Notes on Longevity

Chapter 7: The Master is nowhere to be found in the temple on a snowy night; a first encounter with the old troupe leader in the opera troupe.

"By the way, what method did Grandpa Medicine mention?" Xiuyi asked.

"Here's the thing, there's a pear orchard in the north of the city. It's said that the owner of that orchard is a kind and benevolent person. And Ping'an is from a Taoist family, so we can send him to the pear orchard. Then, we can send him up the mountain next spring."

Grandpa Medicine explained their plans to Xiuyi. Xiuyi nodded in agreement, "That was also my plan when I met him."

"Oh, by the way, Xiao Zhou told me he has a master in a temple outside the city, and I've already sent someone there. However..."

Xiuyi was speaking when she stopped, glanced at Ping An in the room, and said softly, "But with the heavy snow these past two days, his master is probably in grave danger."

"Don't tell the child after you find it."

Grandpa Medicine was quite worried.

"But how long can this be kept secret?"

"This……"

"Has Master left?"

Just as Xiuyi and Grandpa Yao were arguing, Ping An stood at the door of the small hall.

Immediately, everyone's eyes were focused on Ping An. Each person's eyes held different feelings: pity, comfort, but mostly sympathy.

Everyone here has had a different fate, and everyone lives their own life. They are busy every day, do not see each other, do not disturb each other, and are all doing well.

But fate is always so unpredictable. A family that was once happy and harmonious suddenly suffered a change of fortune. Some were displaced, some were forced into prostitution, and some were about to lose their lives...

"No, the people Sister Xiuyi sent out haven't returned yet. Don't worry, your master will definitely be fine."

The originally quiet and slightly melancholic atmosphere was disrupted by Yumi's words, and everyone else said to Ping An, "Don't worry, everything will be alright."

“My master said that birth, aging, sickness and death are the laws of nature. If he dies one day, just remember to find a place for him and build a grave.”

While everyone was busy comforting Ping An, who could have predicted that he would say something like that?

Hearing Ping An's calm tone and seeing his face as he suppressed his grief and pain, everyone felt equally saddened.

"Dong dong!"

Just as everyone was immersed in their own sorrowful atmosphere, there was a knock on the door.

Everyone was startled by the knocking. Zhou Zhou, who was closest to the door, opened it as soon as the knocking stopped, and a gust of cold wind blew in. Several tall men were standing in the doorway.

The man standing at the front immediately fixed his gaze on Xiuyi the moment the door opened.

“Miss Xiuyi, the brothers from several branches have all gone to check, and we’ve also checked all the dilapidated temples outside the city gate, but we haven’t found the old Taoist priest you mentioned.”

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Ping An, who, with a slight sob, asked the man, "Is it in a temple in a grove of trees?"

The man shook his head. Seeing this, Xiuyi went straight to the man, took out a bag from her sleeve and handed it to him, saying, "Thank you for your help, brothers of the gang. Please search around."

"understood."

The man took the bag, turned around, and led the others into the snowy night.

Ping An watched them leave, feeling dizzy and lightheaded, as if she were drunk and wanted to vomit but couldn't.

Ping An fainted. Everyone panicked and helped Ping An up, carrying her to bed. Little Fish Fin, watching this scene unfold, also stood up from the bed, bewildered, looking at Ping An lying unconscious on the bed.

"What...what should we do?" Corn asked Grandpa Medicine with concern.

“Miss Xiuyi, do you have a way to get someone up the mountain to find the Taoist priest at Zouma Temple?”

Grandpa Medicine looked at Xiuyi seriously.

"Yes. But it will probably take half a month for him to go and come back. I'm afraid he won't be able to endure staying here for half a month."

While answering, Xiuyi also expressed her concerns.

“Then I’ll trouble Miss Xiuyi to come with me to the Five Mile Pear Garden in the north of the city tomorrow. If the owner of the garden is willing to take him in temporarily, then the next half month will be fine.”

"can."

After the two made up their minds, everyone dispersed. Xiuyi and the others hurried back to Zuihualou, while Grandpa Yao and the others stayed in that humble house to keep watch over Ping'an.

Ping An lay quietly on the bed. In his deep sleep, a faint smile appeared on his lips, as if he were having a dream.

The dream was both long and short. He dreamt that he was traveling with his master, laughing and joking along the way. He also met some fellow Daoists along the way. During this time, they occasionally talked about Daoist teachings and chatted about everyday things. Most of the time, they shared their experiences of decades of cultivation and sometimes talked about the difficulties of their cultivation journey.

Once upon a time, Ping An was also a lively and cheerful child...

The snow is falling heavier than usual tonight, and the howling wind has even opened the door to the small hall.

Yumi and Zhou Zhou frantically found something to block the doorway.

Grandpa Medicine looked at Ping An with eyes full of worry.

The heavy snow fell, piling up layer upon layer on the rooftops until the next morning when the snow suddenly stopped, and the sun shone brightly in the sky.

The originally cold winter day, under the bright sunshine, actually felt like spring, but this only lasted for a short while.

Soon, light snow began to fall again, but the wind was no longer as biting.

In front of a small garden, two simply dressed women and an old man and a young man stood at the half-open gate. The young man was carrying a child wrapped in some hemp clothing on his back.

Soon, a middle-aged man emerged from the half-open garden gate, still wearing his theatrical costume and with his makeup still incomplete.

"Master, these are the people who came to see you."

After the middle-aged man walked out completely, a handsome young man followed behind him. His voice was soft and pleasant to listen to.

The middle-aged man, addressed as the troupe leader, bowed to the group and asked, "May I ask what brings you here?"

"It's me, shopkeeper!"

As soon as the troupe leader finished speaking, a young man dressed in shabby clothes, carrying a round bowl and a child on his back walked up to the troupe leader and grinned at him with a smug look on his face.

“Corn?” The troupe leader recognized Corn at a glance, but then glanced at Grandpa Medicine and Xiuyi and the others, and said to Corn, “Why are you begging with so many people today? I don’t have that much money to give you.”

"It's not the shopkeeper, listen to me..."

Before Yumi could finish speaking, the troupe leader covered Yumi's face with one hand and said, "I've told you several times, if you insist on calling me that, just call me Old Troupe Leader, don't call me Manager."

(End of this chapter)