Peach Blossom Land On Longyin Island Chapter 4
byMaomao Mountain and the Ancestral Hall
The mountain peak An Xiaoyu pointed to was called Maomao Mountain. It earned its name because it had two exceptionally tall, prominent, and symmetrical peaks that, when viewed from Longyin Village, resembled a cat’s two ears. Maomao Mountain was not particularly high in elevation, but standing on its summit and looking eastward offered a panoramic view of Longyin Village.
Longyin Village was the residential area, concentrated on the eastern side of the island. Clusters of low wooden houses were centrally located in the middle of Longyin Village, surrounded by neat and orderly cultivated fields. It was autumn, and vast expanses of ripe wheat looked like a golden ocean, echoing the blue sea in the distance, resembling a magnificent painting.
“It’s very beautiful here,” An Xiaoyu said. The two stood on the summit of Maomao Mountain, taking in the beautiful scenery below.
“Yes, it is beautiful,” An Le said, gazing at the sparkling sea surface. “But if we can’t leave, no matter how beautiful it is, it’s just a pretty prison.”
At the edge of the sparkling sea, instead of the horizon where the sea met the sky, there was a vast expanse of white mist. Although it was midday, and Longyin Island was bathed in bright sunshine with a clear sky, the mist surrounding Longyin Island remained thick, enveloping the island like a barrier.
Longyin Island, as its name suggested (Dragon Hidden Island), was a small island concealed by a dense fog.
“What’s behind the fog?” An Xiaoyu asked.
“I don’t know,” An Le replied. “The mist is considered the boundary of Longyin Island. Village rules forbid Longyin villagers from leaving the island and from entering the mist. However, I heard that some people have gone to the edge of the dense fog. Nothing can be seen inside the mist, and if one walks too deep or accidentally loses direction, it would likely be impossible to return.”
“Does it never dissipate?”
“Never. It stays year-round.”
An Xiaoyu frowned and said, “No wonder they say it’s impossible to leave; this fog is a natural barrier. If we can’t find a way to cross the dense fog, having a map and a boat might still make it difficult to return.”
“Exactly. We might die before even getting out of the fog.”
An Xiaoyu pondered for a long while, then slowly shook his head and sighed, “Let’s take things one step at a time. As long as we can find the map and determine the direction of the mainland, things will be much easier. This morning, I asked the Village Chief if he could send me home. He initially tried to persuade me to stay, but I mentioned that I might have relatives waiting for me at home. Perhaps the Village Chief softened, saying that if I insisted on leaving, he could provide me with a seafaring vessel, but I would have to be blindfolded and taken far from the island before being released. After that, finding the mainland would be up to my luck. It seems they intend to send me into the dense fog. The Village Chief gave me three days to consider. If I decide to stay, I must abide by Longyin Village rules, and the village will provide everything I need for life. But if I insist on leaving, I must depart within half a month, and during that time, I cannot leave Longyin Village or inquire about the village’s situation. If I manage to find the mainland alive, I must not mention the existence of Longyin Island to outsiders.”
“So, what are you planning to do?”
“I plan to tell him I’m leaving and have them provide the boat. If I can find the map within half a month, that’s best. If not… I’ll have to find another way to stay and plan for the long term.”
“But even with a map, if you’re sent into the dense fog, you won’t be able to determine the direction.”
“True. So, even if we do find the map, we’ll have to leave secretly.” An Xiaoyu gave An Le a deep look but didn’t continue speaking. However, An Le understood what he meant. They were different. He was a Longyin villager; his home was here—or rather, An Le’s home was here, and An Le’s family was here. The first rule of Longyin Village was that villagers were not allowed to leave the island. The village rules didn’t specify the punishment for violating this rule. Even if the villagers wouldn’t hold Father An and Mother An responsible, if he left privately, could he ever return?
Originally, An Le hadn’t thought much about this. He knew he wasn’t the original An Le; this wasn’t his hometown. He naturally assumed he should leave, using this healthy body to do what he couldn’t do in his previous world.
But now, after spending half a year with the original body’s family, he had to reconsider the matter.
He couldn’t just leave without a word, causing Father An and Mother An to lose their son and Su Su to lose her brother.
“Let’s find the map first,” An Le sighed after a long silence.
An Xiaoyu knew his concerns and didn’t press further, instead changing the subject to something lighter. “What do you plan to do once you leave?”
Good question. An Le scratched his head and honestly replied, “I don’t know.”
“Hmm?” An Xiaoyu was quite surprised. “You want to leave without knowing what you’ll do outside?”
“I haven’t thought about it,” An Le answered. In his previous world, he had died, so he never considered leaving this world. He was full of curiosity about this world, and his desire to leave Longyin Island was driven by that curiosity, but he hadn’t actually thought about what he would do outside. Furthermore, since arriving here, he had lived in this idyllic, utopian island, causing him to overlook one thing: How would he survive in the outside society?
In his past life, he came from a privileged background. He was only seventeen, hadn’t attended university, and didn’t know any means of making a living!
He had no money!
He didn’t even know how to farm!
He didn’t even have an ID card!
Suddenly, problems came rushing in, and An Le felt dizzy.
“Are you… alright?” An Xiaoyu asked with concern, seeing the look of panic on An Le’s face.
The young man before him, even dressed in coarse linen, looked extraordinary in temperament. He must be a rich person.
As the saying goes, at home, rely on parents; outside, rely on friends.
An Le slowly blinked, forcing a gentle and extremely kind smile. He said softly, “Xiaoyu, we’re friends, right?”
“Uh… I suppose so.” The tenderness in his tone gave An Xiaoyu goosebumps.
“Oh, what are you saying? Of course we are.” An Le dropped the overly sweet smile and slung an arm over An Xiaoyu’s shoulder. “I felt like we were old friends the moment I saw you. As the saying goes, a thousand miles of marriage are tied by a single thread. Look, in this vast ocean, we managed to meet. That’s a huge destiny, isn’t it? Since we’re so fated, why don’t we become sworn brothers? Have you heard of the Oath of the Peach Garden? Share fortune and misfortune—how about it? Come on, here, let’s swear the oath right now.”
An Le didn’t give An Xiaoyu a chance to think. As he spoke, he quickly pulled six withered foxtail grasses from the ground, gave three to An Xiaoyu, and held three himself. He clasped his hands and raised them to his forehead, coughed, and, mimicking a scene from a TV drama, said solemnly, “Heaven and Earth above, I, An Le…”
When he stopped, no one followed up. An Le nudged An Xiaoyu with his elbow, urging, “Quick, your turn.”
“Ah…” An Xiaoyu looked bewilderedly at the three foxtail grasses in his hand, seemingly still processing the situation.
“Don’t ‘ah’ me, just say, ‘I, An Xiaoyu.’” An Le urged again.
“Oh,” An Xiaoyu copied An Le’s posture, raising the three grasses to his forehead, and said blankly but obediently, “I, An Xiaoyu.”
An Le showed a satisfied smile and continued, “Today we become sworn brothers, and from now on, we shall share fortune.” Having said that, An Le tossed the three grasses away, clapped his hands, and smiled affectionately at An Xiaoyu. “Alright, from today on, we are sworn brothers. When you become rich and successful in the future, don’t forget today’s oath.”
Hearing this, An Xiaoyu finally realized the intention behind this series of actions, albeit a beat too late. After a moment of speechlessness, he said, “You saved me and took me in. I would repay you even without swearing an oath. You don’t need to worry about money. If I can find my family, I will definitely reward you handsomely.”
“A teachable student indeed! Let’s go. We need to get down the mountain before dark and head back.”
Although large predators like tigers and bears rarely wandered into the village, wild boars and wolves occasionally appeared, making it unsafe after dark. The two descended the mountain along the path they had taken. Although Maomao Mountain was not high, it was a completely natural peak without trails or steps, so the path was naturally difficult. Fortunately, the slope was gentle, so walking wasn’t too hard.
“It’s a pity that Maomao Mountain only offers a view of the east side of the island; the west side is completely blocked by trees. I heard Longyin villagers are concentrated on the east side. Have you been to the west side? What’s over there?” An Xiaoyu asked when they reached the foot of the mountain.
Maomao Mountain almost divided Longyin Island in two. The east side was Longyin Village, the peaceful home of the villagers. The west side was vast mountain forests, the habitat of the island’s creatures.
“I’ve only been to the edges,” An Le said. “The village lacks transportation, so everyone relies on their legs. Places too far away can’t be reached and returned from in a single day, and my parents don’t let me wander too far alone. There are no people there, mostly forests, and wolves roam. Villagers rarely go there. However, the village has a dedicated hunting team that goes to the western forests monthly to hunt. Why, do you want to go there?”
An Xiaoyu shook his head. “I can’t go. This is the farthest I’m allowed to move while I’m considering my decision. By the way, do you have any ideas about possible locations where the map might be hidden?”
“The Ancestral Hall,” An Le answered immediately.
The Ancestral Hall not only enshrined the deceased villagers of Longyin Village but was also the place for village discussions and decisions. It was equivalent to the Longyin Village committee, the most important location in the village. Therefore, the first place An Le thought of as a possible hiding spot for the map was the Ancestral Hall. However, during the day, the Ancestral Hall had people coming and going, making searching inconvenient. Thus, the two could only sneak over at night after the villagers were asleep.
The Ancestral Hall was unguarded. An Xiaoyu wanted to go that very night, but An Le said the moon was too bright and unsuitable. They should wait for a dark and windy night, which would be more convenient for illicit activities. An Xiaoyu didn’t understand and felt it was unnecessary, but An Le insisted it created a better atmosphere for doing bad things.
An Xiaoyu still didn’t understand but agreed nonetheless.
So, on a certain dark and windy night, the two secretly got up and slipped into the village Ancestral Hall. The Ancestral Hall had three courtyards. The first courtyard was the gatehouse, the entrance to the hall. Upon entering the main gate, the first thing visible was a tall stone tablet carved with the words “Longyin.”
Bypassing the stone tablet and passing through the ceremonial gate, they reached the Sacrificial Hall, the place where villagers held sacrificial ceremonies, clan meetings, enforced clan rules, and held celebrations. Inside the Sacrificial Hall, portraits of successive village chiefs hung on the wall directly opposite the main entrance. Scrolls were also hung on the left and right walls: one detailing the history of Longyin Village, and the other listing the village rules. Tables and chairs were arranged on three sides of the hall; this was where villagers often held meetings, serving as the Council Hall.
The two lit candles and each held one to examine the hall. The Sacrificial Hall was spacious but didn’t contain many items. An Le focused on checking the portraits of the deceased village chiefs hanging on the wall. The Yong’an Village moved to Longyin Island two hundred years ago and has had four village chiefs. Three portraits hung in the hall. Besides the likeness of the person, two lines of small text were written in the upper right corner, recording the name and years of service of the successive chiefs. In the center was the portrait of the first village chief, An Shui (Longyin Year 1 – Longyin Year 36); to the left of An Mu was the portrait of the second village chief, An Jin (Longyin Year 36 – Longyin Year 86); and to the right was the portrait of the third village chief, An Ye (Longyin Year 86 – Longyin Year 135).
Grandpa An Mu was the fourth generation village chief of Longyin Village. An Le quickly calculated, using the end of the third chief An Ye’s term as the starting point for Grandpa An Mu’s tenure, and couldn’t help but be surprised. “Grandpa An has been the village chief for sixty-five years. Even if he became chief at twenty-five, Grandpa An must be at least ninety this year.”
An Xiaoyu was tapping the wall inch by inch to check for hidden compartments. Hearing this, he replied, “But Village Chief An Mu still looks robust, showing no signs of frailty due to old age.”
An Le nodded. “People here seem to live quite long. There are many elderly people in the village in their eighties and nineties.”
“Beautiful scenery, peaceful and carefree life—naturally, they live long.” As he spoke, An Xiaoyu approached An Le and asked, “Any discoveries?”
An Le shrugged. “No, they are just ordinary portraits. No map behind them, no hidden compartments in the middle. How about you?”
An Xiaoyu also shook his head. “No signs of mechanisms, and the walls are solid. It seems it’s not here. Let’s check the Rest Hall.”
The third courtyard of the Ancestral Hall was the Rest Hall, the place where the spirit tablets of the deceased Longyin villagers were enshrined. Many candles burned inside the Rest Hall and were not extinguished at night. The hall was brightly lit, illuminating the solemn and majestic spirit tablets stacked layer upon layer. The tablets of everyone who had died in the village were enshrined here, totaling at least four or five hundred to date.
An Le gasped. “We’re not going to have to pry open their spirit tablets and check them one by one, are we?”
“No need,” An Xiaoyu said. “We only need to check the spirit tablets of those who died before Longyin Year 36.” As he spoke, An Xiaoyu stepped forward and began examining the tablets one by one, starting from the central one.
An Le breathed a sigh of relief. If they really had to pry them open one by one, they would be busy all night.
“Why Longyin Year 36?” An Le asked casually.
An Xiaoyu pointed to a spirit tablet in the center and said, “The first village chief, An Shui, died in Longyin Year 36. Since he was the one who established the rule forbidding Longyin villagers from leaving the island, the map was most likely hidden by him.”
An Le nodded and stepped forward to help, but when he picked up a spirit tablet and was about to examine it, he realized he didn’t know where to start. The tablet was an ordinary wooden spirit tablet, a long, flat piece of wood. The base was also a rectangular block, not tall, about three centimeters thick.
An Le held the tablet, lost in confusion.
“How can a map be hidden in this tablet?” An Le asked. He looked at An Xiaoyu, and before An Xiaoyu could reply, An Le exclaimed in shock, “Hey, what are you doing?!”
An Le’s eyes widened in horror as he watched An Xiaoyu twist and shake the tablet in his hands, as if trying to violently dismantle it. An Le quickly intervened, shouting, “Stop! Stop! Don’t break it! If you break it, how will we explain it to the villagers?”
An Xiaoyu stopped and glanced at An Le. “Do you think I’m that stupid? I’m just checking if it can be taken apart. If it were me, I would hide the map inside the base.”
An Le was speechless. “Hold on, I don’t think they would hide the map inside a spirit tablet. Who would drill a hole in their relative’s tablet? How can they rest in peace?”
“Hmm… that makes some sense,” An Xiaoyu said regretfully, putting down An Shui’s spirit tablet.
An Le was momentarily speechless. He looked around and said, “Actually, we don’t even know if there really is a map. Even if there is, searching blindly like this is like looking for a needle in a haystack. A map is just a small piece of paper; it could be hidden anywhere. Longyin Village is so big, Longyin Island is so big, and we have no clues. How are we supposed to find it?”
“The Village Chief definitely knows, but he’s wary of me, so it’s hard to get clues from him,” An Xiaoyu said while circling the hall, checking for mechanisms.
An Le had given up searching and sat down on the threshold of the hall entrance, watching An Xiaoyu busy himself. After a long time, An Xiaoyu finished searching with no discoveries. He seemed to have given up too, and walked over. “Perhaps more than just the Village Chief knows. After all, if something unexpected happened to him, the existence of the map would truly be unknown. So, I suspect he must have told someone he trusts, or recorded the map’s information somewhere.”
“You want to search Grandpa An’s house?” An Le said, then immediately shook his head. “It’s almost impossible to search Grandpa An’s house as freely as we are doing here. Villagers go to Grandpa An’s house to discuss matters big and small, and Grandpa An is usually at home.”
“Then we’ll look for another opportunity,” An Xiaoyu said. “Let’s start with the villagers and try to gather information. Do you know who Village Chief An Mu is particularly close to?”
An Le said, “Grandpa An has lived so long, with five generations under one roof, and many children and grandchildren. They are all quite close to Grandpa An. And it’s not just Grandpa An’s family; there are over two hundred households in the village. Since birth, they haven’t left Longyin Island, and they are all very close to each other. Grandpa An is deeply loved by the villagers and is friendly with everyone. If you want me to list names, I’d have to write down everyone in Longyin Village.”
An Xiaoyu: “…”
“Isn’t there anyone especially close? Or perhaps, someone who might be the next village chief?”
“Hmm, the candidate for the next village chief…” An Le mused. “I only know that the village chief is chosen by the villagers’ recommendation, but I haven’t heard any intention from the villagers to recommend anyone yet. Besides, I just arrived—oh, no, I just recovered from my illness half a year ago. I’ve only just managed to recognize all the villagers. I still haven’t figured out the relationships between all the uncles, aunts, cousins, and grand-aunts. How would I know that much?”
For the past half year, he had spent his days trying to remember that this person should be called Second Aunt, and that person Third Uncle. The relationships between the villagers were more tangled than a spiderweb. After half a year of calling them, he was only right about seventy to eighty percent of the time, and he still occasionally made mistakes and got teased by the villagers, to the point where he didn’t want to go out.
An Xiaoyu: “…”
“Forget it, I’ll go ask myself,” An Xiaoyu sighed helplessly.
“Yes, yes, you go,” An Le was eager for someone else to do the work. “Call the young ones ‘Brother’ or ‘Sister.’ Call those older with black hair ‘Uncle’ or ‘Aunt.’ Call those with graying hair ‘Grandpa’ or ‘Grandma.’ Be sweet-mouthed and diligent. If you make them happy, they’ll tell you everything.”
An Xiaoyu: “…”
An Xiaoyu: “Alright…”
An Le yawned, rubbing his eyes. “Are we still looking?”
An Xiaoyu smiled slightly. “Tired?”
An Le nodded. “Yes.”
“Then let’s go back to sleep. We’ll come back next time.”
“Next time, you come by yourself. I’m not coming,” An Le muttered as he stepped out of the Ancestral Hall. “Lest you break someone’s spirit tablet and drag me down with you.”
An Xiaoyu followed behind An Le, smiling. “We’ve sworn an oath, haven’t we? Share fortune and misfortune—”
“Hey, I never said share misfortune!” An Le quickly interrupted. “Think carefully, I only said share fortune! If there’s misfortune, we run our separate ways.”
“…”
An Le truly hadn’t said the four words “share misfortune.”