Immortality is above

7 Chapter 7: Going Home

"No, there are still some changes."

The young man came closer and took a closer look by the light of the lantern.

I saw that although Chen Liubai looked too young, his face was pale and sickly, and he was dressed in civilian clothes. On such a cold day, he was actually wearing a pair of straw sandals...

He had a sword on his back, but the sword was rusty and didn't look good at all.

The whole image of a down-and-out knight-errant.

It can be seen that this former clan prodigy and scholar is now doing very poorly.

Alas, why bother?
  The young man was a cousin of Chen Liubai, named "Chen Zhiping". He was similar in age to Chen Liubai. They often played together when they were children and followed Chen Liubai around every day.

Chen Zhiping had always admired this erudite cousin who knew astronomy and geography, but he never expected that Chen Liubai left a letter and left without saying goodbye.

Fast forward more than ten years, when we met again, it was this look, this feeling in my heart, all kinds of mixed feelings.

Ever since he ate that flat peach, Chen Liubai's appearance seemed to have been fixed, as if he was young forever.

However, he himself understands that flat peaches are a natural treasure and can prolong life, so they will age more slowly, so they appear normal.

This is not the same thing as facial rejuvenation.

But there is nothing to explain these things. He smiled and said: "Aping, long time no see, how are you?"

"I'm fine..."

Chen Zhiping changed his tone: "But my uncle's health is not good. He has been bedridden for a long time since the beginning of this year. Now that you are back, go home and take a look."

With that said, he explained to others, and together with Chen Liubai, he quickly got off the wall and hurried back to Nishou Lane.

Those strong men couldn't help but whisper among themselves:
  "Is he Chen Liubai?"

"It's him. He used to be a well-known child prodigy in the clan. He was awarded the title of scholar at the age of fourteen. He's very impressive."

"But why did it become like this?"

"He said he went out to seek Taoism and cultivate immortality. In my opinion, he must have been deceived... Well, if he doesn't leave, stays in the village, and then goes to take the exam, then he will be the master of the exam, and he can honor his ancestors and move to the upper half of the village. . He might even pass the Jinshi examination and become a high official... Who knows what he thinks, what a pity..."

Along the way, Chen Zhiping didn't ask anything. He felt that Chen Liubai must have been unable to survive outside, so he came back.

Asking questions here and there, isn’t that causing trouble?
  It was all in vain to embarrass Chen Liubai.

Therefore, what we are talking about is all about the situation in Chen Liubai's family.

In the lower half of Chenjiaji Village, most of the houses are not very good. They are arranged in rows and rows, and they look chaotic.

It is divided into several streets and alleys according to the regional location.

The place where Chen Liubai's home is located is called "Nishou Lane".

True to its name, everywhere is dusty, with mud houses and yellow mud roads. Once the wind blows, the dust will fly; if it rains, it will be muddy.

More than ten years have passed, and there has not been much improvement here. Instead, it has become more old and dilapidated.

Seeing this, Chen Liubai couldn't help but sigh: What would have happened if he had stayed instead of running away?

If you are lucky, you may be named on the gold medal list and embark on an official career; if you are unlucky, you will only be stuck in the pile of old papers and become a poor scholar.

But no matter what kind of future, it is far inferior to following a Taoist to go up the mountain to cultivate immortality.

It is a fairy fate that countless people strive for. Once you miss it, you will regret it for life.

Even if he failed to cultivate immortality and had to go down the mountain to go home, the experience and the skills he learned were enough to transcend the ordinary world.

Just like the frog at the bottom of the well, only when he jumps out of his cage can he realize the vastness of the world and see the magnificence of the world.

Seek Taoism and cultivate immortality without any regrets!
  "arrive."

Chen Zhiping was afraid that Chen Liubai had been away from home for many years and could no longer remember the location of his home, so he specifically said so.

It was a house with earth walls and tile roof, with a small yard.

Chen Zhiping walked in front, pushed open the courtyard door and ran in, shouting excitedly: "Auntie, cousin, who do you think is back?"

Chen Liubai's parents are still alive, and he has a brother and a sister. He ranks third. The second sister is already married, and the eldest brother Chen Liushan has already started a family, but he has not yet had children due to illness. At the moment, dinner has been eaten at home, and Chen’s mother and her eldest son Chen Liushan are collecting firewood for the winter in the courtyard.

Seeing Chen Zhiping rushing in, Chen Liushan said angrily: "Aping, what are you shouting about?"

Chen Liubai stepped forward and called, "Brother."

"伱? Are you..."

Chen Liushan cried out. One of his left legs was lame due to an accident. Now he was so shocked that he almost lost his balance.

Chen Liubai put his right hand on his hand and gave him a hand.

"Three children?"

Mother Chen next to her opened her eyes wide with disbelief: "Am I dreaming?"

Chen Liubai smiled and said, "Mom, it's me, I'm back."

Mother Chen swayed and rushed forward to grab him. She was afraid that if she let go, the man would disappear again: "San'er, where have you been all these years?"

As he spoke, he burst into tears.

Chen Liubai felt inexplicably sad and hugged her: "The child is unfilial and makes the two elders worried."

Brother Chen Liushan has a rather dull temper and doesn't know what to say for a while.

After a period of excitement, joy and sorrow, all the words turned into one sentence: "It will be good to come back, it will be good to have people come back."

Then he went into the house to see Father Chen.

Father Chen has been bedridden for some time and is quite thin. When he saw Chen Liubai coming back, he was even more excited and burst into tears.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to shake hands, Chen Liubai took his father's pulse and found that this was a condition caused by old age and daily fatigue. As long as he felt better, improved his diet, and got more rest, he could recover.

He went out to wash the pot, boiled a pot of water, and then put a Yangyuan Pill into the water.

This medicine can strengthen the body and strengthen the body, activate qi and blood, and is a very good tonic. However, it is not suitable for people who are weak to take it directly, so dissolve it with water and put it into several bowls. Drink one bowl for yourself and feed one bowl to your father. There is also mother, eldest brother, and Chen Zhiping, everyone has a share.

As for the eldest sister-in-law, she went back to her parents' house for business and is not here.

Everyone didn't doubt that he was there, they just thought that Chen Liubai had traveled a long distance and was thirsty.

But the water is quite delicious and seems to have a refreshing fragrance...

After drinking the water, Chen Zhiping felt energetic, but he didn't think too much. He had to rush back to the Wubao Arrow Tower to do some work, so he said goodbye and left.

Chen Liubai's family was left to reunite, with their own joys and sorrows.

However, Chen's mother and the others were of the same mind as Chen Zhiping, and decided that Chen Liubai was down and out outside, so they could not expose his shortcomings, lest he would be irritated and run away from home again.

Therefore, I only mentioned the past events in one sentence and never mentioned them again.

Chen Liubai didn't explain too much. After all, he did not succeed in cultivating immortality and returned home frustrated.

Moreover, if some things are publicized, they may not bring glory to the ancestors, but may lead to the destruction of the family.

"San'er, you must be very hungry after walking such a long way. Mom, go kill an old hen for you to eat."

Mother Chen immediately went to the kitchen to pick up a knife and kill the chicken.

Chen Liushan opened his mouth to speak, but was speechless.

The family was poor, so they only kept one old hen, which was mainly used for laying eggs. If it was killed, no eggs would be produced.

But today, my brother's return is a great joy. There is nothing wrong with killing a chicken to eat it.

In fact, my parents have been a little partial since they were young, but the two elders have enough reasons for their preference: the third child, Chen Liubai, has been smart since he was a child. He was admitted as a scholar when he was still in office. He is a distinguished scholar and supports the whole family. Facade, I regret that I was deceived by the wild Taoist priest with unknown origin...

After eating supper and washing up, Chen Liubai returned to his room to rest.

Being in my old residence, I felt a rare peace of mind. After breathing and breathing, I took out the fragments of the heavenly book. Instead of stimulating it, I wrapped it in Dharma thoughts and began to study it carefully.

　For the author, reading this book is like going home. Today is different from the past. Times have changed, everything has changed, and many things have to be adapted. Just think of it as starting over!
  　　
  　
  (End of this chapter)