Chapter 50: The Divorce Banquet

At dusk, an ox cart departed from Qingshui Village and arrived at the Zijin Temple by nightfall.

Inside the meditation room, the air was thick with the smell of alcohol. The stove burned with charcoal, crackling as flames flickered, casting glowing reflections on the snowy scene outside the window.

Crack crack crack—

A slovenly old Taoist priest with white hair and a gray robe lounged on the heated brick bed, twirling his beard and munching on sunflower seeds. He glanced casually at the string of coins and the jar of wine on the table and rasped to Zhang Lishi, “Cousin, it’s not that I won’t help you, but I, an old Taoist, have shallow worldly ties and a deep affinity with the immortal realm. I’m about to ascend soon—how could I ruin my cultivation over a mere string of coins by doing harm through sorcery?”

Zhang Lishi’s cousin had once been a bandit in his early years, robbing and bullying others. Later, when enemies came looking for him, he changed his name, took a master, and became a monk to save his own life.

He didn’t have much talent for orthodox practices but picked up some skills in unorthodox methods. Over the years, he’d made quite a bit of dirty money through these dark arts, often using them to harm others.

Hearing his complaint about the small amount of money, Zhang Lishi quickly forced a smile and said, “Cousin, please help your dear relative! The Su family crippled my brother’s hand and even turned Zhang Hongzhuang and me against each other. If you help me take care of them, all the Su family’s money will be yours! I only want revenge, not a single coin for myself!”

Hearing this, the old Taoist was somewhat satisfied. He sat up, spat out a seed shell, wiped his mouth, and said, “Talking money is too formal—relatives should help each other. So… how much money does that family have?”

Zhang Lishi replied, “I don’t know the exact amount, but their little girl wears a Seven-Treasure necklace, with a luminous pearl as big as a thumbnail! My eldest daughter-in-law saw it with her own eyes the day they came to our house. It’s definitely worth a fortune!”

A flash of greed passed through the old Taoist’s eyes. He knocked on the table. “Did you bring the birth details?”

“Yes, yes, I did!”

Zhang Lishi hurriedly handed over Su Old Madam’s birth details.

The old Taoist glanced at them and waved his hand. “Alright, leave now. I’ll start the ritual at midnight. You common folks mustn’t watch.”

In truth, he was worried they’d try to learn his tricks—these unorthodox methods weren’t too hard to pick up.

“Yes, yes, thank you, Cousin! Once the Su family is dead, I’ll bring you the money right away!”

Zhang Lishi left the meditation room beaming and tiptoed out.

Outside, Zhang Laoda (Eldest Zhang) rushed to help her and nervously asked, “Mom, isn’t this too ruthless? Isn’t it just like Uncle—committing murder for money? What if it harms our family’s virtue…”

Zhang Lishi’s smile vanished. She sternly slapped his head and warned, “You take this to the grave! Remember, if anything happens to the Su family, it’s because they couldn’t suppress the cursed house!”

Chastised, Zhang Laoda swallowed his unease and nodded, “Got it, Mom.”

After the mother and son descended the mountain, the old Taoist drew a few talismans, burned them with datura flower pollen into ash, mixed the ashes into grave soil, molded it in his hands, and made a clay figurine.

After making the figurine, he pasted Su Old Madam’s birth details onto it, lit dragon incense to connect the yin and yang realms, chanted incantations to draw in yin energy, picked up his ritual sword, and began the ceremony.

Once the realms connected, the room’s fire flickered wildly.

“Oh, I’ve said it before, after five generations of sons, my Su family finally had a daughter. I must see her before I can peacefully reincarnate!”

“Old Su! You’ve been dead for years! Can’t you behave yourself?”

Suddenly, that voice turned joyful and excited. “Aiya! Someone lit dragon incense—I can see the road to the mortal world again. Brother Wuchang, I’m off!”

“What the—who’s burning dragon incense? Stop it!”

In the underworld, the two Wuchang (ghost messengers) were shocked and furious, shouting to stop the old Taoist. But his cultivation was too weak to hear them at all!

Old Su’s ghost seized the chance, darted out, and escaped.

The two Wuchang chased after him but halfway through fell back into the underworld.

It turned out the ritual was over and the dragon incense had completely burned out, severing the connection between the realms.

Old Su’s ghost slipped out of the temple, looked around, and suddenly lit up with excitement, heading straight toward Qingshui Village.

…

That night, the Su family remained unaware of the chaos brewing outside.

After a long day of work, they ate a quick dinner and went to bed early.

The next day, the sun hung high, the wind had died down, and the weather was pleasantly warm.

The Su family’s courtyard gates stood wide open. Wu Chunhe and Su Lao’er lit two strings of firecrackers with lively cheer, welcoming the villagers inside.

In the front yard, over ten tables were set up with borrowed tables and stools. Led by the village chief, the seats quickly filled.

Su Laosan, Su Laowu, Zhang Xiaolan, and Li Sumei cooked in the kitchen, filling the courtyard with the scent of food.

Su Old Madam, holding her youngest granddaughter, welcomed guests with Yan Qi and Yan Xing. Zhang Hongzhuang braced himself to greet guests.

Su Laosi, Liu Yingying, and the Yan family helped serve the dishes.

Cold dishes included rice cakes, cold noodles, shredded chicken with lettuce, sweet-and-sour radish strips, tofu with scallions, tiger salad, black fungus with vinegar and peanuts, and a platter of marinated pig heart, liver, and intestines. There was also marinated duck and plain boiled chicken chunks.

Hot dishes featured crispy fried meat, sesame balls, various vegetable stir-fries, sweet-and-sour pork, scallion-braised chicken feet, steamed carp, braised chicken chunks, red-braised pork, steamed pork with rice flour, pork knuckle in sauce, lion’s head meatballs, stewed sauerkraut with vermicelli and pork, and preserved mustard with pork belly.

Soups included fish with pickled vegetables, old duck with sour radish, chicken and mushrooms, and pork trotters with kelp—each one more meat than soup, with no cutting corners.

Altogether, there were twenty-eight dishes, nearly all rich and hearty!

Staples included highland corn buns mixed with twenty jin of white flour, and fifty jin of brown rice—filling and abundant.

The villagers estimated that such a spread at a tavern would cost at least 600 wen per table. With over ten tables, the total cost must’ve been eight or nine taels of silver!

Everyone was stunned by the Su family’s generosity. They had assumed this so-called divorce banquet would be a simple affair, but the Su family had gone all-out!

No one felt right eating for free anymore. Village chief Wang Baorui immediately pulled out 200 wen as a gift to congratulate Zhang Hongzhuang on his divorce.

Brothers Chen Daniu and Chen Dali followed with 100 wen.

Then came the Lin family and Elder Jiang. Su Old Madam didn’t decline the gifts and had Zhang Hongzhuang accept them politely, thanking everyone and inviting them to eat well—there was more if they wanted, and anything uneaten could be taken home.

Once people heard they could take food home, their mouths watered. One after another, they handed over their gift money—mostly 50 wen, 20 wen—none dared outdo the chief or the Chen brothers. But with so many guests, the Su family managed to recoup two taels of silver from the banquet.

“Yo, sister! Hosting a banquet and not inviting me?”

Suddenly, a half-smiling voice came from the doorway.

Su Old Madam looked up—it was Zhang Lishi.