Song Zijie knew the process of holding wedding banquets in rural areas, so the things he bought were varied, but mainly very practical.
He took a few young men to carry the food that needed to be cooked to the kitchen, and the candies and wine that didn't need to be cooked were placed directly on the table.
In rural areas, weddings and new house building usually require a wedding banquet, and relatives and friends are invited to the bang bang arena for everyone to celebrate together.
In the words of city people, a banquet in the countryside is a village banquet, but country people just call it making wine.
Rural people are willing to spend money to make wine. First, they will raise a fat pig and then prepare a lively banquet.
The villagers will enjoy a feast that will be unforgettable for half a year, so they will also look forward to seeing which family makes the wine.
Although the Su family's dinner invitation was very sudden, the pig Su Shuoci bought was fatter than any other family's pigs.
This made the villagers unwilling to eat lunch, and they all sat with empty stomachs hoping to eat more at dinner.
This is an unwritten custom in Shuanghe Village. If a family wants to make wine on a certain day, they will tell the villagers in advance.
Some families would let their children eat less the day before, so that they can wait for the wine with empty stomachs.
Su Shuoci just came out for a walk because he didn't want to listen to his second sister's meaningless words, and Han Jinghong followed him closely.
He saw that the villagers spontaneously moved tables and chairs from their homes and placed them in the open space in front of the Su family's door.
He roughly counted and found that there were at least sixty tables, which reminded him of the scenes of drinking when he was a child.
The scale of wine-making in the village varies, with the smallest having twenty tables and the largest having forty tables. The wealthier families have even more.
He just casually said that he wanted to treat his fellow villagers to a meal today, but he didn't expect everyone to make it so grand, with sixty tables.
The villagers have always attached great importance to their own banquets, which are not only the face of the village.
It is also a social moment when villagers find it difficult to get together under normal circumstances. The more people come, the more face the host family will have.
The banquet in the countryside was a vivid and lively picture of folk slang, which left a deep impression on Su Shuoci.
He remembered that in the village, whether it was a wedding or a funeral, the traditional custom of holding a banquet to entertain guests was still preserved.
Most villagers choose to hold the banquet at their own homes because it is lively, cheerful and enjoyable.
The taste and fun of a country banquet are indeed memorable, but no matter how big or small the banquet is, it must be well organized and decent.
When the delicious dishes on the table are so abundant that people can’t finish them, guests will praise the host for his generosity.
If there is not enough food, people will start criticizing and gossiping before the banquet is over.
Some people even mocked the host behind his back: So-and-so's banquet is simply selling cooked meat.
Therefore, even those whose family conditions are not so good have to show off their wealth and show off their wealth at banquets in order to save face.
When holding a banquet in the countryside, every detail is very particular, including what kind of cigarettes to serve, what kind of wine to serve, who to invite, and how many tables to set up.
All these details reveal the villagers' "secular philosophy" of how they conduct themselves in the world, and also reflect the simplicity, wisdom and human nature of the rural people.
The banquet for an old man’s birthday is called a “birthday banquet” by the villagers, and the whole family starts preparing for it half a month in advance.
His family was very busy making plans, hiring local chefs, preparing menus, inviting opera troupes, etc.
In short, the dish should be full, the food should be good, the wine should be fragrant, and the cigarettes should be high-end.
Song Zijie actually bought a lot of Red Sorghum liquor and Jianshe cigarettes. This guy is really good at dealing with things. The old men in the village like him very much.
There were also high-end candies that children and women liked. The Su family's impromptu banquet was no worse than the one that had been prepared for a month.
In fact, organizing a rural banquet seems easy but is actually difficult and must be planned in advance.
Families with poor financial conditions have to raise chickens, pigs, and sheep in advance, as these are indispensable staple foods for banquets.
The meat can then be slaughtered and served. As the day approaches, the number of people attending the banquet must be determined, and the host must personally go to other people's homes to invite them.
Once the number of people is determined, the number of tables for the banquet is also determined, and the host has to make an appointment with the chef.
A good country chef directly affects the quality of the banquet and the tastes of the people attending the banquet.
But Su Shuoci and Song Zijie are rich, so while others take half a year to prepare, they only need most of the afternoon.
After all, Su's mother was used to preparing banquets. She and the village women were busy for most of the afternoon and really made ten bowls.
When she was a chef, she knew both traditional and simple cooking, and was skilled in frying, pan-frying, steaming and stir-frying. She was proficient in everything.
Hot dishes, cold dishes, soups, and bowls are all prepared expertly, as long as the ingredients are sufficient, she can make them all.
The banquet was lively and unusual, especially the bowls of braised pork were piled high. As soon as you opened the bowl, a rich aroma hit your nose.
Su's father, Su Shuoci, the village chief and several respected elders in the village sat together in the main hall.
Song Zijie, Han Jinghong, his two subordinates, and the village teachers also sat in the main room.
The other villagers sat outside, so the Hu family sat at two tables, but they also sat outside like the other villagers.
The old woman of the Hu family saw her eldest daughter-in-law, Su Ermei, sitting in the main room with her three children and her eldest son, but she did not call her old man to join them.
She was very dissatisfied in her heart, but she was very afraid of Su Shuoci, so she didn't dare to make trouble.
Especially when she heard that her daughter, who had once been so successful, had been driven away by Su Shuoci, she dared not act up even more.
Only three tables can be placed in the main hall of the Su family. Whenever there is a banquet in any family, it is considered very prestigious for people to sit in the main hall.
Hu Yungen was hacked by the father and son of the Wang family. He could not work but could still eat.
The old man in the village picked up the chopsticks, picked up a piece of fragrant braised pork, put it into his mouth, squinted his eyes and smacked his lips.
He was so excited that he almost spit out the braised pork in his mouth. "It smells so good. I haven't had a banquet prepared by the Su family for several years. It's getting more and more delicious."
"Yes, I would die without regrets if I could have another meal cooked by her."
"Grandpa, look at what you said. Sister-in-law of the Su family has taught several apprentices, and the banquets they prepare are also very good." The village chief said with a smile.
"Hahaha... It's not that her apprentice can't do a good job, but she's not willing to sacrifice her capital. Ci bastard is really promising."
"Yes, Ci bastard, the banquet you prepared in half a day is more sumptuous than the banquet others prepared in half a year."
Not only Su Shuoci and the village chief's table were full of praise, the villagers outside were even more excited.
The villagers picked up the pork and chicken with their chopsticks, put them in their mouths, and their eyes lit up after every taste.
Han Jinghong also started eating. It was indeed delicious and he couldn't find words to praise it.
He had eaten chicken before, and he remembered that the chicken used in banquets was very tough and hard to chew.
But the one made by his idol’s mother is different. It is tender and smooth, and the aroma of the chicken is very rich.
"Han Jinghong, what do you think of the dishes cooked by my Aunt Su?" Song Zijie asked, smacking his lips.
He tasted every dish and found them all delicious. It turned out that his Aunt Su didn't cook the small pot dishes well.