04. The Banquet

Meanwhile, after dusk, the banquet will soon begin.

The invited guests started getting ready to enter the designated place. The heads of families accompanied by their wives and sons and daughters came dressed in regalia from each family.

The men look as dashing as possible and the girls dress up as beautifully as possible so that they look the most attractive among all those present at the event.

The guests immediately arranged themselves in the places provided by the organizers. they were served with great distinction by servants in special uniforms from the Guo Family without exception.

The young masters dressed in luxurious hanfu sat together behind the men's table. The rows of ladies' tables are five cubits from the front of the men's tables. they smiled at each other showing their friendliness, although some were cold and only nodded their heads in response if someone greeted them.

"Master Guo Jin and Madam are entering the banquet venue!" The loud voice of the man appointed as the spokesperson made everyone present immediately turn towards the two most important people in the Guo Family.

Guo Jin and his wife came accompanied by four female servants wearing pale yellow chiffon hanfu as a special uniform.

A bright smile spread across the lips of the husband and wife who were in their fifties. the two of them walked while nodding their heads towards the guests.

Guo Jin and Huo Rong, who are Huo Lin's older siblings, Shen Ming's wife, walked behind a table which was at the very end facing the row of guests' tables.

Guo Jin stood up, raised both hands high and spoke in a loud, authoritative voice to start the banquet, "I welcome you to all the Lords and LadiesI would also like to welcome the dashing Young Masters, along with the beautiful Misses! I would like to thank the distinguished guests for their presence at this banquet!"

Guo Jin smiled happily.

the guests exclaimed in unison while clenching their fists. "You are welcome, dear Host!"

"Yes, Yes, Yes." Guo Jin chuckled, nodded his head and then lifted a cup made of brass metal in the shape of a bell.

A female servant swiftly but carefully immediately poured wine from a light blue ceramic teapot until it was almost full. Guo Jin held the cup containing low alcohol rice wine with both palms and raised it high.

"Let's start this banquet with a toast together!" Guo Jin raised the cup of wine to all the guests who were still standing then drank until the contents of the cup were empty.

Guests also do the same thing, to respect the owner of the house. they drank the wine in their respective cups until there was nothing left. Guo Jin then shouted, "Come! I invite you to sit back down, ladies and gentlemen!"

"Come, come!" said several guests.

Everyone returned to their seats.

"Please, ladies and gentlemen, enjoy this modest meal, and forgive us if there is something you don't like or our dish is far from appropriate," said Mrs. Huo Rong with a friendly smile.

"Thank you, Mrs. Guo. everything is more than enough and very special for us," said the lady of the Shi Family.

"Excuse me, Mr. Guo. If I may ask, what is it that makes you hold this large and luxurious banquet?" asked Xiao Jun, the head of the Xiao Family who was sitting next to the man named Yu Shan.

"That's right, Brother Guo. Frankly, we were a little surprised by this quite sudden invitation," said Shi Gao, who is Yu Shan's future in-laws.

While stroking his long beard Guo Jin replied, "Oh that."

He chuckled. "We apologize for this very sudden invitation"We are holding a banquet by inviting Master and his family to attend the Guo residence as an expression of infinite gratitude for God's grace on our family," he answered while stroking his beard.

"A gift from God? What grace is that, Brother Guo?" Shi Gao asked the Shi Family head.

"Is it a gift from His Majesty the Emperor? I heard rumors that Han'er has just been promoted to general. Is that news true, Brother Guo?" Xiao Jun asked again.

Guo Jin fell silent.

However, it didn't last long.

He chuckled again and replied, "That's right, Little Brother Xiao. It seems like there's nothing that can't escape your supervision."