The old lady of the Jiang family narrowed her eyes, and Ling Xiaoran felt as if she was being stared at, startling her into shrinking back into Ling Feng's embrace.
Ever since leaving kindergarten, Ling Xiaoran had been like a koala, not having left Ling Feng's arms.
In a place like this, the little girl was even more nervous.
Ling Feng gently stroked Ling Xiaoran's back and softly comforted her, "Xiaoran, don't be scared. Look how lively it is ahead."
As if Ling Feng's encouragement had worked, Ling Xiaoran looked ahead again.
It was currently the time for the younger generation of the Jiang family to go on stage and present gifts to the old lady of the Jiang family, and the discussions below were exceptionally lively.
Only after these younger ones finished presenting their gifts would it be the turn of them, the outside guests!
Ling Feng's gaze was filled with chilling sharpness. He held Ling Xiaoran and sat on a wooden crate behind them, thinking to himself, "The timing is just right."
He scanned his surroundings. Those standing around like spectators, like himself, were the most numerous, over a thousand.
However, because the venue was quite large, it didn't feel tightly packed.
Those seated on the two rows of chairs on the sides were clearly of more distinguished status.
There were three rows, with those in the front row at the head being the most distinguished, and so on, with status decreasing accordingly.
As Ling Feng observed these people, Yang Fei was also scanning the crowd.
Soon, he spotted a few familiar faces in the front rows on both sides.
"Heavenly Venerate, on the right side, at the head, is the president of the Hanjiang Chamber of Commerce, Chu Jianghai, whom we met that day. On the left side, at the head, is Sun Ming of the Azure Dragon Society. Next is Niu Zhipeng of the Martial Arts Association, and... Hu Deqiang is also among them!"
Ling Feng also took in all these people, his brow furrowing slightly, "What do you mean?"
Yang Fei shook his head with a wry smile, "This humble general merely feels that the Jiang family truly has connections everywhere. These individuals are definitely top families in Hanjiang, and they have all come today."
"However... I just don't know if the previous events have anything to do with the Jiang family?"
Ling Feng answered without the slightest hesitation.
"No! If they did, the Jiang family wouldn't have appeared so late. Even if they were involved, they were merely used as a pawn!"
Used as a pawn?
Hearing the term "pawn," Yang Fei couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile.
The Jiang family now was not a pawn, but a fledgling bird that had run into the muzzle of a gun!
Just as Yang Fei was about to retract his gaze, his peripheral vision caught sight of another familiar face at the very end of the front row, closer to their position.
"It's that police flower..."
Ling Feng heard Yang Fei's murmur, and Tang Ru's face immediately flashed in his mind. He immediately looked to the side.
Indeed, Tang Ru was sitting there, her face filled with boredom and disinterest.
Clearly, with her personality, it was very uncomfortable for her to sit there and be watched by others.
This was a troublesome woman. Ling Feng glanced at her and then withdrew his gaze, saying calmly to Yang Fei, "No need to mind her."
At this moment, the discussions among the people in front grew even louder.
"There are truly too many important figures present today!"
"Yes, this is a great opportunity for the younger generation of the Jiang family to show their filial piety to the old lady."
"Heh heh, after the old master of the Jiang family died, the old lady took charge. Let alone the division of the family fortune in the future, even securing a good position in the affiliated companies requires these younger ones to put in a lot of effort today!"
"One, two, three... Hmm? Doesn't the Jiang family have two sons and three daughters? Why are there only three now?"
"Three daughters? Wasn't Jiang Ying expelled from the Jiang family earlier? They say she married a poor boy, and now she has nothing to do with the Jiang family."
"But that doesn't seem right either. How can there be only three?"
"Alas, it seems that the youngest son of the Jiang family, the fifth, Jiang Yajie, is not present!"
...
The discussions among the people in front were endless, but Ling Feng sneered inwardly.
Who said Jiang Yajie wasn't present?
Isn't that Jiang Yajie inside the wooden crate beneath his backside?
Yang Fei, standing beside him, also sneered. He was already looking forward to the expression on the old lady of the Jiang family's face when she received this gift.
The commotion below quieted down as a middle-aged man, nearly fifty years old, walked forward.
This man was wearing a dark red Tang suit, and he was somewhat short. His face was etched with two words.
"Shrewd!"
This man was the eldest son of the old lady of the Jiang family, Jiang Yafeng!
Jiang Yafeng walked forward, stopped before the brocade cushion, then immediately knelt down on both knees and said respectfully, "Mother! Your son wishes you boundless fortune and longevity!"
"This is your son's birthday gift for you – Thousand-Year Qinghai Jade Incense!"
Upon these words, the scene erupted in a clamor!
"Qinghai Jade Incense? They say burning this incense every night can prolong life and maintain a youthful appearance! This eldest son of the Jiang family is truly generous!"
"That's thousand-year Qinghai Jade Incense. This is not just about prolonging life. Legend has it that thousand-year Qinghai Jade Incense can awaken a coma patient!"
"Yes, just a finger-sized piece was once auctioned for ninety million yuan!"
Everyone was so shocked just by hearing the name of the gift that they could barely sit still.
And as someone beside the old lady took the gift box and took out the Qinghai Jade Incense, which was as thick as a baby's arm, the entire hall exploded even more!
"A hundred years turns white, five hundred years turns purple, and only after a thousand years does it turn black! This is indeed thousand-year Qinghai Jade Incense!"
"My heavens, I can smell the fragrance even before it's burned, and I feel like I can live a few more years! Haha!"
"To have such a large piece of thousand-year Qinghai Jade Incense, its value is likely no less than a billion! The eldest son of the Jiang family is truly thoughtful, no wonder he is most favored by the old lady."
"Oh, if I could just scrape off a fingernail-sized piece of this and burn it for myself, my life wouldn't have been lived in vain..."
The praises from the crowd were endless, and the old lady above was beaming with joy.
The old lady of the Jiang family was seventy years old, but with makeup and powder, she looked no older than fifty.
She only leaned on a phoenix-headed cane, which indicated her advanced age but also added a lot of deterrence.
"Heh heh, good son, come, come, Mother will give you a red envelope for good luck."
"Thank you, Mother!"
Jiang Yafeng grinned as he took the red envelope.
This red envelope would definitely not be small. His mother valued face the most, and whatever gift he gave, the value of what he received in return would definitely be higher, not lower!
Seeing the smile on Jiang Yafeng's face, Yang Fei felt a surge of annoyance.
Laugh, laugh, you won't be able to laugh soon!