When everyone heard that someone else had arrived, they paused, their hands still holding their chopsticks, unsure whether to eat or not.
"Chen An, you two go out and entertain them first. We'll start eating once they arrive!"
The village head put down his chopsticks and gave everyone a wink. Seeing this, everyone withdrew their hands and sat down to wait.
He figured that Cheng Yue was doing business in the county town, so the people who came must be quite important. If they ate and drank without a care in the world and others saw them, wouldn't that make Cheng Yue a laughing stock?
"Yes, honey, hurry up! The food won't get cold anytime soon!"
Cheng Yue nodded, "Alright, everyone, please wait a moment."
After saying that, he went out with Chen An to greet the guests.
Although she felt that Master Xuanhuai shouldn't care about these formalities, it was indeed inappropriate not to wait for him since he had already arrived at the door.
The two had barely stepped outside, and before they could even speak, Master Xuanhuai tossed them a small box. "A housewarming gift!"
Chen An reacted quickly, catching it immediately and bowing, saying, "Thank you, Daoist Xuanhuai!"
The box was very light, and I didn't know what it contained, but whatever it was, I should still express my gratitude.
They owed him money for not calculating the auspicious day, and even a meal, but he still came with a congratulatory gift.
Master Xuanhuai coughed lightly, "No need, is dinner ready?"
If he hadn't been so greedy and gotten a stomachache, he wouldn't have slept until now; it's a little embarrassing to admit.
Cheng Yue suppressed a laugh. A master is a master, so direct! When it comes to eating, it's just eating. Why is that a little cute?
"The food is all served, we've been waiting for you! Please come in."
Upon hearing this, Daoist Xuanhuai stroked his beard, feeling that Cheng Yue was mocking him. He regretted sending her a stack of talismans; he wished he hadn't…
Let's go!
Cheng Yue and Chen An led the way. The banquet was set up in the inner courtyard, which was larger and could accommodate ten tables, with six people per table, men and women seated separately.
If a large group of people hadn't left just before the meal started, there wouldn't be only a few tables left.
Everyone used to come in large groups this morning, young and old, but now only the head of the household and the women who helped out are left to eat.
When Cheng Yue finished serving the dishes and saw that there were only so few people left, she was a little confused. It was Wu who explained that it was because each family had only given a gift of money, and they felt embarrassed to have the whole family stay for dinner.
Cheng Yue didn't care about these things, but since the people had already run away, she figured she couldn't call them back even if she did. She might as well wait until she finished eating and bring them a portion back with her.
As soon as the Taoist Master Xuanhua entered, everyone turned their gazes toward him, exchanging bewildered glances. Wasn't he some important figure?
Why are they dressed in tattered clothes even more than the rest of them, and with unshaven beards that make it impossible to see what they look like? Are they begging for food?
However, seeing Cheng Yue and Chen An's respectful attitude, they quickly dismissed the idea. It must be some important person, although slightly different from the important person they remembered...
Xuanhuai Daoren didn't mind what everyone thought, because his attention was entirely on the food. Tsk tsk, it wasn't a wasted trip!
"Master, please sit here and join us at the same table." Cheng Yue arranged for Xuanhuai Daoist to sit down, and then introduced him to everyone: "This is Xuanhuai Daoist, the master who helped us calculate the auspicious day. He came here specifically to offer his congratulations."
Not knowing what the master meant, she didn't say much, and could only give a brief introduction.
The villagers love gossip and have the utmost reverence for the supernatural. When Cheng Yue told them that the visitor was a master, everyone's eyes changed.
No wonder he was dressed so unusually, he's a master!
Cheng Yue knew everyone would react this way; just look at her mother's eyes—she practically wanted to see a hole through the master.
"Alright, everyone's here, let's start eating!"
"Okay! Let's eat!"
Clearly, curiosity about the master hadn't outweighed the food in front of them. They were just about to start eating anyway, but then the master arrived. Otherwise, they would have already devoured it. Why wait so long?
In an instant, the courtyard was filled with the clattering of bowls and chopsticks, and everyone's face was beaming with satisfaction.
Wow! This tofu tastes so good! How did you make it?!
"And this big meatball, I can't describe it, it smells amazing!"
"Don't scare me, what do you mean by a big meatball! This is called braised lion's head meatballs!"
"What's a lion? Why does its head look like that?"
"Eating won't shut you up, who cares what it is! Just eat it!"
Upon hearing this, Master Xuanhuai shook his head slightly. "A bunch of fools. The more they talk, the less they eat. They're obviously inexperienced. If they want to eat more, they have to keep their heads down and eat as much as they can!"
Cheng Yue looked at Xuanhuai Daoist's bulging cheeks, her lips twitching slightly. She quickly ladled a bowl of soup over and said, "Master, please eat slowly. There's plenty more in the kitchen! Have some soup to help you relax."
She was genuinely afraid the master would choke. The way he ate made it seem like he'd never eaten a full meal. He's supposed to be a master, how come he doesn't seem to have any inhibitions at all?
The master, without even looking up, mumbled, "Drink the soup last! To seal the gaps!"
Why drink soup now? It just fills up your stomach. You obviously don't know how to eat!
Upon hearing this, Madam Wu nodded repeatedly, "As expected of a master, what you say makes perfect sense!"
Cheng Yue gave her mother a strange look. Something wasn't right. Why was she suddenly flattering her?
Looking at his father again, he saw him smiling broadly with a look of approval, and he kept pushing the food towards the master.
This old couple is not normal!
After listening to the master's words, everyone stopped talking and began to concentrate on eating. Before long, the plates on the table were empty.
Cheng Yue quickly picked up the plates and called for everyone to go to the kitchen to get more food, but everyone refused, saying, "No need, no need, we're all full!"
Although I still feel like I haven't had enough, I just finished a whole table of food, what would be the point of eating another table?
As they were talking, everyone finished eating. The village headman called out to everyone, "Now that you've all finished eating, please help clean up. Take your own bowls, chopsticks, tables, and chairs home!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned his head and saw that Daoist Xuanhuai was still gnawing on a big pork knuckle, and he was immediately a little embarrassed.
Cheng Yue was both amused and exasperated. Just as she was about to help out of the predicament, she saw Xuan Huai Dao Ren shake the large pork knuckle in his hand and say, "You guys clean up, don't worry about me!"
What a joke! He's still far from full; he hasn't eaten enough yet!
"Then let the master enjoy his meal. Let's clean up first!"
Although it's a bit impolite to start clearing the dishes before everyone has finished eating, judging from the chef's appearance, he could probably still make several more braised pork knuckles, so it wouldn't do for them to just wait around.
Fortunately, the master spoke up, so let's clean up first!
The men immediately sprang into action, starting to clear the tables and benches. While the women were clearing the dishes, Cheng Yue said:
"Aunties and sisters-in-law, please wash a few bowls and chopsticks so you can get some food when you get home."
Upon hearing this, everyone shook their heads again, "Really, there's no need. You can keep it and eat it slowly. It's not proper for us to eat and take things!"
"Of course! This food is so good, we're already satisfied with just one meal! We wouldn't dare take any more!"
"There's so much food left in the kitchen, how can we possibly finish it all? Today is a happy occasion, moving is a joyous occasion, I'm happy if you all eat well, stop talking and come in to get some food!"
Although the food wouldn't spoil if stored in the space, she had already calculated the number of people in the food she prepared today, and there wouldn't have been any left if more than half of them hadn't run away.
Nobody wanted to take advantage of her, and she wanted even less to take advantage of everyone else.
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