Chapter 197: Lantern Festival

Chapter 197: Lantern Festival

Xin You was taken aback.

In the past, she traveled around and sometimes subtly hinted when she saw something regrettable. But she was a passerby in those places and almost never met the people she had spoken to again.

Such heartfelt and grand expressions of gratitude were something she had never experienced before.

After the moment of surprise, Xin You quickly returned the gesture. "Wishing everyone a happy new year."

Guyu handed over a small oil-paper package. "My mother made these flaky pastries. They are her specialty. She told me to bring them to Miss Kou to try and hopes you won't reject them."

Having lost his father at a young age, he and his mother relied on each other. During the New Year, they couldn't afford meat, so these flaky pastries with lard were a rare delicacy.

"Thank you," Xin You said with a smile as she accepted the package. "I like eating flaky pastries."

"Miss Kou, these green onion buns were made by my wife."

"Miss Kou, this bamboo lantern was handmade by this old man."

The neighbors from North Tower Ward eagerly held up what they had brought.

The faces were a mix of familiar and unfamiliar ones.

They had narrowly escaped disaster, lost their homes, and endured a difficult reconstruction. Yet, the gratitude in their hearts had not been erased. On the day Qingsong Bookstore opened after the New Year, they presented Miss Kou with what they could offer.

Tears suddenly welled up in Xin You's eyes.

Xiaolian couldn't hold back her tears and covered her mouth.

"Liu Zhou, please help me collect the gifts the neighbors have brought," Xin You said, accepting them without refusal as they were tokens of goodwill.

As Qingsong Bookstore opened and firecrackers were set off, it wasn't only Hu Boss and his staff from the book hall who came out. Zhao Manager from the Printing House with several skilled artisans, and Captain Yang with some guards also arrived. There were enough people to collect the gifts.

After instructing Liu Zhou, Xin You whispered a few words to Xiaolian.

Xiaolian called Captain Yang, and soon he came out carrying a basket filled with strings of copper coins tied with red cords.

There weren't many, just ten copper coins per string, which amounted to ten wen of money.

Captain Yang grabbed the coins and handed them out to the neighbors, who repeatedly refused. "We can't possibly accept this. We came to give Miss Kou New Year greetings. How can we take Miss Kou's money as well?"

Captain Yang, being eloquent, persuaded them in a loud voice, "Neighbors, please accept them. These are New Year's tokens for the children in your families from our boss, for good luck and protection."

Hearing this, the neighbors were reluctant to refuse.

Receiving Miss Kou’s blessings would ensure the children’s safety.

Each neighbor who came to give New Year greetings received a string of coins and surrounded Xin You, saying many auspicious words before leaving.

Guyu was the last to leave and bowed deeply to Xin You. "Miss Kou, I was impolite earlier."

Xin You stepped aside to avoid the bow. "Mr. Guyu, please don’t worry about it."

Guyu straightened up, looking slightly embarrassed. "I should have apologized earlier, but we were busy reconstructing our home."

After the disaster in North Tower Ward, while the government provided assistance and building materials to the displaced, each household had to contribute labor. Guyu and his mother were the only two in their household, so they worked tirelessly to return to their home as soon as possible.

Xin You observed that the refined demeanor of the young man before the disaster had diminished. He looked more rugged but also stronger.

"Is the house finished?"

At the mention of the new house, Guyu couldn't help but smile. "It's finished. While it’s not as spacious as the old one, it’s brand new."

Without this disaster, the neighbors in North Tower Ward wouldn’t have had the money to build new houses even after another ten years.

"That’s good. I wish you a bright future, Young Master Guyu."

Guyu bowed to Xin You again before leaving.

"Time to set off the firecrackers—" Liu Zhou shouted excitedly.

Though the boss didn’t expect gratitude for her kindness, seeing those who had benefited show their appreciation made the hard work of those days feel worthwhile.

Soon, the sound of firecrackers rang out, joining with the sounds of fireworks in the streets and alleys, scattering red paper everywhere.

The children on the street ran away, laughing and covering their ears. Shop owners and passersby on the street all wore smiles, discussing how the disaster-affected people had come to pay New Year’s visits to Miss Kou.

"Miss Kou is a kind-hearted person."

"Yes, our shops are neighbors with Miss Kou's place. If we ever face difficulties in the future, we might need to rely on Miss Kou for help."

"Ahem, Qingsong Bookstore is open. I’ll go buy a book."

Some, out of admiration for Miss Kou, and others with the thought of getting familiar for future favors, these shop owners, who normally didn’t have the habit of reading books, walked into Qingsong Bookstore and actually became the first customers after its opening.

This unexpected business left Old Manager Hu amazed.

The bookstore sold books and writing materials, and scholars typically wouldn’t start buying until after the Lantern Festival, based on past years’ experience.

The old manager looked at Xin You, feeling moved: the boss always brought in unexpected business; she was truly a business genius.

Before long, it was the Lantern Festival. Young and old in the capital were focused on the lantern festival, and the bookstore saw even fewer visitors.

Xin You was chatting with Old Manager Hu in the book hall when Dai Ze and Zhang Xu walked in.

As soon as Old Manager Hu saw the two dandies approaching together, his guard went up.

"Young Masters, what can I get for you?"

"We’re looking for Miss Kou," Dai Ze said, tilting his head and flashing a big smile at Xin You. "Miss Kou, happy New Year."

Xin You stood up and walked over. "Young Masters Dai and Zhang, do you need something?"

"Miss Kou, are you free today?"

Whether she was free or not depended on what they wanted to do.

Dai Ze tugged Zhang Xu, who then explained their purpose. "Today is the Lantern Festival. If you’re free, we’d like to invite you to see the lanterns."

"Cough, cough, cough—" Old Manager Hu coughed violently.

The two young men glared at the old manager, clearly dissatisfied.

Xin You's expression turned odd, her mood too complicated to describe.

What made these two think they were close enough to her to watch the lanterns together?

There’s no need to mention Zhang Xu. As for Dai Ze, although unaware of the blood debt between them, he is already engaged to Duan Yunhua.

These young masters act as they please, since reputation means little to them, and the impact on women matters even less.

"Miss Kou—" Seeing that Kou Qingqing remained silent, Dai Ze called out.

Kou Qingqing looked at him. "I'm sorry, I don’t have time today. Also, Young Master Dai is already engaged to my cousin. Did you invite the wrong person?"

Dai Ze had indeed considered that Miss Kou might refuse because of this, which was why he came with Zhang Xu. Upon hearing her response, he pulled his friend. "It’s Zhang Xu who wants to invite you to see the lanterns, I’m just tagging along."

He’s just an extra.

Zhang Xu quickly nodded.

"I really don’t have time," Kou Qingqing said, looking at the two seriously. "Why don’t you two go?"

The two unruly young men didn’t get angry when rejected. They exchanged a glance, and then Dai Ze asked in a low voice, "Miss Kou, how do you think our luck has been lately?"

Worried that Kou Qingqing might misunderstand, Zhang Xu quickly explained, "We met up during the New Year, and I realized Dai Ze already knew about Miss Kou’s abilities."

After discussing it, they decided they needed to maintain a good relationship with Miss Kou, which led to today’s visit.

"Miss Kou—" Before Kou Qingqing could finish her polite response, her gaze towards Dai Ze changed.

Dai Ze tensed up immediately. "What’s wrong? What happened?"

Kou Qingqing didn’t respond right away.

"Miss Kou, if something’s wrong, just tell me. I can handle it!" Dai Ze’s face turned pale, and tears were almost coming down.

The last time Miss Kou told him to watch out for the birds, bird droppings fell on his face as soon as he got home, causing him great distress. Is there something even worse about to happen?

"Miss Kou, what about me? Me too?" Zhang Xu hurriedly asked.

Dai Ze glared at Zhang Xu.

This guy doesn’t care about his well-being at all!

"Young Master Dai, do you keep a monkey at home?" Kou Qingqing asked.

Her silence was due to her carefully examining the image of the monkey.

Monkeys generally look the same to her, but the one in the image had a tuft of golden fur on its forehead, much brighter than the rest of its fur.

This monkey seems to be the one from the cliff where Kou Qingqing fell!