"Let’s gather after dinner then," he said.
"Alright. After dinner, I’ll see you at the ferry landing of Little Manor Town by Dragon River, outside the city. This New Year celebration is deadly boring..."
And so, Chen Ku and Jiang Shaoyou settled on the meeting place.
By the time Chen Ku walked out of Tongwen House, the sky had already turned a dusky gray. The streets were alive with the joyful shouts of children and the crackling of firecrackers.
On this final night of the 153rd year of the Daji Dynasty, the fireworks in the Inner City of Baojiao County were spectacular, while the Outer City remained much dimmer.
Chen Ku had just returned home when he saw his sister and brother-in-law already seated. A large table in the main hall was laden with food, candied fruits, and preserves; some prepared by Chen Ku’s family, others brought by Li Yuancheng and his wife.
"Brother-in-law, you’ve really splurged! This Treasure Fish isn’t cheap," Chen Ku teased, his eyes immediately falling on the fish Li Yuancheng had brought.
"It’s not as big as the one you caught last time," Li Yuancheng replied with a smile. "It’s good to have fish every year for prosperity. Besides, your sister tried a new recipe this time."
"Uncle, Uncle! I want to set off firecrackers! Grandma said we can eat after the firecrackers are done!" Hu Zi clamored.
"You’ve been setting them off all day! Your face is black with soot, and you still want more?" his mother, Xu Lan, scolded, though not unkindly.
"It’s the New Year, and he’s just a child. Let him play," his elder sister, Chen Tian, said, her eyes filled with affection as she looked at Hu Zi. She and Li Yuancheng had been married for six or seven years and were still childless, which made her feel even more affectionate towards Hu Zi.
A short while later, when his sister-in-law, Xu Lan, had brought all the dishes to the table, Chen Ku, his sister Chen Tian, and brother-in-law Li Yuancheng first stood up to offer a toast to their elderly mother.
The Chen family matriarch sipped a cup of rice wine, her eyes growing moist as she said, "I never imagined our family would see such days. To have such a large courtyard in this county town, and to eat such a lavish meal during the New Year... it truly feels like a dream."
Chen Tian looked at Chen Ku, her eyes slightly red, tears welling. "It’s all thanks to Er Lang."
Li Yuancheng nodded in agreement. As a Deputy Constable, his monthly salary was at most twenty taels. Now, he held shares in the Iron Bank, which had paid him dividends just a few days ago. After only two or three months, it amounted to five hundred taels—more than two years of his salary! Lately, he had also been thinking about moving to a larger courtyard. His brother-in-law had brought all these wonderful changes to their family.
Xu Lan watched the joyous family. She wanted to speak, but seeing her brother-in-law, Li Yuancheng, happily clinking glasses with Chen Ku, she felt a pang of shame and remained silent.
However, though she didn’t speak, the old matriarch couldn’t help but wipe away a tear. "It’s the New Year, and I don’t even know where our eldest son is..."
Indeed, as soon as Chen Xin, the eldest of the Chen family, was mentioned, Li Yuancheng’s expression darkened. Chen Ku was about to say something when, suddenly, he heard a noise from the wall outside, like tiles shifting.
He whipped his head around and barked, "Who’s there?"
He immediately strode from the hall out to the main door.
Li Yuancheng, as a Deputy Constable with four or five years on the force, had long since developed sharp instincts. He reacted almost the instant Chen Ku spoke, rushing out right behind him.
The two men reached the door just in time to see a figure on the roof outside the courtyard gate. Upon hearing the shout from inside, the figure darted towards the distance like a flash of lightning.
At that moment, the women of the household, alarmed, also hurried out.
Just as Chen Ku was about to use his Fine Dog Sense to lock onto the person, he heard two sharp cries from behind him—one from his sister-in-law and the other from his mother.
Her voice choked with sobs, Xu Lan looked towards the distant figure and cried out, "Eldest Brother!" ᴛhis chapter is ᴜpdated by noᴠelfire.net
"What?" Chen Ku spun around abruptly.
Then, he heard his mother’s voice, also choked with tears, from behind him. Her eyes were already red as she gazed at the departing figure. "That looks like your elder brother’s silhouette... Yes, it must be. A mother wouldn’t mistake her own son."
"What?" Li Yuancheng’s face changed dramatically. "Is it Chen Xin?"
He was about to say more, but his wife, Chen Tian, grabbed his arm. He looked back to see her shaking her head, her face filled with emotion.
Just then, they heard Chen Ku’s voice.
"Brother-in-law, watch over the family! I’m going after him!"
With that, Chen Ku spun around and leaped away, pursuing the distant figure.