Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress

Shen Kunyang was about to have someone pass the red envelope over, but Bai Qingyu quickly stood up and bowed respectfully to Shen Kunyang, accepting the red envelope with both hands: "Thank you, Uncle Shen!"

Shen Kunyang nodded with a smile. Before he could speak, Bai Jinzhi had already stood up and bowed to Shen Kunyang first, smiling as she said: "Uncle Shen, Happy New Year! Wishing you peace and health, and may you live to a hundred without aging!"

A group of people burst into laughter at Bai Jinzhi's playful demeanor. Shen Kunyang immediately handed over the red envelope: "Fourth Miss, Happy New Year! In the new year, may you have peace and happiness! Naturally... it would be even better if you could find a good young man to protect our Fourth Miss!"

Bai Jinzhi took the red envelope with both hands, smiling: "Do I even need a man to protect me? I am invincible! Uncle Shen, if you don't believe me, we can spar later!"

"You're getting more and more unruly!" Bai Qingyan jokingly chided Bai Jinzhi with a smile.

"Xiao Ruohai, this is the red envelope from Uncle Shen for you. My red envelope isn't as substantial as Doctor Hong's, so don't hold it against me!" Shen Kunyang looked at Xiao Ruohai with a warm smile, feeling quite reassured that Xiao Ruohai could return to the battlefield with Bai Qingyan.

Xiao Ruohai hurried forward, paid his respects to Shen Kunyang, offered auspicious words, and accepted the red envelope with both hands.

"If the Vice Commander knew that you have grown so accomplished, he would surely be comforted!" Shen Kunyang greatly admired Xiao Ruohai. He glanced at Shen Qingzhu beside him and then said to Xiao Ruohai, "The Vice Commander always wished to see you start a family, so you must seize the opportunity!"

Xiao Ruohai lowered his gaze, glancing at Shen Qingzhu who was eating dumplings with her head down, and responded in a muffled voice before stepping back.

Shen Kunyang then smiled at Shen Qingzhu who was sitting beside him: "Qingzhu, this is the red envelope from your godfather! Your godfather also hopes to see you marry soon!"

Shen Qingzhu accepted the red envelope with both hands and thanked him. On such a festive occasion, she didn't want to dampen her godfather's mood by saying she planned to remain by Young Miss's side all her life and didn't intend to marry. So she said, "Once Young Miss has unified the realm, Qingzhu will surely consider marriage seriously, godfather need not worry."

"Young General Bai! Look... Doctor Hong has given a red envelope! So has old Shen! You can't refuse the red envelope from old Cheng!" Cheng Yuanzhi took out the red envelopes he prepared for several children, distributing them with a cheerful smile.

"Oh dear! How come no one gave me a heads-up about preparing red envelopes!" Yang Wuce looked regretful, "I didn't prepare anything at all!"

"We old folks are just relying on our age to join in the fun. Why are you, a young chap, getting involved?" Shen Kunyang said to Yang Wuce with a smile.

Lu Yuanpeng noticed Doctor Hong, Shen Kunyang, and Cheng Yuanzhi giving red envelopes to the Bai sisters and Bai Wulang, and even to Shen Qingzhu, feeling a bit envious, he urged Sima Ping to join him in asking for red envelopes.

"Lu Yuanpeng, aren't you ashamed? Does Doctor Hong even know who you are?" Sima Ping scowled at Lu Yuanpeng with his eyes, "If your grandfather knew you were asking Doctor Hong, who doesn't even know you, for New Year's money, he'd surely punish you!"

"Doctor Hong doesn't know me, but we know General Shen! Let's go to General Shen!" Lu Yuanpeng wasn't actually after the red envelopes; he just missed his grandfather and parents, as well as his older brother and sister.

Last year, during the New Year, he was in the southern frontier and couldn't witness the Bai sisters handing out red envelopes like this. It was lively with the soldiers below, which helped ease his homesickness somewhat.

Today, watching the Bai sisters hand out red envelopes in such a lively manner, he couldn't help but think of his own family. If he were at the Lu Mansion in Dadu today, his grandfather, uncle, aunt, parents, sister, and brother would undoubtedly have given him red envelopes. Who could resist, since he's the youngest!

"Lu San, Ma San..." Shen Kunyang called out from below.

Just as Lu Yuanpeng was putting a hot dumpling in his mouth, Sima Ping yanked him up. Lu Yuanpeng almost swallowed the freshly boiled dumpling whole, pounding on his chest from the heat.

"Present!" Sima Ping advanced, knelt on one knee, and saluted.

Lu Yuanpeng followed suit, saluting: "Present!"

"Come..." Shen Kunyang gestured to the two of them to come over.

The two of them hurried forward, rose after saluting again, and Lu Yuanpeng scratched his head, saying: "General Shen, please stop calling me Lu San! I'm so embarrassed! I thought no one knew who I was! Turns out, everyone in the army knows I'm Lu Yuanpeng, and I'm the only one who didn't know. I really thought people respected me from the bottom of their hearts, but they were just humorously playing along!"

Bai Qingyan looked at Lu Yuanpeng and laughed: "That's all in the past now. Your ability to endure hardships in the army is genuine! Both General Shen and General Cheng have praised you to me!"

"These are your New Year's red envelopes! Next year, strive harder to bravely kill the enemy!" Shen Kunyang tossed the red envelopes to Lu Yuanpeng and Sima Ping. Seeing them catch, he said, "The soldiers in the army are not sycophants like those you'll meet in Dadu City. If you two were without real skills, they wouldn't respect you! The fact they do means you have some real skills! Don't belittle yourselves!"

Bai Qingyan also nodded with a smile.

Seeing this, Lu Yuanpeng displayed a bright grin, saying: "I trust General Shen!"

"This year, you both can't return home to reunite with family, but the soldiers who fight with us are also our family!" Bai Qingyan said, tossing two more red envelopes to them, "Both of you are younger than me and call me Bai family sister, what A Yu and little Si have, you also have..."

Sima Ping raised his head to look at Bai Qingyan, seeing her gentle and harmonious expression. The flickering candlelight cast a warm glow on Bai Qingyan's flawless, delicate, and beautiful features, leaving Sima Ping wondering if Bai Qingyan was trying to win the hearts of the Lu and Sima families through them or if she truly regarded them as younger brothers.

Seeing Sima Ping staring blankly at the Bai family sister, Lu Yuanpeng pressed down Sima Ping's head to make him thank her with a bow.

"Go eat dumplings!" Bai Qingyan glanced at Sima Ping. This child had a good heart, but seemed to be thinking more these days. However, with the carefree Lu Yuanpeng having a friend like this, the two of them complemented each other.

In the liveliness of the soldiers' camp, someone suddenly started singing the Bai family's military song.

"Wear the armor that protects me, fight together with you as one."

Bai Qingyan and Bai Qingyu looked up, gazing towards the soldier who first began singing.

More soldiers joined in singing...

"Hold the long sword for slaying the enemy, live and die together with you."

Shen Kunyang and Cheng Yuanzhi, hearing the Bai family's military song, became solemn, put down their chopsticks, and sang along: "Protect the rivers and mountains, safeguard the people, fearless true elite soldiers."