The Lucky Farm Girl-Chapter 44 - Apprentice Banquet_1
Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Apprentice Banquet_1
Chapter 44 -44: Apprentice Banquet_1
“Having my treasured granddaughter ask for help, we will certainly lend a hand,” said Old Master Wu, naturally being the first to agree, as long as it wasn’t meddling in the Yang family’s livelihood.
Old Master Liu and Old Master Shen agreed too.
Little did they know it was Yang Mengchen who, seeing they were unwilling to take advantage of the Yang family, deliberately asked for their assistance, ultimately planning to share the earnings with them.
Madam Liu Luo took Madam Yang Zhou’s hand, “Now that your family’s life is better, we can rest assured.”
In the past, when the Yang family had a difficult life, whatever help these three families could offer was but a drop in the bucket.
Now not only does the backyard house twenty cows, but there are also five hundred mu of medicinal herbs and greenhouse vegetables; Jiujiu has come up with such a money-making scheme, and Seventh Brother has become an apprentice to Doctor Luo at Apricot Forest Hall and made something of himself; finally, the Yang family’s hardships have turned to sweet success, and these three families need not worry anymore.
“Jiujiu said things will get better and better in the future, and you can all enjoy some good fortune too,” Madam Yang Zhou said, her eyes brimming with tears, yet her face was overflowing with a happy smile.
Madam Wu Chen laughed and said, “Very well, we’ll also enjoy the blessings of our treasured granddaughter.”
Last time, her eldest grandson brought several hundred catties of rice and white flour, pork, a few bolts of cloth, and some snacks, saying it was all thanks to their treasured granddaughter leading them up the mountain to gather medicinal herbs and sell them for money, and even bestowing upon them twenty taels of silver; they were moved to tears.
Handing out three thousand taels of silver notes to the three grandmothers, Yang Mengchen smiled and said, “This is the starting capital; take it to buy chicken and duck eggs and glutinous rice. You can pick the reed leaves by the riverbank. Wrap the zongzi and preserved eggs and keep them at the grandparents’ home for now; I’ll arrange for someone to collect them later.”
“It’s too much, three hundred taels would be enough,” the three elders returned seven hundred taels of silver notes.
“Young Master Nangong has placed a large order, and this amount is still far from enough,” Yang Mengchen insisted, stuffing the silver notes back into their hands. “Also, I would like to ask the uncles to help me buy rapeseed in the village; twenty wen per jin, no matter how much there is, we’ll buy it. If the silver coins run out, I will provide more.”
“Jiujiu, although rapeseed can be fed to cattle, we don’t need that much, and twenty wen per jin is too expensive,” Liu Shaonan reasoned with her.
Apart from the Yang family, everyone else nodded in agreement.
“I’m not buying the rapeseed to feed to the cattle,” Yang Mengchen smiled and explained. “I’m buying it to press for oil.”
“To press oil?” the crowd exclaimed in surprise, wide-eyed. For generations, no one had ever heard of extracting oil from rapeseed!
Yang Mengchen nodded affirmatively: “Rapeseed really can be used to make oil, and the dishes made with it are even tastier and healthier than those made with lard. But uncles, when you are buying the rapeseed, you must ensure that the villagers clean it thoroughly, unqualified seeds must be resolutely rejected.”
“Of course, we will ensure the task is completed,” the uncles promised in unison, patting their chests.
Madam Shen Li said proudly, “Our Jiujiu is smart and capable; she even knows that oil can be extracted from vegetable seeds. There’s no one in the world who can compare to Jiujiu!”
People naturally echoed their agreement.
Afterward, Yang Mengchen began teaching the three families how to wrap zongzi and make preserved eggs, and Yang Chaowen also taught them how to make various kinds of small boxes. Before leaving, Yang Mengchen not only arranged for a bullock cart to take them back, but also handed over the recipe for the preserved eggs to the three grandfathers, earnestly entrusting them to keep the recipe safe.
Soon it would be the busy season for farming. Yang Mengchen told Grandpa Yang that they would talk about the greenhouse vegetables later, and took Yang Chengrong and Yang Chengyou in a carriage to the town to prepare for the apprenticeship banquet tomorrow.
Although Doctor Luo had only invited a few colleagues and close friends, Yang Mengchen still made thorough preparations. After all, Doctor Luo was deeply respected and loved for his medical ethics and benevolence, so it was expected that some might arrive uninvited.
Fortunately, after more than half a month of training, the waitstaff at the Drunken Immortal Tavern had become proficient, and with the banquet adopting a buffet style, everything proceeded in an orderly manner.
Early in the morning, Yang Mengchen inspected the premises and saw the waitstaff each performing their duties with a warm and appropriate smile on their faces, naturally making her very satisfied.
Doctor Luo, together with the three siblings and Shopkeeper Luo, welcomed guests at the entrance. When some guests were curious about the identity of the three siblings, Doctor Luo proudly introduced his disciple Yang Cheng’an and his brother Yang Chengyou. In front of the guests, he affectionately referred to Yang Mengchen as “my girl,” with undisguised pampering in his words.
The guests were internally surprised, but outwardly they complimented Yang Cheng’an and his brother for being upright and steady, and Yang Mengchen for being charming and cute, congratulating Doctor Luo on acquiring such outstanding disciples.
The Luo Mansion had no womenfolk, so Yang Mengchen, accompanied by the female waitstaff of the Drunken Immortal Tavern, received the guests’ families.
The addition of female waitstaff was her strong insistence, as there were many female patrons at the Drunken Immortal Tavern, and having only male waitstaff proved inconvenient.
New novel chapters are published on freewёbn૦νeɭ.com.
Seeing Yang Mengchen conducting herself with dignity and grace, wearing a perfectly measured smile, and handling matters with both efficiency and thoughtfulness, all the ladies present could not help but secretly marvel.
They had heard that this young girl was just a ten-year-old farmer’s daughter—how could she possibly be so experienced and smooth? Especially upon learning that today’s banquet was uniquely innovative and the arrangements in the annex were serene and elegant, all attributed to this girl’s planning, it was simply unbelievable.
“A country bumpkin doesn’t deserve to attend such a noble banquet, let alone arrange one,” a voice laden with mockery and scorn suddenly rang out.
Yang Mengchen turned to look, her willow brows arching and apricot eyes shining, her red lips as luscious as roses, and her skin as fair as frost and snow, standing there was a charmingly colorful woman—none other than Madam Lan Zhu’s niece, Madam Zhu, the daughter of County Lord Zhu, with her mother Madam Zhu Ding sitting beside her, both wearing disdainful expressions.
Before leaving Yangliu village, Yang Mengchen remembered, the Zhu siblings often bullied the former owner in secret.
And County Lord Zhu’s family was among those who had come uninvited.
Zhu Meimei’s voice, loud and jarring, naturally drew everyone’s attention, and they looked over in confusion.
A few madams slightly shook their heads; not only were their husbands at odds with County Lord Zhu, but the Zhu family’s manners left much to be desired.
The female waitstaff around, in charge of receiving guests, kept their composure, though they were seething with indignation. Had it not been for Ms. Yang’s insistence on maintaining quality, they would have already taught this disrespectful woman a harsh lesson. How dare she insult Ms. Yang as a country bumpkin—that was asking for trouble!
Today was Uncle Luo’s and Seventh Brother’s big day, and Yang Mengchen didn’t want to cause an incident. Just as she was about to invite everyone to the garden, a girl about fourteen or fifteen years old snorted coldly.
“If a country bumpkin can arrange such a grand and well-organized banquet, then we, the so-called smart people, truly have no face!”
Her black hair was slightly tied up, with a white jade hairpin inserted at an angle, her eyes black as ink, her lips red as blooming peaches, her skin translucent and fair, and she wore a simple white dress that accentuated her elegant demeanor. The lightweight embroidered shawl draped around her arms further highlighted her clear and noble disposition.
Yang Mengchen recognized her; she was Xiao Wanxue, the daughter of the Magistrate of Yongchang County.
As Xiao Wanxue’s words fell, many changed their expressions, but she seemed unfazed: “If I am not mistaken, County Lord Zhu himself used to be a country fellow, and Doctor Luo did not invite the Zhu family to the banquet.”
