bookrebus Chapter 405 New Year's Eve Customs
Chapter 405 New Year's Eve Customs
The two sat together and talked, and before they knew it, it was late at night.
"The dumplings are ready. Do you want to eat now, Madam?"
"Bring it here."
"Why do we want to eat dumplings so late?"
Xiao Mo was a little confused as to why people would suddenly cook dumplings so late at night.
"My family used to have a custom of eating auspicious snacks and cooking dumplings while staying up all night on New Year's Eve. Although I am thousands of miles away from home, I still want to follow this custom."
"Okay, then I'll eat dumplings with you."
"In addition to dumplings, we also eat meat and fish."
Xiao Mo was a little confused. He asked uncertainly, "Didn't you say you were full during dinner just now? Can you still eat meat and fish now?"
"It's not the big bowls of meat and fish you think. You'll know in a moment."
While the two were talking, Aunt Zhang brought in a wooden tray with two bowls of dumplings, a plate of braised pork, and a plate of grilled fish on it.
The dumplings made by the royal chef are all in the shape of ingots. They are not big, only half the size of normal dumplings, but they are filled with plenty of fillings.
The braised pork on the plate was square in shape, and Xiao Mo could stuff at least four pieces in one bite. The grilled fish was about the same size.
"In my hometown, the custom is to eat meat and fish on New Year's Eve, which indicates a happy and prosperous new year."
Xiao Mo vaguely felt that the hometown customs that Ye Jintang mentioned were definitely not the customs of Danyang Marquis Mansion, but were most likely the customs left by her parents in Yuezhou.
"This is the first time I've seen such small dumplings."
Picking up a dumpling and putting it in his mouth, Xiao Mo couldn't help but exclaimed, "Is this a dumpling stuffed with beef? It tastes really good."
"The dumplings are delicious, but it's late at night and we'll be going to bed soon, so we can't eat too much. Six dumplings each will be enough."
"Well, it's up to you."
Before Xiao Mo swallowed the dumplings in his mouth, Ye Jintang picked up a piece of meat and a piece of grilled fish and stuffed them into his mouth.
"Happy New Year, my Lord."
"Happy New Year."
Being suddenly fed by the person he likes, Xiao Mo was so happy that he took off. He followed suit and picked up the dumplings to feed Ye Jintang.
I don’t know if it was because the dumplings were too delicious or the braised pork was too tasty, but Xiao Mo bit Ye Jintang’s lips before he was full.
"Boom."
The sound of firecrackers was heard outside the window. Ye Jintang pushed away Xiao Mo who was still reluctant to leave. Under the candlelight, Ye Jintang's cheeks flushed slightly and his eyes were full of spring.
"Should we set off firecrackers too?"
"Yes, the people in Ningchuan City set off firecrackers on New Year's Eve. They say that the sound of Zhen'er's firecrackers can dispel the bad luck in the family for the past year."
"I've prepared a lot of firecrackers, too. Let's go set off firecrackers together. Setting off firecrackers will take away the bad luck of the past year, and I hope I can become a father soon in the new year."
Ye Jintang, who was holding Xiao Mo's hand, was too tired to complain. He really liked children.
The sound of firecrackers outside became more and more frequent, and soon the entire Ningchuan City was immersed in the joyful sound of firecrackers.
The two men put on thick fox fur cloaks and went to the yard to set off firecrackers. The palace prepared a total of ten strings of firecrackers, which were set off starting from the palace gate and ending in the yard where the two men lived.
Firecrackers blasted and the air was filled with a strong smell of gunpowder.
Ye Jintang, who was in a good mood just now, felt uncomfortable in her stomach when she smelled gunpowder. She quickly covered her mouth and nose and returned to the house, asking someone to close the doors and windows.
Looking at Ye Jintang's reaction, Xiao Mo was a little nervous.
"Jintang, I always feel like something is wrong with you these days. How about asking Aunt Mu to take a look at you tomorrow?"
"It's okay. The whole yard was filled with the smell of gunpowder just now. It was a bit choking. I'm in good health. Don't worry about me."
Ye Jintang felt like she was a doctor. She knew her own physical condition best. It was just that she had used the space too frequently in the past period of time, which led to excessive mental exhaustion.
Now that the space can harvest by itself, she can take a rest, drink more spring water, and she will be healthy again in no time.
The first month of the lunar year was the busiest. Early in the morning on the first day of the lunar year, everyone came to pay New Year's greetings to Xiao Mo and Ye Jintang. She was busy the whole day.
The same thing happened in the following days. Someone came to see Ye Jintang almost every day. It was lively until the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month, when her yard finally became quiet.
"The New Year is finally over. If I keep going on like this I'm afraid I'll be exhausted."
Ye Jintang leaned on the soft pillow, feeling very puzzled. She hadn't been to the space to work recently. Why was she still tired after eating and sleeping every day?
"It will take some time before the ice and snow melt in the spring, so you should stay at home and take good care of yourself."
As observant as Xiao Mo was, he also noticed that Ye Jintang had been listless and sleepy for the past half month. He just thought that she was too tired recently.
When the two of them first came to Ningchuan City, there were a lot of chaotic things going on in the city. Ye Jintang was often busy until late at night, and after a long time, she became physically exhausted.
"Well, when the ground thaws in the spring, I won't be able to slack off even if I want to."
Just as Ye Jintang herself said, it was difficult for her to be lazy. Not long after the Lantern Festival, Gong Daniu escorted Niu Hongyun and Old Man Niu back to the city.
Ye Jintang and Xiao Mo met with a few people to talk about the mine.
"Your Majesty, don't worry, the transfer of power in the mine has been completed. With Hongyun and General Gong working together, no one in the mine will dare to cause trouble."
I haven't seen Old Man Niu for many days. He looked sick when he went to the mine. Now, apart from being a little thinner, he looks in good spirits.
"That's good. The iron ore produced in the mine is very important to us, and nothing can go wrong."
Xiao Mo already knew all the developments in the mine from Gong Daniu's letters. Once the mountain road becomes easier to travel and the iron ore is transported down, he will be busy.
He has so many private soldiers, so he must have good weapons. In the future, he hopes that the mines will produce more iron ore so that each of his private soldiers can be equipped with a powerful weapon.
After everyone talked for a while, Old Man Niu said, "I have one more request for you, Your Majesty."
"What's the matter?"
Seeing that Old Man Niu looked serious, Xiao Mo felt strange. Old Man Niu had just come down from the mine, so what would he ask him for help?
"During these days at the mine, I found that General Gong and I are very compatible. I would like to ask the prince and the queen to act as a matchmaker for General Gong and Hongyun."
"grandfather."
Niu Hongyun never expected that Old Man Niu would mention this matter in front of so many people. Her cheeks turned slightly red and she was very shy.
Gong Daniu, who usually looked silly, suddenly stood up, saluted towards Ye Jintang and Xiao Mo, and said loudly, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I have admired Hongyun for a long time. Please help me to be a matchmaker. I will treat Hongyun well in the future and will not let her suffer any grievances."
Listening to Gong Daniu's words, Niu Hongyun's eyes became red. She thought he was stupid and knew nothing, but it seems that's not the case.
"Okay, I'll be the matchmaker."
Ye Jintang happily agreed immediately. She didn't expect that Gong Daniu and Niu Hongyun could become a couple.