Cutie Delivered, Please Sign for it-Chapter 23 - This girl really cares
Chapter 23: Chapter 23: This girl really cares
Chapter 23 -23: This girl really cares
Old Lady Yan cradled the box, squinting to take a closer look while Yan Jr. and Mr. Yan both reached out to help unpack. “Let me help you open it,” they offered in unison.
Old Lady Yan jerked the box away, protecting it in her arms, “I’ll do it myself. You both are too heavy-handed and you can’t judge the force to use. What if you damage anything?”
Yan Jr. withdrew his hand, scoffing, “Why are you protecting it like this? That stingy girl might have just sent over a rock!”
I mean, she couldn’t even afford a new mobile phone; what kind of gift could she give?
Old Lady Yan shot her son a glare, “Xiao Han, do you think I am blind? The box is clearly labeled as fragile and valuable.”
Yan Jr. leaned in for a closer look and indeed, the label stated explicitly: Fragile. Valuable.
Tch, a girl like her, what valuable thing could she possibly send over?
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When his mother forbade him to touch it, Yan Jr. feigned disinterest, plopping down on the sofa. He whipped out his phone to check a work email.
The old lady received a pair of scissors from Uncle Hai to strip away the wrapping paper. When she opened the box, she discovered another antique-style, golden-yellow brocade box within. On the box’s lid was a blooming peony, delicately embroidered.
Before the box was even opened, Old Lady Yan’s attention had been drawn to the intricate handiwork of the brocade box.
“Tsk, a girl is indeed a girl. Their tastes are clearly much more refined than my rough and burly son,” she commented.
Yan Jr. had originally planned to ignore his mother, but hearing her belittle him and put him on the same level as that stingy girl Zhu Qianying seemed like a deliberate insult to him.
How could his taste as President of Yanhuang Group and current head of the Tong Family possibly be inferior to that stingy girl?
“Tong Xiaohua, I advise you to open the box and see for yourself before you make any judgements. Don’t let this broken box deceive you!” Yan Jr. slyly glanced at Old Lady Yan, looking forward to the ensuing drama.
But Old Lady Yan wasn’t in a hurry to open the box because she was still studying the embroidered peony.
“What broken box, you just don’t know any better. If I’m not mistaken, the peony on this box could be the work of a famous embroiderer. The box alone could conservatively be worth hundreds of thousands!”
In her younger days, Old Lady Yan was busy consolidating the family business, and had developed a robust and frank character like many men. But in the past decade since she retired, she had developed a fondness for traditional handicrafts, embroidery in particular.
Yan Jr. scoffed at his mother’s analysis, “Mom, that girl is very stingy. She couldn’t afford a box worth hundreds of thousands. Even if she could, she wouldn’t part with it just to give it to you!”
Old Lady Yan couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. She gestured for her husband, Mr. Yan, also known as Yan Bo, to take a look, “Old Yan, come and have a look.”
Yan Bo’s growing experience was the exact opposite of Tong Xiaohua’s. Born into a high-ranking official’s family, he returned home after studying abroad in his youth. Instead of following his forefathers’ wishes and embarking on a political path, he started his own company, which is now known as Yanhuang Group.
What Old Lady Yan became absorbed in after retiring had always been Yan Bo’s areas of interest.
Yan Bo accepted the box from his wife’s hand and examined it carefully for a good while, an excited gleam appearing in his eyes.
“Hmm…it appears to be the work of the same artist who created the embroidery we saw at the auction last year. It’s incredible that we get to see another original piece from them.”
Yan Jr. thought his parents were simply putting on a good show for him, pushing them to reveal the gift, “Quick, let’s see what she sent you. But don’t get your hopes up!”
It was only then that Old Lady Yan remembered that inside, there was still a gift.
However, the embroidery on the brocade box had raised her expectations for the gift inside.
Once she lifted the lid of the brocade box, she saw a translucent white jade Ruyi ornament inside. It had sporadic tan spots around, with plump persimmons carved on it. The stem was facing upward, accompanied by a pair of ganoderma mushrooms on the side, with curling leaves wrapped around the stem, and another pair of peony pistils decorating the other side.
This gift certainly brought joy to Old Lady Yan’s eyes.
“Old Yan, look! This girl has a good heart indeed!”
She handed the ornament to Yan Bo with a smile, who studied it with great interest, nodding appreciatively.
“Hmm, although the white jade of this ornament is not of the highest grade, it can be seen that the carving is particularly delicate and lively. Even if it is not from a renowned artist, it was made by a rising talent who will certainly achieve greatness someday.”
Old Lady Yan agreed wholeheartedly with Yan Bo’s comment, praising repeatedly, “This girl does have a keen eye. This ornament not only features excellent carving and auspicious symbolism but also has great potential for appreciation. Pretty good, pretty good!”
Yan Jr., lacking this understanding, assumed his parents were just bluffing. He dismissively said, “Mom, don’t make Zhu Qianying sound like she’s all that. She’s nothing more than a jobless bum, she wouldn’t know anything about these high-end arts!”
Old Lady Yan didn’t understand why her son harbored so much bias against Zhu Qianying, but assuming it was because he had been stood up and was feeling bitter, she let it pass.
“Son, isn’t this girl only 20 years old?”
Yan Jr. grunted in agreement, her age was indeed listed as 20 in the records.
“Has she graduated from university?”
Old Lady Yan had briefly glanced over Zhu Qianying’s background before. Seeing her young age, she had always thought Zhu Qianying was studying in college. But if her son said she was unemployed, did that mean she had graduated from high school and was currently jobless?
Yan Jr. knew more about this than she did, “I think she skipped a grade in both primary and middle school. She had studied hotel management in L University, and graduated last year.”
Old Lady Yan expressed regret, “It seems like she’s a very bright child. Old Yan, do you think Zhu Zhizhou has a brain kicked in by a mule? How can he let such a intelligent girl wander around on her own?”
Yan Bo nodded in agreement, “Indeed, none of his sons show any promise. At this rate, it won’t be many years before the Zhu Family starts to decline.”
Although Yan Bo appeared gentle and courteous on the surface, emulating the demeanor of a scholar, his eyes were extraordinarily sharp.
Upon hearing his parents bring up Zhu Zhizhou, Yan Jr. didn’t shy away from showing his contempt.
“It doesn’t need a few years, they are already on the decline. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have nominated Zhu Qianying for the selection. It’s clear that they have their eyes set on the two billion in betrothal gifts and the subsequent cooperation plan worth tens of billions.”
Old Lady Yan took a thoughtful sip of tea and set down her teacup, releasing a sigh in the process.
“This poor girl… neither father nor mother love her…”
Before even meeting her, Old Lady Yan had already pitied Zhu Qianying, her prospective daughter-in-law, multiple times.
“Mom, don’t worry. That girl has thick skin and is tough, she’ll be fine!” From Yan Jr.’s perspective, the things his mother worried about couldn’t hurt Zhu Qianying in the slightest.
Old Lady Yan shot him a fierce look, “Nonsense, do you think she didn’t have a mother to bear her? It’s just that when you long for something but cannot attain it, you gradually stop yearning for it. As for the Zhu Family’s background, it would not be difficult for them to cherish a child and pamper her as if she were a princess. But does this girl look anything like a princess to you?”
