The young lads, upon hearing their little cousin ask such a question, were stunned for a moment, not wanting to disappoint her and being made fun of by her; they had nothing presentable as gifts.
The other four elder sisters snickered... how could you compare to the articulate little sister!
Ye Shiqi took in the sight of the awkwardness of the young relatives; apart from burying themselves in books, these lads truly lacked any skills.
Thinking so, Ye Shiqi watched as her cousins scratched their heads in embarrassment, twisting the cloth on their heads askew.
They hadn’t yet realized how comical and ridiculous they looked.
"We, we have no gifts...!" Finally, the oldest cousin spoke up.
The rest of the cousins shook their heads, their expressions extremely embarrassed; they all knew that this little cousin was the most formidable, better than them in Qin, Chess, Calligraphy, and Painting, and even carving.
They’d grown up hearing, where was there ever a lass as formidable as their little cousin? Truly unheard of.
They had to admit, they were no match, feeling immense pressure in front of this little cousin!
"You don’t have gifts for me, but I’ll be the bigger person and forgive you; I won’t hold it against you!"
When Ye Shiqi, a little girl, uttered such words, it was laughable, but her cousins nodded vigorously.
Grandpa Li and Grandma Li, holding a baby, sat on the side, listening to their grandsons, granddaughters, and grandchildren talk, laughing together with their spouse throughout.
Ye Shiqi had already thought of giving them gifts, not just the boys but the girls too, and had them prepared in a bag inside her space.
At this moment, she took the bag out from her space; to outsiders, it seemed she drew it from her coat pocket, which made them curiously inspect her dress. Could such a small one’s clothing be a treasure pouch?
Her elder sisters, who had seen her give hair accessories to her cousins, thought it was just a New Year’s gift, but now seeing her pulling out a bag, their expressions were a bit puzzled.
The extent of Ye Shiqi’s carved jewelry, her elder sisters were not entirely clear on.
"Cousin, do you have candies in your hand?" the eldest son of Young Uncle asked, licking his lips.
The other cousins didn’t speak, and neither did the sisters; they all just watched the bag curiously.
"Little cousin only knows to eat; it’s not good for a boy to be so greedy!"
Ye Shiqi looked at this little cousin with disdain, eliciting laughter from the other cousins, elder sisters, and younger sisters, with her own elder sisters also laughing along.
Grandma Li’s baby in her arms, seeing everyone’s joyful laughter, also began to laugh along. A child this small, what did they know of their mirth?
The ridiculed little cousin’s face turned beet red, not from anger, but from bashful embarrassment; laughed at, he lowered his head and hid behind his elder brother!
Ye Shiqi decided not to tease him further, for fear of making her little cousin cry on the New Year.
"What’s in the bag isn’t candy; it’s a gift for you all. Do you want the gifts?"
Ye Shiqi asked not only the boys but also glanced over at the girls.
The girls who had already received a gift didn’t dare make a sound, too embarrassed to admit they wanted another, feeling it wasn’t right to receive more without having given anything in return.
The male cousins, however, did not have such qualms; they had been joking before, but deep down, they were a bit envious that the girls had received gifts.
Everyone knew that this little cousin of theirs had plenty of good things on her.
"What kind of gift is it, little cousin?"
The son of the elder aunt asked.
No one noticed anything wrong with his question, but Ye Shiqi did, and she shot a look at the elder aunt’s son, retorting, "You’re the gift! What gift is the cousin?"
The cousins were left speechless, admitting to themselves that their eloquence was no match for their little cousin.
"Well then, everyone gets one, don’t be shy!"
Ye Shiqi took out from the small cloth bag necklaces with red cords for the boys and bracelets for the girls.
All they saw were incredibly lifelike Pixiu pendants; upon seeing such lovely jewelry, all the young lads and lasses couldn’t help but beam with smiles.
How could they resist such beautiful pieces and not accept the gifts?
Grandpa Li and Grandma Li, watching this, couldn’t help but come over for a closer look.
They hadn’t been far off when they caught the scent of sandalwood; drawing nearer, they discovered both the necklace pendants and the bracelets were exquisite, and the Pixiu seemed to come alive.
The elderly couple marveled, finding the carvings delicate; such sandalwood jewelry, if sold in a store outside, would be very expensive.