Chapter 1003 Priceless Treasure

"Come on, grab this corner."

Tu Dan'er pulled back the brand-new bed sheet, handing one corner to Jiang Yeming and the other to Chang Yun.

"And this side, get on the kang (heated brick bed)."

Because they were worried that there wouldn't be enough room for everyone to sleep, except for the kang in the south room, all the other kangs were fully occupied. There were no passageways left for storing things. The large kangs required four people to lay them out at once.

"Uncle-Master has good taste! These sheets are really nice, and the size is just right." Tu Dan'er was very talkative, saying whatever he saw.

"By the way, big brother, how many children do you have? How many boys and how many girls?" Tudan jumped off the kang and asked curiously. "I don't know if you remember, but I came to your house when I was a child. There was no room for me, so I slept in the kang's crevices."

Jiang Yeming was astonished. He never imagined that the beggar boy who used to be ignored was now Zhang Daoshi's disciple and his mother's grand-nephew.

“I never would have guessed. I never expected you all to be so destined for each other,” Jiang Yeming thought with a pang of jealousy. “It’s great that you can travel the world together. It’s better than farming.”

Tu Dan'er was surprised. "How could that be? Farming is so much better. If it weren't for the fact that nobody wanted me when I was a child, nobody cared for me when I grew up, and I didn't dare to marry a wife and burden other people's daughters, I would still prefer a wife, children, and a warm bed."

Tu Dan'er's carefree and easygoing manner made Jiang Yeming smile.

"Really? I think you guys are very free and easy, which is great. You can go wherever you want." Jiang Yeming sighed sincerely. "You're living a very fresh life."

Changyun shook his head. "That's just what you see. Actually, most of the time we're quite sad. If it weren't for a last resort, who would wander and become a Taoist priest?"

He looked at Jiang Yeming and said seriously, "You definitely didn't see us when we were suffering and training, when we were beaten by our masters and senior brothers, and when we were fighting against those unreasonable people in the martial arts world, when our lives were hanging by a thread."

He wanted to tell Jiang Yeming that cherishing the present moment is the most important thing.

He could tell that his master's eldest son was in a bad mood.

Perhaps it was because he suddenly saw that his own mother was closer to his apprentice that he, as the son, felt uneasy.

This is only natural, but he felt it was unnecessary.

If life were sweet and blissful, who would brave wind and rain?

“Yes, each has its own advantages, but being trapped in this village for a lifetime makes me feel like I can see the future laid out before me.” Jiang Yeming smiled self-deprecatingly. “I don’t know why I was so determined to divide the land with my mother, which made us more and more estranged. In the end, all this land is mine.”

Changfeng and Changyun exchanged a glance and followed Tudan'er out of the house.

They wouldn't pry into their master's family affairs, so they tacitly avoided the topic.

They went to another room to make up the sheets and put a brand new quilt on the kang (a heated brick bed).

By the time they had tidied up the house and filled in all the kang beds in each room, the food was ready.

Just then, the three Taoist priests returned from outside. Wuji and Yebai placed the prepared hot water in the courtyard for them to wash their hands and eat.

"Master, have you all taken care of it?"

"Yes, it's all taken care of. It's buried, so there won't be any more problems. Tomorrow, sweep the main room clean and tread on it, then pour out a few buckets of water, otherwise your uncle will be unhappy." Lord Zhao tossed him a towel. "Hungry? Time to eat."

Upon entering the north room, a large round table was placed on the floor, with food already served, waiting for them to sit down.

Song Chunxue came in from outside carrying two bowls of noodles. "Daoist, senior brother, sit down and eat your noodles. What are you standing there for?"

Seeing the extraordinary bearing of the elders, their wide-sleeved robes and outstanding demeanor made Jiang Yeming nervous and unsure how to greet them, so he simply nodded to them as a greeting.

"This must be my junior brother's eldest son. Sit down and eat, don't be shy." Lord Zhao beckoned, "Sit here, don't wait for the noodles to come out."

"Thank you, Daoist Master." Jiang Yeming sat down with trepidation, picked up his bowl, and quietly ate his noodles.

Before long, Song Chunxue sat down at the table with a bowl of noodles, while Changfeng and Tudan were still in the kitchen making noodles for everyone.

The chewy long noodles, paired with the tender and simmered minced meat sauce and a few drops of vinegar, make you want to drink every last drop of the soup.

Although they didn't emphasize not speaking while eating or sleeping, everyone was hungry at the moment and buried their heads in their food, so no one had time to talk.

Jiang Yeming felt extremely awkward in this situation.

He felt out of place here.

After eating a bowl of noodles, he got up and left.

"Esteemed Daoists, please enjoy your meal. I'll be heading back now." Jiang Yeming bowed to everyone before turning to Song Chunxue.

Master Zhang and Lord Zhao both responded, and Wuji and Yebai also hummed in agreement before continuing to eat their noodles.

They discovered that Uncle Song's stir-fried potato slices were also delicious, and the tender radish sprouts, mixed with oil and salt, were surprisingly tasty as well.

In the past, they didn't know that the tender shoots on radishes could be eaten.

Song Chunxue got up and followed Jiang Yeming. "Eat your fill before you go. Why do you have to go back after just one bowl? Anyway, we don't have anything else to do tonight."

Jiang Yeming lowered his head and answered truthfully, "It feels strange. I haven't interacted with outsiders for a long time, and I don't know what to say when I open my mouth. Besides, our accents are very obvious. I can't speak the Beijing dialect, but Mother speaks it very well now."

With this explanation, Song Chunxue immediately understood.

"It's nothing, you'll naturally learn when you go out into the world." She patted the eldest son on the back. "But it's getting dark, and if you don't go back soon, the roads will be difficult to walk at night. Come back tomorrow, and bring the children with you."

Jiang Yeming seemed to want to say something, but then nodded, "Then I'll come tomorrow."

After seeing her boss off, Song Chunxue secretly breathed a sigh of relief for some reason.

No one knows a child better than their mother; how could she not see her eldest son's concerns and inferiority complex?

But these are all unnecessary emotions, and each person needs to resolve them individually.

If the eldest doesn't think too much about it and is open and honest, then it's really not a big deal.

But the eldest son has always been emotionally volatile since childhood, otherwise they wouldn't have had such a falling out.

Back in the house, she ate another half bowl; she was very satisfied with tonight's noodles with minced meat sauce.

Master Han always ate only half a bowl, never more.

That's true, his cultivation level has reached this point, so he can just taste it to satisfy his craving.

Before she could even put down her chopsticks, Wuji and Yebai got up to clean up, saying, "We'll wash the dishes today."

Tu Dan'er also stood up, "Oh, good news! Uncle's cooking is delicious, and the noodles you made are especially chewy."

Song Chunxue smiled, "As long as you like it."

Changfeng and Changyun couldn't sit still any longer. "Let's go get an IV drip and boil some hot water to soak our feet."

There were four elders left in the room. Song Chunxue wiped the table clean and looked at them.

"How did things go?"

"Don't worry, there won't be any mistakes." Lord Zhao looked at Daoist Han. "However, we really want to know if the words in those bamboo slips are some kind of cultivation manual or some long-lost technique."

This is the real priceless treasure.

Master Han said in a calm tone, "Want to know? Bring some good wine in exchange. Also, this room is a bit cold; I need a brazier."