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Chapter 312: Distinguished Guest

However, Dad said it would be fine as long as Village Chief Grandpa and the Yan family agreed.

And so, Da Gouzi went to the Luo family to ask.

Xiao Gouzi came to the Yan family.

By the time Madam Cui brought the others back, the various wives were all very quick-witted.

Since they couldn’t refuse Sister Cui’s hospitality, they couldn’t just sit around and eat for free if they were staying.

The wives took over all the chores from Physician Cui and the two Gouzi brothers, occupying the kitchen and the courtyard. They chatted and laughed while they worked, enjoying themselves immensely.

By noon, the villagers were able to taste authentic Guanzhou delicacies at the Cui residence.

A grand stew!

For the noon meal, the Yan family prepared pan-fried tofu, stewed goose, radish meatball soup, and braised fish.

As for the staple foods, they were simply too busy to make them, so they just went to other houses to eat.

Yan Yu did the same, bringing along her somewhat embarrassed Elder Brother and Big Sis Daya. They went to the Qi family to grab some large steamed buns, headed back home for a few bites, and then moved on to the next house…

Some were learning how to grill fish from her father, while others were learning how to make marinated eggs from her.

Brother Ertie and Brother San Tie from the Luo family had even caught quite a few quails and roasted them to eat.

Compared to breakfast, the noon meal was even more sumptuous.

There were plenty of meat dishes, and even for the stir-fried greens, people would add a couple of slices of meat just to borrow the aroma¹.

Everyone was used to this way of eating, squatting comfortably in various nooks and crannies.

The crowd was largest at the Yan family’s place.

That tofu was pan-fried in oil—fragrant!

That goose was stewed in an iron pot—fragrant!

That meatball soup used meatballs with real meat added—fragrant!

That braised fish was salty, fresh, and richly flavored—fragrant!

Yan Huaiwen walked through the village, occasionally pausing to stop. Holding his own bowl, he would politely ask someone to add a morsel with their chopsticks.

If they tried to give more, he would decline.

He only looked at the quality of the dishes and ate as his heart desired, making no distinction based on proximity or distance.

Because of this, the villagers felt even more at ease.

The atmosphere grew increasingly harmonious.

Liang Manshan happened to bump into him, and the two walked together. When they ate something that pleased them, they would even trade classical quotes…

Yan Yu followed behind them. Initially, she just wanted to see what kind of dishes her picky Uncle would choose to eat.

But after following for a while, she decisively broke away.

Literati are truly terrifying.

Even eating a meal requires reciting a couple of lines of poetry; it’s just too exhausting.

Yan Lao’er was busy beyond belief.

He couldn’t compare to Granny Rong, who handled everything with effortless ease.

Everything was going smoothly today because of the thorough preparations he had made all day yesterday.

Village Chief Luo had said each family should prepare six dishes, but it was clear that no family was strictly following that.

By now, no one was fussing over the number of dishes anymore.

What mattered was the atmosphere; when you’re eating happily, even wild herb soup tastes delicious.

After the noon meal, those who wanted to nap took a snooze, while those who weren’t tired took a few laps around the village.

The sun was just right, shining down with a cozy warmth, and the wind was gentle, unlike its harshness during the night.

The small path leading to and from the riverbank was constantly busy with people.

They were fetching water to scrub pots and wash vegetables, getting ready for the main event—the evening feast.

A donkey cart approached from the west.

Through the neatly spaced trees, a brand-new village appeared before their eyes.

Earthen houses made up the majority, but they were all uniformly topped with tiles.

The brick houses, which should have been the most eye-catching, had their glory stolen by a series of sheds.

This caught the visitor’s attention.

Yan Huaiwen and Liang Manshan were currently sitting on the ground drawing a game of Go².

Crisscrossing lines formed the board, with solid and hollow circles representing the pieces, drawn onto the leveled earth.

The board had only been finished a short while ago, and the two had just begun placing their pieces.

They heard a sound coming from the distance.

Despite having his back turned to the direction of the newcomer, Yan Huaiwen put down the twig in his hand and remarked, “He’s here.”

Liang Manshan looked up and saw Master Tian stepping down from the donkey cart, approaching slowly.

As he walked, he surveyed the village. When he passed the vegetable plots, he would squat down to look closely, reaching out to touch the leaves.

…

“Master Tian is here?” Yan Lao’er was in the middle of slicing potatoes. Upon hearing the news, he hurried to put down his knife, wiped his hands, and ran out.

He ran halfway before running back.

“Mei! Look at me, am I presentable?”

Li Xuemei smiled and said, “You look fine. Your hair isn’t messy and you look spirited. Just don’t forget to take off your apron.”

Yan Lao’er let out an “Oh!” and said, “I almost forgot.”

The Great Master arriving at Xiao’an Village—what a momentous occasion this was.

The entire village came running.

Led by Village Chief Luo, the young and old of the village knelt down in a great wave.

Master Tian hurried forward to help them up. “I have come today only to celebrate the festival with all of you. Do not stand on ceremony; please, be at ease. If my presence prevents you from enjoying the holiday, then the fault lies with me. Rise, quickly rise. If you persist, I shall have to leave.”

Village Chief Luo managed to keep his composure, but the Village Elders were somewhat agitated. They very respectfully invited him into the Yan residence.

The Yan family’s main hall, which had been vacant for a long time, finally found its purpose.

It welcomed its first guest of significant standing.

Yan Xiangheng busied himself running back and forth, serving tea and water to entertain Master Tian and the Village Elders.

Yan Yu thought for a moment and followed behind to help out.

Daya saw that the two of them could handle things there, so she turned back to help Second Uncle and Granny Rong with the evening meal.

Li Xuemei went to the Qi family’s house, and before long, Qi Da arrived carrying a large wooden board.

With a few bricks stacked up and the board placed on top, a large square table was instantly created in the courtyard.

Stools were easy enough; they borrowed them from various families in the village.

Although they were all homemade and inevitably looked mismatched, no one cared about such things at a time like this.

It wouldn’t do to make Master Tian sit on a stool made of bricks.

Master Tian was very approachable. He asked about the land reclamation and farming in Xiao’an Village, and also inquired whether it was difficult for everyone to gather medicinal herbs in the mountains. He expressed his thanks regarding the herb gathering, then spoke about the vegetables planted in the fields, praising everyone for their good farming. He mentioned the houses briefly, focusing his questions on whether every household had installed a heated Kang bed, telling the elders in a conversational tone that the winters in Guanzhou were truly cold.

Seeing that the Village Elders were gradually becoming less nervous, Master Tian turned his questions to Village Chief Luo. “I heard from Registrar Yan that your village wishes to build a waterwheel by the river. Is this true?”

Village Chief Luo looked at Yan Huaiwen, who gave him a small smile.

“Master, we do want to build a waterwheel by the river. It could bring water into the village, making it convenient for us to get water for drinking and daily use. It could also irrigate the fields, saving us from carrying it bucket by bucket. It would save a lot of labor. We’ve also heard a waterwheel can power a mill, so we wouldn’t need people or livestock to push it. We old folks discussed it and thought a waterwheel would be great, so we’re looking into building one.”

“The thing is, the only one in our village who knows a bit of carpentry is the fifth son of the Qi family. He certainly wouldn’t be able to build a waterwheel. We were thinking of keeping an eye out in the future to find a skilled craftsman and hire them to help us build it.”

Master Tian then turned to ask Yan Huaiwen, “What I saw outside just now, the one with the foundation laid—is that the observation tower you mentioned, Huaiwen?”

“The Master is perceptive; indeed it is,” Yan Huaiwen said.

Master Tian narrowed his eyes and shook his head with a smile. “An Arrow Tower is an Arrow Tower; why not just say so? Does Huaiwen truly think me so unreasonable?”

Yan Huaiwen said warmly, “Normally it is indeed used only for observation. Should the Northern Rong return, it can also serve to defend the village.”

“How many skilled archers are in the village?” Master Tian didn’t care what it was called.

Whether it was an observation tower or an Arrow Tower, it was all the same.

“Fewer than five. Therefore, the village also intends to construct high walls,” Yan Huaiwen said.

(End of Chapter)

Translator’s Notes