Qin Fang was woken early in the morning by the sound of firecrackers.

A blanket of white lay outside his window. A few snowflakes drifted lazily from the sky, vanishing as they touched the eaves of the house across the way.

He stared blankly for a short while before slowly getting out of bed and dressing.

When he stepped outside, the cold air seemed to find every crack and crevice in his body. His nostrils instantly felt sticky from the dry, cold air.

He cupped his hands over his mouth and nose and exhaled a few times, watching the white puffs of his breath drift up from between his fingers.

He had all the memories of the body’s original owner, so he knew most of the customs of this Great Yu Dynasty...

In his own memories, however, there was no such dynasty as the Great Yu.

But this "Great Yu" was like some alternate version of ancient history. He could find counterparts in the Great Yu for all the festivals he knew from his past life.

For example, the New Year.

Even the normally quiet Yangjiao Alley seemed exceptionally lively today.

Firecrackers went off sporadically, the sounds of children chasing each other echoed past his gate, and even the rumbling of pushcarts seemed more frequent. Now and then, he could hear footsteps and cheerful chatter.

Qin Fang stood at the door for a moment, then, feeling a little hungry, turned and went into the kitchen.

After breakfast, he returned to the main hall, his mind elsewhere. He lit a fire, as usual, and toyed absently with his Darts, throwing one, retrieving it, and throwing it again...

The holidays always make you miss family the most.

’I was brought to this strange World by some grand design... I wonder how Mom and Dad are doing...’

’When they found out I had an accident, Mom must have cried her eyes out, right?’

’Dad is a stubborn old man. Our relationship was never the smoothest. Whenever I was home for too long, we’d end up arguing over the most trivial things...’

’But a father’s love is often unspoken. I could feel he loved me. It’s just that neither of us was ever good at showing it...’

’This World is celebrating the New Year.’

’What about that other world?’

’Are they celebrating the New Year, too?’

’This year... It must be so hard for them, right?’

Qin Fang’s thoughts were in turmoil. He dropped the Darts he was fiddling with several times.

After this happened a few times, he took a deep breath, forcing himself to stop dwelling on it.

He stood up decisively and walked to the side to begin his daily training.

He got on the floor and started doing push-ups.

HUFF... PUFF...

Ever since his health had started to improve, Qin Fang had begun some restorative training to speed up his recovery.

He’d brought over all the common exercises from his past life, like sit-ups, push-ups, and squats.

And it had to be said, the results were quite good.

What disappointed Qin Fang a little, however, was that these exercises hadn’t unlocked any new Skills on his panel.

’Is it because the exercises themselves lack potential... or is there another reason?’

But it was a fact that his recovery speed had clearly increased, and his strength and endurance had visibly improved.

So, in addition to practicing Darts every day, Qin Fang also set aside some time for these exercises.

He considered them supplementary training.

For Qin Fang, the day seemed to drag on. He felt like he’d accomplished nothing all morning, and his proficiency with the Darts was progressing much more slowly than usual.

Finally, afternoon arrived. Smoke curled from the chimneys of every home, and he could hear mothers calling their children inside. They must be getting ready for the New Year’s Eve feast.

Qin Fang felt hungry himself, so he went into the kitchen to prepare his own dinner.

But just then, there was a sudden KNOCK KNOCK at his courtyard gate.

Qin Fang froze for a second, set down the wooden ladle he’d just used to scoop rice, and walked to the gate.

He peeked outside, froze again for a moment, and then opened the gate.

"Master?"

Standing outside was Elder Wu, bundled up in a thick, padded cotton coat and a matching hat.

Seeing Qin Fang, Elder Wu nodded. Instead of coming in, he just looked at him and said, "Mm. Come with me."

Qin Fang paused, confusion in his eyes. "Where are we going?" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"Why so many questions?"

Elder Wu waved a hand dismissively. "Just come."

With that, he clasped his hands behind his back and started walking off.

Though confused, Qin Fang closed his gate and followed Elder Wu.

Out on the street, he saw the ground was littered with the red paper remnants of firecrackers.

Since he hadn’t been out in a long time, Qin Fang only now noticed that every door was adorned with red couplets and "fortune" characters.

He even saw red lanterns hanging from some of the trees, all of it contributing to a joyous, celebratory air.

As he followed Elder Wu, children occasionally dashed past them, laughing and roughhousing. Qin Fang was initially just confused, but as they twisted and turned through the alleys, a faint suspicion began to form in his mind...

The thought made his heart flutter, but he couldn’t be certain.

Finally, they reached an alley, and Elder Wu entered a courtyard.

As soon as he stepped inside, he saw a table set up under the eaves. An elderly woman was placing dishes on it.

Hearing the noise at the gate, the woman looked up. When she saw Qin Fang, a kind smile spread across her face. "You must be Qin Fang, right? Quick, come in, come in."

Qin Fang froze in the doorway, deeply moved. He looked at Elder Wu.

Elder Wu glanced back at him. "What are you staring for? This is your master’s wife."

"Master’s wife..." Qin Fang called out dazedly.

"Yes, yes! Come in, come in! And shut the gate behind you, it’s windy out there."

The old woman replied with a cheerful laugh, beckoning him in again.

Qin Fang felt a little stiff, but he did as he was told, entering and closing the courtyard gate.

"Come over here, let me get a good look at you."

The old woman wiped her hands on her apron, smiling as she waved Qin Fang over.

Qin Fang walked over, still a bit stiff.

He was a full head taller than her, and her eyes filled with delight. "Oh, my! You’re just as your master described, a fine young man... Good, good. You’re still a bit on the thin side, though... We’ll need to fatten you up. Quick, sit down, sit down. There are just a few more dishes, and then we’ll eat."

Unsure what expression to wear for this first meeting with his master’s wife, Qin Fang looked helplessly toward his master.

His master had already taken a seat and, having produced a long-stemmed pipe from somewhere, was in the process of lighting it.

Noticing Qin Fang’s gaze, he shot him a sideways glance. "What are you looking at me for? I told you to sit, so sit."

"Yes, sir..."

Qin Fang obediently sat down.

The old woman chuckled and went back into the kitchen.

It seemed there was someone else in the kitchen; after she went in, she said something to the other person.

Qin Fang was in a bit of a daze... Although he had his suspicions, having them confirmed still moved him and made his heart tremble.

...He had been a disciple for over three months, and this was the first time his master had brought him home.

And today, of all days, was New Year’s Eve...

’What does this mean?’

The answer was self-evident.

His mind was a mess. This sudden, unexpected warmth had left him more unsettled than even the day he had killed Wang Long and his men.

The footsteps of his master’s wife returned. "Alright, alright, time to eat!"

A slender figure followed behind her. Qin Fang subconsciously looked up and saw a radiant face.

Her features were as delicate as a painting, and she possessed a refined and elegant air.

As he stared, dumbfounded, his master’s voice sounded in his ear. "This is your Senior Sister."

"Senior... Sister?"

A gentle smile graced the young woman’s face. "Hello... Junior Brother."