"In my opinion, he must have had a terrible time outside and couldn't afford a gift for Grandpa, so he's afraid to come back out of shame."
"What kind of future can a medical student have? It's definitely as Xiao Tong said, he's afraid of embarrassing himself by coming back."
"I heard she's working in a psychiatric hospital, dealing with lunatics all day. I'm really worried she'll have a mental breakdown after coming back."
Among the younger generation, many mocking voices could be heard.
Although Qin Shuran was the daughter of the Qin family patriarch, she was not from the same mother as Qin Xiaodong and Qin Yuyan. She was the illegitimate daughter Qin Hongguo had with someone outside.
When Qin Shuran was five years old, her mother passed away, and only then was she brought back to the Qin family by Qin Hongguo.
People from wealthy families like them detested illegitimate children. This was why many of the younger generation in the Qin family would mock Qin Shuran, and no elder would reprimand them for it.
"Sister Shuran is a psychiatrist, so what's wrong with her working in a psychiatric hospital? Uncle and Grandpa haven't said anything, so why are you all gossiping?" Qin Minmin, who had always been closest to Qin Shuran, retorted.
"Heh, Qin Minmin, is it not allowed to talk about her not showing up even now for Grandpa's birthday?"
"She probably forgot her own surname. Since she's not here, it's my turn to present a gift to Grandpa." As Qin Xiaotong spoke, she walked out from among the younger generation, holding a delicate wooden box containing the gift she had prepared for a long time.
"Do I need you to remind me of my surname?" However, at this moment, a familiar voice suddenly sounded from outside the door.
Upon hearing the voice, everyone turned their gaze towards the entrance.
A graceful figure walked in, also holding a delicate wooden box.
"Sister Shuran!" Qin Minmin exclaimed with surprise upon seeing the figure.
The person who arrived was none other than Qin Shuran.
Qin Shuran nodded at Qin Minmin and walked directly towards the crowd of younger people.
"Ge," Qin Shuran called out to Qin Xiaodong.
"You still know how to come back?" Qin Xiaodong's expression was displeased.
Seeing Qin Shuran remain silent, he asked again, "Is the gift ready?"
"Brother Xiaodong, what kind of gift can a mere doctor like her prepare? It's probably just a pile of junk."
"The money we earn in a month is probably more than her annual salary. What money could she have to buy a birthday gift for Grandpa? I think she shouldn't even bother bringing it out, or it will be too embarrassing."
"How come I think her box is empty? Shuran, are you really so poor that you'd try to fool Grandpa with an empty box?"
"Qin Shuran, you should just throw the box away quickly. I'm afraid Grandpa will get angry if he sees it, and if he gets sick from anger, can you bear the responsibility?"
Qin Xiaotong and the others looked at her with disdain, not believing that Qin Shuran could present any valuable gift.
None of the elders sitting around offered any words of advice.
After all, the purpose of the younger generation presenting birthday gifts was to showcase their development over the past year. The higher the value of the gift, the more family resources they would receive in the coming year.
"Who says Sister Shuran didn't prepare a gift? As a doctor, she's very busy every day. She specifically asked me to prepare a birthday gift for her." Qin Minmin quickly walked to Qin Shuran's side, her small face flushed with anger as she looked at everyone around.
Then, she took out another delicate wooden box from her bag and was about to hand it to Qin Shuran.
"Minmin, do you really think we're all fools? She asked you to help her prepare a birthday gift?"
"If you don't have money, you don't have money. You even asked Minmin to pay for a birthday gift for you. How shameless!"
"You're a doctor, what kind of future can you have? You can't even afford a birthday gift for Grandpa. If this gets out, it'll be a disgrace to our Qin family."
"Xiaotong, don't you remember? Sister Shuran is about to marry into the Liu family as a young madam. I heard that Liu Qianze is also a doctor."
"No wonder! I was wondering why our Sister Shuran decided to study medicine. So that's the reason."
Everyone suddenly understood, with a look of mockery on their faces.
Hearing the words around her, Qin Shuran's delicate eyebrows furrowed, and a hint of displeasure appeared in her eyes.
Qin Minmin handed the wooden box to Qin Shuran and whispered, "Sister Shuran, inside is a birthday star made of Hetian jade, worth about a million."
"Heh, Qin Shuran, did you hear that? This is a Hetian jade worth a million. Hurry up and take it and give it to Grandpa."
"Exactly. It's still better than your empty wooden box trying to fool people."
Qin Shuran ignored the mocking voices of Qin Xiaotong and the others, gently patted Qin Minmin's forehead, and said, "Don't worry, I've already prepared my gift."
"Qin Shuran, what did you say? You said your gift is ready?"
"Is it a pile of junk, or an empty wooden box?"
"Do you know what Brother Xiaodong gave as a gift? It's a Ruyi scepter made of jade worth twenty million. Sister Yuyan's gift is also a genuine painting by Tang Bohu worth ten million. We're both children of Uncle, how can there be such a big difference?"
"Alright, everyone, say less."
"Shuran, take out the gift you prepared," Qin Xiaodong commanded with a slight frown.
Qin Shuran stepped forward a few paces and approached the elder. She first bowed to him, saying, "Grandpa, I wish you longevity as boundless as the East Sea and as enduring as the Southern Mountains. This is the birthday gift from your granddaughter."
As she spoke, Qin Shuran opened the wooden box in her hand.
The younger generation standing nearby all crowded forward, eager to see what Qin Shuran had prepared as a gift for Grandpa.
However, the moment they saw the strangely shaped teapot in the wooden box, they burst into laughter, their faces filled with mockery.
"Qin Shuran, this, this is the birthday gift you prepared for Grandpa? A teapot with a bizarre appearance?"
"This thing is not even as good as the Hetian jade Minmin helped you buy!"
"How can this piece of junk compare to Hetian jade? It's probably worth less than a pile of scrap metal."
"Shuran, if I had known you were giving Grandpa this, I have plenty at home. It's a Zisha teapot. The Zisha teapot masters in our city are friends with my father. I can get as many as you want."
"I thought she'd bring something special. A broken Zisha teapot, and it looks like someone has used it before, doesn't it? You're still presenting this as a birthday gift. Qin Shuran, do you even have Grandpa in your eyes?!"
Qin Yuyan also looked disdainful, "Sister Shuran, if you didn't have money, you could have told me. Giving this kind of thing is embarrassing your father."
Qin Xiaodong's expression was also displeased. He hadn't expected Qin Shuran to present such a worthless item.
However, no one noticed that as soon as Grandpa Qin saw the Zisha teapot in the wooden box, his expression stiffened, and his face was filled with shock.
"Shuran, bring me the Zisha teapot in your hand so I can see it," the elder's voice, filled with excitement, echoed through the hall.
For a moment, the scene fell silent. Those younger generation members who had been mocking Qin Shuran now looked at the elder with disbelief.
After all, Grandpa Qin had only smiled and nodded at the gifts worth tens of millions from Qin Xiaodong and Qin Yuyan, not even giving them a second glance! They couldn't understand why Grandpa was so interested in Qin Shuran's broken Zisha teapot.