"Crack! Pop!"
The sound of firecrackers announced, "Happy New Year!"
The household staff gathered at the entrance, watching Lu Yu personally light the firecrackers. As the sounds faded, congratulations and well wishes filled the air.
In town, firecrackers sounded one after another, and the streets were a lively scene.
Neighbors exchanged greetings, and friends and family visited to offer congratulations. Laughter and joy spilled out from thousands of households.
In the early morning, it had snowed. A thin layer of snow covered the ground in the courtyard. Plum blossoms bloomed in the garden, their branches adorned with a dusting of snow, creating a striking contrast of red and white.
"A timely snow promises a good harvest," it seemed like a good omen.
No one had yet walked in the garden today. The thin layer of snow decorated the scenery.
The servants woke up early today, lining up to receive their New Year's red envelopes from Afu.
Even the six little cats were given extra treats. Each cat was dressed in red clothes and shoes specially made by Lu Yu. They had just been brought home yesterday and were now wearing new outfits for the occasion.
After distributing the red envelopes to the servants, Afu called Ah Da, who was taking care of the cats, to go to the main hall to get their red envelopes from Lu Yu and Shen Xuan.
"We wish the family head and the master a healthy and prosperous New Year!" they said in unison, then extended their hands towards Shen Xuan, their actions identical.
"Did you learn that move from Afu?" Shen Xuan chuckled. He took out the red envelopes he had prepared from the table and handed them to them. When it was Ah Da's turn, he suddenly withdrew his hand, wanting to tease him seeing his always serious demeanor.
"Ah? Yes." Ah Da was not yet accustomed to joking with the master of the house and was momentarily stunned, unsure how to react.
"I taught Ah Da. Am I a good teacher?" Afu, knowing Ah Da's predicament, said with a laugh.
"I knew it was you." Shen Xuan stopped teasing Ah Da, gently placed the red envelope in Ah Da's palm, and then playfully tapped Afu's head.
Every New Year, Afu would repeat the same phrase, but it was only this year, after marrying his wife, that things were truly going as he wished.
"Don't be so reserved. The young master is very approachable," Afu said, patting Ah Da's stiffly held back after they left, urging him to relax.
"I know, but I still can't help but feel nervous."
"Oh, you'll get used to it. The young master was just joking with you," Afu said, starting to open his red envelope. "Quick, open it and see how much the young master gave this year."
Before the New Year, Shen Xuan had specifically exchanged some silver notes at the bank. Each note was for one hundred copper coins. Afu and Ah Da each received three of these in their red envelopes.
"Wow! So much! Usually, the red envelopes at the manor only have a few copper coins. This time, there's so much!"
Ah Da was also stunned. In his previous household, the lowest-ranking servants like himself usually didn't receive red envelopes, or if they did, it was only a few copper coins each. This was the first time he had received so much; it was equivalent to his monthly wages for two months.
Afu and Ah Da received the highest monthly wages in the manor.
"Let's go! I heard they made some delicious food in the kitchen. Let's go see before they eat it all."
Ah Da was still in a daze when Afu pulled him away. Although the item wasn't particularly tasty, it was meant to bring good fortune.
The path to the kitchen was still covered in ice that hadn't been cleared. Afu dragged Ah Da along as they ran. The ice on the path was slippery, requiring them to control their movements carefully.
Walking on the ice, they dared not step firmly, only lightly. This required control from their legs and abdomen. After finally crossing the icy patch and reaching the kitchen entrance, Afu suddenly felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen.
Calculating the days, his period was several days overdue. It was possible it was coming soon. Afu didn't pay it much mind, thinking he would wear more clothes later to avoid catching a cold.
The Fu gao (fortune cakes) had just been made and were still hot from the pot.
"Brother Afu is here!" The servants were always very enthusiastic towards Afu. Knowing that Afu had been with Shen Xuan since childhood, they hoped to be promoted to the inner court through Afu, and that Afu would put in a good word for them.
However, they were much colder towards Ah Da. Most of them looked down on him or were jealous. They had all been bought from the slave market, so why did Ah Da have such good luck to enter the inner court?
Some even whispered that Ah Da had stepped on others to get into the inner court. If Ah Zuo hadn't been caught stealing at that time, Ah Da wouldn't have been promoted by the master, and perhaps he had framed Ah Zuo intentionally.
Ah Da was always slow with words and couldn't argue with them, nor did he want to. He just needed to do his own work well.
But Afu's temper couldn't tolerate such things. Whenever he heard people gossiping, he would scold them. Over time, the servants only dared to mutter in their hearts but not speak out loud.
"Did you send it to the master's place?"
"It just came out of the pot, we haven't had a chance to send it yet."
"This plate is for the family head and the master. We made it specially!"
"Alright." Ignoring the servants' attempts to curry favor, Afu directly said, "Then you all eat first. I'll go deliver it to the family head and the master."
"But if you go and come back, the Fu gao will be cold."
"Yes, why don't... why don't you let Ah Da go?"
"Right, Brother Afu, Ah Da has long legs and big feet. He'll definitely walk faster than you."
Several people gathered around, chattering. "Alright, if he goes, will he be able to eat it hot when he comes back?"
"I'll go then. I do walk faster." Ah Da said, reaching for the plate on the table.
Afu snatched the plate before Ah Da could, saying, "I'll go."
Afu didn't say anything more. He picked up the plate, put it in a food container, and went to deliver it to them.
In fact, this item was originally supposed to be delivered by Afu. Afu had always been Shen Xuan's personal attendant. Their words today were meant to make things difficult for Ah Da and humiliate him, using his long legs as an excuse, clearly intending to mock him.
"Family head, young master, this is the freshly made Fu gao." Afu cheerfully placed the Fu gao on the table. He then noticed that they were wearing similar red outfits, which should be the couple's outfits Lu Yu had mentioned earlier.
"You haven't had a chance to eat yet, have you? Eat with us." Shen Xuan knew that Fu gao tasted best when eaten hot. These were all made in one batch, and Afu must have brought them over before he had a chance to eat.
This Fu gao was a local custom. It was eaten every New Year, but it wasn't very tasty. When chewed carefully, there was a bitter aftertaste, symbolizing that after the bitterness of this year, the next year would be sweet. However, one should not forget the past hardships.
Furthermore, each family could only make one batch of Fu gao per year, signifying the unity of the family, working together as one, and not being separated. This was why there was only this one batch of Fu gao.