Chapter 76

As the cherry blossoms danced in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

Laozi turned around, realizing he had added another year to his life. The children clapped their hands, delighted to welcome the New Year.

For the Chinese nation, the Spring Festival is the most important festival of the year, regardless of the dynasty.

Although the founding emperor strictly required his ministers to not take leave until the afternoon of New Year's Eve, in a county like Fuyang, after the Minor New Year, the government offices were in a state of disarray, with only a few people on duty each day. The rest were busy with their own New Year preparations and rarely came to the office.

However, as a law-abiding official, County Magistrate Wei still insisted on holding the formal court session. Therefore, Wang Xian stayed in the office until New Year's Eve, listening to the magistrate's last speech of the year, before he could return home for the New Year.

On the street, children were chasing each other with firecrackers, occasionally launching one into the sky, producing a crisp sound. All the shops were closed, with festive couplets pasted on the shutters, and red firecracker shells scattered on the ground. Every household was preparing the New Year's Eve dinner, and the aroma of various cured meats and candied fruits wafted into the street, mixing with the smell of gunpowder from the firecrackers, creating a unique atmosphere of the New Year's Eve.

In the past, the Spring Festival was always the hardest time for Wang Xian, as he had no family to reunite with and could only spend the holiday at a friend's house. He could feel the joy of others' reunions but could never truly be part of it, as he was always an outsider.

But this year was different. He had a father, a mother, a brother, a sister, and a little sister. He had a home! The loneliness and self-pity that gnawed at his heart every year were gone, replaced by a sense of urgency and excitement. The emotional connection made him involuntarily quicken his pace, walking briskly toward home!

"I'm back!" As he entered the alley and pushed open the door, he saw the walls, doors, and even the water jar adorned with prominent upside-down 'Fu' characters. His father was pasting couplets on the door frame with the help of Little Ling, his mother was frying fish, Lin Qing'er and Lady Hou were kneading rice balls, and Wang Gui was sweeping the hall.

Feeling the strong New Year's atmosphere at home, Wang Xian shouted loudly, "I love you all!"

His parents and little sister were taken aback, their mouths agape, and Little Ling blushed. ...

"Nonsense!" His mother picked up the broom that had fallen to the ground and threw it at him, saying, "Hurry up and sweep the hall!"

"Yes, dear mother!" Wang Xian caught the broom and waved it like a mischievous child, "Sweeping the house, if one cannot sweep a single room, how can one sweep the world?"

"Is this boy sick again?" His father stared at him, worried.

"Shame on you!" His mother scolded, "It's the New Year, say something auspicious!"

...

After tidying up the house, it was already past lunchtime. But how could there be a lack of food during the New Year? Besides, the Wang family was no longer the same as before...

After eating some fried fish and cured meat to fill his stomach, someone from Wang Village came to pick them up. On New Year's Eve, they needed to pay respects to their ancestors and stay up all night with them, so they had to return to the countryside.

Now, the Wang family was highly influential in the county. Even on a regular day, their relatives would vie to curry favor with them. For the New Year, the competition was even more intense. In the end, the most respected members of the clan won the honor of picking them up.

Wang Xian then understood why his mother had made him wear the new headscarf, silver-lake silk robe, black rat fur jacket, and pink-soled warm boots... When he looked at his parents, they were also dressed in new clothes, looking like a wealthy couple. Little Ling wore a Tiao Jun hat, a jade flower headband, a pink dress, and a silk velvet cloak, her face smooth and her eyes smiling, a perfect beauty.

Cough, it was all for the sake of returning home in glory...

Wang Gui and Lady Hou also changed into new clothes, but Lin Qing'er was still in mourning and could not wear red or green. However, in a white dress with a silver cloak, she looked even more refined and elegant, standing next to Little Ling like a white chrysanthemum and a trumpet vine, making the people from the Wang family stare in amazement.

"Cough." His father coughed and kicked the young man in a scholar's robe and square headscarf, "Is that how you look at your aunt?"

"Oh, it's a new aunt, Grandpa should have said so earlier. I thought she looked unfamiliar..." The young man, clearly older than Wang Xian, smiled and said, "Second Uncle, you have such good fortune."

"Go play somewhere else." A burly middle-aged man pushed him away and then bowed deeply to Wang Xingye and his son, "Grandpa, Uncle, I've come to take you home for the New Year!"

Several women also knelt down, but the young man only made a show of it, grinning, "I just changed into this new clothes..."

He was a scholar, and Wang Xingye would not argue with him, nodding and saying, "It's time to go."

The family, carrying large and small gifts, left the house, greeted their neighbors, and headed straight for the dock.

At the dock, the usual hustle and bustle was gone, with only a few black-roofed boats moored. The family boarded one of them, and the middle-aged man untied the rope, while Wang Gui pushed the pole, slowly leaving the county.

The boat sailed on the river, with the women chatting in the cabin and the men on the deck.

The young man in the scholar's robe was named Wang Jin, with a clear and handsome face, but his eyes darted around, giving him a somewhat sly look. His family was wealthy, and he had been studying since childhood. He was smart and the most likely to pass the examination for a scholar. Last year was his first attempt, but he failed. However, he was still young and had plenty of time, so he remained optimistic.

The middle-aged man pushing the pole was named Wang Tong, one of the five headmen of Wang Village. He was to become the headman next year, but he looked worried, hesitating several times to speak.

His father, frustrated by his silence, scolded, "Speak up if you have something to say!"

"Ah, Fourth Grandpa," Wang Tong looked at Wang Xian and whispered, "I have something to ask Second Uncle."

"What is it?" In the Wang family, there was no concept of democracy, so his father asked directly for Wang Xian.

"Next year, the yellow register will be recompiled," Wang Tong, who was not much younger than Wang Xingye, said, "Can Second Uncle find a way to let me miss this year?"

"He works in the household department, and this matter is handled by the administrative department," his father said, "Besides, the headman's duty cannot be avoided, even by the prime minister's family. He has only been in the office for a few days, what can he do?"

Wang Xian was secretly moved by his father's clear understanding, not wanting to cause trouble for his son. His father continued, "Moreover, recompiling the yellow register is a lucrative job. Why do you want to avoid it? Are you crazy?"

"It is a lucrative job, but it's also a job that can make enemies!" Wang Tong said gloomily, "From the county magistrate's attitude, it seems he will be serious next year. Our district oversees two villages, and Wang Village is full of relatives. We can't afford to offend the people in Yu Village, so the task will definitely not be completed. I'll have to jump into the river."

"Ha ha..." Wang Xingye looked at Wang Xian, and they shared a knowing smile, then turned to talk to Wang Jin, ignoring Wang Tong's attempt to show off. Wang Tong, blushing, had to interject, "Please, Second Uncle, help me. When compiling the yellow register, can you make the requirements for our district a bit more lenient?"

"Next year, the magistrate will personally oversee the compilation of the yellow register, and there's no room for manipulation," Wang Xian shook his head. But there's no such thing as an unmanipulable task. The reason he said it was because he and Wang Tong were not close, and why should he help him so much?

"Think of a way, Second Uncle," Wang Tong pleaded, "In Wang Village, everyone is either your uncle, your nephew, or your grandchild. If you help with this, not only will the clan praise you, but you'll also have face in front of the ancestors!"

Mentioning face in front of the ancestors, Wang Xingye's attitude changed, "Little Second, if you can find a way next year, help him. After all, family wealth should not flow to outsiders."

"Yes," Wang Xian sighed, thinking that if even government officials had such an attitude, it was no wonder the Ming Dynasty had problems. But despite his inner criticism, he knew he had to help, as this was an era where clan law was more important than national law. If he were to be impartial in this matter, he would be cursed by his uncles, nephews, and grandchildren. "When the plan is set next year, come find me."

"Great!" Wang Tong grinned widely.

...

Wang Village was not far from the county, and it took only a short while for the boat to reach the village dock.

Standing on the boat, Wang Xian and Wang Gui were stunned by the scene before them. They saw the simple wooden bridge at the village entrance crowded with people.

"The whole village, young and old, has come to welcome Fourth Grandpa and the two uncles," Wang Tong threw the rope to the shore, where people caught it and pulled the boat to the dock.

"It can't be that much..." Wang Xian said to Wang Gui, dumbfounded, "Even if Father is now an official, he's just a ninth-rank minor official. If he were a jinshi, it would be different."

Wang Gui smiled and said philosophically, "Rarity is valuable."

Wang Xian agreed, knowing that since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Village had never produced a single official.

Looking at his father, he saw him take off his fur hat, revealing a black official's cap...

'My dear father, can you not be so shallow?' Wang Xian groaned in frustration.

But his father clearly knew what the villagers wanted to see. When he revealed the black cap, it indeed drew loud cheers from the shore.

Wang Xingye was the first to step onto the wooden bridge, bowing to his third uncle and other elders. Before he could complete the gesture, he was simultaneously supported by several elderly hands. How could they be so quick?

After the greetings, the clan members helped the Wang family disembark one by one, treating them like fragile items. This was understandable for Lady Hou, who was pregnant, but his mother could not stand it.

"Can we not do this?" She shook off the hands of the women helping her and jumped off the boat herself, "I've never heard of an official's wife who can't walk!"

The clan members knew her temper and would have laughed and scolded her in the past, but now they all smiled and did not dare to say a word, making her feel quite lonely.

It got even more ridiculous. From the dock to the village, which was only half a mile, the clan members had arranged for sedan chairs to carry them back...

---

Wang Village was not far from the county, and it took only a short while for the boat to reach the village dock.

Standing on the boat, Wang Xian and Wang Gui were stunned by the scene before them. They saw the simple wooden bridge at the village entrance crowded with people.

"The whole village, young and old, has come to welcome Fourth Grandpa and the two uncles," Wang Tong threw the rope to the shore, where people caught it and pulled the boat to the dock.

"It can't be that much..." Wang Xian said to Wang Gui, dumbfounded, "Even if Father is now an official, he's just a ninth-rank minor official. If he were a jinshi, it would be different."

Wang Gui smiled and said philosophically, "Rarity is valuable."

Wang Xian agreed, knowing that since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Village had never produced a single official.

Looking at his father, he saw him take off his fur hat, revealing a black official's cap...

'My dear father, can you not be so shallow?' Wang Xian groaned in frustration.

But his father clearly knew what the villagers wanted to see. When he revealed the black cap, it indeed drew loud cheers from the shore.

Wang Xingye was the first to step onto the wooden bridge, bowing to his third uncle and other elders. Before he could complete the gesture, he was simultaneously supported by several elderly hands. How could they be so quick?

After the greetings, the clan members helped the Wang family disembark one by one, treating them like fragile items. This was understandable for Lady Hou, who was pregnant, but his mother could not stand it.

"Can we not do this?" She shook off the hands of the women helping her and jumped off the boat herself, "I've never heard of an official's wife who can't walk!"

The clan members knew her temper and would have laughed and scolded her in the past, but now they all smiled and did not dare to say a word, making her feel quite lonely.

It got even more ridiculous. From the dock to the village, which was only half a mile, the clan members had arranged for sedan chairs to carry them back...