"Old Madam, everything is here," Steward Sun said, placing the tray on a small carved table beside Madam Ji and respectfully stepping aside.
"Good, thank you for your trouble! My dear granddaughter-in-law, after you drink your tea, do you resent this old woman for being stingy and not giving you a gift? Do you think I only flatter you with words and don't even have a red envelope, meaning I don't truly value you?" The old lady said with a beaming smile, ostensibly to Ming Yue but clearly for the ears of Ji Shigong's family.
"Grandmother, kinship is priceless. Your care and affection for Ming Yue are the best gifts," Ming Yue replied sincerely. She didn't lack material possessions but craved familial concern. Her clear gaze showed her words came from the heart.
"Good child, I like hearing you say that. Unlike those short-sighted, shallow people. How could Grandmother not prepare a gift? It's just that explaining these things takes time. I wanted to wait until after you've offered tea and sat down, then I'll introduce them to you one by one. It's tiring to stand and listen, and Xiao You would worry!" The old lady subtly mocked He Ling while also teasing her grandson.
Her words made He Ling, Ming Yue, and Ji Shiyou blush. He Ling was embarrassed, as everyone present understood the old lady was scolding her without naming names. Ji Shiyou and Ming Yue were shy, as if the old lady were publicly displaying their affection. Ming Yue, however, thought it was a pity, as they were only married by agreement for three months. Then she wondered why she felt it was a pity, did she not want to leave? Ming Yue stole a glance at Ji Shiyou and found him looking at her with a deep gaze. She quickly averted her eyes and turned back to the old lady in the main seat, her face flushing even more.
"This is the key to your mother-in-law's room safe. It contains all the jewelry she left behind. Before she passed away, she entrusted it to me, saying it was for my grandson's wife when he got married. Consider it a meeting gift from her, her mother-in-law, to her daughter-in-law. Today, she can rest in peace. Here is the list, keep it safe. It's yours now." The old lady picked up a key and a booklet from the tray and handed them to Ming Yue.
"Thank you, Mother-in-law!" Ming Yue quickly stood up, bowed, and accepted. As it was a gift from an elder, she dared not refuse. This was an inheritance, and she didn't need to be polite.
Zhao Xinning, standing nearby, turned red with anger. Ji Shiyou's mother, born into a wealthy merchant family, was the only daughter. When she married Ji Dechun, her family gave her almost all their wealth in the form of jewelry as her dowry. Judging by the thickness of the booklet, the quantity was immense. She had heard Ji Dechun say that the safe where Ji Shiyou's mother kept her jewelry was as large as a wall. She had long coveted it but couldn't access the third floor. She had planned to claim the jewelry after Ji Shiyou's death. Now that it all belonged to Ming Yue, she had no hope, and her heart ached.
"Go back and sit down. If you get tired from standing up and sitting down repeatedly, what then? Listen as this old woman explains them to you one by one. You can take them after I'm done introducing them," the old lady said compassionately, seeing Ming Yue standing and bowing as if receiving a lecture. She asked Ming Yue to return to her seat.
Ming Yue returned to her seat and saw the old lady picking up a file from the tray. "This is my gift to you, Grandmother. This old woman doesn't have as much jewelry as your mother-in-law. However, when I was young, I enjoyed acquiring properties. This is thirty properties, located all over the country, most of them in the capital. You marrying into the Ji family is considered your betrothal gift. I have already transferred the ownership to your name. Whether you sell or rent them is up to you. If you have any questions, you can ask Steward Sun. He used to manage them for me."
The old lady's words made everyone present, including Ming Yue, change their expressions. This was too precious, proving the old Madam Ji's high regard for her. However, she did not refuse, as she had already decided to accept whatever the old lady gave her. She would return it to Ji Shiyou privately later, acting as a mere conduit for the wealth.
"Grandmother, this is inappropriate. No matter how much you favor elder brother, you can't use the Ji family's assets to curry favor. So many properties given to an outsider, even as a betrothal gift, is too extravagant!" Ji Shigong couldn't help but complain. Thirty properties, most of them in the capital, were roughly estimated to be worth tens of billions. And this was given to Ming Yue as a betrothal gift? Even if Ji Shiyou died, these would be Ming Yue's private property, and he wouldn't get a cent.
"Are your ears just for show? Didn't you hear what I just said? These are my private assets, not the Ji family's. I decide who I give them to. Do you think you can control me? Or are you coveting this old woman's money?" The old lady glared at Ji Shigong, who, frightened, quickly denied it but kept signaling to Ji Dechun.
"Mother, Xiao Gong didn't mean it that way. Your son is just stating a fact. When the Ji family marries a daughter-in-law, how can you use your private savings? This money should come from the Ji family. Your private savings should be passed down to your son, and then to your grandchildren after your son's death. It's a family inheritance, isn't it? It's not right to bypass the son and give directly to the grandchildren, is it?" Ji Dechun's eyes lit up when he heard about the thirty properties. These should have been his, as he was the old lady's only biological son. With these assets, he could live in luxury until he died. Thus, he quickly tried to secure his own interests.
"Give them to you? Are you capable of handling them? If I give these properties to you, you'll squander them within a year. I'm giving them to Ming Yue. By the time you're old, she can at least ensure you don't starve, after all, you are her father-in-law. However, you said one thing very well: when the Ji family marries a daughter-in-law, I shouldn't be the only one spending money. Next is the Ji family's betrothal gift. Back then, when the old man passed away, the Ji Corporation faced a crisis. It was Hui Yin who sold her parents' inheritance to inject capital, allowing the Ji Corporation to overcome the difficulties. At that time, according to the capital injection ratio, Hui Yin held sixty percent of the Ji Corporation's shares. After her death, Xiao You inherited them. The remaining forty percent was held by several shareholders, ten percent by the Ji Corporation, and ten percent each by me, Xiao You, and you. Now that Xiao You is married, you, as his father, naturally have to contribute. Take half of your ten percent stake as a betrothal gift and transfer it to Ming Yue. I am also old, so I will give half of my ten percent to Xiao You and the other half to Ming Yue. I have already arranged for people to handle the equity change. Here are the documents for the changed equity, which are now effective. From now on, in the Ji Corporation's shares, Xiao You will hold sixty-five percent, Ming Yue will hold ten percent, and you will hold five percent."
The old lady's words struck Ji Shigong's family like a bolt from the blue, leaving them utterly stunned. Ji Dechun regretted speaking up. He originally had ten percent of the shares, but now it was halved. However, having been accustomed to a life of leisure, he thought that no matter what, he was still Ji Shiyou's father and the master of the Ji family. The amount of shares wouldn't affect his life, and he would still receive his allowance, so he remained silent.
Zhao Xinning, Ji Shigong, and He Ling had never known the distribution of the Ji Corporation's shares. They had always assumed that besides the twenty percent held by various shareholders, the remaining eighty percent was jointly owned by the Ji family, and they all had a stake in it. Even if the two branches divided it equally, they would at least get forty percent. After all their scheming and plotting, they realized that the only thing they were related to was the five percent in Ji Dechun's hands. However, the old Madam Ji's next words further shattered their beliefs, casting a dark shadow over their hearts.