Chapter 81 Part 2

The sound wasn’t actually that loud, but to Lu Ping’s ears, it was like the first earth-shattering drum at the Winter Solstice festival, piercing his eardrums and jolting his soul awake.

Lu Ping startled and immediately sat up from atop Shen Yuze.

In doing so, Shen Yuze’s hand involuntarily slid off his body.

Lu Ping kept his head down, awkwardly tugging his pajamas straight and buttoning the open collar. He picked up the mystery novel that had fallen to the floor.

He brushed the dust off the cover and placed it on the bedside table, saying softly, “It’s getting late. Let’s rest.”

“…” Shen Yuze mumbled an ambiguous response.

Lu Ping: “You sleep on the outside?”

Shen Yuze: “I actually haven’t finished this book yet.”

Lu Ping: “If I sleep on the inside, I might have to get up in the middle of the night and disturb you.”

Shen Yuze: “I’ve read another novel by this author, though. It’s part of the same series, and I even have his autograph.”

Lu Ping: “Forget it, I’ll climb over the foot of the bed.”

Shen Yuze: “Next time I come, I’ll bring it for you.”

The two carried on with their own topics.

Neither listened to the other, neither responded to the other.

Lu Ping got up, circled to his side of the bed, kicked off his slippers, and silently climbed in. The electric blanket had been turned on early, making the bed wonderfully warm. He burrowed into his own covers.

From the moment he got into bed until he lay down, Shen Yuze stared at him the whole time. Only after Lu Ping had wrapped himself up like a silkworm pupa again did Shen Yuze ask, “Lights out?”

“Mm…” Lu Ping said softly. “Let’s sleep early.”

The next second, the bedside lamp went out, plunging them both into darkness.

“Good night.”

“Good night.”

Lu Ping closed his eyes and tried to lighten his breathing, imagining himself floating on the water’s surface, buoyed gently by the sea. The waves rolled in endlessly, one after another, washing over his body.

Born by the sea, Lu Ping knew better than anyone that the ocean could cradle him tenderly when calm, letting him drift with the current; but when it raged, it could swallow everything in an instant.

In the darkness, he quietly rolled over, facing the inner wall.

He curled up his body, the side-lying position giving him enough sense of security while also letting him hide certain private things.

Time to sleep.

Lu Ping repeated silently to himself. Tomorrow was Winter Solstice.

The thick night seeped into his dreams. Lu Ping didn’t know when he fell asleep, but before drifting off, he could still smell the familiar shampoo scent from the person beside his pillow.

…

He didn’t sleep soundly.

In a half-dreaming state, Shen Yuze was woken by the movement of his bedmate getting up.

He drowsily opened his eyes and suddenly realized the spot beside him was empty. He instantly woke fully and sat up.

Fortunately, Lu Ping hadn’t left the room. Instead, he stood by the window in a thick coat.

On such a cold night, the boy was barefoot, pulling back the curtain with one hand to peer outside, his face lit with irrepressible excitement. It was still dark, with twinkling starlight flickering in the night sky. A dim yellow nightlight glowed on the wall, casting shadowy outlines, and the electronic alarm clock showed it was only four-thirty.

In other words, they’d only slept a little over four hours.

Seeing Lu Ping awake, Shen Yuze simply got out of bed too. He shrugged on a coat like Lu Ping and walked up behind him.

“Why up so early?” Shen Yuze’s voice was hoarse from just waking.

“—Damn, how do you walk without making a sound?” Lu Ping, who had been leaning at the window, jumped in fright.

Because of last night’s events, just hearing Shen Yuze’s voice made him feel embarrassed and ashamed. He averted his eyes, not daring to meet Shen Yuze’s gaze.

Fortunately, Shen Yuze didn’t notice his unnaturalness (or perhaps he did but considerately pretended not to). Instead, he asked what Lu Ping was looking at.

Lu Ping stepped aside, pulled back the curtain fully, and pointed outside. “Look toward the Marshal Temple.”

Jiaojiang City had always been known as a place of Buddhist and Daoist origins, with the North Shore especially emphasizing sacrifices. Every village and town had its own temple—a fact Shen Yuze had noticed on his first visit to the North Shore. Some temples bustled with incense, red walls and black tiles, gilded Buddha statues; others were just small courtyards enshrining Daoist deities high above, not seated Guanyin.

The town where the Lu Family lived had its own temple dedicated to Marshal Zhao of the Daoist pantheon. Shen Yuze had passed it several times and often seen people coming and going.

At four-thirty in the morning, everywhere was pitch black, except for the lights now glowing at the distant Marshal Temple.

Lanterns dotted the area, hung high, illuminating the bowed crowds in front of the temple.

Shen Yuze: “What are they doing?”

“That’s the main officiant leading everyone in preparations!” Thinking of the upcoming Winter Solstice sacrifice, Lu Ping’s tone grew excited. He couldn’t wait and pushed at Shen Yuze. “Hurry downstairs. We need to greet the Board Dragon at the door before dawn!”

Shen Yuze didn’t have time to ask what a Board Dragon was before Lu Ping urged him to change clothes and wash up. In his haste, Lu Ping almost forgot his slippers—Shen Yuze had to remind him before he shoved his ice-cold feet into them.

Shen Yuze had thought they were up early enough, but when they went downstairs, Lu Mom and Lu Dad were already bustling in the kitchen.

Winter Solstice mornings always started with Winter Solstice Rounds. Lu Mom made two kinds: sweet Lei Yuan, solid glutinous rice balls rolled in red sugar and mung bean powder while chanting, “Lei Yuan for reunion, all things round and complete”; and savory stuffed ones with spring-stored dried bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and pork filling, pinched into fist-sized balls and steamed through.

The two types of Winter Solstice Rounds sat in the center of the dining table, accompanied by a bowl of Zao Geng made from rice flour paste as a breakfast soup. Seeing the two boys come down, Lu Mom quickly called to them, “Pingping, Little Shen, eat while it’s hot. I’ll go upstairs and wake An An.”

Shen Yuze had gotten up too early; the dumplings from last night still hadn’t fully digested. He ate one sweet Lei Yuan and one savory Winter Solstice Round before stopping, but he downed a big bowl of the steaming Zao Geng. It had shredded pork, mustard greens, wood ear mushrooms, and tofu, warming him from stomach to heart in the cold dawn.

Lu Ping next to him wasn’t big on Zao Geng but scarfed down several Lei Yuan in a row. Making Lei Yuan was such a hassle—just the outer coating had several steps—and Lu Mom wouldn’t bother if it weren’t Winter Solstice.

Shen Yuze watched him pop them one after another and worried the sticky food might be hard to digest.

By the time An An came down rubbing her eyes, Lu Ping and Shen Yuze had finished their breakfasts.

The little girl was so sleepy she swayed side to side, her upper and lower eyelids practically glued together, unable to open. She fumbled to add a few Winter Solstice Rounds to her bowl, her head nodding nonstop as she ate. Lu Mom braided her hair while chiding, “Tian Zhu girl, you said yesterday you wanted to get up for the Board Dragon, but look at you sleeping in till now.”

Shen Yuze heard “Board Dragon” again and curiously asked Lu Ping what it meant.

Lu Ping dodged the question on purpose, teasing, “You’ll see soon enough.”

The family finished their Winter Solstice Rounds. Lu Dad and his son carried the offering table outside the gate, setting out the incense burner, tributes, and candles, eagerly awaiting the auspicious hour. Two strings of fiery red firecrackers, each with a thousand cracks, hung from the courtyard lamp post. The gold ingots folded last night were piled in a basket; a lime circle was drawn on the ground where they’d soon be burned, said to send them straight to the ancestors faster.

The morning chill seeped into their bones. The frozen rain had stopped overnight, leaving the air exceptionally fresh. Around five, neighbors began emerging, setting their own offering tables at their gates.

Lu Ping shivered from the cold, tucking his chin and neck into his scarf as he explained to Shen Yuze, “The Board Dragon Team will circle the town. When they pass in front of and behind houses, every family lights red candles and sets off firecrackers—that’s ‘greeting the dragon.’ If you don’t greet the dragon on Winter Solstice, the year won’t go smoothly.”

Almost as soon as Lu Ping finished speaking, a burst of resounding music came from the direction of the Marshal Temple in the distance.

Drums, horns, suona, and other folk instruments blended together, accompanied by the crackle of firecrackers, shattering the dark night sky!

“The dra—gon—is—com—ing!!!!”

A few mischievous kids ran by shouting, dressed in new clothes, red cloth tied around their heads, dashing down the alley. Some households called them over, stuffing their pockets with candy or a honey tangerine. Soon their clothes bulged.

“The dragon’s coming! Dragon’s coming! Time for firecrackers!!” An An clapped and shouted along.

Neighbors everywhere started hanging and lighting firecrackers. Lu Dad, as the family pillar, handled the Lu Family’s. He leaned close to the red strings on the lamp post, lit the fuses, and dashed back behind the offering table.

The fuses burned quickly. With a few crisp “pop-pop-pops,” the two strings erupted.

Smoke billowed, red confetti scattered everywhere. Amid the festive, ear-piercing blasts, the North Shore’s Winter Solstice ceremony finally began!

Lu Mom leaned on her husband’s shoulder, silently praying to the Marshal Temple in her heart.

An An, bold as ever, tried to edge toward the firecrackers. Lu Ping quickly pulled the little girl back and covered her ears, afraid the loud bangs would hurt them.

Lu Ping shouted loudly, “Are your ears hurting???”

An An: “What???”

Lu Ping: “I said, are your ears hurting!!!”

An An: “Bro, I’m not hungry!!!”

Lu Ping: “…”

Lu Ping was speechless. Suddenly, a pair of palms covered his ears too. He startled and glanced sideways—the owner stood right beside him. The young man’s hands cupped over both his ears, considerately blocking the piercing firecracker noise.

Under Lu Ping’s gaze, Shen Yuze’s lips parted slightly, mouthing words slowly so the movements were clear.

“Pingping, I like…”

But the firecrackers were too loud, drowning out any chance for Lu Ping to hear clearly.

Only after the bangs faded and the smoke cleared did Lu Ping reluctantly release An An’s ears. He immediately reached for Shen Yuze’s hand.

Shen Yuze dodged, not letting him grab it.

Lu Ping clutched his sleeve instead and asked for confirmation, “Shen Yuze, what did you just say?”

Shen Yuze countered, “If you didn’t hear it, then did you not see it either? Or feel it?”

Lu Ping ignored the last two questions and insisted, “Come on, who says important stuff during firecrackers! And you covered my ears so hard—I couldn’t hear even if I wanted to!”

“Forget it if you didn’t hear.” Shen Yuze smiled. “This is the second time. You can’t pretend not to hear it the third time.”

Lu Ping still wanted to argue with him a bit more, but at that moment, An An suddenly jumped up. She pointed at the winding firelight snaking in from the distant alley entrance and shrieked in delight, “—The Board Dragon Team is coming! I see the Five Beasts!!”