Mr. Zombie lingers in the city

Teacher Gu Xixia's 60th birthday arrived as scheduled, and she set off for Chunjiang Villa with the gifts she had prepared.

Hu Xiaoyu originally planned to just wear whatever clothes she could find, but considering that the main character was Gu Xixia's teacher and that Gu Xixia had helped her get into Rongjiang University, it wouldn't be appropriate to be too casual.

"Actually, you could prepare two gifts."

As soon as Hu Xiaoyu finished speaking, Gu Xixia looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Why prepare two gifts?

"One for you, one for me."

"You and I only need to prepare one set; it's not like we're splitting up."

"That's true..."

Gu Xixia's words dispelled Hu Xiaoyu's concerns, and the two quickly arrived at Chunjiang Villa.

As a private estate rarely known in Fuzhou, Chunjiang Villa is located in a very remote area.

But you can't underestimate its cost of living just because it's remote. In fact, the cheaper a place is now, the more outrageous the cost of living tends to be.

Based on Hu Xiaoyu's observations along the way, the average cost per person at Chunjiang Villa, surrounded by greenery and clear waters, starts at four figures.

After all, if the cost of living is low, employees will earn less money. If they earn less money, why would waiters bow to every car they see on the street?

That's impossible; you only get what you're paid for.

After parking the car, I followed the waiter's directions to the private room I had booked in advance.

As Hu Xiaoyu passed by the bar, he saw some kumquats and picked one up to peel.

He casually handed it to Gu Xixia, thinking she would reach out and eat it piece by piece, but to his surprise, she opened her mouth and swallowed it all at once.

"Be more ladylike..."

"I'm holding the food, why should I take it with my hands? And it's so small, what's the point of eating it bit by bit?"

After pursing their lips, the two took the elevator to the floor where the private room was located. As soon as they arrived at the door, they heard the sound of mahjong tiles being played inside.

It has to be said that mahjong is a game enjoyed by people of all levels, and it's considered one of the two most popular games, along with Guandan.

Upon entering, Gu Xixia's teacher was sitting in the main seat chatting with her husband, while several students were gathered around the mahjong table.

A quick glance revealed hairstyles of powerful individuals, with two older men displaying particularly impressive strength, their features clearly visible.

"Teacher~"

Amidst warm greetings, Gu Xixia, carrying her gift, went with Hu Xiaoyu to her teacher and grandmaster.

"Xiaxia, you're finally here~!"

"Look, this is our lineage's holy maiden, isn't she beautiful?"

Gu Xixia's senior brothers immediately introduced her to their wives and children, and Gu Xixia greeted them in a generous and proper manner.

"Old Tang, your junior sister is so beautiful, didn't any of you have any designs on her back then?"

"Hey, what are you saying... tell me, how does an iron tree bloom?"

Zhao Yuxiu gave her eldest disciple, Lao Tang, a reproachful look. Her students always spoke to Gu Xixia without any regard for propriety.

However, it also proved that he, as the last disciple, was indeed very popular with his senior brothers.

"Is this your cousin?"

Looking at Hu Xiaoyu beside Gu Xixia, Zhao Yuxiu asked with some confusion.

Gu Xixia smiled and nodded, then pulled Hu Xiaoyu over to introduce them.

"Yes, that's him. I came here on his behalf to express my gratitude to you."

"Oh, by the way, this is a gift my siblings and I prepared for you, take a look~"

Looking at the wooden box that Gu Xixia handed over, Zhao Yuxiu, who was wearing glasses, smiled.

"You lot, why are you being so polite..."

Old Tang was just pulled away from the mahjong table and ended up behind the teacher.

"Teacher, please open it quickly and let me see what my junior sister has prepared for you."

As Zhao Yuxiu smiled and lifted the lid, Old Tang looked at Hu Xiaoyu and asked in surprise.

"Xiaxia, I always felt that your family has some good looks to offer. Do you have any suitable little boys of the right age? We could reserve one for my Momo in advance!"

Old Tang's wife gently nudged him, but her eyes couldn't hide her amazement.

These two siblings are indeed very beautiful; they could easily debut as celebrities.

"That's very thoughtful."

Zhao Yuxiu opened the gift that Gu Xixia had prepared for her and looked at the antique longevity hairpin inside.

Even though she couldn't tell the exact year, her husband's years of experience in the antique industry had instilled in her an eye, and she could tell at a glance that it was an old item.

Zhao Yuxiu's husband picked it up immediately and examined it closely.

"It's from the Song Dynasty, and it's in remarkably good condition... Xiaxia, you didn't secretly bring your family's heirloom, did you?"

As her master spoke, Gu Xixia blinked.

"No, my cousin bought it through connections."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuxiu's husband looked at Hu Xiaoyu in surprise, never expecting that such a handsome young man would have such a way of doing things.

"Guizhou, Yue, or Sichuan?"

"Neither, it's not convenient to explain."

Zhao Yuxiu's husband didn't think it was inappropriate. After all, everyone knew the truth. Antiques, buried in the ground, were somewhat something that couldn't be seen in the light of day.

After looking at it for a while, Zhao Yuxiu's husband closed the box.

"This is too valuable; it's not appropriate as a birthday gift."

Gu Xixia blinked blankly and subconsciously looked at Hu Xiaoyu.

Hu Xiaoyu pondered for a moment.

"It's only twenty or thirty yuan, not expensive, but it has a good meaning."

As soon as he finished speaking, a hint of doubt crept into Zhao Yuxiu's husband's eyes as he looked at Hu Xiaoyu suspiciously.

"Can't you tell the composition of this hairpin?"

"Hmm... I can barely make out that it's from the Song Dynasty, and the carving is alright."

That's all Hu Xiaoyu remembers. After all, he just took it from that prince's house because he thought the jade was of good quality and the carving was decent.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yuxiu's husband, Qian Yun, shook his head and smiled.

"Well, then we definitely can't accept it."

Gu Xixia looked at the longevity hairpin placed on the table and quickly went to her teacher's side.

"Why can't I accept this? It's not expensive."

Zhao Yuxiu looked at the somewhat anxious Gu Xixia, gestured for her to sit next to her, and then looked at her husband.

Seeing this, Zhao Yuxiu's husband smiled and explained to the two of them.

"This hairpin is in the style of the Song Dynasty imperial family, and it is adorned with eight top-quality turquoise stones. The hairpin body is engraved with spiral gold lines, so it is obviously an imperial artifact."

"This item would fetch at least this price at an auction."

Looking at the three fingers her master held up, Gu Xixia smiled.

"That's about the same price he paid for it."

Qian Yun looked at Gu Xixia with the same doting affection he would show a younger generation.

"A million, not the ten thousand you're thinking of."

Gu Xixia blinked and glanced at Hu Xiaoyu.

Hu Xiaoyu touched her hair.

"Inflation has also doubled my net worth...?"

"Um?"

Zhao Yuxiu keenly sensed a strange implication in Hu Xiaoyu's words and gave him a puzzled look.

Hu Xiaoyu responded with a smile.

"Never mind how much it costs. Since my cousin and I chose it as a gift, there's no reason for us to take it back."

Qian Yun glanced at the two of them helplessly.

"It's not a matter of whether to accept it or not, it's about the implications behind it... We're only selling this kind of thing to you at a 90% discount; we can't just accept it indiscriminately."

"Xiaxia, there are some things you can accept, but there are some things you can't just accept randomly..."

Amidst the deeply meaningful words of concern and advice, Gu Xixia was somewhat at a loss for words.

"It's alright, this thing has a legitimate origin. In some respects, it's mine, so there won't be any problems. You can just accept it."

During the persuasion, Hu Xiaoyu only felt mentally exhausted.

It's a bit strange that someone would make up a lie to send something that's clearly their own...