It's finished!
When Ning Qingxi went out, the weather was perfect, the sun was shining brightly, and the air was filled with a sweet smell mixed with the gunpowder smell left by firecrackers, making the New Year atmosphere particularly strong.
She was stretching when she saw three people walking towards her, chatting and laughing. So she lazily greeted them, "Good morning."
Huo Yanci looked up at the sky: "Are you still asleep? It's early."
Ning Qingxi smiled and said, "I'll come whenever I wake up in the morning. How's the couplet putting up?"
“Great, all that’s missing is your room,” Huo Yanci said. “Could you please make room for me?”
Ning Qingxi readily stepped aside, clearing the space in front of the door, and watched the three of them work together seamlessly—
Huo Yanci placed the stool he was carrying on the steps, Ning Qingshan handed him the couplets, and Ning Qingyuan presented him with the paste.
The paste cooled down and became less effective. It took the three of them a long time to stick it on. Ning Qingxi stood by and watched, occasionally giving instructions: "It looks a little crooked... Wait, is this a matching couplet?"
The wind was strong in the morning, and the originally neat couplets gradually became messy. Ning Qingshan felt that they were mostly correct, so he just handed over whichever one he could find, as long as they were roughly correct.
Ning Qingxi looked at the couplet with its strange rhymes and nonsensical structure, and forced a smile: "It's fine, quite festive."
Huo Yanci has never liked doing these things. He usually just sweeps the yard during the New Year and that's it. But looking at the couplets now, he thinks they're quite nice.
Aren't they all seven characters anyway?
After finishing all that, Huo Yanci clapped her hands and said, "Where are the lanterns? I'll go hang them up."
Ning Qingxi: "..."
Huo Yanci slowly turned her head: "Don't tell me you prepared couplets but no lanterns."
Ning Qingxi asked, "Do you have any lanterns I bought for the Lantern Festival? Want some?"
Then it's naturally unusable.
Huo Yanci took the cloak and said she was going to the market to buy things. Ning Qingxi had an idea and went with her.
Once on the street, Huo Yanci only remembered to buy lanterns. She picked up a few red cloth lanterns, and the seller showed her the effect after they were lit. Huo Yanci readily paid and had them delivered to her door.
Ning Qingxi stood to the side and waited: "Have you finished shopping? If you have, go buy something else."
Huo Yanci asked, "Is there anything else you want to buy?"
Ning Qingxi looked at him like he was an idiot: "You're gnawing on a lantern during the New Year?"
Sugar, pastries, melon seeds, and dried fruit are the most important things to Ning Qingxi.
Huo Yanci didn't care about this, but seeing Ning Qingxi's enthusiasm, he was happy to watch along.
Ning Qingxi is a master negotiator, and Huo Yanci only witnessed that today.
This man only bought things from the market stalls. If he bought too much, he would always get something for free, usually just an orange. After buying so much, Huo Yanci looked like a donkey with bags hanging all over his body. Even so, Ning Qingxi couldn't possibly look back and was still eager to try.
Huo Yanci: "...Have you bought enough?"
"Hey, what's the rush? This is nothing yet!"
"Can you carry them yourself?" Huo Yanci didn't find it novel to carry big bags and small packages herself; she just felt tired.
Ning Qingxi glanced at him and realized that he was indeed too busy to free up any more hands, so she said regretfully, "Let's stop here then. But we're still short of tea leaves. It wouldn't be good to serve broken tea leaves to guests if they come for the New Year."
Huo Yanci breathed a sigh of relief: "I have some."
His room was practically a warehouse. Everyone gave him the same few kinds of gifts, which piled up so much that he couldn't use them all. Over time, the pile grew larger and larger. When Ning Qingxi went in, it was like a mouse falling into a rice jar. Judging from the way he looked at her, he probably wished he could move the whole room into her yard.
Huo Yanci gave her a packet of good tea, and Ning Qingxi said, "Thank you, but I see that the other one is also covered in dust. Could you give it to me as well?"
She was referring to a jade cabbage, adorned with gold trim, a gift from Zhang Fuhu, symbolizing the arrival of wealth and prosperity.
Huo Yanci chuckled: "What are you going to do with that?"
"Put it in my house, and when someone walks in, they'll say, 'Hey, this person is rich.'"
Huo Yanci coldly closed the door: "You have no money."
Ning Qingxi was heartbroken and went home with the tea leaves in her arms.
Huo Yanci actually felt that the tea was unnecessary. Ning Qingxi had been in the capital for a year and had no time for socializing. This made Huo Yanci start to think about whether he should introduce her to some people so that it would be easier for her to do business in the future.
In the afternoon, Ning Qingxi, who had no time for socializing, had guests arrive at her door.
Zhang Fuhu arrived, grinning with his newly fitted gold teeth, and said, "Happy New Year! I've come to visit. Am I bothering you?"
Huo Yanci, dressed in clothes that clearly indicated she wasn't prepared to meet outsiders, stood at the door with a forced smile: "No need to disturb you."
He said he wouldn't bother them, but Zhang Fuhu was telling him to go die.
He was immediately struck by a bright light and turned to Ning Qingxi. Ning Qingxi also had a smile on her face. Although she didn't seem much more sincere than Huo Yanci, she at least looked quite peaceful.
"I remember your two kids really like candied walnuts, so I brought some with me this time... What were you doing just now?"
"Look at you, you came all this way and brought things, don't be so formal." Ning Qingxi took the walnuts and finally stopped blocking the door. She turned around and made room for her. "We weren't doing anything, we were just discussing where to have our New Year's Eve dinner."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Fuhu slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Hey, what a coincidence! I just hired a chef who's an expert in Huaiyang cuisine. I heard he has a dish called Rouyan (meat swallow), which is so unique that no one in the capital has that skill. How about you do me the honor of coming over to try it?"
Ning Qingxi turned to look at Huo Yanci: "What do you think?"
A thunderous roar erupted from inside the room: "I agree!"
"..." Huo Yanci turned her head: "You agree with my ass! I could recite the Three Character Classic when I was three years old, and you still haven't memorized it. Aren't you ashamed?"
Ning Qingxi: "...Just talk about her, why are you dragging yourself into this? Is it shameful to not be able to recite the Three Character Classic?"
Huo Yanci: "..." I forgot there was this illiterate person next to me.
Zhang Fuhu interrupted at the opportune moment: "So, should we give him face or not?"
Huo Yanci was quite unwilling, but Ning Qingxi was the head of the household, so Ning Qingxi nodded. Zhang Fuhu looked at Ning Qingxi, then at Huo Yanci, and then happily turned around and went home, his voice echoing in the air: "Then I'll go back and prepare. See you tonight!"
That night, every house was brightly lit, and firecrackers and laughter filled the air. Ning Qingxi stumbled to the Zhang family's courtyard, knocked on the gate, and found a group of five people who looked rather lonely.
Upon entering, Ning Qingxi discovered that even more desolation lay ahead. She greeted him, "Oh, Mr. Zhang, what a refined taste you have! What are you doing here?"
Zhang Fuhu was directing the people coming and going to serve the dishes. When he saw them arrive, he ignored everything else and ran over to greet them, saying, "You've finally arrived! If you hadn't come over, I wouldn't have dared to ask the cook to make hot food, for fear that the food would be cold if we came too late."
He was particular about his meals, and he had just been directing the preparation of eight cold dishes. Ning Qingxi casually sat down in a seat, but was caught off guard by the cold and rubbed her hands together, saying, "Just eat some boiled cabbage, why make such a big fuss?"
Huo Yanci said, "You're really casual about it."
Ning Qingxi chuckled and tossed her bowl and chopsticks to him to scald: "Wouldn't such casual food be embarrassing for Boss Zhang?"
Huo Yanci silently scalded the bowls and chopsticks, and Ning Qingshan followed suit to serve his sister. Ning Qingyuan kept asking when they could eat.
Ning Qingxi was annoyed by her nagging and said angrily, "Can't you take off this cloak while eating? It's very expensive!"
Ning Qingyuan looked pitiful: "But it's so cold after picking them."
Ning Qingxi turned her anger towards Zhang Fuhu: "Do you really have to eat in this freezing cold, well-ventilated place?"
Zhang Fuhu said aggrievedly, "I was just thinking that this place has a beautiful view, and I wanted to give you a bit of an elegant feeling of eating and enjoying the scenery at the same time?"
Ning Qingxi: "..."
Speechless!
She waited for her meal in the wind, thinking to herself that this was probably the most unforgettable New Year's Eve dinner of her life, and she would never again wait for her meal in the open air in the wind!
Fortunately, the chef here was efficient. Not long after we sat down, the dishes were served one by one, including small white porcelain bowls filled with wontons, which didn't look particularly special.
Zhang Fuhu cleared his throat and said proudly, "Please look, everyone. This is meat swallow. Its outer skin is made entirely of meat. It is as thin as a cicada's wing, crystal clear, and has an unforgettable aftertaste. It is a specialty."
However, nobody cared.
Ning Qingxi took a bite, then turned to Huo Yanci and asked, "What do you think?"
Huo Yanci savored it for a while: "I didn't taste anything special about it."
Ning Qingxi asked Ning Qingyuan, "Does the skin of this taste like meat?"
Ning Qingyuan, who had already slurped the bowl down, looked up and asked, "What? This skin is made of meat?"
Ning Qingxi: "...It's alright, you can eat."
After wasting the food, Ning Qingyuan held out his bowl: "Is there any more? I'm not full."
Zhang Fuhu: "..."
Ning Qingshan chewed slowly and carefully, frowning slightly, and smacked his lips for a while: "It seems a bit tougher?"
Zhang Fuhu immediately slammed his fist on the table in excitement: "I knew it!"
Ning Qingxi frowned as she looked at Ning Qingshan. After a long while, she leaned closer to Huo Yanci and said, "Why do I feel like Ning Qingshan is becoming more and more like you?"
Huo Yanci: "?"
He looked up: "How is it similar?"
"You're so pretentious, just like you. Neither Ning Qingyuan nor I have this personality."
Huo Yanci: "...Are you trying to take this opportunity to scold me?"
"I didn't, you're being too sensitive."
The meal was a great success. After the dishes were served, Zhang Fuhu told everyone else to go eat as well, and then went to the cellar to fetch two jars of wine: "Look at this! It's wine from Zuixianlou! I'll bring some back for you."
Speaking of this, Ning Qingxi got excited, her face full of "You're amazing!": "How did you know I like to drink a little?"
Zhang Fuhu chuckled and said, "We're practically family, how could I not know that?"
Zhang Fuhu grabbed the jar to pour Ning Qingxi a drink, but Huo Yanci stopped him: "Drinking in this cold weather?"
"Wouldn't it be warmer to drink on a cold day?" Ning Qingxi asked.
Zhang Fuhu also said, "It's just a little bit of rice wine, to ward off the cold and warm the body."
Huo Yanci suddenly lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes obscuring them, making it impossible to discern her emotions: "I was afraid you'd feel unwell if you drank too much."
Ning Qingxi: "..." What's with this sudden feeling of guilt?
However, she still patted Huo Yanci's hand and said, "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
Knowing what was going on, she happily went off to drink and play drinking games. Watching her drink, Ning Qingyuan was also tempted: "Can I drink?"
“You can’t,” Huo Yanci said, “this wine will harm a child’s health.”
Ning Qingyuan was very unconvinced and clicked his tongue: "Why do you care about me?"
"Because your sister is unreliable, if I can't control her, can't I control you?"
It's too cold here, so I don't feel anything when the alcohol goes down my throat. By the time I realize something's wrong, I'm already so drunk that even my parents wouldn't recognize me.
On the way back, Ning Qingxi shoved Huo Yanci aside and vomited again in the corner.
Huo Yanci sighed and said, "I told you to drink less."
Ning Qingxi, with her head down, finally managed to calm down. She reached out and pulled Huo Yanci close, her hands wandering restlessly over Huo Yanci's calves, which made Huo Yanci laugh in exasperation: "You still remember to take advantage of me, huh?"
Ning Qingxi said, "You're welcome. I'll let you get your money's worth tonight."
Huo Yanci said, "Do you need to tell me that?"
Ning Qingxi clicked her tongue twice, thinking to herself that this dog was becoming more and more shameless.
"Watch your words, there are children here, don't lead them astray."
"Everyone else left long ago. Who else but me would be willing to freeze with you?"
Ning Qingxi felt an overwhelming sense of desolation.
Huo Yanci squatted down and asked, "What's wrong? Are you still feeling unwell?"
Ning Qingxi no longer felt unwell. She vomited for a long time, expelling everything she had eaten. However, her eyelids were getting increasingly heavy. The first thing she did when she got home was to wash her face and rinse her mouth. Then, she threw away all the cups, towels, and other items she had used. After doing all this, as if she had completed some mission, she threw down her clothes and went to sleep.
The wet nurse looked at the tightly closed door with some worry: "Is everyone alright?"
Huo Yanci said, "It's alright. Please cook some hangover soup for her and keep it warm. I'll give it to her whenever she wakes up."
Ning Qingxi slept soundly through the night until dawn. When she woke up early, the familiar touch felt a little off. When she turned her head and saw Huo Yanci's face, the unease reached its peak.
She grabbed Huo Yanci by the head and pulled him up, angrily saying, "Are you even human? How could you lay a hand on a drunkard?"
Huo Yanci yawned: "What? You were so drunk last night, if I didn't make a move, I'd be sleeping on the floor."
Ning Qingxi then realized something was wrong.
Although this person was only wearing an undergarment, it could be considered properly dressed.
Having understood, Huo Yanci sneered, "What do you think I did to you? You touched me for half the night last night, I still remember it."
Ning Qingxi blinked: "Just remember it, otherwise I'd have to remind you, which would be too much trouble."
After saying that, she took a step, directly pulled Huo Yanci off the ground, took out a piece of clothing from the wardrobe, put it on, went straight out the door, and said to the wet nurse, "Good morning."
Even though she got used to it, Huo Yanci couldn't help but feel a subtle sensation.
Before he could savor the moment, Ning Qingxi was already urging him from outside: "Huo Yanci! Look, there's so much snow!"
Huo Yanci's thoughts were abruptly interrupted, but she still smiled and replied, "Coming!"
Fortunately, his sun had already pierced through the dark clouds, and from then on, his world was always sunny.
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