The groom carried the bride away.
Li Weihao and Li Weibo exchanged glances and held Li Weixin back.
Li Weihao: "Little brother, when I get married, you must also give a gift with profound meaning."
Li Weibo: "Little brother, what about me and your second sister-in-law's gift? Make it up."
Li Weixin struggled to break free and shouted angrily, "If you don't let me go, how can I get you a gift?"
Li Weihao and Li Weibo didn't believe him: "You say it with your mouth, and we'll get it ourselves."
Li Weixin looked at Zeng Jingrong: "It's in the captain's bag."
Zeng Jingrong pointed to his nose in surprise.
Li Weihao and Li Weibo didn't believe it: "The captain is so surprised, don't lie to us."
Unable to break free, and unable to use his powers, Li Weixin could only cry for help: "Mom and Dad, save me."
Tian Jing watched her three sons bicker with a smile, saying nothing.
Li Zhengguo stood up: "Haohao, Xiaobo, you are being unreasonable. Ranran's gift is for his sister, and you are just brothers."
Just brothers?
Li Weihao and Li Weixin's mouths twitched. Dad was being so shamelessly biased!
The brothers released their younger sibling, patting him on either shoulder, and said, "You are just the little brother."
Li Weixin... It's over, he'll never get any favors from his two brothers again.
He looked at his father with 'resentment'.
Li Zhengguo waved his hand: "Enough playing, all of you go out and entertain the guests."
...
It was half past eleven, and all the guests outside had arrived.
Han Lushí and Li Weili changed into their toast attire.
Han Lushí knew that they were only having a banquet upon their return, so he had only ordered toast attire.
Li Weili's attire was a purple-red, high-waisted, mid-sleeved chiffon maxi dress. She had re-pinned her hair into a high bun and adorned it with purple diamond hairpins.
Han Lushí wore a Western suit. He obviously couldn't wear the jacket, so he only put on a white shirt and trousers. The collar of his shirt was unbuttoned, exuding an overwhelming aura.
The two entered the second courtyard. Li Zhengguo and Tian Jing, with Li Weixin carrying a bag, were waiting for them.
Tian Jing looked at their attire with satisfaction: "Let's go, it's time to toast the guests."
Along the village road, under the sunshade, even several high-power industrial fans couldn't dispel the heat.
However, the delicious dishes on the tables and the two extra cases of ice-cold beer allocated to each table made the villagers completely forget they were sitting under the sun.
The newlyweds were here to toast, and naturally, they started with their family.
Han Lushí handed all the congratulatory red envelopes he received for changing his address to the best man behind him, Li Weixin.
Li Weixin, touching the thick red silk envelopes, found that none of them were meant for him.
When they reached the villagers, they started to tease. They drank beer, so the groom had to drink beer too.
Han Lushí readily agreed.
Li Weili was worried that mixing white wine and beer would make him drunk easily.
Han Lushí winked at Li Weili, signaling her not to worry.
Fifty tables meant fifty cups of beer, almost two cases. By the end, Han Lushí's face remained unchanged, and his stomach didn't show any signs of bloating.
A young man who was helping to pour drinks marveled at his alcohol tolerance and capacity...
After the toasts, they returned to their own table to sit down. Li Weili urged Han Lushí to eat quickly, as he had been drinking on an empty stomach.
Han Lushí whispered something in Li Weili's ear, and only then did Li Weili nod in relief: "Then you should eat more dishes too."
Han Lushí also didn't forget to serve Li Weili: "You should eat more too."
At another table, Ji Qing and Ji Xiang sat on either side of their father and mother, and they even used their spoons to scoop food for their mother, urging their younger siblings to eat more.
Zeng Jingchu, sitting next to Ji Xiang, pushed his bowl towards Ji Xiang: "Ji Xiang, I want some too."
"Sigh!" Ji Xiang sighed, imitating the adults: "Alright, you're injured."
Zeng Jingchu ignored his son's reasoning, smiled, and pulled his bowl back: "Thank you, Ji Xiang."
"Ahem," Chen Fu coughed: "Boss Zeng, you're too obvious."
Zeng Jingchu turned his head and saw the curious glances from the villagers.
He turned back and asked Chen Fu: "How about I host a banquet and take a godson?"
Zeng Lin didn't know how much willpower it took him not to pull the young master away from the little master:
"Young Master, that would be even more obvious. Captain Tian will break your legs."
Zeng Jingchu faltered, then lowered his head and ate honestly.
Zeng Lin... He had only been by the young master's side for a day, and he had already grown a few more white hairs.
The young master, whom he couldn't threaten with any method, became instantly obedient just by mentioning Captain Tian...
The banquet finally dispersed. Zeng Lin forcefully carried the young master back.
Zeng Jingchu shouted for his cousin to save him.
Zeng Jingrong could only follow the master and servant pair to the Li family's Western-style house:
"Jingchu, what exactly are you doing?"
Zeng Jingchu looked at his cousin and said, "I want to be with Ji Xiang."
"Don't go too far," Zeng Jingrong reprimanded his cousin with a stern face: "Ji Xiang likes his current life. When you sent him here, you just abandoned him."
"Now you want to disrupt the family life he likes. He doesn't understand now, but he will hate you when he grows up."
"You promised Tian Tian that you would wait until Ji Xiang is 18. Tian Tian hates people who go back on their word."
Zeng Jingchu deflated: "Can't I take Ji Xiang as a godson?"
Zeng Jingrong shook his head: "Ji Xiang and Ji Qing are like conjoined twins."
"I'll take both."
"Can you treat Ji Qing exactly the same?"
Zeng Jingchu remained silent.
Zeng Jingrong patted his cousin's shoulder with a big hand:
"Ji Qing's parents and grandparents treat Ji Xiang exactly the same as Ji Qing. The two of them don't feel any favoritism."
"Why would Chen Fu place his own son by your side to experience your differential treatment?"
"If Chen Fu and Lin Hua'er didn't genuinely care for Ji Xiang, they wouldn't have raised your son for you and continued to play along with you."
"Zeng Lin, keep an eye on him. I'll take Ji Qing and Ji Xiang away in the evening. Don't let him show up again."
"Yes!" Zeng Lin replied: "Young Master Cousin, Young Master Second, regarding Captain Tian she..."
Zeng Jingrong was stunned for a long time before he realized what Zeng Lin meant:
"Captain Tian is my biological sister who was lost for over a decade. She is your Young Master Second's cousin. He is afraid of Captain Tian, not what you think."
Zeng Lin breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that the Young Master Second didn't have any intention of interfering in someone else's family.
Zeng Jingrong glanced at Zeng Lin: "If you don't understand something in the future, ask it directly like you did today. Don't guess, and don't do anything unnecessary."
Zeng Lin straightened up: "Yes!"
Zeng Jingrong, worried, threatened his cousin: "If Tian Tian really gets annoyed, she might lock you up with Yulia."
Zeng Jingchu was startled, and actually nodded: "When Mr. Sun says I am beyond redemption, you can do that."
Zeng Jingrong clenched his fist: "I also want to break your legs."
He then turned and left: "Zeng Lin, if necessary, tie him up."
"Yes!"
...
In the courtyard entrance, the women were washing dishes.
The villagers voluntarily took back their tables. Hosting a banquet was a one-time affair.
They hoped the Li family would host another wedding banquet soon.
No wonder Yuan Family's Private Kitchen at the Eagle's Beak in Hot Spring Valley was so hard to get a table at.
No wonder tourists had to book in advance and wait for a meal in Hot Spring Valley.
Just one meal was endlessly memorable.
Sister-in-law Niu and Sister-in-law Gui Lan not only washed the dishes and basins but also moved them into the front courtyard warehouse of the quadrangle.
Finally, taking the leftovers they were given, they happily went home.
Yu Ziyu pulled out the water hose, and went with Li Weibo to wash the ground along the village road.
Li Weibo playfully bantered with his wife.
The captain had told him that he must report back to the team by tomorrow morning, no matter what.
Tomorrow morning, the team was going to have a general meeting.
Shen Jianrong checked the cloth shoes bought by her daughter and son-in-law, and felt they weren't enough. She went to the village to inquire, but could only buy a few pairs.
She drove to the villages ahead, but still couldn't buy much. It was the peak tourist season, and the villages' handicrafts weren't enough to sell.
If Shen Jianrong weren't related to the Li family, the villagers wouldn't have been willing to sell the samples they had. Without samples, how could they do business?
Back in Kuxan Mountain, she took the order list reserved by her daughter and son-in-law and matched it to ask villagers to deliver the items to the quadrangle.