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Before Lu Qiniang came in, she had been preparing radish meatballs with Daya, so her hands were still covered in dough, and a bit of flour was smeared on her face.
Xiao Yan pointed to his own face and reminded her, “You have some dough on your face.”
Lu Qiniang instinctively raised her hand to wipe it off, but ended up smearing it even more.
Xiao Yan’s hand twitched, but he quickly pulled back, startled by his own thoughts. How could he have such an impulse to help her clean up?
“Alright, you rest a bit more. I’ll go join Daya to prepare the New Year’s Eve dinner,” Lu Qiniang said, her eyes filled with joy. “Today, we’re making stewed fish, simmered cabbage and tofu, and pork and cabbage dumplings. Everyone can eat their fill!”
What could be more exciting than this?
Xiao Yan seemed to be infected by the joy in the air as well. For this simple New Year’s Eve dinner, he felt a bit of anticipation.
Just as Lu Qiniang was about to leave, she heard Daya’s voice from outside. “Who are you? Are you here for something?”
“I’m looking for Lu Qiniang. I’m here to deliver New Year’s goods!” A strange man’s voice came from outside.
“Deliver New Year’s goods?” Lu Qiniang was confused. “Who is it? Did they make a mistake and come to the wrong door?”
Who would be delivering New Year’s goods to her, someone she didn’t know?
Neighbors might exchange fish for eggs, but not on New Year’s Eve!
He got up from the kang and went out with Lu Qiniang.
In the courtyard stood a man in his thirties, looking simple and honest, carrying a shoulder pole.
When he saw Lu Qiniang, the man smiled. “Is this Lu Qiniang? I’ve brought you New Year’s goods. This is a freshly slaughtered sheep—” He pointed to a basket on one side of the shoulder pole. “It’s fresh, just slaughtered today.”
“And over there are some clothes.”
Lu Qiniang was about to ask why someone she didn’t know was delivering New Year’s goods to her when she heard Xiao Yan’s voice. “Is that all?”
He had clearly asked for some New Year’s goods, so why had only a sheep been sent?
Yun Ting was truly unreliable as always.
Forget it, what did he know about anything beyond eating, drinking, and having fun?
She would scold him when they met.
Lu Qiniang and the man delivering the New Year’s goods both stared at him in shock.
Was this really something he should say?
Who would openly complain about the amount of gifts someone brought in front of them?
It was the man who responded first, looking sympathetically at Lu Qiniang. “I heard Song Yan mention it. You’ve bought a husband, and this place isn’t quite right—” He pointed to his own head. “Song Yan said I shouldn’t talk to your husband. You know, a good person, looks so fine, but how can his brain be so… off?”
Lu Qiniang couldn’t help but ask, “So Song Yan sent you here with the New Year’s goods?”
The brainless Xiao Yan…
Now this was truly bad.
He could understand that Song Yan probably didn’t want anyone talking to him, which was why he said that. But it was still incredibly infuriating, wasn’t it?
What made it even more awkward was that he had assumed the man was sent by Yun Ting, and had even said that embarrassing line that made him want to crawl into a hole and hide.
It really did seem like his brain wasn’t quite right…
“Ah, I haven’t introduced myself yet!” The man smiled foolishly. “I’m Wang San, I help with repairs at the Zhou residence. Wei Mama from the Zhou residence asked me to bring you this sheep and some clothes. Aside from the money for the sheep, she even gave me an extra two hundred coins to pay someone to slaughter the sheep and send it to you.”
Lu Qiniang’s face showed clear distress.
Xiao Yan guessed what she was thinking.
She must be feeling bad about the two hundred coins.
If she could, she would have preferred a live sheep along with the two hundred coins.
But she still said, “Thank you for your trouble, especially during the New Year, making this trip.”
“It’s no trouble,” Wang San replied. “By the way, Song Yan from the residence specifically asked me to bring this to you.”
Wang San pulled out a fruit from the bundle of clothes, inspecting it. “Good thing it didn’t get damaged.”
The fruit was large and bright red, somewhat like a wild apple, though much bigger. Its vibrant color alone seemed to convey its crisp and juicy texture.
“What is this?” Lu Qiniang asked in surprise.
She quickly thanked him and then handed him a bowl of freshly fried radish meatballs.
The radish meatballs weren’t anything special, but the oil was a rare treat.
Wang San was very pleased and, with his shoulder pole now empty, left happily.
Lu Qiniang inspected the sheep and found that the head, hooves, and offal were all included, which made her feel a bit better.
Sanya circled around Lu Qiniang, her eyes never leaving the wild apple.
Lu Qiniang smiled. “You little greedy cat, not yet. We’ll cut it open tonight and share this rare fruit together.”
Sanya nodded eagerly.
Great! Mom said they would eat it together, not give it away.
“Did someone you used to be close with send this to you?” Xiao Yan asked.
“Sort of,” Lu Qiniang sighed, seeming unwilling to discuss it further. “Since she sent it, we’ll keep it.”
Xiao Yan could tell from her tone that there was some hidden story behind it.
“I’ll go prepare the offal and divide the meat,” Lu Qiniang said as she rolled up her sleeves, a smile on her face. “Now, it looks like we might actually have a good New Year!”
“Mom, are we giving some of this lamb to others?” Sanya squatted beside her, eyeing the meat eagerly.
“Of course! Do you think we can eat a whole sheep ourselves?”
Lu Qiniang laughed and scolded playfully. “I’ll take a look at the ledger later and see who we still owe favors to.”
With that, she got to work.
Xiao Yan stood nearby, wanting to help, but unsure of where to begin. Lu Qiniang quickly told him that he was just in the way and to go lie down in the house.
Xiao Yan didn’t go into the house.
He wanted to stay outside.
Even though it was the middle of winter, breathing in the fresh air made him feel like he was still part of this world.
Moreover, watching Lu Qiniang busying herself brought a sense of calm to his heart.
Xiao Yan thought Lu Qiniang would mention the awkward things he had said earlier, but she didn’t bring it up.
He believed she must have guessed something, but she didn’t say anything.
She was actually very thoughtful and considerate.
After dividing the lamb, Lu Qiniang calculated that she could give away about half of it, which made Sanya look on with a distressed expression.
Lu Qiniang divided the lamb, and about half of it was set aside to be given away. Sanya looked on, clearly distressed.
“What about Erya?” Lu Qiniang asked. “Sanya, go to Doctor Hu’s place and call your second sister back. Have her help me deliver the lamb.”
Xiao Yan awkwardly touched his nose.
Erya would be back with the New Year’s goods soon. Then it wouldn’t be so awkward.
Having crouched for too long, he stood up and felt a bit dizzy.
He reached out to steady her.
“You liar, you big liar!”
Erya stormed in angrily from outside.
Lu Qiniang scolded, “On New Year’s, you’re showing a face like that again? All grumpy and chattering, showing off your temper, huh?”
“Mom, I wasn’t talking about you, I was talking about him!” Erya pointed at Xiao Yan, stomping her foot in frustration.
Lu Qiniang slapped her hand away. “Don’t point at people, that’s your father. What’s going on? Speak properly.”
Erya was so angry she started spilling everything, like beans from a bamboo tube, turning everything upside down.
“He told me to deliver a letter to Young Master Yun from the Duke Yun’s residence, and if the doorman disagreed, I was supposed to say I delayed Young Master Yun’s business and that he should be punished for it!”
“What happened?” Xiao Yan’s voice was low, his tone serious. “Didn’t you see him?”
“I did see him, and I almost got beaten up! If I weren’t so clever, quick-witted, and cute, they would’ve beaten me up for sure!”
“Why would they beat you for delivering a letter?” Lu Qiniang frowned. “When I went to sell wild boar last time, the doorman and manager were pretty easygoing. Did you go through the main gate?”
“I’ve been around big households before, of course I wouldn’t go through the main gate!” Erya grew more aggrieved as she spoke. “They said, anyone coming to see Young Master Yun would be thrown out!”
Xiao Yan: “…”
Yun Ting, that guy, what kind of trouble had he stirred up again?
Was he completely under house arrest, cut off from the outside world?
Well, this was great. Not only had they failed to get the goods, but now Erya, this little firecracker, had also been offended.
“I really thought I was getting new clothes!” Erya pouted, on the verge of tears.