The clan leader of Tang Family Village, Elder Tang, is seventy-six years old this year, but looks about just over fifty. His spirit is vibrant, with eyes full of vigor, and he speaks with a voice like a grand bell. It's said that he rises daily at the third watch, climbing alone to the mountaintop, and only finishing his exercises as the sun rises. Each time, he takes deep breaths during the time it takes a stick of incense for the sun to rise, then murmurs to himself. Sometimes he seems happy after, sometimes disappointed, as he slowly walks back.
By the time he returns, the wives have already prepared breakfast, and the family gathers to eat together. The big ones, the small ones, the noisy ones create a din that gives a headache. From turning seventy, the old man decreed that he would live alone, with meals brought to him. Whatever he needed, he would let it be known, but otherwise, others should not disturb him.
