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墨書 Inktalez
“Li Yishu, go call your Brother Wen and the others over.”
“Okay!” Li Yishu wiped the drool from his chin, tightened his coat, and dashed out the door. By the time Li Zhoule set the dishes and instant noodles on the table, Li Yishu had returned with the others. The Wen Family Brothers didn’t come empty-handed; they brought a bowl of roasted rabbit—caught by them while gathering firewood in the woods, salted and stored for a month, just waiting for the New Year to enjoy some meat.
As soon as the three brothers entered, they were greeted by the rich aroma of instant noodles, their reactions mirroring that of Li Yishu.
“Sister Zhou Le, what did you make? It smells amazing!” Wen Zixue asked, drooling.
Li Zhoule smiled and replied, “It’s a new dish I developed; I fried the noodles in oil before boiling them with seasonings.”
“That must be delicious,” Wen Zixue said.
“Then you should eat more.”
The two families gathered around a table, without any wine, using noodle soup instead. They each raised a bowl to toast, wishing for better days in the coming year. The village was filled with the sound of firecrackers popping. Li Yishu and Wen Zixue ran outside with several prepared bamboo tubes, while Wen Ziyu lit the bonfire. The two tossed the bamboo tubes into the flames, which crackled loudly.
Wen Zixia happily exclaimed, “Such loud sounds mean our lives next year will be just as vibrant as these firecrackers!”
………………
On the third day of the New Year, Hanno followed Han Dad and Mom Han to the Provincial Capital. Most of Han Dad’s siblings lived in the Provincial Capital; only Han Dad and Second Aunt Han worked and lived in D City. Every year on this day, the Han family would gather with their families in the Provincial Capital, renting out a tea house to chat and play mahjong, followed by a reunion lunch.
There were eight siblings in Han Dad's family, along with Hanno's cousins and numerous nieces and nephews—about thirty to forty people altogether—creating quite a lively atmosphere. Soon enough, everyone split into groups; most gathered around mahjong tables to build their Great Wall of tiles. Those who weren’t interested in mahjong sat together chatting over tea while children ran around playing in the tea house, safe as long as they stayed inside. Hanno chatted with some cousins for a while before they all went to join in on mahjong. Not being skilled at card games, Hanno watched for a bit before settling down on a sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window to fiddle with his phone.
A shadow fell over him, blocking out the sunlight. Hanno looked up to see his cousin from Second Aunt’s side. Second Aunt also worked in D City and had two children; her son Chang Lei was four years older than Hanno and was already married, while her daughter Chang Miao was two years younger than Hanno and had graduated from university two years ago but hadn’t found a proper job yet.
“What’s up?” Hanno straightened up; he had grown up alongside Chang Miao and knew her well. Just by looking at her expression, he could tell she had something she couldn’t decide on herself and wanted to consult him.
Chang Miao sat down across from Hanno. “I opened a Taobao Store but don’t know what to sell. Can you give me some advice?”
Hanno shot her a glance. "Why are you asking me about opening a store? I've never run a Taobao Store."
Chang Miao replied, "But you have opened a physical store, haven't you?"
"My store is a casual hot pot business. Are you planning to sell hot pot seasonings online?" Hanno retorted.
Chang Miao pouted, "You're making fun of me when I'm trying to discuss this with you."
Hanno said, "I really don't know what to sell. Why don't you learn from others first and sell some small accessories?"
Chang Miao sulked, "But how much money can I make from that?"
"Anyway, your family doesn't lack for money. Start with something small; who knows, maybe your business will grow in the future," Hanno encouraged.
Second Aunt's family had opened a grocery store. Although they weren't wealthy, they had some extra cash, and wealth brought peace. Chang Miao had graduated two years ago, and neither her aunt nor uncle had pressured her to find a job. They wanted her to take over the store eventually. As for Chang Lei, he was quite capable, earning a six-figure income and didn't care about such trivial amounts.
"Then I would really become a freeloader!" Chang Miao lamented as she leaned back against the chair.
"You're practically freeloading now," Hanno scoffed. "Just start working for now and adjust the products in the store based on market conditions later."
Hanno honestly didn't have high hopes for Chang Miao; she only had a three-minute enthusiasm for things.
Chang Miao nestled into the couch and changed the subject. "Why do you keep fiddling with your phone? Are you becoming addicted like those people in the news? Got yourself phone sickness?"
"You’re the one with phone sickness. I'm just using my phone to input content," Hanno shot back at Chang Miao with annoyance.
“Are you still writing online?” Chang Miao asked in surprise.
“Is that not allowed?” Hanno replied.
“Of course it is! But why didn’t you tell me? I could have supported you!”
Chang Miao took out her phone. “What’s the name of your book? Which website is it on?”
“Singularity Girl,” Hanno said. “One completed work called Transmigration of Ji Xiaofu, and another just starting, set in the 1980s entertainment industry of Harbor City, called Entertainment Dream of Hong Kong.”
“I’ll look it up.” Chang Miao began to operate her phone. “Ugh, I have to download a special reader just to see it.”
While complaining, Chang Miao quickly downloaded and installed Singularity Reader, registered an account, and topped up her account with ten thousand yuan.
“Transmigration of Ji Xiaofu? Nono, why do you want to thank Ji Xiaofu? Didn’t you dislike her?” Chang Miao asked as she read.
“I do dislike her. That’s why I had her die and created my own version of Ji Xiaofu,” Hanno said, diving back into her writing.
“Your version is even more interesting than the original,” Chang Miao nodded in agreement, soon becoming engrossed in the storyline. The two sisters—one reading and the other writing—created a serene atmosphere around them, contrasting sharply with the noise from nearby. However, this tranquility lasted only a little over an hour before Chang Miao broke the silence.
“Nono, we’ve been together for decades, and I didn’t know you had such talent for writing! Forget everything else; I’m going to tip you.”
Hanno quickly returned to the main page of Transmigration of Ji Xiaofu, only to find the discussion forum flooded with posts from Sanzu River.
“Sanzu River says A Promise is Worth a Thousand Gold. I earnestly sought a talisman, but how can Transmigration of Ji Xiaofu be written so beautifully?”
"A Promise is Worth a Thousand Gold.5Singularity Coin This book is so well written, I will give it as a reward and I hope to follow it up Even more exciting!” “…” “Falling Flowers, I am moved to tears, my talent deserves this reward! Sanzu RiverA Promise is Worth a Thousand Gold.1Singularity Coin for this book. Great! Give me a reward, I hope the follow-up will be more exciting!" "Falling Flowers, I am so moved that I deserve this reward! : Haha, I’m the leader!” “Falling Flowers, I’m so moved, I deserve this reward for my talent! Sanzu RiverA Promise is Worth a Thousand Gold.1Singularity Coin: Oh Live, Nono, come under my rich golden skirt!" Hanno twitched his lips: "You also spent all the rewards?" Chang Miao raised his eyebrows: "Money. "Yes, I'm happy." The waiter's voice came over, calling everyone to eat. Hanno said nothing more and stood up: "Let's go have the family reunion dinner." Chang Miao stood up lazily: "That's all. Eat something greasy and greasy, now I just want to eat a bowl of chazuke rice with pickles." "How pretentious!" The fourth and fifth days of the lunar month have passed, and the hotpot restaurant is open on the sixth day of the lunar month. Boss went to the store to arrange work, and after giving each employee a red envelope for starting work, he resumed his leisurely life of occasionally coding. In a blink of an eye, New Year's Eve is here. D City holds a lantern riddle party every New Year's Eve in the square in the city center. The entire square is hung with all kinds of lanterns. At night, the lanterns are lit together, illuminating the square like daylight. These lanterns can be won. As long as you solve the riddles under the lanterns, you can get the lanterns. However, these riddles are much more difficult than ordinary riddles, and few people can guess them correctly. In addition to riddles, there are also various stalls in the square selling barbecue and other seasonal items. There are performances in the center of the square. Although there are popular songs and performances, they are still mainly folk performances, such as opera, Walking on stilts and performing acrobatics.
The square was bustling with people, a sea of faces making it difficult to turn around. Hanno's expression darkened as he squeezed through the crowd to get some pickles. In contrast, Chang Miao was unusually excited, charging straight into the throng. Hanno settled down at a café on the edge of the square, ordered a cup of coffee, and waited for Chang Miao. Before long, his phone buzzed, and Chang Miao's loud voice came through.
"Nono, help me out!"
"What’s wrong now?"
"I'm guessing the Lantern King, and it involves content from the Four Books and Five Classics. I need your help," Chang Miao shouted. Every year, five Lantern Kings were hung in the square, all exquisitely beautiful, and many people wanted one. Unfortunately, winning a Lantern King was incredibly difficult; while other lanterns had one riddle each, the Lantern King had three riddles, all obscure enough that no one had won one for five consecutive years.
"I only glanced at the Four Books and Five Classics while practicing Brush Calligraphy. Do you really think I'm an ancient Scholar?"
"At least you're better than me. I don’t even know which books make up the Four Books and Five Classics."
"Fine, I'll answer what I know. If I don't know it, you might as well give up."
"Okay, listen up. The first riddle is 'keeping watch for the New Year,' which corresponds to a line from Mencius."
Hanno actually knew this one: "It could be 'to wait for the coming year.'"
He heard Chang Miao repeating the answer to someone else on the other end of the line, followed by her cheers: "Nono, I knew you could do it! We got the first question right. Listen up, here comes the second question."
"The second riddle is 'wandering monk,' also from Mencius."
Hanno thought for a moment: "It should be 'those who pass by are transformed.'"
Another cheer erupted: "Nono, you're amazing! Hurry up, the third question is coming. If we get this one right, the Lantern King will be ours!"
Hanno had no confidence in answering three questions correctly in a row, but he was intrigued by the riddle and asked, "What’s the third question?"
Chang Miao exclaimed, "Listen, the clue for the third question is 'Peace of All Nations,' and it corresponds to a line from Mencius."
Hanno smiled; Chang Miao was quite lucky as she happened to know the answer to this riddle. She replied with a grin, "It's 'The people below are at peace.'"
"Ah~~~~~~" Chang Miao was nearly ecstatic. "Nono, you are simply amazing!"
Besides Chang Miao's voice on the phone, there were many gasps of surprise from others. Perhaps no one expected that someone would win a Lantern King today.
After more than ten minutes, Chang Miao rushed into the café holding a very exquisite Marquee Light. Along the way, everyone looked at her with envy.
Chang Miao took a big gulp from Hanno's coffee cup, downing two-thirds of the coffee in one go.
Hanno stared at the empty coffee cup with a frown and waved over a waiter. "Please bring us two more cups of coffee."
"Sure," the waiter replied with a smile, maintaining proper etiquette, but his gaze kept lingering on the Marquee Light on Chang Miao's table. The Marquee Light was about one-third of a person's height, with a lotus base and six faces that spun continuously, making it clear that its identity as the Lantern King was unmistakable.
"May I ask what flavor of coffee that person would like?"
"No more coffee," Chang Miao objected. "Don't drink too much coffee at night; otherwise, you won't be able to sleep. Let's switch to fruit tea."
Then why did you just gulp down my coffee?
Hanno nodded for the waiter to bring a pot of fruit tea. The waiter reluctantly walked away with the order slip in hand.
"See? Everyone is envious of me, conquered by me," Chang Miao said proudly.
Hanno scoffed, "They are conquered by Marquee Light, not you."
Chang Miao lifted her chin. "But Marquee Light is mine."
Hanno replied, "I answered the question, so strictly speaking, the light should belong to me."
Immediately, Chang Miao switched to a flattering expression. "Nono, dear Nono, do we really need to be so precise? What's yours is mine! Just let me keep the light for a while; I’ll return it to you later."
Hanno waved her hand dismissively. "Forget it, I don’t want it. You can keep it as a trophy in your home."
Chang Miao beamed. "I knew Nono was the best to me. By the way, Nono, I was thinking about selling some folk products in my Taobao Store, just like this Marquee Light. Surely someone would buy it?"
Hanno considered the possibility and nodded. "That's a good idea. Yuanmian Town has been designated as a non-material heritage base by the state. You could use that angle for promotion and attract business."
Chang Miao nodded eagerly. "I'll post pictures of this Marquee Light online."
Hanno asked, "Aren't you afraid someone will specifically want to buy this light?"
Chang Miao replied confidently, "As long as they can afford it? As my first trophy, I won’t sell it for less than fifty thousand!"
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