Chapter 160: 160. The Great Joy of Moving Day

160. Chapter 160: The Great Joy of Moving Day

On this day, as the sun just rose, the villagers hurried to the Jiang family.

The Jiangs had not specially invited anyone; any villager could come, no gift was required, just come to share in the merriment.

Everyone who had ever worked for the Jiangs knew their food was always generous—not guaranteed to have meat dishes, but the rice was always enough to fill your belly.

So most households in the village arrived early at the Jiangs', helping with chores inside and out, preparing food, borrowing tables, chairs, and benches from neighbors…

"My heavens, the Jiangs' new house looks even nicer than the big households in town!"

As soon as the village women and daughters-in-law entered the Jiangs' new house, they were stunned by what they saw.

"Such a big house, with so many walls front and back—probably two or three ten thousand blue bricks altogether. How much silver must that have cost…"

"Tsk tsk, look at their courtyard—there are floor tiles laid on the ground! Such luxury; everyone else has dirt courtyards."

"You haven't seen the kitchen—it's huge too, and there's even a dedicated dining area," boasted several women who had gone to help in the kitchen. "The tables, chairs, benches, and cabinets—no one knows which skilled carpenter in town made them, but they're beautiful!"

"I just checked the backyard—there's a latrine and a bathhouse too. The Jiangs are truly refined, even building such things…"

The group sighed in awe and moved on to the Shang Fang.

As soon as they entered, they were stunned again.

The Shang Fang faced the same direction as the main house—north-facing with the main door southward, well-lit, with wooden windows on both sides of the entrance.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, spilling onto the walls, then reflecting off the pure white surfaces, filling the room with bright, spacious light.

Everyone couldn't help but marvel—the entire house, inside and out, had been coated in raw lacquer!

Raw lacquer is a milky, gel-like liquid harvested from Knee Trees, possessing properties of corrosion resistance, abrasion resistance, acid resistance, and heat resistance, giving walls a glossy finish—and naturally, it's expensive.

But coating walls with raw lacquer was far too luxurious; only big households could afford it.

Most village homes used yellow mud, water, and straw to build earth brick walls—these walls were not very sturdy; during heavy snow or storms, the house might collapse and needed constant repairs.

"Tsk tsk, if my family had money, I'd build a Blue Brick Tile House just like theirs."

The crowd examined the new house, unable to suppress their envy.

Li Dayong's daughter-in-law squeezed into the crowd, her eyes darting endlessly, her envy and jealousy spilling over, her voice dripping with bitterness:

"The Jiangs built such a fine new house only because they got lucky—made money off that damn Snow Cake. If I could make Snow Cake, I'd surely build a house like this too…"

Everyone heard her sour words but said nothing.

The Jiangs' wealth from the Snow Cake business was common knowledge; many in the village had tried to copy the Snow Cake, but without exception, all had failed, and they had long since given up.

"Oh, I say, Dayong's daughter-in-law, with your abilities, you could make Snow Cake? Don't make us laugh!" Zhang's eldest sister chuckled, turning to the other women. "Come on, everyone, stop gawking—go wash your hands in the courtyard and get ready to eat, or you'll complain later that Xiaoxiao's mother didn't serve enough."

"We're going, we're going!"

Hearing the meal had started, the group forgot about touring the new house and hurried out of the Shang Fang.

The courtyard was packed—so many villagers had come that tables and chairs filled both the new and old courtyards, bustling with noise.

The dishes on the tables were plentiful: Mapo Tofu, Wild Vegetable Egg Pancake, Cabbage Stewed Pork… At a glance, they glistened with oil, making mouths water.

Some adults and children from homes that often went hungry pounced on the food like wolves, with no manners at all.

Others tried to maintain dignity at the table, but after a few bites, they were won over by the delicious food and began eating heartily.

Jiang Xiaoxiao and her mother sat at the main table, receiving congratulations from the villagers.

Everyone's faces beamed with joy, offering sincere blessings to the Jiang family.

"Ah, remember when Xiaoxiao was a pale, thin little girl with not even a decent dress to wear? Look at her now—her face is so fair and plump!"

Many, seeing Jiang Xiaoxiao dressed neatly, couldn't help but sigh: "The mother and daughter have finally seen better days—they've built a Blue Brick Tile House, and the best is yet to come…"

Facing the compliments, Jiang Xiaoxiao smiled but said nothing.

Today was the great joy of the family's move, and with autumn bringing cooler weather, she had specially worn a pale apricot satin autumn robe.

The robe had two layers: an inner white silk undergarment, and an outer apricot-colored garment made of fine cotton cloth and satin material, with delicate embroidery on the collar—beautiful to look at and comfortable to wear.

In this era, only wealthy families had embroidered patterns on their clothes; poor families wore garments cut from coarse cloth, patched with scraps when torn, worn for years, passed from eldest to younger siblings—covered in patches, washed pale, and far from attractive.

Some children at the table gazed enviously at Jiang Xiaoxiao's new clothes, then glanced at Jiang Wei, wishing silently that Jiang Wei were their own mother…

At that moment, a group burst into the Jiang family courtyard.

"Oh! I said the village was so lively—turns out my beloved granddaughter is hosting a banquet! How could such a great joy happen without anyone telling this grandmother?"

The artificially raised, shrill voice was unpleasant to hear.

Everyone turned—and it was the Lao Li family!

Jiang Xiaoxiao saw the sharp, bitter face of Old Matriarch Li, and her good mood vanished instantly.

Though she hadn't barred anyone from coming to the banquet, the feud between her family and the Lao Li family was well known; she assumed the Lao Li family, if they had any pride at all, wouldn't show up.

But she hadn't expected… she had underestimated just how shameless the Lao Li family could be.

Jiang Wei stood up, speaking without mercy: "We don't welcome the Li family here. Leave."

"L-Lao San's daughter-in-law…" Old Man Li, lacking his wife's brazenness, shoved Li Shoude forward. "You were once part of our Li family. Shou De has now passed the scholar exam—I thought, on this joyous day, I should come and tell you…"

"My Jiang family severed ties with your Li family long ago. Even if your son became County Old Master, it means nothing to me!" Jiang Wei replied coldly, without an ounce of mercy.

At these words, Old Man Li's face darkened with humiliation.

Today, he had brought Li Shoude specifically to boast before the villagers about his son's scholar title, and to pressure the Jiangs.

Li Shoude was no longer the same—he was the only scholar in the village. He assumed, out of respect for his son's status, Jiang Wei would at least show some courtesy. But he hadn't expected her to show not the slightest respect.