This was Zheng Qing's first time coming to the Hui Zi Market.
The Hui Zi Market is a small market, only one street.
The entire street is less than ten meters wide, roughly trapezoidal, and only two to three li long in its circular path.
Both sides of the street are old shops, and the entrances are not uniform; one pharmacy even had its door half-closed and its windows unopened.
Walking on the street, in the slightly more open areas on both sides, one could still see vendors setting up stalls, giving the impression that the market was poorly managed.
"Our San You Bookstore has a branch here; you can come and look after it when I'm not around," Mr. Wu said casually to Zheng Qing as he walked ahead.
Zheng Qing hummed in agreement, but his eyes were fixed on the goods displayed by the small vendors on both sides of the street.
Long-horned worms, three-headed dogs, rabbits with scorpion tails, mermaids lying in bathtubs—it was as if he had inadvertently stumbled into a fairy tale world.
Zheng Qing gaped, clutching Mr. Wu's coat, staring blankly at these bizarre scenes, yet feeling little surprise in his heart, only intense curiosity.
Mr. Wu was very satisfied with his reaction; even seeing a few charming young women on the street didn't make the old man's smiling eyes open any wider.
He slowed his pace, introducing the shops on both sides as he walked.
"This 'Dao Di Herbs' primarily sells authentic raw Dao Materials.
From Shangdang's Hundred-Bearded Old Ginseng, Shangzhou's Zhike, Xudi's Pleiades Inner Gold, to some Chuan Ginger, Shuchuan Pepper, and Licorice, you can find most of the Materials needed for brewing soups and refining powders here."
"If you're looking for pre-made medicine, you'll have to go to Huichuntang Pharmacy.
The current head is Deng Xiaoxian, who just graduated from University not long ago.
He originally wanted to venture out, but old Mr. Deng pulled him back.
His pharmacy is right next to our bookstore; you can go check it out later."
"This 'Fen Dian Suo Qiu' sells only old, unread papers.
It's all Tadpole and oracle bone script, nothing interesting."
"You can occasionally drop by Green Xi Spinning; they sell clothes.
However, the styles are quite old-fashioned and not trendy, so I doubt you'd be interested."
As he spoke, Mr. Wu occasionally cupped his hands and bowed to a few old men, exchanging greetings.
Zheng Qing stood obediently beside him, glancing at a two or three-year-old toddler not far away.
The toddler's parents were nowhere to be seen, leaving only this little one in a red bellyband and a sky-high ponytail, flying around on a two-foot-long toy wooden sword, cackling loudly.
"Why isn't he riding a broom?" Following behind Mr. Wu, Zheng Qing rubbed his nose, looking enviously at the little kid.
"Because his mom will come over and spank him in a bit.
If he rides a broom, his mom will just grab the broom and hit him with it," Mr. Wu said in a comforting tone, "He can't even walk yet and wants to fly around; he's just asking for a beating."
Zheng Qing always felt there was a hidden meaning in Mr. Wu's words.
"Today is your twelfth birthday, so I must give you a gift," Mr. Wu stopped at the entrance of a shop, patted Zheng Qing's head, and smiled, "Don't refuse; a gift from an elder cannot be declined."
Zheng Qing grinned, unable to hide his inner joy, showing no intention of refusing.
He wondered what kind of gift Mr. Wu would give him.
Those small animals he saw earlier were quite nice; the three-headed dog and scorpion-tailed rabbit might be a bit dangerous and definitely not allowed at home.
The little mermaid, however, was a possibility; he could put a bathtub in his bedroom and diligently change her water every day.
The candy house sold at the stall they passed earlier was also good.
The colorful garden villas, flowers, trees, insects, fish, birds, beasts, and even the little people occasionally running from the house to play on the grass were all made of candy, looking incredibly delicious.
However, such a gift was consumable and would probably disappear after his birthday.
And that wooden sword the little kid was flying on, even though it was too small for him to ride, he still had a Hamster at home; he could hang it on the sword and let it fly!
Before Zheng Qing could finish thinking, Mr. Wu had already emerged from the shop.
He opened his hand and extended it towards Zheng Qing, smiling, "This is your birthday gift."
In Mr. Wu's palm lay a silver-white pocket watch, intricately engraved with complex patterns.
With a gentle press of the button on the top, the watch case would spring open, revealing the ticking hands inside.
Zheng Qing accepted the gift with surprise, yet a hint of disappointment in his heart.
Mr. Wu pointed at the watch, his tone very solemn: "You must remember, your most precious treasure is your time."
Zheng Qing looked up, a little confused.
"Do you see my hand?" Mr. Wu turned his palm over, revealing the back of his wrinkled hand.
The back of his hand was sallow, with scattered age spots, not very pretty to look at.
"Can you imagine how smooth and elastic this skin once was? Now, it's withered."
"Between life and death is not a great terror, but a great adventure and a great thrill.
The true great terror is when you silently feel the passage of time, the aging of your body, yet are powerless to stop it."
"When I was young, every time I saw old people, I would easily glance over them.
Carelessly, feeling that they were very far from me."
"But with the ticking footsteps of time, I suddenly realized that aging was so close to me."
"I do not fear death, nor do I fear aging.
I just occasionally worry about my powerlessness.
My powerlessness to leave my mark, to prove the meaning of my having lived."
***
Returning from the Hui Zi Market, Zheng Qing locked himself in his bedroom and practiced talisman characters like crazy all night.
As a result, the two dark circles under his eyes the next day startled his entire family.
It was also from this day on that, in addition to teaching Zheng Qing to practice talisman characters, Mr. Wu imparted a set of guidance techniques to Zheng Qing.
According to the old man, Innate deficiency requires strengthening the foundation and cultivating Qi.
Runes strengthen the foundation, and guidance cultivates Qi.
Thus, the first thing Zheng Qing did every morning was to practice the guidance technique once.
Then, before breakfast, before his midday nap, and before going to bed, he would copy dozens of runes.
Just like that, days flowed by like water, slipping through the world.
The previous headache gradually faded with the washing of time, becoming so faint that it felt like a dream, making Zheng Qing himself unable to confirm if he had truly experienced those difficult days.
Zheng Qing was already eighteen years old this year.
Learning from Mr. Wu did not take up too much of Zheng Qing's time.
According to Mr. Wu, in all matters of the world, haste makes waste, and the path of Dao is especially so.
Practicing the guidance technique no more than three times a day, and practicing talisman characters no more than three hundred.
Exceeding this would lead to a lack of energy and trigger old ailments.
And as a family of educators, although his family no longer demanded that Zheng Qing study hard, the learning life of an ordinary person could not be lacking.
Under the joint demands of his family and Mr. Wu, Zheng Qing systematically completed primary school, middle school, and even high school.
He sadly discovered that he had truly become the kind of person he had mocked since childhood: always staying near his neighborhood from primary school to high school.
He must go to a University far from home!
But no matter how far, it shouldn't be so far that he didn't even know it.
Finding the admission letter in his bedroom, Zheng Qing returned to the living room.
Because at noon that day, when Zheng Qing's parents returned home, they brought back a blonde, blue-eyed guest.
From the brief conversation between his parents and this guest, Zheng Qing learned the foreigner's identity.
He was the interviewer sent by that strange First University.
