latelenovela Chapter 369 Guest Elder Zhongli
Chapter 369 Guest Elder Zhongli
After chatting for a while, Bai Shu examined the old man's body and his expression became somewhat grave.
Seeing this, the old man understood some of the answer and directly asked how many days were left.
Bai Shu was taken aback, not expecting the old man to ask so directly.
The old man chuckled, "The head of the Rebirth Hall has seen so many people off, so this is something we've gotten used to."
Bai Zhu gave the old man some instructions on what to do next, saying that things might improve, but matters of life and death were indeed beyond his control.
The old man accepted Atractylodes macrocephala's words without hesitation.
After leaving Bubulu, the old man carried the medicine and slowly walked back. As he passed Yunhan Society, he heard bursts of opera music.
Judging from the tone of the voice, the old man figured it was a girl from the Yun family performing today, so he prepared to leave. But then he changed his mind and headed towards the Yunhan Society.
As the old man had predicted, the eldest daughter of the Yun family was performing on stage today. This girl had a beautiful voice, and her opera style not only inherited the traditions of her ancestors but also pioneered new styles, surpassing them in many ways.
A few years ago, a girl was born. He had met her; she was exquisitely beautiful, just like his daughter, Xiao Tao, and was destined to be a beauty. He wondered which boy she would marry when she grew up. Thinking of this, the old man felt a pang of sadness, wondering if he would ever see Xiao Tao get married.
Oh well, each generation has its own affairs, this old man won't worry about it anymore.
Looking at the woman on stage, the old man's thoughts drifted away again. He had heard that her daughter, Yun Jin, had some talent for opera since childhood, but the old man had never seen her perform on stage. Well, she was only a few years older than his Xiao Tao, still quite young.
Thinking of this, the old man felt sorry for Xiao Hutao working so hard outside, and at the same time, he hated his own body for being so weak.
The old man felt somewhat helpless. He had only come up to listen to a segment of the opera because he didn't know if he would be able to listen to it again, but now he was thinking about all sorts of nonsense.
Just then, a deep voice came from behind, "Old sir, are you feeling somewhat agitated?"
The old man looked over and saw a refined young man walking towards him, looking at him with a puzzled expression. The young man was sitting to his side and behind him, and the two were sitting at a table. However, the old man had been distracted and had not noticed the young man.
He knew this young man, who sometimes came back to listen to operas. His name was Zhongli, and he had heard that he was a learned junior.
However, he genuinely didn't know which family this young man from suddenly appeared in Liyue Harbor belonged to. As the head of the Hall of Rebirth, he should have some knowledge of the families, big and small, in Liyue Harbor, so this was quite unusual.
That's normal, though. Liyue Harbor is so big, how could he possibly know everything about it?
The old man smiled and waved his hand, "As you get older, you inevitably have more things to think about."
Zhongli glanced at the medicine bag on the table. "Birth, aging, sickness, and death are indeed normal phenomena. It seems the old master has just returned from Bubulu? Is he feeling unwell?"
The old man nodded, "It's just a minor problem, nothing to worry about."
Zhongli took a sip of tea. "Old Master, you must take care of your health. Otherwise, it will be a great loss for both the Hall of Rebirth and Liyue."
The old man chuckled, "I would love to keep going for another twenty or thirty years, but alas, I'm too old. I'll leave the rest to the younger generation. If Lord Yan is fortunate enough to keep me healthy, perhaps I can continue for a few more years." With that, the old man looked at the woman on the stage and nodded in approval.
"Yun family girl, your opera singing is getting better and better." After saying that, he looked at Zhongli and asked with some curiosity, "You're so young, why do you have such a great interest in opera? Don't you think it's an old-fashioned thing?"
The elderly had wanted to ask this question for a long time. For young people, although opera is a traditional performance, it is ultimately lacking in flavor. Compared to these old things, they prefer to pursue exciting and energetic things.
But Zhongli, who was standing right in front of him, was always there waiting for him whenever he came to watch the opera, which made the old man feel strange.
I've been struggling to find the opportunity before, so I've put it aside. I'll take this chance to chat for a bit.
Upon hearing this, Zhongli pondered for a moment. "As for opera, it's a performance form that emerged from various cultural developments after the founding of Liyue. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the soul of Liyue. I have great respect for it. It mainly focuses on telling stories. Listening to opera is not just about listening to the performance, but also about experiencing and reminiscing about the stories from the past. You can learn a lot from it. The old gentleman said that opera is outdated, but I disagree. I believe that although the objects are old, they have developed their own unique culture over the years."
Zhongli lowered his head and gazed at the tea leaves in the cup, and slowly said, "Some things, like aged wine and strong tea, become more flavorful and have a long-lasting aftertaste the longer they are stored."
The old man nodded and smiled. “It is I who have a stereotype of you young people. Since you have such an understanding of opera, what is your opinion on the Hall of Rebirth, which some say is a funeral place for corpses, while others say it is a place that provides services for the dead to find peace and let the soul rest in peace?”
Zhongli thought for a moment and then slowly began to speak, “Legend has it that in ancient times, the Hall of Rebirth was a comprehensive organization used to handle various affairs. However, it gradually evolved into a specialized service for sending the deceased to their resting place. Regarding the old gentleman's question, it can be summarized as: does the Hall of Rebirth send away corpses or souls? There are two viewpoints. Generally speaking, Zhongli believes this service is more like a ‘collective transport’…”
……
After Zhongli finished answering, the old man asked Zhongli a few more questions from other perspectives, and Zhongli responded to each one without the slightest impatience.
The old man nodded to himself after hearing Zhongli's description. This young man named Zhongli had his own understanding of the issues, especially the "joint transport" at the Hall of Rebirth.
To be honest, sometimes he never imagined that the services at the burial hall would have such significance. He truly is a promising young man.
In terms of his character, he didn't show the slightest impatience even when his own old man caught him and asked so many questions. Such qualities are truly rare among young people.
if……
Thinking of this, the old man asked, "Young friend Zhongli, where are you working now?"
“Just a leisurely person who sometimes comes to listen to operas to cultivate his mind, that’s all…” Zhongli shook his head.
The old man frowned slightly. "Could it be that he has someone to rely on at home?"
"Zhongli lives alone at home, and usually keeps me company with a few close friends. This is enough for me in this life."
Zhongli's words put the old man in a dilemma. He had originally wanted Zhongli to work at the Hall of Rebirth, believing that with his personality and knowledge, he would be of great help and could even take care of Hu Tao after he was gone. However, he wondered if Zhongli was reliable given his carefree nature.
After much thought, the old man decided not to make a stereotype about a person based on appearances, so he said, "If young friend Zhongli has not yet achieved a high position, would you mind coming to my Hall of Rebirth?"
Zhongli remained silent.
The old man continued, "If young friend Zhongli is worried about his freedom, he can come to my Rebirth Hall as a guest elder. He doesn't need to go around looking for business like a regular waiter; he just needs to sit in the hall and help out."
Zhongli remained silent. Seeing this, the old man understood the answer in his heart. After all, among adults, silence meant refusal.
"If you don't want to..."
"Do you have Mora?"
Zhongli suddenly spoke up. He had been silent just now because he was thinking about how long his Mora would last this month.
Upon hearing Zhongli's question about Mora, the old man paused for a moment, then laughed heartily, "Of course there is!"
"In that case, Zhongli agreed."
"Alright, alright, after the opera ends, let's go to the Hall of Rebirth together," the old man said, looking at Zhongli with great joy.
Yoseidou
Hu Tao paced anxiously back and forth, looking at the busy people in the Rebirth Hall. A surge of anger welled up inside her. "Grandpa wants to go out, are you just going to watch? Can't you stop him?!"
Everyone felt wronged, "Young Master Hu, we can't stop him from going wherever he wants."
"We can't stop him? So what if we can't stop him! Can't you all go with him? What if something happens to his health now!"
Hu Tao, seething with anger, left everyone speechless.
Just as Hu Tao was about to go out to look for them, two figures came together.
Hu Tao was initially delighted, but then her face darkened as she looked at the aged figure.
Seeing Hu Tao's behavior, the old man felt guilty and avoided looking at her.
Hu Tao approached the man and said bluntly, "You promised to wait for me to come back! Why did you run off on your own!"
The old man looked flustered, his eyes darting around, like a child caught sneaking off to play by their parents. Hu Tao, on the other hand, was domineering, like a stern elder, now angry at her own child's misbehavior.
The two switched roles, and Zhong Li couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.
Hu Tao glared at him immediately, and Zhong Li then resumed his usual icy expression, as if he wanted to keep strangers away.
The old man spoke up gently, "Xiao Tao, let's talk about it when we get back. Everyone's watching."
Hu Tao snorted and went to the old man's side to help him up. She took the medicine bag from him and muttered, "You knew they were watching, yet you still sneaked out."
"It's because Xiao Tao is too tired all day long, and it breaks my heart to see her like this," the old man said with a smile.
Hu Tao was unconvinced and looked at Zhong Li beside her with a puzzled expression, "Who is this?"
The old man suddenly realized, "I almost forgot about the important matter. Since everyone is here, I'll just say it."
The old man gathered everyone and announced Zhongli's identity as a guest elder of the Hall of Rebirth. Not only Hu Tao, but everyone else was also puzzled.
Seeing everyone's doubts, the old man told everyone to say whatever they wanted, that the ancestral hall belonged to everyone, and that they could treat it as their own home.
Therefore, some people felt that the old man's decision was somewhat hasty. They had all started as waiters, so why was this young man immediately appointed as a guest elder? With the old man's tacit approval, everyone asked Zhongli questions, and Zhongli answered them one by one, leaving no room for doubt. Only then did everyone become somewhat convinced. In addition, since the old master himself had spoken, they could not say anything more.
And so, Zhongli became a guest of the Hall of Rebirth.
Hu Tao sized up the new guest elder named Zhong Li, her eyes filled with thoughts.
This guy has had an ice-cold face from the very beginning. What, does he not know how to smile?
Hmm... I guess he's a clueless guy, with an old-fashioned vibe, pretty rigid. I'd better stay away from him in the future.