Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 780 How dusty must the Four Heroes of the Dust be?
"Such a thing is true? What kind of logic is this? Your husband is not very bright. But I think you should stop thinking about that girl. She has no interest in that at all."

"I understand..." the boy said dejectedly, "Then what should we do now, Uncle? The master asked me to call you over, are you going or not?"

Xia Lin waved her hand: "I won't go. You can tell your husband that I asked you to ask him why Confucius said that the greatest desires of man have become such filthy things that cannot be touched. When one is young, one may have feelings, but these feelings should be restrained by propriety. Even if one is young, what should one do?"

"It's not something to be said. The academy has a strict rule against it, saying that it was set by Headmaster Xia himself back then, saying that one should not talk about personal feelings when the great cause has not yet been accomplished."

Xia Lin paused, then muttered softly, "Did they say that?"

However, he still raised his head: "It seems that people eventually become the very thing they despise. In that case, I'll go with you."

As he spoke, he changed into casual clothes and led the child to the academy.

The academy today is so different from what it was at the beginning. The small academy has now become a huge campus, six miles long from east to west and four miles wide from north to south. Behind it are 120,000 acres of mountains, forests and paddy fields for students to experiment on, as well as the second largest library in the world.

With nearly 70,000 students and faculty members, the entire campus is so large that it could easily be described as a small city.

As you enter the academy, you'll find some scenic views and small groves for students to read aloud in the morning. Further in, you'll reach the teaching area, where you can see children ranging from five or six years old to young adults in their twenties, all wearing the academy's uniforms, walking alone or in small groups.

At the very center of the teaching area stands a statue, none other than Xia Lin. The sculpted Xia Lin looks spirited and incomparably dashing, just like he did in his early twenties.

Xia Lin stood beneath his own statue for a long time, then sighed for no apparent reason. Looking back at the vibrant young people passing by, he sighed inexplicably, "Flowers may bloom again, but youth never returns."

At that moment, the child pointed to a row of houses next to him and said, "Uncle, our class is over there..."

Xia Lin then came to her senses, looked at him and smiled, "Alright, go see your master."

The two arrived at the teachers' rest area. The boy peeked out the window, observing the room, and spotted a teacher preparing his lesson. He turned to Xia Lin, gestured, and whispered, "He's inside..."

Xia Lin hummed in agreement, then went to the door and knocked. Only after a voice inside said "Come in" did the two of them go inside.

The teacher glanced at Xia Lin and his companion, nodded slightly, and asked, "Are you an elder in his family?"

"The uncle I found on the street." Xia Lin sat down. "This gentleman..."

Before he could finish speaking, the teacher interrupted him: "I called you here not to argue with you, nor to talk to you about human desires and family matters, but simply to ask you, isn't mutual affection the fundamental premise of mutual affection?"

Xia Lin was startled and paused for a full three seconds before coughing and saying, "Yes."

"This has nothing to do with men or women. Regardless of which party is being persistent, if the other party doesn't appreciate it but remains obstinate, won't that cause trouble for others?"

The gentleman's logic was meticulous. Xia Lin scratched his head and chuckled, "That makes sense."

“If that’s the case, then isn’t it a disturbance to others that you taught him to write those things, whether it’s praise or criticism? I asked him to bring you here just to tell you that since others are already unhappy, you shouldn’t bother them anymore. I’ve also read your beautiful writing, and it is indeed superb, with outstanding literary talent. However, writing is used to convey the Way, and this Way is not a good Way.”

Xia Lin scratched his head and turned to look at the kid: "Did you hear that? Have you given up yet?"

The young man reluctantly agreed, but Xia Lin spoke up again: "Sir, I'm really curious, just how beautiful must this girl be to have captivated this young man to such an extent? Why don't you ask her to come over, and I'll apologize to her personally."

The man gave Xia Lin a strange look, thinking that the man was odd, but there seemed to be nothing wrong with him, so he got up and left.

At this moment, Xia Lin and his companion were sitting there. The little brat looked up at Xia Lin, and Xia Lin looked down at the little brat.

"You little brat, I got scolded without saying anything. Let me tell you, the last time someone scolded me was ten years ago."

"What can I do? I thought you could out-argue my husband."

Xia Lin rolled his eyes. It wasn't that he couldn't argue, but rather that he couldn't. At the very least, what the teacher said was correct. If he was right, it would be very irrational to belittle the teacher in front of the students.

After a while, the man brought over a girl. It has to be said that there is a big difference between boys and girls of the same age. This twelve or thirteen-year-old girl has already grown into a young lady, but looking at the brat next to her, he is just a little kid.

However, to say how beautiful this girl is, she's not actually that beautiful, just above average, but her bright eyes and white teeth are unmatched.

Xia Lin sighed, stood up and bowed to the young woman: "I'm sorry, I was presumptuous yesterday. I just wanted to teach this brat how to write a letter, I didn't expect it to cause you so much trouble."

The girl glanced at the little boy next to her, then at Xia Lin, and quickly stood up to return the greeting: "It's alright. I think we should focus on our studies right now, and we can postpone matters of the heart."

After saying that, she looked at Xia Lin with a smile and said, "I wonder if this gentleman thinks it's right?"

"That's right, that's right. In that case, I'll be going now."

Just as Xia Lin was about to leave, the girl suddenly laughed. She looked at Xia Lin with a smile and said, "Then this gentleman doesn't know the rules."

Xia Lin paused, turning back to look at her incredulously: "Huh? Are you telling me the rules?"

"Yes, the so-called apology is just an apology, but sir, you have only apologized but not yet made any real offerings."

Xia Lin frowned slightly: "I don't know what kind of gift this young lady wants."

"Hmm..." The girl kept looking into Xia Lin's eyes: "Then how about you treat me to dinner after school, sir?"

Xia Lin's heart skipped a beat, and she waved her hands repeatedly, "No, no, my family is poor and I can't afford it."

"Then I can ask you, sir."

He really couldn't understand these young girls of the new era. He fled in panic with his little brat. Now he realized that the girl didn't not want to talk about men and women, but she didn't want to talk about it with this little brat next to her.

The problem is that her aesthetic sense is really a bit distorted. She doesn't like small things, but she directly gives away old ones. Xia Lin originally wanted to scold that gentleman, but now it seems that there is no need to do so.

He and the little rascal ran out, and the two sat in front of a snack stall outside the academy, each ordering a bowl of milk porridge, and looked at each other in silence.

"Uncle, what did she mean by her last words?"

"Stop thinking about her. Focus on your studies. When you have a bright future, she will come naturally. Try to suppress your loneliness."

The two chatted like father and son. Xia Lin didn't even know the little brat's name, but that didn't matter. At least Xia Lin felt quite relaxed chatting with the little brat. Young men with only a smattering of knowledge are the most interesting.

"Uncle, have you married yet? If not, I have an older sister at home who's always idle. Why don't you let her be your wife?"

Xia Lin was overjoyed upon hearing this. He wiped the juice that had spilled from his mouth with a handkerchief: "Does your older sister know that you sold her like this?"

"She's alright looking, but she's a bit fierce and lazy. But she really is alright looking."

"No, my child isn't much younger than you," Xia Lin waved her hand and smiled, "It's just that he's not with me right now."

"I see, that's a pity." The little brat sighed, "It seems she won't have that much good fortune."

Xia Lin patted his head: "What's your name?"

"Me? My surname is Zhang, and my name is Zhang Jianzhi. Uncle, what's yours?" "That name sounds familiar. Wait a moment."

Xia Lin took out his paperweight from his pocket, looked up and asked, "What kind of 'card'?"

"It's the 'application' in 'invitation'."

After entering the name, the pop-up message reads: "Zhang Jianzhi (625-706), courtesy name Mengjiang, was a native of Xiangyang, Xiangzhou (now in Hubei Province). He was the prime minister during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty and the mastermind behind forcing Wu Zetian to abdicate."

He was taken aback, then looked at the little brat in front of him, frowned, and asked in a low voice, "Where are you from?"

"You from Xiangyang, I told your uncle about this yesterday, have you already forgotten?"

Xia Lin patted his head again: "Keep studying hard."

"Uncle, you still haven't told us your name."

"Me? I'm from the same clan as you, and I also have the surname Zhang, but I'm from Luoyang. My name is Zhang Manyue, and my courtesy name is Wanchun."

Xiao Jian tilted his head and looked at Xia Lin, remaining silent for a long while: "Why does your name sound so much like Zhang Xiang's..."

"No, I'm much better looking than him."

In the following days, Xiao Jianzhi always came to visit Xia Lin, and the day before his day off, he actually brought that little girl with him.

The future prime minister standing before Xia Lin was, at this moment, like a boisterous sheep...

“Uncle, I’m here again.” After saying this, Xiao Jianzhi made room for his little sister behind him. “This is Shaluo. Dugu Shaluo, she asked me to bring her to find you…”

The Dugu family...it's the Dugu family again.

Xia Lin's head ached at the mere mention of the name Dugu, but since he was the elder, he could only manage an awkward smile: "Alright, what brings you here today?"

At this moment, the young girl from Dugu stepped forward and took out a ticket from her small pocket: "I'd like to invite you to see the performance of the Four Heroes of the Wind and Dust today, sir."

"How 'dusty' can the Four Heroes of the Dust?" Xia Lin asked, both amused and exasperated. "You guys like them that much?"

“I love them! They’re the hottest group in Gangnam Road right now, so lively and exciting. Sir, you have no idea how many favors I had to ask to get these tickets.” She looked down and rummaged through her bag, finding two more tickets: “Look, these three tickets cost a lot of money. One for me tonight, one for my sister, and one for you, sir.”

Xiao Jianzhi, standing next to him, was clearly taken aback and pointed to himself: "Where's mine?"

"Oh dear, the child should go home and sleep."

Xiao Jian's mentality exploded on the spot. He looked at Xia Lin pitifully, while Xia Lin smiled and handed him the ticket in her hand.

Under normal circumstances, the youngest sister of the Dugu family would be angry and say that she wouldn't go if he went. But she is a member of the Dugu family, and members of the Dugu family have some talent. At this moment, her first reaction was not to throw a tantrum, but to smile and hand one of the two tickets in her hand to Xia Lin: "In that case, my elder sister will wait for the next round."

Wow, the Dugu family is truly impressive.

Xia Lin was about to refuse, but when he saw Xiao Jianzhi looking at him with a pleading gaze, Xia Lin sighed and shook his head helplessly: "Alright, then I'll treat you to dinner as a thank you gift."

He treated two children, who were about the same age as his own, to a nice meal. During this time, he was quite glad that he hadn't been recognized. However, he also keenly sensed that there were at least ten shadow guards around him. But as long as they didn't come out to interfere with him, he would let them be.

During the meal, Miss Dugu brought out the Dugu family’s linguistic talent to its fullest extent. Don’t underestimate her just because she’s only twelve or thirteen years old; her linguistic prowess is far beyond that of a mere child like Xiao Jianzhi.

The person who appeared most frequently in her words was the current head of the Dugu family, Dugu Dayun.

Well, in the eyes of her clan, Douyazi is absolutely great. Almost the entire family is proud of her. And now she is not only the Duke of Tianwei but also a Prince of Litang, a status so high that people are afraid to approach her.

"So, who is more powerful, your family head or our Headmaster Xia?"

Xiao Jianzhi was clearly displeased. Compared to love, he decisively chose Xia Lin and asked a question from the most tricky angle.

The young Dugu sister was eloquent, but she was stumped by this question. She said that the Dugu family head was powerful, but that was obviously a lie, because any student of the Jiangnan system should know that Xia Shanzhang was the one who changed the times.

Putting aside everything else, the fact that a commoner like Zhang Jianzhi could study in the same room as the daughter of the Dugu family was an unprecedented change. This would have been unthinkable even ten years ago, let alone a hundred.

However, if we say that Headmaster Xia is powerful, then wouldn't all those extreme worships of the family head just now be exposed?
Putting someone in a dilemma is the most offensive insult. At this moment, Xia Lin knew that Xiao Jianzhi had already killed and cooked the boiling sheep in his heart.

"If the headmaster is more capable, then how could the Dugu family head be said to be unparalleled for a hundred generations?"

"If the head of the Dugu family is even stronger, then is what Miss Dugu sees just an illusion?"

Well done, Zhang Jianzhi! That's the kind of sharp tongue a prime minister should have!

And just then... at this awkward moment, the head of the Dugu family arrived.

He was accompanied by Dongniang, who was heavily pregnant and dressed in women's clothing, when they entered the restaurant. The first thing he saw upon entering was Xia Lin.

She then appeared before Xia Lin like a female ghost, her head tilted sideways: "What are you doing here?"

"Bringing the kids out to eat." Xia Lin glanced at her, then at the two children in front of him, and said with a smile, "My wife."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Jianzhi exclaimed, while Dugu Xiaomei'er clearly looked displeased, her gaze towards Douyazi filled with resentment.

“This is a child from the Dugu family.” Xia Lin made room for Douya and Dongniang and introduced, “This is Zhang Jianzhi.”

"Hello!" Douyazi greeted everyone with a friendly smile, exuding girlfriend charm and completely unlike the dignified demeanor of the Dugu family head she usually displayed. "You're my husband's friends, right?"

Zhang Jianzhi felt ashamed at this moment, because he had previously said that he would introduce his elder sister to his uncle, but now he realized that his uncle's wife was so beautiful.

"You haven't shown your face these past few days, what have you been up to?"

"Let me rest for a few days." Xia Lin reached out and patted Douyazi's belly. "I've really been tired these past few years."

Bean Sprout didn't say anything, just smiled, and then stopped talking. But she changed the subject: "What are you going to do later?"

Xia Lin took out his ticket: "A young friend from the Dugu family invited me to see the Four Heroes of the Wind and Dust. I want to see just how 'wind and dusty' these popular Four Heroes of the Wind and Dust really are."

Bean Sprout slowly wiped the smile off her face, her expression subtle: "I advise you not to go see it."

"Why?"

"There's nothing to see, it's just too noisy. I'm afraid it might cause some kind of stress..."

Dongniang, who was standing nearby, added: "Unstable intracranial pressure, sudden cardiac arrest due to rage."

(End of this chapter)