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Listening to the subtle teasing in Rong Shu's tone, Mother Zhang gave her a puzzled glance. Upon seeing no signs of sorrow or distress on Rong Shu's face, she breathed a sigh of relief and shot a glare at Ying Que.

Ying Que stuck out her tongue and refrained from further comments.

Rong Shu enjoyed a peaceful night's sleep.

As the new year approached, the capital city of Shangjing grew colder by the day.

With freezing temperatures and icy ground, Rong Shu had no desire to venture outside. Occasionally, she would create a few snow bunnies or snow cats in the courtyard, considering it a delightful experience of a snowy day.

Despite her infrequent outings, she had prepared all the necessary New Year's gifts for the Gu residence, as well as the new clothes to be tailored. She had also gathered an array of festive items such as peach charms for good fortune, lanterns, and longevity peaches alongside jujubes, symbolizing joyous fruits of abundance.

The current emperor does not favor the hustle and bustle of celebrations during the New Year. In the past, he would only hold a palace banquet on New Year's Eve. However, in recent years, even the New Year's Eve banquet has been canceled.

On New Year's Eve, Gu Changjin was sent home early by Minister Tan.

No sooner had the carriage entered the Phoenix-Wood Lane when a crisp sound echoed.

"Miss, please mind your step carefully, lest you should stumble."

Gu Changjin's heart skipped a beat. He slowly lifted his gaze and pulled back the carriage curtain to look outside.

A few young maidens were pasting talismans at the entrance of the Gu residence. In the center stood a lady draped in a bright red cloak embroidered with white plum blossoms, standing on a high stool as she reached up to tap the talisman into place.

The exposed section of her fair wrist seemed even whiter than the snowflakes that fell upon her.

Gu Changjin pressed his left chest and said, "Stop the carriage."

Heng Ping acknowledged the command and, from a distance, gently pulled on the reins to halt the carriage. He knew that his master was worried about frightening the women ahead, so he made sure to handle the reins softly.

Rong Shu finished hanging the talisman and, with Ying Que's assistance, descended from the high stool. She lifted her skirt and glanced behind her before nodding in satisfaction.

"I hung it so well, didn't I?"

"Yes, yes, yes! Among all of us, Miss hung the best talisman!" Ying Que flattered her.

Yingyue, however, did not agree. She stepped forward, handed Rong Shu a copper hand warmer, and helped her put on her hood. "You can only have this one thrill. You mustn't hang any more talismans. Falling off that high stool would be no joke!"

She had been terrified just now.

Rong Shu said, "Isn't this the talisman the common folk specially sent over? We can't disappoint their good intentions. I'll hang them by the main gate so that when they pass by and see it, they'll be delighted, won't they? Besides, when I was young—"

Rong Shu had intended to say that she had climbed higher than this as a child, but catching sight of a carriage parked at the end of the alley in her peripheral vision, she paused in her sentence.

Heng Ping pulled on the reins, and the horse moved forward with a gentle clip-clop. Before long, they arrived at the entrance of Gu Changjin's residence.

Rong Shu quickly put aside her mischievous demeanor, adopting a gentle smile as she called out, "Lover."

The moment Gu Changjin stepped down from the carriage, he noticed the two talismans hanging beside the main gate. They depicted a suan ni (a mythical fire lion) and a bai ze (a mythical beast), with the names of the deities Luoyue and Shenshu written beneath them.

The drawings were ordinary, and the calligraphy lacked vigor.

"These are the talismans that the common folk delivered to our residence early this morning," Rong Shu explained, her almond-shaped eyes curving into a smile. "They wished for your safety and protection from evil spirits every year. Apart from the talismans, there's also the tosu wine, lingzhi mushrooms, broomsticks, and golden cannons."

A breeze stirred, causing a few snowflakes to land on her hood, but she remained oblivious, still smiling as she continued, "The people are grateful for everything the lover does!"

On this chilly, snowy day, her warm and serene laughter seemed to even deter the cold wind from dispersing it.

Every word she spoke resonated in his ears.

Gu Changjin met her gaze for a moment, his Adam's apple shifting slightly as he said, "Have you finished hanging all the peach wood charms? I'll take care of the rest."

The people had indeed sent an abundance of peach wood charms, so much so that Gu Changjin even hung them on both sides of the small kitchen's door.

Rong Shu carefully placed the remaining charms in a small chest and asked Gu Changjin if she could take them to Minglu Yard to hang them up.

New peach wood charms were made each year for good luck; it wouldn't be appropriate to save the leftovers for the following year.

"We can't disregard the intentions of the people," Rong Shu commented.

As she spoke, Gu Changjin recalled her laughter while hanging the charms earlier. He softly acknowledged, "If Madam likes, feel free to take them."

By the time they finished hanging the charms, night had fully descended.

They changed into brand new clothes and headed for Liumo Hall.

Ordinarily, households would celebrate New Year's Eve with lively festivities and colorful lanterns.

In contrast, the Gu residence was rather desolate.

The Songsi Courtyard was slightly more lively, at least with its New Year paintings, peach wood charms, red silk, firecrackers, and festive fruits in abundance.

Yet, there wasn't the slightest hint of New Year's cheer in Liumo Hall. Even the lanterns were a plain celadon green, lacking any festive spirit.

Madam Xu would always suffer from a headache on snowy days, just as in her previous life. As a result, the New Year's Eve banquet only lasted for a short while.

Rong Shu and Gu Changjin left Liumo Hall side by side.

Aunt Zhang and the other two servants purposefully lagged far behind, wary of disturbing their masters' intimate moment.

Rong Shu felt somewhat helpless but could do nothing about it.

The crunching sound of their footsteps on the snow was particularly conspicuous amidst the silence between them.

Deciding to keep herself occupied, Rong Shu took a honey-dipped date from her purse and started munching on it.

Gu Changjin glanced at her.

Noticing his gaze, Rong Shu took out another one and asked, "Would you like a honey date, Sir?"

She had never been one to enjoy eating alone since she was young.

When Gu Changjin said he wasn't going to eat, Rong Shu calmly finished the second date.

As they approached the study, Chang Ji appeared in the snow, holding a letter in his hand.

"Madam, the head steward from the House of the Guardian General just delivered a letter from County Master Danzhu," he said.

Rong Shu was startled and promptly took the letter, asking, "Is Steward Fang still here?"

"The head steward left after delivering the letter. He only asked me to inform Madam that everything is well with County Master Danzhu and General Mu. They should return to the capital for their official duties when summer arrives."

Relieved, Rong Shu nodded with a smile. "Thank you for your efforts." As she spoke, she handed him an envelope.

Chang Ji was taken aback and glanced at Gu Changjin out of the corner of his eye. Seeing no sign of displeasure on his master's face, he bowed and took the envelope, realizing to his surprise that it was quite heavy – there were actually two envelopes, one for Heng Ping as well.