Grass and mustard reign supreme

Chapter 76 Arrives Unexpectedly (Bonus Chapter)
A lavish banquet is also a display of strength and ability.

The head of the household only needs to give the order: "On such and such a day, I will hold a banquet."

Therefore, there is a lot of preparation needed.

There are countless details involved, and the slightest mistake could damage the family's reputation and make them a laughingstock.

If that were to happen, Yang Can's power-building feast aimed at winning people over would likely be in jeopardy.

This was also a grand event to showcase Qingmei's ability to manage the household, and the young girl naturally gave it her all.

Yang Can convened this banquet for his subordinates in his capacity as the second steward of the eldest branch of the family.

Nevertheless, one should still demonstrate the appropriate demeanor.

Therefore, invitations should still be sent; it's a basic courtesy.

Fortunately, Qingmei didn't need to repeatedly consider the people to be invited, because Yang Can's invitation target was very clear.

Next, she needs to consider how to make the invitations.

Should we use the finest silk or specially made stationery, and what style should it be made in to be more appropriate?

The calligrapher of the invitation should also have excellent handwriting.

With Master Jingyao around, all these problems were easily solved.

The young master told Qingmei that she could take full responsibility for this matter.

She personally designs the invitations and supervises the artisans in their production.

As for calligraphy, she wrote a few large characters on the spot for Qingmei to see.

Qingmei was immediately impressed and entrusted the matter to Jingyao.

Just as Jingyao was about to leave after receiving her assignment, Qingmei called Rena to her side again.

"Rena, this is the banquet menu I personally drafted."

You will be responsible for purchasing the ingredients needed above.

Also, have Chef Zhu assess the situation. If he can't handle it all by himself, I can promptly borrow help from the eldest branch of the family.

Jingyao didn't want to leave after hearing that.

You can ask me any questions about food. Is there anyone who knows more about food than me?
Unfortunately, Qingmei couldn't hear the frantic cries in her heart.

Rena happily agreed.

That night, right in front of Yang Can, her "Hezi" suddenly broke.

Worse still, she was startled, so her reaction was a tiny bit slower.

Thus, the precious treasure that shouldn't have been seen by others was seen clearly by Yang Can.

The only solution she could think of at the time was to raise her hand to cover it up, but she couldn't actually "cover up the whole thing with one hand".

It’s so embarrassing!

Even now, she feels ashamed when she thinks about it.

Being in charge of the kitchen is great, as long as I don't have to deal with Yang Can, anything goes.

After explaining everything to Rena, Qingmei continued spinning wildly like a top.

The selection of drinks, the setup of the venue, the arrangement of entertainment, and contingency plans for windy or rainy days...

She needs to consider all of these things carefully in advance.

As for the matters of servant scheduling and security, they were all entrusted to Leopard Head.

Leopard Head has lived on Phoenix Mountain for over twenty years; he's learned all these things just by watching.

……

After several days of intense preparations, the Dragon Boat Festival is just around the corner.

That morning, the young nun Jingyao gracefully arrived beside Yang Can.

"Master Yang, please take a look at the seating arrangement list."

Today she wore a plain-colored ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and a lacquered gauze crown, looking every bit the part of a noblewoman.

However, even when dressed in ordinary clothes, she didn't exude an air of nobility, but rather an ethereal quality.

Her face was radiant, her spirit was clear and her features were elegant, like a fairy who was untouched by the world.

Compared to the sexy and fiery Rena, Jingyao is the complete opposite extreme.

If Yang Can hadn't witnessed her holding the pork hock without any regard for her image, he would have been intimidated by her too.

Yang Can did not treat her as a female slave. After buying her, Qingmei returned the indenture to her.

However, she did not change into monk's robes because of this.

She said that now that she was staying at the Yang family mansion, it would be incongruous to wear a monk's robe, and it would easily cause gossip among the manor owners.

Practitioners believe that "all phenomena are illusory."

Therefore, she naturally started wearing ordinary clothes and never claimed to be a nun.

Yang Can took the list. The small characters were neat and beautiful, pleasing to the eye.

"Seating arrangements? What do I need to consider regarding seating arrangements?"

Yang Can flipped through the list, feeling somewhat puzzled.

Jingyao smiled and reminded her, "Master, as the host, you have to consider which guests are at odds with each other or whose status is higher or lower."

Yang Can then realized, shook his head and smiled, "I see. I don't need to consider these people."

Yang Can explained, "They are all my subordinates, and they have come to apologize to me."

"I already have his seat here, so do I need to worry about where he should sit?"

"I see, I understand." Jingyao took the list and nodded to Yang Canyan.

The "er" she used doesn't refer to a son or daughter, but rather to a young woman.

Like "奴家" (nujia), "儿" (er) is a self-reference used by women that carries a sense of obedience and humility.

However, "er" was a self-reference used by unmarried noblewomen, and common women did not use it.

This young nun Jingyao was skilled in elegant arts such as playing the zither and making incense, which shows that she usually associated with noblewomen who went to the nunnery to worship Buddha.

Therefore, she also got used to referring to herself as "er," which seems perfectly reasonable.

Jingyao turned and left. Her steps were not fast, but they had a smooth and flowing quality.

The head, shoulders, waist, and hips are aligned on a central axis, exuding a serene and elegant charm.

When walking, her hands would naturally be tucked into her sleeves and then crossed in front of her abdomen. The right hand was on top and the left hand was below; this is called "lianren" (敛衽).

This is the kind of demeanor that noble girls naturally develop after receiving rigorous training from a young age, allowing it to blend into their daily lives.

However, Yang Can only felt that she was dignified and elegant, and did not make that connection.

The head, shoulders, waist, and hips are aligned on a central axis, but of course, they are not completely still.

Even her hands, crossed in front of her lower abdomen, would swing naturally with her gait. It was a natural, captivating rhythm and charm, perfectly embodying the "subtle allure" of Eastern aesthetics.

Oh no, it's more like "silent charm" and "subtle sensuality" that align with Eastern aesthetics.

Watching her graceful figure, and imagining her long hair reaching her waist and lightly brushing against her hips...

Yang Can suddenly felt that she was even more alluring than Rena.

Rena's charm is intuitive, direct, and straightforward, passionate and intense.

This fake little nun, however, is like a beautifully bound book, its pages tightly closed, making one eager to peek inside.

Who is this beautiful spy working for, and what is her purpose in getting close to me?

No, I can't let her continue like this. Once I've dealt with the "Eight Great Lords," I need to take the initiative to test her strength.

Yang Can stared at the back of Little Master Jingyao, pondering to himself.

Just then, Wangcai hurried over: "Master, a distinguished guest has arrived."

Oh? So some farm owners and ranchers have arrived early?
This person is quite sensible.

Yang Can glanced at Wangcai; he wasn't holding a visiting card in his hand.

Yang Can asked curiously, "Who comes here?"

Wangcai said, "It's Lord Leopard. Lord Leopard wants you, Master, to come out of the fort to greet him."

Leopard Lord?

Yang Can was stunned at first, then quickly realized what was happening.

He calls himself "Lord Leopard" on the Yu family's territory and even ordered this second steward of the eldest branch to come out of the fortress to greet him...

That leaves only Yu Xiaobao, the third master of the Yu family.

Why is he here?

Could it be that he was ordered by the clan leader?
Yang Can knew that if the matter of smuggling armor was reported, the clan leader would definitely send someone to investigate.

However, he didn't know who the lord would send.

Now it seems that the person sent by the lord is most likely Yu Xiaobao.

Yang Can's expression turned serious, and he quickly said, "Quickly, open the middle gate, I'll go to greet them."

……

A luxurious carriage was quietly parked in front of Feng'an Fort.

More than ten guards stood solemnly on either side, leading the horses.

A hand reached out from under the curtains at the car window, its thumb lightly tapping the window frame with a black jade thumb ring.

This is a thumb ring, but in this era, the main function of the thumb ring was for shooting arrows.

Therefore, there is a shallow mark on the jade thumb ring used to fasten the bowstring.

This is because Longshang was influenced by the Hu winds.

In the Central Plains, especially among the gentry of the Southern Dynasties, they would disdain using such decorations.

Yu Xiaobao sat in the car, his eyes slightly closed, deep in thought.

After his second brother handed over the estate and ranch, he thought he had a chance.

Unexpectedly, the eldest brother allocated these properties to the young widow of the eldest son's family.

This made Leopard very angry.

If Chengye were still alive, it would be fine, but he's dead!
Brother, would you rather let outsiders manage things for you than hand them over to me?

In a fit of anger, Yu Xiaobao stormed off.

He originally thought that his second brother would not let this go and would definitely have a way to plot against his eldest brother.

He should swallow his anger for now, and wait until the harvest is poor this autumn so he can have a proper talk with his elder brother.

If by then, it would be a bit unreasonable for the eldest brother not to hand over the business to him.

As a result, not long afterward he began to hear some rumors:
The clan leader appointed Yang Can, the second steward of the eldest branch, to manage the farm and ranch.

Yang Can, the second steward of the eldest son's family, improved the plow and thus became famous throughout the land.

What? Yang Can, the second steward of the eldest son's family, has improved the waterwheel again, which will break through the water conservancy constraints on the cultivated land area in Longshang.

These news made Yu Xiaobao increasingly uneasy.

This Yang Can seems to actually have some talent!

The two things Yang Can created made him a household name.

His fame has spread beyond the Yu family and continues to spread in all directions.

This reputation became an "invincible shield," making Yang Can's reputation difficult to challenge.

With these two improved farming tools, it would be difficult for the six major farms to find a reasonable explanation if they wanted to tamper with things.

The "Yang Canli" plow was designed to make tillage more efficient, increase grain production, and free up labor.

As a result, your harvest was even worse than in previous years?
The easiest excuse to shirk responsibility is to make a fuss about water conservancy.

But that damned bastard Yang Can improved the waterwheel again.

The Yu family's estates were originally cultivated along the Yilong River.

Its irrigation mainly relies on the Long River, rather than rainwater.

Now that we have such efficient water trucks, you can't say that the poor harvest is due to water shortage, can you?

This effectively prevented those farms from engaging in any underhanded tactics.

It seems that Yang Can has truly managed to take control of these farms and ranches in one fell swoop.

Yu Xiaobao began to get anxious.

The Yu family's assets had long been divided up.

The businesses that my second brother is handing over this time are his best, and possibly his last, opportunity.

If Yang Can gains a foothold, then what chance will he have?
Just then, news reached Feng'an Manor's owner, Zhang Yunyi, that Yang Can had completely subdued him and that Yang Can would be meeting with the eight stewards on the Dragon Boat Festival in May.

Subsequently, several manor lords who were about to attend a meeting at Feng'an Manor came to pay their respects to Third Master Leopard.

These estate owners were worried that even if they were willing to submit, Yang Can would not let it go easily.

What if Deacon Yang intends to use someone as a sacrificial lamb to establish his authority?
Therefore, they prepared generous gifts and went to Yu Xiaobao to ask for his help.

They knew that only Leopard was willing to stand up for them at this time.

With Leopard Lord there to keep things under control, there's no need to worry about Yang Can causing trouble.

Yu Xiaobao was thinking that if he could disrupt Yang Can's "recruitment meeting", he would still have a sliver of a chance.

Thus, the two parties, each with their own needs, quickly reached an agreement, and Leopard arrived.

(End of this chapter)