RIIDMDR chapter 116

 

Tingchuan’s lottery ticket won him more than nine thousand silver coins. One could say that, thanks to his luck, the value of this stack of tickets increased by more than one tier.

However, Nan Xu, who received this unexpected windfall, felt conflicted.

Tingchuan put the scratched-off ticket aside and looked at Nan Xu with concern, asking, “Why the bad mood? Too little silver coin?

Nan Xu shook his head, sighed, and dispelled the gloom in his heart.

He was a contradictory person who believed in being content with modest wealth but had developed some greed due to his life experiences.

Leaning against Tingchuan, he accepted reality and decided not to think about the stack of lottery tickets that would be wasted by two unlucky people. He held Tingchuan’s knuckled hands and rubbed them several times, murmuring, “Oh Emperor of Luck, share some of your fortune with me!”

His childish words should have been unclear to Tingchuan, but strangely, he seemed to understand what Nan Xu was doing.

Tingchuan couldn’t help but laugh out loud as Nan Xu pinched and squeezed his hands, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

While the two shared affection, Yao Lin, in the corner of the room, hugged the pile of losing tickets and drew little figures in solitude. Zhixing, never one to be competitive, watched the scene and then returned to his room.

However, You An, who had just been standing tall and proud, now looked like a deflated balloon. He had thought his luck was excellent, only to find that his uncle quickly outdid him.

After receiving the unexpected silver, Nan Xu saw that the store had many limited-time items stocked for the upcoming New Year. He bought a few feet of red cloth, a stack of red paper, and some miscellaneous items.

He wove an oval lantern frame from bamboo strips and cut and sewed red cloth to fit the frame, creating a lantern cover. Zhixing, who was free, used a brush dipped in gold paint to write phrases like “Peace and Joy” on the lantern. Thus, the lantern was nearly finished.

Nan Xu followed this process to make several pairs of lanterns of different sizes and gave one pair to the brothers Zhuang Si and Zhuang Wu. They were instructed to place lit candles inside the lanterns and hang them at the door on New Year’s Eve. Although Zhuang Si and Zhuang Wu didn’t know their purpose, they found the lanterns beautiful. After hearing Nan Xu explain their meaning, they happily accepted them.

The red paper was cut into long strips. Nan Xu racked his brain to recall couplets he had seen before, which he then wrote on the paper. He had only started practicing calligraphy after he started working, so his writing was not very good. Moreover, since he was now in the Demon Realm, the couplets had to be written in demon script, which made them appear even more childish.

The demons at the inn knew he was human. Although the writing style was different, they praised him for being able to write demon characters. Nan Xu knew these couplets would be placed on the doors to represent the inn’s appearance, so he wasn’t satisfied. He practiced on scrap paper for a long time until they looked somewhat decent.

Having suffered so much frustration himself, he wanted to draw others into the competition. He urged the demons in the inn to write a line of calligraphy, which he would then compile into a competition. On New Year’s Eve, whoever had the best handwriting would write a couplet and post it on the courtyard gate. The second-best entry would be posted on the wooden house door, followed by the back door, the bathroom door, and the sheep pen.

Seeing Nan Xu practice calligraphy diligently for days, the demons didn’t expect this plan. Once they learned the purpose of the couplets, they joined the contest enthusiastically.

Nan Xu thought that, aside from Zhixing, the other demons weren’t diligent learners of the script. Even if his calligraphy didn’t take first place, he thought it should at least come in second. However, after completing the couplets, he examined them over and over again, his smile freezing.

This…

Nan Xu looked at You An, then Yao Lin, and finally Tingchuan, who silently adjusted his sleeves. He couldn’t help but ask, puzzled, “You don’t look like good students. When did you practice your writing?”

You An cleared his throat but said nothing. Yao Lin looked around, realizing that only Tingchuan could answer. Not daring to provoke Tingchuan, Yao Lin explained to Nan Xu, “Owner, you know demons live a long time. When we were young and idle in our territory, we had to learn demon script. That way, at least when traveling in the future, we wouldn’t be completely lost. But now we’re bored and don’t write anymore.”

You An nodded in agreement.

Nan Xu: …

He realized that he had lost because he hadn’t lived long enough.

With the question answered, Nan Xu didn’t argue. After further discussion, You An’s writing was ranked first. You An was incredulous, not because of anything else, but because he had learned everything he knew from his uncle.

His earlier disappointment from slightly worse luck quietly disappeared with his win. He grinned broadly and offered a few words of false modesty.

Nan Xu then looked at Tingchuan. Although he had never seen Tingchuan write, he felt that You An shouldn’t have been able to write so well. Perhaps, as Yao Lin said, writing learned in childhood becomes rusty with age.

Tingchuan came in second. He showed no disappointment, remaining calm as always. Everyone then stopped focusing on the uncle-nephew pair and continued judging the others.

Zhixing came in third, Yaolin in fourth, and Nanxu—with great honor—in last.

With their ink and brushes ready, they wrote the couplets directly. Each person had red paper of various sizes in front of them. Since the sheep pen door was short, the paper was small. Nan Xu wrote neatly:

“Lush grass, strong sheep; clear mountains and waters, abundant grains.” Horizontal inscription: “Prosperity of Livestock.”

With some background in self-taught calligraphy and after practicing for several days, this piece was the best one yet. Nan Xu was very satisfied.

After finishing his, he looked at the others. The long red paper in front of You An made him envious. He flicked the brush with bold strokes, splattering ink on the paper. The writing was flamboyant and stylish.

Then, he watched Tingchuan write. One hand held the brush while the other brushed his sleeve. Unlike You An, Tingchuan moved calmly and steadily. His calligraphy was fluid yet powerful, exuding tranquility. Even the quartz stone he casually picked up to hold the paper seemed like a precious work of art beside his words.

Nan Xu stood by Tingchuan for a long time. Finally, he said, “If I knew you could write such beautiful characters, why would I spend money buying others’ calligraphy?”

Previously, he felt that the walls of the main hall were too empty, so he bought a few imitation works. They hadn’t cost much, but now, after seeing Tingchuan’s calligraphy, Nan Xu regretted buying them.

No one would appreciate any famous calligraphy hanging on the wall, and he wouldn’t feel any emotion from it either. However, if Tingchuan’s calligraphy were displayed, both other guests and Nan Xu himself would stop and pause every day to secretly admire it.

“I cannot do your humans’ writing,” Tingchuan said with a faint smile.

Nan Xu looked at the imitations on the wall and said decisively, “Then write your demon characters.”

Tingchuan didn’t refuse. Nan Xu politely prepared paper and ink for him. Soon, he finished one piece. Once the ink had dried, Nan Xu hugged the piece, planning to frame it with wood from the mountain. Had it not been for the couplets, he would have kept Tingchuan’s piece as a personal treasure.

After making lanterns and couplets, Nan Xu used the leftover scraps to make decorations.

As the end of the year approached, the temperature continued to drop. By Little New Year’s Day, the water in the buckets inside the house had frozen overnight. Wearing thick cotton clothes, Nan Xu went out to fetch firewood. Opening the main hall door, he shivered as the cold air hit him and his breath formed mist.

“So cold!” Nan Xu murmured.

As he stepped outside and reached the woodshed, he heard movement in the courtyard. He turned and saw a large creature looking at him through the gate.

A slight smile appeared on Nan Xu’s lips. Looking at the serow that had visited many times recently, he asked, “Why are you here again? Didn’t I feed you a few days ago?”

The serow stamped its hooves, nudged the gate with its nose, and lifted its head slightly, as if to express something.

Nan Xu seemed not to understand and spoke sparingly. When the serow became anxious, Nan Xu went inside, got a cucumber, and fed it to the serow through the gate without opening it. “All right, eat this and go back to the mountains. There’s little shelter here for you to survive the winter.”

The serow ate the cucumber but did not leave as before. It stared at Nan Xu with its black eyes and nudged the gate, signaling for him to open it.

Nan Xu opened the gate and looked at the helpless wild animal lingering there. “Not full yet? But I still have a sheep to feed. I can’t feed wild animals all day long.”

Mentioning the sheep made the serow more irritable. Since being released last time, it often remembered the taste of that morning’s food, and would sometimes come by to see Nan Xu, who would occasionally feed it a cucumber. The food was delicious, sweet, and full of spiritual energy. Though there was only enough for a few bites, the serow was satisfied.

Once, it arrived while Nan Xu was feeding the sheep. The basket held fresh, juicy grass and vegetables, which the sheep ate. The serow felt jealous. Why could the sheep eat such good food and live in a sheltered house?

It recalled the snowy night when the demon said the inn had good food and drinks and that there was no need to starve in the snow or fear wild beasts.

However…it had been released by the owner.

The serow disliked being restrained, yet it couldn’t control its hooves. It occasionally wanted to come for food, especially in the snowy field.

This time, it decided to linger, determined to eat more. However, the owner said that it was a wild animal and couldn’t be fed too much.

The serow pondered. Nan Xu no longer paid attention and went back to fetch more firewood. When he came out again, he had half a pumpkin.

“I’ve fed you so many times. Don’t come again. I can’t give my food to wild animals,” Nan Xu said.

The serow twitched its ears, silently ate the pumpkin, looked around, and, taking advantage of Nan Xu’s return inside, quietly slipped into the woodshed.

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