The Way of Heaven Rewards Diligence in Film and Television

Chapter 69 Human Awakening

Seeing Lin Yang go inside, Nana and Ma Ye exchanged a helpless glance, then lowered their voices and asked Da Mai, who was peeking out from upstairs, "Hey, what's going on?"

"I don't know. I think I heard Hongdou call out just now, and then Lin Yang came down shortly after," Da Mai said, which made Ma Ye and Nana look strange.

"Hey, what are you guys doing so late? Aren't you asleep yet?" Hu Youyu, carrying a guitar, walked in from outside and was surprised to see Nana, Master Ma, and Damai.

After Nana briefly told him about Lin Yang and Xu Hongdou, Hu Youyu, who was originally a little tired, immediately perked up.

"Lin Yang and Hong Dou? They've gotten together so fast? This Lin Yang is useless when it really matters! If it were me..." Hu Youyu couldn't help but say.

"What's wrong with you?" A voice suddenly rang out.

Hu Youyu instinctively said, "If I were Lin Yang, Hongdou might have already..."

"Ahem... Hongdou, you're still awake?" Before she could finish speaking, Hu Youyu realized what was happening and turned to look at Xu Hongdou, who was standing by the railing upstairs, giving her an awkward smile.

"I was about to go to sleep, but, Mr. Hu, you're too noisy," Xu Hongdou said, frowning at Hu Youyu.

"Excuse me, I just got back and heard Nana and the others talking about it... Well, I'll go back to my room to rest first," Hu Youyu said as she hurried back to her room.

"Hongdou, go to sleep early! Don't pay attention to these excited people," Lin Yang said to Xu Hongdou as he came out of the house.

Xu Hongdou nodded slightly, then smiled and waved awkwardly at Nana and the others, saying, "Goodnight!"

After Xu Hongdou and Lin Yang returned to their rooms, Hu Youyu, who peeked out from behind his door, saw that Nana and the others had also gone back to their rooms, and then, feeling a little bored, shrank back inside.

The next day, around noon, Xu Hongdou sat by the stone table in the courtyard, playing with the cat, while Master Ma continued to meditate.

Aunt Gui, who comes to clean the courtyard, can chat with the cats, making it difficult for Grandpa Ma to meditate in peace.

"Oh my, this is incredible! You've already mastered meditation with your eyes open? Master Ma, are you about to succeed in your cultivation?" Aunt Gui couldn't help but ask with a smile when she saw Master Ma open his eyes.

Master Ma awkwardly rubbed his hands together, which made Xu Hongdou chuckle.

Just then, Lin Yang, who had come in from outside, saw Xu Hongdou and couldn't help but ask, "Hongdou, why did you come down?"

"It's okay, I'm not like that anymore. Going down the stairs is quite easy," Xu Hongdou said with a smile.

"It's easy to get down but hard to get back up. What if you twist your ankle again?" Lin Yang said repeatedly.

Xu Hongdou smiled and said, "Isn't it because of you! I knew you would be back at noon, and I was so bored staying in the house alone."

"Then I'll keep you company this afternoon," Lin Yang said.

"Ahem... Want some tea?" Master Ma, who had been thoroughly enjoying the dog food (a metaphor for witnessing a romantic encounter), couldn't help but call out, while also asking Aunt Gui, "Aunt Gui..."

"Okay, go and make it," Aunt Gui said without any hesitation.

Soon, Lin Yang, who had helped Xu Hongdou into the tea room, sat down at the tea table with Master Ma and Aunt Gui.

"Red Bean, I heard you were helping Lin Yang with his livestream? You sold a lot of wood carvings in one stream, and He Shun and the others made a fortune. Wow, Lin Yang is really something! A Yao's online store doesn't sell much in a month, and sometimes there are even customers complaining and wanting to return things..."

Aunt Gui pulled Xu Hongdou along, and once she started talking, it was like a floodgate had been opened and she couldn't stop.

Xu Hongdou could only force a smile and say, "Yes, I'm just going to help out. The main reason people buy wood carvings is because of Lin Yang's reputation and the quality of the carvings."

"It's good to help out. People need to find something to do," Aunt Gui said meaningfully, "laziness is a disease."

Master Ma, pouring tea, gave an awkward smile: "You requested me! Come, have some tea!"

"It smells so good!" Xu Hongdou said after taking a sip.

Aunt Gui said, "Hmm, it tastes good, but it's just a tea flavor!"

Xu Hongdou almost burst out laughing when she heard this, and Lin Yang was also speechless. Although drinking tea was a bit like chewing on a cow's peony for Aunt Gui, it was indeed the truth.

"If tea doesn't taste like tea, then it's not tea," Lin Yang said with a smile.

Master Ma chuckled and said, "Aunt Gui's words are quite Zen-like. Tea is just tea, after all."

"Aunt Gui, I only graduated from primary school and I can't speak properly, please don't take it to heart!" Aunt Gui said.

"There's more to what you're saying than meets the eye," Master Ma said with a smile.

"It's too much trouble talking to him," Aunt Gui said to Xu Hongdou in a hushed tone.

Master Ma laughed and said, "Yes, I am a bit of a pain, so it's normal that you don't like me."

"Red Bean, don't you think he's a funny guy? People eat grains and vegetables, burp, grind their teeth, and fart. They have to work every day they live. They're never idle. They have to take care of their elders and raise their children. It's very hard work. Unless you die and are buried in the ground, that's when you can truly rest, right?" Aunt Gui said.

Xu Hongdou nodded in agreement, and Lin Yang couldn't help but smile and nod as well: "Brilliant! Aunt Gui, you really see things clearly! Your words may be rough, but the reasoning is sound; every word is the truth!"

"That's just how it is," Aunt Gui said with a smile to Grandpa Ma. "In our village, people your age all have kids in middle school. Who would sit there all day? How could they support their families sitting there?"

"That's true, but as long as a person doesn't cause trouble for others or do anything to hurt them, they still have the right to choose the life they want to live, right?" Xu Hongdou couldn't help but say.

"Freedom is something you can only choose to do if you're an orphan..." Aunt Gui said.

Upon hearing this, Xu Hongdou subconsciously looked at Lin Yang, but Lin Yang simply smiled and drank his tea, not paying any attention.

Aunt Gui continued, "If you have family members, you should think about them. If you're idle, they can't be idle either. If you're sitting there, they have to be more active."

"Oh dear, you outsiders always say that as long as you don't break the law, freedom is the best, and you can do whatever you want. But let me ask you, what if you get hungry outside? Who will care about you? Your parents are old and sick, and you yourselves have all sorts of misfortunes, and you all need money. What if you don't have money? You'd be too busy begging for food."

Master Ma's expression became complicated as he listened: "Aunt Gui, your words are more valuable than ten years of study."

"Hearing Aunt Gui say that, I feel that being an orphan in the past wasn't so bad. At least I didn't have to worry about letting anyone down, as long as I could be true to myself."

Lin Yang glanced at Xu Hongdou and said with a smile, "But things are different now. Now that I have someone I care about, I want to earn more money first. Once I have more money saved up, then I'll talk about freedom."

"Moreover, when it comes to making money, as long as you can make money, it doesn't necessarily have to be done through hardship. Hardworking people don't make big money, and those who make big money inevitably use shortcuts. Poor people rarely have freedom in their lives, while truly free people are never poor."

"That seems to make sense, but making money is never easy. It's just that the way we work hard is different. To be honest, I sometimes don't understand the thinking of you young people."

As Aunt Gui spoke, she said to Master Ma, "I was just saying it casually, so you should just take it as a casual remark."

"Since you've put it this way, I can't just waste it like a cow chewing on a peony, can I?" Master Ma laughed.

"Why would a cow chew on a peony?" Aunt Gui asked, puzzled.

Lin Yang and Xu Hongdou exchanged a speechless glance. Although Aunt Gui was not very educated and probably didn't have much experience, she was actually very wise and truly insightful!