I discussed with my brother-in-law about this university registration matter and then talked about the feast. Tomorrow is the special day, so we need to buy groceries early. Some dishes need to be prepared tonight, like appetizers, pickled cucumbers, and pickled radishes, among others. Some pastries should also be made tonight.
Making all this, of course, wonât be done by just our family. After dinner, our close neighbors will come over to help.
As for slaughtering the chickens and ducks, itâs around two or three oâclock now, and around four or five, there will be daughters-in-law coming to help.
"We have invited Uncle Zhu from the east side to be the head chef. He helps with everyoneâs weddings and funerals and cooks really well. We should give him a good pack of cigarettes and also a red envelope," Father Qi said.
"For these things, you and Dad just make the decisions. I donât really know much," Cheng Su said with a smile.
Mother Qi glanced at her and said: "Jianguo is after all our Qi familyâs first college student and from the village too. We canât just casually deal with this banquet. We canât lack anything like chicken, duck, fish, and shrimp. A lot of money will be spent on this feast!"
Cheng Su slightly lowered her eyelids. How could she not understand the meaning behind her mother-in-lawâs words? This was a roundabout way of asking her for money!
As long as they didnât bother her with other matters, Cheng Su was pretty generous with money. She said, "Just tell me how much is needed, and Iâll be fine with it!"
Mother Qi immediately beamed and was about to speak when Father Qi glared at her and said, "You donât need to give. The family has money. Youâve already bought clothes for Jianguo. You donât need to contribute to the feast expenses. We are doing quite well these years, and we can handle the expense of this banquet." Saying this, he gave another warning glare at Mother Qi.
Cheng Su felt relieved; it wasnât that she was unwilling, but her father-in-lawâs words were quite comforting. She smiled and said, "Weâll give what needs to be given, Dad. Just let us know if itâs not enough!"
"Mm." Father Qi smiled cheerfully.
After talking for a while, Cheng Su went back to her room to take an afternoon nap. After all, she was a bit tired from the long journey.
Father Qi, however, was pulled aside by Mother Qi for a lecture.
"Why are you pretending to be so generous? What if she, as a sister-in-law, spends a bit of money to host two tables for her brother-in-law? Youâre just being generous, saving her money. Her business draws so much money; why are you saving for her?" Mother Qi was very dissatisfied.
In her view, Cheng Su was doing big business and had money in her pocket. It was no big deal for her to contribute to hosting the banquet for the family, but the old man insisted on saying they would cover the costs. What was he trying to be a big head about?
"That is your son, not your daughter-in-lawâs son. Why should she host a banquet for Jianguo? You may feel shameless, but I canât bear the shame," Father Qi retorted. "And let me tell you, you better not bring up the money issue with her again to avoid embarrassment. Whatâs the big deal about being a sister-in-law? She even bought him such a decent set of clothes. Name any other sister-in-law who would do that? Youâre just so greedy that you canât have enough, like a snake swallowing an elephant, wishing you could take away her car."
Mother Qi was so choked that she could barely speak, bitterly saying, "How am I being greedy? Since she married into the Qi family, sheâs part of the family. Whatâs the big deal about spending a little money?"
Father Qi sneered, glancing at her sideways, "What, so now sheâs not considered an outsider? Youâre saying sheâs family? Donât you feel ashamed? Iâm embarrassed for you!"
"You, you..." Mother Qi was terribly embarrassed, snorting, "Fine, I wonât argue with you. But tell me, she just mentioned having friends in Guangcheng. Do you think she really took a loan to buy some land?"
"I donât know!" Father Qi shrugged off her hand: "Young people have their world. I donât care! I advise you not to meddle either, lest you do a thankless job!"
With that, he walked out, leaving Mother Qi so angry she almost jumped up and down.