Chapter 122: Winter Night

A banquet to welcome Enzo home, hosted by more than twenty families Enzo was closest to, lasted from noon until dusk. A small place like Light Town naturally couldn’t have such a lavish feast like those in Dun Er Ke, but the food and drinks were quite good.

They had home-raised chickens, ducks, white geese, old sheep, and cattle, as well as various stored vegetables and fruits brought up from the cellar—all genuine countryside flavors. Unlike the delicacies in Dun Er Ke, which were heavily spiced with expensive seasonings, these dishes highlighted the original, natural taste of local ingredients, and Lin Qi ate with great delight.

There was also homemade rice wine brewed by the farmers themselves, made purely from grains without any additives. It contained no herbs to boost strength, no flowers for enhancing beauty, and certainly no strange animal parts to improve male vitality. It was just pure grain wine—rich and authentic—and Lin Qi enjoyed it immensely.

There were also simple yet warm-hearted village girls whose enthusiasm affected Lin Qi too. He drank, ate meat, and danced joyfully with the girls, one tune after another. It was the first time in his life Lin Qi had ever danced so freely. In the Imperial Capital, he never had the chance to attend a dance, and in Dun Er Ke, no young lady who knew him would dare to dance with him.

So that day, Lin Qi danced with a total of thirty-five simple and honest young girls—it was the first time in his life he had ever danced with any girls at all.

Afterward, as the wine went to his head, Lin Qi wrestled and played with forty-six sturdy village boys. Without holding back, he tossed forty-five of them right into the snowdrifts. Lin Qi’s bravery was praised by everyone—what a generous, polite, and capable young man!

The only question left in Lin Qi’s mind was this: with just over twenty families, how could there be so many girls, so many young people, and so many children? Were the people of Light Town especially good at having babies? Drunk and eventually passing out, Lin Qi kept mumbling to himself, “So strange, why do they have so many children? Mm, if our family had this many kids, that would be really fun!”

At the welcome banquet, everyone enjoyed themselves fully before parting. The gifts Enzo brought back were all excellent items for the country folks, especially the five shiny Silver Coins, which would be of great help to them. Amid laughter and cheer, Enzo and Lin Qi were escorted back to Enzo’s Ancestral Residence. Neighbors brought quilts and other necessary items, stoked the fireplace until it blazed, and only then left happily.

Maybe because he had trained several times for heavy drinking in Dun Er Ke, Lin Qi woke up quite quickly this time. After drinking a large pot of ice-cold water, he shivered several times and gradually felt refreshed.

He looked around Enzo’s Ancestral Residence. It was a very old two-story building made of earth and wood. The ground floor had a main hall, a kitchen, and a dining area. Enzo was energetically wiping down furniture that hadn’t been cleaned for who knows how long. Upstairs was where Lin Qi had been lying—divided into two rooms, each with simple furnishings: just a bed and a few tables and chairs.

Only the east wall on the first floor had a fireplace, where mixed firewood crackled loudly. But the fireplace clearly hadn’t been used in a long time, so the small fire didn’t warm the room much. Even lying in bed, Lin Qi felt chilly all around; there must have been cracks somewhere in the walls letting the cold wind blow inside.

Enzo’s Ancestral Residence felt even colder than Lin Qi’s own single dorm room.

Shaking his head, Lin Qi put on the Bearskin Coat that had been covering him and staggered down the stairs to the first floor. Frowning, he asked Enzo, “Enzo, are you the only one in your family? Don’t you have any other brothers or sisters? I saw your neighbors have lots of kids!”

Enzo, who was vigorously wiping a large wardrobe, rolled his eyes. He dropped the cloth, straightened his back, and muttered softly, “What do you think this place is? This isn’t the Imperial Capital, and it’s not Dun Er Ke. In Light Town, there’s not much to do at night, so people… just work hard at making babies!”

Lin Qi spread his hands and said sincerely, “So I find it strange—why don’t you have any brothers or sisters?”

Enzo was silent for a moment, then shook his head. “I had a younger brother and a younger sister. They were eaten.”

As he spoke, a flash of blood-red light appeared in Enzo’s eyes that even made Lin Qi shudder—it was the look of someone filled with extreme hatred and bitterness. He said quietly, “I never told you, but I had a brother and a sister. I saw a Werewolf dig out their hearts and eat them.”

Shrugging, Enzo said calmly, “That’s why I must join the army. Once I have enough power, I’ll kill those Werewolves, those dirty Beastfolk. For now, though, I still have to work hard learning the things that will keep me alive in the army—and help me kill enemies. You know.”

“Is that so?” Lin Qi watched Enzo quietly. After a long pause, he nodded slowly. “Well then, when you want to kill Beastfolk in the future, I—and all our brothers—will help you.”

Enzo smiled with pressed lips. When he smiled like that, his lips looked like two sharp Scimitars, carrying a fierce and chilling intensity.

Seeing Enzo busy at work, Lin Qi felt awkward just standing by and watching. He took off his coat, picked up a basin and a cloth, and helped Enzo wipe down the old furnishings. Both of them worked earnestly and carefully, inside and out, until all those old wooden pieces—at least a hundred years old—were clean.

Neither spoke, but Lin Qi knew how many warm memories these things held for Enzo.

This was his brother’s Ancestral Residence. Though Lin Qi had never done any housework growing up, he still worked meticulously—after all, he wasn’t short on strength. Even if all these items together weren’t worth one Gold Coin, Lin Qi knew they were priceless treasures in Enzo’s heart.

In the dim lamplight, the two scrubbed the old furniture and farming tools hard, making them look as good as new.

The mixed firewood in the fireplace crackled, finally letting a faint warmth spread through the house. Outside, it seemed to be snowing again; the cold wind blew heavy snow against the small building, but it couldn’t drive away the faint warmth inside.

Many, many years later, Lin Qi always remembered one winter night when, in his best friend’s Ancestral Residence, he helped him clean all sorts of items—working hard the entire night.

That was one of the most carefree times in Lin Qi’s life.