They've all separated, so what does it matter to me if they get poorer and poorer?

Chapter 401 Celebration
Xu Zhichun, Liang Minglang, and Liang Mingxuan were so busy they barely had time to breathe, while Liang Lizheng and his wife, Zeng Xiaoyan and her sister, Aunt Zhu'er, and others also came in and out to help.

Xu Zhichun prepared countless melon seeds, peanuts, pine nuts, peanut and sesame candy, maltose, peach, apricot, and jujube preserves in advance. Not only were the children happy to grab handfuls and stuff them into their pockets, but the adults were also delighted.

The large vat contained boiled tea leaves, and next to it were small bamboo tubes with long handles for scooping tea, and a basket filled with stacks of rough earthenware bowls for drinking tea.

Madam Qin and Master Qin arrived early in the morning with their son Qin Ning'an and the Qin family's servants to help with the preparations.

Yesterday, Xu Zhichun and the others received the news that Magistrate Lu, the County Assistant Magistrate, and all the teachers from the county school would be coming, and many of Liang Mingxuan's classmates would probably be there as well.

Therefore, the family needs to prepare a separate place to receive them well in advance.

There needs to be at least a place where we can sit down and have a proper conversation.

The banquet was held at noon, and cooking began early in the morning in an open space in the village.

The Qin family's head chef, along with two village elders skilled in coordination, directed and assigned tasks. The women picked and washed vegetables, shelled peanuts and beans, boiled water, slaughtered chickens, and washed dishes, while the men chopped firewood, carried water, and nimbly helped with preparing the ingredients.
They were extremely busy.

Everyone gathered around to watch the spectacle, and upon seeing baskets of meat and chickens, they all exclaimed, "No wonder it's a feast fit for a scholar!"

They are all hard currency.

Xu Zhichun put a lot of effort into preparing today's dishes: steamed pork with rice flour, stir-fried tofu with wood ear mushrooms and pork, braised mutton with potatoes, chicken pieces with dried bamboo shoots and mushrooms, tomato and egg, stir-fried mutton and pork offal with green peppers and garlic sprouts, spicy rabbit cubes, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and soaked shrimp, winter melon, and bone soup.

Stir-fried vegetables are vegetables delivered from various households, all kinds of them, so they are simply stir-fried together in a mixed dish, so that there is a plate on each table.

The shrimp were brought by the Qin family. After soaking and chopping them, they were simmered in a large pot with pork bones, lamb bones, and winter melon, resulting in a very delicious dish.

It wasn't even noon yet, but the aroma of food had already filled the entire village.

The aroma was so enticing that even the children stopped cracking sunflower seeds and peanuts, crowding around the cooking area, sniffing the air and exclaiming, "It smells so good! It smells so good!"

The adults laughed, but they had to admit, "It really smells delicious!"

Not only are the children almost crying with envy, but they are also very hungry.

I've never seen a family host such a generous and practical banquet.

At first glance, it looks even more lavish than what we have at home for Chinese New Year.

Everyone who could come today did, except for Uncle Liang's family.

Liang Mingxiang did not go home at all; he remained at the academy in the city.

Zhang declared, "My son Mingxiang is clearly destined for studying; he's steady and diligent! He doesn't slack off at all and is working hard at the academy. After all, there's a long road ahead, and only those who ultimately succeed will truly be considered accomplished. What does it matter what he does now? My son Mingxiang is a true scholar!"

People don't understand what a real scholar should be like, but they still think that someone like Xiucai Gong is better.

"Then your son Liang Tongsheng should study hard and strive to pass the imperial examination as soon as possible."

"Yes, just like a scholar!"

Even so, it still infuriated Zhang.

I'll go back and scold these people for being blind.

Uncle Liang couldn't stand the lively celebrations of the third branch of the family; he felt it was an insult to him. How ruthless! Did they really mean it when they said they wouldn't acknowledge their relatives? They didn't even bother to consult him about holding this banquet. Since that was the case, he wasn't going to go and save face for them.

Uncle Liang simply took his unmarried second son and went to a friend's house, out of sight, out of mind.

He also chased Zhang back to her parents' home with Liang Cuier.

The eldest son and his family of three went back to his eldest daughter-in-law's parents' home.

In short, the whole family refused to attend this lousy banquet.

We'll see how they answer when someone asks why their uncle's family didn't come.

Uncle Liang also called the second branch of the family, trying to get them to leave as well, but Uncle Liang hesitated and refused.

The eldest son, Mingxiang, is also promising and may well have a bright future. The eldest son's family has the confidence to break ties with the third son's family, but the second son's family has little hope.

Besides, Bai's sister-in-law from her maternal family has brought her children, and they've come for this banquet too, so he's even less likely to leave.

Uncle Liang was furious. He scolded him with a dark face, saying he was a spineless coward and that if Mingxiang ever became successful, he would never be able to get a thing of it.
Uncle Liang wanted Bai to help with the cooking, but Bai declined, saying she was dizzy, still feeling weak, and had difficulty walking.

In reality, Bai Shi didn't dare to go at all.

Liang Minglang's eyes were like knives; she didn't dare to appear in front of her at all.

She always felt that he had become terrifying after spending time in the military. He would suddenly appear and disappear at her house; who knew what he might do next?

It was clearly his own scheming that caused Liang Cuier's husband's family to get involved in that mess, but when he confessed, even his older brother and sister-in-law, who were usually closer to him and disliked them so much, didn't believe him. No one else would believe him either.

Bai felt that even if Liang Minglang killed her one day, probably no one would suspect him.

Bai didn't dare go to Xu Zhichun's house. Her sister-in-law, Bai Lan, brought her children over to offer congratulations and sit for a while. Bai didn't dare let them stay long, and soon made an excuse to ask someone to call them back.

Bai Yunsong and Bai Yunxian didn't want to go back; it was so much fun and lively! Even Bai Lanshi didn't want to go back. Bai Lanshi got angry and had people call her several times before she finally had to go back.

"Why did you have to call me back, girl? There's nothing wrong!"

Brandt was very dissatisfied.

But when she married into the family, her sister-in-law was still at home. They lived together for more than two years. Her sister-in-law was shrewd and resourceful, and she was a little afraid of her. Even if she was dissatisfied, she didn't dare to say anything too outrageous.

Bai said coldly, her face dark, "I just don't want you to stay there, don't you know that?"

Brandy choked, "Why—?"

Bai Lanshi originally wanted to complain a bit about Bai Shi, blaming her for not sharing good things with her own family. She had heard before that the third branch of the family was wealthy, but she hadn't expected them to be so rich and powerful. She had also heard that they owned so many properties. Seeing it with her own eyes, Bai Lanshi was extremely envious.

We're all relatives, and even a little bit of money leaking between our fingers would be enough for our own families to eat, drink, and live comfortably, yet this sister-in-law has never said a word about it.

I had asked her for sweet potatoes and potatoes before, and I wanted to go to the third room to say hello, but she wouldn't let me go.

Bai said coldly, "I advise you not to try anything with the third branch of the family. They have high standards and don't take us seriously at all. They don't even acknowledge us, let alone you."

"How can that be?" Bai Lanshi raised her voice: "Their family has no elders, so you are the elders! These are your own uncles and aunts, can't you tell your nephew and niece-in-law what to do?"