Chapter Fifty-One: Hosting a Banquet (Part Two) (Second Update)

In the countryside, holding a banquet is a highly significant affair. Weddings require a banquet, as do milestone birthdays—once one reaches thirty, anyone with some standing in the village will host a grand celebration for every decade thereafter: forty, fifty, and so on. These are called major birthdays, while ordinary birthdays are minor ones. When a child is born, a banquet is also held… Besides these important events, banquets sometimes occur for other reasons, just like today, when Secretary Tao is hosting one for Sha Le’er.

Such a banquet, when hosted by an elder for a junior, also represents, from Secretary Tao’s perspective, a superior supporting a subordinate. The gesture carries weight, signaling the elder’s esteem for the younger and foreshadowing wholehearted support for the junior’s future ambitions. It’s a declaration of allegiance, an announcement to the village that Secretary Tao is now Sha Le’er’s patron.

From now on, anyone thinking of causing trouble for Sha Le’er must first consider whether they’re ready to incur Secretary Tao’s wrath. To trouble Sha Le’er is, in effect, to insult Secretary Tao himself.

Sha Le’er was delighted and understood the meaning behind Secretary Tao’s gesture. Secretary Tao had shown him great respect, and Sha Le’er was truly grateful. But he was no fool—he realized there was more to it. This banquet was also staged for the benefit of Secretary Huang from the township party committee, or more accurately, in honor of him. Since Secretary Huang was attending, the banquet elevated his status as a guest of honor, reflecting well on Secretary Tao as host.

For an event like this, only the most respected villagers would typically be invited. However, with Secretary Huang attending, Secretary Tao kept the guest list exclusive—only the village director, Tao Wen, from his own family, was present.

Le’er and his uncle made their way toward Shangtao Village. It was less than two miles from Xiasha Village. Old Shengtian wasn’t about to show up empty-handed; he brought along a jar of rice wine. This wine, an osmanthus-flavored brew from three years ago, had been made with fragrant glutinous rice, fermented with spring water in equal measure, and carefully sealed.

Locally, such aged wine is renowned and comes with many traditions. If brewed during the peach blossom season in March, it’s called peach blossom wine; in August, when osmanthus blooms, it’s osmanthus wine; September brings chrysanthemum wine. In the last months of the year, villagers don’t name the wine after any flowers, as nothing is in bloom, and the heat of the remaining months makes brewing inadvisable.

A jar of wine aged three years, weighing nearly ten pounds, is no ordinary drink. Only honored guests ever get to taste such a vintage. Secretary Tao’s invitation was a mark of high regard—no one from Xiasha Village had ever dined at his table outside of weddings and funerals. Villagers believe in reciprocation: treat me with respect, and I’ll return it tenfold. Secretary Tao’s status was unassailable, and making connections with him was no easy feat. Now, with a chance to offer fine wine, old Shengtian was seizing the opportunity.

The wine and the dish—Sha Le’er’s signature “Dragon and Phoenix in Harmony”—were packed into a carrying pole. Old Shengtian insisted on carrying the load himself, not letting Le’er bear it, and strode confidently toward Shangtao Village. The clay jar containing the dish was sealed with paper during the cooking process and now tightly covered, preserving the heat and aroma. Sha Le’er’s skill at cooking snake meat was unmatched; the fragrance wouldn’t escape, and all the flavor and nutrition would remain in the broth.

Outside Secretary Tao’s house, two vehicles were parked. Le’er recognized them at once—one belonged to Secretary Huang, the other to Director Xie. Secretary Huang’s car wasn’t much, and Director Xie’s was even worse, the type people jokingly called “resoled shoes.” Le’er hadn’t expected Director Xie to show up in support, and he was deeply moved. Director Xie was well-connected; his elder brother was the director of the county’s public security bureau.

Le’er had always liked Director Xie’s straightforwardness.

“Brother Le’er, we’ve been waiting for you,” Director Xie was the first to spot him. “Hey, you’ve brought a load! Snake meat here—I can smell it—and this must be wine?”

“Brother Xie, this is osmanthus wine my uncle’s been aging for three years.”

“Three-year osmanthus wine?”

Director Xie, a local himself, knew all about aged wine. Every household made their own, but few could resist sampling it long enough to let it mature for three years. To achieve that, three things were needed: skillful brewing, proper sealing so the aroma didn’t escape, and, most importantly, self-control to resist temptation. The first two were common enough, but few had the discipline for the third.

Director Xie quietly drew Le’er aside.

“Brother Le’er, the wine and food are excellent, but nothing compares to snake whip wine. Secretary Huang had a taste and was invigorated, ha… You killed a snake today, didn’t you keep that part?”

“Yes, of course,” Le’er replied with a grin, producing a small bottle of snake whip wine and handing it to Director Xie. “I don’t have many male snakes in my serpentarium right now, but once the numbers go up, there’ll be no shortage of snake whip wine.”

Director Xie clapped him heartily on the shoulder, beaming.

“Good man! If you ever need anything, just come to me.”

They entered the house, and Secretary Huang, seeing Director Xie’s pleased expression, knew he’d received something special. He smiled and greeted Le’er warmly. Village director Tao Wen, noticing how close Director Xie and Le’er were, felt a pang of envy. When he saw Secretary Huang warmly inviting Le’er to sit next to him, the feeling intensified.

With Le’er’s arrival, the banquet could begin.

There are rules for seating: the table has four sides—main seat, lower seat, and two side seats. Here, the main seat is always reserved for the most respected elder. Secretary Huang naturally took the main seat. He wanted Le’er beside him, but Le’er firmly declined and sat to his left. The host wanted Director Xie at the main seat, but he refused, insisting on sitting next to Le’er.

In the end, the main seat went to the venerable Secretary Tao.

Just as the meal was about to begin, a vehicle pulled up outside. Tao Wen hurried out and returned, beaming. It was the Tao family’s third son, Tao Shirong.

“Uncle, what brings you back?”

“You rascal, what kind of question is that? This is my home—why wouldn’t I come back?”

Tao Shirong was tall and thin, with sharp, clever eyes.

“That’s not what I meant…”

Tao Shirong just laughed, patted him on the shoulder, and strode into the main hall.

“Third Brother…”

“Elder Brother… Ah, Secretary Huang and Director Xie are here, too.” He glanced at the table laden with food. “I’m in for a treat today! Secretary Huang, Director Xie, you honor us. And this must be nephew Sha Le’er—I haven’t seen you in years, hardly recognized you.”

“Hey… Tao Shirong, are you taking advantage of me?” Secretary Huang, who had been sitting upright all evening, relaxed a bit at Tao Shirong’s arrival and laughed. Tao Shirong was only a deputy director in the county government office, a much lower rank than Secretary Huang.

Tao Shirong looked at Secretary Huang in surprise.

“I call Sha Le’er my brother, and you call him your nephew—aren’t you taking liberties with me?”

“Haha…” Director Xie Wei Jun burst out laughing. “Exactly! I call Le’er my brother too, but you call him your nephew—aren’t you getting a better deal?”

“Well… well…” Tao Shirong scratched his head with a smile. “There’s nothing I can do about that. The Tao and Sha families have lived here for centuries; our generations are fixed. There are ancestral tablets in this house—I wouldn’t dare change our seniority.”

“Alright, you old fox, haha…” Secretary Huang laughed heartily. “Enough joking. Call him what you like, I’ll call him what I like. Heh, I know you’re a shrewd one, Tao Shirong—your promotion must be coming soon?”

“That… I’m afraid it’s unlikely. I’m not looking for advancement; just getting into the county committee office would be enough for me,” Tao Shirong replied with a smile. They all knew that as long as he pleased Secretary Feng, a transfer to the county committee office was easily arranged. Secretary Feng sending his daughter to Taosha Village probably had something to do with these men as well.

Most likely, not only would Tao Shirong transfer to the county committee office, but he might even be promoted, his current deputy position made official. His eagerness to be here today was not just to see his elder brother; his true aim was likely to signal his loyalties to certain people. In officialdom, standing with the right camp is the key to success, provided one has the capital to choose sides. Those without it are lucky to have any position at all.

Tao Shirong, it seemed, had some capital of his own.