“My lady, according to custom, on New Year’s Eve when moving into a new house, we should set off firecrackers at the gate to ward off disasters.”
As the fireworks faded, Ji Yuan turned his gaze back and softly reminded them.
"Is that so?" Su Qinghe turned to look at him in confusion.
Ji Yuan paused, feeling somewhat uncertain again.
“It’s the same in every household where I live. I saw it in Tianhe County a few days ago too. Isn’t it the same here?”
He then turned to look at Lin Xi.
Lin Xi smiled and said, "We have it here too, but it's a custom of wealthy families. Ordinary people and poor families don't do it."
As he spoke, his face flushed slightly, and fearing he might embarrass Su Qinghe, he explained further:
"It's because a young man from a wealthy family in our village came back to visit relatives before, and I heard about it from him."
"That young lady must be very beautiful, otherwise she wouldn't have caught the eye of a wealthy family."
Ji Qingyu, who was drinking soup nearby, suddenly interrupted.
"Yes!" Lin Xi nodded with a smile.
Having understood the whole story, Su Qinghe stood up.
"Since it's a custom among wealthy families, let's light it! After all, we should also have the mindset of becoming rich, shouldn't we?"
Su Qinghe chuckled roguishly and got up to personally carry two strings of firecrackers.
"Let's go! Since it's an exorcism, the whole family should be together."
After the three men put down their bowls and chopsticks and stood up, Su Qinghe took the lead.
The group walked to the gate of the mansion, where Su Qinghe personally hung firecrackers around the necks of the stone lions sitting on either side.
Pulling the three men a little further away, firecrackers were lit, and another burst of crackling sounds marked the official completion of the opening ceremony for the new house.
...
It's already the third day of the Lunar New Year.
"An Ge, what are you dawdling for!"
In the courtyard, Qin Anmin hurriedly took another big gulp of tea, staring at the tightly closed door with a face full of resentment.
"Honestly, he kept saying last night that he wanted to go early this morning. We were all all ready, and it was almost noon when he was still choosing clothes!"
"My lady, please don't be anxious. It's only a quarter past 9:00 AM. There are still two hours until noon!"
Beside the stone table, a young man with a slightly protruding belly smiled and patted Qin Anmin's leg.
"We sent a visiting card to Ms. Su yesterday, and today she replied saying that they got up late and told us not to go too early, but to wait until An Ge comes out before leaving!"
The man smiled and poured some more tea into Qin Anmin's already empty cup.
"Hmph! That brat really stands out!"
Qin Anmin still had a sour face.
"I don't know what's gotten into him lately, he's suddenly become obsessed with things that are considered masculine."
"I was happy at first, but now it seems quite troublesome. I'd rather he were like a woman!"
"When you were young boys, did you dawdle like this when visiting relatives?"
Qin Anmin showed a look of disgust.
The man pouted, indicating his dissatisfaction.
"How can you think like that? We dress up and put on makeup for the sake of your image as women."
"When outsiders see your husband, or any other man in the family, dressed so well, they'll definitely think it's because the family is wealthy and you, my lady, are capable. This is good for you!"
The man seemed a little angry as he spoke, clutching his stomach and turning away.
Qin Anmin was taken aback by what he said, but after thinking about it, he felt that it made some sense. Every time he went out, he would hear his sisters praising their husbands, and she would be praised along with them.
"Hehe, I misspoke, my dear husband, please don't be angry, it's not good for your health!"
Seeing the man's back heaving, she was still afraid that he would get angry and hurt himself, so she quickly apologized and gently turned him back.
The man was quite sensible; seeing his wife take the initiative to apologize, he accepted the situation.
"However, An Ge's situation is special in a man's family."
He immediately put on a mysterious expression.
"Oh? What's so special about it?" Qin Anmin asked.
The man suddenly smiled and stared at her intently.
"My lady, do you still remember how long you waited before you finally saw me when you first came to my house to propose?"
Qin Anmin frowned. "That time... I remember you came very early in the morning. My mother-in-law said you went to Lingyin Temple to offer incense, and I waited until noon before you came back."
Seeing her earnest recollection, the man covered his mouth and chuckled.
“My lady, please don’t be offended. Actually, I didn’t go to Lingyin Temple at all that day. I stayed in my room changing clothes.”
"Huh?" Qin Anmin's eyes widened.
"That's how men act when they go to see the woman they like. I reckon our An Ge is the same..."
As he spoke, he glanced at the still tightly closed gate and then whispered, "An Ge probably has a queen he admires!"
Qin Anmin's mind raced, and he stood up abruptly, staring with his bull-like eyes.
"You mean Su Xianmei?"
"What's wrong with Ms. Su?"
The door opened, and Qin Ange asked loudly.
Seeing him finally come out, Qin Anmin hurriedly turned around. "Uh...it's nothing, didn't you say you wanted to try on other colors of clothes?"
Looking at Qin Ange dressed in a dark blue-green (leaning towards a dark purple) color, she couldn't help but frown.
“I…” Qin Ange looked dejected.
Just as Qin Anmin was about to ask another question, three men with good figures and gentle appearances came out of the inner room. They all looked at Qin Ange with difficulty.
“My lady, An Ge’s appearance is really not suitable for soft makeup. We’ve tried several styles, but they still look very stiff. She also can’t wear clothes that are too bright.”
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