Snow was falling heavily, and everything was completely white. Since the first snowfall in early November, several more snowfalls followed, turning Qinghe Village into a snow-capped silver world.
As the time approaches the end of the month, in addition to shops, there are also more small merchants and hawkers setting up stalls at the official intersection market. There are actually many people going to the market near Shenshi.
Inside a tightly covered carriage compartment, Dajiang was quite surprised when he heard the shouting of the carriage passing by. After thinking for a while, it became somewhat clear.
No, tomorrow is the first day of the twelfth lunar month, which is the holiday.
At the end of the new year, not only people in the mountains catch prey and sell it at a good price while it is fresh, but also people in the surrounding villages come to set up stalls now that they have no work to do in the fields.
Unlike the market here, which is open every day, there are large and small markets in the town every few days of the month. In previous years, during the winter season, people around would naturally go out to attend the market if there was no big event.
His third sister and third brother-in-law not only allowed his father to sit comfortably at home and collect the rent of the shop, but they also did a good deed that benefited the surrounding villages.
"What are you looking at?" Gu Wenxuan looked at Zhou Yujiang who looked at him with admiring eyes in a funny way, "It's not that you haven't been on the list yet. If you don't come first, you will have to pay compensation."
He was saying that because of the annual exam, the monthly exam that was supposed to be held in early December was no longer available, but the county school still held another mock exam in the three days at the end of November.
Of course, there will be no rewards for the top three in this mock test, which means that the rewards in December will have to wait until the results of the Fucheng Regional Joint Examination are released.
Zhou Yujiang couldn't help but shake his head in laughter when he heard this, "Definitely number one. If you hadn't won the first place this time, Chengxian County would not have let you back so early."
"Didn't you come back together?"
"It's different. You are my third brother-in-law. My wife and the others are naturally relieved that I will go home with you early. Besides, it won't be a long time. Isn't it a holiday tomorrow?"
While he was talking, the carriage suddenly stopped slowly. Even if Gu Wenxuan didn't lift the curtain and look out, he knew that he should be at the entrance of Gujia Village.
Sure enough.
Immediately, reports of family prosperity came.
Gu Wenxuan responded and immediately stood up and patted his brother-in-law on the shoulder, "We'll talk to him tomorrow. Go home early and say hello to me."
Zhou Yujiang knew that his third brother-in-law was thinking about seeing his twin sister as soon as possible, so he reached out and pushed him without saying a word, "Tell third sister for me that I will go see her tomorrow."
"Okay, go home and have a good chat with your parents and brother. Have a good sleep tonight to refresh yourself and then study again. You don't have to get up too early tomorrow. You have to go to the county school the day after tomorrow."
With that said, without waiting for Zhou Yujiang's reply, Gu Wenxuan jumped out of the carriage, took two quick steps, waved to the driver, and took the whip from Jiaxing.
In the blink of an eye, Zhou Yujiang saw Gu Wenxuan getting on his horse in front of the workshop at the entrance of Gujiazhuang Village. He was amusing him. Was he so eager to see his third sister?
Gu Wenxuan didn't know for a moment that his brother-in-law was laughing at him. Otherwise, if Gao Luo had to explain to him, if he didn't just ride back to the manor, someone would stop him immediately.
Between the workshops on the left and right is the first checkpoint into the manor.
The gate house next to the checkpoint is okay, it is guarded by guards, and no one can enter. Naturally, outsiders cannot go in to get warm and drink water, but the gatehouses of the workshops on both sides are busy inside.
If the stewards who come to pull goods or deliver goods stop here temporarily and come back, there will be stewards to entertain them, but it will be bad if the folks from the countryside don't pay attention to them.
Last time, when he was walking home and passing by, he was a little slow and was surrounded by people from the neighboring village. He was forced to listen to family gossip for a long time.
His grandma's family was not a landowner, so God knows where they got so many cousins. Later, when I heard about the introduction, I guess it was his mother-in-law who started talking about his cousins.
This kind of relative, every one of them would side with his father-in-law and say that his mother-in-law's natal family is not good, and it would be even more serious for him, an uncle from the Zhou family, to entertain him.
After riding for a short distance, Gu Wenxuan slowed down his speed. When Jia Xing, who was riding behind him, arrived, he had the answer without him opening his mouth. "Xiao Shizi said that the uncle who brought game to the door was taking people inside to keep warm and drink tea. He wanted to wait for their aunt to go back together after visiting the market."
Then they are not relatives. The people who sell wild game at Majia'ao are all from Ma's house directly from Dongkou Village.
Then the owner of the horse took the food to the canteen of the kitchen to pay the bill. After the canteen processed it, they selected a portion of the game and sent it to the manor's large kitchen.
Gu Wenxuan nodded knowingly. Seeing that he was about to arrive at the manor, he was not in a hurry and continued to listen to Jiaxing's report on the situation at home during his absence for a few days.
Obviously, it's still generally OK.
As the New Year approaches, whether it is the tofu shop at the entrance of the village, the oil pressing shop, or the soap workshop at the foot of the mountain, business is still good, and few servants make mistakes.
The guards also performed their duties and patrolled day and night. During this period, no one broke into the workshop or warehouse, and no one broke into the manor without permission.
As for the family, his wife has been very obedient and has not left the manor in recent days. She has raised her baby in the West Road Courtyard as agreed.
During this period, he also wanted to go to the main courtyard to pay his respects to his parents, but the devil was taller than the road, and his wife was defeated by his parents who had anticipated the opportunity.
Ting Jiaxing mentioned that Zhou Banxia had taken advantage of the snow to stop two days ago and wanted Mai Huang to report to Ma Shan and go to the main courtyard together. Going to the East Road courtyard in the afternoon would not work.
Gu Wenxuan chuckled to himself. Just as he finished listening, he was about to turn left fifty or sixty meters ahead, and he was about to reach the manor in a blink of an eye.
In front of the manor.
A pair of stone lions.
There is a door on the left and right of the main entrance, called the east corner gate and the west corner gate.
The main door is generally not open at ordinary times. It is usually opened only on major festivals or formal occasions for ceremonial purposes.
Gu Wenxuan got off his horse, threw the whip to the boy who ran out, and strode up the steps to enter. After entering the east corner gate, there was the outer courtyard.
Further inside through the small garden is a five-room hall, specially used to receive guests. On both sides of the hall are corridor greenhouses.
Passing through the front hall is the Hanging Flower Gate. The Hanging Flower Gate is also the door that connects the inner and outer courtyards. It is commonly known as the Second Gate, also known as the Inner Gate. The mother-in-law lives inside and watches the night.
After passing the hanging flower gate, it belongs to the inner courtyard area.
The entire inner courtyard takes the main courtyard as the central axis and is divided into the middle main courtyard, the east courtyard and the west courtyard.
The backyard of West Road Courtyard.
The main room has a warm pavilion.
Not only Mrs. Liu, Gu Baoya, and Ma Shan, but also Zhou Daya were there. They were wearing homely clothes, sitting on the floor doing needlework around the small kang table.
There is a book desk placed by the window on the north side. In addition to the Four Treasures of the Study, there are several boxes of paints. In the corner next to it is a painting vat with several scrolls of calligraphy and paintings standing upright.
Zhou Banxia, who was prohibited from doing needlework, was tracing patterns in front of the case, while Mai Huang and Mai Qing stood on either side of her and handed things from time to time. (End of chapter)