Because Lin Wushui had brought a guest home, the Lin family’s lunch was postponed until two in the afternoon.
Zhang Xianyu was pulled aside by Lin Mother and talked to for quite a while.
It wasn’t until the servant announced that the meal was ready that Lin Mother reluctantly stopped and invited the guest to the table.
Although there were only four people, the table was filled with various dishes.
Lin Mother, unsure of his tastes and worried he might not be accustomed to the food but too shy to say so, smiled and said, “Our family’s chef can cook dishes from all regions. If you don’t like something, don’t be embarrassed—just tell me, and I’ll have the chef make something else. Consider this your home, don’t be polite with us.”
“I like it,” Zhang Xianyu said.
He wasn’t picky, and hearing Lin Mother’s words, he quickly took two servings of food and a mouthful of rice to show he genuinely enjoyed it, not just being polite.
Lin Mother kept smiling as she watched him.
Seeing Zhang Xianyu so sensible and polite, she couldn’t help but compare him to her own son—and no matter how she compared, she always thought other people’s children were better.
Then she glanced at Lin Wushui, who was lazily picking at his food with his chopsticks, eating sporadically and still being picky.
She couldn’t hold back and said, “We’ve changed chefs a few times already. How come your picky eating habit just won’t go away?”
Wait, Lin Wushui is picky?
Zhang Xianyu turned toward Lin Wushui, surprised and confused.
They had lived together for quite some time, yet Zhang had never noticed him being picky.
Zhang thought his own cooking was only home-style, but Lin Wushui always ate everything seriously.
Now the dishes on the Lin family table were all chef-level, with great appearance, aroma, and taste.
Zhang tried some; the flavor was much better than what he made.
How could he be picky?
Lin Wushui frowned and picked up a piece of green vegetable, eating it without much interest, saying casually, “I’m not picky about the food, just the cook.”
“Did you hear what he said?!”
Lin Mother covered her chest in frustration.
Before, she could only complain to her quiet husband, but now with Zhang Xianyu here, she pulled him in to vent, “He’s picky, but his nonsense is endless. Who ever picks cooks when eating?”
She looked at Zhang Xianyu with affection and then glanced at Lin Wushui disdainfully, “If you were even half as obedient as Xiaoyu, I’d go to the temple and burn incense for you.”
Lin Wushui: Zhang Xianyu suppressed a smile and glanced at Lin Wushui, surprised to see how he interacted with his parents at home.
Lin Mother kept rambling about how her son was nothing like when he was young, saying he had grown up with a bad temper and was no longer adorable.
She complained that Lin Wushui was just like his father—full of flaws and disobedient.
Lin Father, quietly eating, suddenly got dragged into the argument and shot his son a stern look, saying, “Let your mother worry less.”
“…Got it,” Lin Wushui replied, drooping his eyelids.
On his first day back home, being scolded by his parents in front of the person he liked, he was extremely unhappy but didn’t dare talk back.
If he argued, Lin Mother would start crying, and that was even more troublesome.
Unfortunately, no one was really watching over him now.
Lin Mother had long hoped for a sensible and considerate child to talk to; otherwise, she wouldn’t keep urging Lin Wushui to find a partner.
Though he hadn’t brought a romantic interest home yet, bringing a handsome and well-mannered friend was also nice.
After the meal, the servants cleared the table, and Lin Mother pulled Zhang Xianyu aside to chat again.
When she mentioned that Zhang Xianyu had no family left, she sympathetically took his hand and urged him to visit often.
Zhang Xianyu appeared calm but was actually quite flustered.
He wasn’t good at dealing with women, especially young ones.
Fortunately, though Lin Mother looked young, their conversation topics were mostly about the children in Tuanjie Village, which gave Zhang Xianyu a familiar feeling.
Gradually, he stopped panicking, letting Lin Mother hold his hand, smiling and nodding at whatever she said.
Lin Mother was delighted and brought out a photo album to show Zhang Xianyu pictures of Lin Wushui as a child.
The photos spanned from newborn to one month, then to his first birthday…
As she flipped through, she told amusing stories about Lin Wushui’s childhood.
But when she reached age seven, the photos stopped abruptly and skipped to eleven.
Zhang Xianyu was taken aback and, without much thought, asked, “Why are the ones in between missing?”
Lin Mother gently rubbed the boy’s cheek in the photo and said with a faint shadow of worry in her eyes before quickly smiling, “Wushui had some trouble when he was seven, so he was recovering for three years. He only got better after he turned eleven.”
Zhang Xianyu didn’t know what had happened but keenly caught the sadness in Lin Mother’s tone.
He changed the subject, casually pointing to a photo behind and asked, “What’s going on here?”
Lin Mother’s attention shifted, and she began telling stories about the scene in the photo.
After flipping through the thick album, Zhang Xianyu felt he understood Lin Wushui a bit better.
Just as he was about to tease him, he suddenly remembered that almost all the photos were individual shots of Lin Wushui.
Since they supposedly had two siblings, there should have been many group photos.
He glanced at the family portraits displayed around the house.
All showed the three of them—the father, mother, and Lin Wushui—but no Wu Shui.
Looking at Lin Mother’s happy expression, Zhang Xianyu thought maybe Wu Shui wasn’t well-liked at home, or the family relationship was strained, which explained why she didn’t come back even during the Lunar New Year.
That made sense.
No wonder Lin Wushui had told him not to bring up Wu Shui.
Suppressing his doubts, Zhang Xianyu refocused and chatted with Lin Mother.
In the evening, he was about to leave, but Lin Wushui said it was better to stay at home than the family dormitory, so Zhang Xianyu agreed and ended up staying for two more days.
Later, Xie Dingxin mentioned a friend who was a paper maker for talismans and asked if Zhang Xianyu was interested in meeting him.
After considering it, Zhang Xianyu said goodbye to the Lin family and went to Taiqing Temple.
Lin Wushui had wanted to go too, but Lin Father needed to discuss business matters with him, so he stayed home.
The friend introduced by Xie Dingxin was the Zhizhi Shi, Qu Chuanyi, a man in his thirties who had brought along his apprentice.
The apprentice was a cheerful young man three or four years older than Zhang Xianyu.
This time, the four met at a teahouse near Taiqing Temple.
After sitting down, Xie Dingxin introduced everyone.
As soon as Xie Dingxin finished saying their names, the apprentice suddenly jumped up, “You’re Zhang Xianyu?”
“Qu Gao!”
Qu Chuanyi frowned, displeased at his apprentice’s outburst.
But Qu Gao kept staring at Zhang Xianyu intently, practically leaning forward.
He pointed at himself, “I’m Qu Gao, the one who sold you the talisman paper. Remember? Those talismans were drawn by you. Do you have any more?”
He fired off a bunch of questions.
Zhang Xianyu hadn’t registered the name at first, but when Qu Gao mentioned selling talisman paper, he vaguely recalled the seller’s name was Qu Gao.
He nodded slightly, “I drew them. Not for now, though.”
Xie Dingxin raised an eyebrow, “You two know each other?”
Zhang Xianyu replied, “The talisman paper I used last time was bought from him.”
After listening for a while, Qu Chuanyi finally understood and looked at Zhang Xianyu incredulously.
“So you’re the talisman-drawing expert everyone’s been looking for lately?”
Zhang Xianyu scratched his cheek, never considering himself any kind of expert.
As he was thinking how to respond, Qu Gao confirmed eagerly, “That’s him! Those five talismans I bought came from him!”
Qu Chuanyi studied him, then nodded in admiration.
“Truly, a hero emerges in youth.”
Qu Gao was also happy and tried to get close to Zhang Xianyu, “Are you still drawing talismans lately? If you run out of paper, I can make some for you. I’ll give it at cost, just leave me a few when you sell talismans, haha, I’ll pay market price.”
Zhang Xianyu didn’t know that after those ten Zhufu were snapped up, people regretted not getting any.
Especially one who got the Diamond Talisman even wrote a detailed review in the Water District, repeatedly thanking Zhang Xianyu’s talismans for saving his life.
From then on, Zhang Xianyu’s talismans became famous.
Countless people refreshed his homepage daily, leaving messages asking when new talismans would be available.
Some even speculated he must be a disciple from a hidden sect, fabricating all kinds of mystical identities.
Qu Gao never expected to meet the real person here.
Looking at the pair with their shining eyes, Zhang Xianyu thought long-term cooperation was indeed possible. Without hesitation, he said, “That’s no problem. But I hope you two won’t reveal my identity.”
The master and apprentice eagerly agreed, wanting fewer people to know.
The rest of the conversation went smoothly.
Zhang Xianyu and Qu Gao exchanged contacts, agreeing that once Qu Gao finished making talisman paper, he would reserve some for Zhang Xianyu.
Later, the four had dinner together.
By dusk, Qu Gao reluctantly left with his master.
Before leaving, he looked at Zhang Xianyu with eyes as bright as someone admiring their beloved.
The private room was left with just Zhang Xianyu and Xie Dingxin.
Without guests, Zhang Xianyu relaxed and sighed.
“Right now, your skills aren’t known, but when more people find out, you’ll have more social obligations than now. That will be tiring,” Xie Dingxin casually leaned against the table and smiled, reminding him, “You should prepare for the future.”
Zhang Xianyu shifted and thought about his future plans.
After considering it carefully, he still felt like finishing university properly.
Whether it was drawing talismans or catching ghosts, these were just ways to make money. He personally preferred the ordinary life of attending classes and studying.
Ordinary days were pretty good, especially without money worries.
Zhang Xianyu was living a full and happy life.
“Let’s leave future matters for the future,” Zhang Xianyu shook his head.
“I think I still like studying best.”
Xie Dingxin raised his eyebrows in surprise but didn’t say more.
After all, everyone’s choices are different, and he had no position to judge.
The bus stop was right outside Taiqing Temple, and the two walked together.
On the way, they talked about Zhang Xianyu visiting the Lin family.
Suddenly, Zhang Xianyu remembered Wu Shui, who hadn’t made any impression at Lin’s house, and casually asked, “Does Lin Wushui’s sister have a conflict with the family?”