Because Yan Qingqing and Li Xiangping were both granted official positions, quite a few people came to congratulate them during this period.
From the magistrate of Ling County and the local gentry and wealthy people in Chengyang County, whether they knew them or not, to ordinary villagers and workers in workshops.
No matter how many gifts they brought, Yan Qingqing had Li Xinniang record them all.
It's not about the quantity of the gifts, but about the sentiment behind them.
That day, Li Xiangping asked Yan Qingqing to come over to discuss hosting a banquet for the villagers.
Li Xiangping said, "Mother, now whenever I go out, people always ask when we're going to have a feast. They're all waiting."
I don't know whether to refuse or agree. That's why I came to ask my mother for advice.
Upon hearing this, Yan Qingqing retorted, "You are now an eighth-rank agricultural official, what's there to hesitate about when it comes to setting up a banquet?"
Besides, you're the eldest son in the family, and you'll be making many decisions about things like this in the future.
Li Xiangping scratched his head and replied, "Mother, you know I've never been as opinionated as my second brother since I was little."
Especially in the past year, I've gotten used to relying on my mother.
However, I have carefully considered the matter of hosting this banquet.
If we don't hold a banquet for such a joyous occasion, our relatives and friends will have been disappointed.
But if we hold a feast, we're afraid people will say we're being too extravagant, especially since our son is an agricultural official; he should be focused on ensuring the people have enough to eat, not on throwing lavish banquets for himself.
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "Hmm, you've made progress. You're now able to think about problems comprehensively."
However, this time we must hold a grand celebration.
Firstly, this marks the beginning of a change in our family's status. I want to show everyone that we have the strength to turn the tide and prevent those maggots in the gutter from plotting against us again.
Secondly, we cannot let down the villagers of Canghe Village who have placed their hopes on us.
Although the saying "when one attains enlightenment, even one's chickens and dogs ascend to heaven" is unpleasant, and they can't ascend to heaven with us, we are now their role model and their hope.
At least they could leave Canghe Village with more confidence because their village had produced a capable leader and a high-ranking agricultural official.
Li Xiangping nodded in agreement and said, "Then let's make this a big celebration! Let's invite all the relatives and friends we can to join in the fun."
The mother and son then began discussing the details of the banquet.
The banquet was finally scheduled for three days later. Although the time was a bit rushed, we had plenty of people at home, so it wasn't too chaotic.
Yan Qingqing and Li Xiangping were in charge of entertaining the guests, while Li Xiangan was in charge of purchasing and arranging the banquet. Yan Qingqing was worried that he would be too busy, so she assigned Mu Xi to him.
Li Xiang'an knew that his mother relied heavily on Mu Xi, so she was exceptionally polite to him as well.
Li Xinniang and Yuan Huiniang were responsible for registering gifts and serving female guests.
This time, the head chef of Yuelaiju was in charge of cooking again. Ever since Manager Xue got two recipes from Yan Qingqing, Yuelaiju's business has been booming.
Yuelaiju is now showing signs of surpassing Juxian Pavilion to become the premier restaurant in Chengyang County. From then on, Manager Xue became increasingly respectful to Yan Qingqing.
He would always send people to deliver gifts during holidays, and he would also do his best to help the Li family with any business they needed.
He acted as if he truly considered himself Yan Qingqing's nephew.
Since the other party was so polite, Yan Qingqing naturally treated him well in return. Later, she gave him several recipes, which became very popular at Yuelaiju Restaurant.
This time, when Yan Qingqing and Li Xiangping were granted official positions, he was the first to personally visit them to offer his congratulations.
At the time, it was said that when Yan Qingqing and the others were setting up their banquet, they would bring over the best chefs from their kitchen to help.
Yan Qingqing naturally wouldn't refuse someone's kind offer, and besides, the two people in her kitchen really couldn't handle it alone.
Of course, the manager of Tongpengzhai also borrowed several chefs from the kitchen, and Yan Qingqing accepted them all equally.
The restaurants that cooperated with Yan Qingqing's family have always been very stable, especially after Yan Qingqing was granted an imperial title, their prices have soared, and many people want to taste just how delicious Ming Zhaoling's food really is.
Yan Qingqing repeatedly emphasized that prices should not be raised under the guise of this, which garnered positive feedback in Chengyang County.
On the day Yan Qingqing's family was hosting a banquet, the doorman heard a knock on the door early in the morning, before dawn.
Ah Si rubbed his sleepy face as he walked to the door, muttering, "Who is it? So early in the morning!"
When they opened the door, they saw a carriage parked in front of them. A woman wearing a black cloak jumped out of the carriage, her face completely covered by a hood.
Two servants followed in front of the carriage, carrying things out.
Ah Si quickly stepped forward and asked, "Where is your residence? I'd like to inform our mistress."
The woman readily replied, "No need, I just came to congratulate your wife. It's inconvenient for me to show up, so I'll leave the things here and go back."
Please tell your wife to congratulate her on being appointed as a Mingzhao Lingren (a high-ranking official), and wish her continued success in her future endeavors.
After saying that, he had his attendants put the things down, and then he rode away in his carriage.
Ah Si was completely bewildered; was this really someone who came to deliver a gift?
If they neither enter the house nor leave their names, how will their wife know who sent the gift? Is she just burning money?
Despite his thoughts, Ah Si still had his things carried into Yan Qingqing's yard.
As expected, Ah Si came in so early and said unhappily, "You have no sense of propriety. It's not even dawn yet. Madam has been busy these past few days and hasn't had a good rest. Why are you here so early?"
"I'm telling you, if you disturb Madam's rest, I won't let you off the hook!"
As Ruyi spent more time with Yan Qingqing, she gained considerable prestige among the servants.
Ah Si quickly begged for forgiveness, saying, "Good sister, I had an urgent matter to attend to. Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to disturb Madam's rest even if you gave me two lives."
Look, someone just came to deliver a gift. They were wearing a black hooded suit, so I couldn't see their face clearly.
She had someone leave the things there and then left.
The more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt. Who gives gifts like that? What if someone is trying to frame my wife?
I quickly brought the things in so that Madam could see if they were alright.
When Ah Si said that, Ruyi also became nervous.
Yan Qingqing was actually already awake; she had heard A Si and Ruyi's conversation clearly.
So he got up, put on a coat, and said, "Bring the things in, let me see what they are."
Upon hearing this, Ruyi quickly went inside to serve, and A Si didn't dare to delay either, so he quickly had someone carry the things into the house.
Yan Qingqing asked Ruyi to light the lamp, and when she opened the box, she was almost blinded by the light.
Inside were many glittering gold ornaments and a fist-sized luminous pearl.
It instantly illuminated the room as if it were daytime.
Yan Qingqing was also secretly surprised; who would give her such an expensive gift?
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