New Year

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

Outside the window, everything was a vast expanse of white; sparse snowflakes drifted from the sky, swirling and vanishing as they touched the eaves across the way.

He sat dazed on the bed for a short while before slowly getting up to dress.

Stepping outside, the freezing air burrowed into every crevice of his body, making his nostrils feel instantly sticky, dry, and cold.

He covered his nose and mouth, exhaling a few breaths, and watched the white mist drift from between his fingers toward the top of his head.

He possessed all the memories of the original owner, so he knew most of the customs of this Great Yu dynasty.

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

Yet, this Great Yu felt like some variation of ancient history; all the festivals he was familiar with in his past life could find their counterparts here.

For instance, the "New Year."

The usually quiet Ram Horn Alley seemed exceptionally lively today.

Firecrackers popped sporadically, the sounds of children chasing each other flickered past the courtyard gate, and even the noise of carts seemed more frequent, accompanied by the occasional sound of footsteps and laughter.

Qin Fang stood blankly at the doorway for a moment, feeling a bit hungry, then turned and headed into the kitchen.

After eating breakfast, he returned to the main room, feeling somewhat distracted. He lit a fire as usual and absentmindedly toyed with a throwing dart, tossing it at the target, retrieving it, and tossing it again...

Every festive season, one misses their family all the more.

Since Dayun sent him to this strange world, he had no idea how his parents were doing now.

If they knew what had happened to him, his mother must have cried her eyes out, right?

His father was a stubborn old man; the relationship between father and son had never been very harmonious. He couldn't stay home for long without getting into arguments over trivial matters.

But a father's love is silent, and he could feel the love his father had for him. It was just that neither he nor his father were good at expressing it.

It was New Year in this world.

What about that other world?

Was it also New Year there?

This year... it must be very hard to endure, right?

Qin Fang's thoughts drifted, and the dart he was playing with fell from his hand several times.

After a few moments, he took a deep breath, forcing himself to stop dwelling on it.

He simply stood up and walked to the side to begin his daily training.

He dropped to the ground and started doing push-ups.

Hoo-hah, hoo-hah...

Ever since his body began to recover, Qin Fang had started restorative training to speed up the process.

He had brought over common fitness routines from his past life, such as sit-ups, push-ups, and squats.

Surprisingly, the results were quite good.

However, what Qin Fang found regrettable was that these actions did not trigger any new skills on his panel.

He didn't know if these movements lacked extensibility or if there was some other reason.

But it was a fact that his body's recovery speed had clearly increased, and his strength and endurance were visibly improving.

Thus, every day, in addition to practicing his throwing darts, Qin Fang would set aside time specifically for these exercises.

He treated them as supplementary training.

The day felt somewhat agonizing to Qin Fang; he didn't know what he had done all morning, and his progress in dart proficiency was significantly slower than before.

Finally, afternoon arrived, and smoke curled from the chimneys of every household. He heard mothers calling their children home, presumably for the New Year's Eve dinner.

Feeling hungry himself, Qin Fang walked into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

But just then, the courtyard gate suddenly began to thud with knocks.

Qin Fang froze for a moment, set down the wooden scoop he had just used to ladle rice, and walked to the gate.

After glancing outside, he paused in surprise, then opened the door.

"Master?"

Standing outside was Elder Wu, dressed in thick cotton-padded clothes and wearing a cotton hat.

Seeing Qin Fang, Elder Wu nodded but did not enter. He looked him over and said, "Mm, come with me."

Qin Fang was stunned, confusion surfacing in his eyes: "Where to?"

"Why ask so many questions?"

Elder Wu waved his hand and said, "Just come along."

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

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

Stepping onto the street, he found it littered with the remnants of firecrackers.

Qin Fang, who had not stepped out of his house for a long time, only now noticed that every household had hung red couplets and "Fu" characters on their doors.

He even saw red lanterns hanging from some of the trees, with a festive atmosphere evident everywhere.

Following behind Elder Wu, with children laughing and chasing past them from time to time, Qin Fang began to follow Elder Wu with some confusion, but as they wound through the turns, he vaguely formed a guess...

This guess made his heart tremble, yet he could not be certain.

It was not until they arrived at an alleyway that Elder Wu entered a courtyard.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw a table set up in front of the eaves, with an old woman placing dishes onto it.

Hearing the commotion at the entrance, the old woman looked up. Upon seeing Qin Fang, a kind smile appeared on her face: "Is that Qin Fang? Come in, come in quickly."

Qin Fang's footsteps froze at the doorway; moved, he looked toward Elder Wu.

Elder Wu glanced back at him: "What are you standing there dazed for? This is your mistress."

"Mistress..." Qin Fang called out blankly.

"Oh, come in, come in quickly, and close the door; it's windy outside."

The old woman responded with a cheerful laugh and beckoned him again.

Qin Fang felt his body go a bit stiff, but he still obeyed, entering and closing the courtyard gate.

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

The old woman wiped her hands on her apron and smiled as she beckoned to Qin Fang.

Qin Fang walked over, feeling somewhat stiff.

He was more than a head taller than the old woman, and seeing this, her eyes filled with joy: "My, just as your master said, you've grown into a big lad... Good, good. Just a bit thin... still need to build you up. Sit, sit, there are a few more dishes, we'll be eating soon."

Qin Fang did not know what expression to use to face this mistress he was meeting for the first time, so he looked at his master, feeling a bit foolish.

His master had already sat down and, having produced a long-stemmed pipe from somewhere, was in the middle of lighting it.

Seeing Qin Fang's gaze, he cast a sidelong glance at him: "What are you looking at me for? If she tells you to sit, then sit."

"Yes..."

Qin Fang sat down obediently.

The old woman turned around and went back into the kitchen with a happy chuckle.

There seemed to be someone else in the kitchen, and after the old woman went in, she said something to the other person.

Qin Fang felt a bit dazed... although he had guessed it, having it truly confirmed still left him moved and trembling.

...He had been apprenticed for over three months, and this was the first time he had been brought to his master's home.

And today, of all days, it was the Lunar New Year...

What did this signify?

It went without saying.

His mind was in a bit of a whirl; this sudden warmth left Qin Fang's heart even more unsettled than the day he killed Wang Long and the others.

The sound of the mistress's footsteps approached again: "Alright, alright, time to eat."

Behind her followed a slender figure. Qin Fang looked up instinctively and saw a bright, beautiful face.

Her brows and eyes were like a painting, her temperament elegant and refined.

While he was still stunned, his master's voice sounded in his ear: "This is your senior sister."

"Senior... sister?"

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