Chapter 32: The Grand Mansion

  Two days passed in the blink of an eye and it was soon Tuesday.

  This day was the 70th birthday of Ren Zhongshan, and the banquet was held at the Ren family's mansion. The time was set for the evening, but it was only around one or two o'clock in the afternoon when Zhou Ming received a call from Yang Dan.

  It turned out that Ren Lijuan had already extended an invitation to Yang Dan, asking her to arrive a little earlier. Of course, she didn't want Yang Dan to rush over immediately, but just to arrive a little ahead of time would be fine.

  During the call, Yang Dan asked Zhou Mingluo in confusion whether he was really going to go empty-handed, which wouldn't look very good if so. If not, then what should he buy?

  This made Zhou Mingluo nod slightly, indeed, even if Ren Lijuan had said so before, they couldn't just let the opportunity pass by in vain. Fortunately, he also knew about Old Man Ren's hobby of collecting things, so this gift wouldn't be too difficult for Zhou Mingluo to accept.

  He took advantage of the early hour and ran another trip to the antique city, casually selecting a birthday gift.

  The gift was simple, an ancient coin from the Warring States period, two well-preserved Qi State knife coins, which added up to only a few hundred yuan, although cheap, but also quite fitting.

  After selecting a gift, Zhou Ming Luo went to meet Yang Dan and then took a taxi to the Tai Kang Road Ren's mansion in Xinkang Hui Pu District.

  When they arrived, it was already past four in the afternoon, and with the banquet starting at seven, there was still plenty of time to spare.

  "Dandan, Mr. Zhou, you've arrived."

  At the gate of the Ren family, they handed over the invitation letter. When the two entered the courtyard, a slender figure from the depths of the courtyard immediately walked over with a smile, it was Ren Lijuan.

  Although it's already past four in the afternoon now, there are still quite a number of people who have rushed over.

  The Ren family's mansion is very large, with two or three villas, an independent garden, lawn, swimming pool, and a garage.

  At this moment, in front of the main villa, there were already dozens of men and women standing scattered, some dressed in suits and ties, others shining with jewels, each holding a glass, like a gathering, in twos or threes, either standing on the lawn, or gathered by the poolside, or sitting on long chairs chatting.

  These people are mostly young and junior, with very few real old-timers. It seems that they have treated the time before the longevity banquet as a small gathering.

  As Li Jiaojiao walked towards the two with a smile, a man also followed behind her, who was Zhang Zhonglin from last time.

  This was also one of the main reasons why Ren Lijuan called Yang Dan to come earlier, Zhang Zhonglin came too early and followed her all the time, in order to avoid misunderstanding by the elders, she had to let Yang Dan come earlier to make an appearance.

  "Miss Yang, Mr. Zhou, you're late." Along with Ren Lijuan's words, Zhang Zhonglin also smiled and greeted them.

  Almost at the same time, another waiter came over with a tray in one hand, on which were placed cups of wine and drinks. At Ren Lijuan's suggestion, Yang Dan and Zhou Ming also each took a cup casually.

  "Li Juan, wishing your grandfather happiness as vast as the East Sea and longevity as long as Mount Nanshan."

  Taking the wine cup, Yang Dan first nodded to Zhang Zhonglin, then took out one of the gifts bought by Zhou Ming Luo and congratulated Ren Li Juan with a smile, Zhou Ming Luo did the same.

  This made Ren Lijuan slightly surprised, but she still accepted the gift, "You guys are too polite, then I'll thank you on behalf of Grandpa, hehe."

  It's still early now, and Ren Lijuan doesn't need to greet too many guests, so there is still time. Standing locally, she started chatting with a few people.

  "Li Juan, who are these?" Just as they had exchanged a few words, a man and a woman appeared from the back, walking leisurely. The first one was elegant and handsome, with a face somewhat similar to Ren Li Juan's. Beside him stood a beautiful young woman, with an outstanding figure.

  "Big brother, big sister-in-law." Ren Lijuan heard the voice and immediately smiled and turned her head to introduce Zhou Mingluo and others to the two people behind her. Then she pointed to them and said, "This is my big brother Ren Liheng, this is my big sister-in-law Meng Ru."

  "So it's Mr. Heng Shao, I've long admired you."

  As soon as Ren Lijuan finished speaking, Zhang Zhonglin immediately smiled with joy and spoke humbly.

  Zhou Ming Luo and Yang Dan on the side also nodded in agreement.

  "Since you're a friend of Li Juan, you're a guest in our Ren family, so just make yourself at home." Ren Liheng also smiled and replied, then suddenly furrowed his brow slightly, looking at Ren Li Juan and saying, "You little girl, earlier you said you were going to give Grandpa a surprise today, what is it? Tell me first so I can be prepared."

  The Ren family is a big household with a grand business, and can be considered one of the truly wealthy families in Xinjiang.

  The Ren family's rise to wealth also began in the 1980s, when Mr. Ren resigned from his public post and went to the Soviet Union as a trader at the age of over 40, making a fortune in just a few years, becoming one of the first batch of people to become rich.

  After becoming rich, under the support of Old Master's connections and financial resources, his three sons also did one better than the other.

  The Far Yang Group, founded by the eldest son Ren Yuan Yang, has restaurants and hotels under its umbrella that have become a household name in Xinkiang Province, with influence extending to the entire province, including the provincial capital Yangcheng, Dongguan, and Shenzhen.

  Apart from this, Ren Jia Lao Er Ren Yuanhang has been promoted to the position of Executive Vice Mayor of Yangcheng Provincial Capital City, which is a standard full-hall level high-ranking official.

  Even if it was Lao San Ren Yuan Fan, at this time he has also taken the high position of Secretary of the Xinquanpu District Committee.

  Although the Ren family can't be considered the first family in Xinjiang, they are definitely among the top. With the Ren family's background and Old Master Ren's insight, how many gifts can truly surprise him?

  He's probably not even interested in giving ordinary things a second glance, so Ren Liheng was really curious what gift Ren Li Juan would give next.

  Of course, he would deliberately come over to ask, but not just because of that little curiosity. The main reason is that he roughly guessed what Ren Li Juan might send, even if many outsiders know that Old Man Ren likes antiques and collecting the most. If you want to surprise him with a gift, I estimate that most people know what to give.

  I guessed that Ren Lijuan's gift was an antique, so here comes the question, is this little sister's choice of gift reliable?

  Don't end up bringing out a fake, it doesn't matter if you lose money or not, but if it's really a fake, that would be losing face for the adults, and also ruin Old Master's mood, ruining the atmosphere of this birthday celebration.

  After all, outsiders giving gifts, even if they are fake, don't matter much. The old man wouldn't take advantage of those cheap things. But if his own children and grandchildren gave him fake goods, that would be truly embarrassing.

  Coincidentally, Ren Liheng was very clear that his own sister had never been interested in antiques since childhood, and it would not be an exaggeration to describe her as completely ignorant of them. Unlike him, who had inherited some of the old master's mantle, so he felt uneasy and wanted to take care of things for Ren Li Juan.

  "Hey, don't worry, my gift is definitely not a problem. Although it's not expensive, the advantage lies in its small quantity, Grandpa will surely be delighted when he sees it." At this moment, Ren Li Juan finally smiled slightly and said with great confidence.

  "Yes, Young Master, this gift was chosen by me and Li Juan together. I think Old Master will be very satisfied." Seizing the opportunity, Zhang Zhonglin, who was standing beside him, couldn't miss such a good chance and opened his mouth with a hint of excitement.