The loud, mournful crackle of firecrackers outside the Old Liu Family home carried far, far through the quiet night...
Warm lights came on one after another, like falling dominoes, spreading from the Old Liu Family home across all of Road Pavilion as word passed from mouth to mouth.
Slumbering Road Pavilion woke again. Countless longtime residents dressed of their own accord, lit torches, and slowly streamed along the streets toward the Old Liu Family home...
Everyone knew that Road Pavilion's longtime residents were well aware that the renowned Yang Erlang, the Second Master, was the amiable young proprietor of the Welcome Inn.
Until now, they had simply been cooperating with Yang Ge in a grand performance called "We all know who you are, but we all pretend we don't," carefully protecting the peace and ordinary happiness he enjoyed in Road Pavilion.
To that end, they not only selectively ignored the Welcome Inn's many peculiarities, but also invented all sorts of "perfectly reasonable" explanations for them to fool outsiders who made a fuss over every little thing...
But now, it seemed this grand performance had finally reached its closing curtain.
They could put on an act for the living.
Could they do the same for the dead?
If they truly let the Welcome Inn's Old Shopkeeper depart in such cold, lonely silence, Road Pavilion might never be able to keep the Second Master here again...
Throughout the streets and alleys, Luting County's longtime residents gathered into a sea of people, sighing to one another that the Old Shopkeeper had at least been fortunate enough to make it through the New Year.
Behind the scenes, countless others slammed tables and smashed cups, using the most overbearing, uncompromising language to order their subordinates to deliver news of the Welcome Inn's Old Shopkeeper's passing