Farming for Three Meals a Day [Farming Life] 23

Chapter 23

Li-ge’er went to the kitchen and asked the women helping with the cooking to poach a bowl of eggs in brown sugar water, then brought it back to Ye Xi.

Ye Xi ate two eggs and, seeing Li-ge’er staring at him, shared two with him. They ate from the same bowl, taking turns with the spoon.

The feast outside was lively, with people drinking and chatting.

Li-ge’er took a sip of the sweet brown sugar water and said, “I went out to get the eggs just now, guess who I saw?”

Ye Xi shook his head. “Who?”

Li-ge’er snorted. “Who else but Yao-ge’er from the Lin family, your rival.”

Ye Xi raised his eyebrows. “Why did he come?” He hated him so much, he shouldn’t have come to his wedding feast.

Li-ge’er said, “He must have been dragged here by his mother. His mother is shrewd and thinks that since she gave a gift, she should eat her fill, so she probably brought Yao-ge’er along.”

Ye Xi acknowledged, not really caring, his mind preoccupied with Lin Jiangshan outside. He must be being forced to drink by the men in the village today, he wondered if he would get drunk.

Outside, at the feast, Yao-ge’er sat beside his mother with a sullen face, hearing the village women praising the feast.

“The Ye family is so generous, four meat dishes, four cold dishes, and a hot soup. This feast is very lavish,” the Wang family’s wife said with a smile, oil stains on her lips.

Mrs. Zhao, who was feeding her child meat, replied, “Isn’t it? I thought I would just give ten wen and bring my child here for some meat, I didn’t expect the dishes to be so good.”

Liu Xiufeng had decided on the menu for today’s feast, using the half pig Lin Jiangshan sent, and she also slaughtered a few of their own chickens and ducks.

The four meat dishes were braised pork, potatoes with ribs, braised pig’s trotters, and lion’s head meatballs. The four cold dishes were cucumbers with sesame oil, chicken gizzards with pickled vegetables, pig’s ear with cilantro, and crispy pig’s tripe with broad beans. The hot soup was old duck soup with pickled radish.

This was a decent feast, allowing the guests to enjoy a good meal with plenty of meat.

The plates on the table were almost empty, but the guests were still eating heartily, afraid of eating less than others.

The chef they hired was the famous Fatty Sun, known for his cooking skills in the surrounding villages. The food was delicious, a rare opportunity to enjoy a good feast.

Mrs. Zhao broke two steamed buns in half, wiped the remaining oil and sauce from the plates, and stuffed the buns into her child’s pockets. “Take these home and eat them, so you won’t be hungry tonight.”

Lin Yao looked down on their behavior, so stingy and greedy, their eating manners so uncouth. He shifted slightly, not wanting to sit next to them.

Mother Lin nudged him with her elbow and whispered, “Are you stupid? Hurry up and eat, I gave a gift.”

He didn’t want to come to Ye Xi’s wedding feast at all, but he couldn’t refuse his mother.

Seeing the lively wedding scene, he felt envious and jealous. Why could Ye Xi, that ugly freak with a burned face, still find a husband, and the feast wasn’t bad either?

Looking at the feast now, he felt even more resentful. All he heard were praises for the Ye family, how good the feast was, and how lucky Xi-ge’er from the Ye family was.

What about him, Yao-ge’er? Since Ye Xi burned his face, more people came to his family to propose marriage, all saying he was the most beautiful young man in the surrounding villages. He had enjoyed the attention, but now it was Ye Xi’s turn again.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He slammed his chopsticks on the bowl. “I’m not eating, I’m full.”

Mother Lin scolded him in a low voice, “What are you doing?! Why are you throwing a tantrum? People are watching, don’t embarrass yourself.”

Lin Yao complained, “I said I didn’t want to come, but you insisted. What am I doing here? To see Ye Xi’s moment of glory? It makes me sick.”

Mother Lin glared at him. “I brought you here to have a good meal at the Ye family’s expense, but you’re barely touching your food! My ten wen was wasted!”

Lin Yao said angrily, “What’s so good about their food? My wedding feast will be a hundred times better than this, so those villagers with no taste can see what a real feast is!”

Hearing this, Mother Lin became furious and questioned him, “You’ve been with that Bin-ge’er from the Cao family for so long, why is there still no news? I haven’t seen his family mention proposing marriage. They were so quick to propose to the Ye family before, from meeting to engagement in less than a month. Now it’s our turn, and they’re dragging their feet.”

Lin Yao bit his lip and remained silent. He also felt frustrated. Cao Bin always said he would tell his parents and ask them to come and propose marriage soon, but there was never any news. Now, Ye Xi was getting married before him. Weren’t the words he used to mock Ye Xi now coming back to haunt him?

“I’ll urge him again.”

Mother Lin was very angry. “Your father can’t keep his mouth shut, always bragging about our family’s engagement with the Cao family. Everyone in Shanxiu Village knows about it, but there’s still no news. I’m afraid people are waiting to see us as a joke. The imperial exam is in a few months. If that Cao boy becomes a Xiucai and an official, just you wait and see if he’ll still want you.”

Lin Yao also felt anxious. It was said that men with promising futures would have higher standards. If Cao Bin became a Xiucai, his family would definitely find him a young lady from a wealthy family, why would they still want him, a young man? No, he had to make plans early.

“Also, you snuck out the night before last, don’t think I didn’t see you. I pretended not to know, since you’re restless now, and I can’t stop you. But if others see you, your reputation will be ruined. Don’t go out these days, just stay at home and make that Cao boy anxious.”

Lin Yao nodded. “I understand, Mother.”

The feast ended, and it was time for Lin Jiangshan to carry Ye Xi back to their new home halfway up the mountain.

After rounds of being forced to drink by the men in the village, Lin Jiangshan’s steps were still steady when he entered the room, only his body emanating a strong smell of alcohol. In contrast, many people in the courtyard were already drunk.

Ye Shan, initially confident that he could handle the alcohol for his brother-in-law, was now dizzy and unsteady after a few bowls. Lin Jiangshan single-handedly took all the toasts, drinking a whole jar of wine without changing his expression.

It’s important to note that the wine today was the strong liquor brewed at the village distillery, potent and fiery. Those with low tolerance would be knocked out after one or two bowls. Farming families loved to use this kind of wine for feasts, so the guests would drink less, saving money.

Ye Xi sat on the bed. Li-ge’er beside him, unable to hold on any longer, had fallen asleep. When Lin Jiangshan opened the door and entered, a strong smell of alcohol hit him, and Ye Xi could smell it even through the veil.

“How much did you drink?” Ye Xi asked through the veil.

Lin Jiangshan replied in a low voice, “Quite a bit, maybe one or two jars.”

Ye Xi gasped. “Can you still walk steadily?”

Lin Jiangshan chuckled softly, his voice husky. “Don’t worry, I still have the strength to carry you home.”

Ye Xi blushed and whispered, “If you’re drunk, I can walk halfway myself.”

Just as he finished speaking, Lin Jiangshan bent down, slipped his arms under Ye Xi’s knees and around his slender waist, and effortlessly lifted him. He even lightly bounced him and smiled. “You’re so light, you need to eat more.”

Ye Xi, covered by the veil, wrapped his arms around Lin Jiangshan’s neck. “No way, I’m not a pig.”

Lin Jiangshan carried him steadily and strode out of the room. The feast in the courtyard had ended, and Liu Xiufeng and Father Ye stood at the door, lighting a string of firecrackers.

“The bride is leaving!”

The firecrackers crackled loudly, and the guests gathered around, knowing that this was the time to throw “lucky” items at the departing bride.

Liu Xiufeng brought a plate of peanuts, lotus seeds, and red dates, took Ye Xi’s hand, and let him grab a handful. Ye Xi grabbed a handful and scattered them on the path ahead, symbolizing good luck, prosperity, and many children for the newlyweds.

The children and women then scrambled to pick up the scattered peanuts, red dates, and lotus seeds. These were good snacks and could be sold for a few copper coins at the market.

As he scattered the items, the silver bracelet on Ye Xi’s wrist gleamed, making his wrist look even more slender and fair.

The sharp-eyed women and young men’s eyes lit up with envy, and they exclaimed,

“Oh, Xi-ge’er even has a silver bracelet as part of his dowry!”

“This bracelet looks like it’s worth a few taels of silver, Xi-ge’er is so lucky, few people in our village have such a treasure!”

“Lin fellow is quite doting, giving his husband a silver bracelet as a wedding gift.”

Everyone envied Ye Xi’s good fortune. For a young man getting married, it was already good if the betrothal gifts weren’t kept by his parents. Many families would keep all the betrothal money, letting the young man marry empty-handed. More generous parents would at least give half of the money as dowry. Unlike Ye Xi, not only did he keep all the betrothal money, but his husband also gave him such a beautiful silver bracelet. Not everyone had such good fortune.

Lin Yao, standing at the side, was furious, his eyes fixated on the silver bracelet on Ye Xi’s wrist.

Mother Lin was also envious and said sourly, “That Ye family is truly lucky, finding a man willing to spend money on a bracelet for him. I’ve lived for half my life and haven’t even had a copper bracelet. I don’t have such good fortune. Yao-ge’er, you have to work hard and wear a gold bracelet in the future, to show off your good fortune.”

Lin Yao clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug into his palms, leaving crescent-shaped marks. He bit his lip, pushed through the crowd, and walked straight towards Ye Xi.