Chapter 35: Ah Zi, look at the present more
Time passed slowly. Zhao Xue was keeping vigil for Grandpa Zhou at the foot of the mountain. Han Yueshan, who had gone to the city to sell peaches, also came back. He did not ask where Zhao Xue had been, but it was obvious that he knew what had happened.
The master was sitting in the hall. Han Yueshan took out a sack of copper coins and handed it to Tao Zi with a smile, saying, "Here, Senior Sister, this is your initiation gift."
Tao Zi took the sack. She didn't know if it was an illusion, but she always felt that the sack smelled of rouge.
Without waiting for her to open her mouth to thank him, he turned to the master above and said, "Master, I'm going to go down the mountain to see my junior brother."
The master waved his hand and said, "Go ahead, just don't laugh when you get there."
When Han Yueshan heard this, he said unhappily, "I was also raised by Grandpa Zhou. I wouldn't be so heartless."
Xi Jing followed up, "I'll go too. Grandpa Zhou is going to be buried tomorrow, so there's definitely a lot going on."
Tao Zi hesitated, and the master made a decision immediately: "A Zi, you come with us."
"Yes, Master."
The three of them came to the foot of the mountain. Zhao Xue was kneeling in the mourning hall. Anyone who didn't know the truth would think he was the deceased's grandson.
Although she had anticipated this, Tao Zi couldn't help but lose consciousness for a moment. It was truly rare for an immortal cultivator to hold a vigil for an ordinary person, especially in such a simple and ordinary way. You know, except for the death of their master, immortal cultivators rarely hold vigil for the dead, even for their own biological parents.
Seeing the three of them coming, the busy old people and widows stopped what they were doing, and most of them looked at Tao Zi, the unfamiliar face.
A white-haired old man smiled and said, "This is the Ah Zi that Sister Huang mentioned, right? She's so pretty."
Tao Zi bowed and said, "Hello, Grandma. I'm Tao Zi."
The old man said, "Don't be so polite. Yi'er said it all. It was you who saved him yesterday."
She smiled, ignored the question, and asked, "Is there anything I can help you with?"
"The coffin isn't ready yet..."
This was interrupted by the old lady from yesterday: "Sister Li, Ah Zi is a girl, how can she have the strength to make that thing. Yue Shan, go help make the coffin. Xi Jing and Ah Zi, come to the kitchen and help."
Looking at the old lady's usual instructions, Tao Zi suppressed the complicated emotions in her heart. Since she came to Yisanmen, she should act according to the rules of Yisanmen. What's more, she is just an ordinary person now, so how could she be so superior.
Xi Jing took her arm and went to the kitchen. Under the instructions of their elders, the two of them were busy until lunch was ready.
As the afterglow of the setting sun fell, Xi Jing was so tired that she fell asleep on her shoulder without even having dinner.
Grandma lowered her voice and said, "Azi, don't move yet. Let Xijing sleep. I'll go find Yueshan and bring her back to the house."
Tao Zi shook her head: "Grandma, no need, I can hold you."
As she spoke, she gently picked up Xi Jing. Xi Jing opened her eyes drowsily, and she said softly, "It's okay, go back to sleep."
"Well, okay." Xi Jing replied vaguely, closed her eyes and fell asleep again.
After finishing dinner in the afterglow, Tao Zi returned to her room after a busy day - she shared a room with Xi Jing.
In the middle of the night, Xi Jing turned over and mumbled something in her sleep, and she was awakened by the noise.
Tao Zi rubbed her eyes, closed them and wanted to fall asleep again, but found that she was no longer sleepy. She simply stood up and walked out lightly.
Outside, the sky was filled with stars. She walked over to the makeshift mourning hall. Zhao Xue was still kneeling. He was just an ordinary body refinement cultivator. Kneeling like this would definitely hurt his knees. She needed to prepare some medicine in advance.
She thought that since she had nothing to do now, she might as well look around for some useful herbs.
Tao Zi used the starlight to look around the village and finally found the herbs she wanted.
She had just bent down to pick some when someone called out, "Azi?"
She was so startled that she turned around and saw that it was her grandmother.
Grandma looked at her in confusion and asked, "Azi, it really is you. It's already the middle of the night, why are you still out?"
Tao Zi brought the herbs to her grandmother and explained, "I couldn't sleep, so I came out to look for some herbs."
Grandma took one look and knew that the herb was a blood-activating medicine. Without thinking too much, she knew it was definitely for Zhao Xue. Her expression softened, and she patted Tao Zi's hand and said, "Azi, these herbs are all ready in the village, so don't look for them anymore."
She shook her head. "It's always a good idea to bring extra supplies. The scenery here is beautiful, and it's pleasant to walk around."
Grandma objected: "Since you can't sleep, then talk to grandma and don't walk around alone anymore. Although there are no bad people in the village, what if outsiders come? Don't let people stare at you with your appearance."
Tao Zi hesitated for a moment and then asked, "Grandma, aren't you going to sleep?"
She smiled, touched Tao Zi's head, and said, "Azi, you are just eighteen years old, still young. When you reach your grandmother's age, you will understand."
Grandma paused for a moment, then spoke with some concern, "Grandma is getting older, so it's normal for her to sleep less and less. But you're still growing up, so insomnia is not good. When you go back, remember to ask Old Man Wen to make you some sleep-inducing soup. It's good for your health."
Her heart warmed and she responded gently.
Grandma held her hand and walked slowly through the village, whispering, "Azi, I heard that this name was given to you by your master?"
"Yes."
She cursed helplessly: "Old Man Wen is still as careless as ever when it comes to naming."
Tao Zi looked over in confusion and explained, "Do you know what Yisanmen was called in the past?"
She shook her head. How could she possibly know such a thing?
"Yisanmen, Yisanmen was formerly called Yisanmen. Guess why it was called that."
Tao Zi thought for a moment and said, "Could it be that it comes from the Tao giving birth to one, one giving birth to two, two giving birth to three, and three giving birth to all things?"
Grandma laughed and patted her hands: "Old Man Wen wouldn't think so much, it's purely a one-to-three situation."
She was stunned: "One person leading three people?"
"That's right. Later, Xiao Xue couldn't stand it anymore and changed it to Yisanmen, saying it sounded better than Yisanmen. Old Man Wen just went along with it. I guess your name must come from the peach trees all over the mountain."
Tao Zi couldn't help but laugh and said, "In that case, I'm lucky not to be called Taohua."
Grandma also smiled and shook her head: "Well, if you come here in the spring, that may not be the case. But don't mind it, Yueshan and the others were named randomly by Old Man Wen. Compared to them, your name is still good."
"How could that be? I am very grateful to Master."
When her grandmother heard this, she patted her hands again and said something that made Tao Zi's vigilance soar: "Azi, I'm very happy that you think this way."
She looked at the starry sky and sighed, "From the first time we met, Grandma knew you were special."
Tao Zi lowered her eyes and said, "Azi doesn't quite understand what grandma means."
"Grandma has heard about your background. It's very ordinary, even poor. But a poor, low-class person wouldn't say such words as Dao Shengyi, let alone look at him like that."
Grandma stopped and looked at Tao Zi with a smile. "When we first met and chatted, you couldn't control your eyes at one point. I still remember that look. It was so cold and lonely. An ordinary 18-year-old girl wouldn't have that kind of look."
She stood there silently, not answering.
Grandma smiled and touched her cheek: "Azi, grandma doesn't know what you have experienced in these short eighteen years, but those bad things are in the past. Azi, look at the present more."
Tao Zi moved her lips. Grandma looked at this younger generation tenderly and said, "Azi, do you know why Grandma is telling you this?"
She shook her head in confusion.
"Grandma once had a younger sister. She was very pretty and looked a lot like you. Although not as pretty as you, she was really pretty. She ended up in a desperate situation when she was your age. When Grandma saw you, she thought of her."
She recalled the past and spoke of the pain in a leisurely manner.
"Grandma's last name wasn't Huang, but Cheng. Huang was her husband's last name. She came from an ordinary family in central China. While not a top-tier family, we had plenty of food and clothing. But then our family fell victim to an enemy, and out of a hundred people, only two sisters and one elder were left. When the disaster struck, that elder was traveling and escaped, but his life or death is unknown. My father and uncles risked their lives to get us out. It was at that time that my sister and I met Old Man Wen, who rescued us and brought us here."
"At that time, Old Man Wen would leave from time to time. My sister was unwilling to accept this, so she took advantage of his absence and ran back with her belongings, seeking revenge. She relied on her looks to curry favor with a powerful man, so the outcome was naturally bad."
Grandma was silent for a moment, her eyes reddening. "When Old Man Wen found her, most of her body had already been eaten by wild dogs. From then on, I was the only one left in our family, along with an elder whose life or death was unknown."
"Grandma..." Tao Zi had seen fates even more miserable than this, but for some reason, her heart still ached.
Grandma suppressed her emotions and said with a smile, "Azi, look, I went from being a lady from a wealthy family to a village girl. I lost my parents and relatives, and even my husband and children. I'm all alone, but I've managed to survive until now. So, what's so hard to overcome in this life? Azi, live well. Don't be like before, constantly exuding a sense of old age. It's so bad. You're only eighteen, you're still young."
Grandma looked at this young junior, her expression becoming increasingly gentle. "Azi, you really do look like my sister. I've lived for so long, I almost forgot what she looked like. But the day I saw you, I dreamed of my sister. I guess she must have been reincarnated."
Tao Zi didn't know how to respond. After all, it was impossible for her to be the reincarnation of that sister.
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