I couldn't help but laugh. This was practically a mini martial arts tournament! Those who had connections with the heroes were all calling each other by their new friends, which led to this scene. No wonder they looked familiar but I couldn't place them.
Just as the martial arts heroes were settled in, Yan Jingsheng's voice came from downstairs: "Teacher Zhang, you've arrived—"
Baozi ran down like the wind... Judging from Yan Jingsheng's respectful tone, she knew who had come.
I followed her up to the second floor and saw Old Zhang, supported by Li Bai, exchanging pleasantries with everyone. He was even thinner than before, and his spirits weren't as high as last time, but the people surrounding him were all highly respected scholars he had long admired, which brought a blush to Old Zhang's pale face, making him look like an old shepherd on the plateau. Now he was holding Wu Daozi's hand and shaking it vigorously, and Wu Daozi, in delight, grasped his hand and said, "Isn't this Little Du (Fu)?"
It can be said that without Lao Zhang, there would be no Yucai. It was the old man's heartfelt dedication to the children that made Yucai what it is today. So, whether it is my clients or others present, as long as they have heard of Lao Zhang's deeds, they all have great respect for him. Even many of the government officials upstairs came out.
When the old man saw me and Baozi, he threatened me again in that old warlord-like tone: "Kid, you better treat your wife well!"
I replied with a forced smile, "Definitely, definitely."
The old man pulled me close and whispered, "Are you planning to keep this from her for the rest of your life?"
I whispered in his ear, "I haven't thought about it yet, let's just take it one step at a time."
Old Zhang nodded, grabbed Baozi and said, "Xiao Qiang is a bit of a scoundrel, but she's not a bad person at heart. You should follow her closely from now on."
Baozi sensed that Old Zhang was giving his final instructions, and nodded vigorously with tears streaming down his face.
After all that commotion, Baozi forgot what he wanted to ask me and just kept following me up and down the stairs. There were just too many guests today, and a large portion of them were unexpected, catching me completely off guard. Besides my usual friends and relatives, there were heroes, Yue Fei's army, Fang La and the Four Heavenly Kings, the likes of Yan Jin and Liu Gu, the employees of Yucai School including Duan Tianlang and Cheng Fengshou, and students' parents—nearly a thousand people in total. Now, with the Little Martial Arts Tournament added to the mix, Happy Forest was bustling with noise, to the point that everyone who could help pitched in. Erpang even took charge of receiving my childhood friends. I had initially only assigned Wu Yong and Xiao Rang to keep the accounts, but now I had to temporarily send out Li Tianrun and Pang Wanchun, who had both worked as junior staff members.
During that time, Boss Hao made a brief appearance. Starting tomorrow, I will no longer be his employee; we can be friends from now on.
After a chaotic flurry of activity until nearly midnight, Song Qing, acting as the wedding emcee, announced over the loudspeaker: "Now, please invite the bride and groom, along with their parents, to the lobby on the first floor for the ceremony. Now, please..."
I hurriedly pulled Baozi downstairs. Baozi, still dizzy, asked, "Which floor are we going to do this on?"
"Don't ask yet..." I shouted as I ran, "Kezi, cousin—" Only then did I realize that the best man and maid of honor were gone.
Finally, they found Ersha next to Zhao Bailian. Zhao Bailian was also wearing new clothes and had come with Uncle Zhao. Li Shishi was even more extravagant, bringing the entire crew of "The Legend of Li Shishi." She was now directing the cameraman on how to film the wedding scene, and specifically instructed him: "Make sure to capture everyone in the shot."
When I finally gathered everyone, I was blocked by a crowd of people pushing their way into the lobby as soon as I reached the second-floor stairwell. Song Qing kept shouting, so I could only pull Baozi along and try to push forward, while the people in front of me yelled, "Don't push! Don't push!"
I yelled frantically, "Make way! Make way! I'm the groom—"
Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Grand Wedding (Part Two)
After finally squeezing my way to the front, I was greeted by a brand-new red carpet that stretched all the way to the stage. Besides the red carpet, there were hundreds of people holding confetti cannons and grinning mischievously…
I had no choice but to bite the bullet and whisper to Baozi, Ersha, and Li Shishi, "Hurry up and leave when the music starts." Before they could even understand what was going on, Song Qing had already started playing music, so I had to drag Baozi along as the wedding march played.
Zhang Qing, who was closest to me, saw through my trick at a glance. He twisted the spray nozzle, and with a "bang," the spray flowers instantly enveloped us—I was glad he didn't throw that thing at us like a hidden weapon.
Zhang Qing took the lead, and everyone else followed suit. In an instant, a deluge of confetti and ribbons exploded above our heads. I quickly glided along, arm in arm with Baozi, but unexpectedly, she secretly tugged at me hard, signaling me to slow down. Later, I understood; today, our Baozi was wearing a wedding dress worth over 30,000 yuan, looking as elegant as a princess. Who would want to run around like a crazy woman like me at this crucial moment?
"Okay, let it be slow then, it's a once-in-a-lifetime event anyway." The consequence of doing this was that we were gradually buried. I just don't understand, with so many people, where did all those spray nozzles come from? Not only did everyone have one, but some even had two in their pockets, making it impossible to see anyone as we passed. By the time we got to the stage, everyone had at least half a pound of shredded paper on their heads. Song Qing chuckled and said, "Now, let's invite the two newcomers to speak. Who wants to go first?"
I took the microphone, but after being bombarded with criticism all the way here, I couldn't think of anything to say for a moment, so I could only look down and say, "Has everyone... eaten yet?"
Everyone laughed: "No! We're waiting for you to speak!"
I handed the microphone to Baozi: "Then I'm done speaking."
Baozi seemed to have something to say, and as soon as she took the microphone, she asked, "Are you all here for our wedding?"
Everyone laughed: "Yes!"
As Baozi handed the microphone to Song Qing, she muttered, "There are so many people—I'm done speaking too."
Everyone: "..."
Song Qing was stunned for a while by our rambling talk before she finally reacted. She glared at us and then proceeded to the next item: "Please invite both sets of parents. Please come forward, four elders."
As is customary, the music at this point was "Pigsy Carrying His Bride." My dad bent over, hoisted my mom onto his back, and in a few quick strides, he was on the platform; the old accountant wasn't much slower, his mom carrying steamed buns and my dad walking side by side. Everyone only saw a blur before their eyes, and before they could even joke about the two elderly couples, the two old men were already standing steadily on the platform. They laughed triumphantly, laughed triumphantly…
Shi Qian and Duan Tianbao exclaimed, "What amazing lightness skill!"
Little did they know, this was the wisdom of the working people. The two old men had attended countless weddings their lives and knew that if they were even a step behind, they would suffer all sorts of mistreatment. Here, when we get married, teasing the former employer is a major part of the ceremony.
Song Qing smiled and said, "You two are truly vigorous in your old age. Now, please carry your spouse on your backs and answer three questions for me together."
The two old men were so cunning; they knew they were being tricked. They both said, "You can only ask three questions, and not names—China has 1.3 billion people, and we can't stand asking them all."
Song Qing laughed and said, "How could I be so immoral? Here, memorize it first."
The two old men had no choice but to carry their wives on their backs. Song Qing asked my father, "How many heroes are there on Liangshan?"
My dad casually said, "Everyone on Earth knows that, there are 108." I nudged my dad: "Wrong, there are 109!" I'm one of them!
Song Qing said, "Let's say your answer is correct." Then he asked the old accountant, "How many of them are Heavenly Spirits and how many are Earthly Fiends?"
The old accountant said, "36 Heavenly Spirits and 72 Earthly Fiends—kid, let me remind you, don't ask for names. I can't possibly name all 108 people."
Song Qing laughed heartily: "Now, let's invite the best man and bridesmaids to speak—"
The two old men could only stand there, staring blankly.
Ersha took the microphone and said nervously, "Um... I just want to ask, does being a groomsman or bridesmaid count as being married?" As he spoke, he glanced at Li Shishi and said, "I'm not marrying her. Her perfume makes me dizzy." This made Li Shishi so angry that she kicked him, and Jin Shaoyan kept jumping up and down. Everyone laughed so hard they were doubled over.
Finally, with the microphone in Li Shishi's hands, someone said a few polite words; otherwise, things would have been completely out of tune. Finally, Li Shishi smiled sweetly and said, "Words cannot express my gratitude to everyone—but for the sake of my two former employers, I can only say this much." Everyone laughed, and the two old men, moved to tears, said, "What a kind young lady!"
Song Qing took the microphone and said, "Now I'll ask you two one last question, and you must answer truthfully."
The two old men nodded nervously; having learned their lesson once, they dared not underestimate Song Qing again.
Song Qing suddenly held the microphone up between them and asked, "Did you sleep well last night?"