Chapter 194: The Morning After the Holiday Begins [Many thanks for everyone's support

The twelfth lunar month has arrived.

In the capital, most private schools in the households of nobles and officials have already begun their holiday.

At the Sheng family study hall.

On the tenth day of the twelfth lunar month,

in the afternoon,

"From today until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, you need not come to the lecture hall," Master Zhuang said.

After speaking, Master Zhuang picked up several sheets of paper from the desk and said, "These are the assignments you must complete by the fifteenth day of the first lunar month; your names are written on them."

Sheng Changbai stood up, went over, took the papers from Master Zhuang's hands, and distributed them according to the names.

Xu Xu Zaijing glanced at his own assignment topics, then looked at Sheng Changfeng's; the number of characters on his sheet was more than half again as many as those on Sheng Changfeng's.

Master Zhuang looked at Xu Xu Zaijing and Gu Gu Tingye and said, "The two of you will face the county examination after the New Year; do not be lax."

"Yes, Master."

"Hmm, then you may disperse."

Everyone hurriedly stood and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Master, for your instruction!"

The young male and female servants began organizing the Young Masters' and Misses' belongings.

Xu Zaizhang turned back, took the paper from Gu Gu Tingye's hand, looked at the assignments on it, smiled slightly, returned it to him, and once the young servant had finished packing the book chest, he left the lecture hall first.

He had already passed the county examination, after all.

Meanwhile, Sheng Changbai walked over to Master Zhuang, who was packing up his books, bowed deeply, and said something.

Xu Xu Zaijing and Gu Gu Tingye looked at each other's assignments; hmm, they were equally numerous.

Once Seeing Qingcao had finished packing the book chest, Xu Xu Zaijing approached Master Zhuang's desk to bid farewell, only to see Master Zhuang writing something.

Master Zhuang looked up at Xu Xu Zaijing and said, "What is it? Does Jing-ge'er also wish to have some assignments added?"

Xu Xu Zaijing glanced at Sheng Changbai in surprise; so he was adding assignments for himself???

Sheng Changbai smiled faintly.

Xu Xu Zaijing bowed and said, "Seeing worthiness, one thinks of equaling it; Master, this student also requests more!"

"Very well, then you shall also write out a copy of everything on Ye-ge'er's paper."

Hearing this, Xu Xu Zaijing was stunned; he had only intended to ask the Master to assign a few more problems, but how—

Sheng Changbai, standing nearby, looked at Xu Xu Zaijing, clasped his hands in salute, and gazed at him with admiration, saying, "Jing-ge'er, I thought I was already diligent enough, yet I find myself in awe of you!"

Xu Xu Zaijing forced a faint smile.

"Yes, Master."

Upon hearing this, Gu Gu Tingye's eyes lit up, and he was about to hand his assignments to Xu Xu Zaijing when Master Zhuang cleared his throat, causing Gu Gu Tingye to pull his hand back.

"Ye-ge'er, if after the New Year your assignments bear any similarity to Jing-ge'er's, I will not let you off lightly."

"Yes, Master."

At the entrance of the Sheng family residence,

Xu Zaizhang sat in his family carriage; just as he was about to send a family servant to fetch Xu Xu Zaijing after waiting for some time, Xu Xu Zaijing arrived at the carriage.

"Why did it take you so long to come over?"

"Brother, just now the Master said one assignment sheet was issued short; here, the Master asked me to bring this to you!"

"What??? Isn't this your handwriting!"

"The Master had me copy out Brother Sheng Changbai's assignment topics; when school resumes after the New Year, he will evaluate the merits and faults of you two."

"How could this happen..." Xu Zaizhang, now burdened with extra assignments, felt deeply depressed.

Xu Xu Zaijing smiled faintly, thinking to himself, Of course, I must strive hard together with you, Second Brother!

Returning to Quyuan Street,

Xu Zaizhang had not recovered from the blow of being assigned extra work even as he stepped down from the carriage.

Entering through the second gate, Xu Zaizhang and his younger brother Xiaowu went to their mother's courtyard to pay their respects to Lady Sun.

"Zhang-ge'er and Jing-ge'er have returned!"

A young maid announced their arrival while lifting the cotton curtain at the doorway, and warm air surged out from inside the room.

Before the two brothers had even entered the room, they heard bursts of laughter from within.

Xu Xu Zaijing handed his heavy cloak to a maid inside and immediately spotted his mother sitting on the arhat bed, with her two daughters-in-law seated beside her.

The mother-in-law and her two daughters-in-law did not know what they had been discussing, but all their faces were filled with smiles.

Seeing Xu Zaizhang, Sheng Hualan hastily stood up and said, "Husband!"

Xu Zaizhang handed the heavy cloak in his hand to Sister Cuichan, who had approached.

Looking at Sheng Hualan, who was dignified and radiant with a beaming smile, his mood instantly improved, and he nodded with a smile to his Da Da Niangzi.

Xu Xu Zaijing said, "Mother, what were you and Eldest Sister-in-law and Second Sister-in-law talking about? Why are you so happy?"

"We were talking about how you bullied your cousins at the Sun family!"

Hearing Lady Sun's words, Sheng Hualan and Xie Shi laughed again.

"Sister-in-law said she hopes our eldest son will be just as formidable," Sheng Hualan said, looking at Xu Xu Zaijing.

"Mother, I bullied your own sister's sons, and you are this happy about it?"

"Go on with you!"

Watching the playful mother and son, Sheng Hualan laughed once more.

In the Sheng family, she never saw such scenes; her younger brother Sheng Changbai was stern and rarely smiled, while Sheng Changfeng behaved before Lady Wang like a mouse seeing a cat.

Sheng Hong treated the Old Lady with more reverence and fear than anything else; how would he dare to joke with her.

Suddenly, Sheng Hualan felt something stir in her heart and looked over, only to find her husband Xu Zaizhang staring at her blankly.

Fortunately, just then Xu Xu Anmei walked in carrying the cat, so no one noticed Zai Zhang's gaze.

Thus, Sheng Hualan shot back an angry glare.

The cat in Xu Xu Anmei's arms, upon seeing Xu Xu Zaijing sitting in the hall, hurriedly burrowed deeper into Xu Xu Anmei's embrace.

"Don't be afraid, little cat; I will protect you. Little Five wouldn't dare grab you."

"Meow~"

Later, Xu Minghua and Xu Xu Zaiduan returned to the Xu residence, and the whole family had dinner together.

To celebrate the holiday, Xu Xu Zaijing and Pei Pei Erge drank some wine with their father and elder brother; before they knew it, Zai Zhang had drunk a bit too much.

When returning to the courtyard, it was Sheng Hualan who supported him all the way back.

Sheng Hualan and Sister Cuichan helped Zai Zhang onto the bed and struggled to change his clothes; since the floor heating in the room was burning hot, both women had broken into a slight sweat on their foreheads. Sheng Hualan sat by the bedside to catch her breath, and just as she was about to rise to wash up, Zai Zhang tugged at her.

"Da Da Niangzi."

Hearing her husband's muttering, Sheng Hualan and Sister Cuichan exchanged a smile.

Afterwards, the mistress and servant went to the dressing table; after Sister Cuichan helped Sheng Hualan change her clothes, she continued to help her remove her hairpins and ornaments:

"Miss, did you see the way the young master looked at you when he entered the Lady's room?"

"Hmm? What about it?"

"When he first came in, he still looked somewhat unhappy, but the moment he saw you, Miss, his eyes lit up!"

"Not at all..."

After serving her Young Master as he washed up and settled properly onto the couch:

"Young Master?"

"Mm."

Seeing Seeing Qingcao blew out the candle in the room, picked up the lantern, and came to the couch at the bedroom door.

"Miss Seeing Qingcao, here is your warming bottle; the water inside was just boiled, so be careful not to burn yourself."

"Thank you, Mother Xia."

Saying this, Seeing Qingcao handed the lantern to her.

"What kind of talk is that? This is what an old woman like me ought to do."

After placing the warming bottle inside the quilt, Seeing Qingcao folded her lined jacket and skirt, let down her hair, and then burrowed into the bed.

Subsequently, Mother Xia picked up the lantern, walked to the rear room, and continued to guard the stove opening in the house.

"Woo~ woo~ whoosh"

Outside the door, the north wind howled;

Seeing Qingcao wriggled slightly under the quilt, pushed the warming bottle to the foot of the bed, and let out a long sigh as she smelled the scent of soap beans on the bedding.

"Tomorrow, I won't be able to see Xiao Xiao Xiaotao anymore."

Lost in thought, before she knew it, Seeing Qingcao had fallen asleep.

Opening her eyes, Seeing Qingcao found the warming bottle at her feet still held some warmth; she yawned and sat up.

"Mother Xia."

Soon, Mother Xia entered carrying the lantern and lit the candles on the table.

After dressing, tying up her hair, and washing her face, Seeing Qingcao went to the rear room, mixed hot and cold water from the stove in the washbasin, and carried it into the bedroom.

By the time the candles in the room were lit, her Young Master had already put on his cotton-lined undergarments.

Seeing Qingcao approached her Young Master, unfolded the clothes to hand them to him, and after he had put them on, she smoothed out the wrinkles around his waist sash.

After washing his face and helping him tie up his hair, the mistress and servant came to the door of the outer room.

Handing the hat and gloves to her Young Master, Seeing Qingcao put on her own ear protectors and gloves.

"Shall we go?"

As her Young Master spoke, white vapor puffed from his mouth.

"Mm!"

The room door opened, and a gust of cold wind blew straight into their faces.

In the dark early morning, the mistress and servant arrived at the horse track, where her Young Master had already begun jogging to warm up.

Seeing Qingcao walked to the door of the small hut where lanterns hung, entered the room, and stroked the heads of two large dogs huddled near the stove,

then poured hot water from the gurgling kettle into a gourd and hugged it; sitting on a low stool, Seeing Qingcao yawned,

and gazing at the orange-yellow flames in the iron stove before her, for some reason she thought of the scene a few days ago when the eldest Miss of the Sheng family entered the gate.

"I wonder what the wife my brother is marrying looks like."

(End of Chapter)