She thought that she would only consider her future with "Liu Fengmian" after she had figured everything out, but clearly, he seemed to have gotten a little... carried away.
Putting aside those blush-inducing and heart-pounding thoughts, Zheng Quchi quickly calmed down and began to care about her first New Year's Day after her transmigration.
"Brother, what should we prepare for New Year's Eve?"
"We need to dust tomorrow. In the past, our house was small, so we could just do a quick cleaning. But we need to be more careful tomorrow. Also, we need to prepare enough food for the period from New Year's Eve to New Year's Day tonight. From tomorrow onwards, we should not start any major cooking."
"Is that even a thing?" Zheng Quchi asked, puzzled. "Why?"
"This is a custom passed down from our ancestors, signifying a prosperous life and abundance year after year."
These things should have been taught by parents through words and deeds, but unfortunately, their children were born with more hardship than others. Apart from him, who still remembers the time when he was happy to be with his parents, she and her younger sister probably don't remember their parents' faces very clearly.
He then told her that there were actually some considerations regarding the ingredients for the New Year's Eve dinner, but he didn't know much about them, so he asked the neighbors next door and decided to just do it like the villagers in Hegou Village.
In addition, one must naturally decorate their home.
He carefully pasted up the Spring Festival couplets, window decorations, and New Year pictures, having already bought and prepared them all. He even pasted the character "福" (fortune) on the windows and door lintels to welcome the increasingly promising new year.
Everything else is easy to buy ready-made, but for Spring Festival couplets, you have to find those calligraphers who can write well.
There is an old man in the village who specializes in this, but he has been very busy with his "business" these days. If he goes late, he can't get in line at all, so he doesn't know who to ask for help.
“Brother, Fengmian should know, I’ll go ask him in a bit.” Zheng Quchi immediately thought of Liu Fengmian.
Liu Fengmian's appearance clearly suggests a refined and gentle scholar; he must have been knowledgeable in calligraphy.
But Brother Sang doubted, "He can't even see, how can he write?"
“His eye condition is probably not congenital. If he could write before, I can help him find the right place to put the pen, and that will be fine. If that doesn’t work, I can do it myself, although the handwriting might be a little ugly.”
"You? Never mind, you should go ask Liu Fengmian instead."
After the matter was settled, Sang Yaomei from the main room, with her hair tied in two buns resembling lucky dolls and wearing a little red rabbit fur dress that she had bought, rushed out happily and excitedly.
"Sister~ You're back! Your little sister missed you so much~"
She can now distinguish how to address people. When Zheng Quchi is dressed as a woman, she calls him "sister," and when he is dressed as a man, she calls him "second brother." Brother Sang has put a lot of effort into teaching her to remember this.
"Oh my little darling."
Zheng Quchi picked her up and spun her around. The two sisters kissed each other affectionately, laughing and playing, and talking intimately.
Brother Sang, standing to the side, also revealed a touch of tenderness in his tough exterior, quietly watching them.
After coaxing the little one, who had been playing outside all day, to sleep, Zheng Quchi and Brother Sang busied themselves in the kitchen for quite a while preparing ingredients for New Year's Day.
"Brother, I'm so tired."
Just washing those cured meats that were smoked until they were shiny and black with oil almost made her hands raw. Then there's the chopping and cutting, which is no easy task.
"You shouldn't talk about these things during holidays," Brother Sang admonished her.
He had just finished killing a chicken and was sitting on a small stool, cleaning the bloody entrails.
"Okay, okay, I'll do whatever you say."
When Zheng Quchi saw that Brother Sang was about to get up to pour out the dirty water, she quickly went over and said, "Hey, brother, sit down, I'll do it."
As she picked up the wooden basin and walked into the yard to splash water, she heard a knock at the door.
illusion?
Tap! Tap!
The knocking wasn't urgent or frequent; it sounded more like someone had come to disturb them late at night, knocking politely yet gently, as if afraid of startling them.
Zheng Quchi shuddered.
It was the dead of winter, with light snow falling. It was cold enough during the day, let alone at night; it was practically freezing. She was shivering just standing outside for a short while.
I wonder who it is that dares to wander around outside so late at night. What urgent matter could they have that they couldn't wait until dawn? Aren't they afraid of getting sick from the cold?
Although Zheng Quchi had doubts in his heart, thinking that their family had simple relationships, they were either neighbors or people that "Sang Xuanqing" knew.
Who's knocking?
Seeing her standing there motionless, Brother Sang leaned out and asked her.
On the other side, Yuwen Sheng also heard the commotion. His face was illuminated by the shadows of the corridor steps. He stepped out of the room and stood under the wooden, moonlit corridor, looking towards the courtyard with a deep smile.
"I don't know, I'll go answer the door and check."
Zheng Quchi poured the water, put down the basin, jogged a few steps to the door, and clicked! Unlocked the door and opened it—
In the stillness of the night, even the slightest sound is amplified dozens of times. With a creaking sound, the courtyard gate slowly opened.
Zheng Quchi looked curiously towards the door, only to see a dark and imposing entrance, illuminated only by a few tree oil lamps hanging under the bamboo tiles in the courtyard behind her, providing some light from the remaining shade.
But even with this little bit of light, it was enough for her to see the person standing outside the door clearly.
Zheng Quchi immediately gasped.
However, the other party did not seem to recognize her after she changed back into women's clothing. He lowered his gaze, his lips were purplish, and his usually gentle but stiff face was cold and frosty.
"Miss, may I ask if this is Sang Xuan—"
Bang!
Before the visitor could finish speaking, the door was slammed shut from the inside.
Damn, she finally remembered what she had forgotten!
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
