Chapter 64: Fireworks are easily extinguished

Uncle Chen didn’t say he was coming back? I was a little dazed, but Brother Chengxin said with a smile, “It’s good that this Bamboo Grove is in the south. If it were in the north, I wouldn’t go in the winter. It’s still good in the south. It’s not even Spring Festival yet, but there’s already a hint of spring, while it’s still snowing in the north.”

Uncle Chen didn’t say anything, but Cheng Xin and I exchanged a wry smile. In fact, Cheng Xin was trying to get Uncle Chen to say something, to see if it was really necessary to come here, and if so, why.

Unfortunately, Uncle Chen didn’t hear anything. If he had responded, saying, “What’s up in the north? I’ll come too,” Brother Chengxin would have asked him about it.

With the arrival of Uncle Chen, more and more people rushed to the Bamboo Grove. First, it was Grandpa Hui, then Hui Gen, then Grandma Ling Qing, who came alone, then Uncle Wang, then Sister Cheng Qing, and finally Uncle Li, and Brother Cheng Qing…

We in this lineage have gathered here for no reason, but I feel more and more uneasy. I always feel that Master wouldn’t just call people over for the Spring Festival.

The older generation undoubtedly occupied the main building of the Bamboo Grove, and every day they shut the door and talked about something. We younger people were often sent down the mountain, without any reason, and we had to go even if we didn’t want to.

Except for the heartless and unprincipled, none of us in this generation is free from doubts and anxiety. Brother Chengxin once again brought up the same old topic, talking about his thoughts. For years, the older generation has always seemed to be making a confession.

His words obviously resonated with us, but we had no way to respond. Chengzhen said, “I will keep my master under close watch. I will never let him disappear without a trace.”

Chengzhen was the youngest, and his words always had a hint of childishness to them, but they were also a good way to put things into perspective. We all knew our masters very well, and the younger generation wanted to talk things out and press them for answers, but that was not the way to go.

But just when we younger generation were suspicious and increasingly uneasy, the older generation stopped meeting in secret. They acted as if nothing had happened, and began to live their lives normally. They no longer drove us younger generation to leave the mountain.

As the days passed, no matter how uneasy I felt, I could not deny that this period of time was happy. It was the only time in my life that I had been happy with a sense of excitement.

In this happiness, the Spring Festival soon arrived. This time, the master said that we should get together, so everyone began to get busy for the Spring Festival.

For the first time, the Bamboo Grove was decorated with festive couplets and lanterns. For the first time, I prepared the so-called New Year’s goods and made the so-called New Year’s Eve dinner. This is a very common thing for ordinary people, but it is very new to me. After all, since I left home at the age of 15, I have no memories of the New Year, let alone personally preparing any New Year’s goods or making any New Year’s Eve dinner.

I heard that everyone was going to have a reunion dinner at the Bamboo House, and Uncle Hu had even specially brought in a large number of fireworks and said that it was important to have a lively and festive New Year.

On the evening of the 30th, we sat around a large table, which we borrowed from the village committee because we didn’t have a large enough table. It was the first time I had eaten such a lively New Year’s Eve dinner, and I always felt that happiness was a bit unreal.

Master, fellow disciples, parents, Uncle Hui, Hui Gen, Grandma Lingqing, Uncle Hu… I thought to myself that if I could add some crispy pork and Huaiyang cuisine, my Spring Festival would be perfect.

We ate for a few hours, and at the New Year’s Eve dinner table, I got drunk, and my master was also a little drunk. Hui Gen was already asking to set off fireworks.

So the group of people, like crazy people, set off fireworks and firecrackers in the open space of the Bamboo Grove.

The fireworks that Uncle Hu had brought were high-end goods. As we lit them one by one, large fireworks bloomed in the sky above the Bamboo Grove, making me feel even more drunk.

“These fireworks are beautiful,” I couldn’t help but say to myself.

The master was standing next to me, and suddenly he said, “Fireworks are easy to cool, and people always have to part. But memories are something that no one can take away, and that’s enough.”

My heart sank, but my master had already turned and was “molesting” Grandma Ling Qing with Master Hui. I was a little dazed. Did I just hear it wrong?

After the Spring Festival, the crowd slowly began to disperse.

The first to leave were Master Hui and Hui Gen. Master Hui said that Hui Gen had to go back to school, and then everyone began to leave one by one. The last to leave was Uncle Li.

He said that he had retired and would simply enjoy some more leisurely days.

After Uncle Li left, the Bamboo Grove was left with just four people: Master, Yuanxi, and Yuanyi.

As Yuan Yi’s subjective consciousness gradually recovered, all that was left was recuperation and treatment. During this period, with the help of Uncle Chen, Yuan Yi’s condition improved even more. Although he still couldn’t speak completely, he was able to take care of himself a little.

Master was very pleased with all this.

The days passed by normally, and Master didn’t say or do anything. He just taught Yuanxi very seriously, and he still taught me.

These days were extraordinarily peaceful, as if I had returned to the days of my childhood in the bamboo forest. As time passed, my previously restless heart and taut nerves gradually relaxed.

Because Master behaved so normally and the days passed peacefully, I felt that all our previous doubts were unfounded. After all, the older generation is still alive and healthy here. How could they disappear after giving us an explanation?

The world is so big, how could they disappear? There will always be clues to find, unless death can separate us from the masters!

Thinking this way, I felt at ease.

In the blink of an eye, two months had passed, and the weather was already very warm. In a little while, it would probably be early summer.

It was already 1994, and I suddenly realized that I was already 27 years old. I felt that time really passed quickly.

On this day, the master suddenly said to Yuanxi, “I have taught you some simple methods of the Shanzi School, and you have already entered the door. However, you must know that cultivation is always personal. In the future, if you have any questions, you should ask your brother Chengyi. In addition, here is something I wrote myself about Shanzi cultivation. You should read it carefully when you go back.

At the time, the four of us were eating. I couldn’t help but look up, somewhat surprised, and asked Yuanxi, “Are you leaving?”

Yuanxi was also puzzled and said, “I took a year off from school. This day is still long. How could I leave?”

The master put down his chopsticks and said, “This is my decision. Yuan Yi’s cultivation has reached a bottleneck. It’s best to go to a large hospital system to recover, don’t delay. And Yuan Xi’s talent is more inclined to the inheritance of other veins, not the mountain vein. Therefore, it is not advisable to spend too much time on the mountain vein. Instead, you should concentrate on learning more about other veins, so that you can determine the right direction in the future. After all, learning everything will result in not being good at anything. And we have laid a solid foundation for Yuanxi, and the inheritance of Yuanyi’s side is also for Yuanxi.”

Facing his master’s words, Yuan Yi’s brother expressed his agreement with incomplete sentences.

These days, we have also had intermittent exchanges with Yuan Yi, after all, it was I who made the choice to let Yuan Xi embark on this path. Yuan Yi gradually came to his senses, and we always wanted to hear his side of the story.

Yuan Yi’s brother told us with difficulty that their family was also from the Shan lineage, but Yuan Xi’s talent in the Shan lineage was not very good. Yuan Yi’s brother thought that inheritance did not necessarily have to be passed down to one’s own family. He did not dare to betray the inheritance left by his ancestors, and he always wanted to find a disciple in the future. As for his own daughter, he thought that it would be better for her to live an ordinary life than to learn to be a half-baked Taoist and participate in the life of a Taoist.

However, fate is not always determined by human thoughts. Yuanxi eventually embarked on the path of cultivation, so she had to accept it. Moreover, Yuanyi’s brother also let go of his thoughts. It was enough that Yuanxi was happy to learn. As for what level of achievement she would reach, it was not the most important thing.

In the past, I was too stubborn.

After this conversation, Yuan Yi and his daughter left on the third day. The master specially arranged a car to send them away.

In the blink of an eye, the once bustling Bamboo Grove was once again just me and my master.

This change always reminds me of my master’s saying, “Fireworks are easy to cool down, and people always part. No matter how splendid and lively the scene is, it will always return to the ordinary.