Before you knew it, it was already the middle of the twelfth lunar month, and all of Great Chu was about to celebrate the most significant festival—New Year's Eve.
Those peasant families with means had already started slaughtering pigs and sheep, preparing to have a prosperous celebration, and to reward their family members who had worked hard for most of the year; people living in the villages near Jing City poured into the city to purchase goods for the New Year, and many shopkeepers had stored plenty of goods half a month earlier, planning to make a good profit during the festival before returning home for the New Year.
The streets and alleys were full of crowds rubbing shoulders with each other, filled with a strong festive atmosphere, with a satisfied smile on everyone's face, and even if the naughty children cried for candied hawthorns and sugar figurines, the adults no longer scolded them as usual but happily bought the treats to sweeten the children's mouths.
