Chapter Twenty-Four: Qingyu's Thoughts on the Banquet Invitation

  It was almost noon, the sun was shining brightly, in July, the sky was flowing with fire. The weather was really too hot, but there were green trees shading the grape arbor, and under the grape arbor it was extremely cool. Xue Xiang leaned on a rattan chair and fell asleep, but the little guy took a mulberry leaf to tickle his nose and woke him up. As soon as Xue Xiang opened his eyes, he saw the little guy smiling at him with a flower-like face.

  "Time to eat, big brother, second sister has already cooked dinner, you can sleep after eating."

  "Little treasure, what delicious thing did you make for lunch?"

  A big bowl of twice-cooked pork, a steamed large fat chicken, a plate of cucumber salad, a small dish of green vegetables, and a big bowl of tomato and egg soup, all are dishes that people like to eat.

  "Baby, I don't want to move, can you help me serve it and bring it over, okay?"

  "Okay, I'll move here and eat with big brother too, it's much cooler than the house." After finishing speaking, she shook her plump little body and left. The little guy was indeed much more plump than before, during this time, there was no shortage of fish and meat, sugar cubes, cookies, chocolate, and milk, and Xue Xiang was really a bit worried that the little guy would grow up to be a little fatty.

  Xue Xiang didn't have to wait long before he saw Xiao Wan and the others carrying dishes over together. Xue Xiang quickly cleared off the small table, then went forward to take the soup bowl from Xiao Yi's hand and the roast chicken from Xiao Wan's hand. Several people moved a small chair to start enjoying lunch under the grape arbor. They had just eaten a few bites when they saw Kang Xiaobao, Xu Xiaofei, and Chen Fosheng arrive together. The several of them had come to give Xue Xiang stamps.

  Since the last time Xue Xiang took over the collection of four stamps in Beicheng, he didn't know how the news got out, but all the big brothers in 49 City knew that San Ge was looking for these few stamps. As a result, everyone started helping to find them. Originally, one stamp cost only a few cents, not even worth a good cigarette. Getting to know San Ge was not something that could be done with just a cigarette. This way, almost every day someone came to deliver stamps, regardless of whether they were the ones Xue Xiang wanted or not. As long as they came, it was considered a favor, and next time they met, they could build a relationship. It got to the point where Xue Xiang's home was in chaos. Xue Xiang quickly spread the word to several big brothers, asking them to take care of the stamps from various brothers and write down their names. He promised to host a banquet to thank them another day. Just yesterday, after Xue Xiang took back the stamps, he asked the big brothers to spread the word that the stamps had been found and that they would be hosting a banquet tonight to thank everyone. Today, Kang Xiaobao and several others came for the last time to deliver stamps and, as instructed by Xue Xiang, came to arrange how to set up the banquet. Chen Fosheng also came for the same reason. Lei Xiaotian had not left yet, and he had invited him to gather a few times before. Later, when he heard that Xue Xiang was looking for some stamps, he simply posted a notice at Zhongke University saying which stamps he wanted and offering a reward of 100 times their face value to anyone who brought them in. As a result, he received many stamps. This time, Xue Xiang was hosting a banquet, so naturally, he had to come and help out. This was a great opportunity to build relationships with all the big brothers in 49 City, and among them were many big brother-level figures. As long as he stood by San Ge's side and showed his face at the right time, no one in 49 City would dare to bully him again.

  Xue Xiang put down the bowl and handed each of the three men a pack of cigarettes, asking if they had eaten. The three men mumbled incoherently, unable to speak clearly, and Xue Xiang knew for sure that they hadn't eaten.

  It made sense, after all - Beicheng was quite far from his own home, so Kang Xiaobao and Xu Xiaofei wouldn't have had time to eat. And Chen Fosheng was a carefree soul who ate whenever he felt like it; at this moment, he probably hadn't even thought about eating yet.

  Xue Xiang said: "Don't pretend to be polite with me, if you haven't eaten then sit down and eat! It's not worth being so stingy. Fosheng, you're not a stranger here, why are you suddenly being shy? Go get the bowls, chopsticks, and chairs from the kitchen yourself. We won't drink wine at noon, let's save our stomachs for tonight."

  Xue Xiang turned his head to Xiao Wan and said, "Xiao Wan, the food is definitely not enough. Bring over the meat buns and fried dough sticks from this morning. It's hot outside, so it's better to eat them cold." This morning's breakfast was bought in excess, with a large portion prepared for Kang Tong, but who knew that this kid slept in late and rushed off to work after grabbing only one fried dough stick?

  Three people saw Xue Xiang speak, and they didn't pretend to be polite anymore. Chen Fosheng had eaten at Xue Xiang's house before, so he knew where the kitchen was. He led the two of them into the kitchen. Xue Xiang saw that Chen Fosheng was very familiar with things, so he asked him to bring over the buns and fried dough sticks from the cabinet together, saving Xiaowan a bit of trouble.

  Everyone sat down, the small table was already piled up, only a little guy occupied a corner, put the bowl on it, and was gnawing on a chicken leg. Several people had just picked up their bowls when they heard the door sound again, followed by the ringing of bicycle bells, and it turned out that Kang Tong, Lei Xiaotian, and Zhu Shijun had arrived. Kang Tong and Lei Xiaotian were wearing police uniforms and caps, both of them tall and majestic, wearing short-sleeved police uniforms with a heroic air. Several people were carrying things in their hands, which were bought at the state-run snack shop on Lao Tianqiao Bridge, preparing to have lunch at Xue Xiang's house, but they didn't know that the line was too long, and everyone here had already started eating.

  Three more people joined, and the small desk was obviously not enough. Lei Xiaotian went into the main room and brought over the square table that they usually used for breakfast, which Sun Qianjin had brought back last time. He added bowls and chopsticks, and put out four large plates of braised dishes: pig's ears, small sausages, fragrant pork feet, and peanuts. As soon as the food was on the table, Zhu Shijun saw that everyone had rice in front of them and became unhappy, shouting: "A few big masters just eating rice, what's going on? Third brother, pour some wine!"

  Chen Fosheng took over and said, "Zhu Ge, San Ge is setting up a banquet tonight, let's just enjoy ourselves tonight." Kang Xiaobao and Xu Xiaofei were actually quite in favor of Zhu Shijun's opinion. They hadn't eaten such a sumptuous meal for some time, and seeing the fat pig ears made their inner wine worms stir with excitement. However, they had self-awareness and didn't speak up since they weren't yet on that level with Xue Xiang and his group.

  Zhu Shijun said, "I know about the banquet tonight, we're going to have a good time, but we can't be gloomy at noon, right? Wouldn't that be a waste of this great pig's ear and peanuts? These good things are specifically bought for drinking, we lined up for a long time to buy them, are we just going to eat them with rice? And stop calling me Zhu Ge, people might think you're calling Er Shixiong, call me Jun Ge." After finishing speaking, Zhu Shijun asked Kang Tong for the key and went into the house to get wine. After becoming rich, Xue Xiang bought a lot of good cigarettes and wine, all placed in Kang Tong's room, whoever was out of stock would go in and replenish themselves.

  Soon, Zhu Shijun came out with two bottles of Maotai and said while walking: "There are seven of us, let's drink less at noon. These two bottles of wine will be enough for everyone to moisten their mouths. After all, we still have to listen to San Ge's arrangement for the banquet in the afternoon."

  Chen Fosheng saw Zhu Shijun take out the wine and quickly rushed into the kitchen to find a wine cup. This kid had been wanting to drink for a long time, and his earlier reminder was just his way of provoking him. Now that his plan had succeeded, he ran faster than anyone else.

  It didn't take long to finish the meal, and after a few clinks of glasses, the two bottles of wine were basically gone. After dinner, several people helped Xiaowan clean up the things, and then they sat under the grape arbor, smoking and cooling off, discussing the evening's banquet. The little guy was full and felt a bit sleepy, and he didn't want to bother Xue Xiang, so he went back to Xue Xiang's room for a nap. Xiao Yi and her sister also returned to their room to do their summer homework.

  "Third Brother, how many people are coming tonight? How many tables should we set up?" The speaker was Xu Xiaofei. After being scolded by Xue Xiang that one time, he had become more honest and had even come to Xue Xiang's house a few times to deliver stamps. As they interacted more, Xu Xiaofei felt that Xue Xiang was easy to talk to, reasonable, and had a gentle temperament. He couldn't understand why the big brother of the gang was like a scholar. Therefore, he began to imitate Xue Xiang, trying his best to become a gang leader with some class. Even when talking to Hou Xiaochun and others, he no longer shouted or cursed, and even gave out fewer beatings. Hou Xiaochun and others thought that Da Fei Ge was still recovering from the shock of being scolded last time and wanted to take him to the hospital for a check-up. Xu Xiaofei said calmly that he was fine, just trying hard to learn how to be a gang leader with some style. When he said this, Hou Xiaochun and others became even more worried and tried to take Xu Xiaofei to the clinic. Xu Xiaofei struggled free from their grasp, furious, and gave them a few big beatings. His dream of becoming a classy and dignified gang leader was thus crushed. Every time he thought about it at midnight, Xu Xiaofei would shed tears: "It's not that I'm too bad, it's just that the world is changing too fast."

  Lei Xiaotian took over and said, "How many tables? Add a ten to the back of each table to see if it's enough. The big brothers of various circles in the four cities and eight districts will definitely get it, and the brothers who sent stamps will definitely be invited. There are also some friends who have been taken care of by San Ge who need to come. It's really hard to say how many people will come now, but when the time comes, we can't drive them away."

  Xue Xiang was also a bit worried at this time. It's not good to socialize too much either. When inviting guests, it's not good to miss anyone, and he was a bit entangled for a while.

  Kang Xiaobao saw Xue Xiang was somewhat embarrassed, and hastily offered a plan: "Third brother, I think you don't have to worry about it. Anyway, the news of your banquet has already spread, those who should come will naturally come, there's no need to send out invitations. Those who sent postcards will definitely come, and your friends will surely hear about it too. Just wait until we decide on a location for the banquet and spread the word." Kang Xiaobao was indeed familiar with receiving guests and socializing, and he understood this set of procedures for inviting guests very well.

  Xue Xiang listened to Kang Xiao Ba's words and smiled: "Alright, Xiao Ba, it's settled then. The location is set at the old factory area of Hua Lian Wood Factory, just south of Hu Tong Kou on Tuanjie Bridge Road. The old factory area has been abandoned for a long time, but there's a spacious workshop inside that's about 500-600 square meters in size. It's very clean and can fit 30-40 tables without any issues. I've already spoken with Sun Qianjin's uncle and made arrangements. Once everything is ready, we'll head over to set up."

  Chen Fosheng was taken aback, "Why not set up a restaurant? What's the point of going to a wooden factory?" He asked curiously. "Third brother, are you short on money? If so, I can sneak some from Lao Touzi, his money is tightly locked away, but it's hard for him to keep me out." After finishing speaking, he looked at everyone with satisfaction, only to suddenly discover that everyone's expression was not right, especially Kang Xiaobao and Xu Xiaofei, who had a look of disdain on their faces. They even pushed the chair that was still some distance away from Chen Fosheng to one side, with an expression that seemed to say they were ashamed to be associated with him. Chen Fosheng was perplexed in his heart, not knowing where he had said something wrong, as he was truly well-intentioned.