Chapter 138 Snow as Skin and Ice as Bones
Xu Yu acted so mysterious that it really aroused Sang Zhixia's curiosity for a moment.
She cupped her hands in the wide, thick sleeves, took a breath, and guessed, "What is it?"
"A letter from my mother?"
"Besides this, don't you want anything else?"
Sang Zhixia blinked in confusion: "What else do you want?"
If it were in the past when the prince was rich and precious, once he wanted to please others, he would naturally have all the good and expensive things.
Regardless of how much intention I have, I can definitely get the gold and silver in one go.
But now Xu Yu's pocket is cleaner than his face, and he can't afford to waste such money.
Apart from the letter sent from Kyoto, what other surprises could he have hidden from me?
Facing Sang Zhixia's puzzled gaze, Xu Yu smiled and did not respond.
Sang Zhixia exhaled a breath of white air and said, "If you say so, then I feel a little embarrassed."
"Let me make this clear first. I haven't been to the city for almost two months, and I haven't thought of preparing any surprises for you. How about I give you a red envelope as New Year's money?"
She thought her sudden inspiration was very good, and Xu Yu smiled subtly.
"New Year's money?"
Sang Zhixia nodded: "Yes, New Year's money."
Although she didn't have anything else, she still had some money hidden away, and it was more than enough to secretly take out some to give as a red envelope.
She was just thinking about how much silver to wrap in red paper when Xu Yu raised his hand and gently tapped her on the back of the head, saying in a teasing tone, "Forget it, I don't care about your little stuff."
"The wind is strong, let's go home quickly."
Sang Zhixia was so tempted by Xu Yu's words that she didn't even bother to take off her cloak as soon as she entered the house and went to find the surprise he had mentioned.
It was indeed a surprise.
There was a small box the size of a palm on her pillow. When the box was opened, on top of it was a green jade hairpin with a crabapple flower pattern.
Under the hairpin was a letter with handwriting she was very familiar with.
Sang Zhixia held a hairpin in one hand and a letter in the other. When she heard Xu Yu push the door open, she said without turning her head, "This hairpin is quite expensive, isn't it? Why are you..."
"Why, you're only allowed to have your own little treasury, but I'm not allowed to hide any private money?"
Xu Yu raised his eyebrows and walked over, took off the peach wood hairpin in her hair, picked up the jade hairpin in her hand and slowly inserted it in, also carefully adjusting the angle of the crabapple blossom on the hairpin.
The jade is clear and transparent, the carving is delicate and smooth, and the crabapple flower blooming in the foreground is lifelike and extremely lively.
Xu Yu showed satisfaction: "It looks good."
Sang Zhixia subconsciously reached out and touched it, her expression serious but with a smile that she couldn't hide: "You bought this for me with your hidden pocket money? Do you still have any?"
Xu Yu: “It’s a secret.
"I already said it was private money, so how can I tell you the whole truth? If I tell you everything, how can I hide it from you in the future?"
He pinched Sang Zhixia's earlobe, which was feeling cool, and whispered with a sense of guilt that could not be expressed, "Just make do with this year, and I'll slowly change it for you in the future."
"I've memorized them all. I'll fill them in for you one by one slowly."
Sang Zhixia didn't have any nice jewelry when she was still a girl, and it was even worse after she got married.
She herself had hidden some priceless things, but unfortunately she had no chance to show them off.
In order to make it easier for her to work, she usually tied her hair up with a piece of cloth every day. Sometimes she wanted to be a little more fancy and use a smoothly polished peach wood hairpin, which made her look capable and energetic.
She didn't like fancy things and didn't think it was a big deal, but every time Xu Yu saw it, her heart ached slightly.
A jade hairpin weighing less than five taels has become a rare treasure at this time. It shouldn't be like this...
Sang Zhixia was unaware of the complexities in his heart. After a moment's pause, she couldn't help but laugh, "There's no need to make up for it. I think today's is pretty good."
"By the way, do you really not need me to give you some New Year's money? How about I make it up to you?"
"Then I'll be reselling hairpins?"
Xu Yu tugged at her ear, turning around and saying, "Based on the distance you've taken, the things you've brought home should be in your mother's hands by now. Take your time. I'll go out and help."
Xu Yu was worried that she would cry and feel embarrassed after reading the letter from home, so he left her alone in the room.
Sang Zhixia held a thin letter in her hand, and looked at the closed door with the corners of her mouth rising silently.
The snow in the yard had been cleared away, but now there was a thin layer of snowflakes.
Xu Wenxiu and others were busy preparing the New Year's Eve dinner. The heat from the stove swirled and spread out, creating a thin layer of white mist in front of their eyes.
When Aunt Xu San saw Xu Yu, she said, "Xu Yu, come here and carry this steamer into the main room. We'll set the table for dinner later."
"Also, have we bought firecrackers?"
"I bought it."
Xu Wenxiu took a break from her busy schedule to say, "Your second aunt went to the embroidery shop a few days ago to deliver the goods. Remember to buy them. I'll have Yu'er fry them after dinner."
"Why haven't those little ones come back yet?"
Xu Wenxiu peeked out the door worriedly: "The snow is getting heavier. What if I get cold outside?"
"Yu'er, go out and look around and call back Mingyang and the others."
Xu Yu whispered yes while carrying the steaming steamer. Just as he carried the steamer into the house and put it down, the kids who had gone out to play came back cheering in the wind and snow.
Xu Mingyang even held a palm-sized snowman in his hand.
As soon as he entered the door, he turned around to look for Sang Zhixia: "Where's my sister-in-law?"
"Brother, where is my sister-in-law?"
Xu Yu was about to tell him to stop arguing when Sang Zhixia's smiling voice rang out from the west shed: "What do you want to talk to me about?"
"Give it to my sister-in-law as a gift!"
Xu Mingyang took the lead and rushed forward, and Xu Yanran ran over and hugged her arm.
Xu Mingxu and Xu Jinxi, with their short legs and slow movements, scurried up to her and stood in front of her, panting and calling out crisply, "Happy New Year, sister-in-law!"
"Look, sister-in-law! We made a snowman for you!"
"Sister-in-law, do you like it?"
The snowman held in Xu Mingyang's hands was the size of a palm. What was rare was that the shape of its head and belly was clear, and he even made eyes, nose and mouth with small stones and mud. The little arms made of snow even had short and fat fingers separated by branches.
Sang Zhixia looked at those pairs of sparkling eyes and laughed so hard that her stomach hurt: "Is this for me?"
Xu Yanran nodded continuously: "Yes, yes, sister-in-law, do you like it?"
Seeing Sang Zhixia smile, Xu Mingyang's eyes sparkled as he recited a few scholarly quotes: "Sister Yanran said that skin is made of snow and bones are made of ice. She is most like my sister-in-law!"
"Sister-in-law, do you think they look alike?"
To be honest, Sang Zhixia couldn't see how this little thing looked like herself.
However, the enthusiasm of the little ones in giving gifts is worthy of praise.
She touched each of the little dogs' heads one by one, which were almost sticking out their tongues to show their cuteness. Then she carefully took the snowman in her hands and held it in her arms, saying seriously, "If I bring it into the house and it melts, I won't be able to bear it."
"Come on, let's find a place on that window over there and put it there. I'll have to look at it every day until spring comes."
She was very supportive, and the little ones were extremely happy, chasing her around to find a suitable place to put the toys.
In front of the west room door, Xu Minghui, who had leaned against the door frame at some point, squinted his eyes and heard Xu Mingyang's parrot-like words echoing in his ears.
Snow is her skin, ice is her bones, the fiery red plum blossoms bloom proudly in the cold...
It really is like...
Xu Minghui concealed the complex expression in his eyes, slowly exhaled, smiled, and walked over and said, "Aunt, give me the dishes and chopsticks. I'll take them in."
Everyone else can do the basic preparation work, but when it comes to cooking the main dishes, Sang Zhixia has to do it herself.
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