Chapter 270: Occupying a Position and Status

The early noon hour is today's auspicious time, and everyone has gathered near the offering table.

The atmosphere instantly became solemn.

Jiang Mingyuan silently gestured for Gu Xixi to follow him.

He led Gu Xixi to the spot behind the clan elders, the westernmost position in that row, and signaled her to stand there calmly without moving.

Gu Xixi nodded, watched Jiang Mingyuan walk back two rows, find a spot and stand, then smile at her.

Gradually, everyone found their place.

After looking for a moment, Gu Xixi understood why Jiang Mingyuan had her stand there.

The clan elder stood at the front, representing the whole clan in offering incense and wine, and announcing to heaven and earth.

The row behind the clan elder is for the persons in charge.

Since the east is the place of honor, and Gu Xixi is the youngest and lowest in seniority, she naturally should stand at the westernmost end.

Further back, people are arranged roughly by seniority, with the lower seniority placed farther back.

There is also an exception: positions are assigned according to one's contributions to the clan.

For example, the middle-aged man whom Gu Xixi had seen before, who could sit on equal footing with several senior clan members.

Among them, some have many connections and broad channels, making them the most well-informed.

Some command a small fleet of carts; whenever a family needs to haul goods, they must seek his help.

Jiang Mingyuan's forward position should also be for this reason.

Gu Xixi thought, the Gu clan surely values his status as a juren, even if he is merely an outsider by surname.

In the Great Undertaking Dynasty, anyone who passes the provincial examination gains the opportunity to enter officialdom; if recommended by a superior, they can directly take office, starting from the ninth rank or higher.

At the same time, a juren is qualified to participate in state affairs and engage in the decision-making and management of local matters.

Thus, in the eyes of ordinary folk, Jiang Mingyuan at least counts as half an official.

Fortunately, the ceremony was not complicated; it ended after about half an incense stick had burned.

The surroundings instantly became lively again.

Gu Xixi found Lao Qian and his wife watching the rites in the crowd; after she exchanged a few words, someone came to invite them to take their seats.

As honored guests today, Lao Qian and his wife naturally should sit at the main table.

The main table also had the clan elder and several persons in charge.

According to custom, the clan elder and persons in charge need to take this opportunity to communicate major clan affairs.

As they sat down, the clan elder smiled and called out to Jiang Mingyuan, 'Mingyuan, you've grown up too; come sit over here—we'd like to hear your thoughts.'

'There's an empty seat next to Xixi; you can sit there.'

Jiang Mingyuan answered with a sound, walked to Gu Xixi's side and sat down, and the two exchanged a smile.

Gu Xixi lowered her eyes to the wood grain on the table, feeling moved; as young people, only because she and Jiang Mingyuan are useful to the Gu clan can they now sit here.

She couldn't help but recall the situation her father faced when he attended a clan meeting in his youth.

Not to mention sitting at the main table—she couldn't even get a place at the first serving of the buffet.

Thus, Gu Bapi, in his youth, attended a few clan meetings, but gradually became unwilling to go.

Now thinking about it, Gu Bapi earned the nickname 'Bapi' because he pinched pennies obsessively; whenever he had some money he built houses and bought land, yet in the end he himself enjoyed none of it.

Who knows if it wasn't due to some stimulus?

'What are you thinking about?' a man's voice, clear as water, murmured low beside her ear.

Gu Xixi glanced sideways slightly, discovering that Jiang Mingyuan wasn't looking at her, but was speaking softly to her.

Gu Xixi glanced at the few people seated at the head, wondering if Jiang Mingyuan was wary of them.

Jiang Mingyuan spoke again, 'The liquor we'll drink later is the sorghum spirit distilled by Fifth Uncle's family; it's quite potent.'

'If you can't avoid it, just wet your lips—consider it a token.'

He calmly lowered his half-lidded eyes, his expression composed; the others at the table couldn't hear his voice and never imagined he was whispering to Gu Xixi.

Gu Xixi realized, thinking, 'What a good person!'

So she also replied in a low voice, 'Understood, thank you.'

The first serving of the buffet began.

The table held six cold dishes, six hot dishes, mainly meat, with the staple being soft pancakes made from the season's new wheat.

Additionally, each table had a jar of sorghum liquor.

Someone broke the clay seal and poured the liquor, one bowl per person.

As a newly appointed person in charge, Gu Xixi naturally had a bowl as well.

The clan elder rose to propose a toast, and everyone else stood up in turn.

After the toast was spoken, the sorghum liquor in the bowl had to be drained in one gulp.

As everyone raised their heads to drink, Gu Xixi also pretended to lift her bowl to her lips.

Suddenly, a hand reached over from beside her, took her wine bowl, and placed an empty bowl still fragrant with liquor back into her hand.

It was merely the blink of an eye, and Jiang Mingyuan's wide sleeve covered it, so no one noticed.

The two had not planned it beforehand; Jiang Mingyuan had the idea on the spur of the moment, and fortunately Gu Xixi reacted quickly enough.

When Gu Xixi sat down, she couldn't help but glance sideways.

'I never expected that a top student, a juren official, would also have a playful, sly side.'

'You handle it so skillfully; you must do this sort of thing often.'

'A top student?' Jiang Mingyuan, living up to his reputation as a top student, readily grasped the meaning and chuckled, 'In Boss Gu's eyes, scholars must all be bookworms, right?'

Gu Xixi laughed, 'That's not the case.'

Because she happened to know an extremely crafty, sharp-tongued scholar who could dig a pit for anyone at any moment...

At the banquet, they naturally talked about planting millet.

Gu Xixi inevitably had to explain the arrangements for pesticides and fertilizers.

The persons in charge discussed how much the final yield per mu could increase, and they did the calculations on the spot.

Naturally, the result of the calculations left them all satisfied.

But how much they believed Gu Xixi's words varied from person to person.

Gu Xixi also didn't want to delve into their thoughts, just chatting and laughing with everyone, since the facts would speak for themselves in the end.

During the meal, people from other tables came over to toast Gu Xixi.

All their probing revolved around the two words 'millet'.

Gu Xixi responded to each, but she refused to touch a drop of wine, only smiling and saying, "I can't hold my liquor; I already had a bowl with everyone earlier."

"Today I came with Uncle Qian and Aunt Qian; otherwise I really should have joined you all for a hearty drink."

The clan elder also stepped forward, saying no one was allowed to ply Gu Xixi with alcohol.

Everyone saw that she was an unmarried young lady who hadn't brought her family along, and getting drunk would indeed be inconvenient.

So they just laughed it off.

When the second round of the banquet began, Gu Xixi, Old Qian, and Aunt Qian bade farewell to the Gu Clan members.

Just a moment earlier, Old Qian had still been smiling, clasping his hands in farewell to the person in charge of the Gu Clan.

When the Gu Clan members turned and went back, Old Qian suddenly staggered and fell headfirst onto the little donkey.

Gu Xixi exclaimed in shock, "Uncle Qian, are you all right?"

Aunt Qian, meanwhile, remained calm, grabbed Old Qian with one hand and flung him onto the cart plank.

"He's already drunk too much!"

"Don't look at him being fine just now—that's just him stubbornly saving face; as soon as outsiders leave, he'll show his true colors!"

Gu Xixi looked at Old Qian lying stiff as a board on the cart plank, looking like a corpse, and clicked her tongue, saying, "I have to say, Uncle Qian, that's also a kind of talent."

Inside the venue, the clan elder walked up to Jiang Mingyuan and asked, "What do you think of Xixi girl?"