Chapter 346 Village Reunion Banquet

Yucheng Village is particularly lively today.

After the year-end meeting, the women went to the kitchen to help. There was not much to do, after all, there were already quite a few employees in the lunch box group, and many of them were already helping.

But there is strength in numbers, and they can help serve the dishes.

Young and middle-aged people came in groups and asked others to go home and move tables. After all, there were limited tables and chairs in the dining area, and just like the last time when the employees had a dinner, they needed to move some tables over.

There was constant laughter and joy along the way.

“Mom, is it over? Can I go down and play now?”

“I want to go play bumper cars.”

In the row of shops nearby, the children who were not crowded with the crowd saw the crowd disperse and couldn’t wait to go downstairs to play.

“Brother Lin, please help open the playgrounds on the second and first floors so that the children can play for a while.”

Chen Yuan looked at the time. It was almost eleven o’clock and there was still some time before dinner. Parents with children could not help much, so he just took the children to play if they wanted to.

Yucheng Village has its own industry, so you can play however you want during the holidays.

“Good.”

Zhou Lin was following the crowd to move tables. When he heard Chen Yuan’s words, he responded with a smile.

“Dad, when you arrange the seats later, let the families with children sit in the berth.” Chen Yuan reminded Chen Jun who was cleaning the red cloth on the table.

The shop is spacious and children can move around without bumping into anything.

“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of this.”

Chen Jun responded with a bright smile, quickly put away the red cloth, looked at Chen Guo and said, “Brother, let’s put out the cigarettes, alcohol, and fruit plates first.”

“it is good.”

Brothers Chen Guo and Chen Mo worked together to move the long table next to the lunch box window, leaving space for a row of long benches.

There is no way. Although the dining area on the third floor is spacious, it cannot accommodate so many people. If the original chairs in the dining area are placed there, even if the decorations are removed and the tables fill the remaining space, there may not be enough space for everyone to sit down.

Using a long bench is the most space-saving way.

“Boss, bring out the melon seeds and peanut candies, and make tea for the older generations. Second brother, you are responsible for arranging the other tables and benches.” Chen Guochao instructed Chen Mo and Chen Ming, then turned around and went to work with Chen Jun.

“Good.”

Chen Mo and Chen Ming responded.

“It’s so lively. The New Year atmosphere in my memory seems like it was just decades ago.” An old man sighed with a big smile on his face.

The New Year atmosphere has become weaker and weaker these years, and the New Year celebrations have become more and more deserted.

Women like this cook, young and middle-aged people arrange tables and benches, the older generation sits and drinks tea and chats waiting for the meal to start, the children in the village play and have fun, and the whole village is filled with the lively and festive atmosphere of the New Year. It has been a long time since we have seen this.

“Yes, time flies. The last time I saw this kind of scene, I was still full of energy and could even drink two kilograms of liquor. Who would have thought that I would need a cane to walk now.” An old man was making fun of himself.

“Be content. It is a gift from the King of Hell that we can see this in this life and see Yucheng Village prosper and become strong.”

Only the older generation can make such a hellish joke, and it doesn’t seem at all out of place.

“Bullshit King of Hell, it’s Boss Chen’s ability that allows us to see the life we’ve been pursuing for a lifetime before we leave.” An old man retorted with a smile.

“Haha, you’re right. I must toast to Boss Chen with two glasses today.”

The older generations all agreed and invited Chen Yuan to come and sit down.

He wanted to go to the kitchen to see if there was anything he could help with, but the older generations were calling out to him, so Chen Yuan had no choice but to sit over there.

“Grandpas, let me make it clear first. Today, I can only drink tea instead of wine. Please forgive me.” He took out a cigarette and scattered it around, saying with a smile.

“Haha, let’s drink tea.”

The older generation can understand.

After all, with Chen Yuan’s current prestigious status in Yucheng Village, let alone being on par with the older generation like them, even Chen Wenbin might not be able to compare with him.

The leader of Yucheng Village is like the old village chief back then, the one who truly carries the flag.

At the village reunion banquet, every household had to come up and toast. Even though Chen Yuan was a heavy drinker, he couldn’t resist the toasts from the whole village.

“Are you sometimes afraid?”

Chen Wenbin was still joking with Chen Yuan.

“Uncle Bin wants to drink?” Chen Yuan asked with a smile.

He didn’t believe that Chen Wenbin dared to do that. As the secretary of Yucheng Village and the person in charge of Yucheng Village, he would be toasted with cup after cup. It would be strange if he didn’t drink and lie down.

“I have had a slight cold these two days. I took cefuroxime and dare not drink alcohol.” Chen Wenbin used his old trick to refuse alcohol: If you have a cold, take cefuroxime; even gods cannot persuade you to drink.

“Hahaha.”

The older people around laughed out loud, it was rare for them to be so happy.

……

“Put the tables over here, starting from this aisle and moving outwards.”

The villagers brought in tables and benches one after another. Chen Mo and Chen Ming called on them to arrange them, and together they started to set them up along the safety passage near the lunch box window.

There was no other way. There were simply too many people. All the space in the corridor had to be used, even the stairs on the emergency exit had to be used.

There are even two tables inside the lunch box window. In the entire dining area, only the aisle for serving the dishes is left, and the rest of the space is basically occupied.

After all, it is Yucheng Village that has a prosperous population.

“After the table and chairs are set, remember to put the cigarettes, alcohol and water on them.”

Chen Jun and Chen Guo had already set up the original tables in the dining area, and then placed cigarettes, alcohol, drinks, melon seeds, peanuts, fruit plates and other things on the newly set tables.

The entire dining area, with more than a hundred tables of various sizes, looks spectacular.

“Come on, come on, find a seat, and those with children can sit in the shop.”

After the tables and benches were set, and cigarettes, alcohol, drinks and fruit plates were all provided, Chen Jun and his colleagues invited the villagers to sit down, drink tea and chat.

The kitchen was also bustling with activity. Lin Cuiju and Xu Juan were in charge of cooking, and there were at least thirty or forty women helping out. Fortunately the kitchen was spacious enough, otherwise it wouldn’t have been able to accommodate so many people.

“Sister Tang Ying, there is no more room for the dishes in the kitchen. Why don’t you take them out first?” a villager suggested.

The kitchen was already filled with many prepared dishes, the window was already full, and even the two tables that had been moved in were piled with dishes.

There is no room left.

“Take the cold dishes out first, and count how many tables there are. If the portions are not enough, we can make up for it.” Tang Ying, who was washing vegetables, said without raising his head.

“Good.”

The women are all good in the kitchen and can do these things with ease. Moreover, many of them are waiters in this dining area and it is just their job.

“Sister Tang Ying, it’s almost time. You can start the fire and stir-fry the hot dishes. Then we can start the feast outside.” Lin Cuiju looked at the time and shouted to Tang Ying.

It is already past half past eleven. All the cold dishes have been served and the hot dishes can be started. The meal can be served one after another.

The main dishes here are served as you like.

This is how the New Year reunion is in the South. The meal doesn’t start until all the dishes are ready. The cold dishes are served first, followed by the hot dishes, and the main dishes are left for the end.

Hot dishes and main dishes are served while eating and drinking, and a meal takes at least one or two hours. “Family members, check if your family members have arrived. If they haven’t arrived yet, or if they are taking care of their children downstairs, call them up to eat.”

Chen Jun and Chen Guo were arranging for the villagers to sit down. Seeing that the food had already been served in the kitchen, Chen Jun picked up the loudspeaker and shouted, “The meal can be served now. Please serve now.”

This is not a team-building gathering for employees. The whole village is gathering together for the New Year. There are hundreds of people here. Everyone’s words are noisy. Who can hear them without a loudspeaker?
When there are more people, there will be more trouble. Besides, the dining area is already crowded, so one voice is needed to maintain order, otherwise it will easily become chaotic.

“Chen Wandou, come over here. I’ve reserved a seat near the inside for you. You can also take care of your kids here. Hurry up. We haven’t seen each other for a long time. We must have a couple of drinks today.”

“Come over here, have some food and drinks, and play cards in the afternoon.”

“Brother Haonan, your uncle and aunt are taking care of him, so you don’t need to worry about him. We old classmates haven’t gathered together for so many years, so we must drink well today.”

“Kaizi, you two brothers come over and sit down.”

Fortunately, the villagers followed the arrangements and sat from the innermost to the outermost. Some of those with good relationships left their seats, and the rest just sat at the next table.

Greetings can be heard throughout the dining area.

The place was crowded but orderly, and soon most of the more than a hundred tables were occupied. The rest were the women in the kitchen and those who were taking care of the children downstairs.

The child is having so much fun playing that he doesn’t want to come up yet.

“Fellow villagers, please sit down and start eating. Everyone, eat and drink well. After dinner, you can play as you please. You can play cards, go fishing, or go to the amusement park. At 6 o’clock in the evening, we will continue to eat here.”

Seeing that most of the villagers had taken their seats and a lot of dishes had been served one after another, Chen Wenbin took the loudspeaker and greeted them.

“it is good.”

The villagers responded enthusiastically.

Some people were starting to eat, some were pouring wine, and the whole dining area was bustling with activity.

“Oh my god, hometown food is so delicious.”

“It tastes just like I imagined.”

“Try this fish, it tastes really good.”

“It is said that the fish in Boss Chen’s fish pond are all farmed fish, which are almost the same as wild fish. With two chefs, Lin Cuiju and Xu Juan, cooking, the taste is amazing.”

“Come on, come on, let’s go.”

Many villagers picked up their chopsticks to taste the food and all of them applauded. Especially those who had just returned to the village, they couldn’t stop eating with their chopsticks.

Although it is just a street dish and lacks the artistic feel of star-rated hotels, its portion and taste are better than those of star-rated hotels outside.

This is what they want to eat the most.

“You’re just raising fish. How can you drink your first glass of wine like this? Drain it quickly and I’ll pour it for you.”

“Come on, come on, touch another one.”

The atmosphere in the dining area on the third floor was very lively. People at every table were eating, chatting, happily drinking, bragging about everything under the sun, and laughing constantly.

“Boss Chen, we toast to you.”

Not long after they finished eating, Chen Dequan came over with his son. Liu Fang was busy in the kitchen at the time, otherwise she would have brought him over.

“I have a slight cold today, so I drink tea instead of wine.”

It was said that it was tea instead of wine, but Chen Yuan poured a beverage, picked up a paper cup and stood up.

“You really can’t drink alcohol when you have a cold.”

Chen Dequan smiled and naturally didn’t mind. He raised his glass to Chen Yuan with his son and said:

“Boss Chen, I am the dumbest person. I won’t say much to thank you. Everything is in the wine. Anyway, wherever you need me, Boss Chen, I, Chen Dequan, will never refuse.”

“Thank you Uncle Chen for your support. Let’s work together to build a beautiful Yucheng Village and achieve prosperity.” Chen Yuan was also very grateful for the support.

“Boss Chen, I did it.”

Chen Dequan smiled and drank the wine in the glass. His son did the same. He didn’t say a word. Everything was in the wine.

“Secretary Chen, we’d like to toast you.”

After toasting Chen Yuan, Chen Dequan and his son walked towards Chen Wenbin next to them and pretended to pour wine.

“I have a cold and I’m still taking medicine. I’ll drink this.”

Chen Wenbin waved his hand apologetically and picked up the paper cup of drink in front of him.

Got a cold?
Chen Dequan looked at Chen Wenbin and subconsciously glanced at Chen Yuan.

Is this a team cold?

But he immediately came to his senses and said with a smile, “Then have a drink. Come on, Secretary, we’ll toast you a glass to thank you for your contribution to Yucheng Village.”

After filling their glasses with wine, Chen Dequan and his son raised their glasses to Chen Wenbin at the same time and drank them all in one gulp.

Afterwards, they also toasted the older people at the table.

“Boss Chen~”

After Chen Dequan toasted, Zhou Jianming came over with his family, carrying wine glasses and bottles. Behind them came Chen Nan’s family and Chen Yikai and his brother.

From old employees to new employees, and then to the villagers, they all came over one after another to toast us, as if they were queuing up.

After toasting Chen Yuan, we toasted Chen Wenbin, and then toasted the elders in the village.

Fortunately, Chen Yuan and Chen Wenbin had anticipated this and prepared in advance an excuse that they could not drink alcohol because they had taken cephalexin due to a cold. Otherwise, if anyone dared to pick up the wine glass today, even Chen Yuan would be drunk.

The dinner continues and the joy remains.

Various delicious dishes were continuously served on the table. After arranging everything outside, Chen Jun, Chen Guo and others ran into the kitchen. When the dishes were almost served, most of the women came out.

Chen Jun, Tang Ying and others were dining behind the window. There were two tables inside, which was just the right size for them to sit at. They could eat slowly while still keeping an eye on the kitchen.

The children playing downstairs were forcibly brought up by the adults, but the younger ones ate very quickly and jumped off the table after a while. The older children ran downstairs directly to continue playing.

The adults ate for a long time, mainly drinking.

Drink until you are happy and brag about everything.

Occasionally, you can still hear Chen Dequan’s loud voice.

“Let me tell you, when Boss Chen returned to the village, not many people thought highly of him. How much money can you make from opening a fish pond for people to fish? Who would be willing to spend money to fish?”

“Why not find a job in the city? After all, you are a college student, so it won’t be hard for you to find a job. Isn’t that more stable than going back to the village and doing these useless things?”

“What happened?”

“Hey, those city folks are really willing to spend money on fishing. They are very generous and want to become members right away, paying thousands of dollars.”

“Now that the fishing grounds are up and running, Boss Chen is continuing to expand his territory. Now, Chenyuan Hot Spring has been built, and it receives 3,000 to 4,000 tourists a day during peak season.”

“In autumn, we started planning winter projects. The business of the Ice and Snow World in Houcun is no worse than that of the amusement park here. Even the cold winter could not stop the development of Yucheng Village.”

“After the winter project was completed, we started planning Yucheng Film and Television. You have all seen the results, which are truly amazing.”

As the first employee of Chen Yuan Fishing Ground and even Yucheng Village, Chen Dequan is still very popular. Many villagers come to toast him and chat about Yucheng Village from time to time.

Chen Dequan was very happy after drinking and told many interesting stories, his words revealing his admiration for Chen Yuan.

(End of this chapter)