Chapter 143 New Year Greetings

The first day of the Lunar New Year is very lively. Chen Heng got up at midnight, rushed to the lobby with his bleary-eyed brother, and prepared sacrificial items with his family.

After everything was prepared, the family was led by grandpa and grandma. The first is to worship the gods of heaven and earth, and the second is to worship the ancestors’ tablets. After these two matters were finished, Chen Gaishan and Zhou sat at the top, accepting the obeisances of the juniors.

These three things all require kowtow. Not only do you have to kowtow, but you also have to say auspicious words vigorously during the last bow.

If you want to wish your elders health and longevity, just choose something nice to say. The more he spoke, the more smile appeared on Chen Gaishan's face. The happier grandpa and grandma are, the more lucky money they give.

After paying respects to the elders, the four parents of the first and second bedrooms, as well as Xinda Niang, also sit on chairs to accept the children's thanks. After going through the same process, the children with several wealth can worship each other according to their age.

There is no such trouble among peers. Chen Heng and Chen Qing stood in front of their younger brothers and sisters, and they bowed to each other as a ceremony. There is no need to describe the small gifts given to each other by brothers and sisters. The adults on the side are very happy to see them, and they feel that their family is getting more and more prosperous.

After the first important thing of the day is done, everyone can sit down and have a rest while waiting for Mrs. Zhou and Mrs. Gu to make breakfast.

Before last night's New Year's Eve dinner was finished, Mrs. Gu picked out a plate of dried meat and made shredded pork noodles with some vegetables for her family. Needless to say, the taste is natural. Just when the family gathers to eat, the lively atmosphere is already very comfortable.

This is the first New Year for the Chen family in Yangzhou. Everyone seemed a little at a loss as they paid New Year greetings in the morning. At this time, Chen Gaishan began to recall the good times of Shanxi Village again.

In previous years, today was a good time to visit relatives and friends. Every family in the village has a meal that can be eaten from the first day of the Lunar New Year to the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, so there is no need to worry about having nowhere to go.

Grandma Zhou thinks that such a life is the most comfortable. It is enough for men to go out to eat and open their mouths. The woman who heads the family has to think about what gifts to give. Did you give anything to your family last year?

These trivial matters are very troublesome to deal with, so Mr. Zhou cherishes today's leisure very much. She, her two daughters-in-law, granddaughters, and Xinda Niang gathered together and were discussing where to go shopping.

The second uncle, Chen Huaijin, was over forty and seemed to suddenly realize the pressure of time. From the very beginning, I have been holding on to my younger brothers, urging them to learn from their elder brothers' hard work and not to waste the good time of studying.

When Chen Huaijin looks back on his regrets in this life, the first one is that he did not seize the opportunity to study.

Chen Heng was happy to watch the excitement, and Chen Qingyue, who was nodding like garlic, gritted his teeth angrily. After sitting at home, Chen Heng went out with his grandma. He didn't want to go shopping with them.

As early as the day of the Xiaoda Temple Fair, Chen Heng and Xue Biao made an appointment to go to the academy to pay New Year greetings to all the masters on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year. In previous years, only Qian Dayou accompanied Xue Biao. This time, it was rare to see Chen Heng and Jiang Yuanbai here, so they couldn't be left out.

The four of them met at the appointed place, said "New Year's Day" to each other, and set off to the academy together. But they are not the only students who want to come to congratulate them today.

It was the time when everyone went out to pay New Year greetings, and the entrance to the academy was also very lively. The refugees living here temporarily became familiar with the students at the academy, and they couldn't help but congratulate each other on the way.

When he saw Pei Huaizhen, he was playing chess with Jin Shen, accompanied by Jia Yucun and others. At Pei Huaizhen's age, there is no need to talk about false etiquette. The mountain leader sat calmly on his chair and asked the students who had paid homage to get up quickly while playing chess.

"Chief, here's our New Year's money." After putting down his gift, Chen Hengda was so bold. Seeing that the old man wanted to pretend to be deaf and dumb, he directly pointed out the theme.

Pei Huaizhen glanced at his student, smiled at Jia Yucun and others: "Look what I said, this kid must be the one taking the lead."

He turned his head again, pointed towards his wife, and said to Chen Heng: "The things given to you are all in the hands of your wife, go ahead yourself."

The four little ones couldn't help but be happy, and they all rushed to Madam Xie, "Master's wife, Master's wife."

Being surrounded by these strong young men, Ms. Xie couldn't help but have a headache. She shouted: "Don't be anxious, don't be anxious, they are all available, you all have them." As she spoke, she took out four exercises from the table behind her. .

"Ah this..." Chen Heng was also dumbfounded. He didn't expect the mountain chief to do such a shameless thing.

"As the saying goes, there is a golden house in the book." Pei Huaizhen stroked his beard very proudly, and told Chen Heng and others, "After the New Year, remember to hand it in. If you make a mistake, you will get ten slaps."

"..." Chen Heng didn't know what to say anymore. Jiang Yuanbai and others were worried that he said the wrong thing again, so they quickly pulled him to thank the mountain chief for his kindness.

The four of them walked out of the lecture hall and looked at each other with concern when they heard the loud laughter coming from inside the room.

By chance, a group of new classmates came in from the Zhaobi area. When the classmates heard the laughter of the masters, they couldn't help but be curious, and asked Chen Heng and others about the New Year greetings.

Chen Heng had such dark thoughts that he deliberately revealed the lucky copper coins given by his grandfather and whispered to these people: "Remember to ask for lucky money."

"Is the mountain chief so generous?"

"That's not true, otherwise how can we become our mountain chief." Chen Heng's face did not turn red, his heart did not beat. He only gave a thumbs up and kept gesticulating towards the lecture hall behind him. Xue Biao and the other three people saw their friend making trouble, and couldn't help but nod in cooperation, signaling them not to miss it.

After this was done, seeing that the other party believed it. Chen Heng hurriedly held back his laughter and ran out of the academy with his friends.

When they reached the busy street, the four of them finally laughed boldly.

After paying respects to the headmaster, there was nothing else to worry about.

Chen Heng and Xue Ke were still too young to visit their friends' homes to pay New Year's greetings.

The four agreed on fun on the fifth day of the first lunar month, and then went back to take care of their family affairs.

After bidding farewell to his friends, Chen Heng hurried home, reported to his grandfather who was watching the house, and then took the letter and gifts and continued to walk outside.

The two of them went out this time to go to the Lin Mansion to pay New Year's greetings to another teacher.

Pei Huaizhen had already paid respects, so there was no reason not to go to see Wang Xianming and Liu.

The relationship between Chen Heng and Wang Xianming could not be explained in a few words. It was just that due to the recent busy schedule, the teacher and his wife lived in the Lin Mansion, and it was inevitably inconvenient to walk.

However, Chen Heng did not have too many expectations for this trip. He always felt that the gate of Lin's house might be more lively on the morning of the first day of the new year.

Sure enough, when he and Xinda arrived at the gate of Lin's house, there was an exaggerated long line outside.

It was a really long line, with servants sent by various families, scholars and students wearing Confucian clothes.

The line was very long, and there were all kinds of people.

Most of them held a red slip in their hands, which was the Dayong version of the New Year's card. Most of them were written with new words of congratulations, which was the most popular way of greeting the New Year nowadays.

These people came here, just to put down their red slips at the gatehouse.

After all, they didn't expect to meet the prefect under the pretext of greeting the New Year.

This time, they came just to get familiar with the gatehouse, so that they could find out the news in the future.

Besides, what if the prefect saw their amazing talents through their carefully designed red slips?

With the mentality of winning a prize, the guests put down their red slips at the gatehouse one after another.

Although the process was simple, everyone wanted to chat with the doorman, hoping that the servants would remember their faces.

As the process went on, the six doormen of the Lin Mansion were naturally very busy.

Chen Heng stood at the shop nearby, looked for a long time, and shook his head at Xinda.

"Come back in two days. There are indeed too many visitors today."

If the queue continues, I am afraid that there may not be a result until the evening.

"Okay." Xinda was also a little helpless.

The two were about to turn around and leave, but the doormen standing on the steps to greet guests noticed Chen Heng's figure. After a discussion, several people immediately separated one person and ran towards Chen Heng while shouting.

"Master, Master, wait for me."

Hundreds of people's eyes followed the figure of the servant until they saw Chen Heng who was stopped by the shout.

"Master, you are back, why didn't you tell me. We were just on the steps just now, and we looked for a long time before we dared to recognize it as you."

Chen Heng didn't expect that he could be seen by the servant even if he was standing far away.

As expected, the concierge who was always listening and watching was there to receive guests.

"I saw that no matter how busy you were, I was embarrassed to come up and disturb you, so I thought I would come back in a few days." Chen Heng smiled and explained quickly.

"Young Master, look at what you said. You come here just like you come back home. The master ordered early in the morning that if you come to pay New Year's greetings, don't let you run away. He and his wife are waiting for you at home."

The concierge said as he pulled Chen Heng's sleeve and walked towards the gate.

Along the way, the people waiting couldn't help but feel a little strange.

"Have you heard that the prefect has such a big child at home?"

"No. The prefect's own son is only eight years old! I think he is a relative."

Everyone was very curious about Chen Heng's origin. Chen Heng simply pretended that he didn't hear it. Under the guidance of the concierge, after entering the Lin Mansion, he went straight to the other courtyard where Wang Xianming was.

The servant who led the way had just told him: There is a distinguished guest at home now, and the master and his wife are receiving him.

…………

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When he saw Wang Xianming, the master was accompanying his mistress to paint. Unlike the usual red-sleeved ladies, the one who painted was the mistress, and the master was the one responsible for grinding ink.

When Chen Heng and Xinda pushed the door in, they were both surprised and happy.

"Heng'er, Xinda. Why are you two here?"

"Come to wish the master and his mistress a happy new year." Chen Heng and Xinda both smiled and put down the things they were holding. Each of them pulled an elder and pushed them to sit at the top.

The two elders then understood the meaning of the children coming over, and couldn't help showing a helpless smile. They had to sit in their seats according to etiquette and wait for the two children to kowtow. They quickly reached out and helped one up.

"Okay, okay, the teacher knows that you are thoughtful."

"This is the New Year's money that the teacher's wife gave you." Liu took out a copper coin made of red rope from somewhere and handed it to the two students, "Let me make it clear first, this money does not count as your teacher's share, you should go and ask him for it now."

Why is that? Chen Heng blinked, it's not like he hasn't lived with his teacher before. Wang Xianming has no chance to touch the family's money. Apart from teaching students, the teacher is a bystander in other matters.

Wang Xianmin had to smile bitterly. He just had a few words with Liu yesterday. Today, he has taken the initiative to serve Liu to draw, why is the old lady still angry. Chen Heng, a good student, saw the teacher's expression. He hurried to the teacher's wife, took her hand and talked about his daily life in recent days.

It just so happened that the old lady liked to hear this. It was really not as convenient for her to live in the Lin Mansion as at home. Although the Lin family treated her like a distinguished guest, she was a little embarrassed to show up whenever any distinguished guests came to the house.

Especially recently, sometimes a young master from the capital came, and sometimes he was a family member of a wealthy family in the city.

It doesn't matter if Mrs. Liu moves or doesn't move. It was very depressing to stay in the Lin Mansion. If it weren't for the lack of stability outside, she would have wanted to take her wife back to Shanxi Village.

Although Chen Heng didn't know what happened between Dao Zi and his wife, he knew that an old lady of this age only needed to be coaxed. Don't try to reason with her. If someone lives to be sixty years old, what else can she not understand? All that is missing is the young man who talks and plays tricks in front of him.

It just so happened that Chen Heng had a clever mouth and was the best at pleasing the elderly. Just talking about her recent situation, Mrs. Liu was already very interested in hearing it, and her mood couldn't help but feel better.

These people were chatting happily, when a plain butterfly flew in from outside.

"Brother." Lady Lin Dai's voice was already carried by the wind before she came in, "You're here, my aunt has been nagging you at home several times."

"Master Wife, you didn't tell me about this just now." Chen Heng acted obediently in front of Mrs. Liu, "Since you miss me, why don't you just send someone to give me a message?"

"Didn't Yu'er say that you were busy outside the city?" Ms. Liu shook her head noncommittally, "That's a serious matter. How can it be neglected just because I'm an old man?"

So if you have any trouble, you take it out on me? Wang Xianming felt aggrieved secretly, feeling deeply that he was taking the blame for his disciple.

When Daiyu, Liu Shi, and Chen Heng came together, they naturally had endless things to talk about. Daiyu was also very happy about Chen Heng's visit. Speaking of which, the last time her brother came to Lin Mansion was in October last year.

"Brother, you have to be careful." Lin Daiyu suddenly leaned into Chen Heng's ear and exhaled like a blue breath.

"Ah?" Chen Heng blinked, wondering what he should be careful about on New Year's Day.

"Dad said that next time I see you, I will punish you severely. In the past few months, I haven't even given him a letter." Lin Daiyu transformed into a little spy and gave Chen Heng advice, "I'll see you later." When I get to my father, I will first congratulate him on his promotion. Then, I will tell him carefully about the things outside the city. As long as he talks about business, he will not be able to remember any troubles. "

Chen Heng nodded repeatedly after hearing this. This is the advantage of having an internal response.

"It's really helpful sister."

"Why don't you get me a glass of water?" Daiyu retracted her body, folded her hands on her legs, and assumed the posture of a young lady.

How could Chen Heng disobey her? He stood up and took the kettle before pouring hot tea into Yu'er's cup. A servant's voice came from outside the door, "Master Chen, I'm waiting for you in the study."

Mrs. Liu, who was watching the two juniors fighting, smiled and raised her hand quickly when she heard this, and said to Chen Heng: "Go back quickly, don't delay lunch for a while."

"Okay." Chen Heng nodded with a smile.

But he followed the servant out of the door for a few steps, then couldn't help but stop on the side of the road, turned to look at his little tail, and couldn't help but smile: "Are you going too?"

"I..." Lin Daiyu rolled her eyes and said smartly: "I also have something to talk to daddy about."

Chen Heng laughed and didn't say much. He and Sister Lin walked side by side towards the study.

When the two of them arrived in the study room, they saw Lin Ruhai, dressed in regular clothes, sitting on a wooden chair with a solemn face. Uncle Lin was also interesting. When he saw Chen Heng who walked through the door first, he didn't say anything.

When he saw Sister Lin behind him, he took the initiative to close the study door. He was also very funny and said: "Didn't I just shout one?"

"Oh, daddy!" Lin Daiyu stamped her foot, her face full of shyness.

"Uncle." Chen Heng saw that the time was right and hurried up to salute, "Congratulations to uncle on your promotion to the prefect of Yangzhou."

This was Lin Ruhai's proud thing, and he felt happy in his heart. But there was still no expression on his face, he just said: "You still remember me as your uncle."

"Dad, drink tea first, drink tea first." Like a hard-working little bee, Lin Daiyu held the teapot on the table and walked towards Lin Ruhai.

She and Chen Heng met each other and gave the latter a subtle look. Chen Heng understood the idea. After his sister poured the tea, he immediately followed up and reported the matter outside the city.

Sure enough, Lin Ruhai's expression immediately changed when he talked about business.

Both of them are quick thinkers, their conversations are very fast-paced, and their topics are even more imaginative. Sometimes it falls on the refugees, sometimes on resettlement issues within the city.

Lin Daiyu listened happily for a long time and found the conversation between her father and her brother very interesting.

I just posted the two chapters in one. Today’s content has to be read together for fun.