Travel to the mountains and make a fortune in silence

This is why the Lin family took a liking to Mu Xia.

The son, Lin Shen, is about to take the imperial examination and is determined to embark on a career in government. At the same time, the family affairs and business dealings also need to be properly managed.

Therefore, the Lin family also carefully considered several other young ladies in the county. Although these young ladies had more privileged family backgrounds than the Mu family, after careful consideration, they felt that Mu Xia was the most suitable.

Furthermore, Lin Shen was particularly fond of Mu Xia, and even declared that he would marry no one but her in this life.

Master Lin and his wife naturally dared not neglect this matter. After careful consideration and repeated deliberation, they finally decided to finalize the marriage.

“Sister-in-law, there’s no need to trouble Qing’er to come and help. She has a lot of things to do herself. Just let Congyuan and Cuiying come and lend a hand to help greet the guests.”

Back then, the news about Mu Nan's wife's superb cooking skills was spreading throughout the village. After hearing this, Fourth Aunt really had some thoughts about asking her to come and help prepare the banquet dishes.

At first, I thought that Wang Qing'er had nothing to do at home all day, so it wouldn't hurt to invite her over to cook some of her signature dishes.

However, today I learned that the soap she makes is actually quite valuable. If I ask her to come and help me cook at this time, wouldn't that be a waste of her money?

A single bar of scented soap costs several taels of silver. You can make at least ten or twenty bars a day, which would amount to over a hundred taels of silver a day. Within a hundred miles, who else can earn that much money in a day?

We can't afford to invite this great deity, but we dare not delay her.

"Qiaoyun, stop making excuses. Let's just agree to this. You can prepare two fewer dishes. Once the braised meat and tofu are ready, have Muxiao and his brother bring them over." Zhou's tone was firm and left no room for argument.

"Then I'll trouble you, sister-in-law and Qing'er. Consider this braised meat as something I bought from you. Pay whatever price you charge per pound." Fourth Aunt didn't want to take two dishes for free. She wanted to pay. There were over a thousand people involved; how could she just accept it as a gift?

"Hu Qiaoyun, you're being too polite. These two dishes are just a dowry gift for Muxia. Don't bring up money again," Zhou said, feigning anger.

The reason Zhou asked Wang Qing'er to cook two dishes was mainly to repay a favor.

When Old Master Mu fell ill, his brothers were a great help, not only providing money but also their labor.

Although the money was later returned in full, the debt of gratitude still remained. Zhou thought that while she was still alive, she should repay the debt of gratitude so that she could meet Old Master Mu in the afterlife.

"Alright then, I'll listen to my sister-in-law." Seeing that he couldn't refuse, Fourth Uncle had no choice but to agree, and he would find a way to repay this favor in the future.

"Alright, we should go back now. There's a ton of stuff waiting for us at home. Everyone's coming to the wedding banquet in a few days. Oh, speaking of wine, Qing said she's going to send over a few jars of wine and jam for the main banquet."

"Sister-in-law, this is too much. You're bringing both food and wine." Fourth Aunt felt genuinely embarrassed. She had only wanted her to come over and help with the cooking, but now it turned out that her sister-in-law's family was giving her two dishes, wine, and meat for free.

She knew that the eldest son's family had risen again, even surpassing their former glory, and she was happy for her sister-in-law's family.

"It's nothing, we're all family. It's my duty as an aunt to help Mu Xia get married. Besides, when Mu Nan and Mu Wan got married, we didn't hold a banquet, but all of you aunts still sent gifts. I don't feel embarrassed at all," Zhou said with a smile, holding Hu's hand.

"Alright, alright, we're family, let's not talk about these things." Fourth Aunt smiled broadly, holding Zhou's hand tightly.

"Fourth Aunt, how many tables are there each day for the three-day banquet? And how many tables are there on the main banquet day? I need to prepare the ingredients in advance."

Wang Qing'er thought that if she wanted to increase the quantity of braised meat, she would have to order it in advance from the meat stall owner, and the leaves of the dove tree also needed to be picked a day in advance.

Although there are plenty of dove leaves in the mountains, it still takes some time to pick them, and the preparation process is quite troublesome. Everything needs to be prepared in advance, otherwise you will be in a rush on the day of the banquet.

When Fourth Aunt Hu heard Wang Qing'er ask how many tables there would be, her lips twitched slightly, and she was at a loss for words.

I was just talking to Zhou about how we were family and there was no need to be formal, but when it came to actually facing it, I found it hard to say anything.

After all, there are more than a hundred tables to be served. Even if we only add two dishes, it will cost several taels of silver.

You should know that the cheapest braised offal sold at Fuxianglou costs tens of coins per kilogram, a price that everyone in the village knows.

"Qing'er, I'm ashamed to even mention this feast. My idea is to only have a formal banquet, inviting relatives, friends, and those we're close to in the village to gather at home for a lively gathering, with a maximum of about twenty tables."

"Your fourth uncle is a man who cares a lot about face. He says that everyone in the village is a fellow villager, so he has to invite them all to make it a lively occasion."

“Your grandmother knows that there are over a thousand people in the village. It’s really troublesome to organize this feast. Other families have done it before, and the scene was absolutely chaotic. I strongly opposed it, but Fourth Uncle insisted on doing it, and I had no choice.”

Fourth Aunt Hu really disapproved of inviting the whole village to a banquet, firstly because her family's circumstances simply did not allow for such extravagance.

Although the family still has some savings, they have been spending more than they earn in recent years. If they don't become more frugal, or if something unexpected happens to the family, they will really be in dire straits.

When a man is not in charge of the household, he naturally doesn't know the cost of daily necessities. He only cares about his so-called face and doesn't consider the actual situation of the family at all.

Even with the most careful budgeting, a banquet for over a thousand people would cost at least ten or twenty taels of silver, which would be equivalent to a month's worth of household expenses.

Moreover, there is an unwritten rule in the village that villagers do not need to give gifts when they attend banquets.

Those with whom you have a good relationship might give a small token of their affection, but otherwise, the money disappears without a trace.

Moreover, the villagers are poor and have many households. When there is a feast, the whole family often comes out and pounces on the food like a pack of hungry wolves, with no regard for appearances.

They finally get to eat a good meal, so naturally they won't stop until they're stuffed.

If the amount of food is too small and not enough for them, they will be unhappy, and some shameless people will even cause trouble.

If the banquet is well-organized, that's fine; but if it's poorly organized, it's truly a thankless task.

Not only will they be complained about, but they will also be spread like wildfire among the villagers, becoming the subject of gossip and ridicule. They will not gain any benefit and will instead be scolded mercilessly.