Notes on Longevity

Chapter 71 The dilapidated old pear orchard, when will the young man return?
"Ancestor, I want to go down the mountain."

"Where?"

"Penglai".

"That place is very far away. The sea route is difficult to travel."

How far is it? Is it more dangerous than the Kunlun Mountains?

"No, not at all. It's just..."

"Maybe?"

"Then go ahead."

Yu Yan helped Ping An change into a brand-new Taoist robe and put the cleaned robe and some books into a box. Ping An wanted to take the box from Yu Yan, but he wouldn't let him: "Are you really going down the mountain?"

Ping An held a whisk in his hand, smiling with a melancholy expression. He looked at Yu Yan, who seemed somewhat sad, and said, "Yes."

"When will you come back?" Yu Yan's eyes welled up with tears, a rare sight for him. He looked at his junior brother, who was now almost as tall as him, and asked anxiously.

"I'll come back once I find the immortal," Ping An said with a smile.

"But what if we can't find it?" Yu Yan asked urgently.

“I will come back,” Ping An said.

Ping An reached out to take the box from Yu Yan's hand, but Yu Yan still wouldn't let her. He looked at Ping An with a sad expression and said, "I'll see you off."

These words are simple, yet they contain many unspoken thoughts, much like the unspeakable emotions of people who have worked hard to sow seeds in winter and look at the fields of rice and wheat when the harvest comes the following year.

Ping An nodded, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

The road from the mountaintop to the foot of the mountain is actually quite long, but Yu Yan felt it was very short. He had never felt that the road was so short before.

In the past, it would take some time to go up and down the mountain, but now, without realizing it, we are almost at the foot of the mountain.

The lush green trees on both sides, the solid blue stone steps underfoot—and so I slowly walked to the end.
"Senior brother, let's go back." At the end of the forest at the foot of the mountain, the dirt road behind Ping An, and the yellowed and fallen branches and leaves, set off the sad scene of parting.

"Junior brother, have a safe journey." Yu Yan reluctantly handed the box to Ping An, his fists clenched as he suppressed his grief.

"Senior brother, all is well." He carried the not-so-large chest on his back, looked up at Yu Yan, and said, "Remember to tell the Ancestor that I have gone safely. I will not return until I see the immortals on my way to Penglai."

He turned and left without looking back, showing no sign of wanting to stay.

"Junior brother! Remember to come back! Whether you find the immortal or not, I will always be waiting for you at Zoumaguan! So will the Ancestor and Zoumaguan."

He finally couldn't hold back anymore. He cried out, shouting at Ping An as she walked further and further away. But his voice grew weaker and weaker as Ping An's figure disappeared into the distance, until she slowly turned into a black dot and vanished.

Autumn is the season of harvest. It is a time when thousands sing and laugh in the night, when pedestrians on the bustling streets of the capital look at each other with joy, when the emperor returns victorious, and when the palace celebrates with wine in full goblets; but it is also the time when farewells are most frequent.

Autumn winds carry green leaves, withered branches are tinged with yellow clouds. The young man departed at dawn, when will he return?

This year was the twenty-fifth year of Wen Shang's career, in autumn.

As noon approached, Ping An, dressed in a Taoist robe, returned the bow to the city gate guard. The people passing by also bowed to Ping An, calling out, "Taoist Master, may you enjoy boundless blessings."

"May the Heavenly Venerable grant you boundless blessings." Ping An's voice possessed both the strength and depth of a man and the gentleness of a woman, much like the feeling of eating a sesame candy pastry—it felt somewhat hard in the hand, but incredibly soft and juicy once it entered the mouth.

Ping An entered through the southwest gate. He had originally planned to bypass the capital and travel outside the city, then head east towards Penglai. However, he remembered the life-saving grace he had received from the old troupe leader of the Five Mile Pear Garden and Grandpa Yao.

So he headed north of the city.

"Shut up!"

A young man in fine clothes reined in his horse, and at the same time, another boy on horseback appeared behind him. The boy looked to be sixteen or seventeen years old, and although he looked rather ordinary, he was quite handsome.

The young man dismounted, with the boy following closely behind. "Wait here for me a moment," the young man said, handing the reins to the boy.

"Yes." The boy took the reins, led the two horses to stand at the cold doorway, and watched the young man push open the dusty door.

This action attracted many pedestrians on the road, instantly crowding the area.

Discussions arose from the crowded room:

"Whose young master is this, daring to enter this place? Isn't he afraid of death?"

"You don't know this, do you? The young master who just went in is the only son of the General of Shengjing."

"The General of Shengjing? Is that the same General Zhou who was wrongfully killed?"

"Shh! Are you trying to get yourself killed by saying that?"

"Yeah"

The boy should have felt awkward in such a scene, but he didn't seem uncomfortable at all. Instead, he looked up at the broken plaque above the door, which read "Five Miles Pear Garden".

In the opera house, Zhou Zhou walked through the courtyard, which was covered in dust but with objects neatly arranged. It was still the familiar stage and the familiar theater, but the people from back then were gone.

Zhou Zhou walked slowly through the front yard where the opera was being performed, and into the central courtyard. He looked at the withered flowers and the wildly growing weeds with a solemn expression.

Arriving in the backyard, he looked at the orderly rows of houses, yet they were quite empty. This wasn't always how it was. Here, there used to be sounds of reading, laughter, playful banter, and even arguments.

He recalled being inexplicably insulted here before, and how he had argued back. Now, however, he longed to do so, wanting to exchange insults with that person again, but he was powerless to do so.

He thought that if he had been exonerated sooner, things might have been different. Even if he were demoted again, he would have accepted it willingly.

He stood in the same old reception room, looking at the brand-new chairs and tea sets placed on each table. He suddenly smiled, but the smile was not happy.

He turned and walked down the corridor. When he reached a room, he stopped. Hesitantly, he raised his hand and slowly pushed the door open.

"You came?"

The moment the door was pushed open, a girl of about seventeen or eighteen years old stood up from the stool. She smiled and looked at the man standing in front of Zhou Zhou in the doorway, smiling happily.

The man, dressed in plain white scholar's robes, smiled as he held a writing brush and inkstone in his arms and said to the young woman, "Today is the imperial examination. I am destined to be the top scholar. Then, dressed in red, I will ride a fine horse to propose to you."

"What if you don't pass?" the girl asked playfully, fidgeting with herself.

The man entered the room and came to the girl's side. He held the pen and ink in one hand and hugged the girl with the other, looking up at the sky outside the door. He smiled and said, "If I don't pass, I'll take the exam again next year. One day I will become the top scholar."

"That's not what I meant." The girl lowered her head shyly, biting her lip lightly.

"What is that?" The man pretended not to know, looking at the girl with doting eyes.

"I mean, you didn't get the top score, so what about me?" The girl became even more shy, her face blushing like a ripe apple.

The man looked at the girl's blushing face and gently kissed her, saying, "Then I won't marry you."

"Truth or dare?" The girl pouted, her brows furrowed, and she looked at the man with a mixture of coquettishness and resentment.

The man smiled slightly: "Of course it's fake."

He hugged the girl in his arms tighter and looked at the clear blue sky outside the door. "If I don't become the top scholar in the imperial examination, then I'll have no choice but to ask you for your hand in a simple blue robe with nothing in my hand. I just don't know if Uncle will agree."

"Then you'd better not come into my pear orchard." As soon as the man finished speaking, a middle-aged man with a haggard face walked in slowly, smiling at the man.

"Don't worry, I'm sure I'll win this time!"

Zhou Zhou couldn't clearly see the laughter and chatter in the room, because his eyes were filled with tears. No matter how many times he came here, he always felt like crying every time he came to this room.

(End of this chapter)