The next morning, the villagers all brought their own tables to Song Anxin's house. They had already received the news that Aunt Lin's family was going to hold a banquet to celebrate the official appointment, or rather, to honor Lady Hui.

However, when they saw that Aunt Lin was still wearing the same clothes and greeting them with a smile as usual, they unconsciously called her Aunt Lin again. Seeing that Aunt Lin responded to them gently, they felt from the bottom of their hearts that Aunt Lin was still the same Aunt Lin. They stopped worrying about how to address her and just called her by her original name, just as she had said.

There were fifty or sixty tables, which couldn't fit in Song Anxin's courtyard. Fortunately, Song Anxin's family had a workshop with a spacious backyard, where the banquet was set up. Several tables were also set up in their own courtyard for the host family and distinguished guests.

Soon the courtyard became lively as many women and old women from the village came to help prepare the feast. Yesterday, several temporary earthen stoves were set up in the backyard, along with several large pots. The women were busy there, washing vegetables, chopping vegetables, boiling water, and chatting as they worked.

Song Anxin had Lin Fengshou bring back a whole pig. She planned to prepare a bowl of Dongpo pork for each table. She would personally cook the Dongpo pork, while the rest would be left to Meizi and her sister-in-law. Both of them were quite good at cooking, especially Meizi, who had learned her skills from her.

Making Dongpo pork isn't difficult. Cut pork with skin and meat into evenly sized square pieces. Blanch the pork once to remove the scum, then set it aside. Tie each piece of pork into a cross knot with bamboo rope and arrange them in a pot. Add rock sugar, star anise, salt, and other seasonings, then add water... This much meat will take about two hours to stew. After two hours, turn it over and stew it for another half hour to allow the flavors to penetrate. After she finished doing everything and told the people in the kitchen how long to stew it, she went to the front yard to greet the guests.

People were gradually arriving at the front yard. Brother Lin and Lin Fengnian were greeting the villagers, while she and Lin Fengshou were entertaining some business associates from the county, mostly shopkeepers, as well as people from the western villages. Zhang Bai from Dawu Village had also brought his entire family to celebrate...

Song Anbang sat at the entrance of the courtyard, keeping track of the gifts. The villagers were now somewhat wealthier, and some were giving money as gifts. In addition, people from the county would also bring gifts, so he had to keep track of them all so that he could repay the favors in the future. Lin Fenghe and Lin Erxi helped serve tea to the guests. Of course, Song Anxin's family had tea now.

Two carriages stopped in front of Song Anxin's house. Manager Meng and Manager Cai each carried a generous gift and got off the carriages. The two happened to meet at the door and immediately started arguing.

"Hmph, Manager Cai, don't let your big belly fool you, you run quite fast," Manager Meng said.

Manager Cai retorted, "Unlike Manager Meng, you're always one step behind me in everything you do, and you can only ever be second."

"What are you saying! I clearly outpaced you by a considerable amount of time..."

"That was only a month, what are you bragging about..."

Song Anxin and Lin Fengshou stood at the door, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, and quickly pulled the two of them apart.

The two men immediately became extremely respectful upon seeing Song Anxin, as if they hadn't been the ones bickering like children in elementary school.

"Oh my, congratulations, Madam Hui! Yesterday I heard in the county that His Majesty personally bestowed the title of Madam Hui upon a country woman. I never expected it to be you, Second Sister-in-law Lin. Second Sister-in-law Lin, oh no, Madam Hui, you truly possess great wisdom!" said Manager Meng.

Manager Cai glanced at him and said, "You don't need to tell me that. You really don't know how to praise people. I knew long ago that Madam Hui was no ordinary person. Hui means wisdom, ingenuity, and intelligence. Madam Hui is clearly a person who is blessed with both wisdom and good fortune."

"Hey, you rascal, I didn't know, you're just showing off..."

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Song Anxin quickly smiled and said, "Thank you both for coming here today to congratulate me. Please come in and have a seat. Fengshou, please have a seat for the two managers."

Song Anxin smiled and saw the two shopkeepers off before continuing to greet guests. Soon, a luxurious carriage stopped at the gate of her courtyard. It was Master Liu's carriage. Of course, she also sent an invitation to her sister-in-law's family. She had to let her sister-in-law benefit from this event. In a wealthy family, one's family has a lot of confidence.

Lin Taohua never expected to return to Linjia Village so soon, especially with her master and mistress. She was still in a daze and couldn't believe that her second sister-in-law had been granted the title of a seventh-rank lady, which was already an official position!

"It is a great honor for Master Liu and Madam Liu to come!" Song Anxin said with a smile, cupping her hands in greeting.

Master Liu was very happy: "Hehe, I never thought I would have a lady as a relative by marriage. It is my honor."

Madam Su's face was a mixture of emotions. What kind of in-laws were the concubine's family? Where did the master put her? And how did Aunt Lin's second sister-in-law suddenly become a seventh-rank lady, and the master was even so eager to come and claim kinship and congratulate her? She was so angry that she wanted to grind her teeth to dust.

However, she still forced a smile and congratulated her, saying, "Congratulations, Madam Hui."

Liu Mingzhu and Mingyue, two maids, came out from behind and said in a clear voice, "Hello, Second Aunt! Congratulations on your official appointment!"

Song Anxin's eyes crinkled with laughter when she saw the two adorable little girls: "Mingzhu and Mingyue, you're here! Your cousin Erxi, Dongzi, and cousin Fengyao are inside. Come on in and find them."

The two little girls glanced at their father, and then Master Liu said with a smile, "Go on, go play with your cousins."

Liu Mingjie immediately jumped out and said, "I want to go too! I want to go play too!"

Master Liu thought it would be good for Mingjie to get to know Ru Ren's son, so he said, "Mingzhu and Mingyue, you should take your younger brother with you. It will be more fun with more people."

Lin Mingzhu and Mingyue looked reluctant, but they still did not disobey their father and took Liu Mingjie with them.

Madam Su looked unwilling, but since the master had spoken, she couldn't very well stop her son from going. This place was dilapidated and small, and she didn't want her precious son to get dirty or fall.

What's wrong with the second sister-in-law of Aunt Lin's family?! A seventh-rank lady actually lives in such a shabby and small place. Look at that house, it's even made of mud. If the master hadn't insisted on coming to congratulate her in person, she wouldn't have come to this poor place.

Song Anxin naturally noticed Madam Liu's disdainful look, but she didn't care or feel inferior because of it. She was a farmer who had made her fortune through her own abilities and earned her title through her own hard work. She was confident in herself and wouldn't let herself be wasted on these irrelevant people. On the other hand, her sister-in-law, Lin Taohua, seemed rather dazed.