When they saw the mirror on the car reflecting their entire group clearly, they were completely stunned.
Even the well-traveled and knowledgeable Madam Han couldn't help but marvel.
"Wow! This is a mirror, and it reflects so clearly!"
Madam Han and Madam Wang immediately looked at themselves in the mirror!
Mrs. Han looked at the corners of her eyes and noticed some crow's feet, and couldn't help but sigh softly.
"Without realizing it, I've grown old!"
Seeing that his wife was a little sad, Han Nian'an quickly comforted her.
"Each year has its own charm, and even when you get old, you'll still look beautiful!"
A single remark made Madam Han laugh shyly, and Madam Wang echoed it.
"My mother has such an elegant demeanor that even I can't match it. I can't learn it. If my daughter had even a bit of her grandmother's elegance, she wouldn't have to worry about getting married in the future!"
The kind old lady also smiled.
"That's absolutely right! Who can stay young forever? It's elegance that never goes out of style!"
A few people interrupted, and the sadness immediately vanished.
Niu Niu saw the sky-blue swan cup, and the cute strawberry cup and rabbit cup, and immediately reached out her little hand to grab them. Unfortunately, she was too small and her legs were too short. By the time she got to the car, she couldn't even see them anymore, let alone reach them. The little girl was so anxious that she jumped up and down.
"Grandpa! My cup, give it to me quickly, my little bunny cup!"
Her shout drew everyone's attention to the several artistic water glasses in the back, and Mrs. Wang couldn't help but praise them.
"Wow! Someone in the world can make such beautiful water cups! Look! This little rabbit, this little strawberry, and what kind of bird is this? They're so lifelike!"
As she spoke, Madam Wang gave Niu Niu a rabbit cup, and then showed her a strawberry cup and a swan cup to Old Madam Han and Madam Han.
"No wonder the second brother and his men were so excited. Such an exquisite cup, such a unique shape. Not to mention Niu Niu likes it, even I, this old woman, can't put it down!"
Meanwhile, Han Wuyong and Han Boyu had already each chosen a tea set they liked and had their personal servants carry it back to their courtyards.
The father and son each chose a tea set: one of plum blossoms braving the snow, the other of lush bamboo, and a set of orchids, which they gave to Old Madam Han. Finally, they gave Han Nian'an a set of elegant daisy teaware.
After the four sets were distributed, the kind old lady noticed that her daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law hadn't received theirs yet, so she could only say kindly...
"Oh dear! This isn't enough to go around! You two should wait a little longer, and write to the second brother later to ask him to make up for it!"
Madam Han and Madam Wang replied with smiles.
"This first batch must have been rushed out of the way. It's already extremely difficult to get a batch for our household. Anyway, we'll be gathering at your place to entertain guests during the first month of the lunar year, so we're not in a hurry!"
Who knows, the second batch might be even more exquisite!
Seeing that her daughter-in-law and granddaughter-in-law were both so understanding, Madam Han said
"It's kind of you two to be so understanding. You two can keep these two mirrors!"
Madam Han, not wanting to preempt her mother-in-law, said...
"You should keep it. The bronze mirror I have was a gift from Nian'an, and I'm reluctant to exchange it! You can keep it so that our guests can see something new when they come over for the New Year!"
Wang thought the same way, and seeing that her mother-in-law had spoken first, she quickly stopped her.
"Grandma and Mom should each have one mirror. During the Chinese New Year, Ran and I will take Niu Niu and Xiao Bao to Grandma's room to eat and drink for free. It would be a waste to have the mirror in my room!"
And as you said yourself, the second batch might be even better, so I'm being greedy and waiting for something even better!
Both Old Madam Han and her daughter-in-law knew that Wang Shi was being respectful by saying that, and since it was a new item, it would be bad for Wang Shi's reputation if the elders didn't have it and the younger generation used it first. So the two of them didn't refuse, and the two mirrors were placed in Old Madam Han's and Madam Han's rooms respectively.
When everyone heard that the last piece of glass could replace the paper windows, they immediately thought of how much brighter the house would be if the paper windows were replaced with glass. Han Wuyong immediately instructed the steward to replace all the windows in the main house and the reception room with glass before New Year's Eve, so that the whole mansion could celebrate the New Year in a bright and spacious manner.
The housekeeper could imagine the envious looks from guests who came to pay their respects after the New Year when they saw the bright, clear windows! He felt a surge of pride and went off to find the workers with a spring in his step!
Seeing the joy on everyone's face, Old Madam Han said to Mrs. Han...
"Have someone go to the storeroom and find some nice things to send to the second son. Add some items that young ladies would like. The second son is a blockhead; don't let him return the favor to the Lady of the Country with something too meager!"
"I understand, Mother. I'll arrange it myself!"
After sending the old lady back to her room, Madam Han rushed to the storeroom, completely ignoring her own son. Once inside, she began ransacking her daughter's belongings. Niu Niu was the only girl in the three generations of the Han family, and she was still a three-year-old baby.
Despite being raised in a very lavish manner, there was still a surplus of household items in the storeroom for their daughter, all prepared by Madam Han and Madam Han for their daughter. Unfortunately, neither of them had the ability to conceive a daughter.
So the items prepared over a decade ago had been piling up unused in the storeroom, but now they finally came in handy. Madam Han picked them up without hesitation: top-quality sable fur, large and perfectly formed pearls, icy silk fabric, and red agate bracelets. The maidservant accompanying her frowned, and couldn't help but remind her...
"Madam, there's still a long way to go. If you keep giving gifts like this, we won't have anything to give you next year!"
Besides, aren't we just friends now? At least give the second young master some dignity; don't be so obvious!
Madam Han then stopped.
"That's right, we shouldn't make it seem like my son is desperately trying to get close to us, or he'll be looked down upon!"
Madam Han finally stopped what she was doing, packed her things, and immediately sent them to her son by express courier, fearing that if she was a step too late, her son would miss the opportunity to deliver the New Year's gifts to others!
Han Zhongyu, far away in Tai'an Prefecture: What's a little financial loss! I'd even be willing to marry into your family!
Whether the guards who delivered the gifts to Han Zhongyu swung their whips until they were smoking is another matter, but in the palace, the masters of each palace were running so hard that the soles of their shoes were practically smoking in order to win the few cartloads of New Year's gifts from Han Zhongyu!
Actually, when Han Zhongyu's several cartloads of goods were first delivered, they did not attract anyone's attention. After all, at the end of the year, local vassal kings, neighboring vassal states, as well as royal relatives, high-ranking officials and nobles from all over the country would find all sorts of excuses to send gifts to the palace.
Therefore, Han Zhongyu's New Year's gifts, wrapped in several cartloads of large cotton quilts, did not attract much attention.
Fortunately, Han Zhongyu still held some weight in the Emperor's heart. In addition, he went to Tai'an Prefecture, dealt with a group of corrupt officials, and replenished the national treasury with tax silver. The national treasury was indeed much fuller. At least this year, he didn't have to worry too much about the cotton-padded clothes for the border troops!
Therefore, he was even more satisfied with Han Zhongyu!
Liu Gonggong, the chief eunuch who served the emperor closely, was of course very clear about the emperor's thoughts, and specially ordered people to keep an eye on Han Zhongyu's movements!
Upon hearing from his eunuch that Han Zhongyu had sent a memorial to pay respects and several cartloads of New Year's gifts, he immediately went to report to the Emperor with a smile.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor said in surprise...
"With Han Zhongyu's stubborn and stingy nature, he has actually learned to give gifts."
"Read it to me, I want to see what kind of nonsense he can send me!"
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