Quick Transmigration: The Gossip Master Took the Black Lotus Script - Chapter 17

Shao Jing couldn’t figure it out. Had his charm gone down?

But now wasn’t the time to think about that. Seeing that the others left without even considering waiting for him, he could only swallow his frustration and hurry after them.

If he got left behind here in the middle of nowhere, who knew what strange things might pop out of the wilderness?

With that thought, his pace quickened, making him look as if he were fleeing in panic.

How far was the Back Mountain Village? Apparently, far enough that when Shao Jing was stumbling forward in total darkness, asking how much longer it would be, the uncle driving the cart still said:

“Young man, how can you do farm work with such poor health? We’re only halfway there!”

“Exactly! Quit whining already. Don’t you see how hard Uncle’s working to drive the cart?” Luo An, delighted to see Shao Jing suffer, was more than happy to throw in a few digs.

“Uncle, don’t mind him. Here, these are sunflower seeds my grandma roasted especially for me. Take a few handfuls home for your kids to try.”

The uncle, originally annoyed, was coaxed into a good mood by her few words.

“You’re a really kind girl. But let me give you a word of advice—you’d better keep good stuff like this hidden. Be careful of those shameless types trying to mooch off you.”

That little reminder meant he no longer saw Luo An as just another educated youth, but almost like one of his own juniors.

“I know. But that’s because I know you’re not that kind of person, Uncle. If it were one of those freeloaders, do you think I’d even bother with them?”

The little girl raised her chin with a proud expression that made the uncle burst into laughter, his heart warming.

Sitting nearby, Duan Jia looked at Luo An with eyes full of admiration. This girl wasn’t just pretty and reassuring—why was she also so good with words? For someone as introverted as Duan Jia, it was downright enviable.

In the original timeline, Duan Jia had worn this same expression of admiration—but for Shao Jing. Now, it was for Luo An.

Meanwhile, Shao Jing, listening to the cheerful chatter on the cart, felt like his legs were weighed down with lead. He could only drag himself forward mechanically. Just when he thought he was about to keel over, the cart finally stopped.

Looking up, he saw a pockmarked girl blushing as she said shyly, “Tired from walking? I’ll help carry your things.”

Shao Jing did like being admired by girls—but only if they were pretty. Not like this one, with her pockmarked face and sallow skin.

“No, no, I can manage myself.”

Seeing his belongings about to fall into her hands, he hurried to snatch them back. But he pulled too hard, yanking the girl to the ground. She winced, holding up her palm, which had been scraped and was now bleeding from the gravel.

The uncle leapt down from the cart at once, distressed.

“Dahua, are you alright?”

So this was his eldest daughter, Zhang Dahua, who had come to meet them at the village entrance as dusk fell. Who would have thought she’d end up falling for this scumbag Shao Jing?

In the original worldline, Zhang Dahua had also been nothing more than a tragic cannon fodder.

Since Luo An was here to punish scum, of course she wouldn’t let the chance slip by. She quickly helped the uncle lift Dahua up, and her mouth fired off like a machine gun, unloading on Shao Jing.

“Back at the commune, I thought you cared about female comrades. Who knew that as soon as you got to the village you’d show your true colors? Even if you weren’t happy about walking back, you could’ve spoken up. Why take it out on an innocent girl?”

Shao Jing: … If I’d spoken up, would it have mattered? Try asking your conscience that.

“And remember, you’re not just representing yourself. You’re one of the educated youths. Pulling this kind of stunt the moment you arrive—what do you think the villagers will think of us? What will the senior educated youths think of the newcomers?”

Her sharp words, paired with her pretty face, created a striking contrast. Only when she finished did Shao Jing, his expression dark, mutter:

“I didn’t do it on purpose…”

Luo An raised her right hand in a “pause” gesture and gave him a look full of disappointment.

“Wrong is wrong. Doesn’t matter if it was on purpose. And now you don’t even dare admit your mistake—you’re nothing but a coward.”

The crowd’s eyes on him shifted. The girl was right! If you mess up, just admit it. What kind of man hemmed and hawed like that?

Perhaps emboldened by Luo An, Duan Jia straightened her back and stepped out of the crowd, frowning at Shao Jing with nothing but disgust in her gaze.

“An’an is right. Wrong is wrong. You should apologize to Dahua.”

“Apologize! Apologize!” The kids watching the commotion started chanting, and the whole thing snowballed.

Shao Jing never imagined he’d become a public enemy the moment he arrived. If he’d known, he would’ve begged his family to have him assigned somewhere else.

But it was too late now. With all the villagers glaring, he had no choice but to swallow his anger. He muttered to Dahua in a rushed, indistinct tone, “Sorry.”

“What was that? Speak up! Didn’t you eat?”

Luo An egged on the crowd, and Shao Jing’s glare at her was venomous. Gritting his teeth, he spat each word:

“Sorry. Is that good enough for you?”

Zhang Dahua, unused to such scenes, waved her hands quickly. “It’s fine, it’s fine…”

“What do you mean it’s fine? Your hand’s injured. You’ll need some red medicine, otherwise it could get infected. How about this—Comrade Shao compensates Dahua with one yuan, and we’ll call it even. How’s that sound?”

Sound your head! A whole herd of grass-mud horses thundered through Shao Jing’s heart. One yuan for a scrape? What a scam!

He didn’t want to pay.

But with more villagers gathering, he was afraid if he refused they’d just beat him up. His mother had warned him—“In poor, remote places, watch out for cunning villagers. Always put your own safety first. Revenge can wait.”

Noticing his eyes darting around, Luo An knew he was cooking up more resentment. She gave him a pointed look and urged, “Well? Say something. Everyone’s hungry and wants to go home. No one has time to hold court for you all night.”

Left with no choice, Shao Jing painfully fished out a yuan and handed it over as if cutting out a piece of his own flesh. To everyone else, it only made him look stingy and useless.

Zhang Dahua was too embarrassed to take it, but Luo An slipped it straight into her pocket.

“Hands are a woman’s second face. Don’t you dare think this compensation is too much. If I weren’t worried you’d feel guilty, I’d have made him pay ten yuan!”

Zhang Dahua’s jaw nearly dropped. Ten yuan for a scrape? City girls really were worth so much! Unlike them village girls, whose dowries might not even reach a hundred yuan.

She felt a bit inferior, a bit envious, but in the end didn’t take the money out again.

As for Shao Jing? In the past, he’d put on a good front, charming all the village girls and young wives when he first arrived. Zhang Dahua had even fallen for him at first sight.

Now? Sure, he looked better than the average villager—but just as that pretty girl said, his character was rotten.

And the reason he hadn’t let her touch his things? She knew—he despised her.