Splendid peasant girl busy farming

Chapter 11901

Old Yang and Yang Huazhong were very satisfied with what Uncle Sixi's family had done.

"Considering the bigger picture, excellent!"

When the news reached Xiao Erfang's side, Yang Yongjin had no objection to it.

However, Cao Bamei was a little unhappy.

“There’s a huge open space next to our house, right next to the main road. Whether it’s working in the fields, washing clothes in the pond, or going to the market in town, it’s incredibly convenient. Why do we have to build a house in the middle of the village?”

Yang Yongjin chuckled, "Your wife has had it too easy. She doesn't know how expensive it is to buy a plot of land!"

Xiuxiu chimed in, "It's obvious. Sixi's family can't afford that money, and even if they could, I doubt his three older brothers and sisters-in-law would agree!"

"Sigh, I'm really worried that after my sister gets married and doesn't separate from the family, life of eating from the same pot won't be easy!"

When Xiuxiu said these words, the pride and self-satisfaction in her tone were inadvertently revealed.

She and Wang Xiaowei are currently deeply in love, and she plans to marry him within the year.

The Wang family has their own house in the town, and a large garden on the outskirts of the town where they grow plants, potted plants, and various flowers.

The garden covers four or five acres, and there are helpers at home. Everyone calls Wang Xiaowei's father Manager Wang, and Wang Xiaowei is called Young Manager.

Wang Xiaowei is the only son of the Wang family. If she marries into the family, she will become the young mistress of the Wang family, and she can also bring Yongxiao with her.

Uncle Da'an is the governor of Changhuai Prefecture, and now Cousin Dazhi has passed the imperial examination with top honors. Uncle Luo's husband is even more remarkable, a Grand General who protects the country and holds military power...

Now, whenever Xiuxiu visits the Wang family, all their relatives and friends dare not neglect her. Even Wang Xiaowei's uncle and aunt, who initially opposed the marriage, have completely changed their tune...

Xiuxiu thought about how she would become a young mistress after marrying into the family, without the conflicts that come with sisters-in-law. But then she thought about her younger sister's situation. While feeling proud and honored, she couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat for her sister.

Yang Yongjin said to Cao Bamei and Xiuxiu and her daughter, "Everyone has their own destiny. Don't say that Sixi's family only has four brothers. Even if there are 400 or 4 brothers, it is still Xiuhong's own choice. Since it is the path she chose, no matter if it is good or bad in the future, she will have to walk it to the end even if she is crying!"

Yang Yongjin's words also contained deep helplessness and worry, but his daughter had grown up and was no longer under his control. Rather than having his daughter, whom he had raised for more than ten years, run away from home and never come back... he would rather she marry into the chaotic Sixi family!
At least he would know what was going on with her.

"Father, Mother, after my sister gets married, if we just put up a stove in their new house, wouldn't that be a way of separating the family?" Xiuxiu asked again.

Cao Bamei nodded repeatedly: "They'll definitely have to set up a kitchen stove. Sixi's mother is hard to get along with, and that second sister-in-law is no pushover either. They'll definitely have to separate the family!"

Yang Yongjin shook his head: "The new bride is already clamoring to separate from the family before she even enters the house. It doesn't sound good if word gets out. Even if we do separate, it has to be Si Xi's parents who bring it up first."

What if they don't mention it?

"Let's just make do for now and not bring it up. A tree grows big and branches out, and it will eventually split up. Don't worry, it's not our place to rush this."

……

The matter with Sixi's family has come to a temporary end, since the old house has been settled. Now, Sixi's father, along with his sons, is fully committed to building the new house.

Meanwhile, at the Luo family's home, Yang Ruoqing gathered relatives and friends together for a family meeting in the main room.

"...What I just mentioned covers the details of tomorrow's wedding banquet. Has everyone remembered their assigned roles?"

After spending nearly ten minutes explaining the reception arrangements for tomorrow to everyone in detail, Yang Ruoqing asked everyone a question.

Everyone nodded.

Yang Huazhong said, "Because I am the village head, tomorrow I will lead four village elders to receive the head of the village, the county magistrate, the prefect, and officials from Changhuaizhou and the capital!"

Yang Ruoqing nodded: "Yes, that's right. Dad, don't be nervous then. You're not only the village head, but also a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) and the father of the governor of Changhuai Prefecture. Those officials who come down from above to deliver the good news won't dare to be disrespectful to you!"

Yang Huazhong smiled憨厚ly and waved his hand: "They came all this way to deliver the good news to us, it must have been hard work for them. I dare not put on airs. We should treat them with the proper hospitality and drinks, and not be impolite!"

Yang Ruoqing hummed in agreement.

Their gazes then turned to Yang Huaming and Yang Huazhou.

Uncle Wu set off last night, bringing all the members of his five families back to the village to witness this special moment.

"Fourth Uncle and Fifth Uncle, have you remembered your positions?"

"Absolutely!" Yang Huaming patted his chest, confident.

Yang Huazhou thought about it carefully and said, "The two of us are specifically responsible for communicating with the kitchen to ensure that tea and snacks are supplied to each table in a timely manner, and to arrange seating according to the names, status, and official titles of the guests on the invitation cards."

Yang Ruoqing was very satisfied with Yang Huazhou's answer, which showed that he had indeed listened to what Yang Ruoqing had told him earlier.

Yang Ruoqing has repeatedly confirmed with Da'an the list of people who will come to the village tomorrow to deliver the good news.

Moreover, this list has been revised and corrected with the Zuo family.

Aside from the three officials sent from the capital, four came from Changhuai Prefecture, five from Qing'an County, and six from Wanghai County/Huguang County, along with the headmen of their respective towns, and local gentry who had previously dealt with the Luo or Yang families.

Even if you've never met them before, you can take this opportunity to come to the village with the group to offer your congratulations and thus make a connection.

Therefore, according to the list, there should be six tables of food and drinks tomorrow.

As for cooking, Yang Ruoqing was worried that the women in the family wouldn't be able to handle it and things would fall apart, so she transferred a head chef, sous chef, and waiters from a restaurant in town to the Luo family to take care of the cooking.

"Second brother, third brother, what about you guys? Did you remember it too?" Yang Ruoqing then asked to check with Yang Yongjin and the others.

Yang Yongjin and his brothers, along with Da Bao, Kang Xiaozi, and others, exchanged glances and nodded in agreement: "Of course, we've got it all in mind. Don't worry, Qing'er, we'll take care of receiving the gifts they bring and registering them meticulously."

"Let Hong'er and Tiedan handle the registration. They both passed the imperial examination at the same time this autumn, so let them share in the joy of their great achievements!"

It was Old Yang who brought this up.

Everyone then realized that, indeed, this autumn, both of Old Yang's children, who were studying, had done very well and passed the imperial examinations, becoming scholars.

Yang Huaming and Yang Yongzhi were overjoyed, but because Dazhi had just passed the imperial examination this year, his brilliance overshadowed the two young scholars. So, it didn't cause much of a stir, not only within the Yang family but also throughout the village. However, Old Yang kept this matter firmly in his heart!

Because deep down, while it was certainly cause for celebration that Dazhi passed the imperial examination, it was also a source of pride for the Luo family.

Tie Dan and Hong Er are different. One is the grandson of the Yang family, and the other is the great-grandson. They both have the surname Yang, and this honor truly belongs to the Yang family.

“Alright, Xingwang will be in charge of the registration. Since you’ve brought it up, let Tiedan and Hong’er train with Xingwang,” Yang Ruoqing said.

It's impossible to completely hand it over to the two of them, even though they are both literate and have passed the imperial examinations.

However, since they were still inexperienced young people, keeping accounts was very important, as it concerned the favors and connections the Luo family had received, which could also be considered as their future network of relationships. Therefore, every single entry had to be made with care, and no mistakes could be tolerated.

Yang Huazhong agreed: "Yes, let's do as Qing'er says."

Yang Huaming and Yang Yongzhi were both very happy and said, "I will tell them later to learn bookkeeping properly from Xingwang. They can't just study by rote!"

Sun and Wang Cuilian looked at each other, and then Sun couldn't help but ask, "Qing'er, they've all been assigned tasks, so we can't just sit around doing nothing!"

Wang Cuilian nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, please assign us some work too!"

Yang Ruoqing said, "Mom, Aunt, your generation doesn't have any jobs. Take good care of the children and don't let them barge into the banquet hall and run around making a ruckus."

Cao Bamei said, "What about us women of this generation? We have to do something, right?"

"Of course, Second Sister-in-law, you should take all the sisters-in-law and sisters-in-law except Third Sister-in-law to help in the kitchen. There will definitely be a lot of plates and bowls to wash, and several small stoves to boil water for tea at the same time. It's so cold, we definitely can't let our hot water supply for tea run out."

"Okay, I got it. I'll lead the team then!"

After everything was arranged, everyone dispersed.

Yang Ruoqing came to the kitchen in the backyard. Tonight, several chefs had already arrived. While Yang Ruoqing and the others were having a family meeting in the main hall in the front yard, the chefs in the backyard had already begun preparing ingredients for tomorrow's banquet with great fanfare...

Yang Ruoqing went to the kitchen and encouraged them, telling them that they were almost done preparing and that they should go back to their guest rooms to rest.

The real battle is tomorrow noon. Get a good night's sleep tonight so you can be more energetic and ready to tackle the busy work tomorrow...

However, when Yang Ruoqing returned to her dormitory to prepare for sleep, she glanced around and noticed that Xiao Qiao's room was still lit up not far away.

Although the lights are usually on at this time, it is the wet nurse's room that is lit, so that it is convenient to feed Nini at night.

Xiao Qiao always blows out the candles in her room after going to bed at this time of night, so why are they still lit tonight?
Is it because Dazhi is coming back tomorrow that the child is so excited he can't sleep?

Yang Ruoqing resisted the urge to go over and chat with Xiao Qiao, smiled, and turned back to her room.

They were young and had been childhood sweethearts; this was probably the first time they had been truly separated for so long since they got married.

Dazhi will be back tomorrow, and Xiao Qiao will probably not be able to sleep tonight.

Excitement, joy, longing, worry... a variety of complex emotions surged within her, making her cerebral cortex extremely excited and unable to fall asleep for a long time.

Please don't question why Yang Ruoqing knows so much; it's because she's been through it all!

Not only is she someone who has been through it all, but even in her current state, she feels the same excitement and anticipation as she did on her wedding night whenever Luo Fengtang is about to return, keeping her awake at night.

But this time, even though she knew he was already on his way back, she couldn't bring herself to be so excited that she couldn't sleep.

why?
It's all because of the important matter of receiving the good news tomorrow. Yang Ruoqing has to handle it properly and not be impolite, so she has no mind to be excited about Luo Fengtang's return.

Yang Ruoqing woke up early the next morning.

After tidying up properly in the bathhouse and changing into new clothes, I called Rong Gu in and asked her to style my hair into a bun that was both easy to walk in and elegant.

Normally, Yang Ruoqing doesn't wear hairpins or jewelry, nor does she wear makeup. But today, she put on light makeup and adorned her updo with two hairpins with pearl flowers and simple pendants.

She also wore matching earrings and a matching choker.

After Rong Gu dressed Yang Ruoqing up with these items one by one, she looked at the lady in the bronze mirror and felt a sense of familiarity mixed with strangeness.

The familiarity stemmed from the fact that the woman's features in the bronze mirror were still those of Yang Ruoqing, who spent every day with Rong Gu.

However, the combination of this outfit and jewelry greatly changed her overall demeanor.

"Madam, your noble bearing is like that of a celestial princess from the heavens, as depicted in operas! I almost dare not acknowledge you as my own!"

Rong Gu looked her over and admired her, and subconsciously blurted out what was on her mind.

Yang Ruoqing was also looking at herself in the mirror. She tilted her head slightly to the left and right, and was quite satisfied with her look today.

Today is not her wedding day; today is the day her son passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). She is here as his mother to receive the officials of all ranks and the local gentry who come to her house to report the good news.

Out of courtesy and respect for the other party, she, as the head of the household, had to appear in formal attire, dignified, composed, and poised.

It cannot be flamboyant, vulgar, frivolous, or shallow...

In particular, her current identity is not only that of the mother of a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), but also that of the wife of the Grand General Who Protects the Nation, a title bestowed by the imperial court, and the elder sister of Da'an, the governor of Changhuai Prefecture...

Both out of courtesy and reason, she had to dress up and give the guests a good impression.

"You're exaggerating too much. I'm middle-aged, not some imperial princess!"

Hearing Yang Ruoqing's modest words, Rong Gu gently shook her head: "Madam, I'm not lying. The noble air you exude today is quite different from the noble ladies I've seen before!"

"Oh? How is it so different? Tell me about it."

Yang Ruoqing was in a good mood today, so she asked Rong Gu a few more questions.

Rong Gu said, "There's a saying that you should respect the clothes before you respect the person. Some noblewomen's elegance is purely built up by their elaborate and luxurious clothes and jewelry. Once you take those off, they're nothing."