The Tang family felt wronged; they hadn't provoked the Li family. It was one of their daughters-in-law, along with her family, who had offended the Li family.
That daughter-in-law was relying on the influence of her maternal family, the Tu family, which had nothing to do with the Tang family.
They had already been targeted by the other families working together. One shouldn't always pick on the weakest.
The eldest son of the Tang family sat next to Elder Master Shen and quietly explained their grievance to him.
Elder Master Shen shook his head, "Whether you are wronged or not, you know best. If one stands upright, one need not fear a crooked shadow, correct?"
The eldest son of the Tang family gave a wry smile, "Grandfather-in-law, among businessmen, none are truly upright."
Elder Master Shen chuckled, "Then it depends on the scale of the matter. Water too pure yields no fish, but one cannot disregard the law either."
The eldest son of the Tang family patted his chest, "Rest assured, we wouldn't dare to that extent."
"What does it have to do with me?" Elder Master Shen picked up his chopsticks and took some food, "A rare delicacy."
The eldest son of the Tang family no longer bothered Elder Master Shen and returned to his own table, shaking his head at Tang Second Master, who was looking at him with anticipation.
Tang Second Master's expression darkened.
His wife, Tu Lihua, who was also Shen Xiaohui's sister-in-law, asked Tang Eldest Master, "Eldest Brother, what did Elder Master Shen say?"
Tang Eldest Master shook his head, "He didn't say anything."
Tu Lihua didn't believe him.
This eldest brother-in-law was the most insidious and cunning.
She turned to look at Tian Jing, who was toasting over there, her face still showing jealousy and resentment.
She got up and went to her maternal family's table. Her parents were present, but she hadn't had a chance to speak with Tian Jing.
Tang Eldest Master took the opportunity to whisper to Tang Second Master, "Divorce her. Let the attention shift to the Tu family."
Tang Second Master hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
...
Soon, they reached the Tu family's table. Old Madam Tu smiled and placed a large red envelope on the toasting tray.
Li Weibiao returned the red envelope to Old Madam Tu, stating that he did not accept red envelopes from strangers.
Shen Jianrong pursed her lips and secretly chuckled. So, trying to bribe my son-in-law? Dream on!
Old Madam Tu's smile remained unchanged as she placed the red envelope back on the tray held by the groomsman, "How can we be strangers? I am Shen Xiaoping's mother-in-law. We are all connected by marriage."
Li Weibiao took the red envelope down again and returned it to her, "The term 'in-laws' has been used first, and there has been no change in address. I cannot accept this red envelope. Please enjoy your meal. We are moving to the next table."
After the group of six offering toasts left, Tu Lihua said to her mother, "The Tang family didn't accept it either, and neither did the Gong, Cai, Huang, and Wu families earlier."
Old Madam Tu glared at her eldest daughter, "Instead of going back to secure your husband's heart, why are you sitting here?"
Tu Lihua said dismissively, "We're all decades old, am I afraid he'll have a mistress outside?"
Old Madam Tu pointed at her daughter, "You argue with me about everything. Your father hasn't gotten any useful information, and the matter is still unresolved."
"What's the big deal?" Speaking of the Li family, Tu Lihua was even more nonchalant, "You and Father are just worrying needlessly. Didn't we come to the wedding smoothly?"
Old Madam Tu looked at the red envelope still in her hand. Could a gift of two hundred yuan erase the humiliation and insult?
Was that possible? These weren't some incapable bumpkins from out of town.
As the banquet ended, many guests bid farewell to Yu Jinghai and his wife and departed.
The Tang family glanced at the Gong, Cai, Wu, and Tu families gathered around the host's table, then promptly got up to leave.
Shen Jianrong, who was seeing guests off at the main entrance, called out to the eldest son of the Tang family and returned four hundred yuan in gift money to him and Tang Second Master:
"Our Yu family and your Tang family have never had any dealings. Please take back this gift money."
The eldest son of the Tang family accepted it, along with his brother's share, "Today was truly an imposition. Apologies."
"It's fine," Shen Jianrong replied faintly, then gestured towards the outside to escort them out.
Tang Second Master didn't understand why his elder brother accepted the gift money. The eldest son of the Tang family gave his younger brother a sideways glance and said nothing.
Could he tell his foolish brother that this signified that the Shen, Yu, and Li families would jointly move against their six families?
It was better for their Tang family, as they had only engaged in minor skirmishes. He would quickly make amends once he returned.
Among the remaining five families, the two Gong brothers were the most talkative. Since it was inconvenient to bother Tian Jing, they cornered Ouyang Lei for a chat.
As the banquet was nearing its end, Han Lu Shi left with Li Weili.
Li Weihao also left.
Li Weiyan was a groomsman and wanted to chat more with Li Wanzhen, so he stayed.
Chen An was annoyed by the talkative bridesmaid and could only trail after Li Weiyan, disregarding his second cousin's glares.
Li Weiyu, on the other hand, was handling the situation with ease. No matter what the bridesmaids said to him, he could respond appropriately.
If sensitive questions were asked, he would simply make things up, which instead drew both bridesmaids' attention.
Chen An breathed a sigh of relief.
Li Weiyan cast a glance at his cousin, "Really capable."
When Tian Jing finally sat down to rest, the Gong, Huang, Tu, Cai, and Wu families all gathered around her.
Tian Jing frowned, "Do you need something?"
Gong Eldest Master pushed forward a box, "This is an apology. That day..."
Tian Jing pushed the box back, interrupting him, "As a country bumpkin, I am not qualified to accept apologies. You don't need to apologize either. We are indeed country bumpkins."
Since becoming a big boss and leaving the alley, Gong Eldest Master hadn't encountered someone so unyielding in a long time.
"What are your demands? As long as I can fulfill them and you are appeased."
Tian Jing shook her head, "I have no demands, nor am I angry. Don't project your own feelings onto others."
With that, she stood up, "Gentlemen, I need to rest. You are all welcome to do as you please."
Li Zhengguo accompanied his wife to the kitchen. At this point, only the kitchen offered some peace.
In the kitchen, Yuan Feng was eating in a corner with the chef and Yuan Jiyong. Seeing Tian Jing and Li Zhengguo enter, she asked if they wanted to join.
Tian Jing shook her head, "I just came in to rest. It's too bothersome outside with so many people."
Yuan Feng understood, "How many tables are prepared for the evening?"
Tian Jing thought about the host's table arrangements for the day and said, "Six tables. After you're done, take Yuan Yuan and her father and go back to rest."
"Alright."
Yuan Feng was also tired. She had been working on preparations all night and was quite busy.
Private catering wasn't like this; private caterers didn't handle such large banquets. If she hadn't gotten used to preparing banquets in Kushan, she wouldn't have been able to manage.
In Kushan, as long as the taste was good, even a mixed feast would suffice.
This banquet, however, required excellence in appearance, aroma, and taste. This was why Tian Jing had asked her to come.
Outside, after Tian Jing left, the Gong brothers found Elder Master Shen again, wanting him to accept the gifts on their behalf.
Elder Master Shen refused. Regardless of whether it was Tian Jing, no one would easily forgive.
Moreover, the Gong family wanted to bid for the engineering projects of Jingyuan Company, which was wishful thinking.
Since the gifts couldn't be delivered and Ouyang Lei had disappeared somewhere, the Gong brothers could only take their leave.
Seeing that the Gong family had returned empty-handed, the Tu family knew their gifts wouldn't be accepted either and also took their leave.
The two families were stopped by Shen Jianrong at the main entrance, and their gift money was returned.
Gong Eldest Master squinted, "Cousin-in-law, although we haven't had any prior interactions, we are legitimate in-laws. Why can't this gift money be accepted?"
Shen Jianrong shook her head, "I have returned the gift money from every family I've interacted with for the first time."
With that, Shen Jianrong forcefully put the gift money into Mrs. Gong's hand,
"Mrs. Gong, I have only one daughter, and you have both a son and a daughter. I cannot reciprocate."
"I only accept gift money from families with whom I have exchanged gifts. Please do not associate with us poor people."
Shen Jianrong had spoken so plainly, yet Gong Eldest Master did not get angry. He nodded,
"Alright, then we will not involve monetary exchanges between our two families."
After leaving the compound, Mrs. Gong asked her husband, "What does Shen Jianrong mean by returning the gift money?"
Gong Eldest Master looked at his wife, "If your brain were as smart as it is today, you wouldn't have caused such a big mess for me."
"It can't be that serious, can it?" Mrs. Gong didn't believe it, "I was called a bumpkin before, and I didn't do anything to them!"
"That's because I was incompetent," Gong Eldest Master didn't blame his wife. His wife had shallow vision and had suffered too much humiliation before.
"If I had been capable, you wouldn't have needed to put on airs, and they wouldn't have dared to call you a bumpkin."
"Actually, they looked down on us hangers-on, deliberately labeling you as a bumpkin."
Weren't those people also newcomers to the capital after the founding of the country?
Simply because they lived in the compound, they felt superior.