Ye Jiaxing’s face turned even redder, but he could only touch his own head. He was no match for Ye Luoqi; his cleverness was of no use here.
Ye Shiqi raised his eyes to examine the expressions on both their faces and realized that his elder sister’s look was one of unrequited affection.
They were only ten, eleven years old. How could they be thinking about these things so prematurely?
Just because people in ancient times married early, but they were still half-grown children. It was madness!
Ye Shiqi was skeptical. If people in ancient times married this young, did they live long lives?
Four or five generations living under one roof, with the young supporting the old, and the young themselves struggling just to feed and clothe themselves and find a wife.
No wonder they encouraged late marriage and childbirth in their era. Barely able to fend for themselves, these young people also had to care for the next generation. Could it be anything but exhausting, anything but impoverishing?
Ye Shiqi also noticed another commonality: those from very poor families had trouble finding a wife and might end up as bachelors.
This could hardly count as early marriage and childbirth.
There was another phenomenon: if the family was wealthy and the individual aspired for academic honors, such people might marry around the age of twenty.
Whether men or women, no one would say they married too late. They probably were betrothed early on.
Unless Ye Jiaxing proved capable in the future, Ye Shiqi certainly did not wish for her elder sister to marry a mediocre rural man.
To live a life of hardship, facing the yellow earth and turning one’s back to the sky all one’s days.
Ye Shiqi did not know what the future held for her family, but she was sure it would only get better. She also did not know what her future would be like, but she was determined not to marry a farmer.
Being born a farmer girl left her with no choices, but Ye Shiqi was aware that life offered many opportunities. She had to seek change, to take control of her own destiny.
Tang Shunyan was collecting red envelopes until his hands were soft on this first day of the New Year.
He had just gotten up, and after dressing in new clothes, he headed to his grandmother’s courtyard.
After accepting red envelopes there, he began visits to the Old Master and great-grandmother.
The two elders, who usually secluded themselves in their courtyard, were not short on red envelopes or auspicious greetings for the younger generation on this festive day.
Tang Shunyan watched as the white-haired elders received not just him but other members of the Tang Family in the New Year greetings.
With four or five generations under one roof, the living room could not accommodate everyone, so they played in the courtyard.
After presenting his well-wishes, Tang Shunyan received his red envelopes, followed by many more from other relatives.
He also visited the courtyard of his parents, where his mother and father sat in the main seats in the living room, flanked by concubines and their maids holding their children.
Tang Shunyan had no desire to linger; he could only exchange a few words with these people.
From the eyes of these concubines, he saw nothing but jealousy, especially those with a hostile attitude.
Though they were siblings from the same father, just as his mother saw it, they were all his competitors. With such a small age difference, they couldn’t get close.
His younger brother, cradled in their mother’s arms, was already a few years old and somewhat clingy to him, his elder brother. However, he was not in the mood to take his brother around to play.
The age gap meant they had different interests, and today he intended to quickly make the rounds collecting red envelopes before going out to play—he wasn’t going to obediently stay at home.
His wet nurse was very pregnant and couldn’t stay by his side anymore.
Qiu Xia and Chunxiang were the ones receiving the red envelopes.
They went from place to place collecting red envelopes, their hands growing soft from the bounty.
As a junior member of the family, Tang Shunyan didn’t need to give out red envelopes, and it was the maids’ job to go around collecting gifts and then return to the courtyard to stow away the envelopes and presents.
The first day of the New Year, aside from meeting family, was also a day for visiting friends.
After making several trips around the courtyard and collecting red envelopes from particularly close elders, Tang Shunyan felt that this festive day was not meant to be spent at home.
Tang Shunyan instructed his attendants to prepare the carriage. Accompanied by the Attendant Student, who had also stayed by his side on New Year’s Day, and the two capable maids, he set out.
The streets of the new county were bustling on New Year’s Day, with some businesses choosing not to close and continuing their trade.
The usually occupied crowds had time to take to the streets today to watch performances.
The annual soccer match initiated by the youth was taking place in a field on the outskirts.
On the other side of the suburb, the lake was a spot for boating and fireworks, a discreet rendezvous point.
Passing through the main street in their carriage, Tang Shunyan didn’t instruct the driver to stop. The day before New Year’s Day, he and his friends had already made plans: first, to watch the soccer match.
Then, to tour the lake. Given their ages, they were not allowed to rent boats to play on the water.
They would settle for making arrangements to watch from the shores. If they were to venture onto the lake, it would require a significant number of house servants for protection.
Many were on duty at the house today, but even more had been granted leave for the day—it wasn’t right to have wealth without offering grace.
"Young Master, the street food outside looks really tasty," said the Attendant Student.
The Attendant Student, himself halfway between a boy and a man, should have been enjoying New Year’s rice cakes and fun with his family at home. Instead, he opted to stay because there were more red envelopes to be had, the food was better than at home, and he got to go out and play with the young master.