Chapter 21 Homecoming
Li Daoxuan woke up from his sleep, rubbed his face and prepared to get up and wash. He had developed a habit in the temple, and his habit of sleeping late in his previous life had been corrected a lot. The most important thing was that there was nothing to entertain himself at night. Without a mobile phone and TV, there was no other fun to do when he was not sleeping.

But just as he stepped on the ground, the door was pushed open. A maid with pigtails came in with hot water and helped him undress and wash without asking for his opinion. He was quite passive, and finally he had to persuade the maid to step back a few steps and wash his face with hot water.

She wore the prepared clothes, which were all loose cotton jackets, but the embroidery on them was very delicate, and it was obvious that it was something only a rich family could wear.

When all is done, it's time for breakfast.

The breakfast at the Li family was richer than that at the mountain. Li Daoxuan felt relieved when he smelled the long-lost aroma of meat. He had eaten too much Chinese cabbage, and even this bland stew tasted like delicacies from the mountains and the sea. Not to mention that the chef at home was quite skilled, so this stew was quite good.

After breakfast, Madam Li asked someone to call Li Daoxuan over. After passing through the eaves corridor, he arrived in front of his stepmother's room. The windows of this room were all inlaid with glass, and the four sides were clean and tidy. It was somewhat similar to the ancient house in his impression. But compared to those houses used for exhibitions, this place is now full of life.

It was not until this moment that Li Daoxuan truly realized what era he had come to.

"Xuan'er, come in quickly." Madam Li called from inside the room. Li Daoxuan gathered his thoughts and pushed the door open. According to etiquette, he greeted Madam Li good morning and stood up amid her joyful laughter.

At first glance, the room was separated by a screen and the floor was covered with a red carpet. In front of the dressing table, Madam Li was dressing in front of the mirror, and two girls stood beside her. One was dressed as a maid, and the other was wearing a short coat and a horse mask, looking much more delicate and lively.

The clothing style seems to have a Western flavor, probably because of the rise of the Westernization Movement, Nanjing has inherited Western culture. The Li family is one of the most important merchants in Nanjing, so naturally they have more contact with this aspect. After all, businessmen have always had a keen sense of smell, and naturally they can also learn the experience of getting rich from the West.

Madam Li called him in and pointed to the beautifully dressed girl beside her and said, "This is your sister. I haven't seen her for many years. When you were two or three years old, your sister took care of you."

"...Sister." Li Daoxuan called out awkwardly. He was not used to calling a little girl sister. After all, his actual age was enough to be the girl's grandfather.

The girl didn't say anything. She came over and took Li Daoxuan's hand and looked at him with tears in her eyes. She hugged him when he wasn't paying attention, touched his head and said with a sob: "Little brother, you are finally back. I missed you so much after you left for so many years."

Li Daoxuan leaned in the girl's arms with no expression. He hated himself for being a little short. But it didn't matter, girls usually developed first, and he would grow tall in the future.

The two siblings talked about their feelings for a while, and then Mrs. Li took them out. The carriage was ready at the door, and the two concubines followed. After all, in this era, it was rarer than a giant panda for a rich man not to take a concubine, and the housewife would not mind her husband taking a concubine.

The two concubines also took their children on two other carriages and drove towards the outskirts of Jinling.

Madam Li said that Master Li and the eldest son had gone back to the old house to pack up, waiting for them to go back to worship their ancestors. But Madam Li thought that her youngest son would come back, so she stayed in Jinling for a few more days, and decided to return to the old house to spend the New Year after Li Daoxuan returned.

Although the journey was bumpy, it was much easier than when Li Daoxuan came back. Not only were the carriages better and more comfortable, but more importantly, there was no need to squeeze in with other people and get bumped around.

After leaving Chaoyang Gate, we headed east. The road was full of stone men and stone animals surrounded by wooden fences, and there were many people on the road. The Li family had dozens of people, and it was quite lively. The Li family's old house was not far from Jinling, and they arrived before the sun set. When the carriage stopped in front of a large courtyard, the sound of firecrackers could be heard from a distance.

When the car door opened and people walked out, Li Daoxuan saw the father and son of the Li family standing at the door of the old house. After all, among the group of people, the two of them were the most outstanding in their dress, so it would be difficult for him not to guess.

The scene of the father and son reuniting was inevitable. Mrs. Li wiped her tears, while Mr. Li hugged and squeezed him, looking left and right as if he wanted to be embedded in his body. The two concubines also had tears in their eyes, as if they were moved by the scene of the father and son reuniting.

Li Daoxuan felt disgusted and looked at his elder brother. He was fair and handsome, wearing a mandarin jacket. He was tall and had a very gentle temperament.

I don't know if it's an illusion, but Li Daoxuan always feels that his elder brother is a little weird. But he can't tell what's weird about him.

When his elder brother came forward to talk with him about the past, Li Daoxuan's doubts were buried deep in his heart. He just sighed that his elder brother was worthy of being the eldest son of the family. He was well educated by Mr. Li and Mrs. Li. He was a gentle and kind person, without any bad habits of a dandy boy.

He also heard from Mrs. Li that his eldest brother would marry Miss Wang after the New Year. When Li Daoxuan heard this, he secretly glanced at his eldest brother and inadvertently saw a trace of gloom flash across his eldest brother's face.

It seems that my cheap elder brother doesn't like that marriage either, but he has to marry the lady from the Wang family because of the matchmaker's words and his parents' orders.

Fortunately, I was still young, and my family went into the house amid the sound of firecrackers.

It was a rare evening for the family to be reunited, and Master Li was extremely happy. He looked at the people around the table, all looking at each other and laughing, and couldn't close his mouth. He raised his glass and said loudly, "Daoxuan hasn't returned for seven or eight years, and I have been thinking about him. I thought about the family being reunited, and the family being healthy. This dream has finally come true today, and I am very happy. No matter what, we are a family, and we should always be reunited. I will drink this glass first."

After Master Li finished drinking, his concubines also shouted. In short, Master Li was happily drunk in this atmosphere full of the flavor of the New Year. When he returned to his room late at night, Li Daoxuan rinsed his mouth and then sat cross-legged on the bed to meditate. His hearing became more and more acute, and he could hear the sounds around him.

There were the whispers of Mr. and Mrs. Li, the gossips of the concubines, the stealing sounds of mice climbing on the beams, and the chatter of the maids and servants. But the quietest place was the eldest brother's room, which seemed to be sleeping peacefully, without a single sound.

Li Daoxuan didn't care about these things. After meditating for a night, he got up early the next day to practice.

When the sky was bright, Master Li and the others got up slowly. They told Li Daoxuan that they would go up the mountain to worship their ancestors today and read the Li family tree for him.

Dressed formally, the group headed up the mountain, but halfway there they met another group of people who were going to worship their ancestors.

Among the group of people, a man in a purple Taoist robe came into Li Daoxuan's sight, which made him feel particularly curious. Whose family was this person from? Whose real person was invited?

(End of this chapter)