Chapter 71: Flowing Banquet

Chapter 71: The Rolling Feast

The Yan family scheduled their multi-day feast for the third day after the announcement. As soon as the word went out, the whole family jumped into action.

The family gathered to hash things out, and Chen Lanfang spoke up: "Yesterday, Wen Xi and I already counted up the veggies and eggs the neighbors sent over. That should be just about plenty, but we'll still need to head into town to buy chicken, duck, fish, pork, and booze."

He Jin chimed in: "With three days of feasting, lunch and dinner every day, we need to make sure the main courses are plentiful, and we should also have some cold appetizers and fruit plates. We'll need to borrow tables, chairs, and dishes."

Wen Xi added: "Shen Liang stopped by this morning—he said he'd handle the borrowing arrangements."

Chen Lanfang asked again: "What about the kitchen? Did you line up helpers for the kitchen?"

Wen Xi nodded: "Aunt Li and Shunzi's husband are both willing to pitch in. As for sweeping and tidying the yard, Shunzi said he's got it covered."

Seeing that Wen Xi had everything squared away, Chen Lanfang breathed easier and said: "Good. Let your oldest and second brothers handle the shopping. I'll get the red envelopes ready for the helpers."

The three-day feast, with all the meat, booze, and red envelopes, added up to a hefty sum. Luckily, the Yan family wasn't what it used to be—they could easily afford this kind of expense.

After the discussion, the family split up. He Jin and Yan Fuqiu took the ox cart into town to buy wine and odds and ends, while Yan Shichang and Yan Wangchun went to Butcher Zhang's place in the next village to slaughter two pigs.

The Yan family bought meat from Butcher Zhang every year, and the two families had done business plenty of times. Word of Yan Fengan's success had already spread to other villages. After selling the two pigs to the Yan family, he threw in half a pig as a gift.

"Your third son passing the imperial exam is a celebration for our whole town. I heard he's the only one in the whole county to pass this year—he's made us all proud. I'm just a butcher, so I don't have much to offer. Take this half pig back for the feast."

Yan Shichang said: "This is way too generous. We really can't accept this."

Butcher Zhang waved his hand: "Why not? When Master Juren's family throws a feast, this butcher gets to bask in the glory. From now on, I'll put up a sign saying Master Juren himself praised my pork—how could I ever worry about selling it after that?"

Yan Shichang couldn't refuse, so he took it, thanked him with a smile, and invited him to come eat at the feast.

Butcher Zhang said boldly: "Don't worry, I'll bring my whole family, young and old. Just hope Brother Yan doesn't mind us being so bold."

"How could I? If your family didn't show up, I'd be disappointed." Yan Shichang went to pay, but Butcher Zhang said: "No rush on the money. Wait until after the feast."

It wasn't just him—even the wine shop and the general store in town let the Yan family run a tab.

Yan Fengan's reputation was worth way more than a few taels of silver, so everyone was happy to do them a favor.

Back home, while Chen Lanfang was checking the supplies against the list, she heard Yan Shichang mention the butcher's gift of half a pig and said: "We need to keep track of all this so we can return these favors later."

Wen Xi nodded beside her: "Got it written down."

Hearing how quickly he responded, Chen Lanfang smiled and said: "These are favors for your father and me to keep track of—you don't need to worry about them. You just need to remember Third Brother's classmates from the academy and his friends in town and the city."

If the younger generation had to handle all the social obligations, it would be a total mess.

On the day of the feast, the sun had barely risen above the treetops when the Yan family's courtyard was already packed. Cooks, kitchen helpers, servers, and tea pourers—everyone Shen Liang had arranged was at their post, working hard.

When it was time to eat, he set off a few strings of firecrackers outside the yard. After the crackling died down, dish after dish of meat came out—braised pork, spicy chicken, steamed fish, and sour radish duck soup. Many families in the village couldn't even eat this well during New Year, but here they were, stuffing themselves at the Yan house.

Old and young alike ate until their mouths were shiny with grease, grinning like it was their own wedding.

Yan Fengan and Wen Xi went from table to table pouring tea and wine, telling everyone to eat and drink up. The neighbors enthusiastically congratulated them, showering them with praise.

After the toasts, Wen Xi and Yan Fengan didn't bother the guests while they ate. They stood off to the side, watching the courtyard full of beaming faces, and couldn't help smiling themselves.

Yan Fengan felt a joy he couldn't put into words welling up inside him. He quietly linked his finger with Wen Xi's and said: "Doesn't today feel just like our wedding day?"

Wen Xi's lips curled up slightly. The two of them, dressed in new clothes, toasting the neighbors who'd come to eat—didn't it look just like newlyweds greeting their guests?

But it only looked that way. In reality, today was completely different from the day they'd married.

Back then, Yan Fengan had been unconscious, and Wen Xi had been beaten black and blue, full of worry and fear about the marriage. How could he have imagined back then that life would turn out this happy and fulfilling?

Not just him—even Wen Shishan and Wen Liu probably couldn't have imagined he'd ever live like this.

Wen Xi's gaze swept through the crowd. Nearly every family in the village had sent someone, except for the Zhao family and the Wen family.

One blow after another had completely crushed Wen Shishan's spirit. Knowing that Yan Fengan and Wen Xi harbored no goodwill toward him, he didn't dare shamelessly try to claim kinship now.

Yan Fengan had always been ruthless, and now that he was a juren, crushing him would be easier than crushing an ant.

If he stayed out of the Yan family's sight, they probably wouldn't even remember his lowly existence. But if he were foolish enough to go claiming kinship, and Wen Xi, recalling all the grievances and suffering he'd endured in the Wen family, whispered a word in Yan Fengan's ear—there'd be no good outcome for him.

Forget attending the feast—he'd go out of his way to avoid the Yan family on ordinary days.

The Zhao family's thinking wasn't much different. When Yan Fengan was just a xiucai, they'd dared to make snide remarks behind the Yan family's back. Now they didn't even dare speak his name.

A chasm had opened between Master Juren and ordinary folk like them. He associated with officials and wealthy families in the city—how could they dare cause trouble?

They could only pray to every bodhisattva to protect them from the Yan family holding grudges and coming to make their lives difficult.

They didn't dare attend the Yan family's feast, but they couldn't very well not send a gift. The family hemmed and hawed for a long while, and finally everyone suggested that Wen Liu should go.

Wen Liu thought the whole lot of them were out of their minds. His relationship with Yan Fengan and Wen Xi was so awkward and strained—if he went, wouldn't that just be bringing bad luck to the Yan household?

Lin Xuemei said with sarcastic venom: "If you don't go, who will? At least you and that Juren Yan almost became a couple once. Maybe he'll be magnanimous for your sake and not hold a grudge against our family."

Wen Liu glared at her hatefully: "If I go and accidentally offend him, don't blame me for dragging you all down with me."

Hearing this, Liu Jinhua snatched the vegetable basket from his hands: "Useless, every last one of you. Get out of the way—I'll go myself."

With her mother-in-law gone, Lin Xuemei became even more brazen, sneering at Wen Liu: "Look at you. If you hadn't broken off that engagement against your conscience back then, you'd be standing right next to the juren now. How glorious that would be. Too bad your fate is rotten—nothing good ever comes your way. You strut around all day acting so picky about our family, but we're the only ones who'd ever take someone like you. Any other family would have kicked a scourge like you out long ago."

After everything he'd been through, Wen Liu had reined in his temper considerably, but Lin Xuemei was simply going too far. Unable to contain his anger, he got into a fight with her, and the two went at it right there in the house.

Zhao Shoutian and Zhao Zhangshun heard the commotion and came to help, and by the time Liu Jinhua returned from the Yan household, the house was in complete chaos. Two brothers who shared the same blood were going at each other more viciously than sworn enemies.

The old couple sat at the door weeping bitterly, wailing about what a sin it all was.

On the first day, the Yan family hosted the village neighbors and some relatives and friends from the neighboring village. On the second day, the guests were far more distinguished.

Previously, when the town gentry had bought couplets from Yan Fengan, they'd sent their stewards. Today, they came in person.

Shopkeeper Zhou from the calligraphy shop was the first to arrive. He was an old acquaintance of Yan Fengan's, and he came beaming with congratulations before presenting his prepared gift.

Besides the finest inkstone and writing brush from his shop, he also gave five taels of silver.

Those who came after him followed suit—some brought bolts of cloth, some brought blue-and-white porcelain, some brought fine wine, and the silver they gave ranged from five to ten taels.

Later in the day, Lu Xiuyuan and Lin Zhaozhao arrived along with the gentry from the city.

As soon as Lin Zhaozhao stepped down from the carriage, he squeezed up to Wen Xi and exclaimed: "Ah, Wen Xi, your home is so far! Even riding in a carriage, I got jostled half to death."

Wen Xi reached out and squeezed his shoulder, smiling comfortingly: "Sorry for the trouble. Welcome to our home."

Lin Zhaozhao smiled back at him, then turned to direct his servant to unload things from the mule cart.

Besides several bolts of precious fabric, Lin Zhaozhao also gave Wen Xi a set of silver jewelry: "My mother personally selected all of these. That bolt of brocade was her prized piece that she'd been saving—she said since you have such skill, giving it to you wouldn't be wasting it. The jewelry was also made to order at the silversmith's. Now that you'll be attending all sorts of banquets with Juren Yan, wearing jewelry like this won't embarrass you."

Wen Xi still remembered how Lady Lin had treated him on the painted pleasure boat before. She hadn't made things difficult for him, but she certainly hadn't treated him with the same kind of respect she showed today.

He hadn't taken it to heart, but the contrast in Lady Lin's attitude before and after gave him a different feeling altogether, making him appreciate all the more the benefits of Yan Fengan's success in the imperial examination.

What he didn't know was that Lady Lin herself felt a bit embarrassed and regretful upon learning of Yan Fengan's success. Their county hadn't produced a successful candidate in a long time. At the time, she'd assumed Yan Fengan was no different from those other mediocre scholars—someone with a bit of learning but no real future ahead of him. So her attitude toward Wen Xi had been lukewarm, and unlike Lady Lu, she hadn't kept up frequent visits with him.

How could she have known that Yan Fengan would turn out to be so accomplished, passing the provincial exam on his first try?

Her only saving grace was that she hadn't stopped Lin Zhaozhao from staying friendly with Wen Xi. Otherwise, she wouldn't even know where to begin trying to mend the relationship now.

Fortunately, both of her children got along well with the couple. Otherwise, with her having to ingratiate herself like this, she wouldn't know where to hide her face.

That was why, when she came to congratulate the Yan family this time, she went all out with her gift. Everyone else brought gifts for Juren Yan, but she was the only one who also prepared a gift specifically for Wen Xi.

After Wen Xi thanked her and accepted the gift, Lin Zhaozhao took his arm and said, "My mother also said that once you're through this busy period, she'd like to ask you to do some embroidery for her. You'll have to do us that favor then."

Wen Xi smiled and nodded. "Mm, I'm not taking on any new work for now. If your mother needs anything, just have her send someone to come find me."

Hearing this, Lin Zhaozhao finally felt a weight lift off his chest.

On the other side, Lin Hongwen and Lu Xiuyuan were gathered around Yan Fengan in conversation. Lin Hongwen clasped his hands in a playful salute and said deliberately, "Should we all start calling you Juren Yan or Yan the Filial from now on?"

Yan Fengan chuckled. "If the two of you actually called me that, you'd be doing me a great disservice. With a friendship like ours, we should keep calling each other just as we always have. Those titles are for people outside our circle."

Hearing that they were special to Yan Fengan in a way others weren't, Lin Hongwen and Lu Xiuyuan couldn't help but feel a swell of pride. Having a Master Juren as a friend would be something to brag about later.

Lu Xiuyuan had been fortunate enough to receive guidance from Yan Fengan in his studies. Though he'd failed at the second stage when he took the county examination this year, he'd still made considerable progress compared to before. He no longer acted as stubborn or sharp-tongued with Yan Fengan as he used to.

Now that Yan Fengan had passed the provincial exam, Lu Xiuyuan admired him all the more. After offering his congratulations, he asked, "Would you still be willing to help guide my studies in the future, Brother Yan?"

Yan Fengan patted him on the shoulder. "No problem. If there's anything you don't understand, just come ask me anytime."

Seeing that his attitude remained unchanged, Lu Xiuyuan let out a sigh of relief and took a wooden box from his servant, smiling. "My father asked me to give this to you. He couldn't make it today because of other matters, but he and Uncle Lin will host a banquet at the best restaurant in town to celebrate for you another day. You must come then."

"Alright." Yan Fengan waved Wen Xi over and asked him to take the wooden box back to the house.

Lin Hongwen also had a wooden box, and when Wen Xi came over, he handed it to him as well.

By the time the banquet on the second day ended, the main hall of the Yan residence was so packed with gifts there was barely room to walk.

These were all gifts from social obligations for Wen Xi and Yan Fengan. The two of them took the gift ledger they'd been recording in during the day and went through each gift one by one against the list of names.

It was only then that Wen Xi understood what Yan Fengan meant when he said, "There are even more generous people coming later."

In all his life, he had never seen such a grand display, nor so many fine things.

High-grade fabrics, precious wines, exquisite porcelain, and stack after stack of silver—each gift at least five taels.

Altogether, it probably came to around two to three hundred taels.

Of course, the Lin and Lu families together had contributed nearly a hundred taels of that—truly lavish with their spending.

All the silver combined was more than the entire savings of his whole family.

The money chest was stuffed to the brim with silver. Wen Xi's heart raced with excitement, and he couldn't help rolling around on the bed a couple of times.

Yan Fengan was thoroughly amused by his antics. He reached over, pulled him into his arms, and kissed him for a good long while before finally calming that excitement down.

It wasn't just Wen Xi who had never seen such a grand spectacle—the Yan family hadn't either. Those wealthy gentlemen in their silk robes had come during the day to call Yan Shichang "brother" and toast with him, and Yan Shichang was still riding high on the excitement even now.

That night, he couldn't sleep either. The room full of precious gifts brought him both joy and worry, so he simply dragged a chair over, sat by the door, and kept watch over all those expensive things.

No one in the Yan family could sleep that night. It was only at this moment that the whole family finally felt a tangible sense of having crossed class lines.

Author's note:

Thank you all!