Chapter Fifty-One: Welcoming the Festival

  The young woman stepped into her home, wrapping her cloak tightly around her and braving the wind.

  All the way, we met women and children who politely gave way.

  "Miss Celery." Someone accompanied her with a smile and conversation.

  A young girl suddenly appeared from the side, walking with her head down, and when she heard this sentence, she subconsciously looked up to see a pretty maid approaching slowly, and was taken aback for a moment.

  "Has Miss Banqiu gone out?" The servant woman continued to speak.

  The maid responded with a smile, her face beaming with joy.

  "Yes." She replied, looking at the servant woman, "It's so cold, is mother busy too?"

  "Not busy, not busy." The servant woman smiled and reacted, nodding her head again, "Busy, busy, it's going to be New Year after all."

  "Mother has worked hard." The maid servant said with a smile.

  My wife smiled and watched as the maid turned and walked away.

  "Oh dear, this girl is really kind and approachable. She said to the person beside her with emotion, "Where did they get that bad temper from?"

  "Yes." Another maid also said, looking at the already distant figure of the servant girl, "I heard that she even dares to defy both the mistress and Seventh Young Lady. It seems that she is not as eccentric and ignorant of etiquette as I thought."

  The maid stopped in her tracks and turned around abruptly.

  On the road, three or two people are walking far and near, with women carrying poles on their shoulders.

  However, the maid's gaze shifted, looking at a young girl walking over with her head down and her arms wrapped around herself from a short distance away.

  That girl seems to be very cold, her body shrinking and trembling.

  "This sister..." The maid looked at her and smiled slightly before speaking.

  Before she could finish speaking, the girl quickened her pace and walked past her.

  The maid shook her head, smiled, wrapped her cloak tightly and ignored him, walking into the courtyard.

  He walked for a while with his head down before carefully turning back, only to find that the entrance was now empty.

  I used to catch glimpses of her figure in the darkness at night, and it turns out that this is the new half of our daughter-in-law.

  Really great, looks good and can talk too...

  Half of the celery stared blankly for a moment, raised her hand to wipe away tears, lowered her head and walked away slowly.

  Several maids stood under the corridor in the courtyard, and when they saw the maid, they all paid their respects.

  This is a new maid sent by Mrs. Zhou, and since it's an order from a superior, I couldn't refuse. I've kept all of them, including Qiaoniang; whether to use them or not is another matter altogether.

  The maid smiled and greeted them, while two servant girls hurriedly opened the door.

  After the maid went in, it goes without saying that someone closed the door again.

  In front of the screen, Cheng Jiaoniang leaned against a low table reading a book.

  "The young lady, everything has been taken care of," said the maid. "The doctor has examined her and there's no danger to her life, and he also gave us some money. The doctor said that she had a heart condition, and Mr. Han comforted her with a few words, and the man felt much better at once."

  Jiang Nang nodded and put down her book.

  "Have they taken note of you?" she asked.

  The maid nodded.

  "I had a good talk with that woman and she must have taken note of me," she said. "Following Mr. Han, she didn't suspect anything and trusted me completely."

  "That's enough." Jingniang nodded and said.

  "Well, what's next for you, mistress?" asked the maid curiously.

  Jiang Nang glanced at her.

  "What's wrong?" she said, "Haven't you finished yet?"

  The maid was surprised and immediately lost her smile.

  "Is that all?" she asked.

  "It's just like that," said Jingniang, nodding her head, "what else?"

  The maid was speechless and could not respond, yes, otherwise she smiled with pursed lips.

  "I want to listen to audiobooks," said Cheng Jiaoniang.

  The maid answered and took over the book.

  "The last time I read..." She muttered to herself as she flipped through it.

  Before and after the Cold Food Festival, the lake was filled with painted boats." said Cheng Jiaoniang.

  The maid nodded.

  "Niangzi remembers it so well." She smiled, turning to that page, reading aloud in a clear voice, "......head and tail connected, like a floating bridge. First boat, second boat, third boat, fourth boat, fifth boat..."

  On this thirtieth day of the month, every household has entered the most important moment of welcoming the festival.

  The male masters reminded them to check the equipment for ancestor worship, and the female masters checked the children's clothes and wrote down the list of banquets and visits for the next few days.

  Young children are waiting for the arrival of the New Year with both excitement and anticipation.

  Only the gentle and unexcited Cheng Jiaoniang and her maid had already walked out of the door.

  "How can you go out at this time?" Mrs. Zhou, who had rushed over upon hearing the news, said hastily, her expression no longer as gentle and soft as it was in recent days, her impatience barely concealed. "Today is the 30th, tomorrow is New Year's Eve, Jiao Jiao, how can you go out again?"

  Jiang Yao turned around and looked at her, but didn't say a word.

  "Madam, it's the 30th today and tomorrow is New Year's Eve. Our young lady is supposed to go out then." The maid said with a hint of surprise, "Has madam forgotten that our young lady doesn't have the surname Zhou? How can she spend the 30th and New Year's Eve at her maternal grandparents' home?"

  Can a married-out daughter not stay in her maiden home past thirty, but can an outsider granddaughter?

  Mrs. Zhou was taken aback.

  "Although I'm away from home, during this festive season, my wife still needs to pay respects to our ancestors." The maid said, "We also have a house in the capital city, so we'll go there instead, otherwise, the ancestral spirits of both families will get mixed up."

  "But how can this be good?" said Mrs. Zhou, somewhat indecisive.

  Zhou Lang had already heard the news and was walking quickly over. Without saying a word, he took the horse whip from the young servant's hand.

  "My mother is busy, I'll send her over," he said.

  If you want to go, then go! Anyway, staying at home only causes trouble and has no benefits. Lady Zhou waved her hand impatiently.

  "Be careful outside, and speak up if you need anything." she said.

  The bustling streets have become rare, with occasional hurried passersby carrying goods on their shoulders and backs.

  Zhou Lang reined in his horse and looked at the little servant who had opened the door and run out.

  "My daughter is back!" he shouted loudly.

  The door was open, and the noise of laughter and conversation poured out from inside.

  "My sister is back." Two other men followed out, rubbing their hands and laughing, "We were just stewing a pig's head."

  "Fourth Master, Fifth Master, you can actually braise a pig's head?" The maid said, very surprised, while helping Miss Cheng down from the carriage.

  "Come on, come on." The two men laughed and nodded, "Sister, hurry up and go inside, it's cold outside."

  Zhou Lang stood aside, and it seemed as if no one could see him, just like a rickshaw puller.

  The people inside heard the news and ran out a few more, with constant cries of "sister".

  Sister, brother, sounds quite affectionate...

  Zhou Lang looked at the laughing men and women in front of him, sneered, and threw away the horse whip in his hand.

  A man with quick eyes and hands stretched out his hand to catch it.

  After a moment of laughter and pause, everyone looked over, that young man had already turned around and walked away in big strides along the way he came.

  Jiangniang seemed not to have seen and went in with her maid.

  The men also came back to their senses.

  "I don't know what kind of family my sister's husband is from, but even a cart driver is quite handsome and strong..."

  "Yes, at a young age, the arm strength is not small. Just now, this throw, if it were a long spear, would have pierced someone through."

  One side spoke in a low voice, while driving the horse carriage into the gate, and inside the gate, a firecracker suddenly exploded.

  "Brother Jin! Don't be naughty!"

  The girl's scream added a few points of vitality to the noisy yard.

  The men exchanged a glance and burst out laughing, then closed the door.

  The door already hung with the peach symbol of Shen Tu and Yu Rong, the two door gods, and under the gate tower, the big red new lanterns swayed in the wind, all festive.