Chapter 81: New Year’s Eve
Cui Qi left, looking back every three steps amidst Shen Zhishu’s three short and one long sighs. As she left, she muttered to herself, “The General doesn’t seem to be very satisfied with this couplet. Her smile is a little forced. Is it my illusion?”
But being optimistic and cheerful had always been her good quality, so in a short while, she had completed the logic chain on her own, “It’s alright, it’s probably because the General thinks that the words of blessing are too direct and prefers something more subtle.”
She got into the carriage that Shen Zhishu had prepared for her, thought for a moment, and came to a conclusion—
Next time, she would send a more subtle couplet, but the core theme could not be changed.
—Attracting wealth and children, completely satisfying the General’s need for ten children!
As long as the wording was a little more elegant, the General would definitely like it!
After all, Her Highness the Eldest Princess liked this gift very much, so her idea of sending a couplet was definitely not wrong!
**
Time flew by, and before she knew it, it was New Year’s Eve.
The city was decorated with lanterns and colored banners, and firecrackers were constantly going off. The atmosphere of the New Year was everywhere.
Shen Zhishu was dragged up by Mistress He in the morning and offered sacrifices to her ancestors half-dead. She was not free in the afternoon either, watching people busily cleaning the General’s Manor, and she personally ordered a few turtles to be put into the pond.
Jiang Yu still came to the General’s Manor often and would occasionally spend the night here. Shen Zhishu had already gotten used to this. Hearing the sound of footsteps behind her, she thought it was a certain person, so she said without turning her head, “Look at the new turtles I bought. Which one is the best? You can pick one, and I’ll have someone send it to your manor, alright?”
But there was no response for a long time.
Shen Zhishu blinked, realized something was wrong, and suddenly turned her head, and saw Xie Jin staring at her with a rather indescribable look, clicking her tongue twice, and shaking her head as she said:
“When did you start talking so gently? You’re giving me goosebumps. Tell me, who did you mistake me for?”
Shen Zhishu: …
Shen Zhishu was expressionless and said sparingly, “Get lost.”
After “getting lost,” she suddenly remembered something serious, cleared her throat, and said, “Have you bought firecrackers? Give me two bundles.”
Xie Jin smiled, “Can’t you buy them yourself?”
“No,” Shen Zhishu opened her mouth. “They asked for ten taels of silver for a bundle of eight hundred and eighty-eight firecrackers. I said, so expensive, sell it to a ghost.”
“You can’t afford ten taels of silver?”
“Of course not. I can afford a hundred thousand taels a bundle,” Shen Zhishu said slowly. “If I’m in a good mood, I can even give her ten taels of silver for free, but she can’t sell it to me at this price. Otherwise, as soon as I set off the firecrackers, I’ll think of the ten taels of silver, and I’ll feel like I’ve lost a lot. What’s the fun in setting off firecrackers then?”
Xie Jin raised an eyebrow and asked, “Are all the shops at this price?”
“I only went to one, and I’m too lazy to go to the others,” Shen Zhishu spread her hands. “Just say whether you’ll give them or not.”
Xie Jin muttered, “Living ancestor,” and turned her head to order her attendant, “Go to the manor and bring three sets of big firecrackers.”
“Just three sets?”
Xie Jin smiled, “You just said you wanted me to give you two bundles. Are you not satisfied with three sets now?”
Shen Zhishu crossed her arms and said, “You’re too easily influenced. If I say you’ll give me a hundred sets, will you really give me a hundred sets?”
“You’re rebelling. I’m giving you something, and you’re still not satisfied with this and that,” Xie Jin snorted. “If you think it’s not enough, then you can go and buy it yourself. I only have ten sets in total.”
Before her voice could fall, a familiar and cool “How many sets does the General want” suddenly came from behind.
Shen Zhishu and Xie Jin turned their heads at the same time and saw a certain Eldest Princess standing behind them.
It was unclear when she had come over, or how long she had been standing there.
At that moment, a gust of wind blew, ruffling the stray hairs by her temples, which she tidied up with her hand.
Shen Zhishu threw away the withered branch that she had picked up at some unknown time, turned around, and strode to Jiang Yu in a few steps, and said with a low laugh, “Why is Your Highness here? The doorman didn’t even announce you. He must have been slacking off during the day and gone somewhere to have fun.”
Jiang Yu shook her head and looked up at her with a blank expression, “I told her not to announce me. I heard you just said you wanted firecrackers. How many sets do you want?”
Shen Zhishu did not answer, but first asked, “How many does Your Highness have?”
Jiang Yu did not answer either, but asked in return, “How many does the General want?”
Shen Zhishu took a step back, put her hands on her hips, and said, “I have to see Your Highness’s strength first. Otherwise, if I say I want a hundred sets…”
“I have a hundred sets,” Jiang Yu interrupted her in a faint voice. “The General can have as many as you want.”
Shen Zhishu smiled, “Then what about a thousand sets?”
“I have.”
“Ten thousand sets?”
“I have.”
Shen Zhishu blinked, “Your Highness has probably collected all the firecrackers in the city.”
“If the General wants them, even if there are no more in the capital, I can have someone go to other cities to buy them,” Jiang Yu said. “So how about it, how many does the General want?”
Shen Zhishu thought for a moment, “I’ll take one set first, to set off in the inner courtyard to get rid of the bad luck, and that’s it.”
Xie Jin drew out an “Oh,” and was silenced by a punch from Shen Zhishu.
“Why did you hit me?” Xie Jin rubbed her arm aggrievedly.
Shen Zhishu glanced at her, “Why are you making strange noises for no reason?”
“You’re treating me differently, and you won’t even let people say it?” Xie Jin smiled. “With me, you’re taking and grabbing, but with Your Highness, you’re gentle and kind.”
“I haven’t even compared you with Your Highness, and you’re already picking on my faults?” Shen Zhishu glanced at her. “Her Highness has as many as she wants, but you only have ten, and no more.”
Xie Jin: …
…How can someone be so rebellious and beautify their own robbery?
But to be fair, this unreasonable friend of hers was really gentle to the Eldest Princess.
From her experience of reading countless storybooks, this was eighty percent love! Even if she didn’t mean it on the surface, her heart was probably moved without her knowing.
What was that saying again? Treating someone differently is the beginning of falling in love.
Xie Jin was screaming “I’m shipping it to death” in her heart, but her face was calm and she said, “I’m not as capable as Your Highness.”
Jiang Yu replied, “It’s alright. It’s almost the New Year, and firecrackers are hard to buy. If the General needs any, I’ll give you a hundred sets.”
Xie Jin said with emotion, “More than ten years ago, when my wife was still alive, we would set off dozens of sets a day and still not be satisfied. Now I’m not very interested in this, I just watch my mother play with Xie Da. Ten sets are enough. Since Your Highness is here, you must have something to say to Youzhi. I won’t bother you anymore and will go back to my manor first.”
Shen Zhishu tried to keep her for a few words but couldn’t. Just as she was about to have someone get some fresh fruit for Xie Jin to take with her, she turned her head and saw that Xie Jin had already slipped away.
…I won’t disturb you little lovers’ alone time, Xie Jin thought as she ran.
I hope Youzhi works hard, first reconciles with her “unwilling to get married” self, and then gets the beauty soon.
**
Shen Zhishu stared at Xie Jin’s receding back for a moment and muttered, “Why is she running so fast?”
“Perhaps she has something to do at home,” Jiang Yu tucked her sleeves and slowly walked a few small steps, raised her eyes, and asked in a faint voice. “It’s New Year’s Eve today. Isn’t Youshu going to the Shen Residence?”
“I’ll go after I’ve watched them finish cleaning the courtyard,” Shen Zhishu stretched lazily. “The main thing is that as soon as I go back to the Shen Residence, my aunts will surely surround me, and I’m afraid I’ll be bothered to death. I’m hiding here for some peace and quiet now.”
“So that’s how it is,” Jiang Yu nodded. “I thought the General was going to spend New Year’s Eve at the General’s Manor.”
Shen Zhishu smiled without answering, changed the subject, and asked in return, “Then what about Your Highness? How does Your Highness spend New Year’s Eve? If you’re not going to the palace, how about you come to the Shen Residence and have a reunion dinner with us?”
Jiang Yu raised an eyebrow, “The General is being spontaneous. I’m afraid the Minister won’t be able to handle it.”
“How can she not handle it? She hasn’t mentioned you to me in a long time, so I suppose she has tacitly agreed to our dealings,” Shen Zhishu blinked. “Just say whether you’ll go or not.”
Jiang Yu thought for a moment and shook her head, “I’d better not go. I suppose that if I’m there, the Minister and the Mistress will probably not be able to relax.”
Shen Zhishu smiled, “No, you underestimate the two of them. Setting aside Shen Hantan, Mother He is the least polite with people. Let me put it this way, if the Holy Majesty invited her to sit on the dragon throne, she would probably just sit on it.”
Jiang Yu still refused.
Shen Zhishu did not insist, but just casually fiddled with the withered branch beside her, then pulled one down and drew a circle in the air, “Then… I wish Your Highness a happy New Year’s Eve first.”
Jiang Yu’s gaze followed the end of the wooden branch in an arc, “What does this circle mean?”
“Round and full, reunion,” Shen Zhishu blinked playfully and put her hands together in a prayer. “May Your Highness be safe and harmonious, and may everything go smoothly in the new year.”
Jiang Yu was noncommittal, quietly raised her gaze, and after meeting Shen Zhishu’s, she pursed her lips and said, “I don’t know what blessings to give to the General.”
“Hmm?”
“Probably… there are too many things I want to say, and I can’t say them all at once.”
…Too many?
If someone else had said this to her, she would have definitely thought that that person was being polite. But with Jiang Yu…
Perhaps there really was a pure and passionate feeling in the world. Even if they had only known each other for a month, their affection was still so deep.
Shen Zhishu’s eyes and brows raised slightly, and she looked at Jiang Yu for a few breaths, then suddenly let out a very muffled and light laugh from her throat.
“It’s alright, then don’t say it out loud,” she threw away the withered branch and said in a low voice. “It’s enough to say it in your heart, I can hear it.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Jiang Yu nodded, “It seems that the General and I are of one mind.”
Shen Zhishu’s fingers, which were hanging by her side, unconsciously curled.
She felt that these words were a little strange, but she couldn’t say exactly where. So it was not until Jiang Yu had promised to send a set of firecrackers over and had taken her leave that Shen Zhishu suddenly reacted—
“Of one mind” was usually said between lovers.
She thought to herself that Jiang Yu had always been unrestrained in her speech and liked to speak outrageously, so she probably didn’t mean that, but her face was a little hot.
“This person…” she muttered. “Next time, I must have a good talk with her and not allow her to act like this again.”
Hongli was peeking around and heard Shen Zhishu’s muttering, so she chimed in, “Who? Who acted improperly and made the General unhappy?”
“No one,” Shen Zhishu turned around and strode onto the corridor. “A friend. Oh right, is there any news from the Shen Residence? Did they say what time I should go home?”
“I was just coming to find the General for this matter,” Hongli smiled. “Mistress He sent a message just now, saying that the General doesn’t have to rush over. They have decided to have dinner at the General’s Manor to add some life to the new house.”
