Early the next morning, Shen Cui and Mu Erpang were awakened by the sound of firecrackers outside.
The mother and son were woken up early, and both were too lazy to move.
But it was not a good idea to stay in bed on New Year's Day, so the two of them got up and washed up before long.
Mu Erpang put on the new cotton-padded jacket prepared by his grandmother, which was brand new from head to toe.
Of course, the elderly at this time would not care about style, and would rather focus on looseness, comfort and warmth.
Zheng was particularly fond of her grandson Mu Erpang, so she stuffed the jacket with plenty of cotton. When Mu Erpang put it on, he became an even rounder fat ball.
He put on his jacket and then tried to put on his shoes, but he could hardly bend his waist.
Chen Cui watched from the side and laughed so hard that her cheeks almost felt sore.
Mu Erpang now also felt shy. Seeing his own mother looking at him and laughing, his cheeks flushed.
When Shen Cui saw that he had discovered it, she held back her smile and stepped forward to lend a hand. While helping him put on his new cotton shoes, she asked curiously, "Didn't your grandma try on the jacket before giving it to you?"
Mu Erpang said he tried it on, and then scratched his head and said, "At that time, I was just trying to say something nice to my mother, I didn't think too much about it."
Chen Cui was no longer embarrassed to laugh at him, so she turned around, packed her things, and the mother and son held hands and left the village and went into the city.
In fact, before yesterday, Shen Cui still had the same idea as before - she didn't want to have too much contact with her original mother.
But yesterday, Zheng asked Mu Erpang to bring a bag of food "to feed the puppies", which was an active gesture of goodwill.
After all, she was able to live again by occupying the body of her original owner. Zheng had already shown goodwill before, and it would be unreasonable for her not to take the initiative to visit him during the New Year.
Chen Cui had also prepared herself mentally, thinking that as long as Zheng didn't ask her to remarry and didn't try to instigate her to embarrass Mu Yunchuan, she would not offend the old lady at this age and would agree to whatever she said.
Of course you can't go to pay New Year's greetings empty-handed on the first day of the New Year, but there is really nothing worth bringing at home. Chen Cui wanted to buy something, so she took Erpang to the market and spent two cents to buy a box of cakes.
There were very few shops open at this time, and the things sold in the pastry shop were not cheap. A box of pastries cost two cents of silver, which was equivalent to half a month's salary for a worker in the city.
After the purchase, the two went to Teapot Lane.
They set out from the village and went to the pastry shop. When they arrived at Shen's house, it was already dawn.
At this time, the Shen family was already very lively.
Mr. Shen and Mrs. Zheng are not young anymore and have high seniority in their respective clans, so many younger generations came to pay New Year's greetings.
In the main room, everyone was talking about family matters in a lively manner, but when Chen Cui and Mu Erpang came in, everyone suddenly became quiet at the same time - it had only been a few months since Mu Cheng disappeared.
According to common sense, Chen Cui should be extremely sad and haggard at this moment.
But although Chen Cui didn't wear new clothes that day, but only a casual jacket, her face was rosy and she had a smiling expression, without any sign of dejection.
Not to mention Mu Erpang, who was eating a string of candied haws with a smile on his face.
How should I put it when others see this? It's not that I really want to see someone with an unlucky face during the New Year, but I just feel it's a bit strange.
Zheng was greeting the younger generation, and after looking at everyone's faces, she understood what they were thinking.
Even though Zheng had been secretly trying to get Shen Cui to remarry, only Mr. Shen and the reliable Li knew about it. She would not make it known to everyone, as that would be disastrous for her reputation.
At this time, she sent Mu Erpang away and asked him to go play with the children. Then she sighed and added, "My daughter worries me to death. Erpang's father was missing a while ago, and she cried and screamed. I told her that laughter means happiness and crying means sorrow. Since then, this child has forced herself to laugh! It's New Year's Day, but she refused to wear the big red coat I bought for her. Alas..."
As she spoke, Zheng pulled Shen Cui to her side with a distressed look on her face, "Look how thin you are, have you not eaten well these days?"
It’s true that the first part of the sentence was just Zheng’s lies, but the second part is true. Shen Cui has indeed lost weight.
When she first came through, her personal data panel showed that she weighed 60kg and had a plump figure.
During this period, although Shen Cui was affected by her original body's "laziness", she was much more diligent than her. She did housework and accompanied Mu Erpang in reading and practicing calligraphy. She lost several pounds without realizing it.
After hearing what Zheng said, everyone took a closer look and found that Shen Cui's chin had become much sharper, which made her look even more beautiful.
Although the relationship between the relatives may not be that deep, they are better than outsiders after all, so they all began to persuade Chen Cui.
One said that Mu Cheng must be a lucky man, and the other advised Chen Cui that she had a son like Erpang, so she should take care of her health for her son's sake.
Chen Cui was a loner in her previous life and had no experience in dealing with relatives. After Zheng's reminder, she knew how she should react.
She pretended to be sad, and sighed several times with a gloomy face.
Later, Zheng called Mu Erpang over.
In front of the children, everyone naturally stopped talking about Mu Cheng and started chatting about family matters.
As they chatted, everyone discovered that Mu Erpang had changed!
As a relative, people didn't like to talk about him in the past, but whenever Mu Erpang was mentioned in private, they would shake their heads.
Seeing each other again today, Mu Erpang can easily call everyone one by one, greet each other and wish each other a happy new year. He no longer has the silly look he had before!
Mu Erpang is now truly the source of Zheng's pride. Without waiting for anyone to ask, Zheng said that he started studying at home, and that's why he became smart!
Neither the relatives of the Shen family nor the relatives of Zheng's mother's family were serious scholars, but they had all heard of the saying that a man of learning is naturally elegant, so although they were surprised, they did not develop any bad tendencies.
The excitement continued until after lunch, when the relatives dispersed to visit the next family to pay New Year's greetings. Only then did the Shen family return to its normal state.
Melon seed shells and peanut shells were scattered all over the floor, so naturally the two daughters-in-law, Chen and Li, helped to clean up.
Li behaved quite normally, but Chen was the only one who was absent-minded as she was holding the broom, and occasionally glanced at Chen Cui.
Shen Cui thought that Chen despised her for not working, and was hesitating whether to go and help.
The reason she was hesitant wasn't because she was lazy again, but because she thought that based on her original personality, she would definitely not help.
In fact, Shen Cui guessed wrong. Chen was not thinking about the family affairs under her nose at all. She was thinking about money.
Her sister-in-law is a married girl, and Mu Erpang's surname is Mu, not Chen. Although Zheng often helped them in the past, it was only a few times a year. What's more, it was Zheng's own private money, not public money, so she didn't say much.
Why did she listen to her mother-in-law today and support Mu Erpang's studies for many years?
For example, her family prepared to send her nephew Li Daniu to school, and that involved the whole family's efforts.
Naturally, she was very unwilling to help support Mu Erpang!
The aunt and sister-in-law looked at each other for several times, and Zheng called Chen Cui to her room.
After spending most of the day dealing with relatives who were not familiar to her in her original memory, she relaxed after Chen Cui entered the house.
There was no overnight hatred between the mother and daughter. Zheng seemed to have completely forgotten the matter of remarrying and never mentioned it. She only said to her, "I have discussed with your father that from now on, the expenses for Erpang's studies will be borne by us. After all, Mu Cheng is gone, and it is not a good idea for you and your widow to live alone in the village. Why don't you move back to the city?"
Of course Shen Cui couldn't agree to this.
If she really moves to the Shen family, the system on her body can be hidden, but there is no way to explain the things that appear out of thin air!
Chen Cui naturally waved her hand and refused, "It's easy to meet but hard to live together. If I bring Er Pang back to my parents' home, my younger sister-in-law may not say anything, but my elder sister-in-law will definitely not be happy! She was staring at me just now. A harmonious family is the root of everything. Don't disturb the peace of our family."
As she spoke, Shen Cui imitated her original appearance and raised her chin, "Besides, I am the head of the Mu family. Do I have to come back and suffer the anger of my sister-in-law?"
The eldest daughter-in-law's eyebrow lawsuit had naturally caught Zheng's attention. At this moment, she frowned and snorted, "She dares?!"
But after saying this, Zheng knew that what Shen Cui said made sense.
She could ignore Chen's thoughts, but Chen had children. If a quarrel really broke out, it would hurt the children's hearts and might even affect the relationship between her eldest grandson and her as a grandmother.
"My son is really different now. He even thinks about me. How about this, I give you money regularly every month?"
From the time Mu Erpang started studying until now, Chen Cui has never spent any money on this for him. Those teaching aids were given to her by the system.
She was embarrassed to make a profit from the price difference between the system and Zheng's, so she waved her hand and said that she had enough money on hand, and she would ask the two elders for money when she really needed it.
Zheng looked at her suspiciously, as if she almost didn't recognize her.
Is there any chance that my own daughter would refuse money?
Chen Cui knew that she couldn't hide her changes from her original mother after seeing her more often, so she simply said, "I told you before that I figured out a lot of things after my serious illness, and I didn't lie to you."
Afraid that Zheng would not believe it, Shen Cui added, "And these days I have been accompanying Er Pang to study, and I have learned a lot from listening to him read a few words, so my temperament has changed."
Zheng still looked at her doubtfully, but after a few words, Chen Cui had taken off her shoes as usual, leaned onto the kang, and lay down in the most leisurely posture.
The one lying on the kang in broad daylight is definitely my biological daughter!
Zheng also thought that her daughter had certainly become different from before, but no matter how different she was, her grandson had not changed as much. Zheng really believed that reading could greatly change a person.
After accepting it, Zheng said, "Since you don't want money, then you should at least have something else. Your father and I are in the city, which is more convenient than you in the village. See what you want."
As soon as Zheng asked this question, Chen's cough was heard from outside.
There is no such coincidence in the world. Zheng snorted coldly and went out to find Chen.
If you quarrel on New Year's Day, you will have bad luck in the whole year.
So after Zheng went out, she didn't scold Chen, but just glared at her fiercely.
Chen went back to the house with her neck shrunk.
Later, Shen Cui was afraid that if she stayed any longer, the Shen family would be disturbed, so she said that Erpang had to go back to study and write, and it would be the same if she came again tomorrow.
The mother and son held hands and returned to Shuiyun Village before dark.
Mu Erpang was still busy practicing calligraphy. When he got home, it was just daylight, so he quickly lay down on the table on the kang and started writing.
Shen Cui leaned beside him, still thinking that Zheng's question was right. She did have a need right now.
Mu Erpang practiced calligraphy on the kang table all day yesterday and didn't even have his own desk.
It may not be a problem for a day or two, but over the years, it will definitely be bad for your health. Especially at Erpang's age, his bones have not yet fully formed. If he develops cervical spondylosis or lumbar spondylosis, it will be a lifelong problem.
The Mu family did once have an ordinary wooden desk, but when the original owner drove Mu Yunchuan away, he had it carried away.
And since she was going to get one, Chen Cui didn't want an inappropriate one. She wanted to get a good one for her son, preferably one of those small desks designed according to the child's size in later generations, and with a small chair to correct the child's sitting posture.
But this idea is indeed too extravagant. Nowadays, ordinary wood is easy to find. You can just go to the mountains and cut it yourself.
But the craftsman's price was very high. To make a set of tables and chairs, one would need a few cents of silver for the labor fee. Her cheap husband Mu Cheng made money from this.
This is just the first time. Because it is purely handmade, it takes a lot of working hours to make a table. Mu Yunchuan's was also polished for him personally by Mu Cheng after he stopped working for half a month when Mu Cheng was still at home.
There are furniture shops in the city, but the things they sell are generally for weddings. Not only are they expensive, they are also not suitable for Mu Erpang's current size.
At this moment, the system popped up another window for Shen Cui.
[Item name: Special study desk and chair]
[Item description: A set of tables and chairs suitable for all ages, made of special materials and designed in a wooden table style suitable for this plane. Reading on it can help you concentrate and get twice the result with half the effort. The height and width can be adjusted according to your height and weight, and there is no charge for each adjustment. 】
【Price: 500 points.】 】
I have to say that the system has once again mastered Shen Cui. A set of study tables and chairs that can adjust with Mu Erpang's height can obviously be used for many years. Not to mention that reading and practicing calligraphy on it can also bring benefits.
That's the selling price... Chen Cui looked at the more than 200 shopping points left in her account and said helplessly in her mind: [I said system, how many points do I have in my account, don't you know it better than I do? You're pushing such an expensive thing to me, can I afford it? 】
The system replied with a smiling voice: [Host, don’t think so. The host now has a calligraphy training task on hand. If he upgrades his cooking skills, he can purchase it right away! 】
They were communicating when Mu Erpang finished writing a few words and was tilting his fat head back to stretch his neck uncomfortably.
Why not save on the child’s health and education expenses? Seeing this, Chen Cui said: [How about this, I owe you the money first, and then I’ll pay you back after I finish the task? 】
[No, host, adhering to the principle of interstellar fairness, you have to work hard, complete tasks, and help this system collect data in order to obtain shopping points and then buy things that are useful to you. 】
This principle of interstellar fairness has appeared more than once in the content presented by the system, which shows that it is engraved in its bones.
Shen Cui pondered for a while, and suddenly changed the subject and asked another question, "Can you know all the thoughts in my mind?" 】
Although the system was puzzled as to why the topic changed so quickly, it still patiently explained: [No, although the host serves the system, this is a cooperative relationship, and the system will also protect the host's privacy. The system will only detect it if the host is thinking about something related to the imperial examination task. Like now, I can only detect that the host's brain waves are very active, but I don't know what the host is thinking specifically. 】
[Then you should be able to hear everything I say to others? 】
[Not really. If it involves personal privacy issues, the host can think about blocking the system in his mind. As long as it does not violate the system rules, the system will not perceive it. 】
As they talked, Shen Cui flipped through the system's last update log and actually saw the item [Upgraded Host Privacy Policy].
She had taken a quick glance at it last time and had a general impression, so she looked at it carefully again this time.
It turned out that this system was just like the monitoring system in online games in later generations. When she wanted to block the system, as long as no specific banned words appeared, the system would not issue an alarm to interfere with her.
The list of banned words was long, and it took Shen Cui nearly two quarters of an hour to finish reading the specific content.
[Well, come to think of it, we’ve known each other for several days, but I still don’t know your name. 】
[I don’t have a name, only a number, my number is 962464. 】
Chen Cui suddenly laughed, first blocked the system, then waved for Er Pang to come over and whispered a few words to him.
Mu Erpang was confused, but he did it quickly.
Mu Erpang knelt down with a thud and shouted, "Happy New Year, Uncle 962464! Erpang wishes you a happy new year!"
Then there were three loud bangs: dong dong dong.
After the kowtow, Erpang wondered again, "Mom, what kind of god is 962464? Can worshiping this digital god really make you smarter?"
Shen Cui first told him not to ask, but continued to communicate with the system and said: [Okay 962464, Erpang wishes you a happy new year. According to the rules of this world, elders should give children New Year's money in return. I don’t want much from you, just three kowtows and three hundred shopping points! Of course, your system is superior to this world, so it is okay not to follow the customs here. But adhering to the principle of interstellar fairness, you should also kowtow three times to our Erpang. Oh, it is written in the update log that the system is now only upgraded to voice service, and more energy is needed to upgrade and appear to reshape. You uphold the 'principle of interstellar fairness' and do not accept credit. You cannot owe us Erpang three kowtows and not pay us back. Oh, what should we do? 】
system:【……】
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