The three days Xing Yan spent at home after the great war were truly worth "a thousand gold pieces for every moment." The days that had slipped heedlessly by in childhood now seemed like tangible things, divisible into countless fragments as they had been during the Heaven-Earth Rebirth Tribulation. He felt the existence of every moment, then watched it pass before his eyes, unable to stop it however much he wished. In that fleeting span of time, Xing Yan stayed close to his parents with boundless affection. Even when he had a little leisure, he merely wandered nearby, in front of the house or behind it, searching the grounds of his old home for the long-vanished traces of childhood.
But enough of idle talk. The fifth day of the second month was Xing Yan's second day home. He had quite a few old acquaintances in Raozhou City-Master Ji, the revered teacher who had first instructed him, and the former proprietors of neighborhood establishments such as the Rice Fragrance House and the Flower Moon House. On this return to Raozhou, he ought to have paid them visits, but Xing Yan decided to remain at home and attend to his parents.
By that day, Old Zhang and his wife had learned of their son's upcoming travels. They knew that on the sixth he would have to leave for the South Sea again to undertake something important; once he was gone, there was no telling when they might meet again. Thus, on the fifth, the elderly couple were especially attentive in looking after the son who had been away so long. How could they make up for his having missed the New Year at home? After much thought, the simple old couple decided to celebrate belatedly the most important farming festival at the