Today is Lunar New Year's Eve. Before we had even finished our meal, half of the people at Renhelou Restaurant ran out to watch the Nuo ritual being performed in the palace with the ministers.
After the Nuo ritual is completed, fireworks will be set off in the palace.
Amidst the crackling of firecrackers, Wang Yan stayed until the very end before heading back. They were staying on the busiest street, lined with lanterns and bustling with stalls selling all sorts of goods.
Although I got home quite late today, around 11 PM, the streets were still bustling with people, and the vendors didn't seem to mind the late hour at all.
Today, it's customary to stay up all night to welcome the New Year. There's a variety show on the street, with people wielding swords and spears, dancing, and singing.
Every hundred paces, a crowd would gather around these performers, and when the performance was at its best, applause, cheers, and applause were inevitable.
Wang Yan no longer cared about going back to eat the unfinished New Year's Eve dinner. Instead, she stopped at a variety show performance and watched it with great interest.
Before I knew it, it was already past midnight before I went back to rest. This year's New Year's Eve vigil was the smoothest and I had the best mood ever.
They stayed in the room until after the Lantern Festival before returning home.
Unexpectedly, the day after he returned home, people from the Marquis's residence came.
During the busy first month of the lunar year, Lady Hou had no time to pay attention to Wang Yan and the others. It wasn't until after the sixteenth day of the lunar month, after the Marquis went to his duty, that Lady Hou remembered to call them over and ask them a question, thanks to a reminder from Granny Hua.
Wang Yan's family's small foot massage shop only opened on the 16th. The family was cleaning and tidying up, and Wang Yan was carrying a basin.
I plan to scoop some cold water and mix it with hot water to make lukewarm water, and then wipe the wooden frame of the hot pot restaurant.
A carriage pulled up outside. Who could it be?
A shopkeeper dressed in a brocade robe stepped down from the carriage and bowed to them first.
After exchanging a few words, Wang Yan learned that he had been sent by Shen Jiamu to deliver Jinhua ham to them.
"Thank you, Steward Qiu."
After delivering twenty of them, Wang Yan no longer had time to clean the wooden rack for the spicy hot pot.
First, we took the ham and hung it up; that was the important thing. Aunt Lu from next door also came over to help.
I had just carefully put the hams away when another carriage arrived. Who could it be this time?
...As Wang Yan sat in the carriage on her way to the Marquis's residence, she felt uneasy. Why did the Marquis's wife want to see them? This time, she was truly puzzled.
Wang Ying glanced at Granny Hua sitting opposite her. She had a pretty good idea of what was going on. Before the New Year, because her younger sister and mother had been taken to the Shen family, she had panicked and sent a letter to Fatty Wang.
Although the Marquis's family agreed, they may be angry now, and this could be a way to settle scores later!
Wang Ying was so frightened that her whole body trembled slightly. Wang Yan, who was sitting next to her, sensed that her sister's emotions were not right and reached out to take her arm.
The carriage soon arrived at the Marquis's residence, and Granny Hua led them directly from the side gate to the Marquis's main courtyard.
Wang Yan served in this courtyard for three years, but rarely had the opportunity to step into the main house of the madam.
Now, he obediently knelt on the ground with Aunt Wang and the other two, and kowtowed.
The Lady Hou spoke in a very warm and gentle manner, and even had Granny Hua offer the three of them seats.
It wasn't one of those big chairs, it was just a small stool.
Then I asked them in detail about what happened to the three of them in Jiangnan, but they only had a vague understanding of everything I asked them.
There was not as much news as the Marquis brought back to his wife.
The Lady of the Marquis was actually somewhat dissatisfied with Wang Ying's decision to write a letter seeking help to the Marquis's residence.
Without knowing anything about the situation, they wrote letters carelessly, especially to three slaves who had already been redeemed from their servitude?
"So, in that case, your whole family has almost all left the manor?"
"In reply to Madam, we have all been granted permission to leave," Aunt Wang replied respectfully, her eyes lowered.
"In that case, let's release the water case as well. Otherwise, it's not good for the family to be reunited."
Lady Hou gave the order decisively and without room for argument.
"My God! How could this be possible?" Wang Yan was overjoyed.
He secretly glanced at Aunt Wang and Wang Ying. Wang Ying seemed somewhat pleased, but she was trying hard to suppress it.
However, Granny Wang's face was stiff and she didn't look well.
However, he still looked extremely grateful, and knelt down and kowtowed according to custom to thank the Lady Hou.
Lady Gao (the Lady of the Marquis) nodded, and someone named Granny Hua went to fetch a three-tael silver coin and put it in her purse as a reward for Fatty Wang upon his departure from the mansion.
Once Madam Gao spoke, Fatty Wang wouldn't even be able to stay in the Marquis's residence until tomorrow.
In the late afternoon, I packed up my things. Actually, I didn't have much stuff, just a bundle containing two or three sets of clothes that I usually change into.
Lu Qi escorted him to the side gate. Seeing that his junior brother was in low spirits, Lu Qi felt bad too and reached out to pat Fatty Wang on the shoulder.
"What are you doing? Haven't you been wanting to leave the manor for a long time? Now it's all set, all set."
"After you leave, keep a close eye on Wang Yan as she practices her basic sword skills. Once this month is over, I'll go and assess her next month."
Knowing that his senior was trying to comfort him, Fatty Wang forced a smile.
………………………………………………………………
Wang Pangzi's family walked back; it would have been too ostentatious to hire a carriage in front of the Marquis's mansion today.
Seeing her father so dejected, Wang Yan's mood also became gloomy along the way.
At this moment, Wang Yan really blamed herself for going to save Shen Jiamu. Even though Shen Jiamu later gave her family so much money, Wang Yan still felt very upset.
Wang Pangzi and his gang had worked in the manor for generations. Even if they later considered redeeming themselves and leaving the manor, it was their own choice to seek favor and leave openly and honestly.
But what's going on now? He was kicked out by Lady Hou with just one sentence.
Having lost both face and dignity, Fatty Wang felt terrible, thinking he had disgraced his father's reputation.
There was still some reluctance, a reluctance to leave the Marquis's mansion. It was a complex feeling, completely different from his previous eagerness to redeem himself after his whole family had left.
At that time, I didn't dare to mention the matter of the second wife dividing the family property, and I felt melancholy for quite a while.
But now that he's actually out, he's not as happy as he imagined. This mixed feeling isn't just because he was kicked out, but also because of the oppressive feeling that he can never go back to the Marquis's mansion. He's truly overwhelmed with emotions.
There was a feeling of being torn apart, a sense of being forcefully pulled away, and a sense of uncertainty about the future; he didn't know what he could do afterward.
He wasn't in high spirits, and the other three didn't dare to say a word. They silently followed him all the way back to their own foot-selling shop.
There's no other way, we still have to make a living. Today is an auspicious day for opening, so I have to prepare a batch of food for the opening in the morning.
The ice on the river hasn't melted yet, so boatmen and porters like Uncle Chuan can't do their business.
However, quite a few old women came to the nearby academy to buy food.
Today I'm making mapo tofu and braised tofu again. I haven't made tofu much since I started making mala tang before the Lunar New Year, and the old ladies who come to buy food here really miss it.
"Madam Wang, are you making mapo tofu again tomorrow at noon?"
"Let's make it. There aren't many vegetables available this season, so the variety of ingredients in the hot pot will be limited. Let's start with tofu."
"Oh, that's great! Several students in our academy have been craving your food. Now you're in for a treat and can enjoy it for a few more days."
Aunt Wang kept chatting with the women who came to buy food, and her mood quickly improved.
But since he came back, Fatty Wang has been silent. He put down his bundle in silence, washed his hands, and then came over to cut and fry tofu.
After the group of guests left at noon, Aunt Wang glanced at him and said, "Alright, alright, we've turned misfortune into blessing. Otherwise, if we had been dragged down by the Second Master's family's affairs, how much longer would it have taken for you to leave the mansion?"
That's what she said, but Aunt Wang was still feeling really bad.
She and Fatty Wang shared a similar mindset: if we were to receive blessings through our own prayers, then standing tall and holding our heads high would certainly be a joyous occasion.
However, he was kicked out without any mercy from someone's words.
Not to mention Fatty Wang, even Aunt Wang began to doubt her own worth. Are we really that useless in the eyes of our masters?
I've been doing this job for generations. If I tell you to get out, you have to get out right now!
She had served the Marquis's household for generations, and when she encountered difficulties outside and wrote a letter home, she was treated with such disdain.
Little did they know that Gao treated them this way, and that was actually quite mild-mannered. They were simply benefiting from being born into a family for generations.
Operating salt mines illegally and selling tea illegally—these two offenses implicate officials who are guilty of crimes punishable by the extermination of their entire families!
Even Consort Yang in the palace heard from the Marquis that she had been ill since before the New Year and that she didn't have much time left!
How did our two servants get involved in this?
Don't say that what they got involved in wasn't big. What would be considered big?
If it weren't for the fact that Wang Pangzi's family had been servants for generations, they might have been beaten to death by now on some pretext!
He silently cleaned the stove. Fatty Wang then carried a stool with a backrest and sat by the river to enjoy the breeze.
Wang Yan took a deep breath and, together with her sister, carried the small stove used for brewing tea over there.
Wang Ying brought a teapot and a garlic ladle.
Upon arriving there, Wang Yan first put down the small stove and boiled a pot of spring water.
The garlic kiln that Wang Ying brought contained soybeans, peanuts, mung beans, sesame seeds, and fried rice left over from the shop before the New Year, along with Shuangjing tea leaves, daylilies, and dried mint leaves.
The two sat down and didn't talk much. Wang Ying used a garlic scoop to stir the tea.
Wang Yan removed the charcoal from the stove and placed the small copper kettle on it to boil water.
Crushing the peanuts and soybeans inside is hard work, and to make Lei Cha (擂茶), you need to grind them a couple of times.
Grinding the ingredients into a fine powder was hard work, and Wang Ying felt a bit tired after the third time she had done it.
Suddenly, a pair of large hands reached out and took the garlic scoop from her hand.
Fatty Wang took it, hammered it twice, and then stopped.
It wasn't because he felt listless like Wang Ying that he almost cried.
Seeing this expression made Wang Yan feel uneasy, and she felt so guilty that she wanted to cry.
In Wang Yan's memory, Fatty Wang was always smiling, and he remained optimistic even when scolded or criticized. He'd never been like this before!
"Father, I'm sorry. I was reckless."
Wang Pangzi didn't know why he couldn't control his tears. He clearly heard his daughter's voice and tried to hold back.
Tears still streamed down her face. Wang Yan and Wang Ying didn't dare to make a sound, so they just squatted down in front of him and stayed with him.
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