Chapter 46 New Year

Once the Laba Festival is over, the festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year begins to grow stronger throughout Yongzhou.

In the past, Grandma always took care of everything for the Lunar New Year. This year, Grandma wasn't around, so Aman followed her example and took care of all the big and small things at home.

Making new clothes, cleaning the house, steaming buns, frying tofu—time flies when you're busy like this.

During this time, Fu Yunxiu also fell slightly ill, but it was just a cold, and he recovered after taking two doses of medicine.

Before we knew it, it was the eve of the Lunar New Year, the 23rd of the lunar calendar. In the afternoon, Aman prepared a delicious meal and, after dark, offered incense and paper money to the Kitchen God.

Mantou had been busy with Aman all day and was starving. Now, looking at the table full of food, he kept swallowing.

"Aman, are you all better yet?" Mantou couldn't help but ask.

If we don't eat soon, it'll get cold.

"Alright, alright." Aman patted the dirt off his knees, extinguished the candle on the stove, and went straight to Fu Yunxiu's east-facing room after leaving the kitchen.

Pushing open the door, the warm spring atmosphere inside immediately chased away the chill. Aman rubbed her hands together and walked to the table. "You're here, you're here. I told you not to wait for me, you can eat first."

Fu Yunxiu didn't reply, but first served her a bowl of hot soup before asking, "Why did it take so long?"

"Don't we still need to have a good chat with the Kitchen God, so that he will say good things about us and bring back good fortune after he goes to heaven?" In the past, Grandma did this, but Ah Man has seen it many times and naturally learned it by observation.

The Marquis's residence always had a designated person in charge of sacrificial rites. Fu Yunxiu simply followed along, kneeling and kowtowing, without really understanding the intricacies of the rituals.

Looking at the two red lanterns that Aman had insisted on replacing in the room, which were clearly out of place with the style, and listening to Aman's incessant chatter about the intricacies of the situation, Fu Yunxiu couldn't help but chuckle.

He, who had never really cared much about the Lunar New Year before, felt for the first time that it wasn't so bad after all.

Aman introduced the New Year customs of his hometown to Mantou, and as they talked, they came to talk about the New Year celebrations at the Hou Mansion.

As is customary, Fu Yunxiu must attend the family banquet on New Year's Eve and the ancestral worship ceremony on New Year's Day.

The so-called family banquet is just a group of people who are rarely seen in daily life praising and flattering each other, which is extremely boring.

As for ancestor worship, it goes without saying that one must follow the rules of etiquette from beginning to end, and is not allowed to speak, laugh, or look around.

In previous years, Fu Yunxiu accompanied Mantou, but this year Aman was also there, which wasn't a big deal.

However, Aman had been somewhat resistant to the Marquis's mansion since she first arrived, and this feeling intensified after she was forced to kneel as punishment that day.

Upon hearing that Mantou wanted to go along too, her little face immediately scrunched up.

Although Fu Yunxiu did not participate in their conversation, he kept a close eye on Aman. Seeing that she was unwilling, he said, "If you don't want to go, you don't have to."

"Really?" Aman's eyes lit up immediately.

"Mm." Fu Yunxiu nodded.

"But... wouldn't that be a bad idea?" Aman hesitated.

Since it has been said that all servants need to help with the ancestral worship, wouldn't it be too unusual for me not to go? Wouldn't that put the young master in a difficult position?

Moreover, the young master is already in poor health, and the people in the Marquis's mansion treat him with disrespect. If there is a need at that time, I don't know if Mantou can handle it by himself.

"Maybe I should go with you!" Aman said after a moment's hesitation.

"It's alright, I'm here." Mantou now understood why the young master didn't want Aman to go, and chimed in.

Aman was a concubine that the lady found for the young master. Her status was special. The people in the Marquis's mansion were used to treating people differently based on their status. If Aman went, she would inevitably be the subject of gossip and ridicule. It would be better for her not to go.

With Mantou's assurance, Aman abandoned her desire to go to the Marquis's mansion for the banquet with Fu Yunxiu.

Therefore, by the afternoon of New Year's Eve, only Aman was left in the huge courtyard.

It snowed yesterday morning, and the branches are still covered with white specks, like pear blossoms in early spring, reflected in the bright red couplets.

As the sun shines brightly on every door and window, people replace the old peachwood charms with new ones.

Pasting up the couplets marks the beginning of a new year and a fresh start.

Aman stood by the window, listening to the bursts of firecrackers outside. His slightly lonely heart was filled with the joy of the New Year.

Although the young master and Mantou were not at home, and she was all alone, she still had to keep watch over the New Year.

Exhaling a breath of stale air, Aman ran to the kitchen and found the Sichuan pepper wine that had been soaking under the work surface.

After a month of soaking, the originally clear wine has become cloudy, carrying the numbing flavor of Sichuan peppercorns. Even without opening the bottle, you can still smell the strong aroma of Sichuan peppercorns inside.

Aman glanced at the vegetables she had stockpiled for the Lunar New Year. Although there were only three people in her family, Aman was not stingy at all and provided everything she needed.

However, being alone, Aman had no appetite for a big meal and just planned to cook something simple to eat.

As night fell, the vast mansion was brightly lit, as if it were daytime.

In the clean and bright main hall, rows of tables and chairs were lined up, and people were toasting, laughing and talking, creating a lively atmosphere.

Because it was a family dinner, men and women were not seated separately, but rather at separate tables.

Fu Yunxiu was the eldest son of the Marquis's family, so he naturally sat at the front. Next to him were Fu Yunting and Fu Changze.

Fu Changze was a humble man, and as the acting head of the Marquis's mansion, he naturally had to navigate the relationships between various clan elders and relatives in such situations.

Seeing how eloquent he was, making the elders overjoyed and praising him repeatedly, Madam Fu couldn't help but scoff.

He's just an illegitimate son; I don't know what he has to be proud of.

Looking at her sickly eldest son who showed no interest in anything, and her second son who was busy eating like a starving ghost, Madam Fu was immediately furious.

They were both legitimate sons, yet a son born out of wedlock stole the spotlight.

Seeing that everyone's attention was drawn to Fu Changze, Madam Fu finally couldn't help but speak up, "Hey Yunting, didn't you say you planned to participate in the imperial examination after the New Year? How are your preparations going?"

"Mother, why did you bring this up out of the blue?" Fu Yunting asked, his mouth still full of food, clearly displeased.

However, Madam Fu's original intention was not to ask him. Sure enough, before she could finish speaking, someone chimed in, "Is that so? Yun Ting has been clever since he was a child. I imagine that he will take the imperial examination with ease this time."

"Not at all," Madam Fu said modestly with a smile. "His teacher said that his time has come and he wants him to try his luck. If he passes, he can participate in the provincial examination in the autumn. I think he is still too young and it would be more prudent for him to gain more experience."

"Alas, Madam, you are mistaken. The Second Young Master's tutor is the renowned Master Zhong of the capital. Since he says it has been accomplished, it must be without any problems."

"Yes, Yun Ting is so young, yet he has already gained the appreciation of Master Zhong. His future is limitless. In the future, the Marquis's mansion will have to rely on him a lot."

"Indeed! He's really young and promising!"

With just one simple sentence, the focus of everyone's discussion instantly shifted from Fu Changze to Fu Yunting.

When talking about Fu Yunting, it is inevitable to mention Fu Yunxiu.

After all, he was already the Marquis's chosen successor at a very young age.

Over the years, he has been the only one in Yongzhou to be famous for his talent.

It's a pity that fate is jealous of talent; who could have imagined that he would fall into such a state?

The unintentional pity and regret expressed in the words and glances of the crowd made Fu Yunxiu very uncomfortable, and the unintentional mention of the events of that year in their words made Madam Liu's face immediately darken.

She knew that old hag wouldn't ask such an obvious question for no reason; she was just waiting for this. She pulls the same tactic every year, rubbing salt into her son's wounds to achieve her own ends—she's really run out of tricks!

She looked at Fu Yunxiu, and after meeting his gaze, she let out a cold laugh.

The sarcasm was obvious.

However, over the years, Fu Yunxiu had long been accustomed to his mother using him as a stepping stone to highlight Fu Yunting's intelligence and talent. Therefore, he didn't care much at all.

He had been out in the wind later that day, and now he was sitting in the wind, with servants coming and going. Even though he had a cloak made by Aman to keep him warm, he still felt a little uncomfortable.

Anyway, he wasn't the main character of this banquet, so rather than sitting here and being entertained by others, he might as well go back early to avoid getting in other people's way.

Seeing that the time was right, Fu Yunxiu coughed lightly twice, covered his mouth, and was pushed by Mantou to the elders. He said that he was not feeling well and wanted to leave the banquet first.

Although the clan elders were all seniors, seeing Fu Yunxiu's obviously pale and abnormal complexion, they couldn't bring themselves to argue with a sick person like him. Naturally, they nodded repeatedly in agreement, telling him to go and rest quickly.

However, interrupting at this crucial moment inevitably leads to some awkward silence.

"If you're not feeling well, go back and rest early. Mantou, take good care of your young master." Although Madam Fu found him a spoilsport, she still had to maintain her dignity in front of the clan elders. She gently instructed Mantou to take good care of him and make sure he didn't catch a cold on the way.

"Yes, Madam." Mantou nodded in agreement and pushed Fu Yunxiu out of the banquet hall.

The heavy curtains were raised and lowered, and after a moment of silence, the worried crowd smiled again.

Madam Fu was even more afraid of being overshadowed by others, so she insisted that Fu Yunting, who was worried about Fu Yunxiu's health and was planning to go out to check on him, come over to toast the elders.

"Come here quickly, you child, how can you be so insensible?" Seeing that he didn't move, Madam Fu couldn't help but reach out and tug at his clothes.

"Mother, I..." Fu Yunting pointed to the door and then to himself, but Madam Fu wouldn't listen to him and insisted on pulling him over.

This scene was witnessed by Fu Changze and his mother, who were somewhat neglected. The two exchanged a glance, their eyes full of mockery.

With the New Year approaching and Changze about to come of age, this old bastard really couldn't sit still anymore and stopped pretending.

Some people in the hall were happy, some were watching the play. Fu Yunxiu's departure was like a snowflake falling to the ground, having no impact whatsoever.

That's true, what influence could an insignificant person have?

The Marquis's mansion occupied a vast area, and the banquet hall was located on the west side of the mansion, quite far from the main gate. The two walked through the garden, the tires crunching loudly over the wooden boardwalk in the night.

Once the two had walked a little further away, Mantou saw that no one was around and finally relaxed, letting out a breath of stale air. "Phew, I'm finally out. If I had stayed any longer, I would have suffocated."

Fu Yunxiu neither confirmed nor denied it, but judging from his expression, he seemed much more relaxed.

"Young master, shall we go home now?" Mantou asked.

The word "home" seemed to touch a soft spot in Fu Yunxiu's heart.

Yes, this huge mansion is no longer his home.

His home, in that small courtyard, was warm, filled with the warmth of everyday life, and had Aman.

Remembering that person pouting and looking longingly at the door when he left that noon, Fu Yunxiu slightly curved the corners of his lips and said gently, "Yes, let's go home."

As if summoned by some force, Mantou pushed his wheelchair at breakneck speed all the way, and the journey from the main entrance, which should have taken at least fifteen minutes, was completed in half an hour.

In the deep, dark alley, every household had its doors tightly shut, but the occasional bursts of laughter and cheerful voices always brought a smile to people's faces.

In Wutong Garden, Aman was preparing food for the New Year's Eve vigil in her room. Although she had everything she needed at home, Aman couldn't bear to eat any of it.

Good food should be shared with Young Master Mantou and the others.

On the table, there was only a simple bowl of mixed radish, a small dish of stir-fried pork liver, and two pieces of mung bean cake that she had used to commemorate her grandmother.

Aman poured himself a bowl of Sichuan pepper wine, took a sip, and felt a tingling, numb sensation spread through his mouth.

Comfortable.

Aman picked up his chopsticks, ready to start eating, when he suddenly heard a knock on the door.

Aman thought he had misheard, but after a short while, the knocking came again.

Who is it at this time?

Could it be that some auntie from another family knew she was spending the New Year alone tonight and came to wish her a Happy New Year?

Aman was puzzled, but she still jogged over to open the door.

With a "whoosh," the door opened, and the steamed bun bounced right in front of her like a freak. "Haha, didn't expect that, did you!"

In the middle of the night, Aman was startled by his sudden action and screamed as she tried to close the door, but Mantou reacted quickly and stopped her, saying, "It's us."

Upon recognizing the two individuals, her bright eyes shone like stars in the night. "Young Master, why are you back at this hour?"

Before Fu Yunxiu could even open his mouth, Mantou, who had almost bumped his nose on the door, spoke up first, "I was just thinking that someone was pitiful spending the New Year alone at home, but what happened? He didn't appreciate it and almost broke my handsome nose."

"Tch, who told you to scare me in the middle of the night?" Aman was still shaken and couldn't help pinching the soft flesh on Mantou's waist.

Unfortunately, it was winter and she was wearing thick clothes, so she tried several times but couldn't pinch him.

With nowhere to vent her anger, especially with Mantou's smug "you can't touch me" attitude, Aman snorted, pushed past him, and got into Fu Yunxiu's wheelchair. "Come on, young master, let's go inside and let him freeze to death."

Even so, Aman simply closed the door, which Mantou could easily block with a wave of his hand.

"Tch, you stingy person."

The two of them were arguing and making a lot of noise, but Fu Yunxiu couldn't help but smile, looking quite pleased with himself.

She pushed him to the door of the east room. It was dark inside and no lights were on. Aman didn't dare to push Fu Yunxiu in directly, afraid that she might accidentally bump into him, but she was also afraid that he would catch a cold while waiting outside.

Thinking of this, Aman pushed the person directly into his room.

"Young master, please wait here for a moment. I will come over as soon as I light the lamp."

"Oh, no need," Fu Yunxiu was about to say that it was no trouble at all, and that he could wait outside, but Aman left like a gust of wind, not giving him a chance to speak at all.

The wheels were covered in mud, and Fu Yunxiu couldn't bring himself to push them, so he had to give up.

With a helpless sigh, Fu Yunxiu turned his gaze back to Aman's room and immediately saw the simplest three dishes on the table.

Aman lit the lamp and added charcoal to the earthen stove before returning to his own room.

"Young master, I've already turned on the lights and warmed the floor. You can come in now." Aman said as she entered the room, only to find Mantou and Fu Yunxiu standing there blankly, not saying a word.

"What's wrong with you two?" Aman stepped forward and felt a little embarrassed when he saw that the two of them had their eyes on the New Year's Eve dinner on the table.

"Oh, I didn't mean to..." Aman hurriedly walked to the table and used his body to block the things on the table.

"Didn't I tell you to cook more delicious food? Why are you eating this?" Fu Yunxiu's throat tightened, and his voice became hoarse, clearly indicating that he was angry.

"No, no," Aman hurriedly waved his hand to explain, "I was just too lazy to cook, so I just made some random stuff."

Looking at Fu Yunxiu's sour face, we tentatively asked in a low voice, "Has the young master eaten yet?"

Fu Yunxiu was still angry and didn't want to talk to Aman. It was Mantou who chimed in, "No, who could eat in that kind of atmosphere!"

Upon hearing this, Aman immediately became delighted. "That's perfect! I'll go get two more dishes, and we'll stay up all night together."

Without waiting for Fu Yunxiu to speak again, she dashed into the kitchen.

It was already 9 PM, and Aman thought that there was no time to do anything else. Besides, the young master and the others must be starving by now, so she decided to just make a simple pot.

It has vegetables and meat, and it's quick and warm.

A small portion of all the vegetables were taken out and cleaned. Aman sliced ​​the meat and prepared a soup base with the chicken broth that had been cooked that morning.

After settling Mantou in, Fu Yunxiu came to the kitchen to help and saw that Aman had already prepared everything.

"So fast!"

"It's getting late. Doing anything else would be too much trouble, and besides, Young Master didn't eat anything at noon, so he must be hungry."

Mantou agreed with that. A so-called family banquet isn't really about eating. Besides, the Marquis's residence is a place of sorrow for the young master, so he has even less of an appetite.

The stove was placed on the table, and the soup pot bubbled and churned over the bright red flames.

The cold wind was blowing hard outside, but the room was warm and cozy. Aman poured a bowl of Sichuan pepper wine, raised the cup to Fu Yunxiu, and said, "Young master, this first cup of wine is for you. Thank you for taking me in."

Looking back, Aman still remembers the scene when Fu Yunxiu had a cold face and tried every means to force her to leave.

When this was mentioned, Fu Yunxiu couldn't help but recall when Aman first came to Wutong Garden, she was timid and submissive, always looking down like a quail.

Unlike now, she's so carefree and doesn't act like a woman at all.

Fu Yunxiu chuckled softly, raised his bowl, and clinked it with Aman's.

With a loud "clang," Aman beamed and downed his drink in one gulp.

"Don't!" Fu Yunxiu tried to stop him, but it was too late.

After finishing the bowl, Aman picked up the wine jar again and filled her own cup. This time, she pointed it at the steamed bun and said, "Brother Steamed Bun, this bowl is for you. Thank you for taking care of me during this time."

"Hey, what's with all this talk about taking care of each other when we're family?" Mantou put down the bone he was gnawing on and clinked glasses with Aman. "Well, thank you for taking care of me and the young master these past few days. I've gained so much weight, I almost couldn't fit into my clothes from last year."

The words were a complaint, but there was no hint of it in their tone. They poured more wine, and the three of them raised their glasses together.

Seeing how happy Aman was, Fu Yunxiu's desire to stop him gradually faded.

Well, the alcohol isn't very strong anyway, and since Aman is so happy, let her drink her fill.

Fu Yunxiu couldn't drink too much wine; he drank a bowl of wine three times in a row, and it was finally empty.

After drinking three bowls of wine, Aman was clearly a little dizzy and forgot that Fu Yunxiu was unwell. He swayed as he picked up the wine jar and tried to refill it for him.

Seeing this, Mantou was about to stop them when he suddenly heard the sound of the night watchman's drum outside.

At the fourth quarter of midnight, a new year began.

"Firecrackers, firecrackers!" Aman suddenly became excited and hurriedly reached out to grab the steamed bun. "It's time to set off firecrackers to welcome the master."

Mantou was caught off guard and was accidentally pulled by Aman, almost falling over. Only then did he remember that he should welcome the Kitchen God who was sent to heaven on the Little New Year.

The offerings for welcoming the patriarch were prepared by Aman well in advance: an incense table, candles, yellow paper, and other offerings.

Following Aman's instructions, Mantou lit incense, burned paper money, and after kneeling in prayer, started setting off firecrackers.

Outside, some families had already finished welcoming their husbands, and the sound of firecrackers going off was lively and cheerful.

Perhaps influenced by the commotion, Fu Bao, who usually only stayed indoors during the winter, also came out and huddled up at Fu Yunxiu's feet.

Seeing that Mantou was going to light firecrackers, Aman walked a little under the corridor at the right time and just happened to see that small ball.

The firecrackers were extremely powerful once lit. The crackling sound was accompanied by flying debris, and the flashing flames startled Fu Bao.

Aman hugged Fu Bao tightly in time, but she herself was also startled by the sound and her heart trembled.

At that moment, a pair of large hands reached out and covered her ears.

Warm, clean, with a faint scent of books and ink, it forcefully and domineeringly occupied all the scents around Aman.

Aman's heart was still pounding, as if it were about to jump out of her chest.

“Young Master…” Aman’s lips moved, but no sound came out.

Fu Yunxiu chuckled softly, his handsome face beaming with a smile even in the darkness. His clear black and white eyes were like deep, still lakes, so deep they seemed to draw people in.

"Crack, crack, crack." Fireworks from the Marquis's residence soared into the sky at just the right moment, illuminating almost half of the sky. Like shooting stars streaking across the night, they were dazzling, brilliant, and magnificent.

Beneath the dazzling fireworks, the man parted his thin lips slightly and spoke gently, "Aman, Happy New Year."

Aman looked at the fireworks reflected in his eyes. His flushed cheeks, whether from being drunk or something else, and his smiling eyes, like dazzling fireworks, said, "Happy New Year, young master."

In the darkness, you are a color more dazzling than fireworks.

-----------------------

A note from the author:

Mantou, who was blasted around the yard by firecrackers, thought: So, does anyone still care whether I live or die?