The gift was revealed to be a piece of calligraphy.
The brushwork was not stunning, merely adequate.
The content was also unremarkable, just the four characters for "May you have a blissful union."
At an auction, it might not fetch a thousand yuan.
It might even be ridiculed by calligraphy enthusiasts.
But...
As everyone knows, is a calligraphy piece truly judged by its calligraphy?
For ninety-nine percent of calligraphy works, the value lies in the signature!
Even if one merely scribbled on paper with closed eyes, as long as the signature was a name like "Wang Xizhi," "Yan Zhenqing," or "Zhang Xu," it would command an astronomical price!
This seemingly ordinary calligraphy piece bore the name of the First Young Master!
Merely based on this name, the guests present were willing to increase its price tenfold!
A work originally worth a thousand yuan suddenly leaped to ten million!
Even ten million might be considered low by some!
This was because the First Young Master rarely gifted his personal works, and any such gift signified a deep friendship with the recipient!
Was the ten million truly for the First Young Master's calligraphy?
The ten million was for the First Young Master's reputation!
No matter what difficulties one encountered, presenting this piece of calligraphy would compel the other party to yield out of respect for the First Young Master!
In this light, was ten million expensive?
It was practically a bargain!
And now, this honor had not befallen any of the guests present, but rather Hu Quanan, whom the guests had previously looked down upon!
This filled the guests with extreme envy and jealousy.
How did Hu Quanan get such lucky favor from the First Young Master?
"Thank you, Young Master! Such a grand gift, Quan'an truly does not deserve it!"
Hu Quanan was incredibly excited.
He even prostrated himself on the ground without regard for his dignity.
It was like an ancient minister kneeling to receive an imperial decree.
If the ailing Old Master Hu on his sickbed saw this, he might die of anger on the spot.
The Hu family was a prominent lineage, and Old Master Hu had navigated through gunfire and bloodshed.
Old Master Hu had shed his blood and sacrificed for his descendants to stand tall, not to kneel before people like the First Young Master.
Yet, it seemed to have regressed to the Qing Dynasty!
A descendant of the Hu family was once again kneeling at someone's feet!
"Pah, what a disgrace!" several scions of the Hu family cursed under their breath.
However, they only dared to mutter in low tones, and after cursing, they glanced nervously at the helicopter as if they were thieves.
They feared being overheard by the First Young Master.
Clearly, their curses were not because they genuinely felt Hu Quanan had shamed the Hu family, but simply because the kneeling person was not them.
If it were them, they would likely be even more excited than Hu Quanan, and kneel even faster!
"Alright, that's all. I have other matters to attend to," came the First Young Master's indifferent voice from the helicopter.
Then, the helicopter turned and flew away, disappearing into the distance.
Hu Quanan remained kneeling on the ground, motionless.
Only when the helicopter was no longer visible did Hu Quanan slowly rise, holding the calligraphy, and deliberately exclaim, "To receive such great favor from the Young Master, I am truly overwhelmed, truly overwhelmed!"
"Esteemed guests, do you think I should hang this calligraphy, or carefully treasure it and offer it up day and night?"
Seeing Hu Quanan's smug expression, the guests inwardly cursed.
But outwardly, they said, "On such a joyous occasion, of course, it should be hung up. The First Young Master's blessing is akin to an emperor's blessing in ancient times. Perhaps Old Master Hu's condition will improve instantly and his illness will vanish!"
"That makes sense. The reason I rushed this marriage was precisely to bring good fortune to my granduncle. If it can truly help my granduncle recover, let alone hang a piece of calligraphy, what if I had to give my life?"
Hu Quanan said with righteous indignation.
The guests present all gave him a thumbs-up, praising Hu Quanan's filial piety as touching and extraordinary.
However, in their hearts, they silently reassessed the Hu family's power dynamics.
They silently crossed out Old Master Hu's name and put a checkmark next to Hu Quanan's.
"Young Master Hu, the gift just now represented only my father. I, personally, also have a gift for Young Master Hu..."
"Young Master Hu, look at my memory. I actually missed a gift! Come, come, I must quickly make amends..."
"Alas, it's all Young Master Hu's fault! Such a joyous occasion has made us so happy that we didn't even list all our gifts! I have two more gifts here that I hope Young Master Hu will accept."
...
Suddenly, the guests began to present additional gifts.
Those who had previously looked down on Hu Quanan now changed their tune, surrounding him with constant flattery.
Hu Quanan, on the other hand, was basking in glory, feeling more elated than ever!
In the blink of an eye, the gifts from various families piled up in the courtyard.
Almost all of them were valuable items. Just the gifts alone were likely worth over a hundred million yuan to Hu Quanan!
This was the terrifying power of aristocratic families.
An ordinary person, working diligently for a hundred years without eating or sleeping, could not compare to what a scion of an aristocratic family gained from a single wedding, a full moon celebration, or even a funeral.
This was why many in high society would utter phrases like "You're not even worth as much as my dog," and so on.
Although such remarks could easily incite public anger, they were, in fact, the truth.
"Thank you all for your kindness. I, Hu Quanan, see and remember all your friendship today, and I will certainly not let down your support,"
Hu Quanan, acting as the master of the Hu family, bowed to thank the guests.
"Young Master Hu, you are too kind. Well, now that everyone has sent their gifts, shouldn't we see the bride?"
"Yes! Let's see the bride! To be Young Master Hu's wife, I imagine the bride must be at least a celestial being, if not exceptionally beautiful?"
"See the bride! See the bride!"
The guests clamored.
Hu Quanan smiled and said, "Since everyone is so eager to see my wife, please come inside! You will have your wish at the subsequent wedding ceremony."
"Alright! The ceremony, the ceremony!" the guests shouted, and headed towards the erected wedding hall.
However, before they could enter the hall, a cold voice sounded from outside the door.
"Wait! There's still one more grand gift to receive. It's not too late to have the ceremony after this."
Upon hearing this, the crowd's interest was immediately piqued.
A grand gift?
Tsk tsk, not a single guest present dared to claim that their gift was "grand," yet someone actually dared to speak so boastfully!
They were eager to see what this so-called "grand gift" was!
Hu Quanan's eyes flickered, and a smile played on his lips.
The First Young Master's influence was truly formidable!
Before the First Young Master's arrival, the guests had been indifferent to him; after the First Young Master arrived, they rushed to present him with additional gifts.
Which family was it that had now added another gift?
"Present it!" Hu Quanan commanded proudly, waving his hand.
Hidden from his view inside the wedding hall by the guests, he was completely unaware that the person presenting the gift at the door was none other than his old acquaintance!
Ying Chen!