Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

Duo Duo tugged at Cheng Mo's sleeve, tilted her head back, and asked, "Senior brother, are my sister and I really that bad at singing?"

Cheng Mo thought for a moment and answered truthfully, "It does sound a bit awful."

Duoduo pouted, looking unhappy.

Cheng Mo patted her head and said, "Singing also depends on talent. If we don't have that talent, we don't need to force ourselves. As long as we can enjoy the joy of music, that's enough."

Duoduo tilted her head and thought for a moment, then quickly cheered up again: "Yes, Senior Brother is right!"

At the table, Xia He had a plate of cold dishes in front of her. Feeling a little bored, she turned to look for Cheng Mo and Duo Duo and saw them chatting. She got up and wanted to go over there.

The moment she sat down, the birthday girl's eldest son came over with a pile of snacks in his hands and placed them in front of her: "Little sister, you eat first, the feast will start soon."

After saying that, he deliberately pushed the snacks towards her and showed a very happy smile.

"..."

Xia He stared blankly at the pile of snacks in front of her, feeling as if she were imprisoned.

Seeing what was happening over there, Cheng Mo pulled Duo Duo over to her side.

Duoduo squeezed next to Xia He, looking up at her with a smile: "Sister, we've come to keep you company~"

Xia He hugged her tightly and glanced at Cheng Mo sideways: "At least you have a conscience."

Cheng Mo looked around and said, "This is pretty good treatment; there are even snacks."

Xia He grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and shoved them into his hand: "Here, have them all."

Xia He became quiet after that, and stopped trying to sing. She just stayed and listened to the songs and gossip at the banquet.

Master Wang led his apprentices in singing one song after another, from "Happy Birthday" to "Good Luck," and from "Good Luck" to "Wishing You Prosperity." The atmosphere in the audience was lively, and people would go up to toast him from time to time.

The middle-aged women at the next table were chatting enthusiastically.

"Have you heard? The Chen family has really struck it rich this time."

"Of course, they expropriated the land and houses, and compensated us with several million yuan."

"No wonder there are so many tables, more than thirty. How much money must it have cost?"

"They're not short of money now, so they're happy."

"If it were me, I would set one up too, so the whole village could share in the joy."

Xia He leaned close to Cheng Mo's ear and whispered, "So the birthday celebrant is a nouveau riche."

Cheng Mo nodded: "No wonder it's such a grand gesture."

Duoduo asked softly, "How much is several million?"

Xia He thought for a moment: "It means lots and lots of money, enough to buy lots and lots of delicious food."

Duoduo said "Oh" and continued eating sunflower seeds.

Soon, the banquet began.

One dish after another was served: braised pork, stewed chicken, braised fish, braised pork belly, steamed pork with rice flour, stir-fried vegetables, cold dishes... the dishes were piled high.

Cheng Mo picked up his chopsticks: "Let's eat!"

The three of them didn't know anyone at the table, but they weren't intimidated at all and wielded their chopsticks with great skill.

With the two of them leading the way, Duoduo forgot her shyness and started picking up food faster and faster, stuffing her little mouth full.

"Duoduo, eat this, braised pork."

"Uh-huh!"

"These spare ribs are good too."

"So delicious!"

The three of them ate heartily, which made the others at the table feel a little embarrassed.

A middle-aged woman glanced at the barely touched rice in her bowl, then at the two or three dishes that were already empty, and silently sped up her eating.

The meal was a pleasure for both the host and guests.

The main attraction was the three of them, Cheng, Mo, and others, having a good time.

After a satisfying meal, the banquet ended.

As the guests departed one by one, the host stood at the door to see them off, his face beaming with joy.

Cheng Mo led Xia He and Duo Duo to find Old Wang.

Old Master Wang was packing his things, and Little Sun was helping him.

"Daoist Master, we'll be leaving now." Cheng Mo cupped his hands in greeting.

Master Wang smiled and returned the greeting: "Take care, Master Cheng. Let's meet again sometime."

Xiao Sun waved to them.

After leaving the village, Cheng Mo and his two companions headed towards the highway to see if it was open to traffic.

When we reached the cordon, the construction team was still busy with their work, their lights on, and the roar of their machines filled the night sky.

The man in the reflective vest was standing there smoking. When he saw them coming, he greeted them, saying, "It's definitely not going to go through tonight."

Cheng Mo thanked them and led the two back.

……

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The three returned to their accommodation.

The landlady was sitting in the main room watching TV. When she saw them return, she greeted them with a smile.

The three of them went upstairs and entered the room.

Cheng Mo closed the door and practiced the Longevity Exercise inside the room.

After finishing their practice, the three of them carried basins to wash up.

As they were carrying the basin out, the landlord happened to pass by and paused for a moment, saying, "Where did you get this basin? I didn't see you bring it in."

Xia He remained expressionless: "Oh, I just went out to buy it."

The landlord scratched his head: "Why are the shops still open so late at night?"

Xia He smiled and nodded: "I guess I was just lucky."

The landlord gave her a suspicious look but didn't ask any further questions.

After washing up, the three of them prepared to go to sleep.

Duoduo stood between the two beds, looked at the one on the left, then at the one on the right, and then ran to Cheng Mo's bedside, tilting her head back: "Senior brother, I want to sleep with you."

Cheng Mo pointed to the side: "You sleep with Sister Xia He."

Duo Duo pouted: "Why?"

Cheng Mo squatted down and said seriously, "Men and women are different. You can't sleep in the same bed as your senior brother."

Duoduo tilted her head: "What does 'men and women are different' mean?"

Cheng Mo thought for a moment: "It just means that boys and girls can't sleep together."

Duo Duo nodded, seemingly understanding, while Xia He opened her arms: "Come on~"

Duoduo climbed onto the bed and snuggled under the covers, and Xiahe tucked her in.

Cheng Mo turned off the light and lay down.

Duoduo woke up groggily and moved around a little uneasy.

Xia He gently patted her back, her voice soft: "It's okay, keep sleeping."

Duoduo snuggled into her arms and quickly fell asleep again.

……

The next morning.

The three of them got up just as dawn was breaking.

I washed up, practiced my martial arts, packed my things, and went downstairs.

The landlady was busy in the kitchen. Seeing them come down, she looked surprised and asked, "Why haven't you left yet?"

Cheng Mo was also taken aback: "???"

The landlady said, "The road opened late last night, and many people left. I thought you had left too."

Cheng Mo suddenly realized why it was so noisy last night. "It's okay, let's have breakfast before we leave."

The landlady greeted them, "We've cooked some noodles, would you like some?"

The three exchanged a glance and said in unison, "Yes!"

The landlord went into the kitchen with a smile and quickly brought out three bowls of noodles, steaming hot, topped with poached eggs and sprinkled with chopped green onions.

The three of them buried their heads in their noodles, slurping them down until they finished every last drop.

After finishing their noodles and saying goodbye to the landlord, the three of them went out.

When the landlady was tidying up the house, her eyes swept around the room.

I didn't see the basin.

She scratched her head, walked to the door, looked outside, and scratched her head again.

I didn't see them take the basin with them.

Throw it away?

I can't figure it out...

……

Cheng Mo and the other two walked to the bread cart.

There were hardly any cars around, with only one or two large trucks occasionally whizzing by.

Once in the car, Xia He's first words were, "Little Taoist priest, quickly turn on the stereo."

Cheng Mo looked at her.

Xia He looked on expectantly: "I didn't sing enough yesterday!"

Duoduo chimed in from the back seat, "Mmm, we haven't sung enough!"

Cheng Mo silently lit the fire, turned on the stereo, and melodious music drifted out.

Xia He took a deep breath and began to sing—

Let us live a carefree and joyful life together in this mortal world.

Duoduo joined in the singing: "Galloping on horseback, sharing the splendor of the world—"

Two high-pitched notes echoed in the carriage, their lingering resonance drifting outwards.

Several workers were packing up their tools when they heard the singing, and they all stopped in their tracks.

The foreman stood there, watching the bread truck drive away, and remained silent for a full ten seconds.

Then he turned around, waved to the workers, and said, "That's a wrap! Go back and catch up on your sleep!"

Everyone quietly packed their things and got on the bus.