Ye Zi’an picked up the hairpin, and couldn’t help but laugh while thinking about Xiaxia’s overbearing attitude earlier, suddenly finding her quite adorable.
So, Ye Zi’an chuckled to himself.
Seeing this, Yang Qingrui was utterly disgusted. Where had his cool and elegant Brother Zi’an gone? Who was this silly-looking guy laughing to himself? Please drag him away...
The next day was bright and sunny.
Although it was winter, there was still no snow in Yangshu Village, which made it much warmer compared to the north.
The whole Yang Dachuan family, including Old Yang, set out. The children originally planned to take a carriage ride to the town, but Ms. Wang and Yang Dachuan didn’t trust them going alone and decided to tag along. As a result, only Old Yang was left at home. So, Yang Chuxia managed to persuade Old Yang to join them, and the whole family went to the town for a stroll.
As it would be the Kitchen God’s Day tomorrow, the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, they figured they’d also take the opportunity to buy any missing items for their home.
Once they arrived at the town, they parked the carriages at a shop. Ye Zi’an first went to the tavern to submit his resignation to Shopkeeper Li, while Yang Chuxia took her two younger brothers to a stationery store to buy a high-quality set of the Four Treasures of the Study. This was meant as a festival gift for their teacher, Mr. Yang Qingrui.
As for the young servants like Fugui, after parking the carriages, they drove off to deliver New Year’s gifts to the Wang and Li Families.
By the time Yang Chuxia returned from the stationery store with her two brothers, Ye Zi’an had already come back from the tavern.
"Have you talked to Shopkeeper Li?"
Ye Zi’an nodded, "Yes, we’ve agreed."
"Sis, sis, I want to go out and play," said little Yang Xiayun just as Yang Chuxia and Ye Zi’an entered the shop.
Apparently, she was very excited about going to the town. After all, she rarely had the chance to visit and must have found it fascinating.
"I want to go too!" exclaimed Yang Dongxue.
Since the carriage happened to pass by the old house, Yang Xiayun managed to invite Yang Dongxue, who was playing at the gate, to come along to the town.
"Alright, we’ll take you on a good tour of our Wangquan Town today," Yang Chuxia declared, waving her little hand. Then, she took the children by their hands, followed by the large entourage including Ye Zi’an and Ms. Wang.
After walking through several streets, the children were still not tired, wanting to buy anything they found interesting or tasty.
"Uncle Li, look how happy they are." A richly dressed young man, who looked like a young master from a well-off family, spoke while watching the scene below from a teahouse.
"For peasant families, having enough food and clothing is like celebrating the New Year. There aren’t many who can afford to buy the things they like, so how can they not be happy?"
"What about during the New Year?" the young master asked.
A young servant beside him replied, "Young master, the New Year is the happiest time of the year for these families. They can eat and drink things they can’t usually afford."
"Although peasant families don’t live well, they are free from the scheming and fighting that plagues other families," the young master mused.
Hearing this, the servant fell silent.
Suddenly, Yang Chuxia looked up towards the teahouse where the young master was hiding. He hurriedly moved aside.
"Surprisingly, such a sharp-witted girl," muttered the young master.
"Young master, she’s not an ordinary girl, or else she wouldn’t have those unusual ideas," chimed in the servant.
"Interesting, interesting." The young master sat back down and continued observing the family below.