hotmtlnovel Chapter 140: Master and Disciple Can Get Married
Chapter 140: Master and Disciple Can Get Married
Chapter 140: Master and Disciple Can Get Married
Girls in love tend to be a bit silly, which left Xu Qing wondering if Jiang He was naturally like this or if being in love lowered her IQ whenever she was with someone she liked.
Jiang He had never gone to school. Xu Qing was fully aware of this and made efforts to understand how someone uneducated might think. She once mentioned a bookkeeper who seemed knowledgeable but had probably only taught her basic literacy.
Xu Qing had always intentionally or unintentionally helped Jiang He develop her self-awareness and understanding of the world. Fortunately, despite her lack of formal education, Jiang He was logical and organized, a rare trait likely thanks to her mentor, the stern but enlightened Second Boss Lady. Real ignorance, Xu Qing thought, was the inability to think or even understand the concept of thinking—something he'd seen in abundance during a part-time job at university.
He recalled working at a bumper car station, where some people couldn’t figure out how to steer. He told one woman to turn the wheel, and she kept spinning it wildly. When told to turn it the other way, she just spun in the opposite direction, ignoring the car's trajectory. Such people were difficult to communicate with—they seemed either unwilling or unable to think. This experience helped him understand why so many people fell for obvious scams.
Jiang He played her game for a bit before setting down the keyboard. She placed Winter Melon, the cat, to the side and opened a bag of new books, eventually selecting How to Win Friends and Influence People. After skimming the table of contents, she decided it was perfect for her and began reading intently.
Seeing Jiang He switch from gaming to reading made Xu Qing happy. “Reading is good,” he said casually.
“What’s so good about it?” she asked, flipping through the pages without much engagement.
“If you don’t read, you might as well be a pig,” Xu Qing quipped, throwing out an old proverb. Jiang He shot him a glare, biting her lip in annoyance.
“If we didn’t have writing, we’d probably still be primitive, running around with leaves tied around our waists and grunting like savages. Books are the cornerstone of civilization. Oral traditions might pass on core skills, but most knowledge gets lost within a generation or two. Writing allows us to preserve human achievements—crafts, systems, history—for decades, even centuries. It’s how we learn from past experiences, good and bad.”
He continued, “Before writing, some tribes had people who recited epic poems or legends. If they died, the history disappeared with them until someone created a new story. But writing lets us communicate across time and space, transmitting culture and giving form to thought. It lets us revisit ideas repeatedly, deepening our understanding.”
Jiang He listened as Xu Qing delved into the role of writing in advancing society. “Teachers are like torchbearers of civilization,” he explained. “They drive out ignorance, passing knowledge from one generation to the next, continually building on the shoulders of their predecessors.”
Raising an eyebrow, Jiang He teased, “Are you saying you’re my teacher now, so...”
“Are you mocking me?” she asked, narrowing her eyes.
“Just stating facts.”
“I’m smart—just...”
“You’re not used to it yet. I get it.”
“....”
Pouting, Jiang He folded her legs and stared at Xu Qing’s computer screen. On the monitor were three windows: a movie in one, and two Word documents side by side. The top document contained Xu Qing’s thoughts, later refined into essays. The bottom held rough ideas sparked by scenes, often chaotic in structure, with film titles, timestamps, and scattered notes about memorable moments.
“This female character reminds me of you,” Xu Qing teased, pointing to the screen. “She’s super violent—beats people half to death without a word.”
“I’m not violent!” Jiang He protested.
“You tackled a thief once. Pinned him so hard he nearly passed out.”
Smiling, Xu Qing leaned closer. “Can I touch your calf?”
Jiang He froze, pretending not to hear. After a pause, she sneaked a glance at him. “Why... my calf?”
“Your thigh’s fine too, if you prefer.”
“...”