After dinner, Qin Huai Ru cleaned up and then placed a plate of peanuts and a wine pot on the table.
The wine pot was just a facade, inside was the Erqu wine that Li Wu Wei had taken from the market. It would only cost a dozen yuan a bottle in the future, but it tasted quite good. The problem was that it would make you feel tipsy after just a few drinks.
After a while, he went to invite the others.
Yan Bu Gui secretly gave a thumbs up. Li Wu Wei was a smooth operator, shameless, he really invited everyone over!
“Come, come, come in! Huai Ru, come over and pour the wine.”
Li Wu Wei had already started to put on airs, don’t underestimate peanuts as a drinking snack, not everyone could afford them.
“Alright, brother!”
Qin Huai Ru poured four glasses of wine with the wine pot and then said, “Third Master, Uncle He, Sha Zhu, you guys drink, I still have some work to do in the kitchen.”
“Okay, okay, Qin Jie, go ahead and get busy.”
Sha Zhu held his wine cup, thinking, Qin Jie is such a good person, tomorrow he must make sure the food is good.
“Cough…”
He Da Qing coughed. This unfilial son, he had already left the house, yet he was still watching!
Yan Bu Gui followed up and said, “Li Wu Wei, tell us about it first.”
“Okay, here’s the thing.”
Li Wu Wei explained, “Tomorrow, I’m inviting everyone in the courtyard to a wedding feast. Third Master will be the accountant. The gifts have already been collected. I’m planning to set up ten tables.
Then, I’ve also invited five tables of my coworkers from the factory. These colleagues will only eat lunch.
That means we’ll be setting up fifteen tables at noon with elaborate dishes. In the evening, ten tables with half meat and half vegetables.
As for the funds, besides the gifts from the courtyard, I’m expecting to receive about one hundred and twenty yuan from my coworkers.
All the money, not a single cent left, will be spent, just to make sure everyone is happy to attend my wedding to Qin Huai Ru.”
Yan Bu Gui nodded and took over the conversation, “Including the gift from your family, Old He, the wedding feast will probably cost about two hundred yuan.
This is what I’m thinking, we’ll set aside fifty yuan for peanuts, melon seeds, candy, cigarettes, and alcohol.
Fifteen tables at noon, eight yuan per table, which would cost one hundred and twenty yuan.
Ten tables at night, three yuan per table, which would cost thirty, that’s enough to eat.”
He Da Qing thought for a moment and said, “If you calculate it like this, plus cigarettes and alcohol, each table at noon will cost ten yuan, it’s going to be quite a feast.”
“That’s right, our courtyard will be the talk of the town, it’s a happy occasion.”
As Yan Bu Gui spoke, his hands were not idle. He picked up a peanut and popped it into his mouth, then took a sip of wine. He couldn’t help but feel happy, he had made a good deal!
Li Wu Wei suddenly chimed in, “The plan is fine, it’s just that I don’t have any money. The coworkers can only give gifts after they arrive.
But we need to buy supplies this morning, I think this is the best solution, Uncle He, you have a good amount of money, just cover the shortfall, it’s only a little over one hundred yuan.”
“Me? Cover the shortfall? That’s not right!”
He Da Qing stopped his chopsticks. It turned out that he came here to drink and give a gift, help his son for free, and then he had to borrow money? He might as well go to the Jia family for the wedding feast!
Who knew Li Wu Wei would change his tune, “Sha Zhu, you’re almost a full year into your apprenticeship, you’ve been paying your father a lot of money, you must have saved some right?”
Sha Zhu said happily, “Of course, I pay fifteen yuan every month. Dad, just use my money to cover it first, it’s just a temporary solution.”
He Da Qing’s face immediately darkened, “What do you mean my money? You don’t eat or spend money? And your sister Yu Shui, she spends money too!”
“Uncle He, you won’t tell me you can’t even come up with a little over one hundred yuan? Sha Zhu works hard every day to earn money. You better not waste it. Did you give the money to that runaway White Widow?”
Li Wu Wei had plenty of ways to force He Da Qing to pay, but as always, he didn’t want to push him too hard. What if he got angry and secretly put some castor beans in the food, that would be a disaster.
Sha Zhu was startled, “Dad, you won’t let Li Wu Wei guess right, what about the money I gave you to keep?”
“It’s here, it’s all here. It’s just over one hundred yuan, I’ll cover it.”
He Da Qing’s eyes were a little shifty. He had some money, but not as much as Sha Zhu thought.
Yan Bu Gui pushed up his glasses, thinking, this widow is quite harmful. If he remembers correctly, He Da Qing’s father had run away with a widow.
Sha Zhu looked at his father, suddenly feeling a little suspicious. Was his money still there?
Maybe, he should stop paying his father his wages next month. He’d give his father some living expenses every month, and he would save the rest. He needed to get married in the future.
“Alright, alright, that’s settled. Third Master, you and Uncle He discuss the shopping list and then assign tasks to the other wives.
This is for our own consumption. I’m using my coworkers’ gifts for this, tomorrow’s lunch feast must be well-prepared, we need to serve plenty of elaborate dishes.”
Li Wu Wei saw his chance and stepped in to mediate.
“I’ve already drafted the list, Old He, take a look and tell me if this arrangement is okay. You and Sha Zhu will be the head chefs tomorrow.
Everyone will send someone to help you. We’ll all work together to make this wedding grand and lively.”
No matter how you calculated it, Yan Bu Gui had gained something.
Because the coworkers’ gifts were more, and they had fewer people coming, while there were many people in the courtyard, they gave relatively fewer gifts, and they could eat two meals.
In this matter, although Li Wu Wei was hosting a grand wedding for free, he didn’t actually make any money, it just made it impossible for him to criticize him. He had just tricked the Jia family.
While Yan Bu Gui and He Da Qing were discussing, Li Wu Wei discreetly called Sha Zhu outside.
Sha Zhu was absentmindedly looking towards the kitchen, thinking, has Qin Jie finished her work? He wondered if he could go and talk to her for a while.
“Sha Zhu!”
“What’s up?”
Sha Zhu was startled when he came to his senses.
“Want a smoke?”
Li Wu Wei offered him a cigarette. This Sha Zhu smoked too.
“Oh, sure, thanks!”
Sha Zhu lit a cigarette happily, thinking that he should snag a pack of cigarettes to save for later when he helped out in the kitchen tomorrow.
“Sha Zhu, you’re eighteen this year, you’ll turn nineteen next year.
You need to think about yourself. Your father almost ran away with the widow last time, there’s no guarantee he won’t do it again.
So, you need to save your own money.”
Li Wu Wei patted Sha Zhu on the shoulder. Only he could lay flat in this courtyard. He Da Qing was only forty, he couldn’t just stay in the courtyard, he needed to be forced to go out and work.
“You’re right.”
Sha Zhu thought about his father’s eyes when he borrowed money, maybe there wasn’t much savings left at home.
Wait, Sha Zhu suddenly realized, Li Wu Wei actually didn’t spend a single penny for this wedding for Qin Jie.
It was all paid for by the gifts from the courtyard and the money he had saved. He still needed to make up for the shortfall with his coworkers’ gifts.
Was this how he did things? Wasn’t this tricking over a hundred people into paying for the wedding!