The hour is still early, of course Ye Congwei will not choose this time to do something unsocial.

Father, mother, brothers and sisters are all here, what reason is there to leave.

Fortunately, the babbling singing on the stage is not boring.

Ye Congwei put down the teacup and went to the door to watch a few small guys fiddling with firecrackers.

The fiery red colored paper, with a long string, is waiting to be set off for the new year.

At this moment, Si Lan came in with a small bamboo basket, bypassed the maid outside, and came to Ye Congwei.

"Girl."

Ye Congwei was puzzled: "What's wrong?" What's in your hand? ”

Si Lan pulled her aside and said, "Just now, the second uncle's mansion next door sent a grandmother over, saying that the young master asked her to send some small things, which should be a thank you gift." ”

She opened the bamboo basket and showed it to Ye Congwei, a red bag, and tied her pocket tightly.

"Which young master?"

"It's Ye Fenglai."

Ye Congwei picked up the bag, it was heavy and weighty, and when he opened it, it turned out to be a palm-sized jade ornament.

Interestingly, the theme of its carving is not flowers, birds, insects, fish, or auspicious patterns, but a roll of spring cakes.

The snow-white dough is rolled into a tube, and there are traces of roasting slightly browned on the surface, and there are green cabbage leaves and red minced meat at one end of the dough creeping out a little.

It was originally a piece of white jade with variegated colors, but it was cleverly used in this way and turned into delicious spring cakes, small and exquisite.

"How can I take this?" Ye Congwei put it back in the bag and asked, "What about Mama?" ”

Silan hurriedly replied: "I invited her to drink tea and eat fruits, but she hasn't left yet." ”

Because it was a person from the next house, it was not good to come to the front yard rashly, and the fresh face would be stopped by the maid, which attracted a lot of attention, so Si Lan took this trip by himself.

"When you return the things to her, just say that you will have an early meal in the morning, and your sister and brother don't have to be polite." Ye Congwei thought about it and said:

"On Chinese New Year's Eve this year, give my grandmother a reward and ask her to run this trip at night."

"Yes, I do." Silan picked up the bamboo basket again and withdrew.

Seeing the people leave, Ye Congwei frowned slightly.

Even if he doesn't have much contact with his second uncle's family, he won't go to great lengths to thank her because of an early meal.

What's more, at that time in the morning, it was Ye Yu who saw an empty stomach, and Ye Fenglai had already eaten it.

Ye Yu saw that he was about the same age as Ye Shuo, Ye Congwei only regarded him as a junior brother, and as for Ye Fenglai...... Why is he?

Si Lan didn't come back after she went, and Ye Congwei expected that she had done things properly.

……

A little later, the old lady was called up by Chunlan, and the kitchen prepared dumplings and some snacks.

After everyone has eaten, the time has come to welcome the new year.

At the same time, the sound of firecrackers came from far and near, and they responded to each other like crackling.

Ye Congwei followed and worshiped the door god, and said auspiciousness to the elders, and then was dismissed and went back to the courtyard to rest.

I slept late, but I can't help but get up early tomorrow, and I will pay the gods incense on the first day of the new year.

Si Mei estimated the time, came to wait outside early, and took Ye Congwei back.

"Have you just eaten?" Ye Congwei asked as he gathered his cloak.

The night was dark, and the snow under the trees had not melted, and it was a little colder.

"I ate dumplings with them," Si Mei said with a smile, "and I also ate a pearl." ”

"Looks like you're in good luck this year." Ye Congwei couldn't help laughing.

"That's it, Silan envy me!" Si Mei held her head high.

The house is lit up and down, there is no need to play lanterns, and the master and servant return to the rain boat courtyard.

I only took a shower and changed clothes in the afternoon, and I didn't have to toss in the middle of the night, and I could fall asleep by wiping my face with a hot handkerchief.

Before going to bed, Ye Congwei still had to ask Ye Feng about the grandmother sent by Ye Fenglai.

Si Lan said: "I politely refused and persuaded my grandmother to go back, and this matter was not publicized, and others did not notice it." ”

Si Mei was puzzled: "Young Master Tang and the girl are close relatives, so what kind of dealings do you have, you don't have to be sneaky like this, right?" ”

In her opinion, even if she accepted the gift, it was just a good time between sisters and brothers.

Just like Ye Shuo, he is also a cousin, what good things are often sent to Yuzhou Courtyard, who did he avoid?

"More is better than less, and there is no merit." Ye Congwei waved his hand.

Si Lan explained: "The fourth girl can't see us receiving special treatment, no matter what the stuff, even if a dish is too many by the girl, she will make trouble." ”

"Is it because of the four girls that we don't dare to make friends with others?" Si Mei was a little unconvinced.

Si Lan shook his head helplessly: "You are an elm head." ”

"Say what?" Si Mei puffed out her cheeks.

Si Lan poked her face: "If you really take care of her, how can the girl still communicate with Brother Shuo?" ”

“…… Also. ”

Speaking of which, Ye Congfei is still Ye Shuo's sister, and she may not be able to control it.

And Ye Fenglai is different from Ye Shuo, the grandson of the second uncle, the blood relationship has faded after two generations.

The same surname and the same clan are clan relatives, and it is not suitable for marriage.

But in the previous dynasty, a princess set a precedent, and later met occasionally among the people.

The world seems to be much more tolerant of the in-laws of the two generations, so Ye Congwei has to avoid suspicion.

******

The county lord of Qingning fell ill, and in the past few days of the New Year, he got up early in the morning and was greedy for darkness, and it snowed twice, and he contracted the wind chill if he was a little careless.

The food and clothing in the house, the carriage and horse travel, and the delivery to usher in the house all depend on her single-handed scheduling.

Ye Congwei had to help take care of it, and when she lifted the curtain, the bitter smell of medicine came to her face.

"Say hello to my mother."

"Well, sit down." The county lord of Qingning is in good spirits.

The room was warm, and the second lady was there.

With the fall of the county lord of Qingning, many affairs will fall on the second lady, and if she is not sure about the big things, she will come over to ask and discuss.

At first, the second lady was a little happy, and finally had her own time to go into battle.

But after a busy day, he collapsed on the couch at night, and his legs and stomach cramped, and he realized that it was not easy to be in charge.

"The Duchess of Qin Guo has sent a post, and she will come to the door tomorrow to pay New Year's greetings, if she wants to see our second girl......" The second lady stopped talking.

The county lord of Qingning didn't care and said: "Then show her, the girl always has to see people when she is older." ”

Even if you know what the other party has in mind, is it difficult to refuse?

The county lord of Qingning is sick at this time, and it is not suitable to see guests, and it will all depend on the second lady tomorrow, but there is an old lady to support the scene, and she is not worried about anything.

She was reluctant to let her daughter fill the house, and the old lady also protected her shortcomings, so she didn't agree.

When the Duchess of Qin Guo came, the old lady naturally had a set of attitudes to deal with her.

When she said this, Ye Congzhi, the party concerned, sat aside, and the county lord of Qingning did not let her avoid it.

But after all, it is related to her own marriage, even if it is a stable eldest daughter, she has lowered her eyes at this moment, and she does not dare to interject at will.

The four girls in the Hou Mansion, except for the old six years old, are young, and the first three have reached the age of talking about marriage, and this year's New Year's gifts have increased significantly.

Most of the people who laugh and laugh for no reason are here to see each other.

Every time Ye Congwei followed Ye Congzhi to see the ceremony, she cleaned up her appearance, but unfortunately although there were many words of praise, no one chose her.

The Duchess of Qin came in person, the old lady ordered someone to serve good tea and hospitality, and several sisters showed their faces together, just like in the previous life, she took a fancy to Ye Congzhi.

In terms of background, the daughter of the marquis and the county lord, and in terms of ranking, Ye Congzhi is the eldest son, and she must marry in front of her sister first.

Ye Congwei could only watch, everything was the same as in the previous life.

What is different is her personal choice, she broke the line of Du Jue's cousin, and the two of them are no longer possible.

Couldn't she control anything but herself?

Actually, if the second sister can marry the Duke of Qin, it would be good.

It's better than marrying into the prince's palace and being killed.

Although Ye Congwei is difficult to protect herself, and her relationship with Ye Congzhi is not close, if possible, it is good to save her life.

It's a pity that she has a weak heart, where she shouldn't speak, and it is bad to say indiscriminately, so she can only watch while walking.

Time is running out...... She couldn't give up.

Ye Congwei still had Tao Chi's idea, but fortunately, the opportunity came soon.

*******

A spring rain, the ice and snow melted.

After the beginning of spring, the temperature warms up, but it is not so cold.

The grass and trees in the yard pulled out new branches and young leaves, and the green ones were very pleasing to look at.

Qi Yu Shizi sent an invitation over, saying that he was going to the spring garden and invited his cousins and cousins from the Hou Mansion to go with him.

In her previous life, Ye Congwei didn't go, because of her biological mother, she had the intention to avoid the people of the county king's mansion, but this life was different, and she decided to be cheeky and invite Ye Congzhi together.

The exam is going to start in February, and the eldest brother is naturally not available, and the people in the second room think that the kinship with the county king's mansion is not as good as the big house, and most of these non-essential gatherings are politely refused.

So it's just her and Ye Congzhi.

The county lord of Qingning didn't say anything about this, of course the nephew's invitation should be appreciated, and one more Ye Congwei is just right.

Ye Congwei didn't know if he could see Tao Chi on this trip, but as the younger brother of the princess, the chance of him appearing should be very high.

She guessed right.

After entering the county king's mansion, the princess personally took in the two sisters, and the flowers in the garden bloomed earlier than elsewhere.

The younger brothers and sisters of the princess are here, Tao Lu looks very small, but more than thirteen, obviously the family is ranked after Tao Chi.

With the introduction of the princess, Ye Congwei was finally able to get acquainted with the man he was thinking about.

I don't know if it's a tacit understanding or what kind of tacit understanding, Tao Chi saw Ye Congwei and was slightly surprised, but he didn't mention the relationship he had before.

only smiled lightly: "Five girls." ”

Ye Congwei was a little nervous, no one knew what shocking thoughts she had in her heart for one of her daughters.

She wanted to attract his attention without a trace, so she didn't make a verbal promise, and refused to make a private commitment for life, but let this person come to the house to propose marriage independently.

It's difficult, Ye Congwei doesn't know how to show himself in order to get the desired result.

It is said that Tao Chi is also a candidate for preparation, this time he is natural and casual, he is not thin or restrained, unlike the third brother who is overwhelmed by the pressure of the exam.

I don't know if he is confident, or if he is naturally calm, but he seems to be at ease.

Of course, the sense of being able to play well is on the premise that Ye Congwei knew in advance that he had a good ranking.

People who don't understand may think that Tao Chi didn't take the test to heart.

"Where's the prince?" The princess turned her head and asked.

The maid stepped forward and replied: "I just heard from Chunshan that the distinguished guest in front of me is coming......

Before the words fell, Xiao Chunshan walked over quickly, "Mrs. Yu, Prince Yu and the second prince are here!" ”

"What?" The princess was a little surprised.

She didn't like the prince to be too close to Prince Yu, and she couldn't persuade her, and she didn't dare to say too much about the royal family.

It's good now, even the second prince has brought ......

After being surprised, the princess hurriedly ordered someone to withdraw the tea and snacks, and replaced them with a brand new set, and sent the big girl around her to make tea herself, so as not to neglect the distinguished guests.