On the first day of the new year, all was renewed. Zhangzhou lay under a pure white blanket of snow, breathtakingly beautiful. From midnight, the air had been filled with firecrackers and fireworks; in the morning, another wave of crackling explosions rang out—a scene of peace and prosperity.
Xing Pingchun had gotten up very early. He put on a silver crown to tie back his hair, the bright red leather jacket and stone-blue coat Qian Jiaoniang had prepared for him, and thick-soled red shoes. Excited, he went to find his parents—he had to kowtow to them, and Steward Ding had said the family would also drink tusu alcohol together.
There were no lessons with Master Cao today, no martial arts practice either. Xing Pingchun was delighted; he planned to build a huge snowman with his mother, give it a tall hat, use two game pieces for eyes, a carrot for the nose, and maybe… a comb for the mouth.
Grinning at the thought, he hopped and skipped his way to the main residence to find Xing Muzheng and Qian Jiaoniang—only to find the place empty. Not a soul in the inner room.
“Happy New Year, Steward Ding! Have Father and Mother gotten up already? How come I haven’t seen them this morning?”
Ding Zhang laughed and said, “Happy New Year, young master! Master and Madam didn’t sleep in this room last night—they were over in the Tingyue Pavilion…”
“Tingyue Pavilion? I know where that is!” Xing Pingchun had already figured out the layout of the residence on his first day here; the moment he heard, he took off running. Ding Zhang called out “Young master! Young master!” behind him, but Xing Pingchun was already sprinting away like a streak.
In no time, Xing Pingchun made it to Tingyue Pavilion without obstruction. The first thing he saw inside the gate was leftover food and cold dishes, and he realized his parents had been here last night enjoying themselves together—without calling him to join in. He thought to himself that he’d have to give them a good talking-to about that later. Thinking so, he ran inside. Seeing the door still closed, he raised his hand and banged on it—bang, bang, bang—calling, “Mother! Father! Time to get up, the sun’s shining on your backsides already!”
After shouting, Xing Pingchun pricked up his ears for a reply, but inside it remained silent for a long time.
After a while, he called again, “Father? Mother?”
“I… mmph!”
It sounded like Qian Jiaoniang’s voice, but then it was suddenly cut off. He couldn’t help asking, “Mother, can I come in?”
“Out.” Xing Muzheng’s rough, slightly hoarse voice came through, laced with a hint of displeasure.
Although Xing Pingchun really wanted to wake his parents, that bark made him obediently retreat.
Inside the inner chamber, men’s and women’s clothing lay scattered across the floor; a lotus-embroidered dudou had fallen outside the tightly drawn bed curtains. The carved canopy bed swayed lightly. Qian Jiaoniang’s voice floated out, sounding displeased: “Why did you roar at Chou’er like that…”
Then came Xing Muzheng’s low, muffled voice: “When did I roar at him?”
“Mmph!” The bed gave a heavy jolt, and Qian Jiaoniang let out a muffled groan. “I want to get up…”
“Wait a bit.” Xing Muzheng’s tone turned coaxing. “Just a little longer.”
Qian Jiaoniang’s broken, halting voice sounded aggrieved, almost as if she were crying. “You’ve been saying that all night. You lied to me.”
“Just a little while, really this time—I’m not lying to you now.”
One stick of incense later. Two sticks of incense later.
The bed swayed more and more, and Qian Jiaoniang’s voice grew more fragmented: “Xing Muzheng, you… lied to me… I want… to get… out of bed.”
There was a rustling struggle inside; a snow-pale wrist stretched out from the curtains, only to be instantly caught and pulled back by a man’s strong arm. Xing Muzheng’s low, hoarse voice came: “If you leave now, wouldn’t that be the death of me?”
“You’re the one killing me!”
Inside the bed, Qian Jiaoniang was pressed beneath Xing Muzheng as he did that sort of thing; she glared at the sweat-dampened handsome face so close to hers, hating him enough to want to bite him. Since he had carried her to bed last night, he had kept at it all through the night! In between, she had dozed for only the briefest moments, each time being roused again by his kisses and touches.
