Chapter 48: The Sound of Fireworks

  During the Spring Festival, it is naturally the most anticipated day for children.

  Twenty-nine days later, the Fuli Inn would no longer open its doors. However, there was still a guest who had been delayed by wind and snow. There was only one guest, so it wasn't necessary to keep many staff on hand; Li Dabao, who had just moved in, simply came over to take care of things when he had time. On New Year's Eve, at Wang Kuang's suggestion, the guest was invited to join them for dinner at Sun Ming's former residence. Originally, it was just Wang Kuang following the customs of later generations, but unexpectedly, this single action would spread throughout Jiangnan several months later as a tale of how Fuli Inn treated its guests like family - an effect that Wang Kuang had not anticipated.

  (In the Tang Dynasty, the Spring Festival was not on the first day of the first month, but on the day of Li Chun. It wasn't until after the Song and Yuan Dynasties that it was changed to the first day of the first month. This article has been adjusted to the first day for the convenience of readers' habits, and this is a special note.)

  Sun Han had already prepared new clothes for Wang Kuang and Wang Rong, in the same style as Sun Jia Ying and Sun Jia Han's brothers, all of which were sewn by herself. The fabric was a mixture of silk and hemp, soft to the touch but not easy to wash. Ordinary families without official positions couldn't afford silk fabrics, so some people took advantage of this by weaving silk into hemp threads, making it popular among the wealthy at a high price, almost comparable to silk. Sun Han had already regarded Wang Kuang brothers as her own children. Wang Ling also had a set, but he was currently away from home and could only wear them when he returned.

  The streets were quiet and deserted on New Year's Eve afternoon, with every household busy preparing for the reunion dinner. Wang Kuang held Wang Xian's hand as they walked down the street, which was still covered in snow from yesterday's fall. Normally, the snow would have been swept clean by now, but today everyone was too busy sweeping their own homes to bother with the streets.

  There were few people on the road, and there were only a few footprints in the snow. Wang Kuang and Wang Xian trod on it, making crunching sounds that were particularly clear in the quiet streets. The two brothers were going to the Taoist temple, as it was New Year's, they should also go take a look at the Taoist temple that had once sheltered them from wind and rain.

  When passing by the inn, I made a special detour to take a look. Gao San was guarding the gate, and he was the only one in the entire inn who had no home, so it was natural for him to be in charge of taking care of the inn. However, he wasn't alone; Da Bai and Xiao Bai, two geese, were keeping him company. Originally, according to reason, both Da Bai and Xiao Bai should have ended up in someone's stomach at Sun Ming's front hall tonight, but Wang Xiang refused to let that happen. Moreover, it was possible that the two geese had a connection with the Wang brothers, so they were also very friendly towards the people at the inn. As a result, everyone couldn't bear to part with them and thus spared their lives.

  Just pushed the door open, Da Bai and Xiao Bai flapped their wings and rushed over, shaking their bodies. Perhaps they still remembered Wang Kuang's hair-pulling incident, so Da Bai stuck to Wang Xian, while Xiao Bai climbed onto Wang Kuang. Both geese gently pecked at the brothers' boots with their beaks, and their big fat feet occasionally lifted up as if trying to climb up.

  Is this considered pampering? Wang Kuang thought as he squatted down and gently stroked Xiao Bai's neck.

  Never mind, just treat it as a pet then.

  Out of the inn, Da Bai and Xiao Bai followed behind, shaking their heads and walking. Originally, Gao San was going to lock them up again, but Wang Kuang stopped him. "Let's just follow along," he said. It's rare for me to accompany Wang Cai, so let's let them follow Wang Cai too, it can be a companion.

  Arrived at the Taoist temple, but saw that the dilapidated temple of the past had been cleaned up by someone, and many things were tidy. In front of the god statue, there was even a plate of fruit, and three incense sticks were inserted into the brick seam under the pedestal, emitting wisps of smoke. In the corner, some wood materials were piled up, and judging from the processing style, it seemed to be used for making doors and windows.

  "Two children."

  "Huh?" Wang Xian was staring at the statue in a daze.

  "I don't want to think about it, the past is already gone." Today's visit was a kind of farewell ceremony, Wang Kuang thought. He knew why the dilapidated and deserted Taoist temple suddenly started repairing itself and people came to worship. It was just that he himself had once stayed here, and those who wanted to seek divine protection naturally believed that this temple had spiritual energy. But in doing so, it inadvertently destroyed a thread of attachment in Wang Kuang's heart; the temple was no longer the same as before, and Wang Kuang suddenly felt a little melancholy.

  On the way back to Sun's mansion, occasionally one or two people in a hurry would see Wang Kuang and exchange greetings. Wang Kuang would smile slightly and return the courtesy: "Happy New Year, wishing you prosperity." Those who heard this were initially startled, then overjoyed, laughing as they walked away. When they met someone else, that person would also learn from Wang Kuang's example and say a sentence: "Happy New Year, wishing you prosperity." It spread like wildfire, until nightfall, when the entire city of Jian'an was filled with people saying their first words to each other: "Happy New Year, wishing you prosperity."

  King of New Year's Eve dinner, Wang Kuang didn't even lift a finger, eating is not something that can be rushed out in one breath, it's enough to come up with one or two dishes every month or two, this way the freshness can be maintained, and it's also logical, researching new food also takes time, right?

  The crystal dumplings appeared at the Sun Mansion's New Year's Eve dinner, but Wang Kuang didn't particularly like eating this. The crystal dumplings were just visually appealing, that skin looked crystal clear, but it was tasteless, to put it in modern terms, not Q. On the other hand, Madame Sun loved this visually appealing food and heard that it was made by Wang Kuang himself, she repeatedly praised him, her affectionate feelings overflowing from her words.

  At the banquet, Sun Mingqian formally proposed that Wang Kuang be given half of the shares of Fulaiguan Inn. From then on, Wang Kuang would truly become the master of Fulaiguan Inn. Wang Kuang did not refuse and smiled in agreement. Sun Mingqian was greatly relieved, for if Wang Kuang had refused or shown any sign of hesitation, it would have been a breach of etiquette. Now that he had agreed so readily, it meant that he had thoroughly accepted himself as a member of the family.

  At this time, there was no custom of guarding the year, after finishing the New Year's Eve dinner, some servants took out some dried bamboo segments that had been prepared early and piled them up on the ground in front of the gate to start burning. They also set up an incense table in front of the door, offered sacrifices, which were common fruits, chicken, duck and other things. Then they hung peach symbols on the door. At this time, almost every family was busy with such things, if there was a difference, it was only the quantity of offerings and the size of the firecracker pile. This is similar to the later generations, where richer families would set off thousands or tens of thousands of firecrackers, while poorer families would set off a hundred or a few hundred. Before long, the entire city of Jian'an was filled with the sound of crackling and popping, although it wasn't very loud, but it was crisp and clear, without the thick smell of gunpowder. Unfortunately, I don't understand how to make gunpowder, especially where saltpeter comes from, which has already been forgotten. Otherwise, this would definitely be a great way to make money.

  After the firecrackers were finished, Wang Kuang said a string of auspicious words, such as "May you have a surplus year after year" and "May you be safe and sound every year". These sentences were mostly heard for the first time by everyone, and what they heard was all joyful. They thanked him repeatedly.

  Wang Juan didn't know if there was a custom of giving red envelopes during this time, but he wasn't worried about it either. As a junior, if anyone gave him money, it would be others giving it to him. After the firecrackers were lit and everyone dispersed, it seemed that the tradition of giving red envelopes hadn't appeared yet, or perhaps it hadn't spread from the imperial palace yet. At this time, there was no custom of staying up late to celebrate the new year either; after dispersing, everyone went about their own business. As for entertainment, that was something only available to the nobility, and it mostly consisted of activities like playing a game of cup-and-ball or Go.

  The Sun Mansion naturally did not have these things.

  Sun Mingqian allocated the rear wing of the house to Wang Kuang and his brother, and arranged for two maidservants to attend to them. However, Wang Kuang was not fond of being waited on, so he sent the two maidservants off to sleep early.

  It's still necessary to come up with some entertainment tools, otherwise the following days will be hard to get through. Wang Kuang sighed as he looked at the oil lamp on the desk in front of the window. In the past, after a serious illness, his body was weak, and in order to nourish his body, Wang Kuang would go to bed early. Now that his body has recovered, he sleeps later and later at night, but unlike Wang Xiang, who can still read books before going to sleep to pass the time. He himself is already afraid of reading books, and if he lets him hold a book, he won't do it even if he dies. It's really unknown how ancient people endured the nighttime.

  The lamp's flame danced on the window lattice, and as soon as Wang Kuang saw it, he realized his mistake - how could he have forgotten one of the essential treasures for traveling through time, the Five Sons Chess? Thinking that he had to go find a Go board, the two maids in the outer room didn't dare sleep either. Since the master of the house wasn't sleeping, they couldn't possibly sleep themselves. Seeing Wang Kuang come out, and hearing that he was looking for a Go board, they all found it difficult. Apart from Sun Jia Ying and Sun Jia Han, two half-grown children in the Sun household, there were no scholars, so where would they find a Go board? If it were an ordinary day, it wouldn't be a problem - they could just go to a shop, knock on the door, and have one made. But on this New Year's Eve night, going to disturb people at their doors was a great taboo.

  Listening to the young girl's explanation, Wang Kuang had no choice but to give up. Thinking about it, there were only a handful of scholars in Jian'an anyway. Moreover, Go pieces weren't just made from stone or jade, but also required consistent color tones, which was quite costly. Even ordinary scholars couldn't afford them.

  Helpless, Wang Kuang had to go back to sleep. He lay in bed for a long time, and just as he was about to fall asleep, he was startled awake by a knock at the door. Getting up to take a look, he saw that Wang Rui had already gone to open the door, and it was the two maids from his outer room who were knocking.

  "Second Master, an outsider from afar has come to the mansion looking for you. He is currently waiting in the side hall and says that it's a matter of great importance, no matter what, he must see you." The people in the Sun Mansion didn't call Wang Kuang "Young Master" like the guests did; previously they called him "Big Master", but now that Wang Ling was back, they had changed to calling him "Second Master".

  "Where is the visitor from?" Is it an outsider? Wang Kuang was puzzled, which outsider would come? If Lin's family wanted to find someone, they must have brought someone from the Lin's household. Could it be that something has happened to Wang Ling?