Chapter 16: Old Man Jiang’s Farewell

“Please ask your wife to prepare a meal for me. I want meat and wine. I’ll be leaving after this meal.” Seeing my father standing there in a daze, Old Master Jiang said this to himself.

“Where are you going?” My father did not react, and subconsciously asked another question: “Where is Master Huijue?”

“He went back a few days ago,” Jiang Laoren answered directly, but did not answer my father’s other question for the time being.

“Master Jiang is here?” My mother also came out at this time, holding the coat in her hands, but when she suddenly saw the old man’s attire, she was stunned and even felt embarrassed to give away the coat.

The old man didn’t seem to mind, and said, “Did you give me the coat?”

“Yes.” My mother was a little stunned.

“Then just take it over. Aren’t you going to give it away?” Faced with my parents’ surprised attitude, Jiang Laoren was much more at ease.

There was no way that anyone other than the eccentric old man Jiang would want to eat meat and drink wine in the morning. But my parents would never neglect the old man Jiang. After a lot of hard work, it was about nine or ten o’clock in the morning when they had prepared a few dishes for the old man Jiang.

When the old man picked up his chopsticks, he started to eat, and the sound of the wine being drunk was also ‘sloshing’. He looked so happy that he didn’t even mind when my father pulled my mother away.

In the kitchen, my father complained to my mother like a child, saying, “Master Jiang said he was leaving!” At this point, my father finally realized what was going on. In his heart, he had already unconsciously regarded Master Jiang as the guardian of our family. When he heard that he was leaving, my father felt insecure.

“Ah? Is he angry with us?” My mother was at a loss.

My father thought for a long time before he said, “Old Master Jiang is really pitiful, all alone. I’ve actually been thinking about it. Why don’t we adopt our son as his godson? It wouldn’t be a bad idea for him to spend time with him on the mountain. I don’t want Master Jiang to leave. I want to take care of him in his old age.”

“I think it’s a good idea!” My mother was very supportive of my father’s idea, and then she added, “But look at Master Jiang, is he that old? I’m afraid we won’t be able to support him in his old age.”

After a while of discussing in the kitchen, they returned to the main room. Old Master Jiang was still eating and drinking, and from time to time he would wipe his mouth with the sleeve of his fur coat. My mother felt a twitch in her heart. How could he waste such a good coat?

She quickly took out a cloth towel and let him use it to wipe his mouth.

After another glass of wine, the old man said with emotion, “I have never had any other hobbies in my life, except for eating. What’s the point of eating the things that fly in the sky, run on the ground, and swim in the water? I don’t miss anything that’s delicious, and eating all the delicacies in the world is my greatest pursuit in life.”

My father was standing next to him, admiring the old man’s pursuit of good food, and wondering how to persuade him to stay.

But unexpectedly, the old man put down his glass and said, “I came to say goodbye to your family. I’m leaving now, and I don’t know when I’ll be back.”

As soon as the old man finished speaking, my father was so excited that he immediately stood up and said, “Master Jiang, are you angry with our family? Don’t go. I’ve already discussed it with my wife. The third son will be adopted by you as a godson tomorrow. He can accompany you on the mountain and learn from you. In the future, if he dares not provide for you in your old age, I will break his legs! Don’t go!”

The old man looked at my parents with some emotion in his eyes. He grabbed the bottle and tried to pour some wine for himself. My father quickly took it from him and poured it for the old man. He kept drinking three glasses in a row before the old man stopped.

He said, “The relationship between me and your third son is that of master and apprentice, not that of father and son. Fate is something that happens when it happens, and unless you change your fate, you can’t avoid it. Now, we can’t be master and apprentice, but it’s just that the time hasn’t come yet. Maybe there’s a connection, but no fate. Why are you angry with me and your parents?”

My parents hurriedly agreed, thinking that this made sense. It was like when Widow Zhou met Old Man Jiang, and then held onto this thread to get Old Man Jiang to help her family, and then helped his family. This was a fate that could not be broken.

“I’m leaving. Everyone has a responsibility in their life. It’s not a matter of whether you want to or not, it’s a matter of whether you have to. I don’t like it, but I can’t escape it, so I’m leaving. I’m going with the flow. What will happen to me and the three boys in the future is up to fate. Whether we are destined to be master and apprentice in this life, or whether we are destined to be together but not as a couple, I’m waiting for it.”

Old Jiang’s words were too vague, and my parents heard them as if they were true, but they also understood what he meant. They knew that they could not stop him from leaving.

Taoism emphasizes nature, and nature emphasizes following the natural order of things. So of course the word “destiny” is most valued by those who practice Taoism. It is not enough to have a destiny; you must have a share in order to put things into practice. Otherwise, it is just a fleeting destiny, like the people who pass through many lives, have an intersection, and ultimately disappear into the crowd.

If you can see through it, you won’t lament helplessly. It’s just that you have the right connections but not the right people.

After the old man Jiang had said this, he didn’t mention it again, and no matter what my parents said, he didn’t respond.

It wasn’t until the food was finished that he took out a pen and a small notebook from his pocket.

First, he wrote down a phone number, which was still a novelty at the time. When my father took it, he was at a loss as to what the numbers meant.

“This is a phone number,” explained the old man.

My father immediately remembered a trip he had made to the township office, accompanied by the village cadres, because the village cadre at the time was from above and had just arrived here. He was unfamiliar with the roads and just asked a villager to lead the way, and he caught my father.

There, my father saw a black telephone, which was the only time in his life that he had seen a telephone. In his eyes, it was mysterious, and he said that the orders from above were basically conveyed through this thing.

“I gave Sanxiao the Tiger Claw, which was a somewhat rebellious act. After all, Sanxiao’s fate was predetermined. With the Tiger Claw, he might not have to bear what he was supposed to bear. However, the cycle of heaven and earth is unrelenting, and retribution is not pleasant. If you have any problems that you can’t solve in the future, you can call this number and ask for Jiang Lichun.”

At this point, my father learned that the old man’s real name was Jiang Lichun, but he still looked embarrassed. “I don’t know how to use a phone. Where can I find a phone?”

“You stupid fool, aren’t you smart enough to know what to do at a time like this? You’re going to find someone to help you with good wine and meat, and you’re worried that you won’t be able to use the phone? Other people will teach you how to use it! Do I have to teach you?” Old man Jiang pointed at my father’s nose and scolded him, and the image of an old rascal came back, scolding my father until he was afraid to answer.

Next, the old man wrote a name on a piece of paper and handed it to my father, saying, “When you come to me, just say that you are this person’s father. Remember?”

My father looked at the paper and could barely recognize the first character, but not the second. After all, my father was only at the level of a literacy class.

It’s easy. Who can’t recognize a character? The one in front is my father’s surname. How could he not recognize it?

“Master Jiang? Who is this Chen Shiyi? Why am I his father?” My father was sometimes quite confused.

“Chen Chengyi! Why can’t you be his father? Didn’t you give birth to the third son in your family? This is the name I gave your son. How can you be so stupid?” Old Jiang was so angry that he rolled his eyes. After a lot of explaining, he slammed the table, picked up his snakeskin bag and walked out.

My parents wanted to stop him, but they didn’t dare. So, on this late winter morning, they watched as the old man floated away, leaving behind a tall, dignified figure that never looked back.

After the old man left, my family’s life returned to normal. Life in the mountains is always so mundane, and time passed by in the daily grind of cooking and cleaning. Before I knew it, seven years had passed.