Three lavishly decorated ox carts stopped outside the peach grove. A boy in a white robe jumped down from one and helped an elderly man with an aged face and white hair down from another. "Master Wei, this is Peach Grove Cottage. It is peaceful and pleasant, and not far from the commandery seat, so shopping and finding a physician are convenient too. You can take your time recuperating here."
The old man surnamed Wei had well-spaced features and an air of refined elegance, but his face was sallow and thin, and he looked somewhat weary. After half a day in an ox cart, his legs felt weak and numb the moment he stepped down. Holding the side of the cart, he stamped his feet lightly and looked at the peach groves along both banks of the stream. He smiled. "It is indeed a fine spot. Next spring, when the peach blossoms open, its beauty will be more than the eyes can take in-then this old man shall keep watch over this wintry grove and wait for peach blossoms to fill the stream."
The white-robed boy nodded. "Yes, the peach blossoms here are exquisite. Every year when they bloom, I come to stay for two months, enjoying them to my heart's content from the first flowers to the last-if you stay here, Master Wei, you are certain to recover."
As he spoke, the white-robed boy supported Master Wei and slowly followed the northern bank of the stream deeper into the peach grove. The three ox carts followed slowly behind.
The white-robed boy was about fourteen or fifteen. At first glance, his face looked somewhat odd: his eyebrows sat far above his eyes, as though he had seen something novel and raised his brows and widened his eyes in surprise. His