The spacious kitchen became lively and a bit crowded with so many people arriving.
Madame Liu was a talkative and observant woman. Seeing the many hands at work, she asked Madame Fang to sit aside.
"Sister-in-law, you are with child. Just sit and watch us work. If you see anything we can improve, a few suggestions from you would be greatly beneficial."
"Look, it's the second son's wife who speaks so sensibly. We should indeed ask sister-in-law to guide us more."
(Before the year's end, after consulting with her eldest son, Madam Li had officially elevated Little Madam Li. Little Madam Li was now considered the matriarch of the main branch of the Meng family, and her words carried more weight than before.)
Madame Fang listened to the remarks from her sisters-in-law and didn't insist on helping. She obediently sat to the side, occasionally offering a pointer, but mostly let them proceed on their own.
Madame Liu and the others, having come from large households, could tell at a glance how many dishes would be prepared for the New Year's Eve dinner.
Madame Fang also took the opportunity to tell them, "Tonight, we will have braised fish, steamed chicken, soy-glazed pork trotters, four-joy meatballs, steamed meat in a bowl, stir-fried yellow croaker, stir-fried fungus, quick-fried clams, spicy stir-fried baby octopuses, and a seafood platter. That's ten dishes in total, and finally, a spinach and vermicelli soup."
Hearing Madame Fang casually list the names of ten dishes and a soup, everyone present was deeply impressed.
Madame Liu was the first to respond, "Sister-in-law, it's truly not easy to prepare such a spread in this icy weather. Especially to have spinach at this time of year, we are truly fortunate."
It wasn't surprising Madame Liu said this. When they entered earlier, Madame Liu had immediately spotted spinach and chives in two large wooden basins. Upon closer inspection, they appeared to have been freshly picked.
Madame Liu knew that Second Uncle's courtyard had a heated greenhouse. She hadn't paid much attention to it before. When the Duke's mansion was still standing, their estate also had heated greenhouses.
She had only heard about them but had never truly seen them.
However, she had seen one once when the estate manager came to the mansion to report.
The estate manager had described the management of the heated greenhouse as extremely difficult. In her opinion, anyone who could grow leafy green vegetables in winter was either very capable or a master craftsman.
Now, what she was seeing seemed different from what she had heard at the Duke's mansion, and she couldn't help but ponder.
However, she had a preconceived notion: whatever Second Uncle's family did was right, and listening to Second Uncle was always the correct choice.
If Grandpa Meng knew what his niece-in-law was thinking, he would probably be afraid to speak easily in the future.
When Qi Yuanshan returned with Wang Dabao and others, dusty and travel-worn, he saw Qi Xi and Qi Ge standing outside the Meng family gate, looking in their direction.
Seeing the figures on horseback, Qi Xi and Qi He called out in unison, "Father."
"Uncle Yuanshan."
"Yes, yes."
The dust of their journey, against the howling north wind, had frosted their eyebrows and hair.
Qi Yuanshan felt his face freeze and his lips stiffen, but upon seeing his son's smiling face, he felt it was all worthwhile.
He turned back and instructed the men following behind him to return to their own homes.
"Will do."
Wang Dabao led the way and ran off, with Xiao Linzi and the others following closely.
Watching them all depart, Qi Yuanshan then entered the Meng family courtyard with his son and nephew.
From a distance, everyone noticed the strange smile on Qi Yuanshan's face.
Grandpa Meng, being experienced, quickly beckoned him to come inside and warm himself on the heated kang.
This time, Qi Yuanshan didn't hesitate and nimbly took off his shoes to get onto the kang.
"Mmm~" After a sip of hot tea, Qi Yuanshan gently patted his face and said, "Uncle, my face can finally move freely now."
Recalling Qi Yuanshan's appearance upon entering, Grandpa Meng couldn't help but remind him, "Yuanshan, in such cold weather, you were riding horses outdoors. You should have worn a hood and a scarf."
"Uncle." Qi Yuanshan did have these items, gifted by Fu Xinci.
It was just that he had been too busy these past few days and hadn't gotten around to using them.
"This morning, we rushed back before dawn, and I completely forgot about them. After riding a few miles, the north wind felt like knives on my face, and only then did I remember I had useful items."
"Then why didn't you go back to get them?"
"Uncle, Dabao and Xiao Linzi didn't have any. How could I possibly go back to get mine?" In Qi Yuanshan's view, they were brothers who had faced life and death together, so him enduring a bit of cold was insignificant.
Grandpa Meng: What else could he say?
However, this was considered a significant matter. Grandpa Meng thought about it and couldn't help but ask, "Yuanshan, when are you returning to the Qianhu Suo?"
"Uncle, I plan to return on the evening of the third day. After all, that place cannot be left unattended for too long."
"Alright." The elder had already decided that this matter would be handled by his granddaughter.
Fu Xinci: What could she say other than "I am deeply honored"?
When Old Jin arrived, he saw Qi Yuanshan sitting on the kang with Second Uncle in the courtyard.
Yes, you heard right, he was now calling him Second Uncle along with Zhong Shi.
Fu Xinci observed that everyone in the courtyard seemed busy. The men were gathered in their grandfather's room, discussing topics of greatest interest from the past year and their outlook for the coming year.
Some people made suggestions, and others added to them.
Grandfather's affirmative responses increased, and his laughter grew louder with each passing moment. Fu Xinci could feel his joy even through the glass window.
In the kitchen, the women were also chatting animatedly. Fu Xinci noticed today that the loudest voice belonged to Madame Liu.
My goodness, she had never realized it before.
In the entire courtyard, Fu Xinci seemed to be the only one with nothing to do, wandering around the yard with Han Xue.
Han Xue felt they had wandered enough and quietly reminded her, "Miss, it's quite cold outside. Let's go back."
"If I go back inside, I'll want to sleep."
Han Xue also found it strange, "You slept quite early last night, Miss. Why do you still look like you haven't woken up?"
Could Fu Xinci say that she had done a half-night's worth of manual labor?
Han Xue, considerate of her young lady, saw that she truly lacked energy and secretly offered a suggestion, "Miss, if you are really tired, go back to your room and sleep for a while. I see they are all having a lively discussion, and it's unlikely they will remember you anytime soon."
Fu Xinci was very pleased with Han Xue's suggestion. Without a word, she quietly led Han Xue back to her own small building.
Han Xue deftly helped her mistress take off her outer jacket. Fu Xinci kicked off her shoes and lay directly on the pillow.
In a hazy state, she saw Han Xue covering her with a quilt. She managed to say weakly, "I'll give you a big red envelope tomorrow," and then drifted off to dreamland.