She sighed softly and said gently, "The New Year is almost here, so I've prepared a small gift for you."
As she spoke, she took out a land deed from her bosom and handed it to Chen Quan.
Chen Quan took the land deed, looked at Li Xi with a puzzled expression, and asked, "What's this?"
Li Xi smiled slightly and explained, "This is a New Year's gift for you and your sister-in-law, a small house. There are also gifts for the children in the backyard; you can go see them for yourself later."
Chen Quan's eyes reddened with emotion, and his voice choked with emotion: "Thank you, young master..."
This is no small house!
As the all-knowing master of the Hidden Sect, he was very clear about these matters.
A two-courtyard house in Kyoto would be worth about a thousand taels of silver by today's market price.
However, the house that the young master gave him was not only close to the general's mansion, but also in a very good location, so the price naturally rose accordingly, and it cost about three thousand taels of silver.
Although the young master usually gave him a considerable monthly allowance, he still found it hard to believe that he was being given such a valuable house directly.
After all, this was no small sum of money, and he even wondered if he had misheard.
Seeing his shocked expression, Li Xi smiled and patted his shoulder, comforting him, "Alright, stop being so fussy. Go see the children! Your sister-in-law and the rest of them are in the front yard. Ling'er said she's preparing a big feast for everyone today, and everyone in the manor is helping out."
"Okay, I'll go help right away."
After Chen Quan left, Chu Ran came in.
"Xiao Xi, you're giving him a house, so what reward are you going to give him?" She held Li Xi's hand and pretended to be coquettish.
"You have so many houses that you can't even stay in one every month," Li Xi chuckled and gently patted Chu Ran's hand.
"That's different, what you gave is better." Chu Ran smiled slyly.
Li Xi already knew her usual character, and as if by magic, he took out an inconspicuous stone, "Here, this was secretly taken from the headquarters of the Red Lotus Sect without the help of the Zhenfu Division."
"A stone? What's so special about that?" Chu Ran asked, puzzled.
She took the seemingly ordinary stone, and at first, a hint of doubt did flash in her eyes.
But then, as if she had noticed something, she frowned slightly and began to examine it closely.
Although the stone's surface is unremarkable, it subtly reveals a barely perceptible green glow from certain angles.
"This jade is indeed quite nice; you've put a lot of thought into it." Chu Ran accepted it with satisfaction.
Her deceased husband left behind a considerable fortune, and she joined the Hidden Sect to avenge him. She doesn't have many hobbies, but collecting gemstones is one of them.
"Hey, by the way, where are the two wolves?"
Li Xi thought of the two wolf cubs that had been 'abandoned' by the alpha wolf.
Under Chu Ran's careful care, they have now grown into robust young wolves.
"They're in the back mountain. Nowadays, we don't dare bring them to places without a back mountain; they're incredibly destructive. But thankfully, they're fairly obedient." The two wolves were like her children.
She had no children with her husband who died young, and now she is over thirty. No longer wanting to find a partner, she has adopted the two wolves as her children.
"You spoil them too much, but as long as you're happy," Li Xi said with a smile.
"That's true." Chu Ran nodded.
After chatting for a while, the two got back to business. The disciples of each branch had been arranged to take turns keeping an eye on the whereabouts of the Red Lotus Sect leader.
"Then let's leave it at that for now," Li Xi sighed helplessly.
"Xiaoxi, come quick. Your Brother Song is here." It was Wan Yue who spoke.
Upon hearing that Song Yuan had arrived, a hint of surprise flashed in Li Xi's eyes.
He then stood up, straightened his clothes, smiled gently at Chu Ran, and said, "It seems that today's topic will have to be put aside for the time being. It is rare for Brother Song Yuan to visit, so I should go and greet him."
Chu Ran also stood up and said with a smile, "Go on, I'll go see what delicious food Ling'er has made."
Since leaving Jingyuan last year, Song Yuan has been traveling around the world.
"Brother Song!" Li Xi's voice was filled with excitement.
Song Yuan gently patted her shoulder, his eyes full of satisfaction: "Xiao Xi, it's been a long time. You've grown taller again."
"Really?" Li Xi compared herself to him. "He does seem to have grown taller. I didn't expect him to grow any taller."
"You're only eighteen. Maybe you'll grow even taller when you're twenty-three," Song Yuan laughed heartily.
In his view, regardless of gender, absolute power is the only true principle.
"Haha, then I'll take Brother Song's good wishes and eat more so I can grow taller." Li Xi replied with a smile.
"Brother Song, did you encounter any interesting or unusual events during your trip?" She pulled Song Yuan to sit down beside her.
Song Yuan nodded, his gaze deep: "There are indeed quite a few. I'll tell you about them later."
Today is Li Xi's eighteenth birthday, so Meng Zhelan and Hongying prepared several tables of banquet.
Prince An is now serving in the Military Affairs Camp. After issuing the decree, he rushed to the General's Mansion without stopping, and did not forget to prepare a birthday gift.
Li Xi is Lan'er's closest sister, so naturally, she has to put in a lot of effort to please her future sister-in-law.
When he arrived at the main hall, he found his grandparents already drinking tea and playing chess. Seeing him enter, the Empress Dowager hurriedly beckoned him over, "Yu'er, come quickly, your grandfather has been waiting for you for a long time."
Having said that, she immediately got up to leave, saying, "Wanqing, your ability to talk nonsense is getting better and better. How old are you? Why don't you take care of your health? It's freezing cold in the yard, what are you going out for?"
"Hey, you old man, are you looking down on me because I'm too old?" She pretended to be angry and left.
"Sigh, your grandmother is really something, still acting like a child at her age." The Emperor Emeritus shook his head, then looked at Prince An, "In that case, come over and play a few rounds with me."
Prince An regretted coming in. He had originally intended to pay his respects to his grandfather and grandmother before going out to find Lan'er.
There was no other way but to endure it and agree with a smile.
The Empress Dowager, who had finally found a chance to go out into the front yard, breathed a sigh of relief.
A barbecue was being prepared in the front yard. She hadn't had it in a long time and missed the tempting aroma of smoke and meat. When she arrived at the front yard, everyone in the mansion was busy with their work, some turning the meat on the grill, others carefully adding charcoal.
It wasn't surprising to see her arrive, since the Empress Dowager often came.
"Your Majesty, would you like to try this and see if it tastes good?" As she sat down, someone handed her a plate of freshly grilled beef skewers.
The meat was golden in color, glistening with oil, and sizzling with an enticing aroma. The sprinkled scallions and sesame seeds were the perfect finishing touch, instantly whetting the appetite.
She smiled slightly, took the meat skewers, and said softly, "Then I'll see if your excellent cooking skills have improved."
I took a small bite, and the crispy outside and tender inside burst into my mouth. The aroma of meat, charcoal, and seasonings blended perfectly.
"Mmm, it tastes excellent. Your cooking skills are getting better and better." She nodded in satisfaction.
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