Chapter 88: Marrying Down or Marrying Up, Harmony is Hard to Find

Song Fugui's home was decked out in lanterns and colorful streamers, with festive drum music playing incessantly.

Guests arrived one after another to offer their congratulations; Song Fugui and his father were busy, one sitting to register gifts, the other standing to welcome guests.

Song Fugui was young and vigorous, and as the protagonist of the night, he was dressed up like a flower, his smile stiffened from overuse.

"Congratulations, congratulations on your wedding."

"Thank you, thank you, please come in and take a seat."

Song Fugui was so tired his waist felt like it was about to break, when his father's reminder sounded in his ear, "This is your Fourth Aunt."

Fourth Aunt? Where did this distant relative even come from? Song Fugui muttered to himself, but kept a smile on his face, "Fourth Aunt, you look even more spirited than last time!"

He had barely sent off 'Fourth Aunt' when another family approached him head-on.

"Uh, Young Master Zhou..."

Song Fugui gave a start and turned to remind his father, "Dad, Young Master Zhou is here, my friend from the martial arts school."

Song Fugui's father, Song Laoyou, was famous for being calculating; 'Laoyou' was a nickname, meaning... both old and oily.

Song Laoyou put down his pen, stood up, walked around the table, and bowed with cupped hands, "Young Master Zhou, that you could come to drink at this wedding is a tremendous blessing for our family."

He had long heard his son say that when he was training at the Jian Xiong Martial Arts School, a young man in his dormitory was extraordinary and was now a Zhengshi Xuitu at the martial arts school.

Their family ran a small business and could only stand firm if they found a powerful backer.

Therefore, Song Laoyou had always tacitly approved of Song Fugui's diligent efforts to befriend the Zhou Family, and even often gave him advice.

What did losing a little money matter? Being able to befriend a big shot was a business deal that yielded ten thousand times the profit.

Did people really think Song Laoyou only knew how to be stingy? Delivering oil to their door rain or shine, at prices below cost, or even half-selling and half-giving—these actions finally bore fruit today.

Zhou You coming to drink at the wedding with his parents was giving them tremendous face.

Don't look at how many relatives the Song family invited; not one of them could hold up the scene.

Zhou You was already the person with the most face and the highest status among all the friends and relatives.

"Please, this way please, sit at the main table."

Song Laoyou glared at his son, "Why aren't you leading the way yet? Leave this side to me, you focus on serving the elders."

Song Fugui led the Zhou family to their seats and looked around; the bride's family had not yet arrived.

"Fugui, what is the bride's family like?"

Zhou You Niang asked first; after all, a woman's talent for gossip is innate.

A bitter smile flashed across Song Fugui's face, "The bride is a very good person; the bride's relatives, well, they are all very capable."

It turned out that when the bride's family was in Su Cheng, they were considered a well-off family with a bit of property, owning over a dozen shops.

The bride's uncle ran a fur business and had wide connections; he foresaw the disaster early and moved the family business to Gongliang City, which was when the bride's family came over to settle down.

Song Fugui was once hawking his wares along the street when the bride saw him from a second-floor window, and both sides took a liking to each other.

Two or three months later, Song Fugui and the bride began discussing marriage...

"This marriage was strongly pushed by her uncle; my father-in-law and mother-in-law were not very willing."

Song Fugui spoke of his inner distress; he had married above his station in this match.

The young couple were in love, but their family situations were mismatched, and the bride's parents had strong objections.

After all, this family had not fallen on hard times; they had moved their wealth and business over in advance. Even as outsiders, their situation was not comparable to an ordinary family—they were wealthy and influential, with a generous dowry, far more than just an oil shop.

"I like her, and she fancies me."

Song Fugui emphasized, "I, Song Fugui, will create a family fortune in the future to let her parents see that I am not a man who lives off his wife."

Zhou You said nothing, listening patiently to his pouring out his heart, and patted Song Fugui on the shoulder.

Everything was understood without words.

During their conversation, the night had already deepened. "Fugui, the bride's family is here."

Song Fugui went out to receive the bride and took the opportunity to invite the elders of her family to take their seats at the main table.

Hmm, the ones with the most unpleasant expressions were Song Fugui's father-in-law and mother-in-law, who remained silent the entire time.

"You'er, in the future, we must act according to our means and never marry above our station. Look at this child Fugui, his heart is bitter!"

Zhou You Niang whispered a sigh to Zhou You.

The person with the most weight in the bride's family was her uncle, who arrived late, clutching two iron balls and clicking them together with a *clack-clack* sound.

"Everyone is here, sit, sit, sit, don't be polite."

The guests from the bride's side stood up in unison and greeted him diligently, which showed how high his status was in the family.

The bride's uncle was a man of the world who controlled the scene in a few words, leaving Song Fugui and his father unable to even get a word in.

Zhou Laodie frowned at the sight; how could this be?

If the bride's side usurped the host's role at the wedding, wouldn't they be suppressed by the woman's side in their future life? One could tell just from the guests at the banquet that the bride's relatives were more particular in their dress and appearance than the groom's family.

"I have prepared one hundred jars of aged fine wine; everyone drink to your heart's content, don't leave until you're drunk."

The men brought by the uncle filed in and placed the wine on the tables.

Good aged wine! The aroma was rich and pungent, the kind of good wine the guests usually couldn't drink.

Song Fugui's father rubbed his hands together, his smile awkward; this move hadn't been discussed with them beforehand.

Logically speaking, the wine at a wedding banquet should be prepared by the groom's side; how could they take charge without saying a word?

Song Laoyou had already prepared wine in advance, but now it couldn't be brought out.

"Brother-in-law, please sit. It's hard for you to be so busy and still worry about the children's affairs."

The bride's mother, who was Song Fugui's mother-in-law, stood up to greet him.

"No matter how busy things are, I cannot miss my niece's wedding. Sister, introduce me to Fugui's friends and relatives."

After the uncle stepped forward, his presence was fully unleashed, and the expressions of the bride's parents softened slightly; clearly, they also had to give him face.

"Which side of the family are you three from?"

Seeing Zhou You's family, the maternal uncle asked politely, his demeanor acting just like the host of this place.

"We aren't relatives; my son and Fugui are friends."

After Zhou Laodie was promoted, his speech and conduct had become seasoned; he could be considered a member of management, at least in a small way.

His family was dressed in gold and silver, looking appropriately attired; one look and it was clear they were not poor relatives from the countryside.

Hearing that they were friends and not relatives, the mother-in-law's face sank on the spot, and she said in a high-pitched, shrill voice, "This table is for the guests of honor; people who aren't relatives can't just sit here."

"Song Fugui, Song Fugui, how are you doing things?"

"Her uncle is such a busy man; he took time out of his schedule to attend this banquet just to support you, so what kind of people have you arranged at the main table?"

The shrill noise was very grating in the night air.

Guests at other tables turned their heads one after another, looking toward the direction of the main table, curious about what had happened.

Zhou Laodie gripped his cigarette holder tightly; looking down on people, are you? How did Fugui end up with a mother-in-law like this? "Sister, say a little less..."

The maternal uncle had a headache; his sister and brother-in-law really couldn't be brought out in public, not knowing how to look at the occasion when speaking and acting.

The reason why he wanted to facilitate his niece's marriage was because of Song Fugui's status.

Even if he were just an oil peddler, he was still a local of Gongliang City, which could be used to integrate into the local area.

Song Fugui had once studied martial arts at Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall, and he could use this connection to build a relationship, which would be helpful for his schemes.

Besides, could a family that wasn't ordinary be arranged at the main table if they weren't relatives?

(End of chapter)