mtl008 Chapter 227 New Year’s Eve Dinner
Chapter 227 New Year’s Eve Dinner
The Lunar New Year has arrived as scheduled, and in the blink of an eye, it's New Year's Eve.
Lu Tao and Liu San Niang cleaned the courtyard thoroughly with the servants early in the morning.
Bright red lanterns hung under the eaves, and brand-new Spring Festival couplets and the character "福" (good fortune) were pasted on the lintel.
The festive atmosphere of bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new year is palpable.
After a simple lunch, Lu Tao and Liu San Niang got busy in the kitchen.
Actually, since there are servants at home, they don't have to do these chores themselves.
But during holidays, they seem uneasy if they don't do something.
Steaming hot braised pork belly simmered on the stove, its rich aroma filling the air...
"Ladies, stop busy in the kitchen." A servant from the front yard came over. "Master Qian, Madam Qian, and Young Master Qian have arrived. The young ladies would like you to go and greet them."
Lu Tao and Liu San Niang quickly put down their work, tidied up again, and then went to the front yard.
Qian Haiduo and his wife brought tea and pastries, as well as a large bag of dried fruit and some maltose.
Tian Jinghe, Chu Qian, and Chu Yao happily accepted the candy and ran around the yard chattering away.
"Sister Lu, Sister Liu, I'm a shameless older sister, so I'll stay here for the holidays this year." Madam Qian held Lu Tao and Liu San Niang's hands. "Please don't mind."
Qian Haiduo nodded repeatedly from the side.
"Don't say that, it's more lively with more people."
Lu Tao instructed the servants to pour hot tea for Qian Haiduo and the others.
"Let's not just celebrate this year, we'll celebrate together every year from now on."
Liu San Niang replied, "That's right, we come together every year."
Just as everyone was chatting, the gatekeeper came in and said, "Madam, Miss, the instructor of the county school has sent someone with gifts."
Tian Jinghe was the first to rush out, and Lu Tao and Liu San Niang quickly led people out to greet him, with Qian Haiduo's family following behind.
The day before, Tian Tian took her family to deliver New Year's gifts to Instructor Ye Rong's family.
He couldn't come in person, so he sent his household steward instead.
"This is plum blossom wine brewed by our Instructor himself, and..." The Ye family steward presented a beautiful wine jar.
"These are the questions from the recent dozen or so imperial examinations, as recorded by the Imperial Instructor..."
"A gift for the young master."
Tian Jinghe bowed and accepted the gift politely, saying, "This student thanks the instructor for the gift."
Lu Tao slipped a purse into the steward's hand, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, steward."
The plum blossom wine was just a gift from the instructor; the real focus was on the questions from these dozen or so imperial examinations.
There will be corresponding interpretations and answers for every question, which will be of great help to Tian Jinghe.
Back in the courtyard, I had only been sitting down for a short while when...
The gatekeeper came again to report that Master Fan and Master Lin from the county school had arrived.
The family went out to greet them again.
Master Fan and Master Lin stepped down from the carriage, both wearing thick robes and carrying congratulatory gifts.
Tian Tian quickly stepped forward and bowed, "Please come in, gentlemen. It's freezing cold, why did you come in person?"
Master Fan stroked his beard. "It's the New Year holiday, so teachers and students visit each other."
"This is a small token of my appreciation."
Master Lin chimed in, "Yes, we brought some small things with us."
The two teachers handed the gifts to Tian Jinghe and then took their leave.
"I still need to go buy some things for Madam."
"I'm going to get some wine too."
Since she couldn't keep them, Tian Tian didn't force them to stay. She had her servants deliver a return gift and then saw the two teachers off.
Tian Jinghe opened the gifts from the two scholars, which were all questions and solutions from past imperial examinations.
He was overjoyed and took it back to his yard like a precious jewel.
"With the attention of the Instructor and the two Masters, Jinghe's future is immeasurable," Qian Haiduo said, looking at Tian Jinghe with admiration.
Qian Haiduo set the precedent, and everyone's attention turned to Tian Jinghe.
Tian Jinghe hugged Tian Tian shyly...
"Hahaha..."
Everyone laughed.
A short while later, the gatekeeper brought over a box.
“Madam, this was delivered by a shopkeeper surnamed Shen. He left as soon as he put the things down, saying that you know who it was.”
Madam Lu thought for a moment, "Since the surname is Shen, it must be Shen Zhian."
To be honest, ever since Shen Zhian confessed his feelings to her, she had been cold and distant for several days, and he came to visit less often afterward.
Perhaps he went to the hot pot restaurant without her knowing.
She looked at the box with some difficulty; it was quite large, and she wondered what was inside.
Because of Qian Haiduo and the others, Lu Tao couldn't open it to take a look.
She was just thinking that if she accepted the gift, she would have to reciprocate, which would inevitably lead to further contact with Shen Zhian.
"Mother," Tian Tian noticed her hesitation, "let's take it to the yard."
The gatekeeper handed the items to the servants.
"Mother, don't overthink it," Tian Tian said in a low voice. "It's just a New Year's gift. I'll personally give you a return gift after the New Year."
"Don't think about it too much."
Lu Tao nodded. "Mm."
As darkness fell, the courtyard was brightly lit.
Everyone started preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner.
Steaming hot dishes were continuously brought out of the kitchen... filling the entire table.
Meat, fish, vegetables, pastries, desserts, soups... hot and cold dishes are all available.
Everyone sat together, enjoying a harmonious atmosphere.
At the dinner table, everyone talked about interesting things that happened in the past year.
However, the greater focus is on expectations for the coming year.
"I hope that next year, Fulai can marry a virtuous wife." Madam Qian had drunk a little wine and was slightly tipsy, so her words were a bit slurred. "Ideally, he could have two children in three years."
Hearing her say that, Lu Tao chimed in, "Then I also hope that my sweetie can find a good husband."
"To be there for her, to protect her, and to prevent her from working too hard on her own."
Upon hearing this, Tian Tian's eyes welled up with tears.
Lu Tao looked at Tian Xiang and said, "My Xiang'er should also find a reliable man while she's still young, someone who can accept Qian'er and Yao'er and treat you well."
Tian Xiang smiled helplessly, "Mother, let's not talk about these things during this festive season."
Lu Tao wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes. "Okay, I won't say, I won't say."
Tian Tian looked at Qin Youyou. The little girl had only taken a sip of wine, but she was already drunk and lying in Liu San Niang's arms.
"Aunt Liu, are you planning to find a suitable husband for Youyou next year?"
Liu San Niang nodded and hugged Qin Youyou, "We'll start looking for someone slowly next year. There's no rush, Youyou is still young anyway."
Madam Qian and Lu Tao asked in unison, "What kind of girl do you want to find for Youyou?"
Liu San Niang had already thought about it, so she answered easily, "I want to find someone for Youyou to study, even if he hasn't passed the imperial examinations to become a Xiucai or Juren yet, as long as he's reliable, I'll support him slowly."
"Hey, Aunt Liu, isn't the provincial examination next year? Why don't we do what others do and try to recruit people from the list of successful candidates?" Tian Xiang had only heard about this from others.
"Just snatch a scholar who passed the imperial examination and bring him back to be your son-in-law."