The aroma of cooking filled the house: I sent my eldest brother to become the Grand Secretary.

It turns out that a few years after Princess Wanyue was born, the Emperor announced that the princess would not marry until two years after her coming-of-age ceremony.

Wanyue is only twelve years old now. She will be sixteen when she comes of age to marry, and she will be eighteen when she is old enough to get married.

It will take another six years.

Looking at Wei Siyu with some disdain, Wei's mother said, "Why were you born so early?"

"Six years from now, you'll be old, and people might not even want you anymore."

"I thought you had some advantages because of your looks."

"Sigh! It's nothing!"

Mother Wei flicked her sleeves, growing angrier the more she looked at his face.

"Alright, you've got your New Year's money. Get out of my sight right now, or I'm afraid I won't be able to resist hitting you."

Wei Siyu quickly slipped away.

He then went to his sister and brother-in-law's house and got some more lucky money before leaving satisfied.

Shen Yu'an's home.

The Shen family's gate opened, and the ground in front of the gate had been washed many times, leaving not a speck of dust.

The faces of the servants inside and outside the Shen family all revealed joy.

Red silk ribbons were hung all over the courtyard and the main gate of the mansion.

Not long after, Shen Yu'an came out with a group of younger people, as if they were preparing to welcome someone.

They waited a while, and then a magnificent carriage slowly drove up.

A group of servants followed behind the carriage; their attire suggested they were from the palace.

"Princess Wanyue has arrived!" the head eunuch shouted.

Shen Yu'an and the others quickly stepped forward and bowed.

After the ceremony, the carriage curtain was lifted, and Wanyue stepped out in her palace attire.

With the help of palace servants, he stepped down from the carriage.

"Cousin, get up quickly. We're all family. Why all the formalities?"

"Take me to see my grandma quickly, I haven't seen her in so long, I miss her so much."

After saying that, before the palace servants could finish the formalities, he pulled Shen Yu'an to the backyard.

The head of the household, Eunuch Li Defu, was led by the steward to the study of Shen Jingguo, the head of the Shen family.

Every year during the Lunar New Year, Shen Jingguo, as the elder brother of Consort Hua and the maternal uncle of the Great Xia Kingdom, would visit.

The emperor would bestow gifts on this day.

In previous years, only Li Defu, the eunuch, would come. But since Wanyue grew up, she has come every year.

She will stand in for Consort Hua to offer New Year's greetings to the elders of the Shen family.

Grand Tutor's Mansion

Zhou Zhou looked at the letter in his hand with a puzzled expression.

Shen Chen actually wrote her a letter.

"Young Master Shen has two letters in total, one is for you and the other is for Grand Tutor Zhou."

Even after the servant who delivered the message left, those words still echoed in Zhou Zhou's mind.

She opened the letter, somewhat puzzled, and began to read it.

"Why is he telling me all this!" Upon seeing the contents of the letter, Zhou Zhou blushed and threw the letter onto the table.

Her face felt a little hot, but thankfully no one was around at the moment.

Her face is very red now.

She covered her face, trying to cool it down with her icy hands.

Looking at the letter she had thrown down on the table, she glanced around; no one was there.

I couldn't resist picking it up and reading it again.

After reading it, an image of a slightly thin figure in flowing white robes appeared in her mind.

After reading the letter, she carefully folded it and placed it at the bottom of her jewelry box.

At the New Year's Eve dinner table, she looked somewhat uneasy when her grandfather mentioned Shen Chen's letter.

She was afraid that someone would discover her little scheme.

Xin'an County

Shen Chen sat at his desk in the study, looking up at the sky.

The snow has stopped, and everything is covered in a blanket of white.

On a snowy night, the darkness is less pronounced, and the sky appears exceptionally clear.

He seemed to catch a glimpse of a beautiful red figure flash by.

If you look closely, you can also see his slightly red earlobes.

In the kitchen, Shen's mother helped Shen Cao prepare the dishes, leaving only Shen Cao to cook.

Shen's mother stayed behind to help her watch the stove.

Shen Cao planned to stir-fry the garlic sauce first, and then steam the vegetables.

Pour twice as much oil into the pot as you would for stir-frying vegetables.

After the oil was hot, she poured half of the chopped garlic into the pan.

Instruct Shen's mother to keep the fire low.

Fry the minced garlic slowly over low heat until golden brown, and the aroma of garlic will fill the air.

Seeing that it was almost ready, Shen Cao added some salt, soy sauce, and oyster sauce to the pot.

With the addition of seasonings, the originally simple garlic flavor immediately becomes richer, with more umami and saltiness.

It makes your mouth water even more.

Once the oil temperature brings out the flavors of the minced garlic and seasonings in the pan, the minced garlic changes from golden yellow to a dark brown color.

She poured the stir-fried minced garlic into the other half of the raw minced garlic while it was still hot.

Using the residual heat can remove the spiciness of the remaining half-cooked garlic and bring out its most original flavor.

The two flavors blend together, creating an irresistible garlic aroma.

Shen Cao cut the cleaned prawns along their backs, making a cut all the way through, leaving a small portion uncut.

Then gently tap the shrimp meat a few times with the back of a knife to break the membranes, so that the steamed shrimp meat will not curl up due to heat.

She laid a layer of vermicelli at the bottom of the plate, and on top of the vermicelli, she neatly arranged two rows of shrimp with their tails together and backs facing up.

Then spread a layer of freshly stir-fried garlic sauce on the shrimp.

The steamed shrimp with garlic is ready.

Shen Cao was incredibly lucky. That day, when she was about to leave the dock, she unexpectedly encountered a fisherman who had just hauled in a boatload of fish and was unloading it. She spotted the grouper at a glance.

The price was very reasonable.

She never dared to imagine in her previous life that such a large wild grouper could exist.

She was carefully kept alive in the pool with seawater for several days, and she was still alive this morning.

She made several decorative cuts on the body of the Eastern Star Patagonian with a knife.

Then stuff the sliced ​​ginger and scallions into the fish's belly and the crevices of the cuts.

The steamed grouper is ready.

She went to the warehouse and took out the braised pork with preserved mustard greens and the pork with rice flour that she had prepared a couple of days ago.

Place all the vegetables that need to be steamed into the steamer.

She prepared four cold dishes: cilantro beef, cold preserved egg salad, spinach and vermicelli, and Qianlong cabbage.

Four stir-fried dishes were also prepared: stir-fried shrimp, boiled sliced ​​pork, sweet and sour pork ribs, and stir-fried lamb with scallions.

That mutton was the one Wei Siyu had sent all the way from afar.

The mutton had been frozen in the ice cellar, but she took it out a little while earlier.

Even after cleaning, the meat was still a bit tough.

She took advantage of the good cutting time, picked a piece with a good balance of fat and lean meat, and sliced ​​it into thin slices.

In her past life, this was her favorite dish, so she cut up a whole plateful.

The mutton fat tends to solidify when the mutton cools down, so she deliberately saved the stir-fried mutton with scallions for last.

He instructed Shen's mother to keep the fire burning.

She poured an appropriate amount of rapeseed oil into the pot.

Once the oil is hot, add the chopped scallions to the pan and stir-fry quickly over high heat until just cooked.

Add the sliced ​​lamb, which is sliced ​​very thinly and cooks very quickly.

Use high heat and stir-fry quickly.

Then quickly add the prepared sauce (soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, sugar).

Stir-fry until the sauce and ingredients are fully combined. The continuous high temperature allows the ingredients and seasonings in the pot to blend together more quickly.

In no time, the mutton was coated with a thin layer of dark brown sauce, and the air was filled with the aroma of scallions and sauce.

A dish of stir-fried mutton with scallions is ready.

Shen Cao couldn't resist taking a bite. It was the taste she remembered. The scallion flavor was strong, and the mutton was especially tender.

"Mother, have a bite." Shen Cao fed her mother a bite.

After finishing her meal, Shen's mother imitated her and gave her a thumbs up, saying, "Delicious."

After the mutton was stir-fried, the steamed fish and shrimp in the pot were also ready.

She first poured out the water that came out when the fish was steamed, as it was a bit fishy.

Then, the shredded scallions and ginger were removed, and new shredded scallions were added to the surface of the fish, along with homemade steamed fish soy sauce.

Finally, pour hot oil over it, and with a sizzling sound, the hot oil brings out and blends the aroma of the scallions and the savory flavor of the steamed fish soy sauce.

The steamed shrimp turned orange-red, and their upturned tails looked like a peacock's tail, making them look especially beautiful.

Add some chopped green onions, pour hot oil over them, and with a sizzle, the hot oil brings out and blends the aroma of the green onions and the garlic flavor of the garlic sauce.

After preparing the last dish, Shen Cao stood at the kitchen door and called out, "Wan'er, Qing'er, Xiaoqiao, Xiaoqi, tidy up, wash your hands and get ready to eat."

The little ones who were still playing cards in the main room had already smelled the aroma of the food when Shen Cao started cooking.

They were already incredibly hungry, and upon hearing Shen Cao's words, they immediately rushed to get to work.

Some were collecting the cards, some were tidying up the table, and some were wiping the table.

The table was cleared up quickly.

They even fetched a basin of water and washed their hands before going to the kitchen.

In the main room of the Shen family home, a table was laden with a delicious and fragrant New Year's Eve dinner, steaming hot.

The sound of firecrackers could be heard from outside from time to time.

The dining table was empty.

The Shen family all went to the courtyard. It turned out that, according to the custom in Xin'an County, firecrackers were set off before the New Year's Eve dinner.

Mr. Shen took a lit piece of firewood and set off a string of firecrackers hanging in the middle of the yard.

The moment he lit it, he ran away quickly.

When others saw his action, they quickly covered their ears.

"Bang bang bang bang!!!" Even with my ears covered, the sound of the firecrackers was still deafening.

The Shen family members smiled as they watched the firecrackers being lit.

Everyone's face was beaming with joy.

Taking the opportunity, Shen Cao shouted loudly, "Happy New Year, everyone!"

She silently added to herself, "Shen Cao, Happy New Year!!!"

"I want to set off firecrackers too, Dad. When you get up tomorrow morning, wake me up. I want to set off firecrackers early too."

"Be careful you don't blow yourself up," Shen Wan said to Shen Qing with a worried look.

"It's okay, I can run faster than Dad, it definitely won't happen."

Looking at Shen Qing's expectant face, Shen's father said, "Okay, as long as you can get up tomorrow morning."

After setting off the firecrackers, the Shen family returned to the main room to prepare for their New Year's Eve dinner.

The Shen family courtyard, which was originally covered with white snow, was now adorned with vibrant red—the beautiful remnants of firecrackers.

A candle was lit in each room, and the paper-cut window decorations stood out vividly in the dim candlelight.

Because of the snow, you could even clearly see the red blessings hanging all over the bare branches of the trees in the yard.

Exclamations could be heard from the main room from time to time.

"This beef is delicious."

"Sister, the steamed pork with rice flour you made is so delicious!"

"Cao'er, your stir-fried mutton with scallions is delicious."

"Cao'er, I've been craving this boiled pork slices for so long."

"Sister Cao'er, sweet and sour pork ribs are the best pork ribs I've ever eaten."

"..."

"Okay, okay, if you like it, I'll make it for you again tomorrow."

"In the new year, I wish us peace and good fortune."

"I hope that every year from now on we can be reunited as a family and have New Year's Eve dinner together."

"it is good!"

"it is good!"

"definitely!"

Shen Cao prepared twelve dishes, which were all eaten up in the end.

She looked at the empty plate on the table and was overjoyed.

After dinner, it was time for the kids' favorite part: giving out lucky money.

In the main room, Mr. and Mrs. Shen sat in the middle.

They placed a futon under their feet.

The younger members of the Shen family lined up according to age to offer New Year's greetings to the two.

Mr. and Mrs. Shen looked at the children below with smiles.

Shen Chen was the first. He knelt down and kowtowed three times. When he looked up, his eyes were full of tears.

"Dad, Mom, Happy New Year."

"You've worked hard this year."

“Your son is unfilial, having been away studying and unable to be by your side to fulfill his filial duties.”

Shen's mother wiped away her tears and helped Shen Chen up.

She first handed him the red envelope she had prepared before slowly saying, "We know your ambitions. There's not much your parents can do; it's all up to you to work hard outside."

"We can only watch and worry. You must take care of your health while you are studying away from home."

"And Grand Tutor Zhou and the others, we must thank them properly when we get back."

Shen Chen nodded, "I know. I sent a letter to Master some time ago to let him know I'm safe and sound, and I also wished him a Happy New Year."

Mr. Shen nodded and gently patted his hand. “I trust you to do things, but you must remember to ask yourself what you’re doing before you do anything, and strive to have a clear conscience.”

"Kid, remember this."

Seeing her mother crying harder and harder, Shen Cao quickly stepped forward and took her mother's hand, saying, "Mother, it's the New Year, don't cry."

"My brother might bring us to the capital next year."

Shen's mother nodded, "Don't cry, don't cry. It's New Year's Day today, be happy."

After Shen Chen sat down, she also knelt on the prayer mat and kowtowed three times, saying, "Father and Mother, Happy New Year! I hope you will be healthy in the new year."

"Our family is getting better and better."

"Okay, sure." Mother Shen smiled and handed over the red envelope.

Shen Cao, did you see that? Your family is doing well.

Next up was Shen Wan, who followed her older siblings in wishing her parents a Happy New Year and also received a red envelope.

When it was Shen Qing's turn, he took out an iron basin from behind him and placed it in front of the prayer mat.

With each kowtow, the sound was deafening. After three consecutive kowtows, everyone covered their ears to hear him offer his New Year's greetings.

"Dad, Mom, Happy New Year! Here's a red envelope!" He reached out for a red envelope.

Mr. Shen smiled and slapped his palm before handing him the red envelope.

"Good for you. In the new year, I just hope you won't cause me any trouble."

Shen Qing scratched his head, smiled, and said nothing.

Xiaoqi and Xiaoqiao were a little cautious as they kowtowed to Mr. and Mrs. Shen for the first time to wish them a Happy New Year.

"Dad, Mom, Happy New Year."

As soon as they spoke, Mr. and Mrs. Shen and the others' eyes reddened.

I've lost count of how many times I've cried.

We promised each other we wouldn't cry during the New Year.

Wishing everyone happiness in the new year!