From Hoarding to Time-Travel: My Supplies Saved Him

Chapter 749: Chapter 751: New Year’s Eve

Hou Cunjin definitely didn’t want his reputation damaged at this most crucial moment.

Only his stupid wife couldn’t see things clearly. Did she really think that ruining the eldest daughter’s reputation would benefit the younger children?

Now, sending the two sisters together to his younger sister’s place could be explained as them going to learn the rules of an official family, which would also earn a good reputation for the second daughter.

Mrs. Hou Li was still angry. These days, to ease relations with her maiden family, she had even made the New Year’s gifts a bit more generous than in previous years.

Even so, her sister-in-law from her maiden family still made sarcastic remarks. And the one who had caused all this trouble was her own meddlesome sister-in-law.

The expression on her face was caught right by Hou Cunjin, making him regret his indulgence over the years even more.

"Go pack up for Yao’er and have someone send her over immediately."

After speaking, he turned and walked out of the courtyard, leaving Mrs. Hou Li to sweep all the cups on the table onto the floor.

Jin Qianqian thought Hou Cunjin would wait at least a while longer before coming to their door. To her surprise, she received his visiting card from the porter the very next day.

It seemed the Hou siblings really were cut from the same cloth; their way of delivering visiting cards was exceptionally unconventional.

Hearing from the porter that the person was still waiting outside, Jin Qianqian had no choice but to ask Xu Dawang to attend to him first.

Xu Dawang returned shortly to report that he was indeed here for the soap.

Jin Qianqian had someone fetch Minghai to receive him and discuss the details.

Hou Cunjin knew that the womenfolk of official families had many rules to follow. Furthermore, having the Chief Steward negotiate with him was much more to his liking, as it kept him from feeling too constrained.

The two sides haggled back and forth. Minghai held firmly to the bottom line, while Hou Cunjin ended up paying a tier higher than his expected price. Finally, the deal was struck.

He also knew that if it weren’t for his eldest daughter, he truly wouldn’t have been able to monopolize this business.

Upon returning to his residence, he had the steward pack up a large pile of fine goods and send them to the Wu family for Hou Tian’er. This made Mrs. Hou Li grit her teeth in anger, keeping her awake all night.

Gu Wenheng finally arrived in Yongchang County on the day of Minor New Year.

However, in the few days before the government seal was to be locked away for the holidays, he still had a multitude of matters to handle. After eating a single meal at the estate, he didn’t even have time for a proper rest before he was busy at the government office again.

By the time he finally stopped, it was already New Year’s Eve.

"You can finally stop and rest," Jin Qianqian said, personally serving him a bowl of soup. "You’ve worked hard all year. Now you can finally take a few days off."

The government office wouldn’t unseal its stamps and resume work until the eighth day of the New Year, making this a rare resting period for him.

Gu Wenheng also felt a bit guilty. "I’ve spent far too few days with you this year. For the next few days, our family will properly celebrate the New Year together."

Jin Qianqian asked, "Should we call Gu Yi and the others over to join us?"

"Don’t worry about those brats. They’ll be more comfortable staying by themselves.

"Tonight, we’ll all have the New Year’s Eve dinner together; that’ll be lively enough."

Hadn’t she seen that Gu Benluo had even dragged Gu Ben Can away? In his words, the brothers needed to properly bond with each other.

In truth, they were just a few boys who wanted to mess around together. During the holiday season, he didn’t want to restrict the children and just let them fool around as they pleased.

"It just so happens that the two of us can enjoy some rare peace and quiet. You’ve been working too hard lately." Gu Wenheng held her hand and said softly, "I went to take a look at East City. It’s bustling and has brought vitality to Yongchang County."

This undeniable political achievement was entirely brought about by Jin Qianqian. Thanks to this bonus, the officials of Yongchang County had been remarkably efficient in handling matters these days.

Jin Qianqian replied, "But when I went out recently, I heard a lot of complaints. The madams of various families are secretly grumbling that you’ve assigned their husbands too many tasks, keeping the men away from home for a long time."

Gu Wenheng snorted. "How can there be rewards without effort?

"Earlier, we conceded such a massive chunk of East City’s profits to everyone. Yet, these people were insatiable and actually tried to trip you up.

"Since they’ve reaped the benefits, they ought to handle their tasks with even greater excellence and precision."

Gu Wenheng would never admit that he was nitpicking or demanding perfection in everything.

He had only gone out on an inspection tour, yet those people had started ostracizing Jin Qianqian. He couldn’t easily take action against these inner-courtyard women, but he could certainly torment the officials working under him.

However, under this high-pressure policy, these people’s potential proved to be limitless. Hadn’t they wrapped up the year’s matters perfectly?

Jin Qianqian covered her mouth and chuckled. "Actually, I don’t mind. It’s better if they want to exclude me. Those boring banquets, one after another—I was getting impatient with them anyway.

"During that time, I was also able to free up my hands to handle the affairs in East City."

She was quite happy that Gu Wenheng had the heart to vent her frustration on her behalf.

She placed a few pieces of food into his bowl with her chopsticks. "You’ve gotten tanner and thinner while out all these days. You must properly recuperate in the estate during this time."

Gu Wenheng said, "In the future, just tell me directly if anything happens. We won’t suffer their petty grievances. If the messenger hadn’t blabbered a few extra words, I wouldn’t have even known."

Regarding Jin Qianqian’s habit of reporting only the good news and hiding the bad, Gu Wenheng felt he needed to address it properly.

Jin Qianqian quickly explained, knowing she wouldn’t be able to brush this off easily, "Wasn’t I just afraid you’d have too much on your plate while away? I didn’t want you to worry too much.

"Besides, I really didn’t think it was a big deal. Going through this ordeal also helped me see clearly how many of these people operate, so I’ll know what to expect when dealing with them in the future."

「Gaoling Village.」

Li Cuicui stood outside the main gate, watching her sons paste couplets.

Her daughters-in-law were shouting, pointing out when something was crooked or accidentally pasted upside down. This lively scene made the corners of her mouth curl up.

"Mother, we’ve all come here to freeload off your food today so everyone can liven things up together," Liu Liu teased as she stood beside the old lady with Gu Lehua.

"As if you freeload off my food rarely!" Li Cuicui pointed at her daughters-in-law and scolded them with a smile. "You’re getting lazier by the day, coming here to sponge off my meals every few days. Watch out, or your own kitchens will gather dust."

"Listen to what you’re saying! Isn’t it because Yuan Jin and the others are away from home all day? Cooking on our own is just too lonely, so coming here adds some liveliness," Li Xiaohua said with total self-assurance. "Food always tastes better with more people."

Li Cuicui didn’t care what hidden motives these daughters-in-law had. At the very least, the family was currently harmonious, which was exactly what they, as the elders, wanted to see.

As for Gu Dashi, who was still lying on the heated brick bed, he seemed to have come to terms with things recently. On normal days, he would also have someone carry him to the courtyard to eat with everyone.

As long as he wasn’t making cynical remarks or throwing tantrums, Li Cuicui felt she could tolerate him.

Anyway, no matter how much of an eyesore he was, she had already looked at him for so many years. She could manage this final stretch of time.

"It’s just a pity that a few of the boys are still out there. I wonder when we’ll be able to have a true reunion." Li Cuicui felt she was being too greedy. Now that she had a good life, she still wanted to demand more.