After carefully keeping the magnifying glass with "special significance" close to her body, Li Mingyue picked up the brass tube that was about a foot long.

"This is a kaleidoscope." Zhao Hao pointed to one end of the yellow cylinder and motioned Li Mingyue to put her eyes close to it.

Then he gently turned the cylinder, and the colorful foil inside changed and overlapped with the changing angles of the three mirrors, forming all kinds of wonderful geometric patterns.

"Wow..." Li Mingyue had never seen such a sight before, and was immediately attracted. "These patterns are so beautiful, and they are all different."

"That's natural. Once a certain pattern disappears, you have to rotate it for hundreds of years before the same combination appears. Therefore, every moment is worth appreciating and cherishing..."

Zhao Hao recalled a passage he had read before and said in a deep voice.

Listening to his poetic words and looking at the ever-changing beautiful patterns in the kaleidoscope, Li Mingyue's heart melted.

"What are you doing?!" At this time, Li Chengen lifted the curtain and came in, and saw his sister and Zhao Hao leaning against each other in a rather ambiguous posture. He immediately shouted loudly.

"Brother..." Li Mingyue turned her head with a smile and gave Li Chengen a look that was enough to make him depressed.

Li Chengen couldn't help but change his words and said, "Well done."

Zhao Hao handed another brass cylinder to Li Chengen and said, "This is for you."

"Is that also a kaleidoscope?" Li Mingyue asked with her big eyes blinking.

"That's called a telescope." Zhao Hao smiled and said, "It allows people to see things far away clearly."

"Really?" Li Chengen heard this and didn't bother to find out what the two were doing. He quickly raised his telescope and looked around. "It's pitch dark. I can't see anything clearly."

"This has to be seen in an open space. Don't you like outdoor activities? There will be plenty of opportunities to use it." Zhao Hao said with a smile.

"Really? Let's go out and take a look." Li Cheng'en was excited to see the prey, and was about to go out with the telescope.

"Brother..." Li Mingyue stopped him and asked, "Have you forgotten something?"

"What's the matter?" Li Chengen was stunned. "I have finished my work, haven't I?"

"Didn't you say that this was Brother Zhao's first time in Beijing and he would be lonely spending the New Year alone without knowing anyone in the place?" Li Mingyue turned around and blinked at Li Chengen.

"Ah, did I say that?" Li Chengen was completely confused, but he saw the threat in his sister's eyes, and he couldn't help but feel his scalp tingling and said, "I really said that, look at my memory."

"Is that so?" Li Mingyue turned to Zhao Hao with a smile on her face and said, "So my brother plans to invite Brother Zhao to visit the temple fair during the New Year."

"Right, brother?" Li Mingyue turned around again and stared at Li Chengen without blinking.

"Yes, that's right." What else could Li Chengen do? He hurriedly smiled and said, "The temple fair in Beijing is so fun. There are lanterns after the ninth day of the first lunar month. I'll take you to have a look after the New Year..."

"Uh, okay." Zhao Hao nodded and agreed.

~~

On the twenty-seventh, slaughter the New Year's chicken; on the twenty-eighth, make the dough rise; on the twenty-nine, steam the buns.

The closer it gets to the New Year, the stronger the festive atmosphere becomes in Beijing.

Starting early in the morning on New Year's Eve, the sound of firecrackers could be heard all over Beijing. The boys, relying on the fact that their parents usually don't get angry on this day, couldn't wait to set off firecrackers.

Zhao Hao also wanted to set off firecrackers, but his disciples were too old to do that, so as their master he had to respect his status and not do anything that would be cheap.

But even without firecrackers, his house was still very lively.

Today, whether you are a student or a guard, everyone has a holiday to celebrate the New Year!

The students prepared pens, ink, and large red paper sprinkled with gold, and asked their master and grandmaster to write the word "Fu".

Zhao Hao's handwriting was only slightly better than Zhao Shixi's, so he naturally didn't want to embarrass himself and said that his father was there and it was not his turn to write.

Zhao Shouzheng took it upon himself to pick up his brush and write the word "Fu" in eighteen different fonts, which drew loud applause from his disciples.

Putting down the brush, the old man flexed his wrist and said to his son with a proud smile: "When you were in trouble, I wanted to sell calligraphy to support you, but it was a pity that it didn't work out."

Zhao Hao smiled and nodded. At that time, who could have thought that this year would end in such a happy way with a house full of children and grandchildren?

Life's experiences are really bloody.

The disciples finished writing the Spring Festival couplets one by one, and then took Zhao Shizhen and Zhao Shixi with them to go out and post them with laughter.

Just as I had pasted the word "Fu" and Spring Festival couplets on the door, I saw Wang Xijue getting off the carriage.

"Why are you here?" Wang Dingjue's smile suddenly froze when he saw his brother.

"If the mountain is not mine, then I am the mountain. It's New Year's Day, you can't chase my brother away, right?" Wang Xijue smiled and said, "How pitiful it would be to leave me alone at home."

After a pause, he took out a pair of sleeves and an apron embroidered with a few green bamboos, and said, "Is it not possible for me, a great Hanlin editor, to cook the New Year's Eve dinner myself?"

Everyone also advised Wang Dingjue not to be angry until next year. He then said in a low voice: "I want to eat Shuangfeng Braised Chicken."

"Yes, of course I have. How could my dear brother forget which one you like to eat?" Wang Xijue was so happy that he felt three pounds lighter. He called to the servants in the carriage behind him, "Hurry up and move everything in. Be careful not to spill the soup."

As a chef with culture, taste and aspirations, even if he goes to someone else's house to cook, he will bring his full set of utensils and the necessary ingredients.

This is the only way to ensure that every dish I cook can maintain a consistently high standard.

~~

In the afternoon, the whole family chatted, laughed, and played while making dumplings of various shapes.

Then in the evening, Zhao Hao and his son brought the brothers Zhao Shizhen and Zhao Shixi to the main room in the east courtyard.

On the wall there were portraits of the black-faced Taizu and his son Zhao Dezhao.

Three generations of the Zhao family have been offering sacrifices to their ancestors with great respect, especially Zhao Shouzheng, who has never been so pious in his life.

But when I kowtowed, I couldn't help but mutter in my heart, Grandpa Taizu, please love me again, please show your power in the Spring Examination again...

Zhao Shizhen also silently made a wish to his ancestors, "I hope I can pass the imperial examination soon so that I can learn to make guns and steam engines from my uncle..."

Zhao Shixi perhaps made a tiny wish - hoping that his ancestors would bless him so that he could spend the one thousand taels of silver in the second year of Longqing.

Even Zhao Hao, who always says "I love science", couldn't help but make a wish.

May my ancestors bless me and let me grow three to four inches taller next year...I'm talking about height.

~~

By the time the offerings were completed and we returned to the west courtyard, it had already gotten dark.

The sound of firecrackers everywhere in the capital city has become so dense that it cannot be stopped.

Colorful fireworks soared into the sky one after another, making the blue-black night sky look particularly enchanting.

Zhao Hao's family naturally bought a lot of fireworks. When he saw the four people coming back, Hua Shuyang couldn't wait to invite Zhao Shizhen and Zhao Shixi to set off the fireworks together.

The first thing they ignited was a thing similar to the conscienceless cannon. Looking at the muzzle pointing towards the sky, Zhao Hao couldn't help but take several steps back.

"Where did you buy such a scary thing?" Zhao Hao felt that this thing could be used as a cannon.

"My uncle makes fireworks. I made this one at his place. I'm giving it to my uncle." Zhao Shizhen usually keeps his emotions to himself, but at this moment, his eyes welled up with tears as he said, "You've given me a home again."

"Let it go quickly." Zhao Shouzheng hated to see others cry, and his eyes immediately turned red.

"Oh, okay!"

When the fuse burned out, there was a muffled bang, and in the smoke-filled yard, a huge firework with a long tail of flame rose into the sky. It rose to a place where ordinary fireworks could not reach, and then it exploded with a bang.

Immediately, half of the capital city was stunned by the golden fireworks that were more than ten times larger than ordinary fireworks.

The east wind blows thousands of flowers into bloom at night, and blows down stars like rain!

Zhao Hao looked up at the gradually disappearing fireworks and said silently in his heart:

'Goodbye, the first year of Longqing.'

ps. The second update is here, please give me monthly votes and recommendation votes~~~