At the crack of dawn, Zhang Zian and the elfins were once again startled awake by the noise of firecrackers coming from outside.
It was louder than usual since it was New Year's Eve, the day for families to reunite and ring the new year in.
Setting off firecrackers on New Year's were said to be a method to repel a monster known as "Nian." The method slowly turned into a tradition, but nowadays, due to how dangerous it was and concerns of air pollution, many big cities forbid setting off firecrackers.
Last night, Zhang Zian couldn't really sleep and knew that Pi couldn't either, as it constantly moved around. Even though Pi softened its movements, the ivy chair still let out soft creaks. It was only once it was close to daybreak did Pi finally fall asleep.
Pi woke up startled by the noise, it sat up from the ivy chair, planning to turn on the computer.
