The banquet was somewhat affected by Su Yurou's sudden arrival and angry departure.
However, thanks to Su Xiaoqi's deliberate efforts, it soon regained its former liveliness.
Madam Yu had previously only heard that Xiaoqi's circumstances were not good, but she hadn't expected them to be so tragic.
It was as if anyone could step on Xiaoqi.
She resolved to support her, and declared in front of everyone:
"The ninth is your birthday. Your mother has prepared a banquet at home to invite guests. You must come then."
As soon as she spoke, everyone fell silent.
In Zhaojia Village, there was a tradition of only the elderly celebrating birthdays, never young girls having birthday banquets.
Usually, a birthday meant a red egg, not a feast with wine.
Zhao Baoren felt he finally had a chance to speak.
But before he could, the Zhao clan leader tugged at his sleeve.
He signaled him to stop talking.
Couldn't he see that this was specifically for Su Xiaoqi's honor?
Otherwise, why would it be announced in front of everyone?
Zhao Baoren was unhappy, but he also realized it made sense.
Madam Gu was not from Zhaojia Village, nor was she holding the event in their village. He, as the village head, truly had no say in her affairs.
He could only lower his head and drink and eat, which he admitted was quite good, but it didn't taste right.
Previously, because of his younger daughter's incident, he had had a falling out with the Shen family.
He had also considered following his niece Zhao Xiaohua's advice and giving the Shen family a hard time.
To make them not dare to underestimate him, the village head.
But before he could figure things out, Shen Yun had passed the imperial examination.
That was someone who could become an official, not someone a mere village head could offend.
He was always observant and immediately abandoned the idea of opposing the Shen family openly. He even sent his wife to appease the Zhao clan.
Before Shen Yun returned from the prefectural city, he visited the Shen family multiple times to inquire about their well-being and brought them vegetables he had grown.
As a result, when Shen Yun returned and asked, Zhao Baoren's family was among those who had taken care of his mother.
Shen Yun was somewhat surprised, but considering his character, he quickly accepted it.
Since the other party was unwilling to be an enemy, and he had already given them the necessary retaliation, there was no need to dwell on it.
After all, his mother and sister-in-law would be staying in Mianzhou City for a long time.
Thus, this time Shen Yun personally added Zhao Baoren to the guest list.
At that time, Su Xiaoqi was startled.
She had expected him to avoid him again, but he had invited him.
To ease the atmosphere, Mr. Gu mentioned Shen Yun's upcoming trip to the imperial examination in the spring.
He asked if he would go alone or with a group of scholars on a government-chartered vehicle.
Shen Yun thought for a moment and said he would go alone.
This was because he intended to bring Su Xiaoqi along for the journey.
As a woman, it would be inconvenient for her to be among a group of men.
Mr. Gu nodded and laughed heartily, saying it was good that Xiaoqi would accompany him, so that if his results in the spring imperial examination were too good, he might be "snatched by marriage" by prominent families in the capital and be unable to return.
Mr. Gu's words were lighthearted, but those who heard them were all startled.
From his tone, it was a foregone conclusion that Shen Yun would pass the provincial examination.
No one doubted Mr. Gu's judgment.
After all, among the students he had taught before, eight or nine out of ten had become jinshi, and some had even become zhuangyuan (top scholars).
If he said Shen Yun could pass, then he could pass.
Mr. Gu's words immediately livened up the atmosphere of the banquet.
Whether it was his own relatives, or the village head and clan leader, they all realized the situation and vied to toast Shen Yun, trying to build good relationships in advance.
The banquet continued harmoniously until the late afternoon.
Shen Yun and Su Xiaoqi saw off the guests to their homes. When they returned, the continuous feast was still ongoing.
It wasn't until nightfall that the last guest was seen off.
After settling the wages for the chefs from Zui Feng Lou and their assistants, it was completely dark.
After completing this most important task, Su Xiaoqi finally felt she could take a breath.
She helped Madam Zhao repack and transport the usable items from Zhaojia Village to the manor.
Then she locked the courtyard with a large iron lock.
During this time, Su Xiaoqi felt the name "Li Zhuang" lacked character, so she asked Shen Yun to change it.
Shen Yun thought of the lotuses planted in the large pond behind the manor, and with a wave of his hand, he wrote: Furong Zhuang (Hibiscus Manor).
Su Xiaoqi blinked and smiled in agreement.
It was quite fitting for the ten-odd mu of lotus pond behind them.
Speaking of the lotus pond, she remembered the lotus roots in the pond; those were good things.
She called for Steward Li and together they went to the pond behind the manor to look at the lotus roots.
This manor had fields and land, and hills. From the back courtyard of the house, there was a door leading to the rear. Standing on the slope, one could see the lush green crops swaying in the autumn wind, sometimes leaning forward, sometimes swaying left and right, exuding a strong vitality.
Su Xiaoqi looked on, her mood extremely good.
Before long, the crops in the fields would be harvested.
Walking past the well-grown fields, as she reached the foot of the hill, Su Xiaoqi saw Zhao Dashan.
He, along with the people who normally built houses and did odd jobs, were digging foundations on the open ground.
Beside them were piles of newly delivered bricks, tiles, and wooden beams. They were busily building houses.
"Build these houses well, and once they are finished, distribute them according to the number of people in the manor," Su Xiaoqi instructed.
She had already allocated sixty strings of cash to them. She planned to build a large courtyard, divided into five households, with separate kitchens and toilets. The courtyard would be shared.
Steward Li's dark face showed great emotion. He bowed his head and choked, not knowing how to express his gratitude to Su Xiaoqi.
He just repeated: "Whatever the master commands, the subordinate will do their utmost, wholeheartedly and diligently."
Su Xiaoqi chuckled, "That's not necessary. Although you are indentured servants.
In my opinion, you only need to cooperate with me, and together we will earn money and strive for a better life."
Steward Li nodded incessantly. With the houses currently under construction, he believed whatever the master said now.
After walking up the slope for a short while, they saw a large pond.
It was filled with water, and Su Xiaoqi had stocked it with fish the day before yesterday.
At this moment, the fish gently flicked their tails, swimming freely in the water, occasionally leaping out of the surface in playful bursts, creating splashes.
The withered residual lotus leaves floated on the water. The scenery was certainly not as beautiful as in summer when the lotuses bloomed everywhere.
But Su Xiaoqi's eyes lit up.
There were so many fish, she had to find a way to sell them.
And so many withered lotuses, that meant so many lotus roots.
She asked Steward Li about the usual yield of lotus roots from this place.
"At least ten thousand catties."
Su Xiaoqi said, "Oh, that's great, you'll have work for the entire winter."
Su Xiaoqi assigned him tasks, telling him to lead the men to dig out the lotus roots in batches and clean them.
"Is the mistress going to sell the lotus roots?" Steward Li asked softly, explaining that in Mianzhou City, many wealthy families planted too many lotus roots, so they couldn't sell them at a good price.
The price was so low that it couldn't even cover the labor costs for harvesting the lotus roots.
Over time, not many people wanted to harvest and sell lotus roots.
At most, they would harvest some for themselves to eat.
Su Xiaoqi said, "Have you ever thought about making lotus root powder?"
"Lotus root powder... I've only heard of it. It's a tribute item. I've thought about it, but no one knows how to make it," Steward Li carefully chose his words.