October 24 is the day of Xu Ge's 66th birthday.

The sky is blue and clear, cloudless, and the people of Fucheng say that this is God's birthday congratulations to Xu Ge.

Generally speaking, it is a big deal when you are a whole birthday, but sixty-six years old is an exception, and there is a folk saying that 'when you are over sixty-six, the king of Hades wants to eat meat', for the elderly, this age is a hurdle.

Therefore, the girl wants to cut a knife for the old man, six taels and six dollars of meat, and pray for the old man to bring disaster. Birthdays should also be as grand as possible, and invite relatives and friends to have a lively time to get rid of bad luck.

What's more, this is the first birthday of Xu Ge Lao after returning to his hometown, and the filial sons and grandsons of the Xu family, as well as the family slaves, must do their best to show the glory and dignity of this largest family in the south of the Yangtze River.

Since two days ago, the city has been full of lights, loess cushion roads, and colorful buildings have been erected on the avenue. Every household has set up incense tables along the street, hung strings of red lanterns, and decorated the county town of Huating more prosperous than the New Year.

The Xu family changed their usual stinginess and worked hard to hold a grand event in the south of the Yangtze River.

They sent out thousands of invitations alone. Still at the entrance of the retreat garden, with thousands of pots of yellow and white chrysanthemums, spelled out a big '夀' word, surrounded by purple chrysanthemums, yellow chrysanthemums, green chrysanthemums and other colorful chrysanthemums, which is eye-catching.

Before the hour came, the guests who had come to congratulate them flocked to the city.

There were so many people who came that there weren't so many rooms in the Retreat Garden.

Fortunately, the Xu family made a lot of money this time, and set up huge reed sheds on lawns and open spaces all over the courtyard, and there were also burning charcoal basins in the reed sheds. In Jiangnan at the end of October, it is enough for the guests to sit around the table in the shed and eat tea, without feeling the cold at all.

This is simply a big gathering of the gentry, businessmen and landlords of Songjiang Mansion, and all the people with a little head and face came, and they sat together to ask long and short questions, chatting about the world, and it was really lively.

Unconsciously, the retreat garden became more and more full of people. The guests, who had been grinding their mouths all morning, began to feel hungry, but they still did not see the host's intention of opening a banquet.

Because Xu Ge really wants to invite people, there are not a few people.

~~

Xu Fan stood under the red lantern at the entrance of the mansion, looking at the street in the distance, but his face was miserable and white.

I don't know if I was frozen, or if I was stimulated by something.

Xu Da, the chief steward of the Xu Mansion on the side, saw that he was about to become a wangfu stone, so he couldn't help but persuade in a low voice: "Uncle, if they don't come here now, I'm afraid they won't come." ”

Xu Fan turned a deaf ear and remained motionless in his posture.

"Uncle, let's go in, shall we? It's time to take a seat. Xu Da looked at the shadow on the ground and urged anxiously again.

"If you don't come, what will you do?" Xu Fan said a word, but he still went in as he said.

~~

Xu Fan lost his soul along the way, and when he came to the Warm Fragrance Pavilion behind the Ten Thousand Gully Songfeng Hall, he patted his cheeks vigorously so that his face was a little bloody, and then he walked up the steps.

The servant at the door hastened to open the door for him. I saw Xu Ge Lao, Hu Zhi, Zhen Zhifu, Zheng Zhixian, as well as a group of old rains and old people from the officialdom who came from other places, who were sitting in the pavilion talking and laughing.

Xu Fan reluctantly squeezed out a smile and arched his hand to the guests: "It's almost time to start the table, please move, right?" ”

"Let's talk, let's talk while we eat." Hu Zhi also got up to greet the distinguished guests and took their seats in the hall.

"Old birthday boy, please!" The prefect and the others smiled and asked Xu Ge to go first.

"Go together, go together." Xu Jie, dressed as a jubilant birthday star, smiled and got up with Xu Fan's support. Walking on crutches, he was surrounded by everyone and walked out of the Warm Fragrance Pavilion.

On the way to the Ten Thousand Gully Songfeng Hall, he asked Xu Fan in a low voice, "Are all the guests here?" ”

Xu Fan almost broke his skills, lowered his head and shook his head.

He obviously felt his father's body shake, and hurriedly strengthened his strength.

Fortunately, Xu Ge was used to seeing strong winds and waves, so he regained his composure in a blink of an eye, and said in a low voice: "Fill the vacant seat, and if you don't come, you won't wait." ”

"Xu Da has already gone to arrange it." Xu Fan replied softly.

Xu Jie nodded, and continued to move forward as usual.

Xu Fan couldn't help but feel ashamed, but his father was still deeply determined, and he didn't panic at all.

Who knew that when he entered the Ten Thousand Gullies Songfeng Hall, Xu Ge Lao couldn't cross the threshold......

The VIPs all saw that Lao Ge Lao's legs seemed to be disobedient, and no matter how hard he exerted, he couldn't lift a foot high.

The higher the status in this era, the higher the threshold for the family. Xu Ge is an assistant of the two dynasties and an official residence, and the threshold is naturally more than one foot.

I saw him on crutches with one hand and his son with the other, trying to reduce the pressure on his legs, but he just stepped over.

"Hey, it's not okay to be old." Xu Ge smiled at the guests with self-deprecation: "The threshold of my Xu family has to be lowered. ”

The guests hurriedly said, 'The elder has worked too hard, and his body is too empty'. 'It's too cold this day, the joints on my body are too hard, and I'm struggling to walk', and the reunion words played a round for him.

Everyone hurriedly stepped forward and helped carry Xu Jie into the hall, and then diverted the topic.

For a sixty-six-year-old, this is nothing to fuss about.

But Xu Fan knew that this morning, his father could cross this threshold without his own support......

~~

After the small episode, the guest of honor was seated.

Elder Xu Ge sat on the top, his eyes swept over the people in the hall with a warm gaze.

In this Ten Thousand Pine Wind Hall, a total of six tables were placed.

Although the seats were full at this time, except for those who spoke with him just now, they were basically local squires.

And the ones who should have been sitting there were Hua Cha, Wang Mengxiang, Pan Jitao, Qian Ruoshui and other top gentry in the south of the Yangtze River......

Almost all of them were absent.

Thinking of this, Xu Jie felt that his heart was broken, and he sincerely invited them to have a drink, but they didn't say hello, and they were all absent.

That's a terrible thing!

But he still had to pick up the wine glass with a smile on his face and make an opening statement that whitewashed the peace.

Fortunately, most of the guests were unaware of the anomaly, and the banquet began without incident.

This banquet lasted from noon to the time of the feast, and the retreat garden was still full of people. The guests drank to their heart's content, and gradually let loose their bones, where they guessed the boxing orders and shouted five and six to make a fuss.

If it was in the past, Xu Ge would have already retired to rest. But he also has some intention of borrowing wine to drown his sorrows today, and he does not refuse the toasts of the guests, one cup after another, and he drinks an unknown amount.

Xu Fan saw his father's flushed and drunken appearance, so he was ready to get up and persuade him to go back to rest.

At this moment, suddenly the people on the door came in to report that Niu Shishi and Su Song from the governor's yamen and Su Song had come to congratulate the old lady on his birthday.

Xu Fan was a little comforted when he heard this, and the house naturally pressed the post to Niu Yanshi and Lin Xun, but he didn't expect the two of them to come early, and the banquet was about to disperse at this time, but they came.

Maybe it's a delay on the way...... Xu Fan thought.

ps. The second more, I owe a more and make up for it tomorrow. I went to sleep with eye medicine.