Before I knew it, it was about to come to Chinese New Year's Eve, and it was very appropriate, and it snowed several times in a row in Jinling, some small and some large, and the white land everywhere was really clean, which put a layer of joy on the festival.

The Xu family is busy with another year's cleaning, everyone is tired and happy, there is laughter everywhere, no one will argue before the holiday, and they are afraid of bringing bad luck to the new year.

The ingenious girls are busy with the window plum and the moon, and the living room is decorated with makeup; The snow on the eaves in front of the house does not touch it, the strings of icicles are shiny, and from time to time there are naughty children who break them off with their feet crossed and taste them in their mouths, or play with them as toys.

At this moment, the bamboo explosion is thousands of households, every family sticks spring victory, and peach charms are hung everywhere, which is very lively.

The most important thing a year ago was to prepare New Year's goods and give New Year's gifts, but this year's long room and three rooms are more eccentric, and serious people are deliberately estranged, but there are also people who come to give gifts, and they are happy to have a relationship with the current Xu family.

At this time, the family in the second room got together, and they were also busy for the New Year's gift, among which Xu Hao became a busy person, and people came to the door from time to time to give gifts.

There is only one boss above, which is equivalent to the deputy commander. Xu Hao, as the eyes and ears of the emperor, is notorious for his own brocade clothes. Even if the civil and military officials didn't want to get close to him, they didn't want to be remembered by him, so naturally some officials thought about it again and again, and finally sent a steward to send a thin gift to save him from being jealous for no reason.

In addition, there are also New Year's gifts sent by the nobles of the capital, colleagues and subordinates of the Twelve Guards, etc., the number of people is so large that the threshold of the Xu family almost collapsed.

Fortunately, the gifts are not expensive, and if you accept one of them, everyone else must accept them. Besides, the New Year is not good, and it will not sweep everyone's interest.

Naturally, there is a lot of progress in human relations, and Xu Hao has a headache for this. Keep your head down and wonder how to return the salute.

Here, Xu Qingtang and his wife are familiar with it, and they quickly discussed the New Year's gift to be given. The couple looked at their son with a sad face and ate tea leisurely.

The Xu Qinglian sisters and Xiao Yushi discussed in a whisper, they wanted to give gifts to Mu Ningxue and other friends, even Xu Hao didn't know how much money Hongye's shop had made in the past year? Anyway, mahjong has recently become popular in the homes of the powerful in the capital, and it is estimated that it will make a lot of money.

Xu Hao stood up suddenly, and threw a large stack of lists in his hand onto the table of the Eight Immortals, "No matter, each family will give a pig's foot." It's annoying. ”

Xu Qingtang stood up with disdain and sneered, "Aren't you very capable? Don't bother! Take it easy. ”

Xu Hao sighed weakly: "There are too many people, I am dazzled to see, I surrender." ”

“haha！” Xu Qingtang looked at the red gift list with a smile, it was dense and frightening, the laughter stopped abruptly, and hurriedly said: "Your father and I still have something to do, go first." ”

After saying that, Xu Qingtang slipped away, and Xiao Shi scolded with a smile when he saw this: "This father has no chance." No wonder she gave birth to an impatient son. ”

Xu Hao walked over with a flattering look and said with a smile: "Mother, you are the most capable, and you have to go out in person." ”

Xiao Shi stretched out his finger and slapped his son's forehead fiercely. "The old lady warns you that you are not allowed to do bad things with your conscience, otherwise she will kick you out of the house."

Xu Hao smiled bitterly in his heart. As an eagle dog, how can there be a choice? Not wanting to make a big deal for his mother, he assured, "I remember." Be sure not to do bad things. ”

"Alas!" Xiao sighed and put aside the worries in his heart. He smiled and said: "Those lists don't need to be looked at carefully, the so-called human relations are just a heart, sincerity is on the line, you don't need to worry about it one by one, you have to think about it yourself." ”

Xu Hao frowned and said, "I also know this, but there are too many things to accept, so I have to give them all away, otherwise it will be too wasteful." ”

Xiao Shi smiled: "What's so difficult about this? You first stick to the person with status and send a return gift. The second person will be sent over with a ready-made one, and the status is equal, and no one will care about you, and it is not enough to add more. ”

Xu Hao's eyes lit up and said, "Just listen to you, just open your mouth with the Tucai proposition." ”

At that moment, Xu Hao walked up to his sister with a smile and said unceremoniously: "I want all the cheap and elegant things you have." ”

Hongye raised her head when she heard this, and said very righteously: "It's easy, but what's in it for me?" ”

Xu Hao smiled: "Isn't it a philistine?" In your word, when am I not in the wind and go to the fire? Talking about money hurts feelings. ”

"Makes sense." The rich man of the red leaf soil was full of purse, and said boldly: "There are a lot of calendars and millions of papers in the shop, do you want it?" ”

"A million papers?" Xu Hao secretly spoke, turned around and asked Xiao: "Mother, do you want to send this?" ”

Xiao Shi smiled: "That ghost girl is deliberately playing tricks on you, the calendar and paper are most suitable for civil officials, but the farewell is not beautiful." ”

Xu Qinglian explained: "Since an official sent a New Year's gift this month, we have specially prepared it for you. ”

Xu Hao looked at the triumphant red leaves, and his heart was moved, and he couldn't help but reach out and pinch his sister's cheek hard, causing the red leaves to cover their pretty faces and cry out in pain.

Xiao Yushi said quietly: "The gifts are all wrapped, one is a hundred calendars and 20,000 pieces of paper, cousin, what do you think should be added?" I'll help you right away. ”

Xu Hao sat down with a smile and squeezed the red leaves aside, "It's quite haode like this." You can help me think about what to send to those nobles. ”

Xiao Yushi thought about it carefully and said: "It's hard for me to say this, if you send it heavily, you will be suspicious, and if you send it lightly, you will inevitably be ridiculed, so you have to think about it carefully." ”

Hongye couldn't stand Xu Hao's squeeze, got up and sat in her sister's arms, and said, "What's so difficult about this?" There is a batch of fine tea in the shop, and some new silk in the silk shop, plus two jars of good wine, and a hundred fruit pies, it is enough to make four things, and they don't dare to gossip behind their backs. ”

Xu Hao said happily: "It's decided." Then there are colleagues, some of whom are rich and poor, and they need to send something affordable. Well! You have to hold on to what you have, otherwise you have to go bankrupt, so you will send half a pig, half a sheep, a jar of wine, and two stones of rice, probably equal in and out, no profit or loss. ”

Xu Qinglian hurriedly said: "Then send the New Year's gift out quickly, God, the garden is almost overwhelmed, fortunately, Layue is not afraid of evil." ”

At that moment, Xu Hao got up and went to the garden, and tossed for two or three days before he finished giving the return gift. In order to reward the tired family, Xu Hao divided the rest of the things.

In addition to food, each family in the second room gave an additional five treasure banknotes and two good cloths; Among them, the guards who followed him each had a hundred pieces of treasure money and five satins; The maids each gave 20 pieces of treasure money and two sets of new clothes.

In ancient times, almost all New Year's gifts were mainly based on food, sesame oil, rice noodles, chickens, geese, pigs, sheep, etc.; Most of the girls are handkerchiefs and sweat towels made by themselves, and the maids they give are some silver coins and old clothes.

Finally, the Xu family is living a relatively prosperous life, and the New Year is not sad, otherwise just under the favor expenditure and rewards, you have to worry about the master's family.

Xu Hao's industry was confiscated, and as his savings went out, he gradually felt a little tight on hand. So I put away all the gifts that I didn't like to eat, and after the New Year, I put them in the shop of red leaves and quietly sold them.

He also has people who want to give gifts, such as Zhou Peng, Wang Ning, Li Jinglong and other friends, various royal families and Zhuang households, Yanwang Mansion is undoubtedly the top priority. In addition, the most special thing is the Mu family, everyone inevitably has to prepare a gift with a lot of thought.

The former is quite easy, chickens, ducks, pigs and sheep add tea, wine, silk and gold cakes, and some gold and silver naked children for rewards, which cost more than thousands of silver.

Xu Hao is very distressed for this, but who made him an official now? is already regarded as a top household, and these human contacts are indispensable.

It stands to reason that the money can be paid by the account office, but in the end, Xu Hao thought about it and decided not to give gifts to the royal family.

As my cousin said, people don't look down on you if you give less, and people don't care if you send too much, so why bother yourself? Anyway, his family has already sent a New Year's gift to Yanwangfu.

What gift should I prepare for the Mu family? Xu Hao looked at the new house located on the edge of the pool not far away and pondered.

In the courtyard of the Mu family, Mu Ningxue was wearing a plain little coat, kneeling on the embroidery bed, concentrating on sewing new clothes.

Mu Qingshuang was dressed in a new red satin cotton jacket, dressed in pink makeup, and ran in bouncing, shouting, "Are you still making clothes for him?" Just ask the needleman at home to help you. Sister, you play chess with me. ”

Mu Ningxue lowered her head and kept moving, and said, "You go to your mother or Ang'er to play, good!" ”

Mu Qingshuang pouted and said, "My mother is busy, so she doesn't have time to pay attention to me." Mu Ang is playing money with the girls, he is not good at gambling, and he loses his temper, I don't want to play with him. ”

Mu Ningxue said helplessly: "Then let Zhiqing accompany you." ”

Mu Qingshuang looked down at the new clothes in her sister's hand, and said curiously: "It's so good-looking, is this a flying fish suit?" ”

"Hmm." Mu Ningxue explained: "He is now a pacification envoy and is qualified to wear a flying fish suit. But that would have to wait for the divine reward, and I thought that I should make him a set of clothes first. ”

At this time, Zhiyan, who was carrying a basket of threads, walked in and complained: "Why don't you stop flying fish suits? The young lady didn't close her eyes for a few days and nights, and she also made a set of red velvet gold jue collar and a set of black and blue makeup samurai clothes, and two pairs of mille-feuille shoes. It's not that I'm a girl, I think Xu Gongzi is not short of clothes to wear, there are a lot of sisters and sisters around him, and some people make clothes for him, so why bother us to spend the night? ”

Mu Qingshuang immediately pulled down her small face, and said angrily: "I begged you for a few days, but you said that you were not feeling well, and you refused to make me new clothes, so it turned out that you were busy with outsiders." Hmph, I'll go to my mother's to sue you. ”

Mu Ningxue hurriedly grabbed her sister who got up to leave, and said with a wry smile: "Auntie, just spare me!" Along the way, thanks to him before and after the saddle horse, my sister always had to repay the family. (To be continued......)

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