My 1995 Small Farm.

"What's done? Tell me quickly!"

Wang Susu put down her needlework and curiously came over.

"I've come up with a story that will absolutely be captivating. It'll have romance, touching moments, scenes of life and death, and it'll be incredibly tear-jerking..."

"But it's not the same kind of stuff as that old lady Qiong Yao's stuff."

Chen Ling's eyes gleamed, as if he had caught some treasure.

"The story begins in a place called 'Yuhang Town,' which was extremely poor."

"There's a mischievous boy in the village named Li Xiaoyao."

Chen Ling began to tell the story, which was the story of "The Legend of Sword and Fairy".

"This kid's parents died early, and he lives with his aunt who runs a small inn. He spends his days teasing cats and dogs and dreams of becoming a chivalrous knight-errant."

One day, his aunt suddenly fell ill and was on the verge of death. The doctor said it was a strange illness and that they had to go to "Fairy Island" to seek a magic medicine.

"Hey, isn't that a coincidence? That kid Xiaoyao secretly sailed into that Immortal Spirit Island in his small boat!"

When Wang Susu heard such a novel story for the first time, she listened with great interest: "Fairy Spirit Island? It sounds like a paradise on earth!"

"Yes."

“This Immortal Spirit Island is no ordinary place. It is protected by a barrier similar to the ‘Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Formation,’ preventing outsiders from entering.”

"In order to break the barrier, Xiaoyao drank the 'Drunken Immortal Brew' on the island. The alcohol was so strong, it was like a sleeping potion!"

"And what happened? He stumbled in, completely dazed, and stumbled upon a stunningly beautiful girl taking a bath—that was Zhao Ling'er!"

"Pah! You lewd person!"

Wang Susu blushed and spat at him.

"Hehe, it's just a story!"

Chen Ling chuckled and quickly continued.

"Although Xiaoyao is a mischievous kid, he's not a bad person at heart."

"He begged for medicine to save his aunt. Ling'er is a princess of the Nanzhao Kingdom. Her mother is Lin Qing'er, a descendant of the previous Nuwa. She gave her life to suppress the 'Water Demon Beast' back then."

"Ling'er was raised by her maternal grandmother, oh, that is, the old woman who guards the island, since she was a child. When she saw Xiaoyao come to ask for medicine, she agreed."

"But there's one condition—you have to marry her."

"Because the rules on the island cannot be broken."

"The two got married in a daze, and their wedding night was completely bewildering..."

"And then? What happened next?"

Wang Susu was so engrossed in the story that she forgot all about blushing.

"And then? Things turned out badly!"

"Xiaoyao took the medicine back to Yuhang Town and saved his aunt's life, but he was poisoned with 'Forget-Me-Not Powder' by the villains of the Moon Worship Cult."

"I only remember going to the island to get medicine, and I've completely forgotten about the wedding ceremony with Ling'er!"

"By the time he remembered this, Immortal Spirit Island had already been destroyed by the demons of the Moon Worship Cult..."

"Ling'er's whereabouts are unknown. Xiaoyao thought he was just having a strange dream!"

"Oh dear! What an ungrateful bastard!"

Wang Susu was heartbroken to hear this.

"Don't worry!"

Chen Ling reassured him, "Li Xiaoyao is born with a chivalrous spirit."

"He escorted a young lady named Lin Yueru to the south to find her relatives, and on the way they encountered Ling'er, who had lost her memory."

"A coincidence or not?"

"Even Ling'er doesn't recognize him anymore, she only feels a vague sense of familiarity."

"The three of them set off together, slaying demons and monsters along the way. Xiaoyao's rudimentary skills gradually improved, and he really started to look like a great hero."

Chen Ling paused, then took a sip of water:

"It was quite a lively journey."

"You encounter a conman who can turn stones into gold, meet a lovelorn female ghost haunted by vengeful spirits, and even break into a 'demon-locking tower' that imprisons countless monsters!"

"Xiaoyao also gradually regained his memories amidst the dangers along the way."

"I found out that Ling'er is my lawfully wedded wife, and she's pregnant with my child!"

"Back when the Demon-Locking Tower was being used, Lin Yueru was seriously injured by a stone from the tower while trying to save them. She almost lost her life, but was later saved by the Holy Maiden. However, her health has never been good."

"It's been found? That's great!"

Wang Susu breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay? The hard part is yet to come!"

Chen Ling sighed, his voice lowering.

"Ling'er's life story is too tragic."

"She is a descendant of Nuwa, with the blood of ancient gods flowing in her veins. The water demon beast that was suppressed was the mortal enemy of her clan!"

"In order to completely eliminate this scourge and save all living beings, Ling'er, in the end, just like her mother, chose to perish together with the water demon beast..."

The room fell silent, with only the faint crackling of the burning oil lamp wick.

Wang Susu's eyes reddened as she listened, her chest tightening with emotion: "...Just...just like that, gone? What about the child? What about Xiaoyao?"

"The baby was born, it's a girl, her name is Yiru."

"Xiaoyao held the child, standing in the rain of light that Ling'er had transformed into..."

As Chen Ling spoke, he also became somewhat involved.

His voice sounded a little hoarse.

"That taste... ah!"

"Later, he didn't become some chivalrous hero who sought revenge. He just stayed at that dilapidated inn, raised his daughter, and told her the story of his journey with Ling'er."

"Lin Yueru was actually a devoted person. She almost lost her life in the Demon Locking Tower while trying to save Xiaoyao and Ling'er. Although she was later saved, seeing Xiaoyao's distraught state..."

Wang Susu wiped her eyes: "This story... it's painful to listen to, but I also feel... I feel that people should be like this."

"It's worth risking my life to protect what I should protect and to shoulder the responsibilities I should bear!"

"It's a hundred times better than those characters in Qiong Yao's novels who would die for love and even disown their parents!"

"That's right! My wife understands it perfectly!"

Chen Ling laughed.

"This is exactly what I wanted!"

"The story is full of loyalty, courage, and sacrifice!"

"Li Xiaoyao started out as a rascal, but later he came to understand responsibility."

"Ling'er may look delicate, but she is more resolute than anyone else in spirit. She sacrificed herself for the sake of the common people."

"Lin Yueru was a woman of strong emotions, passionate and chivalrous!"

"Stories like this are so moving that you can cry your heart out, and afterwards you feel a sense of peace and clarity in your heart!"

"Knowing what's good and what's bad..."

"That old lady Qiong Yao teaches people to be 'madly in love,' while our story teaches people to 'take responsibility for justice'!"

"This is the right way!"

"I'll write out the outline later, have Uncle Zhao polish it, and then submit it to a reliable magazine!"

"I've already thought of a name, it'll be called... The Legend of Sword and Fairy!"

"Learn from Huanzhu Louzhu's Shushan swordsmen, hehe."

Wang Susu pondered it carefully for a moment, then nodded gently:

"The name is similar to those martial arts novels you read."

"It's obviously a name given by a man."

"But it's better than those 'plum blossom' misty rain scenes!"

"Hurry up and write it, I'll be the first to see it when you're done..."

"Let Qiu Mei and the others see what a truly good story is, so they won't be so easily swayed by those tearful, whiny tales!"

Two days passed quickly, and it was already the second month of the lunar calendar.

Chen Ling wanted to write furiously, but she still couldn't escape the fate of taking care of a child.

Kang Kang and Lele are two clever little ones. They know it's much more fun to be with their dad.

Then he kept thinking about going out with Chen Ling every day.

Only when Chen Ling took them out did they stop making a fuss.

But that's nothing.

Chen Ling was generous and mostly employed villagers from Chenwangzhuang Village, so they were all very dedicated to their work.

Aside from supervising the work, he would occasionally sit around the stove and cook a meal for the workers.

He doesn't need to worry about anything else.

Just take the kids out for a stroll and some fun.

So after breakfast, I took the two kids out.

It's now the second month of the lunar calendar.

The weather is getting warmer, but the sun in the sky is still somewhat dim.

The newly erected stable frame in the county's East Forest Farm smelled of fresh wood and livestock feed.

Zhao Yubao, still wrapped in his cotton-padded coat and with his hands tucked in, helped Chen Ling measure the dimensions of the new horse trough with Professor Zhong and Zhao Dahai.

"This trough needs to be deeper so that the horse can drink water without much effort."

Chen Ling held the baby and offered suggestions.

Zhao Dahai rubbed his frostbitten face and looked at Zhao Yubao with a smile: "Uncle Zhao, you're such a great writer, why don't you design this livestock shed for us?"

Zhao Yubao laughed and scolded, "Get lost! I'm writing about the joys and sorrows of human life, not livestock water troughs!"

He sniffed and then changed the subject.

"But Fugui, I heard Susu talking about you yesterday, saying that you haven't been sleeping at night lately, staying up all night to do something."

"Want to write your hunter's log?"

Chen Ling put down his charcoal pencil and chuckled, "You've almost finished taking all that stuff from the hunt."

"Let's try something new this time, and write a story."

"story?"

Zhao Yubao and Professor Zhong both became interested.

Zhao Dahai also leaned closer: "What story? Is it even more exciting than 'The Three Heroes and Five Gallants'?"

"Whether it's lively or not, I don't know, but... it's not the same kind of thing as those whiny, tearful things on the market."

Chen Ling put the two babies into the stroller, squatted down, and picked up a small twig to scratch on the ground.

"It was just something I came up with on the spot, and it's called... um, 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy'."

"The Legend of Sword and Fairy?"

Professor Zhong pushed up his glasses and frowned, saying, "Sword Immortal? Is that a supernatural tale?"

"That's somewhat true, but not entirely."

"Let me tell you about a rascal named Li Xiaoyao who, in order to save his aunt, ventured onto a fairy island and unwittingly married a fairy wife named Zhao Ling'er."

"As a result, bad people messed with us, and we forgot everything."

"Later, while escorting a young lady named Lin Yueru, they encountered Ling'er, who had lost her memory. The three of them fought monsters and stormed the Demon-Locking Tower..."

"In the end, Ling'er sacrificed herself to suppress the water demon beast, dying together with that beast, leaving behind a daughter..."

He gave a brief, somewhat stilted retelling of the story, far less detailed and moving than when he told it to Wang Susu that night.

But it is precisely this rough outline, coupled with the way he squatted by the livestock shed gesturing, that creates a peculiar impact.

Zhao Dahai's eyes widened in surprise:
"Oh dear! Marry a fairy? Have you forgotten? This...this is a terrible sin!"

"When I heard you were peeping at fairies bathing, I thought it was the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, but I didn't expect you to do something like this later?"

"But...it sounds quite interesting! Better than that Plum Blossom Dance, all it does is cry!"

Zhao Yubao remained silent for a long time.

The smile on his face had long since vanished. He stood with his hands behind his back, his toes unconsciously grinding small clods of dirt on the ground, his brows furrowed tightly.

Professor Zhong didn't urge him. He simply took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag. The smoke swirled in the crisp, early spring air.

"Wealth and prosperity..."

Zhao Yubao finally spoke, his voice somewhat deep.

"Your story... is quite something!"

Chen Ling laughed and said, "It's all made up, just for fun."

He knew that the old man was taking it to heart.

"Nonsense, this isn't made up at all."

Zhao Yubao suddenly slapped his thigh, startling the donkey grazing nearby.

"Damn! What a magnificent 'Legend of Sword and Fairy'! What a magnificent 'Hero'!"

"This Li Xiaoyao is a real scoundrel, but he's also a true man when it comes to taking responsibility!"

"And... a descendant of Nuwa? A demon-suppressing beast? A creation that combines our traditional mythology, such great love for all living beings, sacrificing oneself for righteousness!"

"It is indeed much better than those melodramatic romantic relationships between men and women."

What did that old lady Qiong Yao write?

"It's just a woman's nagging, bound-foot cloth! Crying and wailing over the word 'love'!"

"What you wrote is loyalty! It is righteousness! It is love for all living beings!"

"That kid Li Xiaoyao, from a hoodlum to a great hero, from being clueless to understanding responsibility, his growth trajectory is believable!"

"Ling'er's ending... was tragic! That's the kind of story that should be told to the public!"

The old man was very excited.

Professor Zhong nodded in agreement:

“Fugui, your story, though seemingly about gods and monsters, is at its core about people.”

"Write about human emotions, human righteousness, human responsibility, and human sacrifice."

"Xiaoyao's recklessness, Ling'er's purity, Yue Ru's fierceness, and that fateful tragedy..."

"This isn't made up; it gets to the heart of the matter."

He paused, the cigarette butt glowing between his fingers:

"When Qiong Yao writes about love, she writes about castles in the air, about delicate and fragile glass cups."

"When you write about love, you write about the old tree rooted in the soil, its branches reaching towards the sky, and its fallen leaves fertilizing the soil."

"Your story is profound and has the potential to become something that the public will remember."

Zhao Dahai only half understood what he was hearing, but he understood the word "profound." He looked at his father Zhao Yubao's excited expression and Professor Zhong's serious demeanor.

They knew that Chen Ling had come up with something extraordinary again.

He chuckled and nudged Chen Ling: "Well done, Fugui, you're getting more and more versatile!"

"To be honest, I couldn't get into your cartoon before. With Heiwa and Xiaojin right in front of me, it was better not to watch it."

"This swordsman story is quite interesting; it's like a martial arts novel, and it's suitable for men to read."

Chen Ling smiled and sighed, "I also want to finish writing it quickly, but the two little ones just can't seem to do without me these days."

"Uncle Zhao, let me put out an outline, could you take a look and give me your opinion?"

"Once I can write it smoothly again, I'll still need your connections as a great writer to find a place to publish it."

Zhao Yubao puffed out his chest and waved his hand: "Leave it to me!"

"I'll personally promote this manuscript for you!"

"What magazines or newspapers? We'll smash their doors open!"

"Let those whiners see what real talent is!"

Everyone laughed when they heard this, knowing that the old man had students and old friends all over the world and a very wide network of connections.

However, people of their generation are generally very stubborn. They don't ask for favors easily, nor would they lower themselves to recommend anything shady for money or for their children.

Chen Ling was different; he was always treated specially by the old man.

Now that this story of a swordsman has come out, it proves that he was right.

If you don't have time to delve into traditional literature, then engaging in popular literature to cleanse the literary and artistic circles of their filth and prevent them from poisoning future generations is a truly meritorious deed. (End of Chapter)