CHAPTER 195: CHAPTER 195: NAUGHTY CHILD APPEARS

195 Naughty Child Appears

"Then what should we do?"

"Yeah, are we just going to give up on this great honor?"

The Clan Chief said, "Alright, isn’t Zhao Ji still here? He’s the smartest and most diligent kid in our clan. If we cultivate him well, he might become an official in the future, and then there will be plenty of glory..."

In the end, although the elders were reluctant, they agreed with the Clan Chief’s suggestion, placing all their hopes on Zhao Ji.

While the debate raged inside the Zhao Ancestral Hall, the entrance of the Zhao Family Mansion was bustling and lively.

Zhao Dong and Zhang Qiang were on a ladder, putting up the plaque on the main gate.

Villagers gathered around, chattering excitedly. Some enthusiastic folk helped direct the placement, while others assisted in hanging firecrackers nearby.

Once the plaque was hung and the red cloth unveiled, firecrackers sounded off in unison. Instantly, the villagers all knelt, bowing towards the plaque.

In the eyes of the common folk, imperial power was supreme. Receiving a plaque bestowed by the emperor was a tremendous honor.

Although it wasn’t theirs personally, the plaque was in their village, which was also an unparalleled honor. When they went out, they could proudly say that their Zhao Village possessed an imperially bestowed plaque, and their faces would shine with pride.

Only after the firecrackers finished did the villagers rise, looking up at the ’huge’ plaque. Even though they couldn’t read the words, they instinctively felt the gilded characters were magnificent and imposing.

"What’s written on this plaque?"

Most villagers couldn’t read; they were there to enjoy the spectacle, admire its beauty, and appreciate its grandeur.

Zhao Zhitong, in her sweet, childlike voice, read to them: "These four large characters are ’Abundant Home’."

"My, oh my, she truly has learned well from the Teacher!"

"Isn’t that the truth! This girl is clearly clever. Otherwise, why would Mr. Meng be so fond of this student?"

...

The surrounding praise was incessant, and Zhao Zhitong’s small face beamed with pride.

"Young girl, what do these four characters mean then?"

Zhao Zhitong, pleased by the praise, was even more eager to impart her ’knowledge.’ Thus, with her little hands behind her back like a small adult, she began to explain, bobbing her head, "’Abundant Home’ comes from the *Records of the Grand Historian: Anecdotal Biographies*: ’Earthenware and baskets are filled to the brim, carts are laden with goods, the five grains are ripe and plentiful, and abundance fills the home.’ It means we hope our farmlands will yield bountiful harvests and our granaries will be full."

The villagers understood only bits and pieces of her earlier explanation, but they certainly grasped the meaning of the final sentence.

This was the hope of every commoner, so they all rejoiced.

"What a wonderful saying! Such wisdom!"

"Indeed! With this plaque, we’ll receive the blessings of the imperial true dragon. Our village is sure to have favorable weather and bountiful harvests!"

"Yes, yes!"

...

The villagers congratulated the Zhao Dong family one after another, their faces beaming with New Year’s joy.

「 」

With the New Year celebrations underway, families began visiting each other, going from house to house to offer greetings.

Mr. Meng and Meng Fusheng had returned to their hometown for the Spring Festival, so Zhao Zhitong and Zhao Yu couldn’t pay their Teacher a New Year’s visit.

However, they had prepared New Year’s gifts to present to their Teacher upon his return.

Just then, Sun Mei was taking down a piece of cured meat from the courtyard, asking Zhao Dong to deliver it to Wu Da.

Although Wu Da had opened up somewhat after spending time with them, he remained very aloof and disliked interacting much with the villagers.

Thus, during the New Year festivities, he lived alone in a desolate spot in the wilderness, with only a solitary tomb for company.

Zhao Dong took the cured meat and was about to head out.

Sun Mei, suddenly remembering something, called out to him, "Hey, wait a moment."

With that, she turned back into the kitchen, wrapped some dumplings in a steaming cloth, and brought them out for Zhao Dong.

"Take some dumplings to Wu Da. A grown man like him probably doesn’t know how to make them. It’s New Year’s; he should have some dumplings."

"Alright!" Zhao Dong smiled, took the dumplings, and headed for the back hill.

Meanwhile, Sun Mei, Zhao Zhitong, and the other little ones weren’t idle either; they also had to visit their neighbors to pay New Year’s greetings.

On the second day of the New Year, it was time to visit the wife’s maternal home for New Year calls.

Early in the morning, Zhao Zhitong and the other children scrambled out of their beds, put on new clothes, washed up, and then, laden with gifts, rode in an ox cart to their maternal grandmother’s house.

At this time, the door to their grandmother’s house was wide open, specifically to welcome Sun Mei and her family who were expected that day.

Sun Daji and the others were playing by the courtyard gate, waiting for Zhao Zhitong’s family.

"Ah, is our little cousin here?" Sun Xiaoxue cried out in surprise.

Everyone looked and saw Zhao Zhitong’s family’s horse carriage approaching slowly in the distance. They all jumped up and ran over, shouting and cheering.

Once there, they scrambled to climb onto the ox cart.

Seeing her older male and female cousins, Zhao Zhitong was overjoyed, calling out "Cousin! Cousin!" excitedly.

When they reached the entrance of the house, their grandmother shouted at them, and Sun Daji and the others hurriedly climbed down from the ox cart.

Zhao Zhitong also scrambled down and ran to greet her maternal grandfather and grandmother, "Grandpa, Grandma, Happy New Year!"

"Mmm, good, good, all is good."

Zhao Guifen chuckled and called Zhao Daji and the others to help Sun Mei and Zhao Dong unload the things from the cart.

Sun Mei and Zhao Dong had put great effort into preparing the gifts, filling nearly an entire ox cart, which greatly impressed the surrounding neighbors.

"Oh my, look how filial their son-in-law is!"

"Exactly! Just look at that cartload of gifts! For pork alone, there’s a whole half-carcass! And that fabric, the material looks truly beautiful."

...

Meanwhile, things were not so cheerful at the neighboring Sun Ma household.

Sun Ma’s wife, Granny Guan, stood at her door, watching the neighbors next door joyfully carrying gifts into their home. Her expression was quite sour. With a cold snort, she turned and went back inside.

Then, in the courtyard, she grabbed a wood chopper and began hacking at the firewood, the blows making sharp THWACKING sounds. All the while, she muttered curses, "Show-offs! Just you wait, you show-offs! Sooner or later, you’ll break your backs from all this flaunting! Hmph! What’s so great about them?!"

Granny Guan’s daughters-in-law all kept silent, each pulling her children away from their grandmother.

They were scheduled to visit their own maternal homes on the fourth. Today, their husband’s younger sisters were supposed to come for New Year’s calls, but it was already so late in the morning, and they still hadn’t arrived.

The old woman was clearly in a foul mood. It being New Year’s, none of them wanted to risk her wrath or invite a scolding.

Their courtyard was cold and deserted, the atmosphere strange, contrasting sharply with the lively and vibrant scene across the way, thanks to the arrival of Zhao Dong’s family.

Several children had gathered and, naturally, began to run about and play with abandon.

At that time, after Zhao Zhitong had paid her New Year’s respects to her maternal grandfather, grandmother, uncles, and aunts, she joined her older cousins to play in the street out front.

Just then, two flatbed carts arrived one after another, stopping at the gate of their neighbor Granny Guan’s house. Granny Guan’s daughters had arrived.

Zhao Zhitong and her group were so engrossed in their play that none of them noticed guests had also arrived at the house next door.

That is, until the appearance of a naughty child!