Chapter 172 New Year (Update 1)
The New Year’s Eve dinner is served in the main hall in the front yard.
The snow had stopped in the evening and the courtyard had been swept clean, leaving only some white on the eaves, flower beds and treetops.
Guard Lu brought over a bunch of firecrackers from the warehouse: "I don't know if they still work. These are from years ago."
"Didn't people set off firecrackers in the past?" Qiu Tan asked.
"Since my Lord loves quietness, he has never let go of these. These were bought from outside by Lord Shen when he first moved in."
Qiu Tan was puzzled: "Then why did you take it out this year?"
Guard Lu pointed to the main hall and whispered, "Your daughter is here this year."
This year there is Zhuang Wan.......
Pei Xingju sat at the table, a faint smile always on his lips, and he looked gentle and quiet.
With Zhuang Wan here this year, I seem to be looking forward to the New Year a little more.
Since he moved into this house, it had never been so lively, nor had there ever been a festival that he cared about or looked forward to. It was a magical thing, just one more woman, one more person he loved, and everything had changed.
Zhuang Wan was setting the table, the square sandalwood table laden with the New Year's Eve dinner she had prepared herself. The steamy air blurred her face. She stood hunched over the table, her busy figure overlapping with memories of old friends...
I still remember it was like this when I was a child. The snow had stopped in the courtyard, and my brothers were competing to set off firecrackers outside. Because he was weak and afraid of the cold, he sat in the hall wrapped in a thick coat, stretching his neck to watch the excitement outside.
After a while, his eldest brother quietly rolled a snowball from outside and put it in his hand. He was secretly delighted and played with the snowball with his sleeves. His mother was setting the table for the New Year's Eve dinner when she noticed that his fingers were red from the cold. She called him helplessly:
"Yan'er, come here quickly, let mother wipe it for you."
Pei Xingju hummed, stood up and walked over unconsciously, and when he got close, he looked at the busy people through the steaming heat.
"What's wrong? Are you hungry?"
Zhuang Wan saw him walking towards her blankly and asked.
Pei Xingju finally came back to his senses, a trace of desolation flashed in his eyes, and he smiled and nodded: "Somewhat."
"It's almost ready," Zhuang Wan said, "and there's also a hot pot."
"hot pot?"
"Yes, of course we have to eat hot pot when the weather is cold." Zhuang Wan blinked. "I also prepared a pot of wine."
She looked sly and playful, like the spring sun melting snow. Pei Xingju smiled slowly, and the loneliness he had just felt quietly dissipated.
Suddenly, there was a burst of firecrackers outside the yard, exploding with crackling sounds, lively and warm.
Zhuang Wan peeked out and saw Qiu Tan holding a string of firecrackers on a bamboo pole, while Guard Lü covered her ears. Perhaps feeling he was in the way, Qiu Tan pushed him away and dropped the firecrackers at his feet, frightening Guard Lü into fleeing.
Zhuang Wan found it funny.
After a while, the firecrackers stopped, Qiu Tan and Guard Lu ran to the backyard to have the New Year's Eve dinner, and the courtyard became quiet.
"Pei Xingju?"
"Um?"
Zhuang Wanbu prepared the dishes and sat down. She poured two glasses of wine and handed one to him.
Pei Xingju withdrew his gaze from outside the door and saw her holding up a wine glass. She said with a smile, "May you live a long and happy life, and be happy every year."
"Okay." He smiled.
Zhuang Wan tilted her head and glanced at him: "What about me?"
"What?"
"Don't you have anything to say to me in the New Year?"
After a moment's silence, Pei Xingju said, "May you enjoy happiness in heaven and on earth, and may you be healthy and prosperous."
Finally, he added in his heart, "Every year on this night, the years will be long without a flaw."
"Okay." Zhuang Wan clinked glasses with him and drank it all.
As the sky darkened, the two of them sat together, drinking Tusu wine and eating New Year's Eve dinner. Just like that, they welcomed the New Year together.
Perhaps because he was in a relaxed mood, Zhuang Wan got drunk and lay on the table, mumbling about his childhood.
"When I was little, I loved Chinese New Year the most. Whenever the twelfth lunar month came, I would count the days on my fingers."
"Why?"
"Happy New Year!" Zhuang Wan couldn't help but burp, then stretched out her hand and counted the gifts one by one: "There are New Year's gifts, beautiful clothes, lots and lots of lucky money, and we can go to the amusement park to play."
"What is a playground?"
"It's just... a fun place."
"Whenever I got lucky money, I would secretly hide it. My mattress had several layers, so I hid the money at the bottom. I thought I hid it very well, but the elders would always find it."
Pei Xingju found it funny.
"Then I learned my lesson. I put the money in a jar and buried it under a tree. Whenever I needed money, I would dig out the jar."
"Aren't you afraid that you might not remember it?"
"How could I not remember? I might not remember other things, but that's money." Zhuang Wan said seriously, "I can buy a lot of snacks with it."
Pei Xingju's lips were always slightly curved, and he was afraid that she would fall, so he held her up with one arm.
"Alas!" Zhuang Wan sighed, "As I grew older, I could no longer recapture the feeling I had as a child during the New Year."
"Why?"
"Because I've grown up, I no longer have expectations for many things, and therefore no longer have joy in them."
Pei Xingju's long eyelashes drooped slightly, and after a moment, he asked, "What about me?"
"Hmm?" Zhuang Wan turned her head.
Pei Xingju asked, "Do you have any expectations of me?"
Zhuang Wan half-closed her eyes, looking dazed and charming: "What are you looking forward to?"
"expect......"
Pei Xingju moved his lips, wanting to ask her if she looked forward to spending the rest of her life with him, but he swallowed the words in the end.
Night gradually fell, and New Year's Eve was beautiful and peaceful. The two sat for a long time, chatting about everything under the sun. When the fireworks rang out at the last moment of the old year, Zhuang Wan had already fallen asleep. Half asleep, she felt a sudden warmth and coolness on her forehead, and Pei Xingju's lips gently pressed against it.
Then, he was heard whispering, "Zhuang Wan, Happy New Year!"
“Happy New Year!” Zhuang Wan responded in her dream, then turned over in his arms and went back to sleep.
.
The next day was New Year's Day. When Zhuang Wan woke up and saw the light outside, she was shocked. She sat at the head of the bed in a daze for a while, still remembering that she and Pei Xing had stayed up in the front hall to celebrate the New Year last night.
Qiu Tan came in with hot water: "Miss, it's time to wash up."
"Qiutan, when did I come back last night?" Zhuang Wan asked.
Qiu Tan was busy hanging the bed curtains while saying, "Master Pei brought the young lady back. She was fast asleep at the time, around midnight."
"Oh." Zhuang Wan stretched, got out of bed in her slippers, and heard the maids outside whispering with joy while she was washing up.
She then asked, "What are they talking about? Why are they so happy?"
Qiu Tan smiled and said, "Master Pei gave everyone red envelopes early this morning. Everyone in the mansion got one."
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Wan wrung out a handkerchief and wiped her face roughly, then put on a cloak and hurried out the door.
"Hey, miss, where are you going? You haven't had breakfast yet."
"Come back and use it."
Zhuang Wan ran along the corridor like a cheerful bird, her cloak accidentally brushing against a plum blossom. The petals fluttered down like pink snowflakes.
When she arrived at Pei Xingju's study, she stopped in her tracks, made a "shut up" gesture to Guard Lu who was standing at the door, and then walked over quietly.
The study was quiet, with agarwood burning. The fragrance wafted from the half-open door, refreshing the heart.
Zhuang Wan leaned over the doorway, leaning her head against it to peer through the crack. However, before she could see clearly what was going on inside, the door suddenly opened.
Pei Xingju stood in front of him, a helpless smile in his eyes: "What are you doing sneaking around so early in the morning?"
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