Yanzhou is one of the thirty-six states in Dongzhou and is a relatively slow-developing state. Many places still retain customs from hundreds of years ago. It has famous mountains and rivers, two lakes and three mountains. It is a beautiful place suitable for tourism.
Suying District, where the Luo family's ancestral home is located, is located in the southeast of Yanzhou and is relatively remote. However, because there happens to be a famous Xingyun Mountain nearby, there are many tourists coming here.
Luo Yu'an came to Suying District and went to two places before he found the legendary Luo's ancestral land. After all, in the eyes of the public, it was a clan that had been in decline for two hundred years. The clan members died or scattered, and no one paid attention to it for a long time.
"When I was a kid, I heard from the elders that the ancestral land of the Luo family almost occupied the entire Xingyun Mountain. Such a big mountain was the territory of the Luo family. Wasn't there a famine in the early years? The Luo family had not completely declined. Some people were left behind. They did not go down the mountain, but lived in the mountains. Occasionally, when we people living at the foot of the mountain saw them, we felt like we had seen gods. The elders at home even said that they could fly... Hey, most rumors are exaggerated. They spread from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and then it became like this."
The old guide who led them to the foot of Xingyun Mountain introduced them along the way, telling them some rumors that were not sure whether they were true or not, and expressed pity for this declining clan. "Now Xingyun Mountain has been designated as a tourist scenic spot. There is only a small area left of the Luo family's ancestral land. Two old men are guarding a few dilapidated houses. I have dealt with them before. Otherwise, ordinary people really can't find the place."
Indeed, the road he led had long deviated from the main road. There were only remote paths here, and there were even no roads in some places. They had to get off the car and walk. The two bodyguards waved away the thorns in front of them. After walking for several hours, they finally found the Luo family's ancestral land mentioned by the guide.
It was a typical Yanzhou building, with gray-white high walls, black wooden beams, and high-raised swallowtail eaves. It looked light and pure, but it had not been repaired for many years and looked dilapidated and deserted. The house was surrounded by wild trees and dead grass, and it didn't look like anyone lived there.
The guide pointed to the house and said, "This is it. I haven't been here for a long time. I wonder if the two old men are still here. This place is a bit evil. I don't dare to go in. You guys pay me the money and I'll go back now."
He took the money and left, not caring what these people were doing here. There were so many of them, so nothing would happen.
Luo Yu'an went forward and knocked on the door. After all, this was the place where the clan god of her clan resided, so she had to be polite. But she knocked for a long time and no one answered the door. Qin Feichang stood behind her and pushed his glasses, "Madam, there should be no one here. Just go in."
Looking at the thick dust on the door, Luo Yu'an nodded. Qin Feichang waved his hand, and two bodyguards immediately stepped forward, took tools and worked on the two closed doors, and directly removed the two doors.
Qin Feichang also said: "Madam, don't worry, we will put the gate back in its original state when we leave."
Although Luo Yu'an herself didn't know why she came here, in the schedule of Qin Feichang and Qin Feimo, the lady's trip was defined as "returning to her parents' home" or "returning home to visit relatives." As the husband's family, they must of course be more polite and not embarrass the lady. Even if there are no members of the Luo family here, they still have to pay attention to their own qualities.
The group walked into the house with polite steps. The house was unexpectedly clean and tidy, without the dusty and cobweb-filled desolate feeling of a house that had been abandoned for a long time, but there was not much popularity.
Luo Yu'an referred to the Qin family's shrine and walked deeper into the house, trying to find the ancestral hall or shrine, ready to burn some incense and leave. The group walked through the courtyard and saw clothes hanging in the yard, as well as a small cart that seemed to be selling herbal tea, full of the breath of life.
Luo Yu'an: "...Ah, it turns out there are still people living here."
Qin Feichang pushed his glasses and said, "…" Wrong decision.
Qin Feimo, who had been exhausted all the way, tried to cheer himself up and said, "The people living here should have other ways to go in and out, so the door in front is not used..."
A strange whimpering sound came from the depths of the dark house. At first it sounded like a woman crying, but then it sounded like the wind in the corridor. Qin Feimo instantly stepped back and moved horizontally behind his cousin, while the bodyguards surrounded him in a well-trained manner, cautiously surrounding Luo Yu'an in the middle.
Luo Yuan thought to himself, "Did you guys make a mistake? I am the only one who is not a human being here. If we really encounter any problems, I will be the only one left if the whole group is wiped out."
"Who are you! What do you want to do by breaking in here?" An old man with a hunched back came over carrying a hoe. When he saw a group of people standing in the yard, his eyes widened immediately, as if his territory was invaded, and he rushed over with the hoe in hand.
Seeing him rushing over in anger, the two bodyguards subconsciously subdued him. As a result, an old lady came over from the other end of the corridor. Seeing this scene, she screamed and picked up a big broom, "Who are you! Why are you trying to harm my wife!"
Luo Yu'an felt like he and his group were villains, so he quickly signaled the two bodyguards to let the old man go and explained, "It's a misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding. I'm a descendant of the Luo family, and I came here specially today to pay my respects."
She was afraid that the two old men would be stubborn and not believe it, so she was ready to take something out for them to confirm their identities. But as soon as she finished speaking, the two old men showed ecstatic expressions at the same time. The old lady dropped the broom in her hand, rushed forward with an agility that was not in line with her age, grabbed her hand, and looked her up and down. Every wrinkle on her face was filled with kindness and enthusiasm.
"Are you a descendant of our Luo family? Our Luo family still has descendants? Which family are you from?"
Luo Yu'an reported the names of his father and grandfather, and the old man came over and said with a smile: "Yes, yes, I remember, I remember! He is indeed from our branch, but he left a long time ago, and no one knows where he went. We have no contact since then. I didn't expect that his descendants would come back. It's great."
The two old men were overjoyed and hurriedly went into the house to fetch stools and pour water.
Luo Yu'an: "You two elders, don't be so polite. Sit down and take a rest. I brought some gifts."
Qin Feichang came out at the right time with his assistant and bodyguards, "I'll put these gifts in the house for the two old people, and we can pour the tea ourselves, so don't bother you."
The two old men waved their hands and said, "No, no, there is no light in this room. It's very dark and you won't be used to it." Without waiting for their reaction, they went into the room and quickly brought out some water.
Luo Yu'an chatted with them, "We were not sure if anyone was living here, so we accidentally took down the door. But don't worry, we will reinstall it when we leave later."
The two old men's faces changed, "Are you leaving so soon?"
Luo Yu'an: "My grandfather and father died very early and never told me about the ancestral land, so I don't plan to disturb them for too long this time. I just want to come and see the ancestral land and burn some incense to pay my respects."
The old man warmly persuaded her to stay, "At least you can stay for one night. Our ancestral hall is still there, but according to the rules, you have to wait until dusk to worship. It will be difficult to walk down the mountain at that time."
Unable to refuse such a kind invitation, Luo Yu'an nodded and asked the two old people how they lived their daily lives.
"My wife and I have lived here all our lives. We usually grow some vegetables for ourselves. There is a back door at the back. We go out there and walk for half a day. That side has been designated as a scenic area. We push a cart over there to sell herbal tea and earn some money."
After telling his own situation, the two old men asked eagerly about Luo Yu'an's current situation.
Ming Huang, who had been unable to use his skills, was suddenly inspired. Just as he was about to step forward to introduce his origins to his wife to improve his status, he was dragged back. Luo Yu'an was harmless and explained in a soft voice: "My parents died early, but I was lucky enough to marry a rich man. Not long ago, I accidentally learned about my life experience, so I came to take a look."
Looking at the bodyguards around them, the two old men looked at each other and asked tentatively: "Looking at this situation, could it be that they are also the family of You Shishen?"
Luo Yu'an shook his head, "No, they are just an ordinary wealthy family. The man I married is quite old and loves me very much. He was worried about me running so far away, so he specially found so many bodyguards for me."
Everyone in the Qin family: “…” The image of a rich old man who married a young wife suddenly appeared in their minds.
In the afternoon, the two old people set up several tables in the yard and prepared more than a dozen dishes. They didn't let them help and even dug out two jars of wine from somewhere.
"Our Luo family has fallen on hard times. You've come all the way here, so we don't have much to offer you. These wines have been buried for more than ten years. They're made with our Luo family's exclusive brewing recipe, and you won't be able to drink them anywhere else." The old man filled everyone's glasses with wine.
Seeing that everyone started to eat and drink, the two old people stood up. The old lady packed up some dishes for offerings and said to Luo Yu'an with a smile: "It's almost time. Come with us to the ancestral hall to worship first, and then come back to eat later."
Luo Yu'an: "Yeah, okay."
Qin Feichang also stood up, as if he was going to follow. The two old men looked embarrassed and said, "We don't allow outsiders to approach our ancestral hall. Don't worry, we will be back soon."
Luo Yu'an was still very easy to talk to, "That's right, you guys continue eating, I'll be back soon."
Qin Feiming, Huang and the others looked at her waving her hands behind her back and could only sit down obediently. When Luo Yu'an and the two old men disappeared in the corridor, everyone put down their bowls and chopsticks. A bodyguard with a dark face muttered, "This is the smell of low-quality drugs, it's too obvious, putting it in the wine will ruin it."
Another said: "I feel like this drug is a bit expired."
Qin Feichang stood up and said, "Hurry up, send two people to check inside the house, and the rest of you follow Madam. If something really happens, the clan god will be very angry."
Everyone was startled and took quick action.
Here, Luo Yu'an followed the two old men to a four-story hexagonal tower, next to which was a crescent-shaped lotus pond. Luo Yu'an looked at the lotus pond for a few more times. There was nothing planted in the pond, it was bare, the mud was black with a hint of red, and it gave off a strange fishy smell.
"Come, our Luo family's ancestors are all in the tower." The old man's skinny hand clamped her wrist tightly and almost dragged her into the tower.
In the tower, there are layers of tablets stacked on the shelves, densely packed and covered with dust. The higher you go, the fewer tablets there are. On the fourth floor, there is only one tablet left, covered with a red cloth.
"This is?"
"This is the tablet of our Luo family's deity."
Luo Yu'an showed a puzzled look, "Isn't our clan god gone?"
There was a fervent light in the eyes of the two old men. Their withered and aged faces looked eerie in the dim light of the tower. "Those are just rumors. In fact, our clan god is still here, blessing our descendants of the Luo family! Come, pay your respects."
Luo Yu'an took the incense from the two old people with a normal look and bowed a few times. When she stood up, the old lady stood at the window and looked out, and suddenly shouted in surprise: "What is that?"
Luo Yu'an also walked over. Just as she reached the window, a huge force came from behind her and pushed her forward.
The grim smile on the old lady's face turned into astonishment when she realized that she had pushed in vain. She had clearly pushed someone, but her hands suddenly felt empty, and because she pushed too hard, she fell out of the window and directly fell into the small lotus pond below.
Head down, four floors high, with a puff.
Luo Yu'an stood by the window, one hand on the window frame, and calmly looked back at the other elderly woman, "Grandma fell down."