In the end, Han Li stepped into the village step by step.
As soon as he entered the village, he heard the joyous sound of musical instruments. Walking along the small path in the village, he didn't see a single villager.
Han Li's heart stirred. This scene and sound were so familiar from his childhood, unmistakably a wedding celebration in some household. The villagers had all gone to celebrate or join in the festivities.
Han Li focused his mind and slowly extended his spiritual sense. He found that all the villagers, young and old, had indeed gathered at one place. The location they gathered at seemed so familiar to him - wasn't it where his own house was?
Han Li was astonished.
"Could it be...?" Han Li vaguely guessed what was happening.
He quickened his pace, swiftly bypassing several houses and turning a few corners until his eyes suddenly lit up.
Hundreds of villagers had gathered in front of a courtyard.
Inside the courtyard were several tile-roofed houses that looked better than the nearby ones. On either side of the courtyard and the doors of the houses, large "double happiness" characters were pasted. There was even a small group of musicians in front of the courtyard gate, playing lively music.
The villagers, standing, squatting, or even sitting on the ground, gathered in groups. Some whispered to each other, some argued loudly, and others kept casting envious glances towards the courtyard.
Among them, there were many children who were playing and chasing around the adults.
Seeing this familiar scene, Han Li felt a sense of trance. It seemed that in this moment, he had returned to the past and become a child again, playing and frolicking with them.
"Tsk tsk! Han Family's Fourth Miss is so lucky. I heard that the groom is a scholar from the city, a family of scholars with great knowledge."
"That's right, she used to be a concubine, and now she has become the wife of a learned scholar!"
"I heard that the dowry brought by the Han family was terrifyingly large, with dozens of taels of snowflake silver!"
"They are really rich!"
...
The gossiping voices of the village women brought Han Li back from his reverie.
"Han Family's Fourth Miss, isn't that my little sister! Is today really her wedding day?" A mix of indescribable emotions surged up within Han Li, making him restless.
For some reason, Han Li stepped back a few steps and hid behind a nearby big tree, staring fixedly at the courtyard gate.
Suddenly, a loud shout came from afar: "The bridal sedan is here! The groom is coming to pick up the bride!"
Hearing this, the villagers became restless! In an instant, the crowd was in an uproar!
"The bride is coming out!"
"The new daughter-in-law is about to come out! Come and see!"
...
Even the children joined in the clamor. Han Li's spirits rose, and he eagerly looked towards the courtyard gate.
"Creak!" The wooden courtyard gate opened, and a dozen or so men and women walked out from inside. Among them, a shy-looking girl in a red wedding dress was surrounded by them.
The girl had a pointed chin and a delicate face, about sixteen or seventeen years old, looking shy at the moment.
Han Li widened his eyes and carefully observed the girl's face, trying to find some resemblance to his memories of his little sister.
Apart from a faint sense of familiarity in the corners of the girl's eyes and brows, Han Li couldn't associate her with his impression of his little sister.
"Cough! Women change a lot after eighteen, this saying is really true!" Han Li smiled bitterly, then began to scan the people around her.
"The chubby one is my third uncle, I can tell at a glance, he's still as fat as before!"
"The tall and dark one here is my eldest brother, and the woman next to him should be his wife!"
...
As Han Li named each one, he muttered to himself, seeming to ease his tension this way.
When his gaze fell on two elderly people with white hair, Han Li stopped speaking.
He stood still behind the tree, motionless, his expression becoming extremely complex.
Among them, there was joy, there was cowardice, and there was a little confusion.
The degree of aging of his parents far exceeded Han Li's expectations. He remembered when he went up the mountain, his mother still had black hair, but now her temples were gray, and his father's originally straight back was now bent.
Han Li fell silent, his mind muddled, like a lump of paste. He was unaware of everything that happened next.
When he came to his senses, his little sister had already sat in a carriage adorned with red silk and was far away. Beside the carriage, a scholar rode a green horse, following closely.
Han Li glanced hard at the departing carriage, then turned back to look at his parents and a few close relatives. Then he closed his eyes.
After imprinting the faces of his parents and several close relatives deeply in his heart, Han Li turned around, his face suddenly showing a resolute expression. Then he walked briskly towards the village gate.
Han Li knew that when he walked out of the village gate again, his connection with these people in this life might come to an end.
He was very clear that since he learned the Longevity Technique and knew about the existence of cultivators, he would walk a completely different path from ordinary people.
Regardless of whether it would bring fortune or disaster, he would not regret his choice!
