Li Minyu pouted, cursing internally that pride comes before a fall.
The weather was fine, with no lightning or thunder to speak of, despite her curse.
The convoy drove smoothly, all the way to the entrance of the Royal Villa.
Elena, holding a winnowing basket filled with red dates, peanuts, longans, and grains, scattered them handful by handful towards the newlyweds, Guo Xuyang and Li Minxi.
This was a local custom, symbolizing abundant blessings and an early birth of a son.
Moreover, Elena had given birth to a son with a large head for her first child, which was why Wu Shangqing had specifically arranged for her to scatter the grains.
Now that they were on their own territory, there were no restrictions on setting off firecrackers; they went all out.
There were firecrackers and aerial fireworks, creating a lively and noisy scene.
The spacious courtyard was crowded with people, all employees of the real estate company, Xia Li's former colleagues, and friends and relatives who had come to offer their congratulations.
Qi Fankun, Tian Ye, Wu Bing, and Liu Hui had all traveled from Kyoto. As for Xiao Yu, Xiao Hong, Jiang Wuxi, and Xu Liping, their presence was a given.
It was a bustling crowd, yet the wedding itself was simple.
Under the witness of everyone present, Guo Xuyang and Li Minxi exchanged wedding rings, followed by the traditional bows to heaven and earth, to their elders, and finally to each other before being escorted to the bridal chamber.
The ceremony was a blend of Western and Eastern customs, primarily considering Li Minxi's physical condition and the fatigue from her long journey, as they would soon be heading to the hotel.
After the couple changed their clothes and reappeared, the crowd triumphantly made their way to the Junyue Lai Grand Hotel.
The entrance of the Junyue Lai Grand Hotel was exceptionally lively that day, with many pretty young girls holding up signs outside, shouting "Fanfan, I love you," just like a mouse loves rice.
It seemed that some artists who were friends with Li Minxi's team had come to offer their congratulations. The news must have somehow leaked, leading to this scene.
The security company was highly efficient, and Xiao Yu had also specifically informed the local police department, which barely managed to contain the enthusiastic fans.
Guo Xuyang and Li Minxi, protected by the crowd, entered the Junyue Lai Grand Hotel and proceeded to the second-floor banquet hall.
Many people were already seated, including handsome men and beautiful women from the 4S dealership, Li Minxi's team members, and many people from jewelry stores had also arrived.
"Yangzi, there are too many people today. We might have to add tables on the first floor," Cheng Xiuping said as he approached.
"Just tell Liu He about it directly. We've already considered that."
"That's good. More than twenty celebrities arrived last night, and I heard some more are still on their way."
"It's alright. As restaurateurs, are we afraid of not being able to host these guests? If necessary, we can add tables downstairs."
"Alright then. Also, the gift money is a bit high. The lowest amount received was fifty thousand, and the highest was one million."
"Are they all Li Minxi's friends?"
"Yes."
"They have money, so don't worry. Just remember their names, and we can reciprocate later. Also, make sure to record the gift money from Li Minxi's friends, and we'll think about how to return it to her."
"Okay."
After finishing his tasks here, Guo Xuyang specially arranged a table for Li Minxi and several bridesmaids and wedding attendants, including Yu'er, Xia Li, and Xin Rui, so they could chat together.
"Sister Minxi, yesterday I managed to open a pair of bracelets," Yu'er said.
"Why did you think of opening stones?"
"It was because Xin Xin and a few others egged us on, so Yangzi took us all to pick out a stone each."
"What kind of stone did Xin Rui pick?" Li Minxi asked, looking at Xin Rui.
"It was just opened this morning. The inside is pink, but it's not very suitable for making bracelets. It's a bit of a waste for a necklace," Xin Rui replied.
"A pink necklace would be very beautiful," Lin Ziyang said. "Are you talking about gambling on stones?"
"It's not gambling on stones. Yangzi gave them to us."
Lin Ziyang glanced at Li Minxi, looking puzzled.
"Minxi, does Guo Xuyang have many stones?"
"Yes. He bought them all from the Myanmar public auction."
"Can we choose a few?"
"Of course," Li Minxi said generously.
Tong Xin was not at this table, but she was aware that Guo Xuyang had taken several women to select rough jade stones the previous night.
Just last night, Guo Xuyang had given away over a billion.
The lowest amount given to these women was a little over a hundred million for Xin Rui, and the highest was over four hundred million for Jiang Wuxi.
Of course, this was all determined by the jade that was revealed from the stones.
Jiang Wuxi had found a piece of imperial green glass-type jade. She hadn't sold it, but instead asked Master Xu to help her make a pair of bracelets, and the remaining pieces were made into pendants, rings, and earrings.
Xin Rui had directly exchanged hers for cash, which Xiao Yun repurchased and transferred directly to her bank card.
This was done by the women after Yangzi had left, as they were bored and had asked Master Xu to help them open the stones.
It was originally planned not to open the western villa today, fearing that too many eyes might notice and give rise to malicious intentions.
However, the women were curious about the stones they held, so they asked Xia Li to find Master Xu to help them open them.
After all, Master Xu was also attending the wedding today.
Xia Li specifically called Master Xu to the western villa, and he opened all the stones for the women.
Two machines were used simultaneously, and they were all opened before Guo Xuyang and Li Minxi had even disembarked from the plane.
"Ziqi, where is your family from?" Li Minxi suddenly asked.
"From the county town. Why?"
"Ziyang, do you think Ziqi resembles you?" Li Minxi said to Lin Ziyang.
"Now that you mention it, she really does look a bit like you. What is your surname?" Lin Ziyang asked, looking at Lin Ziqi.
"My surname is Lin, Lin Ziqi."
"What a coincidence? Do you know your father's name?"
"What coincidence? My father's name is Lin Nan."
"Lin Nan? Where is your father?"
"He died in a car accident. Why are you making that face?" Lin Ziqi was very confused, not understanding why Lin Ziyang had such an expression.
"Are you sure your father's name is Lin Nan? Not Lin Xingnan?"
"How did you know my father's name was Lin Xingnan? My father used to be called Lin Xingnan, and later he removed the middle character and was called Lin Nan."
"Could it be such a coincidence? Are you really my second uncle's daughter?" Lin Ziyang was also very surprised.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Lin Ziqi said, completely bewildered.
"When I first met Lin Ziqi, I felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity. It turns out you are sisters?" Li Minxi said from the side.
"My father's name is Lin Xingdong. He has a younger brother named Lin Xingnan. Back then, because my second uncle fell for a nurse in the county town, he was rejected by the family, which led to a falling out, and he never returned home again. My father tried to find my second uncle several times, but my second uncle was also stubborn and refused to go back. Later, when our grandfather passed away, my second uncle still didn't come home, so all contact was completely severed," Lin Ziyang explained.
"Is that so? I had no idea. My parents never spoke about my grandparents all these years. Even after my parents died in a car accident, my sister and I depended on each other. I never knew my father had an elder brother."
"It's all because Second Uncle's temperament was too stubborn. Otherwise, he wouldn't have severed ties with grandfather. What do you do now?"
"I'm selling cars with Yangzi in the provincial capital. Recently, they want us to manage a grand hotel in Shanghai, but we haven't had the chance to go yet. We'll go after he finishes his wedding and has some free time."
"You mentioned you have an elder sister. What does she do?"
"She works as an accountant in Yangzi's store, working with Brother Hui."
"Oh. Grandma is still in good health. When would be a convenient time for you to return to Kyoto with me to see Grandma?"
"I need to discuss this with my sister. We'll talk about it later," Lin Ziqi replied.
She wasn't interested in the grandmother who had suddenly appeared, nor did she have much interest in this elder cousin from her paternal uncle's family. She was only interested in her father's and mother's love story. She found it incredible that her father had cut ties with his family for her mother; it must have taken great courage.
[Author's Note]: This book has three updates today. Please continue to follow along, dear readers. Cast your free silver tickets, and let's all get excited together.