Ke Meiyu smiled and raised her wrist, revealing a jade bracelet of excellent quality. "This was left to me by my mother-in-law. It should be enough for the admission ticket, right?"
Everyone present came from well-off families and had some knowledge; how could they not know the value of this jade bracelet?
"I didn't expect the Qin family to be so wealthy, leaving behind such valuable items," Curly said with a slight smile.
"Ninth Brother, Fifth Brother knows you care about your reputation, but don't let this charity event drain your savings."
Ke Meiyu took out another brocade box from her crossbody bag. Inside were a matching headdress, necklace, and earrings. She said seriously, "This is a set. I have several more sets at home. I won't empty the box."
If there are old items in other places at home, they will definitely be hidden away, for fear that others will find out and expose them.
But Kyoto has so many old things, and many people in power like to collect things. Now that the darkness has passed, the situation is delicate and at a crossroads, waiting for someone to point the way.
Many aspects have been relaxed, so as long as the goods come from legitimate sources, there shouldn't be any major problems.
Most families have some old items, but few, like the Qin family, have items accumulated by their ancestors over generations. Most of these items are of unknown origin and cannot compare to the treasures the Qin family can casually produce.
Unwittingly, Ying Yan and her husband showed off once again?
The smiles on everyone's faces were somewhat unnatural. They agreed to meet here in half an hour and then go to the old Guo Mansion together.
Ying Yan led Ke Meiyu to the main gate of the South Courtyard. The guard was a young soldier who watched the two of them warily.
"See that? The third building and the first house from this main road is my maternal grandfather's house," he whispered to Ke Meiyu. "Back then, my maternal grandfather and his family donated a lot of their assets to gain the status of 'red assets,' but saying you're a 'red asset' family doesn't work. How can you carry around a certificate issued by the organization?"
“My maternal grandfather and his family bought a house in the South Courtyard, so that house is also ours. Now, most of the houses in the South Courtyard have probably changed owners, but the property certificates are still in the hands of the original owners.”
“I just received the property certificate yesterday, and I haven’t inquired about who lives there. I can renew the leases on the other houses, but I want to keep this one as a memento.”
Ke Meiyu nodded in agreement; that was indeed the way to do it.
Ying Yan chuckled, looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar place, and told her about his own life, even recounting stories about the big tree in front of the door.
Only someone who truly grew up here can know it so well.
Ke Meiyu felt even more relieved; this Ying Yan was not the same Ying Yan as before!
Before long, those people came out carrying their things and riding motorcycles, and there were quite a few more of them than before.
"Old Jiu, you still have a seat in your car, can you give one of you a ride?" Curly smiled naturally and put his arm around a young man as he stepped forward: "This is the son of the manager of the Friendship Store. He was brought here by car, not by motorcycle. All the brothers' seats are full, but you still have a seat."
Ying Yan's lips curved slightly.
While everyone breathed a sigh of relief and secretly chuckled, thinking he had recognized the situation and agreed to the deal.
He said calmly, "You know my rules. I never bring anyone with me, except my wife."
Curly licked his teeth. "Ninth Brother, we were all young and naive back then. We have to be more worldly and shrewd now. We can't just act like we used to, doing whatever we want."
"Besides, my brother here isn't an outsider. From now on, when you go to the Friendship Store to buy things for your sister-in-law, I guarantee you'll get a discount!"
Ying Yan ignored him, started the car, and put on his helmet.
Do I look like someone who needs a discount because they're short of money?
"You," Curly was so angry that he rolled up his sleeves and was about to come forward, but was stopped by several people around him, "Ying Yan, do you still think you're the young master of the Qin family? That everyone has to fawn over you and flatter you to make you happy?"
"Open your eyes and see clearly, okay? You're a pathetic wretch right now. If we hadn't brought you here, you wouldn't even have been able to get through the door of the old Guo Mansion!"
"You think we're calling you out of kindness..."
"Enough, Fifth Brother. If you still consider us brothers, then put away your filthy thoughts and stop using our fathers' achievements as a source of bragging rights!" the eldest brother hissed, his expression colder than ever before. "Back in the compound, you were bullied by many, and who stood up for you?"
"I didn't want to say much about the pretense of brotherhood you guys maintained before, but I can tell that your gathering was a sham; your real intention was to embarrass Yingyan!"
"Ask yourselves honestly, what was the purpose of our gathering from the four compounds in the east, west, south, and north? Wasn't it because Ying Yan was the core of the group? Without him, we might not be living the life we have today."
"I refuse to believe that none of you here have received help from Ying Yan?"
Everyone was stunned, and couldn't help but follow his words, their memories stretching back to several years ago, or even longer.
The new members were originally from outside the ten brothers, and they were incredibly envious of them back then. They thought that Ying Yan came from a good family, was generous, and extremely protective of his own. He could help any of his brothers in need, even if it was just a matter of a few words, it would be a huge favor to others.
Even if it's a family member or friend of one of his brothers, as long as it's not something as heinous as murder or arson, he'll basically do it for them.
Just like the eldest brother said, Ying Yan contributed half of the effort to the brothers' achievements today.
If this were their brother, even if he were down on his luck, they would never treat him so badly!
But most of the brothers didn't really think about it.
They probably feel superior and glamorous now, and that being someone's underling and receiving pitiful charity in the past is like a needle pricking them.
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