Mo Dao Zu Shi: Astray

Some Village Called Xuhou, Part Four

Eight months later...

Firecrackers crackled, breaking the silence of the peaceful morning.

Pan Chun jolted awake.

The other villagers really couldn't wait to celebrate the New Year[1], huh. She couldn't blame them though, she was pretty excited herself too.

Pan Chun got out of bed, changed out of her sleepwear, and exited her room.

(Two days after Pan Heng adopted Pan Chun, he and some other villagers, at his *ahem, firm* request, constructed a separate room in the house for Pan Chun. "You needed your own space. You can't exactly sleep or study easy with me snoring in the background, could you?" Pan Heng chuckled.)

Pan Heng stood at the doorway of his room, grumbling and groggily rubbing an eye. "Mornin' A-Chun."

"Good morning, A-ge."

Pan Heng stretched, cracking the joints in his back. "We need to get the offerings ready for the ancestors and the Kitchen God."

Pan Chun nodded, moving to help Pan Heng set the fruits and cooked dishes out on the altars.

Pan Chun paused as she set down an orange. This was just like back home...

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"Thanh[2]. Make sure you set the offerings out on the altars of the Buddhas[3], ancestors, and Ông Táo[4]."

"Yes, Bố[5]."

Thanh's father, Mr. Huỳnh used a lighter to light some incense. He put the incense into a small container on each altar.

Thanh and her father clasped their hands together in front of their past relatives' portraits on the Huỳnh family altar, praying for good fortune in the year to come. Both of their eyes focused on Thanh's mother's portrait. Another year gone by without her. But at least they still had each other.

Once they finished, they prepared to head to the Lunar New Year Party at Thanh's uncle's house. That's where the whole family was gathering.

Thanh fixed the collar of her áo dài[6]. She hadn't seen her cousins in a long while so she couldn't wait to play Jackbox[7] on the tv with them in the living room. And of course, poke fun at her father for losing most of his money in a game of Bầu cua cá cọp[8].

"Thanh." Thanh's father came out of his room, also dressed in áo dài.

"Yes, Bố?"

Thanh's father held out a red envelope to her. Lì xì[9]. "I wish you good health and luck in finding a good job."

Thanh took the red envelope. "Thank you, Bố. I wish you happiness and good health."

Thanh pocketed the red envelope and smiled at her father. "Chúc mừng năm mới[10], Bố."

Her father smiled back, placing a loving hand on her arm. "Chúc mừng năm mới, Thanh."

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"A-Chun? A-Chun!"

"Huh?"

Pan Heng gazed at Pan Chun with concern. "You're crying."

Pan Chun lifted a finger to her cheek. It was wet.

Pan Heng handed her a cloth. He didn't look irritated at all, his expression gentle. It was different from his usual grumpiness. "Are you all right?"

Pan Chun wiped her face with the cloth. "Yeah...I'm ok. I just miss my family, that's all. We do this back home too."

Pan Heng was surprised. "You also celebrate the New Year the same way as we do where you're from?"