The Transmigrated Farm Girl's Journey to Wealth

"Am I too old?"

"No, no, you're still going strong! Everyone in the village knows that!"

Fang Youcai snorted coldly; he knew his own capabilities.

"Dad, let's talk about the banquet again. What do you want to do? If we can have two free meals, people from outside the village will definitely come too."

How many tables do we need? What kind of dishes should we have? How many cooks, dishwashers, vegetable washers, and choppers do we need?

Fang Youcai hadn't expected so many people. Luckily, the event wasn't for three days, or he would have been eaten out of house and home. "Are people from other villages coming too?"

"Of course! Think about it, if we were broke, and you found out there was some rich, sucker-like old man who wanted to throw a free banquet for a whole day, what would you do?"

"I'll just sit here and eat all day!"

What the hell!

Is he that rich, sucker-like old man? Those starving ghosts are still being eaten alive.

"Daughter, is it too late for us to back out now?"

"Who's bragging at their doorstep, saying they can eat as much as they want, and it's free all day long!"

Fang Youcai wanted to slap himself twice for being so smug that morning; he had gotten carried away and lost his temper.

He looked at Zhao with a tearful expression, "Mom, what should I do? It's cost too much. Are you going to cut off my allowance?"

All the younger generation lowered their heads, trying not to laugh.

Zhao was speechless. "Can't you be a little more capable? You won't bankrupt us in a day."

"Are we rich now?" His wife managed the finances, and he only knew that the family's life was getting better and better, and they were eating better, but he really didn't know how much money they had. His allowance had increased from three hundred coins a month to three taels a month.

Since he's so rich, shouldn't he get a raise on his allowance? Hmm, I'll ask him quietly in bed tonight. If he makes his wife happy, everything will be fine.

“Father-in-law, tomorrow we will borrow tables and chairs from the villagers and set up fifty tables. We need at least twenty cooks, because the banquet is a continuous feast where people eat and leave, and when new guests arrive, the banquet will have to be set up again. We can’t do without cooks, and they can work all day without stopping. If they get tired, we can take turns cooking.”

Fang Youcai felt even more distressed when he heard that it had been going on all day long, not just one or two meals. It was all because of his foul mouth that he had passed the imperial examination and was too smug about seeing his father suffer.

Zhao thought for a moment and said, "Alright, let's do it this way. Ten pigs, five hundred chickens, three hundred fish, and one hundred geese. We need at least several thousand eggs, as well as various vegetables and fruits. We'll go directly to the farm to buy these and have them delivered to the village. As for snacks, treats, and candies, I'll have someone go to town to buy them tomorrow, along with some alcohol."

In no time, Zhao had everything arranged perfectly. Fang Xiaoning looked at her mother with admiration. She was the perfect matriarch. Her mother had also made great progress in the past few years.

"Where are the helpers?" Even if all the servants in the house were to come, it wouldn't be enough.

“I can shut down my workshop for a day to wash vegetables, wash dishes, serve food, and clear away plates. That’s enough people for me.”

My daughter is really awesome!

"Okay, I'll do as you say."

"Let's finalize the menu. It'll be a feast: eight large dishes, plus steamed buns and white rice. Eight dishes, what should we make?"

"Braised pork hock, steamed fish, chicken stew with mushrooms, braised goose, salted pork belly, braised eggplant, stir-fried radish with eggs, and stir-fried cured pork with garlic sprouts. If we don't have enough pork hock, we'll make meatballs."

"Such delicious food," Fang Youcai murmured.

"It's a joyous occasion that Father passed the imperial examination; we must hold a grand celebration." Zaoshu Village is not the Zaoshu Village of yesteryear. People are wealthier now, and meat is a common treat. Similarly, the feast is far superior to what it was a few years ago. "I'll cover the expenses for the banquet this time."

Zhao refused, saying, "How can this be? Mother has money."

“I know you have money, and I’m even more well-off. It’s settled then. Consider it a congratulatory gift for Father’s passing the imperial examination. On that day, I’ll also invite an opera troupe to liven things up. After the feast, we can listen to the opera and relieve some boredom.”

"Good, good, good, it's good to listen to opera. Your mother and I both love listening to opera. Our Xiao Ning is so generous. You two should learn from your sister." Fang Youcai laughed heartily. His daughter was really spending a lot of money to save face for him.

"We have no money."

With only two taels of silver a month for pocket money, and having spent it all, how could I possibly have any extra cash?

Fang Youcai couldn't help but curse, "Useless."

"You're not like us, unable to save any pocket money."

"Did I finish eating? I bought things for your sister. Let me ask you, what did you buy for her? And what did you buy for Xiao Ning's family? You two shameless bastards!"

"Well, it's not that I didn't buy them; I always brought home two skewers of candied hawthorns."

Today is his big day, so he won't bother arguing with those two troublesome kids. He'll teach them a lesson another day.

Fang Xiaoning took the clothes brought by the butler and said, "Father, wear this outfit on the day of the banquet."

Otherwise, why would he only dote on his two daughters? Look, look, what did the daughters do? What did the two rascals do?

His youngest daughter is his favorite, being his late-life daughter; she's beautiful and has a sweet tongue, which he cherishes deeply. His eldest daughter, without whom he wouldn't even have enough to eat, though she sometimes teases him, is genuinely good to him.

"No comparison, no comparison," Fang Tiezhu and Gou Dan fell silent. Tiezhu's wife also felt guilty; as a daughter-in-law, she hadn't prepared anything. What she did was far inferior to even half of her sister-in-law's.

She needs to pay more attention to her parents and family, and be more thoughtful in her actions.

…………

"Crackling and popping, thunder and lightning..."

The sound of firecrackers went off for almost a quarter of an hour at the entrance of the Fang family's house.

Congratulations, Fang Tongsheng!

Congratulations on your successful completion of the first year of junior high school.

"You're the most successful person in our generation!"

“You Cai, look at you today, you look several years younger. This outfit suits you well.”

"It was given to me by Xiao Ning!"

"She is filial and cares about you!"

"That is!"

"Wow, today is a great day for you! Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Fifth Uncle. Please come inside."

"Qian Xiong, you're here too! Come in, come in!"

"Father-in-law, mother-in-law!"

On this day, the main relatives still ate the banquet in the Fang family courtyard. Five tables were set up in the courtyard, while everyone else ate outside, along with the other guests.

After Fang Youcai finished greeting the people inside, he went outside and looked around. There should still be quite a few empty tables out of the fifty.

You wouldn't believe it until you see it. Not only were all the seats taken, but some people were still waiting for their turn, anxiously waiting for the people at their seats to finish eating before they could be served.

Good heavens, why are there so many people?

He saw that there were about ten workers in Xiao Ning's workshop, each carrying a large basket, handing out melon seeds and candy to the waiting people.

This treatment is truly unparalleled.

What Fang Youcai didn't know was that yesterday, when they went grocery shopping, word spread throughout the surrounding villages that the Fang family was hosting a banquet today.

Before dawn, people from places far from Zaoshu Village set off, and now, there are probably still a large group on their way.

The stage for the opera troupe was set up yesterday. Once they were dressed up and the gongs and drums were sounded, everyone's attention was drawn to the stage.

The first scene, "Fan Jin's Success in the Imperial Examination," was chosen by Fang Xiaoning for her father's sake. Whether or not he could understand it, as long as the gimmick was there, it was fine.