Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 221: Discussing Marriage Affairs in the Boudoir, a Wine Banquet Hides Schemes (5)_1

Chapter 221: Chapter 221: Discussing Marriage Affairs in the Boudoir, a Wine Banquet Hides Schemes (5)_1

About ten people had been busy for nearly two hours before all the ingredients were clean, cut, and placed in clean large pottery basins, nearly filling up the backyard.

By this time, the villagers who had been invited to the warming house began to arrive one after another, with Lin Yong and others arriving first. They each prepared a string of firecrackers and set them off at the entrance of the courtyard.

The unceasing sound of firecrackers was deafening, and as the noise was about to subside, Lizhong quickly lit the firecrackers in his hand to keep them going. Mo Qingze stood at the doorway with a smile, welcoming the guests and ushering them into the hall.

On the table, steaming hot water and fine tea leaves had been prepared early on, and after Mo Qingze invited them to sit, he brewed a cup of tea for each of them.

There were no shortage of tea enthusiasts, but better-quality tea leaves were quite expensive, so being able to buy some of the cheapest tea leaf dust at the end of the year was already a treat.

Tasting the pleasantly fragrant tea now, everyone felt that the Mo Family respected them greatly, and had not tried to deceive them with inferior tea just because they were peasants.

Mo Qingze had more guests to greet and couldn’t stay to accompany them, so the task of entertaining the guests fell to Zhenzhen. As a child, Zhenzhen naturally didn’t know how to host guests, but they couldn’t just let the guests sit dryly in the hall.

Zhenzhen was familiar with Lin Yong and the others, not at all shy, and tried to engage them in conversation with feigned maturity, causing Lin Da and the others to chuckle quietly, teasing him continuously. Thus, with each responding to the other, the atmosphere didn’t feel quiet or cold.

Soon, Zhang Dayou, Zhang Erniu, and others also arrived in succession. Being from the same village and having worked for the Mo Family, they were well-acquainted with one another and quickly struck up lively conversations.

Zhenzhen found there was no longer a need for her involvement and quickly ran out to play with her friends.

It wasn’t long before Yang Bao arrived, setting off a long string of firecrackers. His wife, son, daughter-in-law, and grandson came to offer their congratulations as well, and Mo Qingze hurriedly welcomed them into the hall.

Looking at the spacious and grand hall, the wife of the village chief, Mrs. Hu, was full of envy, and her daughters-in-law felt the same. They looked around the hall for quite a while before sitting down. Holding the white porcelain tea cups and savoring the aroma of the pleasant tea, their envy grew even deeper.

This is what life is like for a wealthy family, isn’t it?

Gradually, about forty or fifty people arrived, and including their wives and children, the entire hall was soon teeming with people.

Even though the Mo Family’s hall was large and there were many chairs and benches laid out, due to the excessive number of people, Lin Yong and the others had to go back and bring their own chairs and benches before they could sit down.

Everyone had thought that the next to arrive would be the people from Lao Mo’s House, but despite waiting, there was no sign of Old Man Mo’s family. Many people inquired discreetly and, upon learning that the Mo Family had extended an invitation, they just pursed their lips in silence.

At that moment, an intense burst of firecracker noise erupted outside, louder than any that had been set off before.

Upon hearing this, the crowd thought Old Man Mo’s family had arrived, but then shook their heads. Although firecrackers weren’t very expensive, a regular string would still cost a dozen Big Money, and such a grand display of firecrackers at once was not something Lao Mo’s House would afford.

The arrivals were not Old Man Mo and his people, but rather the Liu Family of Three, who came in their own carriage.

"Ziyu, congratulations, congratulations." Mr. Liu, alighting from the carriage, smiled and offered his congratulations to Mo Qingze as they met.

Mr. Liu, named Anping, was a gentle and scholarly middle-aged man who, disinterested in officialdom, began teaching at a private school after passing the imperial examinations, garnering a reputation for his profound knowledge and engaging teaching style.

"It turns out to be Mr. Liu, Mrs. Liu, Miss Liu, welcome to our humble house, please come in," Mo Qingze said.