Take out the box, open it, and inside is a jade necklace, worth around 20 million, but it's a return gift.
"Shuheng, when are you going back?"
"Let's leave tomorrow morning!"
Mom nodded, indicating that she understood. "Shushu, find a return gift from you. I don't have anything suitable here." Her jewelry was all bought by her husband, so it wouldn't be appropriate as a return gift.
If she stayed a few more days, she could buy a return gift even tomorrow night, but she wouldn't have time to leave in the morning, and her daughter has quite a lot of things in her warehouse.
Before the trip, they even took out the suitcase for her to choose from. There were all kinds of gemstones and styles, which was dazzling. She picked out more than ten kinds, including a royal green necklace that cost more than 100 million.
Although it's not a big deal for their family, several boxes are not something you can just buy easily, even just one box is difficult.
She had also seen the pieces that Huahua and her son-in-law had bought for their daughter: a row of red jadeite, as well as violet, spring with color, and auspicious symbols of fortune, prosperity, and longevity. The most common piece was red jadeite, with only a few other items.
Those gifts were definitely valuable, but the meaning was even more important. For each gift, my daughter could tell me when it was bought and why.
An Shuyi nodded, "No problem, I'll look for it now." She would look for something of average value, something ordinary, so as not to let her sister-in-law think they were difficult to get along with. After all, giving gifts is an art.
"What are you looking for? Why are you only looking now?" An Shucheng asked as he came in from outside.
"Second brother, you're back! Why were you so slow?"
Her second brother went to handle company matters. Once he finished today, the employees could enjoy the Lunar New Year in peace for the next three days.
"I went to my future girlfriend's house, so I was a little late." He couldn't hide his smugness.
"Hehe, congratulations, Second Brother! We're looking for a return gift for Sister-in-law!" Everyone says it's for the future, but I don't know what he's so proud of.
"Return gifts? Think it over. My girlfriend also gave gifts to you two and my mother. You should find something to give in return." After saying that, he handed the three boxes to them one by one.
An Shuyi opened her box, inside was a cheongsam. "Purely handmade embroidery, your girlfriend embroidered it herself, no way, it would take at least ten days to half a month to embroider it."
I glanced at my mother's, and hers was floral. They were both cheongsams, just different colors. My mother's was longer, and it would take more than a month to embroider it.
Of course, it doesn't matter whether it was embroidered by my second brother's future girlfriend or not. It's just a gift, why bother? I'm just asking.
"No, she owns a fabric shop that makes cheongsams. These are made by her workers."
Xia Hua closed the box. "Second brother, please thank second sister-in-law for us. As for a return gift, we'll look for it later."
An Shucheng nodded, "Just pick any return gift you like. She didn't send it as a thank-you gift."
"Don't worry, Second Brother, we understand." They put the box away and looked for a suitable thank-you gift.
After putting her things away, An's mother went to the kitchen to watch the nannies cook. By 4:30 p.m., the food was ready, and the nannies left with their food.
"Let's eat, but don't talk or eat," said An's father.
The group then moved their conversation to the restaurant, where a table over two meters long was laden with all sorts of dishes: sweet and sour pork ribs, sweet and sour pork tenderloin, sweet and sour fish, garlic vermicelli shrimp, braised pork belly, eggplant stuffed with meat, and spicy lotus root slices.
Stewed mutton, stewed venison, stewed chicken with wild mushrooms, braised chicken, braised tiger meat, braised roe deer meat, roast suckling pig, roasted lamb chops, braised bear meat, braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens, stewed pig's trotters with soybeans, stir-fried diced vegetables with chili, spicy beef, cold okra salad, cold preserved egg salad, crispy tofu.
An's father sat down and said, "Shushu, bring out a few jars of your strong liquor. We'll drink that tonight. Just give your mother a cup of ginseng wine. Shuheng, what do you want to drink?"
My eldest son has to go back to work tomorrow, so he can't drink too much alcohol, or he'll mess things up.
An Shuheng said, "I also drink some strong liquor, but it's okay if I don't drink too much."
"Okay, then fill all the glasses. Don't push yourself too hard. As for Shushu, try to drink as little as possible." His daughter's alcohol tolerance was such that she wouldn't get drunk as long as others weren't knocked out.
Being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk is nothing. The most impressive thing is being able to remain sober as long as one person is still standing.
An Shuyi smiled guiltily, "Then I'll try to drink less." As she spoke, she filled the glass to the brim.
"It's still too deserted. When we celebrate the New Year over there, there are hundreds of people in one village. The scene is so lively and bustling. There are hundreds of kilograms of various kinds of game. Come, let me toast you and wish you all a better year than the last."
Everyone else raised their glasses, clinked them together, and then each person only took a sip. Only she and Huahua downed their drinks in one gulp.
"It tastes good. This wine is much better. The ones in bars are no match for it."
"You two take it easy. Drinking water makes your stomachs bloated, but this is alcohol," said Aunt An.
"Mom, don't worry, we both have a high alcohol tolerance, we'll be fine, and the cups aren't that big!" In her haste, she grabbed the jar and drank directly from it.
"I know you're amazing, so eat up. There's so much food here. Those chefs are practically spitting fire from their woks."
"Eat your food. This venison is the best. Shushu, eat less." This stuff is nutritious, and tonight's dishes are all very nutritious.
"I know, eat more."
After eating a few bites of food, An's father asked, "Shuheng, you came back this time to talk about what happened last time, right? What did the higher-ups say?"
As soon as he asked the question, the others looked at them while eating, all wanting to know how the matter was discussed last time.
An Shuheng said, "After I reported the matter to my superiors, I learned that my two younger sisters and their husbands had stayed there, so I wanted them to go together. I originally thought that it would be enough to send my two brothers-in-law."
"But Dad, you know that my two younger sisters have a storage room where they can store more weapons, food, and even research subjects, so..."
“So you want them to go!” Dad looked at him. “I already told you last time that the world is too dangerous. Although they have learned some skills, they are still girls. You can go, but they can’t.”
He only has two daughters. What would he do if something happened to them? As for his son, it's not that he doesn't care, but his job has long been prepared for him to sacrifice himself.
But his two daughters wouldn't do, and neither would his two sons-in-law. They might be highly skilled, but who could guarantee that there wouldn't be much danger inside? Given his daughters' personalities, if their sons-in-law went, they would definitely go too, so he disagreed.
An Shuheng had no choice but to say again, "The higher-ups know that sending them is too dangerous, and they've said they'll send more people in to protect them. Once they're inside, they can stay in a safe place while our people search for them."
Dad shook his head. "You're too naive. If they go in and watch you take risks while they hide behind you, and even send people to protect you, don't expect them to protect you. That would be a good thing."
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