"Got it!" Bai Sheng hugged the second child and ran back with a whoosh. The three children inside were crying their hearts out, as if their parents had abandoned them and they were the most pitiful creatures in the world.
Bai Sheng put the second child aside and immediately went to comfort them one by one. "Oh, my good babies, don't cry, don't cry. Even if you speak late and can't call Mommy, Mommy still loves you. Mommy was just too excited."
The four children stopped wailing instantly, with not a single tear in their eyes. They scrambled to snuggle into Bai Sheng's arms.
Bai Sheng's nose felt a little sore. She only wished she had four arms, feeling guilty if she held one and not the other.
She could only repeatedly tell the four children that she loved each of them equally.
But the babies didn't understand their mother's heart. They felt that their mother liked whoever she kissed or held more.
Since the second child, Jin Ye, learned to call Mommy, he received more of his mother's love. Every time he called out, his mother would kiss him and affectionately pinch his little face.
The other three children also tried their best, determined to learn to say "Mommy" so that their mother would kiss them more.
Thus, Bai Sheng and Lu Ye's ears were always filled with strange words like "Yi Ya," "Yi Liang," "Liang Liang," "Qi Qi," and so on.
Besides learning to call Mommy, all four children wanted to stand up and learn to walk. At this point, no matter how strong Lu Huo was, she couldn't manage four children struggling to get on their feet. Especially the third child, who was as strong as her. How could she restrain him?
So, Bai Sheng desperately recalled the baby walkers she had seen in modern times. Then, in her spatial dimension, she willed four wooden baby walkers into existence. The wheels were also made of wood. Although they looked a bit ugly, they were convenient for both walking and sitting.
From then on, four little figures could be found running around in their walkers, and the adults had to be careful where they walked and sat, for they might turn around and step on a little person trailing behind them.
Lu Huo felt her responsibility had become even greater. The four little masters, safely ensconced in their carriers, hardly took any effort. But when they could move freely, it was truly taxing on the eyes and mind, always fearing they might accidentally get themselves into danger.
The four little masters were her darlings, and she would rather beat herself to death if any of them suffered even the slightest injury.
With only a few days left until New Year's Eve, the festive atmosphere in the village grew stronger.
Bai Sheng decided to have the whole family celebrate New Year's Eve together, including the low-ranking servants Xiao Hong, Xian Shu, Gou Luanzi, and Bie San Si Wu.
Moreover, she planned to host a New Year's Eve family party, where each household would prepare a performance. Those without families would form groups and put on a show together. Of course, individual performers were also warmly welcomed.
For particularly outstanding performances, there were prizes. The prizes were divided into special, first, second, and third class, as well as participation awards. The special prize was ten taels of silver per person, the first prize was five taels of silver per person, the second prize was a set of clothes and a pair of shoes per person, the third prize was a pair of shoes per person, and the participation prize was a pack of sunflower seeds per person.
The judges were everyone in the household.
Upon hearing this, everyone responded enthusiastically, especially Xiao Hong, Xian Shu, and Gou Luanzi. They were ecstatic and vowed to win the special prize, as ten taels of silver was enough to marry two wives, and they all wanted to get married.
Three days before New Year's Eve, people rehearsing their performances could be seen everywhere in Bai Sheng's house, their enthusiasm reaching a level Bai Sheng could not have imagined.
The cultural and entertainment life of ancient people was so lacking! Wealthy people could listen to storytellers, watch plays, and enjoy music. What could the poor watch?
Stare blankly!
Prince Yu and Ji Chenghe both planned to spend the New Year at Bai Sheng's house, and they would also perform.
Prince Yu had already decided to perform a sword dance, with Qiu Bian and the other person responsible for the music.
To be the sole standout, Prince Yu imperiously commanded the entire family that no one was allowed to repeat his performance, or their heads would be cut off.
In fact, he was guarding against Lu Ye. Lu Ye's martial arts were superior to his, and he was only slightly more handsome. However, if Lu Ye also performed a sword dance, he would definitely steal his thunder.
With threats of beheading thrown around, who in the family dared to compete with him for a performance? Yang Ming, who had originally wanted to perform a sword dance, immediately abandoned this misguided idea.
Ji Chenghe's performance was calligraphy, which was the only thing he was good at.
He sent someone to pick up his mother. Zhong, Wu, and Ji, the three old girlfriends, were reunited and so excited that they seemed to have returned to their youthful days, screaming and jumping, a sight that was quite eye-opening.
But the elderly girl group didn't care if people's eyes were being offended; they were happy.
Lord He returned home. In fact, he also wanted to spend the New Year at Lu Ye's house, as there were no strict rules and endless fun there.
Alas, his old madam and madam had sent people to invite him several times, so he reluctantly returned home.
The Ghost Shadow Pavilion base also had a lively New Year celebration. Pavilion Master Bai sent them a lot of chickens, ducks, fish, and meat. The spatial dimension had fish ponds, sheep pens, chicken coops, rabbit hutches, and pigsties, so these common meats and poultry were plentiful.
Everything they ate and drank were products from the spatial dimension, so Bai Sheng speculated that subtle changes might occur in their bodies and spirits. This was her conjecture.
Because she clearly felt that the disciples of the sect were physically stronger, and the戾气 in the eyes of a few disciples with naturally violent temperaments had noticeably faded.
Perhaps the spatial water and food consumed not only expelled toxins from the body but also from the mind and spirit.
To add fun to the base life and foster a sense of belonging among the sect disciples, Pavilion Master Bai also planned to hold a New Year's Eve party at the base.
She arranged for the 11 ghost envoys to organize performances. Each group would present two acts, mainly focusing on joy, and the prizes set were similar to those at home.
The sect disciples were thrilled and immediately consulted their respective ghost envoys to discuss their performances and the need to rehearse quickly.
To avoid being overwhelmed, Bai Sheng decided to make a brief appearance at the opening ceremony of the base party before returning home to participate in the family "Spring Festival Gala."
Lu Ye marveled at Bai Sheng's "brilliant ideas." Hosting such parties not only provided everyone with an opportunity to relax, have fun, and be joyful, but also enhanced mutual feelings and strengthened the cohesion among family or base members.
Lu Ye hugged her, wanting to understand how her little brain came up with so many ideas.
Bai Sheng smiled enchantingly. The essence of thousands of years of culture converged in her mind, so how could she not have many ideas?
On New Year's Eve, led by Zhao Da Zhuang, the male members of the family helped build a stage in front of the house. The stage was against the wall, and the audience sat under the bamboo pavilion.
The children in the village, hearing that Administrator Lu's house was having a family party that night, had already brought their small stools to grab good spots.
After the performance began, not only the children in the village but also many adults were drawn to it. Just like outdoor movies in modern society, the area under the stage was densely packed with people.