Meng Zhao picked up a piece of pork rib and put it in Xu Yunrong's bowl. "Mom, this pork rib is the best part that I specially picked. Please try it."

Xu Yunrong picked up a rib and took a bite. Sure enough, the meat was tender and fell off the bone with a gentle bite. She nodded after finishing the rib.

A person's long-held thoughts and beliefs cannot be changed overnight. The three people at the dinner table understood each other without saying anything, and finished their meal peacefully.

This year has been a mild winter. We haven't seen any heavy snow until the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month. So, as the year draws to a close, the county is becoming more and more lively. The streets are filled with many small vendors, and everyone is willing to come out and stroll around.

Because there was a teahouse, the family had no shortage of dried fruits and snacks, but Meng Zhao still went out to buy a lot.

After all, it's Chinese New Year, and what we're looking for is the lively atmosphere of everyone getting together. Even something as simple as cleaning together can bring joy.

Especially since Meng Zhao bought the house this year, making it his own property, he simply renovated the courtyard wall and built a stable so that he no longer had to squeeze in with the mules.

As the year drew to a close, Meng Zhao found someone and brought back some beef and mutton.

Last year, for their New Year's Eve dinner, the whole family started preparing the dishes two or three days in advance. On the day of the dinner, they made nearly twenty dishes. The person who cooked had to worry about the kitchen while eating, so they couldn't sit still.

Besides, dishes cool down quickly in winter. With so many different kinds of dishes, it's impossible to cook them all at once. By the time we start eating, many dishes will be cold. So this year, we all agreed not to cook New Year's Eve dinner and instead have hot pot. We just need to prepare the ingredients in advance so that the food will be hot from start to finish.

Before they knew it, it was New Year's Eve. Two red lanterns hung high above the gate, which Meng Zhao and the children had made themselves. The couplets pasted on the door were written by Shen Qinghe early in the morning.

The family prepared a lot of mutton for the Chinese New Year, so Meng Zhao prepared a mutton and scallion filling. Since they were going to have hot pot that night, she didn't prepare too much, just enough to make a token gesture.

After bringing out the prepared filling, Meng Zhao suddenly remembered something. He went to the kitchen, scooped out the few copper coins that had just been boiled, and handed them to the people making dumplings, telling them to each wrap one inside and see who would get to eat it.

After the dumplings floated to the surface one by one, Shen Qinghe added cold water to the pot twice more to prevent the dumpling wrappers from being cooked before the filling was done.

Three plates were cooked in total. Shen Qinghe placed the last plate of dumplings in front of Meng Zhao.

Shen Qingze stared at the dumplings on the plate, looking somewhat troubled. "Sigh, I made special marks on the dumplings when I was making them, but now they all look the same after cooking."

Upon hearing this, Madam Gu couldn't help but pat his head, "You silly child, getting a copper coin is all about luck, how can you mark it? If you try to do something like this, you probably won't get a single one later."

Shen Qingze pouted and grumbled twice, clearly unwilling to give up, and was still circling around looking for the dumpling he had marked.

This kind of thing is just for good luck, and it doesn't matter if you don't get to eat it. Meng Zhao didn't take it too seriously. She casually picked up a dumpling from the plate in front of her, and before Shen Qinghe could remind her, she took a bite.

"Hiss—" To his surprise, his teeth hit something hard when he took a bite. Meng Zhao frowned and quickly spat out the copper coin in his mouth.

Seeing this, Shen Qinghe quickly asked with concern, "Sister-in-law, are you alright?"

Meng Zhao shook his head, feeling both amused and exasperated.

"You silly child, you knew there might be a coin in the dumpling, why did you bite it so hard? Now look what happened, you didn't get the coin, but you almost broke your tooth," Xu Yunrong said with concern.

"I was just thinking of trying it out as soon as possible, and who knew I'd get to eat the first dumpling." Meng Zhao said helplessly, his luck was truly unbelievable.

Shen Qinghe said, "They say that if you eat dumplings with copper coins inside, your wish will definitely come true. Sister-in-law, do you have any wishes to make?"

Meng Zhao has always been a pragmatic person. He will work hard to get what he wants. If he really wants something, it seems that there is nothing he particularly desires.

She paused for a moment, then raised her head, her gaze gently sweeping over everyone present, and slowly said, "Then I hope that all of us will be able to live a life free from worries about food and clothing, and that we will have peace and prosperity from now on."

This was not only Meng Zhao's wish, but also everyone's wish. Seeing that the first copper coin had been eaten, everyone sped up their dumpling-eating.

Whether Meng Zhao was truly lucky or not, she found another one after eating only two, and then made another wish for her business to prosper.

Before long, Shen Qinghe also got to eat one. Seeing this, Meng Zhao smiled and asked, "Second brother, tell me quickly, what is your wish?"

Shen Qinghe pondered for a moment before replying, "I hope the next imperial examination after the New Year will go smoothly and without any unexpected events."

Upon hearing this, Meng Zhao couldn't help but laugh, his tone brimming with confidence, "Second brother, what could possibly happen? With your talent, you're sure to pass the imperial examination with flying colors next year. Your wish is simply wasted."

Shen Qinghe's mourning period has ended, and he is now eligible to participate in the imperial examinations. The county examination in February will be his first step towards an official career.

In Meng Zhao's eyes, Shen Qinghe was still an obedient younger brother at the moment, but in less than two years, he would prove with his strength what it meant to soar to great heights.

After all, while it is rare to be the top scholar in the imperial examination, there is one every three years. But to achieve the triple crown like Shen Qinghe is truly a rare occurrence.

Even though he remained relatively unknown for several years after becoming the top scholar in the imperial examination due to his family background, his dazzling brilliance could not be suppressed in the end.

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