Chapter 171 Attending the Birthday Banquet

"I'm already quite satisfied with how it's cut. If the window were any bigger, it would lose its mystery. Could you please help me find a box to put the stone in?"

You can't exactly bring a snakeskin bag into a birthday banquet!

"become!"

Back at the villa, upon hearing the news, Old Master Liu strode into the courtyard, took out a magnifying glass, and examined the broken black stone closely. "Such a rare treasure, are you really willing to give it to this old man as a congratulatory gift?"

Wow, look at the regretful look on his face, he's the one who's reluctant to part with it!

"Grandpa, Xiaxia helped me choose the stone according to my request, I trust her!"

Upon hearing this, Old Master Liu narrowed his eyes slightly, carefully examining the girl with the obedient smile, as if she were the first time he had ever seen her. "This little girl knows a lot about jade!"

"Oh, not at all, it was just a lucky coincidence!"

"I heard you also bought over thirty small stones. Haven't you cut them open to take a look?"

"No, the cutting fee is too expensive, even more expensive than the original price. Let's take it back to Jiangcheng and have the locals cut it!"

"A stone to weigh it down, are you sure you want to bring it all the way back to Jiangcheng?"

"Hey, it's all just sitting in the box anyway, I'm not carrying it the whole time, it's not heavy!"

Noticing the girl's fingers twitching slightly under the table, Li Chen quickly interjected, "Grandpa, the jade appraiser sent over several boxes. Which one do you think is suitable?"

Seeing the old man and the child discussing the box, Yunxia smiled knowingly, thinking to herself that grandparents and grandchildren are indeed closer. She stepped aside and began to study flower arranging.

Two days later, at the Li family's villa, Yun Xia, who was wearing a light blue dress for the first time ever, followed Li Chen into the courtyard. She didn't want to come, since she had nothing to do with the Li family, but she couldn't resist the boy's pleading and pitiful eyes.

Liu Xiaohe lowered her head timidly and followed closely behind her older sister.

"Hey, are you a tagalong? You're from an international high school, why don't you go hang out with your classmates?"

After shaking off the annoying Liu Xiaohe, the girl plunged into the crowd and quickly became friends with the rich and powerful kids.

Hiding in the buffet area, Yun Xia leisurely savored the desserts, shaking her head and clicking her tongue in disapproval, thinking to herself that the pastry chef's skills were really not that great. As for Li Chen, he went to greet the elders of the Li family.

"Linlin, slow down, Mom can't keep up with you. Come on, let me introduce you to the elders."

“No, we’re not related. If we go up there, we’ll have to call them uncles, aunts, and grandpas. Our mouths will get sore from calling them that. Besides, our family businesses are all in the south of the city. There’s no need for us to go out of our way to curry favor with the upper class in Rongcheng.”

"What do you know? Nancheng is the source of clothing, and Rongcheng is the largest consumer market. Hurry up and go, stop dawdling. Mom is doing this for your own good."

A beautiful woman in a light purple dress led a reluctant girl away. Yunxia, ​​holding a small cake, stood there in a daze for a long time.

"Hey, if you don't eat it soon... the cake is going to fall!"

The sudden sound snapped the girl back to reality. She quickly stuffed the piece of cake from her fork into her mouth. "Thanks for reminding me!"

Turning his head to see who it was, he was stunned for a moment, because their delicate and handsome features bore a striking resemblance to Li Chen.

"you……"

"Xiaxia, so you were hiding here! I've been looking for you everywhere!"

When Li Chen, who had escaped from the group of elders, saw the boy clearly, his smile froze.

"Big brother, in the years you've been gone, Dad has been nagging about you. Let's spend some time with him later!"

Upon hearing this, Yunxia immediately knew who the young man in front of her was: the illegitimate son of the head of the Li family, the kind who had been successfully registered on the household register.

"With you here, I don't need to worry. Go find somewhere cool to stay." After saying that, he pulled the girl's hand and left, leaving the boy standing there with a smile on his lips.

"Hey, don't be angry. I was just eating cake when I suddenly barged in. I would never betray a friend."

These words amused Li Chen. "In the Li family's territory, it's not surprising that he appears anywhere. After delivering the congratulatory gifts, he'll find a chance to sneak out. None of the people at this banquet are good people."

Oops, young man, that statement has dragged the Liu family into it as well.

"Alright, I've already handed over the gift I gave as an ordinary guest."

Half an hour later, the old man, dressed in a festive red Tang suit, came out with the help of the butler. After expressing his gratitude to everyone, he sat down at the head table, and then the younger generation presented gifts to each of them.

Ginseng, Ganoderma lucidum, Buddhist prayer beads...

Everything was there, and each item was of extraordinary quality. Soon it was Li Chen's turn. He stepped forward with the mahogany box in his arms and opened it in front of everyone. The emerald green jade window immediately stunned everyone.

"Wow, as expected of someone who's taking half the family fortune, they're really generous."

"That's right. Although the Liu family's influence is not as great as the Li family's, they have been wealthy for generations, with a very strong foundation."

"This piece of jade is probably the most expensive gift in the entire event!"

...

Ignoring the surrounding chatter, the young man handed the box to the steward and said, "Perhaps it's because my luck has turned around. After moving to Jiangcheng with my mother, my chronic illness of more than ten years has been cured, and I'm much more energetic. Even my luck... has been rising rapidly. Look, I found such a good treasure in just one day."

The subtext was that the Li family had bad feng shui, and that the person who left was a completely different person. Old Master Li suppressed his anger and laughed heartily, "As expected of my grandson, he has guts. Sit down!"

After Li Chen, it was Li Sheng's turn to go on stage. He had a sincere expression and praised Li Sheng extensively. Finally, he presented Li Sheng with a landscape painting that read "May your happiness be as boundless as the Eastern Sea and your longevity as enduring as the Southern Mountain."

“Grandpa, Ah Sheng’s abilities are limited, but his respect for you is stronger than anyone else’s. I started conceiving this painting half a year ago, and after thinking about it for a long time, it was finally completed three days ago.”

"Great, excellent, this is the most satisfying gift I have ever received."

The subtext is that they didn't even consider the jade they just saw.

Li Sheng smiled and continued to praise him before choosing a seat.

After the younger generation of the Li family had finished presenting their gifts, Old Master Li announced the start of the banquet. Yun Xia, who was already starving, noticed that someone had started eating, so she picked up her chopsticks and began to eat the braised pork knuckle.

"Ugh, don't you find it greasy?" Liu Xiaolian said with a look of disgust as she ate her cold vegetable salad.

"What do you know? Pork hock is rich in collagen. Eating more of it will make your skin fair and tender from the inside out. You can't get this kind of skin no matter how much beauty cream you apply."

"real?"

Comparing their skin tone and texture, I had to admit that she was indeed much better than me. Ignoring my image, I grabbed my chopsticks and fought her for the braised pork knuckle.

"Yunxia, ​​you're teasing me again!" Liu Xiaohe said softly, her head down.

"I swear to God, everything I said is true, but since you're injured, you can't eat greasy, spicy, raw, or cold foods!"

Goodness, in just a few words, four-fifths of the food on the table was gone. After all, garlic oil was added to the cold dishes, since they are considered "heating" foods!

Upon hearing this, Liu Xiaohe smiled gratefully. Out of politeness, she only ate cold or warm fruit platters and boiled grains from the lavish feast, making everyone around her think she was sick.