That afternoon on New Year's Eve, everyone set aside what they had been doing and began preparing for the grand New Year feast.
The kitchen was steaming hot, with several large stoves burning at once. Fragrance seeped through the cracks in the door and drifted throughout the entire courtyard.
Xiao Yun took off his outer robe, rolled up his sleeves, and entered the kitchen as well. There were still many Chinese dishes that required him to prepare personally.
Liu Erlong set up an enormous round table in the courtyard, its surface covered with a red cloth. Atop it stood a huge crystal rotating tabletop. With it, everyone could turn the table so no one would be unable to reach a dish. Several plates of fruit, candies, and all kinds of snacks had been placed on the table.
After the sky darkened, lanterns beneath the eaves lit up one after another, casting warm pools of light across the snow.
All the girls changed into brightly colored clothes and gathered around the long table. Some cracked sunflower seeds, some waited beside the stove for dishes to come out of the pot, and some practiced the spell techniques they had recently learned beneath the eaves.
Before the New Year's Eve dinner began, fine snow had already started falling in the courtyard.
The Hall of Time where Xiao Yun lived was exceptionally lively. This was also the first time the manor had celebrated the New Year together. Most of them had arrived, including Xue Qianren. As for the Heaven Dou Empire's royal night banquet, she had not attended in person, instead sending a substitute. With Xiao Yun's illusion enhancement, no one could recognize her.
Everyone else had naturally gathered as well. Tang Yuehua, who should have returned to the Clear Sky Sect, did not