Chapter 12

Soon the news of Widow Yuan Huiru accepting a godson spread throughout the village.

Several prominent elders were invited to preside over the proceedings, with proper etiquette observed.

Learning that Zhao Changsui had died at the border, Huo Shu traveled a thousand miles to deliver gifts to his peer of similar age, earning admiration and silencing any criticism in the village.

There was little to criticize in the first place, and the observers were all respected elders who wouldn’t tolerate any disrespect.

With this rare event sparking discussions in the village for a few days, it quickly came time for the Yu family to host a grand banquet on the 26th.

Everyone’s attention turned to the Yu family.

However, the weather wasn’t great that day, with rain starting early in the morning. Nevertheless, it didn’t dampen the enthusiasm for the feast.

Normally, Yuan Huiru would have helped with preparations, but the Yu family had spared no expense in hiring professionals from the city, so there was no need for local assistance.

“It’s the first time our village has hired professionals from the city for a banquet. I’ve only heard of such grandeur from city folks. Let’s go early and see the excitement!”

The sound of firecrackers could be heard from the direction of the Yu family early in the morning. Since it was chilly, Yuan Huiru put on her new autumn clothes and tidied her hair with osmanthus oil.

Seeing Huo Shu coming out of the house still wearing his old clothes, she asked, “Aren’t you going to the feast?”

“I am.”

Yuan Huiru suggested, “Why don’t you wear the new autumn clothes your godmother made for you? It’s cold outside in the rain.”

“It’s not that cold.”

Yuan Huiru chuckled and pushed Huo Shu back into the house to change into something brighter for the feast. “You should dress nicely when going out to a feast, so people can see you.”

“At your age, you should be looking for a good family. You silly child, who cares if you’re cold or not.”

Huo Shu sighed. Even if he wore the finest clothes, he doubted any girls would pay him much attention. Still, he reluctantly changed into the new autumn clothes made by Yuan Huiru.

“Wow, it fits perfectly! The fabric seems like it was tailored just for you.”

Yuan Huiru admired Huo Shu in the set of azure-colored attire she made for him. With the white belt cinched around his waist, his broad shoulders and slim waist were accentuated, making him stand tall like a pine tree.

“You look so gallant!” Yuan Huiru whispered, “You might even outshine the Second Young Master from the Yu family.”

Huo Shu raised an eyebrow, surprised that his godmother could still praise him like that.

However, her words made him feel oddly pleased.

The banquet was set up in the main house of the Yu family, with a spacious courtyard even larger than Ji Yangzong’s residence.

Despite the rain, the professional staff hired from the city had already set up a canopy in the courtyard, ensuring the guests could dine comfortably.

From afar, one could see a group of people wearing uniforms with different colors shuttling among the guests.

These people wore round hats with the emblem of the department they belonged to within the Four Departments and Six Bureaus.

The so-called Four Departments and Six Bureaus consisted of the Accountancy Department, the Kitchen Department, the Tea and Liquor Department, and the Serving Department.

The Six Bureaus included the Fruit Bureau, the Honey Bureau, the Vegetable Bureau, the Oil and Candle Bureau, the Spice Bureau, and the Arrangement Bureau.

Each department and bureau had its own responsibilities, mutually assisting each other, covering all aspects of the event preparation, saving the hosts a lot of trouble.

The prosperity of the provincial capital had led to the rise of the Four Departments and Six Bureaus. Initially only used by high-ranking officials, they gradually became available to the common people, with some smaller-scale Four Departments and Six Bureaus emerging, offering affordable services.

As a result, ordinary people could now easily host banquets.

However, it was still mostly city folks who hired these Four Departments and Six Bureaus, and it was rare for rural households to do so.

Knowing that the Yu family had hired the Four Departments and Six Bureaus for this banquet, many villagers came early to witness the rarity.

Huo Shu and Yuan Huiru arrived early as well, but to their surprise, when they arrived at the Yu family’s house, they saw many villagers already there, chatting and eating snacks.

The uncles and cousins of the Yu family and Mrs. Yu were welcoming the guests, recording their gifts at the entrance, exchanging a few words of congratulations with them, and then leading them to their seats.

“Mr. Yu, the banquet you prepared is so lively. Congratulations to your son for passing the imperial examination. We’ll rely on the Yu family in the future.”

“Madam, don’t say that. We are grateful for the villagers’ presence to share a drink with us. The Yu family is very appreciative.”

The eldest uncle of the Yu family exchanged pleasantries with Yuan Huiru, who didn’t have much presence in the village and was a widow without prospects. There was no need to spend too much time on her during such a busy event.

However, when the staff from the Arrangement Bureau came to lead guests to their seats, the eldest uncle of the Yu family noticed that Huo Shu was accompanying Yuan Huiru.

He had never seen Huo Shu before, but he had noticed him when he arrived with Yuan Huiru.

Huo Shu’s tall and imposing figure made him stand out among the villagers. It was hard not to notice him.

Thinking that Huo Shu might be an acquaintance of Yu Lingxiao’s from the city, he planned to greet Yuan Huiru first and then properly welcome him. However, he was surprised to see Huo Shu silently following Yuan Huiru towards the banquet hall.

He suddenly remembered that a couple of days ago, someone in the village was recognized as kin, and they had invited the elders of the Yu family to officiate the ceremony.

With the previous busyness of the banquet, he hadn’t had the leisure to inquire about it, but now, he could finally meet the people involved.

Seeing Huo Shu’s extraordinary demeanor, though he was cold-faced, he didn’t feel discouraged. Instead, he warmly said, “You must be Young Lady Yuan’s adopted son. Indeed, you are valiant. My humble abode has not been properly attended to. Please don’t take offense. Please feel free to make yourself at home, young brother.”

The elder of the Yu family smiled and said, “Quickly, escort Young Lady Yuan and her adopted son to the courtyard to take a seat and have some tea and snacks.”

The mention of the courtyard carried some hidden meaning. The positions in the courtyard were divided into three levels: the middle-class with three to five tables, followed by the second-class tables near the main table, and finally the outermost, which was the third class.

Although the dishes at each table were the same, there were distinctions between closeness and hierarchy among acquaintances, so the seating arrangements naturally varied.

For someone like Yuan Huiru, a villager, she would naturally only be allocated to the third-class seats. However, the elder of the Yu family changed his mind upon seeing Huo Shu and instructed the organizers to guide them to the second-class seats.

These were all tacit understandings. Yuan Huiru was visibly happier with this treatment.

Huo Shu also discerned some hidden meanings.

In the northern region, there were also such customs, but they were not as meticulously detailed as in this province. Usually, it was the distinguished and closest guests who sat at the main table, while the rest of the guests could sit wherever they pleased.

He glanced at the Yu family, just rural folks, but with considerable influence.

“Li Zheng, you’ve finally arrived!”

The tea and wine attendants brought beverages over, and just as Huo Shu was about to sip his tea, he heard familiar voices at the door.

He withdrew the teacup and saw someone familiar standing between Ji Yangzong and Huang Manjing, which piqued his interest.

Ji Taoyu was dressed in plain white today, with a duck-colored cloak draped over him. Although his attire wasn’t particularly eye-catching, he already stood out by virtue of his natural good looks. Moreover, wearing white fabric, a choice uncommon among villagers, undoubtedly made him even more noticeable.

Clearly, he had put some effort into dressing up for this family gathering.

Huo Shu placed the teacup back on the table.

Even on a rainy day with muddy roads, he wasn’t afraid of dirtying his white clothes.

As he thought this, he caught sight of Ji Taoyu, who had just finished exchanging pleasantries and bows with the elders of the Yu family, reaching up to adjust his hair ornament in his direction.

Huo Shu followed the movement and saw a familiar hair accessory atop his head.

Seeing this, he raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes softened, and he picked up the discarded teacup again.

After chatting with the Yu family at the door for a while, Ji Lingxiao, who had been absent until now, finally appeared in elegant attire. He personally served tea to the elders of the Ji family, brought fruit and snacks to Ji Taoyu, sparking enthusiastic discussions among the villagers, who praised Ji Lingxiao’s modesty and admired Ji Yangzong’s discerning eye even more.

Except for Ji Yangzong’s immediate family, none of the other Ji family members managed to sit at the main table. They all chatted with everyone else at the second-class table, while the men sat at Huo Shu’s table.

Seeing Huo Shu still greeting and chatting, Yuan Huiru, sitting with other female relatives nearby, had initially worried that he might not want to interact with them, but unexpectedly, he responded with a few words.

Yuan Huiru was very pleased.

The Yu family had many guests, not only from the village but also from the city, bringing large and small gifts, which widened the villagers’ horizons.

After sitting around for some time, it was almost noon when the meal was served.

Huo Shu faced the main table, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over Ji Taoyu’s table.

Although men and women were seated separately, although Ji Taoyu was not seated with Yu Lingxiao’s table, he had Yu’s mother on his left and his own mother on his right. It was evident from the treatment he received during the meal.

Before half of the meal was served, Yu’s eldest uncle and Yu Lingxiao successively gave speeches.

“Today, relatives, neighbors, and friends have gathered together. Thanks to everyone’s care, we have today. Let me raise a toast to thank you all.”

Everyone put down their chopsticks and responded with applause.

Next, it was the turn of Yu’s eldest uncle to give a speech: “Since childhood, my nephew has been diligent and studious. Heaven rewards the diligent. Finally, his hard work has paid off today.”

“Lingxiao is making progress and is not content to stop here. He is closely following his studies in preparation for the imperial examination. We hope that he can create a bright future for our relatives and neighbors in Mingxun Village and provide us with something to rely on!”

“After the grand banquet, the continuation of diligent studying and other matters shall be set aside for now. If there have been any shortcomings in the hospitality towards everyone, I ask for your understanding. I propose a toast to all of you!”

This speech sounded pleasant, stating that Yu Lingxiao would continue to study diligently and strive for success. Now, it was crucial to focus on the future, and if he were to succeed in the future, he wouldn’t forget everyone’s kindness.

The villagers were naturally pleased to hear this.

However, Ji Yangzong sensed that something was amiss. The whole village was criticizing the Yu family, but he remained silent, wanting to observe the Yu family’s reaction.

Unexpectedly, the Yu family made no further remarks and instead invited him to give a speech.

As the village head, it was appropriate for Ji Yangzong to give blessings and encouragement when talent emerged from the village. So, he smiled and said some polite words, finally turning to Yu Lingxiao: “Young man, don’t disappoint everyone’s expectations.”

Yu Lingxiao sensed the meaning behind the words. His brow furrowed involuntarily as he looked at his mother. Seeing his mother glare at him, he took a deep breath and smiled, clasping his hands together: “Lingxiao will certainly stay true to his original intentions, study diligently, and repay the trust of our fellow villagers.”

However, these words did not touch Ji Yangzong’s heart. He spoke slowly, with each word deliberate: “That would be for the best.”

Having dealt with each other for many years, the Ji and Yu families could detect the slightest hint of tension. Both families showed subtle changes in their demeanor, and Huo Shu, sitting at the same table, naturally noticed.

He raised an eyebrow and looked across at Ji Taoyu:

It seems that this brother Lingxiao is showing signs of changing his mind.