Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 1126 Childhood Betrothal

Starting at nine o'clock, guests arrived in an endless stream.

As the city party secretaries or mayors arrived, a small climax broke out in the hotel. Even the secretary-general stood up and took a few steps forward. Although most city party secretaries and mayors were half a rank lower than him, as the secretary-general of the provincial government and not a member of the Standing Committee, he was not much higher in rank, so he had to show some respect.

The secretary of Dalian is a member of the Standing Committee, whose status is much higher than his.

However, the Party Secretary of Dalian didn't come; instead, the Mayor did, and he walked in with Secretary-General Zhang of the Provincial Party Committee. These were the real big shots in Liaodong.

The Secretary-General of the Provincial Party Committee is a member of the Standing Committee, even if he is ranked lower.

At this moment, the people sitting in the restaurant stopped talking and held their breath, staring intently at the entrance, listening carefully for the emcee to announce the start of the ceremony.

"Vice Governor Li of Liaodong wishes the newlyweds a long and happy life together. Please take a seat."

"Director Qian of the Bingcheng Municipal Party Committee Office wishes the newlyweds a long and happy marriage. Please take a seat."

"On behalf of the Jibei Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial Government, Secretary-General Li of the Jibei Provincial Party Committee wishes the newlyweds a happy family life and a long and happy marriage. Please take your seats."

"The General Manager of Xidu Miler Winery, on behalf of the Xidu Municipal Party Committee and Government, wishes the newlyweds a long and happy life together and many children. Please take your seats."

A man from the administrative office blurted out instinctively, "Damn, what does this guy Wang Xiaohong do?"

The other nodded and whispered, "Awesome. Even our director wouldn't stand a chance with this. This is going to be fun."

"General Wang, General Gan, Lieutenant General Liu, Major General Hu, and Major General Liu from the Liaodong Military Region have arrived. The five generals congratulate the newlyweds on their marriage and wish them a long and happy life together." The entire construction team stood up abruptly, their posture ramrod straight, exuding an imposing aura.

"Director Quan of Liaodong, Secretary Gu, Secretary Yue of Longjiang, and Vice Governor Liu of Liaodong are here to wish the newlyweds a long and happy marriage, a beautiful life together, and many children."

A group of police officers stood up as well; the boss had arrived.

The government affairs office staff all stood up, as did the prominent guests. Eventually, everyone in the restaurant stood up, and applause erupted.

The host was also excited. Holy crap, this is the pinnacle of my hosting career! This wedding is even more overpowering than the Spring Festival Gala.

"Guests, please take your seats. The newlyweds are in position. The wedding will begin soon. I am Shen Jia, the host from Liaodong TV. I am very excited to have the honor of hosting today's wedding. Thank you everyone." Forget it, I'll just announce my name first, at least I'll make an appearance.

The group took their seats, and the ushers stood on both sides of the stage. Xiaowei and Xiaohong went inside.

The host stepped onto the stage, first flashing an eight-tooth smile at the group of bigwigs sitting at the front, then elegantly raising the microphone.

"Which young man doesn't dream, which young woman doesn't yearn for love? Today, we gather here to witness the sweetness of a couple's love and congratulate them on their marriage. Please welcome the groom, Zhang Wei, and the bride, Wang Xiaohong. Let's give them a round of applause."

Xiaowei pulled Xiaohong onto the stage, and the two of them bowed to the audience.

The host said, "Don't be in such a hurry to bow. You're all too impatient." The audience laughed.

The host said, "Everyone has parents. They raised us with great care and hardship, working tirelessly for us their whole lives. On this special day, we should be most grateful to our parents. Please welcome the parents of the bride and groom to the stage."

Xiao Wei's parents, Uncle Wang and Aunt Wang smiled and politely declined each other's invitations before walking onto the stage and sitting down in the prepared chairs.

The host pretended to lower his voice and asked Xiao Wei, "Chairman Zhang, may I ask a question quietly? Why isn't the matchmaker on the list I was given? Did you forget in your haste? You can't just throw the matchmaker over the wall when the newlyweds go to their bridal chamber!"

Xiao Wei glanced at Xiao Hong and said with a smile, "We didn't have a matchmaker."

The host asked, "If I may ask, how did you two meet and get together?"

Xiao Wei said, "Our families are quite close. Her mother and my mother are very good friends and grew up together. So, we also grew up together, and it was natural for us to get together."

Chen Hui held Xiao Xiao Hui to one side and whispered to him, "Son, shout. Shout."

Little Hui, craning his neck, blurted out, "Childhood sweethearts. Yes, childhood sweethearts, sweethearts."

Everyone laughed, and the host asked in surprise, "A childhood betrothal? Is it really a childhood betrothal?"

Xiao Wei laughed and shook his head, saying, "If you put it that way, that's fine too. Anyway, we've been together since we were little, and we've never been apart for so many years. My family used to be poor, and we farmed in the mountains. My uncle, who works for Xiao Hong, is a leader at the county's agricultural machinery station."

But my aunt and uncle didn't object to us being together; on the contrary, they helped me a lot, bringing me to the city and letting me see a new world. Xiao Hong never looked down on me either; she's always been there for me, both then and now, and that's how we've come to this day.

Applause erupted in the room, and the host said, "That's truly touching. Your parents are admirable too. Uh, you just said you've also farmed?"

Xiao Wei said, "Yes, I farmed. From 82 to 88, I farmed all the land in my family. My dad injured his back in the production team during the Great Production Campaign and couldn't do heavy work. My older brother was in the army and away, and my younger brother was still young, so I was the pillar of the family."

After farming for six years, in 88, my uncle, who is Xiaohong's father, brought me to the county town. I worked as a bricklayer on construction sites for two years, building houses, and didn't leave the county town until 90. At that time, Xiaohong was admitted to Northeast Institute of Technology, and I accompanied her there.

The host was genuinely surprised this time: "90 years? That means you've only been in the provincial capital for four years?"

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "More than four years. I came here in September 90 when university started. That was the first time I had ever been to a big city. Before that, I had never even been to our Beixi city proper. The biggest city I had ever seen was our county town."

"My goodness." The host rubbed his forehead, and this wasn't an act; he genuinely found it unbelievable.

"All the leaders and guests here know about Chairman Zhang's achievements, right? It's simply incredible. On a side note, could you tell me how you succeeded? I'm really curious. I think everyone here is curious too. It's truly a miracle."

Those in the audience who knew nodded in agreement, while those who didn't looked around, trying to find out more.

"Director, do you know what Zhang Wei does?"

The section chief nodded: "I heard the director mention him briefly. He's the founder and chairman of the Brothers Group."

"Holy crap, Brothers Group? That Brothers Group?"

"Nonsense, there's only one in Northeast China."

Xiao Wei rubbed his nose: "There's nothing I can't say. Besides, I don't feel like I did anything particularly remarkable."

(End of this chapter)