Chapter 68: The Twenty-seventh Day of the Twelfth Lunar Month

According to the lunar calendar, it was the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month, three days before the New Year. Following Su Tianyu's hometown customs, they were supposed to visit ancestral graves before the New Year. However, the Su family was a family that had fled overseas - the living had left, but the dead couldn't be moved. Their ancestral graves were still in their homeland in the Chinese Zone, so they could only follow traditional customs by burning joss paper at crossroads and ports to express their remembrance.

Before coming to Dragon City, every year during the New Year, Su Tianyu would also take advantage of his rest time to buy some sacrificial offerings and burn them at crossroads before the New Year to commemorate his parents. This year was his first year back home, so Su Zhengcai made it more ceremonial, having Third Sister prepare many things in advance, wanting Dog Six to comfort his parents' spirits by showing that he had grown up and become an adult.

In the evening, around 7 PM.

Several dozen people from the Su family, pulling a truck and a half full of sacrificial offerings, arrived near Haiyan Pit to begin the ceremony.

Third Sister drew many circles on the ground, arranging the offerings in batches. Then Su Zhengcai first offered incense and burned paper money for his own parents, grandparents, and various elders.

As the joss paper was about to burn out completely, Su Zhengcai took the lead in bending down to kneel, calling out: "Kowtow!"

For a family with flourishing descendants, performing such traditional ceremonies was quite moving. Several dozen people bent down and knelt, kowtowing toward the distant east, while the burning smoke slowly dispersed, representing the living's remembrance of their deceased relatives.

After Su Zhengcai finished paying respects to his parents and elders, he stood up and moved to the side, saying to Su Tianyu: "Go kowtow to your parents and burn some paper money too."

Su Tianyu originally didn't have much emotional feeling, as his parents had passed away several years ago, but today with the Su family making it so ceremonial, it inexplicably touched a very soft spot in his heart.

Su Tianyu stood beside the circle, lit the joss paper, and set out white liquor and offerings.

The sea breeze blew, and Su Tianyu inexplicably thought of the scene when his father was about to enter prison. At that time, he had already been tormented by the relevant inspection departments until he was barely recognizable, thin and pale, but even so, Su's father still told his son in a very steady voice: "Our generation lived carrying burdens, but your generation is different. Son, live well, live properly, I will always be proud of you."

After his father was targeted for political issues, Su Tianyu's spirit was very depressed for a while. But his mother, who was already bedridden at the time, still encouraged him to apply for military school, to follow his own life plan and not be affected by the family situation.

Before his mother's death, she didn't add any negative emotions to Su Tianyu. She remained very optimistic and strong. The night before she closed her eyes, she was still in the hospital watching course materials with Su Tianyu and chatting with him.

Thinking of these things, Su Tianyu felt a bit sad inside. After burning the paper money, he knelt on the ground, kowtowing while murmuring softly: "Dad, Mom, I've graduated... another New Year is coming soon. I'm sending you some money to spend, don't worry about me down there. I know how to live my future life."

After three kowtows to the ground, Su Zhengcai fondly patted Dog Six's head: "Good, you've made something of yourself. They can rest in peace seeing this."

After the ceremony ended.

A car stopped at the intersection, and the two Bai brothers got out. Bai Hongbo called out to Dog Six, Su Tiannan, Su Tianbei, and the others: "Come on, let's find a place to gather?"

"Why do you want to gather every day? Don't you have anything serious to do?" Su Zhengcai admonished Bai Hongbo.

"Uncle, the meaning of life isn't just about surviving. The process being enjoyable is also important," Bai Hongbo grinned and replied. "Come on, why don't we all go together?"

Su Zhengcai put his hands behind his back and cursed: "Go, go, get lost!"

Bai Hongbo chuckled and called out to Su Tianyu and the others: "Let's go, let's go, New Year's coming, let's have some fun, brothers."

Chinese New Year was all about joy, so Su Tianyu and the others didn't refuse. After briefly cleaning up the ceremonial site, they went along with Bai Hongbo and the others.

......

In the evening, after 9 PM.

After having dinner at a restaurant, everyone went to an entertainment center on Zha'nan's central street to sing karaoke and have a big party.

In the private room.

Bai Hongbo very directly said to Third Sister: "Miaomiao, want to play dice?"

"Just the two of us? What's the fun in that?" Third Sister ate fruit, replying with little interest.

"It's more fun with just us two. If you win, you can order me to do one thing; if I win, you just give me a kiss," Bai Hongbo explained the rules with deep affection.

Third Sister glanced at him sideways: "If I win, would you eat shit if I told you to?"

"As long as you're willing to watch, I won't even ask for sugar with it," Bai Hongbo replied with determined eyes.

"Get lost, go eat it in front of your Doll!" Third Sister had clearly heard plenty about Bai Hongbo's gossip lately.

"Oh, you're jealous?"

"I'll eat your mother."

Beside them, after singing a song, Su Tianyu sat on the sofa with his head covered in sweat and turned to see Bai Hongbo's brother, Bai Hongtao.

Bai Hongtao was twenty-three this year, looking refined and fair-skinned on the outside, usually speaking very little, but with a fierce personality. During the battle at Fuman Tower with Lu Feng before, he had been the main force of the Bai family. That day, if it weren't for him, Big Bai's big face would probably have been cut in half by the opponent.

"Why aren't you singing?" Su Tianyu asked with a smile.

"Oh, I don't like singing," Bai Hongtao replied while playing with his phone. "Playing mahjong or something would be fine."

Bai Hongtao's interests were different from his brother's - one loved women, one loved gambling, but neither of them loved their interests to the point of losing rationality.

"Tomorrow then, tomorrow when we're free let's set up a couple of tables and play some mahjong," Su Tianyu said with a smile.

"Sure!" Bai Hongtao put down his phone, sat up straight, and started chatting casually with Su Tianyu: "Hey, when can our sea business resume?"

"I'm not sure either, but Boss Yu has been working on connections these past couple of days. I heard he's been in contact with dock gangs from other districts, but I haven't asked about the details..." Su Tianyu replied softly.

......

In the ungoverned area awaiting planning outside Dragon City, more than a dozen men gathered together. These were the old Thunder Boys who had been hired by Yu Mingyuan earlier to hijack the dock gang's goods.

The group gathered in a dilapidated small house, where the lead brother took out a money bag and distributed "wages" to everyone: "New Year's coming, let's all settle down, those who need to go home go home, those who want to relax relax. But remember, you'd better not contact each other, and don't give your contact information to others. In short, keep a low profile. When there's work again, I'll notify you."

"Good!"

After acknowledging, the old Thunder Boys took their money and dispersed - those with families went home for New Year, those without also took their money to have fun.

A day later, before going home, one of the old Thunder Boys found a friend and said in a low voice: "I have some goods, can you help me move them? The price can be low, it doesn't matter."