Changping Village.

One year old is eliminated amidst the sound of firecrackers,

The spring breeze brings warmth into Tusu.

Thousands of households, every day,

Always replace old talismans with new ones.

When brand new couplets are pasted on the door, newly cut window paper is pasted on the windows, the smell of firecrackers is filled with snowflakes, and crackling sounds are heard from far and near, the busy year has come to an end, and finally the most critical time of the year has arrived.

It’s been a day.

From spring plowing to summer planting, autumn harvest and winter storage.

The hard work of the year and the busyness of the twelfth lunar month all reach their peak on New Year's Eve.

We don't plan to cook food at noon, but considering everyone's appetite, we still have to cook tea eggs in a pot on a small stove.

Wang Cuilian fished out a large plate and brought it to the table in the dining hall while it was steaming.

"Miss Hongxiu, come and try the tea eggs here. The eggs are laid by the chickens at home, and the tea leaves are wild tea picked from the mountains behind."

Wang Cuilian not only sent tea eggs, but also peeled them for Hongxiu herself.

Hong Xiu stood up hurriedly, feeling flattered.

"Old madam, I can peel it off myself."

Wang Cuilian looked at Hongxiu's white and tender little hands and said with her tongue: "What a beautiful pair of hands, they are white and tender. These eggs are very hot when they come out of the pan, so I'll help you peel them."

Wang Cuilian's hands are relatively large and rough, and her fingertips are covered with calluses.

While she was peeling the egg, she was smiling and chatting with Hong Xiu, and in the blink of an eye, a bare egg was delivered to Hong Xiu.

"Eat, my dear, it's delicious while it's hot."

Hongxiu stared at the egg, slightly hesitant.

Wang Cuilian suddenly thought of something and said with a smile: "Don't worry, my dear, my hands are clean. They have just been washed with hot water and scented soap!"

Hongxiu came back to her senses, her earlobes turned red, she took the egg with both hands and said softly: "Old madam, you are joking, how can I, the junior, eat the eggs you peeled with your own hands?"

She took a small bite, and the egg actually tasted like that.

It's just that with this bite, I ate out some memories that were sealed deep in my memory and I didn't dare to touch them...

"You look like a lovely girl. You eat eggs so gracefully. My baby looks like a female bandit when she eats eggs. Hahaha..."

"Grandma, if you say bad things about people behind their backs, be careful if you grow a beard!"

With a crisp laugh, Baby Luo strode into the dining hall.

"Hahaha, you're just in time, hurry up and eat tea eggs." Wang Cuilian hurried over and took her hand.

"That's why I came here. I'm so hungry. Let's have a few snacks to fill my stomach."

Luo Baobao sat down at the table with all his might, took out a hot tea egg and cracked it open, as if his fingers had no touch, which made Hongxiu Xing's eyes widen.

Baby Luo picked up an egg and stuffed it into his mouth. The mouth was like the mouth of an abyss, biting off half of it at once.

"Well, it's delicious, so... so... delicious."

With her cheeks bulging, she spoke vaguely, nodding and giving a thumbs up to Wang Cuilian.

Wang Cuilian smiled helplessly and winked at Hongxiu.

Wang Cuilian: Do you think this egg-eating figure doesn’t look like a female bandit?

Hongxiu: It’s true...a little bit.

"My little ancestor, please eat slowly. How can you fix it if you choke?"

Wang Cuilian said lovingly, turned around and poured a bowl of tea for Baby Luo and put it aside for preparation.

Then he called Hong Xiu: "Sit down, sit down and eat slowly."

Luo Baobao finished a tea egg in two mouthfuls, took a big sip of tea, and said to Hongxiu: "Aunt Hongxiu, you have to listen to my grandma and eat more eggs. We don't cook at noon here, and the New Year's Eve dinner will have to wait until

We don’t have dinner until after dark. If you don’t eat eggs, you’ll be starved!”

Hong Xiu sat down, smiled and nodded.

After a while, Yang Ruoqing and Luo Tiejiang also took time out of their busy schedule and came over. They all gathered around the table to eat tea eggs and discuss the next matter while eating.

Hongxiu lowered her eyes and ate her eggs quietly, listening silently. This kind of family atmosphere made her familiar yet strange, distant yet close. She didn't change her face in front of her, but her heart was filled with ups and downs that she couldn't calm down.

…

Outside the capital.

Mu Wanrou had been waiting for more than half an hour, watching the sun gradually set. At this time, the person Zi Yan was waiting for still didn't show up, and she couldn't help but feel a little anxious.

But Bi Snake and Zi Yan didn't have anxious expressions on their faces. Instead, they were chatting happily.

"Bishe, when you get to the capital, you have to help me with something."

After chatting about a lot of innocuous topics, Zi Yan finally got to the point.

"Tell me, who are you going to deal with?" Bi She responded with a smile.

In fact, Bi She had already been mentally prepared. Before heading to the capital, the letter she received from Zi Yan specifically mentioned that she came to the capital for important matters.

Although Zi Yan didn't say what it was, judging from her serious attitude, it was definitely not an easy matter.

"Do you have to deal with someone?" Zi Yan asked.

"According to your status in the imperial court of the capital, ordinary things should be able to be solved without any help from me, but once you ask me for help, it will definitely not be easy, or the power of the capital will be easily exposed, and you have to rely on

It was accomplished with a strange identity. For such a big event, if there are obstacles, there will be strong opponents." Bi She said slowly.

"It's not a good thing if a woman is too smart. It will be difficult for her to find the man she likes." Zi Yan sighed.

"This sentence also applies to you. Maybe we are destined to die alone." The corners of Bi She's lips rose.

"With your raven mouth, do you think I will end up alone?"

"Like, very similar."

Then, the two of them laughed, but there was a bit of bitterness in their smiles.

"Okay, let's not talk about this. Let me tell you about the people we have to deal with." Zi Yan said seriously.

"You don't have to tell me, I've already guessed who I'm going to deal with." Bi She said suddenly.

A trace of surprise flashed in Zi Yan's eyes: "Did you guess it? Then tell me."

"They must be from Dongling Academy!" Bi She said.

"Yes, we are close to the answer." Zi Yan nodded.

"The Feng family of Dongling Academy...right?" Bi She said again.

Zi Yan was really surprised this time.

"How do you know it's the Feng family?"

"First of all, the people you want to deal with must live in the capital. If they don't live in other places, then they are not families from other places. This excludes a large number of aristocratic families."

Bi She raised a finger.

"Secondly, this opponent is powerful enough. On the surface, the emperor cannot touch him. There are many possibilities for this. However, the current emperor is very powerful and he cannot touch this opponent. That means that this person is not a person who has been around since the founding of the country.

The noble warriors are no longer members of the royal family."

"After all this calculation, if I am bold enough, I can come up with this conclusion about Dongling Academy. There are so many literati from academies in the world, but no one dares to say that Dongling Academy is second."

"There are several factions in Dongling Academy, and the most likely one is the Feng family."

"Why is it most likely to be the Feng family?" Zi Yan asked.
Chapter completed!