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Chapter 150: Chapter 146 Jin Baogen’s Big Gift
"Mr. Jin, why are you in such a good mood today?"
On the car, Chen Cheng asked Jin Baogen.
He and Xiao Meier were both sitting in Jin Baogen’s Land Cruiser, Chen Cheng turned his head to glance at the smiling Jin Baogen, "Are you taking me and Sister Xiao Er to visit Houhai?"
Chen Cheng had no idea what Jin Baogen’s mentioned "place to go" referred to, until Jin Baogen directed the driver to the destination.
Jin Baogen chuckled, "The weather is nice today, and I even checked the almanac; it’s a good day."
Chen Cheng teased jokingly, "Oh, do you have to consult the almanac before you go out nowadays?"
"Hahaha." Jin Baogen laughed and said, "Miss Xiao, look at Mr. Chen, now he is..."
Xiao Meier gently patted Chen Cheng on the shoulder from the back seat, "Don’t be disrespectful."
"Cough, I was just making small talk."
Jin Baogen also waved dismissively, not minding at all, "Young man, it’s good to be energetic!"
"Mr. Jin, just indulge him!" Xiao Meier giggled behind her hand.
The Land Cruiser then stopped in front of a siheyuan (courtyard house) in Crow Hutong.
Jin Baogen was the first to get out of the car, calling for the other two to follow.
He asked Xiao Meier, "Xiao Er, what do you think of the surroundings here?"
"It’s really nice, it’s only a seven or eight-minute walk from here to Shichahai." Xiao Meier spoke truthfully, "And the area has an antique charm, it’s quite flavorful."
Jin Baogen nodded, "I’ve had this courtyard house for some years now, today I specifically took you here to familiarize yourselves with it, so in the future, you can find the way back home."
Xiao Meier exclaimed in surprise, "Is this your house?"
Chen Cheng’s eyes also brightened, "Mr. Jin, this is quite the grand gesture!"
Jin Baogen laughed heartily, "It’s nothing, come on in and have a look."
The three of them walked up the five steps and entered through the wide-open doors.
What came into view was a shadow wall adorned with carved dragons and phoenixes that seemed to have some age to it.
Passing through the moon gate, the sight that appeared made both Chen Cheng and Xiao Meier gasp in surprise.
Xiao Meier was surprised to see the courtyard so serenely and elegantly arranged with a harmonious spread of flowers and trees, especially the jujube tree, which was luxuriant and nearly reaching over the rooftop.
While Chen Cheng didn’t expect to find that the courtyard was filled with familiar faces he had met in recent times.
There was Li Zhida from Jingfa Bank, and others such as Li Bo from his network of interest, and even Wen Shulin was among them.
As Jin Baogen brought the two over, the others set down their teacups and came forward to greet them.
"Mr. Jin."
"Mr. Jin."
Jin Baogen smiled and nodded in greeting, "Apologies everyone, we’re a bit late."
"No problem, we’ve just arrived ourselves."
Jin Baogen introduced, "Chen Cheng, Mr. Chen, I believe everyone knows him already."
He continued, "This is someone you should also have seen at Wanbao Hall. Let me formally introduce her today, this is Xiao Meier."
Everyone nodded in acknowledgment, and Chen Xiao gave their own greetings.
Among those present, Xiao Meier was most familiar with Wen Shulin. She naturally moved closer, "Sister Lin."
"Congratulations, Xiao Er."
"Congratulations for what?" Xiao Meier was still oblivious to what was happening, utterly confused, "Congratulations on what?"
Wen Shulin smiled faintly, "You’ll know soon enough."
Jin Baogen stood in the courtyard chatting with the others for a while, then his butler walked out from the main northern room.
"Mr. Jin, everything is ready."
Jin Baogen nodded, "Good, let’s go inside and continue our talk."
Everyone followed his lead towards the main northern room.
Crossing the high threshold, Chen Cheng seemed to grasp the purpose of this visit.
In the center of the hall, two exquisitely carved wooden chairs stood solemnly, with a bright red cloth draped over the back of the one on the left.
And between the two chairs, an eight-immortal table also held a piece of equally eye-catching red cloth.
Jin Baogen casually gestured to the seats in the hall, "Please feel free to take a seat."
After saying this, he walked towards the seat of honor.
The ten or so people present were seated in two rows, all except for Xiao Meier seemed to have a clear idea of what was going to unfold.
"Today, I’ve invited you all here to witness a special moment."
A note of pleasure was evident in Jin Baogen’s voice, "I, Jin Baogen, am going to acknowledge a daughter."
As soon as he said this, all eyes simultaneously turned towards Xiao Meier seated at the far end.
Although Jin Baogen had already expressed this intention to Xiao Meier in front of Wanbao Hall, at this moment, under the gaze of so many, Xiao Meier was still so surprised that she covered her mouth, her eyes shimmering with disbelief.
"Xiao Er, come here." Jin Baogen motioned for Xiao Meier to approach.
Xiao Meier stood up as if awakened from a dream, her footsteps slightly unsteady as she walked towards Jin Baogen.
"Xiao Er, from today on, you are my daughter."
Xiao Meier was moved, feeling a bit dazed at being acknowledged in front of so many people.
"Mr. Jin..."
"Hey, Miss Xiao, you should address him differently now." Zhou Xiansheng chuckled.
Li Bo chimed in teasingly, "That’s not right, it’s time for the name changing tea ceremony, and you haven’t even offered it yet!"
"And Mr. Jin’s red envelope hasn’t been given yet!" Wen Shulin joked as well.
Jin Baogen pressed down his hand, "One step at a time, we can’t disregard any of the customs. Xiao Er, you agree, right?"
Xiao Meier didn’t know how to respond, but she nodded emphatically.
At this moment, the butler brought over the tea and handed it to Xiao Meier, "Miss, please offer the tea."
Xiao Meier’s hands trembled slightly; she took several deep breaths to calm herself, then lifted the teacup with both hands.
She pursed her lips, intending to kneel down and offer the tea just like in TV dramas, but Jin Baogen saw through her intentions and softly reminded her, "No need."
Still, Xiao Meier slowly knelt down, straightened her upper body, and held the cup level with both hands.
