Jia Xu just returned home yesterday. His family heard that he stayed at the Li family's house for one night, ate hot pot, soaked in hot springs, and even received a lot of care from the Li family during his trip south.

From Madam Jia to Baozhu, young and old alike are deeply grateful to the Li family.

Therefore, Madam Jia personally led her three daughters-in-law to prepare a New Year's gift for the Li family.

Before the gifts could be sent out, the four Jiaren brothers came to visit and brought New Year's gifts.

The specialties of Suijintan are jade melons and golden fruits. At this time of year, Jiayin Space has planted quite a few, but doesn't dare to take them out.

Fortunately, the fruit on the mountain was quite good, so Jiayin decided not to get involved.

Therefore, the New Year's gifts that the Li family prepared for each relative and friend were basically two baskets of fruit, two baskets of fresh vegetables, two boxes of pastries from Baiyun Mountain, a pig's leg, plus sea fish and dried goods brought back by the fleet.

The pig's hind legs were specially reserved from three large, fat pigs that were slaughtered together a few days ago in the pigsty.

The large white pigs of Suijintan are now celebrity pigs in the surrounding area.

Everyone travels a long way to bring their own sows here to "marry," and then they give birth to a litter of white pigs or spotted piglets.

Whether it's a misconception or not, everyone seems to think that these white pigs and spotted pigs are easier to raise and grow fat, and that the pork has less of a gamey smell and tastes better.

Therefore, the Li family included pork legs in their New Year's gifts and sent them to various households.

Because of her good relationship with the Jia family, Old Mrs. Li remembered her old friend, Old Mrs. Jia, and specially instructed her granddaughter to send two extra baskets of good fruit.

For example, bananas, tangerines, pears, grapes, etc.

As people age, their sense of taste deteriorates, so they often crave sweet fruits.

Especially in winter, people sleep on heated brick beds and use underfloor heating or charcoal braziers for warmth, which inevitably leads to overheating.

At this moment, having a juicy fruit to soothe your throat is pure bliss.

Madam Jia beamed with joy and quickly had her daughter-in-law bring out their own New Year's gifts.

The Jia family had no fruit or fresh vegetables, but they did have a cloth shop and a farm.

Therefore, the New Year's gifts given to the Li family consisted of two cages of pheasants, two buckets of carp, four bags of new rice, two bags of sticky rice, and a bag of various beans.

In addition, there were four bolts of silk, four bolts of fine cotton, and four boxes of embroidery thread and needles.

There are quite a few of these things, but Jiaren and his brothers still need to go to the Xing family, so they can't put them on the Li family's carriage.

Therefore, Jia Xu first accompanied everyone to the Xing family, and then personally delivered the items to Suijintan.

The Jia family was delighted to see the Li and Xing families become related by marriage, so after sitting for a short while, Old Madam Jia urged her grandson to hurry out with Jiaren and his brothers.

Madam Jia had already sent a message to her brother's family, so Lord Xing and Madam Xing were waiting at home.

Previously, when her daughter came back, she spoke quite a bit with Madam Xing, suppressing her shyness.

The Li family's favor and Jiaren's openness pleased Lord Xing and Madam Xing.

But since they hadn't seen Jiaren with their own eyes, they were still worried.

Finally, Xing Ning greeted everyone at the door.

Jiaren walked ahead and was the first to enter the door.

Compared to those wealthy and established families, the Li family's foundation is much weaker.

But Jiaren is the eldest grandson of the Li family. He has followed his family from a poor farming family to where they are now, experiencing more and more wealth and honor. He has been studying and taking care of his younger brothers. What he has in abundance is his steadiness and reliability, and his steadiness also reveals a scholarly air.

This is the look that all elders like the most.

After all, who wouldn't want their daughter to marry a reliable and good man?

Today, Jiaren wore a royal blue brocade robe, a dark blue belt around his waist, a jade pendant carved with the Three Friends of Winter, and a dark green purse.

Her jet-black hair was neatly tied up with a hollowed-out silver band.

His bronze face looked very healthy, completely lacking the pale and weak appearance often seen in scholars.

She wore white boots with navy blue velvet uppers, and gold eagles were embroidered on both sides of her ankles.

Because of the cold weather, he also wore a wolf-skin lining, covered with a dark brocade cloak embroidered with eagles, which matched his boots.

When Lord Xing and his wife saw the handsome young nobleman walking in step by step through the lightly fallen snow, they were already extremely satisfied.

Soon, both sides bowed, offered each other seats, and served tea.

Lord Xing and Madam Xing did not neglect Jia Huan, Li Ge'er, and Mao Ge'er.

Jia Huan is honest and simple, Li Ge'er is smart and polite, and Mao Ge'er is innocent and lively; all of them have likable personalities.

This made Lord Xing and his wife even happier.

After all, even the best son-in-law needs the support of his brothers in a gang of heroes.

It was clear that the Li family was as united as they had heard, and their business was thriving.

Lord Xing is an editor, and he spends all his time in front of books, so he is naturally very knowledgeable.

After exchanging a few casual words, he couldn't help but start testing Jiaren's studies, and he didn't even spare Li Ge'er and Mao Ge'er.

Only Jia Huan, because he was a cook, escaped this ordeal.

As a result, not only Jiaren's response greatly pleased Lord Xing, but Lige'er and Maoge'er were also quite good.

This aroused Lord Xing's love for talent, and he wished he could arrest Jiaren and his brothers and interrogate them until dark.

Fortunately, Madam Xing stopped her husband from getting carried away, comforted Jiaren and his brothers, and then told them to hurry up and continue delivering the New Year's gifts.

Lord Xing was still not satisfied and made an appointment with Jiaren to come over after the New Year so that they could have a long talk.

Jiaren was not intimidated and readily agreed.

As they were leaving, a window in the side room opened a crack, barely the width of a palm. Jiaren guessed that Wan'er was behind them, so he smiled and nodded, then left with his younger brothers...

Leaving aside the fact that Jiaren and his brothers rushed to Luoan Academy, Jiayin was also extremely busy.

In the main hall of the Marquis's mansion, the head steward was with Jiayin, sorting through the lists of gifts received and writing lists of return gifts, preparing things in advance.

Logically speaking, since the Marquis held considerable military power and was determined to remain a solitary official, he rarely had any dealings or interactions with outsiders.

But humans are social animals; how could they possibly have no human relationships whatsoever?!

Therefore, even though the Marquis's mansion only sent New Year's gifts to some of the Ye family's old relatives and friends, as well as the Marquis's comrades and teachers, there were already more than thirty such families.

The head steward couldn't help but say, "Fortunately, the fruits and fresh vegetables brought by the princess added color to the New Year's gifts."

"Otherwise, it would be the same old things every year, just kept changing. Things sent from one place would be sent to another."

"Finally, many families may receive gifts that they themselves sent out, which would be quite embarrassing."

Jiayin closed the gift list and said with a smile, "Fortunately, we have a greenhouse at home, so we have plenty of fruits and vegetables. They are especially rare at this time of year, so we have saved a lot of money on New Year's gifts."

She pointed to the ten baskets of fruit in the corner of the storeroom on the ground and then gave instructions to the head steward.

"Uncle Steward, these fruits are for the people in the manor. Please help me distribute them. Tomorrow, I need to go to the palace to deliver a New Year's gift to my Imperial Uncle. If there's anything else in the manor, please have someone come find me anytime."

"Yes, Princess." The head steward replied with a smile, but just as he was about to speak, the Marquis returned, followed by two servants.

The head butler recognized him but didn't immediately, while Jiayin jumped up with joy...