Chapter 133 Charity Auction

Daiyu spoke with great conviction. Although Grandmother Jia couldn't bear to disappoint her filial piety, she couldn't stand sour tastes. Just looking at the unripe grapes made her mouth water.

Speaking of grapes that were brought as tribute from foreign lands, some of them were green, but at least they were soft, so you could tell at a glance that they were ripe.

These grapes are large and firm to the touch, much like unripe green plums.

"Grandmother, don't let their unripe appearance fool you, these grapes are incredibly sweet, and they even smell like roses! They weren't expensive at Yuan Hongqu's shop, only five taels of silver a bunch, but outside, people are selling them for a tael of silver each, the same price as those cherry tomatoes. But they taste even better than cherry tomatoes!" Wang Xifeng was very tempted by the grapes. Although Yuan Hongqu had given her a few bunches, she hadn't had a chance to eat them yet!

Seeing Wang Xifeng talking like a greedy cat, Grandmother Jia couldn't help but get curious. She picked up a grape, and it felt like a green plum to the touch. It didn't have the juicy feel of a grape at all; it really was like a green fruit.

She hesitated and took a small bite, mentally prepared to wince from the sourness, but to her surprise, this small bite was sweet, crisp, and juicy. A rose fragrance seemed to explode in her mouth, immediately filling her entire mouth.

"It's really quite good," Grandmother Jia said after eating several pieces.

“Grandmother, I told you they were very good.” Grandmother Jia was praising the grapes, but Daiyu felt as if she herself had been praised.

"Mr. Yuan, your grapes are too cheap."

“Yes, Sister Yuan, things are valued for their rarity, and besides, we just had such a heavy snowfall. Let alone such rare grapes, even we families are having a hard time getting leafy greens this winter. At this price, it’s practically free.” Wang Xifeng also felt that five taels of silver for a bunch was really too cheap.

Yuan Hongqu smiled nonchalantly.

"Sister Yuan, are you worried that these Shine King grapes won't fetch a good price at the small shop? Why don't you let Second Master Lian handle it? He's guaranteed to sell them for a high price," Wang Xifeng probed. Jia Lian had recently put in a lot of effort in the West City matter, but it was a thankless task, with the Second Master taking all the credit. Their eldest branch seemed to be in some trouble. If they could get their hands on these rare Shine King grapes now and manipulate them like cherry tomatoes, Jia Lian would surely make a name for himself.

Yuan Hongqu glanced at Wang Xifeng, who was looking at her with a smile.

What Wang Xifeng was thinking was that the grapes were originally from a wealthy family, but they had already made a big splash this year, and that was going too far. The grapes should still be sold as they were, and they absolutely could not be given to them.

Moreover, Wang Xifeng was recently organizing some kind of charity auction and even went to the Lin family to discuss it with her. She was really not good at these kinds of events, and knew less than Wang Xifeng did in her previous life in the entertainment industry, so naturally she couldn't give her any effective advice, lest she do something that backfired.

Regarding the grapes, Yuan Hongqu was pondering what excuse to use to decline, when she heard Daiyu say...

"Granny Yuan doesn't expect to make money from these grapes."

"The money from selling Prince Qing's grapes was all donated by Granny Yuan to the disaster victims in the West City," Daiyu said proudly.

"Granny Yuan said that since God has blessed this season with a harvest, it should be used to make up for the trouble God has caused. The snow that God sent has collapsed the houses in the west city, so it is just right to use this silver to compensate the people of the west city."

This is what Yuan Hongqu told Daiyu. Daiyu saw that Yuan Mama didn't tell anyone, and fearing that people would misunderstand, she hurriedly helped to clarify for her.

"What a grand gesture from Granny Yuan!" Baochai, sitting at the lower end of the table, exclaimed in amazement. After Daiyu's departure, she had won over many people in the Rongguo Mansion with her understanding, gentleness, and generosity.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have had a place when Daiyu came to visit Grandmother Jia.

"It's nothing, probably not even worth the price of an antique or a set of jewelry in your home. It's just a small contribution," Yuan Hongqu said calmly.

She has her own space and no worries about food or clothing. Her only pursuit is to take good care of Daiyu, but taking care of Daiyu doesn't require her to spend any money.

The Lin family only has one heir, Daiyu. As long as Daiyu doesn't have any suicidal thoughts and decide to squander the family fortune, she could never spend all the money in the family in several lifetimes.

So what's the point of earning so much money? Aside from potentially causing trouble for yourself, it's really not very useful.

Yuan Hongqu was very open-minded.

But others don't think that way.

The resources Yuan Hongqu possessed were things that others desperately sought but could not obtain, yet she completely disregarded them.

Wang Xifeng really didn't know whether she should be jealous of Yuan Hongqu or envy her.

The two of them were sisters who understood each other best, but she was still working herself to the bone every day to make money, while Yuan Hongqu's family was like God's favorite daughter. When a snow disaster struck, while other families lost money, she made a fortune.

Comparing yourself with others will really make you angry.

“Feng-ge’er, we can’t fall behind in this matter. Yuanyang, open my storeroom. Since we’re talking about antiques, I have a few things I can donate. I heard you’re holding some kind of charity auction to raise funds for Xicheng. You can take my few items to show off.”

"On behalf of the people of Xicheng, I thank the old lady in advance." Wang Xifeng was overjoyed. She also took out a few items of her own, but she felt that it was a bit stingy to just show off. Any antique in the old lady's possession was something that ordinary people could only dream of. Her charity auction was now secured!

"Second sister-in-law, what is a charity auction? Is it a banquet?" Xichun looked confused. She had eaten a lot of grapes and felt that her breath smelled of roses.

"We previously sent invitations to families in the capital with whom we have connections, informing them of the time and place of the banquet. They will bring their donated items to the banquet, where they will be registered and appraised on the spot. When the time comes, these items will be put up for auction, and the highest bidder will win. All the proceeds will be donated to the disaster area in the western part of the city," Wang Xifeng explained smugly.

“You’re only sending invitations to people you have a relationship with. Isn’t that too small a reach? You should have people spread the word widely, so that everyone knows about the charity auction, regardless of whether they have a relationship with the family or not. Whether they come or not is their own choice. You should accept donations a day in advance and start the auction the next day. Otherwise, it might be quite chaotic on the day of the auction,” Yuan Hongqu suggested.

“Mr. Yuan is right, Feng’er, you haven’t considered this matter thoroughly enough,” said Grandmother Jia.