Chapter 105: Chapter 105: Preparing for the New Year

Zhao Nuanyue thought for a moment, then nodded. "You’re right, the fish we have left will only last another two or three days. Tomorrow night, Zhao Nuan Yang, you, and I will go out and catch some more. The day after tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. Everyone will be at home with their families for the reunion dinner, so we can have our own reunion dinner too."

"Sounds good," He Qiang said with a chuckle. "We can’t go home, but it feels like fate that we kindred spirits have gathered here. Let’s celebrate the New Year together." The holidays always make you miss your family the most. Being alone is too lonely, but celebrating with everyone else would help ease the ache in his heart and his longing for home.

Hearing this, Zhao Nuanyue said guiltily, "I was supposed to go to Jincheng City to celebrate the New Year this time, and your homes are there too. I wanted to visit your elders and bring back news, but I never expected something like this to happen. I didn’t dare stay in Jincheng City. The moment I was discharged from the hospital, I brought Zhao Nuan Yang straight back here."

He Qiang listened, and though he felt it was a pity, he understood Zhao Nuanyue’s difficult position. He smiled. "It hasn’t been easy for you either. The thought alone is more than enough, and I’m grateful for it. Uncle Miao came by a couple of days ago and told us to continue our re-education. He said that if the reports we submit get approved by the higher-ups come spring, we’ll be allowed to write letters home."

"Oh, really? That’s wonderful news!" Zhao Nuanyue replied, happy for He Qiang and the elders. "I actually think Uncle Miao and Aunt Li are decent people. The bad ones in the village are Wang Dadan, Li Siming, and Liu Lanhua. That bunch is full of nasty tricks and will stop at nothing to get what they want."

"Exactly. Wang Dadan and Li Siming are rotten to the core. The night you and Zhao Nuan Yang went to the train station, the two of them actually came snooping around the Dragon King Temple. But Xiaohua spotted them and gave chase. They ended up falling off the log bridge and breaking their legs. It serves them right! If they hadn’t gotten into trouble, we wouldn’t be having such peace and quiet here." He Qiang couldn’t stop smiling as he spoke, clearly delighted and wishing Wang Dadan and the others would never recover.

"What?" Zhao Nuanyue was stunned. "Oh my god, that’s fantastic! They got what they deserved. They were the masterminds behind what happened to Wang Yuan, Li Qiong, and Yang Guanghui. But I don’t know who they have backing them. Even with me and Hua testifying, we couldn’t make Liu Lanhua face justice. It’s infuriating to think about sometimes."

Hearing this, He Qiang sighed. "These are chaotic times. There are all sorts of shady characters out there, so things like this aren’t surprising. Whether education is good or justice is fair, it all comes down to the people involved. When the people themselves aren’t just, the law is nothing but empty words."

"You’re right. That’s why we have to be extra careful not to give them anything to use against us," Zhao Nuanyue said with emotion. "But don’t worry, I’ll do my best to take care of you all."

Although Zhao Nuanyue was back from Jincheng City, she had no intention of wandering around outside. If someone saw her, it would be hard to explain.

During the day, no one from the Dragon King Temple went out. When night fell, Zhao Nuanyue gathered the prepared bait, hooks, nets, and rods, ready to go catch fish so that everyone could celebrate New Year’s Eve together.

Zhao Nuanyue used her Divine Sense to scan the area. Only when she confirmed no one was around did she let He Qiang and Zhao Nuan Yang start drilling into the ice.

Because Zhao Nuan Yang had been fishing with his sister before, he knew what to do and didn’t need to be taught.

He Qiang, however, did not. But with Zhao Nuanyue’s guidance and some secret help from the Little Red Carp, his nets were also soon filled with fish.

In just two hours, they had hauled in two full baskets of fish, all of them large. It was enough for them to have a prosperous New Year.

When Old Sir Qian saw how many fish they had brought back, he smiled and said, "An abundance year after year. We’ll have an even better year next year."

"Yes," Zhao Nuanyue replied. "While the fish are still fresh, let’s make plenty of fish paste, fish balls, and fish filling. We can have dumplings tomorrow, too."

The reason Zhao Nuanyue dared to be so bold was that she had been keeping an eye on the village. She discovered that Wang Dadan, Li Siming, and the others were at home nursing their injuries, with no energy to monitor them. This gave her group the opportunity to prepare for the New Year.

Just as Zhao Nuanyue was preparing to pull an all-nighter with the others to clean the fish and make fish balls, she suddenly sensed someone outside.

She immediately blew out the lamp, grabbed a cleaver, and walked into the courtyard. She shouted at the gate, "Who’s there? Stop skulking around! If you don’t speak up, I’m going to scream for help! I have a cleaver in my hand, and if you dare come in, I’ll chop you to death!"

The man at the gate was taken aback to hear the delicate voice of a young woman from inside. He quickly lowered his voice and said quietly, "Hello, I’m Guo Datou, a colleague of Hua Yusen’s. He isn’t here, but I’m responsible for secretly protecting them. Since the New Year is almost here, I got some supplies to bring to you all."

Zhao Nuanyue paused, then looked toward Gu Qingyu in the moonlight. Only after Gu Qingyu nodded did Zhao Nuanyue open the gate.

"I’m sorry, I thought you were one of the bad people from the village," Zhao Nuanyue said apologetically. "I hope you’re not angry."

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Being apologized to by such a pretty young woman made Guo Datou a bit embarrassed. He set the things down on the ground and made no move to enter. "I already brought you grain last time, so you should still have enough to eat. This is two buckets of oil and ten pounds of meat, so everyone can have a good New Year."

"Thank you so much! Please, come in, come in," Zhao Nuanyue said, quickly trying to welcome him inside. "It’s cold out. You shouldn’t just stand out there."

"It’s alright. You all carry on with your work. I’ll keep watch outside," Guo Datou said. "My colleague will come to relieve me in the second half of the night."

Seeing his insistence, Zhao Nuanyue didn’t press him to come in. Instead, she quickly had Zhao Nuan Yang pour Guo Datou some hot water to drink and warm himself up.

With the two buckets of oil from Guo Datou, a full ten pounds’ worth, Zhao Nuanyue planned to fry radish balls, meatballs, fish balls, fried fish fillets, and more.

After a busy night, by the time the sun rose the next day, Zhao Nuanyue had fried a large basket of radish balls and a large basket of meatballs.

After everyone had eaten a few while they were still hot, Zhao Nuanyue stored the rest in the cellar. These would be their main dishes for the days to come!

Hua Yusen had dug that cellar in his spare time at night. Li Qiong, Wang Yuan, and Yang Guanghui hadn’t known about it before.

By dawn, Guo Datou and his colleague were gone. Exhausted from the long night, Zhao Nuanyue had a quick bite to eat and went back to rest.

Sun Haoran and Old Sir Qian came over to help clean up. They couldn’t expect Zhao Nuanyue to do everything, and they felt too embarrassed to just sit back and reap the benefits, so they did what little they could to help.

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