Traveling through ancient times, I led my family to prosperity

Mr. Huang enjoyed his meal and drink very much today. He was very talkative and even talked about academic subjects.

As they were talking, they started talking about Xiaowen and a few others' examination for the status of a successful candidate next year.

The whole family was very concerned. After all, this matter concerned the future of the children at home. Xiaolan also pricked up her ears to listen.

"When it comes to reading, knowing one thing will lead to knowing everything. It is not difficult to master the art of reading," said Mr. Huang with a thick tongue.

Mr. Huang's words were actually meant to make Xiao Wen and the others relax, because compared to other exams, the Tongsheng exam was the easiest. Mr. Huang thought it was easy, after all, he had passed the exam, but this did not make Xiao Wen relax, instead he secretly thought to himself that he had to work harder every day in the future.

The meal was not over until the moon rose to the zenith. Because Mr. Huang lived in the front yard, he followed Zhang Shanfeng and his group back home.

The year is coming to an end, and life is always very busy. In addition to checking the accounts for the year, the family also has to do a thorough cleaning, send and receive gifts, etc. On the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, Xiaolan's shop began to close, and the family had some free time.

Since Mr. Huang lived alone at home, he simply did not return to the provincial capital and spent the New Year at Xiaolan's home.

At midnight, Zhang was cooking dumplings, while Xiaolan, Xiaoting and Xiaoyan were peeling garlic and mashing garlic, waiting to eat the dumplings with rice.

After the dumplings were out of the pot, Xiaolan and a few others set the table and started eating dumplings.

The plump Yuanbao dumplings were stuffed with pork and cabbage, which is a must-eat filling during the Chinese New Year. The dumplings were not big, and you could eat one in one bite. When Mr. Huang ate the second one, he found that he had lost a penny.

"Congratulations, Mr. Huang. I'm sure everything will go smoothly tomorrow and you'll pass the imperial examination." Everyone congratulated Mr. Huang with a smile.

Mr. Huang has adapted to the local customs and is now used to the Shengjiatun way of staying up all night. He is naturally very happy to eat dumplings with copper coins in them, after all, the purpose of the New Year is to have a good start.

The night of New Year's Eve was dry and cold, but fortunately there was no wind. Xiaolan's house was hung with red lanterns, illuminating the entire yard.

After finishing their meal, the family tidied up a little and went to the door to set off fireworks together.

After the sounds of firecrackers from far and near in the village gradually subsided and the children had finished setting off their fireworks, they said Happy New Year to Mr. Huang, her grandmother, grandfather, uncle, and aunt, and then went back to their rooms to rest.

Years ago, the sheepskin and wolfskin bought in Xingyuan Prefecture were used by each family member to make a fur coat. Xiaolan, Xiaoting and Xiaoyan made jackets, Zhang, Shen, Fu and Liu made coats, and Shengxuan, Zhang Shanfeng, Zhang Qingfeng, Zhang Qingnian, Mr. Huang, Xiaowen, Xiaohu, Xiaocheng and Xiaoqiang made cloaks.

After this year, Xiaolan will be thirteen years old.

Several children wished a happy new year to Zhang, Sheng Xuan, Shen, Zhang Shanfeng and others.

The elders smiled and took out red envelopes, asking them to share one each. Xiao Lan held the bulging red envelopes in her hands, smiling so hard that her teeth were visible.

After wishing a happy new year to their family, the children went to wish Mr. Huang a happy new year, and naturally each of them received a red envelope.

In the first month of the year, the family was very busy for a few days, visiting relatives, visiting neighbors, entertaining relatives and friends who came to pay New Year's greetings, or entertaining guests at home, or going out for banquets. However, Sheng Xuan was the busiest person in the family. Xiao Lan calculated that he had to go out for banquets almost every day. Sometimes, he was invited to two or three banquets a day. It is said that a daughter is a father's close-fitting little cotton-padded jacket. Xiao Lan was very concerned about Sheng Xuan's banquets. For some families, she asked her eldest uncle or second uncle to accompany her father.

During the Chinese New Year, adults are busy, but children are the most relaxed and happy. Xiaolan, Xiaoting and Xiaoyan went to Bao Zhanggui's house and Sheng Yugui's house for a banquet, and then they stayed at home. The three sisters stayed on the warm kang every day, doing needlework or writing and reading to pass the time.

It was a fine day, so the three sisters went to the Sheng family's old house to play with Xiaoye.

Although Mr. Sheng and Mrs. Cui had been in Hejian County for a long time, Xiao Ye's family still stayed in the house where they originally lived and did not move to the spacious main house.

However, a sparrow may be small, but it has everything. Liu and Xiaoye kept the house very clean, and the kang was very warm. Liu took out a plate of fried melon seeds and asked the four sisters to sit on the kang and eat them while chatting.

"Where are Fourth Uncle and Xiao Tao? Did they go visiting friends?" Xiao Lan asked because she didn't see Sheng Hao and Xiao Tao.

"He's making a fire in the upper room." Xiao Ye said.

In order to keep the unoccupied house safe, Xiaoye's family would go to the upper room, the main room, and the second room to heat the kang almost every day. Once the fire was out, the house would freeze, and once the house was frozen, it would easily crack, and then it would quickly age or even collapse.

Sheng Hao is very diligent and responsible in looking after the house for Mr. Sheng.

The four chatted and laughed for a while, then said they wanted to go find Jiayu to play. They heard that Jiayu had caught a cold these days, and was locked up at home by Shen, not allowing her to come out, so the four planned to go and see her.

After leaving the old house, it didn't take long to reach Sheng Yugui's house. After all, we all lived in the same village, so it was just a matter of steps to go to either house. It didn't take much effort.

Jiayu didn't have a serious illness, she just caught a cold during the Chinese New Year. After taking two doses of cold-repelling medicine, she is now almost recovered. Sheng Yugui and Shen were worried that she would catch a cold again if she went out, so they confined her to the house and forbade her to go out to play.

Jiayu's family was very happy to see them. They were invited to sit on the kang. Shen came out from another room and served them fried peanuts, fried melon seeds and candies.

"Have fun by yourselves. I have guests over there, so I won't accompany you." Shen said to the children with a smile.

Although Sheng Yugui's family and Xiaoyan's family have not yet revealed their relationship, the two families are more friendly than ordinary families. Therefore, the children do not regard Sheng Yugui's family as outsiders, and the little sisters chat happily.

Because the old Sheng family is in Hejian County, the old house is very quiet this year. But Pang Xiu'e's family is very close to Hejian County. Ever since they knew that their daughter followed Sheng Nuo's family to Hejian County to enjoy a good life, the old Pang family has been in frequent contact with the second Sheng family.