Chapter 621 - 624: New Year’s Eve

Chapter 621: Chapter 624: New Year’s Eve

Lu Wanqing had already announced Lu Man’s death, so Hua Manman no longer needed to maintain her guise as the Heir of Prince Yu. She could wear women’s clothing again and be free to be herself.

She gathered her skirts and ran swiftly down the city wall.

The biting wind could not wipe the joyful smile from her face.

When she reached Li Ji, he leaned down, pulled her onto his horse, and wrapped her in his arms.

The two rode into the city on the same horse.

The roads were lined with commoners who had come to welcome the triumphant army home.

When they saw the Regent King, they erupted in cheers.

The forty-thousand-strong army could not all enter the city. Only a fraction could follow the Regent King into Lingxi City; the rest would camp outside, awaiting their rewards.

They had captured many enemy combatants this time, and these prisoners were also brought into Lingxi City.

The sight of the wretched prisoners pushed the crowd’s excitement to a fever pitch, and the cheers grew louder and louder, one wave after another.

Many young maidens had intended to toss embroidered handkerchiefs and sachets to the Regent King, but upon seeing the beautiful young woman in his arms, they had to shift their attention to the generals following behind.

Many of the generals were showered with handkerchiefs and sachets, and even the heavily bearded Li Liao couldn’t escape.

By the time they returned to the Yu Royal Mansion, the generals were all redolent with the scent of cosmetics and perfume.

Hua Manman could smell the fragrances on them just by standing nearby.

In contrast to the other generals, who looked thrilled and proud, Li Liao was particularly discreet. He found a chance to return to his room and change.

With the war over, the most important tasks ahead were rewarding the soldiers and deciding the fate of the prisoners.

Once these matters were settled, Li Ji, Hua Manman, and their party would have to prepare for their return to the capital.

It was almost the New Year, and Lu Wanqing invited them to stay and celebrate with her, but Hua Manman politely declined.

Gou Dan was home all alone, and she couldn’t stop worrying. She wanted to rush back to him.

On the second day after the Little New Year, Hua Manman, Li Ji, Li Liao, and their party bid farewell to Lu Wanqing and departed from Lingxi City.

Hua Manman and Yue Niang shared a carriage.

A small brazier burned inside the carriage, keeping it warm. They just had to be careful to keep a window cracked for ventilation to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning.

Even though Hua Manman was back in women’s attire, Li Ji was still uneasy. He would frequently ride up to the carriage and peek inside through a crack in the window.

Yue Niang saw this and found it rather amusing.

But given his status as the Regent King, Yue Niang didn’t dare to actually laugh, so she could only purse her lips to suppress it.

She whispered to Hua Manman.

"Your man is so possessive."

Little Flower, who was dozing by the brazier, lifted its head at her words and let out a MEOW.

’That’s right! He’s a total jealousy fiend!’

Hua Manman said, "He only has this much magnanimity. You’ll get used to it."

She made a pinching gesture with her thumb and forefinger.

Yue Niang covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

「Seven days later, they successfully left the borders of Longdong County.」

They traveled steadily north.

The temperature dropped, and the mountain roads began to ice over. The slick surface made travel difficult.

Their pace was forced to slow to a crawl.

The convoy entered Fushun County and found an inn for the night.

Given Li Ji’s status, they could have stayed at an official post-house. However, Li Liao suggested they conceal their identities and travel incognito for the sake of safety and security.

Thus, they disguised themselves as a wealthy official’s family visiting relatives, their true identities unknown to outsiders.

It was New Year’s Eve. Red lanterns hung from the doorways of every home in the city, and the pedestrians on the streets were dressed in festive reds and greens, their faces beaming with holiday cheer.

Since everyone had gone home for the New Year, the inn was nearly empty of other guests, so Li Ji simply paid to book the entire establishment.

The shopkeeper was, of course, happy to take the money, but he still offered a frank reminder.

"Our cook and staff have all gone home for the New Year, so I’m afraid you’ll have to sort out your own dinner tonight."

Hua Manman said that was no problem.

The shopkeeper also had to get home for the New Year. Before leaving, he told them they were free to use any ingredients in the kitchen. He added that they needn’t worry about cleaning up, as his staff would handle it in the morning. His only warning was to lock the doors and windows securely to prevent any opportunistic thieves.

Hua Manman readily agreed to all of it.

She and Yue Niang went into the kitchen to prepare the New Year’s Eve dinner. Little Flower trotted in after them, hoping to snag some delicious treats.

Li Ji had brought nearly a hundred of his trusted aides, and Li Liao had his own men as well. There was no way Hua Manman and Yue Niang could cook for so many people on their own.

Li Ji couldn’t bear to see Manman overwork herself anyway, so he told his men to prepare their own dinner.

The trusted aides were often on missions, so cooking was a simple matter for them.

They built fires and set up pots in the courtyard, cheerfully preparing their own New Year’s Eve feast.

Li Ji and Li Liao couldn’t just sit around and wait to be fed; they had to come to the kitchen and lend a hand.

Li Ji was responsible for selecting and washing the vegetables, while Li Liao tended the stove.

Yue Niang was initially apprehensive. She figured that since both men were of noble birth, they had likely never done a day of manual labor in their lives. She feared that instead of helping, they would just get in the way.

The reality, however, was far from what she had expected.

Both Li Ji and Li Liao were surprisingly nimble and followed orders perfectly. Whatever Hua Manman asked them to do, they did without a single complaint.

’It seems that even though he’s a bit petty, he’s a decent man in other respects,’ Yue Niang thought.

The trusted aides had procured a suckling pig from somewhere and were roasting it over a fire in the courtyard, filling the entire yard with its savory aroma.

Little Flower crouched on the windowsill, drooling at the sight.

Hua Manman was also preparing pork dishes, such as steamed pork belly with preserved greens and red-braised pig’s trotters.

The trotters had been slow-cooked until fall-off-the-bone tender, then red-braised with corn and chili peppers. The flavor of the pork soaked into the corn, giving it a savory, meaty taste, while the chilies added a hint of spice to the trotters, making the dish’s flavor profile all the richer and more aromatic.

As she plated the dish, Hua Manman couldn’t resist picking up a piece of the pork with her chopsticks for a taste.

Then, she gave a piece to Li Ji, Li Liao, and Yue Niang to try.

All three declared it delicious.

Hua Manman also prepared steamed sea bass, "lion’s head" meatballs, garlic shrimp, a "big plate" chicken stew, and "pearl" lotus root balls.

The dishes filled the table to bursting.

Of course, no New Year’s Eve dinner would be complete without the essential dumplings!

Hua Manman had made a point to boil a large pot of steaming-hot dumplings.

The four of them each had a bowl, and all the remaining dumplings were distributed to the trusted aides outside.

With the dumplings, it finally felt like a proper New Year’s Eve.

Everyone raised their cups for a toast.

Hua Manman had no grand ambitions; she simply smiled and said:

"I wish for everyone to have a safe and peaceful new year."

Wine cups and bowls clinked together with a clear, crisp sound.

Everyone cheered in unison.

"To a safe and peaceful year!"

...

This novel is actually entering its final arc and should be finished in about a month and a half.

I’ve recently been organizing the plot outline, and I need to unearth and resolve all the foreshadowing I’ve laid out. There’s a lot to consider, so the writing process has been slow. As a result, updates might be irregular. Please bear with me. *bows*~