Chapter 352

"Are they setting off fireworks?" Jiang Sheng pinched a cabbage and lamb meat bun, wanting to go to the yard to watch the liveliness.

Chang Yan held her back and gently shook his head.

"It sounds like knocking on the door to me. But all our relatives and friends are here already, so who else could it be?" Zheng Ruqian wondered doubtfully.

Xu Mo, who had just sat down, sighed and got up again, resignedly lying back down on the bed.

"Eldest brother, don't rush yet." Chang Yan's tone was light. "Let's see who it is first."

Jiang San and Jiang Si had already cautiously gone over, and the others were also standing at the door and craning their necks.

As the door bolt fell, the large door slowly opened, revealing a graceful figure, along with a carriage that only aristocratic families would have - if not the Jiang family's Tan Yue, who else could it be?

Jiang Sheng was shocked.

Around the new year, she had thought that Madam Jiang would definitely want to spend the new year with her, but there were also four elder brothers at home, and eldest brother Xu Mo was so worrying.

In order to conceal the secret of pretending to be ill, and to balance both sides of the family, Jiang Sheng deliberated for a long time before making a decision - spend the 30th in the small courtyard, and go to the Jiang family to accompany Madam Jiang on the 1st.

She had even prepared two lamb legs that she had brought over for her grandmother to taste earlier.

But now Tan Yue had shown up here instead.

"Is Grandmother ill? Or is there something else?" Jiang Sheng visibly became anxious, and the steamed bun in her hand was no longer fragrant. She ran over to Wen Zhiyun in three or two steps.

Seeing the frail young doctor about to be dragged to the Jiang family, Tan Yue hurriedly spoke up, "No, Young Lady, Madam is perfectly fine."

Only then did Jiang Sheng breathe a long sigh of relief, and apologetically let go of her fourth brother.

Tan Yue turned around and beckoned to He Rui in the carriage, then gestured for Jiang San and Jiang Si to open the door wider.

The spacious carriage barely squeezed through the door frame. The wide open door was closed again.

Only then did everyone realize that the horse was extremely exhausted, and the carriage seemed to be loaded with heavy objects.

"Let's move the stuff first," Tan Yue directed everyone. "Madam knew that you can’t be extravagant this year, so she specifically told me to come only after dark." Filled to the brim in the carriage were countless meat, several bolts of new brocade, rice, flour, oil, cakes, vegetables - everything that should have been prepared for the new year, but was not for various reasons.

There was also a small sandalwood box that Tan Yue personally carried over.

Opening the catch, inside were three quietly lying hairpins intricately wrapped in silk threads, along with two strands of pearl tassels, all made of superior materials and currently most fashionable jewelry.

"Madam instructed that when Young Master Xu becomes a successful candidate, you can wear new clothes and jewelry out. For now, just keep them - consider them Madam's new year's gifts to you." Tan Yue smiled as she handed them over.

Jiang Sheng stared blankly without saying a word, gazing at one of the floral bird gold hairpins intricately wrapped in silk threads. She felt it was very similar to the one Jiang Chenghua owned, but much more exquisite and precious.

"Madam also said, whatever other girls have, girls from our Jiang family should also have them all." Tan Yue added meaningfully.

Jiang Sheng could barely remember what had happened in that fleeting moment, yet Madam Jiang was able to find out about it and kept it in mind.

Unable to describe what she was feeling, a sour sensation rose from the tip of her heart, along with an indescribable swelling feeling, as if it could burst open at any time into two hearts.

"Do you like it, Young Lady?" Tan Yue pinched the intricately wrapped silk floral bird gold hairpin and carefully pinned it in Jiang Sheng's hair. "It looks really good."

In fact, Jiang Sheng could not see it herself - she had no copper mirror, not even a basin of water.

But she somehow felt extremely certain that it looked especially good.

Because whatever other girls had, she now had it too.

Jiang Sheng grinned. Her nose felt sour, her eyes felt sour too.

That slight envy she had looking into the wind finally dissipated with the wind as well.

The items had been mostly moved inside. Tan Yue stood up again and took a sachet from He Rui's hand, stuffing it into Jiang Sheng's hand. "This is the new year money for the young lady."

The reason it was not placed on her was because it really was very heavy.

If Jiang Sheng did not have some strength, she probably would have dropped it on the ground.

With six siblings total, only Fang Heng had received fifty taels of gold ingots from his auntie in the past two years, which had made the other five siblings very envious at the time.

Now, it was finally Jiang Sheng's turn. It was so heavy that she did not know how many taels there were.

Under Tan Yue's encouraging gaze, Jiang Sheng carefully opened the wallet to see palm-sized gold ingots, a good double the size of the fifty taels she had seen before.

"Wow, one hundred taels of gold." Zheng Ruqian exclaimed. "Jiang Sheng, you're going to strike it rich."

According to the Dayu Dynasty’s exchange rate between gold and silver, these could exchange for at least a thousand taels of silver. Although they already had over a thousand taels of silver, such high new year money was still the first time they had seen it.

It was not simply gold, but a grandmother's love for her granddaughter.

Along with a carriage full of food and supplies, and an intricately wrapped silk floral bird gold hairpin nearly identical to the one owned by Jiang Chenghua, every single item represented efforts made to prepare them.

"Sister Tan Yue, please take good care of Grandmother for me." Jiang Sheng clutched the gold, voice trembling. "Young Lady, don't worry." Tan Yue stood up. "Since we've delivered everything we needed to, we'll get going first."

To avoid prying eyes, their coming and going were both hasty.

Jiang Sheng was reluctant to part.

Zhang Xianglian also saw them off, "Have a meal before leaving! We just made the reunion dinner."

"It’s fine. Madam is still waiting for me." Tan Yue stroked Jiang Sheng's head. "Young Lady, take care."

The closed door was opened again. Outside was the lively streets, coming and going pedestrians, high hanging red lanterns, and popping firecrackers rising one after another.

It was hard to imagine what Madam Jiang was doing amidst such a joyful eve of the lunar new year.

Was she having dinner with her estranged daughter-in-law and raising granddaughters together, or sitting dried up in the ancestral hall worshipping ancestors?

She was such a lonely old woman. She once had a precious grandson she could laugh and chat with. Now he was also far away.

The more Jiang Sheng thought about it, the sadder she felt. She tugged on Tan Yue, "Sister, can I bring Grandmother here? Can she come spend the new year with us?"

"Young Lady, don't think too much," Tan Yue said with a laugh as she turned around. "Madam has a lot of things to do in the Jiang family, she's not free."

Moreover, if she did come, it would also make everyone in the second courtyard uncomfortable.

Why make things difficult?

"Then I'll go to the Jiang house. I’ll go accompany her." Jiang Sheng blurted out.

This time, Tan Yue shook her head again.

"Madam sent gifts to the Young Lady hoping to make you happy, not to take you away."

"There are many kinds of love. Accompanying by your side is not the only way to show the most love. Madam's love for you has also been slowly growing."

"At first when she learned of your identity, Madam hoped you would return because you were her granddaughter and she wanted you to resume your position as the Jiang family’s proper daughter."

"Later when she found out about your relationship with the brothers, Madam let you go. Her love transformed into love for you as a person, into letting go and blessing."

"Young Lady, if you truly love Madam, then don't think that after the 30th you made her feel remorseful for sending you gifts."

"Why not come to the Jiang family nice and early tomorrow morning instead, we’ll all be waiting for you."

Tan Yue did not stay for long before departing in the carriage.

The sky burst into fireworks at the right time, lighting up the dark night, and also shedding light on the region in Jiang Sheng's heart regarding love.

Although they still did not get to set off the fireworks they had been looking forward to every year, half a courtyard full of rice, flour, oil, and hot northern lamb meat, along with the intricately wrapped silk floral bird gold hairpin placed in the highest position, all proved that their new year was very good this time.

Very happy.