The Love of a Big Family

At the foot of Wu Zong Mountain.

The area was cordoned off with police tape, where several officers and forensic experts were conducting an on-site investigation.

The bodies had already been removed, but as the primary crime scene, this location remained crucial.

"I've already examined them. Aside from mosquito and insect bites, there are no other external injuries. The most fatal wounds were the snake bites," the forensic expert continued analyzing at the scene.

"All three victims were bitten precisely on their arteries, though the exact locations varied. However, it’s rare for snakes to deliberately target arteries like this."

A man in a thick police uniform couldn’t help but look up upon hearing this.

"Are you suggesting they might have been intentionally killed using snakes?"

The forensic expert nodded, then shook his head. "It’s a possibility, but there are no signs of restraint or forced control on their bodies. I’ll need to conduct a more thorough examination back at the lab to give you a definitive answer."

The officer lowered his gaze to the preliminary report in his hands.

"Alright, I’ll leave the rest to you. Try to determine if there’s any human involvement."

"If there is, I might not even bother submitting it. They were just three scumbags anyway."

"You’re a forensic expert, and I’m a police officer. Don’t say things like that."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Officer."

After the forensic expert left, the officer noticed what appeared to be drag marks.

Unable to ignore them, he followed the trail up the mountain.

Soon, he arrived at the true primary crime scene.

Severed snake heads, trampled grass, and branches marked with knife cuts—there were too many traces left behind.

Remembering something, the officer pulled out his phone and made a call.

"Hey, it’s me. Can you send someone over to my location?"

"It’s not exactly urgent, but three criminals were taken out. I suspect someone capable of controlling wild animals might be involved... Alright, alright, I’ll wait."

After hanging up, the officer muttered under his breath,

"Why are the people from Yan Huang Awakening always so arrogant?"

--System: I don’t care how impressive you are, but my host is the most impressive--

The New Year always brings a flood of relatives.

Celebrations involve visiting each other’s homes—you come to mine, then I go to yours.

So Lin Mo rode on Feng Binbin’s motorcycle to his aunt’s place, while his grandmother took his aunt-in-law’s bike.

His aunt’s husband had some connections in Hong Kong, so he took her, along with their second son and third daughter, to seek opportunities there.

The eldest cousin, being a police officer, naturally didn’t follow. But for the New Year, the whole family would return for a visit.

When Lin Mo was younger, he had visited Hong Kong once with his family and stayed at his aunt’s place.

But that single trip shattered all his illusions about Hong Kong’s TV dramas and movies.

After parking the bike, the surroundings buzzed with lively greetings and cheerful New Year wishes.

Feng Binbin took the lead, pulling Lin Mo inside his aunt’s house.

"Happy New Year! Happy New Year!"

The aunt’s family was gathered in the living room, along with many other relatives.

The aunt, wearing an apron, emerged from the kitchen.

Her face lit up when she saw Feng Binbin and Lin Mo.

"Oh, it’s you two!"

"Auntie, Happy New Year," Lin Mo greeted with a smile.

"My goodness, Yu Zai, you’ve grown so tall in just a year!"

She immediately reached out, patting Lin Mo’s shoulders and examining his arms as if marveling at a rare sight.

"Well, kids grow fast during their developmental years," Feng Binbin chimed in.

"Exactly! And you’ve become so handsome too."

The aunt carefully brushed Lin Mo’s hair, her expression full of nostalgia.

Then she pulled him into the living room. "Come, sit, sit! Your eldest cousin and I will finish preparing the dishes."

After his parents passed away, his grandmother’s side of the family had always treated Lin Mo with warmth.

As soon as he sat down, his cousin seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"Hey! Yu Zai! When did you get back?"

Cousin Liang Yimin practically bounced over. She was still young then, not yet burdened by the weight she’d gain later in life.

"Happy New Year, Min-jie."

Liang Yimin studied Lin Mo closely before grinning. "You’ve grown up—tall and handsome now. Bet you’ve got plenty of girls chasing after you."

Lin Mo shook his head emphatically. "No way, not me, don’t spread rumors."

"That means there is someone! When are you bringing her home to meet us?" Liang Yimin teased.

Lin Mo kept shaking his head.

Bring someone? That would be a disaster no matter who it was.

Soon, portable stoves were brought out and set up.

During New Year gatherings, lunch for guests meant hot pot.

In Guangdong, chicken hot pot was a staple, though there were many ways to prepare it.

Some boiled it plain, while others, like today, stir-fried it first to render the fat before adding it to the pot.

The seating arrangement typically split into the "adults’ table" and the "kids’ table."

The adults’ table was for the married ones, while the kids’ table included anyone unmarried, regardless of age.

After all, in these parts, as long as you weren’t married, you still qualified for red envelopes.

Lin Mo had just taken his seat when his eldest cousin came out carrying a plate.

"Here we go! Freshly steamed pork with arrowroot!"

"Pork with arrowroot," or "Ge Kou," was essentially a variation of braised pork belly with preserved vegetables—except here, the preserved vegetables were replaced with local arrowroot.

It was a regional specialty.

Arrowroot absorbed the fat, while the pork belly on top was deliberately chosen from the fattier upper cuts.

To make it truly delicious, steaming arrowroot pork took much longer than the preserved vegetable version.

The eldest cousin wiped his hands.

"I started preparing this last night. Give it a try."

Though he was a police officer, his family ran restaurants, so cooking was second nature to him.

His steamed arrowroot pork was a dish the relatives couldn’t stop praising.

That said, Lin Mo was really only in it for the pork.

Compared to arrowroot, he preferred preserved vegetables or taro—one for its savory pairing with rice, the other for its soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

But hey, he wasn’t about to refuse a bite.

As everyone ate and chatted, the second cousin, Liang Qituan, brought out his signature chicken-fat rice.

Liang Qituan was a chef who later opened a roast meat shop in Hong Kong with his wife.

After the meal, the family lingered, clearing the table but continuing to chat.

His aunt went upstairs and returned with several boxes of chocolates, handing them to Lin Mo.

"Here, take these. I bought them specially for you in Hong Kong—you can’t find them on the mainland."

As she spoke, she hung the bag over Lin Mo’s shoulder.

"Come back more often. We’ve watched you grow up, after all."

The bag was filled with imported snacks.

Every year, his aunt would bring back gifts like these.

And every year, Lin Mo would sincerely thank her and the others.

That was why he always loved visiting his grandmother’s side during school breaks.

But in his past life, Lin Mo had chosen a path of ruin and couldn’t bear to face them anymore.

His thoughts faded as the motorcycle accelerated into the distance.

With things wrapped up here, it was time to head back.