The road in Xujia Village has been under construction for a month and a half. The road construction team has left Xujia Village and is heading towards the town.
Standing at the entrance of the village and looking at the stone road that has been repaired for more than half and is both clean and spacious, the villagers are very happy. There are even elderly people in the village who walk back and forth on this stone road every day when they have nothing to do.
It's very cold today, and the villagers have already wrapped themselves in thick cotton-padded jackets. This year, the villagers' lives are better. Some children have new cotton-padded jackets to wear, and they all cherish them very much.
Except for the people working in the greenhouse, everyone else stayed at home to keep warm. However, the workers didn't feel cold working in the greenhouse and even took off their cotton jackets because the temperature inside was warmer than outside...
Every day the old man would ask Uncle Xu to drive a horse-drawn carriage to deliver hot tea to the road workers. It was really not easy for them to work outside.
Wang was sweeping the floor in the main hall with a broom while talking to the old man sitting on the chaise longue: "I wonder how Wenwu and the others are doing in town..."
Since the weather was getting colder day by day, Xu Wenwu suggested taking his younger brothers to stay in the barbecue restaurant at night, so that his father wouldn't have to get up early every day to take them to school in the cold wind.
The old man said, "They will be back soon. It's not their first time staying in town. Besides, we've prepared clothes and other things for them. They won't be cold."
Wang sighed and said, "Xiaowu is a restless sleeper who likes to kick off the quilt. What if he gets frozen?"
"Didn't the eldest brother's wife let Wenwu sleep with Xiaowu? Wenwu always takes care of his younger brothers and sisters, so don't worry!"
Qibao had nothing to do these days, so she took her aunt, second aunt and mother to the kitchen to make some delicious food, such as flower cakes and various fruit jams. The ingredients for these things were inexhaustible in her space.
Everyone in the family likes to eat it very much. They made a lot of it, wrapped it in small jars and oil paper, and waited to use it as a New Year's gift during the Spring Festival. It was perfect and could be preserved for a long time in this weather.
…
Just half a month before the Chinese New Year, Shopkeepers Hong and Tong arrived in a horse-drawn carriage.
Everyone in the Xu family was very surprised.
The old man asked, "Why are you two here together today? Come inside quickly, it's so windy outside!"
Shopkeeper Hong said, "Today we are here to deliver New Year's gifts in advance on behalf of our master."
Shopkeeper Tong also nodded, it seemed that he had the same purpose.
Mr. Xu wasn't surprised that they would send New Year gifts, but he didn't expect it to be so early. So he asked, "Why did Master Su and Master Jing ask you to send New Year gifts so early?"
Shopkeeper Hong said, "It's like this. Old Tong and I just received the New Year's gift from the master from the capital for your family today. We immediately rushed to your Xujia Village without stopping!"
The old man said, "Master Jing and Master Su are so thoughtful. They are still thinking about our Xu family from far away in the capital. Why don't you two stay and have dinner today before leaving!"
Shopkeeper Hong said, "Thank you for your kindness, old man, but I'm afraid it won't be possible today. We need to rush to the capital before the New Year to report this year's income accounts to the master. We will set off as soon as we return."
The old man said, "Since those two are busy, I can't keep them any longer. But please wait for a moment. In return for courtesy, let us prepare some small gifts. Please ask the shopkeeper to help me take them to Master Su and Master Jing."
Shopkeeper Tong nodded and said, "Okay, I will definitely deliver the things to the master for you."
Wang quickly took her daughter-in-law to the front hall to bring the prepared New Year gifts. She smiled and said, "We are sending some homemade food. It's nothing expensive. Please don't mind."
Shopkeeper Tong looked at the two identical New Year gifts. There were several wooden boxes containing small jars of different colors, with labels on them saying that there were various fruit jams, which looked particularly exquisite. There were also some white things wrapped in oil paper that looked like noodles.
So I asked curiously, "Grandpa, why haven't I seen these things in your house?"
The old man smiled and said, "These are all foods that our family has researched and developed. They are definitely not available outside, and they are not expensive."
Qibao said, "Yes, Grandpa Hong and Grandpa Tong, this jam can be used to make tea or snacks. It's delicious. And the flower cake is made with plum blossoms. It tastes delicious too. They are all homemade. And this vermicelli, cooked in broth for a while, is also delicious. My grandfather especially likes vermicelli!"
Shopkeeper Hong joked, "Hey, little girl, I can't even taste what you're talking about, so how can I know if it's delicious? This all belongs to the master, so there's no share for me!"
"Yes!" Shopkeeper Tong also echoed.
Qibao said with a smile: "When the two grandfathers come back, come to my house and eat as much as you want!"
"Okay, since you said so, we won't be polite then!"
Shopkeepers Hong and Tong asked the driver to carry the Xu family's New Year gifts into the carriage.
Although they are all food, they are not available outside, and there are several portions of each.
Shopkeeper Hong was actually quite curious about the fruit jams the Xu family had sent him. Where did the fruit come from at this time of year? However, before his master left, he had specifically instructed him not to ask about the Xu family's affairs. Even if he knew something, he couldn't say a word to anyone. So, he'd rather not know than ask any more questions. He'd have to give Old Hong a heads-up later.
After seeing off the two shopkeepers, Wang opened the New Year gift from Su Chenyu and was surprised: "This is a gold headpiece! This, this is too expensive!"
Everyone else gathered around and was very surprised to see the dazzling gold jewelry.
When the other boxes were opened, they were all filled with valuable and exquisite jewelry and head ornaments. Judging from the quantity, one was prepared for every woman in the family. There was also a jade ring, which was obviously given to the old man.
The old man sighed and said, "I'm sorry for letting Chenyu spend so much money. The things we gave him as a gift are not worth mentioning!"
Qibao said, "Grandpa, please don't underestimate yourself. Although what we gave you is homemade, it's all made with spiritual fruits from my master. Eating it is good for your health! You can't buy it with any amount of money!"
The old man thought about it and let it go.
Zhang said, "I don't know what Jingchen gave me, but I hope it's not something so expensive."
After unwrapping several long ropes wrapped in brocade, they turned out to be several pieces of silk material for making clothes. They felt very smooth and comfortable to the touch, and it was obvious that they were not cheap.
Among them, a piece of lotus-pink material with dark patterns caught Wang's attention. She said, "This color isn't really suitable for women like us. This must be for Qibao, right? It's really beautiful. If it's made into clothes, Qibao will definitely look as good as the daughter of a wealthy family!"
The others felt the material and said with a smile, "Yes, it's just right for Qibao. When we have time, we can use this material to make two sets of clothes for Qibao."
Wang carefully packed up the materials and opened the other boxes. There were gold, silver, and jade items, as well as fine rice paper for her brothers, a few wolf-howling brushes, tea for the old man, and some exquisite cakes that were not available in the town.
Uncle Xu said, "I'm afraid these things cost a lot of money. It seems they care about our family!"
The others nodded, thinking that these two children were really honest!
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