Chapter 18 My name is Li Daoxuan

"Old lady, there may be something bad happening in your family."

Li Daoxuan's words made the old woman panic. She quickly withdrew her hand and looked at him angrily.

"I gave you the food out of kindness, why are you slandering my family affairs like this? I am filial, and so is my daughter-in-law. We are usually very loving and affectionate, so how could there be any bad luck? You, young master, can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want."

The old woman scolded, completely different from her kind appearance just now. Her face was more wrinkled and her expression was mostly angry.

Seeing her refutation, Li Daoxuan was not angry. He just gently covered the porcelain bottle, put it into the package, looked at the old woman and said, "I just observed the earth pattern of grandma, it is the sign of Yin deficiency and Yang decline. If I guess correctly, grandma always feels cold hands and feet and stiff limbs when she is at home. She also has back pain and a feeling of cold air entering the body. She always has no appetite and does not want to eat at home, but it is different when she is outside. Am I right?"

Hearing this, the old woman was a little flustered. Because the young master's words completely described how she was at home, and even her own feelings were known clearly. It is difficult to describe such things so accurately if you don't experience them yourself.

Unconsciously, the old woman's voice lost its anger. She looked at Li Daoxuan in panic, still trying to explain: "It's just that it's always like this in the cold spring season."

"Really?" Li Daoxuan drank the soup in the bowl, then put on his bag and smiled at the old woman. "Then if your daughter-in-law doesn't like to go out on weekdays, doesn't like to eat chicken and dog meat at home, eats less on weekdays and likes sandalwood. It's almost the New Year, and you haven't even posted the door god couplets at home? Is it because your daughter-in-law doesn't allow you to post them?"

The older woman became more and more frightened as she listened. Li Daoxuan's words were accurate to the letter. He explained everything clearly, just as if he were at home.

The old woman's voice became completely weak, and even pleaded: "This is indeed similar to what the young master said. It's just my wife's daily living habits. It's nothing."

"Habit? Doesn't the mother-in-law find this habit very strange? Let me ask one more question. Does the mother-in-law's house often have dead rats, centipedes and the like? And does the daughter-in-law your son brought back not even have her parents' home?" Li Daoxuan's words hit the old woman's heart like a heavy hammer. She stood there in a daze for a long time. Because what the young master said was exactly right. When her son brought his daughter-in-law back, he said that her parents were killed by thieves.

Dead mice and centipedes did appear inexplicably in the house, but the daughter-in-law said it was all the cat's fault.

The old woman suddenly remembered that she had never had a cat at home, and the neighbors around her didn't have cats either, so where did the cat her daughter-in-law was talking about come from? Thinking about these things carefully, the old woman couldn't help but shudder. She seemed to understand something, and a look of fear flowed from her dim old eyes.

"What's going on?" The old woman looked at Li Daoxuan in a panic. She pleaded in her voice, and frantically took out money from the drawer of the stall. Passers-by were curious, but no one watched. After all, it was just a matter between an old woman and a young man, and in the eyes of passers-by, it was not worth gossiping about.

"All this money, all this money can be given to you. Please also give me some advice on the situation at home. I only have one son. Nothing can happen to him. If anything happens to him, how can I explain to his father and grandfather when I go down?" The old woman's voice was full of helplessness and fear. Tears welled up in her eyes and her rough palms trembled constantly.

Once she thought through all the details of what was happening at home, even if the old woman was confused, she knew that something was wrong at home. But she was just an old woman, and even if she knew about it, she didn't know what to do.

She wanted to give all the copper coins in her hand to Li Daoxuan, but Li Daoxuan held the old woman's hand and said with a smile, "Old lady, there is no need to do this. You just gave me some wontons, so take it as a reward for your gift."

As Li Daoxuan spoke, he took out a talisman from the package, handed it to the old woman and told her what to pay attention to.

"And stick it in a place in the house that is not easily noticed, but it cannot be exposed to water or fire. Every day, soak 36 pieces of rice in wine and pour it in the corner of the house. After 14 days, the house will be safe and there will be no trouble in and out. If there is no improvement by then, come to find me here. Remember, don't let your mother-in-law, your daughter-in-law and your son know, otherwise it will be easy to fail." Li Daoxuan gave many instructions, and the old woman was naturally grateful. She carefully put away the talisman, looked at Li Daoxuan and asked curiously: "I wonder where the young master got this master?"

"I'm going to Maoshan to become a disciple of Changming Zhenren." Li Daoxuan left with his sleeves swung after he finished speaking, and soon he disappeared from the street. The old woman watched him go away, touched the talisman in her pocket, and slowly breathed a sigh of relief. But thinking about her family, she didn't want to do the wonton business anymore. After packing up the stall, she carried the load on her shoulder and walked home.

"So you are a young Taoist priest. I will thank you in the future." The old woman muttered to herself and quickly left the original street.

As for the little Taoist priest she was thinking about, he was now standing at the intersection, confused and at a loss as to what to do.

"Fuck, I'm lost again! I should have asked that old lady." Li Daoxuan scratched his head in regret.

After some trouble and inquiries, Li Daoxuan finally found his way home. Following the directions given by others, he arrived in front of a unique mansion. Looking at the mansion from a distance, Li Daoxuan felt a little flustered.

He tightly grasped the package on his body, as if this could give him some sense of security. Fortunately, there were few people coming and going here, and no one would look at his stiff posture. After hesitating for a long time, he dared not take a step forward. Finally, he could not wait any longer, so Li Daoxuan gritted his teeth and walked to the front of the mansion.

There are two stone lions standing in front of the gate. Although the gate is not very unique, it is obvious that it is not something that ordinary people can afford.

There was a plaque hanging on the gate, with the words "Poetry and Wine" inscribed on it.

This is exactly the home of Li Daoxuan's biological parents, but after being separated for so many years, he can't even remember what the Li family looks like.

There was a big red lantern hanging at the door with the word "Fu" written on it. The walls had been painted, looking exceptionally clean. Standing in front of the door, Li Daoxuan took a deep breath, and his heartbeat could be heard in the quiet surroundings.

He reached out his hand and pressed on the copper ring, knocking hard a few times. The knocking sound echoed in the street, standing out particularly loudly.

Not long after, a voice came from the courtyard, shouting, "Who is it? Why are you here so late?"

Footsteps approached, and the door was opened. A middle-aged man who looked like a servant opened the door and leaned out to look at Li Daoxuan.

He looked Li Daoxuan up and down. He was dressed neatly and looked clean, unlike those children from lower-class families. A puzzled look appeared in his eyes, and he asked politely, "Sir, what brings you to your house?"

"It's me." Li Daoxuan stuttered, but finally gave his own name.

"My name is Li Daoxuan, Dao means Taoist and Xuan means Xuanmen."

(End of this chapter)