Chapter 321: Century Wedding

This was faster than Wei Ming had expected, meaning they could go home.

According to Old Fei, it should be that the overseas prestige of the Shi family had played a role. The Shi family was a major household in Suzhou, involved in railways and banks, covering a very wide range of fields. The relevant departments certainly hoped that the Shi family could take the lead in returning to invest in the construction of the motherland.

Wei Lingling said, "Let's go to Jue Garden first. Once the procedures are finished, we'll leave. As for the subsequent matters, we'll entrust them to Mr. Fei."

Before it was dark, the group took a taxi directly to Jue Garden Courtyard No. 2. Miss Li Zhi accompanied them; A-Long was not there.

Because they didn't know when Wei Ming and the others would finish, A-Long and Gong Ying had already returned to Beijing one step ahead to prepare for the procedures to go to Hong Kong.

Because they were three-wheeled taxis, they took two. Lao Lao Lao Wei and Wei Lingling took one, and Wei Ming and Miss Li Zhi took one.

"Young Master Ming, I only know now that the Shi family, which was wealthy enough to rival a nation back then, was actually a relative of your family. I had even heard Grandma mention it."

Having followed along to run the procedures these past few days, Miss Li Zhi had figured out the origin of that Jue Garden Courtyard No. 2 residence, as well as the relationship between Wei Ming and the owner of Jue Garden.

Wei Ming spread his hands. "I told you, our family has no money, just a few wealthy relatives overseas. And we haven't been in touch for so many years, so the relationship has long since faded."

Miss Li Zhi thought to herself, if it had faded, they wouldn't have left such a large residence to you.

She said aloud, "I don't care about those. I think having ability yourself is the real ability. Your talent is your greatest wealth."

This woman really had a way of coaxing men. Wei Ming's mouth curled up into a Nike-like shape.

"I give this sentence to you as well. You've been somewhat slack in your English studies recently. You still have to learn English."

Miss Li Zhi shyly tucked the short hair behind her ear, revealing a bit of charm. "Isn't it because there were no conditions for learning after coming back?"

"If there are no conditions, create them. Learn from the people around you."

"Then is it okay if I learn English from you? Your English is very good, and you can even write songs in English. You are the role model I learn from."

Wei Ming glanced at the driver uncle who was earnestly eavesdropping in front and said solemnly, "We are about to separate soon. You won't be able to learn the essence from me. You should learn from your Aunt Lingling. Her English level is definitely stronger than mine. In the future, by her side, you must not only learn English well but also learn how to manage people and manage the company, understand?"

Wei Ming meant that Miss Li Zhi had the opportunity to become the right-hand assistant to his little aunt and should cherish this learning opportunity, but Miss Li Zhi clearly misunderstood.

He—he meant that the family's industry would be handed over to me to manage in the future!

Miss Li Zhi nodded solemnly. "Mm, I will!"

Soon, the "toad car" arrived at Yanjing West Road. After getting off, Lao Lao Lao Wei pointed to the courtyard in front and asked, "Is it all inside?"

Wei Ming nodded.

Lao Lao Lao Wei thought to himself that this was indeed large, more than twice the size of the old Western-style house they were living in now. It appeared very grand and luxurious; one look and you could tell it was the property of a large family with a flourishing population.

It was a pity that the eldest son of the Shi family, whom Wei Ming's great-aunt married, had few descendants and was now even facing a situation of having no heirs.

There was a gatekeeper, and the gatekeeper uncle was very well-informed; he actually already knew that the descendants of Jue Garden had returned from the United States, so he generously opened the gate to let them go in and take a look.

At this time, this was the office location of the Shanghai Electric Import and Export Company, and the company's leaders had also been notified.

Unlike the gatekeeper uncle's indifferent attitude, the leader of this state-owned enterprise looked at Wei Lingling and the others with faint displeasure, yet couldn't reveal it.

He was probably thinking in his heart that the hateful capitalists were coming back again.

Wei Ming could understand; the environment here was too good, and being located in the city center, working here felt as if one were a master oneself.

In the future, if they had to change their office location, it wouldn't be certain. The possibility of finding an environment, location, and space that could catch up to this place was not high.

Besides the three floors above ground and some small rooms to the left and right of the courtyard, this building, which was over half a century old, also had underground space, and it could withstand a certain amount of explosive impact. They probably took war into account when building the house.

When they finished walking around and came out, Wei Ming followed Wei Lingling and asked, "Little Aunt, do you think there might be any treasures hidden in this residence of Great-Aunt's?"

Wei Lingling gave the answer directly: "There certainly were before. After all, one had to consider the situation of not being able to make it in the United States, so several preparations were made. But whether they are still there now, I'm not clear. Great-Aunt told me the location; once we get the house back, we'll dig slowly."

Lao Lao Lao Wei was very surprised after hearing this: "Aiyo, after I go back, I also have to bury some things in the courtyard, to save them from being all used up later."

Wei Ming suggested, "I think you could bury some Moutai."

"Will that thing be valuable in the future?" Lao Lao Lao Wei was puzzled. "I see many people collecting stamps now. Maybe I should bury some stamps."

Wei Ming: "..."

In his previous life, he knew an old brother at the People's Art Theatre who was a stamp collecting enthusiast; he kept a book of rare stamps and held onto it until 2025.

The next day, Wei Lingling, Lao Lao Lao Wei, and Old Fei ran to the relevant units again and completed the procedures. Only the final handover was left, and that would have to wait for the people to move out and contact them.

Lao Lao Lao Wei left the contact information for the Yanjing Overseas Chinese Apartment, and Old Fei, having been busy running back and forth, would also receive some hard-earned money.

He knew Wei Lingling came from Hong Kong and proposed, "Can you give me some Hong Kong dollars?"

Wei Lingling asked, "Is US dollars not okay?"

"Aiya, that would be even better!" Old Fei was overjoyed. He guaranteed, "I will continue to urge that unit to move."

Wei Lingling waved her hand and said, "No need to urge; we aren't in a hurry to use it."

Wei Ming: "And they will pay rent before moving out." It was just that the rent wouldn't be too high.

Lao Lao Lao Wei worried, "Such a large residence, we won't use it usually. What will we use it for after we get it back?"

Wei Lingling said earnestly, "This is what I'm thinking. Big Brother, listen and see if it works. You and Brother Ping'an are both in Yanjing. If my company develops in the mainland in the future, we will definitely need an office location in Shanghai, or even a mainland headquarters. At that time, I can give you a sum of money to buy this residence, or pay rent according to the market price."

"Aiya, you are being too formal saying this. If you need it in the future, just use it. Why talk about money among family?"

"We still have to talk about it. The company might not be just mine alone; there's no need to save money for the company."

Lao Lao Lao Wei then smiled and nodded, indicating they would talk about it then.

When only Wei Ming and his little aunt were left, he asked with a smile, "Is the company you mentioned the toy factory or our DreamWorks? It's DreamWorks, right?"

Wei Lingling hummed, not answering directly. She said, "I won't return to Yanjing. We will fly directly to Hong Kong tomorrow. Where are your Transformers blueprints?"

Wei Ming went back to the room to get them. Adding the previous ones, there were five characters in total, three Autobots and two Decepticons.

"Just five?"

"What do you need so many for now? Aren't you afraid of having the ideas stolen?" Wei Ming said. "The toy factory's next focus is to overcome the technical difficulties of transforming toys and reduce costs. This process is afraid to take a year or half a year. I'll draw them for you slowly."

Wei Lingling felt it made sense and added, "And the story text for Transformers."

"Got it. You can take them to film the animation directly then." However, animation production time was too long; they could make a comic version first. This reflected the role of *Madman Comics*.

The next day, the four people parted ways at the airport, two going north, two going south.

Watching his younger sister turn and leave, Lao Lao Lao Wei murmured, "When will I be able to go to Hong Kong?"

Wei Ming knew he didn't want to go to Hong Kong; he just wanted to see his father.

Wei Ming patted him on the shoulder. "How about you go over with A-Long and the others in a while?"

Anyway, they also needed to transport some comic talent over.

Lao Lao Lao Wei thought for a while, but ultimately shook his head. "You said his body is quite sturdy, so I won't be in a hurry. Let's wait a bit longer. When the time comes, I'll go over to see him with your mother and your sister."

Taking a plane for the second time, Wei Jiefang was much calmer. While reading the newspaper in his seat, he also saw reports about the Sichuan floods.

Now the heavy rain in Sichuan had been falling for five days, and there was still no sign of it stopping or decreasing. The news was full of bad news. Except for the few prefectures with higher altitudes like Garzê and Ngawa, the entire territory of Sichuan was soaked in water.

He said with a worried face, "I don't know how your eldest uncle and eldest aunt are. It's fortunate we didn't let your grandmother go back."

Wei Ming comforted him, "The hometown in Sichuan is considered to have a relatively high terrain locally. I think it should be fine."

Anyway, in his previous life, no one died in the floods.

"High terrain, but there are also many mountains. I'm just afraid of mudslides. Have you forgotten that your mother's original village was buried by mudslides?"

As Lao Lao Lao Wei was speaking, the passenger next to him also chatted with him, talking about these worrying floods.

This passenger was from Xingyang, Henan. His hometown had also suffered from the flooding of the Yellow River, so he felt for the people of Sichuan.

Speaking of flooding, Lao Lao Lao Wei also had something to say. Although Ping'an County didn't have those big rivers, that Hutuo River would occasionally flood unexpectedly. His hometown was flooded when he was a child, and because of that, some people lost their lives.

Wei Ming remembered that Hutuo River in his hometown, which wasn't very wide. It was the only way to get from Gouzitun to the county seat, but the bridge over the river had been in disrepair for a long time, and walking on it always made people feel uneasy, especially when there were cars passing.

It wasn't until a few accidents occurred in the 90s that a new one was built.

After getting off the plane, Wei Ming told Lao Lao Lao Wei about his plan to donate money to his hometown this time.

"What do you think if we repair the bridge over the Hutuo River?"

"Good fellow, how much money do you have!" Lao Lao Lao Wei was shocked. He had said things about repairing bridges and paving roads, but that was talking about the road at the door and the small stone bridge at the entrance of the village.

Wei Ming said, "How much money does it take to repair a bridge?"

Lao Lao Lao Wei: "It has to be at least ten thousand, right?"

Wei Ming: "That's not expensive either."

Lao Lao Lao Wei: "..."

If it affected his buying a courtyard house, Wei Ming wouldn't say anything. If it was just ten thousand yuan or so, he felt it was no problem.

Now the foreign exchange in his domestic account converted into RMB was over 200,000, and *The Lion King* was about to be listed in the United States.

Seeing that his son was serious, Lao Lao Lao Wei nodded. "Then after we go back, I'll go with the old branch secretary to ask County Magistrate Qin. If this matter really succeeds, all the common people in Ping'an County will have to remember your kindness, and Dad will also share in the glory."

Taking a bus, the father and son arrived at the Yanjing Hotel to pick up the motorcycle.

"Wei-san!"

Someone called Wei Ming. Wei Ming turned his head—sure enough, it was Masashi Sada. "Sada-san, have you finished filming the Yangtze River?"

"Finished, no, not finished, but the filming has ended. I'm just preparing to go home," Masashi Sada said. The filming material had already been reviewed and there was no problem; they could proceed to post-production.

Meeting this time, Masashi Sada urgently wanted to chat with Wei Ming about music, so Wei Ming and Lao Lao Lao Wei were invited to have lunch at the Yanjing Hotel.

"Since we parted in Shanghai, you said you wrote an English song. Now that I've heard it, Wei Sang, you truly don't make a sound until you stun everyone. Who among global musicians doesn't know your name now?"

"Sada-san is too modest. This song was written while playing the guitar you gave me."

"This is my honor. Wei-san's musical talent is even beyond my imagination. I also like the song 'Moonlight Shadow' very much. I've been listening to it on loop for the past few days."

"This is also my honor."

Although he couldn't understand English, Lao Lao Lao Wei, who couldn't get a word in, just kept eating, trying to eat the "little Japanese" poor, just by looking at their expressions and demeanor, he knew the two were being modest back and forth.

Don't say, the food at this hotel for foreigners was indeed not bad; it could rival his wife's cooking.

Masashi Sada was curious: "Wei-san's English song debut was so successful. Are you preparing to officially enter the international music scene?"

"This is really not the case. Writing is my true love; writing songs is just a supplement."

"That's too regrettable. Do you have any new works recently?"

"I did write a Cantonese song recently, and I've already found a singer in Hong Kong."

Wei Ming thought that the original song of "First Love" was Japanese, so he had a flash of inspiration: "Sada-san, this song of mine is a song about love, which fits East Asian tastes very well. I wonder if you can take it back to Japan and help me sell it. I want to help the country earn some foreign exchange."

Hearing this, Masashi Sada stood in awe: "Wei-san has a noble character that makes people feel ashamed. Don't worry, I will definitely help you sell it. If I can't sell it, I'll buy it myself."

When saying this, Masashi Sada felt a little guilty. He was currently heavily in debt and very tight on cash.

It just so happened that at this time, Wei Ming said again: "Aiya, I suddenly feel that this song is very suitable for Sada-san."

Masashi Sada's mouth twitched. He was really afraid of what would come.

"Is, is that so?"

Wei Ming asked: "You're not leaving tomorrow, right?"

"The plane ticket is for the day after tomorrow."

Wei Ming made the decision: "Then tomorrow. Tomorrow I will bring the sheet music over for you to take a look."

Masashi Sada could only respond with "Yes." Wei Ming was not only his friend in China but also an internationally renowned musician and author. This song couldn't be too cheap. At that time, he could only buy it at the highest price for Japanese composition.

After lunch, Masashi Sada personally sent the two out.

Lao Lao Lao Wei asked his son while burping: "What were you two jabbering about in bird language?"

Wei Ming: "To make a long story short, it means I'm going to earn the Japanese people's money."

"That's good!" Lao Lao Lao Wei said. "There are so many Japanese electrical appliances on the market now. How much money have the Japanese earned from us? You also earn it back from them!"

Wanting to offset the profits of Japanese electrical appliances from the Chinese market was too difficult for Wei Ming, this small creator. It could only be said that earning a little bit was better than nothing.

There were so many songs changed from Japanese to Cantonese. If he changed them back from Chinese to Japanese, he should be able to earn quite a lot, and the best person to act as this bridge was Masashi Sada.

Arriving at the Overseas Chinese Apartment, only Grandma and Mom were at home. Grandma, with a worried face, even took out two bottles of Tianfu Cola for the father and son.

"This was carried all the way here by Xiao Yang from the hometown for you. I drank it and it was particularly bad, but Xiao Hong said she liked it. You guys try it."

Wei Ming took it and looked at the full refrigerator of cola. He asked: "Where is Xiao Yang?"

"She is accompanying those students with Xiao Hong."

Today was the last day of their study tour. Tomorrow, Lao Lao Lao Wei would return to his hometown with them.

Wei Ming took a sip of the ice-cold cola. It had a faint medicinal taste, slightly different from the taste of Coca-Cola and Pepsi, but it was still the root of carbonated drinks.

In the July weather, drinking such a bottle right after coming back from outside was simply too refreshing.

Wei Ming burped: "Delicious. Grandma, drink more and you'll get used to it."

Grandma said with disdain: "It's so expensive, I don't want to get used to it."

Seeing that Grandma was in a bad mood, Wei Ming hurriedly comforted her. She was still worried about her relatives in her hometown.

Xu Shufen wiped her hands: "Xiao Ming, come over here for a second. There's something."

"What's wrong?"

Xu Shufen took a slip of paper from the coffee table drawer: "A British overseas call came in two days ago."

"What? An overseas call?!" Wei Ming was very surprised.

He couldn't think of any major event besides Melinda's illness that was worth an overseas call. A British overseas call, let alone for Chinese people, was not a small amount for Melinda either.

"It was that ex-girlfriend of yours who called. Xiao Hong answered it, and the two even spoke English." Mom was dissatisfied; there was a long segment she didn't understand at all. "She has something important to find you for. It's all written on this slip of paper."

Wei Ming's heart skipped a beat. He thought of the night before leaving London, the two of them indulging in a moment of pleasure without taking safety measures. Could it be...

He took the folded slip of paper: "Mom, you didn't read it?"

Xu Shufen was even angrier: "Xiao Hong wrote it in English!"

Wei Ming gave a haha laugh and unfolded the letter paper.

The words on the slip were not long, and it was a mix of Chinese and English. Xiao Hong's English still needed practice.

After reading it, Wei Ming was stunned for a moment and murmured: We're getting married just like that?

"What is it about?" Xu Shufen asked. She wasn't usually this gossipy, but the call was from her son's first love whom she had never met, so it was different.

"Nothing major, just someone getting married and wanting to invite me to write a wedding song to make things lively."

"Is, is that Melinda getting married?" Xu Shufen was a little worried for her son.

"What are you talking about? It's not her; it's the British Queen's son." Wei Ming said with amusement.

"Ah? The British Queen's son asked you to write a song? That's the Crown Prince, right? You even know the Crown Prince?!"

"What, son, you know the British King's son? *Burp*, Britain still has a King? *Burp*..." Lao Lao Lao Wei, who had finished the Tianfu Cola, also smelled the gossip and leaned over.

Wei Ming shook his head: "I don't know him, but I have British friends who do. Anyway, this is a good thing, and it can earn foreign exchange. If they ask us to write, we write."

Melinda explained very clearly: Prince Charles and his fiancée were audience members of *Cats*, so they knew Webber, and they were about to hold their wedding at the end of the month.

This wedding of the British heir to the throne was bound to be a century wedding that would attract global attention, and that bride-to-be, Diana Spencer, expressed her hope that there could be a literary performance at the wedding, and Webber had a certain right of recommendation.

Melinda learned about this through Sarah Brightman, so she urgently made this long-distance call to Wei Ming to see if he could have another burst of inspiration and write an excellent wedding song.

If this song could be selected by the Prince and Princess to be performed at the wedding, then it would be hard for this song not to become a global hit.

Because this was revealed to Melinda by Sarah Brightman, she hoped Wei Ming would try his best to write a song suitable for Sarah.

This was not only a set-topic composition but also restricted the style. Of course, it wasn't forced; the key was to be selected.

Having one hit song was luck. If he could have two, Wei Ming's creative talent would inevitably be recognized, and earning foreign exchange in the European and American music scene would also be easy.

The wedding was held at the end of the month, only half a month away. He needed to create, needed to familiarize himself with the song, needed to rehearse. Anyway, time was very tight. It was a pity Wei Hong couldn't contact Wei Ming for the past two days, so she had to wait for him to return.

Wei Ming's brain ran fast. In his previous life, he had attended too many weddings, wearing out his friends into married people. Later, he even had to attend the weddings of their children.

He had heard too many songs at weddings, both Chinese and English. This really didn't stump him; what was difficult was that there were too many, and he didn't know how to choose.

He chose one and wrote the lyrics first. Composing the music would take some time.

He originally wanted to go find Sister Xue and Sister Lin after returning, but he could only delay it. He had to earn this money from the British royal family first.

In the evening, Wei Hong and Long Xiaoyang returned, and they even brought their cousin Qi Delong back.

Wei Ming first reimbursed the train ticket money for Xiao Yang's arrival: "Now you can rest assured and live in Yanjing. Wait until your hometown is completely safe before going back. I will find a way to contact them."

Long Xiaoyang nodded solemnly: "Tomorrow I want to go to Sister Yunyun's place to help. The business at New Territories is really big!"

"Fine, then let your Brother-in-law Culture pay you a salary."

Wei Ming looked at Qi Delong again: "You're leaving tomorrow. How do you feel about coming to Yanjing this time?"

Qi Delong hung his head: "I don't want to farm even more. I also want my children to go to the Children's Palace from a young age."

Wei Ming patted this sturdy boy: "Then study hard. You only have this one path. I heard you got fifth in your class this time, a big improvement from last year. I hope next year you will be participating in the study tour based on being in the top three in your grade."

He had mixed his way into a train ticket to Beijing this time by using the connections of his old uncle, Jiefang.

After dinner, Lao Lao Lao Wei sent Qi Delong back to Li Guangfu's house and stayed there directly. He still wanted to brag to Qi Kexiu and the driver master about his experience of taking a plane.

It was a pity that it was Li Guangfu's house. Li Guangfu, who was holding a big bowl of noodles, directly said: "Plane, I've also taken one."

Lao Lao Lao Wei asked: "Where did you go by plane? I went to Shanghai."

"I went to Europe with the troupe. Paris, France; London, England; Rome, Italy; Berlin, Germany—more than a dozen cities, I've been to them all."

Lao Lao Lao Wei: "..."

Qi Kexiu, who had been keeping his head down, was finally happy. Today was truly a happy day!

"Ah!" Wei Ming threw away his pen. Finally finished!

He looked at the time. Aiya, it was only 11 o'clock. Should he do another one...

(Base update today, should I do another chapter? Also, does anyone have any recommended songs? English songs, wedding songs.)

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 322 =====