After carefully examining the man for a moment, Gu Yaoniang recognized him as Wang Zhilan's father, the Grand Counselor Wang Chengxian.
She was quite curious.
Tonight's banquet is only for the managers of the Gu family business and their usual business partners; to put it bluntly, everyone present is a businessman.
Although no one had ever heard of Lord Wang treating merchants with disrespect, almost no prominent family had ever taken the initiative to attend the year-end reunion banquet inside the Gu family business.
Lord Wang dine at Jin Yu Lou from time to time. Could it be that he is dining at Jin Yu Lou again today?
Gu Yaoniang pondered this in her heart.
She stepped forward and curtsied slightly, performing the proper courtesy of a junior meeting an elder: "Uncle Wang."
Wang Chengxian seemed to be startled awake, and his gaze, which had been fixed on the main hall of Jinyulou, fell on Gu Yaoniang.
"It's Yaoniang..."
He spoke slowly.
Gu Yaoniang asked with concern, "Uncle, are you here for a meal? Jin Yu Lou is closed today as usual. It's freezing cold; you must be cold standing outside for so long. Why don't you come in and have a cup of hot tea before you leave?"
She couldn't figure out why Wang Chengxian would come here to enjoy the cold wind instead of having dinner with his family during the Lunar New Year.
Although strictly speaking, Lunar New Year's Eve is the most important day for family reunion, if there are no other arrangements or banquets, the whole family will still gather together for a meal on the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month.
"I see..."
Wang Chengxian sighed softly, drawing out the last syllable, and raised his gaze to the second floor of Jinyu Tower, where the candlelight flickered.
The lights were bright, the candlelight gleaming, and the darkness seemed especially warm. Clearly, these were not the lights that would be used by ordinary people staying behind.
Gu Yaoniang followed his gaze and explained, "Those inside are all people from the Gu family business. We get together every year on the 29th of the twelfth lunar month."
She thought that by saying this, she had made her point clear.
Wang Chengxian nodded: "I see..."
He sighed again and turned his gaze to Gu Pingsheng beside him.
Gu Pingsheng was also sizing up the man in front of him.
"Uncle, this is my younger brother, Gu Pingsheng. Pingsheng, why don't you come over and pay your respects to Uncle Wang?"
Gu Pingsheng had heard Gu Yaoniang mention Wang Chengxian before; he was the father of Wang Niangzi, a close friend of his elder sister.
He stepped forward to face Wang Chengxian and respectfully clasped his hands in a salute.
Wang Chengxian looked at the boy in front of him: "Good, good! How old are you?"
"fourteen."
Gu Pingsheng answered honestly.
Wang Chengxian then asked, "Has he/she started his/her studies?"
"I am a mediocre young man, having just passed the annual examination, and am now preparing for the autumn examination next year."
Wang Chengxian was somewhat surprised, and after carefully examining the young man before him, he reached out and patted Gu Pingsheng on the shoulder twice: "Good! Good! A young talent. Just like your sister, you are promising at a young age."
Gu Yaoniang watched the scene unfold with a smile. Lord Wang was Ahan's father, and she and her younger brother were like nephews to him, so there was nothing inappropriate about their conversation here.
She was also very proud of Gu Pingsheng, and when she saw Wang Chengxian's praise, her eyes were filled with smiles.
Wang Chengxian looked into Gu Yaoniang's smiling eyes, his gaze shifting, revealing a hint of nostalgia.
He took out two jade pendants from his pocket: "I didn't prepare anything. It's almost the New Year, so you can each have one of these jade pendants to play with."
Gu Yaoniang and Gu Pingsheng exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with astonishment, and hesitated before accepting the gift.
Wang Chengxian took them out with remarkable ease, as if he had been prepared for this. It was as if he had come here alone on this cold night only to personally hand over these two jade pendants to the two young men before him.
I cannot accept a gift without having done anything in return. There has never been any private relationship between the two families, so such a generous gift is rather abrupt and I dare not accept it lightly.
Seeing that they wouldn't accept, Wang Chengxian said nonchalantly, "They're just two jade pendants. With the Gu family's current wealth, what good things haven't they seen? Why be so cautious? Take them! Consider them my greeting gift to you."
This time, he didn't wait for Gu Yaoniang and Gu Xingzhi to reach out and take them. Instead, he examined the jade pendants in his hand, handed one to Gu Yaoniang, and the other to Gu Pingsheng.
Now that we've come this far, it would be impolite not to accept it.
Gu Yaoniang and Gu Pingsheng had no choice but to accept the jade pendant with both hands and bow in thanks.
Gu Yaoniang said, "I cannot refuse such a gift from an elder, so I will accept it with humility. Thank you, Uncle. However, it is inconvenient for you to stay for a meal today, please forgive me."
She felt uneasy, thinking it would be extremely rude to send someone away so soon after accepting their gift. However, if she didn't explain clearly and someone misunderstood, it would be even more impolite.
Wang Chengxian waved his hand dismissively: "It's alright, it's alright. It's cold outside, you guys go inside."
As he spoke, he turned to leave.
Gu Yaoniang looked around but didn't see a carriage. She called out, "Uncle! It's cold. Why don't you come in and have a cup of tea? I'll have the Gu family's carriage take you home."
Wang Chengxian waved his hand and declined, saying, "It's alright. I'm getting old and just want to walk around. Don't worry about me, you guys go in."
Without waiting for Gu Yaoniang and her brother to say anything more, he started walking towards the Wang family's direction.
Gu Yaoniang and Gu Pingsheng stood quietly below the Golden Jade Pavilion, watching Wang Chengxian's figure disappear into the distance.
Only after they disappeared from sight did the two enter the lobby.
It wasn't very clear from outside, but now the lobby is brightly lit.
Gu Pingsheng and Gu Yaoniang looked at the jade pendant in their hands with curiosity.
The jade pendants worn by the two were a pair of dragon and phoenix pendants, clearly made from the same piece of jade. The jade quality wasn't exceptionally high, but it was still very translucent. What was remarkable was the exquisite carving, with warm and gentle edges, as if it had been handled and appreciated for many years.
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