Chapter 145: New Year

Seeing such a result, Gou Ye wore a gratified smile. As for the others in the Shang Clan, needless to say, everyone had been running around preparing for the election for three whole years. They had poured countless sweat and toil into those three years. Even Lu Yuanheng, who had often opposed the clan leadership, felt his eyes grow slightly moist at this moment. As the president in charge of the capital's industries, he knew all too well how hard-won the Shang Clan's success today truly was.

This was an honor belonging to every single member of the Shang Clan, a result exchanged for everyone's hard work. Although the election was merely a beginning, it also meant that from this point forward, the Shang Clan would step onto a new tier, becoming an existence unreachable by the lesser merchant clans. To a large extent, this glory was attributed to the methods proposed by Gou Ye.

Holding the public notice, Elder Xiao walked over to Gou Ye and looked at him with great admiration. "This outcome does not just belong to the Shang Clan," he said. "It also belongs to you. It was your initiative that earned the Shang Clan this supreme honor."

Gou Ye chuckled and said, "What honor or no honor? I eat from the Shang Clan and use the Shang Clan; doing my part for the clan is only natural. Seeing this result, I am already deeply satisfied."

Elder Xiao nodded repeatedly and, holding up Gou Ye's hand, announced in a loud voice, "On this special day, I have an announcement to make. The Shang Clan has successfully won the election, and Gou Ye's contribution is immeasurable. Furthermore, the new industries established by Gou Ye have brought the Shang Clan substantial profits this year and earned us an excellent reputation—all of these are achievements Gou Ye has secured for the clan. Therefore, in view of Gou Ye's monumental contributions, I declare that Gou Ye shall become the sixth president of our Shang Clan, managing all industries in the capital, while Lu Yuanheng will henceforth take charge of the overseas maritime projects."

This outcome could not have been more pleasing to Lu Yuanheng. Overseas trade was an immensely lucrative piece of fat meat, and countless people would break their heads trying to get a hand in it. In his view, being assigned the maritime projects meant the wealth he could rake in would far surpass anything in the capital. Imagining his future as a mega-wealthy tycoon, he eagerly chimed in to congratulate Gou Ye along with the others.

According to normal procedure, after taking office, the Shang Clan would host a grand banquet. Furthermore, since the election was a success, celebration was only fitting, and the imperial envoy who came to read the decree should traditionally be hosted by the Shang Clan. However, tomorrow was New Year's Day, and as for Gou Ye, he simply wanted to spend the New Year by his family's side.

Elder Xiao understood Gou Ye's thought process, so he postponed the celebration banquet for Gou Ye to a later date, choosing instead to spend today celebrating the successful election alongside the other members of the Shang Clan and the envoy. Soon, everyone filed out of the gates and boarded their carriages, with Laifu naturally following closely by Gou Ye's side.

Sitting inside the carriage, Gou Ye lifted the curtain to look at the festive lanterns adorning every household and the occasional sound of firecrackers. Amidst the trance-like atmosphere, scenes from his original era flooded his mind. Back then, New Year's Eve meant being all alone, boiling a pot of dumplings, listening to the Spring Festival Gala, and watching the brilliant fireworks bloom in the sky—that constituted celebrating the New Year. It was an indescribably desolate feeling, nothing like how it was now, when he was rushing home with an eager heart simply because a group of people at home was waiting for him to celebrate the New Year together.

"Laifu, faster!" Gou Ye urged, feeling a growing sense of impatience in his heart.

Before they even reached the front gate, Gou Ye spotted two large red lanterns hanging outside. Beneath the red lanterns stood Yun Niang, constantly gazing into the distance, eagerly anticipating his return. When she caught sight of Gou Ye's carriage, her face lit up with joy, and she happily trotted across the crunching snow.

Seeing Yun Niang run toward him, Gou Ye couldn't wait for the carriage to reach the doorstep. He leaped down and hurried toward her. The two of them clasped hands, filled with an indescribable joy. "Yun Niang, why aren't you inside with the others? It's so cold, why did you come out to wait for me?"

As he spoke, Gou Ye took off his fur cloak and draped it over Yun Niang's shoulders. "I only came out a moment ago. When it grew dark and you still hadn't returned, I was worried about you."

"Hahaha, don't worry, Yun Niang. No matter what, I was definitely coming back today to accompany you and everyone else to celebrate the New Year. Let's go inside. Have the dumplings and everything else been wrapped?"

"They were wrapped long ago, just waiting for you to come back," Yun Niang replied.

Entering the courtyard and looking at the festively lit lanterns, an inexplicable surge of warmth welled up naturally in Gou Ye's heart. Hearing that Gou Ye had returned, everyone walked out of the rooms in response. Looking at those familiar faces, Gou Ye truly felt an overwhelming sense of happiness.

Following the customs of his original era as the New Year approached, Gou Ye distributed some silver coins to every servant in the household, and likewise gave silver to every family member. Gou Ye called this money "New Year's money."

Because Xuan Yuan Changfeng's home was quite far from the capital—taking a whole month just to travel back—and the imperial examinations were scheduled shortly after the New Year, Xuan Yuan Changfeng had also come to Gou Ye's house to celebrate the holiday. There were many scholars like Xuan Yuan Changfeng, but they were not nearly as fortunate. Many scholars could only stay at inns, gathering a few familiar fellow townsmen to sit around a restaurant table, making do with that as their New Year celebration. Among these scholars, quite a few lived closer to home, but for those who had traveled to take the imperial exams, once they left their hometowns, they hoped to return only when they had achieved glory and success.

Everyone gathered around the dining table in the dining hall, which was laden with delicious dishes. Outside, the sound of firecrackers echoed intermittently. Gou Ye smiled, raised his wine glass, and looked at everyone.

"Actually, I usually consider myself quite a talkative person, but today, I suddenly feel at a loss for words. Still, I want to take this moment to sincerely thank you all—thank you for your help and support through all this time. We've weathered storms together, and none of it has been easy for anyone. This is our first New Year together, and there will be many more to come. I hope that in every New Year, we will all gather like this. Of course, I also hope that Dali and his wife will add a little one to their family for me next year."

Everyone burst into laughter, and Xiao Die's face flushed slightly as she shyly leaned against Dali's shoulder. Then Gou Ye continued:

"Today, I don't want to say too much. This is a happy day. Starting today, each and every one of us has known each other for a whole year. Haha, it's not easy to meet and know one another, so I hope we all cherish each other well. Let's support and help one another, striving for each of us to do even better next year than this year. Here, I wish everyone present a Happy New Year!"