Gathering

Qibao asked: "Are you still upset with grandma?"

The old man leisurely picked up his cup of tea and took a sip: "I was just teasing her for fun."

Everyone was silent.

The next day, the old man gave the villagers' women a holiday and asked them to help with the cooking.

They bought two large, fattened pigs, already prepared for cooking.

The women washed and cut, busy with the tasks at hand, clearly enjoying themselves.

After the distillery closed for the day, Old Man Lin and his wife also joined in to help.

Preparing the meal took all day until night fell. Given the number of people in the village, they needed to cook a lot and used several big woks.

Villagers moved their dining tables to the open space at the entrance of the village. It was the only place big enough to seat everyone.

Once the women finished cooking, they served the food onto the tables and then found seats for themselves.

The old man, the village chief, and some other elderly villagers sat at one table.

The village chief stood up and said: "Please, everyone, quiet down. I have something important to say."

The noisy villagers went quiet, including the playing children who stopped their games.

"First, I want to thank everyone for all your hard work over these years. Our new tourist village is finally finished. I hope that once we start making money, we never forget how the Xu family helped us when we needed it most. And I don't want you to get tired of hearing this—you should always remember this!"

"Uncle Village Chief, when I broke my leg, it was Uncle Xu who had people bring me bone broth day after day. He even had my wife come home to care for me and kept paying her as if nothing had changed. He didn't hesitate to use precious ginseng root to make soup for me, as if it were nothing! I..." Xu Danniou started to choke up.

Uncle Xu patted Daniu on the shoulder and said: "Daniu, why are you crying? We are brothers. This ginseng is nothing. Even if it's not you, but anyone in the village has an accident and needs my help, as long as my family has it, we will definitely give it to them. No matter how precious something is, it is not as important as the lives of our fellow villagers."

The others were also moved by Xu Dabo's words. They were all simple folks who didn't have many ulterior motives. They understood the good the Xu family had done for them.

"I, Xu Daniu, have been fatherless since I was a child, and Uncle Dashan has always treated me like his own son. I, Xu Daniu, am here to make a statement: if anyone does something to let Uncle Dashan's family down, I will sacrifice my life and skin him alive!"

"Count me in, Big Ox!"

"Yeah, me too. My son goes to the village school for free, and my daughter learns reading and embroidery there without costing us a cent. Don't forget who gave us all this!"

The men chimed in one after another.

The village chief nodded with approval and said loudly: "I'm telling you all this because we might have many visitors from outside in the future. I hope you won't be tempted by what's beyond our village and do something wrong. Got it?"

"Chief, we understand what you're saying. Our Xujia Village is one big family, and we know what's right and what's not!"

Aunt Qin called out: "We women aren't any different from you men! We're not shallow either. Our homes and ancestors are here, this is where we're from, so there's no way we'd do anything disgraceful. Right, everyone?"

"Exactly! Aunt Qin is right!"

"That's true! We're all Xu family wives, and we represent the Xu family. We'll never do anything that could dishonor it!" At that moment, a surge of emotion flooded Qibao's heart. These people were truly incredible! If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed that a village could have such strong unity.

The old man said: "I understand your feelings everyone. I called you all here tonight mainly to discuss some plans for our village."

"Uncle Dashan, tell us what you want us to do."

The old man continued: "Good. I have a few points to make. Everyone, pay attention. First, those working at the winery and greenhouse should keep going as normal. But once our village opens up, don't let outsiders enter the winery without a good reason."

"Second, about the village patrols. We all know that with more people around, there might be unexpected problems. I've already arranged for the patrols. I found some good swimmers from the shanty town downstream to help."

"Third, we need to set aside a special area in the village. If a family has a skill or craft, they can set up a booth and earn some extra income. We'll decide which area to use tomorrow, after I talk with the village chief."

"Fourth, if anyone asks about our situation, can we all agree not to give out details? Alright, that's it for now. Everyone, do you understand these four points?"

"Uncle Dashan, we got it. If anyone asks, we'll just say we don't know," someone confirmed.

The old man nodded: "One more thing. I plan to put up a curtain at the entrance to our village, the one leading to town. This will help promote our cause and give our Xujia Village a good first impression."

"No problem. I'll bring some people over tomorrow to set it up. Don't worry, Uncle." Xu Chunsheng assured him.

"Hmm, one last thing. Our houses all look pretty much the same, so to avoid people getting lost, each family needs to put up a wooden sign with the owner's name on it. For example, Big Ox's house should have a sign that says 'Xu Danuiu's House'. Got it?"

"Uncle, I get it." A man boasted: "My daughter can write now. I'll have her do it!"

"Haha, look at you, all proud-like. My daughter can write too! I'll make her do it too! You should've seen her writing, Uncle—it's real pretty!"

"Hahaha…"

Everyone burst into laughter in an instant.

"All right." The village chief said: "Everything's been said. Now it's time to eat and drink!"

After hearing what the village chief said, everyone started eating with their chopsticks.

At the women's table...

"Sister, didn't your Wenwu go to the city to take the imperial examination last time? The results should be out soon, right?" a woman asked.

Mrs. Zhang replied: "Yeah! It came out today, but we couldn't see the notice."

"If you ask me, Wenwu will definitely pass the exam this time. He is a good student. Everyone in Huamen Town knows that! I tell you, many people in the town are waiting for the result!"

"Surely not." Mrs. Zhang said, shaking her head: "My sons couldn't be that popular, could they?"

"Why not? Just the other day, I was in town and heard people discussing it!"

"That's right. There are many girls in this town who are eyeing your Wenwu! Even Zhiyong has someone eyeing him. It's because your family has a good reputation and money."

Mrs. Zhang laughed: "So my two boys have become hotcakes, huh?"

"That's right! Your children are all very handsome and promising. Who wouldn't want their daughter to marry into your family?"

"Indeed. And Chunmei." The older woman added: "Keep a sharp eye on things. Don't let anyone with tricks up their sleeve get to them. It may sound harsh, but we can't let Wenwu end up with the wrong partner. He deserves a proper young lady—a well-bred girl who matches his status."

At the mention of such girls, Mrs. Zhang immediately thought of Wen Die.