Chapter 322 - 285: Letting Her Buy It
Chapter 322: Chapter 285: Letting Her Buy It
Xiao Man was a little taken aback. She heard Bai Lihua say, "Xiao Xiao, what’s wrong? We finally found something Uncle Wu loves. I promise I can bring it back in three days."
Tang Yaxuan chimed in, "That’s right, Mom. Grandpa and Grandma are coming to Beijing in March, and it’ll be Grandpa’s birthday. If you give this jade carving to him, he’ll definitely be thrilled. Even though it’s a replica, the real ’Summer Rhythm’ was smashed to pieces. It doesn’t exist anymore. The original ’Summer Rhythm’ was his family heirloom, so no one would ever suspect this is a fake!"
Wu Xiaowen reached out and stroked Tang Yaxuan’s hair, smiling. "Xuanxuan, you’re so smart! But since your older sister likes it, let’s just let her have it. When your grandpa gets back, we can ask him to teach your sister how to appreciate art. You can learn alongside her then."
Tang Yaxuan nodded obediently and said no more.
Wu Xiaowen exchanged a few more words with Bai Lihua. Listening from the side, Xiao Man finally understood: this jade piece was connected to Grandpa Wu. It was a replica, but the original had been smashed during a house seizure. It was said that Grandpa Wu had coughed up blood on the spot.
’So Old Man Wu coughed up blood over a shattered heirloom, a mere worldly possession, yet when his fiancée was murdered in the mountains back then, he was fine!’
’Oh, right. It wasn’t that he was fine. Grandma Tang said he fell gravely ill and almost died. Then he married Lin Aizhen to ward off bad luck and miraculously recovered!’
’Grandpa Wu’s resilience is truly something to behold!’
Since Wu Xiaowen had given up the "Summer Rhythm" at the price they had already negotiated—150,000—Xiao Man felt she had to buy it.
But she didn’t have that much money on her. Luckily, there was a public phone booth not far from the shop. Xiao Man went over and called Tang Qingshan. When Tang Qingshan heard the little girl ask for 150,000 right off the bat, he asked what she wanted it for. Xiao Man told him plainly she was buying a fake jade piece. Tang Qingshan was speechless for a moment, then told her to give him the shop’s name and wait there obediently. Someone would come to pick her up and take her home.
That Xiao Man could summon 150,000 with a single phone call made Bai Lihua look at her with an unreadable expression. Wu Xiaowen’s face shifted through a kaleidoscope of emotions, and Tang Yaxuan’s expression was complicated. She shot Xiao Man a look of resentment and unwillingness to concede, then simply ran to the shop entrance to stand there, not wanting to see her.
Worried that it might be Mr. Tang who showed up, Wu Xiaowen was ultimately intimidated. She made the excuse that she hadn’t had lunch and was hungry, then took Tang Yaxuan and left with Bai Lihua, leaving Xiao Man to wait in the shop alone.
「Forty minutes later,」 a black sedan pulled up in front of the shop. Aunt Xiao Zhang, one of Grandma Tang’s aides, got out carrying a bag of money. Two middle-aged men followed her out of the car and into the shop. Xiao Man introduced them to Boss Zhou. The two men put on gloves, took out magnifying glasses, and began to meticulously inspect the jade carving. About five minutes later, they nodded to Aunt Xiao Zhang. She and Boss Zhou then counted out the money. A shop assistant packaged the jade and carried it to the car, and Xiao Man left with them.
Back home, all four of her grandparents were in the living room, waiting to see the "big-ticket item" Xiao Man had bought on her own initiative. And wasn’t it a big-ticket item? It cost 150,000, not 15!
Everyone reacted differently. Grandma just smiled without saying a word. Grandpa grumbled that Xiao Man was wasting money. Grandma Tang, however, chuckled and said, "As long as it’s something my dear granddaughter likes, we’ll buy it for her!"
Grandpa Tang was also very pleased. "My granddaughter is so much like me! To know how to appreciate jade at such a young age... Manman, you should have told me you liked these things sooner. Grandpa has a collection in the secret room in my study. I’ll take you to see it!"
When they saw the "Summer Rhythm," Grandpa Tang’s smile froze. Grandma Tang pursed her lips. "Why would you buy this? Even if it’s a replica, our Tang family has no interest in anything from the Wu Family!"
Grandpa shook his head emphatically and sighed. "You child, spending a fortune on this lump of rock? Aigh! What a waste!"
Xiao Man said, "Grandpa, this is jade, not a rock! Haven’t you heard the saying, ’Gold has a price, but jade is priceless’? Besides, this is a work of art. You can’t measure the value of art with money!"
"Then what do you measure it with?"
"Er... how should I put it? For example, you’d have to trade something you love for it. Like that entire mountain you’ve leased—even that wouldn’t be enough to trade for this little lump!"
"Nonsense! That would depend on whether I was willing to trade!" Grandpa retorted, unconsciously mimicking Xiao Man’s tone with a disdainful "Tch."
Everyone couldn’t help but laugh.
Then, Xiao Man told them how she had run into Wu Xiaowen and Tang Yaxuan while wandering around Antique Street. The jade piece was originally what Wu Xiaowen wanted to buy, but she didn’t have enough cash. Xiao Man, unable to stand the sight of Wu Xiaowen and Tang Yaxuan, had snatched it up first. Even if it just sat around uselessly, she wasn’t going to let them have it!
At this, Grandma Tang was happy again. She lavished praise on her granddaughter for her nerve, declaring, "A girl of the Tang family should be exactly this proud!"
Grandpa Tang smiled. ’Everyone has their selfish side. He and his wife were actually the same. They hadn’t had nearly enough time to dote on their newly found granddaughter themselves; they certainly didn’t want the Wu Family to coax her away.’