Chapter 128

Chapter 128

The inspection of the seven counties was of great significance, but riding through the biting cold of late December to travel from place to place was no easy task.

Back in the East Wing Courtyard, Xiao Zhen first took Tong Sui's hands, which were icy cold and red from the cold.

Tong Sui: "They just turned red because I just came in; they'll be fine after a while. I apply ointment every day, so it’s nothing."

It was already frozen, and talking about it now wouldn't help. Xiao Zhen helped her take off her shoes and had her put her equally cold feet under the quilt at the bottom. He went to mix some water.

Sitting on the kang (a traditional heated bed), Tong Sui took the warm towel to wipe her face and neck. When she wiped her hands, she looked at him and asked, "When Grandfather asked you that question at the city gate, was he upset that you come back too often?"

Not mentioning Xiao Ye and Qiao Changshun, who were single, Xiao Yan always waited for the old man's permission before daring to return to Cheng County, but Xiao Zhen was an exception.

Xiao Zhen: "Grandfather was just asking casually out of concern for my duties. If you're really worried he might be angry, I can go back after dinner? Although it's windy and snowing heavily outside, my horse is fast, and it only takes two quarters of an hour to get to the cavalry camp."

Tong Sui: "..."

She threw the used towel at him.

Xiao Zhen rewashed the towel and let her wipe herself again, then placed the facial cream and ointments in front of her.

Tong Sui carefully applied them to her hands and face, and her feet had warmed up. She said, "Go ahead, it's time to eat."

After the old man returned from his long journey, Aunt Xiao had the kitchen prepare a lamb hot pot. The mutton was free of its gamey taste, and a layer of red peppers was added to the broth, filling the room with a fragrant aroma that seeped through the gaps in the cotton curtains.

Uncle Xiao and the old man discussed the livelihoods of the people in the seven counties, while Lady He followed up with Xiao She about the situation with her husband and third son. Qiao Changan kept challenging Xiao Zhen to drinking games.

Outside, it was a world of ice and snow, but inside the Xiao family, it was lively and warm.

Aunt Xiao: "How wonderful, we can have a peaceful New Year this year. Father, will Second Brother and Fourth Brother come back for the New Year?"

Xiao Mu: "They should all be able to make it home before New Year's Eve, and they'll return after the fifth day of the first month."

The soldiers in each county would also take turns on a ten-day holiday, half before the New Year and half after.

Lady He was somewhat worried: "If Shouyi and the others return, will the city's garrison rebel?"

Qiao Changan laughed and said, "Aunt, don’t worry. The military pay and supplies are all stored in Wei City, and they are distributed monthly to the six counties. Even if the garrison commander rebels, they won't gain anything, so why bother? Besides, they receive their monthly pay from us, and many of their families have been given land. Compared to before, it's a much better life. If they rebel, their own parents will be the first to scold them."

Most people in the world are commoners, and the majority of soldiers come from commoner families. The connection between the military and the people, as well as the hearts of the people, has been secured by the old man. The military and civilians in the seven counties will wholeheartedly support the old man.

Lady He felt reassured, like she had taken a pill to calm her nerves. She said to Xiao She, "When the snow melts, take me to visit your maternal grandparents. They must miss us since we live so far away."

Xiao She nodded.

The old man said to Tong Sui, "The camp isn’t so busy for now, so I’ll give you five days off. Take your second aunt and prepare the New Year goods and gifts for relatives."

Tong Sui agreed.

After the family had eaten their fill, a layer of snow had accumulated in the courtyard, reflecting the light and making the night seem brighter.

Xiao She patted his niece and nephew on the head and said, "Get up early tomorrow, and I'll take you to build a snowman."

Mianmian and Qi Yao were both delighted.

Lin Ningfang exchanged a glance with Tong Sui, smiled, and led Ah Zhen back to the West Wing Courtyard.

Tong Sui followed Xiao Zhen to the East Wing Courtyard.

"Five Younger Brother will play with the children building snowmen. Do you want to join?" While washing his feet, Tong Sui asked Xiao Zhen.

Mianmian, that child, clearly favored the two uncles from the main house. She was a bit afraid of Xiao Yan, and Xiao She, though genuinely fond of children, lacked patience. Qi Yao could laugh even when his uncles picked him up to spank him, but Mianmian, being more sensitive, might become nervous at the slightest loud voice from her uncle.

Xiao Zhen: "If you want me to play with the children, you need to give me something in return."

Tong Sui: "Play or not, they are your niece and nephew anyway."

Xiao Zhen raised an eyebrow: "What’s mine isn’t also yours?"

Tong Sui: "..."

The next morning, when Tong Sui woke up, the window was bright, and she was alone in the quilt. From the main hall, she could hear Xiao She and his nephew bickering.

Xiao She: "All you do is roll around. Why make the snowman's head so big?"

Qi Yao: "Your snowman's body is too dirty. I don't want a dirty one. Hurry up and rebuild it!"

Xiao She: "Try kicking it and see what happens. I'll stuff you in and build a snowman out of you!"

Xiao Yuchan: "Stop arguing and finish building. Second Brother and Mianmian are almost done."

Tong Sui quickly dressed, washed up, and opened the door.

Outside, everything was white and sparkling. The branches of the osmanthus tree in the small courtyard were covered with a thick layer of snow, like ice sculptures. The yard was dotted with footprints of various sizes.

Xiao Zhen and his niece had built their snowman against the wall of the East Wing Courtyard. The snowman had three parts: the head, body, and base, stacked to reach Tong Sui's waist. Mianmian ran to find black stones for the eyes, and Xiao Zhen, facing away from Tong Sui, squatted there, patting and shaping the final touches.

Seeing his meticulous and heartfelt effort, Tong Sui suspected that even without her special instructions and the reward last night, Xiao Zhen would have gotten up early to play with his niece.

Hearing her footsteps, Xiao Zhen turned to look.

Tong Sui walked toward the women standing under the eaves watching the scene.

On the other side, Xiao She and Qi Yao both looked unhappy, the uncle disapproving of the nephew's mischief, and the nephew disapproving of the uncle's ugly snowman.

Aunt Xiao laughed and said, "Just by looking at the snowmen, you can tell the personalities of these two brothers. Second Brother either doesn't do it at all, or he does it to the best of his ability. Fifth Younger Brother gets the job done, but whether it looks good or not isn't important to him."

Xiao Yuchan: "What about Third Brother and Fourth Brother?"

Aunt Xiao: "Third Brother, he only does what he must; for anything else, he’s too lazy to bother. Fifth Younger Brother still has the heart to dote on children, but Third Brother will never have such leisure in his life. As for Fourth Younger Brother, he’ll probably sit by the wall and direct Yao Ge Er to run around, laughing when Yao Ge Er falls and running away when he cries."

Hei Shi was convinced by this analysis!

—

As the New Year approached, Tong Sui spent two days taking the women of the household out to buy New Year’s goods. There were enough items for their own family, plus gifts for relatives, and the copper coins flowed out like water.

The shops, big and small, were packed with people.

With the rebel king causing chaos outside, the people of Wei County didn’t have to pay autumn taxes this year, and the men who joined the army earned military pay, making life much better than in previous years. Although they couldn’t afford expensive things, everyone could manage to buy cheap and good New Year’s goods like sunflower seeds, coarse cloth, New Year couplets, and firecrackers, and most families would buy at least a couple of these.

Amidst the bustling streets, Tong Sui truly felt the prosperity and joy of the New Year in the city during peaceful times.

The Xiao family residence was the liveliest place.

The prominent families of Wei City came in waves, the men seeking blessings and couplets from the old master, while the ladies brought their young daughters to drink tea and visit.

When the Xiao family first repelled the rebel Li Gang, these families tried to marry their illegitimate daughters into the Xiao family to curry favor. Now that Li Gang was dead and the Xiao family firmly held sway over seven counties, the prominent families of Wei City no longer dared to look down on them or waver in their loyalty, bringing only their legitimate and most cherished daughters.

Besides introducing their daughters, they also wanted to marry Xiao Yuchan to their sons and brought various gifts for the Xiao family’s elders and ladies.

Hei Shi liked everything and was moved by it all.

Xiao Yuchan wasn’t interested in marriage but was pleased with the gifts.

But the inner chambers were under Tong Sui’s control.

The marriage proposals were politely declined by Aunt Xiao, and Tong Sui refused the gifts, citing the old master’s family rules.

Hei Shi: "If we don’t want the gifts, why can’t we consider those girls? I think they are genuinely here to form alliances this time."

Aunt Xiao: "Why have you become so agreeable? When they looked down on us, they sent their illegitimate daughters. Now that they respect us, we should accept their legitimate daughters? Are Chang’an and Changshun too short or too ugly that you have to lower yourself to find them wives?"

Hei Shi: "I’m just worried that if the court sends someone to take over, and we all move back to our hometown, there won’t be another chance to form these alliances."

These city girls usually looked down on villagers, so now was the best time to marry them.

Aunt Xiao: "We don’t need alliances with those who look down on us when we’re low and fawn over us when we’re high."

Xiao Yuchan: "Aunt, you’re right. If they really look down on us, even if they marry into our family now, they’ll leave us behind and return to the city once we go back to the village."

Hei Shi: "… Alright, alright, Fifth Younger Brother is still young, I’m not in a hurry, but Fourth Younger Brother will be twenty-four after the New Year. How long do we keep picking and choosing? Last time I went out, I met the blacksmith’s wife, and from her words, she seems eager to match her daughter with Fourth Younger Brother. The blacksmith and his son are both battalion commanders and are from Lingshui Village, so they seem reliable, right?"

Tong Sui knew Hei Shi wasn’t really concerned about Xiao Ye’s marriage but was just trying to say something that couldn’t be refuted after being contradicted several times.

She said, "Fourth Younger Brother isn’t interested in Pan Girl. Second Aunt, if you meet the Pan family again, you can socialize, but don’t say anything that might mislead them."

Last time, Hei Shi teased Xiao Ye with the Pan family, and Xiao Ye clearly stated his position to his brother and sister-in-law, fearing they might make a wrong match.

Hei Shi: "Why doesn’t Fourth Younger Brother like Pan Girl? She’s quite pretty."

Tong Sui: "I’m not sure."

In the last few days of the twelfth month, Xiao Shouyi and others returned one after another, with Xiao Ye being the last to arrive, coming home on the morning of New Year’s Eve.

Liu Chu, as the eldest sister-in-law, complained, "Why so late? The whole family was waiting for you, and Mianmian was worried something happened to you on the way."

Xiao Ye picked up his niece, smiling carelessly, "I don’t have a wife, so why come back early?"

Hei Shi joked, "You wouldn’t know, but how many wealthy young ladies in the city are hoping to marry you. Just say the word, and a long line of girls will be waiting at our doorstep for you to choose from."

Xiao Ye: "No thanks, I don’t have the time to pick a wife now. I just want to train the troops well. Second Aunt, help Fifth Younger Brother find a match."

Even a celestial beauty wouldn’t be more important to him than five or six thousand loyal elite soldiers.

Xiao She: "I don’t want one either. If Mother forces me to marry, I’ll go to Yu County to join Fourth Brother and stay far away from home."

Hei Shi: "…"

Xiao Yan shook his head. These two foolish younger brothers wouldn’t understand the joys of having a wife until they actually got married.

He looked at his second brother.

Xiao Zhen stood beside the old master, laughing along with everyone at Xiao She’s naivety, giving no tacit response.