Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 225: Discussing Marriage Affairs in the Boudoir, a Wine Banquet Hides Schemes (9)_1

Chapter 225: Chapter 225: Discussing Marriage Affairs in the Boudoir, a Wine Banquet Hides Schemes (9)_1

The people of Lao Mo’s House had only just noticed that there was a young lady standing beside them. Observing her silk and brocade attire coupled with an aura of elegance, they could tell she was not a peasant girl.

But upon realizing this extraordinary young lady was friendly with Mo Yan, Mo Hong’s family and others who harbored hatred and jealousy towards the Mo Family, their faces grew even uglier.

In the crowd, Mo Yongxi’s eyes were practically glued to Liu Tinglan, his heart seething with envy. He already had that wretched Mo Yan; why could this despicable person also befriend someone so wealthy and distinguished?

Wretches, all of them!

Standing next to Mo Yongxi, Mo Erni’s expression was inscrutable. She watched Lizhong standing beside Mo Yan, and with a cold smile, a hint of scheming flashed in her eyes.

Once Mo Yan led the people of Lao Mo’s House to the hall and learned that the kitchen’s dishes were ready to serve at any time, she went to the study to fetch Mo Qingze, who had lost track of time chatting with Mr. Liu, and had him help Lizhong with the banquet seating arrangements.

The arrangement of seats for guests at the banquet was also a matter of etiquette. The head seat, for example, was reserved for the closest relatives or the person with the highest status among the guests.

As a Scholar, Mr. Liu’s status was unrivaled by anyone present, and thus he was assigned to the head seat.

Old Man Mo, being the closest elder relation of the Mo Family, despite the poor relations between the two families, had to be given a seat of honor since he had come, so he too sat at the head table.

Yang Bao, the village chief, also deserved the head seat; the Punishing Shopkeeper and Owner Mu, both considered esteemed guests of the Mo Family, were appropriately seated there as well.

With eight guests at each table and including Mo Qingze, only six were seated at the head table. The remaining two spots were taken by Lin Yong and another older villager.

The Mother and Daughters of the Liu Family were originally supposed to sit with Mo Hong’s family and others, but since Mo Hong’s family was too much trouble, Mo Yan had her father arrange for them to sit with Aunt Cai and a few others.

Aunt Cai was straightforward. Although she was initially startled by the imposing presence of the Mother and Daughters of the Liu Family, she wasn’t beholden to anyone and naturally engaged them in conversation, sharing various rustic anecdotes to liven up the atmosphere.

Mrs. Liu was not the type to act superior; she could not dislike someone as frank as Aunt Cai, and so the atmosphere at the table was quite pleasant.

Before the feast formally began, everyone was chatting amiably, and all was harmonious except for Mo Hong’s family’s table, which was conspicuously quiet.

At Mo Hong’s family’s table, other than the four women from their in-laws, the remaining four were also village women.

From the moment she stepped through the Mo Family’s gate, Mo Hong’s family had managed only a forced smile, and others, knowing her difficult nature, scarcely spoke to her. Watching others engage in lively conversation while feeling ignored, her face grew longer and longer.

Watching her mother-in-law’s face grow increasingly sour, Mo Wu at her side was very worried, fearing that her mother-in-law might cause a scene during the feast and that they wouldn’t be able to gracefully extricate themselves.

As dishes replete with color, fragrance, and flavor were brought out continuously, everyone paused their idle chatter and turned their attention to the array of dishes on the table.

Seeing a large table filled with substantial dishes delighted the villagers, who seldom had the chance to enjoy meat throughout the year. They praised the Mo Family’s generosity and looked forward to the treat.

The children, not seated at the table, salivated at the scent of the meat, longingly watching the adults, urging them to serve up dishes. Some clueless children couldn’t resist reaching out with their hands for the food, only to be spotted by adults who rapped their knuckles with chopsticks and scolded them.

Mo Qingze cordially invited Mr. Liu to help himself to the dishes. As a junior, Mr. Liu deferred to Old Man Mo, urging him to go first. Old Man Mo offered a few hollow laughs before picking up his chopsticks.

Seeing the head table begin, others at separate tables also happily took up their chopsticks and started to eat heartily.

Each dish on the table was generous in portion, and the villagers refrained from scooping food into their bowls relentlessly like they used to during banquets, fearing they would eat less than their share.

Furthermore, with distinguished guests present today, they were worried such behavior might reflect poorly, so they did their best to control their children, warning them not to fuss; otherwise, they would be in for a ’stir-fried bamboo shoot with meat’ back home.

With so much delicious food and without the need to compete for it, the children had no time to fuss and were better behaved than ever.

Mo Yan did not take a seat at the table; she, together with Lizhong, Lixiu, and several other women, were responsible for serving the dishes to each table.

As Lizhong set down a dish of stir-fried sleeve-fish at the table where Mo Danier and a few other young ladies were seated, Mo Erni suddenly stood up, her face the picture of innocence, and asked Lizhong who was about to walk away, "Grandfather Li, what is your relation to my cousin’s family? Why do you always live at my cousin’s home?"

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