With Zhang's reassurance, Qin's emotions gradually stabilized. At this moment, Lanjuan came out and announced, "The food is ready, Auntie. When do we serve the dishes?"
"Haha, come, come, let me introduce you. This is the connection I formed with San Gui on the street. Her name is Lan Juan, and her younger brother is Lan Cheng."
"We're so busy with family matters these days, and we're really grateful for the help of these two siblings. They're also excellent cooks; you must try them later, their skills are just as good as our daughter's!"
Zhang forgot that Lanjuan and her siblings had already become acquainted with the second brother's family. Listening to Zhang's introduction, the couple and Lanjuan did not expose her. Under Zhang's guidance, Lanjuan got to know the second brother's family again.
Only then did they begin serving the food. The children, as if they had smelled the mealtime, returned to the hall with flushed cheeks, eagerly awaiting their meal.
The two brothers, Tian Lao Si and Tian Lao Er, opened up to each other and drank until they were completely unconscious. Qin Shi and Zhang Shi chatted together, and the more they talked, the more Qin Shi felt that Zhang Shi was a good person.
Tian Sangui led the children in playing hide-and-seek in the garden, and the person who was caught had to give up a big chicken leg that night.
Laughter filled the courtyard, making the villagers passing by unable to resist joining in the joy.
That evening, while we were having dinner, someone knocked on the door.
Tian opened the door, and a servant in black greeted him with a smile.
"May Young Master Tian enjoy a healthy New Year! I am here on my young mistress's orders to deliver a message to the Third Miss!"
He then handed the envelope to Tian Da, smiled politely, and rode away.
He handed the letter to Tian Sangui in the hall, and upon seeing the name on it, read, "To my dear sister Sangui!"
She had a feeling that the person in the distance had probably sent some news.
After dinner, everyone returned to their rooms and courtyards to rest. Tian Sangui closed his door and opened the letter under the red candlelight.
"My heart is filled with concern for my father, and I express my care and concern. I hope my sister can spend the New Year in peace! Respectfully, Shen Li!"
That's great! Wang Erwazi has fallen into the care of Shen Li's father and is being looked after. Her worries can finally be put to rest.
She wanted to tell her parents the news, but she was afraid that her mother would miss him so much that she might ask her to help bring Wang Erwa back. What should she do then?
According to national regulations, anyone who joins the army may choose to retire unless they achieve meritorious service or die for the country. Anyone who disobeys this order will have their entire family, up to nine generations, punished.
Tian Sangui chose to put the matter aside, thinking that Wang Erwazi would naturally come back to see his parents after he had made a contribution.
With a sense of contentment, I drifted off to sleep and enjoyed a good night's rest!
Lunar New Year's Eve has quietly arrived, and excited people are getting up early to prepare.
Tian Lao Si, Tian Lao Er, and their sons, each carrying an incense burner, a whole chicken, a pig's head, or rice, gathered at the ancestral hall.
As dawn broke, the village head led the way, carrying the dragon head, followed by his instincts, forming a long, colorful dragon that set off from the ancestral hall.
They went door-to-door delivering blessings.
The women would prepare candy and melon seeds at home. If the family was well-off, they would scatter a handful of copper coins. The Dragon King would then circle the house a few more times, signifying that the family was blessed and favored by the Dragon King!
At Tian Sangui's house, Zhang and Qin waited in the courtyard. Since their house was the largest, the whole dragon wandered around the courtyard. In each courtyard, Zhang, Qin, and Tian Sangui would put candy and copper coins in.
The village head was overjoyed. He lingered at Tian Sangui's house for a long time, saying many auspicious and blessing words. Zhang and Qin were extremely happy.
Afterwards, they left Tian Sangui's house in a lively atmosphere and headed to the edge of the village.
At noon, everyone set out a meal to worship their ancestors in the ancestral hall. In the courtyard of the ancestral hall and on the road, the elders and villagers sat together for a family reunion.
In the afternoon, every household was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, pasting up festive red couplets and hanging up cheerful red lanterns.
After all the dishes were prepared in the kitchen, firecrackers were lit, and the whole village was filled with the sounds of chickens flying and dogs barking. The livestock were so frightened that they hid in the haystacks.
After the firecrackers stopped, everyone gathered together for their New Year's Eve dinner.
With thanks from the Tian family, everyone was in high spirits and drank quite a bit of osmanthus wine, as well as five small jars of liquor.
Tian Lao Si felt this was the happiest New Year he had ever had. He raised his glass in front of everyone and announced to Tian San Gui that she would be in charge and that everyone would follow her arrangements from now on.
Tian Sangui immediately stood up and said, "Thank you for your kindness, parents. I will live up to your expectations and lead everyone to pursue wealth, develop together, and become prosperous together!"
"Alright, eldest brother wishes third sister a resounding success and a swift victory!"
"Second brother wishes Third sister a prosperous and thriving future!"
"Fourth brother wishes Third sister a new restaurant that is always packed with customers!"
"Little Five... Little Five wishes Third Sister to become more and more beautiful!"
"Hahaha!"
Xiao Wu made everyone burst into laughter, and Tian Sangui happily gave him a big chicken leg.
Then, Lanjuan and her brother chimed in, "We wish our sister Sangui a prosperous year ahead, with abundant wealth and even greater success for Hefang Restaurant!"
"Thank you!" Tian Sangui sincerely raised his glass and clinked it with the siblings' glasses before drinking.
Amidst everyone's blessings, the New Year's Eve dinner came late into the night, and tonight we would stay up all night to welcome the new year.
To keep everyone entertained, Tian Sangui took out the playing cards he had bought in advance and taught everyone how to play.
The loser had to give the winner two coins, which immediately piqued the family's interest. They all learned the rules and started playing.
There are three people in total. The loser takes the place of the next person, so that everyone can participate.
Adults and children who weren't participating gathered around to watch, learning the routine from the experience.
"A three! Oh, I've played all my cards, the landlord wins!"
Mrs. Zhang clapped her hands happily.
"Mom's luck is off the charts tonight! Even I, who's good at playing, lost to you!"
"Haha, San Gui, you taught me so well! This is the first time I've ever played such an interesting game of chess!"
Zhang categorized the cards as chess pieces. She used to see wealthy families in town playing chess outside their doors, and the various kinds of chess pieces looked extremely interesting.
Tian Sangui was called whatever she wanted; it was all about the same, as long as she could understand.
Next, it was Tian Laosi and Qin Shi's turn to face Zhang Shi. Zhang Shi won five consecutive rounds, showing a thorough understanding of various strategies. It all came down to whether Tian Laosi and Qin Shi had strong enough hands.
Sure enough, with the final pair of royal flushes, Zhang's team once again secured a decisive victory.
They sheepishly switched to the next group. Tian Da and Tian Er played as peasants. The two brothers tacitly lured Zhang's strong hand into the water first, and finally broke up several pairs of cards into straights to confuse Zhang.
Seeing that they had suddenly lost a large number of cards, Zhang became anxious.
As a result, the two brothers outmaneuvered Zhang, shattering Zhang's undefeated streak.
With two hours until dawn, the men, feeling sorry for their wives and children, told them to go back to their rooms to rest, as they needed to get up early the next day to visit the old house for the New Year. The men would stay and keep watch over them for the rest of the time.
The village was brightly lit until dawn. Zhang Shi dressed in new clothes and went to Tian Sangui's courtyard to wake her up.
Then I'll help her with her hair and makeup; I'm determined to make my daughter look beautiful today!
Madam Qin, also pregnant, came to her daughter's residence to help her with her personal hygiene.
The boys were woken up by their father, dressed in new clothes, washed up, and waited in the front hall.
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