Chapter 13: New Year's Eve

Chapter Fifteen: New Year's Eve

The three snowmen had completely melted, leaving only a few small chunks of ice on the ground. It was already New Year's Eve, and the festival was about to begin. The snow on the mountain had mostly thawed, leaving the muddy roads slippery and difficult to walk on.

Wuyue Ling was making her way toward Jingzhou City. Thanks to selling some rice at the Du family’s house, she had managed to get through the snowbound month safely.

Upon entering Jingzhou, she found the city bustling with activity. Young men from wealthy families, accompanied by servants and maids, were out visiting friends. Women from the Red Ribbon Pavilion strolled through the market streets in groups, shopping for new clothes and jewelry.

Wuyue Ling also noticed many vendors carrying fireworks and firecrackers for sale. Normally, these merchants were nowhere to be seen, but with the New Year approaching, they had become lively and pervasive.

She stopped before one vendor with a shoulder pole, buying some dried bamboo. The merchant explained that these were firecrackers, made from small bamboo tubes. What intrigued Wuyue Ling most was the gunpowder inside—she wondered if this could be used to revolutionize weaponry.

Firecrackers, as the name suggested, were bamboo tubes filled with gunpowder. She decided to go to Manager Zhao’s to buy some soy sauce and vinegar, as her supplies of such condiments had long run out.

Arriving at the Gu family restaurant, she saw the large banner with the character for "wine" fluttering in the wind, making a loud noise in the New Year's gales.

The restaurant was packed—perhaps because the snow had melted and people were eager to feast and drink after being cooped up for a month. Spotting the busy Manager Zhao, she explained her needs and was given some soy sauce, vinegar, salt, and rice, all at the shop’s usual price. She could have purchased these elsewhere, but the Gu family’s store was cheaper and she was familiar with them.

The master of the Gu family, Gu Yi, happened to be upstairs. Upon hearing Wuyue Ling was there, he delightedly called her up for a chat. Afterward, he asked a waiter to give her a goose, some peachwood charms, and a sack of dried bamboo to take home for the New Year.

Wuyue Ling mused, "I just bought a sack of firecrackers, and now you’re giving me so many more..."

After she left, the young Manager Bai, who shared a table with Gu Yi, expressed his confusion. "Why does Master Gu show such care for this young woman? She’s pleasant but not exactly a great beauty."

Manager Gu replied, "You do not understand. This young woman is no ordinary girl. Though she's a bit thin, she is lovely, and more importantly, my son Renyi likes her. She is clever, kind, and filial. At first, I thought she was just an ordinary maid, but after seeing her handle matters in my house, I realized she is sharp and perceptive. If Renyi marries her, she will be a great asset to our family as we aim higher."

Manager Bai replied, "I understand now. If the Gu family ever needs my help, I will do my utmost!"

Wuyue Ling walked along the street, watching groups of people—some carrying betrothal gifts to other homes, some heading straight for her, blocking her way.

"Hey there, young lady, carrying that goose looks hard. Why not let us help you?" said a group of men.

Wuyue Ling glanced at them. They wore official-looking attire, but something was off. She recalled they were likely the so-called "martial bailiffs" that Manager Fang had complained about. She felt exasperated—she had run into unscrupulous city guards.

She put on an astonished face, pointing to the sky behind them. "Look! Aliens!"

The bailiffs, already intending to snatch her goose, were startled and, feeling guilty, looked back instinctively.

Seizing her chance, Wuyue Ling turned and ran. If they had tried to rob her in secret it would have been one thing, but robbing her openly in broad daylight left her at a loss. After her trick, she simply fled.

By the time the bailiffs realized they’d been fooled, she had already disappeared around a corner. When they gave chase, she was lost in the crowd, her large white goose safe, while they were left seething with frustration and went off to find easier prey.

Shaking off these troublesome bailiffs, Wuyue Ling reached the city gate just as a huge, burly man with foreign features entered, carrying a spiked club over his shoulder. He walked with a swagger, his tall pointed hat making him look even more imposing, his breaths heavy, his open-collared coat exuding an air of dominance.

Wuyue Ling looked at his club and noticed the character "Righteousness" engraved upon it. She thought, "I’ve never seen such a person in Jingzhou before, or anyone dressed like that."

Carrying a small sack of rice, a goose in her left hand, condiments in her right, and a string of firecrackers at her waist, she brushed past the man. The pressure was palpable—he must have been nearly six foot three, towering like a mountain, whereas she barely reached five foot seven.

Back in the village, with time to spare, Wuyue Ling went up the mountain for firewood, but only found damp branches. She remembered the tale from the Three Kingdoms of Lady Xiahou gathering firewood and being seized by Zhang Fei to become his wife, and amused herself by imagining catching a rabbit instead. Of course, she thought, no one could ever take her away for such a fate—she would rather die than submit.

That night, Wuyue Ling used her tactical flashlight to dismantle the firecrackers, only to find there was no gunpowder inside—just empty bamboo tubes. "I’ve been duped!" she thought. She’d hoped to study gunpowder technology, but the Gu family’s firecrackers were the same—empty bamboo sticks.

The little lynx cub watched the glowing flashlight curiously, patting it with its paw. As it rolled on the ground, the cub jumped back in alarm, thinking it a living creature.

Wuyue Ling smiled at the cub’s antics, picked up the flashlight, tucked it between her shoulder and neck, then struck flint to light a match and started a fire for warmth. The lynx, startled by the flames, darted off to its nest.

The next morning, New Year’s Day, the village came alive with festivity—some slaughtered pigs, others sheep; the Zhao family went fishing in the river and returned with a fine catch.

By midday, Wuyue Ling had received many gifts: pork, mutton, and even half a fish from Zhao Lu’s snot-nosed child. The whole village was filled with the spirit of the season, with children playing everywhere.

At noon, Wuyue Ling lit a bonfire and tossed the dried bamboo into it. The crackling and popping drew children from all around—some covered their ears, others danced around the fire to the rhythm of the bamboo explosions.

After the firecrackers were spent, Wuyue Ling supported Mother Lu as they visited every household to offer New Year’s greetings and auspicious wishes. The atmosphere was harmonious and warm. The villagers were poor, so gifts were modest—some would return peanuts or beans to Mother Lu. Wuyue Ling thanked them as she accepted these tokens, especially from those who had benefited from her help throughout the winter. Without her buying and lending rice to those in need, many might have gone hungry.

By the time the New Year’s visits were done, afternoon had passed swiftly. The village had nearly thirty households, each with between two and five members. Everyone knew each other and mutual aid was natural.

As night fell, the children who’d missed the earlier firecrackers gathered at Wuyue Ling’s door, eager for the evening’s festivities. She took out the bamboo tubes given by the Gu family, placed them on the ground, and invited little Aya to light them. Aya, timid, dared not, but Aqi grabbed the torch boldly and tossed the firecrackers into the bonfire, filling the night with lively pops and bangs.

Whoosh! Bang! The firecrackers burst in the bonfire, sending sparks into the air—a scene of joy and prosperity reflected in the children’s eyes and in Wuyue Ling’s heart. It was the first real New Year she had celebrated since arriving in this world. She no longer felt lonely or afraid.

Mother Lu watched the sparks dancing over the bonfire, silently wishing that Lu Ziji would achieve scholarly honors and return safely. Many villagers peeked through their windows at the great bonfire before the Lu house, hoping for a bountiful harvest in the coming year.

In Jingzhou City, the sound of firecrackers filled the air, the explosions audible even from afar. Thus, the New Year’s Eve passed amidst the crackle of firecrackers. Wuyue Ling prepared to go inside to sleep when a chill touched her face—snow was falling once again.

Elsewhere, Yuchi Yang was feeding porridge to Yuchi Tuo. For some reason, his elder brother, upon hearing the explosions of dried bamboo in the fire, would cower in fear and mutter pleas for mercy from the gods.

How had his once bold and cautious brother become so timid? Yuchi Yang could not understand, nor could the burly man standing nearby.

This man, dressed in an open-collared coat, wearing a fur hat, and carrying a long spiked club, was Yan Lang, the so-called "Little King of Hell," and chief of the Yi Gathering Stronghold.

"How did your brother come to this, shrinking at every sound like a mouse? What a shame—he used to be a real man!" Yan Lang watched as Yuchi Tuo buried his head under the covers, his body shaking.

"I don’t know," Yuchi Yang replied. "Ever since my brother returned gravely injured from Ten Mile Village, he’s been like this. While unconscious, he kept begging the spirits for mercy. He must have encountered something unclean. Once you’ve finished the Cui family’s task, I’ll hire some Taoist priests to exorcise him."

"Very well. I’ll head out then," Yan Lang said, and left.

At the Cui family’s outer courtyard, over two hundred fierce bandits were feasting, drinking, and celebrating the New Year.

Cui Lie, the patriarch, sat at the head table with Yan Lang and Han Wujie. Several courtesans from the Red Ribbon Pavilion played music and sang. The bonfires blazed high, the atmosphere festive but the house clouded with vice—these men were mountain bandits, guilty of robbery and murder.

The second son lay sick and senseless in bed. To secure his lineage, Cui Lie forced the eldest son to take a concubine and the third son to marry.

A few days earlier, the eldest son, Cui Hao, had taken a maid as a concubine, and the third son, Cui Sheng, was to marry. On the Lantern Festival, the Cui family would hold a wedding, and Cui Lie hoped the joyful event would dispel the previous year’s bad luck and usher in better days.

Moreover, when the authorities recently cleared away the frozen bodies of the starved outside the city, they discovered Song Baoqing’s corpse. Cui Lie had to bribe the constable to have Song Baoqing buried quietly, without raising a fuss.

Though Cui Lie did not know how Song Baoqing had died in his trap, and though he now had the help of a bandit gang, he remained uneasy, feeling that his end was near.

Late at night, after the banquet, light snow began to fall, cold flakes landing on Cui Lie’s face and sending a chill through his body. At that moment, under the guidance of the martial bailiffs, the Du family’s lady from Ten Mile Village was brought to the Cui manor to meet him. After a brief conversation, Cui Lie rewarded her with a piece of gold.