Chapter 1038 The Third Child is Back

They had been wandering for too long; three years had passed, and Yu Wanqing, this old man, could no longer walk.

Therefore, Gou Dan'er did not refuse.

"Alright, I'll watch over Qingshan Temple for you. We'll look for another place after you return..."

"No rush, no rush, as long as you two don't mind." Wuji stepped forward and handed over a large bunch of keys. "These are the keys to the temple, please keep them safe."

Gou Dan looked at the keys in his hand, unsure whether he should take them.

How could they trust them so much?

Besides, they've done things like that before.

Although his master was old, he knew that his master had traveled around for many years and had seen many life and death incidents. Sometimes he didn't even have a bite to eat, so he didn't care about trivial matters. He never took the idea that life and death were minor matters or that losing one's integrity was a big deal to heart.

"Living is the most important thing," was a phrase his master always reminded him of, fearing he might forget.

But he still felt that sometimes the seasons are more important than life and death.

"Take it, I trust you." Zhang Chengxuan handed the key to him. "I know you are a filial disciple. Your master is getting old and can't take any more trouble."

"Thank you," Gou Dan'er nodded, "Thank you, Master Zhang."

After lunch, they went their separate ways.

Song Chunxue and her group went to Lijiazhuangzi, while Yu Wanqing and Gou Dan'er went to Jincheng.

Sanwa went to his older brother's house, ate hot noodles with minced meat sauce, and bought all sorts of little trinkets for his older brother's children.

Afterwards, he went to the old house and was quite taken aback by the sight before him.

"Mother, is this...our home?"

He hadn't been back for several years, and he was deeply shocked by the scene before him.

Is this still their little courtyard?

How come it's suddenly as big as Qingshan Temple? The eaves are even more elegant, with neat rows of green tiles. The courtyard is surrounded by white walls and latticed windows, and inside it is planted with all kinds of ornamental trees, flowers and bamboo.

This was a scene he could only dream of, and it had a style that even the large courtyard he would move to in the future wouldn't have.

I never imagined that the sheepfold I had been herding sheep for so many years, the dilapidated and rickety straw shed that used to be so familiar to me, would now be transformed into a house of blue bricks and tiles, with a brick-carved roof beast in the center of the roof ridge.

This is such a waste... such a waste!

He couldn't help but push open the sheep pen door and go inside. He saw that the ground was paved with smooth stones of all sizes, which felt comfortable to walk on. The walls and corners were clean.

With a sheepfold like this, it wouldn't be impossible for him to come back and be a shepherd.

"What's wrong, Sanwa?" Tudan'er leaned against the wall, resting his chin on the back of his hand and chuckled. "Is it because this sheepfold is so beautiful that people can live in it? You don't want to stay in the officialdom anymore and want to come back to herding sheep?"

Sanwa nodded seriously, "I really want to. I never thought the sheepfold could be like this. I'd be happy to live here."

He couldn't help but leap onto the wall and sit there, watching the apricot tree by the door grow bigger and bigger. There were no sheep to eat it, and the branches had already reached the ground. The slightly red buds would be especially beautiful if they bloomed.

He hadn't seen apricot blossoms in his hometown for many years, and he couldn't even remember when the apricot blossoms bloomed or when the willow branches turned completely green in the place where he grew up.

Returning to this place now, looking at the loess hills where spring arrives exceptionally slowly, these mountains and rivers, crisscrossed with gullies, resemble the face of an old man in his eighties, a feeling I cannot describe rises in my heart, and tears well up involuntarily.

He wiped it away with his sleeve, then looked up and laughed, “Mother, tell me, what is the point of living a whole life?”

Wuji Yebai, Changfeng Changyun also sat on the wall, looking at the bare apricot tree, lost in thought.

"Do you really want to come back?" Song Chunxue looked at him with a smile. "If you feel it's too much, then come back. Power and status are good, but it's not as good as living freely."

Sanwa shook his head. "It's not that I think working in that position was bad. It's just that, looking back now, it was actually quite good that I stayed here my whole life and never left. I was just unwilling to accept it. Being a shepherd was pretty good too."

Yes, everyone has their own way of living.

In her past life, Song Chunxue believed that only by standing out from the crowd and bringing glory to her ancestors could she live a good life.

If she could do it all over again, she would feel content and happy, and that would make her life worthwhile.

“Sanwa, you already have a wife and kids and a warm bed, and you’re saying this in front of us little Taoists who’ve never even eaten meat. Aren’t you taking your blessings for granted?” Tudan’er hooked his neck. “You little rascal, don’t look down on others. If you dare to disrespect your sister-in-law, your uncle will be the first to teach you a lesson.”

"You also know that my mother is very protective of Mulan?" Sanwa asked curiously. "It seems you also want to get married. Have you met a woman who makes your heart flutter?"

Tudan wiggled his toes. "There are so many! I'm tempted by all the good-looking ones."

“That country bumpkin is always showing off in front of us. When he talks to girls, he blushes like a monkey’s bottom. We’re still hoping he’ll get married. His shy look makes my scalp tingle, let alone the girls.” Wuji bluntly exposed him. “Do you believe he’d get so excited that he’d eat the soles of his shoes if he said a few words to a girl?”

"Hahaha, hahaha, what my senior brother said is right. Last time, he was so shy that he grabbed the pendant on his body and bit it, and almost broke his teeth... Hey, hey, hey, pull me out of here!"

With a "plop," Ye Bai lost his balance and fell backward off the wall. Wu Ji and Tu Dan'er grabbed his hands and stuck him to the wall like a dried vegetable.

Hahaha, hahaha~

"Ye Bai, you're something else! Laughing at others makes you laugh so hard you fall off the wall, hahaha~"

A group of people clapped and laughed, watching Ye Bai's comical appearance; the lively sounds echoed throughout the entire village.

The Cheng family members at home said, "Listen to that, those Jiang family devils are here again, what are they so smug about?"

"Shut up. He's a spiritual practitioner. Don't cause yourself trouble."

On the path behind Jiangjiazhuangzi, a family of all ages walked down, carrying hoes and shovels, with a child in their hand.

“Sanwa’s mother, you’re back… Oh? Sanwa’s back too. It’s been so many years. He’s grown so handsome.” The woman who spoke picked up her child and pointed at Sanwa, saying, “See this? This is Sanwa, who started out herding sheep and later studied and passed the imperial examination.”

A group of people jumped down from the wall, helped Ye Bai up who had fallen to the ground, and brushed the dirt off him.

"What's Auntie busy with?" Sanwa walked to the wall and handed the child a handful of candy through the latticed window. "Actually, I'm only where I am today because of my mother. Little boy, come and have some candy."

"So many, just give two less." The lady smiled and picked up the child. "This is my grandson. He doesn't like going to school. He says he's too afraid of the ruler in the teacher's hand. He always has a stomachache or a toothache, or he makes up excuses not to go. I always use you as an example for him."

The child reached out to take the candy, then noticed the jade thumb ring on Jiang Yexun's hand. "Grandma, what's that on his hand?"