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墨書 Inktalez
When Qing Wu arrived home, she happened to catch the last batch of Carrot Balls being fried in the kitchen.
She had just stepped down from the carriage and hadn’t even gotten into the sedan chair when the woman carrying it smiled and said to her, “Miss, you’ve timed your arrival perfectly. When Mama Huang came by earlier, we were worried that by the time you got here, the balls would be cold.”
During the Northern New Year, a variety of foods are prepared. There are meatballs, fried fish, fried meat, and even yam can be fried. During the festive season, these dishes can either be stewed or eaten directly and are extremely delicious.
Everyone was already aware of the twenty-eight seals. Earlier that morning, the He Family had sent Mama Huang over to check on things. After that, they would come by to take a look and see if the young lady had returned.
Moreover, the first batch of water radish balls was already ready. The second batch of Carrot Balls was also being fried. Were they really going to wait until the Carp was cooked before returning?
Due to the festive atmosphere of the New Year, everyone felt more relaxed in their conversations.
The woman carrying the sedan chair even joked with Mama Huang about how this new method of timing was quite clever. There was no need to check the hour anymore; they could simply use what was being cooked as a reference. In the future, they could determine when the young lady returned home by “Radish time” or “Carp time.”
Initially, Mama Huang was concerned about Qing Wu and hadn’t thought much about it. But once she reflected on it carefully, she realized it was indeed true and couldn’t help but laugh.
The women encouraged her not to worry too much.
Two attendants from the Doorman had already gone to wait at the street corner. Once there was news, they would report back to Madam.
Mama Huang sighed, “Madam isn’t anxious anymore. The Third Young Master has asked about it more than ten times in an hour. Even I can’t help but feel impatient listening to him. It’s better to come over and take a look for peace of mind. Has there been no word from over there? Perhaps they were delayed. I’ll come back later to check.”
While she spoke, one of the Doorman's boys came running over in a hurry, his face full of joy. Upon seeing Mama Huang, he grinned widely.
“The young lady is back!” he shouted excitedly. “She’s already turned the corner! In a little while, she should be here!”
Upon hearing this, everyone became cheerful.
Mama Huang didn’t dare delay for a moment longer and hurried back to the courtyard to report this news to Master and Mistress and the Young Masters.
Liu Fangyi is at home today.
This time returning to Beijing for his job report, although he felt confident that he would be able to stay in the capital, he still had to attend necessary social gatherings. He spent the day reuniting with friends and colleagues from Capital City whom he hadn't seen in years.
Today, officials were sealed off, and everyone returned home for the New Year, so he naturally had some leisure time. This allowed him to stay at home all day.
When the news that Qing Wu was almost home reached Liu Fangyi, he was chopping wood in his backyard.
Liu Anfeng saw this and was quite surprised. He wanted to ask his father what was going on but was afraid of asking the wrong question and getting punched by him. So, he quietly went to ask his Brothers.
Liu Anzhi and Liu An Ting had no idea what was happening with Liu Fangyi. They took their younger brother and went to their mother to discuss the matter.
The He Family had been married to Liu Fangyi for many years, so they understood his thoughts well. They smiled and comforted their sons, saying, "Don't worry. Your father just has a lot of energy with nowhere to use it. Let him be; he'll be fine soon."
In fact, the He Family knew that Liu Fangyi was worried about his daughter. Although he had been sulking and didn't ask about her today, the first thing he said when he returned home a few days ago was to inquire if there was any news about her.
Now that Qing Wu was about to return home, he surprisingly didn't ask about her all morning. Perhaps stimulated by Liu Anfeng's repeated inquiries, he finally couldn't hold back his frustration and took it out on the wood.
Once his daughter returned, he wouldn't take it out on the wood anymore.
Sure enough.
As soon as Qing Wu entered the house, Liu Fangyi rushed over eagerly to greet her.
To everyone's surprise, besides Qing Wu, there were also two boxes of items awarded by His Majesty that came back with her.
Upon learning this, everyone in the Liu Residence was filled with joy.
——Regardless of what is inside, just the "Reward" alone has eased many hearts. At the very least, it shows that His Majesty is not upset with Qing Wu. Qing Wu has done well in her position.
He Family and Liu Fangyi examined everything carefully. After confirming all the items, they let out a slight sigh of relief.
The Reward included food, necessities, and entertainment items, with nothing overlooked. Each item was exquisite, suitable for use in Liu Residence, without being overly extravagant.
As long as it wasn't extravagant, that was fine.
Having a First Female Official in the family was already eye-catching enough. If they were to receive any extraordinary Reward, Liu Residence would be right in the spotlight.
What pleased He Family the most was half a box of fresh vegetables.
It should be noted that during this season, green leafy vegetables are the hardest to come by. Coincidentally, their daughter loves them the most. Even when there is an opportunity to see them, they cannot always be eaten.
With this half box, if they plan carefully and store it properly, it should last the family for about half a month. That way, by the time it runs out, the festive season would have already passed.
In fact, these two boxes of items were not prepared by Huo Yun'ai at all.
The young Your Majesty was not skilled in dealing with such trivial matters.
Originally, according to his intention, he planned to send six or eight carts of items for Qing Wu to take back. If that wasn't enough, more could be added.
Especially the vegetables.
Qing Wu loved to eat them; he intended to leave a little in the palace and let her take the rest. Besides, there would still be others delivering more later; the palace was not lacking in this regard.
As soon as this idea popped into his mind, Uncle Yu nearly knelt down. He earnestly advised, "Your Majesty, you cannot do this. Such generosity might scare the common people!"
Huo Yun'ai was doing this behind Qing Wu's back. After hearing this, she pondered for a moment, unsure of how many items would be appropriate. She decided to have Uncle Yu consult Dou Mama about it.
Originally, the two of them only intended to bring some harmless good items. However, Huo Yun'ai insisted on bringing some vegetables, and after much discussion between the two, they finally placed some in one of the boxes.
Qing Wu had been feeling a bit down after encountering Jade Orchid earlier that day. However, after spending time with Huo Yun'ai, her mood improved significantly. Just as she was starting to feel better, time was pressing, and she hurriedly got into the carriage to head home.
Now, seeing her family eagerly waiting for her, Qing Wu finally relaxed completely.
Liu Fangyi carefully examined his daughter and exclaimed, "Oh! Girl, you've grown taller."
Upon hearing this, Qing Wu was very pleased and smiled brightly as she asked, "Really? Father, you’re not teasing me, are you?"
Seeing her so happy made the family burst into laughter.
—When they were in the Northwest, Qing Wu had envied the young ladies there for their rapid growth. She always felt that she wasn't growing fast enough or tall enough.
So when she heard Liu Fangyi's words now, she was naturally overjoyed.
"Girl is just a girl," Liu Anfeng scoffed from the side, raising two fingers to indicate a rather short distance. "You've only grown a tiny bit and you're already this happy. If you grew as tall as your brother, wouldn't you be laughing so hard your jaw would drop?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he received a slap on the head.
Liu Fangyi angrily said, "You brat! It's New Year’s Day; can't you say something nice? What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"
Liu Anfeng refused to back down and jumped up in protest, "What’s wrong with that? Can’t I speak the truth?"
Seeing how he treated his father this way, Liu Anzhi frowned and scolded him a few times. Then he quickly stood between his father and Third Brother, trying to mediate.
Liu An Ting stepped forward, smiling as he called out "Sister," and then walked inside with his mother and sister.
As soon as the other three saw them leave, they quickly stopped their conversation and hurried to follow. The argument between the father and son naturally came to an end.
The He Family noticed that Qing Wu looked a bit tired, so they instructed someone to prepare hot water for her to wash up. They also took out a new set of clothes that had been prepared for her to change into.
"The young lady should dress up beautifully," the He Family said, growing more pleased with their daughter as they looked at her. "When we go to the Wu Family tomorrow, you should wear this outfit."
Upon hearing that they would be going to the Wu Family the next day, Qing Wu's brow twitched. Remembering Huo Yun'ai's sour remarks, her face involuntarily flushed. She quickly cleared her throat to cover it up.
The He Family was very busy today. Once they ensured that Qing Wu was taken care of, they hurriedly attended to other matters.
Qing Wu saw her mother out of the courtyard. After standing quietly for a while and watching her mother's figure disappear, she prepared to head back inside.
However, before she could turn around, she noticed Liu Anfeng peeking in from beside the courtyard gate.
Upon seeing Qing Wu, he waved his hand repeatedly, signaling her to come out. When they were close enough and ensured there was no one else around, he whispered, "Come on, I want to show you something good."
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