Early the next morning
Qin Luo had already left the space with Wu Hua in her arms, and the servants were already waiting in the corridor.
Qin Luo opened the door, and a maidservant brought in water for washing to serve her.
After they finished getting ready, the two went to the main hall to find Elder Yuan.
Then came the long ancestral worship ceremony, and Wu Hua also had to be added to the family genealogy; it took the entire morning to finish.
After lunch, Elder Yuan told the two of them to rest for a while, and then go to the prefect's mansion for a banquet at the end of Wei Shi (3 PM).
Qin Luo and Wu Hua returned to their room and collapsed onto the bed, their minds filled with the scene of their first ancestral worship ceremony in Weisi County.
"Little one, I miss my great-grandfather, uncles, and aunts so much!"
"Me too! I really miss Zhengzheng's fried dough sticks and Sui Sui!"
The two lay on the bed sighing.
Little did they know that the Qin family members they were thinking of were also missing them!
This year, Qin Ling specially asked Qin Xian to buy several times more incense and candles than in previous years!
The morning rituals of ancestor worship and ancestral prayers were all used to ask for the ancestors' blessings upon Qin Luo and Wu Hua.
Doctor You was always looking at the sky and sighing, and Qin Liang and Liu Zheng were also sullen.
But on the surface, everyone was all smiling, and no one mentioned missing the two of them, keeping their longing hidden in their hearts.
Qin Luo and Wu Hua were probably too tired in the morning; they fell asleep after thinking about home for a while.
By the time the maid came to call them, it was already past 2 PM!
The two quickly got up, washed up, and went straight to meet up with Mr. Yuan.
The three boarded the carriage, followed closely by a group of servants, and set off towards the prefectural governor's residence.
The prefect had sent men to wait at the gate of his residence early in the morning. As soon as the servant saw the Yuan family's carriage, he immediately ran to inform him.
He then led his younger sister to the gate of the mansion to greet the three of them.
Old Master Yuan alighted from the carriage, carried Wu Hua down, and then led Qin Luo down.
He then bowed to the prefect.
"Greetings, Your Excellency!"
Qin Luo and Wu Hua followed suit
"Greetings, Your Excellency!"
The prefect then returned the greeting, and his sister Jiang Ling bowed to Elder Yuan.
After Mr. Yuan introduced them, Qin Luo and Wu Hua returned the greeting, completing the entire set of formalities.
Qin Luo decided that she would never deal with these wealthy families again.
Wu Hua also clenched his small fist and tapped his lower back. He had been kneeling and kowtowing since early morning.
I'm constantly bowing, and it's really exhausting.
The prefect, finding its movements adorable, smiled and picked it up.
"My little one must be exhausted today! Make sure to eat plenty for the New Year's Eve dinner later!"
Wu Hua nodded in agreement.
"Okay, don't worry, I can eat a lot!"
The prefect didn't take it seriously, thinking it was just childish talk.
After the group entered the mansion and settled into their seats in the main hall, where the maids served tea and pastries, Qin Luo instructed the servants to present the gifts to the prefect.
"Your Excellency, this is a New Year's gift from the Yuan family. My grandfather said you will definitely like it!"
The prefect didn't treat them like outsiders, and happily accepted the document and began to read it.
His expression changed the moment he opened it; first, there was shock, then a persistent upward turn of his lips.
He looked at Elder Yuan uncertainly, as if seeking further confirmation.
Only after Mr. Yuan nodded in affirmation did he burst into unrestrained laughter.
"Elder Yuan! Elder Yuan! I never imagined you had such a fine item in your possession! You really kept it well hidden!"
Old Yuan rolled his eyes at him, annoyed.
"You're being heartless by saying that. What kind of collection haven't you seen? This painting was delivered by Luo Luo and Zai Zai, who had their clansmen rush it day and night! Just so you would like it!"
"I love it! I love it so much! This is a priceless treasure! How can a poor official like me repay it?"
Qin Luo quickly waved his hand upon hearing this.
"Grandpa said you are his close friend despite the age difference, so you are our uncle. It is only right for juniors to give uncles New Year's gifts!"
A few words were enough to make both Yuan Lao and the prefect smile. The prefect even personally poured Yuan Lao another cup of tea.
"Since the child has said so, I'll just have to accept it without any shame. I hope Mr. Yuan will forgive my previous naive opinion and let bygones be bygones, okay?"
Mr. Yuan took the teacup and drank a sip.
"I'm getting old, my memory isn't what it used to be, and I've long forgotten all those unpleasant things!"
Then neither of them could hold back their laughter.
Hahahaha!
Seeing that the two had reconciled, Qin Luo looked at Jiang Ling. Since Elder Yuan hadn't mentioned that she was also there, she must have arrived today.
This was the first time she had ever seen a lady from a prominent family in ancient times, and she stared at Jiang Ling for a long while.
She was wearing a pink dress, which made her already beautiful face look even more delicate!
Her steps were light and graceful, like willow catkins dancing in the wind.
She took a small gift box out of her cloth bag, inside which was a pearl the size of a longan.
He walked up to Jiang Ling and handed her the box.
"Aunt, this is a New Year's gift from the Yuan family!"
Jiang Ling blushed at being called that, and looked at the prefect with unease.
The prefect was quite straightforward.
"Since it's a New Year's gift, you can accept it. Later, I'll give you a few good pieces from my collection as a return gift!"
Jiang Ling then accepted the gift with embarrassment and thanked everyone.
"Thank you, Elder Yuan, thank you, Luo Luo, and thank you, Zai Zai!"
Wu Hua, who had been engrossed in eating pastries, was suddenly thanked and felt a little embarrassed.
He casually pulled out a gem, jumped off the chair, ran to Jiang Ling's side, and handed it to her.
"This is for you too! It would look beautiful as an inlay on a hair ornament or a crown!"
Jiang Ling looked at the ruby, as big as a pigeon's egg, unsure whether to accept it or not.
Wu Hua thought she didn't like it, so she took out a sapphire.
"Don't you like red? Do you like blue? If not, I have other colors too~"
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