It all started with one person becoming a shaman, but the Stand user...

The passing of an ordinary old man, in the face of the overwhelming inertia of daily life, eventually caused ripples that quickly subsided.

The village has returned to its former rhythm.

Only after meals or over tea will people talk about it, occasionally sighing and reminiscing.

At Qinghe Miao's family's dining table, the family sat around a small low table on the kang (a heated brick bed) to eat.

Simple home-cooked meals also led to casual conversations.

From a young age, many elderly people teach children to "not speak while eating or sleeping," attempting to mold their descendants into what they consider to be polite.

Unfortunately, very few elders can actually do that.

Role models and society mold children into what they are supposed to be.

So, Qinghe Miao was different; he simply ignored the matter.

As they talked, Qing's mother's words unconsciously circled back to what had happened a few days ago.

"Isn't that right? Look how fragile a person's life is? They can be gone in an instant. They may not have a glamorous life, but in the end, they're just like everyone else."

She picked up a piece of food with her chopsticks, her gaze falling on her son, and said in a tone that was not very pleasing to parents:

"So, from now on, our family is counting on you to succeed. You have to study hard, get into a good university. When you're successful, you can live a good life and bring honor to your grandparents and us, and enjoy a good life."

"Mom, what you're saying... actually sounds quite strange. Many of the conditions don't make sense, and there's no cause-and-effect relationship."

It sounded even stranger, especially to Qing Hemiao, who had traveled from the future.

He stopped picking and choosing among the food, looked up, and corrected him, counting on his fingers:

"Studying hard mainly brings you emotional value, and that's only during the period until you get into university. If you want to continue enjoying that, you'd better make the most of these next two years."

As for what you mean by 'living a good life,' that's a different matter entirely; it requires other skills. Fortunately, I'm not lacking in that area. However, it's not the kind you're imagining. And as for extracting emotional value from normal society, you'll probably have to work hard for that yourself.”

"He doesn't know anything else, all he can do is argue!"

Qing's mother scoffed, still clinging to her own truth:

"If you study hard and become educated, you'll have the skills, right? Why worry about not being able to earn money or live a good life?"

"In the future, the key to living a basic good life is having money."

Qinghe Miao smiled and explained calmly:

"Studying hard mainly has the effect of reading books. These are two lines that cannot be corroborated by each other."

"How old are you, always talking about money?"

Qing's mother got a little carried away and resorted to the old-fashioned methods, starting by labeling him:

"After you graduate from university, find an office job. It won't be any easier than us making money."

This kind of dialogue is not good for educating children.

However, this is not Qingmu's fault.

Humans are creatures that are influenced by their environment.

Having witnessed such conversations, experienced such environments, and seen how effective this way of speaking is, they will naturally imitate it.

"First of all, making money while sitting in an office isn't easy; everyone has their own hardships. Secondly, when people suffer, they should find ways to enjoy something sweet, rather than comparing which tastes better."

Qinghe Miao has a lot to say on this point.

Before the economic downturn in his previous life, aside from feeling uncomfortable, he didn't realize there was anything wrong with what he said.

Now, pointing to himself, he continued:

"Also, the kind of social mobility you mentioned, from rural to urban, doesn't actually require having someone like me. As long as you have a filial son or grandson who isn't such a beast, and follow the normal upward mobility path in today's society, and after getting into university, as long as you don't get involved in any messy things, you can basically achieve it."

This is the kind of social advancement you often mention, the kind that involves 'changing one's fate,' which is far from the kind of comfortable life you imagine. Hmm… let's take a very direct example of this difference: do you know what a fast-food mini steamed bun is?

It's addictive to persuade others to accept your worldview.

As Qinghe Miao spoke, he became interested and decided to give some practical examples.

After all, his personality will inevitably be influenced by his bloodline in this world in the future, but he does not want to be bound by his bloodline at this time.

It's best to broaden the horizons of your family members and change their mindset in advance so that they can have an easier time in the future.

"What is it?"

The mother asked curiously, clearly having never eaten such a thing before.

"It's a kind of small steamed bun made in a factory, using refined flour, so it's especially soft. It might also have milk or something added, so it has a milky aroma. It's usually about the size of a palm."

Qinghe Miao described it as specifically as possible:

"They are usually stored frozen. When you want to eat them, you can put them on a shelf and they'll be ready in five or six minutes, which is very convenient. A bag contains about a dozen of them and costs around thirty yuan."

"Ugh! I thought it was something amazing!"

The mother, who had been a little nervous, immediately relaxed after hearing the story:

"It's just a small steamed bun! What's so special about it? If you want some, we can grind the flour finer and add milk later, then we can make it ourselves!"

"This thing is nothing special."

Qinghe Miao nodded in agreement, then changed the subject:

"But do you know what? This thing actually already exists at this point in time. Some people have made it a part of their normal diet to make breakfast for school or work."

Don't even mention that nobody in our rural areas has ever eaten it; even supermarkets in towns hardly stock it anymore. Only some supermarkets in major cities sell it as a regular product.

He sighed, his gaze sweeping over his parents and grandparents at the dinner table, trying to sketch out a part of this world for them.

"The difference is not just about thirty dollars, but about the difference in 'cognition' and 'ability to bear'."

Actually, with conditions gradually improving in recent years, even for our family, it's possible to incorporate this into our regular diet.

Qinghe Miao snapped his fingers and concluded:

"But for you, things that you can make yourself, trading time and taste for extra expenses, are a waste."

Forget about wanting to buy it; you'd have to go through the trouble of finding it. Even if I did manage to buy it for you someday, you'd just treat it as a novelty and feel bad about wasting money.

Chapter 42: The Difference Is Not Big

"And this will inevitably lead to the loss of emotional value in the family atmosphere due to negative emotions. It is not worth a family's obsession with food."

Qinghe Miao waved his finger and spoke eloquently:

"Among them, those families who can afford this kind of consumption very naturally without causing any mental damage are some of the social classes that can be crossed through schooling."

For our family to reach that state, we'll have to wait another eight or nine years for society to develop. These things will be everywhere. Once you've adapted, I'll have formal social status. That's the difference.

He concluded by saying:

"The bigger difference is that the people you imagine who truly live a good life don't even eat these small steamed buns. Instead, they treat shark fin, abalone, and imported steak with the same attitude—things you've probably only heard of. This kind of leap in social status isn't achieved through education, or rather, only a very small number of people can achieve it through education."

"Well, at least you've gone up a floor! Otherwise, what are you planning to do?"

Qing's mother was so overwhelmed by his long speech that she couldn't discern right from wrong, and could only say in an annoyed tone.

Perhaps the family members understood part of it, but since it involved areas beyond their control, they pretended not to understand it completely.

He was also concerned about saving face and didn't want to admit defeat at the end of the conversation.

They immediately used a parental blaming and definitive tone to end the casual conversation.

Qinghe Miao's explanations and analyses, which many people yearn to see from the perspective of the future, are essentially meaningless.

In fact, it was just casual conversation, to broaden the horizons of my family.

This will ensure that he won't be hindered by his family when he does things in the future.

Therefore, he was mentally prepared and not disappointed. He picked up a piece of food, calmly changed the subject, and continued the conversation:

"Then I plan to... maybe come back to live in the village after I graduate from university."

"Go back to live in the village?"

Qing's mother thought her son was too young and was just talking nonsense.

There's no reason why someone would go through all the hardships of getting into a foreign country only to come back in the end.

He then mocked:

"Is that all the ambition you have? The whole family is counting on you to make something of yourself, to go out and make your way in the world. To take us with you and let us see the world! If you can just get us off this world peacefully, we'll be lucky to be filial!"

They're still using the old-fashioned tactics, and that's when they start moral blackmailing.

"Mom, in the future, the infrastructure will be so advanced that as long as you have money, you can enjoy it anywhere."

Qinghe Miao smiled helplessly and put down his chopsticks:

"As long as there is any value to be gained, even if you do nothing, people will still send you money. You've seen TV dramas, your son's talent, if placed in ancient times, would at least be on the level of Zhang Jiao, Zhuge Liang, Yuan Tiangang, Xu Shilin, or Liu Bowen."

Even if I don't ascend to immortality in the future, I will undoubtedly be the next person second only to the Emperor in the next few decades. At that time, not to mention my extraordinary skills in life, I wouldn't have to suffer even if I spent my whole life farming. Even if there really is a day a hundred years from now, the funeral procession will probably be a grand spectacle of a grandmaster, with the gentle breeze and bright moon leading the way, the messenger of death seeing me off, two rows of ox-headed and horse-faced guardians, and the Five Immortals escorting me! Death might be more glorious than life!

Such words can only be spoken when one is young and one's parents are in a good mood.

If someone is older, or if they end up in a family with a bad temper and a tendency towards domestic violence, they will inevitably be beaten if they dare to act so recklessly.

Therefore, everyone at the dinner table felt uncomfortable listening to this.

But we just took it as the innocent words of a child.

Qing's mother took the opportunity to scold him and tell him not to talk nonsense.

They also used this method to declare their victory.

Just then, Qingye, who had been quietly eating, suddenly asked with some curiosity:

"Xiao Miao, what were you saying about... the world after you left? What's it like? Or is there really such a battle?"

"Don't talk nonsense."

After listening, Qing's father raised his head and complained to Qing's grandfather, and also glanced at Qing Hemiao.

Unlike his previous uninhibited manner, Qing Hemiao now dared not speak, and smiled shyly.

"It's all just random talk. Even for me, it's impossible to say exactly how far I'll end up."

Grandpa Qing didn't ask any more questions. Qing Hemiao quickly finished the last few mouthfuls of rice in his bowl, put down his chopsticks, and said to his parents:

"I'm done eating. I still have to go up the mountain to practice my skills today, so I'm going now."

After saying that, he hurriedly got up, put on his coat, and left the dining table.

This ended the conversation in which the time traveler casually revealed the future.

As it turned out, just as he had said when he teased his classmates at school.

Even if it were possible to predict the future.

It's not an easy thing to convince ordinary people.

One cannot discuss ice with summer insects.

Do not easily discuss the future with people who are limited by their times and environment, even if it is beyond their scope of experience.

Because unless they actually experience it, they simply cannot imagine or understand that kind of scene.

If you force yourself to say something, you'll either be seen as crazy or a liar, or, like before, you'll only be able to start with a joke and end with ambiguity, which is futile.

The genius is on the left, the madman on the right.

"It's cold up here! Don't get cold!"

Qing's mother gave him a word of advice as she watched his retreating figure.

Now, his family has gotten used to his daily routine of "going up the mountain to practice kung fu" and often staying there for the whole day.

They naturally couldn't have imagined that once Qinghe Miao arrived at the back mountain, he found a familiar, secluded spot, and after confirming that no one was around, he entered the instance world on a whim.

In the dungeon world, it's gotten much colder in Hebei these past two days.

But the disaster victims who clung to the ruined temple continued to go about their work as usual.

Despite the freezing weather, work is still required.