jdhmnovel Chapter 983 Visitors
Chapter 983 Visitors
Then two storytellers in long robes arrived, brought by the family guards, along with their costumes.
That's right, they've invited a storyteller to perform at their banquet today.
They originally planned to hire an opera troupe, but opera troupes need to set up a stage in advance, and that stage is quite large. The Qin family's courtyard couldn't even accommodate a single table.
Besides, opera troupes usually perform for two or three days at a time, while their banquets only last one day.
Later, Zhizhi said she wanted to listen to storytelling, so the family arranged to hire a storyteller.
They would talk from noon until evening, at which point the guards would escort them back to the county town.
As for the opera troupe, they will also invite them, but they plan to do so during the few days of the Lunar New Year, so that the whole village will have a great time.
After exchanging greetings with the host, the two storytellers busied themselves with setting up their costumes and preparing to begin their tale.
The villagers joined in to help; one person couldn't do it alone.
They can listen to storytelling without leaving the village, but they don't know which stories these two storytellers plan to tell.
Those who were clever would huddle around the village's most knowledgeable elder and several clan leaders.
They were the only ones I'd ever heard tell stories that lasted only half a performance.
No one else has spare money.
"Uncle Village Chief, which part is the best? Can we ask the storyteller to choose one?"
"Yes, Grandpa, we finally get to hear this once in a while, we can't let anyone fool us."
The old people found them annoying and waved them away, saying, "Go away, you all have no knowledge. Whatever you say, how you say it, the Qin family has already decided on it."
"Anyway, what he says is definitely true. Don't just stand around, see if there's anything you can do and lend a hand if you can!"
The young people were driven away, but the old folks didn't move. They sat at the table closest to the storyteller, waiting to listen.
If this were a seat in a teahouse, you'd have to pay extra to get a table there.
The Fang brothers continued to greet guests at the door.
The only person who came this time was a renowned scholar, a student who had passed the imperial examinations, and a successful candidate in the provincial examinations. His hair was already gray.
These people came on their own, but the Qin family had anticipated this and had prepared seats for them.
As a rising star, it's quite normal for the Qin family to host banquets and have these prestigious people attend.
Fang Tong exchanged only a few polite words before having his son lead them inside.
There's nothing we can do; these people speak in archaic and flowery language... He can read now, but he only knows the characters; he has no vocabulary.
Fang Yin is the same; if he says a few more words, he'll be exposed.
Let Qin Yan entertain them.
Later, some of the guests brought their wives, and they were all led by maids to Qian Fengping and Meng Lan's rooms.
Some landlords and gentry also brought their sons and daughters.
She brought her son to befriend Qin Yan, but as for her daughter... well, I heard Qin Yan isn't engaged yet.
Fang Tong understood their intentions at a glance, and left the young girls to his wife.
There was nothing he could do; his daughter wasn't home.
Later, Wei Qinglin, Yu Zhenghai, and other former classmates came to visit, including Liu Mingce and a few others with whom they had a bad relationship.
They came shamelessly; there was no way they could compare to Qin Yan.
His family knew that some of his classmates had passed the imperial examination and entered the Imperial Academy, so they all pressured him to visit them.
They dared not speak out about the bullying they had done in the past, and could only grit their teeth and bear it.
Qin Yan seemed to have forgotten his past sordid behavior, and greeted them generously, arranging for them to take their seats.
“My dad was unusually generous this time and gave us half a day off, allowing us to attend the banquet.”
Wei Qinglin patted Qin Yan on the shoulder, his tone full of surprise.
"Yes, you don't know, last time I said I was going to my maternal grandfather's house for the Dragon Boat Festival, the teachers wouldn't allow me to have leave, but this time they actually gave the whole academy a holiday. Qin Yan, you really have a lot of influence."
Yu Zhenghai was somewhat envious.
There were reasons why the masters did this.
Qin Yan came from their academy, so he was practically the academy's star student, and the teachers were happy to support him.
Furthermore, these scholars were not merely instructors; they understood the importance of social interaction among intellectuals.
The banquet held at Qin Yan's home presented an opportunity.
They will not cut off students' path in this area.
While Wei Qinglin couldn't understand the reasons behind it, Qin Yan did.
However, he still felt some sympathy for them.
"Well, you guys have your exams in a few days, right? Today, try to eat less alcohol and more food so you can study better when you get back."
Qin Yan's "soft-hearted" reminder.
The people at the table stared wide-eyed. This was too much!
"Half a year has passed, how come you've become so terrible? This is a happy occasion, why are you bringing up such unlucky things?" Yu Zhenghai retorted, hands on his hips.
The next second, he was hit on the head, and he winced in pain.
Turning my head, I saw it was Master Wei.
The teachers from the academy had all arrived and were watching him intently.
"Hmph, how is reading the classics considered unlucky? I'm punishing you by making you go back and copy the Spring and Autumn Annals."
Yu Zhenghai wanted to cry. Why was he so unlucky? His words just happened to be overheard by the gentleman.
Qin Yan gave him a sympathetic look and immediately went to entertain the gentlemen.
More and more guests arrived, and the courtyard became increasingly lively.
"boom!"
Once the gavel is struck, the storytelling officially begins.
"Speaking of Jingyanggang in Yanggu County, the terrain is rugged and the mountains are home to many wild beasts. At the foot of the mountain, there is a tavern called 'Three Bowls and You Can't Cross the Ridge'..."
The teacher began his lecture, and those at the nearby tables all pricked up their ears to listen.
Tie Zhu and the others started putting peanuts, melon seeds, wine, and tea on the table.
It wasn't time to start the banquet yet, but we couldn't let the people who were seated just sit there doing nothing.
At the courtyard gate, both clan chiefs of the Fang clan arrived. The two disliked each other, but Fang Tong treated them equally.
The retired clan chief Qin also came and was seated at the same table as the village chief and his group.
They were all respected elders in the village, and no matter how much they had grievances, they couldn't show them in this kind of setting.
After that, a few people arrived that surprised Fang Tong.
Qian Fengping's brother and sister-in-law from her maternal family also brought their children.
After being warned, the Qian family has been behaving themselves. How come they dare to come closer now?
Fang Tong's eyes were full of coldness, but he managed to force a smile onto his face.
"Tiezhu, take my brother-in-law inside."
The words "brother-in-law" were spoken with a crisp, clear tone, as if he were about to bite someone.
Tie Zhu understood immediately, brought the person inside, and arranged for them to sit at the table where he and Erwa were.
To outsiders, it seemed like they were paying attention to Qian Fengping's family, but in reality, it was her brothers who were keeping an eye on her.
Don't even think about causing trouble, you surnamed Qian.
Since they're so ungrateful, we'll give them a good beating after the banquet ends.
Qian Wenlong, who had been feeling uneasy and anxious, didn't know what they were planning until he actually sat down, at which point he finally felt at ease.
I thought Fang Tong would have his men throw me out.
As for his wife, Cao had no such worries. Some people just don't learn from their mistakes.
She also complained that men were useless.
"See? The guy surnamed Fang is an official now, and we're his real relatives. If he dares to do anything to us, his reputation will be ruined."
"And my younger sister, I'll go see her in a bit. She's a woman, and she'll definitely want her family to support her."
“If we apologize for what happened before, she will definitely stop being angry. Once we get her forgiveness, that guy surnamed Fang will definitely be even less likely to act arrogantly towards us.”
If that's what she meant, she should have come long ago.
I shouldn't have let someone scare me like that and then stopped contacting them for so long; that's a real loss.
When I see Qian Fengping, I need to give her a good talking-to.
She rolled her eyes, looked at her three children, and whispered, "After the banquet, go and beg your aunt to stay."
How could an aunt not tolerate her own nephew?
Later, it would be best to let Qian Fengping take her family to the capital to enjoy a life of luxury.
She arranged for her children to go to school, and for her husband to open a shop or something to do business.
Cao became more and more excited as she thought about it, and couldn't wait to take advantage of her sister-in-law.
"Okay." The children nodded.
Erwa and Gou Dan were shelling peanuts, staring coldly at them.
When Qian Wenlong saw this, he couldn't help but reach out and grab the peanuts and melon seeds. These things were expensive; they couldn't afford to eat them even during the New Year. Only the city gentry had ever eaten them.
I never expected my brother-in-law to be so extravagant; there were expensive items on every table.
"Bang!" Erwa slammed his hand on the table, and by sheer coincidence, it landed on his hand.
Before Qian Wenlong could question him, Erwa exclaimed, "That's good!" and even clapped for the storyteller.
Turning around, it seemed that he had "accidentally" patted someone.
"Oh, sorry, I didn't see it."
Although Qian Wenlong was unhappy, he didn't mind and continued to reach for the food on the plate.
"Stab!"
Suddenly, Gou Dan dragged all the plates away and gave one to each person at the next table.
"Uncle Village Chief, are you almost out of peanuts? I have some here, come on in."
"It's okay, we're young, a few less bites won't hurt us."
Even though there were two plates of peanuts and melon seeds on the next table, Gou Dan pretended not to see them.
Finally, he grabbed a handful for himself and shared some with Erwa, leaving the empty plate on the table.
Qian Wenlong finally realized their unfriendly attitude.
"You guys are bullying me!"
Dog Egg asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Our village has a good tradition of respecting the elderly. We always think of our elders first when there's something good. Isn't that the case in your village?"
“Brother Qian, you can’t be like that…” Erwa patted Qian Wenlong on the shoulder.
He had a smile on his face, but he used a lot of force, and Qian Wenlong almost couldn't sit up because of the pain.
Qian Wenlong knew they were all Fang Tong's cronies, scoundrels, and he couldn't take it to heart... He'd be fine once he saw his sister.
Cao was furious at the man's spineless appearance, so she pushed the three children.
Just as I was about to say that the children needed to use the outhouse, Gou Dan moved and pulled the children over.
"Hey, Brother Qian, how old are your kids? They all look so skinny. Don't you ever think about giving them more meat and eggs to help them get more nutrition?"
Qian Wenlong wanted to curse, but that's bullshit. Is it because he's unwilling to spend the money? It's because he doesn't have any.
If Fang Tong, his brother-in-law, were willing to help him out...
Dog Egg patted the children's heads and smiled kindly: "Come on, listen to the storytelling with the uncles."
Cao felt something was wrong and wanted to bring the children back.
"What? Sister-in-law, you don't trust me?" Gou Dan stared at her and asked, his eyes as fierce as a wolf's, quite chilling.
Cao chickened out, but she was unwilling to give up: "I, I, nothing happened. Which room is my sister in? I'll go check on her."
It would be good to see Qian Fengping; she's my sister-in-law.
Just then, the courtyard gate became lively as the county magistrate arrived with his family, followed by the county clerk and the county constable.
"General Fang, Lord Fang!"
After exchanging greetings, Fang Tong personally led the people in.
As for the wives of the county magistrate and the county lieutenant, they were led into the house by Yu Chuan.
These officials' wives had probably never been to such a simple courtyard in their entire lives, but they showed no sign of disgust or disdain.
Because they came to see people of equal status.
Even Meng Lan, whose status was much higher than theirs, was the wife of a fourth-rank general and a princess from the capital.
In terms of true nobility, they are miles ahead of them.
If this were in the capital, they wouldn't even have the chance to see the princess.
When the county magistrate arrived, the village chief led the elders to greet him.
The county magistrate was very easy to talk to, addressing them as "elder brother-in-law" repeatedly, saying that their good health was a blessing...
It was the first time they had ever been praised by the county magistrate, and they all went back in a daze.
A gust of cold wind brought him back to his senses, and he realized that it was all thanks to Fang Yin and Fang Tong.
Erwa glanced at Cao Shi and sneered, "Didn't you want to find Sister Qian? Go ahead, the magistrate's wife is here too. It would be best to tell her how you've treated Sister Qian in the past."
Cao's face turned pale; how could she dare to go?
She sat down shakily and became quiet for the time being.
I thought that by now most of the guests had arrived, but unexpectedly, another horse-drawn carriage entered the village.
There were still several horse-drawn carriages.
The Prefect of Huainan Prefecture came in person.
The Fang brothers exchanged a glance, quickly composed themselves, and greeted him with smiles.
"With Lord Lin's arrival, my humble abode is truly honored."
"General Fang, Lord Fang, you're too kind..."
After a few polite exchanges, Fang Yin personally led the group inside, naturally to the main table, where they sat with the county magistrate and his entourage.
The county magistrate was surprised to see the prefect today. He and the county lieutenant and assistant magistrate rose to pay their respects, but Lord Lin did not want to overstep his bounds and asked them to sit down.
Fang Yin stayed with him for a while, then personally went to invite the old village chief to sit at the main table as well.
The seat originally arranged for the old man was at the main table, but he changed seats himself so he could listen to storytelling.
The old village elder felt a bit of pressure; not only was the county magistrate at the main table, but the prefectural governor was also there.
He had never met the prefect before, but he was intimidated and couldn't show it on his face, otherwise he would embarrass Fang Yin.
He had no choice but to sit down next to him.
At the entrance of the courtyard, Fang Tong was still receiving guests. Besides Lord Lin, there was also the steward of the Prince's Mansion, who had come from the prefectural city.
“Lord Fang, my lord is in poor health. He caught typhoid fever from a cold and cannot come to congratulate me in person. That is why he sent me here. Please forgive any rudeness.”
The butler adopted a very humble attitude.
In fact, although the prince was unwell, he was not to the point where he could not travel.
In the prince's heart, he still regarded the Fang brothers as peasants who had gotten rich by sheer luck, and had no intention of associating with them at all.
It was their heir who sent the letter from the capital, specifically emphasizing that the Prince's Mansion should exchange silver and copper.
The prince sent him.
Since the Crown Prince came to the capital, the relationship between the father and son has been somewhat tense. The Prince wants his son to be successful, but he doesn't want to be overshadowed by the Crown Prince.
Therefore, he listened to the Crown Prince's advice, but not entirely, and did not come in person.
Fang Tong didn't mind this, saying that the Prince's health was the most important thing, and even arranged a seat for the steward at the same table as Tie Zhu and the others.
The steward of the Prince's mansion must not be neglected.