Chapter 55: Xu Nian Gets Drunk on New Year’s Day, Luo Jin’an Guards the Food

In the blink of an eye, New Year’s Day had arrived. Early in the morning, Xu Yaozu led the three Xu brothers in writing Spring Festival couplets and “Fu” characters to decorate the house.

Xu Ling and Xiao Liu followed closely behind Aunt Zhang, helping her paste the couplets and the intricate paper-cut window decorations that Xu Nian had made.

“Big Sister’s paper cuttings are so beautiful. It’s a shame I can’t learn how to do it,” Xiao Liu said, holding up a piece for a closer look.

“Don’t worry, Fifth Sister. Once I learn, I’ll teach you,” he assured her.

“And how do you know you’ll be able to learn?” she challenged.

“Because I’m smart! Big Sister said I have a sharp mind.”

Xu Nian couldn’t help but inwardly complain: She was obviously being sarcastic, and you didn’t even notice. Some sharp mind you have.

Meanwhile, Xu Nian was inside the main hall, helping everyone make dumplings.

“See, this is why I say Nian’er is clever. Just look at the color of these dumpling wrappers! The dumplings look so festive and appealing,” Second Sister-in-law praised.

Xu Nian had mixed corn and vegetable juice into the flour, creating a batch of beautiful three-colored dumplings.

“That’s right,” Third Aunt chimed in, holding up some ingredients curiously. “And these? What are they for, Nian’er?”

Finishing the dumpling in her hand, Xu Nian glanced at the red dates in Third Aunt’s hand and explained,

“These all carry symbolic meanings. Red dates represent prosperity, peanuts symbolize longevity, sugar stands for sweetness and happiness, and green onions represent intelligence. Whoever eats one of these filled dumplings will be blessed with that fortune in the coming year.”

The family listened with great interest, making them even more excited for the dumplings. Especially Xiao Liu, who, after hearing the explanation, insisted on helping wrap them.

Eventually, it was Xu Ling who caught onto Xiao Liu’s little scheme—he was only stuffing dumplings with green onions and even secretly marking them.

Hearing Xu Ling’s tattling, Xu Nian chuckled and whispered, “Even if he didn’t mark them, we’d still recognize which ones he made at a glance. Let’s save his dignity and not expose him.”

Watching Xiao Liu act all sneaky like a little thief, Xu Ling sighed dramatically, “Good thing Third Aunt is expecting another baby. If we had to rely on Xiao Liu… it’d be tough!”

—

The women of the Xu family spent the entire day in the kitchen, tirelessly preparing dish after dish for New Year’s Eve dinner.

Three tables were set up in the dining hall—one for the Xu men, one for the Xu women, and another for Steward Zhang’s family and Zhao Lan’s mother and daughter.

Old Master Xu raised his cup and said, “This is our first New Year’s celebration in Beijiang. May our days ahead only get better, and may the eldest’s career continue to prosper. Cheers!”

Everyone raised their cups and drank in one go, their faces filled with joy. Looking back at everything that had happened over the past year, it all felt like a dream.

Madam Wang, feeling cheerful, chimed in, “It’s a rare occasion to be this happy. Eldest daughter-in-law, let’s have a few more drinks tonight. Old Zhang, you all should drink freely too—don’t hold back!”

“Thank you, Old Madam!” Steward Zhang responded politely.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Xu Nian sneakily poured herself a cup and took a sip. The drink was fragrant and smooth, but she found it lacked a bit of kick.

What she forgot, however, was that this body of hers had absolutely no alcohol tolerance. Before long, her cheeks turned a rosy red.

Meanwhile, the rest of the family was too caught up in Xiao Liu’s excitement to notice her sneaky drinking.

Xiao Liu had managed to eat three dumplings stuffed with green onions and was practically glowing with happiness. Xu Ling, covering her mouth, stifled her laughter and watched his little performance in amusement.

Elsewhere, Old Master Xu and Xu Yaozu both got dumplings filled with peanuts, symbolizing longevity. The main hall was filled with cheers and laughter.

When Madam Wang bit into a red date dumpling, she couldn’t stop smiling. She clearly remembered Nian’er saying that red dates symbolized wealth.

Turning her head, Madam Wang glanced over at Xu Nian, only to be shocked by what she saw.

“Oh my goodness! I took my eyes off her for just a moment—how much has this girl had to drink?!”

Everyone turned to look and found Xu Nian sitting there, her cheeks flushed as she grinned foolishly.

Tian Shi reached out to touch her daughter’s face and forehead. Thankfully, her temperature was normal. But before she could say anything, Xu Nian suddenly grabbed her arm and tried to give her a kiss.

Annoyed, Tian Shi smacked her twice.

Zheng Shi burst out laughing. “I’ll go brew some sober-up tea. Eldest Sister-in-law, you should take Nian’er to her room for a nap first.”

With the help of Zhao Lan and Aunt Zhang, Tian Shi managed to get the drunken Xu Nian back to her room. Once she finally settled down, Tian Shi let out a sigh of relief.

But deep in her heart, she made a firm decision—her daughter absolutely could not be allowed to drink in public. This habit of hugging and kissing people when drunk was far too dangerous!

Not long after, Zhang Xiu’er walked in, carrying a bowl of sobering soup.

“Madam, please go back to the main hall. I will take good care of the young lady here,” she said.

Tian Shi tucked the blanket around her daughter once more, gave a few more instructions, and then left for the main hall with Zhao Lan and Aunt Zhang.

Seeing her eldest daughter-in-law return, Madam Wang immediately asked, “How is the eldest girl?”

“Mother, don’t worry. She’s already asleep. She should be fine,” Tian Shi reassured her.

Only then did Madam Wang finally feel at ease.

Since they were staying up late for the New Year vigil, Xu Wei’an brought out the dominoes Xu Nian had prepared in advance.

“These are the dominoes Nian’er, Xiao Ling’er, and Xiao Liu made together. Since we have nothing else to do, let’s play this,” he suggested.

Xu Yaozu picked up a few of the wooden domino pieces, examining them curiously. “What do these symbols mean? How do we play?”

He had asked the right person. Ever since Xu Nian made the dominoes, the one who had mastered the game best in the household was Xu Wei’an.

After listening to the rules once, Xu Yaozu still didn’t fully grasp them. So, Xu Wei’an set up a table and called over his second and third brothers to play while he explained.

Since Xu Nian had made two sets, Madam Wang and her daughters-in-law also set up a game of their own.

Once Xu Yaozu and Tian Shi got the hang of it, they found it increasingly entertaining.

Xu Ling and Xiao Liu, who had been feeling a little sleepy, perked up as well. They scurried back and forth between the tables—refilling tea here, bringing snacks there—all just to earn a few copper coins. Their antics kept everyone laughing nonstop.

—

Northern Prince’s Residence, Wangcheng Town

As the decorative lanterns were lit, the surroundings grew quiet, with only the faint sound of drums and music echoing in the distance.

A group of well-trained maids carried trays and quietly entered the banquet hall just as the dancers finished their performance and retreated.

Northern Prince Luo Chu Yan raised his cup and laughed heartily. “I am especially happy this New Year’s festival. Let us raise our glasses together and celebrate the Spring Festival!”

The heir, along with the rest of the guests, stood up and drank their wine. The only one who remained seated was Luo Jin’an, positioned just below the heir. He idly played with the cup in his hand, slowly sipping his cherry-infused tea.

The Northern Prince didn’t seem to mind, and the others appeared accustomed to Luo Jin’an’s aloofness. However, the heir turned to him and said, “Little brother, today is New Year’s Day. At least try to entertain Father and Mother.”

Luo Jin’an, interrupted from his thoughts, looked at Luo Jin Huai but said nothing.

Seeing his unresponsive younger brother, Luo Jin Huai rubbed his nose and surrendered. “Your happiness is what matters most. Carry on, haha~”

Northern Prince Luo Chu Yan observed his two sons and asked, “Jin Huai, what are you and Changsheng talking about that’s making you so happy?”

Luo Jin Huai sighed inwardly. Where did Father see any happiness in our conversation? Every time their father wanted to know something about Jin’an, he would always try to extract it through him.

“We were just talking about the cherry drink in An Di’s cup,” Luo Jin Huai replied.

Luo Jin’an was momentarily stunned before quickly downing three cups in a row.

Everyone else was equally taken aback, especially the Northern Prince, whose expression stiffened.

Since when did my second son become so protective of his food?