Pei Yao took Xiao Hei with her almost everywhere she went, and even moved Xiao Hei's doghouse from the empty yard next door to Pei Yao's room.
With the New Year approaching, Pei Yao even found some leftover red fabric and asked Yun Niang to make a New Year's battle robe for Xiao Hei as well.
"Dogs can wear clothes?" Chen Fang exclaimed in shock. This was the first time she had ever heard of dogs wearing clothes.
Pei Yao nodded: "We all have clothes, so Xiao Hei should naturally have some too."
After Pei Yao finished speaking, she added, "Little Black is all white, so red suits it better."
Yunniang respected Pei Yao's thoughts; she was quite happy that Yao'er liked Xiao Hei.
After all, Pei Yao was so scared before, and she was always worried that Yao'er would be frightened by Xiao Hei.
So, with Yunniang working through the night, Xiaohei finally managed to put on a very festive bright red vest on New Year's Day.
On New Year's Day, Pei Yao got up early and dressed Xiao Hei in new clothes.
Xiao Hei seemed to be wearing clothes for the first time and tilted its head at Pei Yao with some discomfort.
The puppy's adorable appearance made Pei Yao unable to resist pinching its little face.
"My little cutie, Little Black~" Pei Yao unconsciously called out to Little Black in a high-pitched voice.
Xiao Hei barked a few times at Pei Yao in response.
Ever since it put on the little cotton-padded jacket that Pei Yao gave it, Xiao Hei has become less able to walk, and every step it takes is done with the same hand and foot moving in unison.
This sight made Pei Yao laugh heartily.
After dressing Xiao Hei, Pei Yao put on a red cotton-padded jacket for herself.
This red jacket was made by Yunniang for Pei Yao to celebrate the New Year.
Pei Yao was fair-skinned and clean-cut. Wearing a red dress made her skin look even fairer, and her rosy cheeks made her look very cute.
When Pei Yao took Xiao Hei out, Pei Xuan, wearing a red coat, rushed up to her.
Pei Xuan has been eating well lately and has gained a lot of weight. She's wearing a red jacket now, and her chubby little face is still rosy, just like a doll in a traditional New Year's painting.
Very cute.
"Sister, sister, Happy New Year."
Pei Xuan pulled Pei Yao along, jumping around happily. Children always seem to have a special fondness for the New Year.
Pei Yichen also grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and came over, cracking them open as he walked towards Xiao Hei.
"Sister, I feel like Xiao Hei has gotten a bit fatter. Have you been feeding it too much lately?" Pei Yichen squatted down next to Xiao Hei and pinched its face with one hand.
With nowhere to hide, Xiao Hei could only whine and plead for help from Pei Yao.
Pei Yao is now Xiao Hei's older sister, so naturally she can't let Xiao Hei suffer any injustice. She immediately grabbed Pei Yichen's ear with one hand.
However, Pei Yao did not use force.
"You brat, how dare you bully Little Black!"
Pei Yichen exclaimed dramatically, "Oh dear, sister, you're actually bullying me for Xiao Hei's sake! Is Xiao Hei more important or me?"
Pei Yao smiled and said, "That goes without saying, Xiao Hei is naturally more important."
Pei Xuan was also amused and laughed heartily.
Inside the courtyard, Pei Dalang and Pei Erlang were writing couplets at a table, which they would later paste on the door.
Yunniang and Chen Fang were preparing for their reunion dinner.
Hearing the commotion coming from the three children, the group looked over and saw Pei Yichen being dragged around the yard by Pei Yao, with Pei Xuan laughing beside him and Xiao Hei chasing and bouncing around.
The four are playing around.
The group exchanged glances, their eyes filled with happy and content smiles.
Chen Fang looked at Yun Niang, and the two smiled at each other.
Chen Fang smiled broadly: "Yunniang, you've worked hard."
Yunniang also looked at Chen Fang, a glistening tear in her eye: "Sister-in-law, you've worked hard too."
After they finished speaking, both of them looked relieved. They had experienced so much together in the past year, from being nobles in Kyoto to having their property confiscated and being exiled, and now to this happy and fulfilling life.
They both felt like it was all a dream.
When they first arrived in this unfamiliar little village, they thought it would be difficult to even survive. Unexpectedly, not only did they not starve to death, but they also made a good living.
"This year is finally coming to an end..."
Yunniang looked at the children and sighed.
The couplets for Pei Dalang and Pei Erlang have also been written.
He's currently taking rice paste to the courtyard gate to paste couplets.
Pei Yao really enjoyed putting up couplets, so this time she let go of Pei Yichen's ear and went out with them to put up couplets together.
Pei Yichen was freed and went out with them.
The children followed Pei Dalang and the others to the door to put up couplets, just like little tails.
When they came out to put up the couplets, the Shen family father and son, Shen Jing and Shen Yu, next door were also putting up couplets at their door.
Pei Dalang immediately leaned over to look: "Shen Jing, your couplet isn't as good as mine."
Shen Jing replied indifferently, "Oh..."
"Look at you, you're not happy that I said your writing isn't as good as mine," Pei Dalang said with a smug grin.
Shen Jing glanced at him speechlessly and shook his head helplessly.
Still loves to compare.
Shen Jing: "You've always written better couplets than me. We don't need to compete every year. I'm convinced."
Pei Dalang: "..."
Pei Dalang fell silent after hearing Shen Jing's words.
He didn't necessarily want to compare himself to Shen Jing; it was just that his father always used him as a comparison when he was young.
The phrase he heard most often when he was a child was: "Look at Chen Jing..."
This sentence was almost becoming Pei Dalang's inner demon. What hurt the most was that his father was right; he was indeed inferior to Shen Jing in every way.
However, after someone told him that his couplets were better than Shen Jing's, Pei Dalang practiced writing couplets diligently ever since.
He often deliberately compared himself to Shen Jing...
Shen Yu smiled faintly at Pei Yao: "Happy New Year, Yao."
Pei Yao responded with a smile: "Happy New Year."
The Pei family courtyard was bustling with activity as everyone showed off their skills for the reunion dinner.
So after all that, the dishes they made were so numerous that they couldn't fit on the table usually used in the Pei family's courtyard.
Yunniang laughed and said, "I forgot that the table is only this big; there's not enough room for everything."
Fortunately, at this moment, Pei Dalang moved a small table over from the side and put it together, which allowed them to barely put all the dishes down.
......
Everyone was quite happy today. The whole family gathered around a table, and Pei Yao even brought out some lychee wine.
Except for the youngest two, Pei Yichen and Pei Xuan, everyone else was poured a glass.
The family celebrated the New Year in a lively and festive manner.
At the dinner table, Pei Yao stood up and toasted everyone with a glass of lychee wine: "Uncle, Aunt, Mother, Father, thank you all for this year."
Everyone was stunned by her sudden outburst. Yunniang was the first to have her eyes redden: "Yao'er, what are you saying? We are family. If it weren't for you, your father and the others wouldn't have been able to get out of the mine so quickly."
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