Celebrating the New Year

Early in the morning, Qin Fang woke to the crackle of firecrackers.

Outside the window, the world was blanketed in white. A few snowflakes drifted down from the sky, swirling lightly before disappearing beneath the eaves of the house across the way.

He lay there in a daze for a short while before slowly getting up and dressing.

As soon as he stepped outside, the cold air slipped through every gap in his clothes. His nostrils immediately felt sticky, dry, and cold.

He covered his mouth and nose and breathed out a few times. White mist drifted through the gaps between his fingers and rose above his head.

He had all of the original owner's memories, so he knew most of the customs of the Great Yu Dynasty...

In his own memories, he had never heard of a dynasty called Great Yu.

But Great Yu seemed like some kind of variation on ancient history. All the familiar festivals from his previous life had their counterparts here.

For example, the New Year.

The usually quiet Ram Horn Alley seemed especially lively today.

Firecrackers went off here and there. Children chased one another past the courtyards, and even the clatter of handcarts seemed more frequent. Now and then, footsteps and cheerful conversation drifted by.

Qin Fang stood at the doorway for a little while. When he started to feel hungry, he turned and went into the kitchen.

After breakfast, he returned to the main room, distracted. He still lit a pile of firewood and toyed with his darts, occasionally throwing one, retrieving it, then throwing it again...

The holidays always made one miss one's family all the more.

He had been brought to this unfamiliar world by Dayun. He had no idea how his parents were doing now...

After hearing that something had happened to him, Mom must have cried herself blind.

Dad was a stubborn old man. The two of them had never gotten along very well, and whenever Qin Fang stayed at home for long, they would end up arguing over some trivial matter...

But a father's love went unspoken. Qin Fang could feel how much his father loved him. It was just that neither he nor Dad was any good at expressing it...

It was New Year in this world.

What about the other world?

Were they celebrating there too?

This year... must be hard to get through.

Qin Fang's thoughts wandered, and he dropped the darts he was playing with several times.

After a few more drops, he drew a deep breath and forced himself not to dwell on it.

He simply stood up and went to do his training.

He got down on the floor and started doing push-ups.

Huff, huff...

Once his body had recovered a little, Qin Fang began exercising again to help it recover faster.

He brought over familiar workouts from his previous life, such as sit-ups, push-ups, and squats.

And, surprisingly, they worked pretty well.

What disappointed Qin Fang was that... these exercises hadn't produced any new skills on the Panel.

He didn't know whether these movements simply had no room for development... or if there was some other reason.

But the fact remained that his body was recovering noticeably faster, and his strength and endurance were visibly improving.

So besides practicing his darts every day, Qin Fang set aside a little time to exercise as well.

He treated it as supplementary training.

The day dragged on for Qin Fang. He could barely remember what he had done all morning, and his dart proficiency improved much more slowly than before.

At last, afternoon came. Smoke curled from every chimney, and he heard mothers calling their children. They were probably going to eat New Year's Eve dinner.

Qin Fang realized he was hungry too, so he went into the kitchen to make dinner.

But just then, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.

Qin Fang froze for a moment. He set down the wooden scoop of rice he had just lifted and went to the gate.

After peering outside, he froze again, then opened the gate.

"Master?"

Outside stood Elder Wu, dressed in a thick padded coat and wearing a padded hat.

Elder Wu nodded when he saw Qin Fang, but didn't come in. After looking him over, he said, "Mm. Come with me."

Qin Fang was puzzled. "Where to?"

"Why are you asking so many questions?"

Elder Wu waved a hand. "Just come."

With that, he walked away with his hands clasped behind his back.

Though confused, Qin Fang closed the courtyard gate and followed Elder Wu.

When they reached the street, he saw firecracker scraps scattered everywhere.

Qin Fang hadn't been out in a long time, and only now noticed that every household had hung red couplets and good-fortune papers on their doors.

He even spotted red lanterns hanging from some of the trees. Everywhere radiated a festive air.

Following behind Elder Wu, Qin Fang watched children laugh and play as they rushed past. At first, he followed Elder Wu in confusion, but after a series of turns, he began to form a guess...

The thought made his heart tremble, but he couldn't be sure.

At last, they reached an alley, and Elder Wu entered a courtyard.

As soon as Qin Fang stepped in, he saw a table set beneath the eaves. An elderly woman was placing dishes on it.

Hearing the commotion at the gate, the woman looked up. When she saw Qin Fang, a kind smile spread across her face. "You must be Qin Fang. Come in, come in."

Qin Fang's feet seemed to freeze at the entrance. His heart stirred, and he looked at Elder Wu.

Elder Wu glanced back at him. "What are you standing there for? This is your Master's Wife."

"Master's Wife..." Qin Fang murmured blankly.

"Come in, come in. Close the gate behind you; it's windy outside."

The old woman answered with a cheerful laugh, then hurried to usher him in.

Qin Fang felt stiff all over, but he obeyed and stepped inside, closing the courtyard gate.

"Come over here and let me have a look at you."

The old woman wiped her hands on her apron and beckoned to Qin Fang with a smile.

Qin Fang walked over stiffly.

He was more than a head taller than her. Seeing him, the old woman's eyes lit up with delight. "Oh, just as your master said, you're a strapping young man... Good, good. You're still a little thin, though... You'll need to put on some weight. Come sit, come sit. There are just a few more dishes, and we'll eat soon."

Qin Fang didn't know what expression to make in front of the Master's Wife, whom he was meeting for the first time. He looked at his master a little foolishly.

His master had already sat down. Somehow, he had gotten hold of a long-stemmed pipe and was lighting it.

Seeing Qin Fang's gaze, he glanced at him sideways. "What are you looking at me for? Sit down if I told you to."

"Yes..."

Qin Fang sat down obediently.

The old woman turned cheerfully and went back into the kitchen.

There seemed to be someone else in the kitchen. After going in, the old woman said something to them.

Qin Fang was still reeling... Though he had suspected it, having it confirmed still stirred his heart and made it tremble.

...He had been Elder Wu's disciple for more than three months, and this was the first time his master had brought him home.

And today was New Year...

What did that mean?

It went without saying.

His thoughts were in chaos. This sudden warmth left him even more unsettled than the day he killed Wang Long and the others.

The Master's Wife's footsteps sounded again. "All right, all right, dinner's ready."

A slender figure followed behind her. Qin Fang looked up instinctively and saw a bright, lovely face.

Her features were like a painting, and her bearing was graceful.

As Qin Fang sat stunned, his master's voice sounded beside him. "This is your Senior Sister."

"Senior... Sister?"

A gentle smile appeared on the woman's face. "Hello... little junior brother."