Chapter 90: Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage, the Great General's Dream!
"It's already the third day." Huang Xiao opened the window, looked up at the sky, and couldn't help but sigh.
In the sky, the sun slowly rose, scattering magnificent light. The rainbow bridge was in the process of changing from cyan to blue. Combined with the sunlight, it painted the sky with a cool and melancholy hue, carrying a sense of desolation.
But the battle in the sky was raging fiercely.
People were launching an unprecedented frenzy of attacks around the flying warship. Even those living on Rainbow Island were seeing this for the first time.
"Now that this precious treasure has appeared, will anyone come to me?" This question couldn't help but cross his mind. But throughout it all, his gaze remained unwavering. "Whether anyone comes or not, I will not give up."
He opened the door to the inner room, took out a broken teapot, quietly brewed tea, and sat cross-legged at the small table to savor the bitterness and sweetness of the tea.
He was familiar with the process. He had been doing so for over 40 years.
The phrase "three visits to the thatched cottage" means that a person would only accept a government position after being visited three times by an enlightened ruler.
This was his principle, for which he spent over 40 years adhering. He didn't care at all that he became the laughingstock of the entire island.
The tea wasn't good; the leaves were withered, the aroma was gone, and the taste was bitter. Yet, Huang Xiao had been drinking this kind of tea for over 40 years. Having drunk so much of it, he had come to dislike good tea.
Life is like tea, and tea is like life.
Huang Xiao's life seems to be like this tea. He was unremarkable in appearance, even ugly.
He wasn't a genius; he was born under difficult circumstances, like a baby monkey that had fallen into the water. He inevitably suffered from low self-esteem, and if it weren't for his mother, his life would have been completely different.
He still remembers the year he was six, when he ran home with tears in his eyes, crying out, "Mom, why do they all say I'm ugly and stupid? Am I really that ugly and stupid? Everyone else bullies me and won't play with me."
"How could Xiao'er be ugly and stupid?" His mother hugged him and comforted him gently, "My Xiao'er is smart and adorable. Outsiders just don't understand."
"Is that really how it is?" Huang Xiao asked, tears streaming down his face, looking up at his mother.
"Of course it is," his mother said with absolute certainty. "Just like Zhuge Ming. He was also born on Rainbow Island, where he farmed for four years and was known as a farmer. Everyone looked down on him, but he was appointed prime minister and defeated Xiang Yu, the Chu Overlord. It shows that truly outstanding people are not ordinary people. 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 lit up. "So I'm like Zhuge Ming, no wonder they all misunderstood me."
The mother smiled, "Becoming someone like Zhuge Ming is no easy feat. Xiao'er, do you know how many military books and classic texts Zhuge Ming read before he entered officialdom?"
"Then Xiao'er asked, explaining."
His mother patted Huang Xiao's head and said gently, "That's what makes my Xiao'er so special. What's wrong with practicing 100 times? Your mother is here with you. Come on, write with me."
She picked up a bamboo pole and began writing stroke by stroke on the sand. Huang Xiao followed her, also taking a small wooden stick and imitating her.
When I was ten years old...
"Mom, there are so many words in my military strategy book! I read the later parts but forgot the earlier ones. I can't memorize it at all. It's too difficult!" Xiao Huang Xiao pouted, looking quite frustrated.
"Don't be afraid of difficulties, my dear son. Mother will carry them with you."
Eleven years old...
"Mother, am I really like Zhuge Ming? Why does everyone despise me and call me an ugly monster?"
"My dear son, don't worry about what others think of you. The important thing is how you see yourself. In your mother's heart, even Zhuge Ming is not as cute or handsome as you."
Thirteen years old...
"Mother, you're lying to me! You're lying to me! They can all control Demon Beast, but I can't. All the other adults say I'm not talented enough and have no chance of becoming Spirit Beast Master! Why are you lying to me like this?!" Huang Xiao cried out, filled with anguish. Finally, he covered his face and ran away from home.
"Xiao'er, Xiao'er!" His mother couldn't stop him in time and was about to go out to chase after him when suddenly everything went black and she fainted on the ground.
"Madam Huang, why are you doing this? Over the years, you've scrimped and saved for Huang Xiao, selling your jewelry to buy books. Yet you've been neglecting your own illness, unable to afford medicine. If I hadn't passed by today..." Old Man Jiang looked at Huang Xiao's bedridden mother, shaking his head and sighing repeatedly.
"Dr. 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 poor aptitude is entirely due to my terminal illness. I want to do everything in my power to give him a bright future." Huang Xiao's mother lay on the bed, her breath weak, but her tone remarkably firm.
Outside the door, Huang Xiao, who had returned, stood there blankly. Then he slowly turned around and walked out, looking lost and dejected.
He buried his head in the sand and wept bitterly in the wilderness. The first thing he said when he returned that evening was, "Mother! I won't let you down. I will become someone like Zhuge Ming!"
When I was fifteen years old...
Huang Xiao knelt beside his mother, tightly holding her hand, and cried out, "Mother! Mother! Don't go! What will I do without you?"
Madam Huang lay on the bed, barely opening her eyes, gazing at Huang Xiao with loving eyes, and smiling silently.
"Mother! You can't leave! All these years I've worked so hard, hoping to become someone like Zhuge Ming! If you leave and can't see it, what's the point of me becoming a prime minister or a great general in the future?" Huang Xiao cried out, tears blurring his vision.
"Xiao'er, your mother will not leave. My soul will become a star in the sky, silently watching over you. I will watch you, like Zhuge Ming, meet a wise ruler who appreciates you, and become a prime minister and a great general. You must remember that everyone's birth is different, and that is not important. What is important is what kind of person you want to become. Xiao'er, your mother will be watching over you from heaven..." Huang Xiao's mother slowly closed her eyes.
"Mother--!"
Sixteen years old...
Huang Xiao knelt before the tombstone, the autumn wind whistling, and withered leaves fluttering in the air.
He raised one hand, tears streaming down his face, and cried out, "Mother! Your son swears that I will become like Zhuge Ming, that a wise ruler will thrice visit my thatched cottage to recruit me. I will become the greatest general in the world, and my name will resound in the heavens! I swear! I swear! I swear!!"
"Hmph! What kind of thing is this, daring to compare itself to Zhuge Ming?"
"Hahaha, I've seen plenty of arrogant people. But seeing Huang Xiao today is truly astounding."
"He actually wants to visit thatched cottage three times? How arrogant! I'd rather visit his thatched cottage three times than visit his three-times!"
"What utter nonsense! He's got onions stuck in his nostrils, thinking he's some kind of elephant."
Seventeen, twenty-seven, thirty-seven...
People of all kinds walked and stopped, and the gate of the thatched cottage opened and closed accordingly.
Huang Xiao sipped his tea, sitting at the same tea table, listening to the idle gossip and sarcastic remarks, from his youth to his young adulthood, and then to middle age.
Forty-seven years old, fifty-seven years old, sixty-one years old...
Fewer and fewer people came to visit his thatched cottage. Eventually, none came at all. A new generation replaced the old, and the familiar old men were recruited or left the island to seek a living. But he remained here, becoming a laughing stock among the young people. When they talked about him, their lips would often curl into a disdainful sneer.
The past is like smoke, like the steam rising from a cup of tea, drifting away in the air.
Bang bang bang.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door.
" Huang Xiao, it's me, Uncle Jiang. May I come in?" came Old Man Jiang's voice from outside the door.
"Uncle Jiang, please come in for tea." Huang Xiao pushed open the door and welcomed Old Man Jiang into the inner room. He had great respect for Old Man Jiang, who had once given him a lot of financial assistance.
"You've probably already guessed why I've come. That's right, I've come to persuade you." Old Man Jiang sat down, took a sip of hot tea, and said earnestly, "Young Master Chu is young, yet he is the foremost among the younger generation. He is brave and skilled in battle, and possesses a broad mind. He is truly a wise ruler, one in a hundred years! I know your tradition of visiting three times to seek his advice. But look at the sky, a great treasure has appeared, and heroes are vying for it. It's understandable that Young Master Chu didn't come. Huang Xiao, I've watched you grow up. It would be such a pity to miss out on Young Master Chu."
"Uncle Jiang, you're right." Huang Xiao smiled and nodded repeatedly. Old Man Jiang had drunk most of his tea, so he immediately refilled his cup.
Old Man Jiang was furious. He slammed his cup down on the coffee table, splashing tea everywhere. He said with a pained expression, "You! Every time I try to advise you, you just nod and say 'yes, yes, yes.' But you completely ignore me. I say my piece, you do yours."
"Uncle Jiang, I can listen to your advice on other matters, but this is my insistence. I hope you can understand." Huang Xiao lowered his eyelids.
"Sigh, you persevered. You've persevered for over 40 years, and now you're 61. How many years does a person have in their lifetime? Oh well, oh well. I knew this would be the outcome. I truly feel sorry for you!" Old Man Jiang stood up and stormed off.
Huang Xiao watched Old Man Jiang's departing figure, and heard the clang of the courtyard gate being slammed shut. He couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly.
He had a special channel that allowed him to penetrate the mist and gather information from the outside world. He had noticed Chu Yun ever since Chu Yun sacrificed himself to save his adoptive father. Huang Xiao knew everything about Chu Yun's meteoric rise and brilliant achievements. How could Huang Xiao not know that Chu Yun had visited him for two consecutive days, showing great respect and courtesy?
Without a doubt, Chu Yun had reached the standard of a wise ruler in Huang Xiao's mind.
However, Huang Xiao's persistence will not waver because of this.
He made a vow, a vow made before his mother's tombstone. His three visits to Zhuge Liang's thatched cottage were not only a promise, but also a testament to his unwavering commitment.
This is not simply stubbornness, but has risen to the level of understanding the meaning of life.
He persevered for over 40 years and never bowed to fate!
He understood the value of the Flying Battleship better than Old Man Jiang. A single Spirit Demon Battleship was already worth the effort of the island's powers to fight over. Let alone a Flying Battleship? This weapon-forging technology could create a nation.
To forgo such a golden opportunity to compete, and instead choose to become a laughingstock, relegated to a corner, and plagued by eccentricities?
Huang Xiao thought about it and also felt it was very unrealistic.
"More than 40 years have passed in a flash. How many more years must I wait?" he asked himself, but received no answer. Fate is always mysterious and unpredictable, its power making one feel extremely insignificant and fearful. But another force supported him, preventing him from bowing to fate.
This power is called maternal love.
Fate dealt him a terrible hand, but his mother's great love was able to overcome the forces of fate. He was able to overcome his inferiority complex and get to where he is today, allowing him to live with dignity.
It's all maternal love.
He cannot break his vow, nor can he abandon his principles. Otherwise, he will die.
Some people are dead, yet they live on. Some people, even if they are alive, are already dead.
Bang bang bang.
Just then, there was another knock on the door.
" Huang Xiao, come out quickly!" Old Man Jiang shouted loudly, his tone urgent.
"What happened?" Huang Xiao composed himself, opened the door, and was taken aback.
" Huang Xiao, you silly boy! Young Master Chu has come to see you!" Old Man Jiang shouted joyfully.
"You..." Huang Xiao stared at Chu Yun in front of him, his expression blank, as if in a dream.
Chu Yun seemed to know the question in his mind, " The Spirit Demon Warship's cultivation is close to that of Tribulation Demon, and there are people hindering each other, so it cannot be subdued."
"Even so, could they still snatch some precious treasures by forcibly breaking into the flying warship?" Huang Xiao asked.
"Hehehe, how can one or two treasures compare to your great talent, sir?" Chu Yun cupped his hands, sighed deeply, and said earnestly, "The more one knows, the more superficial one feels. The more scenery one sees, the more one feels one's insignificance in the face of nature. The higher one climbs, the colder it gets, but my ambition to reach the summit has not ended. I wish to appoint you as my general, sir, and humbly request that you come out of seclusion and lend me your assistance."
Huang Xiao stood there, dumbfounded, staring at Chu Yun. Fate had once ignored him, bullied him, and ravaged him, but today, it was showing him a smile.
He hadn't expected this moment, the moment he'd waited for over 40 years, to arrive so suddenly. He almost thought he was hallucinating!
Old Man Jiang, standing to the side, stamped his feet anxiously, tears streaming down his face. " Huang Xiao, what's wrong with you? Didn't you hear? Young Master Chu wants to appoint you as a general!"
"Ah!" Huang Xiao exclaimed in surprise, suddenly finding himself at a loss for what to do!
He stared intently at Chu Yun Chu Yun, who smiled slightly, his eyes shining with sincerity.
In an instant, all other scenery in Huang Xiao's field of vision turned into a white background, leaving only him and Chu Yun.
After more than 40 years of perseverance, the results are finally in!
He visited Zhuge Liang's thatched cottage three times, and finally met a wise ruler!
Mother! Can you see this from heaven?
Although I am old and no longer young, this moment has come a little late, but it is not too late after all.
Huang Xiao was so excited that he could hardly control himself. He took a deep breath, his whole body trembling slightly.
He bowed slightly, cupped his hands in return, and said in as calm a tone as possible—
"To be so highly regarded by the young master, Huang Xiao is willing to serve you like a dog or a horse!"
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