Chapter 488 Holding a Grand Chrysanthemum Appreciation Party
In the golden autumn of September, the fragrance of osmanthus fills the air for miles.
There are many osmanthus trees on the mountain in Dahe Village, and quite a few at the foot of the mountain as well, but they grow randomly and are not clustered together.
If we build another road up the mountain at this time, and then build a pavilion on the mountain, by the time it's finished, it will already be October, and the osmanthus and wild chrysanthemums will have all withered, so there's not much point in building these things.
So it was finally decided to send people to transplant the wild chrysanthemums from the mountain and plant them all at the entrance of Cheng Wanwan's flower nursery.
As for osmanthus, it's all about the fragrance, not the appearance. No matter where you are in Dahe Village, you can smell the rich fragrance of osmanthus, and that's enough.
Of course, if someone insists on admiring the osmanthus, that's fine too. They can admire the solitary osmanthus trees in the village, or be taken up the mountain by villagers to see the entire osmanthus forest.
“Since everyone agrees to hold a chrysanthemum appreciation party, we can get started,” Cheng Wanwan said. “It’s the end of September now, so how about we set the banquet for the first day of October?”
The sooner this is done, the better, and none of the attendees had any objections.
"The first thing is to write the invitation letter, and that task will be left to Master Yu."
Master Yu is now in charge of education in Dahe Village. He used to only receive a salary as a teacher, but now he can receive an additional salary as a manager.
"Once the invitation is completed, Xiao He, send a few patrolmen to deliver it to the city."
He Xiao was the captain of the guard team, and he was also assigned a deputy captain, Zhao Erye. Since he was the deputy, he had no real power, and no one said anything about letting someone with the surname Zhao take the position. The main reason was that Zhao Erye was particularly fond of martial arts and strongly volunteered for the position, which was ultimately approved by a unanimous vote.
"Leave the transplanting of wild chrysanthemums to Wang Wenzhi, and let my eldest sister assist you."
Wang Wenzhi is the newly elected director of agricultural affairs and a pillar of the Wang family. With him holding such an important position, the Wang family can finally hold their heads high in Dahe Village.
"Then there's the food list for the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Party. Zhang Ersaozi and Baosaozi, you two will coordinate with Granny Ma tomorrow."
Zhang Ersaozi is a member of the Zhang family, specifically Zhang Poniang's sister-in-law. She represents the Zhang family and is responsible for handling disputes. Bao Saozi is Bao Hong's wife and represents the "migrant" group, specifically the people of Xindahe Village. She is responsible for conveying the needs and problems of the elderly, weak, women, and children in the village.
"Xu Kun and Tie Zhu, you must strictly control your finances, but you must never be stingy..."
Cheng Wanwan methodically gave instructions, and everyone listened attentively.
After she finished speaking, the village head said, "There are still three days until the first day of the tenth month. You all need to hurry up. Whether our Dahe Village's tourism industry can thrive all year round depends on this opportunity."
The word "tourism" was also learned from Cheng Wanwan, and the more she said it, the better she got at saying it.
Everyone stood up and said in unison, "Yes!"
They were all new to their posts and had obtained the permission of all the villagers. Since it was their first time undertaking such a major task, they naturally had to do it well.
Everyone went their separate ways to get busy.
Master Yu quickly wrote the invitation letter, and He Xiao sent more than a dozen people to distribute the invitation letters.
The invitation is extended to all regular customers who have visited Dahe Village before. They are invited to come to Dahe Village to enjoy chrysanthemums and osmanthus blossoms free of charge, and there will also be delicious food to sample.
For a time, Dahe Village became the most talked-about topic among city dwellers.
“In August, I invited some friends to go fishing in Dahe Village. Although it was a bit hot, the scenery was really nice. I never expected to become a regular customer of Dahe Village. They even invited me to admire the chrysanthemums for free. I had to go!”
"I heard it's a chrysanthemum appreciation event organized by people from Sui'an. A sixth-rank official from Sui'an invited me, how could I not go?"
"If regular customers can go, I estimate that the ladies and wives of the officials in various counties will also go, and some wealthy businessmen certainly won't miss this opportunity."
"Oh my, we're going to meet a lot of important people, we need to prepare well!"
"..."
The news spread throughout the streets and alleys, and naturally reached the county government office in Fenghuang County.
The maid stood trembling behind Madam Zheng and reported in a low voice, "I've inquired, and Madam Bai from Baiyun County, Madam Fu from Hekou County... as well as Madam Lin and Madam Ge, have all received invitations..."
His voice trailed off, the last few words barely audible.
Madam Zheng turned around abruptly and slapped the maid hard across the face.
The maid was in excruciating pain, tears welling in her eyes, but she dared not utter a sound.
"What a bunch of Sui'an people! They're clearly going against my Zheng family!"
Madam Zheng raised her hand and smashed the cup on the ground.
Everyone who visited Dahe Village received an invitation, but the Zheng family was the only one left out, as if they were afraid others wouldn't know about the discord between the Sui'an people and the Zheng family.
"What are you throwing a tantrum for?" Lord Zheng walked in from the doorway, his face cold. "If you hadn't been so audacious as to plot against the eldest daughter of the Lin family, how could our Zheng family have suffered such a calamity?"
"I'm doing this all for the Zheng family!" Madam Zheng gritted her teeth. "Without family connections to back you up, you'll only ever be a county magistrate. I can't let Feng'er follow in your footsteps! We could have succeeded, but it's all that widow's fault. She's ruined our plans time and time again. Does she think that just because she's from Sui'an, she can do whatever she wants in this area?!"
“That’s right, she can do whatever she wants!” Magistrate Zheng said, emphasizing each word. “Sui’an is a sixth-rank official. The entire Huzhou only needs to bow to the Prefect. How dare you, a mere county magistrate’s wife, spout such arrogant nonsense? Instead of keeping an eye on Sui’an in Dahe Village, you should send more people to inquire about your son!”
Madam Zheng paused: "A few days ago, after the provincial examination, I received a letter from Feng'er saying everything went smoothly. What happened that I don't know about?"
"After the provincial examination, the provincial education officials hosted a banquet for all the scholars who had taken the exam. The governor also attended this banquet, which shows the court's emphasis on scholars," Lord Zheng said slowly. "Making a name for oneself in front of the governor would be very beneficial in the future. Feng'er has always been shrewd, and you can guess that he must have stood out... He stood out even before the results of the provincial examination were announced. A tree that stands out in the forest will surely be felled by the wind. He was targeted by several fellow townsmen from Huzhou, and their arguments were reasonable. Feng'er was powerless to defend himself, and the governor disliked him..."
Madam Zheng exclaimed in disbelief, "Feng'er is a generous man with many friends. How could he be targeted in public... I know now, it was Cheng Zhao. Shen Zheng and Cheng Zhao must have conspired to do this. Shen Zheng has always been jealous of our Feng'er, and Cheng Zhao is seeking revenge for being expelled from Nanfu Academy. That must be it! This family is really too much!"
"Cheng Zhao topped the list in the provincial examination, and he will surely rank among the best in the provincial examination as well. Why would he target his fellow townsman? As for Shen Zheng, that boy wouldn't do such a thing," Lord Zheng said coldly. "It was Lu Chen and his friends, who are always on good terms with Feng'er, who accused Feng'er of framing Cheng Zhao without cause in front of the governor. Many people witnessed this, and Feng'er was unable to defend himself. He almost... Fortunately, Cheng Zhao is a magnanimous boy. He told the governor that he and Feng'er were classmates and close friends, and that what happened back then was just a misunderstanding. That's why the governor let the matter drop!"
At this point, Lord Zheng stared coldly at his wife, "You are jealous of Sui'an people for your own selfish reasons, but Sui'an people's nephew saved our Feng'er once. If you dare to insult Sui'an people again, or cause trouble for no reason, don't blame me for divorcing you with a letter of divorce!"
After saying that, he turned and left.
Mrs. Zheng was shocked and slumped weakly into a chair.
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