NOVPUB
Chapter 603: Chapter 593 Celebration Banquet
By the twenty-eighth of the twelfth lunar month, all the goods in the courtyard were sold out. In the evening, Shen Yunfang and Wang Dan prepared a table full of dishes and drinks to celebrate with everyone.
Of course, at the dinner table, it was a given that Ma Liguo, the big boss, had to speak first.
"First of all, I’m very grateful that everyone helped so much, selling off so much stock before the New Year, allowing us all to have a prosperous year. Secondly, I also want to thank everyone for supporting my work. These past days, coming and going in wind and snow, nobody complained or said they were tired. This spirit is truly worth learning from. Ahem, I got a bit sidetracked. Let’s get back on track. Finally, thank you all for the hard work these days. I believe this is just the beginning. In the future, we will still be good brothers, making money together. Here, I’ll drink first; everyone else, feel free." After finishing his speech, Ma Liguo picked up his glass and drained a cup of the clear liquor in one gulp.
This glass held two and a half liang. Seeing him drink so openly, none of the men could refuse to drink, and they all followed suit. Everyone was in high spirits, their pockets bulging with money—who wouldn’t be happy?
"Look at the lot of you, getting as cozy with the liquor as kin. Stop focusing only on drinking, start eating too, quickly. Today’s dishes are truly exceptional; it would be a waste not to eat them." Wang Dan was busy calling everyone to the table.
The dishes on today’s table were mainly cooked by Shen Yunfang. With good ingredients at home, she wasn’t stingy. She stewed four big yellow croakers, each weighing over two pounds, red-braised cutlassfish, braised large shrimp in oil, stir-fried squid, vermicelli scallops, seaweed stewed with sauerkraut, cold dishes mixed with jellyfish, along with several vegetarian dishes. The main course was dumplings with Spanish mackerel filling.
The group started eating amidst laughter, and once they had filled their stomachs a bit, they began to chat.
"Brother Ma, you have no idea. When I first saw the truck full of seafood, I was stunned. All this seafood, even if it goes bad, we couldn’t sell it all. But all that seafood, it disappeared within days." Dashuan talked about his experience when he first came to help unload the truck. He was truly worried at the time but kept his concerns to himself, not wanting to pour cold water on things just as they were getting started. And unexpectedly, the truckload of seafood was gone in less than ten days, thanks to the efforts of Brother Ma and Yunfang. They brought in three more truckloads, and before the blink of an eye, all were sold out as well. It was certainly unexpected.
"Yeah, I was shocked too when I saw all that fish. How many people would it take to eat it all?" Chen Jing also smiled naively, adding, "At that moment, I thought, even if the people in the Capital ate nothing but fish for the New Year, they couldn’t finish all that."
"Haha, seems like you thought wrong, comrades. Never underestimate anyone; our people from the Capital are quite extraordinary," Ma Liguo said with pride. Although he wasn’t the one who handled the wholesale of the seafood, being one of the bosses, he felt it was okay to bask in the compliments.
"That’s right, I’ve never underestimated the people of the Capital. Now, I hold them in even higher esteem," said Chen Jing cheerfully. He had been rather silent when he arrived, somewhat numb from the hardships of life over the years. But after a month, he suddenly found that life seemed hopeful again, and he had become much more cheerful. 𝘯𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
"I’ve realized it too; the women in the Capital are no different from those back in our hometown—they’re fiercely competitive when grabbing goods," Wang Dan shared her new perspective on the people of the Capital.
Those who haven’t been to the Capital always yearn for it deep down, almost like a kind of faith. The Capital is good, so the people there must be a cut above the rest. But once you actually live here, you realize that, well, people are all the same: two eyes, one mouth, nothing special.
And now, Wang Dan had come to that realization.
"That’s for sure. Nowadays, everyone is short on these food items. If you don’t fight for them, you won’t even get a bite of meat or a stalk of vegetable," Shen Yunfang said while peeling shrimp and talking.
"Indeed, living in the Capital during festivals is no better than in our hometown," Wang Dan said, her chin lifted in pride. At least at home, she easily had greens to eat. By this time of year, there were still sun-dried vegetables from the summer, and the cellar was stocked with cabbages, radishes, and potatoes. City folks, on the other hand, had to count each leaf of cabbage they ate in winter.
"It depends on what you’re comparing," Mu Huazhen countered, not particularly impressed by Wang Dan’s haughtiness. "It’s much more convenient to buy other things in the Capital than in the countryside."
"You both are right, both right. Living anywhere has its own advantages," Ma Liguo interrupted, sensing the brewing disagreement. He rushed over to act as a peacemaker and separated the two before sparks could fly.
"Yunfang, I’ve sold the last of the goods. I’m thinking of buying tickets tomorrow and going back home with your brother-in-law and the kids. It’s been two years since we’ve celebrated the New Year at home, and this year, if we can get back, we really want to spend it there," Li Xianglian chimed in during a lull in the conversation.
For the last two years, they had been spending New Year’s away from home in order to earn money. Although visiting relatives wasn’t necessary on her side of the family anymore, her in-laws still had her husband’s parents. Even though the elders hadn’t complained, the couple felt uneasy. Now that they could go back early to spend the New Year with the elders, they wanted to return as soon as possible.
"We feel the same. We’ve left our child with our dad for too long, and I worry. Now that I’ve earned some money, I’ll buy tickets with your elder brother tomorrow and head home," Wang Dan said, sharing the same sentiment.
The main reason was that in one month, she had earned almost a thousand yuan, a figure beyond her wildest dreams. If her mother-in-law and younger brother-in-law hadn’t been so proud and had come to earn something too, buying a house in the county would’ve been easy. Now, they were trapped in a situation they couldn’t escape from.
"We’re also heading back tomorrow. It’s just the old lady at home with the kids, and we’re worried," Ma Huilan added from the side.
Dashuan and his family exchanged glances. If everyone was leaving, it wouldn’t feel right if only their family stayed, so they too voiced their intent to return home for the New Year.
Shen Yunfang didn’t try to stop them, knowing that going back for the New Year was good, although the timing was tight. They wouldn’t be able to get home until the afternoon of the thirtieth if they caught the morning train the next day.
"Alright, since everyone feels this way, and I don’t want to hold anyone back during the holiday, I’ll find someone to buy tickets for you all tomorrow. And here’s a red packet for your hard work, a token of my appreciation," Ma Liguo announced. As he spoke, Shen Yunfang took out several red packets, handing one to each family.
Everyone hesitated for a moment but gladly accepted them with smiles.
Wang Dan pulled out the content of her packet and saw a hundred yuan bill inside. She gasped in surprise, impressed by the generosity.
The next day, Ma Liguo bought train tickets for both Li Hongxing’s and Chen Jing’s families and sent them off on the train. Li Xianglian and Dashuan’s families, however, were unable to leave.
One reason was that the money from selling New Year couplets hadn’t been divided yet, and with those two families still there, it wasn’t suitable to split the money, so they had to wait until after those families had left. Secondly, both families had acquired their houses, but because they had been too busy over the past few days, they hadn’t had the time to check them out. So they decided to take the opportunity to familiarize themselves with and inspect their homes before determining what to do with them in the future. Lastly, Li Hongxing would be returning for the New Year, and Li Xianglian was longing to see her younger brother and wanted to wait until after meeting him before leaving. For various reasons, both families would still be spending the New Year in the Capital.
