Chapter 18: Thirty years of human life are like the lives of horses and cows; sixty years are like those of dragons and elephants.

  A life for ten lives? Dig up an ancestor's grave?

  Many guests were shocked, among whom Qian Zixiang and Fang Jie were the most shocked because they did not know Chen Fugui's background. Who would dare to speak loudly in front of almost half of Nanjing's dignitaries? Qian Zixiang was much more profound than ordinary people, explaining that a newborn calf is not afraid of tigers, and he did not consider Chen Fugui to be a coarse and despicable person. Fang Jie and Zhou Jingzhen had no bad feelings towards Chen Fugui because of their love for him, and they could not despise this self-proclaimed rough man's words, but were shocked that the introverted and low-key Chen Fushe had such an arrogant brother.

  They can laugh it off, but that doesn't mean the upper-class circle in Nanjing will accept this brotherly duo without a fuss. Several tables of people were eager to leave, but no one dared to make a move because of the wealthy old man's presence. Otherwise, many would have gotten up and left with a bad face. So-called big shots, as Cao Jing said, are not all deep and profound, and three or four out of ten are just lucky, unrelated to their actual abilities. However, they're not stupid either; no one stood up and started yelling, but they were all observing the expressions and facial colors of the people at each table. At least eight out of ten were visibly displeased, and the remaining few impatient ones began to inquire about this soldier Chen Fugui's background. It was clear that the martial artist on stage had offended everyone with his coarse words, and undercurrents were surging in the hall.

  In stark contrast to this group of people is a small handful of harmonious social antithesis led by Wang Huren and Jiang Qingdi. Since Lin Juxiong dared to accompany Chen Fugui in infiltrating the Wansui Army Command Center during the exercise, disregarding organizational discipline, he is a master who only recognizes people but not reason. Don't bother talking to him about grand principles or human feelings, it's all nonsense. Wei Dongcao also followed suit and was suppressed by Zhou Jingzhen.

  "Brother Fu Gui, awesome!" Jiang Qingdi roared.

  "Uncle Fu Gui, awesome!" Zhang Sanqian also shouted at the top of his lungs, his small face flushed bright red. At this moment, he and Jiang Qingdi, who had been extremely at odds just a moment before, were now on the same side, exchanging a smile and united in their hatred for a common enemy.

  "Rich Brother, digging graves is my specialty, you must bring me along." Wang Hu Sheng, who had already washed his hands and was ready to retire, used all his might to shout this out. After finishing, he still didn't forget to swing his head back with a flourish, thinking himself to be suave. That distinctive, outdated trait of his, combined with that bloody big mouth of his, made people feel like they were going to throw up just by looking at him.

  These few unruly beasts, although outnumbered, have a domineering aura that is overwhelming. They are stubborn and resolute in upholding the "Three Whatevers": whatever Rich Brother (Uncle) says is right, whatever decisions he makes are ********, and whatever instructions he gives are followed unswervingly. They don't care about the likes of Moneybags and other big shots, nor do they bother to consider the feelings of the so-called guests in the great hall.

  The atmosphere is tense and strained.

  Chen Fugui raised his signature smile, saying: "Actually, it's quite auspicious to mention coffins and ancestral graves at weddings. Coffin coffin means promotion and wealth. Er Gou is a good person, that's what our mother said. In her heart, Er Gou is the most filial and excellent son under heaven. Marrying such a heavenly daughter-in-law is a perfect match. Before she passed away, she asked me to take out a bracelet from a box that had been stored for nearly thirty years and give it to Er Gou's wife on his behalf. She said that this child must treat Er Gou well, and our mother said that in the next life, even if she becomes a cow or a horse, she will repay this kindness. Our mother didn't read books or attend school, but she accumulated virtue and did good deeds her whole life. I think she definitely won't become a cow or a horse in the next life, so I, as her brother, will repay this kindness. From now on, Cao Jingjing is my second family member."

  Chen Fugui walked towards Cao Jingjian in the complex atmosphere of the whole scene, took out a genuine old pit jade bracelet and helped Cao Jingjian put it on her wrist. Chen Ergou's eyes turned red as he looked at the guests who were mostly guessing how much the jade bracelet was worth, his resentment grew stronger. Putting aside the Wei family and Qian Zixiang, not many of the officials and dignitaries present were willing to treat him, a farmer who had lost his whole family except for one brother, with respect. Many of them had close ties with the Qiao family and might be cursing him in their hearts for being born without an anus.

  She subconsciously took a step back, standing behind Wang Jiefang. He said he was a soldier, and Chen Yuanshu had seen many generals due to her family background, but most of them were young and followed the theoretical and technical route. Few had the aura of an old revolutionary, like the smell of gunpowder and blood. Chen Yuanshu even suspected that Chen Fugui's brother was not a soldier, but rather a fugitive or a bandit, and that he might be a powerful and mysterious figure, similar to Chen Qingzhi, who was unknown to many but not to be underestimated. Otherwise, he wouldn't have stood beside her so calmly, exuding an air of arrogance and dominance.

  Chen Yuanshu thought that if Chen Fusheng was destined to be favored by Zhuge's divine artifact, then this man who didn't know his military rank would definitely not lack the favor of the oldest generation of generals in the military.

  One yin one yang, one literary and one martial?

  Take a look at Chen Fugui, who has a typical northern strong man's physique, and then take a look at Chen Erdou, who looks more like a southern man. Chen Yuanshu suddenly thought of the Taiji yin-yang fish, and her heart skipped a beat. This big guy, who laughs very playfully, has never mentioned whether his brother's father is alive or dead from head to toe. If there are any unspeakable secrets, then it is said that "a tiger father has no dog son", can the man behind them still stand above them?

  Chen Fugui looked at Chen Ergou, his voice not loud but exceptionally clear, saying: "Grandpa drank for a lifetime, but never got thoroughly drunk once. No matter how strong the liquor was, when he sang 'Drumming and Scolding Cao' and 'The Hegemon's Farewell to His Concubine', that one note of pure and perfect tone, how could it ever be off-key? Ergou, this old man knelt for our two grandsons, begged the selfish Old Zhang's crippled son, cried and shouted. A man who had been a pillar of the family for over 50 years ended up living like a clown, yet he never complained. Taking a sip of his homemade snake-eye highland barley wine, drinking a mouthful of green toad liquor, squatting on the wooden stool every day looking at you was enough to satisfy him, repeatedly muttering about ghosts and monsters being just for show. I think if he could live until today, standing here, he would only say one sentence: 'Giving birth to sons is like Chen Fusheng.'"

  A coarse person is not rough.

  Chen Fugui's martial arts skills surpass those of Bai Ma Tan Hua Chen Qingzhi, and his literary talents are equally unmatched by Chen Qingzhi.

  If he stood in that position facing the 20 tables of guests, bowing and smiling, saying insincere polite words, and spouting a bunch of flattering but meaningless phrases, then he wouldn't be Chen Fugui who had been foolishly smiling for over 20 years at Zhangjiashan.

  A sigh.

  Qian Lao Ye Zi picked up the cup and drank more than half a cup of Maotai in over 40 minutes, finishing it in one gulp. Ji Jing's heart was racing as she looked at Chen Fugui, who was estimated to be twice her size, and asked Fang Jie in a low voice: "Fang Jie, why haven't I ever heard that Chen Fusheng has an older brother in the army?"

  Fang Jie shook her head and smiled: "I'm not clear either, in short, it must be a simple person. I've attended dozens of weddings, but this guy dares to say that he wants to dig up the grave. It's really rebellious and unorthodox. However, thinking about Chen Fu Sheng's personality, I can understand. Fortunately, there are only two brothers in the Chen family, if there is one more, my heart can't take it."

  "Absolutely invincible." Wei Dong couldn't help but compare Chen Fugui with Li Kuafu, and the final result was surprisingly a tie.

  "The two brothers don't look alike at all, you guys say is there a bit of the dragon giving birth to nine sons?" Zhou Jingyun covered her mouth and laughed.

  Fang Jie and Ji Jing nodded in agreement at the same time.

  Then it was Chen Ergou and Cao Jingjian's turn to speak. Chen Ergou walked over to Chen Fugui, opened his palm, revealing a coin that was becoming increasingly less useful, carefully put it back in his pocket, took the microphone from Chen Yuanshu, and with a slightly habitual hunchback, slowly said: "There's a saying that a soldier who doesn't want to be a general is not a good soldier. By extension, a toad that doesn't want to eat swan meat is also not a good toad. I'm a good toad from Zhangjiacun who had never seen a swan before but only wanted to eat swan meat. If not, after graduating from high school and failing to get into college, I would have married a female toad from Zhangjiacun in a daze."

  Cao Cao's face was slightly red with shame.

  Perhaps it was Chen Ergou who was not as domineering as Chen Fugui, but easier to win over with his affable nature. The applause from the audience was generous and continuous, interspersed with warm smiles.

  Chen Ergou laughed like a dog's tail, turned his head and glanced at Cao Jingjian, who was so moving that people didn't dare to look directly at him. He said: "Maybe someone will say that the toad who ate swan meat is still a toad, but I can't break the pot because of this. After all, I have improved the breed for our old Chen family. In the future, when we have children, they will have a 50% chance of being swans. However, when they get married, I will definitely not agree with them finding toads. If not, our old Chen family's breed will return to its original state. The party says that we must keep pace with the times, and we ordinary people must resolutely not...

  Many people burst into laughter, applauding and cheering. Especially some men who found beautiful wives due to their status had a strong resonance with Chen Ergou's good feelings, which rose sharply. At least under the premise of no direct conflict of interest, this rural man who became a phoenix in the city was quite interesting and not annoying.

  "Despicable." Jiang Qingdi was once again struck by Chen Ergou's style.

  "Shameless. But he's got the same moral character as that rich and powerful guy on the battlefield." Lin Juxiong was eating voraciously while muttering to himself, evaluating Chen Ergou.

  "Just like my third uncle's style." Zhang Sanqian gnawed on a chicken claw, wiping the oil from his mouth with one hand, and sporting a sly smile that had been instilled in him by Chen Ergou.

  Today, Chen Ergou was exceptionally calm and composed in class when he was called upon to speak. He had undergone a transformation from being timid to being confident. Cao Jingjing walked up to him gently and Chen Ergou took her hand, saying in a low voice: "I'm a poor man who has suffered a lot, I've spent many days with my back to the sun on the black soil, I don't know if I'll be successful or struggling in the future. If I become rich, I want her to give birth to one or two children for me, and I will do my best to educate them well. Since I couldn't make her the wife of a great man, at least I want her to be the mother of excellent children, this is also the greatest promise I can give her. If I become poor, even if all I have left is one mantou (steamed bun), I will share half with her, and if she's still hungry, I'll give her the other half too, this is probably my smallest promise."

  Cao Jing took the microphone from Chen Ergou's hand, paused for a long time, lowered her head to gaze at the family heirloom jade bangle on her wrist, her eyes reddening and moistening slightly as she recalled the frail woman who lived in a mud hut, sitting elegantly on the kang, unbroken by life. She raised her head, her pure white dress accentuating the green bangle on her wrist, which seemed to be the final stroke of a painting. With measured tones, Cao Jing said: "Actually, I was engaged from birth, and everyone around me thought he could bring me happiness. At first, I believed it too, thinking that even if our marriage wasn't perfect, it wouldn't be regrettable. But life always closes one door while opening another. When I came to Zhangjiashan, the first time I saw Chen Fusheng was when he was playing basketball with Fugui. Of course, it wasn't love at first sight. Later, when we were discussing business with our partners who hunted with bows and arrows, they took us into the mountains. Fugui carried a huge cowhorn bow on his back and eventually shot dead a wild boar king. After that, I visited Chen Fusheng's home and wondered why he could make Fugui protect him so devotedly, yielding to him everywhere. I know none of you understand either, nor do you comprehend why this great general would say at the wedding that he'd exchange one life for ten lives. You're also guessing what I wanted or why I chose Chen Fusheng over my arranged marriage. I don't want to explain."

  "Still as arrogant as ever." A man leaning against the entrance of the Jinling Hotel's grand hall heard Cao Jingjian's words and smiled wryly. He was young, not very tall, only about 1.7 meters, but extremely eye-catching. His temperament was warm and gentle like honey-colored jade, yet his features were clear-cut and sharp as a knife. Behind him stood a robust man of around 1.85 meters, dressed in a crisp suit that exuded an air of arrogance and domineering presence. If Xu Beichen were present, he would certainly be surprised to see how Li Shiheng, the king of public fundraising, was willingly standing behind someone else.

  "Little uncle, aren't you going in?" Li Shih-bang, known for his bold and domineering personality, said with a mixture of frustration and restraint, as if he would normally have shouted for hundreds of people to rush in and overturn the tables.

  The young man who was not very tall shook his head.

  The mastermind behind the Jinling Restaurant happened to be amidst this commotion, standing at the other side of the entrance, glancing at the two men beside him with an expressionless face.

  She is a crimson bamboo leaf green snake.

  A very small one thought her husband was either dead or still unborn freak.

  Cao Jing said with a complex look in his eyes, "After 30 years of being a horse or cow among the masses, one can become a dragon or elephant among the Buddhas for 60 years."

  At that moment, the calm man covering his chest with his right hand at the door quietly turned around and walked out of Jinling Restaurant, followed by Li Shih-Bang, a madman who dared to slap the chairman of CITIC and also dared to compete with Ye Yan Zhao for women.

  Zhu Ye Qing also left with a thoughtful expression.

  This grand wedding went smoothly from start to finish, with no one losing their temper, no troublemakers, and no irreparable unexpected situations, beyond everyone's expectations.

  There was no end to the eating and drinking, so General Wang Hu led Chen Fugui and Chen Erdou brothers to continue finding a place to eat meat and drink wine after the wedding banquet. Fortunately, Cao Jing had a large group of women serving and accompanying them, and Chen Erdou could also go with this group of sworn brothers to have a good time. In the end, except for Chen Fugui who was amazing at drinking and Jiang Qingdi and Lin Juxiong who didn't drink, even Chen Qing was almost drunk, and Chen Erdou was slightly better off. After all, it was the night of the wedding, and every moment was precious. If he fell asleep until dawn, wouldn't that be a waste? Others didn't force him to drink much either. When almost everyone had fallen down, it was already around 11 pm. Chen Fugui patted Chen Erdou's shoulder, who was drunk and dazed: "Erdou, we'll head back in an hour. Take care of yourself. I'll let Jiang Qingdi send you guys back first."

  Chen Ergou suddenly sobered up halfway and wanted to speak but hesitated.

  At 12 o'clock, Chen Lin and Jiang met up. Jiang Qingdi asked in doubt: "Fu Gui Ge, aren't you supposed to return to Shenyang tomorrow noon according to the original plan?"

  "I'll go to Shanghai first, you wait for me in Nanjing Military Region tomorrow." Chen Fugui said calmly.

  "I have a beautiful mistress in Shanghai, I need to go and vent the evil fire that has been suppressed for a year in Shenyang." Jiang Qingdi is a clever person, immediately finding a very righteous excuse.

  "I don't have money to go." Lin Juxiong scratched his head, his reason even more direct and crude.

  "It's possible that I'll be stripped of my epaulets." Chen Fugui frowned, probably only Cao Jing could roughly guess the purpose of his trip to Shanghai.

  "Fu Gui Ge, this is not a good thing to say. Indeed, I may not be as fierce as you in a one-on-one fight, but I have a great ancestor, my old grandfather Jiang always liked to squint at me and say, 'I don't care about those uncles and cousins of yours, but if you want to bring shame to the family, go ahead, be bold and take a dump, Grandfather will wipe your butt for you.'" Jiang Qingdi had a sly smile on his face.

  "Fugui Ge is really not good this time." Lin Juxiong echoed, consistent with Po Tianhuang and Jiang Qingdi's point of view, "My family is very strict, but there is a tradition, to help brothers stab each other in the back, even if it means breaking the sky, it's absolutely right."

  Chen Fugui grasped a guy's neck with one hand and strode forward in the darkness. (To find out what happens next, please log on to [website], more chapters available, support the author, support the official version!)