The Slender Waist-Chapter 80 - 65: Crazy Banquet
After the new policy was promulgated, more and more households registered in Andu County started to crop up.
Some were displaced families dragging along their belongings, who were resettled on the spot in Andu County; others were locals who had fled Andu, returning with their possessions upon hearing the news of land allocation.
People received money and grain for settling down, and were dispersed to various villages.
Farmers have an innate and pure affection for the land, and there was no reason not to cultivate the land allotted to them.
Figures of farmers could be seen everywhere in the fields, and more and more people came to Huaxi Village.
Feng Yun’s Tianzhuang was the first to be cultivated in Huaxi Village.
The land Feng Jingteng once occupied was fertile and rich, which was much easier to till compared to barren land. Initially, she had also managed to get a few oxen from the Wang Family, and this time, those oxen put forth great effort in ploughing the land.
Moreover, there was also Wei Zheng and his more than one hundred "oxen"...
Such valuable labor used for tilling the good land was wasteful. Therefore, the toughest barren land in the village was the first to be assigned to Wei Zheng and that group of Imperial Guards.
A bunch of young Imperial Guards, it only took a few days for the fierce "Autumn Tiger" to peel away a layer of their skin.
So, when Feng Yun personally went to the fields to invite Wei Zheng, apologetically thanking him for their hard work, saying that a banquet would be held in the manor to treat him to "enjoy dancing, listening to music, drinking tea, and watching the moon," Wei Zheng agreed without hesitation.
Farming was too arduous.
He couldn’t turn down the opportunity for enjoyment.
—
The next day was another clear, sunny day.
It was only after nightfall that the weather slightly cooled down.
Below the platform of the lotus pavilion in Changmen Village, there was a flat dam with a green brick stone ground which the manor previously used for drying grain. When set up with tables and grass mats, it looked very clean and orderly.
There was laughter and cheerful voices in the courtyard.
Apart from the string and wind music and dancing, the manor also had games like shooting marbles and pitch-pot for entertainment.
Many villagers had never before seen the amusements of a wealthy family’s estate, and they were extremely curious.
Whether they were from far or near, or even from the neighboring villages, upon hearing the news of the banquet and games, they also brought along their families to Huaxi Village to watch.
At first, they only dared to watch from afar, but later Feng Yun had several buckets of cooled tea brought to the courtyard and had the maidservants tell them they could "help themselves to the chilled tea" and "enjoy the festivities together," which then encouraged them to come closer.
"What delicious tea!"
"It’s so tasty!"
"So sweet!"
The chilled tea provided by Changmen Village had a scent of lotus and a sweet taste as if sugar had been added, leaving a lingering aftertaste.
Sugar is such a precious commodity, yet that kind-hearted lady was willing to share it with them and even paired it with some filling snacks at the side of the tea buckets—coarse flour snacks with finely chopped ferns baked until crispy, fragrant upon the first bite and very filling.
The villagers praised Feng Shi Er Niang in their hearts as if she were a fairy from heaven.
Feng Yun did not constrain others, nor her concubines and attendants.
She made no distinction between master and servant, no strict hierarchies.
Located at the border of Nanqi and Northern Jin, the local customs in Andu were already open; without setting those rules by Feng Yun, everyone relaxed and began to have fun.
Previously, the Feng Family’s Yutangchun had everything that matched perfectly. Wen Hui, alongside Ying Rong, brought things from the Yutangchun storeroom to the estate, and all the concubines were delighted to the brim.
Each one of them was vying to outdo the others. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
However, some were performing to catch the eye of Shi’er Niang...
And others were performing to catch the eye of Wei Zheng.
Luo Yue, like Lin E and Huan Jiao, came from Yutangchun; sleeve dancing was her forte. Even without elegant dance costumes at Changmen Village, she still gave it her all, dancing almost up to Wei Zheng’s face.
Wei Zheng was already handsome, and not being able to serve a General, having such a husband was an excellent choice for a woman like Luo Yue...
During the entire banquet, Luo Yue fluttered about like a butterfly spreading its wings.
Feng Yun had prepared several jars of fine wine for Wei Zheng, as well as exquisite accompaniments.
This was undoubtedly the best meal he had had in days.
When the moon reached the zenith, curved like a hook, Wei Zheng was already drunk.
Feng Yun sat in the lotus pavilion, holding a fan in her hand, casually waving it with a slight smile curling on her lips.
"The show is just beginning."
The villagers on the dam drank up the chilled tea, unwilling to leave the courtyard.
Luo Yue, seeing so many people on the dam, became a bit anxious and kept glancing at Wei Zheng from time to time.
Two guards followed Wei Zheng, who looked flushed from drinking but not very approachable, especially since he was on guard around those from the manor; she wondered what to do.
Before the banquet, Wen Hui had already talked to her in private.
The lady had offended General Wei and feared reprisal. She sincerely wanted to mend their relationship and also provide an opportunity for the concubines to "transform into a phoenix."...
If General Wei took a fancy to any of them, she would certainly consult the Great General and fulfill her wish.
