Lin Tuo’s shop was only open for half a day today. By lunchtime, Lin Tuo had returned riding Rou Qiu’s motorcycle. Rou Qiu had gone to his grandmother’s house—while it was fine to linger at the Lin family usually, tonight was the eve of the New Year when ancestors were to be welcomed, and it wouldn’t be right if he didn’t go back.
Lately, Rou Qiu had been somewhat distracted. Two days ago, he received a letter from his mother. She had discovered she was pregnant and, fearing complications from travel, decided not to return for the New Year. The letter also mentioned rumors that the mine might no longer arrange jobs for employees’ children, advising Rou Qiu to prepare mentally.
Lin Guicheng had also asked Sun Siyuan to notify a few workers to take the afternoon off and come to the Lin family home to help. They would stay up late together to welcome the New Year, bringing fireworks to set off after dark for a lively New Year’s Eve.
Seeing six grown men each carrying large square bundles of paper and Sun Siyuan holding a transparent plastic bag filled with colorful fireworks, Lin Fang was thrilled. It had been a long time since she’d played with fireworks. In her past life, her weak constitution and timid nature kept her far away when others set them off. In this life, her bound feet made her too slow, and her parents forbade her from handling fireworks, fearing harm to their precious daughter.
Their shop sold firecrackers, but they were ordinary—the most powerful being the “double-kick” variety. There weren’t even special fireworks for children, just weak long firecrackers broken apart for them to set off one by one, with strict instructions to use them sparingly and in limited quantities each day.
With many hands, the work went quickly. Inside and outside the house were tidied up in no time, the courtyard swept twice. The garbage piled in the corner was hauled away in a cart and dumped on their field. The manure from the toilet pit was emptied into buckets and poured over the garbage, then covered with soil and grass roots to compost. Come spring, it would serve as fertilizer.
On New Year’s Eve, an important task was fetching water—as much as possible. Water symbolized “wealth,” and filling every container in the house meant inviting prosperity.
Once darkness fell, no one could fetch water until the morning of the third day of the New Year. Most wells were privately owned, and public wells were scarce. Drawing water from someone else’s well was like stealing their wealth, and no one would allow it.
Moreover, water used on the first and second days couldn’t be discarded, or it would mean “losing wealth.” So, every household prepared a large basin or container for wastewater, to be emptied only on the third day.
Later, when tap water became common, this tradition became more symbolic.
With eight extra men in the house, cooking and washing required a lot of water. One large water vat wasn’t enough. Lin Guicheng and Lin Tuo decided to bring in six vats from the shop and two from the workers’ dormitory—half for clean water, half for wastewater.
As spring approached, temperatures rose, with daytime highs reaching 12-13°C and nighttime lows just below freezing. The vats could stay outside without fear of cracking. Otherwise, there’d be no space indoors for so many.
After finishing chores and preparing the dumpling fillings, under Dong Huixin’s direction, the men washed vegetables, chopped, lit fires, and rinsed rice, methodically preparing dinner. They’d wrap dumplings while watching TV afterward.
As dusk fell and temperatures dropped, Lin Yong and his wife still hadn’t returned, worrying Lin Yuanmin and Dong Huixin. Yan Ping’s family lived just five miles away, connected by a paved road—a round trip by bike usually took minutes.
Lin Guicheng reassured them, “Don’t worry. Let Mutou and Er Linzi check if Da Linzi is still busy.” The six workers shared one motorcycle, and with Rou Qiu’s, Lin Tuo and Sun Siyuan each took one.
Lin Tuo agreed, Sun Siyuan nodded, and workers opened the gate as they rode off.
On New Year’s Eve, spirits and ghosts also celebrated. At nightfall, families set off firecrackers to welcome ancestors home. The world teemed with spirits, and offending another’s ancestors could bring misfortune or possession. By late afternoon, the roads were nearly empty.
Unless for emergencies, people stayed home after dark, avoiding visits to others’ homes during ancestor-welcoming rituals.
Fifteen minutes later, the motorcycles returned—Lin Yong with Yan Ping, Sun Siyuan with Lin Tuo holding Xiao Yuanyuan, towing a bicycle. Yan Ping was tied to Lin Yong, disheveled and unconscious.
Untied, Lin Yong carried her inside, Dong Huixin anxiously asking, “What happened? Did she faint again?”
Yan Ping occasionally fainted inexplicably, a lifelong condition. Medical tests had found no cause.
Lin Yong shook his head. “She’s just scared. She’ll wake after resting.”
In the courtyard, Sun Siyuan reported quietly to Lin Guicheng, who frowned and gave orders. Sun Siyuan signaled three workers, and the four rode off on two motorcycles.
Lin Fang called, “Sun Ge, take Heipi with you!”
Lin Guicheng nodded. Lin Fang patted the black dog’s head, and it raced after the motorcycles.
When her brother and Sun Siyuan returned, Lin Fang sensed something amiss. Sharpening her senses, she overheard Sun Siyuan’s report, shocking and alarming her.
Lin Yuanmin pressed Lin Tuo for details. Lin Yong, after settling Yan Ping, explained their ordeal. Lin Guicheng summarized, clarifying the situation.
Lin Yong and Yan Ping had worked all day. Yan Ping’s parents urged them home before dark to protect their grandson from the cold.
On a steep slope, while pushing their bicycles, they were ambushed by four men. Lin Yong engaged in combat while Yan Ping shielded their child. A former member of the armed police, Lin Yong managed to hold his ground but was hindered by the need to protect his family. Upon hearing the sound of approaching motorcycles, the assailants fled into the nearby fields.
Sun Siyuan chased one, dislocating his limbs and jaw before abandoning pursuit at Lin Tuo’s call.
Yan Ping collapsed, but Yuanyuan was unharmed.
Sun Siyuan and the workers pursued the others. The captured man, immobilized, was unlikely to be rescued on the deserted road.
The incident cast a pall over the Lin family, but guests demanded normalcy. Lin Guicheng checked Yan Ping, diagnosing shock. His massage stabilized her, easing worries.
Lin Fang noticed familiarity in Lin Guicheng’s techniques—had she known his past life as Lin Dalang’s apprentice under Tong Shi, she’d have recognized them.
During dumpling-making, Heipi returned, calm and unharmed, lifting spirits.
Local custom demanded no leftovers for the New Year’s Eve meal—opposite the “surplus for prosperity” tradition elsewhere.
Uncertain of the attackers’ return, Lin Guicheng suggested light dinner portions, saving dumplings for later.
Lin Fang’s misshapen dumplings fell apart in boiling water, so she gave up, organizing others’ work instead.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage