The little Fubao in the deserted village made all the dignitaries in the court go crazy with envy

Mr. Jin's face turned pale, the corners of his mouth twitched wildly, and he began to doubt whether it was worth it for him to make friends with Mr. Xu.

He has a wife, children and grandchildren. He didn't end up sending his entire family to jail just because of what Old Xu said.

He quickly glanced outside. Even though he knew no one outside would eavesdrop, he still lowered his voice to remind him, "Brother Xu, there are some things you must not say. Be careful, there are ears on the other side of the wall!"

Xu Hanzhang laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, no matter how ignorant I am, I won't drag others into this. I'm only saying this here because I hope you won't spread the word. This is just one time, and it won't happen again."

Everyone then breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed.

"Brother Xu, let me ask you an offending question. Were you also so outspoken when you were an official in the court?" Old Master Jin couldn't help himself. He was very curious about how Old Master Xu survived in the court with such a personality.

Xu Hanzhang sighed and nodded, "I don't agree that I am outspoken. I just dare to speak the truth. Unfortunately, not every emperor can tolerate the truth in the temple, so I was demoted."

After a slight pause, he smiled and said, "It's not right to say that I was demoted. The current emperor was still the crown prince at that time. He was afraid that I would die too soon. Before the late emperor dealt with me, he first charged me with offending the crown prince and transferred me to a distant place. Later, he found a reason that I can't remember and dismissed me. That's why my family and I are still alive today."

"..."

"..."

You sound quite proud of it?

Old man Xu said he was satisfied, closed his mouth, and drank tea and ate peanuts with a smile.

This is also the reason why he agreed when the emperor asked him to come and teach the little prince.

Emperor Xuanyuan was incompetent, but fortunately, good bamboo shoots can be produced from bad bamboos, and Hong Jing was a wise man.

As for the little prince, he is already a shining pearl. With a little polish, he will surely shine brightly in the future.

He was looking forward to the prosperous and auspicious era that the young prince had talked about. If he could see it in his lifetime, it would be a rewarding achievement.

……

On the eve of New Year's Eve, the workshop paid the wages for the month and gave the workers a five-day holiday so that they could go home and have a happy new year.

There is also a lot of New Year and festival benefits.

Each person was given a piece of cloth, a chicken, two pounds of pork belly, and two taels of tea.

It snowed heavily at night and the entire Wutong Town was covered in snow.

In the wind and snow, the lights of thousands of homes are like stars, and the laughter and joy warm the roofs.

The main hall of the Lin family was filled with New Year gifts, all of which were sent by others.

There were New Year snacks sent by the Yan family, the first jar of Baixiang wine sent by the Jin family, secret ham sent by the Gan family, refined rice sent by the Guo family, lucky bags sent by the Ye family, four-ingredient paste sent by the Sifang Pharmacy, and various sugar cakes and rice dumplings sent by villagers from various villages...

Just these old ones are enough for their family to eat for a month.

The Lin family did not skimp on food either. Mrs. Lin and her second daughter-in-law took charge of the cooking and cooked all the dishes they had learned from Nanny Du. They prepared two large tables and invited the Yan and Jin families to come and have dinner together on New Year's Eve, just to make it more lively.

Li Sulan had been pregnant for less than three months and was in good spirits, but she still felt nauseous occasionally when she smelled meat. Her mother-in-law drove her out of the kitchen and only allowed her to pick vegetables and make tea.

Two tables were set up in the main room, with a brazier burning brightly. The door was half-open to block out the wind and snow outside, and people inside the room were talking and laughing, with a warm atmosphere.

Since it is New Year's Eve, the men get together and have a few drinks.

The Baixiang wine sent by the Jin family was taken out and opened. The rich aroma of the wine spread, mixed with the aroma of the food, rushing into people's noses.

"On New Year's Eve, we get rid of the old and start anew." Mr. Jin raised his glass, his face flushed, and he was already drunk before he even drank the wine. "I wish us a better year every year!"

Jin Qianlai also raised his glass and said with a smile, "This is the first batch of wine made by the winery. It has not yet been put on the market. The jar we opened today is the first jar. Come and taste the Baixiang wine brewed by our winery. It is specially blended, mild and mellow, suitable for both young and old!"

"Dad, it's suitable for both young and old, so let me have a sip too?" A small cup was handed over to him. When he turned around, he saw the face of the little fat boy with his facial features squeezed together when he laughed.

"Kids, sit at the kids' table. Why are you here to join in the fun? Go away!" Jin Qianlai immediately put away his smile and chased him away, not hiding his disdain at all. "You are almost the same age. When will you learn to be as calm as Young Master Yan?"

Jin Duobao also glared, and retorted without any politeness, "A dragon gives birth to a dragon, a phoenix gives birth to a phoenix, but a mouse's son will dig holes! You compare me with Brother Changqing, why don't you compare me with Brother Changqing's father? We are both from wealthy businessmen, but he was born with a golden spoon full of books, while I was born with a golden spoon full of money! How dare you look down on me? When you have improved, ask me to improve first!"

Jin Qianlai and Old Man Jin were both so frightened that they turned pale and wished they could sew up the mouth of this only child.

The little bastard dares to say anything. He is truly ignorant and bold!

Compared with Yan Changqing's father?

Even if the Jin family had a hundred more heads, they wouldn’t be enough to chop off!

"Duobao, it's not easy to grow taller if you drink wine at a young age." Yan Changqing smiled softly, without any sign of being offended.

"Is it true?" This sentence made Jin Duobao grasp it, and he took the small cup back with a whoosh.

He can be fat, but he can't be short!

Li Sulan and Zhang Cui'e also sat at the children's table, along with Mrs. Jin and Gu Fanghua.

The table over there is mostly occupied by gentlemen, so it would not be appropriate for three young women to squeeze in. They can sit here and take care of the children.

"We shouldn't drink wine, but we can drink soup." Li Sulan saw that the Jin family was a little bit nervous and uncomfortable, and smiled as she served a bowl of soup in front of Jin Duobao. "I asked Aunt Du for advice on making this soup, which is made with dried bamboo shoots and bacon. It's delicious. Try it."

Tianbao particularly praised this bowl of soup, "Mrs. Du taught me how to make it. My mother washed the bamboo shoots, my second aunt cooked the fire, and my grandma personally cooked the soup. It smells so good! Mother, I'll have two bowls!"

"Oh, Xiao Baixiang drank two bowls, so I have to quickly serve myself a bowl first, otherwise I won't be able to grab it later and miss out on this delicious taste."

With the mother and daughter trying to smooth things over, the unnatural feeling in the air quietly dissipated. Gu Fanghua struck up a conversation at the right time, and they were soon talking and laughing again.

Old Xu sat at the gentlemen's table. His gaze lingered on Li Sulan's smiling face for a moment, his eyes slightly dark as if he was thinking about something.

look familiar.

The more I look at it, the more familiar it looks.

Especially from this angle, the woman's smiling profile seemed like something I had seen somewhere before.

Hiss, the old man squinted his eyes and scratched his beard.

Where have you seen it before?

"Madame Du, Old Jia, please help me think about where I have seen her before?" Unable to remember, the old man immediately leaned his elbows left and right to look for help, and whispered, "I think Dashan's wife looks very familiar."

He had been to the Lin family several times and had seen Li Sulan several times, but each time he just glanced at her and never looked at her closely, for fear of being scolded as shameless.

This was the first time he sat down to eat at the Lin family. Just now, he suddenly saw the little woman's smiling face, and a familiar feeling suddenly emerged.

Nanny Du and Jia Banxian each tilted their heads to glance at the old man, then pouted their lips and turned away.

The old man was really surprised. Where had he ever seen a young wife? How could two of them, who were so unfamiliar with each other, know where she was?

While Old Man Xu was pondering over that familiar feeling, there was almost chaos in the imperial city.

Old Madam Xiao is missing.