Chapter 175: The Chef Ran Away

In this era, weddings in rural areas were typically celebrated with horse-drawn carriages. Wang Deshan arranged for several large horse-drawn carriages from the production team. The first carriage, carrying the bride, was different from the others. It had a red rope with bells tied around the horse’s neck, and the saddle was covered with red cloth. Inside the carriage, there was a brand-new red cotton quilt specifically for the bride to sit on.

The wedding party included both men and women, including Yang Liu and his wife, as well as Wang Mei. Those attending the wedding had to be sweet-tongued, energetic, and able to handle any challenges from the bride’s family. Wang Zhi stayed at home, waiting to welcome the bride.

The wedding procession was a significant event. Before leaving, Zhu Qiyu pulled Wang Zhenguo aside and whispered something to him. Wang Qian didn’t hear what they were discussing, but judging by Wang Zhenguo’s continuous nodding, she felt that Zhu Qiyu didn’t offer any good advice.

Wang Zhenguo was dressed in a navy blue Zhongshan suit with four pockets, and he wore a pair of leather shoes. His hair was slicked back, shining with oil.

Wang Qian suspected that Wang Zhenguo must have used a lot of hair oil. She found it amusing, knowing that the dust from the journey would likely settle on his head, especially with the hair oil attracting more dust. She imagined that Wang Zhenguo would return from the wedding procession with a sooty face.

Wang Zhenguo, with a joyful expression, set off with the wedding party. The people in the courtyard hurried to prepare the food. The main organizer for the wedding was Wang Deshan’s younger brother, Wang Deying. Wang Qian and the others addressed him as “Old Master.” Wang Zhenhai and Wang Zhenjiang, the two brothers, assisted their uncle in managing the wedding affairs.

Wang Zhenhai saw the children from the third brother’s family approaching and quickly pulled them aside. “Mingcheng, why haven’t your dad and the others come?”

Although he had heard from the couple that they wouldn’t be coming, seeing the children, he wanted to confirm.

“Uncle, my dad asked us to come as representatives to visit relatives. Where should we go to pay our respects?” Mingcheng inquired.

Wang Zhenhai pointed inside the house and said, “Everyone is inside. You can go in and pay your respects. Also, with so many people here today, I won’t be able to look after you all. Be careful, especially with your younger siblings.”

Nodding towards Wang Zhi, he added, “You all need to stick together today. Don’t get too close to those people. If anything happens, call me. After paying your respects, go find your older brother. Stick with him, and we can be more at ease.”

Wang Zhenhai wasn’t worried that Wang Zhi and the others would cause trouble today. After all, it was his younger brother’s wedding, and they wouldn’t want to make things difficult for the children from the third brother’s family just for the sake of appearances. However, he was cautious, especially with Wang Mei and her two sons present. With Huang and Cai, as well as those two troublemakers, he was concerned about any potential trouble they might cause.

Wang Qian, with a smile, said, “Uncle, don’t worry. We’re not afraid of them. If anything happens, it will reflect poorly on them.” Wang Zhenhai trusted his niece’s words. He admired her performance in front of so many people that day, so he felt reassured by her words.

However, for safety’s sake, he gave them a few reminders before allowing them to enter the house to pay their respects.

Wang Zhi, who was in the courtyard, saw them and his expression changed from joy to gloom. “Are you all here to freeload? Go back where you came from. Don’t hang around here.”

The people in the courtyard, including those helping and visiting, looked over upon hearing her words.

Mingcheng and Mingyuan felt uneasy and their young faces tensed. “Aunt, we came to celebrate the wedding.”

Wang Zhi’s voice rose upon hearing this. “Celebrate the wedding? You kids who haven’t even grown up properly, what wedding celebration are you talking about? You’re just here to freeload. Go wherever you feel comfortable. Our family doesn’t welcome you.”

Wang Qian began to sneer. “Aunt Wang Zhi, what do you mean by that? Are you suggesting that everyone who came to visit is here to freeload? Are you saying that none of the guests are welcome? Are you implying that no one who came to visit is allowed to eat here?”

Wang Qian didn’t hold back. She wasn’t afraid of causing a scene. It would be good to embarrass this short-sighted person. Let’s see who ends up looking worse in the end.

Wang Zhi was taken aback by her words, and her face started to redden. “You little brat, I didn’t say that. I said our family doesn’t welcome you. Do you understand?”

The people in the courtyard began to murmur discontentedly. Wang Deshan and Zhu Qiyu, who were entertaining guests inside, hurried out upon hearing Wang Zhi’s voice.

Wang Xuan, seeing the elderly couple come out, raised the five yuan in Mingcheng’s hand in front of them. “Grandpa, Grandma, we came to visit today. Do you welcome us or not? Aunt just said that this family doesn’t welcome us.”

Wang Deshan glared at his daughter and said, “Mingcheng, don’t listen to her nonsense. How could I not welcome you? I’m delighted that you’re here. Come, let me take you to pay your respects.”

Wang Zhi, feeling frustrated, said, “Mom, say something.”

Zhu Qiyu shot her brainless daughter a fierce look. She couldn’t believe she was causing a scene at this time, risking the ridicule of the guests. She pulled Wang Zhi over and scolded her, “You foolish girl, why are you causing trouble today? Are you out of your mind? Behave yourself today, and don’t you dare stir up any trouble. I won’t go easy on you.”

As Mingcheng followed his grandfather inside, Wang Qian smirked at Wang Zhi. Zuo Hao and Zuo Yu murmured something behind them. When Mingcheng and Wang Xuan came out, the three of them smiled at Mingcheng and said, “Mingcheng, take your sisters to find a seat. We’ll join you with Mingyuan in a while.”

Wang Qian wasn’t sure what the four of them were up to, but she was confident that they wouldn’t cause any major trouble. So, she let them go without any worries.

The recent incident sparked private discussions among the onlookers. Wang Qian and the others listened quietly to the women’s private conversations without expressing their own opinions.

After finding their eldest cousin, Wang Mingshan, they gathered around a table. As the wedding procession was about to return around noon, the head chef Zhang Yongxi’s wife suddenly rushed in. “Yongxi, you need to go back quickly. Our father is in critical condition.”

Upon hearing the news, Zhang Yongxi, who was in the middle of frying meatballs, dropped the ladle and rushed home. Fortunately, the Zhang family and the Wang family lived on the same street, just a few steps away.

The helpers in the courtyard were dumbfounded when the chef left. While everyone knew how to cook, they had no experience in preparing a banquet. With the head chef gone, they were at a loss about what to do next.

Wang Deying, who was in charge of the arrangements, was also at a loss upon hearing the news. No one had ever encountered such a situation before, and no one wanted anything to happen to the chef. Unfortunately, this was an unfortunate turn of events.

“Zhenhai, quickly find someone to take charge of the kitchen. The bride’s family will be here soon, and the banquet is about to start. The food isn’t ready yet. We can’t have the bride’s family laughing at us,” Wang Deying urged.

Wang Zhenhai was at a loss about who to call for help. Zhang Yongxi was the only experienced chef in the vicinity, specializing in banquet preparations. He didn’t know where else to look for help.

“We don’t have anyone suitable here, Uncle. What should we do?”

The old lady also heard about the chef’s family emergency. She looked visibly worried. It seemed that the more one feared something happening, the more likely it was to occur. She couldn’t believe that this had to happen on the day of his son’s wedding. The old man had to pick that day to pass away. The old lady’s anger was hard to contain.

“Wang Zhenhai, go and see what’s going on at Zhang Yongxi’s house. Can he still make it? Eldest daughter-in-law, you and the second daughter-in-law, take a few people and start cooking. We can’t afford any delays. The guests will be here soon,” Wang Deshan instructed.

Wang Deshan followed, looking troubled. “Zhenjiang, go and ask your aunts for help. We must ensure that today’s banquet is prepared on time.”

Meanwhile, Wang Qian and the others sat in the neighboring old lady’s house. In rural areas, banquets were usually set up in various neighbors’ homes when the weather was cold. If the weather was warm, the banquet would be set up on the street. Since Wang Zhenguo’s wedding coincided with cold weather, the Wang family had requisitioned several neighboring homes to host the banquet.

Wang Zhenjiang hurriedly asked his aunt, Wang Chun, to come and help. Upon hearing this, Wang Qian and the others found it somewhat comical. It was the first time they had heard of a chef running away at the last minute.

“Hehe, it seems like their family isn’t cut out for hosting a banquet today. Look at how things have gone wrong in such a short time,” remarked one of them.

Wang Xuan couldn’t contain her excitement. The embarrassment caused by Wang Zhi’s earlier behavior was now overshadowed by this news.

“Sister, don’t get too excited too soon. Without the chef, what will we eat? Both our families have spent a lot of money. We should at least get a good meal out of it,” reminded Wang Minglin, their second cousin.

Wang Yu, however, remained unfazed. “What are you worried about, second cousin? Do you think there won’t be any food to serve the guests on a wedding day? I’ve never heard of such a thing. Don’t worry, our mother is helping out. We’ll definitely have enough to eat. I heard there’s plenty of food today. I bet many people came on an empty stomach. If they all leave hungry, I bet the bride’s family will be the first to protest.”

As Wang Yu finished speaking, cries of despair could be heard from outside, indicating that the chef’s elderly relative had passed away.

The wailing grew louder and more intense, echoing throughout the entire street as more people joined in. Curious, Mingcheng and the others ran outside to see what was happening. When they returned, they informed everyone that a white cloth had been hung outside Zhang Yongxi’s house.

At that moment, Mingyuan and Zuo Hao, who had been missing for a while, returned. Their faces were filled with excitement, making their fair complexions even more charming.