On the 27th, it was almost dark when Li Yu came back from helping the Deng family next door.

Yang Liu and the others had already eaten at home, but they were still waiting for her.

"Why aren't you sleeping yet? It's so cold, why don't you go to bed and warm up?" Li Yu asked them.

"Mom, tomorrow is the 28th. Aren't we buying New Year's goods this year? You won't forget, will you?" Lin Mei said.

…

She really forgot.

Time flies, Li Yu thought. It has been almost seven months since she came here.

Li Yu thought for a moment and said, "I'm too tired these past two days, so I won't go. Eldest brother, you two can go and buy some things tomorrow. Second brother, come along too and help your brother and sister-in-law keep an eye on their things. There are a lot of pickpockets around the New Year."

The two brothers nodded. Yang Liu asked, "Mom, what are you planning to buy? I've never bought anything like it before, and I'm afraid it won't be good enough."

"In previous years, we didn't have money, but this year it's okay. You can buy whatever you like and want to eat. We want chicken, duck, fish and meat. We didn't kill a pig this year, so buy half a pig.

I'll make lard when I get back, and then fry meatballs for you guys."

"I understand, mother."

"Go to sleep quickly, and come to me later to get 20 taels of silver to go shopping tomorrow. Also, buy anything fresh if you see one, such as fruits," Li Yu instructed.

After thinking about it, she was still worried and spoke again: "You must spend all the 20 taels I gave you tomorrow, and buy all the New Year's goods and food!"

It's no wonder Li Yu said that. These people have been poor since childhood. If you suddenly give them 20 taels of silver and ask them to buy New Year's goods, they probably won't know what to buy.

Li Yu couldn't care less. Now that she had money, she just wanted to enjoy herself. As long as she didn't show off, anything was fine. She could eat whatever she wanted behind closed doors.

The next day, before Li Yu got up, several people left.

When Li Yu opened the door, she found it was snowing. This was the first snow since she came here, and Li Yu seemed a little excited.

She wants to eat hot pot.

Unfortunately, there are no fresh green leafy vegetables here in winter, and the only vegetables are cabbages stored in the cellar.

And she didn't buy a hot pot either.

Oh! I guess I’ll have to wait until next year, Li Yu thought.

Lin Mei was knitting a sweater while playing with Xiaobao. She stuck her head out of the window and called to Li Yu, "Mom, it's too cold. Come in quickly. I'll make breakfast later. My sister-in-law and her family left without breakfast. They said the roads would be slippery if the snow got heavy, so they wanted to leave early and come back early."

"It's okay, I'll just take a look. Don't come out. I'll make breakfast."

For breakfast, Li Yu planned to make some simple porridge, and just heat up a few of the buns that Yang Liu made yesterday.

When she lit the fire, Jinhe, who was practicing calligraphy in the house, walked in and said, "Mom, let me help you."

As he said this, he prepared to sit in front of the stove and light a fire.

"No, no, there's no need for you. Go practice your calligraphy. Oh, by the way, I haven't been able to take care of you lately. How's your calligraphy going?"

"The teacher said it's good and a big improvement," he said.

"That's good. Mom knew you could do it. Come into the house quickly. I'll do it." Li Yu urged him.

"Mom, actually I have something to ask you." Lin He said.

"Ask me, what's the matter? It's rare that you still have time to ask me."

"Actually, it's about my second brother. What are your plans, mother? He'll be 19 after the new year. Even though his birthday is in August, we don't count by the whole year here."

"Your second brother? What's wrong with your second brother? Is 19 too old? Are you worried that he won't be able to find a wife? Don't worry about that. With our family conditions, there are many people who want to marry your second brother." Li Yu said.

Lin He sighed, wondering why his mother was so silly and cute sometimes.

He said: "I am not talking about my second brother getting married. You are going to open a restaurant for my eldest brother. Meimei, everyone with a discerning eye knows that you are going to give her the wool business. I want to study.

You have made plans for everyone, but what about your second brother? Don’t you have any plans? "

…

So this is what Lin He was worried about.

"Ahe, you should know that your second brother is practicing carving, right?" Li Yu asked him.

Lin He nodded to indicate that he knew.

"Actually, that's not a carving. I didn't let him tell any of you because it would be dangerous if others knew about it. I didn't intend to let you know until our family was able to keep this thing," Li Yu explained.

"It's so serious, Mom, what is it?" Lin He always thought that he was not a curious person, but after hearing what his mother said, he really wanted to know.

Li Yu would definitely not tell him, he would not test human nature casually.

"I can't tell you now. When you pass the imperial examination and become a scholar, or even a juren, I'll ask your second brother to give it to you.

But I can tell you that if your second brother succeeds, even if you get the top score in the imperial examination, you may not be able to match his achievements. So, don't worry about your second brother, I, your mother, know what's going on.

Don't even think about asking your second brother for information. He's a stubborn person and he promised me not to tell you, so you definitely won't be able to get the information out of him.

But don't be afraid, it's not harmful."

Lin He: ...

He wasn't afraid.

Since his mother said so, Lin He didn't worry about it anymore.

"I understand, mother. Don't worry."

After saying that, he got up and went out to call Lin Mei and Xiao Bao to eat.