My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 426: Preparing for a Grand Wedding Banquet

As soon as Zhang Lei stepped into his house, he saw a house full of people anxiously waiting for him. The once noisy courtyard suddenly fell silent because of his return, and this sudden tranquility left Zhang Lei somewhat at a loss.

Sure enough, Ye Shuqin rushed towards him the next second, followed by the entire family surrounding her. Ye Shuqin, her eyes red-rimmed, cried and hugged Zhang Lei tightly, "Husband, where have you been? Why were you gone for so long!"

Seeing everyone around him bombarding him with questions, Zhang Lei quickly tried to calm them down: "Didn't I leave you a letter saying I was going out to take care of some business?" Ye Shuqin looked up, her voice tinged with grievance and anger, and said, "You did leave a letter, but you didn't say how long you'd be gone! We initially thought it would only be two or three days, but we waited and waited, and it lasted a whole month."

Seeing this, Zhang Lei quickly comforted everyone. When his gaze swept over Lou Xiao'e and Ding Qiunan, he specifically instructed others to help the two women, who were close to their due dates, to sit down properly, for fear that they would get tired from being crowded.

Once everyone was seated, Zhang Lei finally asked about the situation at home. Ye Shuqin looked at him and said softly, "Everything is fine at home, but without you as our pillar of support, everyone is anxious and uneasy about everything we do."

Zhang Lei hurriedly apologized to everyone, "It was my fault this time. I promise, next time I'll definitely tell you my destination and time in advance." Before he finished speaking, Ye Shuhua stood angrily next to Zhang Lei, "Honey, do you want a next time?"

Zhang Lei quickly corrected himself, waving his hands repeatedly: "Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue, there won't be a next time, absolutely not."

At this moment, Yu Li excitedly exclaimed, "Honey, you don't know, something incredibly wonderful happened while you were gone for a month!" Zhang Lei asked curiously, "What amazing thing?"

Yu Li said with a smile, "The country has somehow obtained a large amount of grain. Now there are no more restrictions on grain purchases. We can buy as much as we want! The government has also issued a notice saying that the country's grain reserves are enough to feed the entire nation for ten years, so everyone will no longer have to worry about food."

The others chimed in, chattering about the recent changes, their faces beaming with joy. Zhang Lei smiled and nodded, "This is great news! It shows that our country is developing in a better direction."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Chen Xueru then took out a newspaper and handed it to Zhang Lei: "Boss, look at this newspaper. It mentions an unsung hero, codenamed X. Isn't that strange?"

Upon hearing the code name "X," Zhang Lei's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly grabbed the newspaper to examine it closely. Looking at the contents, Zhang Lei smiled helplessly. He truly hadn't expected to appear in the newspaper in this way, and to be hailed as an unsung hero.

Zhang Lei suppressed his smile and said to the crowd, "He's probably just an ordinary person. There are many, many more unsung heroes in our country. Those who dedicate themselves silently in places we can't see are the real unsung heroes." Even so, Zhang Lei carefully put the newspaper away, intending to keep it as a treasure.

After a lively day with his family, Zhang Lei could finally rest in peace. Lying in bed that night, Ye Shuqin softly said, "Honey, while you were away, we all discussed whether we should hold a wedding banquet for our child?"

Zhang Lei thought for a moment and immediately nodded: "It's definitely something we should do. I had nine sons at once, so we should at least have a celebration." Ye Shuqin lightly slapped him in annoyance: "What do you mean by 'have a celebration'? This is to make our sons happy."

Zhang Lei reached out and put his arm around Ye Shuqin, saying softly, "It's not for our son, it's all thanks to you. We'll host the wedding banquet, we absolutely must, and we'll make it a grand affair."

Ye Shuqin quickly retorted, "Let's not make a big fuss. I just want our family to come over, and we can invite everyone's families to have a simple meal." Zhang Lei playfully pinched Ye Shuqin's nose and asked with a smile, "Have you counted how many people there are in our family, including your respective families? It can't be simple."

Ye Shuqin thought for a moment and changed her mind, saying, "How about we wait until all the sisters have given birth before we hold it?" Zhang Lei shook his head with a smile, "Wait until everyone has given birth? Is that even possible? You've all given birth now, but some of you are still pregnant. Besides, in the meantime, you might all be pregnant again. After Ding Qiunan and Lou Xiao'e give birth, you'll all get pregnant again, and it'll be a cycle after cycle. By the time they've all given birth, you might all be pregnant again. Tell me, how can we wait until everyone has given birth?"

Ye Shuqin looked at him irritably: "How many children do you want us to have for you? And in round after round? We're not going to have any for you."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lei leaned down and said in a serious tone, "How dare you talk to your man like that? It seems I haven't been keeping a close eye on you lately, and you've gone astray." Ye Shuqin looked at Zhang Lei rushing towards her and quickly smiled and begged for mercy, "Honey, I was wrong, I was wrong, please forgive me, I really can't manage on my own." Zhang Lei wouldn't listen, and they spent the night in tenderness, filled with affection.

The next morning, Zhang Lei told everyone about the wedding banquet he and Ye Shuqin had discussed the night before, and everyone agreed. Zhang Lei immediately said, "This time, we're not only going to have one, but we're going to have a big one. I'll hold a separate banquet for each of your future childbirths."

He looked at everyone and joked with a smile, "I'm not showing off, it's just that I'm too capable, there's nothing I can do about it." Everyone couldn't help but burst into laughter upon hearing Zhang Lei's words.

Soon, everyone began contacting the bride's family to count the number of people who would be attending the wedding banquet. Zhang Lei then went to courtyard house number 95 and told Liu Haizhong and Yan Fugui about the banquet, asking them to help count the number of people from the courtyard who would be attending.

Liu Haizhong looked at Zhang Lei and patted his chest to assure him, "Don't worry, I'll handle the notifications. Is there a limit to the number of participants?" Zhang Lei shook his head, "No, adults and children can all participate. The more people, the more lively the better."

Upon hearing this, Yan Fugui couldn't help but ask, "Really? Then this fee..." Zhang Lei looked at Yan Fugui and said with a smile, "You only need to collect one fee from each family. Don't worry about how many people from each family come; just keep track."

Upon hearing this, Liu Haizhong and Yan Fugui were overjoyed. Yan Fugui laughed and said repeatedly, "Good, good, good, it has to be you, Zhang Lei. Don't worry, I promise to notify everyone." Zhang Lei didn't care about the exact number of people, just a rough estimate would be fine.

As for the Ye family, they were already here, so there was no need to notify them separately; Lou Xiao'e quickly notified her parents; Chen Xueru invited acquaintances and business partners from Zhengyangmen, as well as close friends like Uncle Niu; Ding Qiunan's parents lived far away, and she was still considering whether to bring them over, but she had already notified Liang Ladi and Liu Hongchang's family; Yu Li and Yu Haitang's parents and younger brother would naturally come as well; He Yushui notified her second uncle Cai Quanwu and second aunt Xu Huizhen, who were her only relatives besides Zhang Lei; Yang Maixiang and He Wenhui also notified their respective families...

Ye Shuqin kept counting the number of people, and after she finished, she looked at Zhang Lei and asked, "Boss, is there anyone else you need to notify?" Zhang Lei thought for a moment and said, "At the steel rolling mill, please invite some familiar leaders and colleagues from the purchasing department. Although we're not particularly close, we're still in the same department, so it wouldn't be right not to invite them."

Ye Shuqin then pondered, "Should we arrange 10 people per table, or 8 people per table?" Zhang Lei thought for a moment, "8 people per table, it'll be more spacious and comfortable."

Seeing Ye Shuqin calculating intently to the side, Zhang Lei turned to Yang Maixiang and instructed, "Maixiang, go and contact Liu Hongchang. I'll go to Nanjing University of the Arts later. We need a chef for our wedding banquet, so let them come and help."

Yang Maixiang nodded with a smile: "Don't worry, I'll definitely make him come over as soon as possible." Zhang Lei added: "Tell him that we need a lot of manpower here, and have him call all the kitchen helpers and chefs he knows who can come. Money is not a problem."

After settling Yang Maixiang in, Zhang Lei approached Lou Xiao'e and said, "Xiao'e, ask your father to purchase more supplies through other channels, such as chickens, ducks, fish, pork, mutton, vegetables, and fruits—the more the better."

Lou Xiao'e nodded: "I understand. Even if you hadn't said anything, I had already informed my dad. He said we should set a time and he would deliver the things on time."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lei couldn't help but kiss Lou Xiao'e on the cheek and praised, "That's wonderful, wife, you're truly my virtuous helper." Lou Xiao'e quickly wiped her face and playfully scolded, "Husband, look at you, you've got my face all covered in your drool."

Zhang Lei feigned a pitiful look, as if he was being disliked: "What's wrong? Don't you love me anymore? You really don't love me anymore?" Seeing Zhang Lei's dazed expression, Lou Xiao'e said irritably, "Yes, I don't love you anymore. I only love the son in my belly now."

It turned out that Lou Xiao'e was pregnant with another son, a fact discovered with the help of Ding Qiunan, who was also pregnant with a son. When Zhang Lei first heard this news, he was completely stunned, both surprised and delighted.

Upon hearing Lou Xiao'e's words, Zhang Lei immediately pretended to be angry: "Fine, fine, you don't love me anymore, huh? I'll leave, I'll leave, okay?" Lou Xiao'e looked at the nanny beside her and said with a smile, "I'm not leaving. Let him continue his act here by himself." Helpless, Zhang Lei had no choice but to turn around and walk towards the door.

Soon, Zhang Lei arrived at courtyard number 95 and found Nan Yi. Nan Yi greeted Zhang Lei warmly. Zhang Lei looked at Liu Lan beside him and greeted her with a smile, "Nan Yi, congratulations! Looking at Liu Lan's belly, she's almost due. Have you thought of a name for the baby? Is there anything you need?"

Nan Yi waved his hand with a smile: "We don't need anything, we don't need anything. My wife has been coming to your house every day these days. I've learned a lot from your wife. They've also given our house a lot of things." He pointed to the clothes, shoes, and several cans of milk powder piled up next to him.

Zhang Lei smiled and said, "That's good. Don't hesitate to tell me if you need anything." Nan Yi nodded and then asked, "Zhang Lei, what brings you here this time?"

Zhang Lei laughed and said, "You probably already know about the wedding banquet, right? I'm here to ask you, the chef, to help with the cooking." Nan Yi, upon hearing this, laughed and said, "Hey, you could have just sent someone to tell me. Why did you come all the way here?"

Zhang Lei replied, "It's alright, it's just a short walk. Besides, this is a big event for me, so I'll need to trouble you with the manpower. If you can't manage Liu Lan, I'll send someone to take care of her on the day of the banquet."

Liu Lan smiled and said, "No need, no need. I'll go early that day and stay with Sister Shuqin and the others." Zhang Lei nodded repeatedly in agreement.

In the afternoon, Ye Shuqin approached Zhang Lei: "Honey, I've counted about 200 people, but I expect the actual number to be more than that. Should we reserve a few more tables?"

After thinking it over, Zhang Lei figured that his wives and their families would make up about seventy or eighty people. In addition, there would be his colleagues and superiors from the steel mill, neighbors from the courtyard at No. 95, and elderly people in the alley who were familiar with his wives. So he decided to book 30 tables to avoid not having enough seats on the day and neglecting his guests.