Chapter 281: Lonely Old Mr. Ji

The maid watching nearby couldn’t hold back her tears at this scene, but she wouldn’t disturb the madam and the young master’s reunion.

After a while, mother and son separated.

“Let your mother take a good look at you, Yuansheng. You’ve grown so much…”

Madam Mu looked at her child with tears in her eyes. It had been almost five years since the last time she had seen him. The three-year-old child had grown strong now, but still conserved his fair complexion and tender appearance, looking like he hadn’t endured hardships.

“Yuansheng, are you eating well? Are you sleeping well? Has anyone been bullying you? Oh, and where is your father?”

“Mother, I have been cultivating in an immortal sect, not living in exile. Dad is doing well too. By the way, aren’t you Xiao Cui? You’ve changed a lot, but it must be you!”

The maid wiped away her tears and responded with a smile.

“Young Master Yuansheng, you still remember me? I thought that after five years, a child as young as you would have forgotten me.”

“Hmph, what a joke, Your Young Master is no ordinary child!”

Wei Yuansheng said proudly, and then turned to speak to both his mother and Xiao Cui.

“There are so many interesting things in the mountains, let me tell you about them, Mother…”

Wei Yuansheng excitedly recounted his life on the immortal mountain to his mother. He knew that ordinary people were very curious about things like immortals subsisting on the dawn clouds and dewdrops,

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so he chose a few miraculous details to talk about.

After he had been speaking for a while, a servant hurried over from the entrance of the inner courtyard to announce the return of the patriarch of the family, and to request for Madam Mu to go to the front hall of the main courtyard.

Wei Yuansheng seemed to remember something.

“By the way, mother, this time not only did my father and I come back, but I also brought along my senior brothers and sisters from the sect. They are my Master Uncle’s disciples. With the exception of my father and my master, they are the people I am closest to on the mountain!

“Let’s go, come with me to the main hall!”

In the front courtyard of the Wei family mansion, all the senior members of the Wei family currently living in Desheng Prefecture rushed to the Patriarch’s house. Even the elder of the Wei family hurried over from the old mansion.

Wei Wuwei, Guan He, and Shang Yiyi were already in the living room.

More and more people from the Wei family arrived, joining Wei Wuwei’s eldest uncle and third uncle. The crowds of onlookers were a bit discomfiting for the two individuals who had spent their childhoods in the Immortal Sect.

This was especially true for Shang Yiyi. In the eyes of the Wei family, her appearance was worthy of a female immortal, or even a goddess. No woman of such extraordinary beauty could possibly exist in the mortal world.

Fortunately, the shrewd Wei Wuwei was there to prevent any awkwardness. His authority as head of the family had not diminished in the years away; instead, it had even intensified with his return.

Just a few reprimands made the Wei family’s excitement considerably subside. Those who were supposed to serve tea and prepare the banquet went off to complete their tasks, leaving only a few more tactful and more senior individuals in the main hall.

After everyone had been kicked out by Wei Wuwei, he smiled apologetically at the two members of the immortal sect.

“Haha… Our family was a little overly curious and enthusiastic. I apologize for embarrassing the two of you.”

Hearing Wei Wuwei apologize, the two quickly responded.

“Uncle Wei, no need to apologize, we came here on our own initiative!”

“Yes, Uncle Wei. Yuansheng has always talked about how interesting New Year’s Eve was, and we were curious, so as soon as he invited us, we came along. Thank you for accommodating us!”

“That’s good, that’s good.”

Wei Wuwei politely introduced the elderly old man and his eldest and third uncles to the two of them. Before he could finish his words, Wei Yuansheng’s excited voice sounded from behind him, quickly pulling Madam Mu into the main hall.

“Sister Yiyi, Senior Brother Guan, this is my mother, and this is Xiao Cui!”

Wei Yuansheng happily introduced his mother to his senior brother and sister. Madam Mu and Xiao Cui both bowed gracefully in greeting. Wei Yuansheng could act familiar with these people, but they could not; they were immortals, after all.

On the opposite side, Guan He and Shang Yiyi also hurriedly returned the greeting.

Wei Yuansheng smiled and walked to his senior brother and sister, pointing to them and speaking to Madam Mu.

“Mother, this Guan He, Senior Brother Guan. He used to help me when I was too weak to fetch water. He also helped me take care of the medicinal herb garden. This is Senior Sister Yiyi, she often finds delicious food for me to eat, and even takes me to sneak away…”

“Cough cough…”

Wei Wuwei coughed twice dryly. Yiyi’s face had become a little hot. She felt as though she had been caught teaching a child bad habits in front of their mother.

“Anyways, today is New Year’s Eve. Let’s go home to celebrate the New Year together. Tonight’s New Year’s Eve banquet will be lively!”

Wei Wuwei finished speaking in a loud voice and looked at his wife, nodding slightly. There was a faint hint of affection in the gesture, making Madam Mu’s cheeks blush.

With Wei Yuansheng around, the atmosphere quickly turned harmonious. With his mediation, Shang Yiyi and Guan He gradually began to embrace the New Year atmosphere at the Wei family mansion.

In fact, in the immortal sect, for those not in seclusion, the transition between the old and the new year was generally a very important time, and would carry its own unique New Year atmosphere. The mountain flowers and springs in the Yuhuai Holy Land would undergo unique transformations, and some younger disciples would also receive some small gifts crafted by their masters.

However, the New Year’s atmosphere on Yuhuai Mountain was completely different from the lively and festive atmosphere in the Wei family residence, particularly with the return of the Patriarch and the young master. The entire residence was filled with joy and happiness, which was fascinating to Shang Yiyi and Guan He.

The happiest people during the Chinese New Year were always the elderly and the children. Sometimes Wei Yuansheng would show off his skills and amuse the whole family, young and old all exclaiming in delight. The old man of the Wei family was always by his side.

At the same time, an invitation was sent to Ning’an County by two of the Wei family’s experts. Although they would definitely not be able to make it back in time for the New Year’s Eve banquet, since Wei Wuwei and Wei Yuansheng had returned, this etiquette was absolutely indispensable.

Moreover, when the father and son of the Wei family had come down from the mountain this time, in addition to visiting their relatives, another important task was to see Ji Yuan.

Two experts from the Wei Family wrapped in their cloaks rode two horses straight to Ning’an County, not sparing any of the horses some rest.

In Ju’an Pavilion at this very moment, Ji Yuan was sitting on a small bamboo chair in the courtyard front of the house, his legs crossed, leaning against the wall behind him and watching the snowflakes falling in the yard.

Although he looked like a lonely old man, Ji Yuan did not feel too lost, aside from some thoughts of his family in his previous life.

After returning from the capital, Ji Yuan learned the yellow paper man technique he had acquired from Du Changsheng, then fell asleep for a long time.

When he woke up today and went to eat noodles, he discovered that the man in charge of Sun Ji Noodle Stand had changed. It was no longer Old Man Sun, but rather his youngest son. Only then did he learn that Old Man Sun was no longer able to work, and was waiting for his son to close the stall early and come home for the New Year.

The words “New Year” seemed to have become a little unfamiliar to Ji Yuan. When he woke up, he knew that the day was the 30th day of the 12th lunar month, but it wasn’t until he overheard some conversations at the noodle stall and of the passersby that it dawned on him that the New Year had already arrived.

“Mr. Ji… Mr. Ji…”

A very faint voice called from outside the door, and Ji Yuan smiled.

“Come in, the door is unlocked.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, a red fox carefully pushed open the courtyard gate and tiptoed into the yard. Once inside, he quickly closed the door, and even bolted it.

“From your appearance, it seems you ran into a pack of dogs?”

Ji Yuan teased, which made Hu Yun hurriedly raise a fox paw and “shush” him.

“Mr. Ji, today is New Year’s Eve. The atmosphere is incredibly lively, and the Yang energy is incredibly strong. Even those dogs are acting strangely. I’m taking a huge risk by coming to wish you a happy New Year!”

“Hahahaha…You fox, at least you’ve refined your horizontal bone. Saying these words to anyone else would be a disgrace to monsters!”

“Even if I lose face, it’s better than being chased by a dog!”

Hu Yun confirmed that there were no dogs outside the courtyard. He quickly scurried over to Ji Yuan, leaping up in front of him on his back paws like a human, and raised a front paw.

“On behalf of myself and Lu Shan Jun, I, Hu Yun, would like to wish Mr. Ji a happy New Year!”

“We have to wait until the Spring Festival

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to celebrate New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Eve doesn’t count.”

Ji Yuan stood up and walked towards the kitchen, preparing to give Hu Yun some honey tea.

“Hey, Mr. Ji, it’s not that we don’t understand etiquette, it’s just that this year, Lu Shan Jun wants to take me with him to cultivate. He’s starting his transformation, absorbing the new energy of life and beginnings at the turn of the new year. But you taught me how to do that, so he cannot come visit this New Year.”

“He’s looking out for you… I understood. Pass on my greetings and good wishes when you return.”

Ji Yuan replied, preparing to boil some water. Hu Yun snuck into the kitchen and stared at a small jar by the stove.

“Hehehe… Mr. Ji, you don’t have to go through all this trouble to boil water. I don’t like drinking tea, so just give me some honey.”

Ji Yuan looked at him. This fox was like the wild boar who couldn’t stomach fine chaff.

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He wondered whether Hu Yun would ever understand this kind of ritual in his future life.

He took an empty bowl, scooped a few spoonfuls of honey from the jar, and handed it directly to the red fox.

“Here.”

“Hehehehe…Thank you, Mr. Ji!”

Hu Yun carefully picked up the bowl, stretched out his tongue and carefully licked the honey. The sweet fragrance ran along the tip of the tongue and refreshed his whole body.

Could also be interpreted as “the ethereal world” but I opted for a literal translation of the phrase.

Festival on the first day of the New Year

山猪吃不了细糠 Chinese idiom, basically someone who cannot understand or appreciate clearly superior things