The three women had already started setting the tables and washing the dishes. With the bowls, chopsticks, and plates that Tian Yu had bought, there were enough for more than a dozen tables. Tian Yu soaked the dried bamboo shoots that had been drying in water, then gave the three women instructions on what to do, and they got to work enthusiastically.

Li Yong borrowed five young soldiers with his child and a cartload of things. Tian Yu was too busy to notice and let them carry everything inside. The five soldiers were very happy and helped in the kitchen after unloading. They had bought a bag of flatbreads and steamed buns, prepared plenty of candy and various pastries, and even several jars of wine. Tian Yu asked them why they had bought these things, and the five men grinned and said General Li had ordered them, worried there wouldn't be enough food for so many people. Tian Yu smiled, thinking she hadn't realized Li Yong had such a thoughtful side. She was worried about what to eat for their main meal; she didn't have time to cook enough rice, but they were all country folk and would definitely need staple foods. Now, she didn't have to worry anymore. The candy they had prepared at home was almost gone, and now they had replenished it. She really needed to thank Li Yong properly.

Tian Yu sent the five soldiers outside to play with the children, as they didn't need so many people. After sending them all out, Tian Yu and her three sisters-in-law began preparing the feast. Before noon, the village head arrived with his family and several elders from the village. Hearing the noise outside, Tian Yu quickly wiped her hands, intending to go and greet them. Just as she stepped out of the kitchen, Zhao Moyan stopped her, saying, "You go about your business, I'll go greet them."

After Tian Yu finished speaking, she watched Zhao Moyan, dressed in white with long hair reaching his waist, walk towards the door. Li Yong followed behind him, and the three women behind him laughed and said, "Your Marquis is really handsome. You can't find such a celestial being anywhere else in the surrounding villages."

"Yeah, girl, you're so lucky!"

"Yes, she will be the Marquis's wife from now on."

"Even if she's not the wife, just a concubine is still better off than us."

Listening to the three women talking back and forth, Tian Yu had no way to defend herself. She could only force a smile. What kind of pursuit could women in this era have? As long as they had a family, that was enough. Where was the women's rights? Where was the freedom?

Seeing Zhao Moyan chatting and laughing with the village head, welcoming the village head's family and several elders in, their warm and generous smiles captivated Zhao Jinxiu across the table. Tian Yu, seeing how well he treated them, turned back to the kitchen to continue preparing the banquet. If it were her, she probably wouldn't be able to handle so many people and would probably just smile foolishly. Indeed, the kitchen was the most suitable place for her.

Later, many more people arrived from the village, including Grandma Gouzi's family. They greeted Tian Yu, who told them to sit outside and gave Gouzi and Xiaohua a lot of candy each. Tian Yu and the three sisters-in-law were busy with the banquet, leaving the guests outside to Zhao Moyan and Li Yong to take care of. By the time the banquet was set up, all ten tables were full, with many tables having extra seats. The Liu brothers also arrived. Manager Qian didn't come in person, but he sent a gift: a set of writing implements, several jars of wine, and firecrackers. Only then did Tian Yu realize she hadn't bought firecrackers. Chen Chong arrived last, greeted Tian Yu, and then sat down with Zhao Jinxin and the others. Zhao Moyan, along with Tangyuan, the village elders, and the village head, sat at the main table. Tian Yu called Xiaoju to the kitchen to join the three sisters-in-law. There were too many people outside, clearly exceeding the budget, but thankfully Tian Yu listened to Zhao Moyan's advice and prepared extra ingredients. She asked the three women to add extra dishes to their plates in case there wasn't enough to eat, and also gave each table an extra serving of candy and pastries. Luckily, Li Yong had bought a lot. Li Yong and five soldiers set off firecrackers outside the courtyard. Only then did Tian Yu realize that Li Yong had bought firecrackers. They set off for a long time before the crackling stopped, and the banquet officially began. The two women were in charge of serving the dishes, one was in charge of plating, and Tian Yu stayed in the kitchen to cook. Xiao Ju helped watch the fire, and they worked together quite well. Since everything had been prepared in advance, the dishes were served one after another in no time.

The meal outside was lively, filled with praise and laughter. Seeing that there wasn't much left besides the braised pork, Tian Yu braised some spare ribs to add to the meal for the five of them. She also made a noodle soup with shredded pork and mushrooms. Tangyuan, Xiaoju, and the three older women stayed in the kitchen to eat. Tian Yu was a little tired and wondering when Zhao Moyan planned to speak, so she didn't feel like eating. She listened carefully to the sounds outside. Zhao Moyan toasted each table, and Tangyuan also came to the kitchen to find Xiaoju, so she stayed to eat as well. After the meal, Tian Yu told Tangyuan to take Xiaoju to play in the bamboo grove. Many children had already run out to play, leaving the adults to continue drinking and eating. Seeing Zhao Moyan finally toast Chen Chong's table, Tian Yu stood in front of the kitchen door, feeling her heart pounding with nervousness. Zhao Moyan glanced back at Tian Yu, then raised his glass to Chen Chong, saying, "Brother Chen, this toast is for you alone. Thank you for taking care of Tangyuan and her mother."

"I am the master of making tangyuan, it is my duty, Brother Zhao, you don't need to be so polite."

"I, Zhao, will drink first as a sign of respect. Brother Chen, please help yourself." With that, he tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp. Chen Chong didn't say anything and followed suit.

"With the elders of Lao Zhao Village all here today, I, Zhao, have something to announce," Zhao Moyan suddenly turned to Tian Yu and said loudly.

Everyone present pricked up their ears to listen, and the room fell silent for a moment. Seeing that everyone had stopped and was waiting for him to speak, Zhao Moyan took out a piece of paper from his pocket and continued, “This is my divorce agreement with Tian Yu. We divorced six years ago, but due to my mistake, many of you may not know this, leaving Tian Yu to bear the burden of this family alone for so many years. I feel guilty towards them, mother and son. Today, in front of everyone, I, Zhao Moyan, will once again clarify what happened six years ago. From now on, Tian Yu and I will go our separate ways, each living our own lives happily, free to remarry, with no further disputes. But Tangyuan will always be my eldest son, the Marquis of Zhenbei, and Tian Yu will always be his mother. This will never change. No matter what happens to them in the future, I, the Marquis, will always be their greatest support.”

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