After the old man finished speaking, he solemnly patted the dust off his clothes and straightened out his outfit, then even ran to wash his hands...
Everyone else could no longer wait, they wanted to know what gifts His Majesty had bestowed upon them.
The first box opened by the old man elicited gasps from everyone inside the room... The golden color was so bright it nearly blinded their eyes...
"So much gold..." Elder Xu murmured to himself...
"Goodness me! I've seen plenty of silver ingots, but this is my first time seeing gold ingots. This... This is too much!" Mrs. Wang exclaimed excitedly.
The old man exhaled heavily, striving to keep his trembling hand steady as he opened the second box, which contained more gleaming gold ingots.
"How much is that?" asked Mrs. Zhang.
"The two boxes contain close to one hundred thousand taels." Qibao replied.
"Kwah! One hundred thousand tael of gold! Good heavens!" Mrs. Li cried out.
The old man opened all the remaining boxes at once.
"This is a pair of jade Ruyi!!"
"These beads are so big!"
"They're night pearls, which glow brightly at night." Qibao explained.
Upon hearing this, Xu Erbo carefully picked up one of the pearls and made his way toward the rear courtyard...
"Second! What are you doing?! Put that down!" The old man hissed under his breath, afraid that if he spoke louder, his son might drop it and break it, if that happened, he wouldn't want him as a son anymore.
"Dad, it's daytime now. I want to see what the night pearl looks like when it shines. I want to hide it under the quilt and see it." Xu Erbo said with a smile.
"You little rascal, I thought you were going to run off with the night pearl! Put it down this instant. If you want to look at them, you can wait until tonight." Mrs. Wang said. "Don't hold on to it!"
"Oh..." Uncle Xu obediently returned the pearl.
"What kind of material is this? It looks so pretty, like it glows..." Mrs. Lin remarked.
"Yes... What kind of material is this... It feels so smooth..." Mrs. Li was about to reach out to touch it when she stopped herself halfway, fearful she might accidentally damage the material.
"It's a golden jade sculpture. We're not yet so extravagant as to keep such things around, but we must carefully preserve it." the old man said.
The old man set his sights on the last long wooden box.
There is a rolled-up scroll lying inside, opening it: "Selfless and Virtuous, House of Goodness"
As the old man read those eight large words, his hands trembled slightly, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Old man, what is this?" Madam Wang asked.
The old man excitedly replied: "This was personally inscribed by His Majesty himself, and it's stamped with the national seal. This is the Emperor's acknowledgment of our family!"
He carefully rolled up the scroll and placed it back inside its box.
Xu Dabo said: "With these things at home, I can't sleep tonight. What if there is a thief?"
Mrs. Wang said seriously: "Old man, although you are the head of the family, these treasures came to our Xu family because of Qibao. No one can touch these things. They all belong to Qibao. When Qibao grows up and gets married, these will be Qibao's dowry. Do you have any objections?"
Qibao said quickly: "Grandma, you can't. You are also a part of our family, glory and honor, although it's because of the prescription that we got. This reward is shared by everyone in our whole family. Qibao will earn herself a dowry back, this is the Emperor's reward for our Xu family, something to be shared amongst all. Qibao cannot allow herself to take credit for all."
Mrs. Zhang said: "Mom, I have no objection. It is very rare for me to see so many treasures. I have never thought of putting these treasures in my pocket."
Mrs. Li said: "Yes, mother, Qibao's dowry must be in it in the future. This is definitely the most decent dowry in our Huamen Town. Our Qibao will definitely get married in a glorious manner."
"If we keep this fabric for too long, who knows if it might eventually rot? Why not take it to make everyone in the house a new piece of clothing?" Mrs. Lin asked.
"Mother is right, this fabric is so beautiful. If the eldest two uncles and father wore it, they'd definitely be just like high-ranking officials. Aunties, you'd look very lovely in them as well. Besides, these materials were originally meant to be made into clothing." Qibao chimed in
Ms. Wang pondered for a long time, feeling a little distressed. She just wanted to give the best to Qibao, but Qibao said so herself, and it made sense after thinking about it, so she said: "Sure, then listen to Qibao, but the rest of these belong to Qibao."
Qibao said: "Since it is mine, then I have the right to dispose of it. I will give all these to my grandparents, okay?"
"Aiyoh! My treasure! Grandma is too old to deserve these good things, keep them for yourself." Mrs. Wang once again indulged her heartily.
The old man's face lit up as well: "Our granddaughter sure is considerate, but your grandmother knows best, we don't need such expensive things."
Qibao retorted: "In my eyes, these things aren't worthy of my esteemed grandparents. To Qibao, her family is far more important than any object."
Everyone else was deeply moved by this sentiment. How could this child be so mature and sensible? How could she not be loved?! No wonder even deities were willing to take her as their disciple.
"If this thing were in grandma's hands, I would be unable to sleep at night and have to guard it!" Mrs. Wang said.
The old man had an idea and said: The old man had an idea and said:
After thinking about it, Qibao felt that it was inappropriate to put these things at home, and there was no hidden place in the house to hide these things.
Thus, she put everything into her personal space, leaving only the scroll written by the Emperor's beloved.
"Grandpa, no one dares to steal this, so you can keep it." Qibao said.
The old man happily took the box and said: "This is the honor of our Xu family for generations, and it must be paid tribute to!"
Qibao didn't say anything, as long as grandpa was happy. In truth, she wasn't surprised by these gifts—there were plenty more valuable objects out there! The spiritual spring water within her personal space alone was worth far more than any of these.
The mood of the Xu family has not completely calmed down at this time. Not everyone can have what the Emperor rewarded.
The servants were also secretly amazed and felt even more strongly that following the Xu family had been the correct choice after all, as they might one day reap these benefits themselves.
When it was time for school to end, the elder brothers returned home too, noticing their household acting rather differently than usual.
Xu Wenwu asked: "Father, aren't you usually just getting back from work at this time? Why did you come so early?"
The old man spoke before his son could speak: "Wenwu, today is a momentous occasion for our Xu family. You are the eldest grandson, so I must inform you, but under no circumstances may you reveal any of this to outsiders, understand?"
Xu Wenwu nodded firmly.
So the old man told Xu Wenwu what happened today, emphasizing that Qibao donated the prescription for free for the sake of the brothers.
Upon hearing this, Xu Wenwu promptly promised: "Don't worry, Grandfather. Your grandson swears that I will treat my little sister ten thousand times better in the future. If anyone dares to harm her, I would protect her safety even if it meant sacrificing my own life!"
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