1 JIN(Catty) = 600 gram(1.32277 pound)
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Wei Wei had prepared gifts for all three Williams.
Without fancy printed wrapping paper, she used simple colored sheets instead. Although the scale of paper production hadn't expanded much, the variety had greatly increased: pure white writing paper, household toilet paper, colorful wrapping paper, and hard paper of varying thicknesses for making boxes. Recently, they were even experimenting with scented stationery and molds for embossing decorative patterns onto paper. If successful, this fragrant, patterned paper would surely become a favorite among the nobility for letter writing.
She wrapped the gifts of various sizes in colored paper, tied them with fine lace-like twine bows, and placed Christmas cards on top. They were then stacked neatly beneath the Christmas tree.
The Christmas tree the servants had fetched was nearly three meters tall, secured with a stand at its base. Its branches were decked with ornaments, but only a few gift boxes underneath made it seem rather lonely. To fix this, Wei Wei had earlier borrowed Caroline's dolls to arrange under the tree for decoration.
Right now, under Wei Wei's direction, Caroline was digging through the pile of dolls looking for her gift.
After searching for a while, she quickly found a blue gift box. It wasn't large, and it was quite light, so she easily pulled it out.
"This one!" the little lady said joyfully, holding up her prize to show the adults behind her. Young but clever, she clearly understood that this object — unlike the others — must be a gift.
But what was it exactly? She tilted her head in confusion, blinked at the box, and reached out to untie the bow.
"That one isn't for Caroline," Wei Wei stopped her gently, taking the box back and pointing it under the tree. "Your gift is still there."
Having the item taken from her didn't upset Caroline. She didn't even like blue that much, so she wasn't particularly interested in the box anyway and promptly resumed digging through the dolls.
Wei Wei stood up and handed the gift box to Felix. "Merry Christmas."
Felix replied in kind before accepting the box, a little surprised. "For me? I thought only the children would get gifts."
He knew that the Christmas Wei Wei celebrated was different from the religious version he was familiar with. Rather than focusing on church services to commemorate Christ's birth, her Christmas was more of a celebration of a bountiful year and family reunions, complete with a tree laden with gifts, a lavish Christmas feast, and joyful gatherings.
Felix had heard the story of Santa Claus from Wei Wei while she entertained Caroline. As an adult, he of course knew it was just a tale for children. So he had assumed that only kids received gifts.
Thus, seeing a box with his name on it made him feel a little guilty. "I'm sorry. I didn't prepare anything for you."
Wei Wei teased, "No worries. I prepared one for myself too. We'll open them together later."
Hearing their conversation, Dolores asked expectantly, "Do I have a gift too?"
"Of course, my dear," Wei Wei replied with a smile, giving her a gentle push. "Go look for the one with your name on the card."
Dolores gave a small cheer, then crouched down beside Caroline to dig through the dolls.
Before long, they unearthed the remaining gift boxes.
Unexpectedly, there weren't just four boxes — there were six.
Each gift had a card attached, so Dolores quickly recognized that two of them were for Butler Barton and Mrs. Nancy.
Although today was supposed to be a day off for everyone, not all the servants could leave — they had to rotate shifts. Those working today would get tomorrow off. Among Wei Wei's six personal maids, only Penny and Kama stayed behind today; they would have tomorrow off.
As for the butler and his wife, they believed today was special and chose to rest tomorrow instead so they wouldn't miss the family gathering.
Hearing they had gifts surprised the longtime stewarding couple, but their surprise quickly turned to heartfelt joy.
In Wei Wei's understanding, Christmas was a time for family and friends to exchange gifts. Giving them presents meant she saw them not just as servants, but as family — an affirmation they treasured deeply.
Felix personally handed them their gifts, sincerely wishing them a "Merry Christmas" and thanking them for their years of service.
"Merry Christmas, young master. We never thought it was a hardship," Barton said, voice thick with emotion, while Mrs. Nancy nodded with teary eyes, expressing that it was an honor to serve the Williams family.
The other servants watched with envy, secretly vowing to work even harder in hopes that one day they too might receive a Christmas gift from their masters.
Of course, the value of the gifts wasn't the point — it was the honor they represented. In the hearts of the household, the butler and his wife now held even greater prestige.
Once everyone had their gifts, they began opening them together.
Caroline was the most impatient. After much searching, she found her red gift box. It was a big one, a little heavy for her, and after confirming it was hers, she plopped herself onto the thick carpet spread beneath the tree and eagerly began pulling at the ribbon.
The stone floor of the castle's main hall was normally bare, but Wei Wei had made sure to lay a thick rug beneath the Christmas tree, so Caroline wouldn't catch cold sitting there. Still, Wei Wei said to Felix, "Maybe next year we should put the Christmas tree in the lounge, by the fireplace, so everyone can open presents by the fire."
Felix immediately jumped at the idea. "No need to wait for next year — I'll have them fetch a smaller pine tree now and decorate it for the lounge."
He even had a sudden inspiration: they could eat Christmas dinner there too. "Just a few of us, one small table is enough."
Hearing that, Butler Barton quickly said, "Yes, young master, I'll arrange it right away."
Dinner was still hours away — plenty of time to prepare.
"There's no rush. Let's finish opening gifts first," Wei Wei said.
Caroline managed to untie the bow but struggled with the wrapping paper. Like many kids, she had an instinct for destruction, and soon ripped off the red wrapping, revealing a cardboard box underneath.
Madam Nancy worried that Caroline might rip the box itself—though truthfully, she wasn't strong enough to manage that—so she hurried over and carefully helped her open it.
"Wow!" gasped the two girls in unison — Caroline and Dolores.
Dolores hadn't opened her present yet. They decided to open gifts one by one to savor the surprises, so as Caroline opened hers, Dolores watched eagerly.
Inside was a full play kitchen set: knives, forks, plates, bowls, a stove, a frying pan, a stew pot, and even miniature fruits, vegetables, and pastries. Each item was delicately made, small but not dangerously tiny, and perfectly sized for children.
All of it was crafted from lightweight but sturdy wood. For safety, nothing was painted, and every piece had been polished smooth, with rounded, thickened edges — even the small wooden knives and forks were blunt and harmless.
Even though everything retained the natural color of wood, the shapes were so detailed that it was obvious what each item was meant for. For little girls, the allure of a play kitchen was irresistible. Even at Dolores' age, she was still excited to play house. Until now, they'd only used random odds and ends to play; they had never seen such an elaborate play set before.
Dolores couldn't help but marvel at it and eagerly said she wanted to play with Caroline.
Caroline immediately started pulling the tiny utensils out of the box and laying them neatly on the carpet. It was clear she wanted to play right away.
Wei Wei gently reminded them, "Lola, it's your turn to open your gift."
"Okay!" Dolores replied, her anticipation even greater after seeing Caroline's present.
She unwrapped a dollhouse.
It had been fully assembled ahead of time — a gorgeous, three-story manor. The entire front wall could be removed to reveal the interior, crafted in a lavish, aristocratic style. The furnishings were miniature replicas of real furniture, so finely made that, scaled up, they could pass for full-sized human furniture.
Inside stood a doll — a blonde, blue-eyed girl figurine. She was placed in the grand hall. Although painted, the doll's craftsmanship made it hard to tell it was wood. Under her fancy clothes, though, her articulated body revealed her true nature: a life-sized, jointed wooden doll, much like the mannequins artists used for drawing practice. She could strike countless poses.
The doll's face bore a strong resemblance to Dolores — five or six points of similarity at least. Dolores placed the doll on a chair in a seated pose, and it looked almost as if she were sitting there.
Caroline was fascinated. She looked at Dolores' dollhouse, then back at her own toys, her little face crumpling. "No Caroline..." she said miserably.
She felt her present was missing something: a little figure like her.
Wei Wei chuckled. She had guessed this would happen. Knowing Caroline's young age and temperament, she wouldn't compare the complexity or craftsmanship of the gifts; she'd only care whether there was a doll representing herself.
Seeing Caroline's pouty face, Dolores quickly said, "It's okay! You can play with my doll too!" and offered her treasured doll to Caroline.
But Wei Wei said mysteriously, "Take a look at the rooms on the third floor."
The third floor of the dollhouse had two small bedrooms, left and right, each with tiny beds draped in canopies. Right now, the canopies were closed, hiding what was inside.
Dolores' eyes lit up. She rushed over, opened one of the smaller beds, and pulled out another tiny wooden doll.
It was much smaller than the first doll — about the size of Caroline's palm — with soft golden curls, bright blue eyes, and chubby baby cheeks.
It was a little Caroline.
"Caroline!" the little girl squealed joyfully, grabbing the miniature version of herself. She patted her curls excitedly. "Same! It's Caroline!"
"Yes," Wei Wei smiled. "This one is made to look like you. Now you two can play house together."
The two girls — who shared some resemblance already — beamed identical happy smiles, then eagerly began setting up their new toys, the age gap between them vanishing as they played like true peers.
For Dolores, who had been largely ignored as a child and rarely had toys of her own, this moment of playing with Caroline filled a deep void in her heart.
After the two little girls' gifts, it was the adults' turn.
Felix unwrapped a replica Swiss army knife — a multi-functional folding tool that, besides the main blade, included a corkscrew, scissors, saw, ruler, tweezers, toothpick, nail file, awl, and wrench. Due to limitations in modern craftsmanship, it was made entirely of iron, heavy and solid. After use, it would need regular maintenance to prevent rust.
Despite that, Felix loved it. He felt it would be incredibly useful for outdoor adventures.
"Does it have a name?" he asked.
Wei Wei thought about calling it a Swiss army knife but decided that wouldn't fit here. "Let's call it a multi-purpose tool knife. It has so many functions, but the main part is still a knife."
Felix nodded seriously. "I think every knight should have one."
"You'll have to ask the blacksmiths if that's possible," Wei Wei said.
Felix mentally noted it down, then looked at the gift box Wei Wei had prepared for herself. "What about yours?"
"A new hat," Wei Wei said lightly. She hadn't needed anything in particular, so she had simply tucked her newly tailored rabbit-fur cap into the pile to match the festive atmosphere.
Felix didn't say much, but when he placed the soft, warm cap on her head, his hands were especially gentle.
They then looked at the butler couple's gifts. Butler Barton received a gold brooch shaped like the Williams family crest, while Madam Nancy got a tapered gold bracelet, also featuring the family crest — a blue-eyed lion crafted with sapphire inlays matching the family's signature eye color.
Though gold was expensive, the true value to them was the family emblem. They eagerly asked permission to wear them at once: Barton proudly pinned the brooch to his chest, standing taller than ever, and Nancy wore her bracelet openly on her sleeve, wanting everyone to see it.
After opening all the gifts, and after Dolores played with Caroline for a while longer, she suddenly remembered something.
She ran upstairs to fetch something, and when she came back down, panting from the effort, her face was flushed — whether from running or shyness was unclear. She handed something to Wei Wei.
"I wanted to give it to you tonight," she mumbled bashfully.
The fact that Dolores had prepared gifts surprised Wei Wei — they hadn't officially celebrated Christmas before. Although she had told them Santa Claus stories, she hadn't mentioned that friends and family could exchange gifts too.
Dolores fidgeted, embarrassed. "You said good children would get gifts today. So I prepared gifts for Caroline... and the baby too."
Hearing that Dolores had even thought of the unborn child, Wei Wei felt her heart warm. She stroked Dolores' tousled hair gently. "Thank you, Lola. Can I open it?"
"Of course!"
The gifts were simple — no wrapping, no ribbons. Dolores had made them herself: a new dress for Caroline — a bunny-themed onesie — and a two-piece cotton outfit for the soon-to-arrive baby. The stitches were tight and clean, the material soft and perfect for the spring and summer seasons.
On the baby clothes, Dolores had appliquéd a cute cartoon lion made from colored fabric scraps.
Wei Wei was genuinely delighted, praising Dolores for her growing skill with needlework. Felix, on the other hand, sank further into self-reproach. Even Dolores had remembered to prepare gifts for the children, while he had completely forgotten.
But, he consoled himself, Christmas wasn't over yet. He still had time to make up for it.
The main hall wasn't a cozy place for a family gathering.
Once they finished opening gifts, everyone moved to a lounge room.
This room had a fireplace, although it hadn't been heavily used before. But this winter, whenever Wei Wei needed to summon her stewards for discussions, she always chose this lounge, so it was now well-prepared with firewood ready to be lit at any time.
Butler Barton energetically directed the servants in decorating the room.
A large amount of mistletoe was placed atop the fireplace, woven into garlands that hung down the sides to the floor. In the center, they placed a wreath decorated with bright red winterberry fruits — cheerful and festive.
The freshly cut Christmas tree was set next to the fireplace.
It was about a meter tall, and they hung decorations on it — borrowed from the big tree in the main hall. (Barton promised to replace the missing ornaments on the large tree later.)
The star on top of the tree was placed there by Caroline herself, with Felix personally lifting her so she could reach it.
The dining table and chairs for dinner were also arranged nearby, replacing a cabinet.
A lace tablecloth covered the table, a ceramic vase with faux flowers stood in the center, and the candlesticks had fresh, new candles ready to be lit once the evening darkened.
The dishes and tableware would only be set right before dinner began.
The well-trained servants worked quickly and quietly.
Even though the lounge was full of people, not a sound of disruption could be heard despite a dozen servants moving about busily.
Wei Wei sat on a wool blanket in the corner of the lounge, playing with the two little girls and their new toys.
She even joined their game of playing house, acting as one of the guests.
Caroline earnestly pretended to host, serving her "guests" treats and tea.
To cooperate, Wei Wei and Dolores played along, saying things like, "The weather is wonderful today," "This dessert is delicious," and "Your cooking skills are amazing."
Hearing their praise, Caroline became even more serious about her role-playing.
She spoke more fluently than usual, stringing longer sentences together, and even using some new words she had picked up recently — showing just how strong her ability to learn was.
Of course, to Felix, this whole game was far too childish.
And with so many servants coming and going, he couldn't bring himself to lower his pride and join in.
So he simply sat nearby in an armchair, watching them with a smile.
Halfway through, he slipped away quietly, leaving the room for a while — no one knew where he went.
When night fell, the candles were lit, and the Christmas dinner was served.
Felix finally revealed where he had gone: he had gone to prepare late Christmas gifts.
"Even though I'm a little late, I think it's still not too late to celebrate, right?"
He presented three new gift boxes — one for each of his most important girls.
Then, turning apologetically to the butler and his wife, he said, "I'm sorry, I didn't have time to prepare anything suitable for you both. I could only manage this — please don't mind."
In his palm were two gemstones — not very large, but very pure and beautiful, suitable for making fine jewelry.
But the butler couple immediately declined the gifts.
"No, young master, we haven't prepared gifts either. We shouldn't be receiving anything else from you!"
Felix tried to persuade them, but they stood firm.
After all, they had already received the precious family crest brooch and bracelet earlier — these two gems were far too extravagant on top of that.
In the end, Felix had no choice but to take the gems back.
Turning to the three girls, he promised, "Next year, I'll prepare better gifts for you."
Not gifts hastily pulled from the family's treasury of old jewelry, but proper, heartfelt presents.
Compared to Wei Wei and Dolores' thoughtfully prepared gifts, all he had now was the smell of money — a fact that made him feel rather dejected.