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"No, I don’t think we’ll be taking any time off," Lin Yuan washed her face and, while wiping it with a cotton towel, her voice came out somewhat muffled.

"No time off?"

"Yes." Lin Yuan draped the towel on the rack, not noticing Lin Wei’s sudden concern for the tofu shop, and while undressing and getting into bed, she said, "Fuman Building doesn’t close for the New Year either, and the tofu shop has to deliver tofu to them, so of course, they can’t take a break either. "

"What about Xiao Linzi, how will they celebrate the New Year?" Lin Wei realized she had almost let something slip and quickly corrected herself, stealing a glance at her elder sister. Seeing no sign of suspicion, she let out a soft sigh of relief.

"They ah, they will just celebrate the New Year at the shop. Don’t worry, I’ve already delivered enough food to them in advance, they definitely won’t go hungry. And you know, the kids at the shop are much more adaptable than we think, there definitely won’t be any problems."

Lin Wei was still somewhat anxious and wanted to ask more but was promptly pulled into the quilt by her elder sister, "Alright, go to sleep now, we’re heading home early tomorrow, and with the New Year just two or three days away, we can’t delay any further."

After speaking, Lin Yuan yawned and quickly fell asleep. Today had worn her out with all the shopping and walking.

Listening to her elder sister’s gradually steady breathing, Lin Wei stared blankly at the bed curtain, feeling a bit unable to sleep.

Early the next morning, after giving instructions to Shopkeeper Liu about the business, Lin Yuan took her two younger sisters and set off back to the Lin family homestead. Of course, she didn’t forget to invite Lao Fan to join her family for the New Year.

Lao Fan haughtily lifted his chin and did not speak.

Already seated in the carriage, Xiao Linshuang popped her head out with a whoosh, calling out to him, "Master, you must come! If you don’t, I’ll eat all of the braised lion’s head meatballs that big sister made! Not leaving a single bite for you, not even the soup!"

Lao Fan twitched the corner of his mouth, frustratedly thrust out his fist, and childishly gestured at Xiao Linshuang, "You brat, after all the skills I have taught you throughout my life, in the end, I’ve raised a white-eyed wolf who wouldn’t even save some soup for her master!"

Seeing him take the bait, Xiao Linshuang giggled, intentionally raising her eyebrows and revealing her shiny white teeth, "You really hit the nail on the head. Who used to call me little wolf cub all the time, huh?"

Lao Fan clutched his chest, a fountain of ’old blood’ nearly spewing forth, finally managing to squeeze out a few words between his teeth, "Come pick me up on the thirtieth!"

"Got it!" Xiao Linshuang gnashed her teeth, and with one final grin to show off her pearly whites to Lao Fan, she joyously entered the carriage.

Lin Yuan covered her mouth and laughed, giving Lao Fan one last reminder before she too entered the carriage.

Before heading back to the village, Lin Yuan made a special trip to check out the tofu shop. Xiao Linshuang hopped down for a look around, while Lin Wei, for some reason, excused herself as being too cold to leave the carriage and was teased by Xiao Linshuang for being delicate.

However, despite saying she wouldn’t get out, Lin Wei couldn’t help but secretly lift the curtain to peek after her big sister walked in.

The tofu shop wasn’t affected by the New Year preparations but was filled with festive spirit. Especially the children that Linzi brought back, each wearing new clothes and shoes, busy with their tasks while chatting and laughing merrily.

Linzi glanced behind Lin Yuan and murmured something in a hushed tone.

"What did you say?" Lin Yuan didn’t catch it and couldn’t help but ask again.

Linzi coughed twice, "Oh, nothing, nothing. I mean, there’s nothing to worry about with the tofu shop, you just go back home and enjoy the New Year."

Lin Yuan nodded, although Shopkeeper Zhou would be going home on the thirtieth, and Lan Hua also returned to the village. But with Linzi there, Lin Yuan was still very much at ease.

These days, Linzi’s ability to handle things had become increasingly apparent, not just in managing the servants, but also in other aspects.

Shopkeeper Zhou had praised the boy more than once in her presence, saying the boy was indeed smart, but with a somewhat haughty nature and a not so good temper.

It was just as well that he didn’t handle customer relations; otherwise, he’d probably drive away all their business partners.

Leaving the tofu shop, the three sisters headed straight home. Lin Jiaxin had already been pacing back and forth at the main gate for a while and, upon seeing the familiar carriage, couldn’t help but break into a smile.