Song Zijie knew the procedure for a rural banquet, so he bought a wide variety of things, but they were all very practical.
He had a few young men help him carry the ingredients to the kitchen, while the candies and liquor that didn't need cooking were placed directly on the tables.
In the countryside, major events like weddings and building a new house always called for a celebratory feast. Relatives and friends would be invited to join in the festivities and show their support.
A rural banquet, which city folk might call a "country feast," was simply known as "hosting a banquet" to the villagers.
When villagers hosted a banquet, they were never stingy. They would start by raising a fat pig, ensuring the feast was a lively affair.
The goal was for the fellow villagers to eat until their faces shone with grease, a memory that would last for half a year. That's why everyone always looked forward to the next family's banquet.
