Chapter 151 - 150: New Year’s Eve
The Aurelian Spring Festival was drawing closer, and a festive, peaceful atmosphere gradually filled the streets and alleyways of Kingsland.
On the roads, besides the usual daily traffic jams, the lampposts on both sides were adorned with large, red Aurelian knots, and the trees were covered in red lanterns.
"Doesn’t matter if there are traffic restrictions in real life, there are none here. Not even if Jesus himself showed up, there’d still be no restrictions, I’m tellin’ ya! Mwah (^з^)"
Shops and supermarkets, large and small, had put up their festive decorations, and families could be seen everywhere, out shopping for New Year’s goods.
It seemed every Aurelian was eagerly awaiting the arrival of this holiday.
This wasn’t just because the Aurelian Spring Festival, a traditional holiday, was on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
It was also because the New Year, for them, meant reunion, it meant hope, and it meant saying goodbye to all the bad things from the past year to welcome the start of a brand new one in the best way possible.
「New Year’s Eve.」
Yvonne Lowell stood in the snow, her hands in her pockets, gazing at the festively decorated Lowell Manor before her. A gentle smile slowly spread from the corners of her eyes.
She suddenly recalled how, six months ago, the old man had inexplicably summoned her back to Apeiron and tossed a stack of documents in front of her, saying, "Take a look at this first."
Yvonne Lowell had opened the folder, her expression skeptical. Inside were all sorts of reports about the Lowell family of Kingsland, Aurelia, and their years-long search for their youngest daughter. The most recent article was from just last month.
Tucked inside was a front-facing photo of a little girl. She recognized the girl as herself immediately, because there had been mirrors in that place back then.
Her only form of entertainment back then had been to look in that mirror every day and watch the expression in her reflection’s eyes slowly shift from terror to numbness, and finally, to cold indifference.
While she was flipping through the files, the old man had continued, speaking as if to himself, "I know you’ve always shied away from family affection because of what happened with your parents in the past."
"But everyone’s family is different, and yours has never given up looking for you. Maybe you could go back and see."
At the time, Yvonne Lowell had teased him, "What’s that supposed to mean? Are you planning to find a new heir? Have I been cast aside?"
For the first time, the old man didn’t banter back. Instead, he said earnestly,
"I just hope you can stop closing yourself off and try to experience the family bonds that are rightfully yours. The love and care they can give you is something none of us can provide."
"Of course, Apeiron will always be your home too. As for the position of heir... I spent so much damn effort raising you, only you can have that seat. Don’t even think about running away!"
Yvonne Lowell had fallen silent for a long time. ’He’s right,’ she thought. ’With my skills, wouldn’t finding out about my own origins be as easy as flipping my hand?’
’But every time the thought of looking for my family surfaced, I would think of how Esther Rivera and Zachary Jacobs were sold by their scumbag father and stepmother, how Nina Jennings was sold by her own birth parents, and all the other children who were sold to that place.’
Each and every one of these cases was like a blow to the head, instantly snapping her back to reality.
’Sometimes I can’t help but wonder... was it because I was a girl? Or maybe an illegitimate daughter who couldn’t be seen in the light of day? Was my arrival unwelcome and unwanted by my family, which is why I was sold to that sunless Hell?’
’I even feel a sense of relief sometimes that I lost my memories of those few years. Because if I really was abandoned or sold, then there would be one less thing in this world that could hurt me compared to everyone else.’
But this time, whether moved by the old man’s words or by the contents of the folder, she had agreed to return to her home country and reunite with her family. The plan, however, was originally set for after she turned twenty.
But as it turned out, that black-hearted old man threatened her with making her stay in Apeiron to train new recruits, and promptly packed her off on a flight to Kingsland the very next day.
’Now, I’m glad I didn’t chicken out at the last minute and detour to Continent N. Only by coming here did I get to understand, over these past six months, that the love of one’s own flesh and blood can be so silent yet so passionate. And as a bonus, I even managed to pick up a handsome child husband.’
’My memories from before I was four are long gone, so this is technically my first Spring Festival with my family, and with the two most important friends in my life, too.’
’This New Year will forever be different for me.’
Snapping back to the present, Yvonne Lowell pulled her padded jacket tighter around herself and headed into the house.
As soon as she stepped inside, she saw the elders sitting around the dining table, making dumplings.
Seeing her come in, Grandma Lowell called out, "Nola, you’re back! Come here, Grandma will teach you how to make dumplings."
"Coming," Yvonne replied, a warmth spreading through her heart. She took off her jacket and went to wash her hands.
When she reached the dining table, Wendy Sutton touched her hand, her brow furrowing slightly. "You used warm water, but your hands are still so cold?"
Hearing this, her aunt added with a concerned look, "You should wear more when you go out. It’s best for girls not to catch a chill easily, or you’ll have a lot of health problems later on."
"Okay, I know. I just wanted to see if the snow outside was thick enough to build a snowman later."
The Lowell family always cooked together during festivals. The staff at Lowell Manor had been given their holiday leave three days ago, so the snow outside hadn’t been cleared for a few days and had accumulated to a decent thickness.
Her silly brothers had completely reverted to their primal instincts upon returning to the manor, even wanting to have a snowball fight.
Grandpa Lowell laid down the law. "Building a snowman? What’s so hard about that? Have your brothers and cousins build it for you. If they can’t, you’ve still got your dad and your uncle. Just make sure you don’t catch a cold. We’ve raised this bunch of grown men for so long; can’t just let them eat for free and do no work."
The group of grown Lowell men who only ate for free and did no work: ...Wow, just wow. Sir, have you perhaps forgotten your own gender?
"Okay, I’ll be sure to work them to the bone," Yvonne Lowell replied agreeably, glancing at her father and uncle beside her with a hint of pity.
"We’re back!!" A group of people came in, carrying bags of all sizes and hauling several large boxes.
The ban on setting off fireworks and firecrackers had been lifted for the Spring Festival this year, so they had all gone out to stock up.
After being held back for so many years, where they had to apply for a permit just to light a single firecracker or travel to other cities for fireworks shows, they could finally set them off to their hearts’ content right at their own doorstep.
Adrian Lowell changed his shoes and darted over to Yvonne Lowell’s side. "Sis, I bought you a ton of sparklers, and lots of handheld fireworks, too!!"
"Really? Thanks, Adrian," Yvonne said, a little surprised. She had never actually played with sparklers before.
Back in Apeiron, she had only ever played with the large-scale fireworks, the kind you just had to light and be done with it.
Adrian Lowell tossed his hair back proudly. "Hmph, I knew you’d like sparklers more. Nina insisted you’d prefer the Gatling gun firework, but that thing is so heavy! I can just set it off for you to watch!"
Yvonne Lowell’s smile froze for a second. ’Actually...’ she thought, ’...I have played with a Gatling gun, and I did quite like it... But I probably shouldn’t say that out loud.’