Journey to the West: My Story with Red Boy

I’m thirty, got laid off, and my blind date fell through. Mom’s family went on a trip, Dad’s family was a complete mess, and I got a call from my landlord demanding rent while I was in my rental apartment. Could life really be all downs and no ups? _(:з)∠)_ Grandma called me back to our hometown. I packed my things, went to Huanglian Village, and began living with my grandparents. The day I got home, I found a white ox in the long-empty cowshed. I dreamed that the ox said it was going to wipe out my entire family? * After helping the older generation raise cattle for a while, I realized that this white ox was incredibly haughty. It had a worse temper than any other ox in the village, and it was smarter too. I never expected that, after we’d lived together for a while, I’d actually be able to ride it. One day, I led it out to graze. Then the ox turned into a young man who was insanely handsome. My soul trembled! * Red Boy: Since you eat spicy beef, I’m going to eat spicy human meat. Me: How is that the same thing? Red Boy: You rode me once, so I’ll ride you once. Me: Is that something a person would say? Oxen don’t ride people! * I couldn’t find work, and it was even harder in a small city. When I was feeling down, Red Boy invited me to be his underling. But I’d always been his pooper-scooper! Me: Great King of the Sacred Infant, wake up. You’re still being kept by my family. Red Boy: Once this king returns to Fire Cloud Cave, I’ll support your whole family. What a promise. You’d have to be able to get back first. Thinking this, I picked up some grass and spicy strips to feed him. * Red Boy: How can anyone mistake me for Nezha? Me: For this reason and that, you two look kind of alike, but he’s more popular than you. Red Boy: Which one do you choose? Me: Nezha. Red Boy: You’re not allowed to eat beef anymore. Me: I’m sorry! Between lotus root and beef, beef tastes better. I choose spicy beef. * Red Boy went back. Some time later, I transmigrated too, landing in a mountain full of demons. They caught me and planned to offer me to their demon king. I looked up and saw Red Boy sitting there, grinning. I cried out excitedly, “Little Red, I’m your underling!” Red Boy: Who are you? I don’t know you. Boil this one with lotus root and eat him. Me: Nooooo! Note: 1. Lots of personal takes. My version of Journey to the West, an everyday-life sweet romance. 2. Red Boy is an adult. [My completed Journey to the West novels] “Lotus Root Stewed with a Turtle” “I Think Something’s Wrong with This Journey to the West” “What Do I Do Now That I’ve Become the Property of the Big Shots?” “Nezha at the Brink of Corruption Is So Hard to Pursue” “How to Keep Everyone Happy!” [My completed original novels] A charming, easy-to-read transmigration wuxia story, “My Adventures with the Young Master of the Demon Cult,” and its companion, “The Young Hero and the Young Lady” A Western fantasy arranged marriage that turns into love, “I Picked Up a Husband Who’s a Snake Person” A Western fantasy arranged marriage with lots of potential pitfalls, “The Genius Hero After He Became Disabled” A bizarre fantasy story, “The Regretful Princes in the Castle” A senior and junior sister pushing and pulling at each other, “What Should I Do After I Offended My Junior Brother?” A silly CEO story, “I Got Fired After Going on a Blind Date with the CEO” A mad magical warrior, “I Don’t Want to Be the Leader of the Light Warriors” A silly stand-in female cult leader, “I Was Forced to Become the Cult Leader” A story about a nonhuman, “I’m Together with a Snake” A male Omega who runs away while pregnant, “Please Let Me Be a Happy Mom” Theme: Take the time to appreciate life, live in the present, and be kind to yourself