Chapter 5: Imperial Jade

Lu Fei’s dream was to marry multiple wives, and Jiang Meijia was the first—he couldn’t afford any slip-ups with the very first. So he resolved to make a good impression in front of her parents later.

“Why did you come dressed like that?” Jiang Meijia came out to greet him and, seeing his outfit, her face darkened instantly.

Lu Fei was wearing market stall clothes, two pieces for ninety-nine yuan—perfectly fine for walking down the street. But in Jiang Meijia’s family, everyone wore designer brands, so his outfit looked terribly unsophisticated.

Lu Fei rubbed his hands awkwardly. “Sorry, I got too excited and forgot to change.”

Jiang Meijia rolled her eyes. “Country bumpkin.”

Lu Fei suggested, “How about we go buy some clothes now?”

Jiang Meijia dismissed him, “Forget it. Just come in.”

After all, no matter what Lu Fei wore, her parents wouldn’t like him. She didn’t care anymore—what was wrong with choosing the most rustic, poor, and useless man as her boyfriend? No one could stop her! She was determined to rebel against her parents’ orders.

Lu Fei followed Jiang Meijia into the living room, where a man with glasses was reading the newspaper on the sofa. On the stairs, a middle-aged woman with curled hair was descending slowly. Her expression soured as soon as she saw the man beside Jiang Meijia.

“Mom, this is my boyfriend. So stop arranging blind dates for me,” Jiang Meijia announced, instantly drawing everyone’s attention to Lu Fei.

The bespectacled man sized Lu Fei up and his expression became grave, his face darkening. The maid carrying dishes watched curiously, thinking, “The young lady actually fancies this bumpkin—does he have some special ability?” The middle-aged woman snorted coldly, her tone harsh: “Without your father’s and my approval, you shouldn’t even mention the word boyfriend.”

Lu Fei stepped forward. “You must be Auntie. It’s our first meeting, so here’s a small token.”

He offered the imperial jade he’d received from Yin Tiancheng as a gift to the middle-aged woman, who was Jiang Meijia’s mother, Huang Yunmei. She glanced at it and immediately scolded him, “Fake! You bring something like this as a gift—what do you take our family for?”

Jiang Meijia was startled; she hadn’t expected Lu Fei to bring a gift. Yet, of all things, he’d brought a fake jade. How embarrassing! She shot Lu Fei a fierce glare.

At that moment, the man with glasses, Jiang Meijia’s father, Jiang Wenhe, came over. He took the imperial jade and said, “Whether it’s real or not, it’s the thought that counts. Let’s not speak further.”

Lu Fei thought to himself, At least there’s one reasonable person in this house.

But then, Jiang Wenhe casually slid the imperial jade under the sofa leg. “See, it fits perfectly. No matter whether something is real or fake, it has its uses. Everything should be put in its proper place.”

His words were pointed, warning Lu Fei not to presume to pursue Jiang Meijia. The families were not a match.

Lu Fei smiled, “This piece of imperial jade may not be the finest, but if you’re using it to prop up the sofa, perhaps your sofa isn’t top-notch either—time for a replacement.”

He spoke calmly, retorting Jiang Wenhe’s attempt to belittle him. Jiang Wenhe, intending to put Lu Fei in his place, found himself blocked, his face flushing with anger.

“A worthless stone daring to call itself imperial jade—you think we can’t see through it?” Huang Yunmei sneered.

“All right, enough about a stone. Come and eat!” Jiang Meijia dragged Lu Fei toward the dining table.

“Wait. We have an important guest today. Everyone, hold on,” Jiang Wenhe said coldly.

It was time. As soon as he finished speaking, a luxurious Rolls-Royce stopped at the door.

Jiang Wenhe hurried out to greet the person in the car. “Master Ma, your visit truly honors our humble home.”

He ushered Master Ma into the hall and introduced him to everyone: “This is the renowned cultural master, Ma Xinyuan. Please come and meet him.”

“Please, I’m not worthy,” Ma Xinyuan replied with humility.

Jiang Wenhe introduced everyone in turn, “This is my wife, Huang Yunmei; my daughter, Jiang Meijia; my maid, Li Xiao…” He conspicuously skipped over Lu Fei.

Then the group moved toward the dining table to prepare for the meal.

Suddenly, Ma Xinyuan bent down and lay on the floor, startling everyone.

“Master Ma, what are you doing?”

“Quick, help Master Ma up!”

“Master Ma, Master Ma!”

Everyone tried to help Ma Xinyuan, but he pushed them away.

He gazed at the piece of imperial jade beneath the sofa leg, utterly shocked.

“Mr. Jiang, your home truly astounds me. In all of Bianjing, I doubt anyone is wealthier than your family!” Ma Xinyuan said, his voice trembling.

Jiang Wenhe and Huang Yunmei’s faces changed; they didn’t understand what he meant. But everyone could see Ma Xinyuan was staring at the jade Lu Fei had gifted.

“It’s all your fault! What did you bring? Now you’ve caused Master Ma to say such things!” Huang Yunmei scolded Lu Fei, pointing at his nose.

Jiang Wenhe’s face was dark as thunder, and he said sternly to Lu Fei, “Apologize to Master Ma immediately!”

Only Jiang Meijia stood up for Lu Fei, “Mom, Dad, don’t be too hard on him! I’m sure he didn’t mean to bring something inferior—maybe he was deceived.”

Ma Xinyuan was still on the ground, but he turned to Lu Fei. “Is this jade yours?”

Before Lu Fei could answer, Jiang Wenhe spoke up, “Yes, Master Ma. Is there something wrong with it? Our family has nothing to do with it—it’s all from this young man.”

Ma Xinyuan’s words had sounded sharp, so Jiang Wenhe instinctively assumed the jade was problematic, perhaps violating some taboo.

Yet Ma Xinyuan’s next words slapped him hard.

“Impossible, Mr. Jiang. Did you put it here because you couldn’t recognize it as a top-grade imperial jade?”

Boom!

Huang Yunmei’s scalp tingled. Top-grade imperial jade? That would be worth tens of millions! How could it be? Surely Ma Xinyuan was mistaken.

Jiang Wenhe was flustered. “Master Ma, what are you saying—is it really top-grade imperial jade?”

Ma Xinyuan carefully picked up the jade, cradling it in his hands. He examined it repeatedly, murmuring, “Beautiful, truly beautiful. Young man, where did you get this jade?”

He ignored Jiang Wenhe and the others entirely; his eyes were fixed solely on Lu Fei.

“Master Ma, surely you’re mistaken?” Huang Yunmei still couldn’t believe it.

Jiang Wenhe hastily rebuked her, “Enough! Master Ma has the sharpest eyes in the field—how could he possibly make such a mistake?”