allonlinenovel Chapter 252: Lunar New Year's Day
Chapter 252: Lunar New Year's Day
Fang Xiaoxiao quickly nodded.
"Okay, you go ahead and do your thing tomorrow. I'll discuss with the others how we can take advantage of this opportunity to acquire the shop at the lowest possible cost."
At this moment, He Jinnian took out two silver notes from his pocket.
The silver notes totaled a full thousand taels, representing his entire fortune. Throughout his many years as an official, he had always maintained a reputation for integrity and incorruptibility.
However, after experiencing so much during this period, He Jinnian realized one thing: it's really hard to be without money.
He was not a corrupt official, but without violating too many principles, he still decided to accept gifts from others.
Of the thousand taels of silver notes, five hundred taels were his saved salary, and the other five hundred taels were received from an old friend when he went out yesterday.
Upon learning that he had been appointed as the Chief Justice, his old friend claimed he wanted to congratulate him and even invited him to have a good meal at the Tianxiang Pavilion, the most bustling restaurant in the western part of Kyoto.
Ultimately, He Jinnian was forced to accept his old friend's invitation. After a hearty meal, his friend insisted on giving him a five-hundred-tael silver note.
He had intended to refuse, but considering how worried his wife had been about money lately, he decided to accept it.
Fang Xiaoxiao looked at the thousand taels of silver notes in He Jinnian's hand, her eyes immediately shining with dazzling light, but this was quickly followed by doubt.
She knew He Jinnian's worth; according to the Great Yu Dynasty's control over officials, especially their salaries, the Great Yu Dynasty was extremely stingy.
She had heard He Jinnian say before that the annual salary of the Chief Justice was only thirty taels of silver, plus one hundred shi of grain and three bolts of silk, and nothing else.
So, officials don't even live as well as ordinary people. Although they have housing provided by the court and can be said to have no worries about food and clothing, thirty taels of silver is probably only enough for about ten drinks when they go out for a small meal. As for other things, they can forget about them.
No wonder there are so many corrupt officials; they can't survive without relationships.
Thinking about this, she asked in confusion.
"Jin Nian, where did you get this money? Although we are not rich, we cannot do what corrupt officials do."
"Don't worry, my wife. I saved up all this money little by little. Some of it was savings that we had at home before."
“My ancestors have served the imperial court for generations, so they have received quite a few rewards. My wife, don’t worry about me. However, this thousand taels of silver probably won’t be enough to buy more shops.”
As He Jinnian spoke, a pang of sadness welled up in his heart.
He knew that with this amount of money, he couldn't possibly acquire any more shops besides Lingxi Pavilion.
Fang Xiaoxiao understood what he was saying and thinking, and quickly comforted him.
"Hey, this money is more than enough. The auction is still about half a month away, which means it's after the New Year. We still have time to earn more money."
There's only one day left until Chinese New Year.
Then there are fifteen days to spare, enough time to earn even more money with the banknotes at hand.
If we can earn another five thousand taels of silver in the next half month, we can at least take over about ten shops on East Street.
Thinking of this, Fang Xiaoxiao first put the silver note into her pocket, then chatted with the two for a while longer before closing the door and lying back on the bed...
On Lunar New Year's Eve, every household is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations.
The festive atmosphere of the New Year in the Great Yu Dynasty was indeed much stronger than that of modern times.
Fang Xiaoxiao led Zhou Wenjian, Murong Changqing, and the others on a leisurely stroll through the streets filled with the festive atmosphere of the New Year, where everything was brightly colored and vibrant.
She glanced around from time to time, her eyes filled with curiosity and envy.
Ancient women wore long skirts, which made them look very elegant.
Whether they were ordinary citizens, merchants, or officials, everyone's face was filled with joy. Their smiles were completely genuine, coming from the bottom of their hearts.
Unlike in modern times, when many people feel melancholy when they think of the Lunar New Year.
Some people are thinking that they haven't earned much money in a year, and they would lose face if they went home.
Some people experience too many setbacks throughout the year, which makes them afraid of being asked for money or other debts during the Lunar New Year.
With the increasingly fast pace of modern urban development, few people pay much attention to holidays anymore.
Fang Xiaoxiao remembers that at this time last year, she was hiding alone in her rented room, eating instant noodles while watching the Spring Festival Gala skit about making dumplings on her phone, tears streaming down her face.
In the blink of an eye, one has arrived in ancient times.
She was wearing a scarlet fur robe and a red long skirt today.
Although the weather is starting to warm up, it's not spring yet, so we still need to pay attention to keeping warm.
Zhou Wenjian, Murong Changqing, and Long Jinyan are present today.
As for He Jinnian and Pei Yan, they had their own matters to attend to and did not come along.
Ouyang Tuoba and Li Renyi, one said he was going back to his hometown to visit relatives but never returned, and the other was probably still recuperating at home.
Fang Xiao held a candied hawthorn in her hand, a smile on her face, and looked at Zhou Wenjian and the others playfully.
She happily shook the candied hawthorn and laughed with the others.
"I never expected that ancient times would be so lively. It's nothing like my hometown, where it's so quiet and deserted during the New Year."
"Ancient times? What do you mean, my lady?"
"Yes, my wife, the 'our family' you're referring to is Chang Le County."
"Although Changle County is a small county, it is indeed incomparable to the capital, but it is not without human life. There is quite a lot of people here."
Zhou Wenjian and the others then shared their personal opinions.
In particular, Zhou Wenjian had absolutely no understanding of ancient times.
The other two were ignored.
When she heard the questioning from the crowd, Fang Xiaoxiao realized that she had said the wrong thing and quickly waved her hands to explain.
"Ancient times are just a synonym for backward places. Wenjian, you know Changle County. Compared to the capital, don't you think it's very backward?"
Zhou Wenjian seemed to suddenly realize something and repeatedly agreed.
Fang Xiaoxiao stopped explaining what Murong Changqing and Long Jinyan had said and instead headed towards a very lively entertainment venue.
Although no shops were open on East Street at this time, there were so many people setting up stalls and performing acrobatics that it was almost like a grand celebration.
This feels even more exciting than what's shown on TV.
She quickly squeezed into the crowd, and thanks to her slender figure, she soon reached the center of the crowd.
In the center stood a woman in a long purple dress, looking dashing and spirited, holding a dart. Behind her was an elderly man with graying temples and a porcelain vase about the size of a child's fist on his head. It seemed they were about to perform a dart-throwing vase act.