Chapter 195 The Beginning
After the ancestral worship ceremony, it was time for the tea ceremony.
In the north, there is central heating, so the room temperature is high in winter and even higher during the Spring Festival. Zhou Pingchuan sat in the middle of the main room. He wasn't wearing a suit, but only a dark red hand-sewn shirt with delicate and exquisite patterns. The collar was buttoned all the way up, making his skin look cold and pale, indifferent and ascetic.
Old Master Zhou had long since retired, but his seniority and status still mattered. He sat to Zhou Pingchuan's left, while Zhou Zhenhai sat to Zhou Pingchuan's right.
The younger members of the Zhou family lined up, taking turns to serve tea to Zhou Pingchuan. Zhou Pingchuan was quite generous; after serving each person, he would give them a red envelope as a New Year's blessing for the Zhou family descendants.
The other relatives waited on the sidelines, intently watching their younger relatives, lip-reading auspicious phrases they had been teaching all night. If the child could say them fluently, the parents smiled with pride; if the child couldn't say them or stuttered, the parents' eyes were filled with anxiety and disappointment, and the child would surely be scolded when they got home that night.
Soon, it was Zhou Ting and Xia Mingzhao's turn. The newlyweds stood together, Zhou Ting as noble as jade, and Xia Mingzhao as gentle and obedient, a truly pleasing sight, brightening the entire room.
"Third Uncle, Great-Grandpa, Happy New Year," Zhou Ting said.
Xia Mingzhao clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, saying, "I wish my third uncle a happy new year and good health every year. I wish my great-grandfather a long and happy life!"
Looking at the beautiful children, Grandpa Zhou smiled so broadly his eyes disappeared: "Mingzhao is such a good child, sweet-talking and well-behaved. Here, this is a gift from your great-grandfather."
When he bypassed the eldest branch of the Zhou family and passed the position of family head to his youngest grandson, Zhou Pingchuan, there was always a lingering unease in Old Master Zhou's heart. Giving red envelopes, besides showing genuine affection for the two children, also contained an element of "approval"—among so many younger generations, he only gave a red envelope to the eldest grandson of the eldest branch, meaning that even if Zhou Ting ultimately didn't take over the Zhou family, the eldest branch would always remain at the center of power.
Xia Mingzhao was flattered and smiled even more sweetly: "Thank you, Great-Grandpa!"
People may really like children more as they get older. Old Master Zhou had experienced the turmoil of a chaotic era and was once a decisive and ruthless figure, but now he looked at the eldest son's family with a face full of kindness.
After Zhou Tingxia and Mingzhao left, he asked Zhou Pingchuan in a low voice, "Pingchuan, where is your partner?"
In recent years, Old Master Zhou's health has been deteriorating. He didn't return to China for Zhou Ting's wedding or for Zhou Pingchuan's gift exchange. Zhou Pingchuan said, "He'll be here later."
"Also a descendant of the Xia family?"
"yes."
"Judging from Mingzhao's appearance, he shouldn't be too bad. But I heard..."
"He was the son the Xia family had switched at birth, and he was just recognized by the Xia family last year."
When deciding to choose summer hibernation, Zhou Pingchuan didn't inform his grandfather, only mentioning it briefly over the phone before the wedding ceremony. Grandfather Zhou's brows furrowed instantly.
He had always been concerned about Zhou Pingchuan's marriage. He had introduced Zhou Pingchuan to countless children from political and business circles, and even the only daughter of a world oil tycoon. Which one wasn't better than the Xia family? Zhou Ting could choose anyone, after all, he hadn't taken over the family yet. But Zhou Pingchuan was different; he shouldered the task of bringing glory back to the Zhou family. How could he choose such a nobody?
"In Pingchuan, the Xia family is weak, so choosing a descendant of the Xia family is already an disadvantage. And if that child's character and upbringing are also poor..."
“Grandpa,” Zhou Pingchuan interrupted directly, “In the years I’ve been in charge, Kepler has achieved full profitability in all its main businesses, and its stock has increased more than tenfold.”
That means he could make Kepler even more glorious without needing a marriage alliance.
Old Master Zhou had nothing to say, so he shut his mouth by pretending to drink tea.
After the younger generation finished paying their New Year's greetings, everyone moved to the multimedia hall. In the past, wealthy families liked to hire opera troupes to perform at their homes, a custom that has been passed down in the Zhou family. However, opera troupes are no longer popular; they now hire celebrities who are somewhat well-known in the industry.
For more space, Old Master Zhou sat in the last row. He loved the arts and listened with rapt attention to renowned baritones. When the more popular groups with younger people came on, he wasn't interested and simply waved to Xia Mingzhao.
Xia Mingzhao rushed over and squatted down in front of the wheelchair.
"Uncle Li, go get a chair," Old Master Zhou instructed the butler.
“No need,” Xia Mingzhao quickly refused. “I’m fine here. I can even give Great-Grandpa a leg massage. His legs must be sore from sitting all morning.”
As he spoke, he began to massage Old Master Zhou's legs. Old Master Zhou grew increasingly fond of him: "Mingzhao, why didn't Xia Mian come today?"
“Great-grandfather, Xia Mian and I don’t usually talk much. But he’s very considerate and wouldn’t be late on purpose. He probably just didn’t get up this morning.”
"Not up yet?"
"Yes. Young people these days like to sleep in. This morning, I barely managed to get up after my alarm went off for ten minutes. Please don't mind, he'll definitely be there soon."
The old man frowned.
Xia Mingzhao was subtly praising him while actually belittling him; how could he not see through his little scheme? But in his eyes, it was okay for the younger generation to be clever; he preferred quick-witted and ambitious children.
On the contrary, if Xia Mian comes from such a poor background and is also lazy...
Apart from the children, the adults in the hall were not really interested in watching the performance; they were all listening intently, keeping their eyes and ears open.
Seeing the old man and Xia Mingzhao talking and exchanging questions, several relatives came over, drawn by the smell: "What are you two talking about?"
"Let's chat about everyday things," said Grandpa Zhou.
The relatives could tell that the old man really liked Xia Mingzhao, and they quickly praised him, saying, "Mingzhao is a good child, sensible and filial, and she even knows to massage her great-grandfather's legs. You are truly blessed!"
Xia Mingzhao: "Second Aunt, you flatter me. It is what we younger generation should do to be filial to our great-grandfather."
Another uncle quickly waved his hand: "No way, young people these days are so hard to manage! You tell them to go east and they go west, they're incredibly rebellious. Someone as well-behaved as Mingzhao is really rare!"
Zhou Pingchuan was always aloof and difficult to approach, so flattering the old man was much easier. Seeing that Xia Mingzhao and the others were having a good chat with the old man, the others also wanted to seize the opportunity. As a result, more and more people surrounded the old man, and everyone praised Xia Mingzhao. Xia Mingzhao declined repeatedly, but her expression showed that she was quite pleased.
As they were making a ruckus, Zhou Pingchuan suddenly stood up in the front row and walked out of the multimedia hall.
About five minutes later, he brought back a young man.
To fit the occasion, the boy wore a red wool sweater and white casual pants, appearing unusually relaxed and poised among the men and women dressed in gold and silver.
It is also bright and beautiful.
That face with bright eyes and white teeth, even if she wore a slightly colorful outfit, would be so dazzling that people couldn't open their eyes.
Most importantly—look down, everyone. The usually aloof head of the Zhou family is now holding the other person's hand, their fingers intertwined, gripping each other very boldly and tightly.
The hall suddenly fell silent, to an almost eerie degree. This living devil had brought Xia Mian to the Zhou family with such a solemn gesture, demonstrating just how much he valued her.
In an instant, the people around Xia Mingzhao turned around and ran back to the front desk: "Hey, Xia Mian is here. Do you remember your second aunt? We met at Mingzhao's wedding last time. You promised to let me try your cooking. Are you free these days? Why don't you come over to your second aunt's house for a visit?"
"Your uncle's house and your second aunt's house are close by. After you finish eating, you can come over to my place to have some fun. My uncle has a lot of rare stones and calligraphy and paintings. They're really beautiful!"
"Go away, stop with that old-fashioned stuff. Who wants to see your moldy calligraphy and paintings? Mianmian, come to my shop to choose some jewelry sometime. I have an 11-carat gem here that I guarantee you'll like."
"Mianmian..."
The relatives chattered amongst themselves, as if they wanted to lay bare their hearts to Xia Mian. Xia Mingzhao squatted there, suddenly realizing that no matter how hard she tried to behave, no matter how much effort she put into getting close to Old Master Zhou, it was all in vain.
He lost from the very beginning.
Because he chose Zhou Ting, while Xia Mian chose Zhou Pingchuan.
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