Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 386-384 The Fang Family Celebrates the New Year, the Old Taoist Priest Recounts the Extraordinary Treasures of Sichuan

After a two-hour flight, the Qingyun landed at Wuhan Airport, and the three people disembarked from the plane.

The old Taoist priest looked up at the vast sky, then turned to survey the modern airport facilities around him, his eyes flashing with a mixture of surprise and contemplation.

“My disciple,” the old Taoist priest stroked his long beard and said slowly, “this flight has allowed me to witness the greatness of human power and the magnificence of nature. As cultivators, we must not only seek tranquility in the mountains and forests, but also embrace the changes of all things in the world with an open mind in order to gain a deeper understanding of the Tao.”

Gong Xiuneng nodded respectfully upon hearing this, but did not understand its meaning, pondering his master's words.

Fang Wen stood aside, watching the master and disciple, and felt a sense of respect. Although he was not a Taoist, he could still sense the old Taoist's transcendent and truth-seeking spirit.

In his view, the old Taoist priest, though living in the mountains, had the world in his heart.

In this era of advanced technology and rapid changes, each time someone emerges from seclusion, it is a test of their spiritual practice and a baptism of their mind.

He asked with a smile, "The Taoist master is comprehending the Tao in the heavens, and it's also the Spring Festival, a double celebration. We can celebrate together."

The three then got into a car and drove to Fang's residence outside the headquarters of Taishan Airlines.

There, Kuang Mingzhu was already prepared, dressed in new clothes and carrying a small box. Chuncao and Qiuju stood on either side holding food boxes, and Wu Ma followed behind.

Fang Wen stopped the car and said to Gong Xiuneng, "You drive this car and follow me in a bit."

"Okay." Gong Xiuneng didn't forget to brag to his master that he could not only shoot a gun in the Independent Regiment, but also drive a car.

Fang Wen got out of the car and got into another one, letting his wife Kuang Mingzhu sit in the passenger seat and placing the items they were taking in the back. Chuncao, Qiuju, and Wu Ma got into the back seat of the car driven by Gong Xiuneng.

Immediately, the two cars drove towards the parents' home in the city.

The streets were deserted at this time. Most of the people with families had returned home to reunite with their loved ones and prepare for the New Year in a lively atmosphere. Even the refugees who had fled here because of the war were celebrating in the shelters. You could hardly see anyone along the way.

After a 20-minute drive, we arrived at the Fang family's four-story detached villa.

Fang Wen got out of the car and introduced his parents' home to the old Taoist priest: "This is my parents' home. Taoist priest, you don't mind spending the Spring Festival with us, do you?"

"I don't mind," the old Taoist priest replied with a smile.

Immediately, Fang Wen rang the doorbell.

The door opened, and Fang Dashao, dressed in a suit and vest and wearing small round glasses, peeked out from behind the door: "Fifth brother, you've finally arrived. Mom and Dad said they would wait for you to come before they could start cooking. I'm fine, but the younger generation is starving."

After spending two years in the big city of Wuhan, my older brother has changed a lot. He has matured a lot and is no longer as calculating as before when it came to petty gains.

Fang Wen smiled and said, "Something came up, but here I am."

"Yes, you're busy all day long." The eldest son of the Fang family helped carry a food box back to inform the family.

As soon as the group entered the house, the Fang family members came over.

Fang Wen introduced him to his father: "This is Master Jingyuan, my bodyguard's master. We invited him to celebrate the New Year with us."

Although Fang's father was a Buddhist, he was the kind of person who would visit any temple he saw. When he saw the old Taoist priest with white hair, a youthful face, and an air of otherworldly wisdom, he immediately greeted him warmly.

Upon hearing that the old Taoist priest was over eighty years old yet in such good health, they became even more enthusiastic.

That's good; the older generation doesn't have a generation gap when they talk, and Fang Wen is happy to see that happen.

At this moment, the second son of the Fang family, along with the fourth sister and her husband, and the sixth sister, came over together.

Since coming to Wuhan, the second son of the Fang family no longer has to fight with his eldest brother for the family property every day. His horizons have also broadened. In the past two years, he has not quarreled with his eldest brother anymore. His behavior and dress have also gradually become more Westernized. The long robes and mandarin jackets of the past have been replaced by suits and trousers.

There's a reason why my fourth sister and brother-in-law came to celebrate the New Year. There's currently war going on in Zhejiang Province, so my brother-in-law moved his family to Wuhan in advance. They live next door, and to make the New Year more festive, the two families celebrated together.

The sixth sister, who had been studying in Europe for over a year, had also changed a lot. She was now wearing heavy, glamorous makeup, a cheongsam, and high heels.

Fang Wen frowned: "Sixth brother, I sent you to a girls' school, where dressing like this is forbidden. Where did you learn this from?"

Sixth Sister scoffed, "Fifth Brother, I only realized how shallow I was after I went to Europe. I'm going to drop out of that girls' school you arranged for me and switch to a comprehensive university. I don't need your help this time; I'll get in through the entrance exam, and you won't have to pay for the tuition."

Fang Wen joked, "Is this still the same Sixth Sister who used to be so easily fooled?"

When she touched on Lao Liu's sore spot, she couldn't help but stomp her foot.

Fang, the eldest brother, stepped in to smooth things over: "Sisters, stop arguing. It's best to be harmonious during the New Year. How about we get together and play mahjong?"

Mahjong is actually a game of mahjong, which evolved from the game of Ma Diao in the Ming Dynasty. Although it was not popular for very long, it became the most popular form of entertainment among the middle class in the Republic of China.

Playing mahjong during the Chinese New Year is a common activity in many large families.

Fang Wen certainly wouldn't spoil his brothers' and sisters' fun.

He then sat down and started playing mahjong with his eldest brother, second brother, and fourth sister.

Sixth Sister, sitting behind Fang Wen, said, "Fifth Brother, I don't know how to play mahjong. Why don't we play together? If you win, we'll split the winnings; if you lose, I'll pay half."

The fourth sister, who had just arrived from Changde a few days ago, laughed and said, "Sixth brother is getting smarter and smarter. If you lose, your fifth brother will definitely not let you pay. If you win, you'll make a profit for free."

"This is between me and Fifth Brother, it's none of your business," Sixth Sister replied with a pout, no longer the silly little girl she used to be.

After two rounds of mahjong, the outcome was immediately clear.

For some reason, Fang Wen always had good luck when it came to gambling.

Even without deliberately trying to win big, as long as you get a winning hand, you can get a self-draw.

The two older brothers and one older sister quit.

Fang Laoda said with a bitter face: "Fifth brother, you're such a big boss, don't you know how to let us win? In 2 rounds and 8 hands, you won by self-draw four times."

Fang Lao Er handed over his chips: "That's all, I didn't win a single hand."

Even Fang Wen's closest sister, his fourth sister, complained, "My little brother, your sister earns her money through hard work selling tung oil. How could you bear to beat me?"

Well, since things have come to this point, Fang Wen has no choice but to leave and let Sixth Sister take over. She doesn't know how, so he can only ask Kuang Mingzhu, who is in the living room talking with the old ladies.

"Mingzhu, why don't you come to the table and play a few rounds with them? They don't want to play with me."

"I was talking to my mom. Besides, I don't usually play mahjong."

"Go ahead, it's the New Year, you should relax a bit. I know you can play."

"Ok."

Kuang Mingzhu got up and went to take over from Fang Wen.

Fang Wenze sat down next to his mother.

Although she was my biological mother, I had no emotional support for her.

Fang Wen felt a little uncomfortable.

He picked up an orange: "Mom, let me peel an orange for you."

Fang's mother nodded with a smile.

As he peeled the orange, Fang Wen couldn't help but wonder what would happen to the Fang Wen who had swapped bodies with him in the future, with the soul of a person from the Republic of China era.

Perhaps he will become a painter, calligrapher, or scholar of classical literature, since he should be quite good at these areas.

Brushing aside his thoughts, Fang Wen handed the peeled orange to his mother.

I had some intimate conversations with my mother.

The fourth sister, who was playing cards, handed her seat to her husband and came over. The two, who are siblings, sat next to their mother, creating a rare and heartwarming scene.

Until Aunt Wu and the others brought the prepared food to the table.

Master Fang stood up: "Stop playing around, let's have our family reunion dinner."

Then, the whole family gathered together for a reunion dinner.

Fang Wen also specially invited Wu Ma, Chuncao, and Qiuju, saying, "Come along, you've all worked hard too."

Aunt Wu was surprised and quickly waved her hand. "No, I can't sit at the host's table. Son-in-law, please don't worry about us. We have our own food, so as not to spoil everyone's fun."

Spring grass and autumn chrysanthemums are the same; they don't want to be served together.

If this were Fang Wen's own home, they wouldn't have these kinds of rules, but in public, it's essential to maintain the son-in-law's dignity.

Seeing this, Fang Wen said no more and took his seat.

According to the seating arrangement among the brothers, he sat at the very back on the left, below his fourth brother-in-law. To his left were Master Fang and his three wives. To his right, first was an elder from his fourth brother-in-law's family, followed by Daoist Jingyuan, then his fourth sister, sixth sister, and Gong Xiuneng, who had been forcibly dragged to the table. The children had a separate table.

Gong Xiuneng, sitting next to the sixth young lady of the Fang family, was very reserved and uncomfortable, not even knowing where to put his hands.

The sixth sister couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle, but her fourth sister tugged at her clothes.

Fang Wen, who was on the other side, saw this scene and his heart stirred.

Could it be that Gong Xiu could like Sixth Sister?
A Taoist priest and a Westernized woman who has studied abroad—this pairing is rather odd.

From his perspective, Gong Xiuneng was a good husband—responsible, devoted, and far better than those playboys.

If Sixth Sister continues down this path, she might end up ruining her life. It would be better for her to find someone who likes her and whom she can accept.

With this in mind, Fang Wen made some plans.

The meal lasted two hours, after which everyone started playing cards and chatting.

Waiting for 12 o'clock to arrive.

Fang Wen deliberately walked over to the card table, pretending to watch his wife play cards, and casually started chatting.

"This year, I've prepared some homemade fireworks for the Spring Festival, which I plan to set off on the 12th to add some festive cheer to the city."

Everyone is interested in this.

Sixth Sister turned to her and asked, "Fifth Brother, let me put it down."

The eldest and second eldest sons, along with the third sister's child, also came over.

"Fifth Uncle, I want to set off firecrackers."

"I also want."

Fang Wen laughed and said, "Okay, but the fireworks I prepared are a bit too powerful. I don't trust you to leave them here. How about this, Gong Xiuneng, come here."

Gong Xiuneng, who was chatting with his master, walked over.

Fang Wen ordered, "You accompany my sixth sister and these children to set off fireworks."

Gong Xiuneng blushed immediately.

Fang Wen said coldly, "What? You're a grown man, and you don't dare to set off firecrackers?"

"No, no. Yes, Commander." Gong Xiuneng stood at attention.

The way he stood up straight and spoke seriously was quite handsome, which made Sixth Sister look at him with new eyes.

Immediately afterward, when the radio announced the time, Gong Xiuneng carried a large pile of fireworks to the rooftop.

Sixth Sister and the children followed behind, running upstairs.

The rest of the Fang family, along with Wu Ma and the others, walked out the gate and stood in the open space, ready to enjoy the beautiful sight of the New Year's fireworks.

Gong Xiuneng carefully lit the first firework. Sparks flew everywhere, and then with a loud "bang," a dazzling beam of light shot straight into the sky, exploding instantly in the air and turning into countless colorful sparks, like blooming flowers, illuminating the night sky in a breathtakingly beautiful display.

This dazzling, specially made firework display became the best decoration for the 38th Spring Festival in Wuhan.

Then, more fireworks were lit, bursting into bloom in the night sky—red like fire, yellow like gold, green like jade—each color representing a different blessing and hope. Some fireworks streaked across the sky like shooting stars, leaving dazzling trails; others unfolded like giant umbrellas, slowly covering half the sky; still others seemed like countless tiny sprites leaping in the air, shimmering with enchanting light. Each burst of fireworks was accompanied by the excited screams of children and the exclamations of praise from adults, filling the air with an atmosphere of happiness and joy.

The light of the fireworks shone on everyone's faces, making everyone's eyes sparkle with hope. It was as if, at this moment, all worries and sorrows were taken away by the magnificent fireworks, leaving only endless anticipation and longing for the future.

The Spring Festival is still ongoing. From the first day of the Lunar New Year to the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth, people pay New Year's visits, worship gods, pay respects to ancestors, and visit each other's homes. There are many happy things to do, and it is also a time for everyone to relax.

But for Fang Wen, things couldn't continue like this.

He has too many things to do these days, and he needs to make preparations before the Spring Festival ends.

Therefore, he only attended part of the Spring Festival social obligations. He gave the lucky money to the younger generation, visited his fourth sister's husband's family on the second day of the Lunar New Year, and then started doing his own things.

As he became busy, Gong Xiuneng also had to go into a state of alert, and the old Taoist priest also prepared to leave.

Fang Wen wanted to fly him back to the mountain.

The old Taoist priest refused, saying, "No, I'd rather travel around. Since I attained enlightenment in the sky, I've benefited immensely. I should take advantage of my remaining mobility to travel more in this world."

Seeing this, Fang Wen did not press the matter, but asked, "I heard Gong Xiu Neng say that many years ago, you took him to Sichuan and saw something similar to this."

He took out a small bronze tripod and handed it to the old Taoist priest.

The old Taoist priest examined the object in his hand, then closed his eyes to feel it.

He exclaimed in surprise, "How much incense and offerings has this received?"

Fang Wen replied, "I got these items from the United States. They came from the ruins of an ancient Native American tribe and were probably artifacts used in their rituals over the years. But the items should date back to the Shang and Zhou dynasties. I've never understood why they ended up in the hands of a primitive tribe in the Americas."

The old Taoist priest didn't know why this was the case either, he recalled.

“I have indeed seen something similar to it. It was 26 years ago, in the third year of the Xuantong reign of the Qing Dynasty. A revolutionary wave was sweeping across the country. I took my 6-year-old son, Gong Xiuneng, from the Jinniu Ancient Road to Guangyuan to visit my old friend in Hanzhou.”

Fang Wen listened attentively as the old Taoist priest recounted events from over twenty years ago.

At that time, the Xinhai Revolution had just broken out.

The old Taoist priest started from the Qinling Mountains, taking the ancient Jinniu Road that led into Sichuan in ancient times. He passed through Mian County, Ningqiang County, and other places, and finally arrived in Guangyuan, Sichuan.

Then we traveled to the Hanzhou region, north of Chengdu.

It was there that his old friend took him to a treasure appreciation event, where there was an object that had the same feel to it.

The object was a bronze serpent staff, exquisitely crafted and lifelike. As soon as it was taken out, it attracted bidding from many parties, which even led to a large-scale brawl.

At that time, the Taoist priest heard some local anecdotes from his old friend.

When Qin Shi Huang unified China, he also destroyed two ancient kingdoms in Sichuan.

One is the ancient Ba Kingdom in eastern Sichuan, and the other is the ancient Shu Kingdom in central Sichuan.

The people of the two ancient kingdoms did not perish, but instead continued to live in seclusion in the Sichuan region.

The area around Hanzhou was the territory of the ancient Shu Kingdom, and the snake staff was probably an important artifact of the ancient Shu Kingdom, which is why there was such fierce competition for it.

(End of this chapter)