Chapter 409 Spending the New Year at Doctor Shen's Home
Shen Jiaqing said with a hint of worry, "Master Xiao is indeed powerful, but he has one major flaw: he comes and goes like the wind, making it impossible to find any trace of him. You don't know, Master Xiao has been missing for several years now, and we don't even know if he's alive or dead. My senior brother only has one younger brother, and Master Xiao doesn't like to send messages, so my senior brother has been worried sick all these years."
"Don't worry, Uncle Xiao is in Yu Kingdom now, he'll be fine," Sheng Sheng said. "But Uncle Xiao did go to Song Kingdom."
"Is he going to find the woman he loves but can't have?"
Sheng Sheng asked in surprise, "Uncle Shen, you know?"
"I don't know too much."
Shen Jiaqing thought for a moment and told her what he knew, "Master Xiao is a free and easy man, and he doesn't treat others with any warmth. He rarely tells even his own brother about his affairs. Many years ago, his master passed away, and after dealing with the affairs of his sect, he rushed to the Song Kingdom. Not long after, he returned to the Jin Kingdom in a daze and had a drink with my senior brother. According to my senior brother, Master Xiao drowned his sorrows in alcohol all night, constantly complaining about how late he had come back."
However, the very next day, Master Xiao picked up his sword and continued his wanderings. At this time, Master Xiao would at least occasionally send back news that he was still alive. Then, a few years later, he said he was going to retire to the mountains, and then there was no more news. My senior brother wanted to look for him but didn't know where to begin. But it's truly fate that you know him, Sheng Sheng. That's good; Master Xiao is still alive. My senior brother can rest assured. I'll go tell him tomorrow.”
Sheng Sheng nodded and smiled along.
In fact, it's hard to tell that Xiao Jiuzhu is as "unapproachable" as Shen Jiaqing described.
After all, when she first met Xiao Jiuzhu, he told her about his past with Bai Meiren. From then on, Xiao Jiuzhu's affectionate image was firmly rooted in Sheng Sheng's heart.
But Sheng Sheng still found it strange that Xiao Jiuzhu and the head of the Imperial Medical Academy of Jin were actually brothers.
It gives you the feeling that in the end, we're all friends.
The two then talked about the New Year. After learning that they had rented a house in the capital and planned to spend the New Year there, Shen Jiaqing immediately said, "There aren't many of you, why rent a house? Why don't you come stay at my house? We can celebrate the New Year together, that would be so much more lively!"
"How could I possibly trouble you, Uncle Shen? We've already gone to so much trouble for you, we can't possibly trouble you any further."
“What trouble is there? My house is huge. But since you’ve already settled in, let’s not talk about it.”
Shen Jiaqing smiled and invited her, "However, you must come on New Year's Eve, right? We should all eat together for the New Year's Eve dinner. You've come all this way from home, so the New Year's Eve dinner should be lively. It's settled then, the day after tomorrow afternoon, I'll send someone to pick you up, and you can come to my house to celebrate the New Year together!"
Sheng Sheng hesitated for a moment, "My brother and I should be fine, but shouldn't Uncle Shen discuss it with his family first?"
Such an important event as the Lunar New Year should naturally be celebrated with the closest family members. Will Shen Jiaqing's family be able to accept such sudden news?
"Don't worry, everyone in my family is easy to get along with, and they will only give you a warm welcome," Shen Jiaqing whispered. "Besides, you don't know, I'm the only one in my generation who has never been married. Because of this, I get a lot of scolding every year during the New Year. Bringing such a cute little dumpling like you back this year will hopefully distract them from that."
"Pfft." Sheng Sheng burst into laughter, imagining Shen Jiaqing being pressured to get married. "Okay, thank you, Uncle Shen! We'll definitely be there!"
After returning home that night, Sheng Sheng told Xie Yun about meeting Shen Jiaqing, and also remembered that Shen Jiaqing had invited them to have New Year's Eve dinner together.
Xie Yun had originally planned to rest for a day after arriving in the capital and then inquire about the whereabouts of Doctor Shen tomorrow, but unexpectedly, Sheng Sheng ran into him by chance.
"Brother, don't worry. Uncle Shen has already promised to give us another Rejuvenation Grass. He also said that when he leaves Shangjing, he will give Shengsheng a bottle of Rejuvenation Pills made from the Rejuvenation Grass!"
"Dr. Shen has helped us so much, we must thank him properly."
Upon hearing that her fourth brother's Rejuvenating Herb had been resolved, Xie Yunyang was overjoyed. "Since Physician Shen has invited us, we have no reason to refuse. Fortunately, we were prepared and brought with us the unique Cloud Mist Snow Tea and Dew-Infused Balm from the Kingdom of Yu. The snow tea is refreshing and nourishing, and the balm can soothe tired skin. Both are rare finds in ordinary places. Consider this a token of our gratitude to Physician Shen and a small token of our appreciation. We also have some other treasures that have finally come in handy."
"Okay! Then tomorrow we'll go and inquire about the New Year customs of Jin, and when in Rome, do as the Romans do, and prepare some New Year's gifts from Jin. All of that should be enough."
"good."
Shen Jiaqing's Rejuvenating Grass was extremely important to them, and they were incredibly grateful that he was willing to give them another one.
Therefore, the brother and sister both attached great importance to this New Year's Eve dinner, and spent the whole day preparing for it the next day.
On New Year's Eve, Sheng Sheng led Zi Juan and the others to put up couplets and hang lanterns. They had always celebrated the New Year in the palace before, and this was the first time they had decorated and dressed up together in such a house, so everyone was very enthusiastic.
Xie Yun was also in a good mood. Together with Sheng Sheng, they pasted many paper-cut window decorations on the window. This novel experience made him happy, and the feeling of freedom made him feel more satisfied than ever before.
After decorating the entire house beautifully and with a strong festive atmosphere, Sheng Sheng was finally satisfied and dressed herself up as well.
Yesterday, when I went out, I also bought some trendy clothes from Jinshangjing, and I bought a few more to give to Xie Yunjia and Li Manyan when I got back.
Sheng Sheng changed into her new clothes, lifted her skirt, twirled around, and asked Xie Yun-yang, "Brother, does it look good?"
The clothing of the Jin state was not much different in style from that of the Yu state, but their styles were quite different.
The clothing of the Yu Kingdom favored bright and exquisite designs, often featuring vibrant colors.
The clothing of the Jin state was even more simple and elegant, with clean colors and embroidery patterns often featuring elegant designs such as landscapes, bamboo and rocks. The neat stitches added a touch of gentle tranquility.
Sheng Sheng wore a moon-white cross-collar ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with delicate silver thread trimming the collar and cuffs. Several sparse ink bamboos were embroidered along the front, with very light blue-green hues adorning the edges of the bamboo leaves, making it elegantly perfect.
The same turquoise belt adorns the waist, and the hairstyle is the most common type of hair bun for girls in the Jin state, with two buns hanging down on the sides of the ears and the rest of the hair draped over the shoulders, adorned with exquisite and elegant pearl hairpins, making the look lively yet gentle.
"nice."
Xie Yun praised earnestly, "I'm used to your lively attire, but you look so serene in these Jin Dynasty clothes."
"Hehe, my brother is handsome too!"
The people Shen Jiaqing sent to pick them up arrived at the door not long ago. Seeing that Sheng Sheng was all dressed up, Xie Yun said, "Let's go to Doctor Shen's house."
"good."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com