Chapter 221 All Together
A few days after Lin Shuo got married, the New Year arrived. Because of the earthquake in Shu this year, the emperor ordered that there would be no state banquet.
Lin Qian was quite happy to hear that there would be no state banquet. The last time she went to the palace to pay New Year's greetings, she came back with a belly full of cold dishes. Now that she wasn't going, she could just eat hot food at home.
"We celebrated the New Year at our house two years ago, so let's celebrate it at the Lin Mansion this year." Zhang Yufang said while having breakfast on the morning of the 30th.
Since coming to Beijing, the two families have almost celebrated the New Year together every year. Now that we live close to each other, it has almost become a tradition to celebrate the New Year together.
Lin Qian nodded and said, "Okay, let's go over there after dinner and have two meals."
The Lin Mansion seemed to have been prepared and was waiting for Lin Qian and the others to arrive.
This year, Ge Wenyu was in charge of all the preparations for the New Year at the Lin Mansion. After all, she was a lady from a wealthy family. Although she was the daughter of a general, she was not good at managing the household.
"Sister, brother-in-law, you are here. Come in quickly so that Zi Tong won't get cold." When Ge Wenyu saw Lin Qian and the others, he quickly invited them in.
In the side hall of the main courtyard, the floor heating was burning brightly and the room was very warm. Zhao Xiu and Lin Wu were sitting on the couch, one carving small gadgets and the other embroidering.
Hearing the noise, Zhao Xiu looked up, but didn't see Zhang Yufang. She asked in confusion, "Why are there only three of you here? Where's your mother?"
Wei Xiaoran said: "My mother is behind us, so we didn't wait for her and came here first."
Lin Wu had already put down his carving knife and asked Wei Xiaoran to bring Zi Tong over. "Oh! My big, fat granddaughter, come quickly and let grandpa hold you. Look at what I've carved for you."
Lin Qian glanced at the table on Lin Wu's side. There were some small things on it, a small peach wood knife, a peach wood sword, a peach wood axe, as well as peach wood peanuts and a small peach basket.
"Your father got a piece of what's called lightning-struck peach wood these days. He said that if you carve it into a small pendant for your child to wear, it can ward off evil spirits and ensure safety." Zhao Xiu said to Lin Qian.
Lin Qian smiled and nodded. At this time, Lin Wu glanced at Ge Wenyu again and said, "I am impartial. I even made it for my grandchildren. Wenyu must not be jealous."
Ge Wenyu's response to such jokes was always calm and composed. She said, "I understand, Dad. I definitely won't be jealous of Zi Tong."
Not long after, Zhang Yufang arrived, holding a red lacquer wooden box. As soon as she arrived, she handed it to Ge Wenyu: "Here, this is a gift for the new daughter-in-law."
In the first year of marriage, a new bride is treated like a child, and during the Lunar New Year, relatives and friends give her red envelopes and gifts. Zhang Yufang was so late, so she must have been preparing for this.
Ge Wenyu naturally knew this custom, so he didn't refuse and took it with a smile: "Thank you, auntie."
Zhang Yufang nodded and pulled Ge Wenyu to see what was in the box. They were all exquisite ornaments. Lin Qian and Zhao Xiu also came over to take a look. The group of women started talking about clothes and jewelry.
After chatting for a while, Lin Shuo and Lin Changcan came back. Lin Shuo went to Xishan Villa to pick up Lin Changcan early in the morning.
When Lin Shuo got married, Lin Changcan came back and stayed for a few days. However, he missed the chickens he raised and wanted to go back. Lin Shuo had no choice but to go and pick him up today to celebrate the New Year together.
"Grandpa is back?" Lin Qian came over and helped Lin Changcan sit down.
Lin Changcan smiled and nodded: "Yes, this time when I came back, I slaughtered several chickens, two ducks and two geese, and took them all to the kitchen to cook them later.
Also, I brought Zitong a lot of eggs, all from the chickens I raised."
"Really? It just so happens that Zi Tong can eat eggs now. When I leave, I must bring all the eggs back for Zi Tong to eat." Lin Qian said.
"Okay, when you come back and finish eating, send someone to tell me and I will send some more." Lin Changcan instructed.
When the two came back, it was almost time for lunch. The whole family gathered together to eat. After lunch, Lin Wulin Shuo and Wei Xiaoran went to the study.
Lin Changcan got up early today and traveled a lot. He was a little tired, so he went back to the house to take a nap.
As for the four women, they were chatting while holding Zi Tong. After coaxing Zi Tong to sleep, they continued chatting. They didn't move for the whole afternoon and must have eaten three or four pounds of melon seed shells.
Finally, night came, and as soon as we finished the reunion dinner, fireworks started to be set off outside.
Zi Tong heard the noise and shook her head, trying to figure out where the sound came from. Seeing that she wasn't scared, Lin Qian carried her to the yard to see what was going on.
The little girl was so happy that she tilted her neck and looked up at the sky with her eyes wide open.
Lin Shuo bought a lot of fireworks and firecrackers, and asked the servants to bring them out. He led Ge Wenyu to start lighting them one by one, and the little Zi Tong became even more excited when he saw this.
After playing for more than half an hour, Zi Tong finally rubbed his eyes and yawned.
"It seems Zi Tong wants to sleep. Give her to me. I will take her back and coax her to sleep. You guys can play for a while." Zhang Yufang said when she saw that her granddaughter was sleepy.
Wei Xiaoran took the sleepy Zitong from Lin Qian's arms and said, "Then I'll send Zitong and mother home first, and come pick you up later."
Lin Qian said yes and gave Zi Tong to Wei Xiaoran.
Lin Changcan was old and lacked energy. After watching the fireworks for a while, he felt cold and went back to his room.
Ge Wenyu didn't know what was going on. He said a few words to Lin Shuo and then ran away in a hurry.
"What's going on?" Lin Qian asked in confusion.
"I have to go to the bathroom." Lin Shuo said.
The brother and sister walked back while talking. Two chairs were brought out from under the eaves. Lin Wu and Zhao Xiu were sitting on them, one on each side, snuggling together and watching the fireworks in the sky.
Lin Qian skipped to Zhao Xiu's front, not minding the dirt, and sat down in front of Zhao Xiu's feet. Lin Shuo did the same thing, sitting in front of Lin Wu's feet, then leaned back and leaned on his parents' legs.
This was their favorite action when they were kids. Sometimes it would be one evening when there was a power outage and the adults would gather together to chat. The kids, being afraid of the dark, would play next to their parents like this.
Zhao Xiu reached out and touched Lin Qian's head. Lin Qian squinted her eyes comfortably. After looking at Lin Shuo, she sighed, "That's great! I hope we can be together like today every year in the future."
Lin Wu smiled and knocked on Lin Qian's forehead, saying, "Nonsense! We are a family, of course we should be together for the rest of our lives. What? Don't you want me and your mother anymore?"
Lin Qian quickly turned around and hugged Lin Wu's leg: "How dare you!
"That's right." Lin Shuo also came over, hugged Lin Wu's other thigh, and said flatteringly.
Zhao Xiu watched the three of them playing with a smile on his face.
At this moment, a huge, colorful firework suddenly exploded in the sky, covering the entire sky. The four of them looked up. In their similar eyes, happiness flashed.
It’s great that in this different world and time, their family is always together.
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