Chapter 92: What Does It Mean to Be a Superstar?

Inside the He Family Mansion.

Su Lu wore an expression of solemn purity as he addressed the gathered youths:

“My elder brother said this is a perfect opportunity—if we want the next generation of our two clans to live in harmony, fostering friendships through shared schooling is the best way. That’s why he agreed to serve as the teacher at Erlangtan Community School.”

He then glanced toward the Cheng brothers.

“I have no doubt about this. Look at us—we’ve only been classmates for a few months, yet we’ve gone from sworn enemies to the best of friends!”

“Yes, indeed,” the Cheng brothers quickly nodded, feeling honored by Su Lu’s words.

“So that’s it!” the Su brothers exclaimed in sudden understanding. “Our elder brother’s righteousness is truly admirable!”

“But my elder brother is facing difficulties now; you’ve all heard about it, haven’t you?” Su Lu surveyed the group.

“Yes,” they all nodded in unison.

Especially those brothers who spent their days at Erlangtan, some had been a bad influence... The fools in the community school—whether their own brothers or cousins—had been stirred up by them on many occasions.

Hearing Su Lu recount Spring Brother’s noble intentions, they immediately felt ashamed and blamed themselves. “We were such idiots—not only did we fail to help Spring Brother, we dragged him down!”

Su Yang even struck himself hard twice across the face. “Several fights were started because of me—I really deserve to die!”

“That’s not true, ignorance is no fault...” Su Lu quickly stopped him, realizing he might have been too harsh and inadvertently triggered a bout of teenage angst.

“But we must find a way to help my elder brother turn the situation around!”

“Understood!” the youths responded in unison. “What should we do?”

“Isn’t that why I called you here to discuss?” Su Lu, though already having a plan, wanted to guide them into voicing their ideas. Participation fuels initiative.

“We’ll go back and warn those kids not to fight at school!”

“No fighting anywhere—peaceful coexistence is what allows swords to turn into plowshares,” Cheng Wanzhou piped up in his sharp voice.

“Exactly,” Su Lu nodded. “Continue.”

“We can take turns watching over our own family’s kids at school—anyone who dares fight, we deal with them...”

“We could set a goal: three days without fighting, then treat them to candy.” The moment those words came out, it was clear that was Cheng Wanzhou speaking.

“Five days without fighting, then sweet drinks?” Su Dan suggested.

“That works.” Cheng Wanzhou clapped his hands.

“No way,” Su Lang scoffed. “Sixty kids—how many times can we afford to treat them?”

“If it’s not possible, then it’s not possible—no need for insults,” Cheng Wanzhou stomped his foot.

After a lively exchange, Su Lu finally spoke solemnly. “All your ideas are excellent, but we still need a grand gesture to turn the tide!”

“I’ve got it!” Su Lang, always full of tricks, proposed: “We could call them all to this courtyard, play ghosts to scare them, and say if anyone fights again, we’ll come to their house at night!”

“What nonsense,” Su Dan retorted. “You’re just handing money to the local magistrate!”

“Indeed, how can we scholars stoop to superstition?” Cheng Wanzhou added, trying to sound proper. In truth, he was too timid, afraid he’d scare himself before anyone else.

“I’ve got it now—thanks for the inspiration! Let’s not wait for a lucky day; everyone, go gather those kids here. I’ll tell them a story that will cure all ills!” Su Lu patted Cheng Wanzhou and Su Lang on the shoulders and addressed the group.

“Good!” Though the boys doubted any story could work instantly, they trusted Su Lu.

~~

Summer night, when both adults and children stay up late.

The grown-ups would spread out mats under the stars to enjoy the cool breeze; the children ran about playing hide-and-seek, chasing fireflies, battling crickets, catching eels, and digging for cicadas—burning off the boundless energy that summer’s heat failed to exhaust.

Of course, listening to elders’ stories was once an essential part of summer evenings. But nowadays, stories were scarce, and the same old tales were retold until the children grew bored.

So Su Dan, Cheng Wantang, and the others had to use various excuses—not just stories, but promises of fun and games—to coax some sixty children into the He family courtyard, then shut the gates tight!

The children felt a chill inside—had it not been for the crowd, they might have been truly frightened.

Soon, they noticed their usual rivals from the other clan were also present.

“Brother, why did you call us all here?” the Su children asked Su Lang and others. “Are we here to settle things once and for all?”

“Why didn’t you say so earlier? We came empty-handed...” the Cheng children grumbled at Cheng Wantang and his group.

“No, no! No one is allowed to fight today!” Su Lang shouted fiercely. “Or I’ll crush his eggs!”

“Don’t scare them,” Cheng Wanzhou cleared his throat and spoke gently to the kids. “Tonight, big brothers invite you to listen to a story. We spent a fortune bringing in the most popular storyteller from town to tell you a tale you’ve never heard—one that will captivate you!”

“Yay!” The children’s curiosity was piqued, and they set aside their grudges, sitting down on the ground to await the storyteller’s arrival.

As night deepened, the torches around the courtyard were extinguished one by one, stirring the children into a brief commotion.

Then suddenly, from the main hall came the rhythmic pounding of drums and clash of cymbals, immediately capturing the children’s attention.

Bright firelight glowed within the hall, causing them to squint.

They then noticed a white cloth stretched across the hall’s entrance, its four corners tied tight to the frame, stretched smooth. The firelight gleamed through the fabric, illuminating its stains and patches clearly.

“Snap!” A crisp wooden clapper sounded, and the drumming and cymbals abruptly ceased.

Then a clear, ringing voice spoke from behind the cloth:

“Let’s skip the chit-chat and get straight to the point! Today’s story is ‘The Monkey King.’ It is said that beyond the Eastern Sea lies a fairy mountain called Flower-Fruit Mountain...”

At the same time, shadows flickered on the cloth, slowly revealing the silhouette of a mountain range, with even the contours of rocks outlined by the firelight.

“The mountain blooms with flowers and bears every kind of fruit—peaches, watermelons, grapes, oranges, lychees, longans—you name it, all year round!” The voice brimmed with longing. “Truly a paradise for monkeys!”

The children’s eyes grew wide, as if they could already smell the sweet fruit, many little gluttons salivating eagerly...

Now the mountain’s shadow on the cloth grew larger, highlighting a round boulder atop the peak...

The storyteller continued: “But the highest peak of Flower-Fruit Mountain is bare and desolate, with not a blade of grass. A solitary round boulder stands alone at the summit, its surface etched with fine lines. Legend says it is the leftover divine stone from when Nuwa mended the sky!”

“That spirit stone has weathered countless storms and years, until one day, a thunderbolt suddenly struck—”

The children were entranced when suddenly a cymbal’s sharp clang startled them.

“The stone split open, and out jumped a stone monkey!”

Behind the cloth, a small monkey appeared, leaping and flipping about...

“Wow!” The children roared with delight, clapping their hands until red, eyes glued to the cloth, completely immersed in the tale.

Which Han child could resist the allure of Journey to the West? Especially since Su Lu had borrowed techniques from shadow puppetry...

Su Dan and Su Yang beat drums and clashed cymbals, accompanying the story’s rhythm. Cheng Wanfan operated his brother’s marionette monkey behind the cloth.

Though unpracticed and often clumsy, with occasional mishaps, the children didn’t mind; they watched with rapt attention, scarcely daring to blink.

In these times, mountain children’s entertainment was scarce. The elders only repeated old stories of ‘the celestial dog swallowing the sun’ or ‘the water ghost causing harm’—tales grown stale. The children desperately needed fresh stories!

The legendary tale of the peerless Monkey King immediately captured their very souls. They were so engrossed, they even neglected their need to relieve themselves.

When the story reached the Water Curtain Cave, Su Yang added the sound of rushing water, causing several children to wet their pants...

Su Lu narrated up to the point where the stone monkey became the Monkey King, seeking immortality and deciding to sail out to find a master, then deliberately slowed the pace, stretching his tone:

“So, will the Monkey King achieve his wish? To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next chapter!”

“Snap!” Another clapper sounded, the firelight behind the cloth went out with a whoosh, and the drums, cymbals, and monkey shadows all vanished into darkness.

Yet the children lingered, reluctant to leave the story behind, their faces full of wistful longing, whispering, “Where will the Monkey King go to learn his skills?”

At that moment, the white cloth was pulled away, and Su Lu appeared with Su Yang and Cheng Wanfan to take their bows.

Seeing such a brilliant performance was actually their own brother acting, the children grew even more excited, cheering and applauding wildly.

Naturally, they couldn’t resist asking Su Lu, “Brother, did the Monkey King learn any magic arts?”

Su Lu played coy: “Didn’t I say? To find out what happens next, wait for the next installment. Ten days from now, during our break, we’ll reveal more.”

“Ten more days?” The children’s disappointment was palpable. “That’s too long! How can we wait?”

Several Su children gathered around him, pleading coquettishly, “Dear big brother, please give us a little hint...”

“Alright, alright,” Su Lu gave in. “Truth be told, this story was told to me by my elder brother—your teacher!”

“Wow!” The children exclaimed together, their image of Spring Brother growing ever grander.

“Actually, he had planned to tell you all along, but you didn’t respect him. You wouldn’t even call him ‘teacher,’ so of course he was hurt and didn’t want to tell the story,” Su Lu finally revealed the truth.

“We’ll call him tomorrow, and every day after that!” the Cheng children promised eagerly.

“Not just call him ‘teacher,’ but also follow the school rules—no quarrels, no fights, listen carefully, and complete your homework,” Su Lu took the opportunity to make a lofty demand.

“If you do all that, he’ll tell you stories every day!”

“All right, all right, we promise!” The children readily accepted, without a hint of bargaining.

“Good. If you can keep it up, in ten days we’ll perform another grand show! We’ll treat you to the best food and drinks! But if you ever slip up, sorry, no more!” Su Lu declared loudly.

“Don’t worry, we can do it!” The usual ringleaders who often started fights shouted back, “If anyone dares fight, we’ll crush their eggs!” They had already cast themselves as the Monkey King.

Truly, the charm of the Monkey King is invincible!