Chapter 68: Eating in batches
Gao Zhiyuan looked at Ding Hong and said, "Sister-in-law, go get some hot water. Yunniang and I need to take a shower."
Mrs. Cui also said, "Bring me a basin of water, I want to wash, too."
Ding Hong curled her lips. The tone of his voice sounded as if he was treating her like a maid.
But I can't rely on anyone else at this moment.
She reluctantly went to the kitchen to get a bucket of hot water for the few people, and then brought in a basin of cold water.
Several people were cleaning the room, and the villagers and relatives outside had to be greeted.
It was raining, so we couldn't stay in the yard, and we couldn't put a table under the eaves.
There aren't enough tables in the room to seat so many people.
You can't let half of the people stay to eat and drive the other half out.
They have all contributed their share of the money, so we cannot deny them a meal.
Mrs. Cui simply wiped her face and hair, then quickly changed her clothes and came out.
She looked at the villagers standing there, and approached Gao Zhiqiang and asked, "Daqiang, what should we do?"
Gao Zhiqiang scratched his head and said, "I don't know either. How about asking the village chief?"
When Mrs. Cui heard this, she walked over to Village Chief Liu and asked, "Village Chief, what do you think we should do? We can't let people eat in the yard, right?"
Village chief Liu sighed and asked, what is going on?
It was my first time to encounter a banquet where half of the people were sitting and half were standing.
Is it his business to make decisions about other people's weddings and banquets?
He said, "This is your family's business. Besides, your two sons are already adults, and Zhiyuan is a scholar. Wait until he comes out and see what he says."
Mrs. Cui didn't know what to say.
A quarter of an hour passed, then two quarters of an hour passed, but the person still didn't come out.
Seeing that everyone was getting a little impatient, Mrs. Cui had no choice but to go to the bridal chamber to urge them.
In the new house, Liu Ruyun wiped the mud off her hair several times before she finally cleaned it off, and then she barely wiped it off her body.
When she opened the dowry box, she found several sets of clothes were wet. She felt so distressed because these were her favorite clothes.
There was no time to care about that at this point, so I quickly found a set of clothes that weren't wet and changed into them.
She looked at Gao Zhiyuan with red eyes: "Brother Yuan, this is our big day. I feel sad to see it turn out like this."
Gao Zhiyuan also changed his clothes. He went forward to hug her and comforted her softly, "Yunniang, I am sorry for wronging you. I swear that I will let you live a good life in the future, with pearls and jade, brocade clothes, delicious food, and servants to call your own. I will never let you suffer in vain."
Liu Ruyun looked at him with admiration: "I believe you, as long as you treat me well, I don't care about anything else.
As you know, my father is in poor health and can no longer teach. He can only do an idle job of looking after books in the academy.
My mother is not in good health, and my eldest brother still needs to study. Right now, you are the support of our family. I don’t ask for wealth, I just ask you to treat me sincerely. "
Gao Zhiyuan suddenly felt that his body had become taller and taller. His father-in-law and his family all depended on him.
"Don't worry, Yunniang, I will definitely protect you and my parents-in-law."
When the two were being affectionate, there was a knock on the door and Cui Po's urging voice was heard.
"Yuan'er, have you packed yet? The guys are still waiting for you."
"Okay, Mom, I'll go out right away." Gao Zhiyuan responded and told Yunniang to stay in the house.
He walked out and closed the door. Mrs. Cui said, "Yuan'er, what should we do about the wedding banquet? I just asked the village chief, and he said that it's up to you to make the decision."
Gao Zhiyuan was a little dissatisfied when he heard this. Why did he ask him about such a small matter?
Looking at the rain that was still falling, his brows furrowed again. He had never cared about family affairs.
After thinking for a while, he said, "Mom, why don't we eat it in batches?"
"What?"
"There are two tables in the main room, one in the eldest brother's room, one in Conghui's room, and in the kitchen..."
Mrs. Cui interrupted: "There's no room for a table in the kitchen, how about the woodshed?"
"That's fine. There are fifteen tables of banquets, and the food can be eaten in three groups." Gao Zhiyuan rubbed his eyebrows after saying this. He had never worried about family matters.
"Will this work?"
"Then do you have a better idea?"
Mrs. Cui sighed and said, "Okay, let's do as you say. I'll ask your eldest brother to arrange for everyone to sit down."
When Gao Conghui heard this, she pouted. Why should people be allowed into her boudoir to have a feast?
After being persuaded by Mrs. Cui to let only the woman in, she reluctantly agreed.
Finally, the village chief and elders of higher generations sit in the main hall, followed by those with better relationships who sit at other tables.
The rest waited.
The villagers were speechless. It was the first time they had seen a banquet like this.
Six dishes and one staple food were served on the table, including a plate of stir-fried shepherd's purse, a plate of stewed pork with radish, a plate of scrambled eggs with green onions, a plate of stir-fried cabbage, a plate of stewed dried vegetables, a plate of dried pumpkin seeds, and a basket of coarse flour cakes.
The people at the village chief's table were all elders and they were more concerned about their image, but the other tables had no such concerns. As soon as a dish was served, it was snatched up in a second. Some even put coarse noodle cakes in the soup and absorbed all the soup.
While eating, they discussed in a low voice: "Didn't they say that when marrying a scholar's daughter, the banquet would be very respectable? Is this it? There is only one meat dish, and the rest are all vegetarian."
"Yes, I thought there would be at least ten dishes. And this cake, there is no white flour mixed in it. Didn't they say that the betrothal gift was ten taels of silver?"
"That's ten taels of silver from selling the land. Don't forget, I still owe the Li family five taels of silver."
"Don't say these things on someone's wedding day. The new bride of Gao Er's family has a slim figure and is probably pretty. No wonder she doesn't like Li Wanyue."
"We farmers are most afraid of being thin. Looking at her figure, she doesn't look like someone who can work."
"She is the daughter of a scholar, she never gets wet, unlike us."
Everyone said that they would not delay their meal and finished eating in a quarter of an hour. After saying congratulations, they went home and started their next meal.
The house only became quiet after the last group of people finished their meal and left.
The rain came and went quickly, and after everyone left, the rain stopped.
The setting sun cast a soft glow, and a rainbow appeared on the horizon.
Gao Zhiyuan returned to his room drunk, and Mrs. Cui kept saying she was tired, so she also went back to her room to rest.
Gao Conghui immediately found an excuse to leave, leaving Gao Zhiqiang and Ding Hong to clean up.
No matter how resentful Ding Hong was, she had to do it. She couldn't call the second son's wife out to deal with her at this time.
We can't leave this mess until tomorrow, we can only accept our fate and clean it up.
Fortunately, the second son’s wife has come home, so there will be someone to share the housework with me in the future. I just have to be patient today.
Gao Conghui returned to the room and saw debris all over the table and floor, and her bed was also a mess.
Screaming in anger.
She remembered that the people who came to her room to eat were women and children. It seemed that some naughty child ran into her bed.
When she saw her pink bed sheets were covered with muddy footprints, she screamed in anger.
This is her favorite bed sheet. Don't let her know who it is, otherwise she will beat the kid.
"Brother and sister-in-law, please come and clean up my room first." She collapsed and shouted.
Gao Zhiqiang quickly responded: "Hey, I'll be right there."
The two were busy packing up. Gao Zhiyuan returned to the bridal chamber and saw that Liu Ruyun had already laid down with her little face flushed.
He walked over and said, "Yunniang, why are you asleep? We haven't drunk the wedding wine yet."
"Brother Yuan, I was a little cold, so I didn't wait for you. I wanted to sleep for a while."
Gao Zhiyuan reached out to touch her forehead, which was a little hot, and he instantly became a little more sober.
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