Chapter 153: The Story of Zhūmáo Village

"Something's off..."

Watching the four people coming and going in the courtyard, Li Xian shook his head.

By his recollection, his mother should have moved here around this time as well. Could his grandmother's information have been inaccurate?

One of the key reasons he had purchased the property in the valley was to await the arrival of his grandfather's family.

According to the original timeline, his eldest uncle, who had just been released from prison after serving time for illegal trading, would start a small distillery here.

Then, a year later, an inexplicable fire would destroy the distillery and burn down a dozen nearby homes. His uncle, who had just been released, would be re-imprisoned for arson, completely crushing this talented and ambitious man. When he was finally released from prison at age forty, he would be so disconnected from society that he could only make a living driving trucks.

As for Old Zhu, Li Xian's original grandfather, the fire would mark the end of his family's century-old distilling tradition. A year later, he would move to Bajiu Forestry Farm, where he would open a small restaurant and spend the next decade or so drinking his life away until he suffered a stroke and became paralyzed.

Li Xian's grandmother, the gentle woman who held the family together through her son's two incarcerations and her husband's paralysis, would manage the entire household. She would use her skills in pottery, along with side jobs like sewing cigarette boxes, to take care of her disabled husband for more than a decade.

In this environment, both of their daughters, from a modern perspective, didn't exactly find good marriages.

Whenever he thought about these things, Li Xian had always considered it fate. But now that he had returned to a time before the fire, he felt compelled to do something. Even though he was no longer related to the Zhu family by blood in this era, his memories made it impossible for him to remain indifferent.

Even if he couldn't become part of their family now, he was determined to help them live happy lives—something he had resolved to do upon his return.

After standing outside the gate for a long time, Li Xian finally decided to find out about his mother and walked toward the house. Just as he was approaching, he collided head-on with Zhu Juan, who had just come out to gather firewood.

"Ah!"

Despite her robust appearance, Zhu Juan was still a young woman who hadn't yet married. Physically, she couldn't match the strength of a grown man, so the collision knocked her down onto her backside.

She cried out in surprise, and as she got up and recognized Li Xian, she immediately jumped up and shouted, "Hey! It's you?!"

Li Xian, who was rubbing his chest where he felt like he had taken internal damage from the collision, looked at the shocked Zhu Juan and smiled.

"What are you doing here? Weren't you looking for the brick kiln? How did you end up here?" After the "Aunt" incident earlier, Zhu Juan clearly didn't have a good impression of this scruffy boy, whose face was red in patches and peeling in others.

The commotion at the door drew the attention of the family, and seeing a stranger at the gate, everyone put down their work and gathered around.

"Juan'er, what's going on?" Old Zhu wiped the sweat from his brow and stood at the door, nodding toward Li Xian as he asked.

Zhu Juan glared at Li Xian, then walked over to Old Zhu and likely explained the situation about him asking for directions earlier. Old Zhu chuckled but quickly suppressed his laughter under his daughter's stern gaze. He walked up to Li Xian.

"Young man, are you from around here?"

"Ah, yes..." Li Xian was momentarily taken aback by seeing Zhu Dahe's wrinkle-free face and nimble legs. But he quickly reminded himself that he was an outsider in this time.

Suppressing his excitement, he pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and handed it to Old Zhu. "Yes, I'm from nearby. I just moved here too."

Zhu Dahe took the cigarette, looked at the "Zhonghua" brand on it, smelled it, but didn't light it. Instead, he tucked it behind his ear.

When he looked at Li Xian again, his gaze had softened, revealing a sense of camaraderie shared by fellow newcomers. He reached out a large hand and gave Li Xian a heavy pat on the shoulder. "Well! That's great; we'll be neighbors then!"

"Yes, yes," Li Xian nodded, glancing at Zhu Feng and Yang Shuzhen in the yard. "May I ask your names?"

"Ah!" Old Zhu realized he had forgotten to introduce himself to the visitor. He then introduced himself and the other members of the family in the courtyard.

After listening to Old Zhu's introduction, Li Xian pretended to sigh. "Uncle Zhu, you have a son and a daughter, you're truly blessed!"

Upon hearing this, Old Zhu laughed heartily.

He proudly patted his chest. "That's right! And not just a son and daughter—I also have a son serving in the military in Jilin, named Zhu Shan. And there's still our youngest daughter, Zhu Jing, who's learning a trade with a master in Hailin right now. She'll be here in a few days! Young man, you..."

That's it! It all matches up!

Li Xian clenched his fist and tightly closed his eyes.

Yes, his mother had mentioned learning tailoring when she was young. She must be in Hailin now!

When he opened his eyes again, he saw Old Zhu looking at him with a puzzled expression. "So, which family are you from nearby?"

Li Xian smiled slightly and pointed in the direction of the large house. "Just over there. The house is too old, so we haven't moved in yet; we're still fixing it up. Oh, and my name is Li Xian!"

After confirming that Zhu Jing hadn't arrived yet and realizing it wasn't appropriate to show too much familiarity, Li Xian chatted briefly with Zhu Dahe about the local area before taking his leave.

Even after returning to his house, Li Xian couldn't contain his excitement.

At the estate, the others couldn't make heads or tails of why Li Xian was grinning from ear to ear after just a trip to the brick kiln.

Wang Laosan watched as Li Xian strolled past, hands behind his back, humming a tune, and even winking at him. Scratching his head, Wang Laosan remarked, "Did our second brother find a stash of cash or something?"

"Doesn't seem like it... Even finding a wife wouldn't make him this happy..."

Beside him, Wang Laowu shook his head.

Just as everyone was bewildered by Li Xian's sudden, inexplicable joy, someone walked into the courtyard.

Seeing the bustling activity in the courtyard, the newcomer looked around and, confirming that the house was being cleaned, sneered and said, "Ha, someone actually bought this dump? Tsk, tsk... Aren't you afraid of being haunted at night?"

Hearing this, Wang Qinghe, who was clearing the trash from the yard, was not pleased. "Do you even know how to talk? If you don't, shut your mouth; nobody will mistake you for a mute."

"Bada bada!"

Beside him, Zhang Yaba mumbled something in agreement.

Seeing that neither of them seemed to be the owner of the house, the newcomer snorted and ignored them, striding into the yard.

When he saw Li Xian, who had just taken out a Grand Tutor chair from the warehouse and was now lounging under the eaves, soaking up the sun, the newcomer's eyes widened.

"Damn it, it's you? Ha! I should have known!"

Lost in thought about how to find an excuse to visit the Zhu family again, Li Xian heard the voice and turned his head.

Seeing who it was, the smile on his face faded, and he frowned.

"What are you doing here?"