The first day of the Lunar New Year.
Heaven smiled on them with a rare, brilliantly sunny winter day.
Mo Yun took his sister into the county town.
The streets were even livelier than those of Yellow Maple Town, with bright red lanterns hanging along both sides.
On the opera stage, performers sang in lilting voices.
An acrobatic troupe performed in the open space outside the county government offices, drawing wave after wave of cheers.
Dragon and lion dance processions wound through the streets and alleys amid pounding drums and clanging gongs, with children racing wildly after them.
Mo Yiyi's face glowed with an unrestrained smile that had been absent for far too long.
Mo Yun bought his sister candied hawthorns, sesame candy, sunflower seeds, and preserved fruit, then booked a private room in a teahouse to watch the opera.
With this rare chance to relax, the siblings wandered from one end of the street to the other, only heading home when darkness was drawing near.
The second day of the Lunar New Year.
Mo Yun returned to the Mountain Manor with gifts to offer New Year's greetings to the people he knew.
He went to see Commander Li first.
Commander Li's family did not live in the courtyard where he usually practiced martial arts and handled the manor's affairs.
Instead, they lived in a small, separate courtyard on the western side of the manor. Though modest in size, it was kept neat and tidy, with several wintersweet shrubs blooming in one corner, their pale yellow flowers giving off a delicate fragrance.
Commander Li himself opened the door. His eyes lit up at the sight of Mo Yun, and he pulled him inside.
"Little Mo, you're just in time! Come have a few drinks with me! Hahaha!"
The furnishings were