NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26: Chapter 26 Garbage as a Treasure?
Hearing Old Madam Su's words, Ye Fan was stunned, "Grandma, are you sure this painting is authentic?"
"Are you questioning my authority?"
Grandma Su's face was filled with displeasure, and she snorted coldly, "If it's real, it's real; if it's fake, it's naturally fake. You were the one who was hoodwinked, now apologize to Young Master Cao at once!"
Although she could tell at a glance that the "Shrimp Play in Mountain Streams Painting" brought by Cao Xuan was a fake, he was after all from the affluent Cao Family. She didn't want to offend Cao Xuan for the sake of an insignificant Ye Fan.
If Su Yue could marry Cao Xuan and there was extensive cooperation between the Cao and Su families, it would only be a matter of time before their Su family could step into the ranks of a first-rate clan.
Having lived for the better part of her life, Old Madam Su could still discern such simple truths.
"Ha! Did you hear that? Even the old lady says it's real, so hurry up and apologize to me!"
As soon as Cao Xuan heard Old Madam Su taking his side, he was excitedly invigorated, as if injected with chicken blood.
Just now, Cao Xuan thought Old Madam Su would declare the painting as a fake. He could not have dreamed that she would assert its authenticity, suddenly giving him the upper hand.
"I just knew it was real, Ye Fan, apologize to my family's Cao Xuan immediately!" Su Yue demanded haughtily.
Seeing Old Madam Su favoring Cao Xuan, Ye Fan raised an eyebrow. He knew that to Grandma Su, his own worth was negligible, while Cao Xuan might potentially bring benefits to the Su family.
Therefore, Old Madam Su deliberately claimed the "Shrimp Play in Mountain Streams Painting" was authentic, not wanting to fall out with Cao Xuan.
With Old Madam Su's bias, Cao Xuan pointed at Ye Fan's nose and scolded angrily, "What are you staring at? Apologize, did you hear me? Have you stuffed donkey hair in your ears?"
"Let me tell you, if you don't apologize today, just for the slap you gave me earlier, I guarantee I will break one of your arms by the end of the day!"
Su Ruoxue knew that the Cao Family's wealth and power far surpassed the Su family's.
Thus, Su Ruoxue stepped forward and said, "I'm sorry, Young Master Cao, it was Ye Fan who misjudged. I apologize on behalf of Ye Fan here, and I hope Young Master Cao won't take it out on Ye Fan!"
"Humph, that's more like it!" Cao Xuan stared at Ye Fan with a disdainful smirk.
The "Shrimp Play in Mountain Streams Painting" was fake, and Old Madam Su had already realized it. If he continued to push aggressively and angered Old Madam Su, and she would publicly declare the painting as a fake, it would make it difficult for him to save face, especially since this was the Su family's territory.
Su Yue sneered, "Ye Fan, our family's Cao Xuan is magnanimous, not minding a minor character like you. You should just consider yourself lucky!"
Ye Fan's expression darkened, and he ignored Cao Xuan and Su Yue.
"Right, what about your birthday gift? Why haven't I seen it?"
Cao Xuan called out loudly, evidently determined to embarrass Ye Fan further.
"Are your eyes growing in the seat of your pants?"
Seeing Cao Xuan's smug demeanor, Ye Fan reached out and placed the gift prepared by Chen Haonan on the table.
Unimpressed by Ye Fan's sarcasm, Cao Xuan said dismissively, "The packaging looks decent enough, but who knows if what's inside is as worthless as dog shit!"
"Cao Xuan, Ye Fan's family are all bumpkins, what good could they possibly bring for Grandma?" Su Yue eagerly kicked them while they were down.
Ye Fan and Su Ruoxue were mocked, but little Ling'er couldn't stand it any longer. In her baby voice, she said, "Who says there's nothing good inside? Just now when we came out of the hospital, a uncle driving a big red sports car gave it to Dad, it must be something good inside!"
"Oh? So it turns out this is something someone else gave to Ye Fan, and Ye Fan you've brought it here for grandma? Here I thought you had prepared a thoughtful gift for grandma's seventieth birthday. I didn't expect you to be so perfunctory!" Su Yue curled her lip.
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Su's face was filled with black lines, clearly dissatisfied with the situation.
Ye Fan pointed at the gift and said, "It's Grandma's big birthday, we didn't have time to prepare, but the item inside is worth a fortune!"
Having saved Chen Haonan's life, Chen Haonan, as the Young Master of the Chen Family, in order to repay Ye Fan for saving his life, Ye Fan could guarantee the quality of the contents wouldn't be substandard.
"Worth a fortune?"
Upon hearing this, Cao Xuan couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Would you dare to open it up and let us see what treasure you've brought for the old lady?"
In Cao Xuan's eyes, Ye Fan was just a nobody; it was unlikely he had any powerful friends, and the gift his friend sent would at most be worth a few hundred bucks.
"By all means!" Ye Fan said indifferently.
The next moment, Cao Xuan ridiculed, "Alright then, come, let's take a look at what great treasure Ye Fan has actually prepared for the old lady!"
"I'm really looking forward to this!" Su Yue mocked with a sneer.
Under the watchful eyes of the audience, Cao Xuan stepped forward to open the gift box. At the moment of opening, a strong aroma of medicinal herbs filled the entire Su Family hall.
"What a strong scent of medicinal herbs!" the crowd privately marveled.
When the gift box was opened, everyone was stunned to see a deep red-colored herb, which was slightly darkened in the red, and was shaped like a large mushroom.
"This... This looks like Ganoderma!"
"No, it's not just similar, this is indeed Ganoderma!"
In an instant, a group of people in the Su Family hall widened their eyes, none of them had expected that the gift from Ye Fan and Su Ruoxue would actually be Ganoderma.
Ye Fan's face showed a trace of surprise, he had not expected it to be Ganoderma inside.
Moreover, based on Ye Fan's judgment, this was a Hundred-Year Ganoderma with a medicinal effect even stronger than the Hundred-Year Wild Mountain Ginseng from last night.
Little did they know that after learning that Ye Ling'er had suffered severe Qi damage, Chen Haonan had specifically attended an auction last night and spent tens of millions to purchase it.
"Ganoderma?" Old Madam Su's face was full of surprise.
Ye Ling'er pouted indignantly, "Great-grandmother, do you believe me now? It really was a 'car-driving, sports car-presenting' uncle who gave it to Dad!"
"Hmm!" Old Madam Su's complexion improved a lot.
"With such a rich aroma of Ganoderma, could this Ganoderma be over a hundred years old?" someone speculated.
Cao Xuan and Su Yue were both shocked. In their wildest dreams, they hadn't imagined that the gift box would contain Ganoderma.
But Cao Xuan feigned composure and said, "What? Hundred-Year Ganoderma? What a joke! Do you know how rare a Hundred-Year Ganoderma is? Not even our Cao Family has ever owned one!"
"It's fake, it must be fake!" Su Yue immediately retorted with sarcasm.
Ye Fan let out a cold laugh, "Grandma, this indeed is Ganoderma, and not just any, but a Hundred-Year Ganoderma, priceless and unmarketable!"
"Nonsense!"
Cao Xuan flatly refused to admit that he had given a fake painting. If Ye Fan had given a real Hundred-Year Ganoderma, wouldn't he be slapped in the face by Ye Fan without anyone even knowing?
Thus, Cao Xuan spoke with an unquestionable tone, "There are many types of fungi similar to Ganoderma. Who knows, this might just be some low-value fungi that slightly resembles Ganoderma and isn't worth much money at all!"
"Moreover, many fungi are toxic. If someone eats it and is poisoned severely, that would be a big problem. Old Madam, in my opinion, you should throw this thing away right now! After all, Ye Fan is just a nobody, what valuable thing could he possibly give!"
"Then let's throw it away," Old Madam Su said coldly.
Ye Fan had outplayed Cao Xuan, who was looking for a way to regain face. Naturally, Old Madam Su would not interfere with Cao Xuan's enjoyment of the moment.
Most importantly, since Ye Fan was just an ordinary person, Old Lady Su did not believe that this was Hundred-Year Ganoderma.
Ye Fan frowned and said, "Grandma, are you sure you want to throw away this Hundred-Year Ganoderma?"
"Throw it away!" Old Madam Su said again.
"Hahaha..."
Cao Xuan and Su Yue exchanged glances, both laughing as if they had won a battle.
Ye Fan smiled bitterly. He picked up the Ganoderma and handed it to Ye Ling'er, "Ling'er, eat it!"
"Dad, it's so bitter!"
Ye Ling'er took a small bite, and a faint bitterness made the little girl stick out her tongue.
Ye Fan said affectionately, "This is a great tonic. Ling'er, you're weak right now, bear with it and eat it all!"
"Mmm!" Ye Ling'er, obediently holding the Ganoderma, bravely endured the bitterness and took small bites.
Cao Xuan said with a sneer, "Ignorance truly is fearsome. A piece of garbage is treated as a treasure. If that thing is poisonous, you might end up having to collect your daughter's body!"
Su Yue and the others all laughed incessantly, as if Ye Fan was a clown, letting his daughter eat something that Old Madam Su had discarded, which was a source of great amusement.
However, at that moment, the TV in the Su Family hall suddenly reported:
"Last night, at the Dragon's World Auction House, the final auction item, a Hundred-Year Ganoderma, was taken by the Young Master of the Chen Family, Chen Haonan, for a powerful bid of twelve million..."