chapter 15 Gift ===

"Thank you." Thorpe Chen nodded.
"The dishes will be here soon. I won't disturb Mr. Chen. If you need anything, please call me at any time." The manager, Mr. Zhang, bowed respectfully and left.
After Mr. Zhang had left, all the members of the Ye family looked somewhat displeased.
Especially Lowell Fang, who looked as if someone had slapped him. Everyone was clueless about what was happening. Had the manager gone mad? Had the world gone mad?
Over fifty thousand in expenses, waived just like that. Moreover, the manager had served a societal lowlife with the highest standards, ignoring everyone else. Was he blind?
The dishes arrived quickly. But apart from Thorpe Chen and his wife, everyone else ate without tasting their food. They felt aggrieved. Such a high-end restaurant had ignored them and placed someone as useless as Thorpe Chen on a pedestal, which made them very uncomfortable.
"Dad, today's your birthday. I prepared a gift for you. It's a study pen holder that Xiao Lu (referring to a familiar person, possibly "May Zhou") and I specially prepared for you. The pen holder is carved from pear wood, and the ornament on it is polished from Burmese jade. I wish you good health and continuous promotions in life."
Without eating much, Garfield Ye took out the gift he had prepared. It was a study ornament, very exquisite. Especially the jade on top, which was polished like a flat mirror.
"Good, good. I appreciate your thoughtfulness." The item might not have been very valuable, but as it was a gift from his son, Elton Ye liked it a lot.
"Dad, my husband, Lowell, also has a gift for you. I promise you'll like it." Daisy Ye said, not wanting to be outdone.
"Uncle, you love calligraphy. So, I specially prepared a gift for you today. I guarantee you'll love it." Lowell Fang put down his chopsticks and presented a gift box about thirty centimetres long.
"What's this?" Elton Ye was somewhat puzzled.
"If Little Fang gives something, it must be good. Open it and let's see. I want to broaden my horizons." Pamela Ye said, craning her neck.
"Yes, yes, the gift from my cousin's husband must be priceless." Patty Liu chimed in.
"Let me see." Elton Ye opened the beautifully packaged gift box and found a brown brush inside.
"This... this is..." Elton Ye's eyes brightened. He loved calligraphy, and the brush in his hand felt antique, seemingly collectable. He kept touching the brush, momentarily unsure of its value.
"So it's just a brush." The onlookers, who had been craning their necks, were slightly disappointed. Lowell Fang, with his millions, was giving just a brush for his future father-in-law's birthday? That seemed a bit stingy.
"Cousin-in-law, you're just giving a brush?" Patty Liu hinted with her words, "This isn't like you."
"Haha, this isn't an ordinary brush. This is a bamboo-carved flower and bird-patterned brush from the Ming Dynasty. It's over six hundred years old and was used by the Ming Dynasty calligrapher Fedrik Zhu. I put in a lot of effort to get it from an auction." Lowell Fang laughed heartily.
"Ah, something from the Ming Dynasty. It must have been expensive." May Zhou exclaimed in surprise.
"Of course. Lowell won the bid at six hundred thousand. How could my Lowell be stingy?" Daisy Ye said proudly.
"Six hundred thousand." Elton Ye felt a tremor in his heart and became extra careful with the brush.
"Oh my, six hundred thousand! Daisy, your Lowell is generous."
"Ha ha, the Ye family found a great son-in-law, handsome, wealthy, and generous."
"Hmph, not like some people, coming empty-handed. How embarrassing." Pamela Ye said, glancing at Thorpe Chen. It was clear whom she was targeting.
Gloria Ye kept her head down, not knowing how to react. Thorpe Chen did prepare a gift, but even his best gift couldn't compare to Lowell's six hundred thousand brush. The gap between the two sons-in-law was just too big.
"Thorpe Chen, you didn't come empty-handed, did you?" Daisy Ye asked mockingly.
"We didn't come empty-handed." Gloria Ye quickly said.
"Since you did not, then why not take out the gift? You didn't just buy something cheap from a street stall as a gift, did you?"
Daisy Ye sneered, "But then again, Thorpe Chen only knows how to play cards and drink. He doesn't have a proper job and depends on you to support him. How could he afford a decent gift?"
"Thorpe Chen, don't embarrass yourself by taking out your gift. Look at Lowell Fang, spending six hundred thousand at the drop of a hat. What face do you have to stay here?" Garfield Ye said with a cold laugh.
"This brush cost you six hundred thousand?" Thorpe Chen laughed.
"Yes, six hundred thousand. I got it from an auction. It's worth every penny." Lowell Fang said confidently.
"During the Ming Dynasty, lake brushes had already become mainstream. The materials and craftsmanship of the brush hairs and shafts had seen new developments," Thorpe Chen said.
"What do you mean?" Lowell Fang was taken aback.
"Let me finish," Thorpe Chen waved his hand and continued, "In addition to the traditional sheep hair, wolf hair, and purple hair, there were brushes made from mink hair, chicken feathers, tiger fur, orang-utan hair, and foetal hair."
"Brush shafts were not only made of simple bamboo but also valuable materials like sandalwood, rosewood, gold, silver, jade, porcelain, ivory, and tortoiseshell. The ancients honoured the 'three meanings' and 'four virtues'. The three meanings referred to precision, purity, and beauty. The four virtues were sharpness, roundness, uniformity, and robustness."
"What are you trying to say?" Lowell Fang asked angrily.
"What I mean is that your brush might look the part, but it has a strong industrial feel. Mass-produced items, no matter how well imitated, lack the essence and spirit. Such brushes cost ten yuan each, yet you paid six hundred thousand for it, haha..."
"What did you say? Are you implying I bought a fake?" Lowell Fang's face changed.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Thorpe Chen, just because you can't bring a good gift, you're claiming others' items are fake?" Daisy Ye was furious, "If you're so confident, show us the proof."
"Proof? Look at the brush shaft. What's written there? Read it aloud," Thorpe Chen sneered.
"Brush shaft? There's writing on the brush shaft?" Elton Ye looked at the brush shaft, and his face slightly changed. Indeed, there was writing, and it read, "Manufactured by Shao Chen Sixth Factory."
"Dad, is there writing or is Thorpe Chen just talking nonsense?" Daisy Ye asked.
"If there's no writing, he's talking nonsense," Elton Ye snorted coldly, putting away the brush, "I like this brush. Lowell, it's the thought that counts."
As Thorpe Chen had said, the brush was fake, but he couldn't embarrass Lowell Fang in public.
"Uncle, showing my respect is the right thing to do," Lowell Fang sighed in relief. If it had been a fake, it would have been embarrassing.
"Thorpe Chen, if you can't present a gift, then shut up. Speak nonsense again, and I'll throw you out," Daisy Ye also sighed in relief. Luckily it wasn't fake. Thorpe Chen had sounded very convincing, almost fooling her as well.
"Honey, don’t speak too much," Gloria Ye tugged at Thorpe Chen.
"As you wish," Thorpe Chen gave a slight smile and fell silent.
"Thorpe Chen, what gift have you prepared? Why don't you show everyone?" May Zhou sneered, "Mocking others for being fake, let's see what you have."
"Heh, did he even prepare anything? What can someone like him do other than gamble?"
"How audacious! Not even preparing a gift for your father-in-law's birthday," the Ye family relatives ridiculed.
"Dad, this tiger amulet is specially bought for you. It's from the Spring and Autumn period and has quite the collection value," Thorpe Chen opened the gift box and handed it over.
The tiger amulet Thorpe Chen had sourced was a bit oxidized due to its age, giving it a slightly worn-out greenish hue. Upon seeing this, the Ye family's relatives burst out laughing.