Chapter 204 1/3

On September 15th, Li Qingzhi hosted a banquet in Miaoqian Village.

He had hosted banquets when he passed previous exams, and this time was no exception.

Previously, his banquets were quite rustic, with all the tables, chairs, and utensils borrowed from neighbors. But this time was different.

A few days earlier, Zhu Qian had arranged for people to renovate Li Qingzhi’s old house. On the day of the banquet, Zhu Qian even closed his restaurant, transported its tables and chairs by boat, and sent them all to Miaoqian Village.

The head chef from Zhu Qian’s restaurant, along with his familiar kitchen tools, also came to the village.

Li’s original mud house had brick flooring and bamboo mats hanging on the walls, giving it a neat and elegant appearance. In the middle were several Eight Immortals tables for the distinguished guests.

Next to the house, a temporary large kitchen was set up using bamboo and bamboo screens. Li’s vegetable garden, and even the neighboring Yao family’s garden, were leveled to make space for more Eight Immortals tables from the restaurant, for the ordinary guests.

Outside, several doors and benches were set up to form a low “long table”.

In Miaoqian Village, when hosting a banquet with few guests, people would borrow tables from villagers. For larger gatherings, doors and benches would be used to form a “long table”. Guests would serve themselves from large pots of food, eating while standing or squatting.

The Li family, having few relatives, always borrowed tables for banquets. Today, they used the “long table” for a flowing banquet.

This arrangement allowed anyone, relative or not, to queue up, offer some congratulatory words, and help themselves to food, basking in the honor of Li Qingzhi being the top scorer in Jiang’an Province.

On that day, Li Qingzhi arrived early at Miaoqian Village.

He saw Chang Zhan with two apprentices, working alongside two chefs from Zhu Qian’s restaurant to prepare the banquet dishes.

Each of these cooks showcased their skills, and the menu, upon Li Qingzhi’s review, made him eager to eat.

Outside, temporary stoves made of bricks and mud were set up, where kitchen helpers and waiters from Zhu Qian’s restaurant prepared simple large-pot dishes for the flowing banquet.

By noon, guests started arriving for the banquet.

Officials like County Magistrate Wang and Zhu Qian dined inside the house. Close relatives like Jin Xiaoye’s parents, Li Laogen, and Jin Xiaoshu also dined inside.

Other guests, like Uncle Jin’s family, Qian Changsheng, and his wife, along with Sister Wang and Madam Wang, dined at the outside Eight Immortals tables.

Relatives with more distant connections, like Mr. Yao’s family, Jin Xiaogu’s family, and Jin Dagu’s family, were not invited and had to join the flowing banquet.

“Li Qingzhi gets successful and now looks down on us, not even inviting us!” Yao Zhenfu complained.

Mr. Yao glared at him, “Behave yourself and don’t speak nonsense!” Their family had no real kinship with the Li family, except for the distant connection between Jin Moli and Jin Xiaoye being cousins.

Given this distant relationship, even if the Jin family hadn’t split, they would rarely interact. Now that the Jin family had divided, it was even less likely.

In fact, Li Qingzhi didn’t have to invite Uncle Jin’s family. According to village customs, married women only kept close ties with their parents and siblings.

Previously, Li Qingzhi invited them because his family had few relatives, and as neighbors, they shared some camaraderie. But that bond had long worn out.

“Why do you still speak for them, Dad? They even used our land for the banquet without inviting us?” Yao Zhenfu retorted.

Mr. Yao scoffed, “They paid for using our land!”

Their vegetable plot was indeed leveled, but they were compensated with one tael of silver!

The vegetables in the garden weren’t worth that much.

Yao’s mother handed out bowls to the family, “Let’s queue up at the flowing banquet. I saw they made several dishes. Each of us can get a bowl and bring it home to eat.”

Yao Zhenfu was reluctant, feeling it was humiliating and didn’t want to congratulate Li Qingzhi.

Yao’s mother ignored him, placed an extra bowl aside, and went to queue with her grandchildren.

Many villagers from Miaoqian were already in line, along with people from other villages.

Seeing the long queue, Li Qingzhi asked the people managing the flowing banquet to start serving.

The main banquet would wait until noon to start.

The flowing banquet became lively, and Li Qingzhi noticed Jin Liushu’s wife queuing with her children. They could eat at the main banquet, so queuing now meant they wanted extra food to take home.

Li Qingzhi glanced and then turned to chat with County Magistrate Wang and Zhu Qian, who had arrived early. This banquet wasn’t funded by Li Qingzhi himself, nor was it organized by him.

Originally, he planned a simple celebration in Chongcheng Elementary School’s cafeteria during the mid-month holiday, but everyone opposed it.

Zhu Qian and others gave him many gifts, most of which he declined. So, they insisted on organizing this banquet for him.

After consideration, Li Qingzhi didn’t refuse.

If he acted too distant, insisting on drawing a clear line, it might unsettle them.

In short, this banquet didn’t cost Li Qingzhi a penny, the funds coming from Zhu Qian and merchants from the Chongcheng County Chamber of Commerce.

As for the venue, it was customary to host banquets in one’s hometown, so Zhu Qian set it in Miaoqian Village.

The invited guests arrived early, including Wu Baichuan.

Li Qingzhi invited him to sit inside, which made him quite emotional.

Finding an opportunity, Wu Baichuan talked to Li Qingzhi about the trip to the capital, “Li Jieyuan, I have two ships, and one can be used by you. I don’t have much cargo to send to the capital this time, so the ship is empty.”

“That won’t do, business is business. You must accept payment,” Li Qingzhi insisted. Wu Baichuan couldn’t leave a ship empty. If there was no cargo, it would save a lot to leave it behind rather than take it to the capital.

Hoping Li Qingzhi would help him in the future, Wu Baichuan was unwilling to charge him. But since Li Qingzhi insisted, he could only reluctantly return to his seat.

Years ago, when Sun Juren passed his exam, he received countless gifts. Li Qingzhi was indeed different.

However, even if Li Qingzhi insisted on paying, Wu Baichuan could still make things easier for him, like refurbishing the ship and assigning the best crew.

As noon approached, the flowing banquet had already served numerous dishes, and the main banquet area was also full.

It was time to start, but some guests had yet to arrive.

Li Qingzhi went to the entrance and saw the person he was waiting for in the distance—Gou Tongzhi, accompanied by several guards, striding toward them.

“Master Gou!” Li Qingzhi greeted him warmly and escorted him inside.

This time, Li Qingzhi invited many people, but the most prominent guest was Gou Tongzhi.

The county seat was far away, so Gou arrived a bit late. Now that he was here, the banquet officially began.

Various dishes were brought out, including local favorites and some new creations by Chang Zhan, such as spicy boiled fish.

The spicy, fragrant fish fillets were Li Qingzhi’s favorite, although many found the taste too strong.

Li Qingzhi sat with County Magistrate Wang, Gou Tongzhi, and other county officials and Juren.

Gou Tongzhi and County Magistrate Wang shared some advice on the capital exams and reminisced about their own experiences with the provincial and palace exams.