I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 196 Parting Gift of a Lamp (+19)

The stall owner was overjoyed to see his old customers again.

他 说:

“I remember that Jiang Langjun used to listen to Mr. Liu tell stories. Mr. Liu is very successful now. An official specially invited Mr. Liu to tell stories and gave him a lot of silk.”

Before leaving Yanzhou, Mr. Liu still thought of his beloved, saying that his beloved had helped him a great deal and given him a great fortune.

The stall owner asked, filled with curiosity.

"What kind of good fortune is that?"

Jiang She smiled.

"Mr. Liu, you are too kind. I have been traveling around and heard many stories, but I am just telling you a few."

"What I wrote at the time was just a rough sketch, a general overview. It was Mr. Liu himself who truly strung together those stories and told them vividly."

The stall owner didn't know anything about the stories or anything like that. He wasn't very interested in the historical tales that Liu Zimo was telling, and since he was far away and hard of hearing, he couldn't hear them very well.

Going into the tavern cost money, and later, when Liu Ziming went to the restaurant, it cost even more. The stall owner had never been there.

The stall owner said "Oh" and nodded, indicating that he understood.

Then, with a smile, he asked:
"Where has my lord been traveling for the past three years?"

Jiang She thought for a moment and replied:

"It's close in some ways, and far in others."

After eating their snacks, the group strolled home, just in time to see a group of children riding bamboo horses, shouting "Ahhhh!" as they charged through the alley. Leading the charge was a chubby little boy with an excited expression.

"Ouch!"

The chubby boy tripped and fell on his bottom. He got up, dusted himself off, and rubbed his backside. He looked around and realized he hadn't bumped into anyone, so how could he have fallen?

Suddenly his eyes lit up.

"Mr. Jiang!"

Jiang She responded with a smile.

A companion called out from behind, "Fan Er, you're coming!"

The chubby boy didn't care. He waved his hand and said authoritatively, "You all go first. This general has important business to attend to. We'll talk later."

Looking again at the man in blue before her, his eyes were sparkling.

He lowered his voice, his face beaming with excitement.

"Sir, you're awake!"

He held the bamboo horse in his hand.

It's called a bamboo horse, but it's actually just a long bamboo pole. It was originally a clothesline pole used by his family. Later, his father found a new one, but this one was useless, so he was allowed to play with it. The chubby boy quickly found a good use for it and played with it excitedly and without a care in the world.

Jiang She looked down at the child, who was just as chubby as before, but had grown much taller.

"You've grown taller too."

The chubby boy squinted his eyes, grinned, and was secretly pleased.

He didn't even want to play with the bamboo horse anymore. Instead, he grabbed the long pole and happily followed his teacher home.

He muttered to himself.

"Xiaohe is the tallest, a full four inches taller than me. I don't know why she's so tall. My mom says girls grow fast at this age, and I'll grow taller too... Luckily, Brother Zhou is an inch shorter than me."

The chubby boy quickly regained his composure after realizing that his friend was shorter than him.

Jiang She pushed open the courtyard gate.

The spirits suddenly erupted in a cacophony of voices, chattering amongst themselves.

"Mr. Jiang is back!"

"There was another person following behind..."

"Fan Er is still so fat!"

"What are you holding in your hand? They're long and thin?"

These spirits are quite talkative. Jiang She laughed and said to the chubby boy, "After we leave, the key is in the sword sheath outside. You can come over anytime."

Yuan Danqiu has already bought this house; he's really rich.

The chubby boy was startled.

"Mr. Jiang is leaving?"

Mount Tai is nearby, Jiang She said, "I sometimes come back to visit."

I could tell the child was a little sad; his eyes instantly reddened, and he pursed his lips to hold back his tears.

Jiang She patted his head, and the dust on the chubby boy's head was much cleaner, as it was brushed off.

He said gently:

"I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to take care of them for me..."

"It's not hard work!"

"Then I may have to trouble you."

The child, tears welling in his eyes, tugged at Mr. Jiang's sleeve, tilting his head back to stop the tears from falling. They were too young, and having grown up in the alley, they didn't yet understand what separation meant.

"I will do well."

Tears still fell, the chubby boy sobbed.

"When it's dry, the soapberry tree needs to be watered; if there's too much rain, the water needs to be drained. Xiaohe's father knows this. The screen often gets dusty and needs to be wiped clean; Brother Zhou wipes it the cleanest..."

"And those rats, I'll share my food with them so they don't starve..." Everything was done in an orderly fashion.

The chubby boy sobbed again, raising his red eyes to ask.

When is Mr. Jiang leaving?

Jiang She sighed and changed it for two days.

"Let's wait two more days."

The chubby boy nodded, feeling a little better but also quite sad at the thought of seeing her again for two more days.

He returned home dejectedly. He could usually eat three bowls of rice, but he could only eat one because he was heartbroken. His mother wanted to serve him more rice, but he shook his head and refused.

Madam Ji was startled. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that her son's eyes were a little red and swollen.

"Is someone outside bullying you?" She gripped the wooden shovel tightly.

The chubby boy shook his head.

"No."

Madam Ji breathed a sigh of relief, put the wooden shovel aside, stroked her son's chubby little face, and asked:
"Did you have a fight with Brother Xiao Hezhou?"

The chubby boy kept his head down.

"No……"

His eyes quickly reddened again, he sniffled, and choked up.

"Mr. Jiang and the others are leaving!"

"Mr. Jiang is back?"

Madam Ji thought that Mr. Jiang had left long ago, leaving only Mr. Li and Taoist Priest Yuan in the haunted house, where two old men with white beards would occasionally come to visit.

The chubby boy has fallen silent again.

This is their secret; even their parents don't know.

That evening, he told the other two people the news.

On the day Jiang She left.

Two horses were harnessed to the carriages, which were loaded with many things. Yuan Danqiu drove the carriages. Three children stood at the alley entrance to see them off, their eyes red and swollen.

Jiang She thought for a moment and then took down the lantern tied to the carriage.

This lamp was taken from the Wang family. Jiang She borrowed some fire starter and burned the painted-skin ghost to death.

Luo Liulang, the son of the governor, once wanted to buy it for three hundred strings of cash, but Jiang She refused.

Hand it to them.

The lamp is beautiful and has a sturdy frame. It hasn't been refilled with any kerosene in the past three years, yet it hasn't gone out. I don't know why.

I think it will allow the child to play for a while longer.

"This is for you."

The three kids, Little Fatty, Little He, and Brother Zhou, listlessly took it.

Looking at these beautiful lights, my eyes lit up a little.

They looked at the carriage, walked a few steps forward, and watched it gradually drive away until even the carriage disappeared from sight.

When she returned to her parents' side, Ji Niangzi was surprised to see that they were holding a beautiful lantern.

"Where did this come from?"

The chubby boy lowered his head and said, "Mr. Jiang gave it to us."

“Wow—this stuff is expensive, it must cost at least two or three hundred coins, Mr. Jiang is so generous…” As Madam Ji spoke, she saw the children’s eyes were red and sighed inwardly.

She stroked the faces of the three children.

Lady Ji hardened her heart.

"Auntie is making chicken for you today, how would you like to eat it?"

The chubby boy was a little happier and made a request to his mother.

Roasted Yellow Chicken.

The other two children nodded, their eyes red. They had eaten Aunt Ji's roasted yellow chicken once before; it was especially delicious, but unfortunately, Sichuan peppercorns were expensive, so Aunt Ji didn't make it often.

On the carriage.

Jiang She regained his composure.

The carriage swayed and rocked along the way, heading towards Yuezhou, before making a detour towards Tianmu Mountain in Hangzhou to see what Jingchen Mountain was like.

The cat is curled up and sleeping.

Cats sleep more during the day and are always energetic at night.

Jiang She sat in the carriage, the curtain lifted, watching the rows of walls recede into the distance.

He pulled out the notebook he had made from his sleeve.

Haven't seen you for three years.

I wonder what else was written on it...

……

……

There will be a bonus chapter for monthly ticket readers tomorrow, October 1st, which is about Meng Haoran's stay in Xiangyang. The editor will likely set the release time to 00:00. If you're interested, you can cast your vote in the "Bonus Chapter" section at that time; votes cast elsewhere won't be visible. Monthly tickets are refreshed on the 10.1st of each month. (This paragraph is free of charge.)
(End of this chapter)