Chapter 107: "The Monk Fetches Water"

The next morning.

Yu Zhile woke up, keenly experiencing what it meant for a day to feel as long as an entire lifetime, for after each night’s end, exhaustion would linger throughout the following day.

With the end of June approaching, their baby was soon to be sixteen months old. Now, Yu Zhile and his wife had begun teaching their child to recognize objects and speak.

At night, Yu Zhile would tell stories to his daughter before bed.

These tales were adapted from the fairy tales and fables he’d read as a child, echoing the old saying: “A man’s tongue is the devil’s trick.” Thus, when Yu Zhile spun his stories, he did so with convincing flair, much like a charming rogue coaxing a woman.

So, every night, it wasn’t only his daughter who loved listening to his stories—even his wife eagerly awaited them!

That evening, as bedtime approached, Qin Haiyu asked expectantly, “Honey, what story are you going to tell me—no, tell the baby tonight?”

Yu Zhile glanced at the mother and daughter waiting for his tale, climbed onto the bed, and declared, “Tonight, I’ll tell the story of ‘The Monks Fetching Water.’”

“Daddy! Daddy!” the baby clapped her little hands, face beaming with joy. Though she couldn’t understand her father’s words yet, she knew that joining her mother in applauding her father was the right thing to do.

Qin Haiyu lay down and said, “Baby, lie down and close your eyes—Daddy will only tell us a story if we do.”

The baby looked at her mother curiously, then mimicked her and lay down, obediently shutting her eyes.

Yu Zhile began his version of “The Monks Fetching Water”:

“Once upon a time, there was a mountain. On the mountain stood a temple, and in the temple lived a young monk.

Every day, the young monk had to go down the mountain to fetch water. Until one day, a skinny monk arrived at the temple…”

Yu Zhile watched his wife and daughter lying still, but he knew neither would fall asleep so easily.

The story continued…

“After the skinny monk moved into the temple, he got thirsty and found the jar empty. So he asked the young monk to fetch water.

The young monk was unhappy and said, ‘Why should I fetch water for you? That doesn’t make sense! If you want water, you should go fetch it yourself!’

The skinny monk replied, ‘It’s not just me drinking! If you fetch water, we both get to drink!’

The young monk wasn’t foolish—if that was the case, why shouldn’t the skinny monk fetch water for both of them?

So they ended up arguing!”

In the end, neither could outwit the other, so they decided to cooperate and carry water together.

At this point, Yu Zhile noticed the baby was nearly asleep and continued:

“After some time, a chubby monk joined the temple. When there was no water, the chubby monk suddenly ordered the young monk and the skinny monk to fetch water.

The young monk was unhappy again!

He said, ‘If you want water, you two should go fetch it!’

The skinny monk was also displeased, saying, ‘I don’t drink much, so it should be you two fetching!’

The three monks argued. None would yield, and none wanted to go down the mountain for water. They sat in silence, each thinking: when someone else gets thirsty enough, they’ll go fetch water.

Night fell, and none of the three monks went for water. They ignored each other, thinking that after a night’s sleep, when there was no water to wash or drink, someone would fetch it.

After the three monks fell asleep, a starving mouse crawled onto the table and gnawed at a candle. Soon, the candle broke and rolled off the table, igniting the hanging drapes in the temple…”

Yu Zhile paused.

Qin Haiyu, noticing her husband wasn’t continuing, couldn’t help but open her eyes, thinking he’d dozed off mid-story!

She found him watching her and whispered, “Honey, the baby is asleep!”

Qin Haiyu sat up, observing her daughter for a moment, and saw she really was asleep. She immediately gave her husband a thumbs-up in praise!

Tiptoeing, she picked up the baby and placed her in the crib in the corner, covered her with a blanket, and whispered, “Honey, you’re amazing! Now the baby falls asleep as soon as she hears your stories!”

Yu Zhile responded modestly, “Just basic skills!”

Qin Haiyu turned off the main lights, leaving only the sleep lamp, and pressed, “Honey, you didn’t finish the story! What happened after the fire? The three monks didn’t all burn to death, did they?”

Yu Zhile laughed, “Do you want to hear more?”

“Mhm!” Qin Haiyu’s beautiful eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Yu Zhile pulled his wife into his arms on the bed, grinning, “If you want to hear it, I’ll tell you another day!”

Qin Haiyu protested, “No! Tell me now!”

Yu Zhile kissed her adorably pouting lips, pinched her cheek, and teased, “You! You’re even harder to please than the baby!”

Holding his wife, Yu Zhile continued, “After the temple caught fire, the flames grew fiercer. The three monks woke in terror and rushed to the water jar—only to find it empty!

When they finally worked together to fetch water, the temple was already burned down! From then on, they learned a lesson, and people spread the story of the three monks fetching water through a little song.”

“This song goes: ‘One monk fetches water to drink; two monks carry water to drink; three monks have no water to drink!’”

After finishing, Yu Zhile asked, “The story’s over. Now, here’s a question!”

Qin Haiyu asked curiously, “What’s the question?”

Yu Zhile asked, “What lesson does this story teach us?”

Qin Haiyu answered immediately, “It teaches us not to be petty and not to be lazy!”

Yu Zhile said slyly, “Exactly! So, wife, shouldn’t we be industrious now and work hard on our plan for a second child?”

Qin Haiyu laughed, “Didn’t we agree to a two-week ceasefire? Why are you already breaking it after just one week?”

Yu Zhile replied, “Because the story of the monks reminded me that whatever we do, we must persevere. No matter how hard or tiring, we can’t be lazy!”

Qin Haiyu, defeated by her husband’s logic, saw it was still early and, with nothing to do the next day, the two of them moved to another room to diligently pursue their plan for a second child.

…

June 30th.

Due to the overwhelming ratings of “I Am a Singer,” the show had expanded from the planned fifteen episodes, adding a carousel resurrection round, and continued until the eighteenth episode before finally concluding.

Now, only the grand finale remained.

The final episode had already been recorded, and the follow-up show “Masked Singer” would begin filming tomorrow.

Before filming, all the singers needed to go for rehearsal, and this time Qin Haiyu had to spend time rehearsing as well. Unlike last year’s “I Am a Star Singer,” which was purely a music show—where she only needed to perform and, confident in her singing, could skip rehearsal—this time the show incorporated a reality TV format, with numerous appearances and camera shots before each performance, making rehearsal essential.

At nine in the morning, Xu Ling came to accompany her to the television station for rehearsal. After watching his wife leave, Yu Zhile finally confessed to his mother, “Mom, I have something to tell you!”