Splendid Twins

New Year's Eve finally arrived. The joy of the New Year diluted the tense atmosphere of conscription. On such a lively and peaceful day, people temporarily forgot the shadow of war and enjoyed the rare time of family reunion.

In the quaint ancestral hall, the village chief sat on a high platform with a solemn expression after paying homage to his ancestors.

In his hand he held a thick stack of red paper packages, each package contained silver money. This was the money he earned from Si Yao's recipes. Time was tight at that time, and almost every family brought out dishes or items. Naturally, they had to give the villagers a celebration when they made a profit.

The villagers gathered in front of the ancestral hall, staring at the village chief without blinking. The village chief was so angry that he laughed at the sight of this group of hungry wolves following him:

"Please stop looking at me and listen to me."

"Village chief, no one is going to eat you. We are all looking at the red seal."

Old Zhao laughed and joked that he had earned more from pulling vegetable jars in the past two or three months than he had earned from pulling people in his entire life. The village chief said that he would be asked to do the job again next year. He was really happy. When he got the red envelope, he would buy two kilograms of meat and a pot of wine...

"This year the village has an income. To tell you the truth, after deducting the cost and the work of several women, the net profit is 89 taels. This money has been put to good use. After the New Year, I will renovate the ancestral hall for our ancestors. If any of your children have a promising future, I will also give them a subsidy. This was agreed upon at the beginning. I will take out 15 taels of silver as a New Year's red envelope. Now, if you hear my name being called, come up and claim it."

The villagers below clapped and cheered, and listened to the village chief's call. As expected, the first one was Old Zhao.

"Old Zhao has worked the hardest this year, so he should be the first to receive the award. Do you have any objections?"

"No, no, hurry up, we can't wait..."

"That's right, Village Chief, don't hesitate..."

"Hey, if it wasn't New Year's Day, I would have asked you to wait."

The village chief laughed and scolded the men in the crowd. Old Zhao happily took it and opened it. There were three taels of silver inside. The people around him shouted:

"Let's see how many there are?"

"That's right, Old Zhao, can you spend it all by yourself?"

Old Zhao pressed the red seal to his chest:

"Why can't I spend it? Is there any money that can't be spent?"

Seeing the surrounding villagers teasing Old Zhao, the village chief spoke up to stop them:

"Okay, he's been running back and forth countless times these past few months, going out in the cold in the morning and coming back at night without a bowl of hot soup. What's wrong with a thicker red envelope? Don't be jealous. I'll make new arrangements after the New Year and try to get every household involved. As long as you have a heart, you can live a good life!"

The village chief wanted to criticize them, and most of the villagers took his words to heart. Only a few of them curled their lips and snorted. Lu Zhaodi, who had a silver hairpin on her hair, did not take it seriously. Wang and Si Pozi next to her also looked unhappy.

The brazier in the ancestral hall was burning with a blazing flame, and the firelight shone on everyone's face. The village chief looked at these familiar faces, his heart full of hope.

The second one is Si Laoer. Many people are jealous of him for having a good daughter. Sometimes when they work together, they would say a few sarcastic words, but Si Laoer pretended not to understand and just laughed it off. He works very hard and doesn’t talk much. After a long time, no one bullies him. There’s nothing you can do about it, he’s lucky!

Si Lao Er also had three taels of silver, so the village chief prepared these two big red envelopes, and the rest were copper coins, trying to give one to each family.

The villagers respectfully took the red paper packages, their eyes filled with gratitude. The entire ancestral hall was filled with a warm atmosphere, as if this small village was a big family, and the village chief was the head of the family, leading everyone to a better life.

Si Lao Er returned and gave the red envelope directly to Si Yao. Si Yao was watching Si Qing writing the couplets, so she took the red envelope in her hand and asked with a smile:

"Dad, just give it to me."

"You are my only daughter, who else should I give her to?"

Si Qing's handwriting was vigorous and sharp, revealing a sense of coldness. He wrote the last word in one breath and looked up at Si Yao:

"Girls should have their own money."

"I know. I have it saved."

Si Qing deliberately reminded that the master's wife said that it would be a good idea for a girl to spend money on herself...

Lu Yuan was cutting meat in the yard because Si Yao said she wanted to eat meatballs. The cook was Liu Niang, but she hadn't come back yet.

"When will mother come back?"

"Sixth Aunt is taking mother to meet her son-in-law. It should be coming soon."

Si Yao asked Si Qing:

"Sixth Aunt?"

Si Qing stopped writing, stood up straight, paused for a moment and said:

"Sixth Aunt has seven daughters and one son. The youngest daughter is being fostered at her grandmother's house and just came back two days ago."

Si Yao blinked, unable to say some words. Those were eight children, they simply drained a woman's body!

Lu Yuan noticed Si Yao's pursed lips, cut off a whole piece of meat and asked:

"What's next?"

Si Yao was distracted and walked towards the kitchen with the meat: "Chop it into paste."

Si Qing glanced at Lu Yuan. At this time, Liu Niang pushed the door open and came in with a bad look on her face. Si Yao stopped and asked:

"Mom, what's wrong with you?"

Liu Niang put down the basket in her hand and sighed:

"There is an old saying that women are afraid of marrying the wrong man and men are afraid of choosing the wrong profession. This is really true."

Si Yao's eyes lit up as she became interested. She handed the meat to Lu Yuan and continued to ask:

"What's wrong?"

Liu Niang took out a pair of brightly colored pearl flowers and gave them to Si Yao:

"Your Sixth Aunt bought it for you. Humph, I heard the matchmaker bragging about how the other party's family was well-off, his parents were virtuous, and the man was honest and didn't talk much."

"No?"

Si Lao Er interjected and said that according to him, marriage is predestined by heaven, and no one cared about him at all back then, but he still married Liu Niang and had three children.

"That old couple is indeed virtuous, but they are a pair of dumb people. The man is old and doesn't speak much truth!"

When Liu Niang finished speaking, Si Yao burst out laughing:

"How old is the man? Are you lying?"

"Xinghua is only fifteen years old. The man said she was nineteen, but I think she was twenty-eight or twenty-nine. One moment he said he was the shopkeeper of a restaurant, and the next he said he was doing business with a friend. In short, he is not a stable person at all. If it wasn't for the New Year, your Sixth Aunt would have gone to argue with the matchmaker."

Si Yao played with the pearl flowers and chuckled, "You too, going to visit someone on New Year's Eve."

While tying her apron, Liu Niang said, "The matchmaker told us that the man would leave on the second day of the Chinese New Year, so your Sixth Aunt hurried to go today..."

"what about now?"

"Your Sixth Aunt is really angry. Let's talk about it later. Yaoyao, you must open your eyes when you are looking for someone. Some bad men specialize in coaxing inexperienced young girls. They trick them into staying at home to take care of the whole family, while he goes out to have fun."

Si Yao nodded, inadvertently met Lu Yuan's deep eyes, and said meaningfully:

"Who dares to lie to me? The fish won't die, but the net will definitely break!"

Lu Yuan looked helpless, put down his things and walked out with a curled mouth. Si Qing in the courtyard had already written the couplet. When Si Lao Er saw him coming out, he immediately said:

"Lu Yuan, your house needs to be pasted too. Take these back and come back when you're done."

Lu Yuan came over and took it:

"Thank you uncle."

There was a hint of respect in his tone. Si Qing next to him narrowed his eyes and looked at him. Then he pursed his lips and said nothing, his face a little serious.