kvmb Chapter 984 The Dining Table
Chapter 984 The Dining Table
Once most of the guests had arrived, the banquet officially began.
Each table has twenty dishes: ten meat dishes, five vegetable dishes, two soups, and three cold dishes.
The villagers were stunned. Fortunately, the village chief had given them instructions beforehand, and the person sitting at the main table was simply too intimidating.
They were all drooling inside, but on the surface they remained very "refined".
At least there was no fighting or scrambling, and the old village chief secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The only family that was not respectable was Qian Wenlong's family.
They acted as if they hadn't eaten in ages; they didn't even use chopsticks and had to use their hands.
Erwa lowered his voice and warned, "Brother Qian, if you don't want to eat properly, let's go outside and talk."
Qian Wenlong and his wife then behaved themselves a bit, but they still couldn't help but fight over it.
The steward of the Prince's mansion pretended not to see anything and chatted with Tie Zhu and the others with a smile.
Knowing that they were Fang Tong and Fang Yin's good brothers, they became even more unpretentious.
At the main table, toasts were exchanged, and at the beginning, several officials showered Fang Yin with compliments.
Unfortunately, Fang Yin didn't like to hear it and was still polite to Lord Lin, so he ended up praising Lord Lin instead.
Lord Lin was very modest, and he would chat with Fang Yin from time to time about the situation in the capital, such as how he missed His Majesty very much since he had not seen him for a long time.
Fang Yin said, "Your Majesty eats two bowls of rice at a time, that's very good."
For example, I heard that Lord Fang is highly valued by the Ministry of Agriculture?
Fang Tong: A minor official who doesn't hold any important positions and just does his own job every day.
In the end, the county magistrate and his entourage basically became mere guests, only able to listen.
They listened with great interest.
While Lord Lin, as the prefect, had access to information about developments in the capital, the county officials were essentially in the dark.
If any news reaches their ears, it's already a done deal, and most people already know.
This is a rare opportunity.
The old village chief ate more vegetables and drank more wine, pricked up his ears, and remained silent.
His status and ability to hold this position are due to the respect and dignity shown to him by the Fang brothers. As long as he doesn't embarrass the two children, that's enough.
At the women's table, Meng Lan sat in the main seat.
Firstly, she is the sister-in-law, which is of a higher generation; secondly, she is the wife of a general, which is of a higher status.
In fact, Meng Lan had actually yielded, because this courtyard belonged to the Qin family, and her sitting in the main seat would be overstepping her bounds.
Qian Fengping shut her down with a single sentence: "Sister-in-law, I'm the one who manages the inner quarters of the General's Mansion. There's really no need for us two families to stand on ceremony."
Besides, the main person at today's banquet is my second brother.
It was the banquet he hosted upon returning home in glory as a general.
She and Fang Tong were just supporting characters.
The ladies sitting with me were also of some status, but they were all very gentle today.
First, I praised Madam Kua Meng for her beauty and refined demeanor. It is an honor to meet her today. Madam Kua Meng and General Fang are a match made in heaven…
There were also those who tried to establish connections, saying things like, "My brother's wife's sister married into so-and-so's family, and they're related to the Meng family within five degrees of kinship."
Throughout the entire process, Meng Lan remained poised and confident, neither smug nor disrespectful of others despite the praise.
She embodied the elegance and poise of a noblewoman.
After getting to know each other, the ladies tentatively got down to business.
The magistrate's wife wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, seemingly curious: "Madam Qian, I seem to remember you have a daughter, why haven't I seen her today?"
“Unfortunately, she went to the prefectural city to visit the teacher,” Qian Fengping explained.
The magistrate's wife looked regretful and mentioned her two daughters, saying she had wanted the children to play together and make more friends.
Qian Fengping felt a pang of regret, but she didn't make any promises, like visiting Zhizhi when she had time.
I don't have time. Besides, making friends is a child's business, and I don't want to interfere too much.
Fortunately, the magistrate's wife had ulterior motives: "Women are different from men. The happiest days are when they are at their parents' home. My eldest daughter should be engaged in the next year or two. As her mother, I can't bear to part with her, so I thought I should let her have some more fun before she gets engaged."
After all that, the engagement is the main point.
Qian Fengping sighed, "What you say is true, that's how it is when you have a daughter. My husband is very reluctant to part with her and plans to find a husband for Zhizhi a few years later."
Seeing that she didn't speak in the expected direction, the magistrate's wife didn't know if she didn't understand or was pretending to be stupid.
But the magistrate's wife was not going to give up so easily: "Yes, women are noble and marriage is not urgent, but it's different for men. If we wait too long to arrange a marriage, I'm afraid a good girl will be taken by someone else."
"My eldest son got engaged last year, and the wedding date is next year. Madam Qian, I wonder if your child is engaged yet?"
Qian Fengping picked up her teacup and took a sip.
Meng Lan smiled and replied, "Yan Ge'er hasn't yet. He's currently a student at the Imperial Academy, so studying is the most important thing. My father thinks highly of him, but he doesn't want to interfere with his future."
The ladies weren't stupid; they understood the subtext of those words.
General Meng of the capital also believed that Qin Yan was a promising talent and intended to act as matchmaker, but he was probably rejected.
On a deeper level, if the noble ladies of the capital didn't take a liking to her, then there was no need to mention the county magistrate's daughter.
The magistrate's wife's expression indeed turned rather unpleasant.
Qian Fengping nodded: "A son is no longer under his mother's control when he grows up. Yan-ge has always been decisive. He said he has no intention of getting married for the time being and is only thinking about studying."
She also subtly mentioned Qin Yan's reputation for debating with people at the Imperial Academy and the praise he received for his disaster relief efforts, all under the guise of her son's "troublemaking" and "mischievousness."
The implication is that Qin Yan has a bright future ahead of him. Even before taking office, he has already caught the eye of the court officials. Those who want to propose marriage should think twice before acting.
However, this also shows that Qin Yan was truly focused on building his career and managed to save face for the county magistrate's wife.
Another lady intervened to smooth things over, and the topic quickly shifted, and the atmosphere at the dinner table became harmonious again.
Qin Yan, who was the subject of discussion, was very busy at the moment. He would drink a few cups with his classmates, and then go to his teachers to chat about academic matters. The scholars and licentiates who came to admire him also enjoyed talking to Qin Yan about the Imperial Academy in the capital.
These people came to the banquet for various reasons, but networking was the primary objective.
Compared to them, the villagers are simple and honest.
They all talked about very down-to-earth things.
"Wow, these meatballs don't taste like pork at all, they're even more fragrant than pork."
"It's so juicy, I heard it's made with beef."
"Such a big fish, I wonder where the Qin family got it from?"
"There are few fish bones, so they're easy to pick out..."
Listen to this, now that's how you properly come to eat.
Many more people listened intently to the storytelling while eating, their eyes shining.
While the village was bustling with activity, Fang Nanzhi had already arrived in the prefectural city.
He then gave Zheng Wanru acupuncture, and the two of them were leaning against each other, reading a book together.
Ahem, let's read a storybook.
This is a storybook about ghosts and monsters, which sets out the rules for the lives of ghosts and monsters, and the rules for humans, which coexist and cannot be violated.
Such books are, of course, produced by the system.
Fang Nanzhi only dared to share it with Zheng Wanru.
The two were so engrossed in watching that they forgot the time.