Chapter 537: Shenjing New Year Festival
After all the rituals were completed, the old lady sat upright on a high couch, and the children, grandchildren, daughters-in-law and girls of the two families paid their respects to her in batches.
Originally, according to previous years, after the ceremony, the old lady would return directly to the West Mansion and hold a grand banquet in Rongxi Hall, but this year's banquet was held in Ningzheng Hall.
Only after the grand banquet would Lady Jia return with everyone from the West Mansion.
After all the masters had paid their respects, Jia Zhong also brought the servants from the inner house of the East Palace to pay their respects to the old lady.
After the ceremony, everyone sat down. Wang Xifeng stood up and said with a smile, "Grandfather, what are you waiting for? Don't you see that all these children, grandchildren, daughters, and wives are waiting to share your wealth?"
The old lady laughed loudly, "You poor fellow, you dare to talk nonsense about me!"
"amber!"
Amber came up with a few maids, smiling and holding a tray that had been prepared long ago. Inside the tray was a purse and gold and silver ingots!
"Give it to them quickly, so that little Feng girl won't have to criticize me anymore!"
Each of the masters received a purse, and the servants were also rewarded with gold and silver ingots of various sizes. Everyone bowed again, and then, Youshi, Keqing, and Yuanyang brought the maids from the East Palace to start the banquet!
The reunion banquet in this mansion is naturally different from the one in the army. Take the dishes for example, there are no more and no less than seventy-two dishes!
Among them, there are eight large-sized five-gui bowls, eight small-sized five-gui bowls, eight thin white soup bowls, sixteen hairy blood plates, sixteen foreign plates, and sixteen small vegetable plates.
In addition, there are four plates of dried fruits, four plates of fresh fruits, four plates of raw fruits, and four plates of candied fruits!
It is no exaggeration to say that even the cheapest dish would be enough for an ordinary family to eat for a whole year.
The Hehuan Banquet was naturally very lively with so many people sitting together.
The Xue family's banquets were not as numerous as the Jia family's. After all, their social status was different, and the enjoyment they could offer was also different. However, in terms of the exquisiteness and preciousness of the dishes, they were not inferior.
The Xue family did not have any imperial title, so they naturally did not need to enter the palace today, but the Empress Dowager still bestowed them with rewards.
All kinds of silks, precious utensils, and several dishes for the dinner were also given down.
Aunt Xue and Ma from the second wife sat in the first seat. Baochai, Baoqin, Xue Pan and Xue Ke also sat down. They were surrounded by maids and old women to serve them!
"Today, thanks to my precious daughter, the Queen Mother has given us a banquet. In addition, our shops in various places are becoming more prosperous this year. It is truly a good year." Aunt Xue said happily.
"After the New Year, our family has several major celebrations. First, there's the 'name-asking' ceremony for Baochai and Cong'er. The Empress has sent word that the Imperial Astronomical Observatory has calculated the date, and it will take place after the fifteenth day. Second, there's the 'betrothal gift' ceremony for Pan'er, which will also be held in the first month of the year, taking advantage of the New Year."
The wedding ceremony between Xue Pan and Xia Jingui of the Xia family has also been going on, but because it does not require such complicated procedures, it only needs to be held on a calculated date. Therefore, although the ceremony of Nacai and Baochai were held one after another, the ceremonies of asking for the bride's name and Naji have also been completed in the past few months.
The next step is to pay the betrothal gift.
"After the betrothal gifts are paid, we'll arrange the wedding in March and then the wedding will be held in May. This year, we'll have a new member of our family."
"As for my precious daughter's wedding, we still have to wait. Firstly, the etiquette is complicated, and secondly, it depends on the war situation on Cong's side. If it happens at the earliest, it will be the end of the year, or even next year."
Xue Dabo was just happily enjoying himself, drinking and eating meat. Although this was his lifelong event, he didn't care too much. Baochai blushed slightly, thinking about Jia Cong, "I wonder how Brother Cong spent his New Year's Eve, whether he could have a cup of hot wine, whether he could have a few delicious dishes... And I don't know if he was thinking about me..."
Lin family backyard!
Compared with the grand banquets of the Jia and Xue families, the Lin family's banquet seemed much simpler. There were only the father and daughter and Lin Ruhai's two concubines. The royal family also granted a banquet, so the family didn't even need to prepare any delicious dishes.
After taking a few bites of food and wine, Lin Ruhai snorted inwardly at his daughter's absent-minded look. "Hey, His Majesty mentioned all the things about Chengdu Prefecture to me before, why can't I remember it now?"
Daiyu was startled and looked towards her father. Seeing that Lin Ruhai was just eating and had no intention of continuing, she immediately became anxious.
She picked up the wine pot and poured Lin Ruhai a glass of wine. "Daddy, have a drink quickly. This is the fine wine given by the Empress. Zijuan... bring the plate of camel hump meat over for Daddy to enjoy. These are all top-notch delicacies that we can't normally eat."
Looking at his daughter's attentiveness, Lin Ruhai took a sip of wine proudly!
After drinking two cups in a row, Daiyu saw that Lin Ruhai still didn't drink, so she pouted and said, "Zijuan, please take this wine away, Daddy doesn't want to drink anymore!"
Looking at his empty wine cup , Lin Ruhai was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
He quickly held down the wine jug and said, "Two days ago, when I entered the palace, His Majesty said that the boy had sent a New Year's gift, but he was delayed on the way due to the weather, so I'm afraid it won't be delivered before the 15th. Moreover, His Majesty also said that after the 15th, the ceremony of 'asking for the name' will be carried out..."
Daiyu was originally a little worried because she did not receive a letter from Jia Cong during the New Year, but she did not expect that the delay was due to the weather. After hearing Lin Ruhai's next words, she was immediately happy and shy.
"Zijuan, don't you see that Daddy's wine cup is empty? This pot is finished. Go and get another pot that's warm! Today is New Year's Day. My two concubines and I will accompany Daddy to have a good drink."
…
After the Ningguo Mansion's reunion banquet was over, a small opera troupe was called over to perform two plays for Lady Jia. After the performance, all the people from the West Mansion got on the carriage and returned.
Yuanyang and the other two, along with Youshi and Keqing, took the servants from the mansion and sent the old lady out, and then returned.
"Jia Zhong, please send someone to watch over the incense at night. We can't be careless!" Yuanyang instructed Jia Zhong as everyone walked back.
After Jia Zhong agreed, Yuanyang said to Youshi and Keqing, "Today is New Year's Eve. I think we don't have to stay in our rooms all the time. Why don't we go to the flower hall and have a small banquet and have fun together?"
After hearing this, everyone agreed, and so they all went straight to the flower hall beside the main hall!
Yuanyang asked Xin'er to lead people to set up the banquet, and let Youshi sit at the first seat. The others sat down in order, and Qingwen and Xiangling also sat at the first seat at the table.
"Where are Xichun and Xiaoque'er?" asked Youshi.
Qingwen stood up and said, "On her way back, the fourth young lady took Xiao Que'er straight back to the courtyard to play. Xiao Jixiang and the others followed her, and the housekeeper Jia also sent maids and old women to look after them."
"Xin'er, go over and take a look. It's freezing cold , don't let them catch a cold. Play for a while and then come over." Yuanyang said with a smile.
