Chapter 589 Adoption ceremony
The Shen family Manor was lit up by a thousand lamps, it seemed as if there was a festival that was going on as small and big stalls were lined in front of the manor. Old madam Shen had put her utmost thought into preparing for this banquet for her soon-to-be granddaughter, since she knew that her sons weren't going to join in the festivities, she made sure that nothing of the sort was lacking since she didn't want her granddaughter to become a joke in front of others. She only had a little to no time left to enjoy the filial piety from her granddaughter, even though somewhere in her heart she wasn't happy with taking a replacement instead of her real granddaughter—— Old madam Shen wanted to die with no regrets, only today she coughed blood two times.
With this body, how will she wait for her granddaughter to come and forgive her?
Thus, for changing her mood she put all of her focus on the adoption ceremony that she has arranged. Any celebration held at the Shen household was a big deal, and everyone knew that this time it was even more special since Old madam Shen was adopting one of her cousin's granddaughters as her adopted granddaughter, how can the celebration be a small one?
Thus, many officials and wives together with a bunch of high-profile merchants came to celebrate this happy occasion with Old madam Shen after all who didn't know about the early demise of old madam Shen's daughter? They pitied old madam Shen and knew that she was trying to do this to fill the void in her heart since her son-in-law refused to let her meet her granddaughter.
Though it was Su Wan who refused to go with the Shen family members and even blamed them for murdering their mother because of Su Bai's brainwashing. She was still Old Madam Shen's biological granddaughter, so no matter how upset and angry she was, she will never ever let anyone talk bad about Su Wan, which was why she told everyone that it was Su Bai who refused to let her meet her granddaughter and not her granddaughter who refused to see her.
But no one really cared about Su Wan anyway, though she was the biological granddaughter of the matriarch of the Shen family, she was in the end a nobody whom no one had any idea about.
Thus, the main focus of the banquet once again shifted to the Ji Shan who was going to become the adoptive granddaughter of the Shen family.
Many young ladies came from a family of nouveau rich and they kept on chattering about how Ji Shan was nothing but a sparrow hidden among a bunch of other sparrows but now she was like a phoenix who suddenly flew from the nest of the sparrows and became a domineering young lady of the Shen family. Though they were filled with sourness upon thinking about the luck that Ji Shan had, they were in the end still mindful of keeping their voice down, worried that they will be heard.
Ji Shan's parents were the VIP guests, Father Ji carried his son in his arms as he looked here and there, he was a bit restrained but his wife who has never seen such beautiful things before touched this and that, as she peered around the banquet hall, she hurriedly whispered to her husband. " Look at that vase honey, I once saw it in the capital, it was around two hundred golden coins can you believe it? It was that pricey and yet the Shen family placed it in this banquet hall where children are running amok like little demons."
Mother Ji clicked her tongue as she pointed to another painting that was hanging on the wall and shook her head. " And that, if I am not wrong, that painting was awarded by the Emperor to the third master of the Shen family for his hard work and the new research that he came with a few months ago, they are clearly putting a good show for that useless daughter of ours."
"How many times have I told you," hissed father Ji as soon as he heard his wife's words. " Shan Shan is no longer the same, you have to be careful with her now. Do you have any idea how much money she sent us these past months? It's seventy gold coins, have you ever seen that much sum of money? Because I haven't, you keep running your mouth like that and see whether she will send you money anymore."
" Hah, like she will dare not to send it." sneered Mother Ji as she waved her husband's concern aside. "she should be grateful that its thanks to my genes that she was able to get that pretty face of hers, or else do you think she would have been here? She better send that money to me on time or else if I can give that pretty face to her, I can snatch it back too!"
Father Ji watched his wife plan this and that and shook his head… did his wife think that her daughter was an easy target?
The person who was probably the happiest among the crowd was Grandpa Ji who was smiling like he has won a lottery of million gold coins, he shook hands with this official and that merchant, trying to increase the number of contacts he had but as he introduced himself to others and did some small chat, he couldn't help but curse his nephews for being unfilial. Clearly, they had so many connections, if they wanted they could have helped his failing business in a jiffy without even lifting one finger yet they watched everything silently like a bunch of passive onlookers! How dare they!
No matter what kind of person he was, he was still the cousin of their mother and by that alone, he was qualified enough to get special treatment but what was this? They were actually watching him make a fool of himself all along? Truly despicable just like their father who never showed a good face to him.