Chapter Fifty-two New Year

  Although they were just a few rough men, they also swept the house clean inside and out. However, they carefully guarded against entering Chong Juan's room.

  "It's been a hard half-month indeed." Xu Maosheng said.

  Looking at the half celery that came out after being picked up.

  "I'm also unfamiliar with the capital city and don't dare to rashly buy a maid back." Fan Jianglin said.

  "This isn't tiring, it's a new house, and the mistress won't be staying long, just wiping off the dust is fine, how can it be so laborious?" The maid servant smiled and said, "It's rather the young masters who are laborious, preparing the New Year's gifts so well."

  "We are a small family and have always done things ourselves, so we're used to it." Fan Jianglin said with a smile.

  Six lamps were lit indoors and two lanterns were added under the corridor, making it bright inside and out.

  The maid brought in the golden boy and several men, busy dividing food, and soon entered the house. Even the golden boy was no exception, carrying a small table and sitting by the door. When it was his turn, the maid handed him a pot of tea.

  "Sister, I want some wine too." he said, unable to hold back.

  "You also want me to keep watch at night and drink wine. I can get lost even if I don't drink, let alone after drinking." The maid said with wide eyes.

  Jin Ge's face turned red, and laughter erupted in the room.

  "Jin Ge is still unfamiliar, if he goes out again now, he will definitely get lost, don't laugh at him." Fan Jianglin said with a smile.

  "Yes, yes, Brother Da Lang is right." Jin Ge immediately said with excitement.

  The maid smiled and sat back behind her young mistress.

  Xu Maosheng corrected what he had said to Cheng Jianniang earlier.

  "The New Year's gift for the Chen family was delivered by me personally, but Mr. Chen wasn't at home, and Mrs. Chen received it instead. I also gave some new clothes to my sister. Since she could take them out, we should be able to accept them." He said, "So I accepted them on behalf of my sister."

  Jiang Nang nodded.

  "It's up to you, brother," she said.

  "Mrs. Chen invited her sister to come over and play after the New Year," said Xu Maoshu.

  Carefully recalling the scenes and encounters at the Chen's house, my heart still beats faster. The gate of Mr. Chen's mansion... thinking back to when I first arrived in Beijing, seeing an old acquaintance who was just a low-ranking city guard officer, left waiting in the anteroom for half a day. In the end, not even entering the main hall.

  How did he manage to step into the Chen family's compound in the blink of an eye? And it was none other than Madame Chen, the lady of the house, who personally received him.

  He couldn't help but look at Cheng Jiaoniang.

  Cheng Jiuniang's expression under the lamp was as usual, or rather, it had been so since they met. It seemed that nothing in this world could stir her emotions, as if she were ignorant and numb to everything in life, neither liking nor disliking, neither angry nor resentful.

  Under the host of Fan Jianglin, they toasted each other and the lively family banquet began, although there was Cheng Jiaoniang present. But for these rough men, firstly, they had already gotten used to it somewhat. Secondly, after a few cups of wine, they soon became carefree and at ease in speech and laughter.

  They couldn't eat much food, but they wanted more and more wine. In the end, the maidservant simply brought in a wine jar, and even Jin Ge, who was not allowed to drink, managed to sneak in a few sips.

  "I really didn't expect to have such a rich and carefree New Year." Xu Bangzhu held up his wine cup, his face flushed bright red, his drunken eyes blurry as he spoke, while tilting his head back to pour the liquor into his mouth, spilling it all over his body.

  "Yes, yes, just a few months ago we were fleeing for our lives in fear of being caught by those corrupt officials and thrown into prison to lose our lives. Who would have thought that today, here in the capital city, we could drink wine freely..." Another brother patted Xu Bangzhu's shoulder and laughed loudly.

  As soon as this was said, Xu Maosheng's body paused for a moment on one side, and he subconsciously looked at Cheng Jiaoniang opposite him.

  Jiang Nang's face was wooden, staring at the outside of the door, as if she hadn't heard.

  Xu Maoshou swallowed hard and was about to say something, when suddenly there was a loud crash, Xu's wine cup had fallen over, and he himself had fallen onto the mat, laughing uncontrollably as he passed out drunk.

  At this time, looking at other brothers, they were all more or less drunk, either lying down or leaning against a few cases whispering to each other.

  Even Jin Geer was lying on the ground, drunk and asleep.

  "Made my sister laugh." Xu Maoshou said with a smile.

  Jiang Nang looked at him.

  "I'm delighted, brothers made me laugh." she said.

  Xu Maoshou was taken aback for a moment before bursting into laughter and raising his wine cup in a toast to Cheng Jiaoniang.

  Jiang Yao picked up the glass of water in front of her.

  They each took a sip.

  The maid threw charcoal into the brazier in the house and went outside to check on the earth dragon. The room was warm and cozy, and the drunken men who had fallen asleep felt no chill at all, but instead snored and pulled their clothes tighter.

  "It's late, sister should go rest first." Xu Maoshu said with a cough.

  "Let's keep watch and not sleep," said Cheng Jiaoniang.

  "Well, it's cool at night, why don't you have a cup of wine too, sister?" Xu Maoshu said after some thought.

  "This wine is not good to drink," said Cheng Jiaoniang.

  Xu Maoshou smiled and took a sip himself.

  "Is it the wine that's bad or is this wine that's bad?" he asked with a hint of curiosity.

  "This wine." Jingniang looked at him, her mouth curved slightly, and said, "Not good to eat."

  Xu Maoshou burst out laughing.

  "I say, sister can strike a pot and sing, how could she be someone who doesn't drink?" He said with a smile.

  Accompanied by laughter, the scattered firecracker sounds outside suddenly grew louder and more frequent.

  The men who had been sleeping for a while were awakened and looked outside in a daze.

  "It's New Year's, it's New Year's!" Xu Bangzhu shouted, "Light the firecrackers, light the firecrackers!"

  He shouted and ran out stumbling, others also woke up, laughing and followed him.

  A bonfire was lit in the courtyard, and bamboo sticks were thrown into it one by one, making crackling sounds.

  The maid covered her ears and stuck close to Cheng Jiaoniang, giggling as she looked on.

  "Half of the celery, get a cloak for your sister, it's windy." Xu Maosheng said.

  The maid hastily went into the house and fetched a cloak to put on Jiang Yiniang.

  "Half-ginger sister, you come and burn one too, add some good fortune." Jin Ge'er shouted, holding up a bamboo stick.

  The young maid was also a young person, smiling and responding, she lifted her skirt and went over.

  Du Liu Xu Maoxiu and Cheng Jiaoniang stood side by side under the corridor.

  "Go and play by yourself, brother." said Cheng Jiaoniang.

  "I'm a bookworm, I don't play this." Xu Maoshou said seriously.

  Jiang Yao's mouth curved up again.

  "Oh, and also." Xu Maoshu thought of something and took out an object from his sleeve to hand over. "It's New Year's, I don't have anything good either. This is considered a New Year's gift for my sister, please don't disdain it."

  What's my annual gift?

  Jiangniang looked at his hand for a moment, reached out to take it, and under the jumping bonfire and lanterns, she was holding a silver comb in her hand, made of old silver, with a simple style.

  "This was left to me by my mother, and I don't even have a use for it." Xu Maoshu said with some embarrassment, then smiled again. "I misspoke, one should give gifts sincerely, this is the most precious thing I own, I hope you will accept it graciously, sister."

  Jiangniang inserted the silver comb into her hair and looked up at Xu Maoshou with a slight smile.

  Firecrackers burst one after another in the courtyard, connecting with those of neighbors on both sides and the ones on the street. The east gradually brightens, marking the beginning of a new year.

  When daylight broke, a stream of people who had come to pay their respects flowed out of the palace, a dense crowd dressed in mourning attire, yet eerily silent.

  They walked out of the palace gate and onto the imperial street before the crowd seemed to have finally found its voice, letting out a collective sigh as they began to murmur.