Chapter 266 New Year Greetings

When it was time to leave the palace late at night, there were unexpectedly many more lanterns coming out of the sleeping Heng'er - Qi fulfilled his promise and personally gave him a cow lantern. He was still awake at that time, and thanked him with a happy smile. He quickly took it in his hand and compared it with the rabbit lantern in his other hand. Then the queen had someone give him a tiger lantern, which he also liked. When he went out of the palace gate, Qin Boqing was waiting there, but he gave him a monkey lantern. Xu Junying couldn't tell what his expression was, but Meimei was overjoyed and kept praising him for his good choice.

When they returned to the mansion, Cui Si, Xia Lian and the wet nurse were still waiting. They took Heng'er away. Cui Xi happily asked the maid to take Heng'er's lanterns from the guards and put them away one by one, leaving them for him to play with tomorrow night.

Meimei was also exhausted. Xu Junying did not disturb her. He went into the study first and asked Cuixi to help her bathe and change clothes. Then he went in to take a bath. When he came out and got into bed, Meimei was already lying on the pillow in a semi-asleep state. He carefully lifted the quilt and lay down, holding her in his arms and caressing her softly:

"You fell asleep already? You didn't even wait for me to warm the bed. I can't stand the heat. You blew the fire, aren't you afraid of the cold?"

Meimei snuggled into his arms: "It's cold... Let's go to sleep, tomorrow..."

"How about tomorrow?"

"I'll settle the score with you tomorrow!"

Meimei said this and fell into a deep sleep.

Xu Junying was stunned for a moment, then he remembered what happened when he entered the palace this morning. He couldn't help but smile bitterly, lowered his head and kissed her hard on her pink lips: "Okay, go to sleep! We'll talk about it tomorrow morning!"

The next day, Meimei still had no chance to settle accounts with Xu Junying. Madam Qin brought her family to visit the Hou Mansion early. Meimei was almost caught off guard. She hadn't gotten up yet. Fortunately, Xu Junying and Heng'er were used to getting up early. The father and son went out to the front hall to greet them and asked Cuixi and the others to help the young lady get up and dress up. It still took her half an hour to dress up and come out. She greeted Madam Qin, her brother and sister-in-law, and her nephews and nieces. Madam Qin held Heng'er in her arms and pulled her daughter to sit beside her. She smiled and said:

"I was originally going to an uncle's house, but when I passed the entrance of Houfu Lane, I suddenly wanted to come and see you first, so I came here! Your brother also said that you came back late last night, but it's already past noon now, and you should get up even if you slept in late - you have never been used to sleeping in since you were a child!"

Meimei said: "Mother is right. I have to take care of the affairs of the mansion, and the wife is ill. I can't sleep even if I want to!"

Over there, Xu Junying and Cuixi looked at each other for no reason. Cuixi lowered her head and Xu Junying pretended to take the cup and drink tea.

Madam Qin nodded and stroked Meimei's hair lovingly: "You have always been sensible and well-behaved. Isn't it for you and Heng'er that the Lord works hard outside every day? You should take the initiative to take charge of the affairs of the mansion, relieve the Lord of his worries, respect your grandmother, take good care of your mother-in-law, and get along with your brothers and sisters-in-law. This is your duty!"

"My daughter listens to my mother's instructions!"

Qin Boqing smiled and said, "Lord Marquis and my sister visited our house a few days ago. Since mother is coming to visit the Marquis's mansion today, she should want to see the old lady and the madam, right?"

Madam Qin nodded, "That's right! We are relatives living in the same city, so we should have more contact. I have long wanted to come and visit the old lady and the wife of my in-laws. On the contrary, the old lady always remembers us on weekdays, but I have to take care of my grandchildren and always have no time. Today I came and of course I have to pay my respects to the old lady!"

Meimei lowered her eyes. What does "always remember us" mean? It's just that the old lady hated her every time, so she ordered Ji's mother to go to Qin's house to find Madam Qin and scold her. Fortunately, Ji's mother knew how to behave, so how could she really dare to criticize the newly-conferred Madam? Usually, she just explained her purpose in a tactful way, asking the in-laws to persuade her own aunt. Although Madam Qin was angry, she knew that the elders of the Xu family were too much. Occasionally, she sent someone to invite Meimei back to her parents' home. It was too late to see her daughter and grandson. The rest was just a few words to let Meimei know what was going on.

After Madam Qin had a pair of grandchildren, she rarely went out. Meimei didn't want Madam Qin to come to the Hou Mansion because of the complicated relationship. It was not good not to see her during the New Year. If Meimei followed her plan, she would just go to see Madam Zheng, regardless of whether she could talk or not, and she would be polite. But since Madam Qin had proposed it, she had to consider other people's thoughts. She looked at Xu Junying, and Xu Junying smiled and said:

"I have already reported to Jinhua Hall."

A housekeeper came in with the maids from Jinhua Hall. They were Ruihong and Chen Mama, who always followed Ji Mama. They bowed and said with a smile, "The old lady said: The lamps were blooming last night, and there were sparks jumping in the fire basket this morning. It turns out that the distinguished guests have come! It has been cold recently, and the old lady has difficulty walking and cannot go out to greet them. We have prepared a warm sedan at the second gate. Please invite the wife of the in-laws, the champion, the grandmother, the young master and the young lady to come in to meet them!"

Xu Junying stood up and asked Madam Qin to go to the inner courtyard. Feng was playing with two little kids who were babbling and moving their hands and feet. She said to Madam Qin:

"Mother, I am taking care of the two children, so why don't I go? I will just go to my aunt's yard and wait for you, mother?"

Madam Qin was stunned for a moment, looking at Xu Junying and Meimei: "That's right, the child is noisy, are you afraid that the old lady will not like it? With Lord Hou accompanying you, Boqing should go to pay respect to the old lady, and Mei Niang should also be there... Why don't you and your grandson stay here, with Cuixi accompanying you, and Li'er and the others can help take care of it!"

Xu Junying smiled and said, "Mother-in-law, don't worry. Grandma is kind and loves children the most. With Heng'er accompanying her, the two cousins ​​will definitely want to see grandma. Uh... Meimei will accompany my eldest uncle and his wife to go in together!"

As they were talking, Xu Junxuan came hurriedly from behind, bowed to Madam Qin, Qin Boqing and Feng, and apologized for being late in welcoming the guests and deserved to be punished.

Everyone knew that it was because they went out to watch the lanterns last night and came back too late, so no one took it seriously. Xu Junying smiled and said that they were going to Jinhua Hall now, and Xu Junxuan led the way. As soon as they turned out of the corridor, Xu Junting and Gan came hurriedly, their faces flushed, and they hurriedly apologized, saying that they were rude.

Meimei and Qin Boqing looked at each other, feeling helpless: everyone in the city watched the lanterns last night, and everyone was tired. Who wouldn't want to sleep a little longer? But Madam Qin chose to come to the mansion today, which was really wrong.

While Xu Junxuan was talking to Madam Qin, Qin Boqing walked over to Meimei and explained with his head down:

"I don't know where my mother went or who told her to calculate the date, but she said that my mother's family would come to visit you today, which would be good for you. They insisted on coming, and my brother couldn't stop them..."

Meimei smiled at him and said, "I'm not unhappy, it's just..."

She lowered her voice and said, "Look at these people in the mansion - I was asleep when you came. If mother knew that Lord Hou and Heng'er were both awake while I was still asleep, wouldn't I be scolded to death?"

Qin Boqing said: "If mother does this again in the future, I will tell my sister first no matter what!"

"Well! Since this is a good day calculated by mother for me, I should trust mother! I am very happy!"

The brother and sister talked in a low voice, gradually smiling. When they looked up, they found that except for Madam Qin and Xu Junxuan in front, everyone else was very interested in their conversation. However, no one could hear it clearly, because Feng, who was closest to them, came over and asked curiously:

"What are you two talking about? You're so happy, even I want to hear it!"

"No, nothing, my sister said..."

"Brother! Don't tell my sister-in-law!" Meimei said with a smile.

Feng couldn't help laughing: "If you don't tell me now, you will have to tell me when you get back!"

When they reached the second gate, a sedan chair was already waiting inside the Chuihua Gate. Meimei and Xu Junying helped Madam Qin to sit on it, while Cuixi and Qin Boqing helped Feng to sit on it. Feng could only hold her niece, who was shy and refused to be held by Gan. Meimei then held her niece and sat on another sedan chair, smiling at Xu Junying:

"I'm so lucky. I used to walk around by myself!"

In addition to the summer heat and the need to accompany guests, she generally insists on not riding in a sedan chair. Her body is fragile and she cannot do without exercise. If she was not worried that the people around her would be too frightened, she would also like to run in the morning and evening. In addition to practicing handstands on the couch and doing a few somersaults when no one is around, she can only make the soles of her shoes as thick and elastic as possible and walk more every day.

Xu Junying smiled as he watched Meimei holding her little niece. The little girl was as pretty as a fairy, and Meimei was fresh and beautiful. They were both dressed in festive attire, surrounded by flowers and looked rich and prosperous. Thinking that one day Meimei would hold their children, he felt warm in his heart. He liked watching Meimei holding her child. She was not like some young women who had just become mothers. They carefully concealed their joy and pride of being a mother, with a nervous look on their faces. They looked left and right, always afraid that the baby would get bumped. She was just high-profile, cheerful and sweet. Xu Junying didn't know what others thought of her, but in his eyes Meimei really didn't look like a mother. Watching her holding Heng'er felt like holding a beloved New Year's doll. In fact, she was not a gentle mother. She would hug and bite when she loved him very much. Heng'er would cry occasionally, but she was very good at teasing children and had a way to make Heng'er happy immediately. He would stick to her even more. Xu Junying thought that maybe he was just like him. After being bitten by her, he didn't feel any pain but was very happy. He was willing to ask her to bite him a second time...

The maids carrying the sedan chair walked very quickly and soon arrived at Jinhua Hall. The old lady sat on the couch and smiled as she accepted the greetings from Madam Qin, Qin Boqing, and Feng. When she saw the two children, she shouted:

"Quick! Bring them here for me to see! Oh, what good children, just like the New Year dolls in the paintings, really makes people happy! The number one scholar is already very handsome, and these two children are even better, they are so adorable! No wonder your grandmother is always reluctant to let them go out, the mansion has a number one scholar, and there are two such precious children, she must keep them with her every day!"

Madam Qin smiled and said, "It's all thanks to our ancestors! Every time my aunt goes home, she always says: Brother, you got the top prize, you must not forget the kindness of our ancestors and the Hou Mansion! If it weren't for the ancestors' good words and support, the Sixth Master of the Mansion would often take Uncle Heng'er around to broaden his horizons, make more connections, and become familiar with the imperial examinations. It wouldn't be so easy to get the top prize! Bo Qing should kowtow to our ancestors more!"

Xu Junying and Meimei were standing together. When she heard Meimei sneer softly, she reached out from behind and grabbed her hand in her palm, and warned her softly, "Be quiet!"

Qin Boqing really came out to kowtow, and the old lady hurriedly asked Lao Liu to stop him, with a kind smile on her face:

"Alright, alright! We have the ability to take care of our family. He is ambitious and talented, and he is a good kid!"

Mother Ji asked for the New Year gifts from the Qin family to be presented. They were all fine and precious silks and supplements, including the very rare Cistanche and Red Swallow. The old lady only glanced at them, nodded and said thank you for your trouble, and asked Mother Ji to take out two red velvet embroidered purses and personally hang them on the chests of the two children. Mrs. Qin then asked Feng to thank them on behalf of the children, saying:

"The old lady is very blessed. The New Year's money given by an elderly person to children is the best. You can't get it even if you beg for it. You have to kowtow to her seriously!"

Her words made the old lady very satisfied. She smiled as she watched Feng kowtow. Then someone in the corridor reported that the second master, the second mistress, and the second and third masters had arrived. The old lady said:

"Glad that you're here, meet the guests. We'll set up a banquet in the side hall later. Call those who haven't come to come, so we can have a simple meal together!" To be continued.