Notes on Longevity

Chapter 3: A Fateful Encounter, A Beggar Meets in the Snow
"The snow this year is really heavy."

Inside the Drunken Flower Pavilion, Xiuyi stood by the window, looking at the vast expanse of white before her and the almost deserted street, sighing with emotion.

As she spoke, the white mist emanating from her mouth dispersed with the oncoming wind.

Beside her, the madam frowned, staring at Xiuyi with a resentful look. She couldn't understand why Xiuyi had brought a Taoist priest back; wasn't this just asking for trouble?
Despite her thoughts, she finally sighed, shook her large head, and said, "You can't keep this little Taoist priest here forever, can you? His Majesty values ​​Taoism now, and you were implicated in the 'demon's calamity ten years ago and punished to be sent to this Drunken Flower Pavilion. Even if you have an official protecting you, you can't keep troubling him forever."

“Alright, madam.” Xiuyi turned her gaze to the madam, took her hand, and said softly, “No, this young Taoist priest may be a wandering Taoist, but he is still a member of the Taoist sect. After the heavy snow, when spring comes next year, I will send him to Zoumaguan.”

"Has the young Taoist priest woken up?" the madam asked upon hearing this.

"Not yet," Xiuyi replied.

The madam was puzzled: "Then how do you know he's a wandering Taoist priest?"

Xiuyi chuckled and looked out the window again. Watching the snowflakes falling rapidly, she said, "Those thieves can't possibly be going to a Taoist temple to arrest people, can they?"

Upon hearing this, the madam smiled awkwardly and said, "Whatever you say, whatever you say."

Just as the two were chatting, Qingyou rushed in from outside the door, her face flushed and panting heavily.

Seeing this, Xiuyi asked, "What's wrong?"

Qingyou glanced at the madam, took a breath, and grabbed Xiuyi's hand, shouting, "He's gone! That little Taoist priest is gone!"

"What? It's gone!"

As evening approached, the snow, which had been falling all day, grew thicker and thicker. What used to leave a shallow footprint was now a small crater.

Xiuyi and the others stood downstairs at Zuihua Tower, looking anxiously at the several groups of people who had returned from searching for Ping'an, who all said they hadn't found anything.

"Madam, what should we do? If he tells everyone that we kidnapped him, we're finished!"

Ying'er was making veiled remarks to the side, but Xiuyi glanced at her and ignored her. She was only worried that Ping'an might freeze to death in Fuyang City with such heavy snow.

However, the madam's reaction to Ying'er's words was completely different from Xiuyi's. As soon as Ying'er finished speaking, the madam pointed at her and cursed, "How dare you say that? I told you to keep an eye on that little bull-nose and let me know when he woke up, and what happened? You let him escape!"

“Madam, I saw he was awake and I was going to come and talk to you, but as soon as he woke up he started making a huge fuss, calling for his master. I found him annoying and couldn’t help but give him a slap. Who knew he wouldn’t stop, but instead ran away…”

Faced with the madam's accusations, Ying'er quickly explained.

"How's it going? Did you find it?"

Xiuyi looked at the last group of people who had gone out and returned, and immediately asked.

However, the man leading the group shook his head and cupped his hands, saying, "We've searched almost everything we could find nearby, including several city gates and main roads."

"Thanks for your hard work."

Xiuyi returned the greeting to the man, who then led his entourage into the Drunken Flower Pavilion. "Alright, that's all we can do now." The madam, having heard Ying'er's explanation, ignored her and walked to Xiuyi, saying, "I think this child is probably doomed. We've done what we could, so you don't need to worry about it. Aside from his Taoist identity, he's just an ordinary child. Every day, countless children his age are sold in and out of this city."

"Besides, aren't pomelos sold here the same way?"

Upon hearing this, Qingyou lowered her head, with a hint of tears in her eyes.

"You've been in this Drunken Flower Pavilion for so many years, you should know that the customers who come to this Drunken Flower Pavilion every day are different. There are regulars and new customers. Every customer is different. Some people are after your body, but others just want to find a place to drink."

"So try to be more open-minded and treat him like a new customer who came to the Drunken Flower Pavilion for pleasure. Don't blame yourself for not taking good care of him, even if you saved him. People come and go in this world, and every encounter is fate, even if it's just for a moment."

“You saved him, but he ran away. Even if he dies in this freezing cold, it has nothing to do with you.”

The madam spoke earnestly to Xiuyi, who naturally understood what the madam meant. Although she had been in this brothel for ten years and was used to people coming and going, saving people and meeting them were two different things and could not be compared.

Saving someone only to have them die due to your own negligence can plunge you into unspeakable self-blame, especially when that person was just a child.

Xiuyi looked up at the snow falling heavily. Despite her inner turmoil, all she could do now was pray for peace and safety...

The sky was slowly darkening, and due to the heavy snow, even the usually bustling streets of Fuyang City were almost deserted.

However, in a small alley near the north gate of the city, two beggars dressed in thick, greasy, and tattered coarse linen clothes were walking in one direction.

"Xiao Si, has the medicine been changed?"

Walking in front was an elderly man with a full head of white hair. He breathed on his two rough hands and then rubbed them together.

"Grandpa, it's changed!" A boy who looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old appeared behind the old man.

He held up the medicine he was carrying, ran to the old man's side, and smiled at him with his dirty face, saying, "Grandpa, let me tell you, it's a good thing I ran fast. If I had been any slower, the pharmacy would have been closed. Also, the pharmacy owner was a very nice person. Look, he didn't charge me any extra money."

As the beggar boy spoke, he took out a string of copper coins from his pocket and waved them near the old man's ear.

"Alright, put it away. Don't let anyone see it, or it'll be gone."

The old man listened to the sound of copper coins ringing in his ears and smiled faintly.

"What's there to be afraid of? If they dare to steal my money, I'll beat them to a pulp. I recently learned a few kung fu moves from some wandering knights, it's a set of fist techniques. Look!"

The beggar boy stopped in front of the old man, stood tall and proud, and began to demonstrate the martial arts moves he had learned from someone, which he was still not very proficient in.

Seeing this, the old man could only stop and shake his head helplessly, but his eyes were full of doting as he watched the boy swing his arms one move at a time.

Just as the beggar boy was enjoying his performance, he slipped and fell to the ground because the snow was too thick.

"Grandpa, look, there's someone here."

(End of this chapter)