"Good to have you back, good to have you back. Xiao Bei, don't follow your dad down the mountain anymore, okay? Grandpa can't bear such scares," Tung Grandpa understood the deep bond between his son and daughter-in-law, but for three years, his granddaughter, not yet an adult, had been taking care of her younger brother, managing the household, accompanying him in digging herbs over the mountains, and persistently spending over a dozen hours every month following the father who seemed to forget everything, making him feel incredibly distressed.
"Sis, don't go there anymore, okay? Don't go down the mountain, okay? Sina is afraid, Sina can't be without his sister anymore." Looking at the boy who approached carefully, holding the hem of his fur coat with a belt, Bei turned to the boy, whose face was delicate like a meticulous painting, with long, slightly curled and dense eyelashes holding teardrops that hadn't fallen yet.
This was Bei's eleven-year-old brother, Tung Sina. After their mother left, every time she woke up from a nightmare, it was her sister who lit the oil lamp for him and stayed with him until dawn. The memories of their parents came back, and Bei understood the fear and loneliness of not being able to find the warmth of their parents in the darkness, especially for a child who was only seven or eight years old a few years ago.
Releasing Tung Grandpa, Bei grabbed Sina, who was almost as tall as herself, and said seriously, word by word, "Sis won't follow anymore. Sis won't leave Sina alone to wake up in the dark."
"Not going anymore, never going again. It's Dad who owes you. Don't worry; Dad won't go down the mountain again." This dialogue between the siblings was like a wake-up call, hitting the top of Tung Ding Shan's head, who had been suppressing the ecstasy of regaining his daughter and wanting to come up and hug his daughter. For the sake of his children, he should not continue this hazy life. The fear of almost losing his daughter made him dare not rashly go down the mountain again, but this should be the end point of hope for years of searching and waiting, making Tung Ding Shan's heart ache as if cut, and he could no longer stand. He turned and walked toward a small path slanting into the east side of the mountain outside the manor.
"Ah, your dad is uncomfortable; he's gone to dig coal and make saltpeter again. Just let him be for a while. Kids, let's go home." Tung Grandpa looked at his only son, who, at the age of three, followed him through hardships for several years, grew up hiding on this mountaintop, and finally picked up a forgetful but beautiful and lovely girl while picking herbs. After more than a decade of raising children and living a peaceful life, three years ago, she inexplicably disappeared. He's been through a lot. His children are sensible, making people feel heartache.
Tung Grandpa was once a disciple of the royal physician Li in the palace, named Li Bingci. During the transition between the previous dynasty and the Yunmeng dynasty, the backgrounds of various people were chaotic, and the struggles for power and influence were complex. Due to a case involving the confusion of royal bloodlines, countless imperial physicians were implicated. Sensing the danger, Li, the royal physician, sent his disciples and loyal servants from both households away, reverting to their original surnames. At the age of 23, Li Bingci, now Tung Bingci, had a weak wife who was taken care of by Tung Ding Shan's parents after giving birth. However, they faced unexpected danger on their escape journey and fell off a cliff along with the carriage. Thirteen-year-old Tung Li has since been diligently guarding the three-year-old Master Ding Shan.
After several years of wandering, they finally settled in the mountains. During one of Tung Grandpa's visits to the town, he encountered Zhang Shi, who sold herself to seek medicine for her father. Despite recognizing that the patient was beyond recovery, driven by the compassion of a healer, Tung Grandpa extended his help. Months later, after Zhang Shi buried her deceased father, she found her way to the mountains and decided to stay. When Tung Li was 20, the two got married and have since had three sons: Tung Hu, 19; Tung Biao, 16; and Tung Jiawei, born the same year as Sina.
Tung Chen's foster father, Uncle Yi, was originally a close follower of Li, the royal physician. He accompanied Tung Grandpa and took care of everything along the way. Without him, these families might not have the current situation. After everything settled, the couple gave birth to their eldest son, Tung Chen. From a young age, he learned to manage the household chores and miscellaneous tasks. The fifteen-year-old pair of twins, Tung Xi, slightly frail, loved flowers and plants from a young age. She voluntarily became Tung Grandpa's assistant. The girl, Tung Jing, being only a year younger than Bei, grew up with her. Eight years ago, at the end of the year, when Uncle Yi and his wife went down the mountain to purchase goods, they somehow provoked a black bear that should have been in hibernation. They were fatally injured and passed away together. Since then, Tung Chen took over his father's responsibilities and shouldered the affairs of this family inside and out.