The Old Master nodded slightly, revealing a trace of kindness as he stroked the box wrapped in yellow satin. “Jiang Chao, what exactly is this treasure? It’s quite heavy. It’s not gold, is it? I know you run a bar and an antique shop; seems like you’ve made a bit of money!”
“Grandpa, let me open it for you!” Jiang Chao eagerly stepped forward and opened the box.
Everyone craned their necks to look, and couldn’t help but chuckle – it was actually a set of mahjong tiles!
They all thought to themselves that the Old Master did enjoy playing a few hands of mahjong in his spare time, and this Jiang Chao was quite good at playing to his preferences.
Jiang Changgeng took out a tile and stroked it. The surface felt very warm and smooth, like jade but not quite jade. It wasn’t new, but it had been polished to a glistening translucence. One could tell at a glance it was an exceptional item. He weighed it in his hand, frowned in thought, then suddenly exclaimed in surprise:
“Is this made of ivory? That’s illegal!”
As soon as he said this, everyone was immediately shocked.
According to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, ivory and ivory products are now nationally prohibited items. There is very little circulation in the market.
If all one hundred and thirty-six mahjong tiles were carved from ivory, the value could be over a million yuan!
Jiang Chao was not flustered at all. He smiled calmly and said, “Grandpa, don’t worry! This is antique ivory. It can be traded and collected legally!”
“As for the value, no need to mention it!”
Jiang Chao said with a smile, “However, this mahjong set does have a bit of a story. After research by experts and scholars, it has been verified as the set once played by the Empress Dowager Cixi – the ‘Auspicious Goat’ Mahjong set!”
“The ‘Auspicious Goat’ Mahjong set played by Empress Dowager Cixi?”
Ninth Grand-Uncle was both surprised and delighted, asking with a smile, “The name is quite strange. Is there a story behind it?”
Jiang Chao smiled and recited the information he had looked up: “Because Empress Dowager Cixi was born in the Year of the Goat, goats were considered sacred animals in her palace. Many recreational items also incorporated the word ‘goat’ (yang) for its auspicious sound, like this ‘Jixiang’ (Auspicious Goat) Mahjong. For example, in this set, all the ‘White Dragon’ tiles have a small goat carved on them, symbolizing good fortune and prosperity.”
Everyone looked and saw it was indeed so.
On the ‘White Dragon’ tiles, a small, colorful goat was carved, looking charmingly naive and delightful to behold. They were now convinced.
Jiang Changgeng frowned slightly, seeming a bit displeased. He said, “Jiang Chao, it’s rare for you to have such filial piety, still remembering this old man’s little hobby. But this item must have cost you a lot of money to buy, right?”
Everyone felt a pang of worry.
Jiang Changgeng was old-fashioned and thrifty, and hated nothing more than family members spending money recklessly.
“No, not a single cent was spent!”
Jiang Chao laughed, “You know I run an antique shop. I bought it from a down-and-out foreign drunkard. Heard him say it was looted from the Old Summer Palace when the Eight-Nation Alliance entered Yanjing. I thought to myself, this is also a national treasure, ending up overseas – that’s not right. So I spent fifty thousand to buy it.”
“According to expert evaluation, this set is worth at least two million! Because only five of these tiles are the real ‘Auspicious Goat’ ones. The rest I matched with antique tiles from the same era.”
Saying this, he seemed to shake his head with a hint of regret.
“Not bad, not bad!”
Ninth Grand-Uncle’s appreciation was evident. He clapped his hands in admiration and exclaimed, “Jiang Chao is truly capable! Back then, foreigners bullied our impoverished and weak China. Now Jiang Chao has legally and reasonably taken back something that belonged to our ancestors!”
“Jiang Chao, I accept this generous gift! But remember, mahjong is ultimately a plaything. Playing occasionally is fine, but you must not neglect work or studies!”
A rare smile appeared on Jiang Changgeng’s face as he nodded.
Seeing this, Jiang Yangming and his wife were overjoyed. It was clear that the Old Master’s fondness for Jiang Chao had deepened.
Among the many younger family members, some were envious, others anxious.
Jiang Chao had made such a grand gesture, getting off to a flying start. Their own gifts might not have such an impact.
“Hey, where did Jiang Tian run off to? He should be presenting that ‘Old Pit Glass Species’ jade!”
Jiang Chao was also quite smug, looking left and right, wanting to feel superior to Jiang Tian. But he didn’t notice when the kid had slipped away.
“Grandpa, I also have a gift for you!”
At this moment, Jiang Banxia smiled sweetly, stepped forward slowly, and also presented a box.
Jiang Changgeng nodded and opened the box.
Beside him, Ninth Grand-Uncle immediately burst out laughing: “Oh my, a little golden man! How amusing!”
Everyone craned their necks to look and saw a palm-sized golden figurine in the box.
The figurine’s limbs, head and neck, and even its eyeballs could move, crafted very delicately.
Moreover, it was densely covered with pinholes, corresponding to the human body’s acupoints and meridians.
Jiang Banxia glanced smugly at Jiang Zhixing and his wife, then withdrew her gaze and smiled: “This is a Qing dynasty bronze figure of meridians and acupoints. Although it’s cast in gold, the meridians inside are functional and filled with mercury. As long as you hit the right acupoint and trigger the mechanism, the mercury flows, its eyeballs roll, its lips move, and it makes strange noises! Just like a living thing, very amusing!”
At this moment, Jiang Zhixing’s expression was grim, and he sighed. Zhang Wanqing’s face also fell a little.
Sigh, the gifts we prepared are far too inferior.
If Jiang Chao’s gift could be accused of encouraging idleness through pleasure-seeking, and was just so-so, then Jiang Banxia’s gift truly hit the Old Master’s soft spot.
You had to know that the Old Master had practiced medicine his whole life and was absolutely obsessed with the knowledge of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
“Wenji…”
Sure enough, Jiang Changgeng couldn’t put it down. Looking at the figurine’s sole, he suddenly exclaimed in surprise:
“Handmade!”
“Oh my god!”
He let out an exclamation of astonishment, finding it hard to believe. Excited, his whole body trembled as he said, “This was personally made by Wu Qian, the great physician of the Qing dynasty and chief editor of the Golden Mirror of Medicine! His courtesy name was Wenji! This, this is truly a remarkable item! How, how did you obtain it?”
“From Wu Qian’s descendant, Wu Miaoshou of Yanjing’s Yangmai Hall. When I was working on Wall Street in the US, he entrusted me with financial management.”
Jiang Banxia pretended to be modest, but still couldn’t hide her smugness, saying in a sweet voice: “Over the past three years, I helped him achieve an annualized compound return of 25%, doubling his assets. So, he gave me this as a thank you!”
“Tsk, tsk, Sister Banxia is so generous. On the antique market, this thing would be worth at least four million!” Jiang Chao clicked his tongue in admiration from the side.
“Amazing, Banxia! No wonder you’re a Master’s in Finance. A 25% annualized return is remarkable!”
“Our family has produced a female Buffett!”
“I heard Banxia was recruited by the Provincial State-owned Investment Company as a high-level returned overseas talent, starting as a Deputy Division-level Investment Director with an annual salary of over a million!”
Many people present were full of admiration. The younger ones were especially envious, red-eyed, and felt they couldn’t compare.
“Banxia, actually I wanted you to study medicine back then, but you ended up studying finance.”
A hint of regret appeared on the Old Master’s face, but then he smiled with relief and said gently, “Now it seems, sticking to your choice wasn’t wrong. You’ve achieved great things in your field. Keep up the good work!”
“Don’t worry, Grandpa, I will work hard!” Jiang Banxia smiled sweetly and retreated behind her parents.
Afterwards, a few other younger members also presented their gifts, some valuable, some ingenious, some with long histories.
Finally, under the gaze of many, Jiang Qingfeng stepped forward, offered his gift, and smiled: “Grandpa, this is my gift!”
“Qingfeng is the most outstanding talent in the Jiang family. I wonder what generous gift he’ll present!”
“He’s sure to steal the show!”
The scene couldn’t remain calm; a buzz of whispering filled the air, faces full of excitement and anticipation.
Even Ninth Grand-Uncle couldn’t stay calm and repeatedly urged, “Changgeng, open it quickly, let us have a look!”
Jiang Changgeng opened the gift box. An ancient scroll, seemingly ordinary at first glance, revealed itself. On the yellowed paper cover, several characters in small standard script were written – “A Treatise on the Origin and Development of Medicine”!
Even Jiang Changgeng couldn’t remain calm. A trace of shock flashed across his face as he smiled and said, “This is A Treatise on the Origin and Development of Medicine handwritten by the famous Qing dynasty physician Xu Dachun. It’s a unique copy! A treasured collection of the Xu family, a prominent medical clan. Very rare. How did you get it? This is a national treasure!”
“Grandpa, it’s like this…”
Jiang Qingfeng explained slowly: “Last year, I went on an academic visit to the Xu family. I exchanged medical skills with Xu Tianlei, a physician at the Imperial Medical Hall and descendant of Xu Dachun. We were evenly matched. He got caught up in the moment and gave me this book!”
Upon hearing this, everyone exclaimed in admiration, utterly impressed by Jiang Qingfeng.
If anyone was the most outstanding today, it was Jiang Qingfeng!
Not only was his gift valuable, but his medical skills were actually comparable to a master from the Imperial Medical Hall. How incredibly formidable was that?
“How rare! Qingfeng’s medical skills can already rival Xu Tianlei!”
Ninth Grand-Uncle was in high spirits, clapping his hands in admiration and exclaiming, “Changgeng, with such capable, talented, and filial grandchildren, your life is perfectly complete!”
“Mm, not bad, not bad!”
Jiang Changgeng nodded, but his expression had already turned slightly cold.
In fact, when Jiang Banxia had spoken those words, he had already begun to doubt them.
The chances of her truly outperforming Buffett were very slim.
By the time Jiang Qingfeng presented his gift, his mind was completely made up.
There was no way Jiang Qingfeng could rival Xu Tianlei; Xu Tianlei’s medical skills were on par with his own.
There was only one possibility: these gifts were all purchased with a great deal of effort and money.
But they knew he disliked them spending money recklessly, so they fabricated these lies to put a good face on things!
It seemed they all thought he was nearing his end, and were racking their brains to vie for power and carve up the Jiang family!
However, with so many people present at the moment, he couldn’t rashly expose them and make them lose face. He could only let out a long sigh in his heart:
Could it be that the Jiang family truly has no pillar of talent capable of turning the tide when the situation is dire?
…
But Jiang Shouren’s and Jiang Yangming’s families, at this moment, hadn’t the slightest idea that the Old Master’s eyes had seen through it all. They were still preening with pride.
“Oh my, isn’t Jiang Tian supposed to be quite something? Where has he gone? Why isn’t he presenting his gift to the Old Master?”
The Eldest Aunt looked at Jiang Zhixing and sneered.
“Yeah, he even dared to scold his own eldest brother. So capable, so fierce. Where is he now?” Second Aunt also snorted coldly.
“Didn’t he win a sports car from Yu Qiang? Why doesn’t he give that to Grandpa to play with?” Jiang Banxia also sneered.
Jiang Zhixing’s face was pale and gloomy, unsure how to respond.
Who would have thought that at the Old Master’s seventieth birthday celebration, they would give such extravagant gifts, practically throwing money away!
They had only bought some supplements and aged herbs, worth just a few thousand yuan, truly not presentable at all.
