After eating the "New Year's Eve dinner", Zhu Xiuyuan and others rested for a while, then set off together to the largest courtyard in the main house.

Now, the sky is completely dark, and the lanterns on the corridor are dancing with firelight, illuminating the corridor and the entire courtyard.

Zhu Xiuyuan and the others walked to the corridor in front of the courtyard and stood there, facing the wide courtyard.

The corridors on the left and right, as well as the corridor on the opposite side, are already full of people, including housekeepers, servants and maids in the mansion. They had a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner early and came here to wait.

The corridors are bustling with activity, and the servants and maids no longer need to be quiet at this moment, nor do they need to maintain their usual standing postures, just feel free to do so.

He gathered in groups in twos and threes, chatting, eating snacks distributed in the mansion, and glancing at the spacious courtyard from time to time.

It seems that the servants and maids in various corridors are like spectators.

The wide courtyard in the middle is the stage for performances.

Everyone gathered here in a lively manner, just waiting for the show to begin.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Dong Cheng suddenly looked up to the sky and smiled, stroking his goat's beard.

"Why is daddy laughing?" Dong Shuyu wondered.

"The mansion is so lively today, life is in full swing, lights are decorated..." Dong Cheng stroked his beard and raised his head slightly to recall, "In the past, such a lively scene in Jiangzhou was when your mother was celebrating her birthday..."

Dong Cheng didn't finish his sentence, but he stopped midway. His hand stroking his beard also stopped, and his raised head lowered.

Apparently they were thinking of Dong Shuyu and their mother, who passed away more than ten years ago.

Nowadays, there are often lively scenes, but the people of the past are buried in the loess forever!

"Dad, today is New Year's Eve and everyone is busy. Daddy, please don't think about these unhappy things!"

Dong Shuzhen temporarily let go of Zhu Xiuyuan's hand, ran over to help Dong Cheng, and made herself into a "little cotton-padded jacket."

"Dad, I believe that my mother's spirit in heaven will be happy to see us like this."

Dong Shuyu also supported Dong Cheng, one on the left and one on the right with his sister Dong Shuzhen.

"Hahahaha... I felt this, but it disturbed your mood..." Dong Cheng laughed again, hearty. His wife had been dead for more than ten years, and he had actually put her down long ago.

This time I just expressed my feelings.

"My father-in-law, you are so polite. This Jiangcheng uncle's mansion is no different from the Dong's mansion in Jiangzhou, so why bother? My father-in-law, and Shuyu, you two must treat this place as your home!" Zhu Xiuyuan smiled.

road.

"Hmm..." Dong Cheng nodded.

Dong Cheng had no children, only two daughters. This son-in-law was his half-son, so the son-in-law's home was his home.

Dong Cheng can accept Zhu Xiuyuan's statement.

But for Dong Shuyu, he was a little embarrassed to speak out.

She seemed not to have heard those words and remained unmoved. She just held Dong Cheng's hand and lowered her head there...

In fact, her heart was already filled with waves. Although she understood rationally, Zhu Xiuyuan's words did not mean what she thought.

but……

"Father-in-law, the time has come, and my son-in-law sees that everyone has been waiting for a long time, so the 'Ting Liao' can start, right?" Zhu Xiuyuan asked again.

He didn't seem to notice that Dong Shuyu didn't reply to what he just said.

"My son-in-law, you can make the decision!" Dong Cheng said with a smile.

Zhu Xiuyuan nodded, turned around, and waved to Yan Dashan.

At the same time, Dong Shuzhen finished her role as "little cotton-padded jacket", let go of Dong Cheng's hand, ran up to stand side by side with Zhu Xiuyuan, hugged his hand again, and rested her head on his arm.

When Dong Cheng saw this, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and he felt a little disappointed.

He couldn't describe this feeling, but there was a modern saying that suited his current mood: The little cotton-padded jacket he had raised for more than ten years was passed away by a man called his son-in-law!

Dong Cheng felt a little disappointed for a while, but he soon felt relieved.

Because "a girl should get married" is an iron rule for him since ancient times!

His little daughter will leave him one day, so what if she is lost again!

Now that he can live with his daughter and son-in-law, he is very satisfied.

Dong Cheng, who felt a little satisfied, accidentally glanced at his eldest daughter Dong Shuyu next to him. She was holding his hand, lowering her head in thought. He turned his head and couldn't see her face.

As soon as he saw his eldest daughter, Dong Cheng's heart moved, and he couldn't help but think of the two kinds of fine wines brewed by Zhu Xiuyuan, Zhenjiu and Jade Wine...

Dong Cheng raised his head and glanced at his son-in-law's back, then turned his head and looked at his eldest daughter Dong Shuyu.

"Yu'er, don't worry about me, you can go play with Zhen'er and Xiansu!" Dong Cheng said with a smile.

Dong Cheng's words suddenly "activated" her.

She raised her eyes slightly and saw Zhu Xiuyuan and her sister Dong Shuzhen standing side by side directly in front of her.

Dong Shuzhen held his hand and leaned her head on his arm, rubbing, rubbing, shaking, moving, moving the hair accessories on Dong Shuzhen's head to sway...

Dong Shuyu withdrew her gaze and glanced at Dong Cheng, but she didn't move. She smiled slightly and said, "No, my daughter will stay here with her father."

Seeing this, Dong Cheng couldn't say anything more, calmed down and prepared to enjoy the lively feast that was to follow.

The sky is getting darker and darker.

The lanterns on the corridor emit soft light, illuminating the people on the corridor everywhere.

The chatter of the servants and maids became louder and louder, making the place noisy and very lively.

But Zhu Xiuyuan waved his hand, summoned Yan Dashan, and casually said: "It's almost time, let's start!"

He said "yes" at the mouth of the mountain and immediately left to make arrangements.

Everyone gathered here to watch an activity called "Ting Liao".

The so-called "Ting Liao" is to burn a brazier in the courtyard and then put it into a bamboo tube. The bamboo tube burns and makes a crackling sound.

This is "Firecracker".

There is no such thing as "fireworks" in this world, because gunpowder was only "invented" by Zhu Xiuyuan, and it has been classified as a secret and cannot be taken out of Shenleifang.

Therefore, activities such as making fireworks and setting off firecrackers cannot be done this year...

Crackling!

Crackling!

The "Ting Liao" activity began. In the huge courtyard, there were more than a dozen huge braziers placed. Charcoal was placed in the pots and firewood was added. The flames shot up as high as a person!

A dozen "torches" burned blazingly, emitting fierce light and heat, illuminating the surrounding corridors. However, the light emitted by the lanterns on the corridors was incomparable.

Among the dozens of "torches", there were several brave young men walking through them. They all held a large pile of bamboo tubes, trotting through and throwing bamboo tubes into each brazier.

The crackling sound kept coming!

Compared with firecrackers, the sound of bamboo tubes exploding is not very loud, but when many bamboo tubes explode together, the formation is quite amazing.

"ah!"

"ah!"

The little maids in the mansion covered their ears and fell back, screaming, looking frightened.

The braver boys took turns holding a pile of bamboo tubes, walking through the courtyard, and throwing bamboo tubes. Sometimes they even made fun of the frightened little maid, enjoying this.

On Zhu Xiuyuan's side, everyone was watching peacefully, with smiles on their faces, feeling the hustle and bustle of this moment.

This is how it should be on New Year's Eve.

But Dong Shuzhen couldn't stay idle any longer.

"Husband, I'm going to throw the bamboo tube too. Look at the crackling sound. How fun it is! Those boys walked between the braziers, and the smiles on their faces never stopped..."

"Okay, but you have to pay extra attention to safety. Look at your long hair and ribbons. Don't let it float up and be ignited by the fire in the basin." Zhu Xiuyuan finally agreed.

"Don't worry, husband, everything will be fine!"

Dong Shuzhen was so excited that her limbs trembled wildly. She hurriedly let go of Zhu Xiuyuan's hand and dragged the confused Xia Wu. The two masters and servants rushed to the boy who was distributing bamboo tubes.

Today, Dong Shuzhen wore a long white dress, which was flawless and eye-catching. Xia Wu is the eldest maid in the mansion, so her dress is naturally very recognizable.

So the two masters and servants held hands and ran like a beautiful scenery, instantly attracting the attention of most people.

"Xian son-in-law, what is Zhen'er going to do?"

Dong Cheng raised his eyebrows, looked at the direction Dong Shuzhen ran, and then looked at Zhu Xiuyuan and asked.

"Father-in-law, madam... they are going to put the bamboo tubes in."

The black line on Zhu Xiuyuan's forehead hadn't dissipated yet, so he hurriedly turned around to answer.

He always felt that he was Dong Shuzhen's accomplice in doing bad things, and he felt a little embarrassed to face Dong Cheng.

When Dong Cheng heard this, he was so angry that his hands and feet were trembling slightly, which was immediately noticed by Dong Shuyu who was supporting him.

The corner of his mouth twitched for a long time, and finally he could only hold back this sentence: "Zhen'er... what a nonsense!"
To be continued...