Chapter 245 Listening to the Window (4,000 words)

The banquet started around 11 a.m., and by noon, most people were already full and satisfied.

In principle, guests from the bride's family should not stay until the afternoon; they should usually leave by 12:30 at the latest.

In some places, if the bride's family keeps lingering and refuses to leave, the groom's family will set off firecrackers after 12:30, symbolizing their shooing away.

The Zhou family members all knew the rules and naturally wouldn't want to offend anyone. Just after midnight, Zhou Mingyuan, Zhou Minghua, and the others got up to say goodbye.

Once the bride's family left, the other guests also left one after another, and the helpers quickly cleaned up the table.

There wasn't much left to clean up; almost every plate was empty.

These days, most people are hungry. When they finally get a chance to have such a lavish feast with all sorts of hearty dishes, who wouldn't eat their fill?

They almost ate all the remaining vegetable soup by dipping their steamed buns in it.

So the table is absolutely clean and easy to clean. Just put all the dishes in the basin, take it downstairs and wash them.

The utensils used for banquets are usually covered in oil and water, making them difficult to clean.

Some families will first rub the bowls and plates with wood ash, then rinse them with boiling water and that's about it.

Zhang Shuzhen prepared a bag of cornmeal for the helpers in advance, and told them to use the cornmeal to wipe the plates first.

This cornmeal isn't the kind people eat; it's specially made for dogs. It basically contains corn husks, corn kernels, and the like.

Use this cornmeal to wipe the dishes, and you can also use it to feed the dog – a win-win situation.

After rubbing the bowls and plates with cornmeal, scald them with boiling water, add a little baking soda, and wash them clean before using them again.

The helpers were busy clearing the tables and washing the dishes, while Sheng Liancheng and the others were busy seeing the guests off.

After the guests from the bride's family left, Wang Jiachuan, Zhao Yongsheng, Zheng Xianyong, and others also took their leave. Sheng Liancheng and Sheng Xiping saw them off to the gate.

"Brother Zhao, I've been so busy today that I haven't had time to chat with you for a while. I'm really sorry for not being a good host."

"Let's get together sometime when we're free, brothers." Sheng Xiping and Zhao Guangning chatted as they walked, exchanging a few polite words.

"Look at you, why would we, brothers, fuss over this? You'll be the busiest one at the wedding, so all that talk about being thorough is trivial."

Brother, you've married a good wife! You must treat her well.

"When you go to Songjiang River in the future, be sure to visit my home." Zhao Guangning patted Sheng Xiping on the shoulder and said with a smile.

Zhao Yongsheng and his son came to Qianchuan on work-related matters, so after exchanging a few pleasantries with the Sheng family, they took their leave and went to the farm headquarters.

At the Sheng family's place, after finishing the first round of cooking, they started serving the second round of dishes.

This time it was simple; it was all helpers and family members, and a total of four tables were set up.

This time, even Master Li and the bride and groom sat down to drink and eat, and everyone chatted and laughed, making it a very lively occasion.

After the second banquet was over, it was getting late, so the helpers quickly cleaned up the tables.

Wang Jianshe and others gathered their belongings and returned anything they had borrowed from elsewhere.

When delivering household items, they can't be empty. Things like pots, pans, and bowls have to be filled with leftover food, or melon seeds and candies.

If you break bowls, plates, teapots, wine glasses, or similar items for someone, you must record it so that the host can discuss it with you later. They can either pay for the items or buy new ones.

I was busy until about five o'clock, and finally everything was tidied up.

Zhang Shuzhen specially packed some melon seeds, candies, or pieces of fried meat and meatballs that were not used for the helpers.

"These past few days have been tiring for everyone. We don't have much good stuff at home, and these dishes are leftovers from when we prepared them. We're taking them back for the kids to try."

Those who came to help out were all good friends, so naturally we couldn't let them go back empty-handed.

"Master Li, these are for you. You've worked so hard these past two days."

In addition to giving Chef Li a red envelope, Zhang Shuzhen also packed a lot of food for him and gave him a separate pork leg.

"Oh, Sister-in-law Sheng, you're too kind."

We're all from the same forest farm. I get along so well with Brother Sheng, and since his nephew is getting married, I should come and help out.

When Master Li saw these things, he was overjoyed. "If anything happens at home in the future, Brother Sheng and Sister-in-law, just call me and I'll take care of it."

Chef Li exchanged a few polite words, then happily carried his things home.

Most of the outsiders had left, leaving only Liu Changde's family and a few of his friends, including Wang Jianshe and Chen Weiguo, on the Sheng family's side.

Those who shouted about making a ruckus in the bridal chamber at noon only made a token fuss in the new house for a while, played a few games, chatted and laughed for a bit, and then left.

The elders all said that a new house shouldn't be left empty; it needs to be filled with people. So Wang Jianshe and the others didn't leave; they stayed in the new house, talking, chatting, playing cards, and so on.

At 7 p.m., Zhang Shuzhen prepared two more tables of food and invited the Zhou family over for a meal.

Tomorrow there will be a small train back to Songjianghe, and the Zhou family will be able to take it back. So tonight's dinner will be both a visit to the in-laws and a farewell feast.

We ate late in the afternoon, so actually no one was very hungry.

I've been so busy these past few days that I haven't had a chance to sit down and chat properly. Now that the two kids have finally finished their weddings, we all have this opportunity to get together and have a casual chat.

What you eat and drink isn't important; the most important thing is to connect with others so that you won't be strangers when you meet relatives in the future.

The group chatted until after nine o'clock, when the power went out at the forest farm, at which point they said their goodbyes and left.

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