The Gauche in the Machine (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
china_shop) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
sid_guardian2025-01-19 05:21 pm
china_shop) wrote in sid_guardian2025-01-19 05:21 pm
Entry tags:
Guardian readalong: chapters 19 & 20
Welcome to this week’s installment of the Guardian novel readalong!
If you’re just joining us or need to catch up, here are last week’s chapters and you can find all previous chapter discussions on the schedule post or via the !readalong tag. If you'd like to host a post in this round, sign-ups are still open!
This week we’re looking at:
Chapter 19: An avalanche blocks the road, and the travellers have to spend the night in a little stone house on the mountain. Zhao Yunlan gives Shen Wei his coat.
Chapter 20: The valley below is full of hellfire, and skulls attack the house.
This corresponds with chapters 29 to 31 of the Chinese version on JJWXC and the fan translation.
Excerpts
1) Shen Wei can't stand waiting in the car
Twenty minutes later, when he still hadn’t returned, Shen Wei could wait no longer.
“Stay put and do not get out of the car,” Shen Wei told the students. “Hand me a flashlight, and I’ll go check on him. I’ll be right back.”
“Laoshi?” The class leader stopped him, clearly worried. “Could something have happened?”
Shen Wei paused. Between the dim light and his thin glasses, his face revealed nothing. “No. What could possibly happen to him under my watch?”
2) Zhao Yunlan shares his coat; Shen Wei shares his feelings
Maybe Zhao Yunlan was truly oblivious to the cold, or maybe he was gritting his teeth and bearing it, but either way, he’d opened his own coat and drawn Shen Wei into it. The heat of his body was palpable, reaching Shen Wei through his thin knit sweater.
Zhao Yunlan’s face was nearly blue with cold, but the smile blossoming there was warm, if a bit stiff with the chill. “Did you come to look for me?” he asked.
Don’t respond to him! A desperate scream tore through Shen Wei’s heart. Don’t respond! But the fierce wind had sliced his reason to ribbons, thin as a cicada’s wing. Against his will, as if bewitched, he nodded.
3) Wang Zheng rebukes Zhao Yunlan for his lack of reverence
Wang Zheng waited until everyone else was inside before speaking to Zhao Yunlan, voice low. “Director Zhao, you were born with the ability to see into a different world. You have always associated yourself with things that other people don’t believe in. You have always acknowledged the existence of ghosts and gods. And yet, when passing by shrines or temples, you’ve never shown an ounce of respect. That’s not right.”
Zhao Yunlan carelessly flicked cigarette ash onto the window frame. With a smile, he nodded. “You’re absolutely right. My behavior is intolerable. No one should follow my example. Even the constitution recognizes the freedom of religion, and one should always maintain a certain level of respect for other people’s beliefs.”
Even coming from fake plastic eyes, Wang Zheng’s gaze was piercing. Her voice dropped almost to a whisper. “Within the Three Realms and Six Directions, there will always be people and things you don’t understand. Yes, you may be capable, but can any living human, no matter how great their abilities, be more powerful than the Heavens and Earth? Can a human be more powerful than fate?
“A person can’t live too arrogantly, Director Zhao. If someone is too arrogant to even respect all the gods and buddhas, they may suffer the consequences one day.”
Zhao Yunlan’s smile dimmed slightly. He reached out and adjusted Wang Zheng’s hood and clothes where they’d slipped out of place. The gesture was careful and gentle, but his words were cold. “My conscience is clear and I have nothing to ask for. Gods or buddhas, demons or monsters—who dares judge me? They’re so lofty and great, but what does that have to do with me?”
4) Shen Wei watches Zhao Yunlan sleep
During the history lecture, Zhao Yunlan had automatically blocked out the boring audio feed and gone to sleep, earbuds crammed into his ears. Now he was curled in a ball, head at a slight angle. One earbud had come a bit loose and was dangling from his ear.
Zhao Yunlan’s features were beautifully pronounced. He was vibrant when his eyes were open, but he was still pretty when they were closed. Only now, he was pale from the cold, looking faintly worse for wear.
Shen Wei’s gaze drifted to his face. Zhao Yunlan slept calmly and peacefully, as though he’d still be able to find a corner to sleep in even if the sky fell.
For some time, Shen Wei couldn’t look away. He watched Zhao Yunlan quietly for a while, expression softening. He carefully removed Zhao Yunlan’s earbuds, rolled them up, and set them aside. Then he took the coat Zhao Yunlan had thrown aside and spread it over him.
5) Guo Changcheng finds courage in his colleagues
Even Guo Changcheng was calm. After all, this tiny mountain hut contained the all-powerful Director Zhao; a large, fierce talking cat; a fake monk who was capable of defeating the Hunger Ghost with just a small bottle; a snake yao who ate raw lamb slices; and Chu Shuzhi, whom Guo Changcheng was too afraid to speak to.
In the face of what looked like horrible danger, Guo Changcheng honestly thought it was quite safe. The poor kid had a lot of blind faith in his colleagues.
Questions
- List three things in Shen Wei's luggage, other than the tape he uses to cover the gaps in the house. Are his travel plans as inadequate as they seem?
- Should we be having more feels about the avalanche that may have wiped out some small villages?
- What else does Zhao Yunlan have hidden in his boots/trousers?
- What do you think of Zhao Yunlan's attitude to the supernatural?
- Would you like to camp out in the little stone house with the SID and Shen Wei and his students?
- Do you find Xiao Guo's confidence in his colleagues as relatable as his earlier anxiety?
These questions are just conversation starters. Feel free to talk about your reactions to the chapters generally and highlight whatever stood out to you.
If you’re just joining us or need to catch up, here are last week’s chapters and you can find all previous chapter discussions on the schedule post or via the !readalong tag. If you'd like to host a post in this round, sign-ups are still open!
This week we’re looking at:
Chapter 19: An avalanche blocks the road, and the travellers have to spend the night in a little stone house on the mountain. Zhao Yunlan gives Shen Wei his coat.
Chapter 20: The valley below is full of hellfire, and skulls attack the house.
This corresponds with chapters 29 to 31 of the Chinese version on JJWXC and the fan translation.
Excerpts
1) Shen Wei can't stand waiting in the car
Twenty minutes later, when he still hadn’t returned, Shen Wei could wait no longer.
“Stay put and do not get out of the car,” Shen Wei told the students. “Hand me a flashlight, and I’ll go check on him. I’ll be right back.”
“Laoshi?” The class leader stopped him, clearly worried. “Could something have happened?”
Shen Wei paused. Between the dim light and his thin glasses, his face revealed nothing. “No. What could possibly happen to him under my watch?”
2) Zhao Yunlan shares his coat; Shen Wei shares his feelings
Maybe Zhao Yunlan was truly oblivious to the cold, or maybe he was gritting his teeth and bearing it, but either way, he’d opened his own coat and drawn Shen Wei into it. The heat of his body was palpable, reaching Shen Wei through his thin knit sweater.
Zhao Yunlan’s face was nearly blue with cold, but the smile blossoming there was warm, if a bit stiff with the chill. “Did you come to look for me?” he asked.
Don’t respond to him! A desperate scream tore through Shen Wei’s heart. Don’t respond! But the fierce wind had sliced his reason to ribbons, thin as a cicada’s wing. Against his will, as if bewitched, he nodded.
3) Wang Zheng rebukes Zhao Yunlan for his lack of reverence
Wang Zheng waited until everyone else was inside before speaking to Zhao Yunlan, voice low. “Director Zhao, you were born with the ability to see into a different world. You have always associated yourself with things that other people don’t believe in. You have always acknowledged the existence of ghosts and gods. And yet, when passing by shrines or temples, you’ve never shown an ounce of respect. That’s not right.”
Zhao Yunlan carelessly flicked cigarette ash onto the window frame. With a smile, he nodded. “You’re absolutely right. My behavior is intolerable. No one should follow my example. Even the constitution recognizes the freedom of religion, and one should always maintain a certain level of respect for other people’s beliefs.”
Even coming from fake plastic eyes, Wang Zheng’s gaze was piercing. Her voice dropped almost to a whisper. “Within the Three Realms and Six Directions, there will always be people and things you don’t understand. Yes, you may be capable, but can any living human, no matter how great their abilities, be more powerful than the Heavens and Earth? Can a human be more powerful than fate?
“A person can’t live too arrogantly, Director Zhao. If someone is too arrogant to even respect all the gods and buddhas, they may suffer the consequences one day.”
Zhao Yunlan’s smile dimmed slightly. He reached out and adjusted Wang Zheng’s hood and clothes where they’d slipped out of place. The gesture was careful and gentle, but his words were cold. “My conscience is clear and I have nothing to ask for. Gods or buddhas, demons or monsters—who dares judge me? They’re so lofty and great, but what does that have to do with me?”
4) Shen Wei watches Zhao Yunlan sleep
During the history lecture, Zhao Yunlan had automatically blocked out the boring audio feed and gone to sleep, earbuds crammed into his ears. Now he was curled in a ball, head at a slight angle. One earbud had come a bit loose and was dangling from his ear.
Zhao Yunlan’s features were beautifully pronounced. He was vibrant when his eyes were open, but he was still pretty when they were closed. Only now, he was pale from the cold, looking faintly worse for wear.
Shen Wei’s gaze drifted to his face. Zhao Yunlan slept calmly and peacefully, as though he’d still be able to find a corner to sleep in even if the sky fell.
For some time, Shen Wei couldn’t look away. He watched Zhao Yunlan quietly for a while, expression softening. He carefully removed Zhao Yunlan’s earbuds, rolled them up, and set them aside. Then he took the coat Zhao Yunlan had thrown aside and spread it over him.
5) Guo Changcheng finds courage in his colleagues
Even Guo Changcheng was calm. After all, this tiny mountain hut contained the all-powerful Director Zhao; a large, fierce talking cat; a fake monk who was capable of defeating the Hunger Ghost with just a small bottle; a snake yao who ate raw lamb slices; and Chu Shuzhi, whom Guo Changcheng was too afraid to speak to.
In the face of what looked like horrible danger, Guo Changcheng honestly thought it was quite safe. The poor kid had a lot of blind faith in his colleagues.
Questions
- List three things in Shen Wei's luggage, other than the tape he uses to cover the gaps in the house. Are his travel plans as inadequate as they seem?
- Should we be having more feels about the avalanche that may have wiped out some small villages?
- What else does Zhao Yunlan have hidden in his boots/trousers?
- What do you think of Zhao Yunlan's attitude to the supernatural?
- Would you like to camp out in the little stone house with the SID and Shen Wei and his students?
- Do you find Xiao Guo's confidence in his colleagues as relatable as his earlier anxiety?
These questions are just conversation starters. Feel free to talk about your reactions to the chapters generally and highlight whatever stood out to you.
no subject
And the students don't react at all. *g*
I’m putting in this guess: Chapstick, a trinket that reminds him of Kunlun, a cloth for his glasses.
But actually, I don’t think he planned this as poorly as it seems. He was probably going to make use of some otherworldly powers, but the SID’s presence is hampering him.
Ha! I like your list. I feel like using his otherworldly powers is cheating (wouldn't the students notice? but maybe he was planning to alter their memories?). ;-p
To him, supernatural creatures and occurrences are just part of life, not something that warrants a special kind of respect or fear
Which makes more sense than he realises. :D