Going Home (Three)

"So what did you find out after you'd been touching my disciple's waist for so long?"

Fairy Li, who had been silent, choked on her orange juice after Mr. Mengfei's words.

"Cough cough~ Heh, cough cough..."

Fairy Li's face was flushed as she wiped the orange juice from her lips with a tissue.

"You... cough cough..."

"Hahaha," Mr. Mengfei chuckled, covering his mouth as he watched Fairy Li's face turn red. "Alright, that's my disciple. How could I let him learn anything that's bad for him? I wouldn't even let him touch any secret techniques!"

"Em..."

Fairy Li calmed herself down and looked at Mr. Mengfei: "Why didn't you tell me sooner? You made me so worried. I've even gained weight..."

"Ah, this sage is right. Women and petty men are the hardest to deal with. Zhengzai, look at what she's saying. I spent money, she got fat, and now she's blaming me."

Mr. Mengfei nudged Yang Tianzheng, who was engrossed in his phone. Yang Tianzheng glanced at Mr. Mengfei and said, "You deserve it. Who told you to try and prove your true love to that apprentice? It's child's business. You've been worrying too much about it."

"What the heck? I'll show you!" Mr. Mengfei and Yang Tianzheng started playfully wrestling.

"Hahaha." Fairy Li covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Attention passengers traveling to #, the train is preparing to board..."

Only then did Mr. Mengfei release his arm from Yang Tianzheng's, and the three of them lined up to have their tickets checked.

"Master, are you hungry? Let's buy a boxed lunch."

After boarding the train, Master Luo lay down on the sleeper berth, closed his eyes, and didn't say much.

Around noon, Su Ziyang squatted down next to the seat and patted Master Luo on the shoulder.

"You eat, child. I'm not hungry."

Master Luo looked extremely tired and waved to Su Ziyang.

"Master, are you feeling unwell?"

Su Ziyang looked at Master Luo with some concern and patted Master Luo's head.

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I'm just a little tired. I'll feel better if I close my eyes for a bit."

Master Luo removed Su Ziyang's hand, then patted Su Ziyang's head and chuckled softly.

I'm going to buy food.

Su Ziyang bought a boxed lunch, but Master Luo still didn't eat. Seeing Master Luo's expression, Su Ziyang took out a carton of pure milk.

"Master, have some milk. You can't go on without eating."

After Su Ziyang tried to persuade him for a long time, Master Luo only drank a few sips of milk before closing his eyes and lying down again.

The train continued northward, and when it finally arrived at its destination, Master Luo opened his eyes. After getting off the train, the dry and refreshing weather was different from the rainy weather in the south, making him feel invigorated.

"Master." Su Ziyang helped Master Luo off the bus. The conductor, seeing that he was an elderly man, also helped him.

"Master Luo, we've arrived. Let's get to the car. How do I get there...?"

After Su Ziyang finished speaking, he noticed that Master Luo was staring blankly at the scene outside the station.

At that moment, Su Ziyang suddenly understood.

Master Luo went to the South when he was just over thirty years old, and now nearly sixty years have passed, so naturally everything has changed.

"Master, what's the name of your village? I have a way."

Now, it's very convenient to check online how to get there, which bus to take, and how to hail a taxi.

After a long pause, Master Luo slowly mentioned a place called Luo Family Village.

After checking for a while, Su Ziyang found that Luo Family Village was about 60 miles away from this place, and that he would have to change vehicles once along the way.

Seeing Master Luo's physical condition, Su Ziyang called a private car.

"Son, can this car take us all the way to our destination?"

Master Luo noticed that they hadn't taken a bus, but a sedan instead, and asked a question.

This question made Su Ziyang feel very uncomfortable. Su Ziyang held Master Luo's hand, nodded, and said yes.

"Master, why don't you lean back and take a nap? I'll wake you when we get there."

The ride-hailing driver noticed that Master Luo was quite old, but he drove very steadily and even turned off the music in the car.

"Brother, how old is your father?"

"He's over ninety."

"He doesn't look it at all; the old man seems to be in good health!"

"Haha, yes. I'm in great health."

The wheels spun rapidly, and finally we arrived at Luo Family Village, the village Master Luo had mentioned. As we approached, Master Luo opened his eyes and looked out. When we reached the village entrance, Master Luo signaled for the car to stop.

"Master, please slow down."

Su Ziyang got out of the car first and helped Master Luo, and the chauffeur also helped Master Luo.

After Master Luo set foot on the land, he looked towards the village, and two streams of tears fell from his eyes.

"Hey brother, why is the old man crying? Is he alright? Or should I pull the leash for you a little longer? All the way to his doorstep?"

Su Ziyang waved his hand, indicating that it wasn't necessary, and after settling the bill, he let the car leave.

Master Luo didn't say anything, his eyes filled with tears as he lowered his head and walked towards the village.

"Master, slow down."

Su Ziyang noticed that Master Luo's pace had quickened again, so he quickly sped up to keep up beside Master Luo.

After entering the village, there was a reservoir and a small square at the entrance, where many people were sitting and chatting.

Upon seeing an old man and a young man walking into the village from the road at the entrance, everyone stopped chattering and looked at Master Luo and Mr. Mengfei.

Master Luo looked around at everyone and realized that he didn't recognize a single one of them.

"Young man, are you looking for someone, or what do you need?"

A man wearing a faded Zhongshan suit, who looked to be in his sixties or seventies, asked Su Ziyang a question.

Su Ziyang was at a loss for words and turned to look at Master Luo. Master Luo wiped away his tears and said in a low, hoarse voice, "I'm from this village. My name is Luo Mengyong."

"Luo Mengyong? The 'Meng' generation is a senior one."

The man in the Zhongshan suit was taken aback at first, then his brows furrowed, and then he exclaimed in surprise, "You're Uncle Yong???"

The man in the Zhongshan suit actually recognized Master Luo, but Master Luo clearly didn't know the man in the Zhongshan suit.

Master Luo has been gone for nearly sixty years. If we consider ten to twelve years as a generation, then that's almost five or six generations.

"Who are you?" Master Luo looked at the man in the Zhongshan suit in front of him.

"Uncle Yong, don't you remember me? I'm Little Gap-Tooth! You always took me with you when you went to town to buy herbs, didn't you?"

The man in the Zhongshan suit walked excitedly to Master Luo and even smiled. However, this man was no longer just Huoyazi; he now only had three or four teeth left.

"Huoyazi, you're Luo Youde!" Master Luo looked at the teeth showing through the Zhongshan suit and remembered the man's name.

"Uncle Yong, it really is you! You're back! You're back!"

Among those present, the one with the Huoyazi Luo You seemed to be the oldest; the rest were men and women around fifty years old, and they didn't know Master Luo very well.

"Come on, come on. Let's go to my place for a bit first."

Luo Youde pulled Master Luo towards his home, with Master Luo following behind. Su Ziyang followed behind carrying a bag, and the three of them walked into the village.

As soon as the three left, a woman asked.

Who is this old man?

A man with a pipe in his mouth frowned and said, "I've heard my dad mention this person. He used to be the barefoot doctor in our village. His dad was the one who sold herbs, the Herbal Medicine Luo."

As soon as the man with the pipe mentioned this, another man with half of his trousers rolled up chimed in, "How many years has it been since we've had Herbal Medicine Luo?"

"I remember now, someone mentioned him during Chinese New Year this year. He went to the south one year and never came back. Wasn't it said that he died in the south?"

"Yes, yes, I heard that too. That was said by her daughter-in-law, who remarried with a pair of twins in tow."

"Yes... I heard from the elders that this Herbal Medicine Luo even kowtowed to his daughter-in-law to get her to stay."

"Really?"

"Really? I heard it from my great-grandmother."

"Don't talk nonsense, your great-grandmother has been gone for many years."