Chapter 90: Preparing the New Year's Gifts
“Father, when should we send out this year’s New Year’s gifts?”
In the afternoon, Yang Mingcheng approached with this question.
“New Year’s gifts!”
Now that the twelfth lunar month had arrived, it was indeed time to prepare for them.
Yang Zhengshan silently calculated in his heart. This year, the Yang family had quite a few gifts to send.
Among the in-laws were the Wang family, Li family, Jiang family, Liang family, and Lu family.
For these families, the gifts did not need to be overly extravagant—just enough to express their goodwill. The primary concern was that they might feel burdened if the gifts were too expensive.
However, there were a few families to whom more substantial gifts must be sent.
Zhou Lan, as Yang Zhengshan’s significant supporter, could not be overlooked when it came to gifting.
Zhao Yuan would also need a gift.
Additionally, there were the Lu family and the magistrate of Anning County, Luo Jin.
“You should make the preparations and head back to Anning County in a few days. Take Wenchun and Wenhua along so they can spend the New Year at home and return after the festivities.”
“For the other families, handle them as you see fit. But for the Liang family, you must visit them personally.”
The Yang family and the Liang family were already betrothed, though the bride had yet to officially join the family, so extra attention was necessary.
“Send some extra cotton cloth to your elder sister’s household. Also, ask Jiang He if he’s willing to come to Yinghe Fort next year.”
Among the five siblings of the Yang family, Yang Yunyan was undoubtedly the most overlooked.
This couldn’t be helped. Yang Yunyan was already married, and no matter how much Yang Zhengshan wanted to support her, he was limited in what he could do.
Still, she was his own daughter, and Jiang He was his own son-in-law. Yang Zhengshan felt it necessary to show them some care.
Jiang He wasn’t very old—just nineteen this year. Starting his martial cultivation now wouldn’t be too late.
Although he couldn’t join the military, he could help Yang Mingcheng manage the family’s business.
“As for Magistrate Luo, discuss it with the clan elder. Pay him a visit together. This year, he arranged a patrol officer position for Minghui. We must send a generous gift no matter what.”
“For the Lu family, go to the city market and purchase some furs and expensive medicinal materials to send. Prepare a variety of items. While they may not think highly of what we offer, we can’t make it appear too lacking.”
Compared to the Lu family, the Yang family’s foundation was too shallow. There was nothing they could truly offer that would stand out.
Yang Zhengshan gave detailed instructions, finally handing over a silver note worth five hundred taels to Yang Mingcheng.
While they sent out many gifts, they also received plenty in return.
In the case of gifting the Lu family, the Yang family certainly wouldn’t lose out.
It wasn’t that Yang Zhengshan wanted to profit from this; rather, giving less while receiving more always left a lingering feeling of inferiority.
But there was no choice. The Lu family was wealthy and powerful—something the Yang family couldn’t compare to.
As for Zhou Lan and Zhao Yuan, their gifts had to be personally prepared by Yang Zhengshan.
It wasn’t just them; the officials of Jianning Guard would also need proper gifts.
Even with Zhou Lan backing him, he couldn’t afford to offend his other superiors.
At the very least, he couldn’t let them feel disregarded; otherwise, they might think he looked down on them.
Since gifts for Zhou Lan and the others needed careful preparation, Yang Zhengshan decided he should visit Chongshan Pass City himself.
That very afternoon, Yang Zhengshan and Yang Mingcheng, accompanied by over a dozen elite riders, set off for the city.
Yinghe Fort was close to Chongshan Pass City; on horseback, it took less than half an hour to get there.
Passing by Lin’guan Fort on the way, Yang Zhengshan took the opportunity to visit Yang Chengze.
“If you’re feeling homesick, you can go back to visit this year,” Yang Zhengshan said to Yang Chengze in the official residence at Lin’guan Fort.
Yang Chengze was currently the fort officer of Lin’guan Fort, but he was still responsible for recruiting refugees. Over time, he had successfully recruited several groups, sometimes numbering over a hundred and other times just a few dozen. Altogether, he had nearly filled Yang Zhengshan’s quota for military households.
This meant Yang Zhengshan now had over 1,100 military households under his command. However, since some of the refugees had just been resettled and hadn’t fully adjusted, his effective troops numbered just over six hundred.
“Sir, is that really okay?” Yang Chengze asked with eager anticipation.
After all, he was only seventeen and hadn’t been away from home for this long before. His heart ached with homesickness.
“You can. Mingwu can look after the fort while you’re gone,” Yang Zhengshan replied with a smile.
Yang Mingwu had already returned home once and brought his wife and children back with him, so he wouldn’t need to go again for the New Year.
As for the other members of the Yang clan, Yang Zhengshan intended to rotate their leave so everyone could visit their families.
It had been almost a year since they left home—it was time for them to see their loved ones.
“However, you’ll only have five days. Any longer wouldn’t be appropriate,” Yang Zhengshan added.
“Thank you, sir!”
The usually composed Yang Chengze beamed like a cheerful youth.
Yang Zhengshan patted him on the shoulder before taking a tour of Lin’guan Fort.
Though young, Yang Chengze managed the fort commendably. It was well-organized and orderly under his supervision.
After offering him a few words of encouragement, Yang Zhengshan departed from Lin’guan Fort.
By dusk, they arrived at Chongshan Pass City. Knowing they wouldn’t make it back that day, they stayed at Yang Zhengshan’s small residence in the city.
...
The next morning, Yang Zhengshan and Yang Mingcheng split up to handle their tasks.
Yang Zhengshan started by buying some pastries from a snack shop, then half a lamb from a butcher. He brought these to Luo Jin’s residence as part of the New Year’s gifts.
After a brief visit to Luo’s household, he went to the Lu family’s grain shop to pay his respects and deliver their gifts.
Although neither of these individuals held particularly significant positions, they had helped Yang Zhengshan greatly over the past year and were worth visiting personally.
Having seen these two families, Yang Zhengshan turned his attention to preparing Zhou Lan’s gift.
What should he give Zhou Lan?
The question left Yang Zhengshan at a loss.
Most women liked jewelry and ornaments, but Zhou Lan wasn’t like most women. He rarely saw her wearing any adornments.
Besides, even if he prepared gold and silver jewelry, she might not appreciate it.
“Dashan, what do you think we should give General Zhou?”
After wandering the streets for a long time and browsing more than a dozen shops without finding a suitable gift, Yang Zhengshan turned to Song Dashan for advice.
Song Dashan, a tall and robust man in his early thirties, had a straightforward demeanor. Previously a junior officer at a watchtower, he was skilled in riding and archery. Recognizing his talent, Yang Zhengshan had recruited him as the captain of his personal guards.
Hearing the question, Song Dashan scratched his head. “I’m not sure, sir.”
“...”
Yang Zhengshan sighed, realizing he’d asked the wrong person.
As his gaze wandered, it landed on a bookstore nearby.
“A bookstore!”
Books were rare in Chongshan Town, and bookstores even rarer. Yang Zhengshan had visited one before but only purchased stationery, not books.
“Should I buy books for General Zhou?”
“Rare or unique volumes might make excellent gifts.”
The idea struck him as a good one, though he wasn’t sure if Zhou Lan liked to read.
Deciding to take a look anyway, Yang Zhengshan stepped into the bookstore.
The store was quite spacious and had an old-fashioned charm, suggesting a long history.
A young clerk of about sixteen or seventeen quickly approached. “What are you looking for, sir?”
“I’m just browsing,” Yang Zhengshan replied, heading to one of the bookshelves.
He scanned the shelves, finding a mix of classics, travelogues, medical texts, and miscellaneous works—there were even some martial arts manuals.
Among the manuals, Yang Zhengshan spotted a low-level sword technique.
The manual caught his interest. Though not practical for the battlefield, it was a valuable reference. He decided to buy it if it wasn’t too expensive.
After selecting a few martial arts texts, his attention turned to military strategy books.
“Wait—military strategy?”
An idea sparked in his mind.
“Shopkeeper, do you have the Thirty-Six Stratagems?”
“The Thirty-Six Stratagems? What’s that?” the shopkeeper asked, confused.
“No, you don’t!” Yang Zhengshan’s eyes lit up.
Most people who transmigrate copy poetry or literature, but I’ll write military strategies, he thought.
With this new resolve, he decided to buy every military text in the store...