Chapter 8: The Banquet

The young man nodded and smiled at him, gesturing towards the mountain, and said: "Then please ascend the mountain, the banquet will begin around 12:00, you may rest first..."

After leaving Donglaige, Zheng Zheng hailed a taxi and headed straight for the suburbs.

Less than one hundred meters from the taxi is a platform where luxury cars are parked. The logos of those luxury cars are increasingly familiar to the taxi drivers. The first thing they contemplate after buying a lottery ticket each day is to purchase one of those cars.

The head of the Zheng family is celebrating a birthday, and those coming to offer their congratulations are not limited to the members of the Zheng family. Merchants who have business dealings with the Zheng family and friends of the Zheng family have also come upon hearing the news. One by one, they exchanged business cards and introduced themselves, creating an atmosphere that appeared to be extremely lively.

Sir, do you need me to assist you with parking

Dressed in a suit and leather shoes, Zheng Bei approached while holding a cigarette. He waved his hand at the young man, who sensibly turned and left. From his gestures and demeanor, Zheng Bei indeed had a bit of a "young master" air about him

Before the young person could finish speaking, a voice filled with extreme sarcasm interrupted.

Zheng Zheng turned his gaze towards the sound and, upon recognizing who had arrived, let out a cold laugh

Out of caution, Zheng Zheng took the bronze balance with him when he went out. Although leaving the bronze balance in the Donglai Pavilion would not pose a risk of theft, Zheng Zheng felt that it was safer to keep the bronze balance with him. The bronze balance is not large, and it does not take up much space in his pocket.

For this reason, Zheng Zheng handed the painting over to Zheng Yonghe, thus establishing this friendship with him

Since receiving a call from Zheng Yongping—his father's call—yesterday, Zheng Zheng's mood has not improved. Although he wished to fall asleep at once today and ignore the matter, after much contemplation, Zheng Zheng ultimately did not go against his father's wishes

Seeing Zheng Zheng seemingly getting angry, Zheng Bei felt a secret joy in his heart. He intended to provoke Zheng Zheng's anger, and then in this grand occasion today, completely humiliate Zheng Zheng.

Stepping back a little, Zheng Zheng felt a sense of tranquility. He answered the phone and said softly, "What's wrong, Dad"

After a moment of silence, Zheng Zheng shook his head. He took a deep breath, suppressing the various emotions within him, and said: "... ... Alright, I will listen to you"

The unusual feeling in his heart flashed by. Although he did not understand why he felt some apprehension towards Zheng Zheng now, Zheng Bei still wanted to take a jab at him. However, this time, Zheng Bei unconsciously added a hint of caution: "Birthday celebration? Including this year, you have been in Xidu City for a total of three years. Why didn't you come during the old man's birthday celebrations in the past two years? Could it be that you finally couldn't continue at Donglai Pavilion and want to cling to someone for support?" Including this year, you have been in Xidu City for a total of three years. Why didn't you come during the old man's birthday celebrations in the past two years? Could it be that you finally couldn't continue at Donglai Pavilion and want to cling to someone for support?"

The time has already passed eleven o'clock, and many guests have arrived, all seated in the banquet hall waiting for the event to begin. Some who have a good relationship with each other are sitting at the same table, taking the opportunity to chat before the banquet starts

"Hey, kid, I'm talking about that one called... Zheng Zheng!"

Zheng Bei wanted to say something more, but when he saw Zheng Zheng's gaze, for some reason, his heart suddenly skipped a beat. It was precisely because of this inexplicable feeling that Zheng Bei momentarily refrained from retorting to Zheng Zheng and could only let out a couple of dry laughs

Zheng Zheng is in a very bad mood

Say whatever you like, do you think I am willing to engage with you or what?

The taxi driver glanced at the scene before him, then turned to look at the plainly dressed Zheng Zheng, feeling somewhat surprised

Walking straight to the entrance of the Zheng family mansion, after announcing his name, a host led Zheng Zheng to the banquet hall. Zheng Zheng had only visited the Zheng family mansion once and did not explore much; if left to find the banquet hall on his own, he truly would not have been able to locate it.

Zheng Zheng found an empty table to sit down at, observing the various guests in the banquet hall. Not to mention whether anyone who came to celebrate the birthday recognized him, even within the Zheng family, there were only one or two people who knew him. Therefore, Zheng Zheng sat there alone without anyone approaching him to chat, and he was quite pleased with the peace and quiet.

Hey ... ... Hehe

The Zheng family's residence is located in the outskirts, and it is indeed difficult for most people to find the place; even taxi drivers are not very clear about it. However, with Zheng Zheng providing directions, he only needs to focus on driving, leaving everything else aside

As the destination drew near, Zheng Zheng let out a sigh and then called out to the taxi driver, "This is it, please stop the car."

"It's nothing, everything is fine, just giving you a call." On the other end of the line, a middle-aged man's voice sounded: "There's something I fear you might forget, I'm calling to remind you."

Although Zheng Zheng was extremely reluctant to come to the Zheng family to celebrate the birthday, since he was already there, even if he was unwilling in his heart, he would still do his utmost to carry out this task well. For this reason, although he felt angered by Zheng Bei's provocation, he chose not to respond to Zheng Bei.

Thank you, but my car has already left said Zheng Zheng, who was not embarrassed and spoke calmly

Dad..." Zheng Zheng furrowed his brow and said in a low voice

Tomorrow is the landlord's birthday, and you must make a trip there. You are also grown up now and should get to know the people in the family.

He looked at Zheng Zheng's clothes again and seemed to ask with great concern: "This outfit of yours must not be cheap... I reckon it is worth at least three hundred yuan!"

"Zheng Bei..." Zheng Zheng squinted at Zheng Bei, his voice low.

Zheng Zheng dismissed the taxi and followed the mountain road to the platform where luxury cars were gathered. A young man in uniform approached him and asked with a charming smile.

After speaking, Zheng Zheng shook his head at Zheng Bei, then turned and walked up the mountain. He ignored Zheng Bei's shouting behind him, thinking to himself: "Although I really want to slap that contemptible face of yours, since I have come here with a belly full of anger, I will consider this as having paid the price. If I were to get into a ruckus with you over such a trivial matter, it would be a disgrace to me. Not only would the price I paid be in vain, but I would also earn a poor reputation in the eyes of others, which would truly be a loss beyond measure."

Oh? Is Young Master Zheng here?

The current head of the Zheng family is the uncle of Zheng Yongping. According to the generational hierarchy outlined in the *Genealogy* book, Zheng Zheng should address the head of the Zheng family as grandfather. However, despite this, Zheng Zheng does not wish to acknowledge such a relative.

The next morning at ten o'clock, Zheng Zheng tidied up briefly and then left Donglai Pavilion

Zheng Beimei raised an eyebrow and said with a smile that did not reach her eyes, "What is it?"

The taxi driver wanted to strike up a conversation with Zheng Zheng, but seeing the unfriendly expression on Zheng Zheng's face, he decided not to say anything more

Zheng Bei looked up and down at Zheng Zheng, frowned and shook his head, saying: "I say, Young Master Zheng, you are quite proper in your attire today, aren't you? Why aren't you wearing those jeans of yours? That would make you look so casual, wouldn't it?"

Zheng Zheng was well aware of those long-standing past events, and precisely because of this, when he returned to the Western Capital, he did not wish to rely on his relatives. Instead, he sought employment at an antique shop on his own. Otherwise, given the influence of the Zheng family, even though Zheng Zheng was a collateral descendant and would not receive much attention, his situation would still be better than it is now

Zheng Zheng's actions were not a spur-of-the-moment decision; the batch of blue and white porcelain fragments he sold earlier had already earned the store nearly 100,000 yuan, which is quite an impressive achievement. If he were to acquire a landscape painting from the Qing Dynasty at a low price, this accomplishment would be astonishing and would undoubtedly attract attention. The last thing Zheng Zheng, who holds the bronze balance, wants to see is excessive attention from others, for fear that those with ulterior motives might dig deeper into his affairs

Hoo ... ...

Is it really necessary for Young Master Zheng's car to be parked? When I arrived just now, I saw a taxi that seemed to be your vehicle, Young Master Zheng, didn't it?

"Young Master Zheng." The young man slightly bowed to the arriving person.

However, Zheng Zheng did not become as furious as he had imagined. Taking a deep breath, Zheng Zheng smiled and said to Zheng Bei: "I do not wish to argue with you today, Zheng Bei. Put away those little thoughts of yours; they are of no use. I am here today just to wish the old man a happy birthday, and once that is done, I will leave. We can discuss our matters slowly later; there is no need to rush."

The seemingly ordinary young man before him is actually connected to such a prominent family? The driver looked at Zheng Zheng, feeling a twinge of bitterness in his heart. It was not envy; he simply regretted why he hadn't taken the opportunity to ask for a substantial sum from him earlier.

The matters involved are not solely due to Zheng Zheng himself; they also encompass the entangled stories of the previous generation, which cannot be unraveled clearly in a short period of time

After receiving a phone call yesterday, Zheng Zheng was in a rather poor mood, which diminished his desire to continue wandering around the bulk goods street. After exchanging phone numbers with Zheng Yonghe, the two bid farewell. Zheng Yonghe intended to give the landscape painting to Zheng Zheng, but Zheng Zheng declined, stating that the painting was purchased by Zheng Yonghe and, regardless of its value, it belonged to Zheng Yonghe. Seeing his insistence, Zheng Yonghe could only respect his wishes. Zheng Yonghe intended to give the landscape painting to Zheng Zheng, but Zheng Zheng declined, stating that the painting was purchased by Zheng Yonghe and, regardless of its value, it belonged to Zheng Yonghe. Seeing his insistence, Zheng Yonghe could only respect his wishes.

The voice on the other end seemed to know what he wanted to say and interrupted him before he could speak. The tone sounded somewhat weary: "I know what you are thinking, but our family and theirs are ultimately of the same lineage. We must go to the head of the family's birthday celebration no matter what."

Is this parking? Oh... oh, alright, alright