Chapter 271 Comparison of Two Sides
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On the day before the Lunar New Year, before dawn, fine snowflakes began to fall.
The entrance to Liujiatun village was already packed with people.
Standing at the front, Li Shiyue listened as Li Wangshui and Li Shiliang counted the number of people and carts.
If you ask, what are Li Shiyue and the others going to do?
Li Shiyue was going to take a group of people to the prefectural city. She had quite a lot to do on this trip.
The first thing was to deliver New Year's gifts to the garrison in Sanshan County. This was due not only to Liu Tan, but also to Ma San and the other soldiers.
After all, Li Shiyue had started sending holiday gifts to the garrison last year.
Surely she can't just become a government official and then stop recognizing people?
Secondly, this trip to the Fucheng Night Market is to deliver New Year's gifts to the General's Mansion, the Prince of Zhenbei's Mansion, and Xingshenglou Restaurant.
Having just received an official position from the Prince of Zhenbei, shouldn't I make sure to assert my presence before the new year?
As for going to the General's Mansion, that's naturally a matter of maintaining good relationships and connections, so one has to make a good impression during the holidays.
Xingshenglou is the place where Manager Jin works, like Yan Jiuniang's shop. Last year, when the barbarians came to the village, Li Shiyue asked Li Shiliang to take people to Qingsong Town. At that time, it just so happened that Manager Jin in Qingsong Town helped to contact and settle people!
This kindness must never be forgotten!
The third thing is that Li Shiyue has to pick up Li Wangming, who is studying at the prefectural school, and bring him home for the New Year!
The fourth thing is that she has to take everyone from Liujiatun to the Jiang family outside the prefectural city to deliver New Year's gifts to Jiang Huai.
Jiang Huai was a teacher that Li Shiyue invited to Liujiatun through Jiang Huijun. He not only taught the children of Liujiatun to read and write, but also, as Li Shiyue had promised, he took extra time to teach the villagers of Liujiatun to write their own names, understand transaction documents, and calculate their own accounts.
It can be said that Jiang Huai was the teacher of dozens of people in Liujiatun, from the youngest to the oldest.
Therefore, when it was the first time to deliver New Year's gifts to Jiang Huai, every household turned out.
That's why they blocked the road at the village entrance; even Third Aunt was carried out by Li Shiliang today.
At this moment, Third Aunt was dressed warmly and wearing a hat, sitting on the mule cart, holding the little girl in her arms.
Li Shiliang and Zhao Min sat on either side of the carriage shaft. Their mule cart had several empty baskets on it, which they planned to buy gifts to put there once they arrived in the prefectural city.
Li Shiliang and Zhao Min, along with their third aunt and Xiao Ya, were going to accompany Li Shiyue to the Jiang family. Their first priority was to ask Jiang Huai to name Xiao Ya!
Next, we need to give Jiang Huai a gift to formally become his apprentice!
Li Shiliang and Zhao Min have decided to send Xiaoya to school to begin her studies next spring!
So, with the New Year approaching, we need to prepare several baskets to send together the apprenticeship gift and the New Year's gift; it can't be too meager.
Apart from older people like Li Youfu and Eighth Uncle who stayed at home, almost everyone in Liujiatun was gathered at the village entrance.
Behind Li Shiliang's family was Erdan's mother's carriage, and Yu Zhenniang and Li Yueniang sat on Erdan's mule cart.
Behind Erdan's mule cart were Wang Shisan and Yangzai's families.
Wang Shisan's grandmother also put on her most presentable clothes.
Wang Shisan only had his grandmother left in this world. Not only was Grandma Wang well-dressed, but after learning that she was going to deliver New Year's gifts to Jiang Huai, she spent a whole day at home boiling water in the kitchen and thoroughly washing herself and Wang Shisan from head to toe.
Grandma Wang felt that delivering New Year's gifts to Jiang Huai was a serious matter, and it had to be done cleanly, not dirty and bothersome.
She still had a money bag in her arms, just like the other people from Liujiatun, who planned to use the money to buy New Year's gifts for Jiang Huai after entering the prefectural city.
Behind the donkey cart belonging to Yangzai's family, Li Wangjin and Wang Xiangxing were sitting on Li Wangshui's mule cart with Huzi. Huzi's head was still wrapped in a white cloth, but his arms were no longer suspended.
In short, at the entrance of the village, one car after another was parked. Families with many members would share a car, while those with fewer members would share a car with neighbors.
When there are too many people, it naturally gets noisy.
However, this kind of noise is a vibrant and uplifting noise full of life, which is delightful!
The people of Liujiatun followed Li Shiyue to deliver New Year's gifts to Jiang Huai, which was one thing, but another thing was that they had made some money from this trade fair. With money in their pockets, they had to spend it, right?
So, isn't that why they're thinking of going to the prefectural city to spend money before the New Year?
Just as Li Shiyue said before—have a good, prosperous New Year!
Several large wooden boxes were placed on Li Shiyue’s carriage, containing high-quality paper that had been saved from the paper mill.
The cart driven by Ma Zi and Wei Zi was loaded with top-quality charcoal from their charcoal factory.
Li Shiyue rode at the head of the caravan, leading the procession. The group then set off on the official road towards Sanshan County.
Liujiatun, where there were only a few people left, suddenly became quiet, with only the occasional bark of a dog.
Li Youfu stood at the gate of the courtyard with a long face, holding his pipe and looking towards the village entrance.
They didn't even keep a dog, but they did keep two chickens in the corner of the yard.
Yu Zhenniang left with Li Yueniang, leaving him all alone at home.
Not far from Li Youfu's house is the house of Eighth Uncle, who is currently emptying a chamber pot.
The villagers all went to the Jiang family to give New Year's gifts to Jiang Huai, and they couldn't miss Lai Xi and Lai Fu, the youngest son of their eighth great-uncle.
Lai Xi and Lai Fu also studied under Jiang Huai at the school!
However, Li Wangjin had previously beaten his second brother so badly that he now needed help to walk.
Therefore, the person accompanying Lai Xilaifu could only be the youngest daughter-in-law of the Eighth Uncle.
Actually, it would be fine for Eighth Uncle to accompany Lai Xi Lai Fu himself, since people like Wang Shisan are accompanied by their grandmothers, aren't they?
However, my eighth great-uncle was unwilling to go.
What do you think you're trying to achieve?
It turned out that Eighth Uncle felt ashamed of his finger that Li Shiyue had cut off, so he refused to take Lai Xi and Lai Fu out to deliver New Year's gifts to Jiang Huai.
Therefore, the person who went with them became the eighth uncle's youngest daughter-in-law, while the person who stayed at home to serve Li Wangjin's second brother became the eighth uncle.
Not far away, carrying a dirty, foul-smelling chamber pot, Eighth Uncle looked up and met the eyes of Li Youfu, who was standing at the door with a pipe.
What were the two of them thinking in this situation?
Meanwhile, in the prefectural city, Li Wangming, who had received Li Shiyue's message in advance, packed his bedding early and went to Li's Paper Shop on Shuyuan Street.
"Mr. Jiang?"
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