Chapter One Hundred and Ten: New Year's Spring

The case of the poisoned elixir became the talk of the entire Wu City, seasoning conversations during meals and leisure alike. Everyone marveled at Wei San’s miraculous survival and lamented that those who harm others never meet a good end.

Zhu Xishui’s poisoning was proven beyond doubt, and he was immediately detained. His mother and sister, implicated as accomplices, were also imprisoned. The Zhu family was utterly defeated, yet the matter was far from over. Not long after, Zhu Xishui’s stepsister was found to be pregnant out of wedlock, causing an uproar and bringing public scorn upon the family.

The only regret was the failure to capture the wealthy young master surnamed Yu. The Zhu family could offer no useful clues; it was as if the rich young master had vanished into thin air.

That day, Fang Fengxian, holding back his frustration, finished interrogating the case and turned to berate his eldest son—Fang Yiming’s father—harshly. Such a foolish plan could only have come from him. If you’re going to do something, do it thoroughly; leaving so many loopholes only allowed others to exploit them. Now, the plan had backfired, and it would be much harder to deal with the matter in the future.

After all, the elixir had become the focus of public attention; any slightest stir would spark speculation.

More importantly, Fang Fengxian had hoped to seize the chance to crush that small tavern which dared look down on him, leaving it forever unable to recover. But unexpectedly, things went against him, and it was he who ended up letting the culprit off the hook—plus, the young man surnamed Liu had even made a fool of him.

That Liu fellow, we shall see about him.

And that Wei San—bold enough to defy me.

With a deeply furrowed brow, Fang Fengxian glared sternly at his son’s meek demeanor, growing even more irate.

“Use your brain next time. Stop wasting your time chasing after women and loafing around among them.”

His son was hopeless, and his daughter no less troublesome—truly vexing to behold.

“What are you still doing here? Get out.”

Scolded and embarrassed, the eldest son of the Fang family, Fang Zhen, stormed out with a gloomy expression and a glint of cruelty in his eyes. His long-time attendant, familiar with his thoughts, dared to suggest, “Master, shall we...?” making a slashing motion with his hand.

Fang Zhen nodded. A ruthless gleam flashed in his eyes.

That very night, several dark figures silently infiltrated Wei San’s home, hacking wildly at the bed. Yet after a long while, no sounds emerged. Lifting the bedding, they were stunned to find only two pillows—no person.

Thus, the mother and son of the Wei family vanished from Wu City without a trace.

As the year-end approached, the tavern remained closed. Liu Qin handed out double rewards to everyone and granted a long holiday, compensating them for their ten days of imprisonment.

Fang Nuo, Changxing, and Lei Hu quietly returned to the Liu estate. Liu Qin praised Fang Nuo generously for his performance, delighting the young man for days.

With this major issue resolved, everyone at the Liu estate was in high spirits. The matriarch, seeing her husband and children so joyous, though unaware of the reason, felt the arrival of the new year was cause enough for celebration. The entire household bustled with activity.

Red lanterns adorned the garden everywhere. Door curtains and window screens were replaced with festive bright red, charming soft pink, or elegant rose red.

The maids wore jackets in shades of red or purple, their faces radiant with holiday cheer.

On New Year’s Eve, the Fifth Master’s household made a brief appearance only during the ancestral shrine ceremony, attended solely by the Fifth Master and a few sons and grandsons; the women were absent. After the rites, the Fifth Master took his leave immediately.

Liu Lord did not insist on keeping him; outwardly, the two families maintained a facade of harmony, but in truth, they were drifting farther apart.

They had chosen different paths, moving in opposite directions, a rupture between the two families inevitable.

Moreover, the Fifth Master had climbed over the eldest brother’s shoulders to rise—something even Liu Lord could endure, but the others in the Liu family could not.

With the Fifth Master’s wife absent, the matriarch breathed a great sigh of relief. She was a gentle woman, easy to get along with, but that daughter-in-law was impossible to like. Her mouth—how was it so disagreeable?

The Fifth Master’s wife’s absence pleased Liu Qin as well. She had not forgotten the way that Liu Mei looked at Jiang Li—hmph! Such a young girl with no decorum, foolishly enamored with boys, truly ill-bred.

Though she herself had once been young and foolishly enamored.

Liu Qin, a young lady who bore grudges well, was delighted not to see a potential “rival” today. With no unwelcome guests, she happily held Jiang Li’s hand in one and Xiao Wu’s in the other, leading a group of half-grown children to wander about the garden, setting off firecrackers.

Chao Ge, shaking off the little maid who always hovered close, sulked as he squeezed beside Liu Qin and glared fiercely at Jiang Li and Xiao Wu. These two were truly annoying—how come they never held my hand or played with me?

Jiang Li and Xiao Wu exchanged bewildered glances but did not let go of each other’s hands, as if silently competing.

Chao Ge grew even more disgruntled, stepping forward to twist their fingers apart. “Auntie is mine; none of you are allowed to snatch her.”

“Hehe, Chao Ge, what are you doing?”

Chao Ge finally wrested Auntie from the two “clutches” and pulled her aside, happily monopolizing her and swaying his head. “Auntie, let’s go see the lanterns.”

“No, they look better at night.”

“Go set off firecrackers?”

“At night, too.”

“Then...go eat sesame cakes?”

“All right, all right, let’s go eat.”

Finally agreeing on food, the aunt and nephew walked hand in hand, leaving behind a group of young onlookers exchanging glances—so in a girl’s eyes, food was the greatest attraction.

The New Year’s Eve dinner lacked the presence of the Fifth Master’s family but was not lacking in warmth. This year, Mu Qing and his son joined Fang Nuo at the table. Since there were outsiders, two tables remained separated by a screen.

The men drank wine, casually starting a conversation.

“Master Mu has traveled far and wide; surely he’s been to many places?”

“Yes, I have been to many places. I once thought I had seen much of this world, but later realized I was merely a frog at the bottom of a well, seeing only the patch of sky above.”

“Oh? Is there even farther to go?”

“I didn’t know either until last year, when I met a peculiar man who looked different from us. He said his name was James and came from across the sea. Only then did I realize beyond the vast ocean lay many wondrous places.”

“The sea?”

Their words caught everyone’s attention.

Liu Qin couldn’t help but blurt out, “Master, is this James tall, with a high nose, deep-set eyes, fair skin, and blue eyes?”

“Yes, uh, Qin’er, how do you know? Have you seen him?”

She had seen him in a past life.

Liu Qin felt she had almost revealed too much and quickly smiled awkwardly. “Just a guess, just a guess.”

Liu Lord and Master Mu exchanged a glance, making Liu Qin feel as if she had been X-rayed—her secret laid bare.

All because of her loose tongue.

How can one keep it in?

Master Mu withdrew his gaze and smiled, “Qin’er guessed correctly. Once this matter here is settled, I intend to follow James and see the marvelous world beyond.”

“That’s wonderful. Hopefully, Master Mu will tell us all about his adventures abroad.”

So in this life, foreigners with high noses and deep-set eyes really exist. My future life will never be dull. Once I’ve earned enough in Han territory, I’ll open trade routes to neighboring countries, build ships, and sail across the sea to experience exotic lands.

Liu Qin’s beautiful daydream was interrupted before she could finish her meal, as Chao Ge dragged her outside to set off firecrackers.

As the sparks flew, Liu Qin recalled this time last year—the dazzling fireworks, standing hand in hand with Jiang Li. This year, by her side were Xiao Wu, Fang Nuo, Changxing, and Lei Hu...

Perhaps these people would accompany her on the journey ahead.

She secretly squeezed Jiang Li’s hand and silently wished, “May every year be like this moment, and every morning like this day.”

On the other side, Xiao Wu’s hand reached out as well, tightly clasping hers.

(To be continued.)