Although the dragon chair was bought by the three of them, Zhou Weiguo had said all the words and stolen all the limelight, making Zhou Xingguo feel displeased.
He winked at his son and urged, "Zhou Tai, where is the gift you prepared for your grandfather? You've been bragging about it for days, why aren't you taking it out quickly!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Tai chuckled and walked up to Zhou Zhishan.
"Grandpa, your grandson wishes you boundless fortune like the East Sea and eternal life. I've prepared a gift for you. It might not be very precious, but you definitely can't buy it with money. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be magical!"
"Oh? What gift have you prepared for Grandpa? Is it that magical?"
Zhou Zhishan asked with a kind smile. As everyone knew, he doted on his grandson Zhou Tai the most because Zhou Tai was straightforward and bold, much like himself in his youth.
In contrast, Zhou Wen was less direct, too cunning, and somewhat effeminate.
Although capable, in Zhou Zhishan's eyes, Zhou Tai was still the better choice.
"Grandpa, you take a look yourself and see if you can recognize it!"
Zhou Tai took out a sandalwood box and handed it over.
"Heh, you're playing coy now. Are you giving me a birthday gift or a test?"
Zhou Zhishan chuckled as he took the sandalwood box. Upon opening it, he saw a sea-blue pearl inside.
However, it looked rather ordinary. If one had to point out anything special, it was that it was much larger than a normal pearl, almost the size of a small egg.
Zhou Zhishan couldn't discern anything special about the pearl and couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Tai, you've really stumped Grandpa. I can't see anything special about this pearl. Why don't you tell me about it so everyone can hear?"
As soon as Zhou Zhishan finished speaking, a sarcastic voice came from nearby, "Isn't this just a big pearl? What's so magical about it? You can buy a pot of them for a hundred yuan. Zhou Tai, are you desperate for money, trying to fool Grandpa with this thing!"
The speaker was Zhou Fan. She had heard from her brother that they were now competing with Zhou Tai, so she naturally wanted to undermine him.
However, as soon as Zhou Fan finished speaking, Zhou Zhishan's eyes turned cold, and he looked at her sternly.
What kind of occasion was this today? Even if Zhou Tai had only given Zhou Zhishan a broken pearl, he shouldn't have said it publicly. Wouldn't that make the distinguished guests present look foolish?
"Xiao Fan, don't talk nonsense!"
Zhou Weiguo quickly reprimanded her in a low voice.
Zhou Tai, however, did not get angry. He said with a smile, "Sister Fan, you're mistaken. This pearl of mine is not an ordinary pearl; it has a great origin! And the experience of obtaining it can be described as legendary!"
"Oh? How is it legendary? Hurry up and tell everyone, stop playing coy."
Zhou Xingguo urged.
Zhou Tai spoke eloquently:
"It all started last month. It was a calm and clear day, so I invited a few friends to travel to the East Sea. When we were by the shore, we happened to encounter a fisherman returning from fishing. Among the fish he caught was a small golden carp about seven inches long. I thought it looked beautiful and felt pity for it, so I bought it at a high price. Then, feeling sorry for its loss of freedom, I released it back into the East Sea."
"Then, a magical scene unfolded. After I released the little golden fish, it didn't leave immediately. Instead, it swam around me three times, as if bowing to me."
"I just thought it was interesting at the time and didn't pay much attention. When it got dark, as my friends and I returned from the sea, Grandpa, guess what?"
Zhou Zhishan was slightly taken aback and quickly asked, "What happened?"
"It came back!"
Zhou Tai said excitedly, "That little golden carp actually swam back and wagged its tail at me. I looked down, and it spat out a pearl from its mouth, which is the one I'm giving you!"
After Zhou Tai finished speaking, the people present let out gasps of surprise.
Although the story sounded a bit far-fetched, at such an occasion, no one would stand up to question its authenticity.
"You think that's all?"
After a brief pause, Zhou Tai continued, "Later, when I went to the Mazu Temple to offer incense and pray for Grandpa, I told the abbot, Master Xuan Bei, about this. Master Xuan Bei was astonished."
"He told me that this is not an ordinary pearl, but a Sea Blue Pearl, and that little golden carp is actually the Third Princess of the Dragon King of the East Sea!"
"Master Xuan Bei said that this Sea Blue Pearl not only prolongs life but also strengthens the body and wards off evil spirits with constant wear! He told me to keep it very carefully!"
"When I heard this, I thought, how could I keep such a good thing for myself? The first person I thought of was you, Grandpa. So, I took this treasure on the occasion of your 80th birthday to wish you eternal life and everlasting happiness!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhishan's face lit up with joy. "Good grandson, it's no wonder Grandpa dotes on you so much. From now on, Grandpa will always wear this Sea Blue Pearl!"
Seeing how happy the old man was, Zhou Xingguo's heavy burden was lifted. He knew that this time, they were sure to succeed!
He secretly gave Zhou Tai a thumbs-up, thinking that this child could really step up at critical moments. The story he spun, involving the Third Princess of the Dragon King of the East Sea, boundless fortune, and everlasting happiness... who could resist that? It would surely win the old man over completely!
Meanwhile, Zhou Weiguo was furious. Zhou Tai was clearly lying with his eyes wide open, but he couldn't expose him!
He was both anxious and angry. Zhou Tai's brilliant move had struck a chord with the old man. What kind of gifts would his own two children have to present to surpass Zhou Tai?
At this moment, Zhou Fan also stepped forward with a gift box. "Grandpa, this is the gift from your granddaughter. I hope you like it!"
Zhou Zhishan opened the gift box and found a bracelet made of mutton-fat jade inside.
The jade was lustrous and full, clearly valuable, worth at least tens of millions.
If it were any other time, it would have been a decent gift.
But with Zhou Tai's exaggerated tale of the Sea Blue Pearl, this mutton-fat jade bracelet seemed rather ordinary.
"Hmm, very nice, very nice. Grandpa likes it very much."
Although Zhou Zhishan still had a smile on his face, his interest was clearly waning, and his words were perfunctory.
Zhou Weiguo sighed inwardly, but fortunately, he hadn't had high hopes for Zhou Fan in the first place.
He placed all his hopes on his eldest son, Zhou Wen. Whether they could make a comeback depended on what gift Zhou Wen could produce...