Following the trail of firecracker papers, they found that it led straight to the large house they had been curious about earlier. The entire car fell into a dead silence. By the time they came to their senses, they had already arrived at the Zhou family's gate.

At that moment, the car that had been used for the wedding was parked at the entrance. The Zhou family's entrance was crowded with people, bustling with activity. Up close, the house appeared even larger. The Zhou family's yard alone was bigger than the entire Si family's property.

Si's father's eyes widened. "This is the Zhou family?"

Zhang Cuimei was in disbelief. "How is this possible?"

Lin Sisi remained silent. In her past life, she had been unhappy here and had never paid attention to the appearance of the house. This time, she had been longing to return to the Si family, only to find it wasn't as wonderful as she had imagined. The housing in the family quarters was limited and allocated based on the number of people, so it wasn't very spacious. The Si family only had three rooms.

Compared to the Zhou family's grand house, the Si family's home paled in comparison. Seeing the crowd at the Zhou family's entrance, Lin Sisi felt an inexplicable sense of regret welling up inside her.

"Hey, are you here for the wedding feast?" someone in the crowd asked, noticing the unfamiliar faces and hearing Si's father's astonished exclamation.

Si's father hesitantly asked again, "Is this the Zhou family? The one Si Nian married into?"

The person nodded. "Yes, are you relatives of the bride?"

Si's father opened his mouth but couldn't find the words to respond.

However, before he could react, he heard the sound of car wheels behind him. Turning around, he saw several small cars approaching. Catching sight of the lead car, he froze: "Isn't that Director Li's car?"

Zhang Cuimei, originally curious, turned her head quickly upon hearing this: "Director Li? Director Li from the Public Security Bureau?"

Because she was so surprised, she emphasized and asked again. Si's father was stunned. Due to his own job, he occasionally encountered Director Li and had made a point to remember his car. But he never expected to run into him in this remote village.

Sure enough, several cars soon stopped, and the Director of the Public Security Bureau stepped out of one of them. Si's father was pleasantly surprised, wondering if Director Li had come to the countryside to investigate local conditions. He thought it was such good luck to meet him here, and he should greet him properly. He immediately stepped forward to greet him.

Before he could even say hello, he saw a familiar face stepping out of the car behind. It was actually the CEO of the downtown department store!

Then, he saw the Chief of the North China Military Region stepping out from the other car.

Si's father: ""

Si's father's eyelids twitched, and his legs felt weak. He blinked rapidly, unsure if his eyes were playing tricks on him. How could he have seen so many important figures in this poor and remote village in just one day? The cigarette in his hand froze in the air.

Director Li noticed him and was slightly surprised: "Captain Si, what are you doing here?"

Si's father was shocked back to reality, realizing that he was sweating profusely. Seeing the curious looks of the others, he felt a tightness in his chest and didn't dare to say that he was here to attend his daughter's wedding. After all, Director Li had attended Fu's family banquet before, and when Si Nian brought her over, he even introduced her daughter to him. So Director Li knew about his daughter's wedding to Fu Yang. But unexpectedly, Si Nian turned out not to be his biological daughter. The children he had held in high regard had now fallen to marrying into the countryside, which was a blow to Si's father's pride. He didn't dare to tell these people that he was here to attend his daughter's wedding.

At this moment, Si's father assumed that these important figures had come to the countryside just to investigate the local situation. After all, it wasn't uncommon for leaders to visit rural areas, and he occasionally arranged visits to the countryside himself to check on things. He didn't think much of it. The car had stopped here probably just because they were attracted by the excitement.

Si's father found an excuse, saying, "My biological daughter has just returned. Since I have the day off today, I thought of bringing her to visit her foster parents in the countryside."

After all, Lin Sisi's return was no longer a secret. It was a good opportunity to introduce his daughter to these people. Si's father was both surprised and delighted.

"This is my biological daughter, Lin Sisi. Sisi, this is Director Li from the Public Security Bureau, Chief Yang from the North China Military Region, and Mr. Wang from the department store. Quickly greet them, uncles."

Lin Sisi had never seen so many important figures before and was stunned, taking a while to react. She didn't understand why there were so many important people here.

Being nudged by Zhang Cuimei, Lin Sisi quickly and obediently said, "Uncle Li, Uncle Yang, Uncle Wang, hello."

Chief Yang and Mr. Wang were puzzled because they didn't recognize this family at all, but out of politeness, they nodded.

Si's father was pleased and eagerly asked, "What brings the leaders to Xingfu Village? I can show you around."

To his surprise, Director Li declined his offer and said, "No need, we're here for personal matters."

Si's father was puzzled, "Personal matters?" What kind of personal matters would require several high-ranking leaders to handle? It must be something significant!

His eyes lit up, completely forgetting that he was here to attend his foster daughter's wedding. His attention was now solely on the leaders before him, and all he wanted was to build good relationships with them.

"I'll treat you to a meal. Since you've come from afar, you must be hungry. The town isn't far from here. I know the way. I can take you there, and if you need to go anywhere later, I can also give you a ride."

"No need," Director Li furrowed his brows, growing impatient. "We just came to eat. The town being lively is normal, isn't it?"

Si's father, feeling anxious, hurriedly followed, fearing that Director Li might see Si Nian marrying into this place.

"Director Li, Chief Zhang, Mr. Wang, let me lead the way. This banquet is too noisy."

Director Li looked at the somewhat nervous Si's father and said, "We're here to attend the banquet. Isn't it normal for it to be lively?"

Before Si's father could react, he instinctively asked, "Banquet? Where is it?"

Director Li looked at him incredulously. "Isn't it right behind you? Please move aside. We're in a hurry to get to the first table."

Then he grumbled, "That brat Zhou, getting married without informing us early. Now we're late, and who knows if the meal has started."

With that, he quickened his pace and called out to his two friends behind him, "Old Zhang, Old Wang, hurry up! We might miss the food!"

The two behind, both wealthy and imposing, immediately picked up their pace without even sparing a glance at the bewildered Si family.