They really took a break, but even then, they started bickering.
Chirping and chattering about the joys of life, Lu Yang and Lu Liu: “……”
Ah!
The day the path was finished, Wu Pingzhi went out to the shop, walking on it and repeatedly praising it.
After the minor New Year, Xie Yan finally had a large stretch of free time.
Sheng Da and Ji Mingzhu didn’t come by either; he had already delivered New Year gifts to his master and senior brothers, and with the path completed, he could spend time with his husband.
Lu Yang let him sleep solidly for two full days to recover, then they brewed tea and enjoyed the snow together, passing a quiet, leisurely time. In the blink of an eye, it was New Year’s Eve. Wu Pingzhi went to celebrate with his father and didn’t come here.
On New Year’s Eve, they ate the reunion meal. This year was lively: every household prepared food, then brought it into one room, combining tables for a grand and bustling feast.
The prefectural city’s New Year’s Eve was livelier than in the county town, with fireworks in the city.
Fireworks were set off at the docks, while other city areas mostly had firecrackers.
They lived far from the docks, so they couldn’t see the fireworks. Full and satisfied, they set off firecrackers in front of the house.
Xie Yan carried Zhuang Zhuang, holding his little hand, helping him grasp an incense stick, stretching his arms to hold it high, letting Lu Yang light firecrackers with the red tip.
With a “crackle,” the firecrackers ignited. Lu Yang flung his hand and quickly covered Zhuang Zhuang’s ears.
Zhuang Zhuang was still confused; by the time he realized, the firecrackers had all gone off. He wanted to play again!
He and Xiao Mai still hadn’t fully distinguished Lu Yang and Lu Liu; upon seeing them, they called out “Papa” indiscriminately.
Shouting “Papa! Play!” had Xie Yan laughing for a long while.
On the other side, Lu Liu and Li Feng were entertaining Xiao Mai in the same way.
Even the three dogs had their ears covered. Zhao Peilan and Wang Fengnian sat together, while Lu Erbao crouched nearby, covering a pair of dog ears each.
Li Fei played with the children of the Luo and Lu families. They didn’t need adult supervision, setting off firecrackers themselves and laughing joyfully.
They all said life in the prefectural city was great, with so many firecrackers. In previous years, in the mountain village or county, they only handled small firecrackers; having three was something to boast about. Now, each had far more than three!
Luo Dayong and Luo Erwu sat with Old Master Lu on the doorstep, watching the red-hot commotion in the alley. Through the sparks and smoke, they saw Lu Yang laughing until his eyes disappeared—whether teasing the children or his scholarly husband, a string of “aiya, aiya” calls rang out, overpowered by firecrackers, leaving only pure joy in their ears.
In a similar alley, they never imagined such a full and happy future.
Back then, filled with helplessness and despair, comfort came in a single line: “It’ll be okay, when we grow up, it’ll be okay.”
Old Master Lu recited from Mencius:
“Shun emerged from the fields, Fu Yue was raised from brickwork… Therefore, when Heaven is about to entrust a great responsibility to a person, it first tests their heart and mind, exhausts their muscles and bones, starves their body…”
Lu Yang had wanted to study because it didn’t require labor and allowed him to eat his fill, but his interest in reading and writing came from this passage.
It carried him through many hard years. Now, everything was fine.
Across the way, Lu Yang waved to them: “Why are you sitting there? Come play!”
Luo Dayong didn’t go; he nudged his younger brother, letting Erwu go.
In the courtyard behind them, their wives and Lu Xiaoshui, led by Chen Guizhi and joined by He Qingzao, played touhu (pitch-pot).
Normally, who had such leisure? This was a game for the well-off!
Luo Dayong glanced back and told Old Master Lu: “I think Xie Yan is reliable. Yang Ge’er doesn’t have many relatives. If Xie Yan passes the exam next year, I plan to go with Erwu, to accompany him for a bit further.”
Here was too lively; the Xie family had too few people. The brothers’ support counted as two families, a helpful presence from the past.
Old Master Lu could no longer move easily; the prefectural city was his final stop.
Life has separations and reunions. Today, they gathered here—complete in a twist of fate.
Old Master Lu said, “You and Erwu need to read more books. The world is vast; relying only on the county’s little skills won’t get you far.”
A jar of rice wine was brought by his brother-in-law. The three elders drank a bowl each.
Li Feng, across the way, saw and wanted a drink too. Lu Liu didn’t mind; he joined Li Feng.
Xiao Mai saw them drinking and clamored for some.
As Lu Liu tried to coax him, Li Feng dipped a finger into the wine and let Xiao Mai lick it.
Lu Liu: !!!
All the men there burst into laughter. “Only a real father lets his child taste wine!”
Lu Liu frowned. “Look at you, you made Xiao Mai burn!”
Xiao Mai snuggled into Lu Liu’s arms, rejecting Li Feng.
Li Feng, holding a bowl of wine, then let Zhuang Zhuang lick a bit. Zhuang Zhuang, more spirited, kicked and cried in Xie Yan’s arms, nearly unmanageable!
“Li Feng, are these really your children? Aunt Chen! Aunt Chen! Li Feng made both kids cry!”
Xie Yan reported this to his mother.
But Chen Guizhi didn’t mind. “It’s fine; he grew up tasting wine too.”
Li Feng laughed loudly, carrying Zhuang Zhuang, playing “flying” with him a few times. Zhuang Zhuang laughed, disregarding the spiciness of the wine, and became father and son with Li Feng.
Lu Yang looked around, but Shun Ge’er was nowhere to be seen.
He went inside and found him rolling dumpling skins, preparing dumplings, teasing: “Why are you so diligent? We’re all playing; no rush to make dumplings—we just ate!”
Shun Ge’er replied: “These are New Year dumplings, for the first day of the year.”
Lu Yang immediately saw through his intent.
“Oh! After the New Year, our Shun Ge’er is a little husband! Any more dumplings and it won’t taste the same!”
Shun Ge’er blushed deeply, imitating Xie Yan’s way of tattling, calling Xie Yan in and making him take Lu Yang away.
Xie Yan staunchly defended his husband. “What’s wrong? My husband isn’t wrong; why are you chasing him off?”
Shun Ge’er set down the rolling pin. Dumplings could no longer be made!
He went outside, seeing the alley bustling. He returned inside to fetch water and wash his hands, then joined in the fun.
Lu Yang, a little tired, sat with a group of “introverts.”
He first asked his mother: “Mother, why are you so quiet?”
Zhao Peilan had become a bit more talkative, smiling and cheerful as usual, not exactly introverted.
She said, “I thought the in-laws wouldn’t be used to such commotion, so I decided to keep them company.”
Lu Yang looked at his two fathers. They smiled awkwardly, everything unspoken yet understood.
Curious, Lu Yang asked, “You were so quiet then—how did you end up together?”
Wang Fengnian said, “Just like this: sit in a group. When someone couldn’t endure it, they’d speak up once. We mutually thought the other had a good temperament, and that’s how we paired up.”
Lu Yang laughed uproariously!
This time, he laughed so hard it hurt. Xie Yan supported him, helping him catch his breath: “Come, come, while my mother and fathers-in-law are here, let’s ‘look at each other.’”
Lu Yang spoke, and the “looking at each other” was complete.
“Oh my, whose handsome scholar is this? Quickly let me marry him and make him a top scholar!”
The elders didn’t know what a “top scholar” meant, only Xie Yan blushed.
Lu Yang leaned on him, saying precisely: “If I said this while we were meeting each other, would you have run ten miles away, never daring to see me again?”
Xie Yan firmly denied it. Lu Yang didn’t bother arguing.
“Ah, so you like teasing me.”
The little couple flirted and bantered, prompting the three elders to move aside.
The three dogs gained freedom, running to play with Li Fei and the others, barking at sounds, retreating when too loud, returning when quiet, busy all around.
Wang Fengnian saw how good they were together, telling Zhao Peilan: “Yang Ge’er is just fierce with words.”
Zhao Peilan knew: “He’s a good child, obedient.”
Lu Erbao, seeing them conversing, joined in: “You’re right.”
