Chapter 3 Learning to Take a Beating Is Also a Skill
It was a critical moment to save his life!
Bai Zimo didn’t hesitate for a second.
【Congratulations, Host, for obtaining: 1 cubic meter of storage space and a God-tier diving skill!】
With the blessing of the God-tier skill—Bai Zimo felt like he was breathing oxygen underwater. His mind cleared instantly, and his limbs moved freely.
Anything provided by the system was guaranteed to be top quality. The God-tier diving skill gave him a huge surprise. And a storage space was a must-have for any time traveler!
He surfaced, breathing in the fresh air greedily. Just now, he had felt like he’d been beaten from Sunday straight to the afterlife.
From the bridge above, Dahua shouted.
“Man, what the hell were you doing just now? You scared us to death!”
“Yeah, you didn’t surface for so long, we thought something happened!”
“Haha, it was hilarious! Xie Wanghe almost cried!”
“Alright, alright, I’m fine now. Couldn’t be better.”
Bai Zimo slapped the water, feeling incredibly light and agile. He even secretly collected two watermelons floating nearby using the storage space.
With the combination of the storage system and God-tier diving skills—Bai Zimo could now safely make a living in the river. He also needed to find time to properly study the rewards from the fishing system later.
Since he had a golden finger that could bring him convenience, why insist on suffering needlessly?
“Let’s go! Back home! Dahua, get off the bridge!”
“Alright, alright… let’s go home and eat watermelon!”
“Don’t forget your clothes and satchel!”
They knew every corner and alley of Huajie like the back of their hands.
Avoiding the bustling docks and the surging crowds, the five of them carried tires and watermelons, weaving through the streets and alleys back home.
Laughing and roughhousing every day, they were a well-known little gang in the neighborhood. Top-notch swimming skills, third-rate behavior, mostly catching clams, shrimp, and stealing watermelons. Summer was the happiest time for them. Bai Zimo only took two watermelons!
“I just want two today; you guys split the rest. If you don’t want to get beaten, hide the watermelons well.”
Dahua lifted his chin.
“Why do you think? They almost caught us!
If Zhang Laoda tells our parents, whoever gets
ratted out can only blame themselves.”
“Xie Wanghe, you’re screwed. Zhang Laoda recognized you. Your dad’s gonna skin you alive.”
Xie Wanghe groaned, “Shut up, will you?”
His dad was a big boss on the canal—everyone on Huajie knew him, which made him the easiest to recognize.
“I’m not shutting up. Bai Zimo, I really thought you drowned back there.”
“What, were you all ready to have a funeral feast? Should I set a table just for you?”
“Sure— wait, no! I didn’t want a feast! I just want watermelon!”
“I heard someone’s having a wedding on a boat today. Wanna go watch?”
“Of course! Let’s eat watermelon and watch the fun!”
Dahua was already raring to go.
“Go home first, meet at the dock later!”
Bai Zimo’s house was the first one on the left after entering the courtyard!
They had lived there since the house was first built. Huajie wasn’t just a street. It was a whole neighborhood. It rose and fell along with Huajie Dock.
In the past, boats traveling the Grand Canal would all stop here to pass through the locks. A sizable community had formed, mostly families who had settled after years of sailing. Bai Zimo, Xie Wanghe, Zhou Haikuo, Shao Xingchi, and Xia Fenghua—all of them came from boat families.
“Boat families” meant people who lived entirely on boats.
Many had no houses on land, living on their boats year-round, fishing, farming a little onshore, very much like the Tanka people of the south. Now they just rented rooms in the same large courtyard. Protected by the canal and their families, their childhoods were carefree, like a dream.
“Grandma, have some watermelon!”
“Where did you get a watermelon?”
Bai Zimo’s grandmother came out, supporting her waist. Her surname was Lin. She was once the daughter of a wealthy family, but early on, she had followed her husband as he sailed from Fujian to Yuhang, then to Honghuai.
She had left her home behind, lost her husband in middle age, and lost her son in old age—she had tasted all the bitterness life could offer. Her health had been good, but a few days ago she was pushed and fell by Liang Dapao’s wife.
“What, you stole it, and you’re proud of it? Bai Zimo, you stand right there!”
Stealing was stealing!
It wasn’t a big deal, but he couldn’t hide it either. The boat boss had seen it, and sooner or later he would get a beating. Sure enough, Grandma grabbed a feather duster and started swinging at Bai Zimo.
“Take it easy, Grandma! Your waist is injured, don’t push yourself. I’ll catch a fish for you to stew later!”
“Alright, I’ll stand still! Beat me if you must, but don’t hurt yourself.”
“Stop smiling like that, let’s see how I deal with you!”
Soon Bai Zimo looked battered and bruised, though it was more scary than painful. Learning how to take a beating was a skill too. Without parents around, he had learned to be tough and to pretend. He had also mastered the art of looking pitiful.