"Judging by Mother's manner, this immortal pill had to be meant for my daughter! But... though my daughter was only five, she already understood such things. When she failed to give it to her grandmother, she handed the immortal pill back to her mother and insisted that my wife take it..." Fan Yueguan glanced at Xiao Hua before continuing.
"Eh? Then... your wife... was she also unwell?" Xiao Hua suddenly understood.
"No, no! My wife was only twenty-four and had never been ill!" Fan Yueguan hurriedly waved his hands.
"How strange." Xiao Hua smiled. "The medicinal pill I gave you... though it was a pill used by us cultivators... was not truly an immortal pill. Taking it would neither preserve one's beauty forever nor prolong one's life. What were your family members pushing it around for?"
"This..." Fan Yueguan hesitated, then said with an apologetic smile, "True Person Xiao, I know that immortals who cultivate sever their grudges and ties with the mortal world, seeking purity of heart and freedom from desire. Perhaps you do not understand the emotions among ordinary family members such as ours. I shall not go into the specifics. True Person Xiao, just take it as a story!"
"Oh?" Smiling faintly, Xiao Hua nodded. "Then... please continue!"
"Yes. Let this immortal know: how could my wife possibly take this immortal pill? Naturally, she pushed it back to my mother. My mother refused to take it as well. After passing it back and forth... we finally thought of drawing lots. But just as I was about to make the paper balls, Mother and my wife separately came to me and each gave me the same idea!"
"What idea?" Xiao Hua was greatly astonished, though his heart was also moved by how deeply this family loved one another.