The ancestral home of the Huang family is located deep in the mountains, a place rarely visited by people.
The mountain people call this place "Kufen'ao," which is taken from the story of the weasel crying at the grave.
The Huang family disliked the name and wanted to change it several times, but since the world revered humans, they had no choice but to give up.
Two old-fashioned bicycles are speeding towards us: Zhao Youliang is in the lead, followed by Liao Zhiyuan and Li Mao.
While pedaling his bicycle furiously, Li Mao said foolishly, "Quantum, after all, it's Sister Huang Jie's wedding. Isn't it inappropriate for us to come empty-handed?"
"Shouldn't we at least give a red envelope or something?"
Zhao Youliang ignored Li Mao, that idiot, and instead asked Huang Jie about his ill-fated relationship.
Huang Jie is the real name of "Huang Family Little Brother," as Chang Jie told everyone.
"What a tragic fate! It's a long story, the child was left without a mother."
Because he disliked the strong wind that would waste cigarette smoke, Chang Jie unusually refrained from smoking, answering Zhao Youliang while yawning repeatedly.
"Quantum, do you know Old Li with the bald tail?"
Old Li with a bald tail is mentioned in Yuan Mei's *Zi Bu Yu* from the Qing Dynasty:
In March, a woman surnamed Bi from Wendeng County, Shandong Province, saw plums on a tree by the laundry pond. The plums were as big as chicken eggs.
He found it strange, thinking that there shouldn't be plums in late spring, but he picked them and ate them, and they were exceptionally sweet.
From then on, her belly swelled with a fist, and she became pregnant.
In the fourteenth month, a small dragon was born, about two feet long. It flew away as soon as it hit the ground. Every morning, it would come back to drink its mother's milk.
The father, angered, chased after it with a knife, cutting off its tail. The little dragon never came again.
According to folklore, "Old Li with the Bald Tail" is a product of a human being tricked by a dragon, that is, a hybrid of human and dragon.
There are many other folk customs related to "Old Li with the Bald Tail":
According to legend, the sixth day of the sixth lunar month is the birthday of "Old Li with the Bald Tail". On this day, his family would take out the dragon tail that he had broken off and left at home to dry in the sun.
There is a proverb that says, "On the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, dry your dragon robe in the sun; the weather will remain cloudy or sunny for forty days." This means that whatever the weather is like on this day, it will continue for 40 days.
Later, it evolved into a folk day for drying clothes, as it is said that drying clothes on this day brings good fortune.
In some places, women wear leggings and dare not sit outdoors to cool off during the hottest days of summer, let alone take a nap, for fear of being attacked by dragons.
After listening to Chang Jie's story, Li Mao wholeheartedly agreed: "Dragons are inherently lustful... I'm better than dragons in this respect, I only like my own wife, hehe!"
Seeing Li Mao's carefree attitude, no one gave him a kind look.
Liao Zhiyuan glanced at Li Mao and then asked, "Brother Changjie, what's the connection between the bald-tailed old Li you mentioned and Sister Huang?"
"Could it be?!"
Upon hearing this, Chang Jie gently tapped his chubby little head: "That's right. In her previous life, Sister Huang Jie was a koi carp in the river. She was chosen by the offspring of Bald-tailed Old Li, who wanted to marry her."
"Sister Huang was strong-willed and could not bear the humiliation, so she simply chose to jump over the dragon gate."
"Unfortunately, my skills were not good enough, and I failed."
"After his failure, he naturally died and his spirit dissipated, but by chance, he was reborn into the Huang family."
"Nobody knew about these things before. It was only recently that everyone found out when Old Li's son, who had a bald tail, came to our door."
"Sister Huang was worried that our branch would be implicated, so she chose to go home to resolve the matter."
After hearing what had happened, Li Mao was so angry that he blew his beard and glared at his opponent.
"Wow, isn't this a bit like bullying?"
"Sister Huang Jie has already died once trying to avoid them, how can this never end?!"
"Besides, if Grandpa Huang Zuo is so capable, surely he can protect his own family?!"
Zhao Youliang was clearly much more "sensible" than Li Mao, and he was well aware of how formidable the bald-tailed old Li was.
"Little Li, you don't know anything, so don't talk nonsense: Old Li with the bald tail achieved enlightenment much earlier than the five great shamanic masters of today."
"To put it simply, among the patriarchs of the five great immortal families, only the head of the Hu family and the Chang family of Wanlong Mountain dare to say that they can definitely defeat their opponents."
At this point, Zhao Youliang suddenly stopped and added something.
"Of course, these are all just my guesses... With Master Mengyin's guidance, the five family heads should be more powerful than the legends say."
No sooner had Zhao Youliang finished speaking than he heard the voice of Hui Laoliu, the head of the Hui family, ring in his ears.
"Hahaha, you guessed right, kid. Things are just as you said."
"Sixth Master Gray?!" Zhao Youliang was shocked and quickly tried to stop with both feet.
Unfortunately, the speed was too fast, and he immediately fell flat on his back.
Not only did he himself slam his crotch into the handlebars, wincing in pain and jumping around, but the "Dog Egg" duo he was carrying also tumbled to the ground like tumbleweeds.
When everyone had "regrouped," they saw the head of the Gray Clan standing not far ahead, smiling broadly at them.
He then gently waved and placed Xiaojiaozi and Chang Jie on his shoulders, one on each side.
After exchanging greetings, the quick-tongued Li Mao couldn't help but ask a question.
"Grandpa Gray, are you here for Sister Huang's wedding too?"
"Also... also, you really can't beat that bald-tailed god?!"
The head of the Hui family did not answer directly, but simply smiled and said, "Guess."
Then he sighed and said, "Senior Li guards the rivers and protects the peace of the people. He is a true god."
"Although... it's not good for us to have a direct confrontation with him."
"When gods fight, mortals suffer."
At this point, the head of the Hui family looked utterly helpless: "Moreover, fundamentally speaking, Huang Jie is indeed Old Li's 'disciple.' Everyone has their own version of events, it's really..."
Zhao Youliang was quite understanding of the concerns of the Gray Family Head.
People like them, these "old-fashioned" people, follow ancient customs.
In the eyes of these senior figures, Huang Jie was like a "maid" who had escaped from the mansion of the bald-tailed old Li.
Now that the host has come knocking, what are you expecting everyone to say?
Moreover, Old Li didn't engage in any fighting or killing; he simply wanted his son to have a proper marriage, ensuring that the proper etiquette was followed.
Let alone in ancient times, even before liberation, the rule in China was still "arranged marriages by parents and matchmakers," and girls had no status.
Thinking of all this, Zhao Youliang couldn't help but worry: "Sixth Master, has this matter not been resolved?"
"Is it really the only option for Sister Huang Jie to suffer?!"
The head of the Hui family smiled mysteriously upon hearing this: "Whether it can be resolved or not is not up to us old men; it can only be up to you young people."
"Young people are just like that, it's normal for them to be ignorant and act recklessly, just like... just like the young general in his youth."
"If things really escalate and become unbearable, we old guys will step in and reason with them."
Do you understand what 'reasoning' means?
Zhao Youliang was taken aback at first, but then immediately understood.
"I understand, Sixth Master!"
“I know that the gentleman’s family is known for being reasonable and never ‘bullies’ others!”
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