The stallholder wrapped up the painting, and Chen Junhao swiped his card with a pang of reluctance.
Even though his salary was already over ten thousand a month, spending a hundred thousand on a painting still seed excessive to him.
But since Chen Deshou had said that the painting was an authentic Tang Bohu, he thought it would definitely fetch more than a hundred thousand at the auction; he considered it an investnt.
Chen Junhao carefully carried the painting back to Chen Deshou.
Chen Deshou took it and nodded with satisfaction, "Who would have thought that I, Chen Deshou, could collect a real Tang Bohu in my lifeti? Truly, I have no regrets now."
Chen Junhao asked curiously, "Grandpa, if we sell it as a genuine piece, how much could this painting fetch?"
Chen Deshou said with a face full of pride, "At least three million!"
Chen Junhao’s eyes widened, "That much!"
Zhao Chunlan’s eyes shone brightly from the side, "Then we’ve really hit the jackpot this ti! Old Master, you’re really amazing!"
Chen Deshou stroked his beard while smiling and said, "Fortunately, for my birthday feast tomorrow, I’ve invited Guan Shutong, the top treasure appraiser from Pingyun County. I’ll have him take a look; with Guan Shutong’s certification, the value of this painting can climb another step."
Chen Junhao and Zhao Chunlan exchanged glances, their eyes twinkling with barely concealed excitent.
Chen Junhao sneaked a peek at the stallholder and thought to himself that today he really picked up a bargain.
After that, the three of them hurriedly left with the painting.
The stallholder watched the three of them leave with the look of having found treasure and burst into hearty laughter.
At that mont, an elderly man with white hair approached, and seeing the stallholder’s joyful laughter, he asked, "Liu San, what good thing has happened to make you laugh so heartily?"
Liu San glanced at the elder, his attitude imdiately turned exceedingly respectful, and said, "Elder Guan, I was lucky today. Three fools mistook my three-hundred-yuan imitation for a real Tang Bohu and paid a hundred thousand for it. How can I not be happy?"
The elder raised an eyebrow, "Oh? To encounter such foolish people is quite rare these days."
...
The next evening.
The Chen family’s old house was decked out with lanterns and strears, the scene full of festivity.
Tables were set up all over the yard, with nurous mbers of the Chen family already seated and chatting with one another.
Dressed in clean traditional attire, Chen Deshou, accompanied by Chen Junhao, took his seat at the foremost position in the yard.
mbers of the Chen family all ca forward to wish Chen Deshou a happy birthday.
Chen Deshou gestured with his hand and began, "While we’re waiting for the other guests to arrive and only the Chen family mbers are present, I want to discuss sothing."
mbers of the Chen family imdiately quieted down.
"You’ve all heard about Qingfan Pharmaceuticals, the pharmaceutical titan from Provincial City, planning to open a branch in Pingyun County, haven’t you?" Chen Deshou asked.
Everyone nodded.
"Qingfan Pharmaceuticals is a big company. Their decision to open a branch here is highly valued by the county officials. According to the information I’ve received, the county has earmarked the best plot of land for Qingfan Pharmaceuticals. Their office building and factory will soon begin construction. This is a once-in-a-lifeti opportunity for our Chen family."
"If our Chen family could have the opportunity to collaborate with Qingfan Pharmaceuticals, the scale of Chen Corporation might increase by several folds."
"We have already received an invitation to attend this press conference, so I hope you can take action, and we must secure this partnership!"
The mbers of the Chen family got excited.
Chen Junhao asked eagerly, "Grandpa, if we can secure this partnership, wouldn’t the Chen family soar to great heights?"
Chen Deshou nodded, "That’s right, if we could cling to the thick thighs of Qingfan Pharmaceuticals, our Chen family would certainly rise with the tide."
Chen Junhao said, "Then wouldn’t we also have the chance to buy a villa?"
Chen Deshou snorted coldly, "Buying a villa is trivial, if we could collaborate with Qingfan Pharmaceuticals, that bastard Chen Fan would be nothing but a joke in our eyes! Originally, I considered giving him a chance, but who would have thought he would be so arrogant. Once the Chen family rises to success, there will definitely be no share for him!"
Chen Junhao’s face was full of anticipation, "Grandpa, rest assured, on the day of the press conference, we will definitely find a way to secure this partnership!"
Chen Deshou nodded, "Alright, the guests should also be arriving soon. Go and get ready to start the birthday banquet."
Before long, a crowd of guests arrived and, after giving their blessings to Chen Deshou, took their seats in the yard.
Chen Deshou looked at Chen Junhao and said, "Master Guan should also be arriving soon. Go get the Riding Donkey Thinking of Returning Painting, and later in front of the guests, have Master Guan appreciate it, to bring honor to our Chen family."
Chen Junhao nodded and fetched the painting, placing it in front of Chen Deshou.
At this mont, Chen Fan arrived in the yard with Wang Suyun.
Seeing the two of them, the Chen family mbers quieted down a bit.
Chen Junhao gave Chen Fan a cold look and questioned, "What are you doing here! Are you here to spoil Grandpa’s good mood on his birthday?"
Wang Suyun gave an awkward smile and defended Chen Fan, "Old Master, Chen Fan is here today to celebrate your birthday, and he has specially prepared a gift for you. You will definitely like it, so please don’t take it to heart with him, a younger generation."
Chen Deshou snorted coldly, "I can’t afford his gift. You two can leave; I don’t want to see him."
Wang Suyun’s face filled with embarrassnt, not expecting Chen Deshou to ask them to leave directly.
Chen Fan looked sowhat helpless. To avoid making Wang Suyun uncomfortable, he stepped forward and said, "Grandpa, I’m truly here to celebrate your birthday this ti, and the gift I’ve prepared for you is definitely sothing you will like. Why don’t you take a look at the gift first, then decide whether to send away, okay?"
Chen Junhao scoffed to himself, thinking, no matter how good your gift is, could it be better than what I got for Grandpa?
He thought that with his own gift, Grandpa would definitely find it difficult to appreciate anyone else’s. This was a good opportunity to further deepen Grandpa’s dislike for Chen Fan, as it would be troubleso if Chen Fan ca to claim a slice of the cake once the Chen family sealed the deal with Qingfan Pharmaceuticals.
Therefore, he spoke up, "Grandpa, since he has put it that way, why don’t you take a look at his prepared gift? If it’s comparable to what I got for you, forgiving him once wouldn’t hurt. But if it turns out to be less than what I gave you, then we might as well kick him out of the Chen family right away, what do you think?"
Chen Deshou nodded and said to Chen Fan, "Considering that Junhao is pleading on your behalf, I will give you a chance. Take out your prepared gift and show everyone."
Chen Fan’s face revealed a confident smile as he slowly unfolded his Riding Donkey Thinking of Returning Painting.
"I know you have always loved antique calligraphy and paintings, Grandpa, so I spent three million to buy this Riding Donkey Thinking of Returning Painting. It is an authentic work by Tang Bohu, and I hope you will accept it."
Chen Deshou, Chen Junhao, and Zhao Chunlan were taken aback.
After quite a while, Chen Junhao and Zhao Chunlan couldn’t help bursting into laughter, while Chen Deshou’s face was full of disappointnt as he glared at Chen Fan intensely.
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