Chapter 25: The Pouch Received by Young Master Yun

This year is a particularly lively one. Here, the Winter Solstice is celebrated as the New Year, so Yun-ge had temporarily set aside his worries from the past few days, determined to enjoy the festivities to the fullest.

As soon as Xin Niang carried him out, the maid and Gouzi were already waiting. They immediately kowtowed to Xin Niang and chirped with smiles, "Happy New Year, Madam!"

The maid was wearing clothes made from the new fabric Xin Niang had given her. She had specifically tailored them with a trendy design, making her look much more youthful and vibrant. Gouzi, too, was dressed in new clothes, which Xin Niang had just given him yesterday. Since Gouzi was still a growing child, his body changed quickly; sometimes, after just four or five months, a quick measurement would reveal his clothes were already a fraction too short.

Xin Niang, holding Yun-ge, had come prepared. With a smile, she produced two small pouches. She had sewn these pouches herself, and inside each was a tenth of a tael of silver, clipped from a silver ingot. Times were difficult, and while Xin Niang didn't know much else, she knew that the large copper coins minted by the Liang Dynasty were becoming increasingly light and losing their value, causing the price of silver to soar. The tenth-of-a-tael of silver she gave them was a sum that Gouzi and the maid’s families could likely never scrape together, even if they sold every miscellaneous item they owned.

Xin Niang was not a stingy person, and she had her own savings. Lady Bu had brought a generous dowry, and Xin Niang herself had gained some fame during her time in the pleasure quarters, quietly stashing away a fair amount of money and even entrusting it to a firm through "flying money" bills. Later, when she was taken away by Li Fu, she had taken half of her certificates to the merchant house and retrieved all those funds. Since the maid and Gouzi were the ones who took care of Yun-ge, Xin Niang was happy to be generous, hoping it would encourage them to care for him with even greater devotion.

The maid and Gouzi didn't know how much was inside, but the pouches were exquisite, and Xin Niang was always kind to them. Even if they had received nothing else for the New Year, they would have been beaming. Upon discovering the contents, they kowtowed even more enthusiastically to wish Xin Niang a happy new year, then showered Yun-ge with compliments, making him giggle uncontrollably.

Xin Niang patted Yun-ge’s forehead and headed toward the front hall. Behind them, the maid quietly opened her pouch and let out a gasp. Gouzi noticed too, his eyes widening. So much money—was it really for them? The maid had seen such things before but never possessed them, and Gouzi had only ever touched copper coins his whole life; he had never even seen silver. Gouzi’s eyes turned red, and he instinctively hid the pouch behind his back.

The maid had been nervous too, but seeing Gouzi’s anxiety, she couldn't help but laugh. "Look at you, so worked up. Go hide it well. Mother Guo goes out often; if you can, ask Madam to let Mother Guo take this reward money to your family." Since their food and lodging were fully covered at Li Fu’s, they didn't have much use for money, so sending it home was the best option.

"Yes!" Gouzi nodded vigorously and ran to his room. He had to be quick so he could return to the front hall entrance in case Yun-ge needed him.

Carried by Xin Niang into the front hall, Yun-ge finally saw Li Fu, whom he hadn't seen for several days. Li Fu looked joyful today, and the table was laden with various items. Some were purchased by Li Fu himself, while others were traditional gifts from the imperial court for officials during the New Year. For counties close to the capital, the palace might handle the procurement, but for a place as remote as Long County in Liang Province, the county assistant would handle the purchase, to be reimbursed by the county office.

This was Yun-ge’s first New Year, and he was quite curious. He began to squirm in Xin Niang’s arms, peering at the pile of items on the table. Finding it amusing, Xin Niang simply carried him over for a closer look. Yun-ge poked and prodded, finding it all very interesting. There was a large tray covered by a bamboo basket lid. Expecting pastries or treats, he opened it only to find garlic, ginger, and three other items, all neatly separated, with a festive "Fu" character sticker on top.

Seeing Yun-ge’s look of shock and disappointment, Xin Niang laughed. "This is a Five-Spice Platter. We are in such a remote area that it isn't easy to find these things. Later, your father can boil these five spices for tea to expel cold from the body and invigorate the organs. If you like it, Yun-ge, you can have a tiny sip later."

"No, no." Yun-ge waved his hands frantically. He wouldn't eat that; it sounded like a concoction of pure culinary darkness.

Beyond these, Yun-ge saw various jars and bottles containing ointments and oils, which were part of the county assistant’s procurement. This was an old tradition. The founding emperor of the Liang Dynasty had sent these to all his officials on the first Winter Solstice of his reign, telling them to use the lip balm and moisturizing oil to prevent chapped lips and frostbite on their hands during the harsh winter. Those in the know understood the truth: the emperor didn't really care about his officials' skincare; he just didn't want to give out actual bonuses, which were too expensive. He felt that his officials were already well-paid and held high social status, so a bit of oil and balm was enough to satisfy them. Ever since then, it had become a tradition.

There were many other things on the table, but few were ready to eat, which disappointed Yun-ge slightly. However, Xin Niang told him about the customs associated with these items, and he found it interesting again.

After a while, Lady Bu arrived with Yi-ge. Since Li Fu was off today, he stayed home to eat with them. Lunch was casual, as the evening meal was the most important. Though Yun-ge had finally caught up with Li Fu, he didn't want to overthink things on the New Year and decided to just play.

Winter days were short, and soon it grew dark. During dinner, Yun-ge kept glancing at Li Fu. When he had finished eating, he pulled Yi-ge along and plopped down on his knees before Li Fu. Yi-ge, though confused, was used to following Yun-ge’s lead and didn't resist.

Yun-ge let out a loud "thud" as he kowtowed to Li Fu and shouted, "Happy New Year, Father! Give me my red envelope!"

Yi-ge followed suit, chirping, "Red envelope, red envelope!"

"No red envelopes, but I do have pouches," Li Fu said with a laugh, teasing them. "Kowtow one more time, and I'll give them to you—make it a loud one."

Yun-ge thought to himself, *Are you teasing a child? I can kowtow again, but how loud is loud? My head will break.* Before he could grumble to Li Fu, Yi-ge, being earnest, immediately slammed his forehead down with a loud *thump*.

Both Yun-ge and Li Fu were startled. Lady Bu let out an "Oh dear!" and quickly picked Yi-ge up. Yi-ge himself was stunned, only feeling the pain a moment later. It hurt, certainly; a bump had already formed on his forehead, likely to turn blue and red by tomorrow. Lady Bu almost called for a physician, but fortunately, Yi-ge didn't cry. Especially when Li Fu hurriedly handed each of them a pouch, Yi-ge clutched his and giggled.

"You, oh, you," Lady Bu said, gently rubbing her son’s forehead, not knowing what else to say.

The rest of the evening was spent visiting others, and Yun-ge soon collected several more pouches. Some were from his father, others from Xin Niang and Lady Bu. Even the maids had prepared some, though theirs were shaped like little animals and filled with sun-dried calming herbs. Yun-ge, a boy who believed in treating everyone equally, hung all the pouches on his waist at once. Clinking with the weight of them, he even insisted on visiting Mother Pan and the others.

The Li family’s old gardener and the others were also having a celebratory feast in the kitchen with the permission of Xin Niang and Lady Bu. Curious about what they were eating, Yun-ge insisted on going. Yi-ge, waving his hands, joined him in the "brave adventure" to the kitchen. In the end, both children received beautiful pouches from Mother Pan and the others.

By now, Yun-ge felt his waist was so full of pouches there wasn't a single empty spot left. The night was exceptionally lively, and Yun-ge didn't even remember when he fell asleep after running around shouting "Happy New Year."

He only remembered that before sleeping, he had very solemnly untied all the pouches and placed them in a pile next to his pillow.

Xin Niang smiled and asked, "Yun-ge, would you like me to put these away for you?"

"No, this is Mother's, this is Father's, this is Mother Pan's... I want to put them..." Before he could finish his sentence, he fell fast asleep, clutching the pouch Xin Niang had made for him.

In his dreams, Yun-ge was still smacking his lips, savoring the day’s meal, his brow smoothed over, looking perfectly happy. Xin Niang carefully brushed his hair back and couldn't help but smile. A few days ago, she hadn't known what was wrong with Yun-ge; he had been sighing and fretting, and when she asked, he said he was worried about the refugees. She had told him that these were matters for adults, but he hadn't improved. She had been worried, but seeing him so happy again today relieved her heart.

Always doting, Xin Niang didn't take away the pouches but rearranged them slightly to ensure they wouldn't press uncomfortably against his cheek. "Yun-ge," she whispered as she tucked him in, "Mother doesn't ask for you to be anyone great. Just grow up safe and ordinary; let your father handle the troublesome things."

She tucked the quilt in and went to wash up. It was a night of peaceful sleep.

The next day, Xin Niang woke Yun-ge up very early. Usually, she wouldn't stop him from sleeping in—he was only one year old, didn't have a job, and could barely walk, so why force him up? This was the first time she had pulled him from his covers so early. Yun-ge yawned, groggily letting her dress him in warm clothes. It wasn't until a warm towel touched his face that he finally cleared his head. It was still dark outside.

Xin Niang rubbed her son’s hair and said happily, "Yun-ge, your father is taking you to pay respects to the ancestors. Hurry up."