After Wang An finished speaking, Sun Dafu said quite readily
"Use it! The people of our village spent the money to install it, use it as you please."
Wang An gave a nod of agreement, plugged in the microphone and speaker on the table, tested the effect with a couple of "hellos," and then spoke directly into the microphone
"Men and women of our Kaoshan Village, this is Wang An. This afternoon, my family is hosting a full-month feast for the two children. Right now, immediately, everyone hurry over to my house for drinks! I won't be going door-to-door to invite you."
After saying it once, Wang An repeated it a second time before turning off the microphone.
Once Wang An turned it off, a villager surnamed Niu, who was also staying at the village headquarters, suddenly said to Wang An with a smirk
"Xiao An, you've got no sincerity here. Inviting people for drinks without going door-to-door, is that appropriate? Huh? Hahahaha... Anyway, if it were me, I definitely wouldn't go, hahahaha."
Although this man spoke in a smiling tone, it had to be admitted that saying this in such a setting meant he absolutely had no good intentions.
As soon as the words left his mouth, the cheerful atmosphere in the village headquarters suddenly froze.
Logically speaking, there was nothing wrong with what he said, because inviting people for drinks really should be done by visiting them in person; after all, it was a matter of etiquette.
But then again, everyone lived in the same village. This kind of invitation was essentially just a notification—if you come, you'll be hosted; if you don't, so be it. Etiquette, in this case, was practically optional.
Mainly, even among those who would bring a few meager gifts to Wang An's house to show their goodwill, not every single household would send someone. In every village, there is always a small group of people who cannot bear to part with a few eggs or two catties of white flour.
People like that are generally not wanted as guests, and others are often too lazy to even acknowledge them.
However, there is a very frustrating aspect of rural life: when it comes to inviting people for drinks, inviting one person but not another—this kind of intentional snubbing is what breeds the most resentment.
No one will say that the person didn't bring a single cent or that they were too lazy themselves; everyone will only say that you are tactless because you left them out specifically.
There was no helping it; that was just how things worked.
Wang An naturally understood what the man meant. He was simply trying to make Wang An lose face in front of everyone or try to exert some dominance over him. But with Wang An's temperament, how could he possibly indulge such a person?
As soon as the man finished speaking, Wang An said with a smile
"It's fine. One more of you wouldn't be too many, and one less of you isn't a loss. It's even better if you don't go; it saves me money, hehehehe."
Although Wang An's tone was neither hurried nor angry, the words were quite blunt, directly shutting the man up.
For this kind of pure petty person—especially one who lacked actual strength but loved to put on airs and lecture others—Wang An didn't even bother considering his phrasing, nor did he want to leave the man any face.
Mainly, this guy took himself far too seriously.
After Wang An spoke, Sun Xiangfeng chimed in
"Exactly. Why so many complications over some drinks? It's great just to have something to drink. Besides, what kind of food does Xiao An's family serve? If you're not going, fine; I am."
As he spoke, Sun Xiangfeng stood up and walked toward the exit.
It must be said that Sun Xiangfeng's "divine follow-up" was absolutely crisp and clean, practically like delivering a slap to the face of the villager surnamed Niu.
As Sun Xiangfeng stood up to leave, the members of the militia, Village Chief Sun Dafu, and Accountant Li Youcai all stood up one after another, shouting
"I'm going too! I'm going too! There's good wine and food waiting, why wouldn't I go?"
Just like that, everyone followed him out, laughing.
With the whole group cooperating, the slap to the face was even more pronounced. The villager surnamed Niu's face turned white and then red, his lips twitching several times, but in the end, he couldn't say a word.
In fact, this villager was named Niu Chengliang, and he was of Sun Dafu's generation. He had only moved back from out of town a few years ago. It was said that he had been a teacher in the past, but he had been dealt with quite severely during those special years.
Because of his seniority and his history as a teacher, his biggest flaw in the village was his habit of frequently lecturing others. Out of respect for his seniority, the villagers usually gave him face.
Who would have thought that this time, he would provoke a reckless person like Wang An, who didn't care about him at all? Being slapped in the face and stripped of his dignity was an inevitable outcome.
Everyone had left, and no one paid him any mind. He stood there in a daze for a long time before finally walking out of the village headquarters alone.
Truth be told, looking only at his lonely figure, one might actually find him quite pitiful. But as the saying goes, "the pitiful always have something hateful about them, and the hateful always have a tragic side." This kind of person was truly disgusting.
By the time Wang An led the group home, the villagers who had heard his announcement over the loudspeaker had already begun arriving in succession.
Mainly, who in all of Kaoshan Village didn't know that the food at Wang An's house was excellent? With such a rare opportunity to eat and drink their fill, only a fool wouldn't cherish it.
When building his house, Wang An had bought quite a lot of plates and bowls, but this time, while most households sent one person, many brought their children along, so Wang An's supplies were still insufficient.
Consequently, these relatives hurried back to their own homes to contribute their own plates, bowls, and tables.
In the end, all one hundred-plus people were able to eat.
Although there were only four dishes, the women kept bringing out basins of food to refill the tables, so the portions were more than enough.
Most importantly, the staple food Wang An prepared was steamed rice, cooked at a ratio of 8 taels of rice per person. He used a full 90 catties of rice.
Fragrant steamed rice, paired with fragrant meat and vegetables, and a large jar of fragrant sorghum liquor—Wang An's full-month feast left the villagers completely stuffed and satisfied.
Two days later, just as dawn was breaking, Wang An, Wang Li, Mu Xueli, and Huang Zhong sat on a sledge pulled by the eldest son's horse.
Behind Wang An's sledge was Mu Xueli's horse-drawn sledge, and behind Mu Xueli's was Wang Li's horse-drawn sledge.
Surrounding the three-sledge train was a large pack of dogs and four wolves.
It must be said that to those who knew, this formation meant they were heading into the mountains for a hunt; to those who didn't, it looked like they were going to war.
Indeed, the four of them were heading into the mountains to hunt. This was the first time since the start of winter that Wang An had led a team into the mountains for a dog hunt.
Sitting on the sledge and looking at the endless rolling mountains in the distance, Wang An felt an immense sense of comfort. He realized that the deep mountains were truly the place best suited for him.
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(End of Chapter)