Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

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The moment the delivery truck came to a stop and the door opened, Xia He appeared in the children's sight carrying several large boxes of barbecue—

"Sister Xia He is here!!!"

"Sister Xia He! Sister Xia He!!"

"The most beautiful, kindest, and most radiant Xia He!!!"

Thirty-odd children, like a swarm of cannonballs, darted in from every corner of the playground, surrounding Xia He completely.

Xia He stood at the carriage door, one hand on her hip, the other holding a thermos full of kebabs high, her smile stretching almost to her ears: "Line up! Everyone gets some!"

The children immediately lined up, their eyes glued to the boxes, their little noses twitching from the delicious smell.

While handing out skewers, Xia He patted each person on the head and said, "Eat slowly, don't rush, there's plenty for you today."

Liao Zhong stood at the edge of the playground, watching this scene, and the smile on his face gradually turned a little sour.

He stubbed out his cigarette, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it.

One of his subordinates leaned over and asked, "Boss, what's wrong?"

Liao Zhong said irritably, "I arranged the barbecue grill, I had the ingredients bought, I sent the car... Why isn't anyone calling me 'Uncle Liao is the best'?"

After thinking for a moment, the subordinate picked up a small stone from the ground and handed it to Liao Zhong.

Liao Zhong glared at him: "What?"

The subordinate asked, "Boss, if I gave you a stone, would you cheer for me?"

Liao Zhong glanced at him sideways: "Are you crazy? Why would I cheer if you gave me a stone?"

The subordinate then asked, "What if this were a piece of iron ore?"

Liao Zhong: "I wouldn't cheer even if you gave me ten pieces of iron ore."

His subordinate persisted: "What if I forged this iron ore into special steel?"

Liao Zhong squinted and stared at his subordinate for three seconds.

His subordinates also looked at him with sincere expressions.

Liao Zhong slowly spoke, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

The subordinate chuckled: "Boss, all you gave Master Cheng was this piece of iron ore, but he gave you a piece of special steel in return."

"..."

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Liao Zhong was silent for three seconds, then kicked him, yelling, "Get out of here!"

"Alright~" The subordinate quickly rolled away.

Liao Zhong watched his subordinates' backs, his lips twitching. He then looked at Xia He, who was surrounded by children, and then at the little ones who were eating with their mouths full of oil.

He took out a cigarette and lit another one.

I took a deep breath.

The smoke slowly dissipated in the sunlight.

……

Happy times always pass quickly.

Before the little ones had had enough fun, the sun slowly began to set behind the mountains.

Liao Zhong glanced at the sky, clapped his hands, and said, "Alright, alright, let's pack up and get ready to go back."

The children made a unified "Ah—" sound, which was drawn out for a long time.

But no one made a fuss.

They obediently tidied up the amusement park rides, threw their trash into the bins, and then lined up one by one to get onto the minibus.

Before getting on the bus, many children looked back at the playground.

The slides, seesaws, swings, and ball pit stood quietly in the twilight.

Then they turned around, got on the bus, found their seats, took out their phones, and called their four friends in the quarantine area.

"Yueyue, we're going back now. You guys should go back early too!"

"DouDou, can we still call each other tomorrow?"

"Of course you can, your phone's always on!"

See you tomorrow!

"See you tomorrow!"

The car started and headed towards the hospital.

The children pressed their faces against the car windows, watching the playground recede into the distance and the sky grow darker and darker.

……

in the hospital.

The children went back to their dormitories, washed up, changed into their pajamas, and put their phones on their bedside tables to charge.

"Good night."

Good night, see you tomorrow.

The lights are off.

The dormitory fell silent.

Moonlight streamed in through the window, casting a pale, silvery glow on the floor.

The children's breathing gradually became steady, and smiles appeared on their faces.

……

The light was still on in one of the hospital's offices.

Old Meng sat in a chair, holding a cup of tea in his hand.

Liao Zhong stood by the window, his back to him, looking out at the pitch-black night.

Silent for a long time.

Old Meng asked, "Are you sure you want their parents to come tomorrow?"

Liao Zhong didn't turn around: "It's about time."

Old Meng looked down at the tea leaves floating in his teacup: "But the children are still so happy today."

Liao Zhong turned around, leaned against the windowsill, and lit a cigarette.

The smoke rose and slowly dissipated in the light.

"The parents of those children have waited, hoped, and been disappointed for a long time. It's time to give them the best possible ending."

Old Meng pushed up his glasses: "Aren't you worried that the children will be reluctant to be separated from you?"

Liao Zhong took a drag of his cigarette and slowly exhaled: "They'll eventually accept it. Their true nature is gradually being revealed, and the longer it goes on, the more reluctant they'll be to let go."

He suddenly chuckled softly: "Children are actually the most heartless. In two or three years, they will forget this painful memory in their own families, and forget those companions who gave each other warmth in the pain."

Old Meng remained silent for a long time before speaking again: "But there are still so many children who haven't found their parents."

Liao Zhong flicked the cigarette ash into the ashtray: "They will gradually start their own new lives, don't worry, Lao Meng."

He sat up straight and looked at Lao Meng intently: "Actually, for them, each other is both a source of warmth and torture. When they face each other, that painful memory constantly triggers them, and no matter how optimistic and happy they appear, they can never forget it."

Old Meng sighed.

He put down his teacup, and a thin layer of condensation appeared on his glasses.

"Perhaps you are right."

……

On the other side, in the open space of the hospital.

Cheng Mo and Xia He stood facing each other, slowly finishing their practice.

Xia He took a deep breath, inhaling the remaining pink mist into her body, and then exhaled a long breath of stale air.

Suddenly, she pulled Cheng Mo aside and said, "Little Taoist priest, I have something to tell you."

Cheng Mo: "Hmm?"

Xia He lowered her voice: "I heard it from the employees of Na Du Tong this morning. Most of those children have been reunited with their parents, and they'll be coming to pick them up tomorrow."

Cheng Mo nodded: "That's good. The children have finally found a good home."

Xia He looked at him: "Aren't you reluctant to part with me?"

Cheng Mo gave her a strange look: "Why are you reluctant to part? People come and go naturally. There is sadness in parting, but gathering and parting are things that everyone must face."

Xia He: "..."

She stared at Cheng Mo for three seconds, then turned and left.

Cheng Mo called out to her retreating figure, "What's wrong now?"

Xia He ignored him and walked even faster.

Cheng Mo scratched his head: "Women are so hard to understand..."

Back in the room, Xia He closed the door, sat down on the bed, and puffed up her cheeks.

That stinky Taoist priest, all he ever does is talk about leaving...

She suddenly paused for a moment.

wrong.

Why can't I just stay?

Xia He's eyes crinkled into a smile as she flopped onto the pillow, hugging the blanket and rolling around twice.

……

The next morning.

The children got up, washed, and ate breakfast as usual.

After breakfast, they spent some time in their respective dormitories learning characters from the employees of NaDuTong, recognizing the names of some flowers, plants, birds, beasts, insects, and fish.

"This is a dandelion."

Dandelion

"This is a sparrow."

"sparrow--"

After learning all that, the employees stood up, clapped their hands, and said, "Okay, that's all for today's lesson. Time to go out and have some fun!"

The children cheered, put away their books, and lined up to leave.

look forward to.

This is the time I look forward to most every day.

We wholeheartedly recommend this book to you: *Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain*. You can read it here.