Chapter 29

There were gusts of cold wind and fine snow floating outside the window, making people shiver with cold. The strong wind blew the fine snow up and lifted the thick door curtains, and the snowflakes were blown into the house but melted instantly. There was a heated kang and a stove in the house, and compared to the outside, it was actually warmer than spring.

Wan Xin called the maid in. She had prepared a banquet today and was going to invite the ladies she was on good terms with to get together and show off her newly bought clothes.

"Chun Guo, quickly bring over the new clothes that my father gave me the day before yesterday. I want to wear them today. Please help me comb my hair into a nice bun."

Wan Xin's father was Wan Lu, a wealthy man in Ganzhou, and his family was considered a well-off family. Ever since his father had a unique vision and started the papermaking business, the family has been making a fortune. Now, she is about to wear the most fashionable "Moon Velvet" in the county.

This Yuerong is a straight hem made of silk, with a layer of cashmere on the cuffs and collar. It feels delicate and soft, and looks luxurious when worn.

Putting on a cashmere shawl, it highlights the soft curve of the back and the slender waist, making her look graceful.

This dress is named "Moon Velvet" because it is white and soft like the moonlight and is made of cashmere.

The maid helped her to put on her clothes, comb her hair, and do up her eyebrows. Madam Wan looked at the young lady with bright eyes and white teeth in the mirror and couldn't help but smile.

"Chun Guo, your hair is combed really nicely today."

The maid smiled and said, "Madam, you are so beautiful. Madam Liu and Madam Fu must be envious of you for getting this new dress today."

As soon as she finished saying this, Madam Wan felt very proud and quickly asked her servants to urge the two ladies, as she couldn't wait to show off to them.

Suddenly, a voice came from outside, "Chun Guo, go out and take a look."

Chun Guo lifted the door curtain and saw that it was indeed the two ladies. "Madam, Madam Liu and Madam Fu are here."

Madam Wan smiled sweetly, "Please come in."

As soon as Liu Wei and Fu Yue entered the yard, they saw Wan Xin standing by the window. Snow was falling outside the window. She stood there in a velvet coat, looking light and lovely.

"Whose young lady is this? She is so graceful and charming." Liu Wei joked as she entered the door.

"You're finally here. Look at my new clothes. Doesn't it look good?" Wan Xin stood up and turned around. Her skirt fluttered, looking graceful and beautiful.

"Is this the popular moon velvet recently?" Fu Yue asked.

Wan Xin said proudly, "That's right. My father queued for a long time but couldn't buy one. He only ordered it in advance because he was related to the Zhou family."

Liu Wei reached out and touched it. It was indeed soft and delicate. "Is it the newly opened Zhouji clothing store? This batch of Yue velvet is sold out. It's a pity that I went there too late and missed it."

"You can see how ingenious the Zhou family is. Winter clothes made by county garment stores usually look bulky and don't show your figure. But yours makes your figure look better." Fu Yue continued.

"I'll take off the cape for you to try on. It will definitely look good with the skirt you're wearing today, Avi." Wan Xin said generously.

Liu Wei smiled and said, "This is new clothing, aren't you afraid that I might damage it?"

Wan Xin was so angry that she hit her and said, "What's our relationship? No matter how good the clothes are, they can't compare to our friendship."

"Okay, okay, it's my fault. Thank you very much for your kindness, Madam Wan."

"You are the only one who is poor." Wan Xin smiled and tapped her forehead.

The three of them took turns trying on clothes and combing each other's hair. They were having a great time and were full of laughter.

"I heard that the style of this dress was thought up by County Magistrate Lin." Wan Xin took a sip of honey water and said casually.

"Mr. Lin?" Liu Wei exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, that County Magistrate Lin." Wan Xin said softly and blushed unconsciously.

Fu Yue saw her expression clearly and joked, "Our Miss Wan has a lover."

Wan Xin blushed and said, "Don't talk nonsense. County Magistrate Lin is such a powerful figure. You've ruined his reputation for no reason..." She covered her face with her hands.

Liu Wei said, "I actually saw County Magistrate Lin from a distance."

"Have you met County Magistrate Lin?" Wan Xin and Fu Yue asked in unison.

"You haven't seen it?" This time it was Liu Wei and Fu Yue who were surprised.

"Oh, I've only heard of his name. I heard that he is very handsome, gentle and polite, and he has become a county magistrate at such a young age."

A young girl is in love, and she only knows how to admire young girls.

"Ah Xin, don't interrupt. Let A Wei continue."

"I remember it was snowing that day. My father, mother and I went to visit my uncle's family and ran into County Magistrate Lin and Young Master Wei..."

"And there is Young Master Wei..." Fu Yue exclaimed. Everyone knew about Young Master Wei's feat of killing a pack of wolves alone.

Liu Wei glared at Fu Yue, frightening her so much that she raised her hands to beg for mercy, "Go on."

"My father got involved in the papermaking business because of the support of County Magistrate Lin. For this, my father has always respected and appreciated him. So when he saw County Magistrate Lin, he stepped forward to pay his respects."

"I watched from afar as he chatted with my father for a few words and brushed the snow off Young Master Wei's shoulders. His movements were so gentle that I felt like a spring breeze blowing on my face. Young Master Wei smiled at him, and it was like ice and snow melting. They were both good-looking, and I didn't know which one I liked better."

Fu Yue burst out laughing, "Sure enough, she only shows this expression when she sees the good-looking man Awei. Sigh, I wonder who will get the advantage in the future."

"Let's not talk about them. I heard that Zhouji Clothing Store will release New Year fashions in a few days. I must grab them this time." Wan Xin said.

The three of them smiled at each other and started chatting again.

But Lin Shuge, who was being talked about by them, sneezed loudly.

First I think about you, then I scold you, then I catch a cold. Could it be that someone is thinking about me?

He got off work early today and prepared to go home to make a simple hotpot to share with his brother and sister-in-law. Snowy days are perfect for a hotpot. He once again lamented that hotpot without chili has no soul.

He went to the butcher's shop to buy meat. The butcher was familiar with him and helped him cut the mutton into thin slices.

A woman also came to buy meat, and the butcher asked with a smile, "Madam, are you here to buy meat again?"

The woman said happily, "My Sanlang works in the bookstore and earns some money every day. I have knitted a few sweaters these days and earned a lot of money. We have all worked hard for a long time, so why not buy some meat to replenish our energy."

Lin Shuge listened to the conversation between the two, smiled slightly, turned around and said goodbye to his boss.

I had already told Ayuan and Axuan last night to wash the vegetables needed for the hotpot, and he would come back to stew the soup and prepare the dipping sauce and we could eat it.

He pushed open the gate and saw a layer of snow in the yard. Lin Qingyuan and Lin Xuan were sweeping the snow with brooms.

The roads are slippery when it snows. If you don’t sweep the road, it will be easy to fall if you step on the ice the next day.

"Ayuan, Axuan, I'm back. Are you cold? I'll clean the rest."

"Brother, there's no need for you. We'll finish sweeping soon." Lin Qingyuan dodged his hand that was trying to grab the broom. Lin Shuge touched their hands and found they were still warm, so he let them sweep.

He entered the kitchen. The fire was still on in the stove. He had to quickly stew some hot pot soup base. If it was cold, he could stew some pork bone soup base.

He blanched the pork shank, green onion, and ginger in cold water, then took them out and washed them, then put back into clean water and pork shank, added green onion, ginger, garlic, and peppercorns, then boiled for half an hour and sprinkled a handful of salt. The finished soup was white and thick, and smelled extremely fragrant.

He poured half a basin of soup base into the small pot in the stove room, and moved the stove directly to the main room. It was really enjoyable when the whole family gathered around the stove to eat hot pot.

Lin Qingyuan and Lin Xuan brought over the prepared vegetables and cut meat.

"Ayuan, Axuan, come and have dinner. I've been thinking about this hotpot for a long time." He put a plate of mutton slices on the table first, and after cooking it for a while, he told the two to pick up the meat and eat it quickly, otherwise it would be overcooked.

Lin Xuan picked up a piece of mutton slice, dipped it in the sauce, and put the mutton wrapped in the sauce into her mouth. It tasted fresh, fragrant and spicy, which made her mouth water.

"Try this dipping sauce, I bought sesame paste made from sesame seeds."

Lin Qingyuan added a few spoonfuls to the bowl, scooped up a chopstick of venison, and tasted mellow and fragrant, complementing the spicy oil of dogwood. He exclaimed: "Brother, how did you make it? It's so delicious."

Lin Xuan next to him was eating hard with food stuffed in her mouth, and could only nod wildly to express her excitement.

"Isn't it delicious? Winter is the best time for the whole family to sit together and eat hotpot." He smiled and thought of Xie Chen unexpectedly.

The red slices of meat and green vegetables were tumbling in the pot, cooking steaming hot. Lin Shuge's eyes and eyebrows were a little blurred in the mist.

"Well, it would be nice if Erlang were here. He loves spicy food the most." Erlang didn't even eat the venison he hunted. Lin Qingyuan put down his chopsticks with a distressed look on his face, but was stepped on by Lin Xuan.

"Brother, don't worry. The entire Dingyuan County has been peaceful in the past few years. Erlang will be fine. Maybe he can come back and reunite with us during the New Year." Lin Xuan comforted.

No one was used to the sudden disappearance of one person in the house and the family felt empty. Lin Xuan even thought that Erlang might come back in a few days and act like a spoiled child in front of his eldest brother and help her and Ayuan review their lessons with a cold face.

"Well, I hope so." Lin Shuge said gently.

In fact, the one who was least used to Xie Chen's absence was Lin Shuge. In the past, whenever he came back, there would be a little tail following him, helping him with work obediently and sensibly.

Sometimes he would subconsciously call Zhong Xuan, but when he faced the empty room and no one responded, he realized that Zhong Xuan had been gone for several days.

It's fine when he's busy, but when I'm free, I start to worry about whether he's doing well being alone outside, and whether he's hurt.

"I'm fine. The brat has become more capable. He hasn't sent any letter yet. Let's eat our food and ignore him."

Xie Chen had been away for a few days. He had originally agreed to write a letter to report safety as soon as he arrived at the Duwei Mansion. Lin Shuge had been waiting for this for the past few days, but unfortunately no letter came.

Zhongxuan has always been trustworthy, so nothing will happen to him, right?

Lin Xuan glanced at Lin Shuge's face and said hurriedly, "Brother, Erlang may be stuck with something. He just arrived and is not familiar with many things. He needs to spend time to familiarize himself with official duties and get along with his colleagues and subordinates. It is possible that he has no time to write a letter for the time being."

Lin Shuge picked up a piece of mushroom with chopsticks and said, "I hope so. Come on, Xuan, eat this."

"Okay, big brother."

Lin Shuge looked at the snow outside the window and sighed slightly. This was his role as a brother.

The snow was falling heavier, blocking Lin Shuge's vision. He came to his senses and continued to eat hot pot with the twins.