Chapter 42: Really Shameless

Qi laoye’s voice was very loud and especially penetrating. Once his voice came out, it instantly attracted everyone’s attention. As everyone watched as Qi laoye’s round body rushed over, their faces changed into an expression that showed that they anticipated  to enjoy a good show soon.

“Father, why did you come?” If possible, Qi Shaodong really wished that he could dig a hole to hide Qi laoye. He never thought that his complacent old man would actually invite himself over. This…wasn’t this making him slap his own face?

“What if I hadn’t come? If I did not come, you would have given all of the precious treasures away. These are all good things, how could you carelessly give them away?!” Qi laoye looked at the things inside the chest and absolutely could not bear to part with them. Just a moment ago, he was also in the courtyard and heard that Qi Shaodong wanted to give them away. Feeling very anxious, he quickly ran over. Seeing that the treasures were still there, Qi laoye let go of the anxiousness in his heart.

“Father!” When Qi Shaodong heard Qi laoye speak with no regard to the current situation , he quickly got embarrassed and stopped Qi laoye’s words. “These things are all Shen meimei’s. Previously I was helping her keep them safe.  I’m going to give them back to her today…”As Qi Shaodong said these words, he gave Qi laoye a meaningful look. In his heart he did not understand who made his old man come forward and argue unnecessarily.

After this incident, he must investigate and properly discipline that person!

Qi laoye had originally felt great pity towards parting with those valuable goods, but seeing Qi Shaodong’s weird look just now, he noticed that there were many people around. His expression immediately became somewhat uncomfortable and he coughed to hide his embarrassment,“Cough, Cough!  What?” His expression was somewhat unstable.  Thinking of what he said a moment ago in anxiousness, now that he realized that he was in front of everyone, Qi laoye also felt very embarrassed.

Ai, why did those people not make it clear a moment ago? Did they instigate him to hurry over and cause trouble?

And really, is this Xiaojie from the Shen family serious? These things have already been gifted,  how could she still ask for them to be returned? So stingy!

In his heart, he was extraordinarily dissatisfied with Shen Jingshu. Qi laoye usually liked to pretend to be cultured and he was especially fond of the things that Shen Jingshu sent over. Now, he looked at Shen Jingshu like a pack of wolves. “Shen xiaojie, these things were sent by you to Shaodong before. Now you want to take them back?” Qi laoye said these words in hopes that Shen Jingshu would not take them back to save face. However, Shen Jingshu’s next words left Qi laoye with no chance to offer another rebuttal, “Qi laoye, I did not want to but Shaodong gege insisted on returning them to me. Qi laoye, help me persuade Shaodong gege!”

“This … …” Qi laoye listened to Shen Jingshu’s words and could not help but glare at Qi Shaodong. How did his intelligent son suddenly became stupid? “Shaodong, how can this be?” This spendthrift, these things are invaluable and he casually gave them away? Even if he doesn’t want them, I want them! When the time comes to take them out and gift them away, maybe I could be promoted!

Qi laoye secretly blamed Qi Shaodong for not being sensible. He also decided to not allow Qi Shaodong to manage these valuable items in the future, so as to avoid Qi Shaodong trying to give these items away again and damaging the household!

“Father, these things originally belonged to the Shen family. Shen meimei put these things here for safe keeping so it is right to return them to her today.” Helplessly watching Qi laoye, Qi Shaodong knew that his old man was sometimes not very observant. Otherwise, how could he only manage to be a fourth ranked official even after all these years? His brother-in-law was a second ranked official in the capital; both were brothers, how could his old man be so inferior?

Qi Shaodong sometimes found himself wanting to turn his back on his old man, especially now, he hated that he could not make Qi laoye disappear before he continued to lose face!

“You…” Qi laoye really wanted to say something, but when he saw everyone looking at him, it wasn’t easy to say it anymore. Qi Shaodong noticed and hurriedly gave A Fu a meaningful look to urge Qi laoye to leave. “Father, you have just returned, isn’t there something you have to take care of? Handing over this matter to me is fine, you’re still busy!”If Qi laoye stayed here, Qi Shaodong was really worried that he would be humiliated again!

“I don’t …” Wanting to say that he did not have anything to do, Qi laoye’s eyeballs turned–he still wondered how he was supposed to leave those things behind. At that moment, someone within the crowd suddenly spoke, “Qi shaoye, since Qi laoye is here, let Qi laoye take Shen xiaojie’s things out! In the future, this will avoid you being inconvenienced again, right?”

Qi Shaodong was most afraid of people mentioning this matter now, but at the moment there just had to be someone who deliberately said things against him. Qi Shaodong shot the other person a quick glance and found that, although the other person was his own classmate, it was rumored  that the other person’s father did not get along with his dad. It’s no wonder that he would come out to pick a fight now.

If he had known earlier, he would not have allowed him to come. Really, did he think the world was not chaotic enough already?

Qi Shaodong was in the process of  thinking about how to solve this problem, but when Qi laoye heard this, he subconsciously started to talk, “That is out of the question. Those things have already been gifted, how can they still be asked to be returned?” Qi laoye was completely reacting subconsciously, however his statement immediately exposed how thick skinned he was.  Noticing his son’s distorted face, Qi laoye could not help but laugh drily. He then noticed Shen Jingshu’s fawning expression, “ Jingshu, this…… your uncle Qi is really too fond of your inkstone and painting. Before, I only wanted to take a look at them, I never thought that Shaodong’s grandfather would catch sight of them and take a liking to them. This old man really loves them. I just couldn’t refuse him. This…” Qi laoye could really lie to a child. He was going to give those things to his boss, but he could not say that. “You’ve also met Shaodong’s grandfather; hasn’t he sent you many good things before? The old man took them away and I, as a member of  the younger generation, could not say anything. So Jingshu, can you let uncle Qi replace those two things with something else for you?” Qi laoye smiled and looked at Shen Jingshu with a look of affection and kindness. If Shen Jingshu had not personally witnessed Qi laoye take her daddy’s position while smiling proudly like he had a clear conscience and later being very picky towards her, she’s afraid that she would have been deceived again.

Who said that Qi laoye was an idiot? It is hard to guard against a villain. It can be said that Qi laoye is exactly that kind of person–a person who takes advantage of loopholes!

Shen Jingshu looked at Qi laoye’s bright eyes, how could she not know the other person’s thoughts?

Compared to Qi Shaodong, Qi laoye was an elder. How could she really accept the other person’s things?

“…” Wrinkling her brow in confliction, Shen Jingshu looked at the wide smile on Qi laoye’s shiny face and her eyes filled with disgust, “Qi laoye is too serious. Since grandpa Qi is fond of those things, then just treat it as Jingshu showing filial piety to grandpa Qi. How could I inconvenience Qi laoye?” It was for grandpa Qi? Who would believed that?

“Haha, then…” Qi laoye wanted to say that this matter was settled. In any case, to use grandpa Qi’s name to take a child’s things was cheap, but Qi laoye was not repentant at all.  On the other hand, Qi Shaodong did not think this way, “Father, these things are the Shen family’s. If it is the Shen family’s it should be returned to the Shen family! But if grandfather is fond of them, it is not polite of us juniors to ask for them. I remember that there is something similar in father’s study, why doesn’t father give it to Shen meimei? It can be considered as giving Shen meimei a gift in return. ”

The painting in Qi laoye’s study was an original, andQi laoye had spent a lot of effort to obtain that inkstone. The ink that came out was not watery and it exuded a sweet scent, so Qi laoye was reluctant to give it away. Now that Qi Shaodong had actually offered it, how could Qi laoye agree?

“This is not…” He wanted to refuse, but Qi Shaodong did not give him the opportunity. “Father, I believe grandfather also thinks this way. Grandfather hates to take advantage of others, right?” How could Qi laoye not be afraid of the Qi family’s patriarch?  When Qi laoye heard Qi Shaodong’s tone, he was afraid that Qi Shaodong would tell grandpa Qi. How could Qi laoye dare to refuse? “Yes, father would certainly think so. A Fu, go and bring Fu Zhan zi’s horse painting here, and that Ten Miles of Fragrance inkstone. Bring both over and give them to Shen xiaojie as a return gift!!” Qi laoye’s words surprised everyone.  Zhan zi’s horse paintings were hard to find and invaluable. That Ten Miles of Fragrance inkstone was also incredibly rare. Anyone who knew anything would hold on tightly to those treasures; how could they be willing to give it away?

SeeingQi laoye be so generous, everyone was astonished. More sharp witted people felt that they had seen Shen Jingshu’s two rare items before, but were not sure where.  

……

Shen Jingshu watched Qi laoye angrily walk away and  Qi Shaodong’s dark expression, and a laugh bloomed in her heart. Putting on an act to decline first but later acting pleased to receive something, she slipped away under Qi Shaodong and Qi Xueyan’s conflicted expressions Looking at the objects she had acquired, Shen Jingshu remembered the look in everyone’s eyes and smiled, “Chun Ye, I remember last time I went to the provincial governor’s house, I saw daddy’s inkstone there.”

“Haha, is that so? Xiaojie’s memory is really good!” Although Chun Ye did not know why Shen Jingshu was saying this, she still had to answer.

“But today Qi laoye said it was given to grandpa Qi. Could we have been mistaken?” Although Shen Jingshu said it softly, her voice was neither loud nor quiet and attentive people near her would still have been able to hear.

“Perhaps. But Xiaojie, Qi laoye’s things are really superior to Laoye’s things.  Xiaojie, do not overthink!”

“En, maybe I was mistaken in seeing it…” Smiling, Shen Jingshu watched as one of her audience members quietly walked away and began to admire what she held in her hand.

Qi Shaodong, Qi Shaodong, do you think that holding on to these better things will seal their lips? People, they must all pay a price for their lies!