Chapter 90: Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage, the Dream of a Great General!
By Gu Zhenren
Published: 2013-02-09
Chapter 90: Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage, the Dream of a Great General!
“It’s already the third day,” Huang Xiao pushed open the window and looked up at the sky, sighing softly.
The sun was rising slowly, casting a magnificent radiance across the sky. The rainbow bridge was transitioning from cyan to blue. Coupled with the sunlight, it painted the sky in a melancholic hue, carrying a sense of desolation.
However, the battle in the sky raged on.
People were launching an unprecedented wave of attacks around the Flying Battleship. This was a sight none of the residents of Rainbow Island had ever witnessed before.
“A great treasure has appeared, will someone come looking for me?” the question arose in his heart. But from beginning to end, his gaze remained unwavering. “No matter if anyone comes here or not, I will not give up.”
He opened the door to his inner room, took out a worn-out teapot, and quietly brewed tea. He then sat calmly at the small table, savoring the bitterness and sweetness of the tea.
He was familiar with this process. For over forty years, he had always done things this way.
He would only serve a wise ruler after they had visited him three times, following the tale of the three visits to the thatched cottage.
This was his principle, and he had adhered to it for over forty years, disregarding the mockery of the entire island.
The tea was not good tea. The leaves were withered, the aroma faint, and the tea water tasted astringent. Yet, this was the tea Huang Xiao had been drinking for over forty years. After drinking it for so long, he had actually grown unaccustomed to good tea.
Life is like tea, and tea is like life.
Huang Xiao’s life resembled this tea. Unremarkable, even ugly.
He was not a genius. Born during a difficult labor, he was like a wet monkey cub dropped into water. He was inevitably self-conscious. Had it not been for his mother, his life would have taken a different turn.
He still remembered when he was six years old, running home tearfully and stumbling. He wailed, “Mom, why do they all call me ugly and stupid? Am I really that ugly and stupid? Everyone bullies me and doesn’t want to play with me.”
“How can my Xiao’er be ugly and stupid?” His mother hugged him close and gently comforted him. “My Xiao’er is intelligent and lovable. It’s just that outsiders don’t understand.”
“Is that really true?” Huang Xiao looked up at his mother, tears still in his eyes.
“Of course, it is,” his mother said with absolute certainty. “It’s like Zhuge Ming. He was born on Rainbow Island and farmed there for four years, being called a farmer by everyone. People looked down on him, but he was made Prime Minister and defeated Chu Bawang. This proves that truly outstanding people cannot be recognized by ordinary individuals. Xiao’er, do you understand?”
“Zhuge Ming?” Huang Xiao looked up, seemingly understanding but not quite. Under his mother’s gentle gaze, his eyes suddenly brightened. “So I am like Zhuge Ming. No wonder they misunderstand me.”
His mother smiled. “It’s not easy to become someone like Zhuge Ming. Xiao’er, do you know how many military books Zhuge Ming read and how many classics he studied before he entered official service?”
“Then, Xiao’er wants to ask,”
His mother gently stroked Huang Xiao’s head and said softly, “This is precisely what makes my Xiao’er special. What’s wrong with practicing a hundred times? Mother is here with you. Come, let’s write together.”
She picked up a bamboo stick and wrote character by character on the sand. Little Huang Xiao followed her, holding a small wooden stick, imitating her actions.
When he was ten years old…
“Mom, there are so many characters in these military books. I forget what I read in the back when I reach the front. I can’t memorize them. It’s too difficult!” Little Huang Xiao pouted, very discouraged.
“Don’t be afraid of difficulties, Xiao’er. Mother will memorize them with you.”
At eleven years old…
“Mom, am I really like Zhuge Ming? Why does everyone dislike me and call me an ugly monster?”
“Xiao’er, don’t pay attention to what others think of you. What matters is how you see yourself. In my heart, Zhuge Ming is not as cute or good-looking as you.”
At thirteen years old…
“Mom, you lied to me! You lied to me! They can all control Demonic Beasts, but I can’t. All the adults say I have low aptitude and have no possibility of becoming a Beast Tamer! Why did you lie to me like this?!” Huang Xiao cried out painedly. Finally, he covered his face and ran away from home.
“Xiao’er, Xiao’er!” His mother couldn’t stop him. Just as she was about to chase after him, her vision suddenly darkened, and she collapsed to the ground.
“Madam Huang, why did you put yourself through this? All these years, you’ve been saving every penny for Huang Xiao, selling your jewelry to buy books. You haven’t had money for your own medicine, and it’s been neglected. If I hadn’t passed by your door today…” Old Man Jiang looked at Huang Xiao’s mother, who was bedridden, and sighed endlessly.
“Doctor Jiang, I’ve known about my illness for a long time. It’s incurable. Instead of spending money on medicine to prolong my life, I’d rather invest in a new life. Xiao’er’s low aptitude is entirely due to the incurable disease I carry. I want to do my best to give him a bright future.” Huang Xiao’s mother lay on the bed, her breath weak, but her tone was firm.
Outside the door, Huang Xiao, who had returned, stood frozen. Then he slowly turned and walked out, utterly distraught.
In the wilderness, he buried his head and wept bitterly. The first thing he said when he returned that night was, “Mom! I won’t let you down, I will become someone like Zhuge Ming!”
When he was fifteen years old…
Huang Xiao knelt by the bed, tightly holding his mother’s hand, crying, “Mom! Mom! Don’t go, what will I do if you leave?”
Madam Huang lay on the bed, barely able to open her eyes. She gazed at Huang Xiao with loving eyes, smiling silently.
“Mom! You can’t leave! All these years, I’ve worked hard, just to become someone like Zhuge Ming! If you leave and can’t see it, what’s the point even if I become Prime Minister or a Great General in the future?” Huang Xiao shouted, his vision blurred with tears.
“Xiao’er, Mother won’t leave. Mother’s soul will transform into the stars in the sky and watch over you silently. She will watch you, like Zhuge Ming, meet a wise ruler who appreciates you, become Prime Minister, and become a Great General. Remember, everyone’s birth is different, and it’s not important. What’s important is the person you want to become. Xiao’er, Mother will be watching you from above…” Huang Xiao’s mother’s eyes gradually closed.
“Mom—!”
At sixteen years old…
Huang Xiao knelt before the tombstone. The autumn wind was bleak, and fallen leaves swirled.
He raised one hand, tears streaming down his face, and shouted loudly, “Mom! Xiao’er vows, I will definitely become someone like Zhuge Ming, and a wise ruler will visit my thatched cottage three times to recruit me. I will become the greatest Great General in the world, and my name will echo in the heavens! I vow, I will! I will!!”
…
“Hmph! What kind of person dares to compare himself to Zhuge Ming?”
“Hahaha, I’ve seen many arrogant people. Today, seeing this Huang Xiao, I’m truly astonished.”
…
“He still wants three visits? How arrogant! I wouldn’t visit his thatched cottage three times even if I visited the privy three times!”
“What rubbish! Sticking a leek in his nose, he really thinks he’s an elephant.”
At seventeen, twenty-seven, thirty-seven years old…
People of all sorts came and went, and the gate of the thatched cottage swung open and shut.
Huang Xiao sipped his tea, sitting at the same tea table, listening to the gossip and sarcasm, transforming from a young man to a young adult, and then to middle age.
At forty-seven, fifty-seven, and sixty-one years old…
Fewer and fewer people came to visit his thatched cottage. Eventually, there were none. One generation replaced another. Familiar elders were recruited or left the island to seek a livelihood. Yet, he remained here, becoming a laughingstock among the younger generation. When they spoke of him, their lips would curl up in disdainful mockery.
The past was like smoke, drifting like the steam from the tea in his cup.
*Bang bang bang.*
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
“Huang Xiao, it’s your Uncle Jiang. May I come in?” Old Man Jiang’s voice came from outside the door.
“Uncle Jiang, please come in and have some tea.” Huang Xiao opened the door and welcomed Old Man Jiang into the inner room. He deeply respected this old man who had provided him with much assistance in the past.
“I believe you’ve already guessed my purpose for visiting. That’s right, I’ve come to persuade you.” Old Man Jiang sat down, took a sip of hot tea, and said earnestly, “Young Island Master Chu, though young, is the foremost among the younger generation. He is brave and skilled in battle, with a vast ambition. He is indeed a wise ruler rarely seen in a hundred years! I know your rule, the three visits to the thatched cottage. But look at the sky. A great treasure has appeared, and heroes are competing. It’s understandable that Young Island Master Chu hasn’t come yet. Huang Xiao, I watched you grow up. Missing out on Young Island Master Chu is truly a great pity.”
“Uncle Jiang, you speak the truth,” Huang Xiao smiled and nodded repeatedly. As Old Man Jiang drank more than half of his tea, he immediately refilled it for him.
Old Man Jiang grew angry, slamming his cup heavily on the tea table, splashing tea everywhere. He said heartache, his voice filled with pain, “You! When I try to persuade you, you just nod and agree. In reality, you treat my words as if they’ve gone in one ear and out the other. I say what I have to say, and you do what you want.”
“Uncle Jiang, I can listen to your advice on other matters, but this is my persistence. I hope you can understand.” Huang Xiao lowered his eyelids.
“Sigh, persistence. You’ve persisted for over forty years, and you’re sixty-one now. How many years does a person’s life have? Forget it, forget it. I knew this would be the outcome. I truly pity you!” Old Man Jiang stood up and left in a huff.
Huang Xiao watched Old Man Jiang’s departing back, listening to the door slam shut with a bang, and couldn’t help but shake his head and smile bitterly.
He had special channels that allowed him to penetrate the mist and gather information from the outside world. He had noticed Chu Yun since he sacrificed himself to save his adoptive father. Chu Yun’s meteoric rise, his brilliant achievements, Huang Xiao knew them all clearly. Chu Yun had visited his humble abode for two consecutive days, showing respect to talented individuals. How could Huang Xiao not know?
Without a doubt, Chu Yun had met Huang Xiao’s standard of a wise ruler.
However, Huang Xiao’s persistence would not waver because of this.
It was the vow he had made, the oath sworn before his mother’s tombstone. The three visits to the thatched cottage were an agreement, and more than that, a form of dedication.
This was not simple stubbornness, but had elevated to the height of his life’s meaning.
He had persisted for over forty years because of this, and he had never bowed his head to fate!
He knew the value of the Flying Battleship even better than Old Man Jiang. A single Spirit Monster Battleship was already worth competing for by Island Country powers, let alone a Flying Battleship? Such weapon forging technology could create a nation.
To abandon such an opportunity to compete and instead choose someone like himself, who had become a laughingstock, lived in a corner, and had a peculiar temper?
Huang Xiao thought about it and found it quite unrealistic.
“Forty years have passed in a flash. How many more years must I wait?” he asked himself, but received no answer. Fate was always mysterious and unfathomable, its power making one feel extremely insignificant and fearful. Yet, another force supported him, preventing him from bowing to fate.
The name of this force was mother’s love.
Fate had given him a terrible start, but great mother’s love could counteract fate’s power. It was mother’s love that allowed him to overcome his inferiority complex and reach this point, living with dignity.
It was all mother’s love.
He could not break his oath or abandon his principles. Otherwise, it would be equivalent to death.
Some people die, but still live. Some people, even though they are alive, are already dead.
*Bang bang bang.*
Just then, there was another knock at the door.
“Huang Xiao, hurry out!” Old Man Jiang shouted loudly, his tone urgent.
“What happened?” Huang Xiao tidied his thoughts, opened the door, and froze.
“Huang Xiao, you foolish boy! Young Island Master Chu has come to see you!” Old Man Jiang shouted with joy.
“You…” Huang Xiao looked at Chu Yun before him, stunned, feeling as if it were a dream.
Chu Yun seemed to know his unspoken question. “A Spirit Monster Battleship is close to the power of a Tribulation Demon, and with everyone else restraining each other, it cannot be subdued.”
“Even so, wouldn’t it be possible to break into the Flying Battleship and snatch some precious treasures?” Huang Xiao asked.
“Hehehe, how can one or two treasures compare to your great talent, sir?” Chu Yun cupped his fist, sighed deeply, and said with sincere earnestness, “The more one knows, the more superficial one feels. The more scenery one sees, the more insignificant one feels in nature. The heights are lonely, but my ambition to climb the peak has not ended. I wish to appoint you as my Great General and implore you to leave your seclusion and lend me your strength.”
Huang Xiao stood frozen, his mouth agape as he looked at Chu Yun. Fate had ignored him, bullied him, ravaged him, but today, it showed him a smile.
He had never expected that this moment, the moment he had waited for for over forty years, would arrive so suddenly. It almost made him believe he was hallucinating!
Beside him, Old Man Jiang was stamping his feet anxiously, his face already streaked with tears of joy. “Huang Xiao, why are you stunned? Didn’t you hear? Young Island Master Chu wants to appoint you as his Great General!”
“Ah.” Huang Xiao exclaimed in surprise. Faced with the reality, he was actually at a loss for what to do!
He concentrated on Chu Yun, seeing Chu Yun smile gently, his eyes flashing with sincerity.
For a moment! In Huang Xiao’s vision, all other scenery turned into a blurry white background, leaving only him and Chu Yun.
Forty years of persistence had finally borne fruit!
Three visits to the thatched cottage, and he met a wise ruler!!
Mother! Are you watching from heaven?
Although I have grown old, although I am no longer young, this moment may have come a bit late, but it is not too late after all.
Huang Xiao’s emotions surged, almost beyond his control. He took a deep breath, his body trembling slightly.
Bowing slightly, he also cupped his fist and said in a voice as calm as possible—
“Since the Young Master values me so highly, Huang Xiao is willing to serve with all my might!”
