Notes on Longevity

Chapter 41 Where there are demons, there must be immortals; a destitute house delivers small shark fins.
The branches of the trees, flowers, and grass in the courtyard were all weighed down by a thick layer of white snow. They bowed or lowered their heads toward Yang Youan, who was standing in the middle of the courtyard, just like bowing respectfully to send off the Taoist Master Yu Yan who had disappeared into thin air.

Yang Youan wanted to ask Master Yu Yan what he meant, but before he could speak, Master Yu Yan had already disappeared, as if he had never been there.

He was shocked and bewildered, his mind racing with thoughts. Was this an immortal? Coming and going as he pleased, leaving no trace behind.

As he was still lost in thought, Shu Ping, along with Xiu Yi and the other two, slowly walked towards him. When they saw Yang You'an standing there blankly, without seeing Master Yu Yan, they were very puzzled and went up to ask, "Young Master Yang, weren't you seeing Master Yu Yan off? Why are you here alone? Where is the Master?"

Hearing Zhou Zhou's voice, Yang You'an snapped out of his reverie, turned around, and, putting away his surprised and shocked expression, smiled and replied to the group, "Master Yu Yan has already left."

"He's already left?" Xiuyi frowned. "I didn't expect the Taoist priest to leave so quickly. I was really thinking of asking him for help again."

Yang Youan looked at Xiuyi somewhat awkwardly. In fact, it was still quite a distance from the Pear Garden, and even if he walked very fast, it would take him half an hour to get there. But he was indeed not lying.

"Since the Taoist priest has already left, we will not disturb him any longer. Farewell, Young Master Yang."

Xiuyi curtsied to Yang Youan, and Qingyou did the same. Zhou Zhou clasped his hands in a salute to Yang Youan.

Seeing this, Yang Youan clasped his hands in a salute to the group, saying, "Take care, I have other matters to attend to, so I won't see you off any further. Thank you for your trouble, Brother Shu."

After Yang Youan finished speaking, he said something to Shu Ping, who waved his hand and smiled, "It's okay, it's cold, you should hurry back."

As soon as Shu Ping finished speaking, Xiu Yi and the others continued walking forward. Yang You'an watched them leave with a smile on his face, then immediately stopped smiling and hurriedly walked towards the backyard.

"Sister, the Taoist priest is gone. Is there no hope for Little Shark Fin?" The group walked out of the pear garden and looked at the closed door. Zhou Zhou stood in the snow and looked at Xiu Yi with a sad expression.

"Actually, I wanted to tell Master Yu Yan on the way, but he was thinking about Master Ping An and was in a hurry, so I couldn't bring myself to say it."

Xiuyi sighed as she looked at the icy, snowy landscape, a wisp of white smoke drifting from her mouth as she spoke.

She wasn't blaming Yu Yan for saying this, but rather because it was an unreasonable request, and besides, the doctor at the clinic had said yesterday that Little Shark Fin probably wouldn't live tonight. Master Yu Yan wasn't a god; even with his superb medical skills, he couldn't bring someone back to life.

Zhou Zhou thought about it and felt that his sister was right. Even if a god came, it would take a lot of effort to save a dying person. But he still couldn't bear to see Little Fish Fin die like that. He was still so young.

"Let's go back first."

Seeing Zhou Zhou's somewhat dejected appearance, Xiu Yi patted him on the shoulder.

Zhou Zhou hummed in agreement, and the group headed toward their lodging on the white, misty street.

In the backyard of the opera house, Yang Youan stood in the hall and told the old troupe leader about what had just happened with Yu Yan. The old troupe leader couldn't sit still anymore. He was just as shocked as Yang Youan had been: "They really just disappeared like that."

"Yes."

Yang Youan answered with a single word, but it was a resounding revelation to the old troupe leader.

"Could there really be immortals in this world?"

The old troupe leader had just stood up, but in shock he was so unsteady on his feet that he sat back down.

He rubbed his forehead and said, "Ten years ago, it was said that a fox demon who had attained enlightenment cultivated into human form, transformed into a beautiful woman, and entered the palace, bewitching His Majesty. Not only that, the fox demon also incited the court officials to rebel. I initially thought that the fox demon story was just a way to fool the people. At the time, I was also curious why, if it was to quell a rebellion, a group of Taoist priests were sent down the mountain, and Taoism was eventually made the state religion. Now it seems that the demon story might very well be true." "Are there really demons?"

When Xie Xiaoshuang heard those two words while standing next to the old troupe leader, her expression suddenly turned ugly. She clenched her fists nervously and looked at Yang Youan with fear in her eyes.

Seeing this, Yang Youan walked towards her. He placed his hands on Xie Xiaoshuang's shoulders and comforted her gently, saying, "It's alright. We're under the emperor's nose, and Zoumaguan isn't far away. Don't be afraid."

“When I talked to Brother Li about Taoism before, he mentioned monsters, but I was young at the time and didn’t think much of it. Now that I think about it, I am still a little scared.”

Yang Youan comforted Xie Xiaoshuang, his eyes glancing towards the door where snow was beginning to fall again: "Since there are monsters, are there really immortals in this world?"

Actually, he wasn't entirely sure. Back at the Drunken Flower Pavilion, Li Chengru had not only mentioned monsters but also Kunshan Mountain and Penglai Island, two places said to be inhabited by immortals. However, he had never been there, and no one had ever seen them…

As noon approached, snowflakes began to fall again. From a high vantage point, Fuyang City, covered in thick white snow, resembled a beautiful painting, with its houses, trees, rivers, and boats moored along the shore. The empty, snow-covered streets were like blank spaces in the painting, emphasizing its tranquility. However, on one particular road, several black dots moved incessantly, standing out from the others.

Zhou Zhou, along with Xiu Yi and Qing You, walked home through the snow. They crossed the main road and entered a narrow alley, at the end of which was still the same dilapidated wooden door.

After the group went inside, the room was very quiet.

Zhou Zhou was the first to enter the house. When he sensed the quietness inside, his face immediately turned somewhat grim. He suddenly quickened his pace and went to the end of the small hall, to the room where they were staying.

Sure enough, the silence in the room made him realize something was wrong, and the thing had happened—Little Shark Fin was dead.

Zhou Zhou looked at Yumi, who was standing by Little Fish Fin's bedside wiping away tears, an elderly doctor, and Grandpa Medicine sitting by the bedside, looking dejected and sad. He also felt a lump in his throat.

Xiuyi and Qingyou, who were standing behind him, also noticed something when they saw Zhou Zhou standing there blankly. They came to the door as well. When they saw Grandpa Yao and the others gathered there, they knew what had happened.

But life is unpredictable, and death is preordained. When someone is about to leave this world, what can they do besides watch helplessly?

Besides feeling sad, upset, and reluctant to part, there was nothing they could do.

“Grandpa, Little Shark Fin…” Tears streamed down Zhou Zhou’s face. He knew that Little Shark Fin was gone, but he still couldn’t believe it. He was such a cheerful child. How could God bear to take him away like this?

"He's back?" When Grandpa Yao heard Zhou Zhou's voice, his forlorn expression immediately turned into a smile, but there was no light in his eyes. He waved to him and said, "Come quickly, come quickly. He kept calling out his brother Zhou Zhou when he left."

Zhou Zhou frowned, trying to hold back his tears so that Xiao Yu Chi wouldn't see him crying. But when he walked to Grandpa Yao's side and saw Xiao Yu Chi's smiling face and closed eyes, he couldn't hold back anymore. Tears streamed down his face like a waterfall cascading down a mountain.

They didn't actually spend much time with Little Shark Fin, and their feelings for him weren't that deep. Most of them took care of him because they felt sorry for him, or because they had similar experiences and he was still young.

But one day, when Little Shark Fin smiled and said to everyone, "I know I don't have much time left, I'm about to die," they realized that he had actually heard everything the doctor said that day.

Yet he still smiles every day, sometimes telling stories of his experiences as a homeless person, and sometimes comforting them, saying, "When I'm praying, I often hear people say to me, 'Don't you have a home either?' I say, 'No, don't you have a home either?' 'No.'"

"We were all so happy back then. Even though we had no home, we were still alive. Especially after meeting Grandpa Medicine, Brother Corn, and Brother Zhou Zhou, I was happy every day. I didn't have to worry about bad people, going hungry, or having nowhere to live. Even though I was still young, I knew you were all genuinely good to me, just like them. Even though we had no home and were beggars, we weren't any different from others. We were all human beings, and we were all still alive... Although I heard these words from others..."

As they looked at Little Shark Fin lying on the bed, all they could see in their minds was his now even brighter smile...

(End of this chapter)