coobybook Chapter 304 Banquet
Chapter 304 Banquet
After resolving the trouble, the Li family felt much more relaxed. The next morning, several of the Li family's uncles arrived, and the Li family became lively again.
Li Xiaonuan asked Xiaoyang and learned that these uncles came here to spend the New Year with the old lady on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day.
They didn't return to their own homes until the second day of the Lunar New Year, when the aunties were going to visit their maternal relatives.
Li Xiaonuan was quite satisfied with this.
Of course, even among family members, there will be some discordant voices.
For example, right now, when Li Xiaonuan was inspecting the things that were going to be used to entertain the villagers in the front yard with Granny Jin, Fourth Aunt Li said something.
“Xiao Nuan, since you’re inviting people from the village anyway, why don’t you invite your own relatives? What, are you afraid they’ll cling to you and take advantage of you?” Li Xiao Nuan had previously said that her own relatives would host a separate dinner on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year.
However, Li and her fifth aunt Chen insisted that they should invite officials on the same day. They felt that being able to sit at the same table with the officials the next day would be a very prestigious thing.
Besides, their relatives might be able to get in touch with officials.
The news of the Li family's banquet for their fellow villagers reached the ears of the officials in the prefectural city. They all sent people to the family to express their intention to attend the banquet.
Li and Chen didn't want to miss such an opportunity. Li Xiaonuan could guess what they were planning.
However, Li Xiaonuan would absolutely not allow anyone to use her name to solicit favors from those officials.
Therefore, before the banquet began, Li Xiaonuan made her stance and decision clear to the old lady.
Of course, the old lady was well aware of the Li family's past. Therefore, she strongly agreed with Li Xiaonuan's approach.
That afternoon, the old lady gathered all her children and grandchildren together and solemnly declared that no one in the family was allowed to use Li Xiaonuan's name to strike up a conversation with officials.
Furthermore, if anyone is found to be engaging in unjust acts or abusing their power, the old lady instructed Li Xiaonuan not to be lenient and to deal with them as appropriate.
Li Xiaonuan then had Granny Jin and the head guard explain the crimes of those who had flattered the offenders.
As a result, Li Xiaonuan offended Chen and Li again.
Although they didn't show any dissatisfaction on their faces, Li Xiaonuan knew that they must have been cursing her out in their hearts.
In their view, Li Xiaonuan, or even the Li family, should help and support their relatives.
After all, the idea that "when one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven" is deeply ingrained in their minds.
Besides, these two are the most devoted to their maternal families. They've always disliked the Li family. Of course, if they can get something out of the Li family, that's another story.
As for what Chen and Li were thinking, Li Xiaonuan didn't care.
Anyway, she's already made her stance clear. If anything really happens in the future, don't blame her for being ruthless.
On the day of the banquet, officials at all levels either sent people with gifts, sent their relatives, or personally brought their families to the event.
Perhaps they felt that Li Xiaonuan, who had directly connected with the Empress, still had value in befriending her.
Of course, many of the women actually looked down on the Li family's extravagance.
Perhaps because they had been instructed beforehand, the women were still quite polite on the surface.
Of course, there are also people with whom Li Xiaonuan has a genuine friendship, and she will pay more attention to them.
Fortunately, it's still during the Spring Festival, so we have enough supplies at home. If we run out of anything, we can just buy it from the nearby village.
The drinks, you have to go to town to buy them.
Fortunately, the restaurant "Guests at Home" in the city was still open, which allowed Li Xiaonuan to buy some excellent wines. She also ordered several tables of fine food and drinks for the officials and their families.
With so many people, the area became crowded and chaotic. Fortunately, the large drying ground the Li family had built this year was spacious enough. Plus, the villagers were experienced with such large gatherings, so things didn't get too chaotic.
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, some people became curious about the Li family's new residence.
Without a doubt, what those people were most concerned about was the Li family's bathroom.
The Li family didn't keep these things a secret. They answered all the questions raised by those who had doubts.
Of course, the Li family didn't hide where the white porcelain chamber pots were fired and where the large ceramic pipes were custom-made.
Some experts even went so far as to ask Xiao Yang and Li's father for the blueprints of the Li family's sewer system.
However, there was only one copy of the blueprint, so the people had to take turns looking at it.
Because of the unique design of the toilets and sewers, the image of the Li family became more concrete in the minds of those officials.
After the banquet, there were various procedures for taking inventory of the gifts, making lists, and sealing them away, which I won't go into detail about.
After finishing all the work, the Li family members were almost completely exhausted. Although many close relatives came to help, dealing with such a large event was still very tiring.
If you want to have a day without peace, treat others to a meal. Only then did Li Xiaonuan truly understand the meaning of this saying.
Because they had previously promised to host a separate banquet for the relatives of the aunts, the Li family held another banquet on the eighth day of the lunar new year.
This time, Li Xiaonuan was determined not to cause trouble at home. There weren't enough people at home. If the banquet were held at home, she and Su Shi would be tied up.
Although the maids and nannies that Li Xiaonuan brought back could be of some help, they had only ever hosted formal banquets. For these rural feasts, they would only make things worse.
Finally, Li Xiaonuan had Xiaoyang book the entire "Guests at Home" restaurant. Then she sent a carriage to invite her aunt's family, as well as the old lady's family, for a joyous gathering.
Of course, when relatives meet like this, it's inevitable to give gifts to the elderly and children.
Initially, Li Xiaonuan gave her younger cousins gifts such as jewelry and fabrics. She also gave them trinkets she bought in Beijing.
Since there were far fewer jewelry samples for boys than for girls, Li Xiaonuan added the Four Treasures of the Study to all the samples.
Even though the gifts were distributed fairly and equally to each person in front of everyone, some people still felt that Li Xiaonuan was being unfair.
That very night, when Li Xiaonuan asked the twin sisters from her second aunt's family to stay in the adjacent courtyard with her, Li and Chen came up with a new trick.
“Xiao Nuan, you and Xiao Yan are very close sisters. I can never teach her well, so why don’t you let her keep you company and help me train her?” Li pushed the reluctant Xiao Yan forward, letting her live in the courtyard with Li Xiao Nuan.
“That’s right. Xiao Nuan, our Xiao Zheng likes you the most. Why don’t you bring him to live with us? I’m pregnant right now, so let him stay with you for a few more days, and I can relax a bit.” Chen also pushed Xiao Zheng, who could barely walk, out.
Seeing their expressions that suggested Li Xiaonuan would secretly give the twin sisters nice things, Li Xiaonuan suddenly felt powerless.
In the end, Xiao Zheng didn't go to the other courtyard with Li Xiaonuan. Even the twin sisters were arranged to live next to the old lady.
Even so, Madam Chen and Madam Li were still dissatisfied. They privately complained that Li Xiaonuan had abandoned her family after becoming a princess.
Therefore, to avoid similar trouble, Li Xiaonuan changed all the gifts to red envelopes. The silver beans inside the envelopes were all the same number, size, and weight.