May you be happy every year and safe every year.
Zheng Ruqian lay in bed, dreaming of a family reunion feast. There was a fragrant and tender braised pork knuckle, a rich and flavorful braised chicken, a garlicky fried fish, and all sorts of other delicious dishes, all of which were Aunt Zhang's specialties.
Unfortunately, he woke up as soon as it was put in his mouth, and heard a little child's voice muttering, "Second brother, here's some New Year's money for you. May you be happy and safe every year."
That's strange. Jiang Sheng is so stingy, yet he still gives him New Year's money.
Zheng Ruqian was greatly surprised. He slowly opened one eye and, sure enough, saw the purse next to his forehead.
Based on visual estimation, it's at least fifty taels of silver.
Oh my goodness, this is tantamount to taking away half of their little Jiang Sheng's life. Fifty taels is no small sum.
Just as Zheng Ruqian was about to make a joke, he made a strange "hoho" sound because his throat was too dry.
Jiang Sheng was so startled that she stood up abruptly, knocking over the stool she was sitting on.
The brothers who were standing outside rushed in one after another, and when they saw Zheng Ruqian with his bright eyes, they all smiled.
"Second Brother, you're finally awake." Jiang Sheng's lips trembled as she was about to cry, but she didn't want others to call her a little crybaby, so she forced back her tears and sobbed, "I thought, I thought you wouldn't wake up. We didn't get to eat dumplings on New Year's Eve, but we should at least eat them on New Year's Day."
Zheng Ruqian's mouth was open, still making "hehe" sounds.
"Second brother, I won't scold you, don't worry. I know you rushed back for me, and I remember it all." Jiang Sheng's nose became increasingly sore. "You need to get better soon so we can eat dumplings together."
Zheng Ruqian's eyes widened further, and the "hoho" sounds increased.
Jiang Sheng was completely bewildered.
Xu Mo coughed and speculated, "Could it be that the second brother is thirsty..."
As if waking from a dream, Jiang Sheng quickly picked up the warm teacup and brought it to Zheng Ruqian's lips.
His throat, parched for days, felt like it had been given a refreshing rain. Zheng Lao Er drank it all in one gulp and was finally able to speak. "Jiang Sheng, you really are an idiot."
If we had gone any later, my second brother would have either died from thirst or from exhaustion from the journey.
"I'm just worried sick." Jiang Sheng put her two small hands behind her back and fidgeted with them. "Second brother, you've suffered these past two months."
"Yes, second brother, Jiang Sheng has already given your aunt money to buy meat, saying she wants to give you a good boost," Xu Mo teased.
Changyan also poked his head out, "Fourth Brother said he'll get you some tonics so you can recover your strength as soon as possible."
It feels so good to have family who care about me.
Zheng Ruqian was smiling warmly when he heard the last sentence, his expression changed drastically, and he shook his head frantically, "No, no, no, I can eat the meat, but I won't drink the medicine."
The whole family burst into laughter.
"You have to drink it whether you want to or not. Only if it tastes bad will you learn your lesson." Jiang Sheng finally lost her temper a little. "If you dare to travel recklessly again, I'll give you the bitterest medicine. Fourth Brother, what was the bitterest medicine again?"
Wen Zhiyun smiled and said, "Of course it's Coptis chinensis."
Seeing Zheng Ruqian's expression change from stunned to alarmed, and then to panicked, the whole family burst into laughter again.
Laughter carried outside, filling the entire courtyard.
The Gao brothers, who were resting outside, all looked on with envy.
Zheng Ruqian put in a lot of effort during this journey, holding the whip tightly the whole time and covering a full half of the distance.
The Gao brothers took on the remaining half, and although they suffered and lost weight, they were in better condition.
Aunt Zhang served them dumplings and tea, and they were resting after eating and drinking their fill.
Gao Yan was young and had few calluses on his hands. He had worn them raw countless times while holding the reins. Now he was carefully peeling off the outermost layer of skin to reveal the blurry flesh inside.
"What are you doing?" Wang Xiaozhu stopped in front of the two brothers, carrying wound medicine. "Even if blisters appear, you can just pop them. Tearing off the outer skin will slow down the healing process."
Gao Yan withdrew his hand, at a loss. "I... I was just curious about what it was like inside."
“There’s no skin inside.” Wang Xiaozhu squatted down, annoyed. “Hold out your hand. Dr. Wen asked me to bandage you.”
Once the brothers' hands were completely wrapped in white bandages, she instructed them, "Don't get them wet while you're at home for the New Year. I'll change the bandages when you come back for the Lantern Festival."
Gao Dawang thanked him from the side.
Gao Yan stared blankly at her slender and graceful back, and asked as if possessed, "Aren't you...aren't you going home for the New Year?"
Although the two brothers were late, they still had to go home eventually. The employer even gave them an extra two taels of silver as compensation, allowing them to rest before driving the carriage back, which was quite a dignified gesture.
But this girl, who was always busy at the clinic, seemed to have never left the small courtyard.
Wang Xiaozhu paused slightly, then said without turning her head, "I'm not going back. This is my home."
She left, taking with her gauze and wound medicine.
Both brothers lowered their heads and remained silent.
After a long silence, Gao Dawanqiang broke the silence with a smile, "It's so good that I don't have to travel all the way home. After my parents pass away, I will bring my wife and children to Fengjing. We won't have to see each other twice a year anymore."
Gao Yan didn't speak for a long time before finally managing to utter a soft "hmm".
Who wouldn't want to be with their loved ones every day?
The second day of the Lunar New Year.
The Gao brothers drove their horse-drawn carriage home for the New Year, carrying the reward money.
Zheng Ruqian was finally allowed to get out of bed and slowly eat dumplings.
Aunt Zhang was chatting with him about the head chef and the collaboration between Jiuzhenfang and Youranju.
Wang Xiaosong angrily complained, extremely dissatisfied with Manager Hao's drastic measures.
Jiang Sheng was curious about the chestnuts he brought from Hebei County. The chestnuts from Henan County were much larger and plumper, so why did he insist on the smaller chestnuts from Hebei County?
The three of them talking at the same time sounded like five hundred ducks singing, so noisy that even Xu Mo frowned.
Zheng Ruqian seemed oblivious, finishing the last bite of the dumpling and wiping his mouth before saying, "Let's go one by one, Xiaosong first."
Chang Yan raised an eyebrow in the distance, inexplicably feeling that his second brother was beginning to have the aura of a major boss.
Wang Xiaosong began to complain incessantly, "Manager Hao is really too much. He was the one who suggested that the roast duck should be two ounces each, and he was the one who finalized the cooperation first. But then he turned around and started raising ducks from Danyang County, and even poached a master chef. Once the ducks grew up, he broke off our cooperation."
“If he didn’t want to cooperate, he should have said so earlier. We’ve already bought the villa and the ice. If he suddenly stops doing business, not making money is a minor issue; the villa and the ice are the biggest losses.”
Wang Xiaosong was heartbroken and clutched his chest, taking deep breaths to calm himself.
He thought his employer was just as angry as he was, and might even impulsively go to settle scores with Manager Hao.
Unexpectedly, Zheng Ruqian simply took a sip of tea and calmly said, "It's not Manager Hao's fault."
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