The four little ones, who usually slept like logs, were now wide-eyed, looking at each other. Their tender little mouths occasionally let out "ooh" sounds, and when they puckered their lips, several transparent bubbles would roll out.
"This is truly strange," Granny Zhong, or Ah Zhong, said to Ah Wu beside her, leaning to the side. "The little treasures know today is a big day for them, right? They woke up this morning and haven't slept since. They're never like this."
Ah Wu chuckled softly, "My four grand-disciples are as sharp as foxes. Don't underestimate them just because they're only a month old; they're all brimming with intelligence."
Ah Ji, standing nearby, quickly chimed in, "Isn't that the truth? I can tell by their faces that they are no ordinary people."
"Mmm, I think so too..." Ah Zhong nodded, pursing her lips.
The three old ladies began to whisper amongst themselves.
On the main stage up front, the master of ceremonies, Ji Chenghe, had reached the segment for the patriarch to speak.
Lu Ye, holding the eldest child, his eyes filled with a smile, announced loudly, "Today is the full moon banquet for my four children. I am deeply honored that all esteemed guests have taken time to grace us with your presence.
"Taking advantage of this auspicious day and time, I will also announce the names of my four children. May my sons and daughters receive your kind care, and may they be happy and healthy. My eldest, Da Bao, is named Lu Jin Hua. My second, Er Bao, is Lu Jin Ye. My third, San Bao, is Lu Jin Rui. And my fourth, Si Bao, is Lu Jin Yi."
"The names of the eldest young lady and young masters are truly beautiful."
"The master of the household truly knows how to pick names. Unlike that fellow in our village who named his son Gou Dan. Gou Dan, Gou Dan—sounds like a village bumpkin dog!"
"Your Gou Dan is still better than my 'Gui Er Zi' (Turtle Son). Gui—Er Zi, tsk tsk, even his name is a curse upon himself and his son!"
"It truly pays to be educated. Their names are so different from us unenlightened folk, so refined!"
"I heard the master's mother was an educated woman, no wonder the master is so cultured."
"Hey, the village is holding night classes tonight to teach the villagers to read and write. Are you coming to learn?"
"Yes! We definitely must. From now on, I'll make sure my grandson's name is respectable!"
...
Ji Chenghe raised his wine cup and spoke loudly to the guests, "Esteemed guests, let us now raise our cups together and wish Lu Jin Hua, Lu Jin Ye, Lu Jin Rui, and Lu Jin Yi, the four little blessings, long life and good health! Congratulations to Chief Lu and the Chief's wife on the birth of your precious children, may your blessings extend far and wide!"
"Wishing the four little blessings long life and good health! Congratulations to Chief Lu and the Chief's wife on the birth of your precious children, may your blessings extend far and wide!" The guests echoed in unison, raising their wine cups and draining them in one go.
Ji Chenghe showed them the bottom of his cup and said, "Without further ado, I won't say much more. Everyone, eat well! Drink well! Let the feast begin!"
The guests immediately sat down, put down their wine cups, and transformed into ravenous eaters in an instant.
Each table was adorned with basins the size of washbasins filled with braised rabbit meat, spicy chicken, pickled mustard greens with cured meat, dried vegetable stew with pork ribs, stir-fried greens, and cold cucumber salad...
While the variety of dishes was not extensive, the portion sizes were generous, and the taste of each dish was excellent.
Many people hadn't tasted meat in a year or two, let alone eaten fresh vegetables. The vegetable dishes were cleared in the blink of an eye as soon as they were served.
The speed, accuracy, and steadiness with which they grabbed food, and the intensity with which they chewed after it entered their mouths, were all a result of immense energy that erupted due to their eagerness.
Regular banquets are usually boisterous, with guests sitting together, eating and chatting, their laughter echoing to the heavens.
However, at this full moon banquet for the four treasures, apart from Lu Ye's family and the Imperial Prince and his retinue who were chatting and laughing, the villagers were all silent. Only the clinking of bowls and chopsticks and the sounds of vigorous eating could be heard.
For the villagers, while idle gossip was enjoyable, eating was more important. They hadn't eaten such delicious food in a long time. After all, everyone only had one mouth and no spare time to talk.
Lu Yun observed this with satisfaction, knowing that the septic tank would be abundantly filled the next morning.
As everyone was enjoying their meal, a sudden scream was heard.
The voice belonged to a village woman, rough, powerful, and utterly unpretentious.
Everyone turned towards the sound. Near the entrance to the banquet, a village woman in coarse cloth stood up, looking at the entrance with utter astonishment.
At the banquet entrance stood a man who looked like a villager, his expression also a bit stunned. This was because he saw a man sitting beside his wife who looked exactly like him.
He had originally intended to attend Chief Lu's child's full moon banquet with his wife and child. However, when he woke up to use the latrine that morning, his vision suddenly went black, and he lost consciousness. When he woke up, he found himself dumped outside the Chief's house.
A young man told him that the banquet at the Chief's house had already begun and urged him to hurry over to eat.
Then, he saw the scene before him.
The man didn't know what had happened. Everything today made him suspect he was caught in a loop, a "ghost hitting the wall."
The "husband" sitting beside the village woman in coarse cloth looked shocked. After a flicker of panic in his eyes, he managed to compose himself.
The villagers sitting in nearby seats had all noticed this strange sight. As far as they knew, this man had no twin brother, so why was there someone who looked exactly like him?
The guests further away hadn't yet grasped what was happening and were all craning their necks to look this way.
Lu Ye, Bai Sheng, and the Imperial Prince exchanged glances. They remained seated, waiting to watch the show.
The village woman looked at the "husband" beside her, then at the "husband" standing at the entrance. She frowned and raised her hand, slapping the "husband" beside her. She shouted, "You scoundrel! How dare you impersonate my man!"
The village woman, accustomed to manual labor and having eaten half a meal, possessed considerable strength. The "husband" beside her was sent sprawling to the ground. Immediately, the village woman raised her foot and began to kick him.
All of this happened in a flash. The fake husband hadn't even had time to devise a random counter-strategy before he was dazed by the slaps.
The boy beside her also cried out, "He's not my dad! My dad would dodge if my mom hit him!"
The real husband at the entrance immediately rushed over and pinned down the fake husband.
At this moment, Zhou Donggua strode forward, grabbed the fake husband's face, and peeled off a very thin human skin mask.
The crowd gasped at this sight.
"My heavens! It's someone in disguise!"
"This person is so desperate that they came up with such a clever trick just to freeload at the Chief's house!"
"In this day and age, people will do anything for a good meal, even discard their dignity!"
The fake husband: "Go to hell with your mother! I'm not here because I'm greedy, I'm here to kill! And I still have my dignity!"
The village woman spat a mouthful of phlegm onto the fake husband's face. "I curse your ancestors! My man doesn't have a mole on his ear! Let alone a hairy mole!"
The villagers finally understood the entire truth. They all rushed forward and tied up the fake husband who had been trying to get free food.
This person looked unfamiliar; he probably wasn't from their village. Since he wasn't from their village, they wouldn't be polite. As they tied him up, they also kicked him a few times.