The night fell.
The cold wind howled.
But it couldn't drown out the laughter of children.
Today, no matter what, parents would put off any beatings until after the new year.
No crying.
Only unbridled laughter.
A bit noisy, but lively.
The Jiang Mianmian family also began eating their New Year's Eve feast.
Quite sumptuous.
There were even leftovers after eating.
Signifying surplus year after year.
After eating, everyone washed and changed clothes.
Even Hei Ta received a new outfit today.
He was a bit surprised.
His tall and burly stature required a lot of fabric.
Yet he didn't expect that as Young Lord Zi's attendant living at Mr. Jiang's house, he would also receive a new suit and new boots.
Hei Ta wasn't good with words, but was actually a lad with a rich inner world.
It was just that his rough and ferocious looks scared people whenever he spoke, so eventually he stopped speaking casually.
He held the new clothes and new shoes but didn't change into them right away.
Until Qin Lady shouted at him: "Hurry up, don't dilly-dally."
He obediently went to change.
Jiang Mianmian thought that she and Young Lord Zi wearing floral robes would be equally embarrassing.
But she didn't expect her family to be so well-off.
The new clothes prepared for her weren't just one set, but two.
And two sets were also prepared for Young Lord Zi.
When she and Young Lord Zi were both dragged into the room by Mom to bathe and change clothes,
Jiang Mianmian felt extremely embarrassed.
While Young Lord Zi freaked out.
He wanted Qin Lady to be his bodyguard, not his mother.
Qin Lady brought out a large tub and made him bathe.
With just a few moves, she stripped him naked.
Jiang Xiaogui was even worse, also stripped naked.
Jiang Xiaogui even cried out: "I don't want to wash my hair, I don't want to wash my hair, Father save me!"
Jiang Mianmian really didn't want to wash her hair either since there was no shampoo here, and that herbal hair wash smelled awful. Every time she washed her hair with it, she felt like a little stink bug was nesting on her head.
Qin Luoxia had already raised two kids on her own.
Nowadays, her strength was immense, so dealing with the two little brats was a breeze.
In the next room where they were changing clothes, Hei Ta heard the children crying and moved a bit faster.
But then he seemed to remember something and slowed down again.
In the kitchen, Jiang Changtian was boiling water and couldn't help but laugh when he heard his daughter's cries from the other room.
His little daughter was too mature, so whenever he heard her crying, his first reaction was amusement.
Jiang Feng also heard his sister's cries and felt heartbroken. He paced at the door, saying: "Should I go help wash her?"
He couldn't stand to hear his sister cry, not even once.
Jiang Yu said: "Don't go make trouble. Mianmian is difficult, Mom can handle her alone. If we join in, it'll be even harder to deal with her. Come help me wash the dishes instead."
Jiang Mianmian cried and wailed as Mom held her down and washed her hair, also wiping her body clean.
Watching from the wooden tub he was soaking in, Young Lord Zi obediently washed his own hair.
As he washed, he heard Qin Lady say: "Look at how obedient Brother Chong is, he's washing himself. Don't cry anymore, Mianmian, it'll be over soon."
Jiang Mianmian was so mad, crying was useless in front of Mom sometimes.
But when she turned her tear-stained face and saw the serious, naked little kid washing himself in the tub, she couldn't help but laugh.
After Mom scrubbed and washed her clean from head to toe, she put on a new set of red clothes.
Young Lord Zi watched as Qin Lady held Jiang Xiaogui down in the water to wash him, then quickly washed himself too.
He dried himself off and put on his new red outfit.
After getting dressed, he saw Jiang Xiaogui's reddened eyes staring at him, so he put on a serious face.
But because he had just bathed, his flushed face looked adorably serious.
Jiang Mianmian waddled over, hugged the little boy, and said in a baby voice with red eyes: "Brother, help me dry my hair gently."
Everyone else in the family was too rough. She was worried they would ruin her hair.
Qin Luoxia was cleaning up nearby when she turned and saw Young Lord Zi drying her daughter's hair.
Her daughter was sitting there bossy and chattering cutely.
She couldn't help but laugh, then turned to carry the bathing water out to dump it.
After bathing the little ones,
Qin Luoxia made her husband and Jiang Feng go bathe and change too.
Then it was her and Jiang Yu's turn to wash.
Jiang Changtian and Jiang Feng also received new clothes and changed into crisp new robes.
Father's robe was surprisingly moon-white, a color he rarely wore. But wearing it made him look like he had a beauty filter on, even more stunningly handsome.
Elder Brother's was a navy blue robe with faint patterns.
Jiang Feng was delighted too.
The fabric felt thick and high-quality.
Wearing the new robe, he didn't even want to practice his swordplay anymore.
He would take a day off, or else he might damage the new clothes.
Qin Luoxia changed into her new clothes too, a set her husband had bought her.
The fabric was nice and fit her well, though the waist was a bit tight, making her feel slightly unaccustomed.
But wearing it flushed her cheeks red a bit.
Jiang Yu also had new clothes and embroidered shoes.
This year her new outfit was a layered pink dress with other colors woven in.
Her embroidered shoes were also pink with little bead decorations.
Very pretty.
Jiang Yu had waited all day and finally got to change into her new clothes in the evening.
She grinned, showing all her teeth.
Happy.
Changing into new clothes really did give the feeling of the new year.
So nice.
The whole family huddled around the warm stove, using it to dry their hair too.
Tonight they couldn't sleep early, they had to stay up until the new year.
On the stove, tea water bubbled and boiled with herbs to reduce greasiness. A bit bitter, but refreshing to drink.
Hei Ta sat by the door, having already drank several bowls.
His social anxiety was actually acting up, not diligence on guard duty. Facing away from everyone made him feel more comfortable.
In case he wanted to pick his teeth or something, he could just push his tongue against them.
After changing into new clothes, the whole family felt more mellow.
Young Lord Zi rarely experienced this feeling of gathering as a family.
Right now, he was sitting on the long bench with Jiang Xiaogui, who stubbornly held his hand and wouldn't let go, making his face grow even more serious.
As the head of the family, Jiang Changtian gave a closing remark: "This year was very long, but we all made it through. Next year will definitely be better. In the new year, may our whole family be safe and healthy."
As the mother of the family, Qin Luoxia gently smoothed her robe, remembering it was new, and quickly let go. She continued: "In the new year, may the weather be good and may we all have enough to eat."
Jiang Yu excitedly said: "My turn, in the new year, I want to make lots and lots of delicious food."
Jiang Feng began, "For the new year, I hope all our family members stay safe and well."
It was then Young Lord Zi's turn by seating order.
This six-year-old boy dressed in a red robe, his face flushed red by the light, spoke with utmost seriousness, "For the new year, I hope fewer people die."
Jiang Mianmian: ...
She was suddenly touched by this little rascal.
She figured it was probably because he had seen too many deaths following his rebel father around.
When it was her turn, Mianmian spoke slowly in her childish voice, enunciating each word, "For the new year, Mianmian hopes that Father, Mom, Elder Brother, Elder Sister, and Brother Chong's wishes all come true."
Then everyone in the family kissed her.
Kisses on the forehead, cheeks, and belly.
Young Lord Zi remained silent, watching everyone finish kissing her. Of course, he wouldn't kiss her since he wasn't part of their family.
But then Jiang Xiaogui came over and planted a kiss on his cheek.
"Mwah!"
...
