Notes on Longevity

Chapter 175 Once a resident of a ruined town, he glimpsed the temple's hundred-bird robe.

The waning moon eventually set, and in its place rose the new red sun.

The sun hangs low in the sky, illuminating all things with the vibrant energy and vitality of spring.

Under the blazing sun, the crowds in Yu'an began to stir. Some people left home to go to work in shops, while others carried baskets of vegetables on shoulder poles to sell at the bustling market. However, he arrived a little late; the good spots had already been taken, so he could only find a slightly secluded place to start hawking his wares.

In the homes of wealthy families in Yu'an, after the rooster crowed three times, the servants who had been on night duty the previous night began to change shifts with their companions. They put down their lanterns, ate breakfast, and then prepared to go back to their rooms to sleep.

On their way back to their room, several servants encountered the young master of the manor and quickly bowed, saying, "Young Master."

The young master was Qin Xiangyu. He had just gotten up, and although he was usually very tidy, he was now somewhat disheveled and even flustered. Therefore, he didn't respond to the servants' greetings, but instead called out into the courtyard, "Scholar! Scholar!"

At that moment, the young scholar was preparing water for Qin Xiangyu to wash her face in the courtyard. When he heard Qin Xiangyu's urgent cry, he immediately dropped the wooden basin. The half-full water in the basin fell to the ground, and the spilled water could not be recovered.

He strode up to Qin Xiangyu, bent down, knelt, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and asked anxiously, "Young Master, what's wrong?"

Upon seeing the student, Qin Xiangyu quickly asked, "I asked you to invite the girl in green a couple of days ago, did you manage to do so?"

Upon hearing this, Tong Sheng was also startled. He quickly explained, "I went to invite her, but the girl in green said she didn't have time to manage the shop and sent us back. I also told you that day, and you said it was alright, since the keys were in the girl in green's hands, and she would go when she wanted to."

"Yes, yes." Qin Xiangyu remembered that he had said that, but for some reason, he had a dream last night in which someone died.

She remembered that person dressed in green.
He had a bad feeling, his voice trembled and his eyes were filled with panic as he anxiously asked the young scholar, "Yesterday, did you go to the residence of the girl in green? Did you see her?"

Tong Sheng frowned and shook his head repeatedly. Right, he remembered a rumor circulating in Yu'an City yesterday that a monster had abducted someone. So he said to Qin Xiangyu, "Yesterday there was a rumor that a monster in green clothes injured someone and then abducted them. It is said that the person was blind."

blind?

No, even the novice scholar felt something was amiss. The rumors circulating were always exaggerated; ever since the immortal Taihua came to Yu'an to exorcise demons and monsters and made a pact with them, there hadn't been any incidents of demons harming people. So why did a demon injure someone yesterday?

Especially when he thought of the monster in green and the blind man, coupled with Qin Xiangyu's abnormal appearance now, he immediately understood.

She remembered that the girl in green always wore green, and the blind man was the one she had told her when she went to find the girl in green that Yi Sheng's eyes were injured and he had difficulty moving around.

At this moment, he panicked and asked Qin Xiangyu in a trembling voice, "Young Master, could it be that something has happened to the girl in green and Young Master Daoyi?"

Upon hearing what the student said, Qin Xiangyu immediately pounded her chest and stamped her feet, exclaiming, "Oh no!"

Having said that, he didn't even have time to care about his image and hurried towards the outside of the mansion. Finally, he shouted to the student with his back to him, "Quick, prepare the horses, we're going outside the city!"

The young scholar was shocked to hear this. He knew that something must have happened to the young master, so he quickly ran to fetch the horse.

Meanwhile, the Wei family was overjoyed that their daughter, who had been bedridden for years, had recovered with the help of Taihua.

In the past two days, all of the hundred or so people in the Wei family have been circling around Wei Wanyao, and even guests who came to visit the head of the Wei family have been turned away.

Because Wei Wanyao had just recovered from a serious illness, and because of the spring fatigue medicine used by Yun Gong, she had been resting with her eyes closed all year round, and her complexion was very good. She also got up early.

As soon as she stepped out of her room, the maids who were always waiting outside rushed forward to serve her, washing her face, pouring water, and changing her clothes. Even her meals were fed to her bite by bite by the maids.

Upon receiving the news that Wei Wanyao had woken up, the three members of the Wei family, father and sons, rushed to her room without even bothering to tidy themselves up.

After Wei Shengming, the head of the Wei family, arrived at Wei Wanyao's room, he carefully took the bowl of soft rice porridge from the maid and fed her himself.

He felt the warm porcelain bowl, and slowly scooped up a spoonful of rice porridge with a golden spoon, gently bringing it to her lips.

After spending the last two days surrounded by hundreds of people at home, Wei Wanyao had gotten used to it, but she was still not quite used to her father's doting affection.

Wei Shengming looked on with doting eyes as he held the golden spoon to Wei Wanyao's lips, but she refused to open her mouth. He asked anxiously, "What's wrong, child? Is it hot?"

Seeing that Wei Wanyao remained silent, Wei Shengming frowned and stared incredulously at the soft rice porridge in the bowl. He put the gold spoon back into the bowl, held the warm porcelain bowl in both hands, and said in confusion, "Isn't it hot?" Then, he looked up at his daughter with a puzzled expression, trying to get an answer from Wei Wanyao.

But she turned her face to the side and looked down.

This made Wei Shengming very anxious. How could she not eat? So, he was about to pick up the golden spoon to feed her again, but at this moment, the maid who had just fed her porridge stopped him and said nervously, "Master, let me do it."

Wei Shengming looked at the maid who was blocking him in disbelief. He wanted to get angry. How dare you, a mere maid?

However, seeing that his daughter refused to eat or drink, he could only hand her the bowl again. Then, another maid standing to the side came over and bowed to Wei Shengming, saying, "Master, Miss will be having her coming-of-age ceremony in a while."

Wei Shengming was already furious, and he was about to lose his temper at yet another unruly maid's cryptic remarks, when he suddenly remembered something.

So he nodded and smiled at the maid, saying, "Yes, it's time for her to come of age, it's time for her to come of age."

With that, he turned and walked out the door, shouting to the crowd that had already filled the courtyard: "Where's the accountant? Accountant!"

A sharp voice rang out from the crowd, "Master, I'm here! Master, I'm here!"

Wei Shengming looked at the accountant who came in response, pointed to the accountant's round belly and mustache and laughed: "You look shrewd."

The mustachioed steward smiled obsequiously upon hearing this, and said in his shrill voice, "I have to thank you, sir. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have had the ability to get into the accounting office."

Wei Shengming laughed and said "good" several times. Then he called out the maid who had spoken to him earlier and asked, "What's your name?"

“Reporting to Master, this servant is Chunshuang.” “Chunshuang?” Wei Shengming nodded, seemingly thinking about something, and then he slowly said, “As the year draws to a close, the frost and ice are lessened, and spring arrives in the human world, where plants and trees know it.”

After muttering this, he burst into laughter and said, "He truly lives up to his name, being clever and quick-witted."

"What's the name of the person who fed Wanyao?" Wei Shengming asked again.

Spring Frost replied, "Put on a coat."

"When longing arises, one dons a robe; when laughter and conversation never cease. These are all good names, all good names. Accountant!"

"Yes, sir."

“I’ll give Chunshuang and Piyi five thousand coins each. No, that’s not right,” Wei Shengming said, but then felt it was inappropriate. He glanced at Chunshuang, then at Piyi at the door, and then smiled at the accountant, “I’ll give each of them fifty thousand coins.”

Upon hearing this, Chun Shuang immediately knelt down before Wei Shengming and kowtowed repeatedly to express her gratitude: "Thank you, sir."

"Get up!" Wei Shengming asked Chunshuang again, "How old are you two?"

"Reporting to Your Excellency, there are two or three students."

"Good, good. From today onwards, the two of you will be in charge of the maids in Wanyao Courtyard, and will not be subject to the steward's control. Your monthly salary will be doubled."

"Spring Frost thanks you, sir, and I also thank you, sir, for putting on the coat."

Seeing Chunshuang's immense joy, Wei Shengming said to her, "From now on, you and Piyi will be well taken care of. Although you are not bound by the steward, if anything happens, I will have to use your money as collateral."

Chunshuang naturally understood, and she simply answered "Yes" before turning and going into the house.

Wei Shengming, standing outside the house, nodded and smiled as he looked at the hundred or so people in the courtyard. Then he started to leave the small courtyard where Wei Wanyao lived.

Wherever he went, servants and maids would respectfully bow to him and call out, "Master."

Wei Shengming nodded to each of them, but after reaching a deserted place, he lost his way and didn't know where to go. In the end, he could only follow the path.

Everyone must die eventually, and he was no exception. Now his daughter had grown up, was about to become an adult and get married. Although he was still young and strong, he would eventually grow old and die. He wasn't worried about his two sons, but he didn't know what to do about his daughter.

Should he wait for a marriage proposal? Or should he find her a good husband? But who in Yu'an City is worthy of Wei Shengming's daughter?
He thought for a while:

The Zhang family? No way! They're too bandit-like. How could my delicate daughter possibly marry them?

The Lin family? Although they manage the silk industry in Yu'an, they are still a level below the Qin family. The Qin family?

Qin Xiangyu, formerly the eldest son of the Qin family, is now the youngest.
After thinking it over, he felt it was feasible, but he was also a little worried.

Although the Wei family is the richest family in Yu'an, the Qin family is actually the most powerful.

The head of the Qin family practically controlled all trade routes in Yu'an, and even they sometimes had to visit the Qin family.

Furthermore, the current emperor once sent craftsmen from the palace to build them a pavilion, which is the Gongchao Pavilion. Originally, this pavilion was intended for them to receive envoys from all directions, but they used it as an inn, which shows the emperor's attitude towards them. Moreover, there's also the immortal Taihua there.

Ultimately, marrying his daughter to Qin Xiangyu was a case of him climbing the social ladder.

He walked and thought, and before he knew it, he had arrived at the gate of the Wei family. Looking at the three rows of thresholds from the inside out, he couldn't help but smile: "Many mortals enter the gate of Andong Prefecture, one threshold with three layers. People break their heads and climb in, but they never see the head of the Wei family."

He walked step by step, pausing at each step, until he reached the door. He looked towards the vermilion gate of the Qin family in the center of Yu'an, and then couldn't help but sigh: "Once a person of a broken town, I suddenly discovered a person from beyond the heavens. I have all four treasures of Ancheng in my hands, and I have glimpsed the temple's hundred-bird robe."

Looking back on the past, he was filled with emotion. He thought to himself, if he had met Taihua back then, when Yu'an was just a dilapidated, deserted town, would the Qin family be the Wei family now?

He lamented that the timing was wrong, yet he was also extremely lucky. If he hadn't heard that someone was distributing porridge, rice, and steamed buns in an abandoned town, he might not have come to Yu'an soon, and he wouldn't have been able to catch up with the emperor's massive construction project to rebuild Yu'an, and he wouldn't be where he is today.

He sighed, then chuckled foolishly, stroking his beard with one hand. He thought about swallowing his pride and going to the Qin family to arrange a marriage for his daughter. Then he could rest assured, and wouldn't have to worry after he passed away.

However, in the direction he was gazing into the distance, a commotion suddenly arose, followed by the sound of horses' hooves. To his astonishment, he watched as several people with solemn expressions galloped past him on horseback. Among them was Qin Xiangyu, whom he had just been thinking about.

He didn't know what had happened, but judging from the way they were riding so fast, something serious must have occurred. So he quickly turned around and walked towards the gate, almost tripping over the highest threshold. But he couldn't worry about that now; he could only quickly steady himself and shout loudly into the mansion, "Someone, prepare the horses!"

No one answered.

He forgot that everyone was waiting in Wei Wanyao's courtyard. He chuckled, not angry. For him, the most important thing right now was his daughter; as for why Qin Xiangyu was in such a hurry to ride out of the city, he didn't care much at the moment. As for what had happened, he could ask her when he proposed.

After all, how important can a child's family be?

He turned and looked at the empty gate of the mansion, chuckled, and then turned and walked back into the mansion.

Then, Qin Xiangyu, riding a fine horse, arrived outside the city with the young scholar and several skilled warriors. When they reached the wooden house where the green-clad man was, they found it deserted, and even the flowers that once bloomed there had disappeared.

They entered the house through the open wooden door. Everything seemed normal, but where were the people who lived there? Where had they gone?
Qin Xiangyu frowned as she walked out of the wooden house, her eyes filled with confusion as she stared blankly at the empty space that had once been covered in flowers.

Finally, a man discovered something in the open space and shouted to Qin Xiangyu, "Young master, there is blood here!"

(End of this chapter)