Chapter 25: Wei Wuwei
As soon as the news of Zhao Ji's banquet in the village spread, Zengjia Village was mobilized, and the daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law from every household came to Zeng's house to help with cooking.
The whole village had over a hundred people, and the thirty-odd kilograms of wild boar meat were naturally not enough. So Zhao Ji contributed the stored meat from his previous hunting, while Zeng Yu provided the vegetables and staple food.
In the face of Zhao Ji's generosity, Zeng Yu seemed to have been infected, not only contributing the twenty or so kilograms of wild boar meat he had allocated for himself, but also providing a lot of vegetables and millet.
Zeng Dazhuang also seemed unwilling to fall behind, contributing the twenty or so kilograms of pork that his family had received. He was busy organizing people and rushing back and forth, moving tables and chairs from each household and arranging them on the flat ground in the village.
These things should have been the responsibility of Zeng Yu, the village head, but he was old and had not recovered from the turmoil of several nights, so Zeng Dazhuang had to take over.
As they say, many hands make light work. With over a hundred people in the village, all the men and women, except for the elderly and children, worked together to get everything ready quickly.
By dusk, the golden sunset had spread across the land, and a sumptuous dinner was ready. The rich aroma of rice and meat wafted through the village.
"Zeng older brother, I think it's about time, dinner can start now."
Looking at the sky, he felt it was about time, so Zhao Ji found Zeng Yu and reminded him.
The time for dinner, whether it's early or late, doesn't really matter. If on a starry night, you light up the bonfire, clink cups together and have a big feast, it might be even more atmospheric.
But when he saw a dozen or so little kids standing guard in the kitchen, sniffing and swallowing saliva at the source of the meaty aroma, Zhao couldn't help but feel heartache. He looked at the time and hastily announced that it was time to start the banquet.
"Oh, dinner is ready, and there's meat to eat."
"Great, let's eat meat, let's eat meat."
"I want to eat meat, I want to eat meat, don't any of you compete with me."
"The meat smells so good, it must be delicious."
……
As expected, when Zeng Yu announced that dinner was about to begin, the dozen or so children who had been eyeing the food for a long time collectively burst out in cheers and started chattering excitedly.
One by one, the little kids, once they got moving, were even faster than rabbits. "Whooshing" over to a table, they rushed to occupy it first.
The villagers swarmed to the table, and after taking their seats, large bowls of dishes were placed on the table, with substantial pieces of meat or chunks of meat in each bowl, accompanied by a few strands of green vegetables and a few mushrooms, emitting an inexplicably enticing aroma.
Zhao Ji, Ding Dian, Tian Hong, Yuan Chengzhi, Zeng Yu, Zeng Da Zhuang and several villagers sat at the same table. After all the dishes were placed on the table, Zhao Ji directly opened a jar of wine, accompanied by the fragrance of wine overflowing, pouring full cups for each person in front of them.
He raised his wine bowl, placed it in front of him, and Zhao Ji's expression turned solemn. His piercing eyes scanned each person present, and with deep emotion, he said loudly: "Before we start, I'd like to say a couple of words. Since I arrived here, I've received a lot of help from everyone, which I remember deeply and am grateful for. I won't say thank you, it's all in the wine. Let me take the first sip as a toast."
Zhao Ji's words have a deep meaning, which can be understood as him coming to the Heavenly Realm and receiving help from Ding Dian, Tian Hong, and Yuan Chengzhi, with gratitude in his heart; or it can also be understood as after arriving at Zengjia Village, he received help from Zeng Yu, Zeng Dazhuang, and many villagers of Zengjia Village, and thus had gratitude in his heart.
"Well said, well said, emphasizing both emotion and meaning."
"Drinking, everything is in the wine."
"It's all gone, everyone has finished."
……
Zhao Ji's words thoroughly ignited everyone's passion. Everyone at the table stood up, raised their wine cups and drank to the bottom of their bowls.
Zhao Ji's table was filled with excitement and passion, infecting the surrounding tables. All the villagers raised their wine bowls and drank to the bottom, men and women alike.
Even those little kids gathered at that table, also learned from each other, one by one raised their big bowls to drink together, showing a bit of extravagance.
Just as the village was in the midst of a lively drinking party, a middle-aged man with a long sword at his waist appeared on the small path outside the village, walking slowly but swiftly, and soon arrived at the entrance of the village.
"A traveler from afar has come to pay respects, but I don't know who the honorable village chief is. May I have an audience?"
As he stepped into the village, a middle-aged man looked at the bustling scene in the village with astonishment and shouted loudly.
The middle-aged man's voice was not loud, but his words seemed to have a certain power, clearly reaching everyone's ears in the midst of the noisy crowd, causing those who were about to raise their cups for a fierce toast to freeze in place.
Turning around and seeing the middle-aged man, Zhao Ji's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he whispered to himself: "This person is not simple."
"Brother Ding, Master Tianhong, Brother Yuan, what do you think."
Zhao Ji turned to ask Ding Dian, Tian Hong and Yuan Chengzhi beside him.
"It's indeed not simple, this person should possess very deep internal power, martial arts cultivation is not weak, casually standing there, his entire body doesn't have many openings."
Yuan Chengzhi looked at the middle-aged man for a few moments before speaking up first.
"Not simple."
"It's indeed not easy, this person is an expert."
Ding Dian and Tian Hong successively expressed their agreement afterwards.
The middle-aged man's appearance, with a seemingly ordinary yet mysterious phrase, produced a stunning effect, leaving the villagers who had turned around stunned and momentarily at a loss for what to do.
A straightforward gaze from a middle-aged person, who had been silent for a long time, perhaps not being shocked but rather sensing the extraordinariness of the middle-aged person, unaware of their intentions, feeling somewhat uneasy in their heart.
"Zeng Lao Ge, as the village head, respond to him, don't keep the guest waiting."
Gently patting Zeng's shoulder twice, Zhao Ji said in a low voice.
"Yes, I am the village head, representing Zengjia Village."
Perhaps it was Zhao Ji who gave him confidence, calming his nervous heart. Zeng Yu took two steps forward and bowed to the middle-aged man with a smile: "I am Zeng Yu, the village chief of this Zengjia Village. I don't know where you come from or what brings you to our village."
"It turned out that it was Zeng Cunzhang, who was fearless in the lower Wei. He was a hardworking martial artist who used traveling around and experiencing many things as a means to temper himself and improve his skills."
With a very heroic gesture of clasping his fists and bowing, the middle-aged man smiled brightly and said seriously: "Today, I happened to be near your village, and my stomach was a bit hungry. Luckily, I smelled the fragrance of food floating in the air, so I followed the scent and found this place."
Wei Wuyi said with some embarrassment, "Village Chief Zeng, I don't know if it's possible for me to have a meal in your village. Of course, I can pay for it."
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