Chapter 55: Jia Family Wedding

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In the afternoon, Li Mingyuan finally emerged from his room, his face weary but his eyes flashing with the glow of success.

He looked at the festive decorations in the courtyard and suddenly remembered that today was Jia Dongxu's wedding.

He Yuzhu happened to be passing by with a basin of dishes. Seeing Li Mingyuan come out, he hurriedly set the basin down: "Uncle Li, you're finally out! What have you been working on these past few days?"

Li Mingyuan gave a mysterious smile: "A weapon that can change everything."

He looked at the busy courtyard and shook his head, "I won't be attending the wedding today; there are more important things to do. Yushui and I aren't going, and I have something to tell you both."

He Yuzhu was stunned: "You're not going? I've already prepared all these dishes; it's such a pity if you don't go..."

"Are you wanting to look at the dishes, or are you wanting to look at the bride?" Li Mingyuan asked meaningfully, striking directly at He Yuzhu's weak spot.

He Yuzhu was instantly speechless, his face turning red again: "I... I just..."

"Alright, don't explain." Li Mingyuan waved his hand, "Come back once you finish cooking these dishes. Remember, tell He Yushui not to go join in that excitement either. For that kind of occasion, let them be happy by themselves; it would only be awkward if we went."

After speaking, he turned back into his room, leaving He Yuzhu standing in the courtyard with his mind full of the alluring look Qin Huairu had just given him, unable to tell if he should be happy or disappointed.

Subsequently, He Yuzhu was in the temporary kitchen set up in the courtyard, working in a frenzy with his spatula flying, as dish after dish was finished.

"Shazhu, this meat is not bad; even the broth wasn't wasted." Yi Zhonghai tasted a bite and nodded with satisfaction, though he lowered his voice, "It's just that there's a bit too little meat."

He Yuzhu spread his hands helplessly: "Auntie Jia only gave this much money, so the meat has to be a little scarce."

However, he still tried every possible way to use seasonings and techniques to make up for the lack of ingredients.

Six tables were set up in the courtyard; although it couldn't be called luxurious, in this era of scarce supplies, it was considered a fairly decent setup.

Jia Zhangshi puffed out her chest, moving between the tables with a face full of joy, looking every bit like the lady of the house.

"Come, come, everyone, give your gift money!" Jia Zhangshi held a small red book and snuck up to Liu Haizhong, "Master Liu, a family of four, surely you must give two yuan?"

Liu Haizhong's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot: "Two yuan? How much do I earn in a month? One yuan is already giving plenty of face!"

"Two yuan?" Jia Zhangshi acted as if she had heard some grand joke, "What kind of rule is that? Who doesn't start at one yuan for a wedding nowadays? Master Liu, you are an elder; you mustn't lead the way in breaking the rules."

Liu Haizhong was so angry his mustache twitched, but under the gaze of the crowd, he couldn't argue too much and could only grit his teeth as he took out two yuan.

Jia Zhangshi's eyebrows were practically flying to the sky with joy as she turned and walked toward Yan Bugui's family.

Yan Bugui had been prepared, his eyes darting around: "Old sister-in-law, there are only a few dishes, and our family is struggling too. Giving one yuan for the whole family isn't unreasonable, right?"

"What! One yuan?" Jia Zhangshi widened her eyes, "Master Yan, you are being too much! Look, Master Liu gave two yuan, and you..."

Yan Bugui bit the bullet and stiffened his neck: "Giving one yuan is already being very generous. Besides, my children even helped paste the 'Double Happiness' characters."

Jia Zhangshi rolled her eyes, scanning the sight of Yan Bugui's family of five squeezed at one table, and became even more incensed:

"Master Yan, you have all these people squeezed at one table and only give one yuan? That doesn't make sense, does it? How about one and a half yuan?"

When Yan Bugui heard this number, his face turned green: "One and a half? Our family doesn't even eat that much in a single meal!"

The surrounding crowd watched this scene and snickered to themselves; Yan Bugui's stinginess was famous in the Siheyuan.

Jia Zhangshi and Yan Bugui were deadlocked until Xu Fugui stepped in from the side to smooth things over: "Old Yan, don't haggle with her; just give one and a half yuan to show your support."

Yan Bugui took out one and a half yuan with a pained expression, his hands shaking as he handed it to Jia Zhangshi, as if he were handing over his own heart.

Jia Zhangshi happily accepted the money and headed straight for Yi Zhonghai, her smile becoming even more radiant:

"Master Yi, Dongxu's affairs have relied heavily on your help. Look at this gift money..."

Yi Zhonghai had long seen through her intentions and cheerfully took out ten yuan: "Old sister-in-law, this is a small token of my heart. Dongxu getting married is a great joy; as his master, I must show my support."

"Oh my, Master Yi, you are too polite!" Jia Zhangshi beamed and quickly tucked the money away, fearing Yi Zhonghai might change his mind, "Dongxu, hurry up and thank Master Yi!"

Jia Dongxu hurriedly bowed and scraped, thanking him repeatedly.

He Yuzhu watched this scene from the kitchen and shook his head to himself.

Jia Zhangshi's true intent was not the wedding; she wasn't doing it for the marriage at all, but was taking the opportunity to hoard wealth.

Looking at the plates of food going out from his hands, although his craftsmanship was exquisite, the portions were always insufficient due to the limited ingredients.

"Is this meat too little?" Liu Haizhong's voice came from outside, "I gave five yuan, and I only get to eat this little bit?"

Yan Bugui was also muttering on the side: "Our family of five, not even two pieces of meat per person; my one and a half yuan has gone down the drain."

Xu Fugui was more realistic, sighing as he said: "Zhuzi's skills are good, it's just that there's too little meat. Drink some broth to fill your stomachs."

Qin Huairu sat in the bride's seat with a complex expression on her face.

She had thought that by marrying into a city family, life would get better, but she hadn't expected the wedding to be so shabby and Jia Zhangshi to be so mercenary.

When she saw He Yuzhu's busy figure in the kitchen, her eyes couldn't help but linger for a few extra seconds.

In stark contrast to the bustle of the Siheyuan, the West Courtyard was peaceful.

Li Mingyuan did not attend the wedding banquet but instead set up a table in his own small courtyard, cooking a few specialty dishes to treat He Yushui and reward himself for his days of running about.

"Braised pork knuckle, steamed sea bass, Kung Pao chicken, and what is this..." He Yushui looked curiously at a dish on the table she had never seen before.

"Boiled meat slices," Li Mingyuan explained with a smile, "Sichuan cuisine, spicy and fragrant. Give it a try."

He Yushui carefully picked up a slice of meat and put it in her mouth, instantly jumping up from the spice, yet she couldn't help but praise it repeatedly:

"Delicious! Truly delicious! Uncle Li, this is much better than the food at the wedding banquet!"

Li Mingyuan smiled without a word; the spicy flavor of the Southwest region was not yet common in the North, but in a few decades, this taste would sweep the entire country.

He glanced quietly outside the courtyard gate and saw a few people from the Siheyuan peeking over, their faces filled with undisguised surprise and envy.

Liu Haizhong happened to pass by the West Courtyard and, smelling an alluring aroma, couldn't help but slow his pace.

Through the open door, he saw the dishes on Li Mingyuan's table, which were rich in color, aroma, and taste, with generous portions, forming a sharp contrast to the shabby wedding banquet dishes in the courtyard.

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