The Fortunate Lady and Her Mountain Man

Chapter 99: Chapter 99: Shameless

Whenever rural families built a new house, had a wedding, celebrated a birthday, or welcomed a new baby, they would always host a grand feast.

Happy and sad occasions were matters of utmost importance. On these days, it wasn’t just all the relatives showing up uninvited; the entire village would come with small gifts to contribute. The scene would be so grand that calling it a massive procession wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

In comparison, a housewarming party was much less grand. You only needed to entertain the friends, relatives, and close neighbors who came to celebrate, which is why it was also called a neighborhood feast.

Ji Huan didn’t have many relatives or friends. Besides the Hu Family, there was no one in her part of the village she was particularly close to, so naturally, she didn’t plan on inviting any neighbors.

She decided to just set up a few tables and treat the craftsmen.

Widow Xie supported this decision.

"Why invite the neighbors? They’re always talking behind your back, finding fault with this and that, but didn’t they still scramble to snatch up the things you threw during the roof-raising? Didn’t see any of them drop dead from eating it, did we? There’s no need to treat them to this housewarming feast. It’s not like you’re close with them anyway."

She hadn’t even wanted Ji Huan to toss out treats during the roof-raising, but tradition handed down from their ancestors dictated that if the roof-raising day wasn’t prosperous, the household would never be at peace, and the people living inside would attract trouble.

There was no such superstition about a housewarming feast. If they were going to invite anyone, it should be those who had helped out—people who genuinely wished Wuan well.

The housewarming feast was set for the evening. Early in the morning, Ji Huan and Widow Xie went to set up their stall. They packed up in the late morning and bought the necessary ingredients on their way back.

Dafeng Village didn’t have a professional chef who specialized in banquets, so they would have had to hire one from a neighboring village. When Ji Huan inquired and found out the wages weren’t cheap, she decided to just do the cooking herself.

She had notified everyone yesterday.

Besides the craftsmen, Aunt Wang, Aunt Gao, Second Sister-in-law Xu, and Sister-in-law Fu had all been told in advance and said they would come to help.

Including them, she would need to prepare about four tables for the feast: three for the men and one for the women.

The menu had been planned in advance. Widow Xie had helped her review it, swapping out a few of the most expensive dishes. For the rest, she just needed to buy what was on the list.

She had dehydrated vegetables at home, and she would buy tofu and bean sprouts from Uncle Fu’s family. So, the main thing to buy was meat.

Beef was scarce and mutton was too expensive, so neither was an option. Chicken, fish, pork, ribs, and pork trotters would be more than enough to make a good showing.

There weren’t many different kinds of meat, but because she had to buy enough of each for four tables, the total amount looked quite substantial.

Considering that some dishes on the menu required soy sauce and vinegar, Ji Huan went back to the grain and oil shop she’d visited before. However, the shop assistant was no longer the chatty but very enthusiastic young man from her previous visit.

"Excuse me, about the assistant who used to work here..."

"He offended the boss and got fired. He hasn’t worked here for a while!"

’Fired? He was so well-spoken, and his service was so friendly and attentive. Why would a boss fire an employee like that?’

Seeing the new assistant’s impatient expression, Ji Huan didn’t press the matter.

The soy sauce and vinegar were the same as last time. She wasn’t satisfied with the quality, but she had no choice but to use them, so she reluctantly bought half a catty of each.

After that, she bought some snacks like melon seeds, peanuts, and candied dates, and then went to buy some spices.

Hu Liang said they had spices at home, so why waste money buying more.

Ji Huan told him that every spice has a different function, and combining them creates different effects. The hot and spicy soup mix was a blend of many spices and wasn’t necessarily suitable for other dishes.

Widow Xie told Hu Liang not to ask silly questions about things he didn’t understand and that he should just follow Ji Huan’s lead. So, Hu Liang obediently shut his mouth.

Just like for the roof-raising day, she decided to buy ready-made steamed buns from town. Having to entertain so many people, it would be a real struggle to make and steam the dough herself.

With the shopping more or less done, they headed back to the village.

The handcart was already piled high with all the equipment for the hot and spicy soup stall. With all the new things they bought, there was no room for Dabao to sit, so he had to get down and walk alongside them.

When he got tired of walking, Ji Huan would carry him on her back for a while.

Widow Xie was afraid she’d get tired and offered to take turns carrying him, but Dabao didn’t want anyone else to carry him.

He insisted on walking most of the way himself. Later, he wouldn’t even let Ji Huan carry him. Widow Xie said he was learning to be considerate of his mother.

As usual, the old banyan tree at the village entrance was a lively spot, with many people sitting and chatting.

When they saw the group returning with a fully loaded cart, everyone guessed that Ji Huan must be holding her housewarming feast.

Someone called out a greeting, forcing Widow Xie and the others to stop. The moment they did, their cart was instantly surrounded.

"Let me see what you bought... Heavens, that’s so much meat!"

"And so much fish... and chestnut cakes!"

"Tsk tsk, this is going to be a fancy feast..."

Ji Huan was actually quite annoyed by this overly familiar behavior—rummaging through her things without so much as a word.

"Hey, Wuan! Your house is finished! Why didn’t you let us know? We would’ve come to see it and bring a gift or something."

The sudden loud voice drowned out everyone else.

The tone was so affectionate it sounded like they were family, but Ji Huan looked closely and still couldn’t recognize who was speaking.

’These shameless people just want to freeload a meal! Bring a gift? They’d probably just show up with an empty bowl.’

She stepped in before Ji Huan could reply. "It’s nothing major, we’re not making a big deal out of it. We only invited the people who worked on the house and those who helped out. Besides, a housewarming is for close friends and neighbors. Usually, you can’t find a single soul at Wuan’s door, so there’s no one to invite, right, Ma Liugun?"

Her words were blunt enough. Ji Huan wasn’t planning a big celebration and was only inviting those who weren’t afraid of her reputation and had dared to associate with her before. As for those who weren’t close, they shouldn’t try to force their way in.

Ma Liugun’s triangular eyes slanted as she looked at Ji Huan. She shrieked, "What? You’ve moved into a new house and you’re still so stingy? I’m offering to congratulate you, to bring you some good fortune! You think I’m after your little scraps of food?"

Ji Huan smiled. "I’m sure you’re right. It’s not like it’s anything special, so it’s normal that you’d look down on it. Besides, it’s just a small housewarming party; we wouldn’t want to trouble you. When the day comes that I need to host a massive banquet, I’ll be sure to invite the whole village."

Ma Liugun had assumed the young woman was thin-skinned and would surely agree after she’d said all that. She never expected the girl’s words to be even more airtight than Widow Xie’s, leaving no room for argument and no way to take advantage.

Then Widow Xie chimed in, "You should’ve asked around before you opened your mouth. Who in this village invites everyone for a housewarming? Just a while ago, your own neighbor had a housewarming and I didn’t see you there. You invite who you should and you don’t invite who you shouldn’t. That’s the old custom. How did this get twisted into being stingy?"

Having been rebuffed in front of so many people, Ma Liugun’s face fell. "We’re all fellow villagers here. I was just being kind, trying to show some concern for Wuan."

"There’s no need for that. You were nowhere to be seen when Wuan needed concern the most. It’s too late to show it now..."

Ji Huan tugged on her sleeve and cut in, "What Aunt Xie means is, we’re rather busy today. If you’d like to show your concern, Aunt Liugun, perhaps you could choose a time when we’re not so busy. I’d be happy to talk with you by candlelight all night... that is, light a candle and chat the whole night away."

Ma Liugun’s chest heaved with anger. ’Who wants to chat with you all night? What is there to even talk about! And lighting a candle? What are you, a stinking show-off?’

While they were talking, the contents of the cart had already been thoroughly inspected by the crowd. To say nothing of the other items, just the sheer amount of meat was more than many families could afford even for the New Year.

Gou Sheng’s wife was green with envy and her mouth watered. She had been thinking that if Ma Liugun went to Ji Huan’s housewarming, she would tag along. At worst, she could bring a newly made small broom and pass it off as a gift.

But she hadn’t expected Ma Liugun to be shut down in just a few sentences.

She instantly grew anxious.

’If no one takes the lead, how am I supposed to go?’

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