There’s a folk saying that goes, "The sixteenth night moon is rounder than the fifteenth." However, this Mid-Autumn Festival night, the sky was bright with stars and only a few thin clouds, making it a rare and perfect night for moon-watching.

Lian Manman’s family set up several tables by the Lotus Pond, surrounded by lanterns and lit by lamps. Naturally, Master Qu was invited, along with Lian Yeye’s family, Wu Jiaxing’s family, and Lu Bingwu’s family.

These families lived nearby and had very close ties with Lian Manman’s family, supporting each other in daily matters, and it was a perfect opportunity to gather and liven up the mid-autumn dinner.

Lian Zhizhi even brought Dabao along. To prevent him from catching a cold in the night, Lian Zhizhi dressed him up warmly and wrapped him in a bright red little cloak.

The child had a creamy white, pinkish complexion, and wearing brightly colored clothes made him particularly endearing.

Zhang Caiyun also came, pregnant with eight months. Despite her condition, she loved lively occasions. Considering her special situation, Lian Manman arranged a special seat for her. Zhang Caiyun slowly settled down, cradling her belly, and took up almost the space of two people.

The banquet tonight was relatively simple, featuring assorted mooncakes and steamed crabs. For the Mid-Autumn moon-watching, Lian Manman had specifically instructed the steward of the fish pond to reserve some plump crabs for the family to enjoy. Eating crabs naturally had to come with wine; beside them, a small red clay stove held piping hot Shaoxing wine. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Elsewhere downwind, there were several charcoal stoves with iron plates or grates on top, where a few servants were busy grilling fish and meat.

Due to her pregnancy, Zhang Caiyun couldn’t eat crabs, but seeing everyone enjoy them made her a bit envious. With Lady Zhang watching nearby and her mother-in-law sitting not far away, she dared not sneak a bite.

"Manman, these crabs seem bigger and fatter than in previous years," Zhang Caiyun commented to Lian Manman.

"Yes," Lian Manman nodded, taking a bite of crab roe and sipping some yellow wine, "This year, we picked the best crab larvae to specially raise and selected the best ones to keep."

"So... you kept quite a few, I suppose?" Zhang Caiyun leaned in closer, eagerly looking at Lian Manman.

Lian Manman naturally understood Zhang Caiyun’s hint and secretly chuckled.

"We did keep quite a few. When my brother and Xiao Qi return in a couple of days, they’ll have some to eat then," she replied seriously, despite laughing inwardly.

"Ah, well, there should be some leftover afterward, right?" Zhang Caiyun asked.

"We might have some only until September," Lian Manman said, finally unable to hold in her laughter, "Sister Caiyun, you can forget about it. By the time you can eat, not just the big crabs, but even the small ones will be gone. You’ll have to wait until next year."

Spending all this time talking about tasting just a bit after giving birth, Zhang Caiyun was quite disappointed when she realized that Lian Manman was teasing her all along. Why hadn’t she just said there wouldn’t be any right from the start, instead of giving her hope and making her talk on and on!

"Manman, just you wait. When I have my child, I won’t let him call you aunt," Zhang Caiyun said with a playful glare.

"That won’t be up to you. I’m his aunt, and if I’m nice to him, why wouldn’t he call me aunt?" Lian Manman laughed.

Lady Zhang and Old Madam Lu watched the banter between Lian Manman and Zhang Caiyun, unable to suppress their smiles.

"...Caiyun is like that. She’s going to be a mother, yet sometimes she still acts like a child," Lady Zhang commented.

"She’s still young. Back in our day, we were like that too," Old Madam Lu responded, very understandingly, "I really adore this child’s temperament, always cheerful, not petty, and fair-minded."

"...Among the young wives in our few streets, apart from your Zhizhi, she’s the most capable."

Clearly, the Lu Family was quite pleased with Zhang Caiyun as a daughter-in-law.

Since Zhang Caiyun married Lu Bingwu, Lian Manman’s family’s transportation business had almost entirely been handed over to Lu Bingwu. The Lu Family’s general store also thrived because they secured the supply channel from Lian’s Department Store, making business better and more profitable than before. In recent years, besides their original business, the Lu Family also established a large carriage company. Apart from handling the transport for the Lian Family, they also conducted general transport business.

Lian Manman also gave Zhang Caiyun the idea of starting a "bus" service from Qingyang Town to Jinyang County. This involved arranging large carriages to depart from a fixed location in Qingyang Town at set times each day, following a fixed route to the county town and then returning the same way.