Chapter 161: A Grand Celebration

Country weddings are rarely lavish, but the essential rituals must still be observed, such as the traditional wedding bows that the ancients held in such high regard.

Without bowing to heaven and earth, without bowing to parents, and without holding the ceremony under the witness of family and friends, a wedding cannot be considered truly complete.

The Zhang family enjoyed good relations with the neighbors, so nearly everyone in the village was in attendance, including those few individuals who were on bad terms with Li Taohua and her daughter. However, such matters were beyond the Zhang family's control. Living in the same village meant bumping into one another constantly, and now that a wedding was taking place, it would be improper not to acknowledge it. Even if the invitation was merely a hypocritical formality, the appearance still had to be maintained.

Generally speaking, unless there was an irreconcilable feud with the hosts, very few villagers would miss the joyous occasion of a wedding feast. After all, a gift of just a few eggs or a handful of vegetables served as the wedding present, and the chance to stuff oneself at the host's expense was a rare treat that came around perhaps only a few times a year.

Song Ruizhe and several of his subordinates only appeared around the time Zhang Erhuo was about to begin the ceremony. Their arrival instantly set off a flurry of whispers among the villagers. Not daring to question Song Ruizhe directly, the villagers instead approached his subordinates to inquire about their own family members working up at the dam. Naturally, they also learned from the men that Song Ruizhe had attained an official position—and not a minor one at that—and that following him granted free passage in and out of the dam site.

Mustering his courage, one villager approached Song Ruizhe and asked cautiously, "Brother Ze, your brother Dachun is quite a diligent worker. How about having him transferred to work under you?"

"My crew is full," Song Ruizhe replied coldly.

"Aunt Rong, although my brother is a foreman, he isn't at liberty to pick his own men," Qin Huiyin stepped in to smooth things over. "He has to select candidates based on directives from above, and they must meet specific criteria. With Dachun's intelligence, I'm sure someone will recognize his worth. You can rest easy."

"That's true as well." Finding a graceful way out, the aunt immediately took it. "Huiyin, you've been teaching them how to grow mushrooms lately. How about taking me on as a student?"

"Chuntao is in charge of that. You should go ask her, and she'll explain the mushroom cultivation process in detail to see if it's something you can pick up."

"Alright, I'll go ask Chuntao then."

Song Ersheng chimed in with a sarcastic tone, "I advise you all to steer clear of them. Be careful lest someone's bad luck rubs off on you, and you'll regret it when it's too late."

"Second Aunt is right. Some people have such foul mouths that it's best to stay far away, lest you be contaminated by the stench," Qin Huiyin retorted calmly.

"Foul..." Song Ersheng slammed her hand on the table and shrieked, but before she could hurl her insults, Li Taohua, the three Tang siblings, Third Master Tang, Song Ruizhe, and his subordinates all turned their gazes toward her simultaneously. Her expression shifted, and she clamped her mouth shut.

"Today is a joyous day, so do say less," a nearby aunt chimed in to ease the tension. "This Xiao girl is quite pretty indeed. No wonder she managed to make the Zhang uncle and nephew fight over marrying her."

"Has Zhang Lei still not returned?"

"Of course not. He hasn't shown his face at all, and who knows if he's hiding from debts outside or if something worse has happened to him. He owes so much money that some creditors wouldn't hesitate to chop off a hand or a foot."

"Where is Grandma Zhang? Today is her grandson's grand wedding, didn't she come?"

***

Jiang Qingnan and the others exchanged peculiar looks.

That old woman certainly wanted to come. If she only wanted to cadge a free meal, it wouldn't have mattered, but she intended to bring bad luck to Zhang Erhuo's wedding day. Their boss had given strict orders that the brothers were going to protect this match for Zhang Erhuo no matter what, so they had simply tied up the old woman, gagged her, and left her until the evening banquet was over before untying her. Being a bully who feared the strong, the old woman had been so terrified upon seeing them prepare to take action that she hadn't dared utter a single peep.

After completing the wedding bows, the newlyweds immediately emerged to entertain their guests.

Zhang Erhuo introduced Xiao Chunni to the entire village and also introduced the villagers to her.

"Chunni, this is my boss, and these are my brothers. I work at the dam now, and the boss and my brothers take special care of me. Come, let's make a toast to the boss and the brothers together," Zhang Erhuo said.

Xiao Chunni looked at Song Ruizhe in astonishment.

Song Ruizhe was remarkably handsome, and though he looked quite young, she had never expected him to be the leader of this group.

Song Ruizhe accepted the cup of wine and said to the newlyweds, "May you stay happily married for a hundred years."

"Many thanks, Boss!" Zhang Erhuo said excitedly. "This is my boss's first time drinking; he's really giving this brother of his an immense amount of face."

Qin Huiyin glanced at Song Ruizhe's wine cup, and while Zhang Erhuo and his wife went off to pour drinks for others, she quietly swapped Song Ruizhe's cup.

When Song Ruizhe took another sip later, he noticed the alcohol flavor was gone, replaced by plain, light water. He glanced at Qin Huiyin, the corners of his mouth curving upward.

"Chunni, this is Yichen, the brother from Aunt Taohua's family. I mentioned him to you before. He is the best scholar in our village and will soon be taking the imperial exams to become a xiucai."

"Wishing you a lifetime together and enduring love," Tang Yichen said as he stood up to offer a toast.

"Brother, should you be drinking as well?" Tang Luowu asked with concern.

"Yes, an occasional sip does no harm." Tang Yichen cast a glance at Qin Huiyin, only to find her chatting with Song Ruizhe and paying no attention to his side whatsoever.

The villagers were not particularly strict with formalities; men and women sat however they pleased, generally grouping themselves with those they were close to. At Qin Huiyin's table, aside from Song Ruizhe and his subordinates, there were also Li Taohua and the three Tang siblings.

Qin Huiyin sat next to Song Ruizhe, with Li Taohua on her other side. Next to Li Taohua sat Tang Luowu, followed by Tang Yixiao and Tang Yichen.

Song Ruizhe was a man of few words, but his subordinates had purposely left the seat beside him open for Qin Huiyin, knowing she was the only one who could prompt him to speak more than usual. Sure enough, looking at his relaxed expression, he was clearly in a very good mood.

***

"Little sister, he doesn't know how to speak up, yet you keep putting food in his bowl. Even if he doesn't want to eat it, he'll feel too embarrassed to refuse," Tang Yichen remarked coldly.

Hearing Tang Yichen's words, Qin Huiyin looked down at Song Ruizhe's bowl, which was piled high, and said with a trace of embarrassment, "It seems I didn't think this through."

"I am not mute," Song Ruizhe raised his gaze, casting a frosty look at Tang Yichen. "If I don't wish to eat something, I know how to say so."

"So you aren't mute after all! Yet I didn't hear you say a word."

"Perhaps you're just deaf!"

Qin Huiyin cut short their bickering, saying, "Today is Brother Erhuo's good day, can we please not argue?"

More importantly, their bickering was absurdly childish, resembling two primary school students trading petty insults.

"Little sister, help me pick up a meatball, I can't reach it," Tang Yichen said, pushing his bowl forward.

Qin Huiyin took his bowl, picked up two meatballs, and added a couple of forkfuls of the vegetables closest to her.

Song Ruizhe picked up his own bowl and extended it toward her as well.

Qin Huiyin: "..."

She could see it clearly now: the moment those two stopped arguing, they immediately switched to another childish method of sparring.

Were the male protagonist and the villain destined to have such an irreconcilable dynamic? Could they please stop ignoring the original plotline like this?