Notes on Longevity

Chapter 50 Affection Abounds in the Backyard, Old Trees Bloom in the Central Courtyard
Yang Youan was stunned for a moment, and before he could react, Xie Xiaoshuang brought her lips to his mouth again.

The night breeze was cool, but at that moment he felt his face burning and his body warm. He seemed to understand. So, the "marry" she spoke of wasn't the kind of marriage she meant. He placed his hands on Jie Xiaoshuang's back, pulled her into his arms again, and gently lowered his head to meet hers.

After a brief moment of passion, Yang Youan picked up Xie Xiaoshuang and slowly walked back to the room, facing the evening breeze.

Ping An, standing at the doorway, watched the two walk back into the room and close the door, completely bewildered. He didn't know what they were doing, but he felt inexplicably happy seeing them. He couldn't explain why; perhaps it was because he was still young and didn't understand love between men and women.

After Ping An and the other two returned to their room, he walked out into the courtyard. He looked at the rows of houses and the green trees scattered in different places in the courtyard. The branches and leaves of the green trees were sprouting and beginning to grow tender leaves.

He began to look at the full moon in the sky, just like Yang You'an. He felt that the full moon was pure white, bright, and somewhat cold. And the moonlight that fell from its disc-like body onto the tender leaves and the green tile eaves amplified that feeling of coldness.

A faint sound suddenly came from Yang Youan and Xie Xiaoshuang's room. Ping An frowned and turned around. He felt that the sound was a bit strange, as if it could pluck at one's heartstrings.

But Ping An didn't interfere any further, and instead walked towards the stone archway leading out of the backyard.

Stepping out of the backyard, which could be considered the central courtyard, Ping An looked at the flowers, plants, and trees that filled the courtyard and felt very relaxed, her mind free of those sad thoughts.

He would pause for a while in front of each flower and plant, carefully admiring the colorful flowers and plants and the sturdy trees: just like the peach blossoms gradually becoming more delicate under the moonlight, the pure white pear blossoms, and the cherry blossoms blooming in a riot of colors under the moonlight; Ping An was very intoxicated by these colorful and dazzling flowers and plants.

Moreover, this should be the first time he has strolled around this place like this since he stayed in the Pear Garden for more than two months. Before that, he had been bedridden. In the past, whenever he saw Yang Youan and Xie Xiaoshuang chasing each other in the snow, reading books, or discussing the great principles in the books, he couldn't help but feel a little envious.

Ping An continued walking until he came to an old tree that would take two or three people to encircle. He looked up at it; the tree was very tall, and its lush branches and tender leaves, cool in the moonlight, looked just like his master's outstretched arms, waiting for him to enter his embrace.

In his memory, he remembered that when he and his master were searching for immortals, they entered an ancient forest. There was a thin layer of frost and mist in the forest. The further they went, the thicker the mist became, and the less visible they were. If they were not careful, they could easily get lost. Unfortunately, he did get lost.

He cried in the mist that time, terrified. He kept calling for his master as he walked, but received no response, so he cried even harder. He was only seven or eight years old at the time.

He kept walking forward, crying and shouting, but he never thought of looking back.

As he walked deeper into the mist, his vision almost completely obscured, he heard his master's gentle voice behind him. He sobbed and turned around, looking at someone standing not far behind him.

But he didn't stop crying; instead, he cried even louder, calling out for his master while wiping away his tears. The figure in the mist slowly approached him.

"Child." The figure of his master in the mist grew closer and closer, and Ping An cried even harder, but no sound could be heard. All that could be seen was him crying with his mouth open and wiping away tears.

Master, with a smile on his wrinkled face, came to his side and slowly squatted down. He raised his rough, calloused hand and placed it on Ping An's head, laughing, "Don't cry, child. Master is always behind you. Just keep walking forward. Once we cross this misty forest and then the river ahead, we'll reach the Mist Forest Temple."

Ping An continued to cry, hugging his master's neck tightly and sobbing, "Master, hold my hand, I'm scared." "Alright, alright, I'll hold your hand." The master opened his arms in the mist and embraced Ping An. When Ping An stopped crying, he slowly stood up and used his calloused hands to lead Ping An into the deepest part of the mist.

“Master.” Ping An looked at the old tree in the courtyard and unconsciously recalled that incident. Tears welled up in his eyes and followed the memory, sliding down his cheeks one by one until they fell to the ground.

The tears falling to the ground seemed to be a response to Ping An's longing for his master, making a sound. He also seemed to hear someone calling him from behind, the voice just like his master's. At the same time, he felt a gentle pat on his shoulder.

"Master Ping An?" Zhang Wanyi stood behind Ping An, holding a thick black robe. She called his name softly a few times, but received no answer. So she reached out and patted his shoulder twice. Finally, he reacted.

Ping An turned his frail body around, and the first thing that caught his eye was a thick black coat. He followed the coat and looked up to see Zhang Wanyi staring at him with worried eyes.

"Are you alright? I saw you were alone in the yard, so I got you a thick coat because I was worried you'd be cold," Zhang Wanyi asked with concern as she draped the coat over Ping An's shoulders.

"It's okay, thank you," Ping An sobbed slightly as she responded to Zhang Wanyi.

"I see you're crying because you're worried about your master?" Zhang Wanyi asked hesitantly after draping a thick coat over Ping An.

Ping An didn't speak, but turned around and looked up at the tree.

Seeing this, Zhang Wanyi thought he had guessed correctly, so he walked to Ping An's side, looked down at Ping An who was much younger than him, and said, "This tree is said to have been planted by the original owner of this pear orchard, and it is almost a hundred years old."

"So it was raised by the master?" Ping An wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and looked up at Zhang Wanyi in confusion.

“This place wasn’t originally a pear orchard, but a residence that had been abandoned for many years. Later, the troupe leader gained the appreciation of the late emperor, so he gave the residence to him and renovated it,” Zhang Wanyi said.

“I see,” Ping An replied.

"Master Ping An, could you tell me what kind of person your master was?" Zhang Wanyi suddenly asked.

Ping An hesitated for a moment upon hearing this. Although he didn't know why Zhang Wanyi asked this, he was about to speak when she interrupted him.

She smiled and glanced at the hesitant Ping An, saying, "Actually, it's okay, it's okay if you don't say anything."

She cried.
Ping An found it strange. Just now he was comforting him and asking him questions with a smile, but why did he suddenly start crying?

(End of this chapter)