The Qiu's family house.
After Ye Fan and Qiu Mu-Cheng's departure, the remaining guests carried on with their feast. Except for Qiu Lei. The atmosphere at the feast had gotten too uncomfortable for him after his daughter's row with the family. So he made up an excuse and left.
"Lei's family are totally useless."
"His daughter is too wilful and his son-in-law is a useless piece of trash. They have completely shamed us.” After Qiu Lei's departure, Qiu Guang, the eldest Qiu brother, continued to sneer at his younger brother's family.
"Brother-in-law, why mention them? Today is supposed to be a happy occasion. Let's not dampen our mood." Wang Qiao-Yu joined in the conversation and tried to change the topic. Then she smiled warmly at her son-in-law, Chu Wen-Fei.
"Wen-Fei, don't you have some more gifts for your grandfather? What did you buy? Tell us about it. Your grandfather will be
happy too."
"Yes, Wen-Fei, we are all curious. Tell us about it." The youngest Qiu brother smiled as he looked at Chu Wen-Fei. The other relatives went with the flow and also prodded him for information.
"Haha, uncle. Just wait and see. The gifts are on their way here. Once they have arrived, you will find out.”
"I promise. Grandfather will receive a huge surprise." Chu Wen-Fei said confidently and Qiu Mu-Ying hugged his arm coquettishly.
Since they did receive many valuable gifts from the Chu family yesterday and those gifts did add significantly to her prestige, Qiu Mu-Ying was extremely satisfied with her fiance.
The atmosphere at the Qiu's family house was slowly getting festive and the sombre mood caused by the argument earlier was swept away.
"It looks like Wen-Fei is feeling confident in his gifts. Well, are you confident enough to beat your brother-in-law? That year, he gave us a valuable painting painted by a famous artist. Your grandfather was all smiles for several days. Now, the painting is hanging in his study. Your grandfather enjoys looking at it every day." Qiu Guang said with a smile.
Chu Wen-Fei just shook his head. "Uncle, don't say that. A gift should not be judged by how valuable it is. It's just a token of my appreciation for grandfather. As long the thought is there, no matter what I give, I am sure grandfather will be happy with it."
"Haha, you are right, Wen-Fei. I am too shallow." Qiu Guang replied with a laugh.
The other family members also praised Wen-Fei for his eloquence and high emotional quotient.
But although they said that, they were still competitive when it came to such things.
This was especially true for a vain woman like Qiu Mu-Ying. She had already told Chu Wen-Fei that he had to give something valuable or she would lose face in front of her relatives.
"Wen-Fei, it's fine as long as the thought is there. Forget about the gift. Don't go to expense on my account. You becoming my grandson-in-law is already the best gift you can give me." Master Qiu had already composed himself and now he had a smile on his face as he exchanged pleasantries with Chu Wen-Fei.
"How could I do this. I have to give a gift or I wouldn't be doing my duty as a grandson-in-law."
"Grandfather, just take a seat. My surprise will arrive soon."
Chu Wen-Fei was confident.
When the others heard this, they started another round of praises for him.
"Wen-Fei is so thoughtful-"
"He's from a rich family and so filial. Luo, your family is so lucky to get a son-in-law like him."
"Ying-Ying has found a good husband!"
"Fei-Fei, look. When it's time for you to find a husband, you must find someone like Wen-Fei. He's good-looking, talented and a promising young man."
"Come, let us give Wen-Fei a toast-"
In the courtyard, the Qiu family members were having a merry and harmonious time.
Things had gotten lively as the guests talked and laughed among themselves.
Chu Wen-Fei was smiling proudly in the face of everyone's praise, and Qiu Mu-Ying's vanity had been satisfied so she was contented. At this moment, both Chu Wen-Fei and Qiu Mu-Ying, who had been placed on a pedestal by their relatives, felt infinitely glorious as if they were standing at the pinnacle of life.
When he looked at his outstanding son-in-law, Master Qiu smiled so much that he barely had time to shut his mouth. It was a scene of domestic bliss.
As everyone was enjoying themselves, the butler came in and announced that a car had just arrived.
"Haha~"
"It's here, grandfather. The gift your grandson-in-law prepared for you is here."
Chu Wen-Fei stood up with a smile and hurriedly ordered the servants to bring his gift in.
"Whoa, it's huge!”
"Wen-Fei, what is it?"
"Don't tell me you've got a pretty woman in there. You even covered it up with a red cloth."
A short while later, several able-bodied men carried the gift into the hall.
When the assembled guests saw this, they were stunned. The gift was around two meters wide and half-a-meter tall. It looked like a rectangular box but, as it was covered with a piece of red cloth, they couldn't tell what it was.
"Wen-Fei, don't tell me it's really a beautiful woman. Your grandfather is already an old man, so he won't be able to use your gift." Qiu Guang joked around with Wen-Fei and caused everyone to laugh. Master Qiu also chided his eldest son light-heartedly.
But as the Qiu family members were laughing, Chu Wen-Fei frowned. He thought there was something strange about the shape of the gift.
"It's probably just the gift box."
Chu Wen-Fei guessed to himself and then smiled in response. "Haha, uncle, stop guessing. Just wait. And I will reveal the answer to you."
And then, under the curious gazes of their relatives, Chu Wen-Fei grabbed Qiu Mu-Ying and led her to the front. They bowed to Master Qiu who was seated at the seat of honor and said: "Thank you, grandfather, for raising Ying-Ying to be such an outstanding woman. Please accept a bow from your grandson-in-law.”
"At the same time, to express my thanks, Ying-Ying and I would like to present grandfather with an evergreen pine tree from Nanshan. May grandfather enjoy immense fortune and live to a ripe old age!"
Chu Wen-Fei and Qiu Mu-Ying bowed together.
Master Qiu's smile grew so wide that his lips nearly touched his ears. And he exclaimed:
"Splendid~Splendid~Splendid~"
"Wen-Fei, you are so thoughtful-"
And everyone else followed his example and cut loose with yet another round of praises for the couple.
Qiu Mu-Ying tilted her chin proudly and looked at her fiance joyfully.
Both Wang Qiao-Yu and Qiu Luo felt distinguished, as they basked in the reflected glory of their son-in-law.
"Remove the cloth!"
Amidst the praises of the guests and the happy laughter of Master Qiu, Chu Wen-Fei waved his hand and gave the order haughtily.
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