"Please come in, please come in. You are …"
A small table was placed at the entrance of the Ma family's courtyard. An accountant was doing the bookkeeping, and two servants were in charge of receiving the gifts. Upon seeing the green-robed young master, the accountant, who had just gotten free, quickly picked up his brush again.
Shen Mu smiled and said, "I am Shen Mu, a friend of Yang Fan. My relationship with the bridegroom is spiritual. Haha."
"Oh, Erlang's friend!"
The accountant was also a worker of this place. Upon hearing this, he quickly wrote down his name and noted that he was Yang Fan's friend. This was a favor that should be returned.
The servant beside him took the wedding cakes and cloth from Shen Mu. Shen Mu said, "The bridegroom is busy. I will not disturb him. I wonder which table Yang Fan is at. I will sit with him. "
One of the servants pointed to the water mat by the wall and said, "There, Beta Persei is over there."
Shen Mu turned his head and saw Yang Fan sitting at the second table of the water banquet. The people at the same table were all strong men. Everyone was happily eating and drinking. Shen Mu smiled faintly, thanked the man, and walked over to Yang Fan's side.
Yang Fan was a junior, and the people sitting at the banquet in the courtyard were the elders of the Ma family and the Jiang family. Because the courtyard was too small, there were only three tables in total. Even the elders in the neighborhood couldn't sit down and had to eat outside. Naturally, he couldn't be special. Yang Fan was talking and laughing with the old servant, Marquis Wu. Suddenly, someone stood beside him and laughed, "Erlang, long time no see!"
Yang Fan looked up and could not help but stand up in surprise. He said, "Aiya, Brother Shen, why are you here?"
Shen Mu said, "Haha, I happened to pass by and saw you. I asked around and found out that today is your good friend's wedding day. It is not good to come empty-handed so I bought some small gifts in the market. Haha, may I sit with Erlang? "
"Quickly, quickly, please!"
Yang Fan quickly asked the people around him to make room for him and asked Shen Mu to sit down with him. He also ordered someone to bring a bowl and chopsticks and filled it with water and wine for him. He said with a smile, "Brother Shen, I'm afraid you won't like this cheap wine."
Shen Mu smiled, "I have suffered in the past. I may not have suffered less than Erlang."
"Oh?"
Yang Fan looked at him in surprise, but Shen Mu didn't say anything. He just picked up the bowl of wine, sniffed it lightly, and took a big gulp. Then he picked up his chopsticks and stuffed a piece of fat pork into his mouth.
The first table near the door was occupied by the Ma family and some of the neighbors. For example, Auntie Hua and her daughter Xiaodong, who were busy with the Jiang family's affairs, were also here to eat wine. Because the Jiang family had few people and few relatives, once her daughter got married, she was the only one left in the family. She really could not afford a banquet.
Therefore, when they were discussing the wedding, the mother of the noodles and the mother of the horses decided to hold the banquet together. This way, it would be more lively, especially since both of their families lived in the same place. If they held the banquet separately, many of the neighbors would not know which wedding banquet was suitable. They couldn't possibly bring two gifts, right?
When the banquet was held together, Pasta's mother refused to take advantage of the in-laws. She also paid for the banquet. This was also an expedient measure for poor families to make the banquet as grand as possible without burdening themselves too much.
Most of the relatives of the Ma family at this table came from the countryside. Because it was rare for them to come to the city, they brought their wives and children along. They strolled around Luoyang in the morning and rushed over in the afternoon for the banquet, filling the table.
Among the simple and honest villagers, even if they were illiterate, their conduct would make even the well-educated and well-mannered people in the city feel ashamed of their inferiority. However, there were also some who liked to take advantage of others and were far worse than their counterparts in the city.
Because even if those city people thought so in their hearts, they still had to take into account the opinions of others and their own face. But they came today to stay at their relatives and friends' homes for the night. They would leave early in the morning tomorrow. They did not know these people and did not need to deal with them in the future, so they did not care about this.
When the dishes were served, some of them stood up and moved the plates in front of them. A large group of women and children, like a group of sparrows crying piteously for food, swept away the dishes like a whirlwind sweeping away the clouds.
Auntie Hua could not bring herself to fight with them, but she could not eat a few dishes in a row, so she became angry. Auntie Hua wanted to lose her temper, but although she was tough, today was the wedding day of her old sister's son. So she suppressed her anger and did not say anything.
After a while, a few more dishes were served. Those unreasonable people still stood up and fought for the dishes. When they thought that their children were almost full and could not eat these things, one of the high-class women actually dug into her bosom and took out a leather bag. She poured most of the dishes into it, leaving only a little soup and leftovers on the table.
Sitting next to that person was an old country woman. Because they were relatives, they were familiar with each other. Seeing the old woman like this, she couldn't bear to look at her and whispered a few words to her. The old woman curled her lips in disapproval and said, "Hey! Fifth Auntie, if you want to eat, I'll leave some for you. Why do you care about other people's business? "
Auntie Hua slowly raised her eyebrows. Although Miss Xiaodong's eyesight was not good, she could already sense that her mother was a little angry. She quickly pulled on her mother's sleeve and whispered, "Mother, this is Qiao Ge 'er's big day …" Hearing this, Auntie Hua suppressed her anger and let out a long sigh.
"Come on, come on. Make way, make way. Be careful of the oil!"
A plate of stewed meat with juices dripping from it was brought to the table. Just as it touched the table, the woman with the leather bag stood up again. She brought the plate of stewed meat to her side and acted as if she was going to pour it into the leather bag.
Auntie Hua was seething with anger. She could not hold it in any longer. She slammed her chopsticks on the table and cursed, "You shameless, shameless, shameless, shameless slave, did you come to the city to be a beggar? Not only did you snatch food like a reincarnated ghost, but you also want to take it as well. Do you think I'm a clay or wooden statue of a female Bodhisattva in the temple that doesn't have the slightest bit of anger?"
She dropped her chopsticks, hitting the table and hitting the peasant woman's forehead. The peasant woman was furious and scolded her, "You are such an ignorant shrew of the marketplace. You are as fat as a black pig, yet you still want to eat. Aren't you afraid of being stuffed to death? Are you rushing to Tu 'er's house to sell it for a good price?"
"Stinky slave, stinky shameless beggar …"
Auntie Hua picked up an empty plate with a little grease left at the bottom and threw it at her. At the same time, she kept on cursing. The woman did not want to be outdone. She could not bear to throw away the plate of food that was still in her hand. She picked up an empty plate from the side and threw it back at Auntie Hua.
Auntie Hua could not restrain her anger. She jumped up and threw herself at the woman. The two women immediately began to wrestle with each other. For a moment, some dodged to the side and some tried to stop them. There was also the crying child.
On the other side, Yang Fan and Shen Mu were talking and laughing. Shen Mu said, "Will Erlang return to the palace in a while, or …"
"Oh, I won't go back tonight. When the banquet is over, I'm afraid the palace will be locked. I'll find a place to stay for the night and return to the palace tomorrow."
Shen Mu happily said, "That's good. I don't want to leave the city tonight either. There's a place called 'Drunken Spring House' in the Xiu Wen Workshop. Why don't you and I go there and get drunk all night and have a good chat? "
Yang Fan could faintly sense that Shen Mu seemed to be close to him, but he could not guess what Shen Mu's purpose was. Hearing him say this, he also put on a cheerful expression and said, "Okay! Then tonight, Yang Fan will listen to Brother Shen's arrangements. "
Just as the two of them were talking to this point, they heard an incessant noise coming from the side. Yang Fan raised his head and saw Auntie Hua was like a ferocious tiger, one hand was grabbing a village woman's hair bun, the other hand was continuously slapping the woman's face. The woman's head was like a rattle drum. That woman could not lift her head up. She raised her hands in the air and clawed wildly, scratching Auntie Hua's face.
Yang Fan was startled and said, "What's going on?" He quickly jumped up and tried to stop the fight.
Maqiao and Pasta were in the courtyard toasting when they suddenly heard the noise outside. They quickly rushed out.
"Mother, mother, don't fight! Aiyo! "
Miss Xiaodong hurriedly tried to stop the fight. As soon as Auntie Hua and the woman started fighting, many of the woman's relatives rushed forward. Some were trying to stop the fight, some were helping. Auntie Hua also had some relatives and old friends in the town. Seeing the situation, she did not want to be outdone and immediately rushed forward to help. At this moment, it had already turned into a group fight.
When Miss Xiaodong came forward, her vision became blurry. She did not see clearly whether the person who was grabbing her mother was her mother or not. She was flung away by that person's arm. Miss Xiaodong dizzily fell out and almost fell on the table. Yang Fan, who had just caught up, immediately supported her and asked with concern, "Miss Xiaodong, are you alright?"
Hearing this, Xiaodong was delighted and happily said, "Erlang! Is that you? " Before her voice died away, Yang Fan had already let go of her and rushed into the crowd to stop the fight. Miss Xiaodong's body was empty. Her heart was also empty. Unconsciously, she felt a sense of disappointment and frustration.
Yang Fan saw that everyone was fighting like a pot of porridge. He could not help but feel angry and anxious. He rushed forward and separated the two sides. With his ability, it would not be difficult for him to forcibly stop the fight. However, most of the people fighting were women. When Yang Fan rushed forward, he saw that a 70-year-old, white-haired woman from the countryside had also bravely joined the fight. Facing such a group of people, what could he do even if he had a body of skill?
Yang Fan expended a lot of energy. Just as he pulled one pair away, the other pair would entangle them again. He could not pull them apart at all. Seeing that their own women were being bullied, the men also quickly took action. When Maqiao and Pasta hurried out of the courtyard, there were countless people surging in the small alley. They were in full swing fighting. The tables and banquets were all knocked over and squeaked under their feet.
Both of them could not help but be stunned …
At this moment, in a house rented by an assistant minister, Miss Qi was holding a horsewhip and standing in front of Young Master Jiang. Young Master Jiang's brows were tightly knitted. With an annoyed expression, he said, "Qiqi, why did you come all the way here from Chang 'an?"
Miss Qi said confidently, "To find Shen Mu! Do you think that I want to talk nonsense with you? Where is Shen Mu? Hand him over and I will not bother you. "
Young Master Jiang said painfully, "He has hands and legs. What does it have to do with me where he wants to go? Who are you looking for? "
Miss Qi said, "Is he not under your jurisdiction? Don't you dare say that you do not know his whereabouts. If you do not tell me, I will not leave today! "
Young Master Jiang touched his forehead and helplessly waved his hand, "Ah Nu, bring Qiqi to find Shen Mu. Go, go quickly …"
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