"Never mind those women!" Luo Tianwei paid no attention to Jin Fucheng's chaotic personal life, and told Luo Mingzhu: "He plays around with women, but you can look for handsome young boys. Marriage is nothing but living together as partners. Don't make it too complicated! He can do what he wants, so can you, as long as you two are tacit. What's more, Jin Fucheng is not bad. He's handsome, and maybe he won't take a fancy to you without the friendship of several decades between your Uncle Jin and I. The key is you've known each other from childhood."
"…"
Luo Mingzhu was despairing, for she didn't expect her father to be so open. But thinking it over, she felt it was not that strange. After all, there had always been women around her father since she could remember, and her mother indeed had no complaint.
"Master, guests are almost here!" A housekeeper opened the door and reported to Luo Tianwei.
"Ok!" Luo Tianwei nodded, and said to Luo Mingzhu who had already finished making-up, "Well, dear daughter, let's go. The guests are waiting for us. Today is your big day, so be happy."
"I'm coming!" Luo Mingzhu directly stood up after wearing her earrings.
The two of them walked out of the powder room. There was a special platform for speech in the front of the second floor, and the two of them directly stayed there.
Dignitaries and the wealthy whispered to and got acquaintance with each other at the banquet, which was also a kind of social intercourse.
The lights dimmed, and all guests simultaneously looked up at the second floor—Luo Tianwei led Luo Mingzhu to the platform. "I'd like to thank you all for coming to celebrate my daughter's 23rd birthday."
Clapping, clapping, clapping…
The flattering applause made Luo Tianwei extremely content, for it proved that the Luo family was very popular in the Sanhe City.
Luo Tianwei stretched out his hands to demand quietness, and the applause stopped abruptly, sufficiently proving his extraordinary status. At this very moment, he continued: "Besides celebrating my daughter's birthday, I want to make an announcement—my daughter is going to be…"
An uproar was caused while he was talking. The crackling, popping sounds of firecrackers astonished Luo Tianwei and when he glanced at the entrance, he saw Shi Hu walking in the very front, being followed by the depressed Yu Sheng, who was holding two bamboo poles with firecrackers and carrying lots of stuff on his back.
"Damn it! I forget to exchange for a saddle horse to carry the stuff!" Yu Sheng said with a gloomy face. He desperately wanted to exchange for something like a horse but it would cost 1 million RMB, so after contemplation, he decided to save the money by carrying the stuff himself despite of disgrace.
"Who are they? How dare they make trouble at the joyous event of the Luo family?"
"Shit! What stuff is that guy carrying? Such a big quantity! Eh? Isn't it white spirit at the top of the stuff?"
"This guy is so powerful that he can carry stuff as heavy as a hill without the fear of being pressed to death." People around them were discussing in a low voice.
Yu Sheng put down the stuff; he was depressed since Shi Hu's white spirit had totally stole the thunder of the heap of precious stuff he had prepared.
The sound of firecrackers stopped. Shi Hu glanced at Yu Sheng and asked anxiously: "What's the first line?"
"I…" Yu Sheng was completely speechless. Shi Hu spent lots of time memorizing the lines but couldn't even remember the first line. So Yu Sheng whispered to him: "I'm Shi Hu. Mingzhu and I have fallen in love with each other. On the occasion of this joyous day, we'd like to make a double blessing. I've traveled around the world since I was a boy. I'm not an extraordinary talent, but I like collecting rare stuff. Though the stuff is far less valuable than Mingzhu, the sun and the moon can prove my true heart, so I hope you can consent to our marriage, Uncle Luo."
Shi Hu coughed to avoid embarrassment, and exclaimed: "I'm Shi Hu. Mingzhu and I have fallen in love with each other. On the occasion of this joyous day, we'd like to make a double blessing. I traveled around the world since I was a boy. I'm not an extraordinary talent, but I like collecting rare stuff. Though the stuff is far less valuable than Mingzhu, the sun and the moon can prove my true heart, so I hope you can consent to our marriage, Uncle Luo."
Shi Hu's words caused an uproar. Guests present at the banquet were all people with respect, power and influence, and they knew clearly that today was not only Luo Mingzhu's birthday but the engagement date of her and Jin Fucheng; Shi Hu was clearly here to make trouble.
"This…" Luo Tianwei looked around with puzzlement, thinking "What the hell it is?"
Luo Mingzhu's anthomaniac face made him more speechless, completely embarrassed.
If Yu Sheng had not told her to avoid acting recklessly, she would probably have run away from the platform and rushed to Shi Hu.