On the fifteenth of December, the imperial court took a day off.
Meng Anci breathed a sigh of relief. He slept until noon and was still a little dazed when he woke up. He sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) and immediately looked towards the end of the kang. Sure enough, Dahuang was lying there, staring straight at him.
He was already used to that almost obsessive look in his eyes. " Dahuang, close your eyes."
Dahuang just blinked, not listening to him at all... In four more days, their gratitude would be fulfilled, and even if it meant dying from exhaustion, it couldn't close its eyes.
Meng Anci got dressed and went to the ground. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Xiaoli blocking the doorway, its tail gently sweeping the ground.
He couldn't help but scoff, "You two used to be one with my sister and the other with me, but after my sister came of age, you both ended up with me? Tell me, are you hiding some secret?"
As he spoke, he lunged forward, trying to pin Xiaoli down. However, Xiaoli reacted extremely quickly, leaping away to dodge. If Meng Anci hadn't played with cats and dogs since he was a child, he probably would have missed and fallen, suffering a bloody head injury.
Meng Anci stretched and called Qing He to bring hot water to wash up. After washing up, he handed a handkerchief to Qing He and casually asked, "Where are my aunt and sister?"
"The mistress and the others went out early this morning, and I don't know where they are."
Meng Anci felt a little down.
His birthday is coming up soon, why hasn't his family even mentioned it? Could it be that everyone has forgotten? Thinking about how his aunt gave Lu Chi and Su Wenqian bracelets, he felt even more depressed.
In previous years, his sister would ask him what birthday present he wanted by now, but this year, he can hardly even see her for dinner, let alone ask her.
Sure enough, Zhao Zhiyuan is a wicked vixen!
After having breakfast, Meng Anci went to his study to read. Whenever there was any noise from the courtyard gate, he couldn't help but peek out, but each time he came up empty-handed.
It wasn't until evening that Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi returned, chatting and laughing.
Meng Anci pretended to be nonchalant, walked up to the two of them, coughed lightly twice, and asked casually, "Where have you been?"
Jin Shanyao and said, "It's almost New Year's, let's go buy some New Year's goods and have Qing He take them back to the manor to share with the people there."
Meng Anci a soft "hmm," then looked up at the sky. "Um... isn't today the fifteenth of the twelfth lunar month?"
"Hmm, what's wrong?" Meng Anzhi looked at him with feigned ignorance, but a hint of a smile was hidden in her eyes.
Meng Anci choked, glaring at his sister, feeling incredibly wronged. He huffed, "It's nothing, go find your Zhao Zhiyuan!"
Having said that, he flicked his sleeve, turned around, and went into the study.
Meng Anzhi couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing. Jin Shanyao looked towards the study, somewhat reluctant, "Perhaps we should just tell him, lest he get sick from anger."
"No way, how can I know my birthday gift in advance? That would ruin the surprise," Meng Anzhi said with a smile.
Jin Shanyao shook her head helplessly, "You two siblings... Oh, by the way, give the workers at the Anzhi Hall a bigger bonus this year, so everyone can have a good New Year."
"Okay, Auntie, I'll take care of it right away." Meng Anzhi said as she went to the study to organize the accounts and check this year's revenue so she could give the workers a bonus as appropriate.
When there are no worries, time always seems long and drawn out; but once a return date is set, time flies by like flowing water.
The nineteenth day of the twelfth lunar month is Meng Anci's birthday.
He got up early and specially wore a red brocade robe, subtly reminding Jin Shanyao and Meng Anzhi... that his birthday had arrived.
Jin Shanyao's eyes welled up with tears from the sight of him in his red robes. She quickly suppressed her emotions and smiled, praising, " Anci looks so handsome in red. The last time you wore red was the day you passed the imperial examination with top honors, wasn't it?"
Meng Anci a shy, soft "Mmm," and said, "Auntie, it's almost the Little New Year, isn't it?"
Jin Shanyao smiled and replied, "Indeed! The years really do fly by."
Meng Anci stood there waiting for a long time, but seeing that she still couldn't remember, he felt a little disappointed. He looked around and asked, "Auntie, where's my sister?"
"They went to a private residence."
Meng Anci immediately exploded upon hearing this, "Going to her private residence again? Didn't she always just go over for dinner in the evening? Why did she go during the day today?"
He was so angry that he plopped down in a chair, staring at the bowl of plain porridge on the table. His nose stung, and he almost cried... Could it be that Qing He had forgotten his birthday? There wasn't even a boiled egg.
Seeing his aggrieved expression, Jin Shanyao couldn't bear it and sincerely wished him a happy birthday, " Anci, happy birthday... may the rest of your life be filled with joy and peace."
Meng Anci grinned, then quickly straightened his lips as if remembering something, "I thought you'd all forgotten."
"How could that be? You'll be fifteen after today. Tell me, what birthday present do you want?"
"I don't want anything, I just want to stay with my aunt."
Meng Anci was in a great mood. He reached out and ladled a bowl of porridge for Jin Shanyao, and the two began to eat breakfast.
Meng Anci ate absentmindedly, his eyes frequently glancing towards the door.
Seeing that he was lost in thought, Jin Shanyao put down her chopsticks and suggested, "Let's go find your sister."
"I'm not going!" Meng Anci stubbornly. "It's not a special day, I can just grab a bite to eat, there's no need to bother her."
"Come on, don't you want to see what your sister has hidden in her private residence?" Jin Shanyao grabbed his arm, and before she could exert any force, he stood up.
He muttered to himself, "What else could he be hiding? He's just a man."
Zhao Zhiyuan has been practically floating on air lately, laughing at everyone he meets while walking and talking. What's so funny? If the two of them fell into the water one day, his sister would definitely be the one to save him!
Meng Anci this aloud, but her heart was still heavy with unspeakable grievances. Unbeknownst to her, she was led by the Jin Shanyao to the gate of a mansion.
He suddenly realized, "Auntie, this isn't my sister's private residence."
Before the words were finished, the courtyard gate opened from the inside.
Meng Anzhi, dressed in a red dress, stood smiling inside the doorway. "Happy birthday, Meng Anci. This house is my birthday gift to you."
Upon hearing this, Meng Anci's gloom instantly vanished, but then he felt a little lost again, "A house? A gift?"
"Yes." Meng Anzhi stepped forward and pulled him across the threshold. A delicate screen wall came into view, and after passing through the moon gate next to it, they entered the outer courtyard.
Meng Anzhi and Jin Shanyao a glance, then secretly smiled and pushed open the hanging flower gate. A square courtyard was adorned with red silk lanterns; the courtyard was small, but exquisite and elegant.
Meng Anzhi recalled with a smile, "Do you remember the first time we went to Zhao Zhiyuan's house? We were so surprised that we couldn't speak when we just stood in the outer courtyard."
On the way back, you kept saying that when you're rich, you'll definitely build a house even bigger than the Zhao Household's, and that when guests come, they should only wait in the outer courtyard and not be allowed to enter the main courtyard."
As Meng Anci listened, her eyes reddened, and she said softly, "It's all so many years ago. Thinking about it now, Zhao Zhiyuan's family wasn't that big."
He was only four years old then, with short legs and small steps, so he had to take many steps to walk a short distance. Naturally, he thought the house was incredibly large. Now that he's grown up, looking back, it was just an ordinary courtyard.