Chapter 243: One Novel, Three People Grapple

The manor's gates were desolate, no longer bustling as before. Pangzi told me that when Yao Wenju and he carried the unconscious Yang Shouren and Ye Qi back to the Yang Family Manor, the manor remained tense. Because earlier I and Yao Wenju had caused a disturbance in the manor, several uncles of the Yang clan had sent people to guard the manor, searching everywhere for Yang Shouren and Ye Qi's whereabouts.

Not long after returning, Yang Shouren woke up. After waking, Yang Shouren kept only a few uncles and dismissed the other subordinates guarding the Yang Family Manor.

After we returned, Yang Shouren lay on the sickbed; the doctor had already removed the bullet from his thigh. However, this old man looked exhausted, his hair white, lacking the vigor I first saw in him. Upon hearing the tragic news, the wife who had shared his pillow for ten years turned out to be his former wife's daughter—such an incestuous horror that I think no one could accept.

The task of comforting Yang Shouren was given to QingSongShu; Pangzi, Yao Wenju, and I squeezed into a side‑wing room. After several busy days, we were completely drained, unable to recover even without sleep.

When Pangzi and I woke up hungry, we saw Yao Wenju sitting at the desk reading. No matter how you look, he doesn't seem like someone who loves studying, and he hadn't brought any books before coming to the Yang Family.

I grew curious, walked over, opened it, and discovered it was a traditional‑character book titled *Those Years as a Daoist*.

"I say, Wen‑ge, I remember you didn't bring any books when you came! How did you manage to get another novel in just half a day?" This book should be from a traditional‑character publisher, printed right‑to‑left, which is tiresome to read, yet Yao Wenju can still get into it.

"I bought it at the city bookstore while you were sleeping," Yao Wenju said, his eyes not leaving the book. He added, "This is currently the hottest book, called *Those Years as a Daoist*."

I have to admit, I'm impressed—he managed to get another book in just half a day, even making a special trip to the city to buy it. The future heir of the prestigious Yao Family Enterprise actually has such an unknown hobby.

"Ah, the author of this book must be terribly lonely!" Yao Wenju stretched and sighed wistfully.

"How can you tell the author is lonely?" I asked, curious. Could it really be that the writing reflects the person, letting you sense their character from their work?

"Why? Because the female lead in this book is called Ru Xue!"

"Um… Ru Xue, what does that have to do with loneliness?"

Pangzi suddenly interjected: "Haven't you heard the saying? Life is… lonely as snow!"

With a swoosh, Yao Wenju put down the book, turned his head, and his eyes shot out two sharp beams. Pangzi's sturdy frame shuddered as he climbed down from the bed; the two slowly approached each other and finally clasped hands, feeling a strong sense of kindred spirits.

"Do you also read this book?" Yao Wenju murmured, stroking Pangzi's hand softly, watching me break out in gooseflesh.

Pangzi lowered his head, bashfully saying, "Actually, I finished it long ago." Suddenly he lifted his head, eyes glistening with tears, and told Yao Wenju, "I think you're absolutely right—the author must have been so lonely as to invent the name Ru Xue. Besides, the author never revealed where Ru Xue ended up; I guess…"

With a bang, no one expected Yao Wenju to suddenly attack, slamming the book onto Pangzi's head—his face changed in an instant, astonishingly fast.

"You dead fatty, don't you know readers hate spoilers? You told me the ending before I finished—how am I supposed to keep reading?" Yao Wenju shouted while slapping Pangzi, his face contorted.

"Damn, I said I was just guessing—I didn't spoil anything! Isn't Cheng Yi waiting for Ru Xue in the old grove at the end?"

"Bang, you still say…" Another heavy blow followed, and finally Yao Wenju and Pangzi refused to yield, grappling together. Earlier kindred spirits, they had become mortal enemies. That reading could turn out like this—I truly admire them.

"Cut it out, cut it out—why don't we go back to the Yang Family Manor and see how QingSongShu's consolation of Yang Shouren is going?" I stepped forward to separate them.

"That's adult business; it's none of our concern!"

"Right, that's the Yang Family's affair, not mine." The two suddenly paused, then in unison grunted at me before swinging their fists again, grappling once more—Pangzi charged like a fierce tiger, Yao Wenju not backing down. It looks like this fight will actually happen.

"Ah… I'm such an idiot, how did I not notice earlier that Yao Wenju is also a coward?" I shook my head, preparing to walk out the door.

Who would have thought that as soon as I reached the door, Yao Wenju grabbed me and pulled me back. What greeted me were two pairs of eyes flashing with cold light.

"What did you just say—who's the coward?" Yao Wenju cracked his knuckles, making a popping sound.

"Exactly, you said 'also'—does that include me?" Pangzi, equally fierce, seized me: "You say, who's the coward?"

Taking advantage of their inattention, I shouted, "The coward is you—you're the cowards!" Then I hurried toward the door, but as the saying goes, man proposes, heaven disposes—I had taken only two steps when they yanked me back. The room, which had just calmed for under three minutes, instantly became tumultuous again; the two‑person brawl instantly turned into a three‑person melee.

……………………

In the late afternoon, three bruised‑eyed pandas walked out of the room listlessly.

Pangzi fetched a case of wine from the Yang Family; the three sat on the corridor of the Yang Family side‑wing, sipping liquor while watching the fish. The alcohol burned like a raging fire, invigorating everyone.

"By the way, aren't you curious about the Wu Mu Legacy? Don't you want to ask me?" Yao Wenju asked suddenly while drinking.

I shook my head and smiled: "I don't want to know; anyway, it's none of my business. I'm just an ordinary person scrambling for three meals a day. Treasure is too far removed from my life—I wouldn't know what to do with it even if you gave it to me.

"Come to think of it, it's you—since the Yang Family lost so much property, aren't you planning to seek compensation from them?" I took a small sip of wine and countered curiously.

Yao Wenju shrugged and said indifferently, "That's a matter for later; let's talk about it another time.

He held his drink, sipping as he walked toward the gate of the Yang Family Courtyard. Halfway there, he waved at us again.

"I'll be returning to Guangdong in a few days; if you have time, come find me to play. Do you remember what I said in the tomb mound? I, Yao Wenju, keep my word—I will definitely take you there…"

"Get lost!" Before he could finish, I hurled a wine bottle at him. Yao Wenju laughed, dodging, and still taunted, "Qing Tou Zi, Qing Tou Zi!" (What is Qing Tou Zi? Please look it up on Baidu.)

"Damn, it's just that I'm twenty years older and still haven't touched a woman. These days, how many twenty‑five‑year‑olds are still losers? Isn't that rare?" I muttered two complaints in my mind and picked up the wine bottle.

Just as I was about to put the wine to my lips, Pangzi's voice came from beside me.

"Cultivate oneself with a pure mind as essential; engage the world with cautious speech as priority. Educate children and grandchildren with righteousness; accumulating virtue outweighs hoarding wealth." Although Pangzi was drunk, his voice sounded deep, and his words carried a certain ambience.

"In the mountain temple, the seated monk has not yet risen; fame and profit are nothing compared to leisure. Life is but a fleeting hundred years; coming and going are the same. Yesterday I poured wine and sang loudly; today I lie corpse‑filled in the coffin." Pangzi sighed softly.

I carefully pondered his words and found my heart inexplicably filled with many thoughts and feelings. When had Pangzi acquired such a profound yet tranquil mindset? Compared to him, I truly feel inadequate.

As I was sighing, I gradually felt a slight change in my view of Pangzi. But the next scene made me realize that this change was premature—it was simply that Pangzi and I were as incompatible as dog and eight.

"Roar, my passion—hey, it's like a fire blazing across the desert. The sun sees me and hides; it fears this fire of love of mine. With me in the desert, it's never lonely, forever blooming with youthful little flowers."

Before I could react, Pangzi snatched the cleaner's broom, wielded it like a guitar, and burst into a passionate desert song.

This shift in attitude left me stunned as if struck by lightning; the wine bottle clattered to the ground without my noticing, while the cleaner darted away like electricity, fleeing while shouting in panic, "Help! Help! There's a lunatic here!"

In an instant, the originally desolate manor was instantly thrown into chaos...