When Chen Xuan woke up early the next day, she didn't want to pay any attention to Wei Nian.
However, she was kindhearted after all. Thinking about it, although she felt bad, in fact, most of it was because of the grievances in her previous life. In her previous life, Wei Nian treated her very coldly. It was only when she divorced Wei Nian and returned to her hometown that Wei Nian became kind to her. However, Chen Xuan was not unreasonable after all. With her continuous learning and broadening of horizons, Chen Xuan also understood how she was a useless person in her previous life. It was not Wei Nian's fault that he looked down on her. Even Chen Xuan, thinking of herself in her previous life, felt that there was nothing worth looking up to. Alas, the Wei family did not treat her too badly in her previous life.
Therefore, Chen Xuan was just a little depressed.
Fortunately, Wei Nian observed carefully and found that Chen Xuan had no trouble eating the dumplings.
After eating dumplings, Grandpa Wei, Grandma Wei and Sister Yun stayed at home. Wei Shi, Li Shi, Wei Nian and Chen Xuan took Wei Jie and Wei Ming to visit relatives and friends for the New Year. The two branches of the Wei family were also interesting. Wei Shi and Li Shi were dressed in the old style of long gowns, jackets and cotton cheongsams, while Wei Nian and Chen Xuan were dressed in Western style of suits and coats. They visited relatives and friends for the New Year and everyone found it interesting. This was the first year that Chen Xuan went out with Wei Nian to visit the New Year. When she went out, she saw the brothers Wei Jie and Wei Ming, and she felt that something was wrong. She thought that she was going out to visit the New Year with her own children, and other families also had children. Should she give them New Year's money? Chen Xuan habitually wanted to discuss with Wei Nian, but she felt a little awkward.
As soon as Wei Nian saw Chen Xuan's honest face, he knew what she was thinking. He quietly took out a stack of change from his pocket and stuffed it into Chen Xuan's pocket. This was the change Wei Nian had exchanged at the bank before the New Year. They were all brand new bills, fifty cents each.
After stuffing the money in, Wei Nian walked to Chen Xuan naturally and whispered, "Just follow the sister-in-law later."
Chen Xuan uttered a low “hmm”.
The only relatives of the Wei family in Beijing are the Zhao family, Wei Jin's in-laws. Wei Jin is Wei Jie and Wei Ming's eldest aunt, so Wei Jie and Wei Ming have to pay New Year's greetings to their eldest aunt. Zhao Feng and Zhao Yu from Wei Jin's family also have to pay New Year's greetings to their eldest uncle, second uncle, eldest aunt, second aunt, and the children from the second branch of the Zhao family. The children are all together, so they can't just give Zhao Feng and Zhao Yu lucky money and not give the children from the second branch of the Zhao family lucky money. Don't think that Old Lady Wei is stingy, Wei Shi and Wei Nian are not that kind of people, and neither are Li and Chen Xuan, so the children are treated equally, and each child gets 50 cents.
The old man and old lady of the Zhao family kept the Wei family to talk, took out melon seeds and peanuts for everyone to eat, and took out Hardman cigarettes for the Wei brothers. As everyone was talking, a group of relatives of the old man Zhao came, the three masters of the Lu family and several young masters of the Lu family. They met and talked about relatives, and there was a lively conversation between brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts. The young masters of the Lu family also wished a happy new year to Wei Shi, Wei Nian, Li Shi and Chen Xuan, and naturally they all received a share of New Year's money. Of course, the same was true for Wei Jie and Wei Ming.
This year was really lively.
The Lu family was generous, giving each of the children a dollar as New Year's gift, which made Chen Xuan speechless.
After leaving Zhao's house and visiting several nearby friends' houses, Wei Shi was ready to go home. Wei Nian thought about it and discussed with Wei Shi, "Brother, A Xuan and I will go to Mr. Wen's house again."
"Well, go ahead." Wei Shi was not very interested in cultural affairs, and he gave Wei Nian a few more instructions, "It's cold today, so call a taxi. Go early and come back early."
"Brother and sister-in-law, please take the bus back as well. It's cold and we have the children."
Wei Shi and Wei Nian were not the generation of Grandpa Wei who started from scratch. Wei Nian first called a car and asked his elder brother and sister-in-law to take the children home, and then called another car to sit with Chen Xuan. Mr. Wen's house was very lively, with a full house of people. It was rare to see Mrs. Wen. Rong Yang and Mrs. Wen were aunt and nephew, and their looks were indeed somewhat similar. They were both rare gentle and handsome. The difference was that Rong Yang's appearance was a bit hard, while Mrs. Wen had a gentle and beautiful look that only ladies from a wealthy family could have.
Mr. Wen had too many family members, so the couple just said a few words of New Year greetings, bowed and left. After that, they went to Mr. Jiao's house again, and on the way home, they went to Mr. Xu's house to sit for a while, and it was already noon.
During the Chinese New Year, we eat a lot of meat and fish to prepare for a good year.
Needlework is not important during the New Year, and it is unlucky for women to use needles before the 15th day of the lunar year. Therefore, as there was nothing to do after lunch, Mrs. Wei simply sent them back to their rooms to rest.
After crying yesterday, Chen Xuan has been less talkative. Wei Nian regretted that he had spoken too early, and Chen Xuan was not mentally prepared. Thinking of the past, Chen Xuan was sad. As for being husband and wife, let alone mentioning it. Even if he mentioned it again, Chen Xuan probably wouldn't agree.
Wei Nian poured Chen Xuan a glass of water and said, "Should we stop talking from now on?"
Chen Xuan thought she was not a stingy person, and she would not take her anger out on Wei Nian because of what happened in her past life. "I didn't keep silent."
"I was wrong before, but even if I'm guilty, I should be given a chance to mend my ways, right?"
Chen Xuan took a sip of water and felt at peace. She sighed about her past life, "I didn't say you were wrong. I used to be like that and I looked down on myself. I can't blame you for that." No matter how smart Wei Nian was, he couldn't figure out the cause and effect of Chen Xuan's words. He apologized again for what happened before, "Xuan, the more you say that, the more I regret it."
Chen Xuan sighed, "Put yourself in my shoes. If I were Brother Anian, I wouldn't like myself in the past. Brother Anian, you were not nice to me before, but you were also nice to me. You taught me a lot of foreign words and taught me how to read. In my heart, I remember your goodness, not your badness. But, don't mention that matter again. It's not that you are not nice, Brother Anian, it's that you will have someone else you like in the future."
If Chen Xuan disagreed because of the previous incident, Wei Nian thought it was understandable. When Chen Xuan just came in, he was not very friendly to Chen Xuan, but later, the two talked it out and their relationship began to ease. But, what is Chen Xuan's reason now? Will he like someone else in the future? ! Wei Nian was really wronged, and said to Chen Xuan, "I go home every day, and I am usually busy with the business in the shop. How can there be anyone else? My heart has been on you this year. If you are not happy, just say you are not happy, and there is no need to slander me with this. How can I be a person who is nice to you in words but thinking about others in my heart!"
Chen Xuan said seriously, "Not now, but seven or eight years later, it will be there."
Wei Nian felt that he had been punished. He had a headache. "Why don't you predict that I will still be buried in the ground in 70 or 80 years?"
"In seventy or eighty years, I will also be buried in the ground." Ever since Wei Nian awakened the sadness of her past life, Chen Xuan has activated her skill of choking people.
"Okay, it's New Year's Day, don't say these things, it's unlucky." Wei Nian brought the topic back on track and said to Chen Xuan, "I want to tell you two things. First, I've fallen in love with you. There has never been anyone else. Even if there is someone after seven or eight years, it can only be you. Second, let's talk it out. If you are not happy, I should be the one who feels bad. Don't be awkward. Let's just be like before, okay?"
Chen Xuan nodded, "Okay."
Wei Nian smiled, "This is the first time in my life that I proposed to someone and was rejected."
Chen Xuan twisted her fingers uncomfortably. Wei Nian was very generous. He waved his hand and said to Chen Xuan, "Take out the two book lists that Mr. Rong gave you."
"do what?"
"I'll take a look, but it won't work." Because Chen Xuan predicted that there would be another woman seven or eight years later, wasn't this a curse that he and A Xuan couldn't be husband and wife? Wei Nian's mood was affected, and his attitude was not very good.
Chen Xuan took out two book lists prepared by Mr. Rong from the small drawer. Wei Nian took a pen and first marked the elementary courses on the first list, then selected an English reader on the second list and said to Chen Xuan, "It's Chinese New Year now, and the bookstores are not open. After the Lantern Festival, let's buy these elementary textbooks. You don't need to buy this English reader, it should be available in the university library."
Chen Xuan whispered, "Brother Anian, you don't have to do this."
"Don't flatter yourself." Wei Nian said helplessly, "I'm not doing this for you. I'm studying for myself, and I'm going to college and get a master's or doctorate degree. You're jealous."
When Chen Xuan heard that Wei Nian was going to study and take the college entrance examination, her mood soared from the bottom to the top, and she asked repeatedly, "Really? Then on the 16th of the first lunar month, you and Brother Nian will go to the bookstore to buy books!" She arranged the time for buying books. Seeing Chen Xuan's little trick, Wei Nian just smiled at her, but didn't say anything, neither nodded nor shook his head. Chen Xuan was a little anxious. She really wanted to go out more often and analyze her "usefulness" with Wei Nian. "Brother Nian, you see you have checked these five or six books. It must be tiring to carry them. I can help you carry the books and help you with your strength."
"That's fine." Wei Nian "reluctantly" agreed. Chen Xuan poured another glass of water for Brother Anian, handed it to Brother Anian, and said, "Brother Anian, when you finish studying these books, can you lend them to me to study?"
"It all depends on your performance. If you still treat me well as before, not only will I show you, but I can also teach you if there is anything you don't understand."
Chen Xuan said first, "It's absolutely fine to care about Brother Anian like before. However, I'm a serious person and I can't do anything else. We are innocent. I'm not a person who messes around, and Brother Anian, you can't mess around either."
"Alright, alright, when have you ever seen me messing around?"
The two discussed how to get along with each other in the future. Chen Xuan's attitude towards Wei Nian improved a lot because Wei Nian was willing to study hard. Not only that, Chen Xuan was also willing to talk to Wei Nian more. Chen Xuan asked Wei Nian, "Brother Nian, is the Lu family very rich? When we went to visit my eldest sister-in-law, why did the Lu family give so much New Year's money to the children?"
Wei Nian drank some hot water and was relieved to see that Chen Xuan was in good spirits. "The Zhao family is Mrs. Lu's family. Mr. Lu works in the Quartermaster Department, which is a very lucrative job. The capital for the Zhao family's business was given by Mrs. Lu."
"Oh, that's really rich." The Quartermaster Department is the place that manages the food and drink for the army. Chen Xuan asked Wei Nian very cleverly, "Brother Nian, so, my eldest sister-in-law's shop is doing business with the army?"
"You have a nice idea. Old Master Lu is just a small section chief in the Quartermaster Department. How can he have the final say on major matters?" Wei Nian said, "However, Quartermaster is a lucrative job. Even if he is a small section chief, there are still many people fawning on him. Therefore, the Lu family lives a much better life than other families."
Chen Xuan looked as if she had realized what was going on, and couldn't help but sigh, "Being an official is great."
Wei Nian smiled, "That's right, scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, that's what the old saying says."
Chen Xuan thought about it and nodded, "Don't say it, this is reasonable, just look at the Lu family." Chen Xuan usually lives frugally, she is not greedy for money, but from the clarity of the accounts, it can be seen that Chen Xuan does not disregard money. However, Chen Xuan does not envy being an official at all. Chen Xuan said, "Although being an official is good, I think it is not as good as studying. Brother Anian, think about it, what kind of reputation does Mr. Wen have, and what kind of reputation does the Lu family have? Although both families have an easy life, I think their reputations are different." Then, Chen Xuan came to a conclusion, "Although studying can't make you rich, it is valuable in terms of stability. Moreover, I think that studying is not for making money. Well, the benefit of studying is that it can make people smarter, more reasonable, and more open-minded. Studying changes people's character. Even if you want to be an official, there is nothing wrong with reading more books."
Wei Nian finally understood Chen Xuan's persistence in studying.
Originally, Chen Xuan just said a few words about the Lu family's wealth, but she didn't expect that later, Mrs. Wei and Mrs. Lu would socialize more frequently. Mrs. Zhao was addicted to playing cards, and she would often invite Mrs. Wei to play cards. Together with Mrs. Lu and the wife of a shopkeeper of the Zhao family, the four old ladies would play cards together for fun. Mrs. Wei would also often set up card games at home and invite Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Lu to come.
In the past, Chen Xuan thought she had never seen Old Lady Lu, but as soon as Old Lady Lu came, Chen Xuan recognized her. The woman who sat next to Old Lady Zhao on her 50th birthday, with three or four gold rings on her hands and looking very noble, turned out to be Old Lady Lu.
Old Lady Lu was not only noble, but also outstanding in her pomp. Chen Xuan didn't know what it was like to play cards at other people's houses, but when she came to play cards at Wei's house, she always brought her daughters-in-law with her. Both daughters-in-law were brought with her, and they did nothing but stand behind Old Lady Lu and serve her tea. When Old Lady Lu drank tea, they served her tea, and when Old Lady Lu didn't drink tea, they just stood there. In the past, Chen Xuan only felt that Old Lady Zhao was tricky with her daughters-in-law, but now she understood that it was because she had never seen Old Lady Lu's pomp.
The worst thing was that when Mrs. Wei saw how Mrs. Lu and Mrs. Zhao acted, she followed suit and asked Li and Chen Xuan to stand behind her and serve her. However, this meant that there was no one to cook at home. So, Mrs. Wei had to settle for the next best thing and asked Li and Chen Xuan to do the work while Wei Yin helped to refill the tea.
Chen Xuan heard about Wei Yin's marriage from Wei Nian. When she heard about the Lu family's proposal, her heart sank. Chen Xuan brushed off the snowflakes on Wei Nian's body and said, "A Yin is only eighteen this year. I see she has lost a lot of weight in the past few days. The weather is strange this year. There were two heavy snowfalls during the New Year. Why don't you check on A Yin's health first?" If Chen Xuan remembered correctly, Wei Yin died of illness after the proposal.
"What are you talking about? Ah Yin is fine, why is she talking about health?" Wei Nian took off his outer coat, rubbed his hands, and blew a few breaths. "The Lu family is well-off. I think this marriage is a good one."
Chen Xuan had a different view. She could not understand the mystery of fate. However, Chen Xuan believed that this marriage was definitely unlucky. Otherwise, Wei Yin would not have fallen ill right after the marriage proposal. Chen Xuan said honestly, "Brother Anian, you didn't see the style of Mrs. Lu. It's not good for me to say this, but Ah Yin is not an outsider, so I will say it directly. No matter how rich the Lu family is, Mrs. Lu is better at ordering her daughter-in-law than Mrs. Zhao. If Ah Yin marries into his family, her mother-in-law will not be easy to get along with."
Wei Nian disagreed, "It will be the same if I go back to my mother's house."
Chen Xuan was surprised and said, "Brother Anian, you are a modern person, why don't you talk about modernism when it comes to Yin's marriage. You once told me that the most important thing for two people to get married is that they have similar personalities."
Wei Nian was stunned by what Chen Xuan said, then smiled and said, "That makes sense."
Chen Xuan was not in a hurry to study, but looked at Wei Nian solemnly and said, "Brother Anian, our family only has one sister, Yin. You must be careful about Yin's marriage."
Seeing Chen Xuan worrying so much about Wei Yin's affairs, Wei Nian felt relieved and happy. He patted Chen Xuan on the shoulder and promised softly, "Don't worry, I understand."
The author has something to say: Good afternoon everyone~~ Uh, I saw a lot of long comments, and I feel a lot of pressure to update (?▽?) I have to go back to Hangzhou to update, and my manuscript box is sold out today~~~