Chapter 71: Seventy-one, Plan Chapter 71: Seventy-one, Plan Song Yan Ning walked over to Yang Lisheng’s side, “Grandpa, you keep it.” With her identity as the Young Princess of the Demon World, arranging for a quadrangle dwelling was nothing much for her.
“But this is too valuable,” he would have gladly accepted if it were a regular gift.
“Grandpa, don’t worry about this anymore, we’ll pay them back when we get the chance. Grandma, let’s go inside and have a look.” Song Yan Ning took Li Meixiang’s hand and headed inside.
Yang Lisheng thought Song Yan Ning made a good point, “You wait here for me, I’ll go to the hotel to get my luggage.” He was very happy now, finally able to move back into his own home.
Yang Xin’er returned home with an unhappy face and threw her bag onto the sofa, instructing the approaching maid, “Go pour me a cup of tea.”
“Yes, Young Madam!” The maid respectfully complied and headed for the kitchen. She could tell the Young Madam was in a bad mood and hoped not to become the target of her ire.
“Mom, we’re back!” The happy laughter of Song Yanxue and Song Yanli came from the doorway.
Yang Xin’er turned her head to look and saw Song Yanxue and Song Yanli, her mood lifted somewhat, and she waved them over, “Xiao Xue, Xiao Li, come sit by mom.” They were like her true daughters, pretty and well-behaved, not like that Song Yan Ning, dark and unattractive, and she even talked back, with no manners at all. How could she be the one she gave birth to?
If it weren’t for Yufeng witnessing her giving birth to Song Yan Ning, she would’ve doubted if Song Yan Ning had been switched at birth. Both she and Yufeng were beautiful and handsome; it was implausible they could have such an ugly child.
“Mom, why don’t grandpa and grandma come to our house? I’ve never seen them before. How is my little sister Xiao Ning doing now? Has she grown prettier than when she was younger?” Song Yanli had always been curious to meet her little sister, and she really wished Xiao Ning could return to the Song Family.
Yang Xin’er frowned in displeasure, “Don’t mention her, she just irritates me.”
“Mom, don’t be angry. If she’s disobedient, you’ve got me, Xiao Li, and Xiao Yang, we won’t make you angry,” Song Yanxue cooed, wrapping her arm around Yang Xin’er’s and leaning on her shoulder. An eyesore like that didn’t deserve to be a member of the Song Family, and she didn’t want such an ugly sister.
Yang Xin’er gently ruffled Song Yanxue’s hair, “Our Xiao Xue is so good. She’ll be coming over with grandpa and grandma tomorrow. Mom has a task for you.”
“Okay,” Song Yanxue nodded obediently, with a hint of anticipation in her eyes.
“When she arrives tomorrow, take her to the guest room upstairs and lock her in,” Yang Xin’er thought it was a good plan, as she didn’t want the guests coming to celebrate the birthday to know she had such an ugly daughter. As for the old master, it didn’t matter if they met after the birthday feast was over. She was sure the old master wouldn’t want the guests to know he had such an ugly granddaughter either.
“I’ll definitely complete the task,” Song Yanxue’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
Song Yanli sighed helplessly in her heart. She never expected their mother to dislike their little sister so much. It seemed very difficult for Xiao Ning to return to the Song Family.
The sun slowly set, and the orange glow of the sunset seeped through the dense leaves, sprinkling spots of light upon Yang Lisheng, Li Meixiang, and Song Yan Ning sitting beneath the trees.
“Xiao Ning, you said earlier there’s something in that painting. Do you know how to take apart the painting?” Yang Lisheng remembered the painting he had bought before.
“Mm!” Song Yan Ning nodded, set down the pastry in her hand, stood up, and walked towards the house, “I’ll go in and bring out that painting.” She too was curious about what was hidden inside the painting; if only she possessed Divine Sense now.
After a short while, Song Yan Ning came out holding the box containing the painting.
She placed the box on the table, opened it, and slowly unrolled the painting inside.
Yang Lisheng and Li Meixiang fixed their gaze on it, filled with anticipation and curiosity.
Song Yan Ning fully unrolled the painting, examined it carefully, and took out a pair of scissors to start snipping at the edges.
“Be careful, or should Grandma cut it instead?” Li Meixiang watched anxiously as Song Yan Ning wielded the scissors, worried that something valuable might be damaged, making it worthless. Her husband had said that they spent US$ 100,000 on this painting.
Sticking out her tongue at Li Meixiang, Song Yan Ning said, “Don’t worry, Grandma, I know what I’m doing.”
Li Meixiang smiled and gave Song Yan Ning a sidelong glance, “Alright, I’ll wait for you to surprise me.”
“Guaranteed to be a surprise,” assured Song Yan Ning, seeing that she was almost done cutting. She set aside the scissors and carefully pulled apart the section she had cut, revealing another painting inside.
“What is it?” Both Li Meixiang and Yang Lisheng were expectant and a little excited.
“It’s a painting. Wait a bit, I’ll get it out for you,” said Song Yan Ning as she picked up the scissors and continued cutting.
After completely disassembling the first painting, Song Yan Ning carefully extracted the hidden painting. She wasn’t worried about damaging the painting—it was more about not wanting to upset her grandparents if she ruined it.
“Is this painting genuine? Is it valuable?” This was what Li Meixiang cared about the most.
Yang Lisheng looked at the painting that Song Yan Ning had just revealed. He thought this painting was much better than the previous one and was likely authentic.
Smiling at the two of them, Song Yan Ning said, “This painting is called ‘Summer Clouds and Rain.’ It was created by the Ming Dynasty painter Liu Jue. Look, there is a poem by Shen Zhou on the painting. The layout is clear with distinct peaks and valleys, the mountain paths are intricately connected, and the lush trees highlight the characteristics of summer. People on the road hurry along, conveying the desire to avoid the rain. The technique features wet brush, light ink, and long Cun strokes, complemented by darker moss dots, which set off the initial strokes beautifully. The fine and flowing brushwork, coupled with the elegant and refined ink spirit, ensures a uniquely graceful and enchanting style. So, this painting is undoubtedly genuine, and as for its value, I can’t estimate, but it’s definitely more than US$ 100,000.”
Li Meixiang broke into a happy smile, “Xiao Ning, how do you know all this?” Xiao Ning hadn’t even completed elementary school, where did she learn this knowledge?
“Don’t I love watching those appraisal shows? I’ve seen another painting by Liu Yu called ‘Deep Mountain Reading Intent’ on one of them. I heard that painting auctioned for 2.3 million,” said Song Yan Ning.
“What?!” Li Meixiang and Yang Lisheng’s eyes widened in disbelief. Could this painting also be worth millions?
Taking a deep breath to calm his emotions, Yang Lisheng spoke to Song Yan Ning, “Xiao Ning, didn’t you also buy a calligraphy brush? How much is that worth?”
“This calligraphy brush is worth at most one to two thousand,” said Song Yan Ning, taking out the brush from her bag. Her brush was no ordinary brush but a Spiritual Artifact. However, for ordinary people, this brush indeed was not valuable, because they would not be able to use it at all.