28 New Year Gift
◎ Fu'er is not as good as her sister, she is unlettered and clumsy◎
At the first hour of the morning, all the masters of the Chu family, big and small, gathered in the ancestral hall to burn incense and offer sacrifices to their ancestors.
Chu's father lit sandalwood and inserted it into the incense burner. The servants carried slaughtered pigs, sheep, chickens, as well as grains and fresh fruits and placed them on the incense table. Everyone knelt down in turn to pray, and then offered wine and burned paper money.
After the ceremony, everyone moved to the main hall to have breakfast together. Because today was a special day, Grandma Wei and Lu Jiaan also joined them.
Around the round table, Grandmother Wei sat at the head of the table, with Father Chu to her left, Lu Jia'an to her right, and Chu Yufu right next to Lu Jia'an. Wu, the eldest daughter, and the third brother sat with Father Chu, while the fourth daughter, Chu Linglan, sat at the end, facing Grandmother.
After the maids set the table, it was time for the younger generation to present gifts to the elders.
Chu Jinhe was good at calligraphy and painting, and her calligraphy was elegant and beautiful. In previous years, she had presented Buddhist scriptures copied by herself, and this year was no exception. She stood up and took the three sandalwood boxes from the maid with a smile and placed them in front of her grandmother and parents.
"This is the Medicine Buddha Sutra I copied, praying for the good health and safety of my grandmother and parents."
Mrs. Wei nodded with a smile: "He'er is thoughtful."
Father Chu opened the box, took out the folded page, examined it carefully, and said with satisfaction, "He'er's handwriting is still as clear, handsome and elegant as ever. Her handwriting reflects her personality."
"As long as Daddy likes it." Chu Jinhe pursed her lips and smiled, then sat back in the chair.
Next came the third brother Chu. He pulled out three embroidered bags from his sleeves and presented them with a smile, saying, "Grandma, Daddy and Mom! These are the talismans I got from the temple a few days ago to ward off evil spirits. They will surely protect you from illness and disaster, and may you live a long and healthy life!"
Today was an auspicious day, and Father Chu hadn't wanted to lecture his son again. However, seeing his playful appearance, he felt a little annoyed and couldn't help but say, "If you just work harder and get less angry at me, I can live a long life even without this talisman!"
Chu Sange shrank his neck and sat back in his seat awkwardly.
Then, the fourth girl presented three colorful silk cords that she had woven by herself, and cousin Lu gave a hand warmer cover that she had sewn by herself. Both were thoughtful and practical gifts.
Finally, everyone had finished sending their gifts. Chu Yufu stood up with a smile and pulled out three New Year's sachets from her sleeve. She said, "Fu'er prepared these sachets, each with a different effect. Grandma always has trouble sleeping, so I gave you the heart-nourishing and sleep-inducing scent. Daddy has a hard time with official duties, so I gave you the incense to refresh his mind. And Mother's is the scent to calm the mind and nourish her complexion."
Grandma Wei picked up the sachet and said with a smile, "Yesterday I told Mother Yang that the old one had lost its scent, so you sent me a new one today."
After she finished speaking, she turned her head to look at her son's face and said, "I'll make one for your father to help him sleep later."
Father Chu has been extremely busy lately. Even if he closes his eyes, it takes him a long time to fall asleep. After half a day, the corners of his eyes are inevitably stained with dark circles.
But even though he had trouble sleeping, he was in high spirits because Chu Yufu had cured the old lady's illness in the Marquis' Mansion. Marquis Mingxuan was very happy and once came over to greet him and thank him when he was leaving court.
You have to know that he was Marquis Mingxuan! The Minister of Revenue who was in charge of the entire country's silver, a royal relative!
He took the initiative to come and greet a small doctor, which made many people secretly wonder when the Chu family had boarded the Marquis's ship. So many people came to get close to Chu's father, making him constantly busy with socializing outside of official duties. It was really painful and joyful.
Father Chu himself hadn't expected things to develop to this point. After all, in his original plan, as long as his second daughter established a connection with the Marquis' Mansion, he would then visit and give gifts under the guise of visiting Old Madam Jiang, and slowly cultivate the relationship in the future. Who knew that his second daughter would have such an unexpected surprise once she made a move?
He first thanked his mother for her concern, then looked at his second daughter with a loving face and said cheerfully, "Dad, there's no rush here. You often go to the Marquis' Mansion, so you must take care of yourself and don't get tired."
Even Mrs. Wu took the sachet and looked at it, then said with a pleasant expression, "That's thoughtful of you, Miss Fu. It smells like peach blossoms."
Recently, Mrs. Wu has been liking Chu Yufu more and more.
This girl not only cured Chu Junze's illness and made him agree to marry into the Pei family, but even more amazingly, the old lady of the Marquis's Mansion is now getting better under her care. Recently, when she went out to socialize, many well-informed ladies spoke to her more politely than before!
Chu Yufu curled her eyes and said sweetly, "As long as mother likes it."
Lu Jiaan also poked his head in to join in the fun: "My second cousin makes amazing sachets. When you're not busy, can you make one for me?"
Chu Linglan tugged at her second sister's clothes: "Sister, I want it too."
A few of them were chatting with each other in a very harmonious atmosphere.
Looking at her second sister smiling sweetly across the table, Miss Chu suddenly felt a little sad.
I still remember that on New Year’s Eve last year, my second sister was sitting in the same position, but the person being praised was me. And it wasn’t just me last year, the year before last, and the year before last, it was also me.
Daddy said that my second sister worked hard, but she wasn’t the only one who worked hard, so why did he single her out?
Not only did she have to study, practice calligraphy, play the zither, and do needlework every day, but she also had to learn housekeeping from her mother. Wasn't that hard for her? She copied the three volumes of the "Medicine Master Sutra" for seven whole days, her hands were sore from copying...
Chu Jinhe stared at the sachet on the table for a moment, then smiled faintly and said, "Second sister, your fragrance is indeed good, but the only flaw is that the stitching on this sachet is a bit coarse. Even if you're busy on weekdays, you should not give up your needlework. When you marry into your husband's family in the future, these will be your face."
Hearing this, Father Chu recalled the Pei family he was planning to settle down with after the Chinese New Year, and couldn't help but agree: "Your sister is right. After this busy period, we still need to practice."
Mrs. Wu smiled and glanced at her daughter, then continued, "He'er's needlework skills are the best. Even I can't match her. If there's anything you don't understand about embroidery, feel free to ask your sister."
Chu Junze leaned back in his chair and said loudly, "Isn't Big Sister's Kung Fu the best? Who in the family can compare to her in calligraphy and painting?"
This is the truth. Old Mrs. Wei and Father Chu nodded at the same time.
Chu Jinhe smiled subtly and straightened her back silently.
"Yes." A smile appeared in Chu Yufu's eyes.
"Fu'er is not as good as her sister. She is illiterate, clumsy, and not very smart. She can only treat minor illnesses and make sachets for the elders. I only hope that you are all healthy, and that the Chu family will last long, so that we younger generations can receive more care!"
She said this so innocently that Grandmother Wei chuckled and said, "If you want the Chu family to last long, you young people have to work hard. We old bones can't protect you forever."
Upon hearing this, Lu Jiaan reached out and took his grandmother's hand, leaning against her. "Grandma, don't say that on such a beautiful day. You have to keep this going forever!"
On the other side, after hearing Chu Yufu's words, Chu's father squeezed the sachet in his hand, glanced at Chu Jinhe, and the smile on his face faded.
It’s nothing, I just felt a little touched when I heard the Chu family say these words for a long time.
From childhood to adulthood, the eldest daughter had always had the best food, clothing, and daily necessities. He had always given her the Duan inkstone and guqin worth hundreds of taels, and was willing to spend them generously. After more than a decade of careful training, he had only cultivated an arrogant temper, not as good as the second daughter, who was well-behaved and knew how to share his worries.
He glanced at them calmly and cleared his throat: "Okay, let's eat."
There are some things that others don't know, so how could Chu Jinhe not know? Chu Yufu was complimenting her on the surface, but after listening carefully, it was obvious that she was changing the topic to the future of the Chu family and those medical skills!
Seeing her father's smile fade, she took a deep breath and was about to make amends, but when she heard her father say it was time to eat, she had to give up.
She gripped her chopsticks tightly and looked across. She saw her second sister smiling brightly as she picked up a handful of crispy shredded pork with her chopsticks. Her big, watery eyes smiled at her, "Sister, why don't you look so good? Are you hungry? Eat more!"
For a moment, Miss Chu really wanted to throw away her chopsticks.
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