Because it was the New Year, both girls were dressed very festively. Their bright red jackets made their faces look even whiter, and they wore silver hairpins that Yan Qingqing had recently given them.
After all, they were Mingzhao's personal maids, and even girls from humble families might not be able to compare with them in terms of clothing and appearance.
Yan Qingqing was also dressed in brand new clothes. Her top was a blue Shu brocade jacket with gold thread weaving, and her bottom was a matching Shu brocade pleated skirt.
A simple yet elegant updo made Yan Qingqing look exceptionally fresh and refined, while a light dusting of powder on her face added to her delicate features.
After tidying up Ruyi, Yan Qingqing looked at it and sighed, "They say that as people grow a year older, trees go through a cycle, and people should get older and older. Why is our lady getting younger and younger?"
Ru Xue chimed in, "That's right. Our lady looks like she's only in her early twenties. Who would have thought she's already a grandmother?"
Anyone would be happy to be praised for looking young, especially Yan Qingqing, who is in that awkward, in-between age.
However, Yan Qingqing knew that the two girls were trying to please her, so she said, "Alright, you two stop talking nonsense. You don't want outsiders to hear and laugh at you."
The two quickly emphasized that they were telling the truth.
Thinking that someone would be coming to pay New Year's visits soon, Yan Qingqing stopped listening to their nonsense and quickly told them to go to the dining room for dinner.
This breakfast was unusually well-attended by the Li family; even Li Xin's mother, who had been avoiding Yan Qingqing, came out.
During the Lunar New Year, Yan Qingqing naturally didn't want to argue with Li Xin's mother, so she smiled and invited everyone to sit down and eat.
The breakfast was quite lavish, and none of the family members mentioned the unhappy things, not even Li Xiangjian, who was far away at the border.
After the meal, it was time to exchange New Year's greetings.
In terms of rank, Yan Qingqing is a fifth-rank official; in terms of age, she is already a grandmother, so she is only entitled to give out New Year's money.
The first to wish Yan Qingqing a Happy New Year were Li Xiangping and his group. Just like last year, they kowtowed to Yan Qingqing first and then said a few auspicious words.
Yan Qingqing gave them New Year's money. Last year, each person received five taels of silver, but this year the Li family is not short of money, and neither are the Li family's children.
Therefore, Yan Qingqing specially had some small golden pigs and goldfish made for them as New Year's money.
The children were all incredibly surprised when they opened the purse, and even Li Xiangping marveled at Yan Qingqing's generosity.
This is made of pure gold, and its design and meaning are both excellent. Most importantly, it was given to me by Yan Qingqing, making it very meaningful.
They had just finished paying their New Year's visits when Li Xiangbao and Wang Dong came to their door.
Because it was Chinese New Year, Wang Dong cleaned up the old courtyard and moved back in.
Yan Qingqing couldn't keep him, so she specially asked someone to clean up the house for him.
Both Li Xiangbao and Wang Dong were very grateful to Yan Qingqing.
Now both of them have been promoted to head managers of the shop. Although they help each other out when needed, they also work hard behind the scenes.
Nobody wants their shop's income to be worse than others'.
Therefore, the income reported in the accounts at the end of the year is quite substantial.
Yan Qingqing looked at the two of them and smiled, "Alright, you two get up."
You two have worked hard this year, and I appreciate it all.
After saying that, he had Ruyi take out a purse that he had prepared in advance and hand it to the two of them.
Li Xiangbao and Wang Dong knew that this was New Year's money from Yan Qingqing, so they didn't refuse it.
Li Xiangbao was quite lively, and he immediately opened his purse, his mouth agape in surprise.
Then he stammered, "Second Aunt, this is gold. How much silver is this worth?"
Even though Li Xiangbao's family is doing well now, he has never really seen gold before, especially such exquisitely crafted gold.
Wang Dong also opened it and looked at it, then said, "Auntie, this is too precious, I can't accept it. You should keep it and give it to someone else."
This purse contains several small gold pigs and goldfish, worth at least ten taels of silver.
He now enjoys Yan Qingqing's trust and works as the manager of the Li family's shop. He is not only well-off but has also saved a considerable amount of money.
The purse Yan Qingqing gave him was worth half a year's wages.
Seeing this, Li Xiangbao chimed in, "Yes, Second Aunt, this is too much."
I'll just take one as a token; you can keep the rest.
After they finished speaking, the two actually returned the purse.
Yan Qingqing found it somewhat amusing; these two children were truly adorable.
She's now a fifth-rank official, yet her New Year's money was returned.
As expected, the children in the village are the most honest and simple.
Ruyi, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it anymore and stopped them, saying, "Young masters, our lady is giving it to you, so just take it."
This was specially prepared by the lady for the two young masters; it was already installed before the New Year.
Our lady is very generous; even Ruxue and I received several.
Our lady is now a fifth-rank official, a Mingzhao Lady, and has plenty of good things to offer. Don't forget about us if you find a better lady in the future.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Huiniang jokingly said, "Oh, look at you, you really are someone from my side, you know how to talk."
"But Ruyi, you're in charge of the lady's private treasury; you can't be so generous with everything."
Ruyi knew that Yuan Huiniang was joking with her, and that she had never made a mistake in managing Yan Qingqing's private treasury.
So he made a couple more joking remarks to Yuan Huiniang, which made everyone laugh. Only then did Wang Dong and Li Xiangbao accept the gift.
Seeing that the sun was already high in the sky and that she could hear the noise outside from inside the house, Yan Qingqing said, "Alright, you can go out and wish the elders in the village a Happy New Year if you want, or go and play with your friends if you want."
Ruyi, please have Ah Da and the others deliver the two baskets of copper coins you prepared to the gatehouse later.
If anyone comes to wish me a Happy New Year, I won't see them, but don't forget to give them lucky money.
Ruyi quickly agreed upon hearing this.
Seeing that Yan Qingqing looked tired, Yuan Huiniang and the others made an excuse to leave.
Yan Qingqing returned to her room and told Ruyi and Ruxue to go play, as she wanted to be alone for a while.
During the lively and bustling Spring Festival, Yan Qingqing suddenly recalled some things from her past life, and felt somewhat uncomfortable.
She's gone just like that. Will her family miss her, especially her dear parents?
Probably not, because she's not their biological daughter. Aside from asking her for money to support her good-for-nothing brother, why would they care about her life or death?
Moreover, she fell into the sewer. If no one found her, wouldn't they think she was deliberately hiding to evade her filial duties?
In fact, Yan Qingqing was not happy in her previous life, whether it was her family of origin or after marriage.
There may have been a few happy years, but they were all very short-lived.
Therefore, her arrival in ancient times was not only a rebirth, but also a new beginning for her.
Yan Qingqing sat blankly by the window, her thoughts a jumble of memories from her past and present lives.
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