless. (Yang Cai and Zhang Hanfu were both done in by Sun Mo. I’m just someone who works in the kitchen!)
“Sun Mo, you’re the logistics department head. Why don’t you handle this?”
An Xinhui passed the authority to Sun Mo. After all, this was his territory.
“You’re the headmaster. You do it!”
Sun Mo rejected.
An Xinhui looked toward Sun Mo and instantly understood his intention. Sun Mo’s reputation was already very great and there wasn’t a need for him to build up his reputation even further.
However, things were different for her. To speak the truth, her presence as the headmaster was very weak. She had been completely covered up by Sun Mo’s glow.
An Xinhui cast a grateful glance at Sun Mo and said, “Master Yu, what else do you have to say?”
Ding!
Favorable impression point from An Xinhui +100. Reverence (28,500/100,000).
Hearing the notification, Sun Mo knew that An Xinhui had understood and appreciated his kind intention. However, wasn’t her character too good?
To speak the truth, if Sun Mo was the one speaking up, he’d call out the person’s name directly and not call him Master Yu politely.
Plop!
Yu Mao knew that An Xinhui was soft-hearted, so he dropped to his knees before he said anything. “Headmaster, I was left with no choice. The workers making buns in the kitchen can’t keep up with the speed. I can’t possibly give all the buns to him alone, right?”
“I have to let the students who came to visit our school know how good our food is. There might even be geniuses who choose to stay because the buns taste good.”
“Moreover, he has eaten a lot!”
Helian Beifang retorted, “That’s rubbish! You just look down on me because I’m from the tribe and purposely didn’t want to give me buns.”
An Xinhui was very smart and instantly understood Yu Mao’s intentions. He did look down on Helian Beifang a little, but this was mostly because he was lazy.
“Master Yu, do you know your mistake?”
An Xinhui asked.
The students around fell quiet, waiting for An Xinhui’s judgment.
“Headmaster An, I know my mistake, but I don’t have any other choice. We must ensure there is enough food during the student recruitment meet. If I were to sell out all of the buns, not only me, but the people who are making buns until their hands are swollen will have their salaries deducted.”
Yu Mao kowtowed to admit his mistake. He knew that if he were to make his story sound more sorry, An Xinhui would definitely let him off.
“Yu Mao, don’t try to run away when you meet problems. You should be finding ways to resolve it!”
An Xinhui said, “There aren’t enough buns? Then you can recommend him to eat dumplings and wontons. Why do you have to say that there are no more buns?”
“Although you’re just a worker, when you’re standing here, you’re doing so as a member of the Central Province Academy. You are also a representative of the school’s image.”
Helian Beifang couldn’t help but look toward An Xinhui.
This lady who was more beautiful than his mother, the most beautiful lady in the tribe, could actually say something so intelligent?
That was true. If that Yu Mao had done as she suggested, this conflict wouldn’t have happened.
“Yu Mao, you’ll have ten days of your salary deducted. Go reflect on yourself!”
After An Xinhui said that, she looked toward the other workers. “I know that it has been hard on you guys these few days. Your salary for this month will be three times as much.”
The other workers had felt spooked when they saw Yu Mao getting punished, but when they heard An Xinhui’s reward, all of them immediately looked elated.
All of them came from poor families and weren’t afraid of hard work. They were only scared that they wouldn’t get paid.
“Headmaster An, don’t worry. I’ll break the legs of anyone who dares to slack!”
“Headmaster An, just watch. I guarantee that the students will want to live in the canteen after having my Eight Treasure Congee.”
“What are you guys still standing here for? Go and work!”
The workers started talking noisily, instantly filled with vigor.
Watching those workers looking at her with heartfelt respect, An Xinhui suddenly felt very satisfied. After all, it had been three years, yet she had never truly earned these people’s trust.
They might respect her previously, but it was only in view of her status.
“As compensation, young man, you can eat in the school’s canteen for a month or receive 1,000 silver taels!”
An Xinhui looked at Helian Beifang. This young man looked malnourished, but he had a strong pride.
“Is this charity?”
Helian Beifang’s lips twitched.
Of course An Xinhui wouldn’t hold it against a child. She tilted her head slightly toward Sun Mo.
“Little Momo, thank you!”
An Xinhui thanked him in a soft voice. If Sun Mo didn’t seize power and earned so much money, making the school richer, An Xinhui wouldn’t dare to suggest offering three times the workers’ salary.
“Cough cough! Please hold on!”
An Xinhui stopped the people who were going to leave and then looked toward Sun Mo. “Department Head Sun, do you have anything else to say?”
“Nothing. Everyone can just be dismissed!”
Sun Mo looked toward Yu Mao and Helian Beifang. “The two of you, come with me!”
In the crowd, Qin Yaoguang was slurping on noodles while watching the commotion. When he saw Sun Mo walking toward a private room, she followed after them.
An Xinhui closed the door to the room and pulled out a chair, letting Sun Mo sit.
At the sight of this scene, Yu Mao’s brows raised abruptly, thinking to himself how this was great gossip. Even though An Xinhui was the headmaster, she clearly held Sun Mo in great respect.
“Yu Mao, you’re fired!”
Sun Mo went straight to the point.
“Huh?”
Yu Mao was stunned.
“Go and collect your salary for the month. You’ll be able to leave after that.”
Sun Mo’s voice was icy-cold.
“Don’t!”
Yu Mao panicked and he dropped to his knees, kowtowing hard to Sun Mo. “Department Head, don’t fire me. I have elderly and children to take care of at home. They’ll die of hunger!”
Helian Beifang was surprised. He then looked at how Yu Mao’s forehead was red and couldn’t help but feel pity for him. He knew how terrifying it was if a poor guy like him were to suddenly lose his source of income.
“If you continue to kowtow, I’ll fire all of the people who are responsible for making buns!”
Sun Mo bellowed coldly.
Yu Mao instantly froze up.
“This guy is so ruthless!”
Helian Beifang looked at Sun Mo in surprise.
Just as Yu Mao was feeling despair, Sun Mo spoke up, “However, if this young man forgives you, then I’ll let you stay!”
“Young man, I was wrong. Can you forgive me?”
Yu Mao kept kowtowing toward Helian Beifang, with snot and tears flowing down his face.
“I… I…”
This barbarian young man had never felt so at a loss and terrified before, even when he had been facing extremely vicious bandits. It was because he only knew to slash people and not forgive them.
But in the end, Helian Beifang still let Yu Mao off.
“You should go out first!”
After Sun Mo let Yu Mao leave, he looked toward this barbarian young man. “As expected, you’re a kindhearted young man!”
Helian Beifang was not used to suddenly being praised like this.
“Since our Central Province Academy says that the food is free to eat, then they are free to eat. There’s no need for you to care about how poultry, fish, and meat are expensive. Just feel free to eat them.”
Sun Mo smiled. “The amount of money spent is something that we should be concerned about, not you!”
Hearing this, Helian Beifang was stunned. His eyes then turned red.
Until now, he hadn’t said anything for himself, explaining why he had eaten so many buns. However, this great teacher understood him.
It was because buns with fillings were only slightly more expensive than plain buns. However, they were definitely not worth as much as poultry, fish, or meat. Even if he were to eat a lot of them, it wouldn’t cost much.
To put it simply, Helian Beifang was someone conservative with money.
Many students who came to check out the school would try all kinds of dishes. Some children who didn’t get to eat much meat in a year would even stuff their mouths with meat dishes.
Ding!
Favorable impression points from Helian Beifang +50. Prestige connection initiated. Friendly (100/1,000).
“Go on, no need to be reserved. Eat whatever you want to eat. Our Central Province Academy is definitely generous toward students.”
Sun Mo walked up to Helian Beifang and looked at his eyes. “And it’s fine if other people look down on you, but you should never feel inferior.”
“I didn’t feel inferior!”
Helian Beifang retorted.
“Then why was it that the first thing you thought of was that Yu Mao had looked down on you because you’re a barbarian? Not because he is slacking? In the end, your heart is actually very sensitive and doubtful. You feel inferior because of your status as a barbarian.”
The first year Sun Mo was in university, he had experienced the same thing. Some students who came from villages would feel a strong sense of inferiority, and the others who were born with a silver spoon in their mouths would feel that they were superior to others.
After looking at the news on the Internet, even the trashy westerners who couldn’t make a living in their own country and had come to China to do so found it easy to sleep with women there.
There wasn’t a need for them to woo. A lot of women wanted to hook up with them.
Some people had been kneeling for too long that even their kneecaps had turned soft.
“I… I…”
Helian Beifang’s face flushed up. It was because his true feelings had been exposed by Sun Mo.
Sun Mo put out his index finger and poked Helian Beifang’s chest strongly “Remember, what will get people to respect you isn’t your origin, but your talent and strength!”
Buzz!
The golden light halo radiated out. Priceless Advice erupted.
An Xinhui was stunned, not expecting Sun Mo to say this. However, his words sounded very rebellious. If members of the royalty were to hear of it, there’d be the risk of having one’s head chopped off.
It was because members of the royalty were born to enjoy a higher status than other people.
Helian Beifang was clearly shaken by these words. His world perspectives were dealt a tremendous impact, and he didn’t know what to say. After moving his lips, he dropped to his knees.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
He made three loud kowtows.
Ding!
Favorable impression points from Helian Beifang +100. Friendly (150/1,000).
“What do you want to eat?”
After Helian Beifang left, Sun Mo flipped through the menu.
“Sun Mo, you shouldn’t say what you did earlier recklessly outside!”
An Xinhui reminded him solemnly.
“En, I know. The Heavenly Celestial Dragons[1] in this world are quite amazing.”
Sun Mo’s mouth twitched.
“Heavenly Celestial Dragons?”
An Xinhui was stunned. What were those?
“Sister Xinhui, you’re too soft-hearted. The way of capitalists would be to fire Yu Mao!”
Sun Mo teased.
Meow meow meow?
An Xinhui was perplexed.
“By firing Yu Mao, not only can you save salary, but you can also instill fear in the other workers. At least for a while, they’d definitely work hard.”
Sun Mo smiled. “Moreover, a vacant position could be used to do someone a favor or to bribe others.”
The jobs in the Central Province Academy were well paid, and they were very attractive to ordinary citizens. If Sun Mo were to give it to Li Gong, he’d definitely be able to earn a big sum of money from it. If he was a little more black-hearted, he might even get to sleep with a widow.
“Then why did you let Yu Mao off?”
An Xinhui felt very curious.
“I already said that if he continued to kowtow, I’ll fire everyone responsible for making buns. He stopped after that. This showed that he wasn’t selfish.”
Sun Mo shrugged.
“The reason you let that young man decide whether Yu Mao will get to stay or leave is just to bring up the Central Province Academy’s reputation further. If Yu Mao continued to kowtow, even if the young man forgave him, you’d still fire him in another few days, right?”
An Xinhui asked.
“That’s right!”
Sun Mo nodded. “Alright, let’s eat. I’m hungry!”
Compassion wouldn’t help to keep an army in check. This saying wasn’t just suitable in the army.
(It’s no wonder people are calling you Black Doggy Sun. Other than lashing out at people, aren’t you a little black-hearted as well? But I admire that!)
Next to the private room, Qin Yaoguang leaned against the wall and finished her noodles. She spun her chopsticks, wearing an interested expression. Sun Mo was really interesting.
Then should she be going over to acknowledge him as her teacher?
[1] Reference from One Piece, a Japanese manga.
