Chapter 187: The Taste of the New Year

On the first day of the New Year, a lucky day!

Gu Ning’an descended slowly from the horizon, landing by the Eight Zhang River.

Even though the sky was just beginning to brighten, he didn’t want to fly into Ansi Courtyard in such a grand manner.

First, it was the “New Year’s Eve” and likely many people hadn’t slept yet. If he was seen, it might scare the elderly or children, which wouldn’t be good.

Second, his earlier flight was to hurry back, and now that he had reached his doorstep, flying in felt like it would take away some of the charm.

After landing, Gu Ning’an looked at Lexiang County, which was getting closer by the minute. Unconsciously, his steps grew bigger.

He walked through a narrow forest path, and after walking for a bit over the time it took to brew a pot of tea, he entered Lexiang County.

As soon as he stepped into Lexiang County, Gu Ning’an instinctively slowed his pace and glanced around.

The air was filled with the “smell of fireworks” after the firecrackers were burned, and the ground was covered with a layer of dark red firecracker remnants, almost like a red carpet spread across the entire street.

On both sides of the street, every household had pasted up spring couplets and red “Good Luck” words.

Everything he could see and smell was full of the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

Turning a corner, Gu Ning’an still saw the same red “carpet” laid out before him. Seeing this exaggerated scene, he couldn’t help but laugh, “Firecrackers are great, but for the Tiao Lang Clan, cleaning this up is really too much trouble…”

“This time, with dawn approaching, the Tiao Lang Clan will soon be starting work…”

“I bet when they see this, they’ll probably say…”

“Good heavens! So many firecrackers again!” A voice full of “grievance” shouted.

“Aunt! You lied to me!”

“You said it would only take a little sweeping to clean up! But sweeping just this street alone will probably take nearly half an hour!” Another familiar complaining voice rang out!

Hearing the familiar voices as soon as he returned home, Gu Ning’an was overjoyed.

He walked toward the direction of the sound and soon saw the figures of the Tiao Lang Clan and Lei Ben on the side of the street.

Both were dressed in thin cotton clothes, holding large brooms in their hands, “swooshing” the firecracker remnants scattered on the ground.

Gu Ning’an quickly walked over and cupped his hands, saying, “Happy New Year to both of you!”

“Mr. Gu! Long time no see!”

“Happy New Year, Mr. Gu!”

Tiao Lang Clan and Lei Ben both stopped what they were doing and responded with smiles.

Gu Ning’an pointed at the firecracker remnants on the street and smiled, “You two have worked hard. With so many firecracker remnants, it must take a lot of effort.”

“Who says not?” Lei Ben spread the large broom, looking like “I really don’t want to work.”

The Tiao Lang Clan worker gave Lei Ben a sideways glance, then smiled at Gu Ning’an, “It’s not hard… This is what we should do.”

“Aunt!” Lei Ben tilted his head, “This is your job! I was dragged here as the laborer!”

The Tiao Lang Clan worker furrowed her brow, turned her head, and lowered her voice, “Don’t make me slap you on such a joyous day…”

Lei Ben shrank his neck and muttered, “Really, I’m helping out without any benefit, only because I’m nice, you try this with someone else…”

Hearing this, the burly Tiao Lang Clan worker placed her hands on her hips and glared, “Little brat, are you still talking?”

“Last time, you said you liked plump ones. I found two for you, but you didn’t pick a single one!”

“I had to apologize to those young ladies in the end!”

“Alright, alright!”

Lei Ben took two steps closer to Gu Ning’an, pouting, “Now that Mr. Gu is here, let’s have him settle the matter.”

“Alright then!”

The Tiao Lang worker moved to stand beside Gu Ning’an on his right, her expression softening slightly. “Mr. Gu, wouldn’t you say that when we describe someone as ‘plump,’ it just means they aren’t thin and have some flesh on them?”

Gu Ning’an nodded. “That’s a fair way to put it.”

“You see! Even Mr. Gu agrees!” The Tiao Lang Clan worker shot Lei Ben a triumphant glare.

“Heh… That’s because you didn’t explain it properly!”

Lei Ben sneered, then spread his arms wide and gestured in front of him. “Mr. Gu, if someone is the same width from top to bottom, would you still call that ‘plump’?”

“Each of those two girls was twice my width!”

There was no denying Lei Ben’s descriptive skills—Gu Ning’an immediately had a vivid mental image.

“So what?!”

The Tiao Lang Clan worker flared up again. She stomped around Gu Ning’an and glared at Lei Ben. “Plump is plump! As long as they have some meat on them, that’s what matters!”

“Since when were you so picky?”

“How am I being picky?!” Lei Ben retorted angrily.

Seeing that the two were about to start bickering again, Gu Ning’an raised a hand and interjected, “Alright, alright, it’s the New Year—let’s not argue…”

The phrase “it’s the New Year” was a near-universal peacekeeping charm. Unless there was some deep-seated grudge, it almost always worked to defuse tempers.

“Fine, fine, let’s drop it,” Lei Ben muttered, moving aside to resume sweeping up the firecracker remnants.

Seeing his sullen, “wronged” expression, the Tiao Lang Clan worker couldn’t help but soften a little. She glanced at Gu Ning’an with an awkward smile, then walked over and gave Lei Ben a tug.

Lei Ben grumbled impatiently, “Now what?”

“Heh~~” Tiao Lang Clan worker deliberately drew out the sound before continuing, “Old Guo’s youngest daughter over on West Street seems to be looking for a marriage partner lately…”

“Guo Weiwei!”

Lei Ben spun around abruptly, his eyes gleaming with excitement. His voice was anxious.

“Whoa! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?!”

Startled, the Tiao Lang Clan worker smacked him on the shoulder. “So, you know her?”

Rubbing his now-numb shoulder, Lei Ben quickly replied, “Of course I know her! How could I not?”

“She’s exactly my type—a plump beauty!”

“Plump?”

The Tiao Lang Clan worker thought back to Guo Weiwei’s appearance, then hesitated. “She doesn’t actually have that much meat on her… though she is quite curvy.”

“Auntie, forget about ‘plump’ or not!”

“I just like her!”

“When can you take me to see her? Ideally, we should settle the engagement today!”

Seeing Lei Ben practically bouncing with anticipation, the Tiao Lang Clan worker rolled her eyes. “You brat, just because you fancy her doesn’t mean she’ll fancy you!”

“Auntie!” Lei Ben grabbed the Tiao Lang Clan worker’s hands, his expression solemn. “From this moment on, you are my real aunt!”

“No—”

“More than a real aunt!”

“You must help out your poor, aging nephew here!”

Hearing this, the Tiao Lang Clan worker chuckled. “Oh? And just a moment ago, you were all attitude?”

“Come on, Auntie, no need to hold grudges with your dear nephew…”

As he spoke, Lei Ben swiftly snatched the broom from the Tiao Lang Clan worker’s hands. “This kind of work—leave it to me! Auntie, just find a nice spot to relax!”

Before the Tiao Lang Clan worker could even respond, Lei Ben, suddenly bursting with energy, grabbed another broom and charged forward like a “bulldozer,” sweeping through the firecracker debris at full speed.

“You little rascal!” She cursed with a laugh. Turning back, she suddenly realized—at some point, Gu Ning’an had already left.

“Auntie, come quick and look!”

At the end of the street, Lei Ben, having cleared a large patch of firecracker debris, called out loudly.

Seeing his frantic excitement, the Tiao Lang Clan worker thought something serious had happened and sprinted over…