"What's taking him so long?"

"Why hasn't he arrived yet? He couldn't possibly be coming by horse and carriage, could he?" Wang Rui's mother had already started to complain. After all, they were in the Central Plains, where the environment was harsh. In the dead of winter, it was bone-chillingly cold. Despite being bundled up in many layers of clothes, it was still deeply uncomfortable.

"Wang Rui, give him a call and ask what's going on," her mother urged. "Could that man be a swindler? Considering Li Dali's family situation, paying a bride price of two hundred thousand yuan nearly emptied their entire savings. How could they possibly afford to send a special car to pick us up?"

"Are they trying to trick us?" Wang Rui's father added. He had a crafty, rodent-like face and shifty eyes; it was clear he was no good. His words dripped with scorn for his future son-in-law. As he finished speaking, he couldn't help but cough, looking rather unwell.

"If it comes down to it, let's just not go. It's not like they've had the wedding or registered the marriage. It's no big deal to just find someone else!" Wang Rui's mother began complaining openly, treating her daughter like produce at the market—if one buyer fell through, she'd just sell to the next.

"Let's just wait a bit longer," her father said with a greasy smile. "After all, the guy has only paid one hundred thousand of the bride price. No matter what, we have to get our hands on the remaining hundred thousand! Otherwise, we'd be taking a loss, wouldn't we?"

"Mom, let's just do as Dad says. I've been chatting with someone new recently," Wang Rui said with a grin. "He's a tall, rich, and handsome guy worth over ten million! He said if we get married, he'll give us a bride price of one million!"

"One million?" Wang Rui's mother's eyes nearly popped out of her head, and a brilliant smile spread across her face. "Then after this is all settled, we have to go on a nice vacation abroad to celebrate!"

Just as they were speaking, an army-green Jeep drove up and stopped directly in front of them.

"You must be Wang Rui?" Chen Zheng said, slowly rolling down the window. "I'm Chen Zheng. Let's get in; we should get going."

"This is the car?" Wang Rui's father couldn't help but frown. "What on earth is Li Dali thinking? He expects my daughter to travel to Yanzhou in this thing? It's like he has no respect for us at all!"

"Didn't he say the wedding car would be a Mercedes? Where is it? Absolutely not! I want to take a Mercedes there!" Wang Rui's mother added, her face a mask of disdain. To them, the dilapidated Jeep was no better than a cheap minivan, and riding in it would be utterly humiliating.

Chen Zheng was taken aback. But seeing as they were Li Dali's future in-laws, he felt it wasn't his place to say much. Instead, he reluctantly offered an explanation. "Uncle, Auntie, the situation is that I happened to be in Jiangnan, so I'm just giving you a ride along the way. Please, just make do for now."

"This is the only car we have. If you don't want to take it, you can rent one yourselves. Or, you can wait a few days for your son-in-law to send a luxury car to pick you up!" Zhao Feng, in the driver's seat, had no intention of indulging them and spoke with a cold snort. If they didn't want to ride in his car, he would rather not have picked them up at all. He had originally intended to get out and open the door for them as a courtesy, but after hearing their complaints, he couldn't be bothered.

Hearing this, the three of them grew anxious. With no other option, they reluctantly climbed into the Jeep.

During the ride, the couple sat silently in the back, but Wang Rui seemed quite interested in Chen Zheng. She'd seen plenty of men, but this one was exceptional in both looks and bearing, so she immediately started asking him questions about his job, his income, and so on.

Chen Zheng simply said he was in the military and was a comrade-in-arms of Li Dali.

At this, all three of their eyes lit up.

He's still in the army? After all these years, he must be an officer by now, right?

"Brother Chen," Wang Rui asked, batting her eyes, "what's your rank now? You must be a regimental commander by now, right?"

"I'm just an ordinary soldier," Chen Zheng replied with a casual wave of his hand.

He certainly wasn't going to tell them his true identity. If it got out, Wang Rui would definitely tell Li Dali. He was only attending the wedding to see an old comrade, not to get involved in other matters.

But upon hearing his answer, the family shook their heads, their expressions filled with mockery and disdain.

"All these years and still just an ordinary soldier. He's not even as good as that squad leader!" Wang Rui's mother muttered.

"That's just how it is in the army," her father chimed in. "If you want to move up, you need connections. Without them, you end up just like Li Dali—that's as far as you'll ever get. Now he's just a good-for-nothing stuck at home!" he said, coughing, his tone dripping with scorn.

"Sir," Zhao Feng interrupted, his brow furrowed. He couldn't listen to any more of it. "You shouldn't speak so carelessly about these things!" This old couple were complete snobs, their words so blunt and nasty, as if the military meant nothing to them at all.

"What?" the father retorted calmly. "Am I not allowed to speak the truth?

"Do you really think people like you, with no connections and no money, have any chance of climbing the ranks in the army?

"Do you think the children of the rich will be on the front lines? No, they let people like you go first as cannon fodder!"

Zhao Feng looked ready to argue, but Chen Zheng stopped him with a glance.

"Sir," Chen Zheng said calmly, "it sounds like your lungs are bothering you. You should probably rest and not talk so much. Otherwise, the problem might get worse." He was already trying his hardest to control his temper.

"What did you say?" Wang Rui's mother exploded in anger, ready to start screaming. "How dare you curse us! What do you think you are?"

"Mom, he's just telling the truth. Dad has been coughing a lot today. He should get some rest," Wang Rui said, finally realizing the problem and growing concerned.

Seeing that their own daughter was saying it, the parents didn't press the issue any further and finally fell silent.

The tense journey continued for another five or six hours until the car finally arrived in Yanzhou.

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