The birthday banquet kicked off with warm applause.
Delicious dishes were served to the table by maids in light-colored cheongsams.
Although this birthday banquet was held in the Wang family's villa. However, the wealthy Wang family had directly brought the best chefs from Suqian here to be in charge of today's birthday banquet. These maids in light-colored cheongsams were directly selected from several hotels under the Wang Group. Regardless of appearance, figure, or temperament, they were all excellent.
Mr. Tan took a bottle of freshly opened Moutai from the maid and asked Zhang Yang with a smile,""Little Zhang, can I drink?"
"I can drink, but I can't hold my liquor." Zhang Yang replied.”
"Oh, I see. Alright, let's drink less.”Tan Mou turned his head and instructed the maid standing beside him,"Bring me two drinking glasses.”
"Please wait a moment." The maid replied and quickly followed his instructions, handing over two glasses for drinking.
He picked up the Moutai in his hand and filled the two glasses. There were at least three taels in each cup. He passed one of the cups to Zhang Yang and picked up the other one. He smiled and said,""Come, let's drink this glass of wine."
Drinking three taels of white wine in one gulp…could this still be called drinking less?
Zhang Yang could not help but smile bitterly and suggested,""Drinking this wine too quickly will hurt your liver. Let's take our time.”
"Drinking a big bowl of wine and eating a big piece of meat is the true nature of a man.”With a straight face, Tan Yiren retorted,"How boring would it be to drink sip after sip?”
"Brother, do you think everyone can hold their liquor like you? Why would he just drink a bottle of white wine? Brother Zhang had already said that his alcohol tolerance was not good. Are you trying to scare him or get him drunk?”Tan Qingqing finally spoke up. Zhang Yang was someone that Wang Xiaoqiu had asked her to serve on his behalf. If her brother got him drunk, she would really be too embarrassed to face You Jia.
"Isn't it just three taels of white wine? I don't believe that Little Zhang will get drunk after drinking three taels of white wine.”Tan Mou glared at his sister and scolded,"When we men are talking, you women shouldn't interrupt.”
Tan Qingqing raised her eyebrows and sneered,""Aiya, you're actually acting so arrogant in front of me. Believe it or not, I'll call my sister-in-law right now and tell her that you broke your drinking habit again today. You're holding a large glass of white wine and forcing someone to drink with you.”
Tan Qingqing's expression changed drastically, especially after she took out her phone. She panicked and begged for mercy,""Alright, alright, granny, it's my fault, okay? I'll apologize to you, alright? Don't call your sister-in-law. If she finds out, she won't let me sleep with her. It wasn't easy for me to get out of the army. If I can't get into your sister-in-law's bed, won't I suffocate to death?”
"Are you still forcing Brother Zhang to drink with you?”Tan Qingqing asked. Her right thumb was on the dial button, and the contact name displayed on the phone screen was 'sister-in-law'.
"At least you know what's good for you." Tan Qingqing snatched the wine cup from his hand and poured out more than half of the wine, leaving only one tael for him. Tan Yiren's heart ached when he saw this scene, but because he was afraid that she would complain to his wife, he could only be angry and not say anything.
"Today is Grandpa Wang's birthday. If I don't let you drink, it won't make sense. Come on, you only drank one or two bars.”Tan Qingqing returned the glass to him and said to Zhang Yang,""Brother Zhang, drink as much as you can. Don't listen to my brother.”
"Alright." Zhang Yang smiled and nodded. The sibling relationship between the Tan siblings made him a little envious.
Not long after everyone ate and drank, Wang Xiaoqiu pushed Wang Tianhai to their table.
Wang Tianhai was very familiar with Wang Xiaoqiu's friends. He had watched them grow up. After greeting everyone with a smile and receiving their blessings, he turned to look at Zhang Yang.
"This is…?"
"This is my friend, Zhang Yang."”
Wang Tianhai suddenly laughed. He looked at Zhang Yang, then at Wang Xiaoqiu, and said with a smile,""As far as I can remember, other than this Tan and a few other male friends who grew up with you, you've never brought any other male friends to your house to play. This is the first time.”
Wang Xiaoqiu's pretty face was slightly red as she quickly said,"Grandpa, what nonsense are you talking about? My relationship with Mr. Zhang is not what you think it is.”
"How do you know what kind of relationship I imagined?" Wang Tianhai teased with a smile.”
" This..." Wang Xiaoqiu was speechless.
Seeing Wang Xiaoqiu's embarrassed expression, Wang Tianhai smiled happily.
After chatting with the people present for a while, he raised his wine glass and took a symbolic sip. Wang Tianhai was pushed by You Jia to the other tables. After greeting the people he was familiar with, Wang Xiaoqiu pushed him back to the simple and elegant living room in the villa.
The root of his illness from his youth had all exploded on Wang Tianhai. Not only were his legs paralyzed, but his stomach problem, which had been caused by hunger and satiety, had also developed into an old stomach problem that was difficult to heal. As a result, Wang Tianhai could only eat some light food that was easy to digest. He could only look at the delicacies on the table outside, not eat them.
"Sigh…this person is old and useless. It was impossible for him to stand up and take a few steps or eat something spicy.”Wang Tianhai looked at the tasteless nutritious meal that had been specially prepared for him and could not help but sigh. He looked a little disappointed.
" Alright, Grandpa, stop complaining," Wang Xiaoqiu advised gently." This is all for your health."”
As the grandfather and grandson were talking, Wang Xiaoqiu's parents, her uncle's family, second uncle's family, and aunt's family all came in with wrapped birthday presents and walked in front of Wang Tianhai. Other than Wang Xiaoqiu's younger sister, Wang Xiaoqing, who was still studying in Country Ying, everyone in their family had arrived.
Wang Xiaoqiu's eldest uncle and second uncle's faces were flushed red. It was obvious that they had just toasted before entering.
Wang Xiaoqiu's uncle stepped forward and said with a smile,""Dad, it's your 80th birthday today. As your children and grandchildren, we've prepared a birthday present for you to express our filial piety.”
"Oh?" Gifts from his children and grandchildren were obviously more attractive to Wang Tianhai than bland nutritious meals. He was smiling so widely that he could hardly close his mouth. He said with a smile that did not mean what he said,"You children, why do you still have to spend money to give me gifts? Isn't it enough to have this kind of heart?" The following sentence exposed his thoughts without a doubt." Open it quickly and let me see what you have given me…" Wang Liang was the eldest son of the third generation of the Wang family and the son of Wang Xiaoqiu's eldest uncle, Wang Chaogui. Therefore, he was the first to present the birthday gift to Old Man Wang on behalf of his family.
Wang Liang was holding an ancient-looking sandalwood box with countless exquisite patterns carved on it. There was also a faint, refreshing fragrance wafting out from the sandalwood box.
Although Old Man Wang was old, his eyes were still sharp. He could tell at a glance that this sandalwood box was a valuable antique. Looking at the way Wang Liang held it, it was obvious that there was something else in this sandalwood box. This undoubtedly piqued Grandfather Wang's curiosity. He couldn't wait to know that this sandalwood box was already very valuable. What kind of treasure was hidden inside?
Wang Liang slowly walked forward and carefully placed the ancient-looking sandalwood box on the table in front of Grandfather Wang. Then, he smiled and pressed the brass lock on the sandalwood box. With a light thud, the ancient sandalwood box opened up like a blooming flower, revealing the contents of the box to the crowd.
Inside the sandalwood box was a simple and elegant purple clay teapot, as well as eight small and exquisite purple clay teacups.
" Because I know you like tea, Grandpa," Wang smiled and introduced," my father specially entrusted the 'Master of Pot Arts' Chen Yanzhou to make this Pine Crane Longevity Pot for you. I wish you good luck and longevity."”
"Purple clay teapot? Good stuff." Old Man Wang was grinning from ear to ear. He held the purple clay teapot and rubbed it with both hands. He said,"Good, good, good. It's rare for you to have such filial piety. You know that I like drinking tea, so you prepared such a good gift for me.”
Wang Xiaoqiu's second uncle, Wang Zhaofu, walked to Wang Chaogui's side and said softly,""Big brother, not bad. You actually invited the 'master of teapot arts' Chen Yanzhou to personally make this purple clay teapot. Did you spend a lot of money?"
Wang Chaogui said proudly,"It's not bad. It's only a million." Actually, the price was secondary. The key was that the old man liked it.”Although the siblings had a good relationship with each other and did not have the kind of infighting scenes that were often shown in television dramas, this did not mean that they did not compete with each other in secret. The birthday gift given to Wang Tianhai this time naturally became something that they competed with each other for.
While feeling pleased with himself, Wang Chaogui did not forget to ask his second brother,""What birthday gift did you prepare for the old master?”
"You'll know soon enough." Wang Chaofu chuckled and did not answer directly. Instead, he kept them in suspense.
At this moment, Wang Chaofu's son, Wang Wen, had already arrived in front of Old Man Wang with a golden and resplendent box covered in gold and silver foil. After the servant put away the sandalwood box containing the Pine Crane Longevity Pot on the table, he placed the slightly heavy and dazzling box on the table.
"What's this?" Old Man Wang joked. It's so dazzling that my eyes are almost dazzled.”
"Grandpa, my dad knows that you like antiques, so he went to Hong Kong last month to attend an antique auction. He bought this gift for you. I hope you like it.”Wang Wen said as he opened the golden box.
The opening method of this box was not as exquisite as the previous box. However, after opening the box and taking out the items inside, the entire living room was actually enveloped by a golden light.
It was a Maitreya Buddha made of pure gold. Its chest was exposed, and it was laughing loudly. Its appearance and expression were so vivid that it made people admire it from the bottom of their hearts.
" This Maitreya Buddha made of pure gold," Wang Wen said." According to the expert's appraisal, it's an antique from the Jiaqing period of the Ming Dynasty. Later, it was lost overseas. In the end, it was bought by my father at an auction in Hong Kong." "We gave it to Grandpa as a birthday gift because we hope that Grandpa can be like it, healthy and smiling.”
"Not bad, not bad at all. It's just a little extravagant.”Grandfather Wang also liked this pure gold Maitreya Buddha very much, but compared to the previous purple clay teapot, his interest was slightly inferior. This also made Wang Chaogui look like a rooster that had won a battle. He elbowed Wang Chaofu and said proudly,"It seems that the old master likes my purple clay teapot more.”
Wang Chaofu was a little depressed. For this pure gold Maitreya Buddha, not only did he spend more than two million, but he also spent a lot of effort and time. However, he did not expect that in the end, it would end up like this. He looked at his smug big brother and said,""Don't be too proud. Little sister and third brother haven't sent their birthday gifts yet. Perhaps their birthday gifts will be more pleasing to the old master than your purple clay teapot.”
Just as Wang Chaogui and Wang Chaofu were whispering to each other, Wang Xiaoqiu's aunt, Wang Zhaolin, had already walked up to Old Man Wang with an oil painting in her hands. Originally, according to the Wang family's tradition, this kind of gift should be presented by the grandchildren. However, because her aunt's daughter, Wang Xiaoqing, was studying in Country Ying, Wang Chaolin personally came to give Old Master Wang a gift.
Wang Zhaolin's husband had married into the Wang family, so their daughter did not take her husband's surname. Instead, she took her surname, Wang.
Wang Zhaolin placed the oil painting in front of her and showed it to Old Man Wang. She smiled and said,"Old Master, this oil painting was personally bought by Wang Xiaoqing in Europe and sent to you. Because of her studies, she couldn't take a leave of absence from the Ying Country to rush back to congratulate you on your birthday. Therefore, she asked me to present this birthday gift to you and wish you a happy birthday. How is it, Old Master? Your little granddaughter is quite filial, right?”
"Filial piety, filial piety." Old Man Wang put on the presbyopic glasses hanging around his neck and carefully appreciated the oil painting.
Seeing that the old man was looking at it carefully, Wang Zhaolin couldn't help but be very happy. She asked,"I heard from Wang Xiao Qing that this oil painting was painted by a female artist from Ying Country called Joseph Wall. Old Master, you're used to Chinese painting. Do you still like this foreign thing?”
"This painting is…a butterfly demon, right?" Old Man Wang pointed at the oil painting and said hesitantly.
This oil painting was called " Lake Elf ". It depicted an elf from western mythology dancing on the surface of the water. The colors used in the painting were bright and colorful, completely different from traditional Chinese painting. Old Man Wang, who was more traditional in his thinking, couldn't accept this kind of magical oil painting for a while.
"It's pretty good. Keep it." Grandfather Wang waved at the servant, indicating for her to put away the oil painting.
Wang Zhaolin did not notice the old man's displeasure. She smiled and said,"Old Master, since you think it's good, let the servants hang it up. Hmm…I think it's pretty good to hang it in that position. What do you think?"
"We'll talk about it in the future." Grandfather Wang replied noncommittally.
At this moment, Wang Zhaolin also noticed the old man's true thoughts. She couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. From the corner of her eye, she happened to catch a glimpse of her third brother, Wang Xiaoqiu's father, Wang Xiaoxiang. "Hey, Third Brother, where's the birthday gift you prepared for the old master?" Why haven't you offered it to the old master yet?"
Wang Chaoxiang turned his gaze to Wang Xiaoqiu. He was supposed to prepare this birthday gift, but because there were too many trivial matters, he forgot about it. He could only ask Wang Xiaoqiu to prepare it last week. He wondered if Wang Xiaoqiu would be able to choose a birthday gift that the old man liked in less than a week.
"It seems that this year, I can only be compared to big brother, second brother, and little sister.”Wang Chaoxiang said regretfully in his heart.
"I've already prepared the birthday gift for grandfather. It's in my room. I'll go get it now.”Wang Xiaoqiu turned around and walked upstairs. Just as Wang Xiaoqiu turned around and went upstairs, everyone was guessing what kind of birthday gift she was going to give Grandfather Wang.
Wang Zhaolin finally understood that the oil painting she had given to Old Man Wang was not very likable. She couldn't help but blame her daughter, Wang Xiaoqing, in her heart. Why did she have to give her an oil painting? However, before this, Wang Xiaoqing had said that this female artist named Joseph Wall was an outstanding figure in modern oil painting in the Ying country. The painting she painted was filled with a magical style of " Lake Elf " and was deeply loved by the young people of the Ying country.
In Wang Zhaolin's opinion, she did not care whether the young people of the Ying Country liked it or not. What she cared about was whether Grandfather Wang liked it or not. From the looks of it, although Old Man Wang did not say it explicitly, it was obvious from his expression that he did not like the painting.
"Sigh…among the birthday gifts that we siblings gave to the old master this year, I'm afraid that our family's gift is the least pleasing to the old master, right?”Wang Zhaolin sighed secretly, feeling regretful. Out of the corner of her eye, she suddenly caught sight of her third brother, Wang Zhaoxiang."Third Brother is a workaholic and has never understood the old man's thoughts. " Perhaps, the birthday gift they gave to the old master this time will not be as pleasing to the old master as the oil painting I gave him…" The more she thought about it, the more she felt that this was possible. The haze in her heart was instantly swept away. As long as she was not the last in the end, it was enough to be satisfied.
"Big brother, what kind of birthday gift do you think third brother will give to the old master?”Wang Chaofu and Wang Chaogui were also whispering to each other, guessing what kind of birthday gift Wang Chaoxiang's family would give the old master. "Don't steal the limelight from your purple clay teapot when the time comes.”
"Even your Golden Buddha statue couldn't steal the limelight from my purple clay teapot, so how could a gift from Third Brother's family steal the limelight from my purple clay teapot?”On the other hand, Wang Chaogui was full of confidence." Third Brother is a workaholic. How would he have the time to buy a birthday gift for Old Master? If I'm not wrong, he must have asked Wang Xiaoqiu to go to Chu Street in Suqian to buy antique calligraphy and paintings on his behalf. As far as I know, there is no antique calligraphy or painting in Chu Street that can compare to my set of pine crane longevity teapot.”
"Nothing is absolute. Big brother, don't be too confident.”Wang Chaofu said with a smile.
His second brother's doubts made Wang Chaogui unhappy. He snorted and said,""If you don't believe me, let's wait and see. Let's see if the birthday gift Wang Xiaoqiu gave to the old master is as precious as my Pine Crane Longevity Purple Sand Teapot!”
Not only were Wang Zhaofu, Wang Zhaogui, and Wang Zhaolin waiting for Wang Xiaoqiu's birthday gift, but Wang Chaoxiang and his wife were also waiting anxiously.
Wang Xiaoqiu's mother, Sun Xiaowan, was 70% similar to Wang Xiaoqiu. Although she was already in her forties, she did not look old because she had taken good care of herself. She looked like a young woman in her thirties who still had her charm. At this moment, she was complaining to her husband in a low voice,"I've reminded you to prepare a birthday gift for the old man earlier, but you've forgotten about it all this time. It wasn't until last week that you asked Qiu to go to the antique street to buy a birthday gift. Sigh, I'm really worried that Jill will buy a fake. It doesn't matter if you lose some money. I'm just afraid that you'll make the old master unhappy and make a fool of yourself.”
"Now that things have come to this, we can only pin our hopes on Xiao Qiu." Wang Chaoxiang sighed. I don't expect her to buy anything good. I just hope that she doesn't buy fake goods. Sigh, speaking of which, it's all my fault…"
Just as everyone was guessing and whispering, Wang Xiaoqiu finally came down from upstairs. Everyone's interest was immediately piqued, and their eyes all looked at her hands. In her hand was a scroll that looked like a painting.
Everyone couldn't help but guess what the painting in Wang Xiaoqiu's hand would look like. As for Wang Chaoxiang and his wife, they were uneasy because they were worried about the authenticity of this painting.
"Grandpa, this is a birthday gift from our family.”Wang Xiaoqiu picked up the painting in his hand and waved it before he reached Old Man Wang.
"Oh, calligraphy and painting?" Grandfather Wang had already put on his presbyopic glasses. When he saw the calligraphy in Wang Xiaoqiu's hand, he couldn't help but laugh and nod repeatedly."At least you guys are filial and know that I like calligraphy and painting. Quick, bring it over for me to take a look."
"Grandpa, this is a painting of a hundred years of life. We hope that you can live to a hundred years old and be healthy forever.”As Wang Xiaoqiu spoke, he walked quickly to Grandfather Wang and placed the rolled up Longevity Painting on the table. Then, he untied the small red string on it and slowly unfolded it.
"Hundred Lives Painting? Not bad, not bad." Grandfather Wang nodded and smiled.
"I thought that Third Brother gave Old Master an ancient calligraphy painting. It turns out that it's a new thing.”Wang Xiaoqiu had just revealed the framed part when Wang Chaogui shook his head and chuckled. Although he didn't know much about calligraphy and painting, he knew a little about it because Old Man Wang liked antique calligraphy and painting. Now, when he saw the framed part of the painting, he knew that it was a new item. He couldn't help but feel relieved. He felt that the Longevity Painting that Wang Xiaoqiu had taken out couldn't compare to his Pine Crane Longevity Purple Sand Teapot.
"Something new? Hehe, it can't be a fake, right?" Wang Zhaolin was relieved. Although the oil painting she gave to Old Man Wang was not pleasing, it was still an authentic work. If the painting that Wang Xiaoqiu had presented was a fake, then the one at the bottom of the list this year would undoubtedly be Wang Chaoxiang's family. Thinking about how she was about to get rid of the fate of being at the bottom, Wang Zhaolin was filled with joy.
Wang Chaoxiang and his wife didn't say anything. They just looked at each other and sighed.
When Grandfather Wang saw the brand new framed painting, he raised his eyebrows slightly. However, he was very shrewd and did not show any dissatisfaction. He was still smiling.
Wang Xiaoqiu did not notice the expressions and whispers of the crowd. She continued to unfurl the Longevity Painting at an unhurried pace.
When they saw the section on the Xuan paper but not the handwriting, Wang Chaogui, Wang Chaofu, and Wang Chaolin chuckled again. Because they were deeply influenced by Old Man Wang, they could tell at a glance that this Xuan paper was a contemporary product. Moreover, it was extremely common. Ordinary stationery stores could sell low-quality Xuan paper.
"Without a doubt, Third Brother bought a fake this time.”The three Wang siblings whispered and looked at You Chaoxiang with gloating eyes.
The hope of Wang Chaoxiang and his wife was completely shattered at this moment. Their expressions instantly turned extremely ugly.
At this moment, Wang Xiaoqiu revealed the first row of longevity characters in the painting to everyone!
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。