"No, that’s not it," Zhu Chanyao said hurriedly. "It doesn’t mean that. It’s mainly because they know our Zhu family in the Four Towns has developed well. They hope we return to the main family."
"What’s the reason? What’s the benefit?" Zhu Shunyao looked at Zhu Chanyao. "What does it have to do with us if we don’t return? And what does it have to do with us if we do? Besides, returning or not has little to do with me personally. My branch is just this one family. As far as I remember, our ancestors lived in Gankeng Village. So, returning or not has nothing to do with me."
Zhu Chanyao didn’t know how to answer for a moment. Zhu Leiyao spoke up. "Shunyao, you probably don’t know the origin of our Zhu family. Our first ancestor was a very famous figure: Zhuge Liang from the Three Kingdoms period."
Zhu Shunyao frowned slightly. "Zhuge Liang’s surname was Zhuge, right? That seems to have nothing to do with our surname, Zhu."
"Listen to me," Zhu Leiyao said, realizing how difficult Zhu Shunyao was to deal with. "Back when the world was divided into three, Master Kongming observed the stars and calculated that the Zhuge family would face a great disaster. If things went wrong, the entire family would be destroyed. The only way to avoid this was for descendants to hide their names and live in obscurity. So, he separated several nephews from the family, asking them to hide their identities and start new lives. Indeed, after Ancestor Kongming passed away, the Zhuge family encountered a major calamity. Fortunately, most of the descendants had already left under hidden names, so they survived. Some took the surname Zhu, some Ge, some Kong, and others took different surnames. The Zhu family in Zhushi is one of these branches that hid their identity. We chose the surname Zhu to show we came from the Zhuge family, but we are no longer the main Zhuge line. Thus, the surname Zhu was passed down."
Zhu Shunyao nodded slightly. He could accept this point. Having roots was better than being like floating duckweed. "Although I haven’t received any benefits from the Zhuge family, nor inherited much of their intelligence, it’s nice to have such a legend. At least it shows our Zhu family has a heritage. But honestly, what does this have to do with us? Our branch isn’t as capable as Zhuge Liang and his kin. We don’t understand any of those mysterious arts, astronomy, or geography. I’m just a muddy-legged farmer. I’m only interested in things in the fields. I really don’t understand anything else."
Zhu Chanyao patiently explained, "Of course, we don’t know these things. Not just us, but the Zhu family in Zhushi doesn’t either. But that’s not important. What matters is that every branch of the Zhu family has a rule passed down from generation to generation: if an extraordinary person appears in any branch, it must be reported to the main family in Zhushi."
Hearing this, Zhu Shunyao had a very bad feeling. He looked at Zhu Chanyao. "I hope things aren’t as I think."
Zhu Chanyao looked at Zhu Shunyao with guilt. "Ani is a Medical Buddha Girl. She can communicate with Guanyin and use the spiritual water from Guanyin’s vase to heal people. To people far away, it might just be a rumor, but we who are close know it’s true. This is a major event for our Zhu family. So, some time ago, I went to Zhushi, recognized the main family, and told them about this. The main family said they would investigate before making a decision. A few days ago, they gave us information, saying they had finished the investigation. Therefore, they hope our branch can return to the main family."