Chapter 156: Snow Banquet Spectacle

Snow banquet? Seriously? Anmin Real Estate’s chairman is a top dog in the industry, and I heard the bride’s family isn’t any less impressive. You expect these big shots to settle for a snow banquet?

One netizen, after reading that comment, couldn’t help but add his own.

“I agree, it’s impossible!”

“It’s true. I heard that Mingsha Labor and the Xiang family held the banquet in the small square in front of Tengwang Pavilion—a sort of impromptu poetic celebration. But then the weather turned against them.”

An insider, noticing the netizens’ disbelief, explained further.

“Then why wouldn’t they have chosen a venue in Qixia Town or a restaurant in Wudi City? Why insist on an outdoor setting?”

Another netizen pressed on with more questions.

“Sigh, why won’t you all believe it? Once word spread that a Wan Gong Sedan Chair would be used for the wedding, even those not initially planning to attend rearranged their schedules. The guest list swelled beyond what any Qixia Town or Wudi City restaurant could accommodate. After all, wedding guests are meant to sit together, right? How could one side be so separated?”

“What are we going to do now?”

By then, some netizens finally began to accept the idea of a snowy banquet.

“Hold on, what does it matter whether an outdoor banquet is ‘real’ or not? You’re all just worried because you’re guests of the Xiang family—afraid the snow will leave you unable to pick up your chopsticks?”

“I just thought the banquet setup was a bit off.”

“Nothing in this world is perfect. We’re just here for the show. I bet the wedding will be live-streamed by internet hosts the entire time.”

“True enough. We’re just here for the spectacle!”

Time flew by, and a few days passed in the blink of an eye.

As the online buzz grew, the high-profile wedding of Anmin Real Estate’s chairman’s son trended on Lian Deng website. Guests from the guesthouse and locals drawn by the commotion had already crowded the gate of Hongsha Gang Village 256 by around 7 a.m. on the wedding day.

Various streamers and numerous media reporters had set up their equipment early, eager to catch every moment of this much-discussed wedding.

The weather forecast never lies.

By 7:50 a.m., snowflakes were drifting down. But no one cared about the weather—they were too captivated by the scene, phones raised, snapping shot after shot.

On both sides of the ancient Qing Brick Avenue, traditional buildings were festooned with vibrant red satin ribbons. Stretching out in every direction, it truly looked like a sea of red.

This décor alone outshone any Western wedding’s flower-adorned aisle.

Some visitors even exclaimed, “I’ve lived half my life—I’ve never seen a scene like this before!”

And that wasn’t all.

The first guesthouse at the city gate was decorated with extra flair—the ground was covered with a red carpet, and even the exterior railings were draped in red cloth.

This made both the on-site guests and online viewers even more eager for the upcoming wedding ceremony.

At that moment…

Unlike the rest of the photo-happy crowd, a well-dressed woman glanced at the man beside her after admiring the lavish surroundings.

“Is this where our Qian Qian boards the sedan chair?”

“Yes. The head of Mingsha Labor said this decorated guesthouse serves as Qian Qian’s bridal chamber. From here, she’ll board the sedan chair and proceed along Qing Brick Avenue to the venue for the court ceremony and banquet.”

The man nodded in agreement.

“So it’s the square in front of Tengwang Pavilion? I wish the weather weren’t snowy.”

The woman looked up at the slowly drifting snowflakes.

Although the blend of Qing bricks, red satin, and snowflakes made the avenue look enchanting, she just couldn’t seem to feel happy.

And why should she?

Because she’s the bride’s mother. When the Xiang family requested a last-minute venue change, they initially refused but eventually relented for the sake of their daughter. Thankfully, once they saw the décor on Qing Brick Avenue, they were satisfied—otherwise, pairing it with a snowy day would have been unbearable.

“Didn’t Old Xiang say all guests should be prepared to dine in the snow?”

The man frowned slightly.

As the bride’s father, no matter how beautiful the setup, his mood was far from joyful today.

“So, are we going upstairs to accompany Qian Qian first?”

After a pause, the woman asked.

“They’ve arranged rooms for us upstairs. Later, we’ll follow behind to ride in the sedan chair.”

The man took out his phone, opened an electronic document, and, after a glance, said,

“Are we going too?”

“Yes. Although Mingsha Labor promised a fully traditional wedding, some customs have been updated to suit modern etiquette. Both sets of parents will be honored during the ceremony.”

The man replied.

“Oh.”

Just as the bride’s mother was about to add something, a man in a butler’s uniform approached them.

“Are you the bride’s parents?” he inquired.

The man responded,

“We are. And you are?”

“Hello, I’m He Long from Mingsha Labor. I’m in charge of handling all processes for the bride’s side. According to the schedule, the groom’s team will leave the banquet venue at 9 a.m. and reach here by 10:10. The auspicious time for the bride to board is 10:28, and you and the rest of the bride’s party will proceed at 10:33. Does that work for you?”

After introducing himself, the man continued,

“That schedule works for us. Please proceed as planned. Thank you.”

Impressed by He Long’s professionalism, the man nodded firmly.

“Alright. One more thing – Mingsha Labor has packaged the bride’s dowry, which will be delivered to the guesthouse courtyard in ten minutes. Please check to ensure nothing is missing.”

He Long added,

“No problem.”

Thus, on the bride’s side, everything was in order.

Meanwhile, on the groom’s side, the Xiang father and his son were left speechless by the unfolding scene.

Before them stood a square, multi-level platform topped by a five-story wooden building. Its tiered, pointed roof with flying eaves on every level, all covered in yellow glazed tiles, rose to about fifty or sixty meters.

Moreover, the building’s first-floor columns spanned thirty to forty meters. The second through fourth floors featured surrounding corridors, and the fifth floor housed a lookout pavilion. With its classic ‘five outside, nine inside’ layout, the eaves resembled ancient Long Kingdom auspicious beasts poised to soar, blending majesty with refined craftsmanship.

And that wasn’t all.

At that moment, the wooden building’s four corners were draped in red satin, and the stone steps at the main entrance were covered with a red carpet that stretched inside the building—creating a festive, almost dreamlike atmosphere accentuated by the falling snow.

“Mr. Xiang?”

It wasn’t until Luo Peng repeatedly reminded him that Xiang Anmin and Xiang Fei finally snapped back to attention.

“President Luo, this… this isn’t Tengwang Pavilion, is it?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Xiang Anmin asked.

Although he had never visited Mingsha, he recalled clearly from phone calls that the wedding ceremony and banquet were to be held in the small square in front of Tengwang Pavilion. If this wooden building were Tengwang Pavilion, the red carpet would have stretched all the way to its front.

But now, the red carpet extended inside the building’s main door. Clearly, the ceremony and banquet were held indoors.

“Uh-huh!”

Glancing at the magnificent wooden building before him, Luo Peng nodded.

“Not Tengwang Pavilion? Then what is this grand structure?”

Xiang Anmin and Xiang Fei were stunned once more.

Until now, they had only heard about two landmarks from Mingsha Tourism: Tengwang Pavilion and Tingchao Pavilion. There was no mention of a third wooden landmark, and they were sure this was not Tingchao Pavilion.

“It’s a new construction by Mingsha Tourism. Since President Xiang chose Mingsha Labor, even with unpredictable weather, we would never let your esteemed guests dine in the snow!

This building has nine floors inside, each designed to accommodate banquet guests – more than enough for all of President Xiang’s party.

Moreover,

we even reserved an ancient pavilion-style bridal suite on the first floor for the newlyweds to rest and change.

Luo Peng exhaled deeply.

Speaking of the wooden building, his eyes filled with deep admiration.

It all started a week ago when he and Zhu Qiang were at their wits’ end trying to resolve this matter, until Xu Hao began making phone calls.

When Xu Hao arrived at Mingsha Tourism’s office and realized that coordinating the banquet guest list was impossible, he immediately made a decision that left both Luo Peng and Zhu Qiang dumbfounded.

Xu Hao declared that if nothing else worked, he would rally all of Mingsha Tourism’s manpower in one week to construct a separate wooden banquet hall.

And so,

just over an hour later, the location for the wooden building was set at 2.5 kilometers along Qing Brick Avenue, in a dried-up Shadou area just south of two ridges.

It was chosen because to the north is the Northeast, to the east lies Tengwang Pavilion, to the southwest is Tingchao Pavilion, and to the northwest is the soon-to-be-constructed Langya Pavilion, forming a perfect square with these three landmarks.

Furthermore, the desiccated Shadou oasis could be managed to yield water again with proper care—and most importantly, it wasn’t far from the southern side of Qing Brick Avenue, with easy road construction.

Two hours later, Zhu Qiang and Luo Peng began mobilizing every available machine and workforce, while Xu Hao started drafting the blueprints.

With the cold weather and a tight construction schedule,

this wooden banquet hall could only be built entirely of wood.

To save time, its main structure was modeled after the famous Yellow Crane Tower, with only minor modifications to some details.

It wasn’t that Xu Hao didn’t know Yellow Crane Tower’s design; copying it exactly would have sparked criticism—just as with Tengwang Pavilion.

So,

on the first night, the groundwork was excavated, the blueprints finalized, and most of the pavilion’s wooden components were numbered and sent to the woodworking shop at the entrance of Hongsha Gang Village.

On the second day, wooden beams, columns, and all structural parts underwent fireproof and anti-corrosion treatments.

Since they weren’t replicating the ancient Yellow Crane Tower entirely, Xu Hao employed modern techniques. By evening, the foundational beams and columns were transported to Shadou.

Meanwhile, the Qing Brick road connecting Shadou and Qing Brick Avenue began preparation, and the heating pipes and equipment for the wooden building also arrived at Shadou.

On the third day, after the foundation was excavated, construction of the building’s underground section began.

On the fourth day, nearly three hundred carpenters arrived at the site and started erecting the beams under Xu Hao’s guidance.

On the fifth day, the three hundred carpenters worked a full day, and by evening, began installing glazed tiles and setting up fire safety equipment.

On the sixth day, the carpenters left, and cleaning crews took over, while the wedding decoration team arrived to adorn the entire wooden building.