Then she turned to ask her daughter, "Xiaozhu, how much does that car cost? Is it over two million?"
Although she had demanded that her son-in-law pick up his bride in a wedding car worth over ten million yuan, she knew that was impossible. She had only said it to make him do everything he could to find a wedding car worth at least two million, so they would not lose face.
"Mom, you really don't know anything. That's a McLaren P1. It costs over thirteen million. Two million isn't worth a damn," He Xiaozhu said, rolling her eyes with a look that said, "You really are clueless."
"What? Over thirteen million? You're not joking with your mother, are you?" Mother He's eyes nearly popped out.
"I'm not joking. It's a McLaren P1. Look it up online yourself if you don't believe me."
"My heavens, where did that boy Shen Yong find a car like that? Did he rent it? Renting that car for a day can't be cheap," Mother He exclaimed.
"Rent it? You might be able to rent one somewhere else, but definitely not in Gaoyang City. Besides, look at its condition. It's ninety-nine percent new. How could a rental be that new? It belongs to Brother Yong's good buddy," He Xiaozhu said, still rolling her eyes.
"I never would have guessed that boy Shen Yong had such a rich buddy. Xiaozhu, wait here. I'll go down and welcome him." With a beaming smile, she hurried downstairs, swaying as she went.
Downstairs was bustling too. Everyone stared at the supercar as though they were looking at some strange new creature.
"That car is so cool. How much must it cost?"
"My god, if I drove that out to pick up girls, wouldn't it be like reaching out and grabbing them?"
"I make a hundred thousand a year. How long would it take me to afford that car? It's so cool."
Just then, someone found the car online. "That's a McLaren P1, a supercar worth over thirteen million. On your income, you'd have to go without food or drink for a hundred and thirty years. Forget about it in this lifetime."
"Where did Xiaozhu's husband find such an expensive car? Did he rent it? Renting a car like that must cost a lot too, right?"
Mother He, who had just come downstairs, happened to hear this and declared loudly, "You couldn't rent this car even if you wanted to. Look at its condition. It's ninety-nine point nine percent new. Who would buy a car worth over thirteen million just to rent it out? This belongs to my son-in-law's good buddy. An ordinary acquaintance certainly couldn't borrow it, but my son-in-law and its owner aren't blood brothers, yet they're closer than blood brothers. As soon as he heard my son-in-law was getting married, he delivered it overnight." Mother He spoke with a thoroughly smug expression.
Although Mother He had made all of this up to gain face, the truth really was just as she had invented it. Li Rui and Shen Yong were indeed as close as brothers, and Li Rui had brought the car over of his own accord. Her fabrication was a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse.
Hearing Mother He's words, the friends and relatives nearby all thought more highly of Shen Yong. With a good buddy like that, his road through life would be much easier than an ordinary person's.
Paying no further attention to the crowd, Mother He walked up to Shen Yong, who had just gotten out of the car.
"Xiao Yong, you look so handsome today. Our Xiaozhu is truly fortunate to marry you," Mother He said, coming up and showering him with praise.
Seeing how completely different Mother He was from usual, Shen Yong sighed inwardly. It really is good to have money.
After greeting Mother He, Shen Yong went upstairs to fetch He Xiaozhu.
Mother He stayed downstairs showing off to the relatives. "Sister, look, for our Xiaozhu's wedding, Xiao Yong drove a thirteen-million-yuan car to pick her up. What do you think? It belongs to Xiao Yong's good buddy. With a buddy like that, I'm sure Xiao Yong will amount to something. Don't you agree, Sister?"
The person she asked could only echo, "Yes, yes." But after turning away, her face darkened enough to drip water.
Li Rui did not take part in the wedding games during the bride pickup. He did not like that sort of scene.
After going through the proceedings with everyone, he headed with them to the Splendid Grand Hotel for the banquet. Everyone was surprised again to learn they would be dining at a five-star hotel. A wedding banquet at a hotel like this would cost at least two or three hundred thousand yuan.
Everyone entered the hotel. At the entrance to Hall One on the third floor, someone was keeping the accounts and collecting red envelopes. As the guests went in, they handed over their red envelopes. The register listed gifts of two hundred, three hundred, four hundred, and even a thousand yuan. He Xiaozhu's maternal uncle gave a red envelope containing twenty thousand yuan. Everyone who saw the twenty-thousand-yuan gift in the register marveled at how generous the bride's uncle was.
Just then, Li Rui walked in carrying a case. He approached the gift table, set it down, and said, "A gift from Li Rui, Shen Yong's classmate."
Hearing him, the gift collector began announcing it. "A gift from the groom's classmate, Li Rui... how much?" Halfway through, he looked up at Li Rui and asked.
Li Rui smiled faintly without speaking and opened the case.
Gasps immediately rose all around. The guests lined up behind him and the gift collector all sucked in a breath of cold air.
"All of it as a gift?" the gift collector asked uncertainly, his lips trembling slightly.
"All of it as a gift?"
With Li Rui's confirmation, the gift collector roared at the loudest volume of his life, "A gift of one million yuan from the groom's classmate, Li Rui!"
Boom! A thunderclap went off in the minds of everyone in Hall One, and they all turned toward the gift table.
There were four halls on the third floor, all hosting banquets or weddings. The gift collector's voice was so loud that the people in the other three halls also heard the announcement of a million-yuan gift and turned toward the entrance to Hall One. They all marveled that someone important had arrived there. Giving a million yuan when he was merely a classmate-the scale of his generosity was truly staggering.
Shen Yong, He Xiaozhu, and the others greeting guests in the hall heard the announcement too. When they heard that Li Rui had given a million yuan, their jaws nearly dropped to the floor in astonishment, and they hurried toward the entrance.
"Third Brother, this is far too much. How could I ever repay this favor? No, no, I can't accept this gift." Wedding gifts were all about reciprocity. Since Third Brother had given him a million this time, he could only give even more when Third Brother got married. He feared he would not have that much money to give then. How would he face Third Brother?
"Big Brother, I know what you're worried about. I'm not short of money now. A million is just a hair off nine oxen to me, a tiny sum. Now that you and Sister-in-law are married, living with your parents will be inconvenient, after all. You can use this million to buy a home and live a better life with Sister-in-law. I don't need you to repay the favor. All I want is for you to live better, because we're brothers," Li Rui said sincerely.
"You..." Shen Yong's eyes reddened a little. He said nothing, only gripping Li Rui's hand tightly. He would remember this kindness forever.
"All right, stop acting like a woman and go greet your guests." As he spoke, Li Rui pulled his hand free of Shen Yong's grip and found himself a table to sit at.
Watching Li Rui, He Xiaozhu said to Shen Yong, "You're truly fortunate to have a brother like that."
Shen Yong said nothing and nodded firmly.
Over the time that followed, guests gradually filled thirty-five of the forty tables set for the banquet. Yet no one dared sit at Li Rui's table. The aura that came with giving a million-yuan gift was simply too powerful. Everyone knew he was someone important.
In the end, Li Rui was invited to sit at the table with both sets of parents, which showed just how much everyone respected him.
After the banquet ended, five tables of food remained untouched. In the end, following Li Rui's wishes, the hotel treated all the servers to a meal worth over ten thousand yuan.