Chapter 42: Grand Wedding Feast

“Come on, everyone, it’s time for some sweets and tea!” Han Shijia cheerfully invited everyone out to enjoy the treats.

Han Shiguo, in turn, called over his brother-in-law and cousins.

Jiang Xiaogu stayed behind, looking at Jiang Qian and smiling, “His eldest and second sisters are in the kitchen helping out. They’re not as good with words as his third sister, but they told me once they’re done, they’ll come over to see you.”

Han Shicai and Han Shiyun, his two older sisters, didn’t have the ability to charm others with their words, but they were genuinely happy for their brother, Han Shiguo.

At that moment, they, along with a few aunts, were busy in the kitchen!

“There’s no rush for them to come over. Once they’re done, they’ll come see their sister-in-law,” Jiang Xiaogu said with a smile.

Jiang Qian nodded, “Alright, I’ll wait to meet them once they’re finished.”

As they were talking, Han Shiguo walked in again.

“Shiguo, you talk to Jiang Qian for a bit. I’ll go out and help entertain the guests. Those troublesome guests are too much for just your third sister to handle on her own,” Jiang Xiaogu laughed.

“Thank you, Xiaogu,” Han Shiguo replied with a smile, nodding his head.

If they were to call out here, Han Shiguo would call his sister-in-law, as Jiang Xiaogu’s father-in-law was of the same generation as Han Qian and Han Mu. Jiang Xiaogu’s husband was Han Shiguo, Han Shimin, and the others’ cousin from a separate room, and he was no longer young.

However, Han Shiguo still called her “Xiaogu” as a way of addressing her affectionately.

Jiang Xiaogu was pleased by this, as it felt even more intimate. She stepped out, leaving the space for them.

Jiang Qian now felt a little shy and couldn’t bring herself to look at Han Shiguo.

Han Shiguo glanced toward the door. Seeing no one, he immediately leaned in and gave her a kiss.

He had wanted to kiss her for a while, but it hadn’t been appropriate earlier. Now that he had brought her home, he wasn’t going to hold back.

Jiang Qian hadn’t expected him to do this and quickly checked the door again. Once she confirmed no one was outside, she let out a sigh of relief.

She shot him a playful glare. “Stop fooling around!”

As she said this, something seemed to cross her mind. Her face flushed again, and she glanced at Han Shiguo. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she didn’t quite have the courage to speak.

“What’s wrong?” Han Shiguo asked softly.

“I’ll tell you later, tonight,” Jiang Qian replied, her face still red.

“Alright, we’ll talk tonight,” Han Shiguo said, giving her a long look. He had plenty to say to her when the evening came!

Before long, the banquet began.

It truly opened everyone’s eyes. There were five tables in total, each with ten dishes, symbolizing perfection and completeness.

The first dish was vegetarian, a simple braised cabbage. There was nothing special about it.

But starting with the second dish, everyone’s eyes widened in surprise.

The second dish was a meat dish—the most authentic braised pork belly. As soon as it was brought out, the aroma hit, and everyone who hadn’t had a bite of meat in over a year was instantly drooling!

Following that, the third dish was a local favorite: spicy stir-fried chicken with chili peppers.

The bold, fragrant aroma immediately filled the room, making everyone’s mouths water!

The fourth dish was also a meat dish: twice-cooked pork stir-fried with hot peppers. The pork was a perfect blend of lean and fatty cuts, and even the peppers glistened with a glossy sheen from the oil!

The fifth dish was a bit more ordinary, but still fragrant and appetizing—scrambled eggs with chives. The portion was especially generous, and there were probably over a dozen eggs in that one dish, otherwise it wouldn’t have had such a rich, fluffy texture!

The sixth dish was braised fish, a whole fish that filled the air with a mouthwatering aroma.

The seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth dishes were pork ribs stewed with potatoes, sautéed greens with crispy pork bits, and lotus root soup with bones.

A full ten dishes—not only were there plenty of them, but each dish was generously portioned. In this era, such a wedding feast was truly a grand banquet.

Everyone who had tasted the dishes couldn’t help but praise them. Their mouths were all greasy from the delicious food, and they couldn’t stop complimenting the feast.

They kept saying that this was the most lavish wedding banquet they had ever attended!

Moreover, Han Shiguo was very thoughtful and made sure that every table had its own supply of alcohol. While it wasn’t the high-end Maotai or Wuliangye, it was still a very well-known local brand of liquor.

He and Jiang Qian went around to toast every table, and everyone was in high spirits, constantly praising the couple.

Such a lively scene was truly rare.

After the banquet ended, several of the aunts and sisters-in-law stayed behind to help clean up.

Of course, Jiang Qian also pitched in, ensuring the house was spotless.

As for the borrowed tables, chairs, pots, and bowls, they certainly didn’t have enough of their own, so they had to borrow them from relatives and friends.

However, after everything was cleaned up, it was all returned, and each family was given a hearty bowl of meat as a token of thanks!

The dishes served at the banquet were all finished, but the ones that hadn’t been cooked were prepared in larger quantities than needed, so there were plenty of leftovers. These leftovers were now being sent out as a gesture of gratitude.

Relatives and friends were all pleased with this.

Now, word had spread throughout the village that Han Shiguo’s wedding feast had been a great success. People were saying that Han Shiguo had truly gone all out, and that he was very generous. He didn’t accept any gift money from the guests. Anyone who had been invited could just come empty-handed and enjoy the meal.

Everyone was praising Han’s mother, complimenting her on raising such a successful son. They said you wouldn’t find another like him in the whole village, and that he’d married such a good daughter-in-law.

This daughter-in-law was not only beautiful but also well-educated, and she seemed like the kind of person who would bring prosperity to her husband!

These compliments truly made Han’s mother feel good inside. She wasn’t in a hurry to return the dishes, staying to chat with others for quite some time before coming back.

When she returned, she saw that a few of her daughters and sons-in-law were about to leave.

“Mom, you’ve been talking to Third Aunt for so long, we’re all ready to go,” said Han Shijia, the third sister, with a smile.

Han’s mother quickly said, “Don’t be in such a hurry to leave, there’s still plenty of food! Take some with you to bring home.”

“No need, I’ll just take some wedding candy back to share the good luck,” Han Shijia said.

Han’s mother wasn’t having it. “I know you’re doing well, but these dishes haven’t been touched. The lunchbox you brought back with the stewed meat last time is still here. Let me pack you some for Youshu, Youhong, Yousheng, and the others!”

After washing the lunchbox, she filled it with half a box of braised pork belly and the other half with stir-fried pork with chili peppers.

“Alright, I won’t be polite, Mom,” Han Shijia laughed, accepting it. Even though they lived in the county party committee compound, meat wasn’t something they could eat every day.

Zhao Shuxu also smiled. “Father, Mother, Big Brother,  Shiguo, we’ll be heading home now.”

“Alright, take your time on the road,” Han’s father said. Though he had drunk a bit, his mood was clearly very good.

The couple rode their bicycles home with the rest of the family sending them off.

Next came the eldest sister Han Shicai and her husband Zhang Fa, both with very honest faces.

However, since there were no more lunchboxes, Han’s mother simply used a large sea bowl to fill it with meat dishes—braised meat, stir-fried meat, and scrambled eggs with chives—everything was mixed together.

For the second sister Han Shiyun and her husband Chen Youquan, Han’s mother also gave them a big bowl of food. Chen Youquan exchanged a glance with Han Shiyun.

Han Shiyun felt a bit embarrassed but could only say, “Mother, Xiao Yang likes fish, don’t give so much meat, just a fish will be fine.”

Xiao Yang was her son, the only son she had after giving birth to three daughters.

Chen Youquan felt a little dissatisfied when he heard her request, but soon became happy again because Han’s mother, the mother-in-law, didn’t reduce the meat. Instead, she added a fish to the plate, and she also gave an extra fish to Han Shicai, making it fair and square.

Both of the older sisters didn’t come empty-handed—they had brought baskets with some eggs to exchange.

So, they just placed the bowls in the baskets to take back.

The two daughters and sons-in-law didn’t stay long afterward.