On the weekend, Ren Jin and Gu Yueji arrived at the restaurant earlier than their aunt had notified them. Contrary to their expectations of a lively scene, when they opened the door to the private room, it was quiet except for their aunt's family.
"Little aunt, I wish you boundless happiness and longevity! May all your wishes come true and may you be happy every day!" Gu Yueji said as she presented the birthday gifts she and Ren Jin had bought for her.
"Thank you, Yueji, thank you, Xiaojin, you've gone to so much trouble."
"Take the bracelet out and let my aunt try it on to see if it suits her," Ren Jin said, sitting next to Gu Yueji.
Ren Yajuan then picked up the small red paper bag in her hand and looked at it carefully. She found that it had the name of a jewelry brand printed on it. "Oh my, what expensive things did you two buy for me?"
She thought it was some small gift, and as she spoke, she stuffed the bag into Gu Yueji's hand.
Gu Yueji took the bag, pulled out the red box from the bag, opened it, took out the gold bracelet inside, and pulled Ren Yajuan's hand. "Ren Jin and I didn't know what to buy for Auntie. We hope Auntie likes this gift." As she spoke, she put the gold bracelet on Ren Yajuan's wrist.
"This bracelet is too expensive. Take it back and return it to get your money back." The heavy gold bracelet was clearly not cheap, even by weight.
Ren Yajuan struggled to take the bracelet off, but Gu Yueji quickly grabbed her hand, saying, "Once you buy it, you can't return it. As long as your aunt is happy wearing it, that's all that matters."
"Why are you two children spending this money?"
“I don’t have a close relationship with Ren Jin’s parents. We both regard you as our second mother. When he was little, you bought him food and clothes. Now that he’s earning money, he should take care of you.”
“Auntie, just keep it. There’s no reason to return a birthday gift I gave you,” Ren Jin chimed in.
Ren Yajuan looked down at the bracelet on her wrist. To be honest, she felt ashamed. When Ren Jin was young, she only bought him some clothes and snacks when she went back to visit her parents occasionally. Compared with taking care of Qian Mingjun, it was incomparable. But Ren Jin has been grateful ever since. Since he grew up and became independent and capable, he has never stopped helping and giving back to his family.
Ren Yajuan couldn't help but sigh, if Ren Yayong had raised Ren Jin properly when he was a child, their father-son relationship would definitely not be like this now.
She patted Gu Yueji and Ren Jin's hands one last time, "Thank you, children."
"Brother, these gifts make the red envelope I gave my mom seem insincere," Qian Mingjun complained, looking at the big gold bracelet on his mother's wrist.
Ren Jin glanced at him and said, "The salary I give you this month should be enough to buy a gold bracelet that's even bigger than this."
Qian Mingjun scratched his head sheepishly, "I just don't have enough money."
"You get food and lodging provided on the construction site, where did all your money go?"
Qian Mingjun chuckled, "I just went out to play a few times."
Ren Jin frowned at him and said, "You should hurry up and save some money to get married and have a baby. Your aunt will be happier than if she received any gift."
"knew."
Compared to his parents, Qian Mingjun listened to Ren Jin more. Back then, when he first entered society, he didn't know anything and was tricked into joining a pyramid scheme. Afterward, he was imprisoned and not allowed to go home. His mother called Ren Jin in tears, and then Ren Jin drove for dozens of hours to come over and used some means to bring him out.
Even now, Qian Mingjun still remembers the image of Ren Jin, who stood tall and imposing in the doorway against the light when he pushed open the door. From that moment on, he admired Ren Jin greatly.
Ren Jin looked up and glanced around the empty private room.
The private room was very large, and the big round table could seat more than 20 people. There were only a few of them, and Ren Jin didn't know why they had booked such a big table; it was difficult to even speak.
"Where are my aunt and the others?" Ren Jin asked.
Qian Mingjun pursed his lips, "Who knows? My aunt just told us the room number, and there was no one there when we arrived. She made such a nice promise to celebrate my mom's birthday, but no one's even here yet. Did my aunt just book this room and then show up for dinner right on time?"
It's unheard of for someone to celebrate a birthday, only to arrive and then the organizer is nowhere to be found.
Ren Jin glanced at his phone; it was getting late, less than half an hour before lunchtime. He said to the waiter at the door, "Call the manager in."
The manager came in quickly, and Ren Jin asked, "Has anyone ordered?"
The manager smiled broadly, "No, sir. Would you like to order now? We have a few signature dishes that are limited in quantity, and they might sell out if you wait too long."
Ren Jin chuckled. When he invited people to dinner, he would usually order the food in advance, and it was the basic principle that whoever ordered the food was expected to pay the bill.
"Bring the menu over, let's order now."
Qian Mingjun's eyes widened. "Wow! My aunt is really planning to come over for dinner to celebrate my mom's birthday? Should I have asked her to book a room if she had told me earlier?"
Ren Jin didn't reply, but took the menu from the manager and handed it to Ren Yajuan, "Auntie, what would you like to eat?"
Ren Yajuan felt embarrassed, "Why don't we wait for your aunt to order? She said she knows the hotel owner well, so she can pick some affordable items."
"It's alright, it's your birthday, so just order whatever you like. No matter how well you know the owner, it'll be the same dishes."
Ren Yajuan didn't understand either, "I'm fine with anything, you order, just don't order anything too expensive."
“Okay, then I’ll make the decision,” Ren Jin ordered 18 dishes based on the manager’s recommendation, estimating that there should be enough people, and that the dishes also had auspicious meanings. “Let’s order these.”
However, just as he closed the menu, the manager said, "Sir, 18 dishes may not be enough. The lady who booked the private room said there will be more than 20 people dining there."
Ren Jin paused in handing over the menu. "More than 20 people?"
Even including Ren Yayong's and Ren Yamei's families, there are less than 20 people, so where did the more than 20 people come from?
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