Chapter 202: Hosting a Banquet

Chapter 202: Hosting a Banquet

Song Tingzhou rarely resorted to bullying others with his authority, but this time it was clear that those women had really pissed him off. Meng Wan, the one who had been cursed at, didn't feel much about it, but Song Tingzhou, with a cold face, pulled him away.

The woman took a step as if to chase after them, but then felt embarrassed by the crowd gathered around. She called out a couple of times half-heartedly, then hurriedly walked out of the alley, likely rushing home to find her younger brother, the Collator.

Meng Wan jogged along as Song Tingzhou dragged him, and seeing his back, striding with suppressed anger, couldn't help but lower his head and smile silently.

Song Tingzhou, perhaps with his anger fading, realized he had been walking too quickly. He stopped, brought Meng Wan to his side, and the two slowly made their way home.

Along the way, looking more carefully, he noticed there were indeed many people staring at their linked hands, but their gazes were more subtle and distant, which was why they hadn't noticed before. It wasn't like in Auspicious Street, where the crowd was so dense that those gossiping women stood out.

Song Tingzhou tightened his grip on Meng Wan's hand slightly, his voice cold with displeasure. "As a prefectural seat, the local customs here are actually worse than in Heshan County."

Meng Wan smiled to calm him down. "Heshan County was remote and poor. When people couldn't even eat their fill, what did etiquette or manners matter? Later, the whole county was so grateful they wouldn't dare talk behind your back. Just wait, there's more excitement to come in Xi Wu Prefecture."

In places like the capital, Shengjing, where there were many rules and strict hierarchies, families taught their children and servants to act cautiously. At the very least, it was rare to see relatives of minor ninth-rank officials yelling in the streets. Those with real status mostly schemed behind the scenes.

When they returned home, dinner was almost ready. They ate without servants attending, and there was no rule about not talking while eating.

A Yan propped his chin on one hand, listlessly taking a bite of the spareribs in his bowl, his light-colored eyebrows furrowed.

It was too hot; he didn't want to eat meat anymore.

Meng Wan, from the corner of his eye, saw Chu Ci naturally take the sparerib that A Yan had pushed aside. "Everyone has to finish what's in their own bowl, you know. Giving someone food you've already drooled on is very rude."

A Yan was nearly three years old and already had a sense of shame. Hearing this, he silently slid his bowl toward Chu Ci, signaling for him to return the rib.

Chu Ci glanced at Meng Wan's expression, then decisively ate the rib, and smoothly picked a piece of cold mixed bamboo shoots into A Yan's bowl.

A Yan pursed his rosy little mouth and gobbled up the bamboo shoots.

Meng Wan pretended not to notice their interaction. Chu Ci was increasingly treating the Song household as his own home, and that was good.

Before the meal was even finished, Qiu Se came from the front courtyard to report, "Master, Fulang, there's someone at the gate who claims to be a subordinate of the Master, and he's brought a woman with him."

Meng Wan didn't pause his chopsticks. "Oh, they came quickly. I thought it would be tomorrow."

Song Tingzhou just gave two words: "No visitors."

Qiu Se looked at both their expressions and quickly withdrew. "Understood."

They hadn't bought the curtains and drapes that day, and Meng Wan had no mood to go back, so he sent Huang Ye with two maids to purchase a batch.

Two days later, all household matters were settled, and the gatekeeper began receiving various visiting cards, all requesting to call on them. There were also gifts of unknown origin, which Qiu Se said were left at the door before the deliverers left.

Meng Wan told him not to touch them, just leave them at the door. If someone wanted to steal them, fine. If someone wanted to take them, fine. They just wouldn't enter his house.

"What now? Even the new prefect has been asking about it. I'm afraid we can't avoid hosting a banquet." Meng Wan held up a stack of visiting cards to Song Tingzhou.

Song Tingzhou casually opened one to look. "Then let's arrange something. No need for anything too fancy." After all, he was only the second-in-command of Xi Wu Prefecture, and he couldn't overshadow the new prefect.

It was Meng Wan's first time hosting a banquet for officials, so he was a bit inexperienced but not flustered. He arranged tables and selected drinks. His household cook's skills were ordinary and not up to standard for a formal banquet, so he had to hire several chefs from a restaurant.

The meats and vegetables for the banquet also had to be selected in advance—a ton of tedious chores. When it came time to use staff, he realized that Tang Jinshuang, who had come with him from the Lotus Workshop, was surprisingly useful.

Most of the miscellaneous tasks were handled by Tang Jinshuang, who led Huang Ye and Qiu Se to make purchases, saving Meng Wan a lot of trouble. All he had to do was make decisions at home.

"These two dishes are somewhat repetitive. Cross them out and replace them with Smoked Goose with Rouge and Chicken Soup with Bamboo Shoots." Meng Wan leaned back in a bamboo chair in the main hall, holding the menu drafted by Tang Jinshuang. Beside him was a plate of chilled grapes, which he ate lazily.

"Boss, I've heard these two dishes are the Prefect's Lady's favorites." Tang Jinshuang was a capable person; she had somehow found out the preferences of the Prefect's Lady.

Meng Wan said lazily, "Prefect Zeng was promoted from being the Assistant Prefect of Xi Wu. He's sixty-two this year, and his great-grandson is two years older than A Yan. They're northerners, sure, but after so many years in Xi Wu, their tastes have probably changed."

Meng Wan peeled a grape and popped it into his mouth—sweet and tangy, just right. "Besides, even if their tastes haven't changed and they still love meat, at their age, too much meat is hard on the digestion. The menu already has Four-Joy Meatballs and Amber-Glazed Fragrant Elbow. Adding these two would make it too greasy. No need to tailor the menu to any particular lady or gentleman. It's fine to keep it neutral and safe."

There were a lot of subtleties here. Everyone in the court knew that Song Tingzhou had been praised by the emperor, and everyone knew his achievements were outstanding; promotion was only a matter of time.

The current Xi Wu Prefect had long since reached retirement age. He held the position only as a placeholder for Song Tingzhou. In less than three years, he would likely have to make way for him.

Therefore, as Song Tingzhou's husband, Meng Wan didn't have to ingratiate himself with other ladies. That would just seem petty and get laughed at.

Tang Jinshuang was smart. With just a few hints from Meng Wan, she got it. "I understand, Master. I'll go take care of changing the menu."

After she left, Huang Ye was still confused, trying to figure out the connections. He had joined the Song household early, was young and loyal, so Meng Wan was fonder of him. "This is a rare opportunity. When things come up, don't just think by yourself. Ask Tang Jinshuang more often. She can teach you a lot. Learn well, and it'll come in handy later."

"Yes, I understand, Fulang." Huang Ye said and withdrew, quickly catching up with the departing Tang Jinshuang.

The Song family banquet was set for the second day of the eighth month. Sending out invitations had its own rules—simplest was to start with the highest-ranking officials.

To make sure nothing went wrong, Xue Sheng delivered the invitations himself.

On the second day of the eighth month, Meng Wan and Song Tingzhou each changed into newly made clothes. Both wore long gowns in the same vermilion red, with a thin gauze outer layer. The color was a bit dark for summer, but they wore them anyway.

But Song Tingzhou wanted to wear the same color as Meng Wan. Their clothes were usually in light shades like cyan, blue, or white, and they rarely wore red or green. So this time, they had two red gowns made each.

They stood at the door to welcome their guests, like a pair of newlyweds, so dazzling it was hard to look away.

"Wan'er, this is Lady Zeng, the wife of Prefect Zeng."

The prefect, as the superior officer, wouldn't come in person; instead, his wife, grandson, and granddaughter-in-law came.

"I've long heard of Meng Fulang's reputation, so I specially brought my children and grandchildren to see you," said Old Lady Zeng, a kind and humble woman who looked just like any ordinary grandmother.

Meng Wan put on a polite smile, bowed slightly, and said, "Old Lady Zeng, you flatter me. I just run a small business or two."

They exchanged polite pleasantries, and the granddaughter-in-law of the Zeng family also made a slight bow to Meng Wan. "Greetings, Meng Fulang."

Her maiden name was Qin, a prominent local clan in Xi Wu, currently the most prestigious country gentry in the prefectural seat. One of the two dyeing workshops on Auspicious Street belonged to the Qin family.

Furthermore, Old Lady Zeng's daughter-in-law was also from the Qin family, which meant Little Tan, the granddaughter-in-law, called her mother-in-law "aunt."

Meng Wan personally led them to the inner courtyard, where Chang Jinhua, who wasn't good with words, was left to play host. At first, she was so nervous she didn't know where to put her hands and feet. Fortunately, Old Lady Zeng was kind, and A Yan was there to ease the awkwardness.

"This child looks blessed, and he resembles Lord Song," Old Lady Zeng chuckled and said.

As people get older, they like seeing lively children, especially one as adorable as A Yan.

"Juan Niang, go play with your little brother for a while," Little Tan said to her daughter.

The male guests were in the front courtyard. Little Tan had brought her daughter with her. The little girl looked about a year or two older than A Yan, wearing a pink skirt that made her skin look rather dark.

Hearing her mother, Juan Niang timidly walked over to A Yan. "Li... little brother, wanna play with me?"

Her voice was barely louder than a mosquito's buzz. A Yan only realized she was talking to him after she said it the third time. He tilted his head and answered, "Sure."

"Speak up! Why are you so shy?" Little Tan was a bit annoyed by her daughter's timidity. Ever since entering, she had been secretly comparing herself to Meng Wan—their clothes, age, looks, and now their children.

The garden was now quite large, with two small ponds and a lotus pond that had been there from before. Chang Jinhua, worried about A Yan playing alone, always had a young maid named Zhu Yan keep an eye on him.

"Zhu Yan, you and Zhu Sha follow along and keep a close eye on the young master," said Chu Ci. "Don't let him go to the garden or to his elder brother's courtyard." Chu Ci's courtyard was full of medicinal herbs, most of which were toxic, and it was only safe for him to take A Yan in there personally.

Meng Wan had chosen the two of them back then because they were sisters: their family had starved to death, and the elder sister had brought her younger sister to sell themselves to a broker. Moreover, she had known to come to the prefectural city to find an official broker, a child with a mind of her own. They could be trained from a young age so that in the future, whether their family returned to the capital or went elsewhere, they could be taken along.

The two followed closely behind A Yan and Juan Niang, and Juan Niang also had two maids behind her. The four of them watched their little masters without blinking.

Song Tingzhou was highly respected in Xi Wu Prefecture; every household that received an invitation came. In addition, the country gentry who had previously congratulated them on their housewarming were also invited. Thus, both the front and back courtyards were filled with guests, with not a single empty seat.

When the time was almost up and all the guests had arrived, Meng Wan first returned to the back courtyard to greet the guests. Song Tingzhou instructed Qiu Se to guard the entrance and turned to go inside himself. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a man in gray clothes hurrying their way and coldly instructed, "Without an invitation, no one is to be let in."

The man in gray had reached the front and happened to hear that sentence, his face turning bright red. But concerning his official career, he could only brazenly step forward and say, "My lord, why be so harsh? My elder sister truly did not know your lordship's identity, that's why..."

Meeting Song Tingzhou's cold stare, he couldn't finish his sentence.

"To be so lax in disciplining your relatives—offending me is a small matter; who knows if in the future they might throw their weight around and oppress the people?" said Song Tingzhou.

The man in gray muttered, "My elder sister raised me from childhood and supported my studies so I could obtain official rank. She is an extremely kind woman. She... she wouldn't."

Song Tingzhou's expression grew even more indifferent. Not wanting to waste more words on him, he turned to leave.

Only then did the man in gray realize that he had come to beg his superior officer not to dismiss him from his post, and had unknowingly offended him again. "My lord, it is my fault. Tomorrow morning I will bring my elder sister to your residence to apologize. My family is poor, and I haven't the strength to tie up a chicken; I can only rely on this meager official salary to support my family. I beg your lordship to give me another chance."

Song Tingzhou flicked his sleeve and left, saying, "If you wish to come, then come."

The man in gray was about to call out again, but Qiu Se couldn't stand by and admonished him, "My lord has agreed to let you come tomorrow. When you do, don't say anything reckless that might anger my lord."

The man in gray was overjoyed. "Good, good. Thank you, young man, for the advice." He took out a few copper coins from his sleeve and handed them to Qiu Se.

Qiu Se dismissed such a paltry sum and declined. The man in gray then pulled out another two taels of broken silver and tried to stuff them into Qiu Se's hands. Everyone likes money, especially for a few words of advice. Qiu Se looked around. Seeing that the onlookers who had gathered at the Song family’s gate to watch the excitement had dispersed, and that Song Tingzhou and Meng Wan were no longer there, he secretly pocketed the money.

"Don't keep apologizing to my lord," for the sake of the silver, he gave the man a few more tips. "The one who really runs the household is my lord's husband. When you come tomorrow morning, have your elder sister be respectful and sincere. My lord's husband is not easily fooled. If her heart is not sincere, you'll come in vain."

The man in gray left, incredulous. As he left, one could hear him inhaling sharply in small breaths. "Lord Song, so wise and brave, is actually afraid of his husband?"

In the back courtyard, Meng Wan was still unaware that some fool was speculating about how he and Song Tingzhou get along. He was charmingly networking with the various ladies. His words were flawless, polite when needed and dignified when needed. With his years of business experience, dealing with these officials' wives was effortless.

When the banquet was about to end, the maid who had been sent to follow Juan Niang by Young Madam Qin suddenly came running over. The ladies and husbands present were all prominent figures in the prefectural city; even her own sister-in-law from her maiden family was there. The maid's lack of decorum naturally drew some whispered comments.

Young Madam Qin hastily scolded in a low voice, "Have you forgotten all the manners you were taught? What is the matter that you are so flustered?"

Hearing her reprimand, the maid fell to the ground with a thud. "Young mistress, Miss Juan just fell into the pond!"