Transmigrated Female Official

154 New Year's Eve Dinner

As the year draws to a close, the clothing workshop, with the cooperation of the imperial kitchen, has produced several more down comforters. These were first made to meet the needs of the princesses, and then it was the princes' turn...

Chu Qingluo received a bed thanks to the Empress's special gift, and she didn't forget to try to get one for Jiang Hua as well. At least she kept her word.

That day, Luo Lifei brought a down comforter to Chu Qingluo.

Lately, she's been frequenting the famous clothing stores whenever she has free time, so she knows a little about the quarrel between Shaoyao and Chu Qingluo.

Luo Lifei first had her attendants put down the box containing the bedding before asking, "Has Peony not arrived yet today?"

"Hmm..." Chu Qingluo rested her chin on her hand, looking listless.

Luo Lifei glanced at her and sighed, "Sigh—don't overthink it. You two are true friends, you won't become strangers over something like this."

"I hope so."

Anyway, Chu Qingluo had already made up her mind. If Shaoyao didn't show up in a few days, she would knock on Shaoyao's door every day until she broke it down! She refused to believe that Shaoyao could continue to avoid her for long!

Luo Lifei sat down opposite Chu Qingluo, pouted and said, "Before I met you guys, I never had any friends."

Chu Qingluo was taken aback, then smiled and asked, "Wait a minute—what about those two people who were mocking me when I first arrived at the Clothing Pavilion? Weren't they very supportive of you back then?"

"Which two?"

"I don't remember their names, but they were those two who were always following you around."

Luo Lifei thought for a moment before realizing, "You mean them? They're not friends at all! They just deliberately approach anyone they can get something out of them. I can't be bothered with them." She rolled her eyes as she finished speaking.

Hearing Luo Lifei's words, Chu Qingluo laughed. It turned out Luo Lifei was quite perceptive after all.

"I've noticed that you and Tongmu have been getting along very well lately," Chu Qingluo remarked.

Luo Lifei twitched the corner of her mouth and said, "...It's alright."

She had seen Chu Yilin once or twice recently, both times by chance at the Mingyifang clothing store. Each time he saw her interacting intimately with Ling Nan, he still had a carefree and playful expression, showing no sign of discomfort whatsoever.

“I think you’re right.” Luo Lifei suddenly sighed, “If I get it, I’m lucky; if I lose it, it’s fate. Perhaps Chu Yilin and I were never meant to be, and we can’t force it.”

Hearing Luo Lifei's words, it was clear that she was utterly disappointed in Chu Yilin.

However, Chu Qingluo vaguely saw a glimmer of hope. Given Chu Yilin's personality, he wouldn't casually wander into the famous clothing store all the time. His recent frequent appearances were most likely due to Luo Lifei being there.

However, Chu Qingluo didn't plan to tell Luo Lifei about this significant discovery. She hoped Luo Lifei could hold onto this momentum and continue looking forward. As for the task of finally giving Chu Yilin a lash, Chu Qingluo intended to do that for Luo Lifei.

"Shouldn't you be having your coming-of-age ceremony after the New Year?" Chu Qingluo asked.

Mentioning this, Luo Lifei immediately looked down and said, "In this freezing weather, how embarrassing would it be if no one came to watch?! Why did I have to be born at a time like this?"

Chu Qinglu chuckled and said, "Don't worry, everyone from Mingyifang will be there to support us, and I'll bring the Chu family members along too."

"..." Upon hearing Chu Qingluo mention 'those few from the Chu family,' Luo Lifei could only think of Chu Yilin. "Chu Yilin...will he go to see them too?"

"I don't know either, but Nine-Tails and Kirito will definitely be going." Chu Qingluo paused, then added, "Besides, it doesn't matter whether Chu Yilin goes or not, right?"

"Um……"

Seeing her silence, Chu Qingluo suddenly said, "Lifei, I want to discuss something with you."

Luo Lifei composed herself and said, "What is it? Tell me—"

"I think the rouge my second brother gave you before has a really pretty color. I'd like to borrow it from you, is that alright?"

Luo Lifei was stunned for a moment before saying, "You can take it and use it, I don't want to use it anyway."

Chu Qinglu smiled and said, "Then thank you very much."

……

On New Year's Eve, snow fell heavily.

The entire Chu family sat in a circle to eat their New Year's Eve dinner together. During the meal, Chu's mother took out coins that she had prepared in advance and distributed them to everyone in turn.

Wishing my dear mother good health, longevity, and prosperity in her business! May good fortune come her every year!

Chu Qingluo was the first to receive her New Year's money, which she happily took from her mother. Upon closer inspection, it was a string of coins strung together with a red cord. The obverse of the coins was inscribed with the words "May you live a thousand years" and "Peace throughout the world"; the reverse featured the character "Ji" surrounded by phoenixes.

Chu Qingluo had never seen such coins before, and asked Gongsun Yu beside her in a low voice, "Can these coins be used to buy things?"

He glanced at her, suppressing a laugh, and said, "No."

Seeing her curious expression, Gongsun Yu added, "These coins are meant to be placed at the foot of the bed or under the pillow, specifically for warding off evil spirits and bringing good luck during the New Year."

“Oh… I didn’t know that New Year’s money was like this, so I prepared a different kind.” After saying that, Chu Qingluo turned to Jiuwei and said, “Take out the red envelopes I prepared for everyone.”

"Alright—" Nine-Tailed Fox received the instruction and immediately ran back to Ningxiang Courtyard to retrieve the items.

Mother Chu stared at the pile of large red purses that Nine-Tailed Fox was holding and asked, "What is this...?"

Chu Qingluo reached out and picked up the largest one, handing it to her mother with both hands, saying, "Mother, this is a gift from your daughter to you. I wish you a long and healthy life!"

"...Thank you." Mother Chu took the purse with a puzzled look, weighing it in her hand; it was heavy. Then, she opened the purse to look inside...

It was pure silver!

Upon noticing the surprised expression on Chu's mother's face, everyone who had received the purse opened it to look inside... Immediately, a chorus of exclamations arose.

Wu Yang stared at the purse in her hand and couldn't help but ask, "Qing Luo, what do you mean by this?"

"These are red envelopes I prepared for everyone; they also symbolize New Year's greetings."

“But this…” Wu Yang felt that he had already earned a considerable monthly salary from the clothing store, and he was really embarrassed to take any more of her money now.

Chu Qingluo reached out to interrupt Wu Yang, who was about to speak, and said with a smile, "Everyone has worked hard all year. This is just a small token of my appreciation. If you say anything more, you'll really be being too polite."

Seeing that she said that, Wu Yang couldn't refuse anymore, so he could only bow down and say, "...Thank you, Qing Luo."

Chu Yilin, who was standing to the side, noticed that he was also included, and couldn't help but shake his head with a smile. He stood up and said, "Come on, everyone, let's raise our glasses and thank our lady-in-waiting."

Upon hearing this, everyone quickly raised their glasses and stood up.

At this moment, Chu Yilin spoke first: "May my third sister be blessed with good fortune and boundless luck."

The glasses of everyone clinked crisply in the air, and auspicious words were exchanged endlessly... The Chu family's New Year's Eve dinner was truly a scene of reunion and harmony.