The day of the engagement was bright and clear. A breeze blowing from the gap between Mount Yitai and Mount Yima carried a slight chill, tempering the summer heat.
The engagement banquet was held at Jiang Baohua’s home. Large earthen stoves were set up at the entrance, where Zhou Guizhi led several women from the clan to prepare the feast—chopping and washing vegetables while sorghum rice bubbled in massive pots.
Jiang Xingbing and his brothers had gone to borrow tables, chairs, and benches. Hu Hai, Dong Youfu, and several cousins from the Jiang clan began slaughtering a pig, a roe deer, and rabbits, while cleaning pheasants. By noon, the aroma of meat filled the air, drifting across the entire village on the wind.
Chapter 140