Chapter 463 Antique Gifts
“Young girl, who would want to sit with us old folks, all proper and stiff?” Wei Zumao glared at his eldest grandson. “Let me tell you, Wei Xinghe, if you don’t take good care of Wen Ni, you won’t get a single penny of pocket money next month, the month after that, and the month after that!”
"No, are you really my grandfather?" Wei Xinghe briefly doubted his existence, then held up three fingers as if swearing, "Grandpa, why would we, grandfather and grandson, need to talk about money like that? Leave her to me, don't worry!"
"Hmph." Wei Zumao glared at him.
He knew his grandson's character all too well.
Easy to handle!
“Grandpa Wei, there’s really no need for all that trouble. I can wander around on my own,” Wen Ni said gently.
Although she had been exchanging pleasantries with the four grandmothers, she was actually listening to their conversation.
“Hong Kong is not entirely unfamiliar to me. I am here on behalf of Lu Jinye to visit you and bring you a gift!”
"A gift? You don't need to be so polite, child." Wei Zumao waved his hands repeatedly.
"It's just a token of my appreciation; I hope Grandpa Wei will accept it."
As Wen Ni spoke, she turned and took out a seemingly ordinary box from her schoolbag.
"Judging from the style of the box, and the fact that she just casually put it in her schoolbag, I guess it's probably not something valuable!" Fourth Grandma immediately concluded, then turned her head and whispered something to herself.
Second Grandma also gestured, covering her mouth with one hand, and muttered softly, "I think what you said makes some sense. Our Wei family is a prominent family in this port city. What haven't we seen? How valuable could a gift from a little girl be?"
"Hey, what are you two doing here, gossiping? Don't make yourselves a laughingstock!" The matriarch, playing the role of the head of the family, glanced sideways, silencing the others. "No matter what it is, this is something the young lady carried all the way here. We should accept it, so as not to disappoint her kind intentions."
Wei Xinghe thought the same thing.
He stepped forward, took the box with one hand, and without giving it a second thought, lifted the lid.
Only saw
A golden, metallic-looking mirrored pocket watch lay quietly inside the box!
"So it's a commemorative pocket watch from a nautical voyage?" Wei Xinghe raised an eyebrow.
"Great, great, this is great!" The four grandmothers nodded repeatedly, chattering, "This little thing would be nice to carry around as a simple accessory!"
Clearly, this thing didn't catch their eye; it was all just perfunctory praise!
After praising it, Wei Xinghe was about to cover it up and take it away.
"Wait a minute!"
Wei Zumao suddenly spoke up to stop him.
Seeing his grandfather's frozen gaze, Wei Xinghe hesitated for a moment before stepping forward and handing over the box he was holding in his palm.
The others remained silent.
He watched with equal curiosity as Wei Zumao took out the pocket watch and examined it closely. For a fleeting moment, an incredulous look of surprise flashed in his weathered eyes!
"If I'm not mistaken, this should be a multi-functional pocket watch, with a perpetual calendar, a minute repeater, and more than a dozen other complex and practical functions! Most importantly, there's a slight scratch on the upper part of the pocket watch..."
"There's slight wear and tear. What? Is this an old watch?" the crowd asked, puzzled.
"The girlfriend of the head of the Lu family actually gave our master an old watch?"
"Is it really that embarrassing to present?"
They gave each other sarcastic looks and whispered among themselves.
Wen Ni completely ignored their words.
She smiled faintly as she looked at Wei Zumao.
"Grandpa Wei has a good eye. This pocket watch is indeed a multi-functional watch, containing 24 complex functions. It has great collectible value and historical charm. As for the wear and tear, it is because it was created in France in 1912 and was once given to the navigator Yves. It changed hands several times and was lost to the world for a time."
"This, this really is Iwell's century-old pocket watch?" Wei Zumao was clearly delighted with it. He looked up, his face beaming with joy. "Miss Wen Ni, where did you find this? As far as I know, there has been no news of this item reappearing in all these years, either domestically or internationally!"
"Could this be genuine?" Wei Xinghe couldn't help but have some doubts after hearing how amazing they made it sound.
An antique item over a hundred years old, its market value is at least nearly 100 million Chinese yuan! How could this girl afford such an expensive gift? Or was this gift actually given to her by Lu Jinye to deliver?
“Of course it’s genuine. This box also contains a global authentication certificate from Baoxiangzhai, making it the only one of its kind in the world.” Wen Ni’s tone was calm and neither humble nor arrogant. “Before coming to Hong Kong, I heard that the Wei family was a maritime family, so I thought Grandpa Wei would really like meaningful and practical items like pocket watches, so I went and found one for myself!”
"You're such a thoughtful little girl, I love this gift!" Wei Zumao was overjoyed, and with his cane, he poked his grandson's bottom again. "Xinghe, I'll transfer the money to you later. You must take Wen Ni with you and let her have a good look around. Bring her back to me safely tonight! I've made all the arrangements. Before school starts, Wen Ni will stay at my Wei family's house!"
“Grandpa Wei, no need to trouble yourself, I can manage on my own.” Wen Ni was telling the truth.
“Grandpa, she said she can do it herself!” Wei Xinghe added.
"Um!?"
Wei Zumao's eyes narrowed, and he glared fiercely at his eldest grandson.
"Okay, okay, okay..."
Wei Xinghe pouted and reluctantly turned around. "I'll take her, I'll take her, okay?"
"That's more like it!"
Wei Zumao turned to Wen Ni and smiled kindly, "Miss Wen Ni, don't treat us like outsiders! It's no trouble at all! If you encounter any problems in Hong Kong, feel free to come to us or this young man! Don't be shy!"
"Yes, thank you, Grandpa Wei."
For some reason, Wen Ni always saw the shadow of Grandpa Lu in Wei Zumao.
Even though their temperaments are not exactly the same.
perhaps……
She must miss Grandpa Lu so much.
Wen Ni lowered her eyes, not refusing too much, but simply nodded to Grandpa Wei and the others, then turned and left with Wei Xinghe.
In the hall of the Wei family villa
Watching Wen Ni and Wei Xinghe's departing figures
The four grandmothers strolled over and peered over on tiptoe.
"Master, Miss Wen Ni gave you such an expensive gift, why didn't you invite her to stay? Why did you insist on letting Xinghe take her out to eat? Can the food outside be as good as what we have at home?"
"Stay? What do you know?"
Wei Zumao gave them a smug look.
"I'm asking you, what do you think of this little girl?"
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