Chapter 49: Banquet for the Villagers
After Qianhuan left the headman's house, she went straight to the town to buy wine and meat.
At the same time, Liu knocked on every door, notifying all the villagers who had helped her build the thatched house last time, and asked them to come to her house for dinner in the evening.
After Liu notified everyone, she went home and started preparing other ingredients needed for cooking.
When Qianhuan comes back from town, she will help Liu with the preparations.
The vegetables planted at home have grown a little. Most of the things Qianhuan bought in the county town were non-vegetarian dishes, such as meat, fish, etc. She also bought some vegetables that were not available at home, and bought more than ten kilograms of good wine.
Liang Laoer, leaning on a crutch, walked slowly to the Zhang and Xie families next door and borrowed a table and some stools from each of them. Zhang Laodi and Xie's eldest son kindly helped move the tables and chairs to Liang Laoer's yard.
Zhang Cui knew that their family had to prepare several tables of meals, so she came over to help cook.
By the time the food was cooked, almost everyone had arrived.
There were three tables in Qianhuan's yard, each of which was filled with various dishes. Liang Laoer was sitting at the middle table chatting with the villagers.
The village head just happened to bring over the new land deed with a stamp on it. His efficiency was incredible.
"Second brother, this is the deed to the wasteland that your family just bought. Take it. I have already completed the transfer procedures for you." As soon as the head of the village, Old Man Hu, entered the yard, he handed the deed to Liang Laoer with a smile.
"Thank you, Mr. Village Head." Liang Laoer took the land deed handed over by Old Man Hu and opened it to take a look.
Upon hearing this, Liu also came over. She stared at the official deed with a red seal and read it again and again. Although she didn't recognize the words on it, she just wanted to see it.
Liu's eyes were wet with excitement. She couldn't help but lift up her clothes to wipe the corners of her eyes. The family now had eleven more acres of land belonging to them. Although it was just a wasteland, she was already very satisfied.
Thanks to her daughter, their family is living better and better now. Qianhuan is simply the couple's lucky star.
From then on, the large piece of wasteland around the thatched house belonged to Qianhuan's family. If they wanted to build a house or a yard in the future, they would not have to worry about having no land.
At the old house, Old Man Liang, Old Lady Liang, Mr. and Mrs. Liang, Liang Wenyong and his wife Wang Zhaodi all came.
Mrs. Chen had a serious cold and couldn't come over, so it was Old Man Liang who brought Wenjie over.
When the people present heard that Liang Laoer's family had bought some land, even though it was just wasteland, everyone was still extremely envious and began to talk about it.
"I didn't expect the second brother's family also bought some land. It looks like they made a fortune by setting up stalls."
"Yes, yes. I didn't expect that after Liang Laoer moved out of the old house, his life would get better and better."
At this time, everyone was seated, and Liang Laoer's family and the people in the old house sat at the same table.
Old Mrs. Liang felt very uncomfortable listening to everyone's discussions. She couldn't help but put on the airs of an elder and started asking Old Mr. Liang.
"Second brother, I heard that your family made a lot of money selling sugar-roasted chestnuts?"
"Mom, we did earn some money, but we spent it quickly. We spent a lot just on buying land, and we're going to build a brick house soon."
Liang Lao Er was not good at lying. Although he did not say how much money he earned specifically, when he said that his family was going to build a tiled house, he told Old Lady Liang all the details of his family. After all, building a blue brick and tiled house would cost at least twenty taels of silver.
Qianhuan looked at Liang Laoer and felt a little amused and helpless. Her father was too honest.
Never mind. Anyway, the villagers will know when the construction of the house starts, so it doesn’t hurt to let them know in advance.
"Second brother, your family is actually going to build a brick and tile house?" Old Mrs. Liang looked incredulous.
"Mom, yes." Liang Lao Er answered Liang Lao Tai with some pride. He thought to himself: His mother should also be happy for their family.
"Liang Laoer, congratulations. I didn't expect that your family not only bought the land, but also planned to build a brick and tile house. Your small business is much better than farming for us." A villager sincerely congratulated Liang Laoer.
"Yes, Liang Laoer, except for the headman's family, no one in our village can live in a blue brick and tile house. Congratulations." Other villagers also congratulated.
"Thank you, everyone. I, Liang Laoer, am deeply grateful to you all for coming here to help build this thatched courtyard for us, which has given our family of three a place to stay. I would like to toast you all with this glass of wine." Liang Laoer said as he picked up the glass and drank it all.
The male guests also held up their wine glasses and drank the wine in them.
At this moment, Old Mrs. Liang was really regretting it so much that her intestines were almost turning green. If the family had not been divided, they would have been the ones living in the blue brick and tile house.
Her heart felt like a bottle of overturned five flavors, mixed.
She said sarcastically, "Since you've earned money, why don't you take care of your parents? Why build a house with bricks and tiles? Qianhuan is your only daughter. When she gets married, it will just be the two of you. Isn't this thatched courtyard enough for you to live in?"
Liang Laoer didn't expect that his mother was not only not happy for them, but scolded and blamed him. He and Liu felt extremely embarrassed instantly.
"Grandma, my parents are not unfilial to you. My dad said that as long as the rice is harvested, they will immediately send the two stone of retirement food agreed upon when the family was divided to you and grandpa. Don't worry, my parents promise not to give you less than a grain of rice. As for the money for building a tile house, I earned it back by some means. As a daughter, I am willing to use the money I earned to build a tile house for my parents. Is there anything wrong with me being filial to my parents?" Qianhuan would not spoil Grandma Liang. She would retort her no matter how she questioned.
Old Mrs. Liang was so angry that her face turned green. She wanted to yell at Qianhuan right then and there, but Old Man Liang turned around and glared at her fiercely, and then Old Mrs. Liang immediately shut up.
"Second brother, you're doing so well in your life. Dad is so happy for you. Come, let's have a drink together, father and son." Old man Liang picked up the wine glass and drank with Liang Laoer.
Zhu was also very upset. She didn't expect that Liang Laoer's family was actually getting better and better after only two months of separation. Not only did they buy a large piece of land, but they also had money to build a blue brick and tile house, and Liu could also live in the tile house.
In the past, she relied on the fact that she had given birth to two sons while Liu had only one daughter, and she always felt that she was superior to Liu. But now Liu was actually living better than her by relying on a money-loser, and she felt very unbalanced, and she felt that she couldn't even enjoy her meals.
Everyone was just busy eating and drinking, and no one cared about what Zhu was thinking.
Liang Laoer's family is really honest. There is a big bowl of chicken, duck, fish and meat on every table. Qianhuan also asked Liu to fry 30 kilograms of sugar-roasted chestnuts, and put 10 kilograms on each table.
The villagers didn't expect that Liang Laoer's family would be willing to give them the sugar-roasted chestnuts that cost 10 cents per pound. 30 pounds would cost 300 cents.
At the beginning, Liang Laoer promised everyone that he would give everyone a good banquet when his family made money in the future. Unexpectedly, he really did it and made it so sumptuous. Everyone admired their family from the bottom of their hearts.
A kind-hearted villager even volunteered, "Liang Laoer, everyone's millet has been harvested, but I see yours hasn't started yet. You have difficulty walking now, so if you need help, just let me know and I'll come and help."
"Yes, second brother, if your family needs help, just let me know. I, Li Dazhuang, don't have any other skills, but I have plenty of strength." Villager Li Dazhuang also expressed his willingness to help.
"Uncle, tell me when your family is going to harvest the millet, and I will come to help." Wen Yong also said quickly.
When Zhu heard her son say that, she immediately turned around and glared at him, but Wen Yong pretended not to see it.
Liang Lao Er knew that he couldn't go to the fields to harvest the grains because of his inconvenient legs and feet. It would be great if everyone could help him. But he was still overwhelmed by everyone's enthusiasm. Everyone rushed to help, and for a moment, Liang Lao Er felt a little embarrassed.
"Thank you, uncles, aunts and brothers. If our family needs any help when harvesting rice, we will definitely notify you." Seeing that his father didn't react for a long time, Qianhuan quickly spoke up to respond to everyone's enthusiasm.
After eating and drinking, everyone stood up and said goodbye. Many people said before leaving that they would come to help Liang Laoer when he was building a brick house, if he needed help. It was almost November, and most people had almost finished harvesting their millet, which was the off-season.
This time Liang Lao Er didn't just stand there in a daze, he thanked them one by one.