Chapter 336 – Ancestral Hall I
"What time is it now?" Jiang Ruolan suddenly asked.
Seeing something was wrong with her expression, Xian Guiying quickly picked up the alarm clock on the bedside table. She looked at the time and said, "It's late, 6 pm. Why do you ask?"
Jiang Ruolan's face darkened. "6 pm?"
She quickly got up and walked out of the room. When she came down, she saw Nanny Cheng and the others were preparing dinner, and she seemed about to call her, but when she saw her coming down, she smiled and said, "Young Madam, please call the Second Miss along and ask her to come down for dinner. Today, we made her favorite sweet and sour cake, and Young Madam's favorite yellow tofu."
"Where is grandpa?" Jiang Ruolan walked to the French Window and looked at the strong wind outside. Although there was the sound of thunder and lightning outside, it wasn't raining, but the sky was dark.
"Didn't the Old Master go to the ancestral hall? It's time for him to come back." Nanny Cheng was also stunned when she heard her question. "Hey, what time is it now? The road behind the mountain is so dark and the Old Master doesn't carry anything with him. How can he walk on his own?"
Jiang Ruolan had a bad hunch when she heard the loud thunder. After she heard Nanny Cheng's words, she became increasingly worried. The Old Man's legs weren't nimble. If he went home alone now, it would be dangerous for him.
"Grandpa will be fine, right?" Jiang Ruolan whispered worriedly.
"Ruolan, don't worry, I will go to the ancestral hall to find the Old Man." By this time, Zhan An was already wearing her outer robe and coming out of the backyard. She was about to go out and look for the Old Man.
"Mom, it's windy out there and the sky is very dark, it's not safe for you to go alone. I will accompany you." Jiang Ruolan quickly went to the living room, took her coat off the couch, and put it on before jogging to Zhan An.
"No, don't go out in this weather. You are pregnant. Let me go call the Old Man. The road from the back mountain to the ancestral hall has stone steps and they aren't slippery at all. I think the Old Man must have fallen asleep in there again."
"The sky is too dark. Since the road behind the mountain is not slippery, I better accompany you. The two of us will go together and take care of each other. If I let you go alone, I won't be able to be at ease." As she spoke, Jiang Ruolan was already walking out the door.
"This child." Zhan An smiled, but she was very pleased. She turned around and told Nanny Cheng to wait for them, then followed Jiang Ruolan out.
Zhan An held a flashlight in her hand, and Jiang Ruolan also shone the flashlight on her cell phone. The wind was getting stronger, and the spring wind was biting. Zhan An didn't wear much, and she shivered a little. Jiang Ruolan took off her coat and give it to her, "Mom, you should wear this!"
"No, I'm fine. You wear it. You are pregnant after all."
The wind was getting stronger and stronger, and the two of them were only walking halfway when Zhan An suddenly said, "It looks like it will rain soon. I did not bring my umbrella and the Old Man walked slowly. When we returned, we would definitely be drenched."
"In that case, I will go to the ancestral hall first. Mom, go back and get your umbrella. Also, wear an extra jacket, don't get cold." Jiang Ruolan took the flashlight and urged softly.
Zhan An looked at the sky and saw that it was getting dark. She sighed and said, "Alright then. I will come back and get two umbrellas. Don't be in too much of a hurry. Although the road behind the mountain has been repaired, but you still have to be careful."
Jiang Ruolan quickly nodded. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Only after that, Zhan An returned to Xian Residence. As she left, she muttered, "This damned weather."
Jiang Ruolan tied her coat and put her phone in her pocket. She held the flashlight and followed the path to the ancestral hall.
The sound of thunder became louder and louder, causing the person's ears to ache. The wind was also getting stronger. If it weren't for her bravery, the frightening sound coming from the wind and the thunder would surely have scared her.
Furthermore, the ancestral hall was a resting place for all the ancestors of the Xian Family. Although she didn't believe in ghosts and Buddhas, it was inevitable that her hair would start to stand up straight under this dark sky. Jiang Ruolan couldn't help but speed up her pace and quickly walked towards the ancestral hall.
Fortunately, there was light in the ancestral hall. Jiang Ruolan turned off the flashlight and walked to the ancestral hall safely.
Jiang Ruolan had never set foot in the Xian Family ancestral hall. There was no line of spiritual tablets as she imagined, nor were there any candles, but there were some beautiful, simple, and dignified pictures of the ancestors of the Xian Family hanging on the walls, from the end of the Qing Dynasty to the beginning of the Republic of China. Although they were of different ages, the only similarity was that every person in the portraits was a soldier.
All the aristocratic families had remarkable military achievements in their own country. This was the first time she had personally seen the portraits of ancestors in the ancestral hall.
Jiang Ruolan couldn't restrain herself from bowing respectfully.
On the left side of the wall, there were several portraits of leaders. The people of Old Man Xian's age still can't forget the services of these heroes. Therefore, the Old Man also displays portraits of leaders who have done a lot for the country on this wall. This was also an honor.
Jiang Ruolan admitted that the generation gap between them was not small, but in this ancestral hall, a sense of respect arose from the depths of her heart, so she walked in slowly and lightly.
Just as Zhan An had said, the Old Man was sleeping soundly on a chair in the ancestral hall.
Jiang Ruolan's mouth twitched as she walked closer and looked down at the Old Man. Heh, this Old Man was pretty smart. He hides here alone to find solace and serenity, but he didn't forget to bring the blanket along with him.
"Ruolan? Why are you here?"
When Jiang Ruolan was about to touch the blanket on his body, Old Man Xian opened his eyes and glanced at her as if he had just woken up from a dream.
"Grandfather, you insist on saying you wanted to be alone here, but see what time it is now? It's already dark, why don't you go back?" Jiang Ruolan crouched down next to the chair and said with a smile, "Don't hide your anger alone. If you want to be angry, then be angry with me. Cui Liuxian opposed me, not you. I'm fine but you are quite angry."
"You brat! Grandpa is protecting you. Are you going to teach me a lesson instead?" Old Man Xian snorted, sat up, and threw the blanket to the side.
Jiang Ruolan chuckled, "I just found out that grandfather really loves me now. I'm afraid you'll miss your dinner, so I ran to get you. The wind is very strong outside and it will rain soon. Let's go home."
"Look at you. From whom did you learn the sweet talk?" The Old Man glanced at her, but he seemed in a pretty good mood. He raised his hand to wipe his mouth before using his cane to stand.
Jiang Ruolan was about to support Old Man Xian when suddenly, she heard a strange sound outside the door. The Old Man immediately frowned. "Spoiled girl, did you hear something?"
"There seemed to be a sound." Jiang Ruolan looked carefully at the door.
Old Man Xian glanced at the door and was about to walk with his cane when Jiang Ruolan stopped him. She then asked softly, "Grandpa, no one can enter this back mountain, right?"
"Of course not! This back mountain is sealed. You can only enter by walking from Xian Residence's backyard."
"Something must have fallen in front of the door. I'll go take a look. I don't know if it's raining outside, but you're too old to be under the rain." Jiang Ruolan walked straight to the door as she said that.