Everything in the farmhouse courtyard was just as it had always been.
The wheat harvested last autumn, brought out during the day to dry in the sun, had long since been put away.
A little wheat bran had been neatly swept into a small pile by the main room's doorway. One glance told Lin Mo that his mother had set it aside to kindle the cooking fire.
From his earliest childhood memories to now, at sixteen, this habit of hers had never changed.
Lin Mo slipped silently over the courtyard wall. His gaze lingered on the wheat bran for a moment before he gently pushed open the door and heard the familiar sounds of deep sleep coming from the eastern room.
It was Lin’s Father snoring. After a full day of farmwork, the farmer slept especially soundly at night.
The western room belonged to his younger sister, Xiao He. Lin Mo remembered that she had feared the dark since childhood and never dared shut her door at bedtime. Even now, she was still the same.
The door stood open a narrow crack. With his current eyesight, Lin Mo could clearly see his sister wrapped in a thin quilt, sleeping peacefully.
"Dad, Mom, Xiao He..."
Lin Mo hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he could not bear to wake them. He pulled over a wooden stool, sat down, and rested quietly in the main room.
Having his family within arm's reach brought an incomparable sense of peace. Without realizing it, Lin Mo drifted off, his head resting against the wall beside his parents' door, his sleeping face filled with contentment.
He had no idea how much time passed.
"Brother?!..."
"Dad, Mom, come look! My brother's home!"
A clear voice, brimming with delighted surprise, suddenly rang out beside Lin Mo's ear.
Lin Mo's eyes snapped open just as Lin’s Father and Lin’s Mother pushed the door open and stepped out. Xiao He was bouncing with joy, her two large eyes narrowed into happy little slits.
"Shh, Xiao He, don't shout!"
Lin Mo did not want to alert the neighbors to his return, so he hurriedly gestured for Lin Xiaohe to keep quiet.
Lin Xiaohe stuck out her little tongue and made a face, then ran over and hugged Lin’s Mother’s arm, grinning. At least she stopped shouting.
"Dad, Mom, you... you look so well."
Lin Mo had originally intended to tell them about the Tai Sui Gate straightaway, then take Xiao He up the mountain.
But with the words on the tip of his tongue, he forced himself to change course. Feigning delighted surprise, he asked, "Could it be because of the spring water I left last time? How have you been feeling?"
Lin’s Father and Lin’s Mother nodded repeatedly, their smiles nearly stretching from ear to ear.
Ever since Lin Mo had returned to the mountain last time, they had followed his instructions and drunk a small sip of Spirit Spring Water every day.
It was a strange thing.
Farmwork was strenuous, and as Lin’s Father grew older, he had begun to find it beyond his strength. Even his temples had gone gray, making him look older than he really was.
Lin’s Mother worked hard to keep the household running, bending over her chores all day. Inevitably, her back had become a little stooped, and after so long, she could hardly straighten it anymore.
Yet after drinking the precious spring water their son had left them, Lin’s Father’s temples had turned black again, and vitality surged through his body. He seemed more than a decade younger, the envy of everyone in the village.
Lin’s Mother’s slightly stooped back had straightened as well, and her skin had gained a healthy glow. Even many of the village's young women and newly married wives envied her.
"Our ancestors have blessed us. Our Lin family has such a good son."
Lin’s Father looked at the son before him, his face full of pride. "It's all thanks to you that your mother and I are so much healthier than before!"
Lin’s Mother’s gaze never left her son's face. Her eyes were slightly damp, filled with both joy and reproach.
Before returning to the mountain last time, Lin Mo had secretly slipped the three taels of silver back into Lin’s Mother’s sleeve. By the time she discovered them, her son was nowhere to be found.
It was good that her son was filial, but he was making things hard on himself. How could his mother not ache for him?
"I earned some merit in the sect."
Lin Mo chuckled. In the end, he still did not tell them about the Tai Sui Gate.
He briefly recounted the entire errand mission, then grinned. "As a reward, a sect elder has allowed me to bring Xiao He up the mountain."
"I was too excited to wait, so I ran home last night. The sooner I told you, the sooner you could be happy!"
At those words, Lin’s Father and Lin’s Mother were overjoyed.
Their son was making something of himself, and their daughter would benefit too. Wasn't that a blessing beyond measure?
The only thing they had not considered was that once Lin Xiaohe followed Lin Mo up the mountain, the two of them would be all alone at home!
"Brother, is it really true? I can go up the mountain too... ah, I'll be quiet! I'll cover my mouth!"
Lin Xiaohe was still young, and she bounced on the spot in excitement. Then she suddenly remembered that Lin Mo had told her not to shout and hurriedly covered her little mouth, smiling so broadly she could barely open her eyes.
Ah!
Lin Mo sighed softly inwardly. He kept the delight on his face, but a trace of guilt still crept into his eyes.
If only my cultivation were a little higher, if only I could earn the sect's regard, if...
Unfortunately, there were no ifs.
Elder Liu had already made an exception by letting me bring Xiao He up the mountain. What more could I ask for?
Luckily, the village isn't far from the sect, and the remnants of the Tai Sui Gate aren't fools. Dad and Mom should be safe staying at home.
Once I get back, I must work harder at growing spirit plants and cultivating, and bring Dad and Mom up the mountain as soon as possible!
"Son, your mother and I aren't fools. We know you're a good son and worry about us being lonely."
How could a father fail to understand what was on his son's mind? Lin’s Father stepped forward and squeezed Lin Mo's shoulder, his face full of contentment.
"Since drinking that precious spring water you left us, I've had more strength than I know what to do with. My legs feel even nimbler than when I was young, and your mother's become prettier too!"
"Now that Xiao He is going up the mountain with you, you'll have each other for company. Your mother and I couldn't ask for more. Don't worry about us."
Lin’s Mother nodded beside him, her gaze moving back and forth between her two children. Her already damp eyes gradually reddened.
The couple were ordinary villagers through and through. They could not offer lofty words of wisdom, but they understood one thing perfectly well.
What did a little loneliness matter compared with their children's future?
They had been unable to give their children a good start in life, so all the more reason not to hold them back!
"Don't worry. The sect values me highly. Soon, I'll be able to bring you both up the mountain too."
Lin Mo spoke with conviction, his expression earnest. "Then our whole family will be together, enjoying life on the mountain. We'll never have to part again!"
"Yes, yes, wonderful!"
Lin’s Father and Lin’s Mother believed in their son without a shred of doubt. They felt nothing but happiness and pride.
Lin Mo delayed no longer. After eating breakfast at home, he went alone to his bedroom, poured ten drops of Spirit Spring Water from the Treasure Gourd, and mixed them into a large bucket filled with well water. He gave it to his parents before quietly heading back up the mountain with Xiao He.
Perhaps because she had also drunk the Spirit Spring Water, Lin Xiaohe followed Lin Mo along dozens of li of mountain paths without once complaining of tiredness, stopping only to drink along the way.
Instead, since she rarely traveled so far from home, she kept looking all around, finding everything novel and pestering Lin Mo with endless questions.
Then they passed through the mountain gate and were drawing near the Spirit Plant Courtyard.
Not far away, a rather unexpected male figure entered Lin Mo's sight!
Before you continue