The Three Pure Ones' Secret: Expressing Spirit

It turns out that nothing happened without a reason. My second uncle and grandfather had many more stories from that time, but they never told me about them. I asked why my second uncle had so many ghost stories when I was a child. It turns out that it was because of some strange encounters they had when they were young.

Later, the reason why Cui Hongzhi chose my second uncle instead of my grandfather might really be as Chang Qingqing said: one of them was straightforward and the other was kind.

As time went by, the year quickly came to an end, and we began our new semester of sophomore year. As for last year's theme exam, apart from Meng Jiahong and me, Li Quan and Li Peng failed. To be honest, those two brothers were really disappointing. They were always busy chasing after Wu Qian and Liu Shiyu, and they actually failed the final academic assessment.

However, the two beasts didn't seem to care at all. They went online as usual. On the first day of school, Meng Jiahong and Cui Xingwen hadn't arrived at school yet. If you ask me, these two brothers only have themselves to blame.

Perhaps because it was just after the New Year, those two bastards received too many red envelopes and had nowhere to spend the money. They dragged me, their brother, to go online all night. And once we got there, they were like they were on steroids.

But those wicked games always have so many tempting events that make you want to spend money. The two of us couldn't resist the temptation and got carried away. Actually, the first half of the night was fine, and everyone was playing the game obediently. But in the second half of the night, I couldn't stay awake any longer, so I found a movie and watched it out of boredom. Maybe I was just trying to stay awake, but I eventually drifted off to sleep.

I don't know how long I slept, but then I heard Li Quan yelling and shouting, saying something like, "Out! Out! Oh my god!"

Meanwhile, Li Peng, standing to the side, muttered to himself, "What terrible luck! This game is trash!"

I groggily opened my eyes and glanced sideways. Those two bastards were actually participating in a lottery during the game event! They seemed really into it, so I listlessly said to them, "Don't get carried away. If you don't win, forget it!"

My two grandsons ignored me, and I couldn't be bothered with them either, so I turned my head and went back to sleep.

I slept until the next morning, and the two of them were still playing games. I checked the time on my phone; it was already 7:30. So I asked them when they were going back. Seeing that I was awake, Li Quan said to me, "Don't rush, watch me wipe out the whole team with my new gear!"

However, his skills were clearly not as good as his boasting. After the game ended, the two of them quit and shut down their computers. I walked with them to the breakfast shop across from the school gate to buy breakfast. I asked them what they wanted to eat, and these two country bumpkins actually told me they weren't hungry. I could tell what was going on even with a grain of salt. These two guys must have spent all their allowance on games last night.

I was too lazy to say anything more, so I bought one for each of them. Then I messaged Yin Yuhong to ask what she wanted to eat, but she replied, "I haven't come to school yet, I probably won't be back until tonight!"

I figured the girl hadn't even gone back to school yet, probably because she was having too much fun during the Lunar New Year holiday. I didn't think much of it and just replied, "Okay."

Li Quan, Li Peng, and I walked to the school gate. It was around seven o'clock, and the sky was not yet fully bright, but the security guard at the gate was already up. We were a little curious because there was a broken tricycle parked at the school gate, and a middle-aged man was standing next to it talking to the security guard.

We stood by as bystanders, watching for a while before we started to piece things together. The middle-aged man standing in front of the security guard seemed to be his brother. His brother was disheveled and rather thin, and with a forced smile, he said to the security guard, "Hey, brother, this is the last time. Trust me, I'll pay you back in a few days!"

The security guard, however, retorted with a stern face: "I don't believe you for a second! When have you ever said the same thing? Look at your age! Let me tell you, Peng Guoqiang, having a brother like you is a disgrace!"

Peng Guoqiang seemed to be borrowing money from his older brother. The three of us, the bystanders, watched with great interest, munching on our steamed buns and waiting to see who would eventually give in.

However, that's how people are; the more you think something is none of your business, the more it seems to get around you. Li Quan, Li Peng, and I were just bystanders, but who would have thought that old man Peng Guoqiang would be so shameless, so willing to lower himself to such an extent?

Actually, we have to blame that bastard Li Quan. Why did he go up to those two old guys and offer them cigarettes? Peng Guoqiang saw that we were more familiar with his older brother, so he asked us to borrow money.

We were speechless. The security guard had been offering to open the door for us every night, and we'd been trying to get on his good side, secretly offering him cigarettes whenever we went to the gate. Now, his brother, Peng Guoqiang, seeing we were familiar with each other, had actually turned on us. We, a few naive young men inexperienced in the ways of the world, were no match for this seasoned veteran. After his persistent pleading, we each gave him two hundred yuan.

After receiving our help, Peng Guoqiang politely thanked us and left with a verbal promise: "Thank you, guys. I'll pay you back in a few days. I swear on my integrity, I won't lie to you!"

Peng Guoqiang then left us his contact information. We watched him, looking disheveled, wobbling away on his rickety tricycle. The three of us, with six eyes, stared dumbfounded as the old man's figure disappeared from sight, speechless. We thought to ourselves, "You swear on your integrity? What kind of integrity do you have?"

Although we were somewhat speechless at the sudden appearance of this strange man, we didn't have high hopes. Fortunately, Peng Guoqiang did return the money to us. He was so embarrassed at the time that he looked like a scavenger. Later, we admitted that we had made a mistake in our judgment.

We returned to the dorm in silence. I looked at Li Peng and Li Quan beside me; the two seemed a bit worried. I looked at them and asked, "Why aren't you sleeping? We have to go to class this afternoon!"

All I heard Li Quan say to me was, "You don't know how expensive firewood and rice are until you're in charge of the household!"

Upon hearing this, I quickly interrupted, "No way, bro! Show the same enthusiasm you had for the lottery last night! What's so expensive about daily necessities like firewood and cooking oil!"

The two brothers rolled their eyes at me, but I ignored them and lay down in my bed to sleep.

We went to class in the afternoon. Perhaps because we hadn't been to class on the first morning of the semester, Old Wang angrily called the three of us to his office. He closed the door, and we stared blankly at his stern face, thinking he was going to unleash the dogs. He then said, with a look of utter exasperation, "What are you guys doing? Sleeping in the dorm on the first morning of the semester! What a waste of your parents' tuition fees! Going back to sleep would have been so much better!"

We didn't dare to make a sound. Old Wang saw that we were like pigs that didn't care about boiling water, and there was nothing he could do about it. He just said to Li Quan and Li Peng, "I don't care if you sleep every day, but Li Quan and Li Peng, you failed last semester. If you don't meet the standard this semester, you'll have to repeat a year!"

When Li Quan and Li Peng heard that they had to repeat a year of high school, they were both stunned. However, before they could even express their surprise, Old Wang told them something else.

~

Old Wang took out a cigarette from his pack, lit it, and frowned: "You two, look at your grades. If this continues, you won't even have enough credits to graduate."

Li Peng asked, somewhat hesitantly, "Then what should we do?"

Old Wang took a drag of his cigarette, then said to the two men, "Actually, there is a way. I have a suggestion for you, but I don't know if you'd be willing to accept it?"

The two men stared blankly at Old Wang, and Li Quan asked him, "What's wrong?"

Old Wang took a deep drag of his cigarette and said to the two of them, "The school is holding a large-scale arts festival soon. Students who participate can not only make up for lost credits, but also receive cash prizes for good performances. This opportunity is right in front of us. I originally wanted to send other students in the class, but you two don't have enough credits for further studies, so I had to consider you two first!"

Upon hearing that they could earn academic credits and a bonus, their eyes lit up instantly, and they agreed without hesitation.

Actually, they had other plans in mind. These two were dirt poor, and this opportunity with both credits and bonuses was perfect for them. But they had to stand by and watch at the gate, and even the two hundred yuan they had left was borrowed by Peng Guoqiang, the brother of the security guard at the school gate, under some excuse.

The two of them were penniless and worried about how to make ends meet. When they heard that there was a prize for performing, they immediately made up their minds and decided to sign up for the show, even if it was a tough one.

Seeing that the two brothers agreed, Old Wang said to me, "And you, even though you passed the exam, you still need to cooperate with them. You two hang out together every day, don't say it's unfair to them."

I was standing to the side and couldn't escape either, which left me speechless!

Seeing that no one objected, Old Wang told us to go back to the classroom. But the three of us were hardly in the mood for class. I sat in the classroom dozing off, looking at the empty desks next to me. Yin Yuhong hadn't returned to school yet either.

After school in the afternoon, we ate in the cafeteria and returned to our dormitory. Then the three of us faced a dilemma.

Although Li Quan and Li Peng agreed, they weren't necessarily sure they could actually perform on stage.

Li Laoquan, clutching his hair and looking worried, said, "We're good for nothing but playing video games. We sing off-key, our dancing is stiff, we'll embarrass ourselves on stage!"

Li Peng also looked dejected and said in a muffled voice, "Yeah, what can we do? We can't just go up there and stand there doing nothing."

The two of them racked their brains but couldn't come up with a solution. I looked at them and said, "Why don't we wait for Lao Meng to come back and ask for his opinion?"

Without hesitation, Li Laoquan video-called Lao Meng. Lao Meng seemed to still be on the highway, driving. The person who answered the phone was Teacher Cui, who was sitting in the passenger seat. When they saw that it was Cui Xingwen who answered the phone, the group was a little embarrassed at first, but Cui Xingwen seemed to know them quite well, so she asked Li Quan, "What's wrong? What's the matter?"

Li Quan hesitated for a moment, but still honestly relayed Lao Wang's opinion. It turned out Cui Xingwen also knew about this, so Li Quan hurriedly asked, "Teacher Cui, you're always surrounded by teachers, so please give us some advice! See if there are any vacant performance slots at the school right now. We're in a hurry to accumulate credits and get prize money!"

Cui Xingwen, with her calm demeanor, thought for a moment and said, "I'll give you a heads-up: the shows you want to perform might all be sold out."

Li Quan was somewhat surprised: "Huh? What do we do now?"

Cui Xingwen was at a loss, so she said to Lao Liquan, "Don't worry, I asked the teacher who arranged this performance. All kinds of singing, dancing and skit programs are fully booked now, and there are basically no spots left. The only thing we need right now is a stage performance of a folk culture story. If you are willing, you can sign up for that."

Upon hearing that it was a folk culture performance, Li Quan and Li Peng immediately wilted.

Li Quan groaned with a bitter face, "Huh? We spend all our time in internet cafes playing games, we know absolutely nothing about folk culture, we don't even know what local folk tales there are, how are we supposed to act this out clearly?"

Li Peng nodded repeatedly, looking troubled. The two exchanged a glance, then simultaneously turned their gaze to me, before saying to Cui Xingwen on the phone, "Hey, don't worry, let's talk about it when you get back. Be careful!"

After hanging up the phone, he gave me a strange look, which confused me. Then Li Quan immediately came over, his face full of flattery: "Hey, Brother Yuan, I remember you said your second uncle is an old Taoist priest who cultivates in the mountains. He must know a lot about these strange folk tales and legends, right?"

"Yeah, yeah!" Li Peng quickly chimed in. "Old Pu, could you ask around for us? Do you know any short stories that are easy to understand, adaptable, and suitable for stage performance? Otherwise, we'll really fail our courses."

Looking at the two men with their long faces, I knew Old Wang wanted me to cooperate with them, so I had no choice but to agree. But I reminded them that I needed to find some time to go home.

Seeing that I agreed, the two of them waited for Meng Jiahong and Cui Xingwen to return to school and asked about the specific time when the school performance would start. It turned out that there was still a month to go. When Yin Yuhong arrived at school, I told her that we were going to participate in the school performance. She was a little surprised, but she also told me something that surprised me.

I saw her lying on the desk, looking at me with her big eyes, her long eyelashes blinking: "Actually, I also signed up for the performance. I'm performing a song."

I was a little surprised when I heard that, and then asked her, "So what song do you want to sing? You're not going to sing a love song, are you?"

I don't know what she was thinking, but she just lay there giggling like an idiot: "Singing for you? A love song, no less!"

I felt a little embarrassed by what she said, but I thought to myself, "If you're willing to sing for me, I won't mind."

But she playfully said to me, "Dream on! We'll talk about it later. I haven't decided yet. I'll let you know when I do!"

I stood there blankly watching her.

A week passed quickly. I took advantage of the weekend to go home, and early Sunday morning I made a special trip up the mountain to find my second uncle, who usually practiced asceticism there. I saw him wearing an old, shabby Taoist robe, with gray hair and beard. After hearing my purpose, he scratched his bald head and remained silent for a long time before telling me a few old folk tales about the mountains.

Just listening to the stories wasn't enough; they also had to be adapted into stage dialogue and plot. I wrote down the stories he told me, which were all about this god and that immortal. After I went down the mountain, I turned around and went to find Fan Biao.

When I found him, he had just finished a funeral. I got straight to the point: "Old Fan, I need your help with something. Two of my classmates are going to participate in the school's arts festival, and they need a script for a folk tale performance. My second uncle told me a few old stories. You've been helping people with funerals for years and you're very knowledgeable. Do you have any other stories you could help me think of and see which one is suitable for adaptation and performance?"

Fan Biao stroked the few hairs on his chin, grinned, and spoke a little haltingly: "Old Pu, this is easy. Second Master is a Taoist, so his stories are definitely authentic. I usually handle funerals and have heard a lot of local customs and old stories. I'll think about it first, and I guarantee I can come up with a suitable story for you classmates."

After listening, I felt much more at ease. While recalling the old stories that Second Master had told me, I sat down with Lao Fan and slowly discussed them, planning to choose the most suitable one and adapt it into a simple, easy-to-perform stage story that also fits the folk theme.