Chapter 037

On his second day with the production crew, Qiao Man received a new business opportunity.

The client was an old customer – Director Liu from the neighboring crew. This time, however, Director Liu wasn’t asking him to catch ghosts. He came to buy Sleep-Aid Talismans.

At noon the next day, during the lunch break, Director Liu hurried over excitedly. Spotting Qiao Man, he eagerly asked, “Master Xiao Man, do you still have the Sleep-Aid Talisman you gave me yesterday? Can you sell me a few more?”

“I do.” Qiao Man rummaged through his backpack, delighted. “My master says my Sleep-Aid Talismans work the best – even better than his. Whenever he goes out, he uses the ones I draw. You have excellent taste!”

Director Liu praised him sincerely. “This talisman really is amazing.”

Who would’ve thought a flimsy piece of talisman paper could work so well?

Truth be told, his sleep quality had been poor even before the ghost encounter. As a director, he spent his days managing personnel, arranging scenes, and balancing the entire crew’s filming schedule. The workload was heavy, and the pressure immense.

With such a huge investment, he was determined to shoot the drama well. The moment he opened his eyes, he was already thinking about the day’s filming tasks. Before closing them at night, he was pondering where they could improve. Every extra day of shooting meant another day of money poured in. To deliver the best possible production within limited funds, everyone pushed the schedule relentlessly – burning the midnight oil every two or three days. Over the course of an entire shoot, one could only truly rest once filming wrapped.

Sleep was naturally insufficient, and with high stress, the quality was even worse. Director Liu survived purely on caffeine.

Yet last night, just as he was mulling over the next day’s filming plans, he picked up that Sleep-Aid Talisman, and drowsiness swept over him instantly. He fell asleep in a single second. When his alarm woke him the next morning, forget nightmares – he hadn’t dreamed at all. Though his sleep duration wasn’t very long, his spirit felt incredibly rejuvenated. He couldn’t remember the last time he had slept so comfortably.

Heavens!

Master Xiao Man truly lived up to his reputation. Not only skilled at ghost-catching, but even his talismans were this effective!

So as soon as he had free time today, Director Liu hurried over to replenish his stock, buying out Qiao Man’s entire inventory in one go.

He wasn’t the only one with this experience, either. Yesterday, when Director Liu returned to his crew with the Sleep-Aid Talisman, learning it was drawn by Master Xiao Man, the other staff members unceremoniously split the talismans among themselves. They too experienced the talisman’s benefits firsthand.

In modern society, how many working people actually have good sleep quality?

They just weren’t as fast as Director Liu. By the time they found Master Xiao Man, Qiao Man regretfully informed them, “Already sold out.”

“What? Sold out?”

One person pleaded pitifully, “Master Xiao Man, please, I really need that Sleep-Aid Talisman. Can you draw a few more?”

“Sure.” Qiao Man was very agreeable. “Come back and buy some tomorrow.”

Those people left full of gratitude.

Aside from Director Liu’s neighboring crew, Director Yang’s team also came with business.

The business was brought by Pei Xiwang.

Yesterday, he had gotten an Insect Repellent Talisman from Qiao Man and put it to use immediately. All day, not only did mosquitoes avoid him, even ants took detours. The talisman’s effects were quickly noticed by others. Once word spread that this was the same Insect Repellent Talisman featured in Wilderness Challenge, people came looking.

It wasn’t just about pesky mosquitoes. The crew often needed to shoot on location in the wilderness where bugs were far more numerous. This talisman could be a tremendous help.

So that very afternoon, while the crew filmed in front, at the resting area in back, Qiao Man happily counted his little stash of money. Then he pulled out blank talisman paper and cinnabar, grabbed his brush, and got to work.

One stroke, a Sleep-Aid Talisman. Another stroke, an Insect Repellent Talisman.

One stroke, ice cream. Another stroke, ice-cold cola.

Imagining all the little money-bills about to fly into his arms and transform into all kinds of tasty snacks, Qiao Man swung his brush with burning determination. Like a human printing press, he churned out talisman papers, huffing and puffing.

If someone like Master Ding were here, they would surely rub their eyes in disbelief, convinced they were hallucinating.

Are talismans that easy to draw? Normal people bathe and burn incense¹ before even starting. After drawing a few talismans, they need half a day’s rest. Who mass-produces these useless talismans?

Alas, the only ones who could see this now were Maomao, the Long-braided Ghost who’d dropped by, and a young woman nearby.

With no table available, Qiao Man squatted on the ground and drew on the talisman paper laid flat. He was highly practiced, moving with swift familiarity. Those talismanic symbols that looked like crooked, patternless scratches to outsiders were engraved in his memory. He could trace them with his eyes closed. Soon, one piece after another, a stack of finished products piled up.

Maomao counted beside him. “Forty-eight… forty-nine… fifty! That’s enough, sweetie.”

Qiao Man tossed the brush aside, plopped onto the ground, and grabbed the children’s water bottle Lu Jianxing had just bought him, gulping water down noisily.

He let out a long breath. “I need a break.”

He’d been squatting so long his feet had gone numb.

Maomao helped him pack the freshly drawn talismans into his backpack, saying, “Sweetie, you don’t have to work so hard. Brother Lu has acting jobs now and quite a few endorsements. He can easily support you.”

“I’m Xingxing’s father. I’m the one who should be supporting him.” Qiao Man said this very seriously. “Besides, Xingxing’s living conditions right now are way too bad.”

Maomao: “…”

Maomao fell silent for a moment. “Um, Brother Lu isn’t really living that badly, is he?”

Sure, it was only a two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment, and it was rented, but the monthly rent for that place was higher than his entire salary!

“Really?” Qiao Man looked at him innocently. “But Pei Xiwang told me that. He said our home is so small, and living there is so pitiful.”

Maomao: “…”

He suspected that wasn’t quite what Pei Xiwang meant.

“Last time, Pei Xiwang invited me to visit his home. He said his dad bought him a huge new house, way bigger than ours. It’s got several floors, lots of rooms, and even a swimming pool.” Qiao Man clenched his little fists, burning with determination. “I’m going to buy Xingxing a big house, too!”

They were all fathers, and he refused to be outdone!

Maomao choked out, “…Baby, can I be your baby?”

“No, Maomao, you have your own dad,” Qiao Man said.

Maomao let out a sob. But his dad would never buy him a pool villa.

Long-braided Ghost sighed. “When I was alive, my father doted on me too. When I died, he built me a big, beautiful tomb…” His voice grew somber. “Unfortunately, it’s collapsed now.”

Qiao Man was deeply moved. His little hand tightened its grip. “Someday I’ll build Xingxing the biggest, most beautiful tomb of all!”

Maomao stared blankly.

He figured Brother Lu wouldn’t be too thrilled to hear that.

Once Qiao Man was rested, he scrambled up from the ground, set his talisman-drawing tools on a chair, and used it as a table, standing to draw. He had been making Insect Repellent Talismans earlier; now he moved on to Sleep-Aid Talismans. There was higher demand for Sleep-Aid Talismans, so he took out more blank talisman paper.

He had only drawn a few when a gust of wind swept in and scattered the sheets he had placed beside him.

“Oh no!”

The wind was blowing toward the filming area, and the light talisman paper drifted that way. Afraid of disturbing the shoot, Qiao Man set down his brush and hurried after them.

The wind had scattered the papers all around. He chased them down and picked them up one by one. Maomao and a girl sitting nearby came to help too. Working together, the three of them quickly gathered every last sheet.

“Here.” The girl handed him the ones she had collected.

Qiao Man gave her a sweet smile. “Thank you, big sister.”

He sorted out the ones that had gotten dirty, kept the clean ones, and picked up his brush to continue.

After helping him collect the papers, the girl didn’t return to her original spot. She stood beside him and watched him work, watching him finish sheet after sheet with swift, fluid strokes. Although his brushwork looked casual and his grip was unorthodox, each motion like a child’s scribbling, every talisman came out identical, as if printed.

After watching for a while, she couldn’t help but ask, “Is that the Sleep-Aid Talisman?”

Qiao Man finished the one in his hand in a single breath, then looked up. “Yes.”

“If someone carries this, can they really sleep well?” the girl asked.

Qiao Man tilted his head and considered her for a moment. “Yes, but you don’t need it.”

“I wanted to give it to someone…”

The girl clamped her mouth shut, a conflicted look crossing her face, and she wouldn’t say another word.

Qiao Man asked, “Do you want a Sleep-Aid Talisman?”

“Is that okay?”

“Sure.” Qiao Man pulled one straight from the stack he had just drawn and handed it to her. “Here.”

The girl froze for a moment, then accepted it gratefully, fumbling to open her bag. “How much? I’ll pay you…”

“No need for money. You helped me just now, so take it as thanks.”

With that, Qiao Man lowered his head and went back to wielding his brush.

Clutching her wallet in one hand and the talisman in the other, the girl stood stunned for a long beat before slowly putting everything away.

Maomao, however, took a second look. It wasn’t that he was making a fuss, but cashless payments were so common now that seeing someone carry a wallet was rare. Even when others bought talismans from Qiao Man, they had to go out of their way to get cash from the shop. He’d wager that Qiao Man’s backpack had more cash in it than the entire crew combined.

Maomao quickly recognized her. “You’re Film Queen Shao’s assistant?”

The girl nodded. “Just call me Xiao Xia.”

After exchanging names, Xiao Xia dragged her chair over, watching Qiao Man draw with open curiosity. “Are these talismans really useful?”

“Of course!” Maomao said immediately. “Our little Qiao Man is amazing. Look, even Director Liu came specially to buy talismans from him. You think it could be fake? Haven’t you seen Wilderness Challenge?”

Xiao Xia shook her head. “No.”

How could there be someone in this world who hadn’t seen Wilderness Challenge?

Unacceptable! Maomao whipped out his phone, pulled up the Season 6 highlight reel from his favorites, and showed her the footage of Qiao Man showcasing his power.

Not only could their little Qiao Man draw incredible talismans that scared even ghosts, he was brilliant at fortune-telling too!

Long-braided Ghost had never seen it before. He crowded close and watched with great interest. “When I was alive, a Taoist came to tell my fortune and said I would only live to thirty. My father was so angry he threw the man out. Turned out he really wasn’t accurate at all…”

“Because I died at twenty-five, haha!”

Other Taoists might get their fortunes wrong, but in the video, the moment Qiao Man laid eyes on Zhan Yue, he declared she was not her parents’ biological daughter. Xiao Xia’s eyes went wide. “He can even figure that out?”

“Of course.” Maomao bragged, “Our baby is incredible. One look and he sees everything!”

Then, watching Qiao Man use a Luo Pan to navigate, Xiao Xia gasped sharply. “Can it find people too?”

“Absolutely!” Maomao heaped on the praise. “No matter where someone is, even if they bury themselves at the ends of the earth, our baby can track them down.”

“Then… then…”

Xiao Xia stammered for a long while, but her mouth clamped shut again and she couldn’t get another word out.

Maomao eyed her curiously. Before the highlight reel on his phone could finish playing, Director Yang called “Cut!” from over there, and filming wrapped.

Xiao Xia hurried to her feet, grabbed a water bottle and a small fan, and rushed to bring water to Film Queen Shao. Maomao quickly followed suit, carrying out his own assistant duties.

Lu Jianxing took a sip of water and was immediately dragged aside by Director Yang to go over the scene. Maomao carried his things back. Passing Film Queen Shao and Xiao Xia, he stole a couple extra glances. Once he was back in his seat, he belatedly smacked his head. “Ah! How could I forget.”

Qiao Man looked up from his talisman work. “Forget what?”

“Film Queen Shao. Shao Jingqiu.” Maomao lowered his voice. “Xiao Xia probably wanted to ask you to help find someone.”

“Find someone?”

“That’s old news, nobody talks about it anymore.” It was only because Maomao was such a gossip that he remembered clearly. “Rumor has it, Shao Jingqiu had a daughter once, but she went missing not long after birth. Seems like it was over twenty years ago, and she’s never been found.”

Shao Jingqiu had only ever had this one daughter. After the child went missing, she poured all her energy into her career, producing many outstanding films and bringing home several awards. Only in recent years had she gradually stepped back from the spotlight, rarely making public appearances, until Director Yang invited her out.

Qiao Man made an “oh” sound, lowered his head again, and kept drawing talismans.

Maomao asked, “Baobao, if it were you, could you find a way to locate her?”

“Sure could.”

Maomao’s eyes lit up. “Then…”

“But she didn’t come find me.” Qiao Man folded the finished Sleep-Aid Talisman and had him help count them.

Maomao thought about it. Fair enough.

Qiao Man was so capable, had just helped Director Liu catch a ghost, and with the variety show currently airing, they were all in the same production crew. There was no way Film Queen Shao hadn’t heard about it. If she’d had that thought, she would have come to find him.

Their little Man-baobao had said it before: fortune-telling was only for those who were fated.

Maomao immediately set the matter aside and helped him count the number of completed Sleep-Aid Talismans.

As he counted, he said, “Baobao, you’re so amazing. You can draw talismans and tell fortunes. How come you can’t count?”

Qiao Man blinked. “I can count. My master and I raised so many chickens, and I was the one who counted them every day.”

“Really? But you always count the talisman papers wrong.” Maomao said, “Last time Zhan Yue even said you gave her over a dozen extra sheets.”

“Oh. Sometimes the chickens my master and I raised had a few more, sometimes a few less.”

“…”

“My master said if there were more, they’d just hatched, and if there were fewer, a weasel stole them.” Qiao Man huffed angrily. “Those weasels are the worst, stealing my chickens every day!”

Maomao: “…”

He suspected it probably wasn’t the weasels’ doing.

…

Evening. The daylight had completely faded.

There were no night shoots today either. Director Yang announced the end of filming, and Maomao went off to deliver goods for him. Qiao Man stood outside the makeup room, waiting for Lu Jianxing to come out.

Once Lu Jianxing had removed today’s styling, he immediately ran over and took Lu Jianxing’s hand.

The stylists greeted him with smiles. “Xiao Man, here to pick Xingxing up from work again.”

“We’re shooting morning scenes tomorrow, remember to bring Xingxing in early.”

“Will do!”

Qiao Man held his head high and chest out, leading Lu Jianxing out by the hand.

As they walked out, they ran into Shao Jingqiu and Xiao Xia, who had also finished removing their styling. Lu Jianxing greeted Film Queen Shao, and Qiao Man waved his little hand at Xiao Xia too. “Big sister, see you tomorrow.”

Xiao Xia answered with a beaming smile. “See you tomorrow.”

Watching the larger and smaller figures walk off into the distance, Shao Jingqiu pulled her gaze back from the child and looked at Xiao Xia. “You two have become friends?”

“Mm.” Xiao Xia nodded, a bit embarrassed.

Xiao Man was so much younger than her.

“That’s nice. Get to know more people here, make a few more friends.” The two of them walked out as well, and Shao Jingqiu chatted idly. “Are you adjusting well to staying here?”

“Everyone’s been very kind, and you take such good care of me.” Xiao Xia pursed her lips and said softly, “Is there anywhere I’m not doing well?”

“No, you’ve done everything very well.”

Shao Jingqiu exchanged a few more casual words with her. It wasn’t until they got into the car that she leaned back against the seat and closed her eyes in exhaustion. Xiao Xia then lightened her movements, turning her phone brightness all the way down.

Shao Jingqiu was only resting her eyes. The moment the car stopped at the hotel entrance, she opened them.

As an assistant, Xiao Xia’s work wasn’t finished yet. She followed Shao Jingqiu into the room, lit calming incense, added relaxing essential oils to the bathtub, and after Shao Jingqiu finished soaking, helped her with a massage to ease the fatigue.

Her fingers were rough, calloused from the work she’d done since childhood. Not only that, Xiao Xia looked at her own hands as she massaged. Her skin was very dark too, the result of years of sun and wind exposure. But Shao Jingqiu was very fair, her skin fine and smooth. Time never defeated a true beauty². Even though she was no longer young, she remained noble and beautiful like a swan. In comparison, she herself was just a dusty little duckling in a mud puddle.

A few months ago, Xiao Xia would never have believed it. She’d grown up watching Shao Jingqiu’s films, and one day she’d actually become the assistant to the person she admired most.

One massage routine finished, Shao Jingqiu’s eyes were closed, her breathing steady. But Xiao Xia knew she wasn’t asleep.

After becoming Shao Jingqiu’s assistant, she’d learned that because of an incident in her early years, Shao Jingqiu suffered from severe sleep disorders. At its worst, she could go days and nights without being able to fall asleep. Whether it was the aromatherapy, the essential oils, or the pre-sleep massage, they were all just Shao Jingqiu’s aids for coaxing sleep. Even so, most of the time, her consciousness remained perfectly clear.

Her hand slipped into her pocket, her fingertips touching the talisman paper inside. Xiao Xia took a deep breath.

“Are you asleep?” she said quietly.

Shao Jingqiu didn’t open her eyes, just made a soft sound of acknowledgment.

“Do you remember the Sleep-Aid Talisman Director Yang mentioned?” Xiao Xia said in a tiny voice. “I have one here… would you like to try it?”

Shao Jingqiu opened her eyes. “Sleep-Aid Talisman?”

“Yes.”

“The one drawn by that child?”

“Yes.”

“No need.” Shao Jingqiu said, “Bring me my medication. You can go back and rest.”

“…Alright.”

Disappointed, Xiao Xia stood up. She brought Shao Jingqiu her medicine and water, along with the eye mask and noise-canceling earplugs. She watched her lie back down, the black sleep mask covering most of her face.

She took a deep breath. After hesitating for a long moment, she still took out the Sleep-Aid Talisman and carefully placed it in an inconspicuous spot. Then, with light footsteps, she turned off the lights and left the room.

…

In the same hotel, inside a room on a different floor.

Fresh out of the bath, Qiao Man sat on the bed, turned his Little Yellow Duck Backpack upside down, and poured out the coins inside, happily counting his little treasure trove.

His little feet swayed gleefully back and forth. The paper money before him was sorted into several piles: the red hundred-yuan notes³ together, the remaining small change divided into multiple piles. He counted several times and finally got it right.

Lu Jianxing unscrewed the baby lotion and walked to the bedside. “Lift your head up. Let me put some on your face.”

The child obediently tilted his head up, letting the man wipe his face, still muttering under his breath.

“Fifty-five… fifty-five plus seventy-eight… seventy-eight…” Qiao Man said happily. “One hundred and twenty-six!”

“I made a hundred and twenty-six bucks today!”

Lu Jianxing: ???

Lu Jianxing glanced over. The bills were stacked neatly, but none of the numbers the child was rattling off had anything to do with them.

When the kid sold talismans, Maomao was right there collecting and counting the money for him, so there were never any mistakes. But now, something was clearly very wrong.

Lu Jianxing finished putting the baby lotion on him, picked up his phone, chose same-city delivery⁴, added an entire shopping cart full of learning materials, and paid for express shipping.

This is bad. I almost raised an illiterate kid.

……

The next day, Shao Jingqiu was woken by Xiao Xia.

She opened her eyes, and as she took off her sleep mask, she saw the bright daylight flooding in through the window and felt momentarily disoriented.

“What time is it?”

“Almost nine,” Xiao Xia said. “You didn’t have any scenes this morning, so I didn’t wake you. But you still need to get your styling done, so we should head out now.”

Shao Jingqiu froze. “Nine o’clock?”

As she walked out of the hotel and got into the car headed for the set, she was still a little dazed.

“Did you sleep well last night?” Xiao Xia asked, her lips pressed into an amused smile, her eyes sparkling as she looked at her. “You got up much later than usual today.”

Shao Jingqiu answered absently, “Yeah… I slept really well.”

She gazed out the car window at the bright sun, the deep blue sky, the vivid green of the trees rushing past, and the pedestrians who flashed by, all with cheerful smiles on their faces.

Her whole body felt impossibly light and relaxed. It was as if she hadn’t seen weather this clear and beautiful in ages, and it had been just as long since she’d noticed how radiant the sun could be.

It had truly been a long, deeply comfortable sleep.

The last time she’d slept this well was over twenty years ago — so long ago that she’d almost forgotten what it felt like.

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Translator’s Notes

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1. bathe and burn incense: A traditional purification ritual (muyu fenxiang) performed before significant events, religious ceremonies, or artistic creation. It signifies respect and the intent to cleanse one’s body and mind of worldly distractions to achieve focus and spiritual resonance. ↩
2. Time never defeated a true beauty: A reference to the popular Chinese saying ‘Time never defeats a true beauty’ (岁月不败美人, suìyuè bù bài měirén). It suggests that a person with true grace and inner character retains their elegance and beauty even as they age, rather than relying solely on youthful looks. ↩
3. red hundred-yuan notes: The 100-yuan banknote is the highest denomination of the Renminbi (RMB), China’s currency, and is distinctively red. In this context, the child’s ability to sort them by color but fail at the actual math highlights his young age and lack of formal education. ↩
4. same-city delivery: A common service in China (同城快递, tóngchéng kuàidì) where items purchased online or via apps are delivered within the same city, often within a few hours or on the same day. This reflects the high efficiency of urban logistics in modern China. ↩