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墨書 Inktalez
The moonlight of midnight spilled over the earth, blending with the scattered patches of white.
The village, which should have been quiet, was filled with joy, as lights spilled from every house well into the night.
In the west side of the village, near the frozen river, a yard quietly glowed. Inside, a girl in green and a boy around seven or eight sat facing each other.
As the night deepened, the boy's eyelids grew heavier, yawning repeatedly until tears streamed down his face.
"Yan, if you're sleepy, just go to bed!" Although it was customary to stay up for the New Year, Liu Qingyan was still young.
It was already impressive that they had managed to stay awake until midnight.
"Sister, I won't sleep; I'll stay up with you!" Despite his words, his body leaned more and more to one side, curling deeper into the blankets. In less than a moment, soft snores could be heard; he had already fallen asleep!
Liu Qingxi was at a loss for words. After midnight, sitting alone with nothing to do, she couldn't hold on any longer either.
Since it was already the second day of the New Year, there was no need to strictly adhere to this custom. In such cold weather, she too succumbed to drowsiness and gradually drifted into dreams.
The two sisters were awakened by the rising sounds of firecrackers. People who had worked hard all year donned new clothes and stepped out of their homes to exchange New Year greetings. The Liu family were outsiders in Ten Li Pu without any relatives nearby. Liu Qingxi and Liu Qingyan had been driven out by the Wang family and later established their own household, having little connection with the Liu family.
So when it came down to it, they could visit a few families they were closer to during these New Year greetings.
"Yan, hurry up and get up! We’re going out to celebrate the New Year!" The warm new quilt covered his rosy cheeks. He sniffled and turned over, sinking back into deep sleep without budging.
Liu Qingxi felt speechless; who was it that wanted to wake up early last night?
"Get up! It's time to set off firecrackers!!!"
The boy in the blankets suddenly sat up, his confused eyes darting around: "Firecrackers? Where? Where are they?"
Not seeing what he wanted, Kid plopped back down and closed his eyes, seemingly able to fall asleep in just a second.
"Alright, alright, go back to sleep for a bit. Get up after eating the dumplings, and I'll give you some firecrackers before we go pay New Year’s visits!"
Eventually, Liu Qingyan reluctantly crawled out from under the covers.
"Look at you! I told you to sleep early last night, but you didn’t listen. Now you know how hard it is to get up, right?"
Usually, Liu Qingyan was a diligent child. Ever since starting school, she had always gotten up on her own every morning; this was the first time she had ever lingered in bed.
However, Kid's adorable appearance made Liu Qingxi's heart melt completely.
By the time they were ready to head out, the streets were bustling with people. Adults and children greeted each other with bows: "Happy New Year! May the new year bring great wealth!"
"Hahaha, Happy New Year! Wishing for a good harvest this year!"
The siblings were well-loved by the villagers due to their efforts in teaching the children. As soon as they opened the door, someone came over to greet them.
"Qingxi is up! Where are you going?"
"Happy New Year, Uncle! We’re going to pay New Year’s visits to the Village Chief and others!"
"Happy New Year! Hahaha, off you go!"
As they walked eastward, they occasionally encountered people coming toward them, and Liu Qingxi greeted each one.
At the village chief's house, several children were huddled together in the yard, playing with fire sticks that had sparks flying from them, using explosives taken from firecrackers.
"Get out of the way, let me do it, you can't!" Er Zhuzi pushed aside the obstructive Three Pillars.
After the New Year, seven-year-old Zhang San Zhu suddenly pouted and burst into tears.
A woman wearing a blue scarf and a new blue dress rushed out with a fire stick: "Er Zhuzi, what are you doing? Didn't I tell you to play with Three Pillars? Why did you make him cry? Just wait for me!"
She rolled up her sleeves and was about to leave when Er Zhuzi, like a monkey, dashed away in an instant, leaving Liu fuming in place.
Meanwhile, Zhang San Zhu continued to cry. Liu felt flustered; with the whole family and the in-laws around, there were so many dumplings waiting for her to cook, and her son was causing trouble.
Looking up, she saw a girl in red and a boy in blue standing at the door. Liu's anger dissipated: "Qingxi, you're here? Have you eaten?"
"Aunt, we’ve already eaten. We came specifically to wish you and the Village Chief a Happy New Year, wishing you everything goes well and your dreams come true!"
"Aunt, Happy New Year! Congratulations on your wealth! Hee hee hee!" Liu Qingyan mimicked Liu Qingxi's greeting, spouting auspicious words as if they were free.
This made Liu overjoyed; her irritation from earlier due to Er Zhuzi had lessened considerably.
"Good, good, good! You two have a Happy New Year too. Here, one red envelope for each of you!" At that moment, Zhang Wuliang walked out from the house and pulled out two red envelopes from his pocket.
Liu Qingxi was taken aback.
"Hurry up and take them; it's just a little token from us!" Zhang Wuliang insisted as he stuffed the red envelopes into Liu Qingxi's hands.
This surprised her greatly and then moved her; it seemed she had never received any lucky money over the years. She didn't expect that in her first year in this era, she would receive red envelopes.
After that, Liu Qingxi visited Zhang Sanyou, Zhang Dafuku, and others. It seemed everyone had coordinated; each household gave out red envelopes. Although they weren't much, they were filled with heartfelt intentions.
Finally, the siblings arrived at the Yang Family Courtyard.
Wen Family wore a red long skirt, complemented by a snow-white rabbit fur collar, which made her skin appear even fairer. It seemed that time had left no traces on her face, except for a slight pallor indicating her frail health.
“Qingxi, don’t go anywhere today; just stay here with me!” Wen Family said, holding Liu Qingxi’s slightly cold fingers.
After all, the siblings had no relatives in Ten Li Pu, and the Liu Family was better off without them.
Moreover, she loved children and never wanted them to leave whenever they visited.
“Oh my, this year has passed so quickly!” Wen Family sighed, thinking to herself that the past year had been the most comfortable in many years. Her son had recovered from his past troubles, and seeing him in good health made her feel healed as well.
“Brother Yang is now a Scholar. Soon he’ll take the Juren exam and then the Jinshi exam; Aunt, you can look forward to enjoying a life of ease! Many people envy such good fortune!”
“You sure know how to talk. If only things were as easy as you say!” Wen Family smiled slightly. It was already quite rare to have one Scholar; taking the Imperial Examination for Juren and Jinshi was a daunting challenge that only a few could pass.
“Why is it impossible?” A refreshing voice came from inside as a young man strode in wearing blue robes, standing alongside a girl in pink attire, making for a pleasing sight.
“Qingxi, do you have any plans after the New Year? Is Yan still going to study with me?”
“Brother Yang, I can’t trouble you like that; it wouldn’t be good to delay your studies. I’ve decided to send him to town for school instead!”
“That sounds right. After all, Master teaches well; Yichan has never given lessons before,” Wen Family nodded repeatedly.
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