Chapter 204 The villagers came to help
Just after the hour of Mao, villagers came over with tables and chairs, and the village women carried bowls, chopsticks and vegetable basins.
Ma: "We are here to help. If you need any help, please feel free to ask."
Mrs. Wu: "Yes, just leave the washing of vegetables and dishes to us. The men in Cuilin Village will also have to help today."
Mrs. Hu was very touched when she saw the villagers coming to help without being invited. After all, in Liuhe Village before, it was enough to invite them three or four times, but those who helped not only had to eat and take things, but also had to pay a penny.
Mu came over carrying two baskets of vegetables, looked at the villagers and said, "Everyone come and help! Let's help wash the vegetables and dishes first, and the rest of the work like setting up the stove and chopping vegetables is for the men!"
Mrs. Hu: "Thank you so much, everyone. I will make sure everyone eats and drinks well today!"
Everyone was happy when they heard this. Although there were a few of them who were usually petty and greedy, they only dared to complain behind their backs!
If there are any important trees in the village that need help, they are in the minority, so of course they have to obey the majority!
Xu Zhiyi looked at the tables and stools that the villagers had moved to the roadside and couldn't help but say, "Uncles, aunts, uncles and aunts, now we can move the tables and stools to the road and line them up one by one."
Upon hearing this, everyone hurriedly moved the tables and chairs and lined up from the first household to the last, for a total of twenty tables.
The owner of the butcher shop in the town also brought over the slaughtered pigs, as well as the thirty fishes and fifteen chickens and ducks that had been ordered. Several women from Qingcai Village brought over with baskets, and they also bought some more in the town. That was all the vegetarian and meat dishes!
The villagers were shocked when they saw the slaughtered pig. Then when they saw the fish, chickens and ducks being delivered one after another, there was another small sensation.
"Wow, Hachiho is really generous today!"
"Yes, that pig alone must be nearly 200 kilograms, not to mention the other meat and vegetables."
Mu, who was standing by, reminded them, "They've spent so much money today, we can't be stingy with the gifts we give later!"
Ma: "I, Ma, have never been a stingy person, but... my wallet doesn't allow me to be generous!"
Wu: "Come on, it's not that your wallet won't allow it, it's that your heart won't allow it."
"You two, come on, today is someone's day, please don't mess around!"
Mu: "The dishes are ready, let's help wash them!"
Then he looked at the male villagers beside him and said, "I'll leave the killing of chickens, ducks, fish and so on to you men!"
"Okay, I'll go chop the pork."
“I’m going to kill the fish.”
"I'm going to kill chickens and ducks"
In this way, everyone got busy and cooperated with each other.
Xu Zhiyi looked at the chopped pig bones, cleaned the two large pots, and planned to stew the bones into a bone and white radish soup.
Except for Doctor Li's, the stoves in the seven households were busy cooking, and those who cooked were all family members. The chef on the Xu and Su families' side was old man Su Ze, Shen Wuyou helped in the kitchen, Shen Changan made the fire, and the rest helped to serve the dishes and bowls.
Luo Jinqiu took Lou Qianqian to the village entrance to ask for directions. When the villagers heard that they were guests from several families who were holding a banquet, they immediately led the way enthusiastically.
"Sister Zhiyi, congratulations on moving into a new house. I wish you a safe and happy life from now on, great blessings, and everything goes well!!"
Xu Zhiyi came forward to take Lou Qianqian's gift, smiled and said, "I accept your blessing!"
Then he looked at Luo Jinqiu: "Aunt Luo, please come in and sit in the main hall."
Luo Jinqiu: "No, if there is anything you need to do, I can bring Qianqian to help."
"Aunt Luo, you don't have to..."
"Stop it, why are we being polite? Go and do your work. You don't have to accompany us, mother and daughter."
Xu Zhiyi was pushed a few steps back. With the gifts in her hands, she had to walk away and put the gifts away. But when she came out again, the mother and daughter were actually mingling with the women who were washing vegetables and washing vegetables together.
I tried to persuade them several times, but it didn't work so I just let them do what they wanted!
After everyone had been busy for an hour and a half, the cooked dishes could be served one after another. Villagers who wanted to attend the banquet also started to arrive. The village chief moved a small table, sat down with paper, pen and ink, and waited for those who came to register their gifts.
The first one was Ma. She took out her purse, counted out forty copper coins, looked at everyone proudly and said loudly: "Five copper coins per household, a total of forty coins."
The village chief looked at Ma in surprise when he heard this. So generous? I remember that she used to give a small basket of vegetables or three eggs as a gift, but today she changed to copper coins?
Upon hearing this, Mu also took out eighty copper coins and said, "Village Chief, I will give ten copper coins to each household."
Seeing this, Mrs. Wu, who was standing by, knew that she must give no less than Mrs. Ma: "Village chief, I will give six copper coins to each household." She looked at Mrs. Ma with a proud look on her face.
Ma knew that Wu had deliberately humiliated her, and she was immediately dissatisfied. She took out another copper coin and said, "Village Chief, I will add two more coins, and it will be seven coins."
Seeing that the two were about to start fighting again, Mu immediately went over and stood between them to block their line of sight: "The villagers behind can still give gifts. If you two really want to fight, then just give all the money in your pockets as gifts! This way, there will be no money to fight for!"
Upon hearing this, the two men glanced at the purses in their hands, and then moved in unison and quickly stuffed the purses into their sleeve pockets.
When the villagers behind saw that the three people in front of them all gave copper coins, they felt a little embarrassed to come over casually with some vegetables or a few eggs as they did before. Basically, they all gave copper coins. The lowest amount per household was three copper coins, and the highest was twelve copper coins.
Of course, there were still several families who brought a basket of vegetables, because in the past, when the village held banquets, they were not as generous as they are today. It was considered good enough to have a plate of meat on the table, so everyone used to bring gifts with the goal of not going empty-handed.
When the banquet started, the twenty tables outside were full, and the remaining seats were empty so we had to wait for a table to become available before eating.
The villagers looked at the plates of meat and vegetables on the table, their eyes all shining. Once the table was full, they couldn't wait to start eating. The elderly with bad teeth were afraid of being at a disadvantage, so they desperately put meat into their grandchildren's bowls.
The children looked at the bowls full of meat, their eyes were full of excitement. They could eat such satisfying meat today. The last time was when the Yin family in the village married their daughter. They heard from the adults that she went to the town to be a lady, so they slaughtered a pig during the banquet, and they could eat a lot of meat that time.
After the banquet, the villagers helped to clean up, wash the dishes and plates, and then took their belongings back home.
Seeing that there were still a lot of meat and vegetables left in the kitchen, Mrs. Hu decided to keep some for herself and share the rest with the dozen or twenty people who came to help.
"Zhiyi, bring a plate over here and take it back to cook at home. Share the rest with the villagers who came to help since morning. They worked the longest and ate the last. They didn't leave after they finished eating and stayed to help clean up the dishes, tables and chairs."
Xu Zhiyi: "Okay, there should be enough for everyone to have a full bowl left. Ask the villagers who are busy outside to bring in bowls and give everyone a bowl!"
The villagers who were cleaning up the dishes outside couldn't believe what Hu said. That was meat! Not only could everyone eat enough today, but they could also take a bowl home?
Oh, I helped with the work for half a day today, and suddenly at this moment, miraculously, I didn’t feel tired at all, and I even felt happy.
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