I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

Chapter 30: Things About the Three Kingdoms

Since he was going back with his parents this time, Chen Junqian avoided taking another bumpy ride on the rural bus. The three of them set off directly on a motorcycle. Although they weren't quite at the point of having a chicken in one hand and a duck in the other, they still brought a lot of fruit and pastries. Even the walnut gift box that Chen Junqian had brought home just yesterday was also taken along.

After playing with his dog, whom he hadn't seen for a week, in the courtyard in front of the door for a while, Chen Junqian walked into the inner room and the first thing he saw was the woman his grandmother had recognized decades ago, a woman he should call his god-aunt.

To be honest, when Chen Junqian was young, he often couldn't distinguish his family's vast lineage. He often confused terms such as aunt, uncle, auntie, great-aunt, and great-grandmother. No wonder someone later produced a kinship term calculator, because sometimes he really didn't know how to address them.

It was precisely because of this that when he was very young, Chen Junqian had already asked his parents this question with great concern. If he were to visit these relatives who he only saw once a year during festivals when he grew up, he probably wouldn't know the way or the people, and he couldn't even imagine how awkward the scene would be.

However, his father did not directly answer his concern at the time, but just smiled mysteriously. It was not until much later, when Chen Junqian's parents and elders had passed away, that he understood the answer to this question.

That means that at this point, he doesn't actually need to visit these relatives anymore.

So-called kinship only becomes weaker with each generation. The relatives of the grandparents' generation may be brothers and sisters, but by the time of the parents' generation, they become cousins, and then by the time of their generation, the relationship is even more distant.

Often, it is the elders in the family who are the bond that brings the whole family together during festivals and holidays. The younger generation are just the embellishments. When the bond is broken, some of the rules that were once commonplace and even thought would continue will naturally disappear with the passage of time.

In Chen Junqian's memory, it must have been two years before he was reborn that he had not visited his godmother's house for the New Year.

"Hi aunt."

Of course, at this moment, the relationship between the two families is still quite close. Apart from holidays, his godmother would come to visit Chen Junqian's grandmother whenever she had time, and then have a meal together and chat about everyday things. Today was no exception.

"Junqian is back. Your uncle is working overtime today and couldn't come over, but Xixi is here. She's in her room now. Go and play with her."

After saying this to Chen Junqian as if coaxing a child, the aunt turned around and went to chat with Chen Junqian's parents.

However, Chen Junqian didn't mind. After all, it's always the adults who talk to each other, and the children who play by themselves.

Perhaps because his mind was still filled with the color waste from a certain system, Chen Junqian couldn't quite remember what kind of child his nominal sister Chen Xi was, since they hadn't had much contact in their previous life.

However, when he walked to the bedroom door where the TV was, pushed it open, and went inside, seeing a little girl intently operating a laptop screen with a mouse, the somewhat blurry memories in his mind finally became clear.

He finally remembered why he and the other person had basically no interaction when they were young. It was because, apart from Chen Junqian being the kind of person who could sit and read a book silently all day long in his previous life, the other person was also a taciturn person who rarely talked to anyone and would always beg his mother to bring his laptop over so he could pass the time by playing single-player games outside of mealtimes.

Perhaps because she was too engrossed in the game, Chen Xi didn't notice Chen Junqian who had walked in. He simply stood behind her and glanced at the game running on her computer screen.

Hey, isn't this Koei Tecmo's "Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Cao Cao's Biography"?

As a classic strategy game released in 1998, until Chen Junqian's rebirth, many players still enjoyed creating and playing the game and a large number of mods derived from it. He himself came across the original game in junior high school, and then revisited it during college, while also playing several well-made mods.

After taking another look, Chen Junqian realized that his nominal younger sister had also only been playing the game for a short time, and had just reached the second level, the Battle of Sishui Pass.

"It's best not to leave any minions within Sun Jian's attack range that he can kill instantly, otherwise the computer will control him to attack instead of retreating. Once Hua Xiong comes up, he won't be able to retreat. If Sun Jian dies, it won't affect clearing the level, but you'll lose the Ancient Ding Blade treasure that you get as a reward after the battle."

Because he had completed a perfect playthrough with all the treasures by following a guide during his university years, Chen Junqian still remembers many of the mechanics and hidden conditions that require special attention in each level, so he casually mentioned it.

"I see, I understand."

Whether the other person was a bit oblivious or still immersed in the game, they simply nodded naturally when they heard the voice behind them, and then quickly changed their actions.

"Also, here, although letting Guan Yu approach Hua Xiong can directly trigger the duel scene of 'Slaying Hua Xiong with Warm Wine,' all of Hua Xiong's experience will be wasted. The best way to maximize the benefit is to have Xiahou Dun and the others surround Hua Xiong from all sides, so that the experience of this boss will not be wasted."

"Makes sense."

Despite Chen Junqian's pointing and commenting behavior, the girl sitting in front of the computer with the mouse accepted it all. After a fierce battle between the pixelated characters on the screen, she finally cleared the game and, as expected, received the Ancient Ding Blade treasure as a gift from the surviving Sun Jian.

"you are great."

After such a heartfelt compliment, the little girl belatedly called his name:

"Chen Junqian... the older brother my mom was talking about, right? Have you played this game before?"

"Yes, we cleared the level."

"sharp."

It seemed that for Chen Xi, achieving this was more praiseworthy than getting first place in an exam, and she immediately asked him impatiently:

"I saw online that this game allows Guan Yu to stay in our camp indefinitely. Is that true? How do we do it?"

"There is indeed an 'if' ending that goes against the historical course. In this case, you should try to choose the good side as much as possible when making choices, and keep lowering your villainy value until it reaches a certain point. Then, you will enter this branch after level 30."

As he spoke, Chen Junqian pointed to a diagram on the screen where the blue and red colors were currently evenly matched:

Do you enjoy playing this type of game?

"Yes! I like it."

Chen Xi's answer was much more decisive than he had imagined. It seemed that long before "Ya She" was officially serialized and published, this child had already developed an interest in historical works. After all, "Ya She," a work that is half true and half false, with a touch of fantasy and a touch of historical fact, is most likely to attract children like them who have a somewhat vague understanding of history.

As the saying goes, literature and history are inseparable. In his long career of reading and writing, Chen Junqian has naturally accumulated knowledge and creative experience in this area, and has also participated in work such as comics about Chinese history for elementary school students.

Just like how the plot of "Ya She" gradually veered off into a BL (Boys' Love) direction that he couldn't understand at all, when he turned around and thought about getting to know girls his age or younger readers with similar interests, he was somewhat surprised to find that these had already become things he hadn't anticipated.

I remember once, because of work, he met a woman who claimed to be a fan of the Three Kingdoms period and was about the same age as Chen Junqian. He casually asked her about her favorite historical figures and got Cece and Dengdeng as her answers.

After racking his brains, Chen Junqian realized that the other party was referring to Sun Ce and Chen Deng, and then he once again found himself in the awkward situation of stepping into a minefield.

Even if the other person expresses liking for a Three Kingdoms figure like Sun Ce, he can't tell whether she likes the character's deeds as a dream girl or as a CP fan who obsessively ships Sun Ce with other related historical figures.

If it is the latter, then Chen Junqian will have to enter the second stage of speculation and game, that is, he needs to determine whether the other party is from the perspective of a fujoshi who likes the male-male relationship between Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, or from the perspective of a heterosexual fan who likes the historical couple Sun Ce and Da Qiao.

That's not all, because the other party might actually like the pairing of Sun Ce and Xiao Qiao. Don't ask, it's all because of a certain comic called "Ninety-Nine Eighty-One" that will be serialized in "Zhiyin Manke" two years later.

As for the more specific content of the conversation, Chen Junqian has temporarily sealed them all away in the deepest part of his mind, not wanting to recall them again. He himself has never minded history being revitalized in a more vivid form of creative interpretation in the contemporary era. After all, he has been involved in related popular science writing and museum cultural and creative projects, and has also volunteered to tell the history of cultural relics to children visiting the museum in the most humorous way possible.

However, when something crosses the line in his heart, he still feels quite uncomfortable and strange, and even wants to say a few words of truth, that the adaptation is not a random fabrication or nonsense.

But thinking about it carefully, it seems that around this time next year, a new Three Kingdoms series that will definitely be considered a heavyweight even if we look back on it more than ten years from now will officially hit the screen.

Unlike Chen Junqian, who was already feeling deeply melancholic about the derivative works of the enduring historical theme of the Three Kingdoms, Chen Xi was undoubtedly still a novice who had just begun to experience its charm. At this moment, while controlling the game to enter the third level, the Battle of Hulao Pass, he earnestly spoke:

"I only wanted to play this kind of game after watching the animated version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. As for the book, there are many words I don't recognize yet, so I can't understand it."

As a major animated series that premiered this year, the animated version of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" has indeed left a significant mark on Chen Junqian's childhood memories. In addition to the exquisite character designs and visual presentation that he still finds impressive even after growing up, the five theme songs and ending songs that change with the development of the plot, all themed around the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, have also left a deep impression on Chen Junqian.

In particular, the song "Dream Is Burning," which is based on the theme of fire and the lyrics of Zhuge Liang's Northern Expeditions, remained on Chen Junqian's playlist until his rebirth.

However, it seems that it hasn't been broadcast there yet.

"After watching the animated film, you can then watch the TV series."

"But I think it looks like a new version of the Three Kingdoms will be released next year."

"...Well, actually the old version was also very well made."

A little worried that her childhood introduction to the Three Kingdoms might turn into a story of Cao Cao with the attitude of "Impossible, absolutely impossible!", Liu Bei with the attitude of "I've fought all my life, can't I enjoy myself a bit? Let's keep playing music and dancing!", and Sun Quan with the attitude of "Who is the master of Jiangdong, you or me!", Chen Junqian quickly tried his best to recommend the series for a while. He even taught her how to easily pass the third level and absorb all the experience from the boss Lu Bu before finally dissuading her from watching a certain new Three Kingdoms movie next year.

"Oh, Dian Wei is here."

The two chatted while playing the game, and soon they reached the part where Dian Wei joined the team. At this point, Chen Xi, true to Chen Junqian's stereotype, started asking questions about combat power.

So, who is more powerful, Dian Wei or Lü Bu?

"Because there is a saying that Lü Bu is the best in mounted combat and Dian Wei is the best in foot combat, we can conclude from the above that Lü Bu is the most powerful when he is riding Dian Wei."

Completely unprepared for Chen Junqian's words, Chen Xi was instinctively amused and giggled. Two dimples immediately appeared on her chubby face, and her high pigtails bounced merrily with her laughter, her eyebrows and eyes curving into crescent moons.

"Actually, if we want to create the ultimate humanoid weapon of the Three Kingdoms, we can also consider adding Huang Zhong, who is responsible for archery and long-range combat, and Zhao Yun, who is holding A Dou to stimulate his potential. In front of Lu Bu, we can also place his adoptive father to increase his rage..."

Chen Junqian chatted freely with Chen Xi for quite a while, enjoying himself immensely, and shared some interesting anecdotes related to the Three Kingdoms period. He also received a sincere compliment from Chen Xi:

"Brother, you read so many books, and they're all really fun."

Well, this kind of child is actually more accustomed to Chen Junqian than the adult woman he once encountered who was trying so hard to promote how beautiful, divine, and divine the new Fish Basket Guanyin skin of Dengdeng (i.e. Chen Deng) in the code name Kite was.

Chapter Thirty-One: Stop Changing Nursery Rhymes!

By the time they were called to dinner, the two had already made it to the Battle of Puyang. This is the advantage of turn-based single-player games that can be paused. You don't have to deal with the awkward situation that often occurs later, where you're in the middle of a MOBA game like League of Legends or Honor of Kings and suddenly called to dinner, struggling to explain to your parents that the game can't be paused and you have to finish before going to dinner, which ends up causing some unpleasantness for both sides.

Children seem to have a natural fondness for dogs and cats. Even though Chen Xi had only visited Chen Junqian's place a couple of times, she would call out to her family's little mongrel, Xiao Guai, as soon as she sat down. In no time, you could see Xiao Guai wagging its tail and running from the front yard into the living room, where it would wander around under the table picking up the chicken bones they had thrown away.

Unlike Lin Mu, whom they had just met this Friday, who was very proper and well-behaved at the table, Chen Xi, who was a year younger than them, was obviously not so quiet. Chen Junqian could hear his godmother saying a few words of exasperation, such as "Don't stick your chopsticks into the rice" or "Look carefully before you pick what you want to eat, don't stick your chopsticks in and pick and choose." Then there would be the usual tug-of-war between his grandparents, who said that it was okay for a child to do that.

Of course, for children at the dinner table, the thing they can't refuse and don't know how to handle is probably having food served to them by their elders. Chen Xi didn't have the courage to insist on eating by herself, so in no time, her small bowl was filled to the brim with food from Chen Junqian's grandparents, and her little face looked a bit bitter.

As someone who has been through similar experiences, Chen Junqian can understand the other person's mentality. After all, children are always picky eaters, and even in a dish, there are parts they eat and parts they don't. For example, in the simplest dish of stir-fried green peppers and shredded pork with dried tofu, he used to only pick out the shredded pork. But when the elders pick up food, they don't care about that. With one chopstick, they pick up all the ingredients, including green peppers, shredded pork, scallions, ginger, and garlic.

It can only be said that Chen Junqian gradually started eating green peppers under these circumstances, but Chen Xi obviously hasn't realized this yet, and is now caught in a dilemma of not wanting to eat them but not daring to pick them out of the bowl.

"Give it to me."

Sitting next to her, Chen Junqian secretly moved his bowl a little closer. Seeing this, Chen Xi hurriedly moved the spinach and amaranth in her bowl over as well, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

Because her grandparents still use a wood-fired stove, the rice they cook has a layer of crispy rice crust at the bottom, which Chen Xi seems to particularly like, chewing it with great relish.

The adults' conversation at the dinner table naturally revolved around the two children. Chen Xi, who was still smearing fermented bean curd and gnawing on the rice crust, immediately heard his mother mention him and looked up from his bowl in a daze.

"Didn't Xixi recently get selected for the school's children's choir? Come on, show Grandpa and Grandma what she's made of."

Faced with his mother's invitation to show off a talent, Chen Xi could only hum a couple of lines from "Di Li Di Li". In fact, for a long time, Chen Junqian thought the song was called "Where is Spring", after all, he only knew those two lines: "Where is spring, where is spring? Spring is in the green mountains and forests, there are red flowers and green grass, and there is a singing little oriole."

Perhaps because Chen Xi was just humming along somewhat reluctantly, Chen Junqian couldn't quite tell how well she sang. However, the other people at the table were quite accommodating and gave her unanimous praise, which made his godmother beam with joy.

"You've been playing games all morning, so don't stay in your room playing computer games all afternoon. Go and walk around the village with your brother."

After the meal, the other party gave the highest instructions, and Chen Xi, who looked a little dejected, could only nod listlessly.

Actually, if the family had a bicycle, Chen Junqian wouldn't mind taking the other person for a ride, but the only means of transportation the family currently has are the motorcycle his father drives, the tricycle his grandparents use to sell vegetables, and the car his aunt drives.

Oh, and there's also a children's rocking horse that's been lying in the corner of the room for who knows how many years.

With virtually no other options, the two decided to set off on foot, taking a walk around the village to digest their food.

It is currently the season when rice is about to ripen, and the fields all around can be seen with drooping rice ears, which from a distance look like a shallow beach after the tide has receded, floating with tiny golden lights.

The aroma of rice mixed with the earthy smell, baked by the warm sunshine, creates a unique flavor. At first, Chen Junqian thought that he had never lived in the countryside before. Even Chen Xi, who always brought her computer to pass the time when she came, would find it boring. But in no time, she was attracted by a threshing machine on the ridge of the field. She ran over and curiously circled around it to observe its structure.

"If we had come two weeks later, the rice would have been ripe by then."

As he said this, Chen Junqian suddenly thought of the variety show "Transformation" that he used to enjoy watching in elementary and middle school before his rebirth. However, he was not one of the two extreme cases of needing to be transformed or being transformed; he was just an ordinary person. As a result, he had already given up watching it when the script and dramatic conflicts deliberately designed by the production team became more and more obvious and excessive.

"Can you see the haystack? It's that line, 'We sat beside the tall haystack, listening to Mother tell stories of the past—'"

Unlike her behavior at the dinner table at home, Chen Xi was much more poised and confident when she started singing again, probably because she was now outdoors in front of children her own age. Her voice was noticeably louder.

"Actually, I used to always hear it as 'We sit next to the tall ashes and listen to Mom tell stories of the past.'"

"That's terrifying, ashes and stuff..."

After Chen Junqian said that, Chen Xi gave him a subtle look, as if she could never look at that lyric the same way again. But she quickly shook her head and smiled at him again.