Notes on Longevity

Chapter 161 A Golden Silkworm Brocade Robe, Emerald Green Tears as a Gift of a Sachet

"This is a gold silk brocade gauze robe made according to your lady's request. Since you are out, please take it to your lady's room."

In front of a side gate of a mansion in the eastern part of Yu'an, Green Robe took out another bundle from the bundle in Dao Yisheng's hands. Before her stood a girl of sixteen or seventeen, who watched as Green Robe untied the knot of the bundle. The white sun shone down on earth, illuminating the partially unfurled garment, its golden silk now gleaming a bright yellow.

Green Robe gently lifted a corner of the bundle again, revealing the hem of the skirt inside the robe. A touch of pink and light green intertwined, reflecting the cool weather of early spring and the sturdy trees outside the mansion, and a sense of vitality appeared on the faces of the three.

Dao Yisheng looked at the bright yellow garment full of life in the bundle in the green-clothed woman's hand and couldn't help but exclaim, "Your garment is really beautiful. It gives people a feeling that is hard to describe, but it makes people feel clear and bright."

Green Robe was speechless at Dao Yisheng's words, but when she thought of what Taihua had said to her before he left, she didn't think much of it. She turned to Dao Yisheng and smiled, "Alright, stop joking around, or people will laugh at you."

As she spoke, the woman in green looked back at the girl at the door who was staring at Dao Yisheng and covering her mouth to chuckle. She gave an embarrassed smile and said, "Please don't mind, young lady. My friend is just a child at heart. Please don't take offense."

Hearing the words of the woman in green, the girl stopped smiling. She lowered her hand, took out a brocade pouch from her bosom, and said to the woman in green in a low voice, "Here is fifty pieces of silver. The lady said before she left that as long as you come, just give her the silver."

Upon hearing this, the woman in green calmly retied the bundle, then handed it to the girl and took the silver from her hand, saying, "Thank you, Madam."

"You're too kind, young lady," the girl said with a smile, holding the bundle in both hands. She slightly bent her knees and nodded gently to the woman in green. "Madam really likes the clothes you made. If you didn't dislike being in this mansion, she would have brought you in long ago."

The woman in green smiled slightly and then added, "You flatter me, young lady. If the size of the clothes changes, please come and find me."

"Madam has great faith in your skills, young lady. If even your measurements are wrong, then I'm afraid no one in Yu'an would dare to be a tailor."

The woman in green smiled at the girl's teasing, then nodded slightly and placed her hands on her sides in a gesture of respect: "You flatter me, young lady. I have a few more clothes to give you, so I won't bother you any longer."

The girl also bowed to her, but because she was carrying a bundle, she could only nod slightly.

After the girl returned the greeting, she was about to take Daoyisheng to the next house when she suddenly remembered something and softly called out to the girl who was about to enter, "Miss."

"What's wrong?" The girl asked worriedly, looking at the somewhat troubled expression on the woman in green's face.

The woman in green shook her head and simply said, "Please give my regards to Madam."

The girl was slightly taken aback, somewhat confused, but had no choice but to agree.

Seeing the girl's slightly surprised expression, the woman in green gave a bleak smile, then turned and left with Dao Yisheng.

On his way to the second shop, Dao Yisheng stopped at a sachet stall. Staring at the various sachets, he suddenly remembered the round magnolia sachet Taihua had bought for him. He checked his waist and pockets and found it was gone, likely destroyed by the old Taoist priest Yun Gong earlier. He couldn't help but sigh, turning away dejectedly. But Green Robe picked up a green cloth sachet and handed the stall owner a small piece of silver, about the size of a thumb.

The stall owner took the loose silver and weighed it in his hand. Just as he was about to give her change, he heard her say, "Keep the change. This Roland sachet has a light but lingering fragrance. It's worth the price."

The stall owner and Dao Yisheng both looked at the green-clad man who was holding a sachet to his nose and sniffing it.

Seeing that the woman in green was like this, the stall owner didn't say anything, but just grinned at her with his big teeth. There was profit to be made, so there was no need to say much, otherwise he would miss such an opportunity.

After all, it's just a sachet; it's not worth that much money.

Dao Yisheng remained as indifferent to money as ever, and said nothing more. He simply asked the woman in green, "You know how to make clothes, so you must know how to make sachets too, right?"

The woman in green didn't speak, but smiled and turned to leave. Dao Yisheng saw that she had bought a sachet, but he sighed that all his money was with Taihua, so he had no choice but to leave the stall reluctantly.

Dao Yisheng caught up with the man in green and was looking down at the two bundles he still hadn't taken out when the man in green suddenly stopped. Perhaps because he was focused on the bundles in his hands, or perhaps because his vision was blurry, he didn't notice that the man in green had stopped and accidentally bumped into him.

The bustling market street was filled with countless stalls and people coming and going, but at this moment time seemed to stand still for them. The noise stopped abruptly, and the people passing by stopped in their tracks. Swallows flew over people's heads from afar, leaving only a few chirps.

The swallows flew away, their chirping subsided, and everything returned to normal. Dao Yisheng saw that the woman in green was standing still with her head down, and assumed that he had bumped into her and she was angry. He quickly apologized, "Miss, I'm sorry. I was so focused on looking into my bundle that I didn't see you."

The woman in green lowered her head, tears welling in her eyes. Suddenly, a tear rolled down her cheek, and she tried to calm herself. The time was short, but it felt like an eternity. The person she longed to see was right behind her, yet she was about to leave. Hundreds of years of searching had only earned her this fleeting moment together.

She wanted to slow down, to slow down time, but he stepped into the long river of time without hesitation, moving forward firmly, without any intention of stopping.

Ultimately, what's done is done, and things can never be the same again.

After a brief moment of calm, the woman in green used magic to wipe away the tears in her eyes. She turned around, smiled at Dao Yisheng, and sadly handed him the green Roland sachet, saying with a choked voice, "This is for you."

Dao Yisheng was startled by the sudden action of the green-clad man. At this moment, he felt that he could not perceive any changes in the world. His blurry eyes were fixed on the clear emerald green of the sun setting on the green sachet.

Dao Yisheng was somewhat at a loss and quickly refused, saying, "No, you bought this, I can't accept it."

The woman in green stopped sobbing. Sunlight fell on her face, giving her an unprecedented vitality. She still smiled and said, "I saw you standing by the stall for a while. I know you don't have any money on you right now, so I bought it for you."

(End of this chapter)