The Ministry of Revenue sent people to build a monument of merit, and the emperor also gave handwritten words to the top three. They immediately asked someone to frame it, hung it at home, and worshiped it every day.
Prime Minister Chen did a great job. Not only did he solve the food problem in the northwest, but he also filled most of the national treasury. However, it made life difficult for Emperor Hui, who had to practice calligraphy diligently in the imperial study every day.
With both money and food, Emperor Hui was finally able to hold his head high. He immediately allocated food and dispatched troops to the north to quell the rebellion.
The relief grain had also been distributed, and no one dared to make any moves at this critical juncture. The emperor seemed calm on the surface, but in fact he had already sent his confidants to keep an eye on that place, hoping to catch a few foolish people and sacrifice them to the gods.
All the refugees began to receive food and returned to their hometowns. They could continue to receive food when they returned home. They couldn't help crying with joy, thanking Emperor Hui for not abandoning them and allowing them to return to their hometowns, eat and drink enough, and spend a peaceful year.
On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Lin Wanwan went to buy New Year's goods. The food had been prepared, and now the only things left to buy were the daily necessities.
She first went to the jewelry store and bought some hair ornaments such as hairpins, a pair of gold bracelets for sister-in-law Yuying, a jade bracelet for grandma, and gold hairpins for several aunts. She didn't choose for herself, because there was a big box of unused ones at home, which she rarely wore and hardly used.
The gifts prepared for Hu Niu were also different, mostly food, and not beautiful clothes, and there were few things that could be exchanged for money. Hu Niu was very satisfied with this, because her clothes could not be worn by her brother anyway, and her stepmother could not wear them either.
The children were also easy to choose from. I picked out some small toys, such as small wooden swords, for them to play with all day.
Lin Wanwan first asked Lin Jiu to drive the horse-drawn carriage to Shili Village to deliver the New Year's goods to her grandfather's house. After putting the things down, she did not stay for long and hurried back to the village.
After she left, everyone looked at the things on the ground, not knowing where to start.
My aunt Jiang Xiu'e picked up a wooden box on the table, opened it and took a look. She screamed in fright and almost dropped the box. She quickly put it back on the table.
"What's wrong?"
Several sisters-in-law who were nearby also hurried over to see, and were all shocked.
Zhang Cuiqin pushed them aside and looked into the box. She was startled by the golden hairpin inside.
She calmed down, fiddled with the hairpins, and counted them. There were four golden hairpins, which should be prepared by Wanwan for her aunts. There was also a jade bracelet at the bottom. The water head and color were very good. I'm afraid it was prepared for herself.
Zhang Cuiqin laughed and scolded, "That damn girl! No wonder she ran so fast!"
She took out the jade bracelet from the box and put it on. "The rest are prepared for you by Miss Wan. You can choose yourselves! Do you know the rules?"
They nodded together. Jiang Xiu'e picked one first, followed by Zhang Shuilian, Wang Zhaodi, and finally Yang Yu'er. The atmosphere was very harmonious and there was no fighting.
Zhang Cuiqin nodded with satisfaction, "Fourth son's wife, you have good craftsmanship. Make two more sets of clothes for the children in the next two days. They should be in the adults' bag. Open it and take a look."
They opened the bundle and saw that it was full of new clothes, with novel styles and excellent fabrics. There should be one for everyone.
"Wanwan, this girl, how much money will this cost?"
"Yes, mother, and this gold hairpin must be worth more than ten taels!"
"Since it was prepared by Miss Wan, just keep it. Remember this favor in your heart and repay it slowly in the future."
"Yes, mother, we definitely took note of it!"
Zhang Cuiqin asked them to move their things in, move the food to the kitchen, and distribute the small toys for the children, so that everything was arranged in an orderly manner.
After Lin Wanwan returned, she delivered New Year's goods to her sister-in-law Yuying's house. Her sister-in-law had not come back yet, so she put down the things and hurried home.
In addition to the chickens and ducks, Lin Qiuyue and Wang Guilan also packed three taels of silver each. They were very happy to receive the gifts and praised Lin Wanwan a lot.
Nanxi and Nanxing received hairpins and rouge and powder, with five taels of silver. Shuyun and Erniang received similar amounts, except for an extra two taels of wages. The rest of the family received five taels of silver in red envelopes, and the people on the farm also received new clothes and shoes, as well as various foods.
She finally finished sending out all the stuff; it was not easy!
On New Year's Eve, every household went to the graves to pay homage. Lin Wanwan also found the grave of the original owner's parents. There was a small mound next to it, which she made for the original owner during the Cold Clothes Festival. She placed offerings on the grave, burned some paper money, and kowtowed a few times.
"Don't worry, I will live well for your daughter and take good care of Lin Bai."
Mr. Lin took Chen Li to set up a stall in the village to write couplets. The price was not expensive, only paper money. This had become a custom in Linjia Village. Every year, they had to post couplets written by the scholar, hoping that the family would have a child who could read.
Lin Wanwan also walked up to Chen Li and bought two couplets.
"Brother Li's handwriting is getting better and better!"
Chen Li looked at the words he had written and said with a smile: "Since I wrote the plaque for you, I have benefited a lot, and my writing style has gradually taken shape. This is all thanks to you, Wanwan!"
Lin Wanwan covered her mouth and chuckled, "This is obviously the result of your hard work, Brother Li. I am just an opportunity."
She took the couplet and saw that there were many people around, staring at them eagerly. Her face instantly turned red and she stammered, "You, you guys are busy, I, I'll go back first!"
"Hahaha, why is Wanwan still shy?"
"Yes, yes! Let's chat with Mr. Shen again!"
"Mr. Shen, your mother won't find you a wife yet? We think the girl from the Lin family is pretty good!"
"That's right, let's ask a matchmaker to come over and talk to you later!"
Chen Li's face also turned red because of their teasing. "Aunts, please stop joking. Wanwan is still young. We still need to get married in the future!"
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