Chapter 392: Chapter 203 Lian Manman’s Advice_1
"What?" Old Master Lian was taken aback upon hearing Erlang’s words. Hosting the wedding banquet at the town’s restaurant would cost significantly more than arranging it at home.
"Father," Erlang, who was usually quiet, suddenly became eloquent. "The cooks at the banquet are better than the ones we’d hire. The tables, chairs, benches, bowls, and cutlery are all readily available, and we don’t have to wash them ourselves. The banquet would look respectable, and it may please our villagers. In reality, it might not cost much more than if we did it ourselves. We could still use our own pork, bean sprouts, pickled vegetables, and such, without having to buy extra..."
Old Master Lian stared at Erlang for a while, then turned to look at Lian Shouyi and Lady He.
"Did you two know about this?"
"No, we didn’t know," Lian Shouyi and Lady He replied.
"Erlang, who from the Old Zhao family told you this, and when?" Old Master Lian asked Erlang again.
"It was just yesterday; Uncle Zhao from the Old Zhao family said it." Erlang said. In the Thirty Mile Camp area, it was customary to call the parents of one’s fiancé Uncle and Auntie before getting married. Some even subtly addressed them as Auntie and Uncle-in-law.
"Erlang, you don’t understand. Hosting it at the restaurant is not just about spending a little more. Our own cook knows how to save money, but the restaurant chefs waste ingredients as they please. The dishes they prepare may look good but aren’t as substantial as when we host the banquet ourselves," Old Master Lian pondered before saying to Erlang, "Besides, nobody in our ten nearby villages has ever hosted their wedding banquet at a restaurant."
By saying this, Old Master Lian was indicating his disagreement.
"Father," Erlang said anxiously, "I’ve already agreed to it yesterday. Father, our family isn’t exactly short on money. We’ve sold a pig, and from selling the grape wine the other day, we still have thirty taels that we haven’t touched, right?"
"Erlang," Lady Zhou spoke up, "Our family isn’t just about you. What about Sanlang and Si Lang? Aren’t they going to marry in the future? Money is hard to save! Si Lang can wait another two years, but Sanlang’s matter will soon need to be arranged. Does our family have no other needs?"
Lady Zhou also disagreed.
The others naturally remained silent. Lian Shouyi and Lady He exchanged glances, maintaining their quiet.
"Erlang, don’t rush," Old Master Lian said. "This is an important matter. The Old Zhao family should have sent a matchmaker to discuss it, or at least they should have spoken to me, your father. They talked to you because you’re young and look tender, and you agreed. Tomorrow, your dad and I will go to town and have a talk with them. Let’s prepare according to our original plan for now."
With Old Master Lian saying this, there wasn’t much else Erlang could say.
Afterward, the Lian family started planning the event with much chatter.
Old Master Lian puffed on his dry pipe, his once good mood overshadowed by the day’s turn of events.
...
After the details of Erlang’s wedding had been mostly settled, the Lian Manman family returned to the West Wing Room to rest for a while before heading to the snack shop to prepare for the next day’s sale.
The family sat around the kang, chatting leisurely.
"I’ve seen the Zhao girl; she’s quite the looker," Lady Zhang said. "It’s just that, well, her family’s demands are rather high."
Lady Zhang’s words were understated.
"What can be done? The marriage is nearly upon us. I see Erlang’s quite smitten; he’s always finding reasons to go to town," Lian Shouxin said. "Things will be better after she’s married and comes over. By then, she’ll have to get used to following Erlang around, and she’ll adjust in time."
Being "smitten" in their local dialect meant someone deeply liked a person or was very happy about something. Erlang’s willingness for this marriage suggested he might have already fallen for Zhao Xiue.
"Let’s hope so," Lady Zhang didn’t delve deeper, "Matching families in marriage really must be equal, or it just leads to trouble."
"I think Grandfather was quite pleased at first, but after Brother Erlang mentioned that the Old Zhao family wanted to host the wedding feast at a town restaurant, Grandfather was no longer happy," Lian Manman said.
Lian Manman could understand Old Master Lian’s feelings. The marriage arrangement with the Zhao family was made when there was hope that Lian Shouren would take a government position. With Old Master Lian abandoning this prospect, the Lian family’s overall development plan had changed. It was quite possible that the Zhao family had considered Lian Shouren’s potential career when agreeing to the marriage.
Old Master Lian planned for his descendants to live solely on farming in the future, making it clearly inappropriate for Erlang and his new wife to live in town. And what about the townhouse? Was there still a need to keep it?
"Suddenly suggesting to host the wedding feast at a town restaurant, why didn’t their family mention this when the betrothal was set?" Lian Shouxin suddenly said. "Could the Zhao family no longer desire this marriage and purposely brought this up to test us?"
