Yun Siman rushed in, his face filled with anxiety. "Quick, quick, I knocked those people out. If we don't leave now, it'll be too late..."
After Yun Siman had gone out, he had directly stormed into the guest rooms of the black-clad assassins and beaten them until their heads were swollen and they were all knocked unconscious.
With his unconventional and carefree personality, how could he let assassins follow him and threaten his family at his doorstep?
Normally, he was the one assassinating others...
Yun Sanman and Shangguan Fang'er exchanged a look and didn't move.
Yun Siman stomped his feet anxiously. "No, why are you two still standing there? Miss Murong has already hitched the carriage. She's waiting downstairs!~"
Alas, when people are in love, their minds are a bit slow...
Xiao Xinling, who was gnawing on a potato at the old Yun family's house, suddenly sneezed. She casually threw away the potato peel and kicked her legs indignantly, "Yun Laosi, may you die a terrible death!~"
A moment later, the group hurried downstairs, boarded the carriages, and left the small county town at the fastest speed...
Yun Siman drove the horse-drawn sled alone. Sanman sat in the carriage with Murong Qing and Shangguan Fang'er, galloping along the snow-covered mountain road.
During a break to switch drivers, Yun Sanman pulled his fourth brother aside and said seriously, "Laosi, I'm going treasure hunting with Fang'er. So, so you should go back to the village first. And tell Mom and Dad not to worry about me!~"
Yun Siman: "......"
Third brother, are you a child?
The New Year is only a few days away. Can't anything wait until after the Spring Festival?
Besides, even though they had shaken off those black-clad assassins, who could guarantee they wouldn't encounter other dangers on their treasure hunt?
"No, San Ge must come home with me. There's no room for negotiation..." Yun Siman said decisively.
"Not going back for now!~" Yun Sanman smiled slightly and patted his fourth brother's shoulder. "Laosi, San Ge can really protect himself. Don't worry!~"
Yun Siman: "......"
The more you say that, the more uneasy I feel.
Can you beat those Yan Kingdom death warriors, or did you grow three heads and six arms and ride the Wind Fire Wheels to directly fly to the treasure location with Fang'er?
"Since that's the case, I'll go treasure hunting with San Ge too!~" Yun Siman said.
Even if it was a fiery pit ahead, he was willing to jump into it with his third brother...
Yun Sanman stared at his fourth brother for a moment, then smiled and nodded. "Good, my fourth brother is truly loyal. When we get back, San Ge will buy you the best sorghum wine to drink!~"
Yun Siman twitched his lips. "Don't try that. I'm not a drunkard. I just hope you won't do such childish things in the future! If Mom and Dad find out, I'll get scolded along with you..."
Coming out treasure hunting in the heavy snow, even children wouldn't find this kind of game appealing.
After a brief rest, the group quickly headed northwest, getting further and further away from Dashui Village.
Originally, Sanman wanted to write a letter home, but he dismissed the idea when he thought that the letter might be intercepted by the Yan Kingdom death warriors along the way...
Ten days later, at the old Yun family's house.
Today was New Year's Eve, and the house and its surroundings were extremely lively.
Gu Shi got up early and led her daughter, Jin Xiaolou, and all the children in the family out to paste couplets and window decorations. The accumulated snow in the yard was swept clean, and even the tiles on the roof were polished until they gleamed...
As the new year begins and all things are renewed, on the day of the Spring Festival, it is time to clear away the old and welcome the new.
Every household was busy preparing food. If you just passed by a house, you could tell what delicious food they were making by just taking a sniff...
As it happened, Old Man Yun took out the pig's head and trotters and sat by the charcoal basin to singe the bristles.
Zhao Guihua, Du Tieshan, and Jin Huaihua went straight into the kitchen to prepare for the New Year's Eve dinner.
Things like pig knuckles and trotters, and sinewy parts, are almost always tough to cook, so they had to be stewed in advance. They would be taken out near noon, cooled, and then reheated in the evening to be eaten...
"Shanshan, the spring rolls are fried. Take them inside for Mom and the children to try, and send some to Uncle Sun and Doctor Guan!~" Zhao Guihua said with a smile.
She was wearing new clothes today and a pearl hairpin on her head, making herself look radiant...
Du Tieshan was still wearing her previous padded jacket. She wanted to change into her new clothes for the New Year's Eve dinner to avoid getting them dirty while cooking.
There were always people in the village who liked to stroll around. After finishing their own chores, they would start visiting from house to house, cupping their hands and greeting everyone, "Happy New Year, may the coming year be prosperous and yield abundant harvests..."
Some of the gluttonous ones ate at noon, got tipsy, slept until midnight, and then ate their second meal.
Jin Shan and Jin He were also busy. They took Yao Jinsheng and Sun Tianxiu to Gou Gou Lake and bought several large carp. They were freshly caught by the fishermen and were still wriggling, very fresh...
After Huaihua had been busy in the kitchen for a while, she went back to the room to help Gu Shi sew quilts.
Before the New Year, all the clothes, quilt covers, pillowcases, and curtains in the house were taken down and washed. On New Year's Eve, they were put back up. They looked clean, and they were very comfortable to sleep under...
Everyone in the family wore red socks and had their hair cut before the New Year, looking neat and tidy...
"Old woman!~" Old Man Yun, after singeing the pig's head, walked into the inner room. "Why haven't Lao San and Lao Si come back yet? Did something happen to them on the way?"
His eyelids had been twitching violently for the past few days, and he kept having strange dreams.
When Gu Shi heard this, she chided him. "What inauspicious things are you saying on New Year's Day? Lao San is protected by Siman. What could happen to him?"
"I, I just feel uneasy. Lao San has always been very steady in his dealings. Even if he didn't find Fang'er, he should have sent a letter home, shouldn't he?" Old Man Yun, holding his pipe, sighed slightly. "Now, it's New Year's Eve, and they're still not back. Something must have happened..."
"Dad, Mom, you don't need to worry!~" Chu Jiangtun said while eating spring rolls, trying to comfort them. "Third brother and fourth brother are lucky. What could happen to them? If you're still worried, I'll have Lao Ma and Er Ma go look for them tomorrow!"
During his stay at the old Yun family's house, Chu Jiangtun not only didn't lose weight but actually gained some...
Although the family didn't lack meat or wine, he still took Lao Ma to the county town before the New Year to purchase a cartload of food and daily necessities.
Ribs, pork knuckles, fish, rice, flour, oil, cloth, silk, candles, lamp oil, and his father's favorite sorghum wine – these supplies were enough for them to last until the second day of the second lunar month...
"No need to look!~" Old Man Yun waved his hand and snorted. "If those two little brats had any conscience, they would know it's New Year today and shouldn't be wandering around outside!"
Gu Shi shook her head helplessly upon hearing this. Just as she was about to persuade him, a group of people suddenly walked in from outside...