On the day of the birthday celebration, the Jiang Family got up early.
Jiang Li began decorating the banquet site at four in the morning.
Jiang Cheng felt sorry for her having to get up so early and helped her with the arrangements.
As for Jiang Yan, he had come back late last night and had been fast asleep ever since, oblivious to the noise in the backyard.
By dawn, the tables and chairs in the backyard had already been set up.
Each table and chair set was in the new Chinese style, adorned with gold-rimmed tableware, refined and elegant.
The servants were arranging freshly arrived flowers on the tables while quietly murmuring amongst themselves.
"Usually, we put up two or three tables at the hotel, but this year, the young miss set up twelve tables in the backyard. Can we really expect that many guests?"
"Indeed, those tables and chairs look expensive."
"Money is not the issue. The family business made a good profit this year; what a pity it would be if the young miss’s efforts turned out to be a waste."
"Exactly, and there’s also a huge stage set up behind the lawn. That stage alone cost over two hundred thousand. It’d really be a waste if no one showed up."
Jiang Cheng heard their quiet discussions and approached with a stern face.
"Aren’t you supposed to be working instead of gossiping? Sister has her reasons for her arrangements. Who are you to judge?"
The young maids quickly ran off with flushed faces.
Meanwhile, Jiang Li continued with the preparations—
"...The third young master is still at the training camp and won’t be back today, no need to prepare his utensils... As for the Third Aunt’s side, they probably won’t come either, no need to prepare for them."
Upon hearing that Jiang Shixu wouldn’t return, Jiang Cheng’s eyes lit up, and he hurried over to confirm the news.
"Sister, Shixu really isn’t coming back?"
"Yes," Jiang Li nodded. "It was possible originally, but their regiment’s schedule advanced to today. He couldn’t make it back."
Jiang Cheng was secretly thrilled.
Did this mean Sister would be his alone for the entire day?
Seeing that it was almost time, Jiang Li instructed people to stand at the entrance to welcome the guests.
Old Man Jiang had been awake for a while, but he stayed in his room, reluctant to go down.
His face looked somber as he gazed at the empty tables in the backyard, his expression growing even sterner.
Every previous birthday banquet, when they sent out invitations to old friends, some would decline, others wouldn’t show up.
Eventually, they barely managed to fill two or three tables.
His rivals had mocked him for this. fгeewebnovёl.com
Before today’s celebration had even started, those old men knew Jiang Li had sent out a hundred invitations.
They almost came knocking on his door to mock him—
"Old Man Jiang, I hear your eldest granddaughter set up twelve tables for you this year and even hired a chef from abroad. Quite filial of her."
"It seems the Old Jiang family made a handsome profit this year to afford such a grand setup."
"All that glamor is fine, as long as it doesn’t end up being a waste when no one shows up."
"Well, some of us still need to show support, don’t we?"
The loudest among them was Old Man Cheng from the house across. He often boasted about his grandson’s achievements, but Jiang Cheng consistently outperformed him, leaving him looking grumpy and stiff every time he passed by the Jiang Mansion.
The Cheng Family had been wealthy for generations and had always looked down on the Jiang Family.
Previously, when the Jiang family’s business was struggling, Old Man Cheng would act pretentious among this group of elder men.
However, this year, with the Jiang family thriving, the old men at the tea party began to suck up to Jiang Zhao Yuan, which irked him even more.
On the day of the birthday banquet, he woke up even earlier than Jiang Zhao Yuan, solely to witness the Jiang Family make a fool of themselves.
They had set up the banquet in their own courtyard. If less than two tables of people showed up, it would have been nothing short of a huge joke.
Jiang Zhao Yuan was no stranger to these old men’s thoughts; because of this, he felt even more disgraced.
He had previously warned Jiang Li not to make it so grand, but Jiang Li had seriously refused him.
She said she had her own plans.
Seeing that even his granddaughter was arguing with him, Jiang Zhao Yuan was even more displeased.
Jiang Ye had called out three times in succession, and three times he waved his hands, refusing to go down.
He didn’t want to stand at the front door and be humiliated by the Cheng Family!
He was unwilling, but Jiang Li had already gone to stand there early.
The invitation stated the time was ten o’clock.
Soon, a car stopped in front of the Jiang Mansion.
Bai Lu was the first to get out of the car, and seeing Jiang Li standing at the entrance, she immediately blushed with joy.
"Lili, have you been waiting long? Sorry, there was a bit of a traffic jam on the way, so we got delayed."
Jiang Li smiled and said, "It’s fine. I just came out. Follow the servant inside and have some snacks in the front hall first."
Luo Xingmu followed closely behind and got out. He lived near Bai Lu, so they had arranged to come together.
Once out of the car, he didn’t go inside; instead, he stood by Jiang Li like a door god.
"Sister Jiang, it’s so cold outside and you’re still waiting for us. I’m deeply touched. Let me stay with you."
Before he had finished speaking, he received a death glare from Jiang Cheng.
Who is this arrogant man?
How dare he call his sister "sister"?
Fortunately, a voice soon stopped him.
— "Scram, scram, scram! Who asked you to stick around my sister? If you’re not going inside to sit, you might as well go back home and not come at all."
The voice came from Jiang Yan.
He had rarely gotten up from bed, dressed neatly.
Outside, it was below ten degrees, yet he still wore a suit under his down jacket.
Jiang Li suspected something was up.
"What are you up to?"
Jiang Yan twirled the car keys in his hand.
"My assistant said there’s no one at her house and her parents took her car. Considering how she takes such good care of me usually, I thought I should pick her up myself."
Jiang Cheng opened his mouth in surprise, "Since when have you been so kind-hearted?"
Jiang Yan scoffed, "Please, I’ve always been kind-hearted, alright? I’m leaving now."
Not long afterward, Wen Jiaojiao and Shu Yan also arrived, placing their gifts down before sitting together in the front hall.
The Cheng Family observed everything from across the street.
Old Man Cheng’s eldest son, while cracking sunflower seeds, clicked his tongue, "Dad, didn’t you say that no one would go to Old Man Jiang’s birthday banquet? It looks like quite a few people have shown up."
Mr. Cheng snorted coldly, "What do you know? These people are clearly his grandchildren’s friends. What good are ten or so young people? What counts is the heavyweights who can truly reflect a family’s power."
This was precisely why they attached so much importance to the birthday banquet.
It was not only a display of one’s family wealth but also of their social connections.
Those who came were half friends and family, the other half were those seeking to butter them up, and the remaining few were the truly influential heavyweights brought in usually by various means for a grand appearance.
The caliber and identity of the guests were enough to fuel the conversation for the next year’s tea gatherings.
It seemed that this year, Jiang Zhao Yuan was bound to be embarrassed.