Transmigration: The Little Chef Calls The Shots
Chapter 677 - 071 Holiday, shopping_1

Chapter 677: 071 Holiday, shopping_1

Xia Zheng had originally planned to ride back to the Capital city by himself, but he was overwhelmed by the large and small packages Lin Yuan prepared for him, so he had to return by carriage after all.

Leaning against the carriage, Xia Zheng wore a face full of resentment—all because of these gifts; otherwise, he could have ridden back and spent another day doting on Lin Yuan. Now look, the carriage is so slow that he had to depart a day earlier.

With no outlet for his frustration, Xia Zheng glanced sideways at the parcels inside the carriage. These gifts were going to someone, and when he got back, he would find someone to vent his frustration on. He didn’t dare provoke the old man at home but that didn’t mean he couldn’t go after his older brother. He heard his brother had bought another scenic residence in the suburbs. Hmm, when he got back, he would first go have a look at the property, and if he liked it, he would just take it.

In a certain mansion on the outskirts of the Capital city, someone was enjoying the snow scenery with his fiancée when he suddenly shivered.

Xia Zhen rubbed his nose, wondering when he had become so susceptible to the cold; then suddenly, he slipped, stepping into a hidden pit full of snow.

His fiancée cried out in alarm, fussing over him with deep concern.

Xia Zhen’s heart thumped nervously: It was his first time strolling in this garden, and to encounter such bad luck—why did he have a nagging sense of foreboding?

In the end, Xia Zheng did leave, and in order not to sadden Lin Yuan, he departed with great fanfare, hiding in the carriage and never coming out again. But only Liuzi, the coachman, knew that after the Young Master hid away, he suddenly drilled a hole in the back of the carriage with a small knife, pitifully peering through to see Lin Yuan’s lovely face.

If Liuzi hadn’t seen their Young Master’s actions through the gaps in the carriage curtains, he might have thought there was something wrong with the new carriage.

Lin Yuan had originally planned for Lin Yi to drive the carriage back to the Capital city, but Xia Zheng, not wanting to leave her alone in Zhuma Town, insisted that Lin Yi stay to protect her, sternly refusing to let Lin Yi leave.

Receiving Xia Zheng’s gaze, Lin Yi nodded with a calm exterior, but he felt like railing at heaven and earth inside. What personal protection? It was plainly personal surveillance, making sure that a certain horse didn’t take advantage of the situation and pry away his family’s second Young Master’s cornner!

After sending off Xia Zheng, Lin Yuan couldn’t help but feel a bit downcast. However, life goes on, and with New Year’s approaching, she had to get moving and prepare for the holiday.

Almost every day after entering the twelfth lunar month was spent in preparation for the New Year. Isn’t there a nursery rhyme about this? Lin Yuan hadn’t paid special attention to this before and had long forgotten the full content of the rhyme, only vaguely remembering a few lines such as ’On the twenty-third, stick candy’, ’On the twenty-fourth, sweep the house’, ’On the twenty-fifth, make tofu’, and ’On the twenty-sixth, go buy meat’.

Although people here weren’t so particular, their preparation for New Year’s goods was no less meticulous. The number of street vendors had increased considerably; some sold red candles, some wild game, and others homemade candies and cakes.

Now that Lin Yuan was managing a shop, she no longer needed to sell street snacks like she did before. However, seeing the vigorously shouting vendors on the street, she felt quite nostalgic. She was fortunate to have arrived here not during winter, for otherwise, her family might not have starved, but they would have probably frozen first.

Every family prepares fresh pastries for the New Year, so Rice Flower Fragrance’s business jumped significantly at year’s end. However, while one can never earn enough silver, the New Year must still be well-celebrated.

Lin Yuan specifically gave everyone a day off on the twenty-sixth of the twelfth month. Of course, their red envelopes were indispensable. Not only did everyone receive a red envelope, but Lin Yuan had also specially purchased three large fat pigs from Pork Rong, and everyone in the store got ten pounds of pork each.

Grasping her hefty red envelope and carrying a large chunk of fatty pork, Sister-in-law Luo smirked, sidling up to Fifth Sister Bai and nudging her with her elbow, winking suggestively, "I say, girl, this time when you go back, you better give all this silver to your man and not stash it away for yourself."

Fifth Sister Bai’s cheeks flushed slightly, remembering the first time she had to give her red envelope to her man, and Sister-in-law Luo’s teasing comments back then, she couldn’t help but laugh.

Having gotten used to Sister-in-law Luo, she understood the woman’s temperament and had been influenced by her somewhat, losing the shyness of a new bride, and said with a laugh, "That won’t do, I need to stash it away, and the meat too, I have to hide that as well."