Chapter 92

Chapter 92

Early on New Year's Eve morning, Lu Yuan and the elderly woman went together to the house at the end of the alley to watch the sheep being slaughtered.

Their family had ordered thirty catties of mutton—the largest amount anyone had ordered—and the host was generous, giving them a large bowl of sheep’s blood and portions of tripe, intestines, and omasum, weighing over a catty in total.

After carrying the mutton back home, the elderly woman looked at the fish and mutton in the yard and worried, “Lu Yuan, can we really finish all this food?”

In winter, mutton could be hung under the eaves for two days, and if made into preserved mutton, it could last a few more days.

It would last until the third day of the Lunar New Year.

If Qi Cheng returned, there would be no worry about leftovers.

But if there was no news of Qi Cheng after tomorrow, Lu Yuan had another plan.

She replied, “The fish can be kept alive. If they don’t survive, we can make preserved fish.”

“As for the mutton, if there’s no news from Anping Town by the first day of the new year, we’ll make it into preserved mutton on the second day and sell it at a discount at the night market.”

The elderly woman sighed softly.

The food was taken care of, but regarding Sheng Geer, six days had already passed without any word at all.

Hearing the elderly woman sigh, Lu Yuan wanted to sigh too, but the family needed a pillar of strength. She couldn’t afford to be disheartened, or the household would lose its vitality. So, outwardly, she had to put on a brave face.

Lu Yuan said to the elderly woman, “I’ve been thinking, since we don’t have any relatives to visit, I’ll go to the night market to run a stall until my husband returns. Would you like to come with the children and stay at the night market, or would you prefer to stay at home?”

“The night market is a bit noisy, not as quiet as home.”

The elderly woman said, “No matter what, the New Year should be lively. A bit of noise is better than silence. I’ll go to the night market with the children. The only issue is sleeping space might be tight.”

The elderly woman’s thoughts aligned with Lu Yuan’s—neither liked it too quiet; when it was time for excitement, it should be lively.

In their current situation, too much silence would lead to dwelling on things. It was better to have some noise.

Lu Yuan said, “I already spoke with the shopkeeper the day before yesterday. During the New Year, the elderly and children in the family will stay at the night market for a few days, so I borrowed a small bed. We can either push the beds together, or I’ll sleep with the two children, and you can have a bed to yourself.”

Hearing her arrangement, the elderly woman stopped worrying.

After the midday meal, they began putting up New Year's couplets.

It was New Year’s Eve, so they had killed a chicken early in the morning.

According to Lingnan customs, chickens were killed for worship during festivals. The chicken was steamed or boiled whole, then placed on the table with paper gold ingots, incense, and candles to make offerings to heaven and earth, praying to the gods for a prosperous, healthy, and smooth year ahead.

After the worship, they began the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Since offal doesn’t keep well, Lu Yuan made lamb organ soup, white-cut chicken, a vegetable dish, and the smallest fish from the basin, weighing just over a catty.

For two adults and two children, the dishes were quite plentiful.

But this was to ensure an auspicious "surplus year after year," which was why they prepared an extra fish dish.

The four of them sat around the table. Qiu Hua held her chopsticks but didn’t touch her food for a long time.

Lu Yuan asked, “Qiu Hua, what’s wrong?”

Qiu Hua looked up at her and asked, “Mom, where is Dad?”

Oh, so she was thinking about her father.

It was unclear how much Qiu Hua remembered, but for now, she seemed to see Qi Cheng as her real father.

Before Lu Yuan could explain, Chun Hua spoke up: “Dad went to do something important, something good.”

Although Chun Hua wasn’t entirely sure what her stepfather was doing, she knew he was working for an important official, so it had to be important and good.

Qiu Hua suddenly pursed her lips, looking somewhat upset. “I don’t want him to do important things. I want him to eat, to have meat.”

Lu Yuan and the elderly woman exchanged glances.

Indeed, it was rare for the family to have so much food. The child was considerate, surely thinking of the family member not at the table.

Even Chun Hua suddenly didn't feel like eating either. She looked at her mother and asked, “Mom, can we save some food for Dad?”

Lu Yuan took a piece of fish belly, carefully checked for bones, and placed it in their bowls. “When your father returns, we’ll make a new meal.”

“Hurry up and eat. Afterward, you can go play with firecrackers with the boys from the Lu family next door.”

Faced with meat, the two children, who were usually not picky eaters, weren't very hungry today. Even Lu Yuan and the elderly woman didn’t eat much, leaving more than half of the food uneaten.

They covered the dishes with a bamboo sieve and went outside to watch the children play with firecrackers.

The elderly woman, in low spirits, returned to her room after dinner.

Lu Yuan, though surrounded by liveliness, couldn’t help worrying, thinking that Qi Cheng might be in danger tonight.

On New Year’s Eve, everyone was standing guard in their respective positions.

The timing that others might consider for an attack was also something Deputy Magistrate Yang had considered.

Midnight on New Year’s Eve was the ideal time for an assault.

While every household was immersed in joy and celebration, they would never suspect danger approaching.

While others enjoyed hot New Year’s Eve feasts, the guards could only chew on cold, tough steamed buns.

After swallowing a dry steamed bun, Qi Cheng stood on the highest tree, observing his surroundings. He faintly saw movement in the distant grass and trees.

Looking closely, he could make out figures crouching and moving slowly forward.

Qi Cheng turned and made a few hand gestures in another direction, then focused intently on the movements of those approaching.

As dusk fell, the atmosphere on the mountain was starkly different from the festive mood in town.

The defenders stood at the ready, while the attackers hid in the shadows, filled with the excitement of hunters, poised to emerge and attack.

After nightfall, taking advantage of the darkness, several people climbed over the walls of households near the edge of town, immediately subduing the residents. After explaining their identities and purpose, the New Year’s Eve celebrations lost their joy.

Not only these households but also the inns had people stationed secretly in advance.

Everyone remained highly vigilant, armed and ready for the enemy.

As the night deepened, after midnight, the people hiding in the mountains began to move, quietly advancing toward Anping Town under cover of darkness.

It took only two *ke* (approximately 30 minutes) to walk from the mountains to Anping Town.

As the midnight firecrackers sounded, ladders were placed against the low walls, and the town gate was opened from the inside.

The bandits harbored no suspicion, believing their own men had taken out the gatekeepers and opened the town gate from within, and they poured in.

But as hundreds rushed inside, the gate suddenly slammed shut, and nearly a hundred arrows whistled through the air, catching the bandits completely off guard.

Those who hadn’t yet entered the town realized they had walked into an ambush and immediately tried to retreat, only to find themselves surrounded—another group of soldiers had closed in from behind!

That night in Anping Town, the sound of firecrackers drowned out the clashes of battle. Even half an hour past midnight, the crackling of fireworks continued unabated.

Earlier, following Deputy Magistrate Yang’s instructions, Town Chief had prepared extra firecrackers at all four corners of the town, enough to last an additional half-hour, to prevent uninformed residents from panicking and fleeing upon hearing the noise.

As soon as the firecrackers ceased, people took to the streets beating gongs and drums, announcing: "Bandits and robbers have infiltrated the town! Everyone, stay calm! Bar your doors, do not leave your homes. Light up your courtyards so the bandits have nowhere to hide!"

Once the fighting subsided, Deputy Magistrate Yang sent his men door-to-door to check for any remaining hidden threats and ensure the people’s safety.

The Town Chief, upon hearing the situation was under control, clutched his chest in relief.

When he went to see Deputy Magistrate Yang, he was surprised to see Qi Cheng and exclaimed, "Mr. Qi, what are you doing here...? What happened to your hand!?"

Qi Cheng’s arm was bandaged with blood-stained gauze. He replied, "It’s just a minor flesh wound, nothing serious."

Deputy Magistrate Yang called over a doctor who was tending to the wounded: "Come quickly and properly bandage Stockade Official Qi’s injury."

After giving the order, he turned to the Town Chief and said, "He happened to have some valuable skills, so I recruited him to work under me."

The Town Chief didn’t seem surprised and remarked, "Young Master Qi is highly capable. Now that he’s under your command, he can truly showcase his talents."

Deputy Magistrate Yang nodded inwardly, thinking, *Indeed—good thing I didn’t let him slip away back then.*

The Town Chief then turned to Deputy Magistrate Yang gratefully and said, "You and your men are the saviors of Anping Town. I’ll have someone bring food and supplies to provide for everyone immediately."

Hearing this, Deputy Magistrate Yang immediately raised his hand: "No need. We still don’t know if all the intruders have been captured. We must remain vigilant."

"Just arrange a place for the wounded to rest."

The Town Chief responded, "I’ll arrange it right away!" and hurried off to take care of it.

After the Town Chief left, Deputy Magistrate Yang said to Qi Cheng, "I won’t tell others about your contributions, mainly to avoid word getting out and risking retaliation from the bandits against you and your family."

Qi Cheng replied, "I understand. If possible, I’d prefer to receive the reward without public recognition."

Deputy Magistrate Yang nodded: "That can be arranged."

"But I am curious—is your family really in such need of silver?"

Qi Cheng answered, "After all, it’s silver—who isn’t in need of it?"

Deputy Magistrate Yang laughed: "True enough. Who would ever complain about having too much silver?"

A short while later, after they finished counting, someone reported: "We’ve captured 185 bandits alive, counted 332 dead, and the number of those who escaped remains unknown."

Deputy Magistrate Yang nodded: "Continue the search."

The constable acknowledged and went to carry out the order.

Deputy Magistrate Yang then said to Qi Cheng, "At daybreak, I’ll have someone escort you and the other injured back to the city. I will return a day later."

Qi Cheng nodded in agreement.

Just then, the doctor finished bandaging another person’s wounds and came over to attend to Qi Cheng.

As the doctor examined the injury, Deputy Magistrate Yang asked, "How is this gentleman’s condition?"

Not daring to be careless under Deputy Magistrate Yang’s personal attention, the doctor replied, "The injury didn’t reach the bones or tendons—it’s only a flesh wound. With a couple of weeks of rest, avoiding water and heavy labor, he should recover fully."

Deputy Magistrate Yang nodded, then turned to Qi Cheng and said, "Take a few days off. Report to the public office after the eighth day of the new year."

Qi Cheng breathed a quiet sigh of relief and said, "Thank you, sir."

Deputy Magistrate Yang thought to himself, *He thanks me, but I should be thanking him.*

*Hiring a subordinate for three strings of cash a month, who only works half the month, is quite a good deal.*

Early on the first morning of the new year, Lu Yuan prepared three red envelopes—two for the children and one for the old woman.

The old woman exclaimed in surprise, "Why is there one for me too?"

Lu Yuan smiled and replied, "Because I honor my elders and love the little ones."

The old woman chuckled, "You, child—who knows how you grew such a silver tongue, so good with words."

Lu Yuan answered cheerfully, "I was raised on honey, that’s why my words are so sweet."

The old woman laughed at her remark: "You really know how to talk."

Lu Yuan urged, "Go on, open it and see."

The old woman said, "I’ve never seen anyone open a red envelope in front of others. But why does it feel so thin—did you really put silver in it?"

Lu Yuan: "Of course I did."

Skeptical yet curious, the old woman opened the envelope and tipped its contents into her palm—a small silver piece fell out.

Lu Yuan said, "Though it’s only three *qian* (mace) in weight, it’s enough to make a pair of earrings."

The old woman gasped in astonishment: "Exchanging this for cash would be over three hundred coins!"

Lu Yuan: "I made some money this year, so I’m feeling generous."

The old woman handed her a red envelope in return: "Compared to yours, mine is meager—I hope you won’t mind."

Lu Yuan accepted it with both hands, smiling warmly: "I don’t mind at all. Thank you, Grandmother. I wish you good health and all the best."

Hearing this, the old woman said, "So now you call me Grandmother?"

Lu Yuan: "The new year is different."

The two children, imitating Lu Yuan, said to the old woman, "Great-Grandmother, we wish you good health and all the best."

The old woman gave them each a red envelope.

After the red envelopes were exchanged, the family sat down for breakfast.

As they were eating, they faintly heard the sound of hoofbeats. Unsure if they were imagining it, the two adults stopped eating at the same time. Lu Yuan and the old woman exchanged a glance, and in the next instant, they set down their bowls and chopsticks and stood up.

Lu Yuan, quick on her feet, was the first to dash out of the house.