"Finn Taylor, you can just so say if you don't want to go. You don't have to be so disgusting." Yvette Larson huffed and grumbled at her misfortune before turning to leave.
It was an outing day for the Larson family from San Francisco.
Earlier on, Grandpa Joseph Larson had said that he was thirsty and had asked Finn Taylor to get him some water.
Finn Taylor was her husband. To put it more accurately, he was a son-in-law who had married into the Larson family.
Three years ago, the Larson family's eldest princess—Yvette Larson—had held the wedding of the century in her marriage to Finn Taylor. The wedding had rocked the whole city of San Francisco.
The reason was that Finn Taylor was a matrilocal son-in-law and a piece of trash.
It was the Larson family's old master, Hugo Larson, who had set this marriage up. That meant that nobody else had any say in it.
Unfortunately, the very next day after the wedding, Hugo Larson departed from this world. As such, Finn Taylor was plagued with yet another identity: A jinx.
Over the past three years, Finn Taylor had never been able to do a single thing right. In fact, he had constantly caused trouble for the Larson family. Even now, he had managed to screw up when he had simply been tasked with getting some water.
All they had done was give him 80 dollars to bring a few bottles of Evian bottled water over.
What he had come back with was a huge jug filled with water.
Didn't he feel embarrassed letting his grandpa drink water from that bucket?
What could Finn Taylor ever do right? He would definitely be lambasted by his grandpa when they returned home later.
"Yvette, listen to me. Evian bottled water is the same as the water in this jug, but this is even cheaper!" Finn Taylor hurried forward to explain himself.
"Cheaper? Finn Taylor, you know that Grandpa is old. There will come a day when he will pass away. Everyone in the Larson family is trying to suck up to him to win his favor."
"We're the main branch of the Larson family, but unfortunately, I'm not a male. I also don't have as high a status as the family's second branch. Because I married you and embarrassed the Larson family, I can't even compare to the third branch now."
"Can't you buck up a little and make me proud? How much can a bottle of Evian bottled water cost? Why did you have to buy a jug of water and embarrass our family?" Yvette Larson had lost all desire to talk to Finn Taylor.
Over the past three years, she had gained a clear understanding of him: He was here to drag her family down and to torture her.
"Oh, that piece of trash is back." No sooner had Yvette Larson and Finn Taylor returned than Quince Larson—Yvette Larson's younger cousin from the family's second branch—cut in to stir up trouble. "Yvette, I'm sorry for troubling that piece of trash for carrying such a huge jug of water over. Is that jug of water for your family to wash their hands or to wash their feet?"
Yvette Larson remained indifferent but drew a clear line between Finn Taylor and herself.
Finn Taylor was Finn Taylor. Yvette Larson was Yvette Larson.
They were scolding Finn Taylor, not Yvette Larson.
"No, this is the water I bought for Grandpa. It's for drinking," Finn Taylor replied earnestly.
It was met with a hearty chortle. "Drinking water? I say, do you guys drink water from such jugs at home? Look, I always get Grandpa mineral bottled water from Veen. I guess you've never heard of it before."
"I got my friend to bring this back from abroad. A 750-milliliter bottle like this costs 21 dollars. I guess your jug of water didn't even cost ten dollars."
Finn Taylor shook his head. "You're right. It cost me only seven dollars."
Hahaha!
Yet another hearty chortle sounded.
Yvette Larson shook her head helplessly. 'Is he truly a fool, or is he just pretending to be one? How could he answer so honestly even when faced with such a question?'
Joseph Larson flipped the bottle of Veen bottled mineral water around and analyzed it. "I didn't know that this water was so expensive, Quince. No wonder it tastes so good. You're so thoughtful."
"It's only right for us younger ones to do this, Grandpa. It's good as long as you like it."
"Grandpa, look at this." As he said this, Quince Larson took out a sandalwood box.
Just one glance at that wooden box made it obvious that it was no ordinary box, much less the box's contents.
Everyone in the Larson family gathered around, wanting to see what precious things the sandalwood box held.
Quince Larson opened it slowly, revealing the box's contents.
It was a piece of jade—a piece of jade that had been carved into the word 'longevity.'
"Grandpa, this piece of jade's name is 'Abundant Life.' As your grandson, I'm wishing you an abundant and long life!"
Joseph Larson received the piece of jade with a wide smile plastered on his face.
Everyone in the Larson family praised Quince Larson for being a filial grandson.
But when Yvette Larson and Finn Taylor heard Quince Larson's words, they glanced at each other in disbelief.
Yvette Larson reached into her own pocket, wanting to take something out. Yet, she was afraid to do so.
Finn Taylor could no longer hold it back. It didn't matter how much Quince Larson bullied him, but he wouldn't stand still if he bullied his wife.
"Grandpa, Quince Larson's piece of jade is fake!" Finn Taylor's words were like a bolt out of the blue.
In an instant, dozens of eyes from the Larson family turned their gazes to him.
"'Abundant Life' was crafted by the master craftsman, Carlos Simon. It was sold for 111,000 at an auction in New York last week. It's made from mutton fat jade and has a color that resembles mutton fat with a delicate and moist texture. But it has a crucial downside, which is that it contains a small amount of impurities."
"These impurities are formed naturally and can't be removed no matter what. However, your piece of jade is completely flawless, without any impurities. Quince Larson, are you trying to curry favor with Grandpa using a fake piece of jade?"
With Finn Taylor's words, everyone turned their gazes back to the piece of jade in Quince Larson's hands.
Indeed, this piece of jade was completely flawless, without any impurities. Just like Finn Taylor had said, it did have some minute differences from mutton fat jade.
"Finn Taylor, don't malign others. You're just a good-for-nothing son-in-law. What do you know about mutton fat jade? If you say that this piece of jade is fake, then it is."
Quince Larson felt a little guilty because of Finn Taylor's words. It was true that this piece of jade was fake.
To be more accurate, this piece of jade was a good piece of jade as well. However, it wasn't a piece of mutton fat jade, much less it being 'Abundant Life.'
"Of course, this piece of jade is fake. Last week, I followed Yvette to New York. The one who bought the piece of jade for 111,000 dollars at the auction in New York was Yvette."
"Yvette, take your piece of jade out so that Grandpa can have a look and compare them. That way, he'll be able to tell whose is real and whose isn't."
At that moment, everyone's eyes fell on Yvette Larson once again.
Because of that, Yvette Larson had no way of escaping.
She took a piece of jade out of her pocket; its shape was identical to Quince Larson's. "Grandpa, this is the real 'Abundant Life.' Finn Taylor and I personally bought it at the auction in New York to present it to you as a birthday present. We hope that you will live a long and abundant life."
The two pieces of jade were handed to Joseph Larson simultaneously.
In an instant, everyone in the Larson family seemed ready to explode.