Wang Er watched helplessly as all the able-bodied young men in the village bypassed him, who was blocking the entrance to the ancestral hall, and marched off into the mountains in a grand procession, refusing to let him join them. He was extremely disappointed.
He slowly stood up, turned his head to look at the receding, imposing search party, and felt a sudden urgency. Then, a flash of inspiration struck him, as if he had remembered something.
So, he turned and left the ancestral hall alone, hurrying towards a little-known, rugged mountain path.
Just as they reached the stream near the foot of the mountain, they saw a little girl, about the same age as Huan'er, walking towards them with a bright and cheerful expression, and a playful and clever demeanor.
This girl was the one who accidentally bumped into Ruoxi while walking across the bridge during the Lantern Festival a few days ago, and who gave Ruoxi one of the two lifelike rabbit lanterns she was carrying as an apology.
As the girl approached, she asked with some concern and a hint of puzzlement, "Uncle Wang, it's you! I heard you were sick? Why aren't you resting at home? Where are you rushing off to?"
Wang Er, seemingly also a bit tired, stopped and, wiping his sweat, said breathlessly, "Oh, it's you, little girl! I wondered who it was! Why did you come up the mountain so early today? What did you pick? You can't even carry it all on your back!"
As Wang Er spoke, he glanced at the little girl's small basket on her back.
The young girl generously tilted her small basket on her shoulder towards Wang Er, beaming with delight, "Oh, it's like this. It rained last night, and my mother said that plantain leaves are at their freshest right now, perfect for wild vegetables and dumpling filling. So she told me to come to the foot of the mountain to pick some to take back. I'm making a lot to send to Grandma and Huan'er. I also saw that mugwort is growing very well, so I picked some too. I'll have my mother mix it with glutinous rice flour to make mugwort cakes, or stir-fry it with eggs—it tastes very refreshing. Uncle Wang, come to my house for dinner sometime. Your health was so fortunately saved by that girl; you must take good care of yourself from now on!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Er's face immediately turned apologetic, and he said, "I'm so sorry for troubling everyone this time and causing you all worry and trouble!"
The young woman sighed and said sadly, "Alas... none of us did anything wrong, but that girl... last night, as soon as the rain stopped, the woodcutter led his men to search the mountains in the dark. I heard that some of them were injured, but the girl disappeared without a trace, as if she had vanished into thin air. I really hope she'll be alright... By the way, Uncle Wang, you still haven't told me where you're planning to go?"
Wang Er quickly snapped out of his daze, forcing a smile as he stammered, "I... I just couldn't stay home any longer, so I thought I'd come out for a walk and get some fresh air. By the way, you should go back now, or your mother will be worried!"
"Can you really manage all by yourself?" the young woman asked, still frowning with concern.
"Sigh, come on, come on. You're so young, why are you being so fussy? What will you be like when you grow up? I'll tell you to go, so just go. Hurry up, hurry up, go..." Unexpectedly, Wang Er suddenly waved his hand at the little girl as if he were urging her to go, saying it impatiently, almost as if he was pushing her back with his own hands.
Helpless, the young woman had no choice but to grumble and compromise, finally reminding him, "It just rained today, and the mountain roads are slippery. Uncle Wang, you're not fully recovered yet, so please don't go into the mountains! All the men in the village have already gone into the mountains to look for that girl, so don't worry. Well... I'll go back first. You should go back early too, and remember to come to my house for dinner later."
"I know, I know, I will definitely go. Go back now!" Wang Er urged.
After the girl finished speaking, she seemed to still be worried, turning back every three steps, sometimes pausing for a moment, before slowly leaving.
Only after watching the figure turn a corner and disappear from his sight did Wang Er shake his head slightly and mutter to himself, "So all these years, the villagers have taken such good care of me. From now on, I, Wang Er, will never be lazy again. I will definitely strive to be a self-reliant person. Thank you all!"
After silently and sincerely finishing his words, Wang Er seemed to be instantly filled with boundless energy. He turned around and stepped onto the winding mountain path that he hadn't walked for over twenty years and had almost forgotten.
There is a mysterious place there, known only to two people in the world.
Just before lunchtime, Huan'er and her servant were finally escorted back to Peach Blossom Village by the man, looking travel-worn.
Huan'er and the man dismounted first, then helped the old woman down. Huan'er looked around the door with some curiosity and muttered to herself in a low voice, "Strange, why is the village so quiet today? Usually, those idle people would gather under an old locust tree near her house to chat, but today there isn't a single one of them."
As soon as she pushed open the door, Huan'er excitedly called out, "Ruoxi, Ruoxi, the old lady is back..."
"Huh, why is there no sound? Has she not come back yet? Or has she gone out again?" Huan'er wondered to herself as she hurriedly went into the house to change the old woman into a clean set of clothes.
They carefully helped the weak master to sit up and then served him and the man hot tea.
At this moment, the man sitting beside her finally couldn't contain his curiosity and astonishment throughout the journey and asked, "Madam, I didn't expect you to live in such a remote place. It seems we haven't seen any other villages or people along the way. I had no idea that there was such a forgotten corner in the Western Qin Kingdom. May I ask, what is the name of this village?"
"Young Master Lu, please have some tea. This place is called 'Peach Blossom Village,' a rather remote and little-known place. We, master and servant, are truly fortunate to have met you, Young Master Lu, otherwise... By the way, may I ask your honorable name and where you live?" The old woman asked politely, still seemingly shaken.
"'Peach Blossom Inn'... Drunkenly drifting on a light boat, the current leads me to the depths of the flowers. Worldly ties have led me astray, and I have no way to stay among the blossoms. The misty waters stretch endlessly, the setting sun casts its last rays for a thousand miles, countless mountains rise, and fallen petals fall like rain; I have forgotten the way I came." This place is indeed a secluded paradise, a perfect retreat from the world. However, Madam, there's no need for such formality; from now on, you may simply call me 'Tianlin'." The man sipped his tea and said modestly.
The old woman was about to take a sip of tea when she suddenly stopped, stunned, and exclaimed, "'Young Master Lu'... 'Tianlin'... 'Lu Tianlin'... Young Master's name is 'Lu Tianlin'?"
"Indeed, I am Lu Tianlin, son of Lu Xian of Xiqin Academy." The man then formally introduced himself.
“Xiqin Academy…Lu Xian’s son…Lu Tianlin, he is actually Lu Xian’s son, and he’s already so grown up…” The old woman stared blankly at the tea in her hands, repeating the name in a soft voice that seemed to be barely audible to herself, yet the name was as familiar as thunder in her ears.
"Madam, have we... met somewhere before?" At this moment, Lu Tianlin seemed to have just noticed the old woman who had changed into a clean set of clothes. The extraordinary temperament in her eyes seemed to be familiar to him, so he asked hesitantly.
Upon hearing this, the old woman quickly regained her composure, took a sip of her tea, and said with a forced smile, "Oh, I've spent most of my life in this village. Aside from yesterday when I went on my first long journey, I unfortunately got lost, fell into a mud pit, and sprained my ankle. How could I possibly know you, young master? Perhaps it's because I bear a resemblance to some old acquaintance you've met before!"
Lu Tianlin only had a slight suspicion in his heart, and upon hearing this, he could only let it go, saying, "Perhaps, I am truly sorry, it was Tianlin who was presumptuous. Tianlin has a question for the old lady, have any strangers been seen in the village recently?"
“A stranger… I wonder what kind of stranger you are talking about, young master? By the way, from what you just said, it seems you are looking for someone?” Upon hearing this, the old woman’s eyes widened, as if she had already guessed something, and then she asked tentatively.
“Oh, it’s like this. My father asked Tianlin to find a mysterious woman in the south of the city… a woman who always wears a veil and looks about seventeen or eighteen years old,” Lu Tianlin said, clearly holding back a lot of information.
Upon hearing this, although her intuition told her that Lu Xian and his son were people she could trust, she had been away from the capital for too long and was still unaware of everything happening in the court. Just in case, she decided to be extra cautious.
So the old woman smiled and replied, "This Peach Blossom Village is located in a remote and undeveloped area. People here have always been out looking at the outside world and have never heard of anyone coming in."
Upon hearing this, Lu Tianlin seemed to be pondering with his head down, somewhat dejected. Suddenly, Huan'er's eyes darted around, as if she wanted to say something, and she hurriedly asked, "Madam, could it be..."
"Shut up!" Huan'er was stopped by the old woman's stern rebuke as soon as she opened her mouth.
Huan'er knew her mistress must be scolding her for being too talkative, so she pursed her lips and then said, "Madam, you must be hungry, right? Huan'er will go to the kitchen to cook some rice and soup for you and Young Master Lu, and then go to Wang Er's house in the village to find Ruoxi. She must still be at Wang Er's house, okay?"
"Okay, you can go now. If you find Ruoxi later, she has poor eyesight, so please examine her carefully and make sure it doesn't delay Wang Er's treatment. There's no one to take care of Wang Er at home, so neither of you need to rush back," the old woman instructed meaningfully.
After Huan'er understood his meaning, she was about to turn around and leave when Lu Tianlin quickly stood up and stopped her, saying, "No need, Madam, Miss Huan'er. Now that I have safely escorted you both home, I will not stay any longer. I have to go and take care of the matters my father has entrusted to me. Farewell, both of you, until we meet again!"
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