Fang Ke responded and, putting down his broom, went inside to move chairs.
Yang Ge put away the New Year goods Liu Mang had brought and turned back to support the elderly Shopkeeper as they sat down under the grape trellis.
Huang cocked his plane-like ears and wiggled his butt as he approached the Shopkeeper with a whining sound.
"Good boy, missing grandpa?"
With one hand petting Huang, the Shopkeeper shakily took out a palm-sized handkerchief from his clothes and teased Huang as he slowly unfolded it layer by layer, revealing a boiled egg: "Look, what’s this?"
The clear sunlight shone on him, making his grizzled hair seem almost transparent and accentuating his aged face with an even more benevolent look.
Watching this scene, Yang Ge suddenly found he couldn’t bear to look anymore...
"Uncle, need some help?"
Liu Deng’s wife, with her sleeves rolled up, stepped forward and asked Yang Ge.
Yang Ge jumped with fright and hastily waved his hands, "I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare. Sister-in-law, you’re now the living ancestor of our family. Rest up, and just command me and old Fang for whatever you want to eat or drink..."
Liu Deng’s wife laughed, "I’m not that delicate! At home, your Mang still has me running in circles!"
"Huh?"
Yang Ge turned his head and looked at Liu Mang with disapproval.
Liu Mang, who was nibbling on a piece of green bean cake, protested upon hearing this, "That’s not true, you’re framing me again!"
Yang Ge didn’t indulge him and moved forward to grab him, and with a "snap" pressed him against the grape trellis, "Can’t you tell the difference between big and small anymore? Is sister-in-law someone you can order around now?"
With a mouthful of green bean cake, Liu Mang muffled his protest, "My clothes, my clothes, I’ve just put on new clothes today..."
Liu Deng’s wife stood with her hands on her hips and laughed out loud with "hahaha."
The Shopkeeper also held his cane, clapping his hands with a beaming smile, "That’s right, give him a good thrashing!"
The courtyard was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.
Before long, the yard began to fill with the smell of cooking smoke.
Yang Ge first fried up a sieve full of crispy meat as a snack for them before stewing all the chickens and ducks...
"Knock, knock, knock."
A knocking sound began, followed by Xiao Baoqi’s loud calls from outside: "Shopkeeper, Happy New Year!"
Fang Ke opened the courtyard door and saw Yue Lai’s four bears dressed in new clothes, carrying big and small bags, neatly lined up outside the door, feigning a stern face, "Uncle didn’t invite you, did he?"
Xiao Baoqi, with a shameless grin, said, "What are you talking about? Does visiting for New Year’s need an invitation?"
Before he could finish speaking, he squeezed past Fang Ke’s arm and stepped into the courtyard, with the gangsters like flea and others crowding in after him.
"Oh, the Shopkeeper is here too?"
"Uncle, Happy New Year, Happy New Year!"
Fang Ke closed the courtyard door and, unable to help but chuckle, turned back into the yard, only to hear knocking at the door again before he reached the trellis.
He had to turn back to open the door.
Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.
"Oh, Fang is here too?"
Outside stood Wu Eryong, the leader of Lianhuan Fort, dressed in new clothes, leading a group of Lianhuan Fort underlings with red sashes and carrying big bags of New Year’s gifts, all with smiles and bows.
"It’s Wu brothers, indeed!"
Fang Ke stepped aside, gesturing toward the yard with a "please" sign, "Come on in, quickly!"
Wu Eryong nodded and turned to say to the underlings behind him, "Tread lightly..."
Yang Ge, emerging from the kitchen, laughed upon seeing this, "It’s Er Yong, isn’t it? Space is tight, find a spot for yourself, stay here for dinner later."
"The Shopkeeper is here too; great, then I don’t have to make a second trip... Uncle, don’t fuss, I will sit for a while and then leave, gotta rush back to the fort overnight."
Wu Eryong responded with a bow, and finally waved to the underlings behind him, "Uncle, these are a little New Year’s gesture from our lead and deputy heads; these are for Uncle, and these are for the Shopkeeper!"
Yang Ge glanced at the items and saw that they were various kinds of mountain goods and medicinal materials. Although they were all rare and fine products, thankfully they weren’t things like gold or silver. He immediately smiled and nodded, saying, "Please thank Li... Fang, go to my room and get the New Year’s gift I’ve prepared for Li, and let Er Yong take it back with him."
Fang Ke agreed and was just about to enter the house when the half-closed gate was knocked on again.
He turned his head and saw Wei Xin with his ever-smiling face.
"Second Master, Happy New Year!"
Wei Xin, dressed in new clothes, stood outside the gate with a bow, followed by a group of Ming Sect underlings with red belts around their waists. At first glance, there appeared to be more people than at Lianhuan Fort.
Seeing this, Wu Eryong quickly ordered the underlings from Lianhuan Fort to step aside and make room for the people from the Ming Sect.
Yang Ge, feeling a headache coming on, wiped his hands on his apron, took it off, and went out to greet the guest: "It’s Wei Xin, come in and have a seat."
"Hey!"
Wei Xin gestured behind him and entered with a large group of Ming Sect underlings: "Second Master, I wish you a peaceful New Year’s Eve... These are small tokens of appreciation for the season from our Hall Master, Deputy Leader, and Sect Hierarch. These are from our Hall Master, these are from the Deputy Leader, and these are from the Sect Hierarch."
Yang Ge, feeling a headache, glanced at the New Year’s gifts brought by Ming Sect and the others, all wrapped up tightly so he couldn’t see what was inside. Not wanting to open them on the spot for a closer look or to outright reject them, he could only bow and return the courtesy: "Please thank Yang and your Sect Hierarch on my behalf. Fang, there are also gifts for Yang in the house; please take them out too."
Fang Ke broke into a run toward the inner room, but after only a few steps, he heard another knock at the door.
All the people inside the courtyard turned their heads to look and saw a dashing figure in a blush-red pomegranate skirt standing at the entrance, peering inquisitively inside.
Yang Ge was overwhelmed at the sight of the visitor and said, somewhat exasperatedly: "You’ve come too?"
Liu Dongjun, standing in front of the gate, asked indignantly, "If they all can come, why on earth can’t I?"
Yang Ge, feeling defeated, said, "Fang, go outside and see how many more people are in the alley!"
"Aye!"
Fang Ke responded and squeezed through the crowded people to go out.
Seeing this, Liu Dongjun turned back and signaled, "What are you standing around for? Get moving!"
She strode into the door with her chest puffed out and said boastfully, "Let’s not bother with formalities between uncle and niece. Here, these are New Year’s tokens from our Sect Hierarch, and these are entrusted to you by the Twelve Zodiac Delegates...
Her voice got softer as she spoke and she involuntarily took two steps back: "Come on, come on, no one hits a smiling face, right? Besides, today is New Year’s Eve!"
But she had caught sight of Yang Ge’s clenched fists.
Yang Ge tried to relax his fists, opened his mouth several times but couldn’t decide what to say.
To say he had no affiliation with the White Lotus Sect at all...
The Twelve Zodiac Delegates, on the other hand, were indeed his life-and-death comrades.
And with the New Year upon them, it did seem quite heartless not to give face to someone who had traveled far to offer New Year’s greetings.
He could only reluctantly say, "Fine, leave the things and go, quick!"
Liu Dongjun retorted in surprise: "Are you serious? Your sister-in-law has come all this way to wish you a happy New Year, and you won’t even offer her a meal? How will you have the nerve to greet Shen next time you see him?"
Yang Ge’s fists clenched again.
Right then, Fang Ke returned.
However, he didn’t come back alone. Behind him, a large contingent of men in black outfits with ox-tail sabres hung at their waists followed, led by none other than the factory supervisor of the Western Depot, Wei Heng, dressed in a crimson python robe and cloaked in a purple overcoat.
As Wei Heng stepped into the yard, his old face blossomed into a chrysanthemum-like smile as he greeted from afar, "Congratulations to Yang Ge, best wishes to Yang Ge!"
As he spoke, a little eunuch behind him pinched his throat and called out in a sharp but not very loud voice, "The imperial edict has arrived!"
Yang Ge, speechless, glanced over at them without paying attention to the little eunuch holding the imperial edict but instead turned his gaze directly to Fang Ke: "Are they the only ones left outside?"
Fang Ke: "No, there’s more, so much more. There are people from Quanzhen Sect, Five Poisons Cult, Lou Wai Lou, the Righteous Alliance, the Jiangdong the Xiang Family, the Five Peaks Fleet..."
He shook his head like a rattle: "There’s no end in sight, absolutely no end!"
Yang Ge:...
In the bustling courtyard, only Liu Mang’s eyes shone bright: ’What an eye-opener, such an eye-opener...’