AGJN 042: Teacher Lan He Can Act Too?

Master Jiang He’s influence was still strong. Lan He realized this at home when netizens found out and started asking about it on Weibo. Even Lan He’s agency cluelessly asked if there was any relationship and if they should take the opportunity to do some promotion.

Lan He broke into a sweat and quickly refused. Luckily, his company was also small, so even if they wanted to stir something up, they would probably just release some repetitive media statements.

Hu 79 was still managing the parenting content on Weibo and asked him what to do with unrelated questions.

Lan He said, “Just stick to one principle—maintain the persona. Especially those who want to engage in superstition, firmly reject them.”

Hu 79: “……”

Hu 79: “You do know I’m an immortal, right?”

Lan He: “Mm, and you’re not giving me back my phone.”

Lan He didn’t manage his Weibo much. When given the phone, he would just keep it and occasionally post some pictures and texts. Hu 79 was just keen on replying to the parenting content herself, and upon hearing this, she hid the phone behind her: “It’s fine; I’ll reply. Just give me some beans to play Landlord.”

Even though there were three in the house, it was clear that neither Lan He nor Bai Wu would always accompany her to play Landlord.

Lan He: “You can top up 20 yuan.”

Hu 79 immediately replied, “I don’t know Master Jiang He, so please stop watching me unless your child is sick; hello, your child’s crying has nothing to do with seeing ghosts, don’t believe in superstitions, it could be a lack of vitamin D and calcium, has the child been getting sunlight…”

Bai Wu, silently squatting nearby: “………………”

Hu 79 gave him a look: “What are you looking at? Haven’t you seen a Hu disciple earning a living?”

Life isn’t easy!

……

This matter seemed to spread more in the religious community of Beijing, although the masters generally knew the truth.

When recording a new episode of *Yan Jing Seasonal Chronicles*, Lan He left home with a birdcage and met Ying Shao in the elevator. Ying Shao said, “Haha, I heard about it. Everyone seems to have misunderstood your relationship with Master Jiang He and even thought he knew you?”

Lan He: “……Mm.”

“Don’t worry, I know you still don’t have a belief.” Ying Shao said mysteriously, “But I can only say that the truth of this matter is beyond your imagination. Sometimes, just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”

Lan He: “…………”

Hu 79 couldn’t help but pop out half of her body from the matchbox to confirm that it was indeed the fool next door.

What imagination? It was just that the old Daoist had saluted Lan He’s unfilial son, and Lan He didn’t even benefit much.

Lan He moved his pocket, signaling her to go back.

Today, he not only brought Hu 79 but also Bai Wu because the underworld was short-handed lately. He brought the two to the temple and the Taoist temple to help with moving tasks, which was also a form of cultivation and accumulating virtue.

Lan He took them along the way, preventing Bai Wu from being too afraid to move once outside.

Ying Shao left the elevator with a clear mind. This mentality wasn’t unique to him; many masters in Beijing felt they had seen the truth beneath the surface and were unwilling to explore the deeper logic.

At the recording site, Lan He released the two immortals to help out. The birdcage was placed on Song Futang’s car—Hu 79 finally got tired of playing and mumbled that the bird was bad at learning and couldn’t be taught anymore.

After the recording, Song Futang planned to deliver the bird to his grandfather, who lived not far from the recording location. It was only a few minutes’ drive away.

“I’ll deliver the bird first, and then take you back,” Song Futang said.

“I feel like I’m troubling you every time…” Lan He didn’t mind the first two times, but today Chen Xingyang mentioned it, saying it was impressive that Mr. Xuanguang gave him a ride each time.

Song Futang quickly said, “It’s no trouble at all.”

He spoke so fast that Lan He laughed and quietly got in the car.

Actually, they didn’t always chat in the car. Last time, Hu 79 and Bai Wu were with them, and he was even talking with Hu 79 while Song Futang just listened and occasionally chimed in. But it felt natural and comfortable, like unwinding after work.

Song Futang drove to the alley and wanted Lan He to wait for him.

Lan He thought for a moment and said, “We’re at the door already, I should go say hello too, otherwise it’d be rude.” After all, the hedgehog enclosure was also his grandfather’s.

Song Futang hesitated for a moment, then said, “Alright.”

Lan He helped him carry the birdcage and followed him into the alley. They arrived at a “Ruyi Gate” with the word “Peace” engraved on the door knocker, and the lintel was adorned with delicate brick carvings of human figures.

The main gate was only slightly ajar, leading directly to a plain screen wall, with a fish tank nearby.

Inside, there were faint, pleasant bird songs. Rounding the screen wall, they found a courtyard full of flowers and plants, a very elegant quadrangle courtyard. The items placed around seemed to have some age, and there was even an old enamel cup on the wooden table.

“Grandpa?” Song Futang led Lan He inside and saw Old Master Dou conversing with a few old friends about their birds. The courtyard had several birdcages hanging around.

“I brought the spirit sparrow,” Song Futang introduced, “This is my friend.”

Lan He, holding the birdcage, greeted, “Hello, Grandpa, my name is Lan He. I haven’t thanked you yet for the hedgehog enclosure and the bird.” The bird was originally supposed to be brought directly to Old Master Dou, but Hu 79 wanted to play with it for a while, so they kept it for some time.

“Huh?” Old Master Dou was clearly taken aback. “…Oh, that enclosure was for you?”

He was still a bit confused, not having expected it to be for a young man…

“Yes, my hedgehog is living in it,” Lan He replied. He looked at the ropes hanging with several cages. “Should I hang it here?”

“Yes, yes, sit down. I’ll make you some jasmine tea.” Old Master Dou headed inside. Song Futang noticed a look from him, indicating that he had something to say, so he asked Lan He to sit for a while and went inside himself.

Lan He took a small stool and sat down. Old Master Dou’s friends quickly started chatting with him: “So this is the one Old Dou mentioned, the one with the foul mouth? It’s been staying at your place?”

Lan He nodded. “Yes, it’s been corrected and is here for the old man to take care of.”

“You don’t look very old, but you’re pretty patient, correcting a bird like that takes some effort,” a bird enthusiast said with a smile.

Lan He, who didn’t really know how to take care of birds and was worried he wouldn’t be able to converse with them about it, responded, “Well, someone at home seems to have experience with it.”

“That’s good. This bird doesn’t seem too old; it could still learn a few more calls from Old Dou’s birds,” Old Master Dou’s bird friends said.

When the sequence of bird calls is arranged into a fixed order that can be repeated, it’s called a “set call.” Understanding it as a routine is the same; rhythmic calls are naturally more difficult and valuable than single ones.

“Birds are like people; having talent isn’t enough, they need to learn from a master,” an old man in a blue cloth shirt said leisurely.

He was dressed simply, and the cage hanging by his side was also quite plain, but when he spoke, the others all deferred to him, mumbling, “Old Zhao, we know your bird is the best, but your bird hasn’t taken on new disciples recently, so what are you talking about?”

Old Zhao: “I’m just showing off a bit.”

Everyone else: “…”

In their bird-raising circle, it was not an exaggeration to say they held birds in the highest regard.

Especially the old men who were more particular about it. If someone’s bird had apprenticed under another’s, the owner would treat the bird’s master with the same respect they would show to a human master, paying visits during holidays and so on.

People followed the birds. No matter the owner’s status, as long as their bird sang well, they would be the most prominent figure at gatherings, the most distinguished old man in the courtyard.

—Currently, Old Zhao was unquestionably the most distinguished old man in the courtyard.

There were many schools of bird calls. They leaned towards the northern style, favoring set calls. In the past, with pure sparrow calls, they insisted on a strict sequence without any deviations or extraneous sounds. Of course, it wasn’t as strict nowadays.

But regardless of the school, the goal remained the same:

The more calls a bird could mimic and the more realistic they were, the better.

For example, Old Zhao’s bird knew over a dozen calls, including the particularly difficult rooster call. Several of them were very realistic. Someone even offered eighty thousand yuan to buy his bird, but he refused, unwilling to part with it.

So, when Old Zhao showed off, everyone could only admire his bird with envy.

Just then, a few chicken calls echoed in the courtyard.

“Cluck-cluck, cluck-cluck.”

“Whoa.” An old man raised his eyebrows. “Whose bird just did an egg call? That sound is worth some money!”

There were no chickens in the courtyard, and the sound came from above, clearly indicating that someone’s sparrow had mimicked the egg call—specifically, a hen’s clucking. And it was so realistic, definitely not learned from an audio recording but rather a genuine, spot-on egg call.

The number of birds that can mimic the egg call is high, but those that can do it to this level are quite rare.

The difficulty of learning the egg call has led to an exaggerated saying: If a bird can produce one good egg call, it’s worth at least a thousand yuan; if it can call twice in a row, it’s worth two thousand; and if it can call ten times consecutively, that’s ten thousand yuan.

As the old men looked around, trying to figure out whose bird it was, Lan He stood up and said, “It’s probably this one…”

He was referring to the spirit sparrow he had brought along.

When he lifted the cover off the cage, everyone confirmed it—it was indeed the sparrow.

But what surprised them even more was that the bird didn’t stop there; it continued to produce seven or eight more incredibly realistic “cluck-cluck” egg calls in a row!

Even Old Zhao’s bird could only repeat a call three to five times. The more a bird can repeat a call, the more valuable it is.

“Wow, not bad, this one’s learned well; it’s got the authentic chicken flavor. Was it raised with hens?” Even Old Zhao had to admit that this was an excellent sound. “Does it know any other calls?”

Knowing just one call wasn’t particularly impressive, even though the egg call is challenging. A bird should know more than just the egg call; the more varied and authentic its repertoire, the more esteemed it is.

Lan He wasn’t familiar with which sounds were valuable. He only knew that this bird had been making all sorts of calls for one or two hours each day recently. But Hu 79 had said it hadn’t learned much, so he replied, “It knows just a little bit.”

As soon as the bird opened its beak, the old men stared intently at it—

…

“Why…why is it a boy?” Inside the house, Old Master Dou was preparing tea and asked Song Futang, “Was it later passed on to someone else?”

Song Futang replied, “It was always meant for him.”

Old Master Dou: “…”

Confused, he said, “Isn’t it just like your third grandmother’s cousin? I heard she and her partner moved abroad.”

Song Futang: “Yes.”

“What do you mean, ‘yes’? Explain it properly.” Old Master Dou glared at him. “You can’t just give away that enclosure.”

Song Futang: “…Does your enclosure have special significance?”

Old Master Dou: “It does now!”

Song Futang was silent for a moment before slowly saying, “Nothing’s certain yet.”

Old Master Dou: “…”

So, it was true.

Old Master Dou leaned against the cabinet, deep in thought. “Oh dear, I’ve always said I wouldn’t meddle in you youngsters’ affairs, but this…this… I can’t quite wrap my head around it. You…”

He was conflicted. He had always prided himself on being an open-minded elder, but now he was struggling. Perhaps it was because Song Futang had been a source of concern since childhood, given his unique constitution, and that worry had persisted into adulthood.

“Grandpa,” Song Futang glanced outside and slowly said, “After meeting him, I’m no longer afraid of the dark.”

Not fearing or avoiding it was one thing, but no one could ever enjoy such an environment. Song Futang had lived this way for over twenty years. Now, the darkness not only contained ghosts but might also include Lan He.

Old Master Dou was stunned, visibly shaken. After a long pause, he slowly nodded, “Alright, alright…”

Since it was like this, even if he felt conflicted, he had to come to terms with it. He rubbed his face and said, “Fine, I just… I’m still a bit confused on how to address him… It feels a little awkward…”

“And,” he added with some embarrassment, “I mean, it’s not set in stone yet,” Song Futang reminded him.

Old Master Dou was about to continue grumbling when he heard several consecutive hen clucks from outside. He immediately exclaimed, “Huh!” and quickly dashed out, moving so swiftly that Song Futang hurried to follow and protect him.

When Old Master Dou got outside, he saw Lan He holding the birdcage, with the newly delivered spirit sparrow craning its neck and singing. Its voice was clear and resounding, echoing throughout the courtyard.

After the egg call, it continued with a series of sparrow chirps, then magpie calls, lark morning songs, woodpecker pecks, oriole whistles, kitten meows, swallow calls, and more—at least fifteen or sixteen different calls.

Each call was pure and clear, with minimal noise. The rhythm of the routine was excellent, with many repetitions for each call. Almost all of them were incredibly realistic, though some were more prominent than others. They all felt expertly executed, possessing significant artistic value. The old men were already captivated by the performance of this extraordinary bird.

Old Zhao was utterly dumbfounded. After the bird concluded its incredibly realistic and challenging rooster call, which was even better than his own bird’s, he exclaimed in disbelief, “This… wasn’t this bird supposed to only know a little and have a foul mouth that needed correcting? This is just a little?!”

Old Zhao’s worldview had been completely overturned. After calming his heartbeat, he hurriedly asked, “Where did it learn this? Was its master bird from your family, or did it learn from someone else’s?”

The number of repeated calls a bird can make is closely related to its master bird. Having such realistic calls is rare. Old Zhao even kept a cat and hens at home to ensure his bird was constantly exposed to these sounds for accurate mimicry.

Although Old Zhao asked about the master bird, based on his knowledge, he couldn’t think of any master bird in Beijing that could reach this level!

His bird had taken months to learn the basics after apprenticing and another two or three years to master them completely. Even then, the routine was not as impressive as this newly trained bird…

“It just learned a few things at home,” Lan He replied, not knowing how Hu 79 had taught the bird. He could only answer awkwardly, unsure why the old men were so excited.

“Does your family have a master bird? Could I apprentice under it? Where’s your family?” Old Zhao asked shamelessly. The other old men were also eager, ready to bow and offer tea to become apprentices.

Birds apprenticing under master birds meant their owners had to apprentice under the master bird’s owner, too. Though the age difference was significant, they didn’t care.

Lan He forced a smile, “She’s not very available…”

“Oh.” Old Zhao thought for a moment. “Then is this one available to be a master bird?”

At this point, Old Master Dou had already rushed out and grabbed Lan He’s hand, “No, it’s not!”

Old Zhao glared at him, “What’s it to you?!”

What’s it to me? This is my grandson’s (future) boyfriend!!

Old Master Dou mentally screamed and tried to maintain the demeanor of the new top dog—after all, this bird would be his in the future, making him the new most distinguished old man around here. “First of all, this bird is already going to be taken care of by me. Second, it’s still in the stabilization phase. If it takes on an apprentice now, what if it loses its calls?”

Old Zhao was at a loss for words.

“Right, it’s coming to me for care, isn’t it?” Old Master Dou couldn’t help but confirm with Lan He again, feeling as if a pie had just fallen from the sky.

Lan He replied, “Uh, yes…”

“Good boy,” Old Master Dou said with a smile. He had been worried about how to naturally interact with this young man earlier, but now he just wished Lan He were his own grandson. He turned to Song Futang and said, “Go bring out the tea I’ve already made for Lan He. You must be thirsty by now, right?”

Song Futang: “…”

Song Futang brought out the tea for Lan He, only to find him surrounded by the old men, who were treating him as an honored guest. As he set down the tea, Old Master Dou grabbed his wrist and silently mouthed a warning: “Hurry up—”

Song Futang: “…”

Just then, Hu 79’s voice rang out, “Is it here? I heard the bird calls…” She entered, lifting her skirt, with Bai Wu by her side. They had finished their tasks and followed the sounds to find Lan He.

Seeing her, Lan He immediately lifted his tea and, while speaking to the old men, subtly hinted at Hu 79, “I don’t know much about bird training myself; I’m not sure how she does it…”

“Bird training?” Hu 79 reacted quickly, “I taught it myself!”

Lan He: “??”

Hu 79, with her hands on her hips, said, “In the Hu sect, we first learn human form, then human language. Learning human language requires first mastering bird language. After mastering the bird languages of the four seas and nine states, we can then learn human speech. It’s very hard work! This bird isn’t great; I only taught it seventeen or eighteen sets before it stopped learning new ones!”

Lan He: “…”

Lan He quickly added, “I think it’s all about listening and practicing a lot. You all understand this, I’m sure!”

Feeling overwhelmed by their attention, Lan He stood up, intending to take his leave.

The old men were reluctant to see him go, especially Old Master Dou. Even as Lan He was about to exit the inner courtyard, he could hear him whispering advice to Song Futang, sharing tips on giving gifts. He kept praising Lan He, saying how smart, likable, and talented his family was…

At the door, Hu 79 and Bai Wu were also chatting quietly.

Lan He found it odd—Hu 79 talking to herself was common, but Bai Wu responding was rare. He asked, “What are you two talking about?”

Hu 79 grinned and said, “Bai Wu said you and Xiao Song are a good match.”

Lan He’s heart skipped a beat, and his face flushed slightly. “Nonsense.”

Lately, things had indeed felt a bit ambiguous… Could it be that even someone as reserved as Bai Wu could notice it?

Bai Wu added, “Look at how big and spacious his courtyard is; you two really match…”

Lan He: “…”

Lan He: “By the way, your spines are gone.”

Bai Wu: “…”

At that moment, Song Futang also came out. To lighten the mood, Lan He asked him, “What did your grandpa say to you?”

“…Nothing much, just told me to be careful.” Song Futang replied, though he felt a bit exasperated, and then asked in return, “What were you guys talking about?”

Lan He hesitated for a moment and then said, “…The same. I was telling Bai Wu to be careful.”

Bai Wu: “???”

—

Under the intense efforts of Liu Chunyang, *Chase* recently released its first trailer. Lan He excitedly shared it, and friends from other crews he had worked with before also helped spread the word. His fan base, especially the mom fans, were very supportive.

The trailer didn’t reveal much, but it did include a clip of Lan He’s character meeting the male lead for the first time during a bird fight. The dove whistles were melodious, and Lan He’s smiling face radiated sunlight, making it hard to believe he was the hidden boss.

Most people who watched the trailer thought his character was just the male lead’s good teammate.

Liu Chunyang’s films always garnered attention, and the male lead, Chen Xingyang, was both popular and talented. Additionally, this was Chen Xingyu’s first appearance after giving birth, even if it was just a cameo, which added some buzz.

Lan He’s face was truly made for the big screen, making all his efforts to control his diet—at least in the mortal world—worthwhile. After the trailer was released, many viewers who hadn’t known him before were captivated by his looks, with some even falling for him at first sight and looking up more about the actor.

Forum Post: “Chase” Finally Dropped a Trailer! I Love Liu Chunyang!!

Content: He’s such a good director, so talented! This is the first time I’ve really appreciated Chen Xingyang. Forgive me, I couldn’t get his embarrassing dance history out of my head before… The trailer gives the impression of a mischievous male lead, sometimes even trying too hard, which could easily come off as greasy if not done well. But he’s so refreshing and handsome. Another actor’s scene was stunning—a boy climbing over a wall in the sunlight, so spirited and amazing. I looked him up, and his name is Lan He. His dimples are so sweet! It seems like he has a lot of screen time and is the male lead’s teammate, right? I really love this type, how did I miss out on him before!

1L: I just watched the trailer too. My mom watched it with me, and she really likes Lan He. She said she didn’t expect him to be so young.

2L: My sister also really likes Lan He. She opened the trailer just for him…

3L: Am I the only one who didn’t know about him? Seeing all these comments, I thought maybe he used to only do family dramas, which is why I missed him. But I just searched, and it seems he hasn’t acted in any mother-in-law dramas?

4L: My mom had a different reaction. After watching the trailer, she said in confusion, “Teacher Lan He can act too?”

5L: Haha, that’s funny. By the way, OP, I suggest you check out “Parenting Blogger Lan He.”

…

20L: I’m back. Sorry, I was lost in the sea of knowledge. My daughter is only one year old… I found so many parenting tips on his Weibo [covering face emoji].

21L: I came here to praise Liu Chunyang. Could we please stay on topic?

22L: Back on topic, back on topic. *Yan Jing Seasonal Chronicles* is also about to air. I saw some leaked footage, and it seems like Chen Xingyang’s character is quite different from his movie role. Lan He, however, is just as sweet as in the movie, and there’s a clip of him getting scared that’s hilarious… I also heard that Chen Xingyu has a cameo, but I’m not sure what her role is.

23L: There’s not much info about Lan He online. After watching the trailer, I’m really impressed! He looks so cool when releasing the pigeons but then smiles so sweetly. Liu Chunyang, hurry up and start promoting them!

24L: Just popping in to say that my former neighbor, an old man who raises pigeons, participated in this movie—either as an extra or a technical advisor (?). He mentioned after returning from the shoot that there was an actor on set with a “King of Pigeons” aura. He couldn’t reveal who it was, but based on the trailer, could it be Chen Xingyang?

25L: Probably. He does seem to handle the pigeons very well.

26L: “King of Pigeons”? That sounds like it could mean something else.

27L: Does “King of Pigeons” mean that pigeons really like him?