Chapter 140: Master and Disciple Can Get Married
Girls in love tend to be a bit silly, which left Xu Qing wondering if Jiang He was naturally like this or if being in love lowered her IQ whenever she was with soone she liked.
Jiang He had never gone to school. Xu Qing was fully aware of this and made efforts to understand how soone uneducated might think. She once ntioned a bookkeeper who seed knowledgeable but had probably only taught her basic literacy.
Xu Qing had always intentionally or unintentionally helped Jiang He develop her self-awareness and understanding of the world. Fortunately, despite her lack of formal education, Jiang He was logical and organized, a rare trait likely thanks to her ntor, the stern but enlightened Second Boss Lady. Real ignorance, Xu Qing thought, was the inability to think or even understand the concept of thinking—sothing he'd seen in abundance during a part-ti job at university.
He recalled working at a bumper car station, where so people couldn’t figure out how to steer. He told one woman to turn the wheel, and she kept spinning it wildly. When told to turn it the other way, she just spun in the opposite direction, ignoring the car's trajectory. Such people were difficult to communicate with—they seed either unwilling or unable to think. This experience helped him understand why so many people fell for obvious scams.
Jiang He played her ga for a bit before setting down the keyboard. She placed Winter lon, the cat, to the side and opened a bag of new books, eventually selecting How to Win Friends and Influence People. After skimming the table of contents, she decided it was perfect for her and began reading intently.
Seeing Jiang He switch from gaming to reading made Xu Qing happy. “Reading is good,” he said casually.
“What’s so good about it?” she asked, flipping through the pages without much engagent.
“If you don’t read, you might as well be a pig,” Xu Qing quipped, throwing out an old proverb. Jiang He shot him a glare, biting her lip in annoyance.
“If we didn’t have writing, we’d probably still be primitive, running around with leaves tied around our waists and grunting like savages. Books are the cornerstone of civilization. Oral traditions might pass on core skills, but most knowledge gets lost within a generation or two. Writing allows us to preserve human achievents—crafts, systems, history—for decades, even centuries. It’s how we learn from past experiences, good and bad.”
He continued, “Before writing, so tribes had people who recited epic poems or legends. If they died, the history disappeared with them until soone created a new story. But writing lets us communicate across ti and space, transmitting culture and giving form to thought. It lets us revisit ideas repeatedly, deepening our understanding.”
Jiang He listened as Xu Qing delved into the role of writing in advancing society. “Teachers are like torchbearers of civilization,” he explained. “They drive out ignorance, passing knowledge from one generation to the next, continually building on the shoulders of their predecessors.”
Raising an eyebrow, Jiang He teased, “Are you saying you’re my teacher now, so…”
“So you should respect ,” Xu Qing said with a grin. “Call Teacher Xu.”
“Can a teacher and a student… get married?” Jiang He asked, her mind blurring the lines between romantic and traditional relationships.
“Hm… when you put it like that, it does sound exciting.” Xu Qing paused mid-typing, then joked, “But it’s just a title. Couples sotis even call each other ‘Daddy.’”
“What?” Jiang He’s eyes widened as she stared at him, incredulous. “That’s… bizarre.”
“It is,” Xu Qing admitted. “But knowing it exists is enough. No need to dwell on it.”
Jiang He, flustered, imagined stabbing him with a sword out of embarrassnt. “What people do behind closed doors is their own business,” he said, trying to sound nonchalant. “It doesn’t affect anyone else.”
She opened her mouth to retort but stopped herself, realizing she was getting dragged into a conversation she didn’t want to have. Her face flushed, and she buried herself back in her book, ignoring him.
Xu Qing typed away on his keyboard but occasionally glanced at Jiang He, who was absorbed in reading. When he saw she wasn’t paying attention, he resud watching Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons. It had been panned upon release, criticized for being shallow and formulaic, but with ti, Xu Qing found it enjoyable. Perhaps other films from that period set a low bar, or maybe his tastes had llowed.
After watching it at 2x speed and again at 4x speed, Xu Qing decided to make a video essay series on Stephen Chow’s works, timing its release with his next movie premiere. This particular film, Xu Qing thought, was Chow’s best post-retirent effort. The later ones… not so much.
“What are you watching?” Jiang He, having cooled down, leaned over, stretching.
“A spin-off of Journey to the West,” he replied. “Finished reading?”
“No, it’s too complicated.”
“Complicated?” He glanced at the book she’d set aside. “For you, maybe.”
“Are you mocking ?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.
“Just stating facts.”
“I’m smart—just…”
“You’re not used to it yet. I get it.”
“….”
Pouting, Jiang He folded her legs and stared at Xu Qing’s computer screen. On the monitor were three windows: a movie in one, and two Word docunts side by side. The top docunt contained Xu Qing’s thoughts, later refined into essays. The bottom held rough ideas sparked by scenes, often chaotic in structure, with film titles, tistamps, and scattered notes about morable monts.
“This female character reminds of you,” Xu Qing teased, pointing to the screen. “She’s super violent—beats people half to death without a word.”
“I’m not violent!” Jiang He protested.
“You tackled a thief once. Pinned him so hard he nearly passed out.”
Smiling, Xu Qing leaned closer. “Can I touch your calf?”
Jiang He froze, pretending not to hear. After a pause, she sneaked a glance at him. “Why… my calf?”
“Your thigh’s fine too, if you prefer.”
“…”
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