YBTGX 13

Chapter 13

So You Like Reading “Satisfying” Stories, Do You!

Author: Xuanmai | Date: 2025-10-29 | Word Count: 2,058

Master Liu’s hand holding the teacup jolted, and he stood up abruptly.

“A self-created classic? Prefecture-level?”

“How old did you say he was?”

“Reporting to the Master, six years old. He has not yet begun his primary schooling.”

Not yet begun schooling!

Master Liu’s expression froze instantly. As a Juren himself, he knew better than anyone what it meant for a six-year-old child who hadn’t even started his ABCs to create a “Prefecture-level” classic. This wasn’t just a child prodigy; this was a monster!

Madam Lin, standing to the side, was equally stunned. Born into a scholarly family, she naturally understood the gravity of this. After a long while, she finally found her voice, speaking in a daze. “Master, what were we doing when our Quan-er was six?”

Master Liu replied in a daze, “Playing with cow dung!”

Having come to her senses, the Mistress blurted out, “This… this is a Wenquxing (Star of Literature) descended from the heavens and landed in our home!” She grabbed Master Liu’s arm, her excitement making her incoherent. “Master! Did you hear that! Prefecture-level! And he’s only six!”

“When our Quan-er was his age, he was still playing in the mud!”

“No! Such a good seedling cannot be ruined by being a mere pageboy! We must hire the best teacher! Use the best brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones! We must cultivate him properly!”

“Even if he doesn’t carry the surname Liu, if he is cultivated by our family, it could become a legendary tale in the future,” the Mistress said, growing more and more excited.

However, Master Liu’s face had calmed down. “Have you ever considered what would happen if we end up raising a snake in our bosom?”

“A snake in the bosom? Master, what do you mean?”

“That child’s ‘Song of the Wanderer’ was moving enough to touch the heavens; he is a person of pure filial piety. How could he be ungrateful?”

Master Liu shook his head. “That is a woman’s perspective.”

“Poetry expresses one’s intent, but the human heart is the hardest thing to measure.”

“If we pour everything we have into cultivating him and he succeeds, and if he remembers our kindness, then of course it would be a happy ending for everyone.”

“But what if he doesn’t remember?”

“What if he feels that all of this was his due, and he even turns around to become an enemy of the Liu family? After you and I have passed on, what face would we have to see our ancestors?”

Master Liu’s voice was not loud, but every word struck at the heart. Madam Lin was left speechless.

Master Liu sighed softly, picked up the cup of tea that had long gone cold, and took a sip. “Do you remember the ‘Wei Tuo’ mentioned in the journals of a Great Confucian from the previous dynasty?”

Wei Tuo. Madam Lin’s expression shifted slightly. Born into a prominent family and well-read, she naturally knew this historical allusion. It told of a child named Wei Tuo who could compose poetry effortlessly by age five and was hailed as a prodigy. His father wouldn’t let him study, but instead took him everywhere to visit local gentry to exchange his talents for money. In the end, by the time he was twelve, he had faded into the crowd, unable to compose even a decent poem. A heaven-sent talent had withered away just like that.

Master Liu continued, “Natural talent is a gift from the heavens, but it is also the most dangerous test.”

“The higher they are lifted, the harder they fall.”

“If we put him on a pedestal now, where everyone dotes on him and respects him, it will only cause him to lose his original self and follow in the footsteps of Wei Tuo.”

Madam Lin opened her mouth to argue, but found she couldn’t say a word. After a while, she said unwillingly, “Human hearts are made of flesh.”

“If we treat him with sincerity for ten years, even a stone should be warmed by then! Master, you’re just stingy with your connections and resources!”

“If you refuse, I will do it! I will write a letter right now to my brother in the capital and have him find a famous teacher for him!”

Master Liu looked at his wife and just shook his head. “It’s not that I’m stingy.”

“It’s that I don’t dare to gamble.”

He stood up, walked to Madam Lin’s side, and patted the back of her hand. “Let’s stick to what we agreed on: let him be a pageboy for Quan-er.”

“Don’t suppress him, but don’t deliberately cultivate him either.”

“We will watch him quietly. We’ll watch his own development and his character.”

“If he is truly a raw piece of jade, he won’t need us to carve him to shine. If his heart is pure and he is grateful, it won’t be too late for us to help him with all our might then.”

“That is the only foolproof plan.”

The Liu family’s status today was not built on impulsive decisions, but on careful, step-by-step strategy. The fire in Madam Lin’s heart finally flickered out.

“Fine.”

“As you wish.”

“We… we shall wait and see.”

…

Meanwhile.

The carriage pulled to a slow stop in front of the Liu estate. Inside the cabin, Lu Lin was just about to stand up and lift the curtain to get out.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from the side and gently tugged at the corner of his garment. Lu Lin turned around, calm and composed, and looked at the young master beside him, who had been silent the entire journey.

The boy finally raised those clear, water-like eyes and stared fixedly at him. On that pretty, doll-like face, the aloofness had vanished, replaced by urgency.

“What happens next?”

“Sun Wukong… did he find the secret to immortality?”

When this voice emerged, Lu Lin was completely stunned. This isn’t a young master, is it?

It’s clearly a young lady.

Lu Lin couldn’t help but complain to himself. Back when he watched television dramas in his past life, what he hated most were those “blind” protagonists who called female characters disguised as men “Brother” over and over again. He never expected that he would become exactly what he hated most.

He looked at the young lady’s eyes, which were filled with curiosity and anticipation, and his heart blossomed with joy. So you like reading strange tales of gods and monsters, do you? I don’t believe you can keep acting like a mute after hearing the rest of the Great Sage’s story.

This is the ancestor of ‘satisfying’ web novels; surely it can conquer a little girl.

But Lu Lin deliberately put on a difficult look and spread his hands. “I don’t know what happens next either.”

“I heard it from an old man at our village entrance. He stopped at the part where the monkey was seeking a master; there was nothing after that.”

“When I have a chance to go back to Xiahe Village, I’ll go listen again. If I hear anything new, I’ll tell you.”

Lu Lin hadn’t been idle during the carriage ride. Seeing that the young lady had been browsing a book called Strange Tales of Qingping Mountain, he had catered to her tastes and told a short story about Sun Wukong seeking immortality across the sea. The pacing was just right, ending abruptly just as Sun Wukong had overcome all difficulties and was about to find Lingtai Fangcun Mountain to meet Bodhi Patriarch.

Yet, even with such a flimsy excuse, Liu Qingyue was completely fooled. She had made up her mind that she would have to make sure this Lu Lin went home to visit his relatives often.

“Steward Wang, we have arrived at the estate.” The voice of a servant came from outside.

Liu Qingyue finally let go, sat up straight, and resumed her cold, aloof persona.

Lu Lin and Liu Qingyue stepped out of the carriage one after the other. Steward Wang stood to the side, looking at the vermilion lacquer gate of the Liu estate, but his brows furrowed. Outside the gate, it was deserted—aside from a few gatekeepers, there was no one else.

Something is wrong.

He had clearly sent someone to ride hard and notify the Master and Mistress in advance. By all accounts, the Master and Mistress should have come out to take a look. Why was it so quiet?