Chapter 79 The Feast

That group of people was indeed very powerful, and they rushed straight to the Liu family's door!

The villagers who were watching the commotion also noticed the group of uninvited guests.

Upon seeing this, Lu Jianping was overjoyed and immediately stepped forward triumphantly, deliberately shouting loudly, "Everyone, this is the Liu family! They have their grievances and their debts, so if you have any problems, go find them. Don't involve the rest of our brigade!"

The villagers, seeing the group of men who were all burly and fierce-looking, were so frightened that they all retreated.

Lu Jianping, ever eager to stir up trouble, added fuel to the fire: "I was wondering why the Liu family suddenly had so much money. Turns out they borrowed money from loan sharks! Inviting so many people to their wedding banquet today, could it be that they want us to help them pay off their debts?"

Li Xuemei immediately chimed in, saying sarcastically, "Old Lu, what nonsense are you talking about? Didn't the Liu family find a rich son-in-law? They can definitely pay back this small amount of money even if they have to sell everything they own! They can't just run away in fear when the creditors come knocking, can they?"

"Stop talking nonsense, you two!" Xu Zhigang couldn't stand it anymore and retorted angrily, "Whether the Liu family owes money or not is none of your Lu family's business."

“How can it not concern me?” Lu Jianping immediately adopted the airs of the brigade leader. “I am the brigade leader here! It is only right that I step in to mediate when something happens to a member’s family!”

"Coordination?" Lu Kai stepped forward, sneering, "I think you're just adding fuel to the fire."

His icy gaze swept over Lu Jianping: "Today is my good brother's big day, I advise you not to cause trouble here!"

"You brat! You're siding with outsiders!"

Just then, Shen Yi walked out of the courtyard.

He glanced at the group of shirtless, burly men at the head of the group, his face showing no sign of panic, but rather a slight smile, and calmly asked:

"May I ask what brings you to the Liu family?"

Upon hearing that Shen Yi didn't recognize the group of people at all, Lu Jianping and Li Xuemei exchanged a glance, both seeing uncontrollable elation in each other's eyes.

It's done!

This group of people really is here to cause trouble for the Liu family!

Just as the burly man leading the group was about to speak, another man with a gloomy face squeezed in.

"Is this the Liu family's residence? I'm looking for Liu Zhixia."

Upon hearing that they were looking for Liu Zhixia again, Lu Jianping and Li Xuemei were overjoyed!

Li Xuemei grinned gloatingly, "Oh dear, it's probably her lover coming to our door! Luckily, we didn't marry her!"

She then said to Shen Yi insincerely, "Comrade Shen, please don't be impulsive! You're newly married, you can't get divorced so soon after the wedding!"

Before he could finish speaking, two commune cadres wearing red armbands squeezed in: "Excuse me, is this the Liu family's residence?"

Upon seeing the bright red armband, Lu Jianping's face broke into a wide smile!

It's over! The Liu family is completely finished this time!

Xu Zhigang was also taken aback by the commotion and nervously tugged at Shen Yi's sleeve: "Old Shen, what... what kind of hornet's nest did your wife's family stir up?"

But Shen Yi's smile deepened.

He stepped forward and calmly said to the two cadres, "Comrades, this is the Liu family's residence. May I ask what brings you here?"

The entire room fell silent instantly; everyone craned their necks, not daring to breathe.

One of the cadres took out a red paper from his briefcase and unfolded it with a smile:

"Today, your team assisted in capturing the criminals who set fire to the mountain. The higher-ups heard that today is the auspicious day of the hero's wedding, so they specially wrote a certificate of merit and asked us to deliver it!"

The certificate clearly states in black and white: "This is to commend Comrade Shen Yi for his resourcefulness and courage in preventing significant losses for the collective..."

The entire venue was initially deathly silent, then erupted in thunderous applause!

Shen Yi gave a standard military salute: "This is what we should do."

"Comrade Xu Zhigang was included! All the educated youth who participated in the arrest were included!" the cadre added. "Moreover, the fact that the last wildfire was extinguished in time was thanks to the contributions of every member of the brigade! The higher-ups are well aware of this!"

The villagers were overjoyed when they heard this!

Lu Jianping also got excited: "Everyone deserves credit? Doesn't that mean I deserve credit too?"

The cadre gave him a meaningful look, his tone turning cold: "Captain Lu, you... just go home and wait for news."

Upon hearing this, Lu Jianping's heart skipped a beat, and he instantly felt a chill.

He knew he was finished!

As soon as the red armbands left, Li Xuemei impatiently yelled at the group of shirtless men, "What are you all standing there for! Didn't you come here to cause trouble for the Liu family? Don't think they're too scared to do anything just because they received an award! That's their son-in-law's achievement, it has nothing to do with the Liu family!"

The burly man leading the group looked at her with a bewildered expression: "Auntie, what are you saying? We're here for a wedding."

Just then, Zhou Juan came out of the house. Upon seeing them, she was overjoyed: "Fatty! Old Liu! What brings you here?"

"Sister-in-law!" the fat man shouted in a loud voice, "I heard that Second Brother's sister is getting married today, and we, on behalf of all the brothers in the factory, have come to offer our congratulations!"

Zhou Juan immediately pulled Liu Zhixia over and introduced her enthusiastically: "Little sister, these are all your second brother's good brothers from his factory! It was Fatty who tasted your pickled vegetables and spoke to the manager, which led to our business being successful!"

"That fat guy is a great benefactor to our family!" Liu Zhixia immediately laughed, "We'll have to drink a few more cups today!"

"Absolutely!" the fat man patted his belly. "I heard the girl's cooking is amazing, so we're here to eat our fill today!"

He then shouted to the people behind him, "Quickly, bring up the congratulatory gifts!"

A worker immediately handed over a brand-new enamel basin wrapped in red paper: "This is a small token of our appreciation from the factory. We wish you both a happy marriage and many children!"

"Thank you, everyone! Please come in!"

Seeing that the so-called "creditors" had become honored guests and were warmly welcomed inside by Zhou Juan, the faces of the Lu couple were as black as could be.

This isn't over yet.

Liu Zhixia had just seen the factory workers off when she saw a man with a gloomy face standing at the door.

It was the second "creditor" she thought he was.

"Brother Gangzi?" Liu Zhixia asked in surprise, "What brings you here?"

Gangzi smiled awkwardly, leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I urgently needed the medicinal herbs, but I couldn't get in touch with you, so I went to the lumber mill to wait for them. When I heard them say 'Comrade Liu Zhixia is getting married,' I guessed it was you and came here."

He quickly pulled a brand-new Hero fountain pen from his pocket and handed it over.

"I came in a hurry and didn't prepare a proper gift, so this pen is to wish you a happy marriage!"

"This is too precious!" Liu Zhixia was flattered.

A fountain pen was a rare commodity in those days!

She glanced at Lu Jianping, who was almost unable to stand, and pulled Gangzi aside, saying, "Brother Gangzi, I've prepared all the medicinal herbs. You go in and have the feast first, and I'll give you the goods when the crowd thins out."

"Okay, okay! Thank you so much!" Gangzi gratefully entered the courtyard.