| TBBOTOF | 320
The Wei family mansion was built at the foot of the mountain, so no one in the village noticed the deer's arrival. It wasn’t until the day of the wedding banquet that the villagers became aware, when the chefs preparing the feast brought out venison.
“This is a real treat!” exclaimed Chef Liu as he eagerly rubbed his hands together over the defrosting venison.
Chef Liu took a small flask, sniffed it, paused for a moment, and then sniffed again to confirm. He peered into the flask.
"Deer blood wine," he muttered. Unable to resist, he sipped a little through the long spout of the flask and smacked his lips in satisfaction.
Tang Xu laughed and said, "Don’t drink too much now; tonight's feast depends entirely on you."
“How could I?” Chef Liu replied with a grin. “My own nephew’s wedding—of course, I have to give him face!”
Earlier, Chef Liu had already visited the Tang family’s kitchen. The prepared chickens, ducks, and fish were stored in buckets and didn’t require any additional cleaning.
At the moment, his two apprentices were busy preparing ingredients. Soon, he would join them to marinate or fry the dishes as needed.
“I just asked,” Chef Liu said, placing the small flask back on the shelf and sizing up Tang Xu, “why haven’t Ah Yao’s parents come over yet?”
Although they were relatives, Chef Liu spent most of his time working at a restaurant in town and didn’t visit his rural family often.
Still, it seemed odd for the parents to be absent at their son’s wedding.
“They’re probably on their way,” Tang Xu replied.
“There are many people on that side, and it’s not close by. Liu Yao went back home earlier to invite them over, even suggested they stay the night here, but they declined. They’ll definitely arrive before the banquet starts.”
Tang Xu poured two cups of tea, handed one to Chef Liu, and held the other, blowing on it to cool it down. “I had Ah Dong drive the carriage over this morning to pick them up. There was no way we would let them walk all that way.”
There were many people on that side of the family, and even a single cart might not be able to fit everyone. However, Liu Yao's father had a cow, so they probably had a cow cart.
The two of them chatted for a while, and over at the other side, preparations were already in full swing.
At Tang Erhu’s request, Tang Li and Liu Yao’s wedding banquet was arranged as a buffet. The focus was on quick turnover, with each table served eight dishes—four meat and four vegetarian.
Chef Liu had to cook the dishes on this side and then have them delivered over, as the stove there was too busy to accommodate.
When the auspicious hour arrived, firecrackers exploded loudly outside the courtyard, their sharp cracks mixing with the boisterous chatter of the guests and the excited shouts of children.
Tang Xu watched as the couple performed their wedding ceremony, his eyes turning red with emotion.
Wei Dong gently patted him on the shoulder. “What’s wrong?”
Tang Xu sniffled and looked up at him. “It reminds me of our wedding.”
Wei Dong raised an eyebrow. “When we got married, it wasn’t nearly this lively.”
After the newlyweds completed the ceremony, the guests took their seats, and the banquet began, with the dishes being served table by table.
The elders of the Tang family and the Liu family sat at two adjacent tables.
Liu Yao’s father looked at the dishes being brought out one after another and couldn’t help but turn to his wife, saying, “The old Tang family must be rich. With dishes like these at a buffet, each table must cost at least half a tael of silver.”
Liu Yao’s mother, who was helping her young grandson pick some steamed pork with rice flour into his bowl, lightly sucked the tip of her chopsticks and replied, “It’s not that much. Don’t you know? These chickens and ducks are all home-raised. Besides, Ah Yao has been working for their family for so long without pay. Now that he’s getting married, they have to give him a proper banquet.”
Liu Yao’s father frowned slightly and muttered, “It’s not like he’s marrying into their family. I told you before we should hold the wedding at our place, but you insisted we didn’t have the money to organize it. You’ll see—the in-laws won’t be happy about this.”
“What’s there to be unhappy about? Look at him, smiling so broadly,” Liu Yao’s mother retorted, rolling her eyes.
She grabbed a piece of meat and bone, stuffed it into her mouth, and added in a low voice, “It’d be great if he were marrying in. We’d even get some silver. But you just had to make things difficult.”
Liu Yao’s father’s face darkened, and he glared fiercely at his wife.
“Shut up! Can’t you keep your mouth shut even when eating?”
Liu Yao’s mother rolled her eyes dramatically at her husband but didn’t say anything more.
It wasn’t until the afternoon that Tang Xu learned the Liu family didn’t plan to hold a wedding banquet on their side.
Or rather, Liu Yao’s parents and siblings seemed to have already accepted the idea that Liu Yao was marrying into the Tang family.
At this point, watching the Liu family devouring the food with such gusto, Tang Xu could barely bring himself to look.
"Your Liu family isn’t exactly poor. Sure, they have a lot of kids, but they’ve got plenty of land too. Why do they act like they haven’t eaten in days?" Tang Xu muttered quietly, venting to his partner.
Wei Dong replied, “Actually, this works out well. Liu Yao staying here with us keeps things peaceful. If Ah Li were the one marrying into their family, you wouldn’t be willing to let her go.”
Tang Xu paused. That was true.
Thankfully, the Liu family had many members, and Liu Yao, being a middle child, wasn’t particularly valued. If the entire family lived together, there’d inevitably be conflicts between mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, and sisters-in-law.
His dear Ah Li would undoubtedly end up suffering in such an environment.
Thinking of this, Tang Xu felt relieved and murmured to Wei Dong, “This arrangement is great. Let’s keep it this way.”
When the venison was served, the villagers attending the banquet were thrilled.
Many ate while marveling to those beside them about how wealthy the Tang family must be to serve venison at banquet.
Only the wealthiest families in town could afford such delicacies. They felt lucky to enjoy such a feast, repeatedly exclaiming how they’d truly hit the jackpot attending this wedding.
The banquet continued until midnight before things finally settled down. Guests began leaving, and Tang Xu and the others started cleaning up.
By the time he lay down on the heated brick bed, dawn was already breaking.
“I’m so tired,” Tang Xu muttered as he turned over, closing his eyes.
His body was exhausted, but his mind was still too wired to relax, making it hard for him to fall asleep.
Wei Dong, with his eyes still closed, reached out to pull Tang Xu into his arms. In a deep voice, he said, “Get some sleep quickly. I’ll get up and make breakfast soon.”
Tang Xu chuckled softly, scooting closer and pressing his forehead lightly against Wei Dong’s chin, nuzzling him. “You? Cooking breakfast? You’d probably make something that’d upset the stomachs of the elders in the family.”
Wei Dong snorted with laughter and gave a gentle pinch to the soft flesh on Tang Xu’s waist.
Tang Xu squirmed at the ticklish sensation, instinctively pulling back and swatting at Wei Dong’s chest.
Wei Dong withdrew his hand and held Tang Xu tightly instead, gently patting his back. “Go to sleep. If you don’t, it’ll be daylight before you know it.”
Tang Xu murmured an acknowledgment.
When he opened his eyes again, it was broad daylight, with the sun already high in the sky.
Still groggy, Tang Xu sat up in a daze. Seeing the empty space beside him, he yawned.
He climbed out of bed, got dressed, and washed up before heading outside.
The weather was beautiful, with the sun shining brightly—it was nearly noon.
In the kitchen, Wang Cuicui and Tang Mei were busy preparing food. Most of the dishes from yesterday’s banquet had been finished, and with so many family members around, they needed to cook fresh meals.
Early in the morning, the younger family members were still asleep. Wang Cuicui had come over to make breakfast, and after eating, she went back to sleep for a while.
When Tang Xu went to the kitchen and saw Wang Cuicui and Tang Mei busy working, he didn’t step in to help. Instead, he stood by the door and asked, “Have Grandpa and Grandma gone back?”
“They left right after breakfast this morning. I don’t know why they didn’t stay a bit longer?” Wang Cuicui glanced over at him and noticed his pale complexion. She frowned slightly. “Did you not sleep well?”
“My head hurts,” Tang Xu replied, rubbing his temples. “It’s nothing serious. I’ll just go to bed earlier tonight. How did they get back?”
“Dongzi drove them back. Grandma said the chickens and ducks at home need feeding and can’t be neglected, not even for a single meal.” Wang Cuicui handed him a freshly washed, bright red tomato.
Tang Xu took it and bit into it. The tomato was cold and sour, instantly waking him up.
“There are plenty of people at home. Didn’t Uncle and Auntie go back last night? What’s the harm in them staying here for a couple of days?” He chomped down on half the tomato and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
“There were so many people here yesterday, and everything was so busy I didn’t even have a chance to say a proper word to Grandma.”
Lately, Tang Xu had been preoccupied with arranging Tang Li and Liu Yao’s wedding, so he hadn’t visited the old house in a while.
Whenever they needed to send something over, Wei Dong was the one driving the carriage, and he never stayed long before returning.
“Grandma’s fine seeing us all doing well here. She said she’d wait until this big courtyard of ours is finished, and then she’ll come stay for a few days. There’s so many people back home, it’s inconvenient for them to stay elsewhere,” Tang Mei said as she placed the peeled potato onto the cutting board. “Potato stew with pork?”
“Whatever, as long as I’m not the one cooking,” Tang Xu shrugged. “I’ll go check on what the kids are up to. How come it’s been so quiet with no commotion?”
“They’re in the house playing with the rabbits. I saw Er Bao catch a bunch of little bunnies from the rabbit pen earlier,” Tang Mei replied with a chuckle.
Tang Xu narrowed his eyes. That little rascal! Someone was overdue for a scolding!
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