Master Elder Ji's expression suddenly thawed like melting snow, becoming as kindly as an ordinary old grandfather's.
Since this was their first meeting, the old man had no grounds to throw his weight around. He could only smile and have the butler bring the welcome gift over to him.
By rights, Xie Zhuzhou should have knelt and kowtowed three times before accepting his elder's gift.
But Xie Zhuzhou figured that modern times no longer had such complicated rules. The original owner had no memory of them, and his father had said nothing, so surely he could just take it and say thank you?
Xie Zhuzhou saw that the old man had given him a riding stable in the suburbs. On the surface, he treated him decently enough, if one ignored his ultimate aim.
He lowered his eyes and head, giving only a bow.
"Thank you, Grandpa."
Everyone present looked over.
Xie Zhuzhou handed the gift to the temporary assistant accompanying him, his expression composed and betraying no emotion.
His older and younger male cousins secretly grumbled to themselves. Here was another one they couldn't mess with. Why did all their eldest uncle's sons look so fierce? One glance told them he was trouble!
They had thought they could bully the illegitimate son when he came home and regain some dignity through him. After all, Ji Wangchen and his brothers had been oppressing them for years!
Thinking there was nothing else to do, Xie Zhuzhou was about to return to his eldest brother's side when the middle-aged man with a scar above his left eye stepped forward and suddenly snapped at him, "Ignorant junior! You've accepted your grandfather's gift. You should give him three resounding kowtows!"
"I have to kneel for a little riding stable of a few dozen mu? Then I don't want it." Xie Zhuzhou paid no heed to the era he was in. He recalled how the old marquis in his previous life, his own grandfather, had given him a farm of over five hundred mu for his first birthday.
He hadn't even called Master Elder Ji stingy yet, and the man wanted him to kneel for this paltry gift?
In his previous life, when people were expected to kneel at the drop of a hat, he had barely knelt a handful of times. Even the lady of the household hadn't required him to pay his respects or serve her tea, yet this rotten old man who wanted to marry him off for an alliance expected him to kneel?
Xie Zhuzhou also took into account that his father stood behind him, but his eldest brother was definitely much richer than this rotten old man.
In short, Xie Zhuzhou, who was both stingy and fond of spending money, believed everything he did was right, and looked down on this rotten old man with complete confidence despite having no grounds for it!
Hearing Xie Zhuzhou's tone, everyone felt a sour pang of envy. They secretly wondered just how much their eldest uncle had given this illegitimate son for him to dismiss a spacious riding stable in such a prime location as beneath notice.
One dared not refuse a gift bestowed by an elder.
Yet Xie Zhuzhou actually didn't want it!
Old Master Ji's face turned livid at Xie Zhuzhou's words. Seeing the disdain in Xie Zhuzhou's eyes, he finally raised a hand and told the butler to prepare some more gifts.
Ji Wuqiu must have given the brat a great many things. Otherwise, how could he turn his nose up at a riding stable beside a major scenic attraction?
These days, acquiring that plot had taken considerable effort. Without connections, it might have been impossible to secure.
And this brat... actually called it a "little riding stable." The old man refused to admit he was stingy, but his heart was bleeding!
Ji Wangchen and his brothers also realized that Xie Zhuzhou genuinely thought nothing of this gift. Ji Wangchen was actually worried that his younger brother really would refuse it. That plot was very valuable, after all.
He cast a faintly reproachful look at Ji Wuqiu.
Ji Wuqiu looked equally bewildered. He really hadn't given his youngest son much at all. Surely these three boys wouldn't think he was playing favorites?
The scarred youngest uncle who had just reprimanded Xie Zhuzhou was struck speechless. He, too, began to wonder whether a plot of several dozen mu somehow didn't count as land.
If he kept making things difficult for Xie Zhuzhou, it would only make him look petty, and terribly poor!
Xie Zhuzhou's disdain for such paltry gifts prompted the elders who had originally prepared only a helicopter to secretly send someone to prepare additional checks.
In the end, the old man didn't make Xie Zhuzhou kneel and gave him an antique worth ten million as well. His other uncles and aunts also painfully parted with checks totaling tens of millions more.
Before dinner even began, Xie Zhuzhou had already made a fortune.
The bag his temporary assistant had brought was filled with items worth over a billion. The assistant's face flushed red. He had only come to accompany the young master on his first day of temporary work. Who could have known wealthy families operated on such a lavish scale?
Although Xie Zhuzhou had received gifts worth over a billion, when he thought of everything his father had spent on their children over the years, he felt this certainly wasn't much.
Dinner should have been a "lively" feast, but everyone was miserable after taking such a financial hit. If they had known, they wouldn't have come!
Not only had this wild brat looked down on them for being poor, he had also eyed them with suspicion, as if they really were stingy! This was the personal stash they had spent so long saving! They had given it all away!
What more could that brat possibly want?
None of them could stomach dinner. The food tasted like wax, and every one of them glared resentfully at Ji Wuwei, the man who had reprimanded Xie Zhuzhou. He was Master Elder Ji's youngest son.
Only Ji Wuqiu's branch of the family had mixed feelings while secretly rejoicing. They had never expected to squeeze so much out of these people, who hadn't had much money to begin with.
As the person at the center of it all, Xie Zhuzhou had no particular thoughts. He assumed this was merely a trifle for a wealthy family.
Night fell.
The moon rose beneath the misty sky, and Ji Wangchen and his two brothers were finally heading home.
Only once they were in the car did Ji Wangyun finally burst out laughing. "Big Brother, did you see those younger cousins? Their eyes were practically popping out with envy."
Ji Wangchen was not as carefree as Ji Wangyun. "Dad and our little brother are staying at the old residence tonight. Who knows what else that old man has up his sleeve? Don't relax too soon."
"I won't say anything, but I think our little brother will find fault with the conditions at the old residence. Would you believe it?"
Remembering his pampered little brother, who needed a maid even to put on his shoes, Ji Wangchen couldn't help pressing a hand to his forehead. "It's only one night. I'll send someone to pick him up for school tomorrow morning."
In their two days with Xie Zhuzhou, the brothers had already gained a thorough understanding of his temperament. He seemed cold on the surface, but he was very particular about food and clothing. Although some things struck him as novel, that sense of novelty quickly wore off.
Ji Wangyan's lips parted slightly, and he slowly uttered two words: "So picky."