The Farmer's Daughter is the Favorite of the Family

Qibao carried out a box of mahjong tiles and said: "Grandpa, I'll teach you all a new game even more fun than five-in-a-row. My master taught me this."

The old man asked: "I saw you fiddling with these little wooden blocks this afternoon. How do you play it?"

Qibao replied: "This game needs four players. Let me explain the rules."

So Qibao explained how to play mahjong—how to match tiles, what makes a winning hand, and how to win by drawing your own tile.

The old man got excited right away: "All right then, let's give it a try first. We'll learn as we go."

Mrs. Wang waved her hand: "No way! This just gives me a headache. You can play without me."

"I'm no good at games either." Mrs. Sun added. "I'd rather watch."

But Old Man Lin wasn't so modest. "Count me in!"

"Me too." Mr. Qian chimed in.

"That leaves one spot open." the old man asked: "Uncle Fu, why don't you join us?"

Uncle Fu quickly shook his head: "Oh no, sir. I couldn't possibly play with you all. I'm not smart enough for such things, and besides, how could a servant sit alongside masters and honored guests? It wouldn't be proper!"

The old man glared at him: "What nonsense! Get over here and sit down. If I say it's fine, then it is. The scholar won't mind."

"Come on, Uncle Fu." Mr. Qian said: "Sit down and join the game."

After a moment of hesitation, prompted by Grandpa's urging, Uncle Fu finally took a seat.

Qibao taught them a few rounds. At first, they made lots of mistakes, but gradually they got the hang of it.

Feeling confident, Grandpa suggested: "Why don't we add some stakes? Playing for nothing isn't much fun."

"How high should the stakes be?" asked Mr. Qian.

"Just for fun." replied Grandpa. "Each person puts in ten taels of silver. If you let someone win, you owe them ten cents. If you win on your own, each player owes you twenty cents. How about that?"

Uncle looked troubled, he didn't have ten taels to spare.

Qibao said": "Uncle Fu's share will be mine, but if you win money, Uncle Fu, count me in, and it doesn't matter if you lose, the winnings are your own anyway, they didn't go into anyone else's pockets."

"Deal!" said Grandpa. "Let's start!"

The four players sat around a table, surrounded by a crowd eager to watch.

Qibao sat next to Uncle Fu, watching him play. Even when he made a mistake or two, she said nothing.

"Father, you can't play with that tile." Big Uncle Xu pointed out: "Try this one instead."

Grandpa glared at him: "Fine then, why don't you play it?"

Big Uncle Xu backed down: "No thanks, I'll just keep watching!"

"I know what I'm doing!" Grandpa said firmly: "I'll take five!"

"Hoo! Ha ha!" Old Man Lin laughed heartily. He was the first to win this round.

Big Uncle Xu grumbled: "I told you that wasn't a good move..."

The old man glared at him before handing ten cents to Old Man Lin: "Next time, I'll be the one to win for sure!"

Old Man Lin cheerfully pocketed the money: "Sure thing. You're definitely winning next time."

But heaven had other plans, this time, it was Uncle Fu who won by drawing his own tile, earning twenty cents for his share.

Uncle Fu was stunned. He hadn't expected such luck, suddenly increasing his total by sixty cents.

Yue Xue exclaimed happily: "Grandpa won!"

After watching for a few rounds, even the onlookers understood the game well enough. Second Uncle Xu remarked: "Dad, your luck isn't great today. How about I play a few rounds with you?"

"Get lost!" the old man retorted: "I refuse to believe I can't win a single round all day!"

Soon, it was late into the night. Yaya and Zhi'er, being young, were already asleep from exhaustion.

The remaining children played their own games nearby—paper cards and marbles. Qibao had prepared these in advance within her space, meant as surprises for them. The marbles, crafted by Qibao herself from stone, were polished smooth and round, much like modern glass balls.

That night, every home in Xu Family Village was brightly lit as families stayed up late together. Red lanterns hung at each doorway, filling the air with a festive and lively atmosphere.

As dawn approached, both adults and children were starting to feel drowsy.

Mrs. Wang exclaimed: "Old man, "let's stop playing, you've lost everything already. Everyone should get some rest, we still need to open the doors and set off firecrackers in the morning."

The old man replied: "I'll play again tomorrow. I'm sure I can win back these ten taels of silver!"

Old Man Lin chuckled: "All right, all right. Tonight, you're the only one who lost. I even won two taels myself! Uncle Fu here took home the biggest prize though."

Uncle Fu said: "I won more than four taels, but these are all Miss's."

Qibao spoke up: "Uncle Fu, didn't I tell you before? Just keep twenty percent of your winnings. I'll take two taels, and the rest will be Uncle Fu's."

Uncle Fu protested: "No, no, the young lady paid for these ten taels of silver! The winnings originally belonged to the young Miss."

"But you played the cards!" Qibao insisted: "Take this money. You played all night—surely you deserve something."

Qibao handed him two taels of silver, then turned around to head back inside for some much-needed sleep.

Uncle Fu remained outside, staring at the remaining silver in his hand, feeling somewhat bewildered.

"Uncle Fu." Grandpa said: "Keep this for now! But I'm definitely going to win it back. You probably won't even have a chance to warm it up!" He added. "Go get some sleep too."

Uncle Fu could only nod.

So, the Xu family's main house, which had been bustling just moments ago, now fell silent as everyone drifted off to dreamland.

When dawn broke, Mrs. Wang's children sprang up—except for Eldest Brother and Second Brother, whose eyes were still glued shut.

After getting dressed, the kids gathered in the main house. There, Grandpa and Grandma Wang held out stacks of red packets.

The older brothers knelt respectfully before their elders, then stood up and said: "Wishing Grandpa and Grandma good health and happiness!"

Mrs. Wang smiled warmly as she handed them their red packets.

Uncle Fu tugged at Yue Xue standing nearby: "Go give your grandpa and Grandma a respectful bow too."

"Yes, Grandpa!"

Seeing this, the remaining eleven guards also knelt down and bowed three times to Grandpa and Grandma Wang.

Mrs. Wang chuckled: "Very well, you're all such good children. Here are some red packets for you too."

Yue Xue glanced at Uncle Fu. Seeing his grandfather nod, he finally accepted the packet.

Yaya and Zhi'er saw the red packets and ran over eagerly. They dropped to their knees before Grandpa and banged their heads on the ground loudly.

Mrs. Wang jumped in surprise. She pulled the two children up and felt their foreheads: "Doesn't it hurt? You don't need to be so rough! You two have these too."

Yaya and Zhi'er took the red packets with happy smiles. Even though they didn't fully understand money yet, they knew having it meant they could buy sweets.

Just like previous years, the Xu family didn't go anywhere during the New Year. From time to time, villagers would come by with gifts, and Grandpa would give them red packets in return. The villagers wouldn't accept the gifts and leave right away.

Qibao had been in this world for two years without realizing it. She is now seven years old, time really flew. She still remembered clearly when she first opened her eyes and everything about the Xu family came flooding back. Things had changed quite a bit since then.

This year, the Xu family celebrated the New Year especially lively. On the eighth day, Mr. Qian left with second son and other three people for Qingyun Town. He no longer had any worries at home—his wife and children were well taken care of by the Xus—and he could focus on growing his hotpot restaurant business.