Chapter 330

Shuiqing thought it sounded pretty good.

Lunch was dry rice, not white rice, but dry rice made from brown rice still had nothing to complain about. Dinner was basically refined grains. This village banquet’s standards were quite presentable for the current residents of Shanshui Village.

She looked at the women in the yard picking and washing vegetables, thinking about how, back in China, preparing a banquet for hundreds of people also had to start a few days in advance. No wonder Sister Guifen was nervous.

“Sister, it’s cold now, and I think the pork won’t spoil even if it’s left for three to five days. How about letting my dad slaughter the pig later? In the afternoon, you can cut what needs to be cut into pieces and shreds, and tomorrow morning you can stir-fry them right away.”

Wang Guifen’s eyes lit up, nodding continuously, “That would be great! Shuiqing, thank your dad for me.”

At first, she wanted everything to be as fresh as possible. In the past two days, she had been discussing with each household about the number of tables, chairs, and tableware needed for the village banquet on the 12th of the winter month. After hurriedly settling these matters, she was worried about what to eat for the two meals, and finally decided to prepare the ingredients today.

Only after preparing the ingredients did she realize how many things needed to be done and how little time there was!

The money for the village banquet came from the village’s twenty taels of silver, so the ingredients didn’t need to be sent by each household, but bought. They bought directly from the villagers.

The demand for radishes and Chinese cabbage was huge. No family had that much. They had to keep some vegetables for themselves to survive the winter, so it was impossible to sell everything. Therefore, they bought some from about ten families.

For the village banquet, the prices were much cheaper than outside, very economical indeed!

The cabbage needed to have its roots removed, and the radishes needed to have their tiny roots cleaned off. Then they had to be washed and sliced. At this moment, five or six women were responsible for this large pile of radishes and cabbages.

Winter bamboo shoots were dug from the bamboo forest on the mountain. After peeling the large bamboo shoots, there wasn’t much bamboo shoot flesh inside. However, winter bamboo shoots were sweet and delicious, perfect for stir-frying with shredded meat. They arranged for the village’s expert bamboo shoot diggers to bring back several large baskets in the past two days.

At this moment, three or four women in the yard were peeling winter bamboo shoots with kitchen knives. The wooden basin beside them was piled up like a small mountain. Another woman was cutting the bamboo shoot tips into thin shreds.

Pickled chili peppers were made in the fall when chili peppers were most plentiful, soaked in jars. Now, when taken out, the whole chili pepper was translucent light yellow, and the strong sour smell hit the nose, making the mouth water uncontrollably.

These were also bought from various households in the village and needed to be shredded.

… Wang Guifen felt that her previous thoughts were too simple. She thought that it took just over half an hour to cook a meal at home.

There were many people at the village banquet, but correspondingly, many women helped. Overall, it was the same as cooking at home. When Shuiqing’s family built a house, didn’t they cook on the same day? They managed to make it in time.

Only after preparing the ingredients this morning did she realize it was completely different!

When Shuiqing’s family built the house, only a few dozen to a hundred people ate. Twenty or thirty women could handle it. For the village banquet, there were more than three hundred people at once, and the amount to prepare was unprecedented!

She said anxiously, “Shuiqing, don’t laugh at your sister-in-law. I’ve never seen such a scene. I’m busy to the point where my feet don’t touch the ground, afraid of messing it up.”

“Sister-in-law, you’re joking. It’s your first time organizing food for the whole village, and you’re doing very well. Actually, think about it. With this experience, won’t you become more proficient and confident next time?

So, don’t panic or rush. The things you’re encountering now are all for accumulating experience for the future.” Shuiqing sincerely advised.

In China, they had cell phones to search and learn from others’ experiences. If that didn’t work, they could ask people around for tips. But the women of Shanshui Village could count the times they left the village on one hand. They couldn’t see how others organized banquets outside, nor did they have people around to ask.

To be honest, Wang Guifen taking on this challenging task and organizing it earnestly and methodically was already very good.

People grow quickly when they face challenges, and during this process, there’s no need to put too much pressure on oneself.

For some reason, every time Wang Guifen talked with Shuiqing, she would always strangely calm down.

It seemed like it wasn’t a big deal at all, and if she did it carefully, it would get better and better…

Shuiqing chatted for a while longer, estimating that Mancang and Manku had probably driven away her brother-in-law and his family, and then she started heading back.

Just as she reached the uphill section, she saw Li Dani rushing towards her.

Li Dani, panting heavily, said, “Madam, Fan Qian’s family has been driven away. Your mother-in-law, we didn’t touch a hair on her head. After lunch, she cursed and left, saying she would come back tomorrow for another meal. She also said that from now on, she wants our herbal medicine workshop to provide lunch.”

She had come to inform the Madam that it was safe to return home now and to give her a heads-up about her mother-in-law’s demands. Shuiqing remained unfazed upon hearing this, not even furrowing her brow.

“Ridiculous, does she think she can just take over the herbal medicine workshop’s meals? She needs permission to open the workshop’s gates first.”

The herbal medicine workshop employed people from every household in Shanshui Village. For six hundred coins a month, plus meals and warm clothing, no one would want to lose this job. If the workshop gates remained shut, no matter how much her mother-in-law caused trouble or cried to the villagers for support, no one would stand by her.

“I understand. From the day after tomorrow, just make sure you don’t open the gates. Oh, and Sister Guifen asked me to tell you that you all are invited to tomorrow’s village banquet.”

Li Dani, who had been worried about Madam having a troublesome mother-in-law who had returned after a brief respite, was taken aback. She asked hesitantly, “We can join? But we’re not villagers of Shanshui Village, right?”

She had heard the women at the herbal medicine workshop talking about how splendid the banquet would be, costing several taels of silver.

They were just servants and not villagers of Shanshui Village. Would the villagers agree to Sister Guifen’s invitation?

Shuiqing saw Li Dani’s concern and gently patted her rough, chapped hand, reassuring her, “Sister Guifen said it was the old village chief’s idea. He consulted with the men and women of the village, and everyone agreed.

They specifically mentioned that you are part of Shanshui Village too, and you should all be there tomorrow. Not one of you should be missing.”

Li Dani’s nose tingled, and her eyes grew warm.

The women must have spoken up for them, and the men agreed due to the camaraderie forged during their travels together.

Understanding the emotional impact of being accepted, Shuiqing affirmed, “You are all very good people, which is why the villagers accept you. Don’t underestimate yourselves.”

Last time, when they fought bandits together, Feng Da got injured. Such shared experiences with the village men created a bond.

She had heard Fan Jin say that they even received a share of the silver. A meal was nothing in comparison.

Moreover, the village’s communal funds included contributions from Feng Da and the others, so everyone had good reasons to agree.