Huo Qiyuan glanced at Leng Ren, who was completely surrounded, and signaled to Leng Si and the others behind him, then nodded towards the crowd.
Upon receiving his instructions, the rest of them quickly changed their expressions, plastered on "kind" smiles, and stepped forward to surround Leng Ren, beginning to help the groom fend off the drinks.
Seeing this formation, the procession of toasts only grew larger. However, with a few brothers sharing the load, Leng Ren could handle the crowd with greater composure.
Old Master Chen had also been worried that his son-in-law wouldn't be able to manage alone and had intended to ask some younger members of the clan who were close to their family to help him.
But at this moment, Old Master Chen himself was being congratulated by others. With everyone talking at once, he wasn't given any opportunity to help his son-in-law.
The guests wouldn't let him leave either, taking turns to step forward for a drink, acting as enthusiastically as possible.
Regardless of their intentions, their goal was clear: to get either the father-in-law or the son-in-law drunk today!
Among the guests were some who had arrived the night before. They had already witnessed the new son-in-law of the Chen family's drinking capacity and ended up in a rather embarrassing state themselves.
Those who had experienced it last night dared not easily toast Leng Ren again, fearing they might make another big fool of themselves. Therefore, Old Master Chen naturally became the primary target for everyone.
If it were another family, they certainly wouldn't have been pushing Old Master Chen to drink like this. One must know that other families mourn and are reluctant when their daughters get married, but such a situation was nonexistent in the Chen family.
Because this marriage united their family as if they had gained another son, and he looked extremely pleased with this son-in-law. Thus, Old Master Chen didn't have to be sad like other fathers of the bride; he was radiant, smiling and chatting with everyone, his joy evident.
The guests were too numerous, and soon a few of them were surrounded. Huo Qiyuan frowned, finally looked up to signal Su Muqing, and then joined Leng Ren himself.
Seeing that they were drinking merrily over there, Su Muqing felt immensely relieved. Last night, when she was dressed as a man, people had also come forward to toast her. Although most of it was blocked by Huo Qiyuan and the others, Su Muqing still drank a considerable amount.
Fortunately, this morning Madam Chen had asked her to change back into women's clothing, and because she had accepted Leng Ren's arrangement to sit in the honored seats, she had inexplicably been promoted to an elder, which meant others dared not approach Su Muqing for drinks.
This was good! With no one daring to disturb her, Su Muqing enjoyed a moment of peace. Madam Chen had initially wanted to invite her to sit at the main table, but Su Muqing had politely declined, saying she wanted to spend time with Chen Wenyi.
Madam Chen was naturally delighted that her daughter could get along well with her in-laws. She thought that since Su Muqing was not familiar with the Chen family relatives, and she herself had to stay to entertain the female guests, she couldn't get away. Thus, she had a maid escort her to the Linglong Pavilion to find Chen Wenyi.
In any case, a banquet had been prepared at her daughter's place. Although it had fewer dishes than the wedding banquet, the dishes were more exquisite, which would not be impolite for entertaining guests.
Even so, Madam Chen still sent someone to inform the small kitchen to immediately prepare a few dishes and send them over. This way, not only the two young girls but also several others with hearty appetites would not be able to finish them all.
Arriving at the Linglong Pavilion, the maids standing at the entrance were gathered in small groups, sharing how much wedding money they had managed to grab that morning. Their faces were full of joy, and it seemed they had received quite a lot.
It was rare for a prominent family like the Chen family, the richest in Fenshui Town, to be so generous. Although they were usually very strict with their servants, they did not mistreat them.
Even for ordinary birthday banquets, maids and servants would receive a good amount of bonus money. Let alone today, the Chen family's daughter's wedding was such a grand occasion, everyone's purse was bulging.
Most of these young maids were close to Chen Wenyi and naturally knew that the one who did her makeup was a young girl wearing a mask. So, upon seeing Su Muqing approach, the maids excitedly rushed forward.
"Miss Su, you're here?"
"Miss Su, are you going to find our young lady?"
"Miss Su, the makeup you did for our young lady today is so beautiful!"
"Miss Su, this servant watched by your side the whole time, you are truly amazing!"
A group of young maids surrounded Su Muqing, chattering with flattering words. In reality, they wanted to ask what those cosmetics were, where they could be bought, and most importantly, if she could teach them how to apply makeup.
However, considering that Su Muqing was sitting in the honored seat receiving bows, she would certainly not waste time teaching them these things. Moreover, things that could be used on their young lady's face must not be cheap. Not to mention them, even people from wealthier families probably couldn't afford it!
Even so, it didn't stop them from looking at Su Muqing with eyes full of admiration.
Su Muqing maintained a smile in the face of their enthusiasm, answering every question earnestly. When she heard their compliments and flattery, she would also sincerely express her thanks.
After a brief exchange, everyone felt that her temper was truly excellent, polite, and gentle, showing no disdain for their status as mere maids.
Gradually, the young maids became more open, surrounding Su Muqing and inquiring about makeup techniques and pairings. In a prominent family like the Chen household, any special skill could be a favorable condition for advancement.
Many people, simply for being good at hairstyling, could earn double the bonus money in a month compared to others. Similarly, if you had good makeup skills, you would be very popular in any mansion!
They were simply too enthusiastic, and Su Muqing was once again forced to act as a beauty guru. Chen Wenyi, sitting bored in the bridal chamber, guessed that Su Muqing would come over. However, even though the event outside had already begun, she had not yet arrived.
So, she sent out a wedding nanny to check the situation. The nanny discovered that Su Muqing was surrounded by those young maids. The nanny smiled, tapped the foreheads of the maids with her hand, and said with playful scolding.
"You bold little rascals, you're becoming more and more unruly. How dare you surround a distinguished guest like this without inviting them in to serve tea, and let the young lady wait alone in the room."
Although she was reprimanded, it was the young lady's auspicious day, and she had also learned so much useful information just now, so she was still very happy.
With the wedding nanny's rescue, Su Muqing felt as if she had flown out from a flock of chattering magpies, and her ears instantly became much quieter.