Chapter 43 New Year's Day
With the Lunar New Year approaching, lanterns and decorations are hung, and the entire city of Yangzhou is immersed in a festive atmosphere as people bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new.
A day in advance, Xiang Fei informed his master that he would be taking two days off from his studies to go back and spend New Year's Day with him.
To celebrate, Shang Yuji gave him an extra jar of wine, telling him to take it and enjoy it with Elder Xiang.
It is unknown what he gleaned from this jar of wine, but he shouted, "I, Xiang, will do my utmost to teach Jiang Langjun and live up to your high expectations, young lady," and then left with tears in his eyes, carrying the wine.
With a wave of his hand, Shang Yuji granted everyone in the mansion a three-day holiday. Apart from a few people who needed to go home, the rest included Aunt Zhao and her two daughters, Wang Si who had come all the way from the capital, Old Chen, and Hui Gu and A Cuo who came from the southern border.
On New Year's Eve, along with invited guests Yi Sha, Yan Qing, Fang Mu, and Yi Ning, thirteen people sat around a round table in the main hall, enjoying a reunion dinner amidst laughter and joy.
Worried that Aunt Zhao wouldn't be able to handle everything alone, the banquet featured more dishes ordered from Yueyinglou.
Yi Sha and Yi Ning hit it off immediately, drinking bowl after bowl of distilled liquor together. Half-drunk, they pulled the two old doctors, Yan Qing and Fang Mu, to reminisce about their glorious past.
A-Cuo, playing the role of a glutton, swallowed a palm-sized piece of meat in a few bites, contrasting sharply with Hui-Gu, who was chewing slowly and carefully. A-Cuo was eating too fast, and it was Shang Yu-Ji who handed her tea to save her life.
Two young girls sat beside Zhao Sao, watching with great curiosity as Elder Yi, who had drunk himself into oblivion, insisted that his apprentice perform a whip dance for everyone. When Jiang Xi took off the long whip from his waist and waved it to add to the festivities, the girls clapped excitedly.
In the end, Wang Si and Lao Chen took the drunken people back, and Zhao Sao coaxed the sleepy child back to the house, leaving only the two of them in the hall.
The night was deep, the bright moon hung high, and the sky was full of stars; it was a rare starry night.
Shang Yuji walked to the eaves of the main hall and sat quietly to keep watch over the New Year. Jiang Xi was worried, so she brought over charcoal, a hand warmer, a cloak, and a scarf, and put them on her head to make sure she was warm before sitting down on the other side to keep watch over the New Year together.
It's rare to see them like this. At this time last year, they were struggling with their limited funds, even haggling over the smallest amount of meat and oil. Their only solace was the company of their loved ones.
But the lively banquet and the guests chatting and laughing are different from those of the past. What remains unchanged is the companionship of each other.
The fragrance of winter plum blossoms wafted in the wind, easing the clamor of gongs and drums outside the courtyard.
As the New Year's Eve bell rang, Shang Yuji turned her gaze away from the stars in the sky and happened to meet Jiang Xi's eyes.
Under the lamplight, Shang Yuji stared straight at him and chuckled softly, "Happy New Year."
As if scorched by the lamplight, her eyes shone brightly. Jiang Xi rested his hands on either side of him, gazing at her in a daze. Her long, drooping eyelashes cast shadows in the light. In a daze, he replied, "Aji too..."
She squinted, laughed, and sighed, "I really hope it's like this every year."
Jiang Xi echoed her words: "Then I hope that Aji will be with me every year."
Shang Yuji smiled without saying a word. After staying under the eaves for a while, she felt a little cold: "The night dew is getting deeper. Let's go back inside."
He quickly extinguished the charcoal fire, returned it to the hall, and then hurried after the people heading towards the main room.
Before parting ways inside, Shang Yuji turned her head and asked, "The quilt is cold. Is there anyone willing to warm it for me?"
Realizing the meaning behind her words, Jiang Xi quickly volunteered, "Me! I'll warm Aji's bed!"
Shang Yuji: ...Is the storybook given by Senior Yi serious or not?
Perhaps because she stayed up too late to celebrate the New Year, she was overcome with sleepiness and, too lazy to wait for the person lying in bed to warm up the blankets, Shang Yuji changed into her nightgown and went to bed.
Soon, Shang Yuji regretted Jiang Xi's decision to warm the bed. What difference was there between having someone with a cool body temperature warm the bed and putting a handful of snow into the quilt?
She grabbed the person who was trying to snuggle into her arms and muttered, "It's too cold to warm the bed."
Jiang Xi, whose breathing was disordered from being rubbed against, popped his head out. A few strands of dark blue hair brushed against his cheeks. Between his extremely white and black skin and hair, there was a captivating red mole. He smiled and said, "If Aji kisses me, I will warm up."
How can one not be clever to make such use of the side effects of the Heart-Connecting Gu?
"That makes you seem smart." Shang Yuji brushed the hair that was blocking his face behind his ear and teased him.
Jiang Xi replied decisively: "That's because Aji taught me well!"
Ignoring his mindless praise, and to accommodate his insistence on shoving her into his arms, resulting in her head being buried under the covers, Shang Yuji skillfully adjusted the long blanket to expose both of their heads.
Already exhausted, Shang Yuji became even more weary after all that activity. She wished herself a good night's sleep, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.
Jiang Xi quietly closed the distance, gently sniffing the familiar scent at the tip of his nose, feeling the body in his arms rise and fall with each breath, soft and tender. He closed his eyes contentedly and fell asleep together.
The winter night was long, and the slightly cool body temperature gradually warmed up. The two people on the bed huddled together for warmth, like small animals trying to get through the cold night.
In the early morning, Shang Yuji woke up and changed into the bright red new clothes she had bought for New Year's Day. Her hair was tied up with a red ribbon and adorned with two cute pom-poms. She also added coral necklaces and white jade bracelets, making her look rich and festive.
Standing next to Jiang Xi, who was also wearing a bright red long gown and whose figure was even more slender and whose beauty was exceptional, they looked just like New Year's picture dolls painted on paper.
As the two walked along the covered walkway, the pom-pom in Shang Yuji's hair swayed, attracting the attention of those behind them.
When Shang Yuji turned her head, her brows furrowed slightly, her hands on her hips, and the clinking of her accessories with her movements, she asked in confusion, "Are you listening to me?"
“I heard you!” Jiang Xi repeated, “First we go to the City God Temple to offer incense, then we go to the park, and in the evening we go on a street parade…”
"Alright, seeing that you weren't distracted, I'll reward you with amulet money." Shang Yuji took out a red pouch from the cloth bag at her waist. "Here, open it and take a look."
Da'an version of New Year's red envelopes!
As the employer, Shang Yuji planned to send the gifts to her juniors who were younger than her, except for Jiang Xiqu.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xi took the coin, opened it, and saw that the front read "Peace Under Heaven" and the back was decorated with stars.
She cautioned, "Amulets for warding off evil spirits should not be bought or sold."
Then, she weighed the number of purses in her bag, estimating that she could distribute them to the younger generation, when she was suddenly embraced by someone behind her: "Yunxiao, I will treasure these!"
The sudden movement startled Shang Yuji, who hurriedly protected the bag: "Okay, I still need to distribute them to others, let go quickly."
After leaving the second courtyard, Shang Yuji encountered A-Cuo on the road, who was carrying a cold-relieving cake in one hand and a radish cake in the other. Shang Yuji took out her purse, swung it from a distance, and threw it at her.
Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something coming at her. A-Cuo turned to the side, intending to dodge it, but when she saw that it was Shang Yuji who had thrown it, she stopped and turned her head in the direction of the purse. When she turned back, she saw that the purse was firmly in Shang Yuji's mouth.
Shang Yuji reached out and said, "Happy New Year! This is a New Year's gift for you!"
With his hands and mouth sealed, A-Cuo was stunned for a moment, then bowed deeply as a response.
Along the way, Shang Yuji, in high spirits, didn't care about seniority and just took out her purse to give gifts to everyone she met. Even Yi Sha, who was passing by, was not spared.
When she ran out of money in her purse, she simply took out some amulets and gave them away.
Yi Sha didn't say much and soon disappeared from the mansion. It wasn't until later that Dr. Yan came to the door, subtly hinting that he wanted the amulet coins, that Shang Yuji realized that Senior Yi had taken the amulet coins he had obtained to show off to Dr. Yan.
Treating everyone equally, Shang Yuji took Jiang Xi to the emergency kit to get several purses.
After finally reaching the City God Temple, we barely managed to move forward inside under the command of the soldiers.
After waiting in line for quite a while, it was finally their turn. Once inside the temple, Shang Yuji lit incense and offered her prayers, but then found herself in a dilemma, faced with a basin full of incense sticks in front of her.
The incense sticks were burned downwards, and the ash fell into the stone basin containing the incense. The current challenge was how to safely and securely insert the three sticks in her hand amidst the dense, burning incense flames.
Having failed to find a solution, she decided to hand the problem over to Jiang Xi.
Jiang Xi took the incense from Shang Yuji. At her signal, his hands moved so fast they left afterimages. In an instant, the six incense sticks in his hands were mixed into the incense jar, making it more difficult for those who came after him to offer incense.
Before leaving after offering incense, Shang Yuji curiously watched how others offered incense, only to witness yet another exquisite and unparalleled incense-offering technique using the invisible hand. She was completely impressed.
There are truly hidden masters among ordinary people.
The road out of the temple was better than the road into it. People split up in the temple and went to various temple fair activity points. Shang Yuji pulled Jiang Xi around and stopped in front of the acrobatic show.
We visited several other places afterward, and only left the City God Temple after we had a great time.
On the way back to the manor, he encountered a spoiled brat who was so impressed by Jiang Xi's beauty that he ordered his servants to forcibly abduct the man.
"My beauty, if you submit to me, I'll treat you to the finest food and drinks!"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xi realized that he was trying to take Aji away. He immediately hugged Shang Yuji, shielding her with his hands, and glared at her fiercely, saying, "Don't even think about taking Yunxiao away!"
Holding a candied hawthorn in one hand, Shang Yuji said leisurely, "It seems he has his eye on you."
"Since the beauty is reluctant to part with her sisters, I'm not being unreasonable. I'll gladly accept both of you—"
The spoiled young master laughed loudly, fantasizing about having women on his left and right.
Although the beauty was a bit tall, the thought of having such a fiery and stunning woman nestled in his arms made him lose himself in the moment.
"Crunch." Shang Yuji took a bite of a round candied hawthorn without any change in expression, but the sugar coating was unexpectedly firm and hurt her teeth.
"Aww!"
That despicable candied hawthorn assassin!
Shang Yuji covered her face and cursed inwardly.
"Yunxiao, open your mouth, let me see." Jiang Xi noticed her unusual expression, let go of her, stepped forward, cupped her cheeks in his hands, and looked at the corner of white teeth showing under her lips with a worried expression.
"How dare they ignore the young master! Young master, we'll take them down for you right now!"
"Ah—Young Master, your nose is bleeding!"
The spoiled young master chuckled as he wiped the blood from under his nose and waved his hand, saying, "Don't meddle in other people's business, let them continue."
The beauty stickers are truly wonderful.
"Help! Someone, save Miss Shang and Young Master Jiang!"
Someone shouted, and in an instant, a huge crowd surged forward, using their bodies to push aside the纨绔少爷 (playboy) and his servants.
The crowd blocked the young master's view, and when the crowd dispersed, the two beauties were nowhere to be seen.
These troublemakers!
How dare they obstruct his bright future with the beauties!
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Author's Note: Shang Jiang, the popular couple among the people of Yangzhou.
[Sprinkling flowers]
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