This old saying
On the 23rd, sticky candy is served; on the 24th, sweep the house.
As the year draws to a close, the days seem to pass exceptionally quickly. After Xie Tianqi left, Xie Yushu returned and, together with Qu Xiaodie and the others, thoroughly cleaned their respective rooms, washing them inside and out. They then began cleaning the houses and installed mirrors in one of their rooms.
The others weren't idle either; the workers continued to work on glass and various glass products.
Wang Wu led his men to thoroughly clean the villa from the inside out, and replaced all the windows in the villa with glass, although ordinary glass was installed for the time being to avoid overstepping the regulations.
That made people incredibly beautiful. The rooms were bright and airy with new glass windows, so they could sunbathe right from their beds. Especially the girls, who would look in the sunlight, do their makeup in front of the mirror, applying rouge and powder, chattering away, looking absolutely gorgeous!
Lanting's training has ended, in his words
"The village head has selected some good talents, so I don't have much to teach them anymore. The rest is up to them to practice hard on their own!"
That means she now has ten top-tier bodyguards!
Before leaving, Xie Yushu gave Lanting a generous red envelope containing one hundred taels of silver. In just two months, he had trained a top-notch bodyguard team for her. She got a real bargain!
Just then, another batch of glass was made, so Xie Yushu had Xie Zhong take a few ordinary guards and Lan Ting to deliver the glass, tea set, and mirror to Han Zhongyu.
When Xie Yushu needed someone, she realized that her head guard seemed to have the same name as Han Zhongyu's head guard. One was Han Zhong, and the other was Xie Zhong. Sure enough, everyone wants their subordinates to be loyal, and she was no exception!
Xie Yushu considered changing her name, but then thought that she had been using it for so long that people were used to their names, so she decided not to change it. After all, there were so many people with the same name in the world, so it wouldn't make a difference if there were two more of them!
The glass given to Han Zhongyu was extra thick, only slightly smaller than the one sent to the palace. The tea set consisted of four sets of plum blossom, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum teaware, a light luxury style, and two pairs of swan-themed art cups.
The mirror frame was specially made by Xie Yushu, carved with auspicious cloud patterns from small-leaf sandalwood. The frame is as tall as a person, and the mirror is half the height of a person, making it suitable for both tying up hair and tidying up clothes!
Xie Zhong and his group didn't linger after arriving. They left their things with Han Zhongyu and then went back. Of course, before leaving, the Han family officials gave each of them a string of copper coins as a reward.
Han Zhongyu stood in front of the newly acquired mirror, inhaling the unique, delicate fragrance of sandalwood, touching his hair, adjusting his clothes, and looking at his face, feeling somewhat insecure.
"Hmm, he's quite a gentleman, a promising young man, worthy of someone as intelligent as her!"
After looking in the mirror and listening to Lanting's report, he was in a great mood and gave Lanting a three-day break!
The steward then hurriedly arranged for all the windows in the mansion to be replaced with glass.
The same scene was playing out in Beijing.
Li Guang and his men split into two groups upon arriving in the capital: one group went to the Han residence to deliver New Year's gifts and family letters, while the other group delivered tribute to the palace.
According to the route, the group going to the Han residence arrived first. The gatekeeper saw that it was his second young master's people returning. One person opened the gate to help drive the carriage inside, while the other ran inside to report!
It was midday, and it was also the end-of-year holiday, so the whole family was having lunch at the restaurant.
Speaking of this, we should introduce Han Zhongyu's family. As mentioned earlier, Han Zhongyu comes from a family of censors. Currently, the most influential person in the Han family is Han Zhongyu's grandfather, Han Wuyong, who serves as the Grand Censor, overseeing all officials.
Han Zhongyu's father was born just as his great-grandfather was remonstrating with the emperor, which angered the previous emperor and resulted in him being dismissed from his post. So, the family hoped that their descendants would be safe and sound, and named Han Zhongyu's father Han Nian'an, hoping that he would be safe and sound.
Now, Han Nian'an is the only member of the Han family who does not hold an official position in the court. Instead, he works as a teacher at the Imperial Academy and is married to a woman surnamed Shangguan.
Then there's Han Zhongyu's elder brother, Han Boyu, who is now serving as the Vice Censor-in-Chief in the Censorate. He is married to a woman surnamed Zhao, and they have a son and a daughter. The daughter is three years old, and the son is only eight months old.
Hearing the cheerful footsteps outside, Han Zhongyu's grandmother, Old Madam Han, looked up and asked...
"Judging from those footsteps, is there some good news? Let's invite them in and tell them!"
Han Zhongyu's mother, Madam Han, also said
"Could it be a letter from the second son? I figure it should arrive in a day or two."
After Mrs. Han said that, the whole family paused for a moment and nodded to indicate that it was about right.
Han Boyu's youngest daughter is only three years old. Hearing her grandmother talk about the second child, she said in a childish voice...
"Second Uncle is back!"
Upon hearing this, Mrs. Han pinched her little cheek.
"Does Niu Niu miss her second uncle? Let's see what goodies he brings for her later!"
Just then, the returning guards entered and were about to bow when Old Madam Han couldn't help but say...
"Get up quickly! Has your young master sent a letter? Take it out!"
Upon hearing this, the guard handed over a thick letter from home. It was also his first time seeing glass, and although he had been excited all the way there, he couldn't help but report back.
"Reporting to the old master, sirs, and all the masters, the second young master has sent back a rare item this time. It's called glass, and it's used to replace window paper. It's even more transparent than crystal, and it's a new invention by Lord Jingde!"
This is the first batch. Even the second young master couldn't bear to use it. He sent one portion to the palace and sent the rest back home!
There are also cups for the young lady and young master, they're so pretty!
The second young master is doing well over there. He asked me to give his regards to all the masters!
Han Wuyong was curious. His second grandson was always a very serious and boring person. Even the people around him knew his character. It was rare to see something that could make them so unrestrained!
He had almost finished eating, so he put down his chopsticks.
"Was it researched by Lord Jingde?"
The second brother mentioned this village headman quite a bit in his earlier letter. I'd like to see what this glass looks like that's worth all of you so eagerly presenting it to me!
Han Boyu also asked curiously
"If it dares to be the first to be sent to the palace, it must be something extraordinary. I'll go take a look too. Lead the way!"
Seeing that her great-grandfather and father had left, Niu Niu struggled to go too.
"Look at the gifts! Look at the gifts!"
Seeing Niu Niu's reaction, and with everyone else at the table looking curious, Madam Han decided to speak up: "Since it's something new, let's all go and take a look!"
After hearing the old lady's words, Madam Han helped the old lady, Madam Wang carried her youngest son, and Han Nian'an led her granddaughter to the front yard.
When the group arrived at the front yard, Han Wuyong and Han Boyu, who had arrived first, were already enjoying their cups!
When the group of women and children arrived, they saw a carriage full of dazzling lights, so bright that they dared not look directly at it!
Upon closer inspection, it became clear that the dazzling shimmering light was actually the reflection of sunlight off the transparent glass. It was hard to believe that such a crystal-clear object existed in the world!
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