Chapter 90: Chapter 77, Banquet_l
The Yan Family had recently arrived in Xingzhou, and being strangers in a new place, hosting a banquet to entertain various parties was unavoidable, whether it was to help Yan Zhigao establish his work smoothly or to ensure that the Yan Family could gain a firm foothold in Xingzhou.
Since this banquet would be the Yan Family’s first public appearance in Xingzhou City, its significance was profound, so everyone in the Yan Family was preparing rigorously— even the old Madam herself got involved in the preparation of the dishes for the day of the banquet.
Daohua Pavilion.
Daohua stood in front of the flower pavilion, her brows slightly furrowed as she pondered, chin resting on her hand.
Ping Tong, holding a newly made dress, happened upon this scene and immediately smiled, “What problem has the eldest Miss encountered?”
Seeing that it was Ping Tong, Daohua let out a sigh with an air of exaggerated maturity: “Isn’t a banquet about to be held? I’m thinking about how to entertain the young ladies who will come on the day of the banquet.”
The workload within the Yan Family was divided up; in the back courtyard, Mother and the Second Aunt were responsible for entertaining the ladies of various households, and the Third Aunt took charge of overseeing the kitchen affairs, while she was to take care of the visiting young ladies.
As for the outer courtyard, the men were looked after by Yan Zhigao, and the young masters who came would be received by her older brother.
Ping Tong asked with a smile, “Does the eldest Miss have any ideas then?”
Seeing Ping Tong’s grinning expression, Daohua swiftly replied: “I ask for Sister Ping Tong’s guidance!”
Ping Tong laughed: “What kind of methods could a maid like me have to instruct the eldest Miss?” Seeing Daohua’s expression fall, she continued with a smile, “However, Madam did send me to discuss with the eldest Miss what the young ladies in the girls’ chambers typically do at banquets.”
Daohua’s eyes lit up, and she immediately pulled Ping Tong into the house: “Sister, please tell me, what do the young ladies do at banquets?”
Ping Tong handed the dress to Wang Manman before cheerfully saying: “Actually, at banquets, the activities for the young ladies are limited — they usually appreciate flowers, drink tea, chat, and perhaps recite or compose poetry.”
“Ah? Just these things?” Daohua was greatly disappointed.
Ping Tong nodded: “The reputation of girls from distinguished families is held in high regard. When visiting, everyone behaves with restraint. So, Miss need not be too nervous, just treat them courteously on the day of the banquet.” Madam Li, worried about her daughter’s nervousness with handling this task for the first time, especially sent Ping Tong to console Daohua.
Not long after, Ping Tong left, and Wang Manman, seeing Daohua still looking worried, asked, “Miss, didn’t Madam say that being courteous would suffice? What’ s still worrying you?”
Daohua sighed, “It’s not that simple.”
Places with many women inevitably have disputes, and even though the group consisted only of girls around ten years old, she dared not let her guard down.
Fortunately, their residence was an official compound, without the complications of artificial hills and ponds; otherwise, her nerves would have been stretched taut from morning till evening on the day of the banquet. “Appreciating flowers is out of the question,” she noted, as the climbing roses she planted were already sown, and the flower garden was also full of blooms, but it was still too early for them to flower.
“Tea drinking is a possibility,” but surely they couldn’t drink tea all day long!
“Reciting and composing poetry…” Daohua shook her head; she lacked a knack for poetry in both her past and present life, and she hadn’t memorized many verses from others—she couldn’t simply recite ‘the moonlight in front of the bed’ to a group of young girls.
Daohua’s face creased with worry: “I must find something for them to do.” If left idle, a group of young ladies would inevitably include a few who loved to stir up trouble. Any incident would reflect poorly on her as the host.
After giving it some thought, Daohua hastened to seek the advice of her Third Uncle, Yan Zhiqiang.
In the blink of an eye, the day of the banquet arrived.
Early in the morning, everyone in the Yan Family got up, got ready, and then busied themselves with their respective duties.
From 9:00 AM, guests began to arrive one after another.
Daohua followed Madam Li, welcoming each household’s ladies and young misses into the house with cheerful and polite conversation.
Madam Li first led the young ladies from various families to pay their respects toOldLadyYan.and without staying long, she took them to the main courtyard to chat.
Once everyone had left, Old Lady Yan breathed a sigh of relief. As an old farmer’s wife, she couldn’t find any common topics with a group of officials’ wives.
“The wife of the eldest son is indeed attentive!” She didn’t forget to care for her feelings at this time.
Thinking of Daohua, Old Lady Yan said to Granny Sun, “It’s that girl Daohua’s first time experiencing such a banquet, and as the hostess at that. Go quickly and see, if she needs help, stay there with her.”
With her seniority and age, a brief exchange with each visitor was sufficient, but as the eldest daughter of the Yan Family, Daohua had to look after the visiting ladies and girls, inevitably keeping her busy.
The main courtyard.
In the living room, several elegantly dressed Madams were drinking tea and chatting, their ease with each other suggesting they’d known each other for some time.
Underneath their tier, a group of young girls chattered nonstop, their laughter ringing through the air. Nearby, Yan Yihuan, Yan Yishuang, and Yan Yile sat apart, looking somewhat awkward, as if they couldn’t fit into the other girls’ conversation.
Daohua and Madam Li, along with the county magistrate’s wife and daughter, walked in and saw this scene.
Madam Li glanced at Daohua, her expression somewhat worried. Among the ladies attending today was the granddaughter of the former Grand Secretary, known for her fiery temper, and she feared that her daughter might not be able to handle her.
Daohua caught Madam Li’s concerned look, smiled, and walked over with the magistrate’s daughter.
Seeing that Daohua immediately started calling each of the girls ‘sister’, Madam Li let out a sigh of relief, then went to chat with the county magistrate’s wife and the other Madams present earlier.
Zhou Jingwan, the youngest daughter from the prominent Zhou aristocratic family of Xingzhou and the most cherished granddaughter of the former Grand Secretary Zhou Zhengyao, was unavoidably spoiled and arrogant. At this moment, she wore an air of condescension towards Daohua, the hostess.
The Zhou Family had inquired about the Yan Family early on and knew that the eldest daughter of the Yan Family had grown up in the countryside.
Originally, Zhou Jingwan thought the eldest daughter of the Yan Family would surely be crude and unsightly, but having met her, she found that Daohua’s appearance and poise were in no way inferior to those of a well-bred lady’s daughter. If not for her plain and simple attire, she might very well match up to the noble girls of Beijing.
Zhou Jingwan looked at Daohua’s ruddy and fair complexion, contrasted with her own darker skin, and immediately felt uncomfortable. After a thought, she said, “Miss Yan, it’s boring to idle, why don’t we all compose a linked verse together?”
Appearance is innate, but learning is acquired. She didn’t believe someone brought up in the rural areas could compose poetry.
Before Daohua could respond, Yan Yishuang, who had been unable to join the earlier conversation, eagerly agreed, “That’s a great idea! Linking verses will not only pass the time but also allow us to get to know the sisters better.”
At this, Zhou Jingwan and the other young ladies looked at Yan Yishuang with a hint of disdain in their eyes.
“Hmph!”
Zhou Jingwan scoffed and ignored Yan Yishuang, instead mocking Daohua, “The rules of the Yan Family are really quite good indeed.”
In a large household, legitimate daughters form one circle, while illegitimate ones form another. For an illegitimate daughter to enter the circle of legitimate daughters, she must either be exceptionally outstanding or the family must lack a legitimate daughter.
Yan Yishuang didn’t qualify for either criterion. They hadn’t paid her any heed before, and yet, she relentlessly insinuated herself into their presence. Such behavior was truly distasteful.
Daohua’s smile remained unchanged, as if she hadn’t understood Zhou Jingwan’s remark. She wouldn’t let this young girl upstage her as the hostess and cheerfully said, “My sisters, the main courtyard is too noisy and there are adults watching. Why don’t we go to my courtyard? That way, we can enjoy ourselves more freely.”
At her words, the young girls all seemed tempted.
They were still children, and what child doesn’t love to play and make a racket? But in the presence of adults, they inevitably felt restrained.
Zhou Jingwan, too, didn’t want to stay under her mother’s watchful eye. But having just shown a tough demeanor, she now found it difficult to retract her pride.
Daohua gauged the girls’ expressions, knowing they all looked to Zhou Jingwan as their leader. So she smiled, stepped forward to link arms with her, waved to the others, and led them out of the room.