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It seemed that the results of the imperial examination had been announced, and Shen Yu’an couldn’t contain her joy as she walked towards her own courtyard.
Sharp-eyed Song Shi spotted Shen Yu’an in the crowd with just one glance.
She pushed her way through the crowd and pulled Shen Yu’an out, saying as they walked, “Your eldest brother and the others all passed the examination. Listen to the cheers nearby; your cousin Wendong also made it.”
Song Shi ushered Shen Yu’an inside, and everyone warmly greeted her.
They were all more enthusiastic in shouting “Little Young Miss” than they were toward the newly minted scholars.
The Shen family had truly risen in status; whether male or female, they were all capable.
Grandpa Shen’s face was filled with wrinkles from smiling, and with his descendants’ success, his face radiated pride.
He extended an invitation, saying, “Gentlemen, please come inside for some tea. I’ll have my wife prepare lunch, so you can enjoy it before you leave.”
The messenger officials, however, waved it off, saying, “No need, we still have to deliver messages to other successful scholars. Please carry on, gentlemen scholars.”
Seeing them about to leave, Grandma Shen quickly signaled to Song Shi and Zhao Shi.
The two of them each handed four purses to the messenger officials who had come to deliver the good news.
This time, their family had produced four scholars, and each person equated to a red envelope.
There were five messengers in total, and they didn’t hesitate to accept the purses. Giving a congratulatory gift to the main house after the exam results were posted was a longstanding tradition.
After receiving the purses, the messenger officials weighed them in their hands and bid their farewells with cheerful smiles.
In the purses given by Song Shi and the others, each purse contained five taels of silver, which meant each messenger received twenty taels this time.
Twenty taels might not be much for the current Shen family, but for these officials who earned only a little over two taels per month, it was a year’s worth of salary.
The Shen family was indeed generous. If other families followed suit in the future, it would be great.
Moreover, they heard that the new produced paper recently became popular in the bookstores came from this village? It seemed that Longxian Village had good feng shui and abundant talents!
Which family was behind this?
It seemed to be the Shen family as well, and it was said to be the unmarried young lady from the Shen family who had initiated it!
The messenger officials were delighted as they stuffed the purses into their chests. Then, they looked at Shen Yu’an, who had just been dragged inside, and a ludicrous idea crossed their minds.
Could the girl with the last name Shen be the one in front of them? Those people had just called her “Little Young Miss.”
But none of this mattered to them; the most important thing was that they had received a substantial reward.
After exchanging a few more auspicious words, the messenger officials took their leave, heading towards the Zhang family’s residence after briefly stopping there.
The Zhang family’s place was also lively, with many village women bringing their daughters and sons to congratulate them at their doorstep.
Once the messenger officials had all departed, Grandpa Shen looked at the people gathered in front of his house and joyfully exclaimed, “Let’s prepare a feast! All the fellow villagers, give us face and join us.”
Everyone had originally come to witness the celebration and perhaps seek some blessings, but now they were elated to have a chance to enjoy a meal.
The words of congratulations flowed freely, and no one mentioned payment.
After a while, the visitors outside were sent on their way, and the Zhang family, consisting of four members, also arrived at the Shen family’s courtyard.
Ever since the messengers had arrived, Ding Hehua’s smile hadn’t faded from her face; her son had placed fifth in the rankings.
When they heard that the Shen family planned to host a celebration in a couple of days and invite everyone from the village, Ding Hehua clapped her hands in agreement.
A celebration was a must, and the Zhang family couldn’t possibly miss out on such a joyful occasion.
After some discussion between the two families, they decided to organize it together. The Shen family would handle the preparations, while the Zhang family would oversee the seating arrangements.
With this settled, everyone suddenly realized that Shen Yu’an, who had been missing for several months, was back. They inquired about where she had been during this time.
Since she couldn’t reveal anything about the iron ore discovery or the camp in the mountains, Shen Yu’an simply stated that she had been handling an important matter.
As for what that matter was? It was classified!
Both the Shen and Zhang families respected her privacy and didn’t press her for details. As long as Shen Yu’an was back safely, that was what mattered.
After the inquiries, everyone shifted their focus to planning the feast for the day after tomorrow.
Since both families were combining their efforts for the celebration, the feast couldn’t be lackluster.
Grandpa Zhang, Grandpa Shen, and Grandpa Shen Xingwang huddled together with some men to discuss, while Grandma Shen led Song Shi and the others to plan the arrangements.
After much discussion, the two groups of people roughly decided on the menu for the day after tomorrow.
The one thing rural folks often lacked was dishes with rich flavors, but both families now had some silver in hand and were willing to spend it on this occasion.
So, in the end, they settled on six meat dishes: twice-cooked pork with fermented black beans, spicy diced chicken, braised pork, braised pig’s trotters, pickled fish with sour cabbage, and pork stew with glass noodles.
There were also a variety of seasonal vegetables and vegetarian dishes, totaling seven or eight kinds. Finally, they included a pork rib soup and an egg drop soup.
With this feast, even during holidays, the villagers had never experienced such a lavish spread. It was easy to imagine how surprised everyone would be when they saw the spread on the day after tomorrow.
After finalizing the menu, Song found herself facing another concern. According to the Elder’s wishes, they had to invite the entire village to the celebration.
Even if Longxian Village had a relatively small population, with just a few dozen households, it still amounted to over a hundred people when all the families were counted.
If they relied solely on their own family members to manage everything, they would be utterly exhausted.
Considering the number of people in the village, it might be a good idea to invite some village women to help.
With this thought in mind, Song Shi voiced her idea.
“Since we’ve promised everyone will come, and there will undoubtedly be a lot of people coming the day after tomorrow, I was thinking, with so many guests, the few of us will be busy for how long? Why don’t we spend some money and hire a few village women to help?” Song Shi suggested.
Grandma Shen agreed, saying, “That’s a good idea. Earning some silver should make things easier for us. Later, our eldest and second son can go with me to the village to see if anyone is willing to help.”
“When we hire them, let’s agree on the wages in advance. Otherwise, they might feel reluctant to help, thinking it’s for free. Also, once everyone leaves after the celebration, we can give these helpers some of the feast’s food, so they don’t miss out.”
“And as for tables and benches, we surely won’t have enough at home. We’ll need to go door-to-door and borrow them. Anyone who lends a table, regardless of how many they lend, should be paid five wen per table. We just need to agree in advance that they’ll bring them over and take them back after the feast is over.”
“Since we’re spending money on this, it’s only fair to let them do the work themselves.”
Song Shi continued, “Mother is right, but we can handle this when we go out. You can relax at home. If you’re bored, you can play with your great-grandson or great-granddaughter.”
Zhao Shi, Xiao Zhang, and Ding Hehua all chimed in, “Big sister-in-law is right. You can just relax at home; there’s no need for you to work on such trivial matters.”
Being a dutiful daughter-in-law and having successful grandchildren made Grandma Shen feel like she was over a decade younger.
People are more spirited when they feel younger, and Grandma Shen happily lifted her great-grandson, giving him an affectionate little pat.
As for why she didn’t pat her granddaughter, who was soft and fragrant, it was because the little girl had wiggled towards Shen Yu’an as soon as she returned and was now playing with her fingers in Shen Yu’an’s arms.