Zhou Juan'er's hometown was located in a place called Zhoujia Village in the neighboring city.
On the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhang Tao borrowed eight Mercedes-Benz cars from his company. Along with the eldest young lady's exclusive Maybach and nine core members of the Ten Thousand Dragons Society acting as temporary drivers, he brought his parents and some relatives they still kept in touch with, setting off for the neighboring city before dawn.
The Zhou family was a prominent surname in the local area. Zhou Juan'er's father served as the captain of Team 5 in their village and was quite popular.
The wedding banquet this time was set up in the bride's courtyard and the open space in front of the house. Tents were erected, rural chefs were hired, and about fifteen tables were set up in total.
Around nine in the morning, the wedding convoy picked up the bride from a makeup studio in the city.
At about ten o'clock, the convoy, consisting of eight Mercedes-Benz cars and a Maybach, arrived at the entrance of Zhoujia Village, where the bride's family lived.
Many people got married at the end of the year, and they had encountered quite a few wedding convoys along the way. However, Zhang Tao's fleet of identical Mercedes-Benz cars, led by a Maybach worth ten million, was the most eye-catching.
This wedding convoy was truly extravagant. In this day and age, such a grand display was absolutely considered massive.
As soon as the convoy reached the village entrance, the bride's family, who had been waiting early, lit firecrackers. The crackling sounds went on endlessly, making the scene extremely lively.
Zhou Juan'er's parents waited at the door, their faces beaming with smiles. Their son-in-law's grand display had truly earned them a lot of face.
Have you ever seen a convoy entirely made of Mercedes-Benz cars?
Let alone them, even the other villagers had never seen such a grand display. Under normal circumstances, having a single Mercedes-Benz leading the way would already bring a lot of prestige, not to mention the Maybach acting as the lead car.
"They're here, they're here! Juan'er's wedding convoy is here!"
"Holy smokes! Are these all Mercedes-Benz?"
"One, two, three... eight cars, all identical Mercedes-Benz!"
"Look at the lead car, what kind of car is that? I've never seen that logo before!"
The villagers watching the commotion all started trying to identify the car. A Maybach was truly a rare sight in this place, and many people simply didn't recognize it. It was a young man who had worked in an auto repair shop in the city who recognized it first.
"Damn, it's actually a Maybach! That's a Maybach!"
"What's a Maybach?"
"A Maybach is even more awesome than a Mercedes-Benz. I heard this car costs at least ten million on the road!"
"Ten million? Just to buy one car!" The people around were shocked.
"What kind of family is Juan'er marrying into? They're so wealthy!"
"I heard they run an internet cafe in the neighboring Pearl City, and their business is quite big."
"Can running an internet cafe make that much money?"
"Absolutely. Young people nowadays all love surfing the internet. Opening an internet cafe is super profitable!"
At this time, a young man with a cigarette dangling from his mouth couldn't help but curl his lips and say sourly, "Just showing off. This is a rented convoy. If they were really that rich, would they take a fancy to a girl from our Zhoujia Village?"
An auntie next to him rolled her eyes at him. "Qiangzi, you're just jealous. Juan'er is such a good girl. She's pretty and even went to college in the city. What's wrong with her matching with a boss?"
Zhou Qiang took a drag of his cigarette and said, "Do you guys know what kind of car Zhou Laosan's cousin, Brother Biao, drives?"
"A BMW, what about it?"
"Brother Biao's BMW 5 Series reportedly costs around six or seven hundred thousand. This Maybach is worth twenty of Brother Biao's BMWs. Think about it, in our small place, whose car can overshadow Brother Biao's? Who dares to overshadow Brother Biao?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the surroundings went quiet for a few seconds.
Zhou Laosan was the village chief's nephew and could be considered Zhou Juan'er's distant cousin. He had a cousin named Zhao Biao, who was a very formidable figure in this area and held a high status even in the city.
This guy ran a sand yard, lent money, and had a bunch of underlings. His BMW was the first of its kind in their town.
Now a wedding convoy suddenly popped up with a lineup so much bigger than Zhao Biao's. Given Zhao Biao's personality...
"Juan'er's groom might be showing off a bit too much," a villager couldn't help but say.
"What's wrong? Is it a crime to have money?" a young wife said unconvincingly.
"It's not a crime, Lao Jiu's wife, you just don't understand. That guy Zhao Biao cares about his face the most. Last time when Old Li's son from the West Village got married, they rented a Porsche as the lead car. Brother Biao happened to pass by, and his face instantly darkened. Later, their whole family went out to work and hasn't dared to return to the village since..."
"Isn't that too overbearing? So people just aren't allowed to be more high-profile than him?"
"Shh, keep your voice down. Zhao Biao might even come over today."
"..."
While the crowd was chatting, the firecrackers crackled loudly once again, and the bridal car arrived at the courtyard gate.
Zhang Tao got out of the car wearing a suit. Although he was young, after his experience in the Ten Thousand Dragons Society, his temperament had noticeably become much more composed, faintly exuding the aura of an elite executive.
Zhou Juan'er's parents couldn't stop grinning when they saw their son-in-law. When they went up to greet him, their backs were a bit straighter than usual.
In the crowd, Zhou Qiang quietly backed away, took out his phone, and dialed a number.
"Brother Biao, it's me, Qiangzi... Ah, yes, in the village."
"I need to tell you something. Juan'er's groom is here, and the display is huge. Eight Mercedes-Benz cars, with a Maybach as the lead car, said to be worth tens of millions... Okay, I got it. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on things for you."
After hanging up the phone, Zhou Laowu slipped back into the crowd and squeezed to the front again to join the excitement.
Just then, someone next to him nudged him.
"Qiangzi, who were you just calling?"
"No one. I just feel... today's wedding banquet probably won't be a peaceful one."
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing, nothing at all," Zhou Qiang casually brushed it off.
Actually, he regretted it a bit right after making the call. No matter what, they were relatives with the same surname. He had only made that call out of pure jealousy, dialing the number in a moment of impulse.
But it was too late for regrets now.
He knew Zhao Biao would soon come over to join the commotion, and he just hoped nothing serious would actually happen.
After Zhang Tao carried the bride out of the car, according to local customs, he had to hand out red envelopes to enter the door. He was well-prepared, having his brothers toss a few rounds of red envelopes. The relatives blocking the door were just about to let him carry the bride inside.
But right at this moment, a BMW 5 Series and a minivan drove over, and a group of hooligan-like youths got out.
Among them, a guy with dyed blond hair saw the groom about to enter the door and ran straight over to block him again.
"Groom, you want to enter just like that? According to our rules here, besides giving out red envelopes, you also have to put on a performance!"
Fortunately, Zhang Tao worked out regularly. After carrying his wife for so long, his arms were only slightly sore, and he could still hold on. Even though he didn't know the other party, he still smiled and asked, "Brother, tell me, what kind of performance?"
The blond guy looked him up and down, grinning widely. "Simple. Crawl like a dog from here to the door of the bride's room, and bark while you crawl!"
The villagers watching the commotion immediately burst into laughter.
Zhang Tao's expression changed, but he still suppressed his anger. "Brother, that's not very appropriate, is it? It's a bit insulting. How about changing it to something else? I'll give you guys a red envelope, okay?"
"Trying to brush me off with a red envelope? That won't do."
The blond guy raised his chin and said, "Hey, I heard you're doing pretty well for yourself in Mingzhu City. Opened an internet cafe and became a boss, huh? What, are you looking down on us country folks now?"
A man in his thirties wearing a leather jacket strolled over slowly and patted the blond guy on the shoulder. "Xiaowu, that's enough. Don't delay the auspicious hour."
The blond guy immediately changed his tune, bowing and scraping. "Brother Biao is right, Brother Biao is right. We shouldn't hold up the newlyweds' auspicious hour."
Zhang Tao looked at the man. He had a thick gold chain around his neck and a large gold ring on his finger. His eyes carried a ruthless glint—he definitely looked like someone you didn't want to mess with!
Zhao Biao also sized Zhang Tao up and smiled. "Brother, I heard you're doing business in Mingzhu City? What kind of business?"
"Running an internet cafe," Zhang Tao replied. "Just a small business."
"Internet cafes are great. People love going online nowadays. I have two internet cafes in the city myself. We should swap notes sometime," Zhao Biao said.
"Sure!" Zhang Tao replied perfunctorily.
