Continuation 9: Red Raspberries, Strawberries, and Chinese Raspberries

Setting out to honor Heaven was a traditional holiday custom. Many children born in the city who did not return to their parents' or grandparents' hometowns for the New Year often did not even know about it.

Back in the day, this was the most important event at the start of the year. Every household had to rise early, and even without new clothes, everyone had to be dressed neatly. Together, they would open the front door—this was called "opening the door to wealth."

At the same time, they would set off firecrackers, usually by the pillar of the household. When the right to set them off passed from father to son, it was often accompanied by many sighs and sentiments.

After setting off the firecrackers, they would bow toward the sky, return indoors to worship their ancestors and household deities, then bow to Heaven. That was "setting out to honor Heaven."

This custom had not disappeared entirely, but many families no longer worshipped anything. They only remembered that firecrackers had to be set off on the first day of the New Year.

Liu Yuewang was one of those people who only remembered to set off a string of firecrackers. The other rituals had long fallen out of practice.

Liu Chang'an took the firecrackers. It was only a small string of three thousand firecrackers. He lit it while holding it in his hand and listened to the crackling. The tiny firecrackers popped and snapped, scraps of red paper flying everywhere and staining the surrounding snow an ugly color. Only when the firecrackers had burned down to the last several inches did Liu Chang'an casually toss them beside An Nuan.

An Nuan raised her foot, intending to step on them, but when she saw Liu Chang'an smiling at her, she immediately