Chapter 44

The sound of firecrackers filled the air, marking the most important night of the year—the New Year's Eve. The Xu family gathered at Fushouju to keep vigil with the old matriarch. The problem was that the old lady was not very happy because her sons and grandsons were not by her side.

After the banquet was cleared away, fireworks lit up the night outside the windows. Hongye and Lüzhu led a group of young maids to set off various fireworks. Xu Hao played with them for a while, then followed his father, Xu Qingtang, and a group of servants to patrol the area, as this was the time when they feared a fire might break out.

Returning from the village entrance, Xu Qingtang instructed his son to go back and entertain the matriarch, while he continued to guard the outer residence.

Xu Hao returned and sat obediently, gradually becoming drowsy as he watched the fireworks outside. He was used to going to bed early and waking up early, and it was not yet midnight, but his eyelids were already fighting to stay open.

The third madam, Lady Liu, had offended the old lady a few days ago. Even though she came to apologize early the next day, the matriarch did not give her a good face. She dared not say much and sat with her eyes lowered.

Seeing Xu Hao about to fall asleep, Lady Xiao gently touched her son and smiled at the matriarch, "It's so boring. Why don't we call in a few witty maids to tell us some stories?"

The matriarch, reclining in a grand armchair, wearing a silk robe embroidered with longevity characters and a red headband, waved her hand listlessly, "I'm tired of hearing the same old stories. They've been telling the same tales for years—either about talented scholars and beautiful maidens or about ghosts and spirits. Besides, they should be with their families tonight."

"The maids are always together, so one night won't matter. And to make you laugh, everyone would be happy to do it. How about I offer fifty taels of silver as a reward? Whoever makes us laugh gets the reward," Lady Wang, the first madam, said with a smile.

The matriarch perked up and laughed, "That's a generous offer. I'll listen. Ha, you said it, so don't go back on your word."

Lady Wang laughed, "I wouldn't dare lie to you, my lady. As long as you're happy, it's worth spending the money." Lady Liu also chimed in, "I'll offer fifty taels too."

The matriarch smiled, and Lady Xiao, standing in front of her, smiled and said, "I don't have any money, so don't blame me for being stingy later."

"You're a miser, but I'll cover for you," the matriarch waved her hand dismissively.

"Oh, my dear grandmother," Lady Xiao wrapped her arms around the matriarch's waist, her face pressed against hers, laughing, "You always say I have the thickest skin, but now you're saying I don't? Aren't you contradicting yourself?"

The matriarch playfully slapped Lady Xiao's cheek, scolding, "You're so shameless. I won't scold you during the New Year."

Seeing Lady Xiao and the matriarch bantering, everyone laughed. Xu Hao, hearing about the reward, suddenly became alert and said, "We don't need to call in the maids. I'll tell a story."

"I agree," the matriarch nodded with a smile. "Hao has been keeping me company and making me laugh these past few days. Let's hear a new and interesting story from him. Yes, I'll make sure he gets his reward."

Lady Wang smiled, "It seems Hao has learned a lot outside. Tell us a story, then."

"No wonder men like to stay out. What new things haven't they heard? Just don't waste money on those disreputable women," Lady Liu said with a sour tone.

The matriarch frowned, pretending not to hear on New Year's Eve. But Lady Xiao, who did not tolerate any nonsense, said calmly, "Hao is very sensible. He hasn't asked for a single coin in the past six months. I was worried he might have fallen in with the wrong crowd, so I had people watch him. I found out he was either learning farming from the village elders or helping with the harvest. He was always busy. He also taught the village boys to read and write, and was unanimously chosen as the village priest, which made me very proud. I was ashamed of myself for not trusting my own son."

This was the first time the family heard about it, and they were all surprised, looking at Xu Hao. The matriarch was pleased, "Well done. You've remained humble despite your wealth. The village priest is a position of high respect, and it seems your mother was right. You've made me very happy tonight."

Hearing the matriarch's praise, Lady Xiao's eyes sparkled, and she became radiant. Xu Qinglian and Xu Hongye were also delighted. Lady Liu, however, blushed and could not say a word, knowing her son was a big spender and often caused trouble outside.

Xu Hao was also happy, and his smile showed his genuine emotion. He was gradually becoming more integrated into the Xu family.

Looking at the third madam, the matriarch coldly said, "A son's misbehavior is the mother's fault. And you, daring to defy your sons during the festival and not have them come home."

Lady Wang, embarrassed by the public scolding, quickly stood up and apologized, feeling deeply resentful.

Xu Hao, wanting to ease the tension, said, "Grandma, I have a story. Let me tell you about a story called 'The Story of Huanzhu Gege.'"

Everyone turned to listen, and the matriarch asked with interest, "What is a Gege?"

Xu Hao explained calmly, "In the vast world, there are many strange things. In a country in another part of the world, they call their princesses 'Gege.' This is because the central plains were invaded by a northern tribe, and the title 'princess' was replaced by 'Gege.'"

The matriarch nodded, "I see. Each place has its own customs. In Fengyang, there's an old saying that even a thirty-mile distance can change the dialect. In the previous dynasty, they called their daughters 'miss,' but in the Song Dynasty, it was used to refer to courtesans. Over time, the people got used to it."

Is that so? Xu Hao was taken aback. This was a cycle. If you called a girl 'miss' in the future, you'd get a big eye roll.

It seems that no matter how many years pass, the faults of lecherous men remain the same. Xu Hao recounted the story of 'The Story of Huanzhu Gege,' trying to make it as vivid and interesting as possible. He replaced many forgotten details with other anecdotes, which made it less colorful than the original, but it still captivated the family.

When he mentioned Xiao Yanzi being mistaken for the king's lost princess, he used 'prince' instead of 'emperor.' The family was both amused and saddened.

The matriarch commented, "What a small and barbarous country. The prince doesn't even have a eunuch to record his daily life. For the royal blood to be so obscurely lost is truly absurd."

"A shameless country and people," Lady Wang said with disdain. "As a ruler, he should have admitted his mistake, but he didn't, which is despicable."

Xu Hao explained, "It's because the country was invaded by a different tribe, and they didn't allow the original ethnic women to enter the palace."

The matriarch recalled the past, "This reminds me of the cruel and inhumane previous dynasty. The Mongols were no longer the noble people of the grasslands. They became narrow-minded and greedy, oppressing the Han people. They were driven back to the north in just a hundred years. I think this small country's court will also be driven out eventually."

"Grandma, you're right," Xu Hao agreed, giving a thumbs up.

He continued the story. When he mentioned the girls being bullied by the queen and Lady Rong, everyone was angry. When he mentioned Lady Zhiwei going blind, everyone sighed. When he mentioned the lovers' unwavering commitment, everyone was moved. When he mentioned Lady Rong being punished, everyone laughed. The happy ending, where the lovers finally united, made everyone happy.

Additionally, the empress's understanding, Qing'er's kindness, Xiangfei's loyalty, and Mengdan's deep affection were all very touching.

"Until the mountains crumble and the heavens merge, I will not part from you!" The head maid, Yuelan, kept repeating this, savoring it.

Xu Qinglian looked at her brother and smiled, "Strange, this is from the Han dynasty's 'Shang Ye.' It seems this small country once paid tribute to the central plains and brought back many books."

Yuelan quickly asked, and Hongye, shaking her head, recited, "Shang Ye, I wish to be with you forever, until the mountains crumble, the rivers run dry, the winter thunders, the summer snows, and the heavens merge, only then will I part from you! Hmph! The scholars of this small country changed 'ling' to 'leng,' which is a significant difference."

Xu Hao chuckled but did not argue. He only remembered the first part of 'The Story of Huanzhu Gege.' When the TV series aired, it was a huge hit, and he watched every episode, feeling quite moved. Unfortunately, he only remembered a small part of it. As for the second part, he had some memory, but it was not as vivid as the first. The third part, with a different cast, held no interest for him.

As for the new version of 'The Story of Huanzhu Gege,' what can I say?

However, Hongye's words were accidentally heard by the matriarch, who pretended to be angry, "Why should a girl learn poetry? It will only make her arrogant like Xia Zhiwei and suffer. On the contrary, Xiao Yanzi, who is uneducated, is very fortunate."

Hongye quickly put on a meek and obedient look, but when she turned away, she stuck out her tongue and made a face. Xu Hao laughed.

The story, though interesting, was still a cliché, a comedic version of the Song dynasty's 'Lishou Huan Taizi.' Similar stories were common in ancient times, and the ending was predictably happy. Xu Hao's storytelling skills were not as vivid as those on TV, but everyone laughed and enjoyed it. It was a fitting New Year's story, and the family gave it high praise.

Xu Hao received a hundred taels of silver for the New Year. It seemed that in times of poverty, he could become a storyteller to make a living.

When the family asked Xu Hao to tell another story, he cleverly said, "Let's meet again next year," causing everyone to laugh and scold him for being slick.

The New Year's Eve passed peacefully, and the Nian monster fled once again. When the sun rose, the whole family came to pay respects to the matriarch.

The new year began with such a lively start. Yes, it would indeed be a very, very "lively" year.