People in the village, believing what you were seeing, were now condemning Jiang Zhou.

“Jiang Da, how can you hit a woman?”

“That’s right, she’s your elder! How can you do it? How unfilial!”

Several individuals were vocal about his faults.

Jiang Zhou remained calm; after all, it was Li Wan who provoked him first.

Wen Yan couldn’t hold back and spoke up: “This is not Zhou-ge’s fault; it’s actually my aunt’s problem.”

He explained the cause and effect in detail. The villagers, there to watch the commotion, were surprised upon hearing this. Some of them liked to take advantage, but blatantly obstructing the business of a married nephew’s husband’s family was considered shameless.

A group of villagers gathered around the entrance of the yard, pointing at Li Wan.

In the past, Li Wan’s reputation in the village was quite good, with a fierce personality but very cunning. Now, her image collapsed instantly.

No matter how thick-skinned Li Wan was, she couldn’t stand the weird looks from so many people, especially her husband, who was so submissive that she was beaten like this. He didn’t do a thing, he seemed glued to the stool and said nothing.

At this time, her two children were biting their fingers and staring at the chicken on the table.

Li Wan’s feet hurt badly, and now her heart hurt too. She gritted her teeth, stood up, and didn’t even care about her family as she covered her face and ran outside.

Li Wan’s husband opened his mouth, too embarrassed to sit there any longer. He reached out and pulled his children out to go outside.

The pair of children were reluctant to part with the fragrant meat on the table and refused to let him pull them. They were so young and they all started crying.

The man couldn’t control them at all, and he was even more at a loss when he saw them crying.

Father and Mother Wen glanced at Jiang Zhou.

Xiao Yi’s hundred days had already become unpleasant. Jiang Zhou didn’t want to cause any more trouble, especially considering that his uncle didn’t mistreat Wen Yan on weekdays.

He said, “Okay, it’s a cold day. Let the two little ones sit down. It’s not easy for them to come here. Uncle, remember to have two more glasses of water and wine.”

With that, no one else said anything, and Wen Yan poured a glass of wine for each of them.

The wine was Jiang Zhou’s homemade rice wine, steamed glutinous rice mixed with koji to ferment. Mother Wen and Wen Yan found it suitable for their taste.

Wen Yuanxing was different. He often traveled afar for business, navigating the small river even in the coldest winter month. Preferring spicy and strong drinks, he enjoyed the specially brewed shochu by Jiang Zhou.

Despite Jiang Zhou promising Wen Yan that it wouldn’t be a grand affair, the banquet he prepared was of high standards.

In the town, when a banquet was hosted, relatives and friends usually set up one or two tables, with an additional table outside for passing villagers. This table was arranged to encourage them to join the celebration and partake in the family’s blessings.

The Wen family’s presentation was noticeably different.

Five cold dishes, five meat dishes, five vegetarian dishes, two soups, and five snacks adorned the table, all carefully prepared, not just for show.

Sometimes less affluent families might serve perfunctory dishes for appearance, including stir-fried sauerkraut and wild vegetables. In contrast, Jiang Zhou served chicken, duck, and fish, with each snack more exquisite than the last.

Lu Dalang pointed to a fried item with yellowed sides and asked, “Is this a rice cake?”

It looked like one, but the texture was different—more like a noodle cake.

Jiang Zhou explained: “This is rice tofu. Made by grinding soaked rice into rice milk and solidifying it. Named for its resemblance to tofu, it retains the sweet taste of rice.” He sliced and fried the rice tofu with garlic sprouts.

After a couple of rounds of toasting, Wen Yan brought Xiao Yi out from the back room.

The three-month-old child was curious, looking around with round eyes. He reached into Wen Yan’s neck, poking his head out and repeating the movement.

Concerned Xiao Yi might tire Wen Yan, Jiang Zhou took him over, saying, “Let me hold him.”

In Jiang Zhou’s arms, Xiao Yi settled down, no longer as fussy as when he was with Wen Yan.

Some teased Xiao Yi for “bullying the weak and fearing the strong.”

Lu Dalang inquired, “Has Xiao Yi’s name been chosen?”

“It’s ready, it’s Jiang Rendong.”

Surprised, Lu Dalang asked, “What does this mean?”

Jiang Zhou smiled and said nothing, leaving it to interpretation. Lu Dalang took out two small gold bracelets from his arms, saying, “I don’t have anything fancy, so I gave him these two small gold locks.”

Wen Yan inspected the quality of the gold bracelet, realizing it was pure gold. Puzzled by the generous gift, he expressed concern, “How can we accept such a valuable thing? Xiao Yi can’t hold it down!”

Lu Dalang shook his head, saying, “You can keep it for him until he’s older. Speaking of which, I still have something to ask of you.”

Jiang Zhou inquired, “What is it?”

Lu Dalang explained his purpose: “I want to recognize Rendong as my godson. You know, my wife has been injured a few years ago and can’t have children. She has been feeling empty all these years, not even wanting to leave the house. I thought about finding a godson to bring some joy into her life. At least, it might make her happier.”

Lu Dalang’s wife had a tragic incident a few years ago when she fell into the river while crossing. She was rescued but almost lost half her life, and the baby she was carrying also perished. Frozen during the coldest winter, she became completely infertile.

Understanding the situation, Lu Dalang never pressured her. He treated her well, aiming to bring happiness into her life.

Recently, he became close to Jiang Zhou, envying his relationship with Wen Yan. And fond of Xiao Yi, he often spoke about him to his wife, who liked the baby.

Wanting to adopt Xiao Yi as his godson to comfort his wife’s heart, Lu Dalang presented the gold bracelets as a sign of his value for Xiao Yi.

After clarifying his intentions, Jiang Zhou understood but the decision rested with Wen Yan. He cast a questioning look at him, and Lu Dalang, aware that Jiang Zhou would consider Wen Yan’s opinion, looked at him hopefully.

Wen Yan pondered for a moment and nodded solemnly, “Okay.”