They worshipped their ancestors on New Year's Eve, and on the first day of the new year, Yu Wen, Yu Bo and Yu Yuan went to pay New Year's greetings to the Pei family.

Most of the people in Lin'an City would go to the Pei family to wish them a happy new year. If the Pei family had to meet everyone, they would probably be so tired that they would foam at the mouth. Therefore, the so-called New Year's greetings to the Pei family were just to write a name card and drop it in the big red book basket at the door of the Pei family. After that, the steward would register it and report it to the leader of the Pei family.

Yu Wen, Yu Bo and Yu Yuan quickly squeezed out of the crowded Pei family gate, and then went to pay New Year's greetings to other gentry families.

A book basket was also set up at the gate of the Yu family. People who were friends with the Yu family and those scholars who came to pay New Year's greetings did not enter the house, but only put a visiting card in the book basket. Some of them did not even need to come in person, but could just send their servants or housekeepers to come.

Yu Tang, Chen and Wang were at home preparing gifts for Yu Yuan to bring to the Xiang family when he visited them for the New Year tomorrow.

Because it was Chinese New Year, most of the passenger ships were suspended. Xiang's family was in Fuyang, so Yu Yuan could not travel back and forth on the same day and had to stay at Xiang's family for a day.

Yu Tang packed the hair flower she had carefully made into her own small carved red box and put it into Yu Yuan's bag. She also reminded Wang: "Aunt, please don't forget to tell my brother, lest he mistake this hair flower for a gift to the fortune teller."

Wang had always liked Yu Tang, and now that Yu Tang was always thinking about Yu Yuan in everything, she liked him even more.

"I know." She couldn't help but pinch Yu Tang's pink face and said with a smile, "Don't worry, when your sister-in-law comes home, I'll let her make shoes for you."

Yu Tang laughed and teased Wang: "Don't worry, when my sister-in-law gives me a big fat nephew, I will make clothes for him."

"This little girl!" Wang smiled and slapped Yu Tang's hand, then turned to Chen, who was busy filling maltose for Yu Yuan, and said, "I don't know when you learned to be so eloquent. We won't be afraid to argue with others when we have problems in the future."

Chen smiled indulgently at Yu Tang and said, "Sister-in-law, just get used to her. She is becoming more and more unrestrained."

"It's better to be more powerful!" Wang let Yu Tang go, and together with Chen, put the prepared things into the basket, and told Sanmu to call Xia Pinggui.

Sanmu was the servant that Yu Bo bought for Yu Yuan a few years ago. Because the servant had just arrived at the Yu family and had not had time to teach him the rules, Yu Bo asked Xia Pinggui to go with Yu Yuan when he went to Xiang's house this time, so that he would have someone to help him with anything.

Sanmu was a boy who was more honest than smart, and he was only twelve years old after the Chinese New Year. Upon hearing this, he immediately responded in a foolish way and ran away.

Chen couldn't help but feel a little worried, and said, "Is it okay for this child to follow? This is Yuan's first time to visit Yue's family, don't let this child delay anything."

Wang sighed, "After choosing so many, this is the best. I'll just have to ask Ah Tiao to take care of him and order it."

Old Anren and Mr. Xiang from the Xiang family did not say anything about this marriage, but the gossips and mistresses in the Xiang family all felt that Miss Xiang was marrying down and did not think much of the Yu family.

The Yu family may not care about these in-laws, but they were afraid of wronging Miss Xiang. They were afraid that when Yu Yuan left, there would be no one to serve him closely. So Yu Wen decided to let Ah Tiao go to Fuyang with him.

The two sisters-in-law said a few more words, and asked Yu Tang, who could read, to help check if there were any mistakes or omissions in the gift list. Sanmu suddenly turned back and stammered, "First Madam, Second Madam, Pei Mansion, the third steward of Pei Mansion came to deliver our invitation card."

Wang and Chen looked at each other, and hurriedly led Yu Tang out to greet him.

First, Hu Xing had brought Dr. Yang Yu to check Chen's pulse, and they had met more often, so they had a good relationship. Second, Hu Xing was the third chief steward of the Pei family, representing the face of the Pei family. When he came to pay New Year's greetings to the Yu family, the Yu family had to invite him in for a cup of tea and be polite.

I just don’t know if Hu Xing came here on behalf of the Pei Mansion or just on his own behalf?

Yu Tang pondered over this in his mind and followed his mother and aunt to the gate.

Hu Xing was wearing a dark red Lu silk robe inlaid with a grey squirrel fur collar. He was in high spirits. When he saw Wang and the others, he hurried forward to bow and said, "The third master asked me to come here. Madam, Madam, Happy New Year!" After that, he looked up and saw Yu Tang standing behind Wang and Chen, and wished Yu Tang a happy new year.

He actually sent the third most prominent steward of the family to pay New Year's greetings to the Yu family. This was a very honorable thing.

Wang, along with Chen and Yu Tang, hurriedly returned the gift to Hu Xing.

Hu Xing said, "I have a few more families to visit for the New Year, so I won't exchange pleasantries with you. I will come to visit Master Yu when I am free."

Chen said "I dare not" repeatedly and wanted to send Hu Xing out of Qingzhu Lane.

Hu Xing said with a smile, "We are from the same village, so please don't be polite with me. The weather is so cold, you should go back to your room and rest early! If you get frozen, how can I face Master Yu?"

He insisted not to let Chen see him off. Seeing that he was sincere, Chen did not bother to be polite with him. She packed some homemade maltose and sent him to the gate. After Hu Xing left, she could not help but say to Wang: "When the shop opened last time, I saw Manager Hu looked like he had lost his parents. Why is he so happy now?"

"Maybe something good happened to him?" Wang guessed with a smile, "Manager Hu is a nice guy. He must have been unhappy for a while!"

Although he was familiar with Hu Xing, those things were Hu Xing's own business after all. After discussing them for a few words, they put the matter behind them and started to worry about Yu Yuan's visit to Xiang's house.

Hu Xing's face fell as he left Qingzhu Lane.

After he acted on his own last time, Pei Yan left him aside, as if he didn't exist as the third chief steward. The stewards in the family were all shrewd people, and they quickly isolated him. If Doctor Yang Yu didn't know about the Pei family's affairs, he would have thought that after checking the pulse of the first wife and Madam Yu before the New Year, he would come to visit them after the second day of the second lunar month. He sent his servant to contact him directly and asked him to tell the first wife and Madam Yu. If he hadn't had the courage to report to Pei Yan, and seeing that Pei Man was busy these days, he racked his brains to find a loophole to take this job, I'm afraid he would have been banished to the cold palace by Pei Yan, waiting to be driven out of the Pei Mansion one day and live out his old age in a farm in a corner.

However, what is the relationship between the Third Elder and the Yu family?

If they were just ordinary neighbors, Miss Yu would be able to ask to see the Third Elder at any time. If there was anything unusual, it was that the Third Elder did not seem to take the affairs of the Yu family particularly to heart. He would think of them if someone mentioned them, and would forget about them if no one mentioned them.

Just like this New Year's greeting, if Doctor Yang Yu had not had something to inform Mrs. Yu in advance, and Pei Man was particularly busy, it would not have been his turn to deliver the note to the Yu family.

Should he stick to the Yu family?

Hu Xing, who prided himself on being good at dealing with people, was indecisive for the first time.

Yu Tang, of course, didn't know that a visiting card could give Hu Xing so many ideas. Yu Yuan went to Fuyang on the second day of the Chinese New Year and came back on the fourth day. The two families sat nervously around the table and asked Yu Yuan about his visit to Xiang's house. Yu Yuan blinked at Yu Tang before saying, "Although Mrs. Xiang doesn't like Miss Xiang, she can't stand people laughing at her behind her back. When I went to Xiang's house this time, Mrs. Xiang was very protective and didn't make any excessive requests, and no one treated me lightly."

Yu Wen and others breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Yu Tang knew that Yu Yuan had something to say to her, so she found an opportunity to meet Yu Yuan alone in the tea room.

Yu Yuan asked Sanmu to guard the door of the teahouse and whispered to Yu Tang, "It turns out that Madam Xiang and Miss Gu's aunt are close friends. I happened to hear someone around Madam Xiang say that Miss Gu made a big scene during the Chinese New Year and made Master Gu sick. He closed the door to guests on the first day of the Chinese New Year and all the family entertainments were handled by the eldest master of the eldest house. What do you think? Will the Li family's marriage be cancelled because of this?"

Yu Tang chuckled and said, "Whether it fails or not, if the Gu family is not at peace, the Li family won't have a good life either." At this point, she asked Yu Yuan with a gloating look, "Brother, do you think we should send someone to keep an eye on the Li family? It would be even more interesting if something happens during the New Year!"

Yu Yuan nodded repeatedly and said, "I'll let Sanmu keep an eye on it. It's a good opportunity for him to practice."

"Let Ah Liu go!" Yu Tang said, "We can't be so obvious!"

The brother and sister looked at each other and laughed. Yu Yuan went to arrange the matter without mentioning it.

On the sixth day of the first lunar month, the whole family went to pay New Year's greetings to the Wei family. On the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, Yu Tang made a special trip to see Ma Xiuniang and made an appointment to go to see the lanterns together the next day. But when he returned home, he found the door closed and there was no New Year's excitement at all.

She was startled and quickly asked Shuangtao to knock on the door.

Miki's timid voice came from inside the door: "Who, who is it?"

"The young lady is back." Shuang Tao said loudly.

The door opened with a creak, and Sanmu called out "Miss" with a frustrated expression, then turned aside to let them in.

Shuang Tao asked: "What happened?"

Sanmu looked around and saw that there were no outsiders. He pulled Shuangtao in and said to Yutang fearfully, "Miss, the master is at Tong's place and is not at home. Madam Li came to the house to make trouble just now, but was locked out by the second wife. She said a lot of unpleasant things through the door, and when she saw that the second wife was angry and wanted to go to the Li family's clan branch to judge, she left."

Yu Tang's face darkened, and he quickly walked towards Chen's inner room, asking Sanmu, "Have you told my father the news?"

"Yes!" Sanmu hurried after Yutang, "A-tiao has gone to see the old man."

"What about my mother?" Yu Tang asked.

"Mrs. Chen went to ask the first wife to come over." Sanmu said, "The first wife is talking to the second wife!"

Yu Tang felt slightly relieved, lifted the cotton curtain of Chen's inner room and walked in.

"Mom!" she shouted, and when she saw Chen and Wang sitting opposite each other with smiles on their faces, she couldn't help but stand there in a daze.

"A-Tang is back!" Wang smiled and waved at Yu-Tang, "Come and sit down!" She then asked her caringly, "Are you hungry? Do you want Shuang-Tao to make you a bowl of sesame paste?"

Yu Tang looked at Chen, then at Wang, and asked in confusion, "Didn't they say that Madam Li came to cause trouble?"

Why are her mother and her aunt all smiling?

What happened that she didn't know about?