There were families with luggage in the village, and there was an ancestral peach forest in the house. The Li family lived by selling peaches for generations. In Lao Li's generation, only Lao Li and her blind mother were left to depend on each other.
Old Li was a dutiful son. He cared for the peach orchard and served his mother at the same time. Seeing that summer was coming, Tao Lin couldn't live without people.
One day, Lao Li took care of his mother after dinner and went to Taolin alone. The sun was hot on dog days, and Lao Li took a nap in the thatched hut in Taoyuan. This thatched hut was built by Lao Li's father when he was alive, just to guard Taoyuan. It has been more than ten years, and there are already cracks in the adobe walls.
Suddenly, there was a call for the door outside Taoyuan, accompanied by a creaking shake. Lao Li sat up and looked out, only to see an old Taoist priest in ragged clothes knocking at the door.
Old Li walked over and saw that the old Taoist was wearing a straw hat, his waist was with his sword, and he was dressed in immortal style, but his clothes were a little torn. Ask the old Taoist what happened? The old Taoist said that he was thirsty while walking and wanted to eat a few peaches. It was summer, and Old Li picked a few long peaches and handed them to the old Taoist. The old Taoist picked up the peaches, rubbed them on his clothes and ate them.
After eating, the old Taoist said, this peach is not delicious, sour, sweet. Old Li said that the peach is not ripe yet, and the peach will be delicious in two months. I will keep a few for you then. The old Taoist pushed the door and came in, pointed to a peach branch and said, " This one is good." I will take this one. Old Li said yes, keep it for you. The old Taoist was not at ease, so he took out a yellow paper figure from his arms and hung it on the peach tree. He said, "I'll hang a paper figure to watch for me, and I'll pick it up when the time comes." Old Li was amused, looking at the paper figure on the tree, and thought to himself, Can I not give it to you? But hanging a paper figure on the tree could drive away birds or something, so he went.
A few days later, it rained like never in a century. That night, Lao Li was guarding the peach forest in a hut thatched when he suddenly heard a creaking sound from the peach forest, as if someone was folding a peach branch, followed by the sound of rustling footsteps. Lao Li followed the light of lightning and looked out, only to see a person with a blurry back carrying a peach branch out.
Old Li hurriedly put on his clothes and was about to chase after him. Just as he walked out of the thatched hut, he heard a loud bang, and the thatched hut behind him fell to the ground. Old Li looked at the thatched hut behind him and was stunned.
The next day, Lao Li saw the broken peach branch on the edge of the peach garden, and there were rotten yellow paper figures soaked in rain on the peach branch.
Back then, there was a bumper harvest of peaches, and Lao Li specially left a basket of big red peaches for the old Taoist, but the old Taoist never came again.