Travel to the mountains and make a fortune in silence

Fourth Aunt was extremely unwilling to do this; she didn't want to do something so thankless, but she couldn't go against Fourth Uncle and her eldest son's wishes.

Wang Qing'er thought for a moment and asked, "Fourth Aunt, hosting a banquet for over a thousand people is a big event. I wonder how you notified the villagers? Were invitations written or just given verbally?"

Hu replied, "The notifications were given verbally, door-to-door; no invitations were sent."

Wang Qing'er then asked, "Did they tell you which day it was, and whether it was for lunch or dinner, when they invited you?"

Mrs. Hu said, "Your fourth uncle got a list from the village chief. He arranged the time and went door-to-door to notify them. He was worried that they wouldn't come at the appointed time, so he came early."

Wang Qing'er felt that things would be easier once the schedule was arranged. While there might be people who wouldn't follow the rules, there certainly wouldn't be many. After thinking for a moment, she added:

“Since a timetable has been set, there shouldn’t be any problems. If anyone doesn’t come at the time of the notification, they can’t be allowed to sit down. We can just arrange for someone who is literate and familiar with the village to stand guard at the door. Give them a list to check, and let them come at the time that is supposed to come.”

Madam Hu slapped her thigh and laughed, "Qing'er, this is a good idea. The list has been drawn up, but I didn't think of arranging for someone to guard the door. I'll tell your fourth uncle about it when he comes back."

"My fourth aunt should tell me how many tables there are each day so I can make preparations. Pig offal and other such items also need to be ordered in advance."

The two chatted for a long time but couldn't get the answer they wanted, so Wang Qing'er had to ask again.

When the number of guests was mentioned, Fourth Aunt looked embarrassed again, her lips trembling as she hesitated, unsure how to begin.

“Hu Qiaoyun, why are you being so fussy? When the child asks you about the number of tables for the banquet, just tell me directly. I know exactly how many people are in the village. I just need a precise number of tables so I can prepare things in advance.”

Zhou immediately saw through her sister-in-law's thoughts. She was just too embarrassed to speak up because there were so many people around, so she became quite anxious.

"Then I'll be frank. For the first three days, the banquet was for villagers, with 25 tables each day at noon and 25 tables each evening. The main banquet was for family relatives and some of your uncle's friends, which numbered 10 tables."

Since her sister-in-law had already said so, any further fuss would seem pretentious and might upset her, so she simply stated the quantity.

"Fourth Aunt, don't worry, it won't cost much. I'll prepare everything properly. I'll deliver it once in the morning and once in the afternoon. It won't take much trouble at all."

Wang Qing'er thought to herself that there were indeed quite a lot of dishes at the banquet, no wonder her fourth aunt hesitated to say.

To put the old lady at ease, she busied herself comforting her fourth aunt, as she could tell the old lady was shy and embarrassed to trouble others.

Unlike some people, she feels at ease taking help from others.

The more Auntie Si acted this way, the more Wang Qing'er wanted to do things perfectly and help her to the fullest extent.

"Then I'll trouble you, sister-in-law and Qing'er."

Zhou said, "Since we've already agreed, we'll head back now. You don't need to see us off."

"Sister-in-law, please stay for dinner!" Madam Hu quickly grabbed Madam Zhou's hand again, trying her best to persuade her to stay.

"Hu Qiaoyun, why are you so slow and noisy? We just agreed to come to the wedding banquet in a few days." Zhou slapped her sister-in-law's hand in annoyance and scolded her.

"Alright, alright, I won't keep you any longer, sister-in-law. Go on your way, I'm too lazy to see you off." Madam Hu had genuinely wanted to invite her to stay for a meal, but she hadn't expected the old lady to look down on her, and she felt a little wronged.

Although Zhou said she wanted to go home, she still held her fourth aunt's hand tightly. She chatted for a long time at the door before reluctantly letting go and stepping out of the yard, looking back every few steps.

Although Mrs. Hu said she wouldn't see him off, she still escorted him quite a distance.

"Mu Yan and Qing'er, you must come visit more often when you have time." Standing under a big tree, Madam Hu called out to Mu Yan and Wang Qing'er as she watched the group walk away.

“Okay, Fourth Aunt, please come visit us often when you have time,” Wang Qing’er replied, turning around.

"Okay, Fourth Aunt, you should go back now," Mu Yan replied with a smile.

"It's not like she's gone. This old lady is really indecisive," Zhou muttered to herself.

"What a blessed person, and also a capable one." As she watched them walk away, Madam Hu murmured to herself with a smile, heading towards her own courtyard.

The first day of the banquet at Fourth Uncle's house was scheduled for the day after tomorrow, and it would continue for three days. The fourth day was the day Muxia got married.

The next morning, after having breakfast, Old Man Mu and Wang Cuiying went to Fourth Uncle's house to help.

The items purchased today will be delivered, and we need someone to help us count them. We also need to borrow tables, chairs, and benches from other stores and carry them over one by one to set them up.

The pork was ordered from the town, and to ensure its freshness, it will be delivered in the evening.

The chef who has been cooking these past few days was also hired from town; he specializes in preparing dishes for weddings and funerals.

They bring their own pots, pans, stoves, plates, chopsticks, and other utensils, which saves them a lot of trouble.

They have their own cooking procedures, so there's no need to worry about making mistakes. As long as the ingredients are sufficient and there's nothing missing, that's fine.

After delivering the braised meat, Mu Xiao went to the pork stall in advance to pre-order the meat and offal needed for the banquet.

For the first three days, just buy some meat and offal, and make a platter.

On the fourth day, for the main feast, Wang Qing'er did not plan to serve braised offal, but instead served a platter of braised duck, braised rabbit, and braised beef.

Also, make a cold dish of shredded chicken with wood ear mushrooms and a dish of tofu with tree leaves.

We need to pick the leaves from the dove tree today, and we can start preparing it first thing tomorrow morning.

The task of picking leaves was left to Muqin and Zitong.

Wang Qing'er wanted to make some more aloe vera cream and aloe vera soap today. Aloe vera is quite troublesome to process, so she couldn't make many in a day.

After Muxia gets married, we still need to hurry up and make mosquito coils, because the weather is getting hotter these days and there are more mosquitoes.

Actually, starting to make mosquito coils at this point and selling them would be a bit too late.

Wang Qing'er wanted to make some for her own household use first, since summer would last for several months. She hoped that she could sell some once the shop opened.

On the first day of the banquet, Wang Qing'er got up at 3:45 AM to first braise the meat to be sent to Fuxianglou, then braise the meat for the banquet noodles, and after dawn she started making leaf tofu.

Old Man Mu and Wang Cuiying went to Fourth Uncle's house before dawn.

Zhou made breakfast for the family. While waiting for the leaf tofu to set, Wang Qing'er prepared the dipping sauce and put it into a jar.

Then, the braised meat was cut up and divided into several large bowls.