Li Yuan walked back to his home.
Pushing open the door, he saw that the table in the courtyard had undergone a great change.
The pig's head and roasted goose had been heated and placed on the table.
They emitted an enticing aroma of meat.
The streaky lean meat had also been boiled, sliced, and placed on a plate.
Beside it, a small dish of sauce was provided for seasoning.
The millet porridge had been removed, replaced by glistening, fragrant white rice.
White rice was very precious in the village, and serving it to guests was a great way to show respect.
Watching the two women busy themselves inside and outside the house,
Li Yuan felt very comforted.
In this era, he finally had a home.
At this time, the village gradually became bustling.
Those Soldier Families who had drawn lots and been assigned houses and women entered the village gleefully.
Each rushed to their new homes.
They were all eager to see what their wives looked like.
For a time, the village was filled with sounds of crying, laughing, fighting, and commotion.
All sorts of sounds mixed together, truly a lively scene.
Li Yuan felt the myriad aspects of life in the village and was deeply moved.
He decided to cherish his new home.
And live well with the two women.
Turning around, he saw that the Chu sisters had already prepared the food and wine for the welcoming feast.
At this moment, the two of them were kneeling behind the table.
Their hands rested on their laps, and their bodies were held ramrod straight.
They looked as if they were waiting for guests to arrive.
However, Li Yuan could tell that the elder sister, Chu Wanjun, was fine.
The younger sister, Xiao Zhu, was probably starving.
Delicious food and wine were right in front of her, yet she couldn't eat.
Her mouth was watering so much it was about to drip, and her aggrieved expression truly made one's heart ache.
Li Yuan walked to the table and said to the two women with a smile,
“If my wives are hungry, you can eat something first.”
The younger sister's eyes lit up, and she was about to say something.
The elder sister, however, said sternly,
“Husband, no, this is a feast for guests.”
“Only after Husband and the guests have enjoyed it, may we sisters eat.”
“We must not break the rules and let outsiders mock us.”
Li Yuan shook his head with a bitter smile.
He could see that these Chu sisters came from an official's family.
Their rules were ingrained from childhood, and they greatly valued etiquette.
However, at this moment, they were truly hungry, and both sisters' stomachs rumbled.
The two couldn't help but blush.
Li Yuan said nothing, walking to the carrying pole.
He took out an oil-paper package from a bamboo basket on one side.
Inside were several steamed buns he had bought on the way as rations.
He had eaten two at noon, and three remained.
He handed the steamed buns to the two sisters and said,
“These aren't part of the banquet, so it doesn't matter. You two eat some first to line your stomachs.”
“If you lose your manners while entertaining guests later because you're hungry,”
“Your husband will not spare you.”
Looking at the steamed buns in their hands, both sisters were stunned.
Although their husband's words sounded fierce, his concern for them was clearly evident.
The two women were very touched.
So they obediently took the steamed buns and began to eat.
With some food in their stomachs,
the Chu sisters finally regained their spirits.
At this moment, the sound of drums and music also began to resound on the street outside.
Li Yuan knew that this was the Old Village Chief and the Soldier Family Baizhang going door-to-door to congratulate the new male residents on moving in.
This time, East Village had gained 25 new male residents.
Among them were 7 Soldier Family main male residents and 18 Soldier Family auxiliary male residents.
At this time, the Old Village Chief and the Baizhang had just walked out of an auxiliary male resident's house.
Both of them shook their heads helplessly after coming out.
The welcoming feasts at these Soldier Families' homes were very crude.
While they spoke of meat and wine, most of it was actually boiled internal organs and bitter, coarse wine.
The dishes lacked seasoning to remove the fishy smell, and the taste could only be described as indescribable.
After eating at a few homes, the Village Chief and the Baizhang quickly lost their appetites.
“The next house should be that Li Yuan's home, right?”
The Village Chief asked, stroking his beard.
“It is said that the warrior with the ebony waist token receives a silver reward.”
“We can only hope his family's welcoming feast is decent.”
Not long after, several musicians arrived at Li Yuan's doorstep.
Hearing the bustling drum music outside, Li Yuan knew that the Village Chief and Baizhang had come to offer congratulations.
He quickly opened the door and invited the Village Chief and the Baizhang inside.
After the two entered the courtyard, they glanced at the food and wine on Li's table, and their eyes instantly lit up.
It was a famine year, and even they rarely saw real meat.
Li Yuan quickly gestured with his hand. “Please, gentlemen.”
The Village Chief and Baizhang attending the feast was essentially for the new Soldier Family and the village elders to get to know each other.
This was a necessary courtesy and custom.
The Chu sisters each offered the Village Chief and the Baizhang a bowl of clear wine.
They also brought a plate of sliced meat.
The two raised their wine bowls, first spoke some words of congratulations, and then drank it all in one gulp.
Picking up their chopsticks, they ate a few pieces of delicious meat.
This was considered a symbolic attendance at Li Yuan's feast.
Although the process was quick and the eating was symbolic,
compared to other homes, the food and wine prepared at Li Yuan's home were much more delicious.
The roasted goose and pig's head meat were from Six Fragrances Restaurant in the county town.
Even the boiled meat had been marinated with sauce.
The wine was also the better-tasting Spring River Brew clear wine.
The Village Chief and the Baizhang were very satisfied with their meal.
After saying a few more polite words of blessing, they left with their people.
Seeing the Village Chief and the Baizhang walk far away,
Li Yuan closed the door.
He smiled at the two sisters, who were still kneeling on the ground, and said,
“Wives, get up. Let's three of us have a good meal.”
The elder sister, Wanjun, then said to Li Yuan,
“In our home, Husband should eat first. We sisters only need to eat Husband's leftovers.”
Li Yuan shook his head and said gently,
“Since you acknowledge me as your husband,”
“Then you must obey my rules.”
“In my Li family, when the husband eats, the wives must accompany him.”
“Come, be obedient, come and eat with your husband.”
The elder sister, Wanjun, could only smile bitterly when she heard Li Yuan say this.
She knew that her husband was feeling sorry for them, and a warmth spread through her heart.
So she had no choice but to sit beside her husband with her younger sister, Xiao Zhu.
Li Yuan placed two bowls of rice in front of the two sisters.
He then said to them,
“You two are so thin and weak. How will you bear children for me in the future?”
“Eat more, both of you, to nourish your bodies.”
Hearing their husband's words, both of their faces immediately turned red.
They quickly picked up their bowls and used eating to hide their embarrassment.
The sweet, soft, and glutinous rice entered their mouths.
The Chu sisters were so happy they almost cried.
Their lives before had been very difficult.
After their father and brother died in battle, they could only survive on a few pecks of rice bran allocated by the General Fortress each month.
During the day, the Chu sisters would dig wild vegetables in the mountains, and at night, they would stay up late spinning thread and working.
They usually relied on rice bran and wild vegetables to fill their stomachs.
This was how they avoided starving to death.
The meat on the table in front of them was truly something they dared not even dream of.
The younger sister, Xiao Zhu, bit into a goose leg.
But tears streamed down into her bowl.
The elder sister, Wanjun, also had tears in her eyes.
The Chu sisters had originally thought that since they couldn't afford a welcoming feast this time, they would surely be beaten by their husband.
They never expected that this husband not only didn't blame them,
but instead allowed them to eat at the table together.
A man who treated his wives so kindly.
This was very rare in Great Liang, where men were superior to women.
They had originally thought that the man assigned by the Military Governor's Office would be a crude soldier.
But they never expected that a handsome Lang Jun would come.
And he even cared for them so much.
What more could the Chu sisters be dissatisfied with?
