Gao Wu: A centenarian old man, many children and good fortune! Chapter 024

Li Xiuying’s parents and younger brother hadn’t arrived yet, but Xiao Yan and Chen Yuyao’s wedding date was already set!

Li Xiuying had been a little worried that her parents might feel their daughter was wronged when they saw the situation, or that her younger brother, being young and hot-headed, might say something inappropriate.

Now, everything was settled with a “first act, then report” approach. By the time they arrived, the die would be cast, and the rice cooked. What could they say? At most, they would feel sorry for her in private, but they certainly wouldn’t dare to show any dissatisfaction in front of General Xiao Yan.

Thinking of this, Li Xiuying felt much more relaxed, and even looked forward to the upcoming wedding with a bit more anticipation.

…

At Zhao Meng’s home.

At the dinner table, Zhao Meng casually mentioned, “Old Xiao is having another celebration.”

His two wives, upon hearing this, both paused.

The gentle and dignified wife thought for a moment, then asked with some uncertainty, “Old Xiao? Is it… General Xiao, the one we visited last time? He… is getting married again?”

The bright and lively wife also reacted, interjecting, “Oh! I remember! Is it that family… where the wife looked very young, a bit shy, and was holding a little baby? He just moved here, how could he be… again?”

The gentle wife sighed softly, a hint of sympathy flashing in her eyes. “Alas, that Mrs. Li… she seems to have a soft nature. She just got pregnant with her second child, didn’t she? Her husband is going to marry again, she must feel terrible. I’m afraid… she wasn’t ready for this.”

The lively wife pouted, her tone carrying the self-evident air of someone with experience. “Men, especially these powerful generals, aren’t they all like this? Once they have power and status, they naturally want to expand their family, with three wives and four concubines. That Mrs. Li, she’s going to have a tough time in the future.”

However, Zhao Meng shook his head, a strange smile appearing on his face. “You two, you’ve both guessed wrong.”

“Huh? Guessed wrong? What do you mean?” Both wives looked at him curiously.

Zhao Meng put down his chopsticks and slowly said, “As far as I know, this time Old Xiao’s remarriage wasn’t proposed by him, but… his Mrs. Li, she actively arranged it! I heard she even personally screened candidates through official channels, then brought them home for Old Xiao to review, and finally made the decision!”

“What?!”

“She proposed it?!”

Both wives exclaimed simultaneously, their faces filled with disbelief! They exchanged glances, seeing profound shock in each other’s eyes!

Actively taking a concubine for her husband?! And while she was pregnant?! How… how was this possible?!

Was this Mrs. Li incredibly broad-minded, or… did she have ulterior motives?

Zhao Meng looked at his two wives’ shocked expressions, but couldn’t help feeling a pang of sour envy in his heart.

He remembered when he wanted to marry his second wife, his first wife had caused a huge commotion!

Unlike Old Xiao, who was so lucky! Not only did she not cry or make a fuss, she even actively helped arrange it! This treatment was simply a world apart!

Zhao Meng secretly clicked his tongue, thinking: This kid Old Xiao really hit the jackpot! Not only did his strength advance by leaps and bounds, even his family matters were so smooth!

At Old Zhang’s home.

Old Zhang was sitting on the sofa, watching military news on the light screen, when his wife came over with a plate of sliced fruit.

Just then, Old Zhang’s personal terminal on his wrist rang. It was a wedding invitation from Xiao Yan.

Old Zhang clicked it open and was immediately stunned, his mouth slightly agape. “Huo! This old fellow… married again?!”

His wife curiously leaned over to take a look. Seeing that the groom was Xiao Yan, but the bride’s name wasn’t Li Xiuying, she also exclaimed, “General Xiao? He married another one?”

She then glanced at her old man’s envious eyes and couldn’t help but tease, “What? Seeing others with many wives and concubines, and a house full of children, makes you jealous? Do you want to learn from him too?”

Old Zhang, having his thoughts exposed, felt a bit embarrassed, but still stubbornly nodded. “Envious! Why wouldn’t I be envious! Look at Old Xiao, he can still break through to Transcendent at a hundred years old, and now he’s a general, has a mansion, and… and married two! We have no hope in this life!”

His words, if left unsaid, would have been fine, but saying them directly ignited his wife’s temper!

“No hope? No hope and you’re still envious?! If you have the ability, go break through to Transcendent! If you have the ability, go earn yourself a general’s position! All you do is look at others with envy! You’re incompetent yourself, yet you want to learn from others and have two women by your side?!” His wife grew angrier as she spoke, directly placing the fruit plate in her hand heavily on the table. “I think you shouldn’t eat dinner tonight! Save yourself from overeating and thinking nonsense!”

With that, she turned around angrily and entered the kitchen, closing the door with a bang.

Old Zhang was rebuffed and also grew angry. He knew his wife had a sharp tongue but a kind heart, and he usually indulged her. But today, provoked like this, coupled with that little bit of envy and jealousy towards his old comrade, his stubborn temper flared up.

“If I don’t eat, I don’t eat! Who cares!” Old Zhang snorted, stood up directly, and slammed the door shut as he left!

He had nowhere to go, so he simply went straight to the old soldiers’ activity center.

He turned on a virtual gaming machine, put on the helmet, logged into “Iron Blood Glory,” and without caring about any tactical coordination, chose the most reckless heavy assault soldier, and unleashed a barrage of insane gunfire on the enemies in the virtual battlefield!

Tutututututu—!

Old Zhang didn’t speak or command, he just charged forward silently, attacking anyone he saw, and when he ran out of bullets, he used his bayonet to stab!

His teammates, a few old buddies, were bewildered by his abnormal behavior.

“Old Zhang? Did you take the wrong medicine today? Why are you acting like a mad dog?”

“Hey hey hey! Don’t charge so hard! We can’t keep up!”

“Holy crap! Old Zhang, don’t block my line of fire!”

But Old Zhang turned a deaf ear, still acting on his own, rampaging through the virtual battlefield, venting his frustration and pent-up anger.

He played like this for a whole day!

It wasn’t until the next day that he dragged his exhausted body, with red eyes, out of the virtual pod…

…

This time, although Xiao Yan still adhered to the principle of “everything simple,” the military personnel responsible for the arrangements and the assistance team sent by the Lin family dared not be negligent in the slightest.

After all, this was the wedding of the newly promoted general, Lord Xiao Yan, who had made great contributions!

The venue was set up in Xiao Yan’s manor, but it was decorated with exquisite elegance and solemnity.

The lawn was neatly trimmed, flowers adorned the area, the outdoor buffet tables were laden with exquisite food and drinks, and melodious music flowed through the air.

Although there weren’t many guests, they were all very important.

Old Zhang and Old Li sat at the “comrade’s table,” looking at Xiao Yan, who was wearing a crisp suit and looked even younger and more heroic, with the shy new bride Chen Yuyao beside him. Then they looked at Li Xiuying, who was visibly pregnant but still smiling, entertaining guests as the lady of the house… The two exchanged glances, seeing complex emotions in each other’s eyes.

“Tsk tsk tsk…” Old Zhang’s eyes were still a bit red. He picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and said sourly, “This guy Old Xiao… he really hit the jackpot! Not only did he get a second chance at life, he even… had a second bloom! We’re still worried about whether we can keep our pension next year, but he’s got beautiful wives and concubines, and a house full of children!”

Old Li also had a look of envy, jealousy, and resentment. He sighed, “Comparing people just makes you angry! Back then, we were brothers in the same team, how did the gap become so big? Alas, let’s not talk about it, let’s drink!”

On the other side, Zhao Meng did not serve as the officiant this time. Instead, he sat at the main table with his two wives and Li Xiuying.

Zhao Meng’s two wives looked at Li Xiuying, who was graceful and even actively helping to greet guests, and a hint of surprise and admiration flashed in their eyes.

They had thought that someone of ordinary background like Li Xiuying, and being the original wife, would have some resentment in her heart when facing her husband’s remarriage, and might even be absent from the wedding.

But unexpectedly, not only did she come, she was also so composed, and even… subtly exuded a hint of satisfaction?

This Mrs. Xiao, her mind and methods seemed to be anything but simple.

There was another person at the same table, Xiao Yan’s valiant deputy—General Lin Wei.

Lin Wei wore a standard, impeccable polite smile on her face, exchanging pleasantries with those at the table, her gaze occasionally sweeping over Xiao Yan and his two wives, but deep in her eyes, a hint of unconcealed disdain flashed.

“Hmph, so impatient!” she sneered in her heart. “His original wife is still pregnant, yet he can’t wait to marry another! He doesn’t care about dignity at all, as expected of someone who climbed up from the bottom, without any background or manners!”

She felt increasingly that having such a person as her superior was simply a disgrace.

The wedding ceremony quickly began.

This time, the officiant was Xiao Yan’s direct superior, the division commander of the City Defense Army’s Special Operations Division, a powerful mid-tier general.

He delivered a simple yet solemn speech, congratulated the newlyweds, emphasized the Alliance’s policy of encouraging heroes to continue their bloodline, and once again affirmed Xiao Yan’s contributions to the Alliance.

As the officiant announced the completion of the ceremony, a round of enthusiastic applause and congratulations erupted.

Xiao Yan, holding Li Xiuying’s hand with one and the extremely shy, blushing new bride Chen Yuyao’s hand with the other, accepted everyone’s blessings, a calm and satisfied smile on his face.

…

As night deepened, the guests dispersed.

The large manor returned to tranquility.

Inside the bridal chamber, red candles flickered.

Chen Yuyao, dressed in a red silk nightgown, sat nervously on the edge of the bed, twisting the hem of her clothes, her head bowed, not daring to look at the man in front of her.

Although she had long prepared herself mentally and accepted the arrangements from her family and the authorities, when it truly came to this moment, she still felt incredibly shy and uneasy.

Xiao Yan walked to her side, gently lifted her chin, and looked at her delicate and nervous face, and those eyes that were glistening with shyness. A hint of tenderness couldn’t help but rise in his heart.

“Yuyao.” His voice was gentle and magnetic.

“Mm…” Chen Yuyao’s voice was as soft as a mosquito’s, her cheeks even redder.

… (Several words omitted here)

Two days later.

Xiao Yan walked out of the bridal chamber feeling refreshed, only to find his blood and qi even more active, and his spirit exceptionally full.

And the moment he stepped out of the room, that cold and grand voice echoed in his mind:

[Ding! Detected that the host’s bloodline has been successfully continued again…]

[Congratulations to the host, your wife Chen Yuyao is successfully pregnant!]

[System notification: During the gestation period of the offspring (unnamed), the host’s vitality will be continuously nourished, blood and qi activity will increase, and physical functions will slowly repair and strengthen. The strengthening effect is positively correlated with the offspring’s vitality strength.]