Zhuangzi spent the day sightseeing, and everyone except Jiang Shuyun, who had to be on duty at the academy, had a great time.
After this fun activity, the children should go back to doing what they were supposed to do.
Mu Yi'an helped Shao Ming prepare his luggage for the academy, and Jiang Mo would stay with him there. From now on, he could only come back during holidays.
Fortunately, Jiang Shuyun teaches at the academy every day, so she can do her a favor and bring some food with her. It's a time when she's growing, and she can't afford to lose her nutrition.
Every evening, the villagers would deliver boiled goat milk to the entrance of the academy, where Jiang Mo would collect it.
The academy is quite strict in its management. Every day, only in the evening can students receive gifts from the academy.
However, not many families have this advantage.
More than half of the students in the academy came from outside the prefectural city.
Even though their home was in the prefectural city, they couldn't send food over every day.
However, the food at the academy is quite good; as long as you don't mind spending money, you can still eat well.
Shao Ming's affairs have been arranged, and the matter Zhou Zilin asked me to handle has also been taken care of.
From now on, everyone can live their own lives at the academy, and Mu Yi'an will not interfere too much.
It's fine for relatives to look after each other during special times, but don't interfere too much or overstep boundaries.
The Zhou family was not a small or insignificant household; they were one of the more prominent families in Xinyuan County.
They have no shortage of financial and material resources.
The He family also has powerful backers in the prefectural city; their influence is deeply entrenched.
They have passed the academy's assessment and will now study at the academy according to their own preferences and plans.
After Shao Ming went to the academy, without his eldest brother to keep him in check, his second brother, Shao Yun, became a bit too arrogant and domineering.
In the blink of an eye, another year is about to pass.
It's December, but there's no snow-covered landscape like in the north.
However, the temperature will also drop significantly, and it will feel chilly in the morning and evening.
"Madam, these are the accounts for the estate, the shops, and the fields in the northwest."
The accounts from the county seat haven't arrived yet; Steward Li said they should be ready in the next few days.
Sister Fang and Yun Duo placed the account books brought over by Accountant Song on the table; this was the busiest time of the year.
"Okay, I'll take a look in a bit. This is the New Year's gift list; I had Butler Li send someone to purchase them."
Mu Yi'an made a list of all the families to whom gifts needed to be exchanged, which was the most troublesome thing. Social interactions are really the most mentally taxing.
Fortunately, it only happens once a year; for other holidays, there's no need for such a grand celebration.
Mu Yi'an began to look at the accounts. This year, due to the drought, the harvest was less, but the income in the first half of the year was still good.
In the past two years, there have been no major expenses or property purchases at home.
Mu Yi'an calculated that if Shao Ming didn't participate in next year's autumn examination, the earliest he could wait would be four years later.
At that time, Shao Ming was seventeen years old. If he was lucky, he would be eighteen years old if he participated in the imperial examination the following year.
According to his own plan, if he passed the imperial examination, the next step would be to take the examination for probationary official and enter the Hanlin Academy.
Shao Yun is going to participate in the martial arts examination and will be staying in the capital for a while afterward.
In this way, one must acquire at least one residence in the capital, and the location should not be too remote, preferably close to the Imperial Palace.
When they first entered officialdom, they were all low-ranking officials and had no right to attend court.
However, one must also get up early every day; living in the inner city can save some time.
After finishing the accounts, Mu Yi'an started thinking about her future plans.
She doesn't want to go to the capital, but she won't stop the children from going.
In the next year or two, she needs to send people to the capital to purchase properties—houses, shops, and fields; if there are any suitable ones, she should acquire some.
In recent years, Mu Yi'an has bought several shops, all of which have been rented out.
With five children in the family, each child needs a share of the inheritance.
"Madam, the Gu family in the capital has sent a New Year's gift. Here is the gift list."
Butler Li rushed over, while the Gu family's steward was still waiting outside.
Mu Yi'an didn't expect the Gu family to send New Year's gifts. Gu Zheng was staying here because of the headmaster; he didn't want to get involved with General Gu.
Mu Yi'an took the gift list. Wow, there were quite a lot of things. It must have taken several carriages.
The New Year's gifts were truly comprehensive, including food, daily necessities, clothing, accessories, and toys—everything imaginable was provided.
"What did the Gu family say? When are they going back?"
"The Gu family steward said that he also needs to go to the academy to see his old master, and wants to take the seventh young master of the Gu family back to the capital for the New Year."
Butler Li has already inquired; since they've been sending gifts for so many years, they need to reciprocate.
"Alright, tell the Gu family steward that we want to return the gift, and ask them to take it back."
"Understood, madam."
Xu Di had someone bring in the New Year's gifts sent by the Gu family, as she needed to hurry up and prepare a return gift.
The Gu family has a deep-rooted background, a large and prosperous family, and extraordinary spending power, which is beyond their reach.
Mu Yi'an wouldn't compare the value of the gifts with the Gu family's; in their eyes, this New Year's gift was quite good and very valuable.
However, in the eyes of prominent families in the capital, this was just an ordinary New Year's gift.
Mu Yi'an thought that no matter what others thought, she wanted to give them a sincere New Year's gift in return.
If you don't have enough money, show your sincerity by preparing a New Year's gift with your own family's unique characteristics.
Mu Yi'an thought about the homemade canned fruit, the fruit stored in the cellar, the homemade wine, and the local seafood...
Thinking about all this, Mu Yi'an felt much more at ease.
The steward of the Gu family drank a cup of hot tea and then prepared to leave to go to the academy to see his master.
"Good morning, sir!"
"Have you come to pick up Xiaoqi to go home for the New Year?"
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