Chapter 628: Nier

"Ni'er, come, sit on the kang. Have some sugar water and persimmon cakes. You always loved sweets as a child, and I've saved them all for you."

"Do you want meat? Don't you like meat? I'll go cut some for you right now! I'll tell your mother to stew it for you immediately!"

The old man who performed "dá shù huā" and the old woman beside him constantly showered Li Sui with attention, their faces beaming with never-ending smiles.

"Oh, Ni'er, when you came back yesterday, I heard you were sold by that beast to—" As soon as the old woman spoke, the old man next to her stomped on her foot.

"It's the New Year! Why talk about such unlucky things? We'll talk about it after today!"

Li Sui, disrupted by their chatter, grew a little impatient. He couldn't understand what the two people in front of him were saying. "Didn't you say you'd teach me 'dá shù huā'? I want to learn 'dá shù huā'."

"Teach, teach, teach! We'll teach you right now!" The old man nodded repeatedly.

After saying this, the old man led Li Sui towards the back of the house. When he pulled back a cloth curtain with several round burn holes, Li Sui was surprised to discover that the other side of the house was actually a blacksmith's workshop. The entire building was half living quarters and half ironworks.

"Ni'er, 'dá shù huā' has to be done by us blacksmiths. Do you know why? Because only we can get enough molten iron."

As he spoke, the old man threw a few charcoal briquettes into the dark red furnace. He then grabbed the wooden handle of the bellows beside it and began to push and pull vigorously.

As the air blew into the iron furnace, the charcoal briquettes gradually turned red, and the fire intensified. While working the bellows, he continued to speak. "Ni'er, we can't charge cheaply for a 'dá shù huā' performance. It costs at least two hundred wen, and that includes the cost of the molten iron. Remember that price – it can only be more, never less."

When he felt the temperature was right, a thick-rimmed pot stand was placed over the glowing charcoal. Inside the large pot, he piled up old horseshoes, rusty cleavers, and similar discarded iron items.

"There's also a trick to the molten iron cost. We charge for good iron, but then we melt down scrap metal and waste iron to make the molten iron. That way, there's a profit to be made from the difference."

Li Sui, completely ignoring his words, focused intently on the furnace, which radiated intense heat.

Seeing Li Sui's expression, the old man took off his leather coat and burst into joyful laughter. His son was once again watching him forge iron with the same seriousness as when he was a child. "You were just like this back then, squatting beside me and watching all day long."

At that moment, the old woman, who had followed them, noticed something amiss. She secretly leaned closer and whispered to the old man, "Husband, what's going on? Something feels strange. Our Ni'er seems like a completely different person."

The old man, while pulling the bellows, shot her a glance. He then carefully looked in Li Sui's direction and quickly lowered his voice. "Different? What's different? The fact that she came back in one piece is enough to kowtow and thank our ancestors for their blessings. What more do you want? Just be quiet!"

He finished speaking, then took some good charcoal from a nearby shelf, crushed it, and threw it into the large pot, which hadn't yet turned red. He then continued to Li Sui, "Ni'er, remember, you need to put some good charcoal in there for the molten iron to melt quickly."

"I remember," Li Sui replied, learning very earnestly.

As the charcoal was added, the iron objects in the pot slowly turned red, gradually melting into the same molten iron used for "dá shù huā" before.

"Come, come, move aside. I'm going to pour the molten iron into the bucket. Don't underestimate one bucket of molten iron; it's extremely heavy." The old man clenched his jaw, his hands trembling with effort as he lifted the bucket of molten iron and hurried towards the city wall.

"Ni'er, remember, when you do 'dá shù huā', you must throw it upwards, and with great force. If there isn't enough force, the molten iron will fall back down and get all over your head."

"Whoosh!" When the fiery golden "tree flowers" erupted again on the city wall, Li Sui's eyes instantly lit up. "It's so beautiful."

Seeing the joyful smile on Li Sui's face, the old man poured the molten iron with even more vigor, splashing it onto the wall scoop after scoop.

Once the "dá shù huā" display was finished, the old man, breathing heavily, walked over to Li Sui. "Ni'er? How was it? Did you learn? If not, Dad will teach you again!"

"Yes, yes!" Li Sui nodded enthusiastically, completely captivated by the display.

"Alright then, let's go back! We'll melt another pot of iron!" The old man said, then picked up the iron bucket and, beaming, walked home with Li Sui.

But after only two steps, a rough-looking "qingpi" (a hooligan) with tattooed arms, despite the hot weather, swaggered in front of them. "Oh, old father-in-law, I saw you doing 'dá shù huā' from way over there. Happy festival, happy festival."

When the old man recognized who was in front of him, he immediately blocked Li Sui, raising the iron bucket in his hand and shouting, "Get out of here, you heartless dog! Wasn't selling Ni'er once enough?!"

The old man's words, however, reminded the "qingpi" that the man in front of him looked familiar.

When the "qingpi" recognized Li Sui, his eyes lit up. "You ran all the way back from so far away? Impossible! Ni'er, you've been gone so long, have you missed your husband?"

"Get lost!"

"Thud!" Seeing the iron bucket flying towards him, the "qingpi" was startled and stumbled back several steps, narrowly avoiding being hit.

"Ow! You old fool! How dare you provoke me!" The "qingpi" rolled up his sleeves and charged, unleashing a barrage of punches and kicks on the old man.

"Listen up, old man! Ni'er is married to me now! She's no longer part of your family. I can sell her if I want, or pawn her off if I want! Even if you go to the yamen, I'm still in the right!"

"Ni'er! Run! Run away! Go home!" The old man shouted to Li Sui while trying to fend off the blows.

Li Sui didn't leave. He stood rooted to the spot, watching everything unfold, trying to understand what it all meant.

Father had never taught him about any of this. He found it hard to comprehend.

When he saw the old man fall to the ground, Li Sui stepped forward and said, "Why are you hitting him? He taught me 'dá shù huā'; you can't hit him."

The "qingpi" stopped, looking at Li Sui with some surprise. "Oh, so being sold off has made you see the world, huh? You used to be so timid you couldn't even fart, and now you dare to talk back to me?"

As Li Sui carefully observed his expression, the "qingpi" raised his right hand and violently slapped Li Sui across the face. "What are you staring at? Looking for a beating, are you?"

Li Sui glanced at the old man lying bruised and swollen on the ground, then looked back at the "qingpi" in front of him. Suddenly, a strange emotion surged within him—a peculiar feeling he had never experienced before.

"Slap!" Another slap. "Damn it, now get home! Wash all my clothes! Clean the house inside and out!"