A warm feeling welled up in Sophia’s heart. She hoped that Leo’s gift would meet a certain standard, so her relatives wouldn’t make fun of him.
“Ha, preparing a birthday gift for Grandma? Who believes that? You, a freeloader, have money to buy a gift?” Bruno scoffed skeptically.
“Bruno, I think Leo will get a gift for Grandma,” Fanny chimed in.
Fanny had successfully caught everyone’s attention and continued, “Although we all know Leo is the deadbeat son-in-law of the Henley family, relying on Sophia to support him, he might still manage to afford some cheap stuff from the street market with his pocket money after a month of saving.”
The yard erupted in laughter at Fanny’s words, even the old lady couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Alright, stop bickering. It’s my birthday today, and I’m already happy you all could come. Everyone, please take a seat. Let’s order the dishes from the kitchen and enjoy a lively meal together,” Teresa invited everyone to sit down.
Actually, Grandma Teresa didn’t care whether Leo came or not, nor did she care about the gift. In her eyes, Leo was completely unnecessary in the Henley family.
Of course, if it weren’t for Sophia, Leo wouldn’t have come here at all. He understood the true faces of the Henley family relatives better than anyone. He didn’t want Sophia to bear such a heavy emotional burden for him. After all, the feeling of being mocked and ridiculed was sometimes as sharp as a dagger.
Seeing Grandma Teresa asking everyone to sit for the dinner, Bruno wanted to humiliate Leo once again. He exchanged a glance with Fanny and she got the message.
Understanding immediately, Fanny playfully clung to Grandma Teresa’s arm and said, “Grandma, you see, Leo came empty-handed. He claimed he prepared a gift for you, and we’re all curious to see what he brought.”
Hearing Fanny’s words, others joined in jest.
“I heard men who live off women usually have no skills, just talk. Leo, where’s your gift? Show it!”
“Look at the shabby clothes he’s wearing. There’s no real gift. I bet he was just bragging.”
“Sigh, a useless man who only talks big. A disgrace to masculinity.”
“…”
The crowd’s words were as harsh as they come, but Leo had grown accustomed to it. He had cultivated a rock-solid mentality.
“Grandma, I left your gift in the car. I’ll go get it now,” Leo said, then hurriedly headed outside.
“Guess, is Leo fetching the gift or buying one?”
“No need to guess, he’s definitely buying something in the nearby supermarket, just to cover up his lie.”
“Makes sense, he’s probably bringing back a bottle of wine.”
“I think he’ll get some junk health supplements.”
“Most likely, with his kind of penniless existence, what upscale stuff could he afford?”
Listening to the speculation, Sophia felt a bit uneasy. She knew there were no gift shops nearby, only supermarkets and vegetable markets. If Leo really brought back some low-grade nutritional supplements from the supermarket, it would be quite embarrassing.
Amid the anticipation of the crowd, Leo returned shortly, holding an exquisitely rectangular box.
“Everyone, take a guess. What’s inside the box?”
“I guess it’s wine.”
“Look at the box, it seems like it could hold high-quality ginseng, right?”
“Can he afford premium ginseng?”
“He can’t afford it. Sophia could!”
As people speculated, Leo approached Grandma Teresa and handed her the box with both hands. “Grandma, this is wild ginseng from 150 years ago. I wish you good health.”
Wild ginseng?
At the mention of these three words, Bruno’s heart skipped a beat because he also prepared wild ginseng for Grandma.
A 150-year-old wild ginseng, worth millions. Could this wastrel afford it?
Even Sophia might not give such an expensive gift.
Grandma Teresa didn’t reach out to take it. She simply said, “Leo, your intentions are appreciated, just set it aside.”
As soon as Teresa finished speaking, Bruno snatched the box from Leo’s hands and opened it.
“Grandma, this ginseng is too small to be 150 years old. It’s definitely not wild ginseng!”
With his ginseng out, Bruno displayed it to everyone, “Look, it’s so tiny. How could it be 150 years old? Probably not even ten years old, just regular cultivated ginseng.”
People turned their attention to Bruno’s ginseng, not entirely understanding but finding it didn’t quite match the expectation of 150-year-old wild ginseng.
Bruno put the ginseng back in the box, then clapped his hands. His assistant brought over an exquisite wooden box, much more impressive than Leo’s.
Opening his box, Bruno proudly displayed a plump, white ginseng. “Look, this is real wild ginseng over a century old. I bought it for three million from South Korea.”
“Wow, three million? Bruno, you really have money. Quite the generous gift for Grandma.”
“It seems one’s own grandson is the best. A grandson-in-law is just a outsider, how could they spend money on Grandma’s birthday?”
“Comparing these two ginseng, one big and one small, the difference is clear. Clearly, the useless son-in-law is miserly.”
Hearing the comments, Bruno’s vanity received a great boost. He closed the box, hands extended to present it to Grandma Teresa. “Grandma, this is from your me. I hope for your good health and for the Henley family to flourish, becoming a top-notch clan!”
Teresa smiled again upon hearing these words. “Good child… you’ve really grown up, and you’re thoughtful. The Henley family will be in good hands of yours.”
Leo stepped forward and snatched the box from Bruno’s hands.
“Leo, what are you doing!?” Bruno panicked, thinking Leo might ruin his gift. “Leo, if you dare to damage the gift I got for Grandma, I’ll make sure you regret it.”
“This wild ginseng is fake!”
Leo’s words left the room in silence.
After a brief hush, Bruno burst into laughter. “Leo, I admit I wounded your fragile pride earlier, but there’s no need to spew nonsense. Open your eyes wide and look carefully. How is my wild ginseng fake?”
“This useless Leo is probably mentally unstable. Anyone can see that the ginseng in Bruno’s box is genuine. How can he dare to lie so blatantly?”