The next day, Jay and his family were busy preparing for his wedding reception.
After struggling for over a month, Jay and his family finally managed to gather all the food and supplies for their wedding reception.
This time, they would be preparing meals for at least 300-400 people.
This was certainly a significant number for them, especially since the harvest was only barely enough to cover their basic needs.
It couldn't be used for the wedding, so for the past month, Jay had been using it.
Jay often went into the forest to hunt for game and trade it on the black market.
From there, Jay slowly collected everything from rice, spices, cooking oil, cakes, and even cigarettes.
Finally, after careful calculations by his parents, yesterday afternoon they had secured a sufficient amount for the wedding reception.
This time, the event was a little different from previous weddings, when they had just married and held a simple meal at his grandfather's house.
Jay invited a renowned chef in his village and asked him to prepare several mouth-watering dishes.
Of these dishes, two featured meat dishes that were specifically prepared.
The first was a meat dish called rendang, made with long-cooked beef.
Rendang meat is cooked over medium heat and takes at least four hours to become tender and tender. Another key ingredient is old coconut, which is used to make coconut milk.
Fortunately, Jay found old coconuts on the black market, allowing him to create this special dish.
Other additions included ginger, galangal, candlenuts, pepper, garlic, shallots, salt, and flavorings.
All of these ingredients are needed to create the delicious flavor of rendang.
After selecting rendang as the main course for the wedding reception, Jay also asked the chef to prepare another dish: beef soup.
This beef soup is another dish made from pieces of meat and rib bones, mixed with various vegetables like potatoes and carrots, and topped with celery and coriander.
Another dish is a rice noodle dish served fried with sweet soy sauce and other spices.
And the final dish is gado-gado, a raw salad of fresh vegetables like lettuce, long beans, bean sprouts, and tofu, mixed with a pureed peanut sauce.
All of these are standard fare for a decent wedding reception.
because it allows for two meat dishes for the guests.
For dessert, Jay also purchased dozens of kilograms of watermelon, which he then cut into small pieces to serve as dessert for the guests.
The drinks provided were plain tea and sweet tea. (No alcohol was served, as Adam's villagers don't have a tradition of drinking alcohol.)
"Okay, Mom, everything's been arranged. Now all that's left is to ask the village head to borrow chairs and tables from the village," Jay informed his mother of the wedding menu.
"Really, you're quite extravagant. One meat dish is enough, with the addition of vegetables and fruit, that's already a good standard for our village these days," his mother complained about the extensive menu Jay had prepared.
But from the smile on her face, she was clearly very happy, because, after all, this was the face their family was presenting to the entire village.
"It's okay, it's a once-in-a-lifetime event, so it shouldn't be excessive, and it would be very good for Ameno," Jay replied.
"Okay, then, you can go to the village head to borrow chairs and tables. Let your father prepare the rest," his mother replied to Jay.
So then, Jay, along with several of his cousins, went to the village head's house to borrow chairs from the village hall.
It's tradition that the hundreds of chairs in the village hall can be borrowed by villagers for special events such as weddings.
However, villagers are also asked to take responsibility for the chairs and tables they use. If the chairs are found to be damaged when returned, the borrower must replace them.
"You've finally arrived. Your father told you earlier to borrow chairs and tables from the village hall. You can take them now, but please note that you must count them carefully."
"We'll make sure everything is in good condition and that it's in its original condition," the village chief was waiting for Jay and his cousins at the village hall gate.
"Don't worry, village chief, you can be sure that my cousins and I will definitely return them to their original condition. But we'll also first check which chairs and tables are suitable for borrowing and which aren't," Jay replied with a smile.
He then began to ask his cousins to bring the chairs and tables out of the village hall warehouse.
It took them an hour to unload over 100 tables and chairs from the village hall warehouse.
From there, they carefully inspected and checked which chairs were in good condition and which were not.
After marking and counting, they finally borrowed 85 chairs and 7 long tables to take home. The rest weren't good enough for the wedding, so they didn't take them.
"Village chief, you're borrowing 85 chairs and 7 long tables for the wedding reception. Don't forget to come this afternoon," Jay told them the number of chairs and tables he had borrowed, while also inviting the village chief to come.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely come, okay, everyone!" "Now you can go carry the chairs and table," the village chief replied with a smile.
Jay, who was saying goodbye, also included a pack of cigarettes as a way of thanking the village chief.
It took several trips back and forth from Jay's house to the village hall to transport all the chairs and the long wooden table.
Fortunately, they had two ox carts to carry them, so they weren't too tired.
After finishing arranging the chairs and table, Jay and his cousin busied themselves cleaning the entire yard of Jay's family home and decorating it simply.
Additionally, several flower arrangements were placed at the entrance and yard of Jay's house.
Long story short, the wedding reception arrived, and the party was held from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
In the front yard of Jay's house, a table decorated with flowers was seen being tended by two young girls whose job was to register the guests.
Soon, several villagers began arriving in their fine attire with their families.
They were immediately greeted by Jay's parents and several elders in William's extended family.
After the guests said their goodbyes, After greeting Jay's extended family, they will record their names and home addresses in the guest book, and then be invited into the party area.
There, they will approach the small stage where Jay and Ameno will greet the guests and, after blessing the newlyweds, place their gifts.
They will place envelopes containing the wedding money in a specific amount into the blessing box next to the newlyweds.
From there, they will immediately proceed to the food table to receive the dishes provided by the host and then take them to the seats reserved for the guests.