Zhu Yuanzhang, who commanded the wind and rain, lived a long and arduous life.

quickly,

Tian Fengfu arrived at a thatched hut.

This is his and his wife's home.

They are old and have no children. In addition, they are always on the go, so they don't have any requirements for their accommodation. As long as they can live there, that's fine.

"Grandpa Tian, ​​you're back."

A girl from next door was cleaning when she saw Tian Fengfu's figure and smiled.

Her gaze fell on the flowers in Tian Fengfu's hand, and her smile widened: "Wow, is this a birthday present for Grandma Chen?"

Tomorrow is the birthday of Chan Wai-lan.

This is something that all the neighbors know.

The neighbors, seeing that the elderly couple had no children, wanted to help them host a small birthday banquet, but Tian Fengfu said no, as it would cost money and there was no need for such trouble.

"Yes." Tian Fengfu walked into his courtyard. "Have you eaten?"

The girl smiled and nodded: "I'll eat."

She chatted with Tian Fengfu for a few more minutes before he returned home.

When he arrived at his room, Tian Fengfu had a smile on his face.

"Huilan, I'm back."

.

….….…….….….

The next day.

In the afternoon.

Inside Tianyun Temple,

Zhu Changye stood still, listening to the wishes of each pilgrim.

At that moment, his gaze fell on a young father beating his naughty child.

The children, being playful, tore down the candlesticks that were placed inside the temple and smashed them on the ground.

The child cried loudly, and the young father beat him so badly that Zhu Changye felt a pang of heartache watching it.

Despite his heartache, he also found it amusing.

This kid is really naughty. Among all the kids he's ever met, this kid is definitely in the top ten.

The lesson learned from his third son, Zhu Xingzu, taught him that children should be disciplined when they are young to learn their lesson. The saying "spare the rod and spoil the child" perfectly describes how parents educate their children.

"When we were little, our hands and feet were tied up; we only became sensible when we grew up." Zhu Changye thought of some old sayings.

After watching for a while.

Zhu Changye looked at the sky outside and felt that it was about time.

Then, he glanced at the child who had been beaten and then disciplined by the young father, shook his head with a smile, took a step, and disappeared from the spot.

"The family of Tian Fengfu".

The person disappeared, and a soft murmur rang out from the spot, then vanished into nothingness in the wind.

after a while.

Zhu Changye appeared near Tian Fengfu's house.

A woman was sweeping the floor, bending down to pick up the trash, when she heard a voice say, "May I ask where Tian Fengfu's home is?"

"Tian Fengfu? Old Master Tian? Over there... look, it's the third house after you turn over there."

The woman pointed in a direction.

"Hey... your voice sounds quite old-fashioned. Are you friends with Grandpa Tian... um?

The woman turned around, wanting to speak to Zhu Changye again, but she froze when she turned back.

There was no one behind me, only the howling wind and the falling leaves.

The woman looked back and forth.

"That's strange. Wasn't someone just asking me a question?" The woman was stunned and scratched her head.

She looked around and muttered to herself, "A hallucination? Or is some bastard playing a prank on me?"

Near Tian Fengfu's home.

Zhu Changye did not choose to teleport; instead, he strolled through the alley.

Walking through the alley, I saw many elderly people playing chess or working.

He also saw some elderly people acting like naughty children, refusing to take the medicine their daughters-in-law offered, and some elderly people talking to others, laughing heartily and showing their teethless mouths.

"A child is born without teeth, buttoning his clothes wrong, wearing them inside out, or sneezing with a runny nose. When people get old, they are also toothless, and they still button their clothes wrong, wear them inside out, or sneeze with a runny nose. They become more and more like children in front of their family members. They were children when they were young, and they are still 'children' when they are old. It's a cycle. They start as children, go through a lifetime, and return to being children. The beginning is also the end."

Zhu Changye recalled something an elder from Zhu Family Village had said long ago.

He said that the elderly are like children, and that the beginning and end of a person's life is a cycle.

We should love and care for our elderly parents. The elderly need our care and attention even more. They took care of you when you were young, and now that you're grown up, it's your turn to take care of them.

After walking for a while.

Zhu Changye stopped in front of a thatched hut.

He looked inside and saw that in the thatched hut, Tian Fengfu was sitting on the bed by the window, holding a book and reading the words from it to the person lying on the bed.

Tian Fengfu was also a scholar.

He was opening a book.

The last page.

Whenever Tian Fu had time, he would read ancient stories to Huilan.

After reading it.

Tian Fengfu looked at Huilan.

She sleeps soundly; she only woke up for two or three hours yesterday before falling back into a deep sleep.

She's been sleeping more and more lately. After taking her pulse, the doctor said it was because she's getting old and her strength is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain, so this is the only way she can stay alive.

Close the book.

Seeing that Huilan had not woken up, Tian Fengfu looked at the plum blossoms on the broken table next to him, his old face showing expectation and a smile.

He got up to put the books away and pour water.

As he poured water, Tian Fengfu noticed Huilan stirring and immediately went over to her: "Huilan, are you awake?"

"Rich."

Huilan slowly opened her old eyes and looked at the familiar, aged face beside her.

She tried to get up by supporting herself with her hands, and Tian Fengfu quickly went to help her, but Huilan refused, saying, "It's okay, I can manage on my own."

"Okay." Tian Fengfu noticed that Huilan was feeling much better than usual today. Before, she would have had some difficulty getting up on her own, but today she was much better.

He was happy for Huilan, and then he thought of plum blossoms.

Taking advantage of Huilan getting up, Tian Fengfu took the flowers and handed them to her.

"Happy birthday."

Huilan smiled warmly, her old face beaming, "Thank you."

She looked at Tian Fengfu with guilt in her eyes. She knew very well that her health was deteriorating and she couldn't spend more time with the old man.

Since her health deteriorated, the task of finding Tian'er fell to Tian Fengfu alone. He had to search for her by himself, and each time he would tell her the results when she woke up.

Looking back over the years, their family used to be considered wealthy, but after all this, they have become poor.

But neither of them ever regretted it.

"I want to go for a walk," Huilan said softly, looking out the window.

"well…."

Tian Fengfu quickly agreed. He went to help Huilan up, but found that she could get down on her own.

Upon seeing this, Tian Fengfu was pleasantly surprised.

"I feel much lighter today." Huilan was happy to see Tian Fengfu so happy that she could get out of bed. She was happy too.

"It will be fine."

As Tian Fengfu spoke, he helped Huilan up and prepared to go for a walk in the garden.

A kind-hearted neighbor girl who kept checking on them noticed Tian Fengfu and Huilan's situation and rushed over, saying, "Oh dear, Grandpa Tian, ​​please be careful."

The girl was well aware of Huilan's physical condition. Tian Feng was doing well on his own, but if he helped Huilan, it would easily cause them to lose their balance and fall, which would be very bad.

But halfway there, she realized something was wrong.

Grandma Chen can walk on her own now.

He seems to be in great shape.

"This is... all better?" The girl showed the same surprised expression as Tian Fengfu.

"Ye Ye, it's okay, we can do it ourselves," Tian Fengfu said, deciding not to trouble the girl who had always taken good care of them.

The girl looked on, feeling a little uneasy.

However, remembering that it was Grandma Chen's birthday, she remained silent, nodded in agreement, and made up her mind to keep a close watch on things later.

However, under her gaze, Tian Fengfu led Huilan out of the room.

Huilan walked slowly.

She greeted some old friends along the way, and many elderly people came over to talk to them.

The neighbors all knew about the couple's situation and had tried to help, but unfortunately, they were unable to find their child.

Arriving at a pavilion, she and Tian Fengfu sat on chairs, enjoying the autumn breeze.

Tian Fengfu draped a coat over Huilan's shoulders, saying, "Don't catch a cold."

"The wind isn't as cool as it was yesterday," Huilan nodded and smiled.

After a while.

Huilan couldn't help but ask, uttering a question she often asked: "Tian'er... is there any news?"

She says this every time she wakes up.

This has become her obsession, her lifelong obsession.

Although she knew each time it would be disappointing news, otherwise Tian Fengfu would have told her immediately, she still couldn't help but ask, "What if? What if there's news?"

Just as they have not given up looking for their child, they pray at every temple in every county that is believed to be efficacious. This is a belief they have held in their hearts all their lives and has never changed.

"No."

Tian Fengfu shook his head.

He thought of the fortune slip he had drawn yesterday: "Speaking of which, I do have a gift for you."

"We've been married for so long, why are you giving me a gift?" Huilan said, both amused and exasperated.

Tian Fengfu smiled broadly: "We should cherish things more when we get old, shouldn't we? This is a fortune slip I got yesterday from Tianyun Temple, which is known for its accuracy. It's a medium-good fortune slip, and it says we will find Tian'er within three years."

"really?!"

Huilan was slightly startled, and immediately took the slip of paper to examine it: "It really is...it really is..."

A satisfied smile graced her aged face as she stroked the red slip of paper back and forth, as if caressing their child, Tian'er.

"The gift was originally supposed to be plum blossoms, but I drew this fortune slip yesterday, so I'm giving it as a gift," Tian Fengfu lied.

Huilan nodded silently, her heart filled with affection for the fortune slip.

This is what she considers the best birthday gift.

This gave her the motivation to keep living and wait for Tian'er to come back.

She chatted with Tian Fengfu about what happened that day, what they did, what they ate, and which old man had become confused again.

"By the way, a few days ago Old Yun [the neighbor] said he wanted to come over for a visit. I guess it will be in the next day or two. I don't know when he will come. If he does come, we should thank him properly. He often brings us a lot of eggs."

"Yes, we will." Tian Fengfu nodded. He felt the temperature getting colder and saw Huilan subconsciously pull her coat tighter. "It's getting windy, let's go back."

Huilan nodded.

Then Tian Fengfu helped her walk home. The girl watched silently the whole time. Seeing that they were safe and sound and had returned home safely, she breathed a sigh of relief and then dared to go about her own business.

In her room at home, Huilan sat on the bed.

She wanted to talk to Yutaka Wada for a while longer, but she found herself suddenly very tired, more sleepy and exhausted than ever before.

This kind of exhaustion is a complete exhaustion, as if I suddenly felt better today and used up all the last of my strength, and now that strength is about to disappear.

Could this be...?

Huilan had a thought: she was probably about to leave.

At that moment, she looked up at Tian Fengfu, her vision blurring, and she could barely see him.