Of course, there were two large tables set up in the main room for the bride's family to host a banquet for the groomsmen and brides.
Volume 5, Spirit Official, Chapter 264: All who come are guests; what's different about that?
Speaking of which, have these high-ranking officials from Fuhe City and wealthy people from Beijing ever attended a joyous occasion like this, held in their own homes in the countryside?
How lively and grand!
As the wedding procession brought the newlyweds home, firecrackers and celebratory cannons went off simultaneously, creating a lively and joyous atmosphere. Children, having been dismissed from school at noon, lined up on both sides of the street, waving flowers and cheering, arranged by their families and teachers.
The wedding planning company had already set up a flower archway at the entrance of the courtyard to welcome the newlyweds inside.
A two-meter-wide red carpet was laid out in the center of the courtyard, from the main hall door to the courtyard gate; Zhang Hao, Cao Gangchuan and others, along with Ouyang Ying and several girls, sprayed colorful flowers, which flew everywhere and sparkled with color.
The timing was extremely precise, exactly noon.
The music started, and the wedding began!
The emcee, holding a microphone, stood on the platform at the main entrance of the hall, waving his arms and passionately delivering words of blessing, encouraging relatives and friends to clap together and welcome the newlyweds... The guests who had already arrived and taken their seats also got up and left the house, standing either on the platform under the corridor or below the platform.
People in the cars behind them got out one after another and followed the bride and groom into the courtyard.
The rooftops and courtyards were not yet full of people.
However, after the emcee finished his formulaic opening remarks and some humorous remarks, and as he received the list of important guests from the manager of today's joyous occasion, preparing to read it aloud, he couldn't help but pause for a moment, and then his heart began to pound.
This was originally arranged by the wedding planning company; the manager was to record which important guests would be attending, which could be used as a prop during the wedding to create a lively atmosphere. Who would have thought that among today's guests would be several high-ranking leaders from Fuhe City?
Fortunately, this emcee was seasoned and composed. After a brief moment of surprise, he spoke with genuine excitement, listing the distinguished guests: "So-and-so is here today, so-and-so is here..." How could he not be excited? He had hosted at least ninety or a hundred weddings, and when had he ever seen such distinguished guests?
Further introductions revealed several prominent figures among them, while others, even those less well-known, were all undeniably wealthy and influential individuals. In particular, there was Zheng Ronghua, the former chairman of the Ronghua Group, and Zheng Yaokai, the current chairman, as well as Yu Xuan, the general manager of a well-known entertainment and film company in Beijing…
It is certain that the emcee did not know the identities of the people who came to send off the bride today.
Otherwise, I really don't know if he could still stand firm, let alone have the courage to make some humorous remarks about the woman's relatives.
When it was the groom's turn to say a few words and recount their love story, Xu Zhengyang smiled sheepishly and waved his hand in polite refusal.
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, the emcee asked the bride to say a few words. Li Bingjie blushed deeply, didn't reach for the microphone, and lowered her head to whisper, "It's fine."
boom……
The crowd cheered.
Next, it was time for both sets of parents to speak. The new in-laws spoke first, but Xu Neng, that honest and simple man, was so flustered by the cheers of the neighbors that he turned red in the face and couldn't say a word. Yuan Suqin, on the other hand, was carefree and beaming, holding the microphone and saying directly, "What's there to say? I'm just happy. As long as the two of them can live a good life together in the future, that's all that matters!"
Today, Yuan Suqin was also wearing a festive and bright red top, which made her complexion even more rosy and radiant.
"It's said that our family is the richest in the whole township. Oh dear, shouldn't we give red envelopes to all the relatives, friends, and guests who have come today?" the host joked.
“No problem! Everyone gets a share!” Yuan Suqin was so happy she couldn’t stop smiling.
"As a mother-in-law, do you want to have a grandson or a granddaughter next year?"
"Oh, what are you saying? Grandchildren, they're all my Xu family's children. Anything is fine with them!"
"Hey everyone, do you think the mother-in-law is telling the truth?" the host asked with a smile, signaling the crowd to cheer.
Then everyone in the courtyard started clamoring, "No, no..."
"Then, in-laws, you must tell the truth!"
Yuan Suqin laughed even more heartily and said, "Okay, my honest answer is that I want to hold twins (a boy and a girl) next year..."
Boom... The crowd became even more excited.
"Hey, bride and groom, did you hear that? You'd better work harder!"
...
For the high-ranking officials from Fuhe City who came to attend the wedding, as well as the wealthy people who had a good relationship with Xu Zhengyang, the scene was truly lively, novel, and interesting. Therefore, they all put aside their airs and, although they did not cause a commotion, they all had sincere smiles on their faces.
However, most of the Jiang and Li families were increasingly troubled.
I was originally thinking of seeing a lame joke, and guessing that Jiang Lan would be unhappy, but I never expected that these country bumpkins would actually make their wedding so lively and festive.
It's true that people's abilities vary. Take wedding speeches, for example. Everyone on Xu's side could say something insightful. But when it was Jiang Lan's turn to speak, she was incredibly talented. She spoke from the heart, brimming with joy, and every word was touching and full of happiness.
This made Li Bingjie, who was already shy, even more shy, and she occasionally shed tears of joy.
Even Xu Zhengyang couldn't help but feel some regret and guilt.
Because… in front of so many people, Jiang Lan surprisingly recounted how she had looked down on Xu Zhengyang and disagreed with the marriage back then. Furthermore, Jiang Lan sincerely apologized to her in-laws and the newlyweds, and genuinely expressed her current satisfaction with the marriage. Next, besides offering her blessings, Jiang Lan went on to describe how wonderful rural people were, and what advantages they had over city people. Of course, she omitted any mention of their shortcomings.
These words are bound to move the vast majority of people.
However, a few people understood that Jiang Lan's words were also directed at them—telling them not to be so arrogant and overconfident. They were all born with cunning and scheming minds; how could they not understand the underlying meaning of her words?
Of course, this doesn't affect their faces, which are already used to disguising themselves.
So when the wedding ended and all the relatives and guests took their seats, naturally nothing unexpected happened, and everyone was happy.
The wedding planning company's task was now complete; everyone received a red envelope containing 888 yuan, and they were overjoyed. Meanwhile, the wedding planning company owner in Fuhe City, after receiving a call from his subordinate informing him of the guests at today's wedding banquet, immediately instructed his subordinate to deliver 1888 yuan as a gift on behalf of the company. Although he knew this amount was insignificant to such a wealthy family, he felt it was necessary to show his appreciation.
There are far too many banquets being held today.
After the villagers finished their work, they could all take their seats. Of course, they took turns, and someone else had to busy themselves entertaining the relatives and guests.
The bride and groom were exhausted.
Led by the manager, the young couple were accompanied by Ye Wan and Qing Ling, who carried wine and had to toast at every table!
Xu Zhengyang's house alone had sixteen tables set up, while several neighbors had fifty or sixty tables of various sizes.
Goodness...
Fortunately, the villagers were understanding of the young couple's wedding day. Therefore, they didn't make things difficult for them, and just offered them a cup of wine at each table as a token gesture.
Even so, after this round of drinks, Xu Zhengyang was quite drunk.
Xu Zhengyang thought to himself, "I am a dignified Imperial Censor of the Eastern Heavenly Court, how come I can't drink a thousand cups without getting drunk?"
After the newlyweds finished toasting, Xu Zhengyang and Li Bingjie temporarily separated.
Li Bingjie naturally sat at the women's table of her maternal family, eating with her relatives; while Xu Zhengyang moved around at the important guest table, saying a few words and drinking a few cups of wine.
Among them was someone Xu Zhengyang didn't recognize—a man who appeared to be around forty years old, dressed in a suit and tie, and quite dignified, who had accompanied Zheng Yaokai. According to Zheng Yaokai, this man's name was Ding Changri, originally from Fujian Province, currently residing in Minggang. He had built his business from scratch, establishing "Haixia Far East Group Co., Ltd." in Haixia City, primarily engaged in international trade and investing in real estate. Overall, Far East Group Co., Ltd.'s strength surpassed, if not exceeded, that of Ronghua Group.
Xu Zhengyang was a bit drunk at the time and didn't think about anything else. He guessed that Zheng Yaokai and his son wanted to curry favor with him, so they introduced him to more influential people.
Xu Zhengyang understood that no matter what social class you reach in this world, you will inevitably need to make friends.
It's mutually beneficial.
So Xu Zhengyang naturally exchanged pleasantries with everyone, as all those who came today were guests and friends.
Somewhat awkwardly, when this super-rich man, Ding Changri, toasted and clinked glasses with Xu Zhengyang, his words were laced with flattery, especially when he handed over his business card, he bowed slightly. He was quite polite and respectful.
Xu Zhengyang felt a little embarrassed because he... didn't have a business card.
At 2:30 p.m., the woman's relatives politely got up to leave. The manager and Consul Zhou Qingguo quickly arranged for vehicles to take the relatives home. There was no shortage of vehicles; Zheng Ronghua had already arranged for more than ten luxury cars to be on standby at any time.
The hustle and bustle continued until around 5 p.m., when it got dark and things finally calmed down.
The villagers helped clean and tidy up the house, and all the tables, chairs, pots, pans, and other household items that needed to be given away were sent away. Next, a banquet was set up, and naturally, Chen Chaojiang and his group of young people, who had been busy all day but hadn't had a chance to sit at the banquet, were seated at the table.
Just as everyone sat down, Xu Zhengyang, having recovered from the effects of the alcohol, was about to have a good drink with his buddies when Xu Rouyue came over and invited him to her parents' room, saying she had something to tell him.
Xu Zhengyang greeted his buddies and walked over with a smile.
In her parents' room, Li Bingjie sat with her in-laws, somewhat awkwardly accompanying them as they looked at the gift list.
The reason Xu Zhengyang was invited was because there was a particularly eye-catching gift on today's gift list... Ding Changri, chairman of Haixia Far East Group Co., Ltd., presented a check for a gift of 1,678,888 yuan.
1678888!
May you have a prosperous journey!
Volume Five, Spirit Official, Chapter 265: On the Wedding Night, Calamity Descends from Heaven
It is not surprising that some people become extremely wealthy and spend lavishly, throwing money around like water.
However, Ding Changri and Xu Zhengyang had never interacted before, yet Ding Changri gave such a large sum of money as a wedding gift, which inevitably made people uneasy or feel flattered.
Today's gift list includes items ranging from tens of thousands to several thousand or even tens of yuan.
Everyone knows this is just a formality. Given Xu Zhengyang's family's financial situation, why would they care about such a small amount of money at a wedding? However, it is only right to reciprocate, so Xu Neng and Yuan Suqin still need to carefully review the list and remember who gave money. When the other family has a wedding, they will have to return the favor, right?
After thinking for a moment, Xu Zhengyang said to his parents, "Rich people care about face and want to be the best in everything. There's nothing strange about that."
The parents, still puzzled, stopped saying anything.
In truth, Xu Zhengyang was also surprised. As the saying goes, "He who takes a man's gift is bound to do so." Why would Ding Changri, out of nowhere, kindly give them such a generous gift? Even if he had a lot of money, it wouldn't be worth spending it like that. Besides, he's definitely not stupid; how could he not suspect something was amiss?
Perhaps Zheng Ronghua and his son were using Ding Changri to curry favor with them. After all, Ding Changri was introduced to them by them.
After thinking it over, Xu Zhengyang decided to check the city scroll in his mind. He found that Ding Chang left here at around 2 pm and went straight to the highway to leave the territory of Fuhe City and head south into Shannan Province. He should be going back to the south, right?
So be it, there shouldn't be anything wrong with it.
On this joyous day, Xu Zhengyang was too lazy to think about so many things, so he put the question aside and stopped thinking about it.
When they came out of the house, Li Bingjie followed, her face flushed. She stammered in the porch outside, "Zhengyang, could you... please don't... don't let them... make a scene... in the bridal chamber?"
"Are you tired?" Xu Zhengyang gently held Li Bingjie's small hand and asked with concern.
"Mmm." Li Bingjie lowered her head.
"Then go back to your room and rest." Xu Zhengyang gently patted Li Bingjie's small hand.
"I can't sleep."
Where is Ye Wan?
"She...she went out with Chen Chaojiang, saying they had something to talk about," Li Bingjie said, raising her head and smiling.
Xu Zhengyang smiled and said, "Then go to Rouyue's room and talk to them for a while."
"Okay." Li Bingjie nodded and walked obediently towards the east room.
After all the relatives had left, Xu Zhengyang sternly and forcefully sent Qingling, Chen Hanzhe, and Zhu Jun to stay at the courtyard house in the western suburbs of Fuhe City. As for their safety there… Xu Zhengyang gritted his teeth and said, “If anything happens on my turf, then you’re useless here!”
Chen Hanzhe and Zhu Jun were helpless. They were Xu Zhengyang's personal bodyguards and were not supposed to leave at will, but they could not disobey Xu Zhengyang's orders. So they had to call Li Chengzhong and get his permission before they agreed. Qingling called Jiang Lan and, after learning that she could leave, she didn't say anything and drove away with Chen Hanzhe and Zhu Jun.
Li Chengzong and Jiang Lan knew, of course, that if Xu Zhengyang said there was no problem, then there would definitely be no unexpected events.
The reason Xu Zhengyang wanted to let these three highly skilled guards leave was because he was petty. He figured these three were all sharp-eared and highly vigilant, even listening intently in their sleep. Well, at night... if they heard any noise, that would be terrible, wouldn't it?
As they approached the door of the room in the southeast where a banquet was being held, Xu Zhengyang called out to the courtyard gate with a smile, "Chaojiang, stop chatting, there's plenty of time, come and have a drink."