Chapter 129

Chapter 129

The Xiao family hadn't been this lively in a long time.

Just the four brothers of the Xiao family and the brothers from the Qiao family standing in the courtyard made the main yard seem crowded, each towering over eight feet tall.

The noon meal was prepared by two cooks, and in the afternoon, the Xiao family gave them the day off. In Wei County, they ate dumplings for the New Year's Eve dinner, which felt more festive when prepared by family members.

The kitchen was small, and it was cold outside, so Aunt Xiao moved two cutting boards into the hall, where the women gathered to make dumplings and tangyuan (sweet rice balls).

Xiao Yan wanted to see his wife making dumplings, so he left the brothers in the courtyard and approached the door of the hall, lifting the thick cotton curtain. His head had barely poked in when Aunt Xiao, smiling, shooed him away: "Off with you, this is our women's territory now. No men allowed to cause trouble."

Xiao Yan had no choice but to retreat.

Xiao Ye laughed at him: "Look at Third Brother, such a wimp. Second Brother is all heart, chatting with us, but Third Brother always misses Third Sister-in-law."

Xiao Yan glared at him: "How can I compare with Second Brother? He’s in Ding County, and can come home whenever he wants. I only get to come back at the end of the month."

Qiao Changan: "So Third Brother only thinks about Third Sister-in-law, not us at all?"

Xiao Yan: "All of you, scram!"

Xiao Ye: "Who are you telling to scram during the New Year? Brothers, charge!"

As soon as he said that, Xiao Ye, Xiao She, Qiao Changshun, and Qiao Changan pounced on Xiao Yan. Four against one, it didn’t take long before Xiao Yan was pinned to the ground. Xiao Ye and Xiao She grabbed his shoulders, while the Qiao brothers each held a leg. They shouted in unison, lifting Xiao Yan and slamming him onto the ground, causing Qi Yao to cheer excitedly. Aunt Xiao and Xiao Yuchan ran to the door, lifting the curtain to watch the commotion.

The three sisters-in-law at the table also glanced over.

Tong Sui: "Fourth Younger Brother just likes to stir things up."

Liu Chu: "That’s how they are. Grandfather once said that when these few brothers gather, they’re like a pack of wolf cubs, the more they fight, the closer they become."

Lin Ningfang smiled slightly, focusing on shaping the dumplings.

Mother He, worried about her son, rushed out to separate Xiao Ye and the others: "You’re all grown men, yet you act so immature. What will the neighbors think if they hear about this?"

Xiao Yan was the first to defy his mother: "We’ll do as we please. Who dares to laugh at us?"

Mother He slapped him, leaving a white flour handprint on his back.

Qi Yao burst into laughter again.

In the eastern courtyard, Aunt Jiang listened to the commotion from the west and said to her family: "These young men sure know how to make a scene."

Tong Gui glanced at the scholarly Zhou Xian and the young Tong Shan, sighing: "I wish I could be as lively, but I just can’t manage it."

Wrestling with any of them would make it seem like he was bullying them.

Zhou Jingchun stroked his beard: "The Xiao family has reached its current status thanks to the old man and those few brothers. Any one of them could be a great general."

Zhou Qing teased her niece: "Aman, have you set your eyes on anyone? If you have, ask your sister to help you arrange a meeting."

Zhou Gui, named after the osmanthus flowers that bloom in August, was called “Aman” as a nickname.

Zhou Gui blushed, scolding her aunt: "If you keep joking about this, I won’t speak to you anymore."

Aunt Jiang: "Don’t blame your aunt for being enthusiastic. Your grandmother also likes those young men. Each of them is capable and well-known, and it would be wonderful if our families could become even closer."

Zhou Gui: "They may be good, but I don’t like that type."

Zhou Jingchun: "The Xiao family is at the height of its power. Aman has already married into the Xiao family, and if we try to matchmake Aman, it might look like we’re trying to climb the social ladder. However, I have another fine young man in mind. He’s not as handsome as the Xiao brothers, but he’s well-balanced, both literate and martial, steady and respectful. The old man even entrusted him with managing the military funds, so he must be reliable."

Tong Gui and Zhou Xian said in unison: "Do you mean Zhang Wengong?"

Zhou Jingchun: "Yes, one night I twisted my ankle while making an urgent house call. He happened to be nearby. I thought I’d ask a soldier to carry me, but he carried me himself, and did the same on the way back. Even when we were in Imprisoned Dragon Ridge, he treated me with such care, doing everything with dedication. Now, he’s almost as respected as the Xiao family elders in the seven counties, yet he treats me and the soldiers around him with the same respect, never showing any arrogance. I like him more and more."

Zhou Gui: "You marry him if you like him. Unless I fancy someone myself, what you think doesn’t matter."

Zhou Jingchun laughed: "Grandfather is just suggesting it; there’s no pressure to get married."

Tong Gui: "Zhang Wengong is indeed a good catch. Many girls probably want to marry him. How about this: when he comes to town, I’ll find an excuse to bring him over for Aman to meet. If she likes him, it’s a win-win; if not, no harm done."

Zhou Gui raised her rolling pin: "You dare!"

---

After eating the dumplings, they went to the street to set off fireworks.

The deafening sound of firecrackers lasted for a full half-hour before the family returned inside to stay up late.

Mother He had prepared a deck of playing cards, and the women sat on one side of the kang (a heated brick bed) to play, while the men chatted on the other side.

As they talked, Xiao Yan was the first to move behind Lin Ningfang.

Aunt Xiao teased him a bit but didn’t chase him away.

Xiao Yan tried to direct Lin Ningfang’s moves in the game.

Lin Ningfang flipped her cards face down and said coolly: "A true gentleman watches a chess game without speaking. Either watch quietly or leave."

Xiao Yan muttered softly: "I’m just worried you’ll lose money and get upset."

Lin Ningfang ignored him.

Xiao Yan obediently shut his mouth.

Tong Sui was laughing when suddenly a shadow appeared behind her. Xiao Zhen had actually sat down behind her.

Tong Sui felt a bit nervous. She had only learned how to play cards this year and was currently losing.

Xiao Zhen watched her play a round before he whispered, "Do you need my help?"

Tong Sui nodded.

Xiao Zhen didn't look at anyone else's tiles; he only focused on Tong Sui's. Whenever she was about to make a mistake, he would gently point to the correct tile.

Occasionally, Tong Sui would ask why.

Xiao Zhen glanced at his aunt seated at the head of the table and smiled, "Aunt just played this tile, she definitely won't pick it up again."

It was actually a simple matter of remembering the tiles; Tong Sui just lacked experience.

His aunt pretended to be angry and tapped her nephew.

As Tong Sui started winning money, Lin Ningfang also began to win, and when she won, it was always a big win with several doubles.

Aunt Xiao tsked, "Our Ningfang is truly unassuming, yet so skilled. Uncle Three still wants to show off his swordsmanship in front of Guan Yu."

Xiao Yan: "..."

The old man looked over, "How much did you win this time?"

Xiao Yuchan: "Each of us has to pay ninety-six copper coins! I'm done playing!"

She had lost, and Xiao Ye quickly pushed aside Qiao Changan to take her place.

Amidst the laughter and chatter, they didn't realize it was already midnight.

With Xiao Zhen as her strategist, Tong Sui ended up winning eight copper coins. Lin Ningfang won the most, and after deducting her initial stake, she divided the coins into two piles, giving one to Mianmian and the other to Qi Yao.

Mianmian thanked her sweetly, while Qi Yao was already asleep. Xiao Yuchan took the coins for her son and became much more courteous to Lin Ningfang.

After another round of firecrackers, Tong Sui followed Xiao Zhen back to the East Wing Courtyard.

Crawling into bed, Xiao Zhen hugged Tong Sui and said, "Nineteen years old."

Tong Sui was so sleepy that her eyes were almost closed, but she smiled and hummed in response.

Eighteen years, safe and sound.

—

On New Year's Day, the couple got up early, and surprisingly, Xiao Zhen even gave Tong Sui a New Year's gift, a red cloth pouch containing two silver ingots, each weighing one tael.

Tong Sui exclaimed in surprise, "I get one too?"

Xiao Zhen: "New Year's gift, to ward off evil and bring peace, for good luck."

Tong Sui: "Then I'll give you one too."

Xiao Zhen: "Elders give gifts to juniors. I'm older than you, so don't blame me for keeping some for myself."

Tong Sui laughed, knowing that he needed to keep some money for emergencies, especially since he often had to entertain people outside.

The couple changed into new clothes and went to the main courtyard.

Qi Yao and Mianmian, dressed in red, stood on either side, like golden boys and jade girls, bowing to the arriving elders.

Tong Sui and Lin Ningfang had agreed beforehand to give each child a small silver ingot.

If they were still living in Lingshui Village, they wouldn't have given so much, but now that the family had moved to the city, with Xiao Yan and Xiao Zhen receiving military salaries, both Lin Ningfang and Tong Sui had money to spare, and it looked good to be generous.

As for Liu Chu and Xiao Yuchan, even if they gave their children one tael each, it was just a transfer of money without any real burden.

Aunt Xiao praised, "Aman and Ningfang are so generous. When I gave New Year's gifts to my nephews and nieces, I gave each one a hundred coins, which was enough to make the other children in the village envious."

He Shi joked, "If you gave each one a tael, your brother-in-law would panic."

Uncle Xiao laughed along.

When it was the young people's turn to greet the old man, he didn't distinguish between grandsons and granddaughters, giving each granddaughter and daughter-in-law five taels as a New Year's gift.

Xiao Yuchan untied her pouch, counted the money, and excitedly kissed the old man twice.

He Shi asked curiously, "How much? You're so happy."

Xiao Yuchan huffed, "Anyway, more than what you and Father gave."

He Shi: "..."

After eating the morning dumplings, Xiao Zhen took Tong Sui to the eastern courtyard to pay respects.

According to tradition, new sons-in-law received New Year's gifts for the first three years. Zhou Jingchun, Jiang Shi, and Zhou Qing each gave Xiao Zhen a red envelope.

Xiao Zhen thanked them graciously and then handed all three envelopes to Tong Sui.

Tong Gui envied, "Still, Second Master gets better treatment. I don't get any New Year's money anymore."

Zhou Xian: "Neither do I."

Zhou Qing laughed, "Just hurry up and get married, and you can ask your in-laws for it."

The family gathered for about half an hour, and as Tong Sui and her husband were about to leave, Zhou Qing and the others saw them off at the door.

Just as they stepped outside, someone rode up from the alley entrance, stopped the horse in front of the eastern courtyard gate, and dismounted to greet everyone, calling out a string of greetings from the old man to Tong Sui and her husband, only slightly omitting Tong Gui, Tong Shan, Zhou Xian, and Zhou Gui.

Tong Gui teased him, "Not greeting us is fine, but why not greet our Fairy Gui? Be careful, she might get angry."

Zhang Wengong then looked at the unfamiliar girl, meeting her blushing face and watery eyes, his own face turned red, and he stammered, unsure whether he should bow or not.

Zhou Gui was about to step on Tong Gui when she heard her grandfather ask, "Wengong, why aren't you staying home for the New Year? Why did you come to town so early?"

Zhang Wengong lowered his eyes and replied, "I wasn't in a hurry at first. I planned to come over on the fifth day to pay my respects to everyone, but my father insisted I come today."

The peaceful year in the seven counties was a gift from the Xiao family, and it was even more so for Pine Village. If he didn't come to the Xiao family's house to pay respects on behalf of the village as soon as possible, his father would have come himself.

Zhou Jingchun said, "Elders are just being polite. Alright, go with the Second Master then."

Zhang Wengong nodded and was about to leave when he heard Aunt Zhou calling out to the Second Lady, whispering something to her.

Zhang Wengong vaguely felt that what she said had something to do with him.

After paying his respects at the Xiao family's house, Xiao Zhen personally saw him off and casually inquired, "Now that you're back in the village, haven't the matchmakers almost worn out your doorstep?"

Zhang Wengong blushed and explained, "There have been a few, but with the military duties being so busy, the Fourth Master and the others aren't in a rush to get married, so I don't have that thought either."

Xiao Zhen asked, "Is it that you don't want to waste time on meetings, or that you simply don't want to get married, even if a fine young lady stands right before you?"

A beautiful face that Zhang Wengong had only recently seen flashed through his mind.

He glanced at Xiao Zhen and whispered, "I'm afraid my limited knowledge and shallow learning make me unworthy of her."

He was just the son of a village headman, while the Zhou family were renowned physicians in the city, and their daughter was a beauty.

Xiao Zhen smiled and patted the young man's shoulder, saying, "You've spent more time with Old Master Zhou than I have. You should know whether he likes you or not."

Zhang Wengong replied, "Old Master Zhou is one thing, Miss Zhou is another."

Xiao Zhen said, "Don't worry."

While Zhang Wengong was focused on paying his respects, the Zhou and Tong families were all watching Zhou Gui, who, in turn, was carefully examining Zhang Wengong, her gaze distinctly different from how she looked at her own brother.