Old Madam Guan came out to smooth things over, saying with a smile, "Let's all sit down and have our meal! Today is the New Year's Eve, Gao'er, take your sister Shaojin to set off the firecrackers later!"
In previous years, Cheng Yi was the one who rushed to do these kinds of things.
Zhou Shaojin glanced at Cheng Yi, and he really looked sad. Zhou Shaojin felt in a good mood, and she smiled and said yes. After everyone sat down, she and Cheng Gao went to set off firecrackers.
They were talking about doing it together, but in fact it was Cheng Gao's servant Wu'er who carried the bamboo pole, Cheng Gao lit the firecrackers, and Zhou Shaojin stood under the veranda, covering his ears and hiding behind Si'er.
After a burst of "crackling" firecrackers, the yard was filled with smoke.
Bursts of firecracker sounds came one after another in the distance, and I didn't know which family's New Year's Eve dinner had started.
Only then did Zhou Shaojin deeply feel that the New Year was approaching and she would soon usher in the 19th year of Zhide.
I hope that Aunt Mu can marry Lin Shisheng smoothly next year, and I hope that she can get in touch with Uncle Chi smoothly next year.
She looked at the red lights like stars in the distance and silently made a wish to the Bodhisattva.
Cheng Gao smiled and patted her shoulder, saying, "Let's go. There's a lot of smoke here, be careful not to get choked."
Zhou Shaojin smiled and went into the house with Cheng Gao.
Cheng Gao sat in an armchair padded with thick brocade cushions, looking cold and arrogant without even looking at Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin was too lazy to pay attention to her and sat next to his sister.
The maid started serving cold dishes and Cheng Mian began to speak.
He first blessed Mrs. Guan, then talked about Zhou Shaojin and her sister: "Close the doors and windows when you get home, and send someone to tell your uncle if there is anything. I will ask the steward to pick you sisters up early in the morning on the second day of the New Year." When it came to Cheng Gao and Cheng Yi, he said: "... Start studying behind closed doors today, and review the lessons your teacher taught you. If you know, you know, and if you don't know, you don't know. Your aunt will go back to Pukou to visit her relatives on the fifth day of the New Year, and you two should go to Pukou with your mother on the third day of the New Year. First, you should pay your respects to your aunt, and second, you should kowtow to the old man of the He family. Besides, you are not young anymore, so you should visit your cousin of the He family more often."
Not sure if he had received the news in advance, but Cheng Gao responded calmly, looking a little solemn; but Cheng Yi's eyes lit up when he heard it, and he looked eagerly at Madam Mian.
You know your own child. Mrs. Miao looked at her husband and saw that he looked gentle. Then she whispered to Cheng Yi, "I'm taking you with me this time, so you must be obedient. Otherwise, don't expect me to take you out again."
After being beaten, he still had a share!
Cheng Yi was so happy that he agreed loudly and couldn't stop being happy.
Cheng Mian glanced at Cheng Yi.
Cheng Yi immediately sat down with his eyes on his nose and his nose on his heart.
A trace of satisfaction flashed across Cheng Mian's eyes. He turned around and asked Mrs. Guan in a gentle voice, "Mom, do you have anything to say?"
"No, no." Mrs. Guan smiled, "May everyone be safe and sound this year, and may everyone be safe and sound next year as well!"
"Thank you for your good words!" Mrs. Miao said with a smile, and Zhou Shaojin and others also laughed.
The maid started serving the hot dishes.
Cheng Mian personally poured a glass of wine for Old Lady Guan and said with a smile, "This is the Wu Family Jinhua wine that I specially asked someone to bring back from Hangzhou Prefecture. Please try it."
Old Lady Guan smiled as she watched her son pour her a glass of wine. She said, "You should also fill a glass for your wife. She has worked hard in managing the household this year."
Mrs. Miao's face turned red and she quickly stood up, saying repeatedly, "You are embarrassing your daughter-in-law."
"It's not too much, it's not too much." Mrs. Guan said, and Cheng Mian poured a glass of wine for Mrs. Mian.
Mrs. Miao looked drunk even before she drank.
Zhou Shaojin and Zhou Chujin both covered their mouths and laughed.
Mrs. Miao said, "You two sisters should drink a little too, especially Shaojin, you are already a grown-up girl, you should learn how to drink this wine slowly."
In her previous life, until she left the Cheng family, no elder thought that she could drink alcohol.
Zhou Shaojin blushed as the maid poured him some wine.
Cheng Mian raised his glass.
Except for Old Lady Guan, everyone stood up and smiled.
There was a cup of tea in front of Cheng Yi. He held on to the armchair and stood up twice before he finally stood up.
After taking a sip of wine, the New Year’s Eve dinner officially began.
Unlike the usual silent eating and sleeping, everyone was more indulgent than usual. By the time the pot was put on, Old Lady Guan was already whispering to Old Lady Mian about whether they had forgotten to give gifts to anyone on their trip to Pukou. Cheng Mian and Cheng Yi were talking about the "A New Interpretation of the Analects" that had become popular in recent days: "It was the posthumous work of the late Grand Secretary Hu Zhuoran. It is said that the Emperor valued it very much and intended to use it as one of the annotations for the imperial examinations. Although Old Master He and Hu Zhuoran had only met once, they were close friends in terms of academics. This time when you go, you must ask Old Master He for advice..."
Zhou Chujin was an excellent reader and was also interested in current affairs and economics, so he listened with great interest.
Zhou Shaojin didn't know whether the old man of the He family had a good relationship with Hu Zhuoran, but he knew that the old man of the He family would die of illness in three years. Because He Fengping was one year older than Cheng Gao, in order not to delay the marriage of He Fengping and Cheng Gao, when the old man of the He family fell ill, Mrs. He married He Fengping. And the book "A New Interpretation of the Analects" written by Hu Zhuoran became one of the annotations of the imperial examination six years later.
Since Uncle Miao mentioned this matter, she felt that she should also remind her brother-in-law Liao Shaotang - Liao Shaotang's aunt Liao Yingzhang married a member of the He family.
However, Uncle Mian is talking to Cousin Gao at this moment, so it is not a good opportunity. I must remember this matter when I return.
Zhou Shaojin was thinking about it in his heart. Someone came over and whispered, "Do you know that my mother is going to take us brothers to Pukou?"
There were only a few people in the room, and she knew who was talking to her without even looking up.
Zhou Shaojin said "hmm".
Cheng Yi was so angry that he asked, "Why didn't you remind me just now? If I hadn't come, wouldn't I have been unable to go to Pukou?"
He has been grounded again and again in the past year, and is almost growing green hair.
Zhou Shaojin said calmly: "Didn't you say you would never have anything to do with me again? Why should I tell you?"
Cheng Yi was very angry.
Zhou Shaojin slowly scooped a bowl of chicken soup and drank it.
So she didn't see that Old Mrs. Guan and Mrs. Mian, who were sitting opposite her, looked at each other without saying a word and smiling.
※
At the Zhou family ancestral home on Pingqiao Street, the dust had been removed, the peach charms had been pasted up, and the Kitchen God had been welcomed. Zhou Shaojin and Zhou Chujin returned home and there was no one to take care of them. They really slept until they woke up naturally, and they could eat whenever they wanted and whatever they wanted. However, after two days, Zhou Shaojin began to have trouble sleeping at night and getting up during the day.
The self-disciplined Zhou Chujin hurriedly said, "We can't do this anymore. When we return to Jiuru Lane in a few days, people will criticize us!"
"Let's just treat it as a visit to relatives!" Zhou Shaojin placed a bed by the window, lit braziers around it, and wrapped herself in a gray squirrel robe, leaning on a scarlet Zhangrong pillow, reading a book called "The Jade Hairpin". As she read, she commented: "... Who is the owner of Green House who wrote the book? How could someone be so stupid? Seeing someone holding a jade hairpin, he suspected that it was given by his wife, and didn't even check what was going on..."
"If it's not good, why do you keep reading it?" Zhou Chujin said with a smile, "I think you are not reading a book, you are suffering, and you deserve it!"
Zhou Shaojin laughed and said, "Isn't this funny?"
Who knew that just as she finished speaking, Chun Wan ran in: "Second Miss, Second Miss, Miss Jiying is here!"
"What did you say?" Zhou Shaojin sat up at once, "Ji Ying? How did she get here? Who sent her here? Where is she?"
She asked a barrage of questions, and Chun Wan finally waited for her to finish before smiling and saying, "It was Steward Qin who sent Miss Jiying here. She's right outside the door..."
"Let her in quickly, let her in quickly." Zhou Shaojin got out of bed and put on her shoes without waiting for Chunwan to finish. Chunwan wanted to help her put them on, but she refused and kept urging her to bring the person in.
Zhou Chujin looked at him and shook his head, then went back to the house with a smile.
After a while, Chunwan brought Jiying in.
Ji Ying tied her hair into a bun on top of her head, wore a peach wood hairpin, and dressed in a green brocade robe for men, with a royal blue lambskin cloak on the outside. Although she was dressed as a man, one could tell whether she was a man or a woman at a glance.
Zhou Shaojin kept his mouth open for a long time.
Ji Ying smiled and said, "How is it? I look good in this outfit, right?"
Zhou Shaojin asked: "Did Qin Ziping send you here?"
Ji Ying nodded and said, "He came out to do something for Cheng Zichuan. I said I wanted to come and see you, so I told Cheng Zichuan and followed him out."
Zhou Shaojin couldn't help but look her up and down and said, "Uncle Chi agreed to let you come to see me?"
"I'm not going to do anything bad, why doesn't he agree?" Ji Ying said with a smile.
That’s right!
Zhou Shaojin hurriedly invited her into the house.
When Ji Ying saw the Luohan bed placed by the window, he exclaimed, walked over quickly and sat down, hugged the big fluffy pillow in his arms, and said, "Second Miss, I knew that coming to your place would be much more interesting than staying in Hanbi Mountain House! I really like this Luohan bed, and I like this big pillow too."
Because they are all from the North!
Zhou Shaojin said: "If you like, I will give you this Luohan bed and these large pillows!"
"Okay, okay!" Ji Ying said happily, "There's no need for the Arhat bed. There are several in Hanbi Mountain House. I would be disrespectful to refuse these large pillows!"
Zhou Shaojin laughed and said, "You're still trying to pick up Wen with me!"
Ji Ying smiled and asked her, "What are you doing at home? Tomorrow is New Year's Eve. You should have prepared all the New Year's goods, right? Do you want to go out with me? I heard that at this time, the people who make a living under Jiangdong Bridge will stop their business, and large and small boats will be lined up one by one all the way to the center of the river. It's very spectacular. I've always wanted to go and see it but never had the chance... Let's go and see it together?"
"At this time? Go to Jiangdong Bridge?" Zhou Shaojin felt that this idea... was a bit far-fetched.
"Yes!" Ji Ying was serious, "We should go now. Otherwise, on New Year's Day, when everyone starts paying New Year's greetings, there will be more people on the road and it will be inconvenient to go!"
※
Sisters, there are only two updates today, and this is today’s update.
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)