After Yan Xingsheng was sent away, Yan Xingmao thanked Yan Shaoxuan: “Thank you for the warning just now, Erlang. Otherwise, I’m afraid I would have fallen for his trick today.”

Recalling what had just happened, he felt a tinge of fear: “If I had actually given him the silver, Brother Yu would certainly have flown into a rage.”

Yan Shaoxuan nodded slightly: “Yan Xiaobao has repeatedly tormented Yu-ger; it’s only natural that Yu-ger would be angry.”

“Yes, Erlang is right,” Yan Xingmao nodded.

He cast a loving glance at Yan Shaoxuan and hinted gently, “Erlang, you should hurry back and continue studying. We’re all counting on you to pass the imperial exams next year!”

The two exchanged a knowing glance and went their separate ways.

Yan Xingmao dared not keep it a secret; as soon as he was home, Yan Xiaoyu found out immediately.

“That shameless bastard—he actually took advantage of my absence to deceive you!”

He slammed his fist on the table, causing Yan Xingmao to flinch in fright.

Hearing that he wasn’t taking his anger out on him, Yan Xingmao finally breathed a sigh of relief: “That’s right. Thank goodness Yan Erlang warned me; otherwise, I would’ve fallen for it.” 

Yan Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow: “This Yan Erlang doesn’t study properly; he’s always pricking up his ears to eavesdrop on things! Whenever something happens in our household, he’s the first to run off. I was actually hoping he’d pass the imperial exams and return home in triumph!”

Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua simply assumed he was hoping his husband would make something of himself.

“Yan Erlang is just looking out for us!”

“Yes, yes. Don’t shout so loudly—if he hears you, he’ll be heartbroken.”

…

Soon it was New Year’s Eve.

Yan Xiaoyu pushed open the window early in the morning. A thin layer of snow had settled over the courtyard, but the house was warm and cozy.

In the kitchen, his parents had already prepared breakfast and stoked the charcoal fire. Yan Xiaoyue was sitting by the brazier, eating sliced pork, his cheeks flushed from the heat. Yan Xiaoyu suddenly noticed that his older sister seemed a bit paler, and her face had filled out.

Seeing him come in, the other three followed.

“Awake?” He Qiuhua stood up from the stove, looking at her son with tenderness. “First, have a couple of eggs to tide you over. Then I’ll cook you a bowl of rice noodles.”

As she spoke, she handed Yan Xiaoyu the brown sugar eggs that had been warming on the small stove.

Yan Xingmao was slicing and chopping board meat at the stove. Hearing this, he added, “You should try the chopping board meat first. It’s still hot and smells delicious.”

Yan Xiaoyue pushed the bowl in her hand toward her younger brother: “It’s so good.”

Chopping-board meat is a specialty of the Peiyang Prefecture area. It’s typically made from pork head or leg, marinated with salt, Sichuan peppercorns, and other spices to cure it into a type of cured meat. After curing, the whole piece is boiled, then sliced on a cutting board, and served. Even without any condiments, it tastes absolutely delicious.

Eating chopped meat on New Year’s Eve is a local custom.

A whole piece of rich, steaming chopping board meat fills the mouth with the full aroma of meat. For villagers who rarely get to eat such rich food throughout the year, it is a delicacy they look forward to from the beginning of the year to the end.

They didn’t waste the broth from cooking the chopped beef either; using it to stew cabbage, tofu, or pickled cabbage made them taste better than when cooked in plain water.

Back when they lived with the Yan family, Yan Xiaoyu and his sister would get a single piece of chopped meat every New Year’s—and that was all they ever got.

Now, they’ve bought an entire pork leg to make chopping board meat, enough for the whole family of four to eat their fill.

Yan Xiaoyue held a bowl in her hands and ate with gusto.

Yan Xiaoyu had originally planned to wash up first, but seeing his older sister eating so heartily, he got hungry too.

After eating several pieces of chopped boiled meat, two brown sugar eggs, and a bowl of sweet potato noodles topped with pickled cabbage and sliced meat—until his stomach was as round as a ball—he finally went to wash up.

After washing up, he and Yan Xiaoyue hung up the peach wood talismans and Spring Festival couplets. Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua had also prepared the offerings and incense needed for the ancestral rites. The whole family put on warm clothes and got ready to go up the mountain to pay their respects to their ancestors.

Strictly speaking, since the family ties had been severed, the Yan family’s ancestors no longer had any connection to Yan Xiaoyu and the others. Yet, they still recognized Grandma Yan and the others.

In the eyes of Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua, their son’s culinary skills were entirely thanks to his grandmother—skills he had learned in the underworld. Their family’s current good fortune was also largely due to Grandma Yan and they would never forget her kindness.

Since the family split, they had already paid their respects at Grandma Yan’s grave twice. Today was the third time; as it was a festive season, the offerings prepared for Grandma Yan were particularly lavish. Paper horses, joss paper, incense, candles, food, wine, and meat—all had been purchased at great expense.

Because they firmly believed in the existence of the underworld, the couple spared no expense, deeply afraid that Grandma Yan might suffer any hardship down there.

The cemetery of Xiling Village was located in a patch of mixed woodland to the southeast of the mountain behind the village, not far from the foot of the hill. The villagers were all buried there after death, and this was where they came to pay their respects to their ancestors.

The snow on the ground had not yet melted. The four members of Yan Xiaoyu’s family—each carrying offerings in one hand and leaning on a stick with the other—trepped up the mountain, their footsteps sinking deep into the snow. Along the way, they encountered many villagers, all heading up the mountain to pay their respects to their ancestors.

As fate would have it, they ran right into Yan Xingsheng and his wife at Granny Yan’s grave.

When Yan Xingsheng saw the offerings Yan Xiaoyu’s family was carrying, he gritted his teeth in fury and clenched his fists—these paper ingots and paper horses weren’t cheap at all, yet Yan Xingmao would rather spend his silver on such trifles than lend him money to redeem his son!

Yan Xiaoyu didn’t exactly greet his uncle with a friendly face either; before Yan Xingsheng could even speak, he launched into a sarcastic remark.

The villagers knelt before their ancestors’ graves, yet their eyes kept drifting unconsciously toward Yan Xiaoyu and his group.

Yan Xingsheng was so furious that his vision went black; he immediately pointed at Yan Xiaoyu and started yelling. But Yan Xiaoyu wasn’t one to be messed with either; he planted his hands on his hips with an intimidating stance, refusing to let Yan Xingsheng get the upper hand.

After losing the verbal battle, Yan Xingsheng spat out, “I’m not your uncle!” and stormed off.

Having vented his frustration, Yan Xiaoyu led his timid family down the mountain, feeling thoroughly satisfied.

The verbal altercation didn’t dampen Yan Xiaoyu’s spirits in the slightest.

Back home, the family sat by the brazier, drinking tea and eating pastries, savoring this rare moment of leisure.

‌Wǔ still took a nap, and after waking up in the afternoon, the family of four got busy in the kitchen again.

For the New Year’s Eve dinner, they prepared ten dishes—five meat and five vegetable—to symbolize the auspicious meaning of “perfect in every way.”

Yan Xiaoyu also took to the kitchen to prepare a few dishes, all new recipes he had never made before. Some he had learned from Dai Xue, while others were adapted from the cookbook Yan Shaoxuan had given him.

At the dinner table, Yan Xingmao had a few sips of wine, while Yan Xiaoyu and He Qiuhua, mother and daughter, drank a special beverage they had gone out of their way to buy from Mrs. Yin the day before.

The family ate, drank, and chatted, their conversation filled with anticipation for the coming year.

—They were going to build a new house, open a restaurant in the county seat, and their youngest son’s marriage was finally taking shape; the prospective son-in-law was a handsome young man from the village, and a scholar to boot…

Yan Xingmao and his wife truly never imagined that in just half a year, their family’s life would undergo such earth-shattering changes. As they recalled their past circumstances, both wore expressions of deep emotion.

The ten dishes were all generous portions, and the whole family ate until they were stuffed.

By the time dinner was over, it was nearly dark. After clearing the table, the restless Yan Xingmao gave the house another thorough sweep.

Yan Xiaoyu and his older sister boiled several pots of water, and the whole family took a good bath. Afterward, each person held a cup of hawthorn honey water and sat by the stove to dry their hair.

On New Year’s Day, one is not supposed to sweep the floor or bathe. Since they had finished all these tasks today, they wouldn’t have to worry about breaking any taboos tomorrow.

That evening, the family sat together to stay up all night, waiting for the New Year. They didn’t go to bed until midnight, after setting off firecrackers. 

On New Year’s Day, Yan Xiaoyu didn’t do anything; he just rested at home.

When the village children came to pay New Year’s calls, he brought out the nuts and sugar cakes he’d bought before the New Year, along with some homemade snacks to treat them, making the whole group of children beam with joy.

He Qiuhua was delighted to see this: “You and your older sister are of marriageable age now, and our family will soon have a little one too.”

Yan Xiaoyu still couldn’t quite wrap his head around the idea of having children himself; he felt a bit uneasy: “Let my older sister have them for you.”

Yan Xiaoyue: “……”

He Qiuhua and Yan Xingmao thought he was just being shy, so they covered their mouths and teased him.

—Even their fearless young master knew how to be shy now!

By the second day of the New Year, Yan Xiaoyu’s home was bustling with activity.

The Yan brothers, Aunt He’s family, the two Yu brothers, and the Zhao couple all came to pay their New Year’s respects.

Since they had earned money working with Yan Xiaoyu, these four families had already sent gifts before the New Year. Today, as they came to pay their respects, they arrived with their arms full of presents.

Yan Xingmao and He Qiuhua felt terribly embarrassed, but Aunt He ignored their protests and led the group to stack the gifts in a corner of the main hall.

“These gifts are nothing compared to the help you’ve given us—why are you being so polite?”

Nian-ger chimed in: “My parents have gone to my maternal grandparents’ house to pay New Year’s calls, and my older brothers have taken their wives to their in-laws’ homes as well. My third brother and I don’t even have a place to eat dinner tonight—we were actually hoping to scrounge a meal here. If you refuse to accept these gifts, we wouldn’t have the face to eat your food!”

Hearing this, He Qiuhua and Yan Xingmao could no longer refuse.

Yan Xiaoyu and his older sister brought out tea and snacks. Everyone sat by the fire and chatted for a while, then Yan Xingmao and his wife went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. Aunt He and Uncle Li stopped Yan Xingmao and followed He Qiuhua over themselves.

Once in the kitchen, the three chatted as they worked. When the topic turned to Liu Xu, Aunt He looked at He Qiuhua with deep gratitude and thanked her.

“My Xu really owes a lot to your Yu!”