On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

The dusk was like a huge, ink-soaked curtain, heavily covering the huge ruins in the east city of Hu County.

The last ray of the setting sun had long been swallowed up, leaving only a dead dark red in the sky.

The city walls that once symbolized order and barriers, the houses that carried the daily life of the world, and the county government office that represented the center of power.

Everything had been completely razed to the ground in the past month by thousands of tireless men like worker ants, using sweat, shouts, crowbars and hammers!

At this moment, all that remains here are the jagged ruins, the mountains of broken bricks and tiles, the rammed earth foundation exposed in the air and emitting the smell of earth, and the desolation that is everywhere and seems to penetrate into the bone marrow, mixed with dust and decay.

These ruins are the completely crushed remains of the old world, and also the altar where the new order is about to emerge.

However, right in the center of this huge ruin that symbolizes destruction and rebirth, a carnival feast fueled by money and driven by greed is igniting a flame that is enough to illuminate the entire night sky of Hu County as night falls!

Hundreds of specially made torches, each as thick as an arm and soaked in high-quality rosin, were firmly nailed to the temporary compacted earth platform and key nodes of the ruins by wooden stakes as thick as a bowl.

The blazing flames were like angry red dragons that had broken free from their restraints, twisting their bodies madly, making crackling sounds, and greedily licking the deep darkness.

The blazing flames shot up into the sky, illuminating the ruins within a radius of hundreds of feet as if it were daytime!

The dancing light and shadow cast huge, twisted, ghostly shadows on the broken walls, as if countless unwilling souls were roaring and struggling silently, adding a magical and solemn apocalyptic atmosphere to this feast.

The burnt aroma of pine resin mixed with the heat wave filled the air, carrying a primitive and violent power.

In the center of the ruins, a temporary platform built with huge bluestone slabs about ten feet long and half a person's height and hardwood springboards about an inch thick stands like an altar.

The platform was more than ten feet high and covered with a new, thick scarlet Persian velvet carpet, which exuded a luxurious and bloody luster under the firelight.

Surrounding the platform was a makeshift, leveled area stretching several acres. The ground was covered with a thick layer of fine, white river sand, brought in from the riverbank and washed clean and evenly by the water. It was soft and soundless to step on. At this moment, this sandy ground was already densely and neatly packed with over three hundred specially crafted rosewood armchairs!

Each chair is spacious and comfortable, with smooth and rounded armrests, simple auspicious cloud patterns carved into the backrests, and scarlet velvet cushions of the same color as the platform.

There is enough space between the chairs to make it easy for waiters to move around.

Next to each chair, there is an exquisite small table made of the same material and size, on which is placed a blue and white porcelain plate fired in the Jingdezhen official kiln, with neatly arranged Lingnan lychees, Western grapes, and seasonal fruits on the plate; the finest pre-rain Longjing tea is brewed in a small Yixing purple clay pot, and the curling tea aroma mixed with the fruity aroma permeates the air; next to it are also Suzhou-style pastries, such as crystal shrimp dumplings, crab meat dumplings, and osmanthus candied lotus root, which are as exquisite as works of art.

The air is filled with the burnt aroma of burning pine resin, the crisp aftertaste of burning precious agarwood, the sweet aroma of fresh fruits, the fragrance of hot tea, the oily aroma of snacks... and... an agitated smell so strong that it is almost condensed into substance, called "money"!

This aura came from the audience, over 300 wealthy businessmen from all corners of the world, dressed in fine clothes and with eyes as sharp as hawks! They were like sharks smelling blood, already gathered here!

Directly behind the platform, there was a huge dark blue curtain made of thick canvas, which swayed slightly in the night breeze like an undercurrent surging in the deep sea.

In front of the curtain, Wang Youde's figure appeared particularly eye-catching and also particularly... weird under the flickering and blazing flames.

He was wearing a brand new dark red brocade wedding robe with gold floral patterns, which symbolized "joy" and "solemnity".

The suit was well-tailored and made of fine materials. The gold thread gleamed dazzlingly in the firelight, but it formed a shocking contrast with his face, which was now sallow, swollen, and as gray as a death.

Thick lead powder and rouge were smeared on her face, trying to cover up the unconcealable death and fear, but it was like wearing a stiff and funny actor's mask, reflecting a greasy and strange luster in the firelight.

He tried hard to straighten his hunched back, which had long been boneless, and forced an extremely exaggerated, flattering, almost twisted smile on his face. He bowed deeply to the dark crowd below the stage, his waist bent so much that it almost broke.

His movements were stiff and exaggerated, like a puppet controlled by invisible strings, with every joint revealing an unnatural sluggishness.

"Dear elders of Jiangnan! Dear business leaders! Dear distinguished guests who have come from afar!!"

Wang Youde's voice came through a makeshift, crude brass loudspeaker. With a deliberately high-pitched, hoarse and trembling tone, it echoed over the empty ruins, sounding particularly harsh, like the cry of an owl at night.

"I am Wang Youde, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has entrusted me with the important task of presiding over today's ceremony. I am deeply honored and terrified!"

He bowed deeply again, bending his waist so low that his forehead almost touched the red carpeted table. His posture was so humble that it seemed as if he was kneeling down to worship a group of gods of wealth who controlled his life and death.

"Tonight! Tonight! This is an unprecedented event for Hu County... No! This is Jiangnan! And even for the entire Daqian!!"

He suddenly stood up and opened his arms, trying to create a majestic aura, but his hunched figure cast a long, clown-like, distorted shadow in the firelight, which looked particularly funny when projected on the dark blue curtain.

"Your Highness! Your foresight is profound! Your talent is immense! Establishing a special economic zone in Hu County will benefit all of humanity! A great undertaking that will endure for generations to come!"

"And today! Today's auction! What's being auctioned is no ordinary land! No ordinary property!!"

His voice suddenly rose, with an almost fanatical incitement, like a charlatan preaching, and his finger suddenly pointed at the huge curtain behind him!

"What's being auctioned is 'Xiran'! It's 'Divine Land'! It's the foundation for the future generations! It's the blessing for future generations!!"

As soon as the word "Xiran" came out, it was like pouring a bucket of cold water into a boiling oil pan!

The more than 300 wealthy businessmen in the audience, who were originally reserved, scrutinizing each other, and greeting each other tentatively, suddenly became like a pile of dry firewood that was ignited!

An irrepressible, greedy light like a hungry wolf burst out of his eyes!

The body leans forward involuntarily!

The originally low voices of conversation and the clinking sounds of teacups disappeared instantly!

The air was filled with an uncontrollable hissing sound of gasps and excited whispers!

Everyone's gaze, like hundreds of searchlights, was fixed fixedly on that enormous screen! Greed, eager, determined to obtain it! As if hidden behind that screen was a treasure sufficient to bring their family prosperity for a thousand years!

Wang Youde's mask-like face seemed to have squeezed out a trace of morbid "liveliness" because of the surging greed in the audience.

He waved his hand suddenly, his action showing a determination to burn his boats!

“Lift the curtain!!”

The voice is hoarse but full of power!

Four burly men wearing the palace's uniform black uniforms and with narrow-edged swords hanging from their waists, who had been waiting on both sides of the curtain, moved at the sound!

They moved in unison, like well-trained soldiers, suddenly grabbing the thick ropes hanging on both sides of the curtain, their arm muscles bulging, and pulling down with force!

"Crash——!!"

The huge curtain slid down like a cut-off waterfall!

A huge map that was so shocking that it made people speechless suddenly appeared before everyone without reservation, like a miracle!

This map is not drawn on ordinary rice paper or silk, but is made of dozens of extremely tough, light ivory-luster, and soft-touch high-quality lambskins that are carefully tanned and seamlessly spliced ​​together!

The edges are piping with dark purple satin sparkling with dark gold thread, which makes it look solemn, luxurious and extraordinary!

The map was so large that it almost covered the entire back wall of the platform. It was more than three meters wide and more than two meters high!

The content on the picture was so exquisite that it made all the merchants hold their breath instantly. All they could see was the breathtaking beauty and... boundless temptation!

In the center of the map, the magnificent scenery of the Yangtze River estuary is depicted with extremely precise strokes!

The winding Yangtze River is like a roaring green dragon, carrying a tremendous force, plunging into the vast East China Sea, which is painted with different shades of indigo and ultramarine!