There are many booths and small tables on the first floor of the villa for people to rest and chat, and several groups of large sofas are placed in the middle.
Seventy-year-old Old Master Ning, with gray hair and a vigorous spirit, was sitting in the middle of the room wearing a maroon Tang suit with a dark pattern of the Chinese character "Fu". The large sofa was already full of people.
Huo Pengyi and Old Mrs. Huo were among them, and several elderly people were discussing stamps together.
Huo Pengyi was excited. "Is it really 'China's mountains and rivers are all red'?"
"That's right," an old man said. "I was ready to bid with my money, but they said the owner of the stamp didn't want to sell it."
"Why are you taking it out if you're not going to sell it?" Huo Pengyi complained, "Are you trying to amuse me?"
"It's said that the owner likes quadrangles," the old man said, "and wants to exchange stamps for a few nice courtyards."
Old Mrs. Huo couldn't help but feel a pang of fear in her heart and looked at Huo Pengyi.
Huo Pengyi frowned and thought, "I do have several courtyards..."
The old man said, "It's too late. Otherwise, it would be your turn. I have several courtyards at home. By the time I received the news, someone quick enough had already taken it."
The disappointment on Huo Pengyi's face was beyond words.
Old Mrs. Huo felt slightly relieved. Since Huo Pengyi was considering exchanging the yard for stamps, it proved that the so-called statement of not selling the ancestral home was just a trick to scare Ning Shaobai.
"Uncle, you're slow to catch up!" a twenty-something girl nearby said with a smile. "The new owner of the stamp isn't a stamp collector, so it's at the auction house again. They'll be selling it next time!"
Several people suddenly became alert.
Huo Pengyi said, "You can't compete with me."
The girl wasn't intimidated by the many old foxes. "Uncle Huo, you're being overbearing. We'll each rely on our own abilities. My mom needs that stamp, too."
Old Master Ning interrupted, "That's right. Every time, it's Peng Yi who grabs it. This time, I'll make the decision for you. It's up to you to decide."
Everyone was laughing when Ning Shaobai, Ning Shaoyun and their group came in from outside.
"Grandpa." Ning Shaobai called out.
Old Master Ning was very happy to see them, "Xiaoyun, Xiaobai, you're back! Come here quickly."
Ning Shaobai asked as he walked, "Grandpa, you were the one who told us not to bring Chenchen here because there are too many people here today, right?"
Old Master Ning didn't know about the quarrel outside, but he was determined not to destroy Ning Shaobai in front of so many people. He immediately said without any flaws, "Well, the child is still young. I'm afraid I can't take care of him today. It's the same if you bring him to see me another day."
Ning Shaobai said, "Aunt Fan insisted that you missed Chenchen so much that you couldn't sleep, and that we would be unfilial if we didn't bring the child back."
Old Master Ning frowned slightly and looked straight into Ning Shaobai's eyes.
Ning Shaobai did not give in and waited quietly for his answer.
Old Master Ning glanced at Fan Xiuzhi, sighed inwardly, and said, "Your Aunt Fan must be too busy. I didn't tell her about this, so don't bother with her about such a trivial matter."
Fan Xiuzhi smiled complacently, thinking that Ning Shaobai was ridiculous. The old man didn't even destroy his stage, so how could he destroy the stage of her, the mistress of the house?
Ning Shaobai smiled faintly, and once again confirmed the old man's attitude, so there was nothing to worry about.
The old man smoothed over the matter and began to ask Ning Shaoyun and Ning Shaobai about their well-being.
His concern for his grandchildren is genuine...
However...Fan Xiuzhi slowly discovered something was wrong.
The girl with exquisite makeup beside the old man...
Sure enough, after a while, the old man pulled the girl to Ning Shaobai and introduced her, "This is Qiongying. She also stayed abroad for many years before returning. She is still a little uncomfortable now. You can take care of her for grandpa for a while."
Fan Xiuzhi had a bad feeling in her heart and asked doubtfully, "Who is this..."
The old man said with a smile, "This is the granddaughter of my old friend. Her family is also in the medical field. Xiaobai, aren't you a doctor? This is a good opportunity for you to have a good exchange with Qiongying."
She was indeed a capable and generous girl. She stood up and greeted Fan Xiuzhi, "Hello, Mr. Fan, I'm Gao Qiongying."
Fan Xiuzhi was stunned for a moment, searching her mind for information, and guessed, "You are from Gaokang Pharmaceutical..."
Gao Qiongying smiled and said, "Yes, Gaokang Pharmaceutical is my father's factory."
Fan Xiuzhi glanced at the old man and tried hard to suppress the resentment in her heart. She didn't expect that the old man would leave Ning Shaobai such a way out.
It is said that Gao Kang Pharmaceutical has only one daughter, and the factory will be inherited by her in the future. If Ning Shaobai becomes the son-in-law of the Gao family...
Gao Qiongying smiled and extended her hand towards Ning Shaobai, her face beaming with satisfaction. "Hello, is it okay if I call you Shaobai?"
Xia Mian couldn't help but open his eyes wide: Wow, this is a sudden blind date.
It is not known whether the old man is compensating Ning Shaobai or trying to protect him from the domineering Fan Xiuzhi.
However, Ning Shaobai didn't appreciate it at all. He just politely extended his hand and shook it back, saying, "Please feel free, Miss Gao."
Gao Qiongying noticed his politeness and became distant. "Hello."
Fan Xiuzhi immediately laughed, pretending to be relieved, "Let's put the idea of making friends aside for now. Xiaoyun and Xiaobai finally came back. Dad, don't you want to see what gifts they brought you?"
Someone said, "That's right, Old Master is so lucky. The warm jade carving Xiaoyang just gave him was very thoughtful."
"People live for this moment of family happiness. No matter what the gift is, as long as it is from the children, it is worth celebrating!"
Old Master Ning couldn't stop smiling.
Ning Shaoyun turned around and took a long box from Rong Xin's hand, took out a scroll and said, "This is a birthday picture I drew for Grandpa. I wish him good fortune as vast as the East Sea and a long life as long as the Southern Mountains."
"Good, good!" Old Master Ning proudly introduced to everyone, "My granddaughter has been particularly talented in painting since she was a child."
As he spoke, he slowly unfolded the scroll on the spot.
The scroll depicts a pastoral picture of a birthday star. The old birthday star, whose appearance is based on that of an old man, is leisurely sitting on a recliner, surrounded by a leisurely pastoral scenery, with several innocent and lively children playing around him.
Even people who don’t understand painting can feel the freedom and liveliness that comes to them.
"Good, good, good." Old Master Ning couldn't help but praise happily again.
People around also complimented him:
"Not bad, not bad. Did the child draw this himself? How thoughtful."
"This artistic conception is really good..."
"Your granddaughter doesn't look very old, but her painting skills are truly amazing..."
Fan Xiuzhi also looked proud of it. "Isn't it true? Our Xiaoyun's paintings are amazing. She even bought the Huo family a project in the north of the city with her painting 'Guardian Picture'."
She said, looking at Huo Pengyi and Hu Cuihua who were sitting next to the old man, "Right, in-laws."
Wow, contestant Fan Xiuzhi attacks again.
Huo Pengyi and Old Mrs. Huo, a couple, appeared to be quite decent on the outside, and now they smiled and nodded at the same time.
Mrs. Huo said with a look of satisfaction, "That's right, Director Luo loves it so much. This project is all thanks to Xiaoyun."
They were certain that Ning Shaoyun would not cause trouble at Old Master Ning's birthday party, so they forced her to swallow this disgusting thing.
In the past, Ning Shaoyun, who was dignified and sensible, would do it, but now, she is a mother, and a mother who is bent on revenge.
When Xia Mian met Ning Shaoyun today, he found that Ning Shaoyun had changed a little. Although she still looked gentle on the surface, when she was in a daze occasionally, it seemed as if a raging rage was burning in her body.
Xia Mian guessed that Ning Shaobai must have told Ning Shaoyun about the role played by the Huo family and Fan Xiuzhi in Chenchen's affairs.
So at this moment, Ning Shaoyun said almost rudely, "Aunt Fan, what's wrong with you today? You always talk nonsense."
"Except for Grandpa, I have never given paintings to anyone." Ning Shaoyun said coldly, "But the 'Guardian Picture' that I spent two years painting was stolen."
Huo Pengyi and Old Lady Huo's expressions changed, and Old Lady Huo said angrily, "Ning Shaoyun, what do you mean?"
Old Master Ning also frowned.
Fan Xiuzhi quickly tried to smooth things over, "Hey, Xiaoyun, it's just a painting. Why are you so angry? It's been almost half a year. How long are you going to remember this?"
"Isn't your mother-in-law also after the Chengbei project?" Fan Xiuzhi asked, "How many people are fighting for that Chengbei project? You clearly made a great contribution, so why are you now facing a bad reputation?"
Old Master Ning continued to smile, but with a hint of warning in his tone, "Xiuzhi, let's not talk about these messy things today. It's normal for children to be upset. Why make such a fuss?"
Fan Xiuzhi looked at the old man and did not show any weakness. "Xiaoyun is already a mother. It's not right for her to be so upset all the time. Dad, please talk to her."
At this point, she jokingly said, "I'm her stepmother, so it's hard for me to say anything. But you're her real grandfather, so she has to listen to you. After all, she still has to live her life in the future, right?"
Old Master Ning's expression faded, and Ning Shaobai spoke up, "Grandpa, I also think it's better to clarify this matter face to face. Otherwise, with Aunt Fan's habit of throwing dirty water on us, I don't know what kind of story she will tell my sister in the future."
"We can't let her take advantage of your birthday party and our filial piety to frame us at will."
His words were extremely rude, and many people looked at each other in confusion. Fan Xiuzhi frowned, "Xiaobai, what are you talking about?"
Ning Shaoyun said calmly, "Xiaobai is not wrong. Count how many times you have orchestrated us since we entered the door."
"You also said that you are my stepmother and have never taken care of me since I was a child," Ning Shaoyun said, "You don't have to be so proactive now."
"As you wished, I have divorced Huo Xuewen. Without the Huo family's backing, I have no ability to compete with you and Ning Shaoyang for the family property, so you can rest assured."
"What are you talking about!" Fan Xiuzhi also looked like she had a hard time explaining herself.
Then, she acted as if she was still going to take care of the child even though she was wronged, "You guys, are actually getting divorced?"
She angrily said, "Do you know what you are doing!?"
She looked at Huo Pengyi and his wife, "My dear relatives, the child is ignorant, but are you also ignorant? It's such a big deal, you just let the child do what he wants, but why didn't you inform us?"
He turned his head to look at Old Master Ning again, "Dad, do you know?"
Mrs. Huo said with a bitter face, "You saw it too. She was like this in front of so many people. What can we do to her at home?"
"It's just a painting, but you're so desperate and want a divorce, even abandoning your children."
The old lady said, "We can only go along with her for now. We originally wanted to wait until she calms down before we do anything."
“Who knew so much time would pass… Alas!”
"We never thought of getting you divorced," Huo Pengyi frowned. "Xiaoyun, your mother-in-law was indeed wrong in this matter, but you can't take back the paintings you gave away."
"How about I compensate you on behalf of the Huo family?" he asked. "Don't you like painting? I've sacrificed my dignity to hire a teacher for you, and I've also set up a new studio for you at home. From now on, you can paint however you want, and no one will touch your paintings. What do you think?"
At this point, he looked at Old Master Ning and said, "I originally wanted to tell you privately after the banquet, but I didn't expect these kids to be so impulsive and expose the matter... I'm sorry, Old Master."
They knew clearly that Ning Shaoyun would not remarry Huo Xuewen, but they acted like this now, obviously wanting to put all the blame on Ning Shaoyun.
Xia Mian looked at the smug look on Fan Xiuzhi's face and was certain that the two of them were in cahoots again.
As expected, Fan Xiuzhi didn't give Ning Shaoyun a chance to speak. She went to the young man who had just been called over and exclaimed, "My dear relatives, the teacher you found for Xiaoyun is not Hongqiu, is he?"
The young man was of medium height, with a delicate appearance and a somewhat cold expression, and he had the noble temperament of an artist. When he saw Fan Xiuzhi, he politely greeted her, "Aunt Fan."
Fan Xiuzhi pulled him in front of Ning Shaoyun and said, "Oh, Xiaoyun, the Huo family's sincerity is more than enough. Don't underestimate Hongqiu's youth. He is a very accomplished painter. He has already joined the Yan City Painting and Calligraphy Association at such a young age. His teacher is Master Ma Lisheng!"
Xia Mian always felt that the young man looked familiar.
Old Master Ning's expression changed slightly, "Xiuzhi..."
"No!" Ning Shaobai interrupted the old man and said with a smile, "Let Aunt Fan continue to play."
Ning Shaoyun looked at them with a mocking expression.
Fan Xiuzhi looked at the old man's suddenly cold gaze, and a trace of doubt arose in her heart, but she quickly suppressed it.
Someone who was close to Fan Xiuzhi spoke up to persuade her, "Child, the elders have done this much, you should at least give them a good face. Isn't this basic manners?"
"Good manners are for friends and family who treat others sincerely," Ning Shaoyun said bluntly, her fighting spirit off the charts today. "Teaching good manners to someone who wants to harm me? That's trampling on the dignity my parents gave me."
"You!" The man was about to say something, but the cold expression on Wei Hongqiu's face had already faded. He looked at the painting on the table with a somewhat excited tone and said, "This painting of the birthday star and the countryside..."
Huo Pengyi hurriedly said, "Yes, it was painted by my daughter-in-law. She has quite a talent. If you have time, you can teach her. The tuition fee can be easily discussed..."
Wei Hongqiu raised his head and looked at Huo Pengyi, his tone a little bad, "Are you kidding?"
Old Mrs. Huo couldn't help but reveal a sarcastic expression. "It's a bit of a waste of your talent to ask you to teach her. But her previous paintings seemed pretty good. This one might not have performed well..."
Then he said to Ning Shaoyun, "Look, your paintings are just tokens of your family's appreciation for you. In the eyes of outsiders, they are worthless. Do you think you'd turn your family upside down just because of this?"
"Who said this painting is worthless?!" Wei Hongqiu said angrily, "The quality of this painting is more than enough for me to be a teacher, and you actually want me to teach her?"
He looked at Huo Pengyi in confusion and said, "So what on earth are you kidding? If you want to insult her, don't use me as a knife!"
Huo Pengyi's face changed and he quickly apologized, "Master Wei, we definitely didn't mean that."
"What do you mean by that?" Wei Hongqiu was very angry. "Aren't you talking about your daughter-in-law? She's been married into your family for six or seven years, and you don't know how good she is at painting?"
"With this level of skill, she's already well-known in the industry, but now she's completely unknown. Are you guys deliberately suppressing her?"
Xia Mian couldn't help laughing. She remembered who this young man was. He was the young man who sat in the back row of theirs during the auction that day and who liked Ning Shaoyun's "Guardian Picture" very much.
Obviously many people knew this young man as soon as he spoke.
Those who just thought Ning Shaoyun was being unreasonable and disobedient to her elders now began to react. Looking at Huo Pengyi and Hu Cuihua, they saw something wrong with their expressions.
Huo Pengyi was about to say something when a powerful voice came from outside the door, "I was wondering why my junior sister, who has such high talent, got married and disappeared without a trace. She has gradually lost contact with us senior brothers."
Zhu Yuanhai walked in with a man and a woman and sneered, "So that's the reason. Is this getting married or going to jail?"
He said to Old Master Ning, "Old Master, are you just going to watch your daughter-in-law collude with outsiders to bully your grandchildren at your birthday party?"
Old Master Ning glanced at Fan Xiuzhi calmly, closed his eyes and sighed, "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you all."
Fan Xiuzhi then realized that the old man had stopped her just now to remind her.
But where did these idle people come from? Fan Xiuzhi frowned unhappily and asked, "Excuse me, who are you..."
"Professor Zhu, President Miao, Teacher!" Wei Hongqiu excitedly went to greet them, "Why are you here?"
Seeing this, Fan Xiuzhi adjusted her tone and said, "Hongqiu, these people are..."
Wei Hongqiu certainly trusted his idolized teacher more than his father's partner, and his tone towards Fan Xiuzhi was not so friendly. "This is Professor Zhu Yuanhai, a contemporary master of calligraphy and painting. This is the true industry leader."
"This is President Miao of the Calligraphy and Painting Association, and this is my teacher, Mr. Ma Lisheng."
Fan Xiuzhi didn't want to take them seriously, just a bunch of powerless so-called artists. However, out of consideration for Wei Hongqiu, she still put on a smile and said, "Welcome, welcome. I didn't know you would be coming. I'm sorry for not welcoming you."
Zhu Yuanhai said, "There's no need to be sarcastic. We know your Ning family is a privileged place. We haven't visited you in so many years, so we naturally don't want to cause trouble."
"I just heard that my junior sister's private paintings appeared at an auction and involved some illegal issues, so I came to inquire about the situation."
Huo Pengyi frowned, "Auction? Illegal?"
Wei Hongqiu finally reacted at this moment, "Professor Zhu's junior sister, Mr. Qi Minghao's youngest closed disciple..."
He looked at Ning Shaoyun, as excited as if he had seen his idol, "Xue, Teacher Xueyun!"
"So the painting 'Guardian' at the auction was painted by you! I love that painting so much, it's a pity I didn't get to buy it..."
"But..." His eyes fell on Ning Shaoyun's painting of the birthday god's countryside, "But, your brushstrokes... a new rhythm?"
Ning Shaoyun gave a wry smile and explained, "To be honest, 'Guardian Map' is a work I created after spending several years in the Huo family."
"After leaving the Huo family, I broke through the bottleneck and was reborn. That's why I even changed my name to Xinyun."
"Then in a sense, isn't your 'Guardian Map' your last work?" Wei Hongqiu lamented. "I should have bought it even for a million dollars!"
Mrs. Huo's eyes widened. "One million?"
"Not really." Wei Hongqiu said, "It was bought for 850,000 yuan..."
There wasn't much difference between 850,000 and 1 million. Old Mrs. Huo had never expected Ning Shaoyun's paintings to be so valuable...
No wonder Director Luo approved the project so readily. When the old lady thought about the more than 800,000 yuan in gifts, she couldn't help but feel distressed. She had been in the Huo family for so many years and didn't even have 800,000 yuan in her hands.
Ning Shaobai looked at Huo Pengyi and Old Madam Huo and sneered, "My sister has been married into your family for seven years, and she has been taking care of her husband and raising her children according to the old madam's rules. It's bad enough that you ignore her, but you actually stole her work."
"I want to ask everyone here, let alone your daughter-in-law, if someone takes your worth worth 800,000 or 900,000 yuan and secretly gives it away without even saying hello, what would you do?"
He looked at Fan Xiuzhi and said, "Aunt Fan, I took 10% of the company's shares. Can you just brush it off?"
He didn't even wait for Fan Xiuzhi to speak. "So, don't be so hypocritical and generous to others here. Aren't you just trying to cooperate with the Huo family on the Chengbei project and then unite to suppress us siblings?"
Zhu Yuanhai laughed and said, "That's strange. The Ning and Huo families are married through an alliance. It's one thing for the Huo family not to understand their daughter-in-law, but Mr. Fan, you married into the Ning family when my junior sister was just six or seven years old and just starting to learn painting. You don't even know who her teacher is, and yet you still act like a good stepmother."
"Let me ask everyone here, who among you believes it?"
Everyone looked at each other, and there was no way they could say they believed it against their will.
Although she knew that Fan Xiuzhi was a stepmother, it was normal for her to bully the children of her first wife after she had already taken control of the Ning family. It was really...
Fan Xiuzhi wanted to say something else.
Ning Shaobai interrupted her directly, "Aunt Fan, if you don't want us to tear your skin off and step on you again, from now on, don't say a word about us siblings."
"A lie is always a lie. No matter how eloquent you are, your deeds will eventually be exposed." Ning Shaobai said with a hint of meaning, "Why not save some face for yourself?"
Fan Xiuzhi looked at the old man with an ugly expression, and her eyes were dark and unclear.
However, Old Master Ning did not smooth things over for her this time. He only asked Zhu Yuanhai, "Xiao Zhu, what illegal things do you think Xiaoyun's paintings involve..."
"Oh, Director Luo has been reported, and the investigation has begun." Zhu Yuanhai looked at Mrs. Huo. "The main reason is that he received a painting called 'Guardian Map' worth 850,000 yuan."
"Impossible!" Old Mrs. Huo's face changed drastically.
Ning Shaobai sneered, "You can ask Zhou Qianqian about this matter, she knows it best."
"Not only did she know clearly, but the eight hundred thousand plus was her credit."
Ning Shaobai said, "I originally wanted to take the painting back and quietly settle this matter. After all, it's my sister's painting. If the crime of bribery is questioned, it's not impossible for you to push her out to take the blame."
"But I didn't expect Zhou Qianqian to personally help Director Luo raise the price."
Huo Pengyi suddenly looked at Zhou Qianqian who was standing not far away.
Zhou Qianqian's face turned pale. "No, I didn't..."
Wei Hongqiu said, "It was you. I remember it clearly. The auction would have been successful at 600,000, but you called for 800,000!"
Because he loved the painting so much, Wei Hongqiu had a very deep memory of it. If it were 600,000, he could afford it...
Ning Shaoyun then added calmly, "Do you think I want a divorce because of that painting?"
"It's because of your Huo family's unscrupulous family tradition. I don't want my son to live in such an environment and become a twisted monster."
Huo Pengyi and Old Mrs. Huo met Ning Shaoyun's eyes, almost thinking that the other party saw through everything about them.
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