Countdown: Humanity's struggle to survive against yesterday

Chapter 34 Fake Roadblock

"Good job, young man, you've got a sense of responsibility!"

In various live streaming rooms, the real-time footage, which appeared from an unknown source, clearly showed Jiang Yuan's voice. All the netizens who saw this scene couldn't help but give Jiang Yuan a thumbs up.

"I suddenly believe that like father, like son, and like son, like father. Perhaps it is because of this family tradition that Grandpa Jiang's repeated visits to his son seem so real."

"Stop lamenting. Those road thugs don't look like good guys. Let's figure out how to solve Grandpa Jiang's immediate problem!"

"Difficult, unless the authorities intervene!"

"Yeah, this is such a big deal, why isn't the government getting involved?"

"Official intervention is of little use. We are in a period of great regression. Treating the symptoms but not the root cause will only exacerbate the conflict."

"As you said yourself, we've all regressed to a new era. So what if the conflicts escalate? Anyone want to settle down and live a peaceful life...?"

"..."

While a group of people were arguing online, Jiang Hua and Jiang Yuan stopped about ten meters in front of the group of road thugs.

Upon closer inspection, Jiang Hua and Jiang Yuan discovered that most of the group were young people, many of whom were still wearing school uniforms.

Before Jiang Hua could speak, a voice came from the crowd opposite, "Oh, so you're Grandpa Jiang! Traveling all this way to visit relatives, how impressive!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several young men with dyed hair of various colors and open jackets burst into laughter. Some whistled, while others crossed their arms and squinted at him, looking completely fearless.

Jiang Yuan frowned and took half a step forward to speak, but Jiang Hua gently pressed down on his shoulder.

Jiang Hua's gaze swept calmly over the group of people before him. His voice, though not loud, carried an undeniable composure, each word clear and distinct:

"Kids, the road is for everyone, not anyone's private property. Move aside, go about your business, and let's just forget about it."

The leader on the other side scoffed, spat out his chewing gum, and took two steps forward with a nonchalant air: "Forget it? Old Jiang, you've got quite the nerve. In this area, if we say no, nobody can get through. If you want to pass, either leave some 'toll,' or... crawl between our legs."

As soon as these words were spoken, the live stream chat exploded with excitement.

"Damn, are these guys idiots? What era are we living in? If they don't know how to be villains, they should read more books. I can't help but laugh when they say that."

"It's true, it's a bit much. I initially thought these people were really cool, but once they opened their mouths, I realized they were incredibly childish. And then I saw they were all students..."

"It's true that there are all kinds of birds in a big forest. Luckily, this is a time of great regression, otherwise I really doubt that these people could even be good at being petty thugs."

"Sigh~ I think I suddenly understand why the local authorities didn't take action; it's probably because they're afraid of losing face."

"Doesn't anyone want to say that there are different levels of blond hair? I remember that the team that cleared the way in Group 8 also had blond hair. Look at these guys, if I were their father, I would definitely break their legs."

Jiang Hua was unaware of what the netizens were thinking, but after hearing what the leader of the group said, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Children, I'm too old to crawl between your legs; it would shorten your lifespan. What kind of toll do you want?"

At the same time, Nan Shaofei and the others who were scouting ahead were watching Xiaohua's live stream on their phones.

Nan Shaofei and the others exchanged glances, looking at each other's brightly colored hair, trying to suppress their laughter, yet also feeling a bit awkward and amused.

Someone chuckled in a low voice, "Brother Fei, netizens are making you the 'representative of high-quality blond hair'."

Nan Shaofei rolled his eyes at him, put away his phone, glanced at Jiang Hua, and said in a deep voice:

"Stop watching the show. These bastards are blocking the road behind us, spouting disgraceful nonsense. Do they really think no one will teach them a lesson?"

One of the people nearby immediately understood: "Brother Fei, should we go over and lend a hand?"

Nan Shaofei's lips curled into a roguish yet sharp smile:

"Why should we lend a hand? I thought they were some formidable figures, but now it seems they're just small fry. I believe Grandpa Jiang can handle this himself. Wouldn't it be a waste for us to go over there?"

He paused, then added:

"But we can't let netizens compare us to these idiots for nothing. If things really get out of hand, we'll cut off their escape route and make sure they don't get away. We'll also show the people in the live stream what a proper blondie looks like and what a school thug looks like."

After saying that, the group stopped watching the live stream and planned to quietly go around to the side and hide by the roadside. They would not steal the spotlight, but would also quietly block the escape route of the road bullies. They would just wait for the situation on the field to change, and then immediately take action to clean up the mess.

However, before they could even get halfway there, they saw another large group of people coming from below the highway.

This group of people was mostly middle-aged, numbering over a hundred, including both men and women, and several elderly people who looked like they could be grandfathers. Their faces were ashen.

"Holy crap, Fei-ge, they have backup..."

As they were talking, both groups saw each other.

Nan Shaofei's group consisted of only about ten people. When they were stared at by hundreds of people, they instinctively stopped in their tracks. But then they thought that this was a time of great regression, so what was there to be afraid of? They quickly took another step forward in unison.

Nan Shao flew to the front of the line and shouted, "Halt! Who are you? If you want to pass, you'll have to ask the Gray Stone Car Team, Group Eight, if they'll allow it..."

Upon hearing this, several of Nan Shaofei's companions behind him covered their eyes, wishing they could disappear into the ground.

The crowd on the other side was taken aback upon hearing this.

Then someone realized what was happening and quickly apologized, "Brothers from Group Eight, you've misunderstood! We're the parents of those brats, not here to cause trouble, but to help Grandpa Jiang."

"Oh, friendly forces!"

Nan Shaofei's face lit up with joy, and he immediately realized what was happening. He quickly stepped forward to shake hands.

His brother behind him quickly filmed the scene and posted it online.

……

Half an hour later, an elderly man who looked to be about the same age as Jiang Hua grasped Jiang Hua's hand with a look of shame: "Brother Jiang, I'm really sorry! My son and daughter-in-law work in other places all year round, and my grandson is not well disciplined, which has caused you trouble."

As he spoke, he was about to bow to Jiang Hua to apologize.

Jiang Hua quickly stepped forward to support him, saying helplessly, "No, no, they're just kids, going through a rebellious phase, I understand, I understand..."

At the same time, netizens watching the live stream on the internet saw this scene and had mixed feelings:

"Can anyone tell me what happened? The plot twist was too fast, I'm a bit confused!"

"I think Grandpa Jiang is even more confused right now!"

"Yes, I thought it was going to turn into a fight, but it ended up with the elders lecturing the younger generation..."

"I think those kids are more interested in becoming famous..."

"He's definitely become famous. Now the whole country knows that even 'yellow-haired' guys are divided into different classes."

While everyone was still discussing it, a well-known blogger stepped in and summarized:

"You think it's ridiculous because one second you're watching a bunch of blond-haired guys being arrogant and domineering, blocking the road and acting tough, and the next second the leader is being dragged over by his family's elders by the ear and forced to apologize. The plot twists faster than flipping through a book."

But it's also interesting, not only because the elder apologized to the younger generation, but more so because of the emotional release that Grandpa Jiang's experiences brought us.

Jiang Qianli's visit to his family has garnered so much attention online. He could have easily relied on his strength to confront them head-on, but he maintained his composure and gentleness throughout, without uttering a single rebuke or showing anger. Even when faced with provocation, he only thought, "They're all just children." This tolerance is not weakness, but rather a clarity and kindness that comes with the passage of time...

As soon as the blogger posted the message, the live chat was silent for a few seconds, then it was flooded with a dense barrage of likes.

"That's absolutely right! Grandpa Jiang's words about children are more powerful than any reprimand."

"Suddenly I understand. The worst thing is that the world goes backwards. The worst thing is that when we have the chance to start over, we still don't live today well. From today onwards, I've decided to stop arguing with my husband."

"Actually, it's more of a regression than a regression in respecting the elderly and caring for the young, which is a fine Chinese tradition."

"Wow, bro, you even managed to list this as valuable..."

"I second that."

"Attached is one hundred..."

No one expected that a seemingly tense road rage conflict would end in such a gentle way.

The online atmosphere is also changing constantly.

Just as the conversation was getting off track, a single sentence suddenly reignited everyone's emotions.