Another night of heavy snow had passed.
The snow was thick and deep. Each step made a crisp crunch beneath the feet.
Early risers had already set up their stalls along the street.
They sold everything.
Fried dough sticks and soy milk. Meat buns and wontons.
The aroma drifted through the cold morning air, stirring anyone's appetite.
Li Ping'an led the old ox and reached into his pocket.
Yesterday he had spent nine copper coins.
Six remained.
Better skip breakfast.
Living hungry one meal and full the next was something Li Ping'an had long grown used to.
When he arrived at his usual spot by the roadside, Old Liu the beggar shifted slightly to make room.
"You're here."
Li Ping'an nodded. That counted as greeting a colleague.
The erhu began to sing again.
At the same time, qi and blood stirred within his body, slowly circulating.
Old Liu spoke while warming his hands.
"Have you heard? The young fellow from the Zhang family near the town entrance passed the xiucai examination. They're throwing a huge banquet the day after tomorrow."
He grinned.
"You should learn a cheerful tune. Maybe they'll reward you with a full table of food and wine."
A cheerful tune?
Li Ping'an thought for a moment.
A melody surfaced in his mind.
Benchi Zai Qianli Caoyuan [Galloping Across the Thousand Mile Grassland.]
Before transmigrating, he had been a professional erhu musician.
These pieces were second nature to him.
When the Zhang family's banquet day arrived, nearly everyone in town showed up.
The Zhang family had even set up long canopies outside.
Every table was covered with good wine and delicious dishes.
Firecrackers exploded endlessly in the air.
Li Ping'an carried a stool and sat in the courtyard.
The lively melody filled the air.
People could not help but clap along with the rhythm.
Because of that song, Li Ping'an was invited to sit at one of the tables.
Sweet and sour fish.
Red sausage.
Roast goose and braised chicken.
Dishes he rarely encountered stirred his appetite instantly.
Before the banquet had even ended, people were already pulling out prepared bags.
They began stuffing them with leftovers.
Li Ping'an did not join the scramble.
Not because he looked down on it.
He simply did not have a bag.
And being blind, he would never win against that crowd anyway.
So he focused on eating as much as he could.
Once he was full, he wiped his mouth and prepared to leave.
"Over here! Over here!"
Someone called out to him.
It was Miss Wang, the tofu seller.
She held her child with one hand and a small bag with the other.
She handed the bag to Li Ping'an.
Li Ping'an reached inside and felt around.
Half a roast chicken.
Some peanuts and cold vegetables.
Miss Wang then placed a tea egg into his hand and muttered with mild annoyance.
"Those people move too fast. Just take this."
Then she squeezed back into the crowd to continue her battle for leftovers.
The courtyard was noisy.
She did not hear Li Ping'an quietly say behind her,
"Thank you."
...
Another winter solstice arrived.
Li Ping'an counted quietly on his fingers.
[Skill: Erquan Yingyue]
[Level: LV2 (5000/10000)]
[LV1 Effect: Extends lifespan, regulates qi and blood, clears meridians, dispels dampness, warms the body]
[LV2 Effect: Wind Listening Saber Technique (40%), Turtle Breathing Art (60%)]
Li Ping'an had no saber.
His walking stick served as one.
He could clearly feel the changes in his body as his cultivation deepened.
Especially his five senses.
They had grown sharper and purer.
Sometimes he could even sense the path of falling snowflakes.
Over the past year, Li Ping'an's life had improved quite a bit.
As the old saying goes,
With one skill in hand, the world is yours.
Li Ping'an played the erhu well.
Soon he was invited to nearly every wedding and funeral in town.
Wherever someone was willing to pay, he would perform a tune.
Adding a bit of life to this otherwise quiet town.
It was also during this year that Li Ping'an learned to drink.
And he passed the bad habit on to the old ox.
Among his belongings, he now carried a wine gourd.
Whenever he picked it up and felt the urge to drink, he would pause and sniff it first.
Then he would shake his head and sigh.
When he finally made real money, he would drink every day.
It was a beautiful dream.
The sky was growing dark.
As usual, Li Ping'an led the ox down the road beneath the fading sunset.
Suddenly he stopped.
He turned his head slightly toward a direction.
He had not heard the familiar call of someone selling tofu.
Nor sensed that familiar presence.
Miss Wang...
Perhaps she was sick.
The next day, he still did not see her.
The third day.
The fourth day.
Still nothing.
On the fifth day, after finishing his noodles, Li Ping'an placed one copper coin on the table.
Then he asked the shop's bookkeeper about Miss Wang.
"I heard that fool Niu Er borrowed a pile of lamb interest loans. Mortgaged the house and ran away."
Lamb interest.
Usury.
Li Ping'an's voice sank slightly.
"When did our town start having loan sharks like that? Doesn't the government do anything?"
The bookkeeper laughed coldly.
"The lender is the county magistrate's nephew. That's practically the same as the magistrate himself. Who would dare interfere?"
Leaning on his walking stick, Li Ping'an stepped outside.
Heavy snow began to fall again.
The world turned white once more.
Miss Wang's house stood on the eastern side of town.
White walls. Dark tiles.
A good house.
Unfortunately, terrible fortune.
After all, it had produced someone like Niu Er.
That bastard had fallen into a trap at the gambling table and ended up drowning in debt.
Then he ran.
Li Ping'an knocked on the door.
No answer.
Only the barking of a dog.
"Is anyone home?"
After a long moment, a trembling voice came from inside.
"Is... is that Ping'an?"
Only Miss Wang ever called the blind man by his name.
"It's me."
The door opened.
Miss Wang looked surprised to see him.
Then she said,
"No tofu today. Come back tomorrow."
Li Ping'an hesitated.
In the end, he turned to leave.
As if he had truly come only to buy tofu.
"Wait."
Miss Wang grabbed a few steamed buns from the stove and stuffed them into a bag.
"Take these."
Li Ping'an would never come looking for her without reason.
So Miss Wang assumed his life must have become unbearably difficult.
She also handed him a bowl of corn porridge and added a strip of salted radish.
Li Ping'an simply squatted at the doorway and began eating noisily.
"What's your plan now?" he asked.
Miss Wang froze for a moment before realizing he was speaking to her.
She lowered her head and bit her lip.
Her voice carried a stubborn edge.
"A debt must be repaid. I'll pay them back."
Li Ping'an said nothing.
If repaying money were truly that simple, things would be easy.
Interest piled on interest.
Those people had already marked her as prey.
Even a mountain of gold would not be enough.
He finished the bowl of porridge down to the last drop.
Suddenly, footsteps approached.
Led by Da Hu, five or six local thugs walked into the courtyard.
Da Hu sneered.
"Well well. Blind man, you sure picked the right time. The husband just ran off and here you are, offering help in the snow?"
Then he cursed impatiently.
"Get lost. Stop blocking my sight. I don't have time to deal with you."
Half a year ago, Da Hu had attached himself to the county magistrate's nephew.
This time, he had come specifically to collect the debt.