"Very good." Yang Qingfeng stroked his beard with a smile, his eyes full of gratification. "The fact that you’ve considered this makes me feel much more at ease about you venturing out into the world on your own."
Given the opportunity, he was supportive of Lin Yan going to Qing State.
The only issue was the distance between Qing State and Deng State. If Lin Yan truly ran into trouble, he, as his master, would be too far away to help.
"The Lin Family will be sending missives to its various branches. It’s highly likely that this generation of their young clansmen can’t compete with the other three major families, so they want to see if they can discover a genius among the branch families. For you, going to the Qing State Lin Family is indeed an excellent choice. Even if my guess is wrong, you all hail from the same Clan. The Lin Family won’t go too far. We in Shandong Dao take filial piety very seriously, and betraying a fellow clansman is a profound disrespect to one’s ancestors."
"Thank you for your guidance, Master. I understand now."
Lin Yan nodded. Hearing his master’s words, he was starting to feel convinced.
Going to Qing State wasn’t just about getting access to more advanced Martial Arts Techniques; it was also a chance to search for his uncle’s whereabouts.
"The New Year is just around the corner. Even if you decide to go to Qing State, you should wait until after the celebrations."
"Yes, I was hoping to come to the Martial Arts Hall for noodles on New Year’s Day. It’s a shame Junior Brother Zhao won’t be able to join us this year."
Yang Qingfeng was smiling through the first half of the sentence, but he fell silent at the second. After a long pause, he grumbled, "If there’s nothing else, then get out of here. Don’t disturb me and my gardening."
"In that case, Master, I’ll take my leave."
Lin Yan could see the emptiness his master felt over Junior Brother Zhao’s passing. He had said it on purpose to get a reaction out of him.
’The best way to overcome the void someone leaves behind is to keep their memory alive by talking about them.’
As the New Year approached, Guangping County Town gradually returned to its usual bustling state.
No matter what great upheavals the town had recently experienced, for the common folk, life had to go on.
Parents bought new clothes for their children, and merchants took the opportunity to hawk their wares with vigor, hoping to sell a few more items.
Firecrackers were set off and ancestral rites were performed, just as always.
And so, Lin Yan welcomed his second New Year in this world.
He paid respects to the ancestors and shared a festive meal.
Under Lin Mo’s expectant gaze, Lin Yan gave him his lucky New Year’s money: a total of two and six-tenths ounces of fragmented silver.
"Big Bro, why is it so little? Cai Jun gets more than ten ounces of silver in his lucky money envelope every year."
"If you think it’s too little, then don’t take it."
Lin Yan had no intention of spoiling his younger brother. ’As my own status has risen, he’s started hanging around with kids from wealthy families. I can’t let him turn into one of those spoiled rich kids who just throws money around.’
"Your brother’s Martial Arts training is very expensive. Don’t cause him more trouble."
The Liu Family glared, about to take the money back, but the younger brother quickly hid his hands behind his back. Lin Yan laughed and said, "Auntie, this bit of money is fine. It’s for good luck."
"For good luck, a few copper coins to show the sentiment is enough. There’s no need to give so much."
"Mom, Big Bro gave this to me! You can’t take it away!"
Seeing that his money was about to be taken, Lin Mo quickly took a few steps back.
’Mom is great at everything, except she never lets me have any money to spend.’
"I’ll keep it safe for you. We’ll save it for when you get married."
The Liu Family spoke with a wide smile, her gaze simultaneously falling upon Lin Yan. Lin Yan’s heart skipped a beat. He looked at his younger brother. "Didn’t you want to set off fireworks? Come on, Big Bro will take you."
"Fireworks! Let’s go set off fireworks!"
The moment he heard this, Lin Mo grabbed Lin Yan’s hand and started pulling him outside. "Let’s go, Big Bro, hurry! I know a great spot."
The two brothers shared a silent, mutual understanding: at that moment, both of them desperately wanted to escape from their mother (and aunt).
"Sigh."
Watching her nephew beat a hasty retreat, the Liu Family couldn’t help but chuckle. ’Yan’er is such an impressive figure out in the world now; it’s rare to see him like this anymore.’
Just outside the courtyard gate, Lin Yan and Lin Mo both let out a long sigh of relief at the same time. That was close!
POP! BANG! BOOM!
Many people in the county town were setting off fireworks, especially in the East City and South City districts.
Lin Mo pulled Lin Yan to the riverside, where many people, mostly teenagers, were already lighting fireworks. Across the river in West City, many younger children could only stare up at the sky with longing eyes.
The fireworks in this world weren’t particularly spectacular. Lin Yan set off a few before stopping, but Lin Mo was thrilled. He joined the crowd of youths setting off their own fireworks, letting out exclamations of excitement from time to time.
"Miss, we should head back. The master said we should avoid going out as much as possible during this time."
"I know, but it’s New Year’s today. Surely a short walk is fine."
Standing by the river, Lin Yan overheard the conversation behind him. He turned his head and saw two familiar figures.
Li Yu and her maidservant.
Today, Li Yu was dressed in a plain gown, the pearl flower at her temple replaced by a simple silver ornament. Her face had lost its usual confident and haughty poise, her eyes hiding a weariness and distress that she could not fully conceal.
When their eyes met, Li Yu froze. She hadn’t expected to run into Lin Yan here, and her first instinct was to turn and hide.
Life had been difficult for the Li Family lately. They had sided with the Four Seas Gang and paid a heavy price to preserve their family line. However, they had lost all their shops and property deeds, leaving them with nothing but a single residential courtyard.
She recalled her own assessment of Lin Yan back at Jinsheng Hall—how she’d called him sensitive and obsessed with saving face, predicting his Martial Arts progress would stall for lack of silver coins.
’And now?’
’Lin Yan was already a Third-Time Skin Smoothing Martial Artist, and an outstanding one at that. Backed by the Yang Family Martial Arts Hall, his background and strength both placed him at the very peak of Guangping County Town.’
’Meanwhile, her own family’s businesses had withered away, leaving them with just an empty house to live in.’
’The difference in their status was now as vast as that between heaven and earth.’
Li Yu clenched her sleeves, her nails digging into her palms. She forced herself to stand her ground, not daring to leave. She was terrified that offending Lin Yan would bring yet another disaster upon her family.

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