"Twenty years have passed in a flash, but I still think it was just a few days ago. Xiaoyun was still a little kid, speaking in my arms with a baby voice and couldn't even speak clearly."
After turning around two not-so-high mountain foothills and walking on the small path created by the villagers near the mountain ridge, in the distance, you can vaguely see the outline of a city standing outside the thin mountain fog, and from time to time, vendors and travelers pass by at the foot of the mountain.
Lu Liangsheng led the old donkey and walked slowly down the mud steps that were dug out one by one. The yellow mud fields on both sides were covered with vegetables planted by the mountain people. There were farmers working in the fields nearby. They saw a man and a woman leading the old donkey out of the mountain. They looked around with their hoes and thought that a young man from the city was taking his female companion out of the city for an outing. So they reminded them and pointed out which path was closer to go down the mountain.
There are many simple and honest people in the mountains, which makes people feel comfortable.
On this side, Lu Liangsheng bowed to the other party and thanked him, then let go of the old donkey and followed behind, pulling Hong Lian forward.
"…Hegu County is ahead. I think Mr. Zhou has passed away for many years. I wonder if the house is still there or sold to other families in the city. Zhou Rong married far away, and Mr. Zhou's two sons are now officials in the north and rarely come back. Since we are passing by here, Hong Lian will accompany me to burn incense for him."
After going down the mountain and walking along the road outside the nearby village onto the official road, Lu Liangsheng looked at the city getting closer and closer while walking and talked about the past. If it weren't for the dedicated teaching and examination by the Grand Secretary Zhou Zhen, the stage of Juren would probably be postponed to three years later. Many things would have changed. He would not have come to Beijing so early, would not have met Pu Du Ci Hang, would not have saved Chen Jing... and so on.
As we approached the city, the city gate seemed like a busy market, noisy and bustling.
The city wall is tall and stretches out to the left and right. There are no traces of swords, spears and arrows from the turmoil in the past. It should have been repaired later, and the rough lines left by the mottled wind and rain over the years.
After entering the city, he walked through the noisy crowd and followed the familiar path to the quiet and ancient courtyard wall. There stood the mansion gate with the door plaque with the words "Zhou Mansion" still hanging on it. The lanterns hanging high on both sides were covered with dust. A lot of leaves had accumulated in front of the lacquered red gate. Lu Liangsheng walked up the stone steps covered with weeds and gently knocked on the copper ring on the mansion gate.
There was no movement inside for a while.
"Sir, is there no one living here anymore?" Hong Lian wanted to lean forward and go inside to take a look, but Lu Liangsheng stopped her. At this moment, there was a sudden sound of a wooden bolt being pulled out from behind the door.
With a slight creaking sound, the lacquered red door opened a crack, revealing half of the face of an old man who looked puzzledly at the handsome scholar outside and the pretty woman standing beside him.
"What can I do for you two?"
The old man was probably a servant left behind by the mansion to look after the empty house. After all, it would be a shame to sell or abandon such a large house, so leaving someone behind to look after it was also a way for Mr. Zhou’s two sons to resign from their official positions and retire, which was also considered a return to the ancestral home.
Lu Liangsheng thought about it and raised his hand politely: "Father, I came from Chang'an and would like to burn some incense for Mr. Zhou's spirit tablet. Is that possible?"
The scholar spoke gently and politely, and he had a woman with him, so he didn't look like a bad person. Hearing that he came from Chang'an, the old servant hesitated for a moment, but still opened the door. After all, the master had passed away many years ago, and the house deeds and valuables in the mansion had been moved away or sold. Even if someone wanted to steal something, they would not be able to get anything.
"Since you two are interested, come in."
The old servant opened half of the door and invited a man and a woman outside to come in. He wanted to lead the way, but the man came in as if he knew the people. He walked around and went straight to the backyard, pushed open the door to the hall, and walked in.
"Girl, have you been here before?" The servant looked at the figure walking towards the shrine, and turned his head to look at the woman beside him in confusion.
Nie Honglian stood on tiptoe with her hands behind her back, shaking her body, looking at the young man lighting incense in the hall, smiling with dimples, and playfully said, "Guess, old man."
As she spoke, she took brisk steps across the threshold. The words that had been pasted on the wall of the hall suddenly became brighter. However, Hong Lian, who had received incense for so many years, was no longer afraid. She respectfully lit a stick of incense in front of the spirit tablet.
On the altar, Zhou Zhen's spirit tablet was old and blurry, with the paint peeling off in many places, revealing the color of the wood. If you didn't look carefully, it would be difficult to recognize the words on it.
Lu Liangsheng stood there for a long time until the old servant outside the door came to urge him, then he left the hall, bowed and thanked again.
"You don't need to thank me, sir. It's a favor for someone to burn incense for you."
The old servant smiled, went over to close the door of the hall, looked at the smoke of burning incense, suddenly stopped, rubbed his eyes, and hurried forward, only to see that in the shrine on the altar, Zhou Chen's spirit tablet was completely new, the black lacquer surface was not stained with dust, the words on it looked like they had been newly engraved, and even the gold powder on the words looked like they had been repainted.
'What... is going on?'
He turned around in surprise and wanted to ask the couple, but the figures who were standing at the door just now were gone, and the door was not closed. He returned to the courtyard along the road. The door of the mansion was tightly closed and the wooden bolt was inserted from the inside. He hurriedly opened the door and went out. The donkey tied outside was also gone.
"Ouch... I'm afraid I saw a ghost!"
The servant cried out, ran back to close the door, reinserted the wooden bolt, ran back to the gatehouse, and dived into bed.
The sun slanted down from the clouds and gradually became overcast.
The couple who disappeared from the mansion before were now walking on the road heading southwest outside the city, leading an old donkey. The towns and villages along the way were still in their original locations as before, but there had been many changes in the past twenty years, which made Lu Liangsheng feel awkward. It was like the past two years were still the same, but in the blink of an eye, everything around them had changed completely.
Gradually, the town fell behind us and we walked into the endless green mountains. There were cliffs on both sides of the official road and the melodious sound of birds singing could be heard from the old forest at the foot of the mountain.
Soon, we passed the winding river beside the road and the mountain temple standing on the cliff, turned the bend in front, saw old pine trees like a forest, incense burning in the red-walled temple, and large green fields sandwiched between mountains in the distance. The young seedlings rippled in the breeze. The busy villagers wiped the sweat from their faces, stretched their necks to let the wind blow into their necks, and sat comfortably on the ridge of the field.
In the distant village, there was a noisy bustle of voices and the occasional loud crowing of cocks, and smoke rising from the houses.
"We're home, sir."
Hong Lian excitedly grasped the sleeve of the scholar's robe. Even the Toad Taoist came out from the bookshelf, stood on the donkey's head, and looked at the scenery in the rosy glow, feeling refreshed.
…
As dusk falls over the mountain, the village at the foot of the mountain seems to be covered with a layer of clouds.
The neat road leads along the row of houses. Birds are chirping noisily in the fence wall covered with sunflower buds. After a burst of ping-pong noise on the second floor, a Taoist with a long beard comes out, lying on the fence with blue and dull eyes. After a while, a graceful woman comes out from behind her. She is holding a fork and is bundling her hair. She is a little confused as she listens to the noisy birds in the trees.
"Old Sun, what happened to these birds today?"
"With so many magpies, there must be good news coming." The Taoist said casually, and then he heard the woman behind him suddenly speak, rush to the side, and point outside the yard.
"Look, isn't that Xiaoyun? Why is he back?"
From the attic, looking far away, one can vaguely see a young man in a Taoist robe, carrying a yellow cloth bag, running across the village's drying dam. He greets the eight old men sitting on armchairs over there, and hurriedly rushes towards home.
"This kid, didn't he go out? Why is he back again?"
The Taoist priest, whose eyes were bruised, stroked his long beard, looking puzzled, and his tone seemed to be somewhat happy.