Chapter 4

### Chapter 4: The New Year

In the following days, the entire Zhang family revolved around the well-digging project. Fortunately, on the sixth day, the long-awaited water was finally dug out, completing a daunting task before winter set in, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. While Zhang Cai was busy settling the wages of the well-diggers and Zhang Xiaolong and his two brothers were busy repairing the path from the fields to the well, dark winter clouds loomed overhead, and a few salt-like snowflakes began to fall, signaling the arrival of winter.

The first snow had fallen, and the cold winds grew even more biting. The New Year was not far off.

Zhang Cai felt very content this year. He had acquired more land for the family and dug a well, ensuring that the land would not suffer from drought in the future. With proper care, this land would become the main source of the family's food. Therefore, as the New Year approached, he instructed Guo Sufei to prepare more New Year's goods so that the family could have a good New Year. His mother-in-law was getting old, and each New Year was precious. Her health had worsened recently, and she spent half the day in bed. He didn't know if she would make it to the next New Year. Thinking of his own parents and his father-in-law, he couldn't help but feel a burning desire for a perfect and happy New Year.

For farmers, preparing New Year's goods was relatively simple. The abundance referred to the variety, not the quantity. Most of the items were dried mountain goods, and only a few things were purchased from a distant market by Zhang Cai. Because of his mother-in-law, Zhang Cai bought some foods that he had never seen before, which made Zhang Xiaolong and his two brothers very envious, eager to taste them as soon as possible. Guo Sufei, besides being busy with New Year's preparations, spent more time visiting relatives in the village and sometimes in nearby villages, concerned about her eldest son's marriage. However, from her sometimes gloomy and sometimes joyful expression, it seemed that things were not going as smoothly as she had hoped.

Time flew by as the Zhang family busied themselves, and the New Year was finally at hand.

On the day before the New Year, as everyone gathered around the stove, discussing the next year's harvest, the fields, and Zhang Xiaolong's future bride, they suddenly heard a commotion outside the village. The outside world was in chaos. "Could it be that bandits are raiding the village?" Zhang Cai immediately thought. However, it seemed unlikely. Guo Village was small, and the Guo family was a small clan. Every household was poor, and the bandits who ruled the nearby mountains never came to this desolate place. Still, Zhang Cai did not dare to be careless. He called his three children, grabbed some iron tools, and cautiously stepped out of the house. The Zhang family's fence was only half a person's height, so he could see the situation in the village at a glance. Many people were gathered and talking, and some were running around. Although everyone looked panicked, there was also a hint of relief and schadenfreude. Zhang Cai found this strange, instructed his three children to return to the house and put away the "weapons," and went out to gather information. Zhang Xiaolong and his two brothers, of course, did not want to be idle and followed him, mingling with other young people their age.

There were many people in the village, standing or sitting in small groups, all discussing the same thing. Zhang Cai walked to a group of old men who were smoking and gesturing while talking loudly. He saw Liu the blacksmith, whom he knew well, and patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Old Liu, what's going on? Why is it so chaotic?"

Liu the blacksmith was silently smoking. Seeing that Zhang Cai was asking him, he knocked the ashes from his pipe, refilled it with tobacco, carefully lit it, took a deep puff, and then said in a low voice, "Brother, do you know the one-eyed bandit who rules the Xicui Mountains, eighty miles north of our village?"

Zhang Cai replied, "Of course, he's the biggest bandit within a hundred miles. How could I not know? But they usually operate in the wealthy areas to the north. Why would they come here?"

Liu the blacksmith took another puff and said, "Do you remember a while back when Mr. Wu from Xinzhuang dug a well and found a chest of treasures?"

Zhang Cai suddenly understood, "So, they...". He stopped asking, already knowing the reason. Wealth should not be flaunted. Such a conspicuous windfall had attracted the bandits, and there could be no good outcome.

Seeing that Zhang Cai had stopped asking, Guo the butcher squeezed in and said mysteriously, "It's even worse than that. At first, Mr. Wu was still hopeful and denied it, saying there was nothing. The one-eyed bandit gathered Mr. Wu's entire family in the ancestral hall and had his men ransack Mr. Wu's house. They found a pile of treasures in the vegetable cellar and the well. Enraged by Mr. Wu's deception, the one-eyed bandit burned down the ancestral hall, and dozens of people were burned alive, with no one escaping. Fortunately, Xinzhuang was slightly better off than us, and the bandits didn't harm the other villagers much. When the bandits left, they warned the villagers not to report to the authorities, or they would all be buried with the Wu family."

Liu the blacksmith said, "What a sudden disaster. A few days ago, they thought they had struck it rich, and now they are all dead. How tragic."

Guo the butcher added, "Not all of them are dead. Mr. Wu's sister-in-law came to our village to visit her parents yesterday and didn't return today, so she escaped. Someone just reported the news, and she went to see what happened. Also, the messenger said that when the bandits left, they took a woman with them, her face obscured, probably Mr. Wu's daughter, who was taken to be the bandit's wife."

Zhang Xiaohua and his two brothers had been standing behind their father. Hearing this, they felt a chill. They had heard stories about the bandits' cruel deeds before, but now it was happening right in front of them. Mr. Wu, whom they had known and who had taught Zhang Xiaohua a few words when he was young, was now gone, burned to ashes. Although they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, it made them feel sad and afraid. Zhang Xiaohua unconsciously touched the bracelet on his left wrist, thinking to himself, "Thank goodness what I dug up wasn't real treasure. Even if it were, I would never tell anyone to avoid bringing disaster to myself and my family." The harsh lesson of "a man without virtue is not to be feared, but a man with virtue is to be feared" was deeply ingrained in the young man's heart.

The three brothers wanted to go to Xinzhuang to see what had happened, but Zhang Cai did not agree. After all, the New Year was approaching, and encountering such a disaster would be inauspicious for the coming year. Moreover, the Wu family's home was now just a pile of ashes, a scene too horrific to bear, and the authorities were likely already there, which could bring more trouble.

As they talked, the villagers gradually dispersed. After all, others' misfortunes were their own problems, and each person had to take care of their own. It was already dark, and the New Year was almost here. It was time to put aside their worries and focus on their own affairs.

Zhang Cai and his three children returned home to find his mother-in-law and Guo Sufei warming themselves by the stove. He told them what had happened in Xinzhuang, and they were both shocked. They prayed to heaven, hoping that the deceased souls would be reborn and that their family would never encounter such a disaster. Even as the sky grew darker and the oil lamps were lit, Zhang Xiaohua's grandmother kept muttering, "What a sudden disaster, what a sudden disaster."

This New Year, Guo Village was far less lively than before. Under the night sky, only the children played with lanterns, unaware of the dangers of the world, freely enjoying their innocence. Most of the villagers, like the Zhang family, after enjoying a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner and reflecting on the past year's hard work, hoped for a sweet and happy new year, but a shadow of gloom lingered in their hearts. Thinking of Mr. Wu's fate and the harsh realities of the world, they couldn't help but feel vulnerable, wondering how they could protect their families in such a world.

The New Year's Eve, which should have been noisy and bustling, passed quietly. It was unknown whether others in the village had dreams of happiness, joy, or harvest and sweetness, but what Zhang Xiaohua had was a flicker, a flicker that seemed to become a bit clearer.

The New Year for farmers was simple. Besides visiting each other, the only other activity was the market in Luzhen, which began on the third day of the New Year. On this day, a street in Luzhen became a bustling market where people from the surrounding areas gathered. Everyone wore new clothes, brought their families, and carried slightly fuller money pouches to experience the New Year's atmosphere.

Zhang Cai's family, with Guo Sufei staying home to take care of Zhang Xiaohua's grandmother, went to the market in Luzhen.

Luzhen was to the south of Guo Village, about thirty miles away.

Luzhen had few streets, and there was not much excitement to share on a regular day. But on this New Year's market day, everyone brought out the energy they had saved up for a year, turning a street in Luzhen into a lively scene. This was a north-south street, relatively wide, and it seemed to be the main street of Luzhen. There were many shops on both sides, and regardless of the type of business, they were all doing well, with their doors wide open. Many people were coming and going, and the shop assistants stood inside and outside, greeting the passing customers. Many vendors also set up their small businesses on the street, shouting loudly to attract the crowds. On a regular day, if a shop assistant saw someone blocking the entrance, they would shoo them away, but today was an exception. Everyone was out to make a living, and to get a good start to the New Year, they wouldn't quarrel and would even wish each other good luck.

As a result, the already narrow street became even more crowded. Zhang Xiaohua, who came to the market with his father and brothers, didn't know where to look.

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