In a remote village under the jurisdiction of Bright Pearl City.
Inside a somewhat dilapidated tiled house.
After pasting up the Spring Festival couplets, Yun Cheng picked up a basin of water and a rag, meticulously wiping down every corner of the house.
This old family home, which had originally belonged to him, had finally been reclaimed—along with the land that had been taken from him.
The process had gone surprisingly smoothly, with little resistance. His uncles, aunts, and other relatives had practically tripped over themselves to return the property.
When Yun Cheng first returned, he even caught the attention of the local town officials.
The reason was simple: this place was dirt poor.
Far from the county seat, even farther from the city, it was practically the middle of nowhere. Most of the village roads were still unpaved dirt paths. If it rained, the Maybach he drove might not even make it through.
So, the town officials were desperate for investment.
When they suddenly learned that someone had returned in a multi-million-dollar Maybach, they immediately took notice and rushed over for a meeting.
The result? Some people were in for a world of trouble. Those who had seized his land and house for years infuriated the officials, who promptly ordered the village head to oversee the return of the ancestral home and land—along with every penny of the "rent" they had collected over the years.
In return, Yun Cheng personally donated 300,000 yuan to the local elementary school to improve its facilities.
Even without any firm investment promises, the officials left grinning from ear to ear.
After all, this was a good start.
For the next few days, Yun Cheng was mostly occupied with social obligations.
It wasn’t until today, New Year’s Eve, that he finally had a moment of peace.
As he cleaned the old house, relatives of every degree lined up to invite him for lunch.
In Bright Pearl City, the New Year’s Eve feast was traditionally held at noon, with dumplings served in the evening.
But Yun Cheng turned them all down, planning to just make himself a bowl of instant noodles.
Strangely, even though he had returned, reclaimed his home, and taken back everything that was rightfully his—even seeing those once-dismissive relatives grovel before him—he didn’t feel the triumphant satisfaction he had imagined.
Instead, his heart felt hollow, aching with an inexplicable emptiness.
After what felt like hours of work, Yun Cheng finally finished cleaning the old house alone.
When he checked his phone, he realized it was already past four in the afternoon—he had even forgotten to eat lunch.
A notification popped up on his screen: an unread text message.
It was a New Year’s greeting from The Young Lady.
While the first day of the lunar year was technically the official start of the Spring Festival, people here weren’t too strict about traditions. Many had already begun exchanging New Year’s wishes since the morning of New Year’s Eve.
Reading the message, Yun Cheng suddenly remembered he hadn’t sent his own greetings to The Young Lady yet.
Just as he was about to type out a reply, the sound of car horns echoed from the direction of the village entrance.
Three or four black sedans rolled slowly into the village, eventually parking right in front of Yun Cheng’s ancestral home.
The first to step out was Ma Da, a heavyset man.
Behind him, over a dozen young men in black suits emerged—all core members of the Wanlong Society.
"Brother Yun! Happy New Year!" Ma Da called out cheerfully.
Yun Cheng was taken aback. "What are you all doing here?"
Ma Da grinned. "Came to pay our respects, of course! We even brought dumplings."
"Alright, bring 'em over!"
The group carried in an assortment of homemade dumplings, placing them on the wooden table in the main hall.
Ma Da glanced around the room before walking up to the ancestral altar, lighting three sticks of incense, and offering them before the memorial tablets.
The others followed suit, each paying their respects in turn.
Once the ritual was over, Yun Cheng asked again, "Seriously, why’d you come all this way? Shouldn’t you be celebrating with your families?"
Ma Da dusted off the incense ash from his hands, scanning the clean yet still shabby and lonely house before his gaze settled on Yun Cheng.
"Brother Yun, how can you say that? What are brothers if not family? Look at you—spending New Year’s Eve alone in this old house, staring at an empty table, ready to settle for instant noodles? How could we just sit back and let that happen?"
"So, we all decided to come keep you company!"
He turned to the others. "What are you standing around for? Get those dumplings boiling! Let Brother Yun taste the handiwork of our families!"
"You got it, Brother Ma!" The young men sprang into action, heading to the kitchen to fire up the stove.
While the others cooked, Ma Da dragged over a stool and plopped down beside Yun Cheng, handing him a cigarette before revealing the real reason for their visit.
"Brother Yun, I don’t know what it is. The first couple days back home were fine—feasting, showing off the car when visiting relatives—but after that, it just got boring. The folks in my village? All they do is brag and gamble. No fun at all. Nothing like working under The Young Lady in the city!"
"Plus, it’s been days since we last saw her. Kinda miss her, you know? So, we all talked it over and decided to head over to her place tomorrow to pay our New Year’s respects."
Yun Cheng blinked. "Go see The Young Lady?"
Ma Da nodded. "Yeah. You coming?"
He pulled out his phone and pointed at the screen. "Look, Brother Yun—she didn’t forget any of us. Sent each of us a New Year’s text. Least we can do is return the gesture."
"It’s only about three hours by car. Plenty of time for a round trip. The guys who live farther out, I told 'em not to bother. So, what do you say? You in or not?"
Just then, a shout came from the kitchen.
"Dumplings are ready!"
Several young men emerged carrying steaming plates of dumplings, setting them on the wooden table.
The aroma of various fillings filled the air.
At the same time, someone hauled in a case of Moutai from the car.
Ma Da jumped up, eagerly fetching bowls and chopsticks for Yun Cheng. "Here, Brother Yun, try these! After we eat, we’ll keep you company for the New Year’s countdown. Guarantee this old house will have the liveliest celebration yet!"
He then deftly cracked open a bottle of Moutai, filling Yun Cheng’s cup to the brim.
They weren’t planning to drive back tonight, so a little drinking was no issue.
As for where they’d sleep? They’d already figured that out.
Those haystacks outside the neighboring courtyard? Perfect for Yun Cheng’s uncles and aunts to spend the night. Surely they wouldn’t mind.
Yun Cheng looked at the steaming dumplings in front of him, then at the brothers around him—some sitting, some standing, each holding a bowl.
Suddenly, the hollowness in his heart was filled with something warm.
They were just like him. Each of them carried the same name etched deep in their hearts.
Just the thought of that name was enough to fill them with strength and a sense of belonging.
Yun Cheng raised the cup of Moutai Ma Da had poured for him and stood up.
"Tomorrow—we go together!"
Everyone raised their glasses in unison and cheered, "To The Young Lady! And to our brothers of the Ten Thousand Dragons Society!"
