CHAPTER 159: CHAPTER 159: HOUSEWARMING BANQUET

Grandpa Bai had said that, given the shameless character of Zhao Chun and his wife, they would definitely try to deceive her, a little girl, once they found out the deed to the old house was in her hands.

When that time came, it would be fun to watch how Zhao Zhitong could cleverly ensnare her wicked Third Uncle!

It had to be said, Grandpa Bai was spot on; the couple had indeed planned just that.

Since there was a lot to do the next day, the family washed up and went to bed.

The next morning, the whole family rose early because it was the day of their Housewarming Banquet.

As early as the end of October, Zhao Dong had been busy notifying relatives and friends to come to the Zhao Family home on November 20th for their Housewarming Banquet.

Thus, when the Housewarming Banquet began the next day, it was incredibly lively.

Since many dishes needed preparing and Sun Mei, as the hostess, also had to entertain guests, they simply went to the large market to hire a professional team of chefs to cater the banquet.

This team of chefs was very convenient, as they brought their own pots, bowls, tables, and chairs, saving the Zhaos the trouble of borrowing them.

Furthermore, in early November, Sun Mei had already purchased all the necessary ingredients for the banquet and stored them in the cellar. This way, on the day of the feast, everything could be taken out directly.

By then, the team of chefs had arrived with three donkey carts. Zhao Zhitong was quite curious about the donkeys for some time.

After unloading the tables and chairs from the carts, they began setting them up under Zhao Dong’s direction, while Sun Mei led others to the cellar to retrieve the ingredients.

By Sishi (around 10 AM), relatives and friends began to arrive one after another.

For the Housewarming Banquet, Zhao Dong had only invited Wang Fuhai, his maternal grandmother’s family, and a few village families with whom they had good relations.

As for people like Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Zheng, who couldn’t bear to see the Zhao family prosper, they probably wouldn’t have come to offer congratulations even if invited.

Besides, Zhao Dong couldn’t be bothered to invite them anyway.

The first guests to arrive were from Zhao Zhitong’s maternal grandmother’s family. Zhao Dong and Sun Mei welcomed them into the courtyard.

Zhao Guifen surveyed the impressive courtyard, nodding with satisfaction. She felt relieved. Her son-in-law was capable and truly cared for her daughter; her girl wouldn’t suffer in the future!

Her Third Uncle held Zhao Zhitong in his arms, walking around the courtyard and discussing its grandeur with Uncle Sun Youli.

Third Uncle asked, "Brother, when do you think our family will build such a magnificent house? That would be wonderful!"

Zhao Zhitong hugged her Third Uncle’s neck and said in a sweet, childish voice, "Soon, soon! Once we sell our peony flowers, Uncle’s family will be able to build a big house too!"

"You wish," Sun Youcai said, pinching Zhao Zhitong’s small cheek with a sigh.

To be honest, he currently had no confidence in the peonies in the wasteland. His previous operational errors had led to a failure to shade the peony flowers in time, causing more than half of them to die.

This had completely shattered his confidence, and he began to regret following this young girl’s whimsical idea. He guessed that by next year, not only would he fail to make any money, but he would likely lose money too!

Zhao Zhitong, however, didn’t seem concerned at all and remained full of confidence. Cupping her Younger Uncle’s face, she said in her sweet, childish voice, "Younger Uncle, you mustn’t be discouraged! So what if we failed? It’s our first time, so of course, we might fail! But that doesn’t matter. If we fail this time, we’ll do even better next time! We’ll continue planting next year. Younger Uncle, you need to be confident!"

Sun Youcai looked helpless. He gently pinched Zhao Zhitong’s small cheek. "My little handful, if we can just sell the remaining half of the peony flowers without incurring a loss, I’ll be thanking the heavens. I’m certainly not thinking about planting more."

Zhao Zhitong giggled. "Oh, what’s there to worry about? We’ll definitely be able to sell them!"

Sun Youcai muttered, "I’ll believe that when I see it."

While they were chatting, more guests arrived. Sun Mei arranged for her maternal grandfather’s family to sit at a table further inside, then hurried out to welcome the newcomers.

Zhao Zhitong also wriggled out of Sun Youcai’s embrace and scampered to the doorway to greet the guests.

For every arriving guest, Zhao Zhitong would sweetly bow and offer a greeting. Today, she wore a small, red floral padded jacket with a white fox fur collar, which made her little face appear even fairer and more delicate.

Furthermore, when she smiled, a small dimple appeared at the corner of her mouth, accompanied by a tiny canine tooth. This combination made her look so utterly adorable that everyone was completely charmed.

The arriving guests couldn’t resist gently pinching her small cheek.

"Sister, Brother-in-law."

At that moment, a voice suddenly called out. Sun Mei looked towards the sound, momentarily stunned. After a brief pause, she recovered and smiled, stepping forward to greet them. "Little Sis, you’re here! Come, come in quickly."

Zhao Zhitong also looked over. The woman appeared younger than her own mother. Her clothes and hairstyle were quite fashionable. More importantly, while she bore some resemblance to her mother, her features were more delicate and beautiful.

Zhao Zhitong frowned, thinking for a moment. But she had no memory of this woman at all.

Just then, the woman seemed to notice Zhao Zhitong staring and smiled. "Oh, this must be Tongtong, right? My, you’ve grown so big!"

Seeing Zhao Zhitong looking at her blankly, she chuckled. "What’s wrong? Don’t you recognize me? I’m your aunt."

Zhao Zhitong blinked and looked at Sun Mei.

Sun Mei smiled. "Why are you staring blankly? Greet her now."

"Oh." Zhao Zhitong nodded and said sweetly, "Hello, Aunt."

Sun Lan smiled in response. "Yes, such a good girl."

Looking at the woman before her, Sun Mei felt a complex mix of emotions. This woman was Sun Lan, her sister—her biological sister.

But why did Zhao Zhitong have no impression of her whatsoever?

Well, that was a long story. To put it in modern terms, Sun Lan was a typical case of being ’love-brained’—a naive, sweet, and somewhat foolish girl.

Sun Lan’s looks could be said to have combined all the best features of Zhao Guifen and Sun Kang. Back then, she was considered the village belle, and the threshold of the Sun Family home was nearly worn through by hopeful suitors.

At that time, her mother, Zhao Guifen, had chosen Mr. Li from Xiaoyi Village for Sun Lan. According to Zhao Guifen, the young man was both capable and caring.

However, Sun Lan then happened to meet Wang Fugui from the county town, whose family owned an embroidery shop. With just a few sweet nothings and flowery phrases, Wang Fugui managed to capture Sun Lan’s heart.

After that, Sun Lan ignored her mother’s advice, becoming singularly focused on marrying Wang Fugui and no one else.

Zhao Guifen earnestly tried to persuade her, explaining that Wang Fugui was not a good man and could not be relied upon for a lifetime.

But Sun Lan, thoroughly bewitched by Wang Fugui at the time, wouldn’t listen to reason. She eventually resorted to threatening Zhao Guifen with hunger strikes and even feigning suicide attempts, which infuriated Zhao Guifen to no end.