Ye Shiqi only knew in her daze that her elder sister had placed her on the bed, and she continued to sleep peacefully there.
Before their midnight meal, they had already taken baths, a custom before the New Year, to wash away the bad of the past year and to welcome a better tomorrow in the new year.
The little maid held a warm, damp handkerchief, helping the young lady wipe her hands and her tiny feet.
Then, after tucking her in, the maid proceeded to wipe Ye Fengqi’s hands and feet.
The little maid was only slightly older than Ye Fengqi, but her responsibilities meant that even when tired, she could not sleep until her young mistress was settled in.
Ye Fengqi was just a little over a year older than Ye Shiqi and was also very tired and sleepy, passively letting the maid fuss over her.
When Ye Shiqi woke up the next morning, it was already bright daylight outside, and she felt today’s weather was warmer. Upon seeing her awake, the maid hurriedly provided warm water for her to wash her face.
After washing her face, with the maid combing her hair, she changed into a festive red cotton-padded jacket, with a red brocade skirt and red embroidered cotton shoes underneath.
Ye Shiqi took a small mirror to look at her attire and could only describe it in two words: "tacky!"
As she set down the mirror and was about to turn around, someone embraced her waist from behind, a gesture of intimacy that a maid would not dare to perform.
A voice whispered in her ear:
"Little sister, you seem to have grown taller, we look like twins when we stand together."
"Fourth sister, let go..." Ye Shiqi, when younger and unable to care for herself, didn’t mind being held, but now that she could walk and run, such opportunities to be carried were a lot less.
They would usually have an ox cart for going out, and situations as special as last night, requiring someone to carry one back, were exceedingly rare.
With that in mind, she grew curious about what the old immortal had given her. Why she had been so overpowered by sleepiness last night, she suspected that dealing with immortals came at a cost, exhausting one’s spiritual power.
Just as she intended to use her spiritual power to open that pouch, her little hands were grabbed by someone else.
"Hee, heehee, Qing, let’s go get our red packets."
Ye Fengqi spoke and, not waiting for Ye Shiqi’s consent, grabbed her hand and quickly took several steps.
Ye Shiqi could only follow swiftly, glancing at her fourth sister’s attire—aside from different head ornaments, their dresses and shoes were of the same color and style.
No wonder her fourth sister said they looked like twins; among her sisters, only she and her fourth sister bore a slight resemblance.
It wasn’t that the other sisters’ appearances had changed as they grew up; even when they were younger, they didn’t resemble the two of them.
The little maid followed behind them to the corridor, where their three other sisters were already waiting for them.
"You two just got up, we’ve already collected big red packets!"
Ye Xinqi showed them the red packets, flaunting three of them in her hand, each made from red fabric and fashioned into wallets.
"Pfft, you couldn’t collect an extra share for us, could you? Look, grandma is being stingy again, isn’t she?"
Ye Fengqi pouted and stated the truth—that every year, even though their grandfather would give them red packets, their grandmother would always find an excuse not to.
They wondered if today would be an exception, and perhaps they would receive what their little brother should have gotten.
While the sisters had money from their red packets, there were no places for them to spend it. Their eating, drinking, and necessities were all arranged by their mother, leaving them no opportunity to spend money. Therefore, whatever money they received was saved as their private stash.
They then together entered the living room, where seated in the main seats were their parents and grandfather, only their grandmother seemed to have gone playing hide-and-seek?
"Grandfather, wishing you prosperity!" As soon as Ye Shiqi entered the living room, she made this greeting. She was still not accustomed to the era’s ritual of kneeling and instead bent forward offering both hands.
Seeing her younger sister’s swift action, Ye Fengqi, not wanting to miss out, performed the same gesture.
"Very good." Hongji’s father was dressed in a traditional changshan and a mandarin jacket, topped with a hat today—unlike his usual casual attire, he looked the part of an Old Master.
He pulled out two red fabric wallets from his pocket, specially filled with red packets to give to his grandchildren.
"Thank you, grandfather!"
The two sisters expressed their gratitude in unison.
Then they proceeded to greet their parents and received another two large red packets.
Hongji was dressed in a festive manner, wearing a dark long changshan cotton-padded jacket with leather boots, and unlike his father, he did not wear a hat, with his long hair wrapped in a dark green cloth.
Mrs. Li wore a purple-red cotton skirt with a dark green cotton coat over it and red embroidered cotton shoes. The couple’s matching outfits resembled those of a loving couple.
They guessed that their little brother had not yet woken up; the little child must still be in their parent’s room.