Wu Zhiming sat in the hall, earnestly studying the family genealogy, committing the names of every elder of the Wu family to memory.
At the entrance of the Wu family mansion stood Yao Jianyong, Zhou Yanqiu, and Yao Jing.
"That Wu Zhiming, now that he has wings, he flies away. Jingjing, let me tell you, when you get home, you must discipline him properly. This man, once he goes unchecked, he'll tear down the roof. You have to be assertive to regain control!" Zhou Yanqiu advised.
"Ah," Yao Jing sighed.
It was the first time she had seen Wu Zhiming angry at her.
She didn't love Wu Zhiming, nor did she particularly like him. But as Wu Zhiming's wife, she didn't want him to be mad at her.
"Now that Zhiming is the head of the Wu family, things are different. Jingjing, you should still be gentle," Yao Jianyong said.
"So according to you, the higher a man's status outside, the higher his status at home? Why don't you go get a Yao family head to be your husband? Let me tell you, even if you are the head of the Yao family, I am still the Empress Dowager!" Zhou Yanqiu said proudly.
"Yes, yes!" Yao Jianyong nodded repeatedly.
"Jingjing, remember my words. Wu Zhiming is just rising now. If you don't straighten him out now, he'll dominate you in the future!" Zhou Yanqiu warned.
"What do you mean dominate me... Mom, the way you say that..." Yao Jing was annoyed.
"Alright, enough talking. There are guests at the Wu family!" Yao Jianyong whispered.
Indeed, guests were arriving at the Wu family.
Wave after wave of guests, all from the upper echelons of society in Haixia City.
These people arrived in batches at the Wu family, each carrying various newly purchased gifts.
Unfortunately, they were all turned away at the door.
The Wu family receptionist stood firm at the entrance and bluntly told these well-wishers that the succession ceremony was over. It was now time for a luncheon with friends of the Wu family, and unrelated individuals were not allowed in.
This action offended the upper society guests of Haixia City greatly.
They couldn't believe that Wu Zhiming would show them such disrespect. They had come with gifts, yet weren't even allowed past the door. It was simply too much.
So, grumbling and cursing under their breaths, they turned and left.
"Has Wu Zhiming gone mad? People came to give gifts, and he wouldn't let them in?" Zhou Yanqiu witnessed everything and asked incredulously.
"All these people were invited by Zhiming before, but they all declined because of Shen Hongyue's influence. Zhiming's succession ceremony was much less grand than Wu Zhixing's. Now that Shen Hongyue has been driven away and Zhiming's prestige is rising, these people suddenly want to come. Who would let them in? When I needed their help, they all kept their distance. Now they want to come and add to the glory. Where in this world does such a good thing exist?" Yao Jing explained.
"Jingjing, are you talking about your grandfather?" Zhou Yanqiu asked with a strange expression.
"I'm talking about everyone who didn't believe in Zhiming before," Yao Jing replied calmly.
At this moment, Yao Jing unexpectedly felt a sense of satisfaction.
Although Wu Zhiming's actions had offended many people from the upper society of Haixia City, at least he had vented his frustration, hadn't he?
Yao Jing noticed that Wu Zhiming now acted even more freely than before, hardly considering the consequences.
Finally, Yao Shanchuan and others arrived.
They came in a Mercedes-Benz business van to the entrance of the Wu family.
Yao Jianyong eagerly wanted to step forward, but Zhou Yanqiu held him back.
"What's the rush? I'm Wu Zhiming's mother-in-law, so this place is half mine," Zhou Yanqiu said calmly, embodying perfectly the phrase 'small people have achieved success'.
Yao Jianyong hesitated for a moment and remained standing where he was.
The Mercedes-Benz parked, and Yao Tianlong got out with Yao Shanchuan and a few other Yao family members. Seeing Zhou Yanqiu didn't come to greet them, Yao Tianlong felt slightly displeased, but considering Wu Zhiming was Zhou Yanqiu's son-in-law, he suppressed his dissatisfaction.
"Damn, small people have achieved success," Yao Shanchuan couldn't help cursing.
Yao Tianlong walked straight to Yao Jing's side and smiled, "Jingjing, there were some matters at the company just now, so I couldn't make it to the succession ceremony. I've come now specially to apologize to Zhiming and to fulfill the cooperation terms we agreed upon earlier."
"Grandpa, please come in," Yao Jing said.
Yao Tianlong nodded and looked at Yao Jianyong, saying, "Jianyong, the best thing you've done in your life is to raise a good daughter."
Yao Jianyong chuckled and scratched his head.
Yao Jing led Yao Tianlong into the Wu family mansion.
As the mistress of the Wu family, the reception at the entrance naturally didn't dare to stop Yao Jing.
The courtyard was already filled with people, and the luncheon was about to begin.
Yao Tianlong and his group walked through tables and chairs, attracting many curious glances.
Yao Tianlong had never been looked at like this in his life, and he couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed.
Finally, after walking just over ten meters, which felt like a dozen years to Yao Tianlong, they arrived.
Wu Zhiming was seated near the entrance of the hall.
Wu Zhiming sat in the middle, with an empty seat on his left for Yao Jing and one on his right for Wu Maocai. Following them were Dong Jian, Wang Hai, and several key members of the Wu Group. There were three seats left at the table, reserved for Zhou Yanqiu, and Yao Jianyong.
Upon seeing Yao Tianlong arrive, Wu Zhiming remained seated without even shifting his buttocks.
"Zhiming, congratulations!" Yao Tianlong greeted with clasped hands as he walked up to Wu Zhiming.
"You're too kind," Wu Zhiming replied calmly.
"Ah, there were too many matters at the company earlier, so I got delayed. I've come now to congratulate you and to take advantage of a lunch. Zhiming, I hope you're not upset?" Yao Tianlong smiled and asked.
"Of course not," Wu Zhiming shook his head. As the head of the Yao family, Yao Tianlong spoke with more etiquette than Yao Shanchuan. As an elder from Wu Zhiming's grandfather's generation, Yao Tianlong immediately lowered his posture, offering apologies and smiling. This made it difficult for Wu Zhiming to keep a stern expression.
Dong Jian nudged Wang Hai's arm, and the two of them stood up and walked away.
"Please, have a seat!" Wu Zhiming said to Yao Tianlong after Dong Jian and Wang Hai left.
"Alright!" Yao Tianlong nodded and sat in the seat Dong Jian had vacated earlier.
"Grandpa, you sit here!" Yao Jing pulled Yao Tianlong and pointed to the seat on Wu Zhiming's left.
Although she didn't like the Yao family, Yao Jing still understood basic respect for elders.
"Sit wherever you like; I'm not particular about seating arrangements," Wu Zhiming said.
With Wu Zhiming's words, Yao Tianlong, who had been about to sit next to Wu Zhiming, immediately returned to his own seat.
"That's right, we're all family. Why fuss over such things? Jianyong, Shanchuan, please sit down!" Yao Tianlong said with a smile.
Everyone took their seats one after another.
Zhou Yanqiu glanced at Wu Maocai's seat and whispered to Yao Jianyong, "I think I should be sitting in the seat on Zhiming's right."
Despite Yao Jianyong's enduring attitude towards his wife, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"My wife is really something else," he muttered to himself.
After everyone had taken their seats, the food began to be served.
"Shanchuan, bring the gift," Yao Tianlong glanced at Yao Shanchuan and said.
Yao Shanchuan nodded, picked up an exquisite box, and said, "Zhiming, this is a bottle of Maotai that my grandfather has kept for over sixty years. He's never had the heart to drink it, so we're presenting it to you as a congratulatory gift!"
"Zhiming, your grandfather only has this one bottle. It's something money can't buy!" Zhou Yanqiu added.
"Zhiming, this Maotai was given to me by an old leader when I went to the provincial capital years ago. Maotai gets better with age, and this bottle—several bigwigs in the city have wanted to drink it, but I couldn't bear to open it!" Yao Tianlong said with a smile. This Maotai aged over sixty years was incredibly precious, more so than any jewelry, and it was his most valuable gift.
"Is it really that rare?" Wu Zhiming asked.
"Absolutely!" Yao Shanchuan said proudly. "Over sixty years ago, during the war, Maotai wasn't something you could buy with money. It required connections!"
"Oh, really? Let me see it!" Wu Zhiming said, taking the box and opening it.
Inside was a slightly yellowed bottle wrapped in oil paper.
Wu Zhiming picked up the bottle, examined it briefly, and remarked, "Looks like the old man who gave me this liquor wasn't lying."
"What?" Yao Tianlong and the others looked at Wu Zhiming in confusion, not understanding the meaning behind his words.
"Wu Yuwei, bring out the liquor," Wu Zhiming called out to Wu Yuwei, who was busy nearby.
"Okay!" Wu Yuwei nodded and walked into a nearby warehouse.
Before long, Wu Yuwei emerged from the warehouse pushing a small cart loaded with boxes.
He wheeled the cart to the center of the courtyard and began unpacking the boxes, revealing bottles of liquor.
Yao Tianlong's expression changed when he saw one particular bottle—it was exactly the same as the sixty-year-old Maotai he had just given to Wu Zhiming!
"These two liquors look almost identical!" Zhou Yanqiu murmured.
"Zhiming, what kind of liquor is that?" Yao Tianlong asked.
"It was given to me by a friend. He claimed it's over sixty years old Maotai. I thought he was kidding me at first, but it seems he wasn't." Wu Zhiming smiled.
Over sixty years of Maotai? An entire cart of it?
Yao Tianlong felt like his worldview was being turned upside down. He stood up excitedly and walked over to the small cart, carefully examining one of the bottles before returning to the table with a shocked expression.
"Can you confirm that my liquor is genuine?" Wu Zhiming asked.
"From the appearance... it seems... it seems genuine," Yao Tianlong nodded, his voice trembling and stuttering.
"That's good then. Let's all enjoy it. There are several carts more in the warehouse," Wu Zhiming chuckled.
Yao Tianlong's face twitched uncontrollably. He hadn't expected that his most precious sixty-year-old Maotai collection would be quantified in cartloads at Wu Zhiming's place.