082, New Year's gift
082, New Year's gift
As soon as they sent Manager Cao away, Zhang Lingxuan and Ye Zhuoran came to their house.
Seeing two classmates coming to his house at this time, Lu Mingfei couldn't help but ask, "Why are you two here?"
"My father asked me to bring some New Year's gifts to your house. I asked Lingxuan and he wanted to come too, so I came with him." Ye Zhuoran and Zhang Lingxuan got off the carriage. The servant who came with them carried many New Year's gifts down from the carriage. He also said on Zhang Lingxuan's behalf, "Here is one from Lingxuan's family."
"You really are..." Seeing Ye Zhuoran asking the servants to move so many things to their house, Lu Mingfei didn't know what to say.
At this moment, Lu Youtian and Liu Sanniang were still standing in the yard. Seeing the guests coming, the couple looked at the guests and their eldest son.
Meeting his parents' gaze, Lu Mingfei brought two classmates to their front and introduced them to them: "Dad, Mom, these two are my classmates who studied with me under the teacher. This one is Ye Zhuoran, and that one is Zhang Lingxuan."
"I am Ye Zhuoran, the junior, nice to meet you, uncle and aunt." Ye Zhuoran bowed and saluted.
Zhang Lingxuan also followed Ye Zhuoran and bowed to the two elders as a junior.
"You're welcome, get up quickly." Lu Youtian hurriedly helped the two young men in front of him. He looked at his wife with a bit of helplessness in his eyes, not knowing how to greet his eldest son's classmates.
From the clothes of the two teenagers, Lu Youtian and Liu Sanniang knew that they were from wealthy families and were not children from ordinary families like theirs.
"Yes, yes, you're welcome. Come sit inside." Thinking of all the jars and cans in the main room, Liu Sanniang felt a little embarrassed. If she had known that her eldest son's classmates would be visiting, she would have asked her husband to move all those jars and cans into their room. It would have been better to keep them piled up in the main room, making it inconvenient to entertain guests.
Ye Zhuoran raised his hand and asked the servant behind him to take the New Year gifts to the Lu family's house and put them away. With a smile on his face, he said to the two elders, "A few days ago, Ling Xuan and I followed Ming Fei to your house to play. It happened that you were busy outside, so we left without saying goodbye to you, aunt and uncle."
"Yes, yes, we were out doing business in the morning and were not at home. You can come if you want, but why do you send so many things to our house? It's really too polite." When Liu Sanniang saw that her eldest son's classmates had sent so many things to their home, she didn't know for a moment whether they should accept the gifts or let the two children take them home.
"These are just little gifts from my parents. I hope aunt and uncle will accept them." Ye Zhuoran said with a smile.
When someone brought something home, they couldn't ask them to take it home. Liu Sanniang could only look at her eldest son and said to him, "Mingfei, take your classmates to sit inside. I'll make you a pot of hot tea."
Lu Mingfei also realized that it was not convenient to entertain guests in the main hall, so he said to his mother, "Mother, I will take them to my study to talk."
"Oh, okay, you go in first, I'll make tea for you." Liu Sanniang thought that her eldest son's study would be a good place to entertain classmates, and a relieved smile appeared on her face.
"Auntie, there's no need to make tea. We'll be leaving soon." Ye Zhuoran said.
"Yes, yes. You go inside first. It's too windy outside." Liu Sanniang gave her eldest son a wink, asking him to entertain his classmates well.
Lu Mingfei replied "OK" and led Ye Zhuoran and Zhang Lingxuan into his study. After a while, his mother came over with a pot of tea and two snacks for them.
At this time, the three of them were in the study. Ye Zhuoran asked him a few questions about some things he didn't understand in his notes, and Zhang Lingxuan also chatted with him about some issues about the county and prefectural examinations.
The three of them stayed in the study for half an hour. After discussing some of their doubts with Lu Mingfei, Ye Zhuoran and Zhang Lingxuan left Lu Mingfei's study together.
The three of them stood at the door of the study, and Ye Zhuoran said to Lu Mingfei, "Ling Xuan and I will come to your house in two days to study with you."
"Okay, if you want to come, come in the morning. I will be at home in the morning." Lu Mingfei said.
"Okay." Ye Zhuoran nodded and made an appointment with Lu Mingfei to study together after the New Year. He and Zhang Lingxuan prepared to go home.
Liu Sanniang, who was cooking in the kitchen, heard the voices outside and came out to ask the two guests who were about to leave: "Are you going back now?"
"Yes, aunt, we are going back. Our family is waiting for us to have a reunion dinner. Lingxuan and I will come to your house to play again next time." Ye Zhuoran said with a smile.
"Okay, then I won't keep you here. Here are some homemade meat jerky and meat sauce, as well as some bean sprouts. You can take them home and eat them. If you like them, you can come to my aunt's house to get more next time." Liu Sanniang asked her husband to take out the return gifts they had prepared and put them on the carriage parked outside the door.
Ye Zhuoran and Zhang Lingxuan said goodbye to their classmates and their families, then got on the carriage and left.
***
After the carriage outside left, Lu Mingfei closed the gate of the yard and bolted it.
After seeing her son's classmates leave, Liu Sanniang said to her eldest son, "Your two classmates brought a lot of gifts home. I just took a look and found two rolls of silk, a few boxes of bird's nests and ginseng. They are all expensive things."
"It's okay. Just accept what they give you. Eat what's edible, and keep what's usable." Lu Mingfei probably knew why Ye Zhuoran and Zhang Lingxuan had sent their family New Year gifts. It was simply because of the study notes he had lent them, along with a few copies of the county and prefectural exam questions. That's why the Ye and Zhang families had sent them a New Year gift before the New Year to express their gratitude.
Of course, he took out his reading notes and these exam materials to share with the two of them not for the sake of getting this little gift in return.
The bigger reason is that they have been classmates for several years and have always had a good relationship. He also understands the personalities of Zhang Lingxuan and Ye Zhuoran. If the three of them can pass the imperial examinations together and become officials in the court in the future, they can also help each other in officialdom.
Although the latter point was a bit far-fetched, what if he could actually get a civil service job? Right? Lu Mingfei himself knew that as a farmer's son with no background, it would be difficult for him to gain a foothold in the officialdom of this era on his own. He definitely needed some like-minded friends to help him.
"Why haven't I heard you mention your two classmates before? Do you have a good relationship with them?" Liu Sanniang asked.
"Not bad. I was always busy with studies and family matters before, and I didn't think about inviting my classmates to my home. A few days ago, I went to my husband's house to deliver something, and I happened to meet them. I invited them to come to my house and sit for a while. Only then did they know that we live here." Lu Mingfei said.
"Oh, that's good. Invite them to our home next time. Just tell me in advance and I'll cook a meal to entertain them." Liu Sanniang felt embarrassed when she thought that they had received so many expensive gifts, but the gifts they gave back were just some worthless things made at home.
Lu Mingfei nodded without saying anything more.
After talking to her eldest son, Liu Sanniang turned to her husband and said, "The water in the pot is hot. Go get a bucket of hot water for Xiaoqi and Xiaobao to take a bath. The bathroom is a bit drafty, so it's too cold to bathe there. Go into the main room and give them a bath. And give Mingrui a bath too; he needs a hair wash."
"I've made some herbal water. You'll have them soak their hair in it later. When you wash your hair later, you can also use the water to wash your hair."
Liu Sanniang was also a little worried that the two children who had just come to their house might have lice in their hair. After all, lice can move. She was worried that the lice would move to her youngest son's head, and eventually the whole family would have lice on their hair, clothes, and bedding. So she boiled a pot of lice-killing herbs to wash everyone's hair.
In the summer, she would also boil this herbal water to wash her family's hair, so this herb was always available at home.
Lu Youtian nodded, said "OK", and went to get a wooden bucket to fetch water.
Looking at her eldest son who was still there, Liu Sanniang said to him, "Mingfei, if you want to take a bath, move the tub to your room and wash there. Don't go to the bathroom."
"I'm not in a hurry. I'll wash later. I'll go get some water with my father and let's wash the three of them first." Lu Mingfei asked his mother to prepare dinner for their family first, and he and his father went to get some hot water and went into the main room to give a bath to his younger brother and the two brothers Zhang Qi and Zhang Xiaobao who were playing in the main room.
Only when the two brothers Zhang Qi and Zhang Xiaobao washed their dirty faces and revealed their clean little faces underneath did he see clearly what the two brothers Zhang Qi and Zhang Xiaobao looked like.
When Lu Mingfei saw Zhang Qi's face, he was stunned for a moment, because Zhang Qi's face was so handsome. His small face was the size of a palm, his skin was white, his eyes were almond-shaped, his nose was small and his chin was pointed. This face had a kind of androgynous beauty. If he hadn't seen Zhang Qi take off his shirt, revealing a boy's body, he would have almost suspected that Zhang Qi was a girl disguised as a man.
However, Zhang Qi is a real boy, not a girl dressed as a boy.
Compared to his brother's appearance, Zhang Xiaobao has darker skin, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and looks like a boy.
He thought that the two brothers probably looked different because one looked like his mother and the other looked like his father.
There was a fireplace in the main room, and the fire was burning brightly. The three boys took off their clothes and took a bath in two large bathtubs, so they didn't feel cold anymore.
Afraid that the two brothers who had just arrived at their home would be shy, Lu Mingfei asked his father to go to the kitchen to wash his hair while he helped his younger brother take a bath.
Zhang Qi washed himself and his younger brother Zhang Xiaobao, and the two elder brothers scrubbed their younger brother here.
But when Zhang Qi saw that the water from their bath was black, his face turned red.
"It's okay, just wash it twice and it will be clean. We have hot water at home, so when you wash your face in the morning and evening, or take a shower or wash your hair, just scoop the hot water from the pot outside and use it. Don't save it." Lu Mingfei also helped Zhang Qi and his brother pour out the dirty water from the first wash, and then filled a basin of water for the two brothers so that they could wash themselves clean. Author's words: Thank you Bole 9492239 (9492239) for your support, mua! To know more exciting content, please leave me a message on Liancheng Reading
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