As the elderly women approached the Lin family's door, the aroma of meat wafted out, causing them to quicken their pace.
"Come sit in the main room..." Aunt Huang greeted them with a smile and led them inside.
Qin Atai blended into the crowd, and no one noticed her.
Only one table of people has arrived so far; the table next to it is empty.
Grandma Lin came out with the candy and placed it on the table.
She smiled as she looked at the people at the table, but when her gaze fell on Aunt Qin, her lips twitched.
Uninvited?
"Everyone, sit down and have some candy and melon seeds. The dishes will be served shortly," Aunt Lin called out to everyone.
Grandma Qin grabbed a handful of candy and put it in her pocket, her eyes darting around as she muttered to herself, "The house is alright, it almost belonged to Asheng..."
The old woman sitting next to her hurriedly tugged at her sleeve, "Old woman Qin, don't say anything out of line at the banquet today."
Grandma Lin sat to one side, chatting with a few old women.
There are quite a few men in Haibi Village who marry into the family, and these women happen to be her sisters from the village, who have been playing together since childhood.
"Grandma Qin, don't put it all in your pocket, there's still a table of people who haven't arrived..." another old woman reminded her.
Qin Atai stopped what she was doing and didn't serve the dishes. She was afraid of being kicked out, which would be really embarrassing.
upstairs,
Lin Ziyan was making tea for her friends.
She didn't invite many friends; they barely made up one table.
Huo Qizhen was unable to make it due to a last-minute trip to Guangzhou, but the gifts were delivered first.
"Ayan, your terrace is nice, the view is great." Sister Fang leaned against the railing, looking out at the sea.
Song Yi stood to the side, put his arm around her waist, and buried his chin in the crook of her neck.
The chubby girl stared at them with wide eyes, her face instantly turning red.
She had only ever seen such intimate scenes in movies.
Lu Qiuying wasn't surprised at all; she had even seen people kissing passionately on lawns abroad.
"How about building a house in our village?" Lin Ziyan suggested with a smile.
She knew that some land could be bought and sold, as long as the village approved it with its official seal.
Fangjie squinted at the sea and said, "If there's land available, it would be great to build here."
The villagers near the fishing village don't realize that the land here will only become more and more expensive in the future.
But Fangjie had already inquired and was planning to buy one, but she didn't know anyone in the nearby village who could help with the wiring.
"If you really want it, I can ask the village secretary," Lin Ziyan said casually, noticing her interest.
Lu Qiuying quietly drank her tea, without mentioning that many nearby hills had been included in the government's plans.
Fuxian County has a strong clan consciousness, and the planning process tries to avoid disturbing the land of fishing villages.
"Thank you for your help. I really want to settle down here." Sister Fang smoothed her hair and smiled, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her eyes.
Song Yi's gaze never left her face; everything was done according to her wishes.
The chubby girl just drank her tea on the side, watching the two of them with sparkling eyes, as if they were watching characters who had jumped out of a movie.
A short while later, Lu Yunshen and Yang Yanzhou went up to the second-floor terrace together, followed by Xiao Jin.
"Lin Ziyan, congratulations..." Yang Yanzhou spoke first, handing her the gift as he did so.
Lu Yunshen pulled out the rattan chair next to her and sat down, completely forgetting that Lu Qiuying was also there.
"I'll make the tea." He sat down and took the teapot.
Lu Qiuying watched the two of them with great interest, unaware that Xiao Jin had sat down right next to her.
Yang Yanzhou glanced at his friend, his lips twitched, and he suddenly felt that the air was filled with sourness.
The atmosphere on the terrace was tense; someone downstairs almost overturned the table.
As soon as the dishes were served, Aunt Qin immediately reached out with her chopsticks and put them into the red plastic bag.
It's customary to take leftovers home from a banquet, but when eating at a new home, people usually only take leftovers after they're already full.
"Grandma Qin, have you forgotten that today's meal is for moving into a new house?"
An old woman, who no longer goes there, muttered something.
Aunt Qin casually said, "She didn't invite me, how would I know what kind of banquet it is? Once I sit down and eat, she can't possibly kick me out, can she?"
The people at the table were stunned for a few seconds. The old woman who had been muttering earlier came to her senses and spoke up, "So you came uninvited?"
Everyone was unhappy with these words.
"Old woman Qin, the host didn't invite you, how dare you come?" a thin old woman asked.
"What's the point of being shameless when you're eating for free?" When Grandma Qin saw that another meat dish had been served, she hurriedly tried to take another bite.
But her chopsticks were simply snatched away.
Just as Tan was about to get angry, she saw that it was Lin who had taken away the chopsticks, and she couldn't even speak, as if someone had grabbed her throat.
“If you want to eat at the banquet, then follow the rules. Today is a good day, so I won’t hold it against you. But if you keep eating alone like this, I won’t hesitate to have someone drag you out,” Lin Atai said coldly.
Qin Atai's lips twitched, but she immediately wilted and sat down obediently.
She knew that Old Lady Lin really could kick her out.
Of all the old women in the village, only Old Lady Lin dared to fight her.
"Eat and drink well, everyone. There will be pastries after you finish eating..." Lin Atai smiled and looked at the others.
…
The people downstairs are mostly from the village, and the young people don't like to join in the fun with them.
So Aunt Chen simply had a table brought upstairs so they could eat comfortably.
A table was set up on the terrace, and Aunt Chen and Aunt Huang began serving the dishes one after another.
Lin Ziyan took the rum she bought from Boss Huo, along with lemon, mint, and crushed ice, and went into the inner room to make a cocktail.
Everyone assumed she was making lemon tea and didn't pay any attention.
When she brought it out, Lu Yunshen's eyes flickered.
The drink in the glass looks a lot like the cocktails he'd had in bars abroad...?
"Ah Yan, you didn't switch out the mojito, did you?" Sister Fang exclaimed, looking at the glass in surprise.
Fat girl: "Huh? Mojito?"
“That’s right, it’s a mojito.” Lin Ziyan’s lips curled up, and the tiny lights in her eyes gathered, making her eyes appear exceptionally bright.
Lu Qiuying looked bewildered and asked Xiao Jin, "What is a Mojito?"
“A type of cocktail with a sweet and refreshing taste,” Xiao Jin explained with a slight smile, raising an eyebrow.
Fangjie couldn't wait to pick up the cup, take a sip, and nodded vigorously, "It tastes just right!"
The others also picked up their cups and took a small sip.
But everyone's expression was different.
The chubby girl thought it tasted like fruit juice and couldn't help but drink a few more sips.
Lu Qiuying quickly reminded her, "Don't drink so fast, you'll get drunk."
Xiao Jin and Yang Yanzhou exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with surprise.
What Lin Ziyan didn't know was that the flavor she mixed was almost identical to that of the bar's.
Currently, no one in Chinese bars makes mojitos.
"No, it's just like juice." The chubby girl waved her hand, took a few more sips, and then stopped.
She felt that since there was no smell of alcohol, she definitely wouldn't get drunk.
She had once secretly drunk her father's brewed wine, and when she did, her throat felt like it was on fire.
The chubby girl picked up her chopsticks to eat some food, but found that the chopsticks were a little wobbly.
"This liquor has a low alcohol content, but you can still get drunk if you drink too much," Lin Ziyan reminded her.
The subtle minty scent, mixed with the sweet fragrance of lemon, is refreshing and delightful.
"Ayan, you should have said so earlier..." The chubby girl slumped onto the table, her face flushed.
The glass on her table was empty...
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