Help! I just woke up and was stabbed by a big kid

If you don't go out, there won't be so many things to do.

During the time when He Gui and Wu Yan were jointly investigating the spies in the palace, the two courtyards of Liesong Courtyard and Jishi Courtyard were almost independent, and no servants other than their own could approach. Also, because it was difficult to buy people from the pawnbrokers during the New Year, most of the work had to be done by themselves.

Gu Yue didn't feel anything about it. There was food in Wumen, so he didn't need to take care of the food. Sometimes he could even ask Wufeng to pack some food to bring back for him to try.

The servants' courtyard had its own stove and ingredients, so Lu Junmei's family automatically took on the role of cooks and didn't have to worry about anything on weekdays.

Gu Yue and Gu Xu took turns cooking, with Shi San helping them. It was no different from the small courtyard in Yishan.

From offering sacrifices to the kitchen god to cleaning, everyone still has to do it themselves.

Fortunately, this was a new house that we had just moved into, so the workload was not too heavy and it was cleaned up in just one morning. Red lanterns were hung in both courtyards.

In the next few days, he fried food, bought things, cut pork, and posted couplets... Gu Yue didn't know how the nobles in Luoyang celebrated the New Year. Anyway, he was not a real noble, so why bother with so much? Everything was done according to folk customs, and he focused on making himself comfortable.

Gu Xu always accompanied him, and they stayed in the yard all day long to study couplets, New Year pictures and New Year's food.

It seemed as if he was far away from the intrigues outside, and Gu Yue slept much more peacefully at night.

He thought that probably all Chinese people cannot escape the law of the "Big New Year".

Then, he prepared the gift list. According to the gift list on the day of the move, he prepared return gifts of the same value for each official, noble, and prince on the list and sent them to each family's house. Gu Yue was not clear about the specific process, but he was relieved that Gu Xu was in charge of everything.

Similarly, some people still sent New Year gifts to the Duke Dunxin’s mansion this year, but compared to the housewarming party, there were far fewer.

……

Three children stood close together in front of him.

"How many people have gone back for the annual leave?" Gu Yue received He Gui's look and understood that this was to train them, so he asked.

Lu Dabao is also twelve years old this year, with a straight face and two red braids. She held a piece of paper in her hand and said in a clear voice: "Eight managers, Gu He, Gu Shun, Gu Shi, Gu Ru, and Gu Yi have asked for leave to go home. The hometowns they reported are..."

After she finished reading this, she handed the paper to her twin brother Erbao.

Lu Erbao also started reading, but not as smoothly as his sister. He stumbled a little as he finished talking about the family's male servants going home on vacation. It was a lot, and it was difficult for him to read it all in one breath.

Finally, the maids went back home for the holidays, and this part was read by Chai Gui, who was already fifteen years old. Chai Gui had grown taller and was now a teenager. His gestures were very steady, and it seemed that He Gui had put a lot of effort into teaching him.

"... or more. Very few girls have returned, most of them are aunts around 30 years old." Chai Gui said, "Manager He asked me to pass on a message that he has a rough list of specific people, and is asking Manager Yan to check it carefully. I estimate that there will be results after the new year."

Gu Yue was very satisfied with these children: "Well, you all did a good job. Come, have some candy, take all the candy."

He pushed a large box of sesame candy, sugar-coated melons and stove cakes on the table over.

Chai Gui was obviously very happy, but his face was still as stern as Wu Yan's. He held the box over and asked Lu Dabao and Lu Erbao to take two first.

Lu Dabao happily took a sesame candy, but Lu Erbao hesitated and didn't reach out.

"What's wrong?" Gu Yue laughed at his awkward look.

Lu Dabao said: "He was afraid that his teeth would be glued off."

Still changing teeth? Gu Yue touched his chin. He had no idea at what age children change teeth, but he felt it was a little late, so he asked, "Change teeth at the age of twelve? What do your parents say?"

"It's normal. Thank you, Mr. Gu, for your concern." Lu Dabao grinned.

The three children shared some of the stove candy, then went to the front of the hall to help He Gui and Wu Yan count the New Year gifts they had received.

It was snowing heavily outside and everything was white.

Gu Yue stood among the pile of presents and inspected them. He watched Chai Gui, Dabao and Erbao compare the gift list, and then wrote them down on red paper with a brush in a serious manner, laughing.

Gu Xu picked up a few boxes and put them aside, then called Gu Yue: "Come here."

Gu Yue walked over.

"What happened to these guys?"

"It was given to me by an acquaintance." Gu Xu looked at the red-painted wooden sticks hanging above and separated the box: "This is given to you by Zhen Suhang."

Gu Yue was delighted: "Let me see."

This was a satin box, and when it was opened, there was a set of four treasures of the study. The brush, inkstone, and inkstone all seemed to be valuable items, and Gu Yue took them out carefully, looked at them, and then put them aside.

The box was divided into two layers. The upper layer contained brushes, ink sticks and inkstones, and the lower layer contained a stack of snow-white rice paper and some beautiful paper scraps. There was also a small box. Gu Yue opened it and saw a hard bamboo pen inside.

A letter that read: "We are all from the same hometown, so I won't be pretentious. Happy New Year and I wish you a happy life in Beiqin. Don't think the bamboo brush is rough. I made it myself. It is very useful and not much different from the pens we have there. Please use this for your manuscripts next time. Your calligraphy hurts my eyes and the editor-in-chief's eyes. If he goes blind, he will have to report it as a work injury. That's it."

Gu Yue...Should I laugh or be angry? Hehe.

Gu Xu glanced at the handwriting on the letter, his gaze paused for a moment on "fellow villager", then turned his eyes away before Gu Yue looked up, pretending that he saw nothing.

Zhen Suhang was very thoughtful and prepared gifts for Gu Xushi and the other three people he had met. Each of them was a piece of stone, which was said to be some precious meteorite iron that could be made into weapons.

Gu Yue said happily: "Come on, Dabao and Erbao, put this box of study treasures in my room... Be careful and don't fight."

"Oh!" Dabao responded.

Gu Yue glanced outside and changed his mind: "Forget it, it's snowing so hard and I'll get it myself later. Let's go play!"

With a wave of his hand, Gu Yue looked at the next box.

This box was sent by Qin Zhaole. On the top of the box was a letter. Qin Zhaole said some common auspicious words in the letter. In the end, he said that although Gu Yue made him unable to eat delicious food during the New Year, he did not blame him and regarded it as a punishment for his previous lack of caution.

Under the envelope was a piece of gold-sprinkled red paper, covering a set of extremely gorgeous and eye-catching colorful kiln-changed Jun porcelain tableware. Under that was... two large silver plates. Gu Yue picked them up and weighed them. They weighed more than a hundred taels.

"So generous!" Gu Yue was very pleased.

What was given to Gu Xu was just ordinary, a tea-tea dessert with golden dates, but it seemed to be a precious pastry as it actually contained almond kernels.

"This box is... Su Yingjian, 'in his personal capacity'? Did the Su family send an extra one?"

He Gui, who was standing nearby, said, "All three branches of the Su Mansion have sent festival gifts."

Gu Yue nodded and opened the box.