Chapter 149 Flaunting Wealth

"Dad, Mom, we've specially prepared Grandmother's birthday gift. Let's go wish her a happy birthday." Lin Yuxin stood up with a stiff expression. Beneath her lingering annoyance, there was also a sudden sense of relief.

What annoyed her was that her eldest aunt had gone way too far. In the past, she only showed off her superiority in private or across the dinner table in front of their family, but now she had switched to public execution through excessive praise. Just how deep was the grudge between them?

According to her original plan, buying a few thousand yuan worth of health supplements as a birthday gift would have been just about right. Had it really come to that, today her family might have faced unprecedented humiliation. Fortunately, Hong Chen's sudden whim had turned out to be a blind cat running into a dead mouse.

"Mom, Yufei, you saw it for yourselves. This is the consequence of you two insisting on putting up a false front of wealth last time," Hong Chen shook his head, offering a casual remark as he stubbed out a cigarette that was only half-smoked, then slowly stood up.

"And whose fault is that? Other sons-in-law bring honor to their mothers-in-law, but ever since we got a good-for-nothing like you in our family, my old face..." As soon as Hong Chen spoke, Shen Huifang seemed to find a floodgate, and her pent-up resentment burst forth furiously.

"Mom, shut up!" Lin Yufei suddenly raised her voice, her face filled with anxiety and panic. She had caught out of the corner of her eye that Hong Chen's expression was darkening, and she was terrified that in a fit of anger, he would just walk away.

Whether for the sake of the family's dignity or because of last night's event that kept her heart constantly hanging by a thread, right now, Hong Chen's presence was extremely important—crucially and unprecedentedly important!

Shen Huifang was utterly dumbfounded. Her eldest daughter had never stopped talking back to her since she got married, and Lin Yuiguo had acted like a completely different person ever since returning from the last Lin family gathering, no longer accommodating or tolerating her. Now, even her youngest daughter was yelling at her, and publicly at that. The world had turned upside down; the whole family had rebelled!

Meanwhile, the surrounding guests wore fascinating expressions. Everyone had been eagerly waiting to watch this family display their filial piety, but instead of filial piety, the family had inexplicably started an internal feud. What on earth was going on?

The teasing look in Shen Huizhu's eyes grew even more intense. Stoking the flames, she said, "Huifang, what are you doing? A son-in-law is half a son. Why are you suddenly losing your temper at him? Shouldn't a mother-in-law grow fonder of her son-in-law the more she looks at him?"

Provoked into a frenzy, Shen Huifang snapped, "If you like him so much, you can take him as your own son-in-law."

Xiao Ting's expression turned cold. "Second Aunt, you should dump your family's piece of trash on someone else. I wouldn't dare take him..."

"Enough! Do you all think I'm dead?" Elder Shen slammed his hand violently on the armchair's armrest. With so many guests present, his two daughters had started a verbal battle. Did they want to strip the Shen family of every last shred of dignity?

Seeing their father angry, Shen Huizhu and Shen Huifang immediately shut their mouths, while Xiao Ting covered her mouth and hid behind her boyfriend.

"Huifang, did you or did you not prepare a birthday gift for your mother? If not, your family should all sit down, finish this meal, and head home early," Elder Shen said with an impatient expression.

Without a word of greeting, Lin Yuiguo suddenly stepped forward, walked alone before the elderly couple, bowed to the old lady, and presented a golden bracelet with both hands. "Mom, I wish you health and longevity."

This gold bracelet cost over thirty thousand yuan. While not exceptionally extravagant, considering the financial situation of Lin Yuiguo's family, it showed genuine sincerity. The old lady took it in her hands and nodded with a smile. "Yuiguo, you put thought into this."

However, Elder Shen was not buying it. With a stern face and zero trace of a smile, he snorted, "Yuiguo, I know your family's situation. I don't care whether the gift is heavy or light; the key is sincerity. Didn't you say your daughter and son-in-law arrived last night? Yet they're nowhere to be seen even now that the banquet has started. Are they planning to make all the guests wait for them?"

Lin Yuiguo lowered his head with an awkward expression. He knew that Hong Chen and the others being late touched upon Elder Shen's greatest taboo. It was much like an important imperial ceremony where the emperor and high officials had all arrived; if the lowest-ranking official not only showed up late but dragged his feet, the old emperor would be thoroughly displeased—purely intent on making you lose face in public!

"What harm is there in waiting a little longer? Didn't Eldest Aunt say we went out of our way to prepare a birthday gift for Grandmother?" A voice as calm as water echoed through the room.

Elder Shen raised his eyes to see Hong Chen and Lin Yuxin walking side by side, with Lin Yufei following closely behind, and Shen Huifang trailing at the very end looking hesitant and unable to move her feet.

"Hong Chen, stop talking nonsense," Lin Yuiguo rebuked in a low voice.

Hong Chen shook his head. "Dad, I'm just telling the truth. Can it be a crime to put thought and effort into showing filial piety?"

Suppressing his anger, Elder Shen said, "Then let me see what kind of birthday gift you've prepared that required such a grand and troublesome affair."

Hong Chen glanced sideways at Lin Yuxin. Seeing her shoot him a light glare, Hong Chen sighed inwardly. He truly didn't want to steal the spotlight, but Lin Yuxin insisted that he present the gift...

He rummaged through a bag and pulled out an exquisite box. When he opened it, a piece of emerald-green jadeite leaped into everyone's view.

There were plenty of knowledgeable and discerning people among those present. Someone gasped in shock, "This is glass-grade, and judging by the color and clarity, it's top quality."

Elder Shen's eyes lit up before he cast a suspicious look at Hong Chen. Facing the old lady, Hong Chen presented the jade piece with both hands and said, "Grandmother, I wish you a life as boundless as the Eastern Sea and longevity matching the Southern Mountain. This jade pendant was bought at the Canna Jewelry store. It just arrived this morning, and the price of six hundred and eighty thousand is very auspicious."

The hall fell into a profound silence!

Elder Shen and the old lady froze. Lin Yuiguo and Shen Huifang were stunned. Shen Huizhu and Xiao Ting's jaws dropped wide enough to fit an egg, and the rest of the Shen family members wore expressions of sheer astonishment.

Six hundred and eighty thousand yuan was certainly not a small sum, but it wasn't enough to make the Shen family pull such exaggerated expressions. The crucial point was that this was merely a birthday gift, not a milestone birthday. Counting wedding anniversaries, the elderly couple celebrated three occasions every year, and the ones footing the bill this time were Shen Huifang's family, who held the lowest status in the Shen family.

"Huifang, is your son-in-law playing a prank on us? Bringing a fake and quoting the price of the real deal?" Shen Huizhu suddenly burst into laughter, the mockery in her tone unmistakable to everyone.

"Rip." Just as her voice trailed off, a tearing sound abruptly cut through the air, sounding like a piece of clothing being ripped apart. Following closely, a chorus of gasps erupted, and eyes bulged out of their sockets.

Shen Huizhu's smile froze, her eyes widening as if she had seen a ghost.

The bag Hong Chen had taken from Lin Yuxin had torn, and bundles upon bundles of bright red cash tumbled out onto the floor—a massive pile of it!

This was brazen, unadulterated flaunting of wealth.

Ignoring the wolf-like gazes surrounding him, Hong Chen squatted down and unhurriedly picked up the money. He suddenly picked up one bundle and waved it at Shen Huizhu. "Eldest Aunt, is this real or fake?"

Shen Huizhu's face stiffened, resembling someone suffering from severe constipation.

Hong Chen smiled faintly again. "Eldest Aunt, some things can be joked about, but others cannot—like birthday gifts. A casual remark from you calling it a fake would lead others to believe our family's filial piety is insincere. We need Grandfather to judge this matter."

Shen Huizhu's expression grew even more rigid. Biting down on her back teeth, the hatred burning in her heart was indescribable, yet she was utterly speechless and unable to refute him.

Hong Chen finished picking up the cash, scooped it up in his arms, and walked over to present it to the old lady. "Grandmother, you are seventy-eight years old this year, so here is precisely seventy-eight thousand yuan as a tribute to you."

*(Note: The text mentions 780,000 yuan based on the context of the previous number 680,000, continuing the scale of wealth).*

The hall plunged into a dead silence!

Earlier, the crowd had merely been astonished, but now they were deeply shocked.

They had originally thought Hong Chen scattering a massive amount of cash was purely to flaunt his wealth and make people envious, but they hadn't expected it to be part of the birthday gift as well.

The six hundred and eighty thousand yuan jade pendant, combined with the seventy-eight hundred thousand yuan in cash—nearly one and a half million in total. All the birthday gifts the old lady received today combined wouldn't amount to much more than this.

Shen Huifang's family had really struck it rich!

This identical thought flashed uncontrollably through the minds of the Shen family members. They exchanged glances, their expressions indescribably complex, mirroring the turmoil in their hearts at that moment.

The old lady remained in a daze for a good dozen seconds before she finally snapped out of it slightly, nodding repeatedly. "Good, good. You've put your hearts into this. Truly put your hearts into this."

Hong Chen placed the money on the table, intentionally or not stacking it into a small golden pyramid that radiated a brilliant red glow. He then turned his gaze to Elder Shen. "Grandfather, the jade pendant we gave Grandmother is a token of our family's filial piety. Eldest Aunt claimed it was a fake, and we cannot let that go unresolved. Please take a look and tell us whether it's genuine or counterfeit."

With that, he slid a receipt right under Elder Shen's nose. While others didn't know what it was, Lin Yuxin and Lin Yufei knew all too well, and the two sisters suppressed their laughter with immense difficulty.

Elder Shen glanced at it twice; the truth of its authenticity was naturally self-evident. Before everyone present, he still had to put on a show of inspecting the jade pendant back and forth in his hands before finally declaring that the piece was 100% genuine.

Hong Chen smiled and said, "Grandfather, Eldest Aunt is an elder, so an apology to a junior like me isn't necessary. However, I believe she owes my father an apology. The birthday gift was our family's expression of filial piety to Grandmother, yet it was questioned as a fake. As the head of our household, my father must be feeling quite upset and deserves some comfort."

Lin Yuiguo was taken aback and instinctively waved his hand to say it wasn't necessary, but Lin Yuxin chimed in, "Dad, I think so too." After a brief hesitation, she added, "She should also apologize to Mom. As for us juniors, we can let it go."

Lin Yufei simply stated one word: "Right."

Elder Shen was an extremely shrewd man. He knew that Shen Huizhu's previous sarcastic remarks were actually meant to back Shen Huifang's family into a corner and make a fool of them. Now that Hong Chen and the others were holding a grudge, they were clearly out to slap Shen Huizhu in the face.

Elder Shen pondered for a moment, cast a subtle glance at the small pyramid of cash on the table and the jade pendant in the old lady's hands, and a decisive look flashed in his eyes.

A married daughter was like water poured out; he would naturally side with whichever one brought a greater return. The birthday gift from Shen Huifang's family was ten times that of Shen Huizhu's family; which one to choose went without saying.

"Huizhu, apologize to Yuiguo and Huifang."

Shen Huizhu's complexion turned atrocious to the extreme. Her husband, Xiao Chunyong, bit the bullet and said, "Dad, we're all family. Huizhu was just speaking off the cuff, there's no need to take it this seriously, right?"

Just as Elder Shen was about to utter a harsh reprimand, a voice abruptly broke in. "Grandfather, the birthday gifts can wait. A distinguished guest has arrived."

Elder Shen's gaze shifted toward the source of the voice. He saw Shen Mo standing up from the second table on the left. Meeting Elder Shen's eyes, Shen Mo announced loudly, "Young Master Lu Bin of the Lu family has come to wish Grandmother a happy birthday. I'll go outside to welcome him."

With that, he glanced at Lin Yufei with a sinister smile, turned around, and walked toward the entrance.

Shen Qing, sitting at the same table, also stood up and sneered coldly at Lin Yufei. "Yufei, Young Master Lu specially came in a wheelchair to celebrate the birthday. You better mentally prepare yourself." Then, she tossed her head and hurried after Shen Mo.

Lin Yufei panicked instantly, but Hong Chen simply shrugged lightly at her. "I told you so, they wouldn't just let it go. The moment you showed up, they immediately came looking for trouble. If you hadn't shown up today, they might have come to Qing City to hunt you down tomorrow. Furthermore, based on my understanding of these aristocratic scions, they mostly act on impulse to vent their anger without considering the consequences. Falling into their hands—being violated before being killed—isn't out of the realm of possibility."

Lin Yufei was practically on the verge of tears, her face as pale as paper. "Brother-in-law, you have to help me."

Hong Chen amusedly asked, "Now you remember I'm your brother-in-law?"

Lin Yuxin sighed. "Hong Chen, stop joking around. I've been thinking, if things really get out of hand later, how about you give President Gao or the young master of the Jiang family a call?"

"Let's see how things play out first," Hong Chen gave a noncommittal reply. He then lit a cigarette and began to smoke it leisurely.