The elders were confused!
But Bai Wensong perked up.
Just a moment ago he was puffing out his chest, but now, standing behind, he took a step forward as if to say to Sun Xinyi: Look at me, quick, look at me!
I’m unmarried!!
“Mom, is the meal ready?”
“Yang and I haven’t had breakfast this morning, let’s eat and talk!”
Seeing the atmosphere getting a bit tense, Sun Xinyi quickly changed the subject.
“Right, let’s take our seats, and we can talk over the meal!”
He Min was actually quite open-minded. She echoed her daughter’s suggestion, and although she felt that the boyfriend her daughter had brought back seemed a bit lacking, she still had a lot of faith in her daughter’s judgement. Her daughter had studied in the big city and worked there too; she was worldly, so she wouldn’t really choose a twice-married old man with nothing to his name!
“Exactly, let’s eat and talk…”
Sun Degang also chimed in. He was the classic henpecked husband, always doing whatever his wife pointed out.
With both husband and wife managing the situation, Zhang Hongli didn’t press further.
The Sun Family had moved their kitchen out onto the balcony, freeing up the original kitchen space for a dining area. It was a bit of a squeeze for eight people, but they could just about fit.
“Wensong, you heard that!”
“Xinyi’s boyfriend is not only older but also divorced. You still have a chance!”
“Show your best later, and your aunt will help you with an assist…”
As everyone sat down, Zhang Hongli whispered a couple of sentences into Bai Wensong’s ear, keeping her voice down.
Bai Wensong nodded confidently, full of self-assurance.
Even though he felt he fell a little short in terms of looks, he had the advantages of being younger and single. He was also pretty confident in his own prospects; being a bank employee was like having an iron rice bowl.
“Today is your sister-in-law’s birthday. Let’s all start by toasting to her.”
Once everyone was seated, Zhang Hongli cheerfully took charge. After all, it was He Min’s birthday, and they were going to celebrate that first before discussing the matter of their niece’s older boyfriend.
“Right, this first drink has to be in honor of my sister-in-law!” Sun Dehai agreed.
Then, everyone raised their glasses together, noisily celebrating He Min’s birthday.
“Mom, I wish you eternal youth!”
After everyone had finished their drinks, Sun Xinyi passed the cosmetics she had bought to her mother.
“Thank you, Xinyi!”
“Our Xinyi is so filial!”
He Min was all smiles as she accepted the gift from her daughter.
At that moment, Zhang Hongli quickly elbowed Bai Wensong, who got the hint and promptly picked up the gift bag he had placed on the ground, offering it to He Min with a beaming smile: “Auntie, may you be happy every day, and always smiling.”
Bai Wensong’s gift was a scarf, costing over a hundred yuan, mainly to show the thought behind it.
He was actually quite stingy. Since today was only for a blind date and he wasn’t sure if it would work out, he had prepared a gift that wasn’t expensive!
But for him, who was used to economizing, this was quite a splurge. He couldn’t help it; he was smitten with the girl, and he needed to make a good impression on her parents.
“Thank you.”
It would be rude for He Min to refuse the well-wishes from the younger generation, so she graciously thanked them.
After Bai Wensong presented his gift, his eyes, along with Zhang Hongli’s and Sun Dehai’s, instinctively fell on Yang Hao. Not only him, but everyone else seemed to be glancing at Yang, curious to see if the “prospective son-in-law” would make a gesture.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Yang Hao reached into his suit pocket and brought out a red jewelry box, then stood up and handed it to He Min: “Auntie, happy birthday.”
“Ah?”
“This…”
He Min was somewhat astonished, as the jewelry box bore the Chow Tai Fook brand—most likely containing gold jewelry.
Giving such a valuable gift on a first meeting naturally surprised her.
Zhang Hongli was also quite shocked; she hadn’t expected her niece’s older boyfriend to be so generous.
“Sister-in-law, you have to accept Yang’s gift given with all his heart!” Zhang Hongli said.
“Thank you so much, Yang!”
“But please, don’t buy such expensive gifts next time!”
Sun Xinyi’s personality largely mirrored that of her mother He Min. Neither was materialistic by nature.
“Sister-in-law, see what Yang has given you. Don’t let his effort go to waste!”
In reality, it was Zhang Hongli who was more curious about what was inside the jewelry box, and she encouraged her sister-in-law to open it and look.
“Mom, open it and take a look!”
Sun Xinyi knew her Yang well. He wouldn’t be stingy, and publicly presenting this gift would only earn him points, so she joined in the urging.
Actually, He Min was also a bit curious. Seeing the two of them urging her on, she opened the jewelry box then and there, only to be taken aback once again.
Inside wasn’t a pair of earrings or a ring, but a glittering gold bracelet!
“Ah, a gold bracelet!!”
“It must be around fifty to sixty grams!!”
Zhang Hongli, who had leaned in to look, couldn’t help but exclaim.
Due to the unstable international situation, the price of gold had been rising, and with a brand like Chow Tai Fook, each gram was worth over six hundred yuan.
And what Yang Hao had given was a plain bangle, with none of those fancy designs. Its main selling point was its size and heft!!
“Yang, isn’t this too valuable…”
He Min was initially stunned, then said with a troubled expression.
“`
The bracelet in the jewelry box must weigh at least fifty grams, and going by the current base price of gold, that would be over twenty-five thousand. However, a brand like Chow Tai Fook would have a premium, so I estimate the bracelet would be around thirty thousand, or even a bit more.
Sun Degang was also completely dumbfounded, not expecting the boyfriend his daughter brought home to be so extravagant.
And Bai Wensong, who had just started to strut his stuff, was now looking utterly dejected. He sneakily glanced at Yang Hao several times, muttering in his heart, Big Brother, it’s just a birthday, is there really a need to be so competitive!
Sun Xinyi gently squeezed Yang Hao’s hand under the table, knowing that once Yang decided to give a gift, he wouldn’t disappoint anyone.
At the same time, she was moved once again, completely unaware that Yang Hao had quietly prepared so much for her mother’s birthday.
“Mom, this is a token of Yang’s affection, you should just accept it,”
Sun Xinyi coaxed with a smile, naturally feeling proud of herself too.
“Yes, sister-in-law, keep it!”
Zhang Hongli also chimed in, her eyes full of envy. She too had a daughter who was already married, but her son-in-law had never given such an expensive gift. The most expensive thing she could recall was a set of cosmetics worth just over two thousand!
And here, on his first visit, he brought a gold bracelet worth twenty to thirty thousand!
Zhang Hongli couldn’t help but take a close look at Yang Hao, who exuded the aura of a successful person from his attire.
At this point, Yang Hao had taken off his suit jacket, revealing a crisply ironed white shirt with sleeves rolled up slightly, and a sparkling watch on his wrist that did not look cheap.
Xinyi was not foolish, it seemed he had significant financial capability!
Zhang Hongli assessed internally.
She then subconsciously glanced at her nephew seated beside her, whose image and aura indeed fell far short.
“Yang, thank you, it must have cost you a pretty penny!”
Since her daughter had spoken, He Min didn’t refuse further; she closed the jewelry box, but it seemed like there was no safe place to put it. In the end, she simply shoved it into her trouser pocket.
“Big Brother, let’s open a bottle of baijiu!”
“I see Yang brought Moutai, and today is a good day to indulge our cravings.”
Sun Dehai suggested with a cheery laugh, not having allowed himself to drink any of the several bottles of Moutai he gave away during the New Year, as the stuff was too expensive.
“Sure.”
“Then let’s drink Moutai!”
Sun Degang was also happy and immediately opened the box that Yang Hao had brought with him.
But when he saw the four different bottles inside the box, he was a little confused, as he remembered Moutai to be that classic white bottle.
However, the Moutai in this box was fanciful!
Not quite understanding the intricacies, he randomly picked up a bottle and returned to the dining table.
Sun Dehai was about to open the bottle, but when he saw the Moutai in his big brother’s hand, he was puzzled: “This is…”
Sun Dehai tried hard to recall, then slapped his thigh, “Isn’t this the Shengshi something…”
“Shengshi what??”
Sun Degang asked curiously.
“My memory, can’t quite recall at the moment, but I’ve seen it at the leader’s house…..”
Eagerly, Sun Dehai carried the whole box over, then placed the remaining three bottles on the dining table as well.
“Right, right, right, these four bottles!”
“What were they called…”
“Shengshi Didu.”
Bai Wensong suddenly interjected; he had heard his father mention this name before, though he had never seen it himself.
“Exactly, that’s the name, Shengshi Didu!!”
Sun Dehai turned to Yang Hao and asked, “Yang, that’s the name, right?”
“Yes.”
Yang Hao nodded. He originally just wanted to buy the regular Flying Fairy Moutai, but it was out of stock.
The shopkeeper mentioned he needed money recently and was willing to sell a treasured collection of “Shengshi Didu,” asking Yang Hao if he was interested.
The “Shengshi Series” was a commemorative liquor for the third World Horticultural Exposition, a set of 10 bottles, limited to an issue of 2500 sets.
These 10 bottles were divided into “Shengshi Didu” with four bottles and “Huakai Shengshi” with six bottles.
When Yang Hao owned a hotpot restaurant, he had heard about this Shengshi series and inquired about the price.
The shopkeeper asked for sixty-five thousand, but Yang Hao managed to get it for sixty thousand.
In his view, that price was reasonable because, in 2022, a set already cost fifty thousand. The shopkeeper was willing to sell for sixty thousand now because of the recent economic downturn and falling prices for high-end collectible liquor; it seemed more likely that he was afraid of being stuck with it rather than desperately needing the money.
But for Yang Hao, tens of thousands of yuan were trivial. He was more than willing to spend money for Yibao’s family.
“I remember the leader saying that a set of Shengshi Didu costs several tens of thousands!”
Sun Dehai remarked.
“What?”
“Several tens of thousands??”
Sun Degang was outright shocked, staring in disbelief at the four bottles of liquor arranged on the dining table.
“What! Four bottles of liquor cost several tens of thousands??”
Zhang Hongli exclaimed in surprise, her mouth agape.
Bai Wensong’s mouth twitched; although it was his first time seeing the liquor, he had often heard his father discuss it with friends, including the price, so he knew the four bottles indeed cost several tens of thousands.
But naturally, he wouldn’t speak up to confirm this.
MD, Xinyi was snatched away by you.
Why the hell would I help you show off!!
“`