My sister became the empress, but I'm still growing vegetables and raising chickens

Boss An is a smart man. Si Muyan had something else to do, so he didn't stay long and said goodbye to him and left.

After all, Chinese New Year is coming soon, and everything needs to be prepared. Ancient Chinese New Year celebrations are very different from the modern ones, which lack much of the festive atmosphere. Many things cannot be solved with just money. In short, the Si family is extremely busy.

Four-month-old Xiaoxia was held by Mrs. Zhu and sat in the yard, watching everyone busying around. She was so happy that she was babbling and dancing with joy.

Mrs. Zhu laughed heartily: "Even with such thick clothes, Xiaoxia can still turn over, and she does it very smoothly. She can do four flips, seven sits, and eight crawls. I don't think our Xiaoxia can sit still anymore, so I guess she will be able to crawl soon."

She thought the ground was dirty and was reluctant to put Xiaoxia down, but when Si Muyan was at home, she always liked to put Xiaoxia down on the ground.

The two argued about this, but Si Xingzhi came up with an idea: he spread straw on the ground, then covered it with large pieces of cloth. He also asked He Song to make railings to surround three sides. Mrs. Zhu only had to guard one side and could watch Xiaoxia rolling or lying inside.

Anyway, Si Muyan had only one idea: it was okay to hold the child and comfort him when he was crying, but to put him down and not hold him all the time when there was nothing going on.

Food stalls on the streets are generally closed from New Year's Eve to the fourth day of the first lunar month, reopening on the fifth day of the first lunar month for the New Year. Of course, small restaurants will close on the Little New Year and reopen on the eighth day. Large restaurants may not even be closed for the New Year.

The Si family had a good business, and since everyone worked for them, they only had five days off.

Si Muyan asked everyone to go to the Si family on New Year's Eve and happily prepared red envelopes for the New Year, which were distributed according to the degree of hard work and length of time employed.

Each person’s red envelope was a considerable amount.

Moreover, when they were buying New Year's goods, the Si family's carriage arrived.

When Si Muyan decided to go to another county for inspection, she went to the horse dealer to ask for the carriage. The carriage was easy to buy, but the horse had to be waited for.

Fortunately, it was a peaceful and prosperous time, so the border defense was sufficient and there was no need to recruit soldiers or buy horses. So after only half a month, the people from the horse trade told Si Muyan that several good horses had arrived.

Si Muyan picked a medium-sized adult horse, tall and mighty, and the total cost including the carriage was fifty taels of silver.

Si Muyan went with Song Erqiang, He Song and He Laiqian. None of them could drive a horse-drawn carriage, but Song Erqiang and He Song could drive an ox cart.

"Horses are not as honest as cows, but they are not as stubborn as cows. You just need to master the skills." The man from the horse shop introduced the two men and taught them how to drive a horse carriage.

He Song was brave and quickly drove the carriage around, then carefully taught Song Erqiang how to drive a horse.

Song Erqiang was so scared that his face turned pale, but after a round, he knew how to ride a horse and was as happy as a child.

"Yan girl, I got it, I got it. From now on, I'll drive the carriage for you!"

Si Muyan smiled, nodded and said, "Okay, I'll have to trouble Uncle Song and Uncle He in the future."

Song Erqiang and He Song sat in the front driving the carriage, while He Laiqian sat in the back, looking at it pitifully and also wanted to give it a try.

Si Muyan said: "Come up with the money, and when your father becomes proficient, I will let him teach you."

Lai Qian was very happy and said, "Okay, Sister Yan, after I learn this, I can go to other counties to discuss business next year."

Si Muyan patted his head. He looked taller than Si Muyan, and when they stood together, you couldn't tell Si Muyan was her older sister. But Lai Qian was still very happy that Sister Yan patted his head like an adult, as if he had gained her trust.

When the carriage returned to Songji Village, everyone in the village was amazed.

"What? This carriage isn't here to pick anyone up, it's the Si family's carriage?"

Song Erqiang sat in the front proudly, as if the carriage belonged to him: "Yes, this is the Si family's carriage! The Si family has a carriage now."

He Songze explained to the others, "Ox carts are only convenient for carrying things, but they are not any faster than walking. Horse carriages are different. It takes us an hour to walk to the county town, but only half an hour by horse carriage."

"So fast? Wow, what a handsome horse. Does it only take half an hour?"

He Song said: "Not only that, if we ride a horse, it will be even faster!"

The village head uncle came out with a stern face and said loudly, "Don't crowd around. This is the Si family's carriage. Send it back to the Si family quickly. With this carriage, the Si family can go to other counties to discuss business. The Si family's business is getting bigger and bigger, and they need more and more workers. They will definitely give priority to people from our village."

Hearing this, everyone cheered. They had watched with their own eyes how the Si family had become increasingly wealthy from the end of July until now, and how the people working for them had become more respectable.

Yesterday afternoon, Zhu Laoer and Zhu Laosan's families came back with so many good things, and they were all dressed well. Even Dachun, Xiaochun, Erya and Sanya were wearing new clothes.

Families with better lives would wear new clothes for the New Year, but they wouldn't change until after bathing on New Year's Eve. The clothes worn by Zhu Laoer and Zhu Laosan weren't brand new; they had been worn for a while, but it was obvious at a glance that they had been bought this winter.

It can be seen that their lives are getting better.

Isn't that what everyone envied? Thinking that they would all have a share in the future when the Si family's business expanded, everyone was even happier.

Zhu Lao Er shouted to Zhu Lao San: "Hurry up, Lao San, it's time to go to the Si family. Yan Yatou said that we should have dinner at the Si family today to celebrate all our hard work over the past few months!"

Aunt Zhu had heard about it a long time ago, but she still couldn't believe it. She was now very straightforward and generous, and had no problem communicating with the villagers. She was no longer the timid village woman who blushed when she saw people.

She opened the door and asked, "Second brother, I heard that Yan Yatou is going to give out red envelopes to everyone for the New Year, but we run our porridge shop ourselves, so why should we need Yan Yatou's help?"

"What's the name of our porridge shop? It's called Si's porridge shop. Since it belongs to the Si family, we are all employees of the Si family!" Zhu Laoer has a loud voice, and you can tell from his tone that he is cheerful.

Of course, he didn't care too much about the red envelope. After all, whether they opened a porridge shop or helped the Si family, they were paid.

The red envelope must have been arranged by Si Muyan for good luck and to wish them good business in the coming year.

A few dozen copper coins per person, not a big deal.

Now, Zhu Laoer was also a wealthy man in the village. Not only did he give copper coins to Yan Yatou, but he also gave copper coins to several children. Especially Dachun, who could help out in the shop, he gave him a hundred copper coins.

Aunt Zhu's house was not far away, and their voices reached Aunt Zhu's ears.

Last night, Zhu Laoer came over and brought some things home. He also gave ten copper coins to each of Da Niu and Er Niu.

These made her jealous. They were all members of the Zhu family, so why were the second and third brothers living so well now, while they were from the eldest family, but lived the poorest life!