Yi Xin as a concubine

Chapter 154: Early Noodles

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the beginning of the new year, people get up early and go door to door in groups to pay New Year's greetings.

The population of the small courtyard was small, so this custom was omitted.

We kept watch yesterday and everyone went to bed late. It was a rare opportunity for the girls to be lazy all year. At noon, the courtyard was still quiet. The sunlight came through the window, playfully shining on the two people who were sleeping in each other's arms on the warm kang.

As if sensing the sunlight peeping at him, the man's beautiful eyelashes trembled slightly and he slowly opened his eyes. What came into view was the little girl's fair and tender face with every detail revealed. With each breath, her lips, which had become increasingly pink from being ravaged, pouted slightly. She looked so cute and adorable that it was tempting to commit a crime.

Chu Xingchen didn't dare to look anymore, but he couldn't bear to push the little girl in his arms away, so he had to close his eyes and continue pretending to sleep.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

There was a knocking sound from the footstool beside the kang, which woke up Xin Baoer who was sleeping soundly. The little girl was so scared that she raised her head suddenly and bumped into the man's chin.

"hiss!"

"what!"

"Why are you on my kang?" Xin Baoer was still sleepy and her head was dizzy. She looked at Chu Xingchen with sleepy eyes.

Chu Xingchen rubbed his aching chin while thinking about how to answer. He couldn't say that he half-cajoled, half-tricked, and half-threatened the person to stay.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!" There were three more knocking sounds, neither light nor heavy.

"There is someone at the entrance of the secret passage. I think he is here to wish you a happy new year. Please pack up first. I will go down and take a look."

Chu Xingchen found an excuse immediately, got down from the kang quickly, tidied his clothes in a hurry, and disappeared into the tunnel without saying goodbye.

"Oh, you..." Xin Baoer was shocked.

After a while, my brain finally restarted. Everything that happened before came to my mind one by one. Thinking of that fleeing figure, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

This man is really interesting. Why would he feel guilty about sleeping with his concubine in his arms? He is really different from most men of this era.

On second thought, it's a good idea. After all, she is still too young. Their current situation is precarious. There are no preventive measures these days. It would be bad if they had a baby.

I called Lancao in to serve me. On the first day of the new year, I should dress up beautifully. It is always necessary to be in a good mood at the beginning of the year.

After packing up, she went out to greet the sisters in the courtyard, then turned back to the room. She left Xiangcao guarding the door while she took Wei Yu down the secret passage.

The secret passage was a bit crowded today. Not only were there Xin Baoer's people, but also Chu Xingchen's people. The two sides were a bit tense at the beginning and almost fought. Later, it was not until Chu Xingchen went down that things calmed down.

"Baoer, come and sit down."

As soon as Xin Baoer showed up, Chu Xingchen noticed her immediately and waved to her to sit over him.

"Have you eaten?" Chu Xingchen asked gently, ignoring the strange looks from his subordinates.

"No, let's just eat dumplings at noon." Xin Baoer answered obediently.

"What are they doing?" Xin Baoer asked, pointing at the crowd.

"I, your subordinates, wish you a happy new year and great fortune!"

"I, your subordinate, wish you a happy new year!"

Two neat blessings rang out, and Chu Xingchen calmly asked his subordinates to stand up. Xin Baoer was a little uncomfortable with this, and waved to everyone a little late, signaling them to stand up.

Seeing that everyone had gotten up, he whispered a few instructions to Wei Yu, and soon Wei Yu came back with a small box.

"Distribute it to everyone." Xin Baoer said as she patted the box.

"This is the first year that I celebrate the New Year with you all. I am quite busy and have not prepared any red envelopes. I will just give you two taels of silver to add some joy to everyone. I wish you all success in everything, good fortune everywhere, and happiness at all times."

After Xin Baoer finished speaking, the people on Xin Baoer's side naturally cheered with joy. Chu Xingchen's subordinates were completely the opposite. They looked at their master eagerly, with expressions of envy and jealousy on their faces, which was really too incongruous.

Chu Xingchen looked at his subordinates expressionlessly, then looked at Xin Baoer tenderly.

"Eighth Miss, as the mistress of the housekeeper, it's not right to be partial to one and neglect the other, right?"

The man's voice had a bit of youthful mischief, and Xin Baoer's mouth twitched.

"We have everything. We have everything. Brothers, you have worked hard! Let's give you some good luck and buy you a bottle of good wine to warm you up."

After everyone left, Xin Baoer and Chu Xingchen came out of the secret passage hand in hand.

Chu Xingchen poured himself a glass of water and asked, "Why don't you ask about the things I told you to do? How are they doing?"

"They are all adults. I hope they can be independent rather than waiting for instructions. After all, I am not a good leader. I have racked my brains to provide them with a direction. I cannot arrange every detail."

"Since they didn't mention it today, maybe they are not ready yet. Anyway, there is still time, and it doesn't matter if I wait."

Xin Baoer knows her own worth. She is just a kid who hasn't even graduated from high school. How can she have any management ability? She relies on the fact that she read more books and watched more videos in her previous life, and stood on the shoulders of giants to look at the current poor and backward era, so she has some qualifications to make comments.

"Why do you say that about yourself? Baoer is very capable and has many good ideas. You are our God of Wealth now."

Chu Xingchen couldn't bear to see the little girl belittling herself, so he hugged her and joked.

He embraced the little girl's slender waist with both hands lovingly, not daring to use too much force for fear of breaking the palm-wide waist. He also got used to it, and after hugging her once, he would think about it from time to time and would grab hold of her whenever he had the chance, as if he were addicted.

Xin Baoer struggled a few times at first, but later she just let it go. After all, this man would be her husband sooner or later, and she got along with him easily and harmoniously, so there was no need for her to bother finding a shield.

If she really leaves here in the future, and this man has three wives and four concubines, making her uncomfortable, the worst that can happen is that she can just withdraw and leave. With the current arrangement, maybe in two years, she can choose from the four nearby countries.

By then I will be able to protect myself, so why would I need a man?

Fortunately, Xin Baoer only thought about these words in her heart. If she really said them out loud, Chu Xingchen would go crazy.

The little girl is young, but she has some wild ideas.

The two chatted for a while, Xin Baoer had to help make dumplings, and Chu Xingchen also had to go back to deal with things. Being able to spend half a day of tenderness was already like "stealing half a day of leisure from busy life."

Time passed quickly, and it was the seventh day of the Lunar New Year in a blink of an eye. Xin Baoer remembered that in her previous life, she went back to her grandfather's home in Northeast China to celebrate the New Year, and they would eat noodles on the seventh day of the first lunar month.

It is rumored that "seven" is a human day, and eating noodles means praying for health and longevity, hoping to be healthy and live a long life in the new year. It also expresses people's beautiful expectations for everything to go smoothly and without disasters in the new year.

Xin Baoer also wanted to join in the fun, so she told Lancao the night before that she wanted to eat noodles on the morning of the seventh day.

Because it snowed in the middle of the night the day before, Wei Yu did not ask Xin Baoer to get up and exercise with them on the morning of the seventh day. However, the one who finally had the chance to sleep in did not get to do so.

"Da da da!"

Xin Baoer turned over and continued to sleep.

"Da da da!"

Xin Baoer turned over again, her sleepiness reduced by half, and she closed her eyes and didn't want to open them.

"Da da da!"

Xin Baoer sat up irritably, without washing up, she put on a big cloak, pushed the door and ran towards the source of the sound, with a fierce and angry expression on her face.

"Da da da!"

"Cao'er, your daughter finally has a chance to sleep in, and you..."

The irritated voice stopped abruptly. Looking at the kitchen full of cut noodles, he smiled guiltily, turned around and wanted to run.

"Girl, can you please not eat noodles in the morning in the future?" Lancao shook her sore arms and said weakly. Her little voice sounded so aggrieved.

When Xin Baoer talked about eating noodles, she was really just saying it casually. She didn't think about how many mouths there were inside and outside the courtyard, on the ground and underground.

"This is just the first time. Thank you for your hard work. We will give you a chicken drumstick tonight."

"One chicken drumstick can't make up for my injured arm," Lancao said pitifully, and then took the opportunity to raise the price, "I want three."

"Deal!" Xin Baoer pulled Lancao's hand which was covered with flour and clapped it heavily, slapping the flour everywhere. Under Lancao's accusing eyes, she ran out of the kitchen awkwardly, lifting her skirt, and went back to the house to wash up.