Ye Shiqi casually flipped through the book, more curious about what was inside the bag.
When she opened the bag, she saw a box inside, with nothing else.
She examined the box, which emitted a faint golden glow, and tried to open it with her willpower but found that her intentions couldn’t unlock it.
Ye Shiqi’s curiosity about the pale golden box grew; in her space, there was nothing she couldn’t open with her willpower.
She didn’t think that the Great King would give her something only to take it back.
So, there might be another way to open the box, and for a moment she wondered if it required a drop of blood?
During the New Year, such things couldn’t be done, since today was the first day of the year, a day when no blood could be shed or knives used.
Even using a needle was not allowed, and the usual busy maids and old women had some free time today, aside from helping with a few chores.
Unless one was a cook, as cutting was unavoidable, but even then, no chickens or ducks would be slaughtered today, as those tasks had been done the day before.
At today’s lunch and dinner, no fresh meat would be eaten; perhaps there would be vegetarian dishes and leftovers from yesterday.
Ye Shiqi could only put the box aside for now, not eager to read the Medical Book either. Her growth process was still very, very long!
In the evening, after dinner, she and her four sisters began setting off fireworks again.
Originally, Hongji had only prepared fireworks for his daughters to set off last night, but after this morning’s incident, he arranged for someone to buy more, and naturally, they would support his relative’s store run by Ye Shuzhi and her husband.
During the New Year season, Ye Shuzhi and her husband, as well as her parents-in-law, didn’t stop doing business.
Before and after the New Year were the busiest times for their shop, as children who had received red envelopes would surely buy fireworks, toys, and snacks.
The profits might not be substantial, making the variety store’s business seem tedious and modest, but they could still earn their meals, and only in dreams could such a store make a fortune.
Business dealings were especially hard work; it wasn’t just minding the store but also involved early mornings and late nights, restocking inventory.
Moreover, they had to work on days when others could take holidays.
Ye Shuzhi saw her older brother buying so many fireworks, having spent so much money yesterday, and buying more today.
Although she considered it wasteful, her brother was wealthy and supported their business, so she and her husband were overjoyed, quickly serving the customers.
Hongji had workers to assist him, meaning he didn’t need to do everything himself; he just needed to pay them.
From morning till night, he hadn’t been idle, with constant visits from people.
These included his subordinates, who came today to pay their respects and New Year’s greetings to their master.
There were also those from the estate who helped with chores, naturally coming to wish him and his wife a happy new year.
Additionally, respected figures from the village, such as the village chief, also visited today with his son.
The village chief’s son was apprenticing with Hongji, the woodworker and carver, and after two years, although not particularly talented, he could handle simple tasks quite well.
The village chief was most pleased that his son, formerly a herdsman, was now earning a decent wage each month without any particular skills and even contributing money to his parents, which made him very proud as a father.
During the festive season, it didn’t matter that the other party was just a wealthy family who should come to visit him as the village chief.
Nevertheless, he and his son had no such reservations; since others visited their master, he had to bring his son along.
The young man was now eighteen or nineteen years old and tall, with the presence of his father, a man of position.
He was also rather handsome and, perhaps because of gaining some skill and confidence, his self-assurance shone through, making him look spirited.
Before even getting a matchmaker to scout for a bride, plenty of families had started to inquire about him, not just ordinary farmers but also the nearby villages and the local rich man, all interested in forging ties with his family.
The village chief believed that when choosing a daughter-in-law, one couldn’t just listen to the matchmaker—the character of the girl had to be investigated.
His son agreed; it didn’t have to be a rich man’s daughter, a girl from an ordinary family would do as well, as long as she was reasonably attractive, diligent, and gentle.