Chapter 483: Complain in Person
The country of maple leaves, Vancouver.
Yan Detai, who was preparing for a personal art exhibition, looked at the people coming and going and the heated discussions in front of him, and a satisfied smile suddenly appeared on his face.
His wife Zhu Zhaoshun was also happy for her husband and wanted to celebrate for Yan Detai. Although the two were brought together through a family marriage, they have supported each other for most of their lives and have long been inseparable.
The three generations of the Yan family were all business tycoons. For example, Yan Detai's father Yan Qingxiang and grandfather Yan Yutang were both well-known entrepreneurs in the old era. They also wrote their own legends in that turbulent historical torrent.
But the story always has an end. It is said that wealth cannot last for more than three generations. When the Yan family was passed down to him, it was exactly the third generation.
The family's influence in the business world is no longer as great as before, and Yan Detai himself has no ambition to make a breakthrough in the business world. Instead, he chooses to indulge in the art field.
Especially in painting, Yan Detai showed extraordinary talent and won countless honors.
When he was only 27 years old, he won the second prize in the Zhonghai Youth Art Exhibition with his oil painting "Red Star Farm", and was later successfully selected for the 1957 National Youth Artists' Exhibition.
When he was fifty years old, his watercolor painting "Longmen Grottoes" was successfully selected for the Asian Art Exhibition and won the honorary title of Honourable Mention, becoming a well-known artist in the industry.
After that, Yan Detai couldn't stop creating such excellent watercolor paintings as "Dunhuang Impression", "Blooming", "Guangxi Landscape", "Sunflower", and "Morning Sunrise". These works were not only collected by domestic art museums, but also favored by the officials of Izumisano City, Osaka Prefecture.
From this we can see that his strength is by no means bought with money, but is real stuff.
In the early 1990s, Zhonghai Bookstore also published "Yan Detai Watercolor Collection" specifically for him.
The "360 Lines" column of China Overseas Television even broadcast a special program on Yan Detai's watercolor paintings.
Today, Yan Detai is already seventy years old. Not only does he have many children and grandchildren and a fulfilling life, but even his personal art exhibitions are going smoothly. There is nothing he is not satisfied with anymore.
However, his good mood was soon broken by a sudden phone call. He had just returned home when he received a call from China.
"Hello, are you Mr. Yan Detai?"
The person on the other end was speaking the pure Xia language, which made Yan Detai feel a lot more relaxed. He smiled, nodded and said, "I am, who are you?"
"Hello, Mr. Yan. I am Wu Zhijie from the trustworthy real estate agency."
Wu Zhijie, who was making a long-distance call, was worried about the phone bill, so he didn't bother to be polite and asked directly: "Mr. Yan, are you interested in selling the Yan Family Garden at No. 699 Zhonghai Yuyuan Road?"
Yan Detai, who was originally in a good mood, suddenly had his blood pressure soar when he heard this. He angrily shouted, "Your real estate agency has called me? That's our Yan family's ancestral home, we won't sell it!"
Then he hung up the phone, his chest still heaving.
It’s no wonder that Yan Detai is so angry at his age.
The Yan Family Garden really means something special to him. Because it was confiscated during a special period, Yan Detai has not lived there for a long time.
But no matter what, that's where he was born and grew up, so the feeling is still there.
Besides, he has no shortage of money now, and he is not at all so poor that he has to sell off his ancestral property. After all, he comes from a wealthy family and cannot afford to lose face.
Zhu Zhaoshun saw Yan Detai answering the phone and looked at him with a frown. He immediately asked with concern, "What's wrong? Who called?"
Zhu Zhaoshun was also a lady from a prominent family. The former Zhonghai Qiuxin Shipyard was the Zhu family's property. The predecessor of the Qiuxin Shipyard was the Zhonghai Qiuxin Machinery Manufacturing Shipyard, whose founder was Zhu Zhiyao, who was the elder brother of Zhu Zhaoshun's grandfather.
Facing his wife's inquiry, Yan Detai complained angrily: "A domestic real estate agent actually called to ask me if Yan's Garden is for sale. Don't you think this is outrageous?"
Zhu Zhaoshun was also very angry after hearing this: "Who would come to someone else's house to buy their ancestral property? How rude!"
Before the couple could finish their conversation, Wu Zhijie called again.
Nowadays, mobile phones don’t have caller ID, so Yan Detai didn’t know it was Wu Zhijie calling, so he answered the phone.
As soon as the call was connected, Wu Zhijie pleaded very quickly: "Mr. Yan, I am really sincere, and the price will definitely satisfy you."
When Yan Detai heard Wu Zhijie's voice, he became so angry that his gray beard started shaking wildly again.
He took a deep breath and shouted with all his strength: "Get out!"
After receiving two consecutive phone calls, Yan Detai's breathing began to quicken, and he sat in the chair with his beard puffing and his eyes bulging.
He really couldn't understand why his ancestral property was suddenly targeted by real estate agents?
However, within a few minutes, the phone rang again.
Yan Detai hung up without even thinking.
However, the caller was very persistent and kept calling.
Zhu Zhaoshun was helpless and said, "Just answer the call first and explain it to the other party."
"All right."
Under Zhu Zhaoshun's persuasion, Yan Detai finally answered the phone.
When the call was connected, Wu Zhijie on the other end quickly said, "Mr. Yan, we are really sincere. The buyer is the newly-crowned richest man in mainland Xia. We are not short of money."
Yan Detai was so angry that he blew his beard and glared at the man over the phone, and his words were even more indignant: "Even if he is the richest man in the world, it won't work! The Yan family's ancestral property will not be sold!"
Then he yelled: "Don't call me again, or I will call the police!"
On the other end of the phone, Wu Zhijie was scolded by Yan Detai and he was helpless. Although he was willing to pay more, the other party was not short of money. What else could he do?
In desperation, Wu Zhijie had to call Lu Yiming and tell him the news.
"Mr. Lu, things are not going smoothly. Mr. Yan is very determined and refuses to sell the ancestral property of the Yan family. The main reason is that Mr. Yan is already 70 years old. I dare not say too much. If I make him angry and something bad happens, I can't bear the responsibility. You see..."
Lu Yiming had actually anticipated the difficulty of this matter.
After all, if he really wanted to sell it, Yan Detai would have sold it long ago. There was no need to wait until 2008 for it to be acquired by Chen Tianjiao through auction.
However, the more difficult something is, the more worthwhile it is to do it.
Lu Yiming thought about it and felt that he couldn't use such a low-level method as making harassing phone calls, as it was too unclassy.
People live in this world either seeking fame or profit. The Yan family is in decline now, but their airs are still there. Talking about money directly is so vulgar.
What do people who have enough money pursue? They pursue style and interest. As the saying goes, money can't buy me happiness.
Lu Yiming believed that as long as he could please the other party, it didn't matter whether it was ancestral property or not.
"Does Mr. Yan have any hobbies?"
Wu Zhijie hesitated for a moment and said, "Well... I heard that he is a famous painter, especially good at watercolor painting. I got his contact information from the Zhonghai Artists Association."
Lu Yiming pinched his chin when he heard this, and then he came up with an idea: "How about this, you donate one million to the Zhonghai Artists Association in my name, and ask them to help organize a watercolor art exhibition, and then invite Mr. Yan to participate in the exhibition."
When Wu Zhijie heard this, he immediately smiled and said, "Great! You must have a solution. I'll contact them right away."
He is indeed the richest man, and his brain is very flexible.
No, he really is rich. He isn’t even sure if he can buy this house, but he still invests one million in it.
This is clearly the way rich people play, and ordinary people can't learn it.
After all, if Yan Detai refuses to agree in the end, the one million will be wasted.
In North America, Yan Detai, who knew nothing about this matter, had just flown from Vancouver to New York accompanied by Zhu Zhaoshun to attend a gathering of wealthy Chinese people.
During the war, many wealthy families immigrated from China to North America.
Those who are ambitious went to the United States to continue expanding their family's business empire.
Most of the lazy fish who have no ambitions have settled in Maple Leaf Country, which is suitable for fishing and retirement.
But we are all from China, and we are in the same circle, so we keep in touch often and occasionally get together to keep in touch.
Favors are something that you should never maintain until you need them.
Usually, Yan Detai is devoted to art, and these social matters are all left to Zhu Zhaoshun to take care of. On the plane, Yan Detai asked: "Who initiated this party?"
"It's the Su family."
Zhu Zhaoshun then explained, "Didn't the Su family pass away an elder not long ago? We sent condolences. Recently, the second daughter and son-in-law of the old Su family have also been here from China for a while, so we decided to take this opportunity to have a get-together."
Hearing this, Yan Detai couldn't help but recall many past events and memories in his heart, and then he sighed and said, "Alas, we are all old."
New York.
The Chinese restaurant chain opened by Louis McAdam was not open today, but was booked by the Su family as a banquet venue.
Louis McAdam is Jock's handsome American father.
The Su family arrived early.
"Hi, Louis."
Su Bao greets Louis McAdam.
Louis McAdam waved his hand: "Hi, Su, good morning. Your Su family's grandson-in-law is incredible. I heard that he is already the richest man in Xia Country. He is so young, but he makes more money than us old guys. His future is limitless."
Su Bao said a few polite words, but the smile on his face never stopped.
Recently, because of Lu Yiming, the Su family, which had been in decline, has gradually shown a trend of rising again. Many people want to take the opportunity to establish a relationship with Lu Yiming, the newly crowned richest man in Xia State, and the Su family has also gained a lot of benefits.
It is really because Lu Yiming's ability to make money is amazing, especially in the US stock market , which has made many people jealous and want to follow suit and buy some stocks with investment potential.
Just at this moment, Yan Detai walked in and said, "What are you two talking about? You look so excited."
Seeing Yan Detai, Su Bao greeted him with a smile: "Brother Yan, you are finally here. Come and sit down so we can have a good chat."
Then, he saw Zhu Zhaoshun behind Yan Detai and quickly said, "Hey, hello, sister-in-law. It's been a long time since we last met. You are still in such good spirits."
Louis McAdam said, "I was just talking about Su Bao's grandson-in-law, the newly crowned richest man in Xia Country. He just turned 18 this year, and he started from scratch and earned tens of billions of assets. Do you think he's amazing?"
Yan Detai frowned and muttered, "Lu Yiming? This name sounds familiar..."
Then he remembered, and immediately stood up and stared at Su Bao with wide eyes: "My goodness, he is your grandson-in-law?"
Su Bao was a little confused and explained, "It's true that Xiaoxue from our family is dating him, but the relationship hasn't been formalized yet. Brother Yan, what's wrong with you? Do you have a grudge against this brat?"
Louis McAdam also felt very strange: "Haven't you been fascinated by art for many years? There is no possibility of conflict with Lu Yiming, right?"
Facing the two's doubts, Yan Detai said angrily: "No, I didn't know him before, but recently, he wanted to buy my family's ancestral property and entrusted an agency. He called me all day long and I couldn't get him to leave even if I scolded him. Tell me, where in the world can there be such an unreasonable person?"
Father Qiao and Su Bao looked at each other. They could actually understand Yan Detai's feelings. For wealthy families, ancestral property is actually similar to ancestral graves. In the past, anyone who wanted to sell their ancestral property would be poked in the spine and called a "prodigal son".
Su Bao quickly said, "Don't be angry, brother. That brat just got swollen after making some money. It's okay. I'll scold him for you later."
After hearing what Su Bao said, Yan Detai snorted and whispered, "This kid is going too far."
He had originally thought about complaining about this weirdo to a few fellow villagers, but he didn't expect that this weirdo was actually Su Bao's grandson-in-law, so naturally he couldn't say much.
At this moment, Yan Detai's cell phone rang again.
His blood pressure suddenly went up, and he took out his cell phone and yelled, "Look, this guy called again! It's always like this, calling all day long, I'm almost fed up with it!"
As if to let Su Bao teach Lu Yiming a lesson, he pressed the answer button and said loudly: "Haven't I said it many times? Our family's ancestral property is not for sale!"
The man opposite was suddenly frightened by the shout and said cautiously: "Um... Mr. Yan, I am Xiao Liu from the Zhonghai Artists Association."
"Ah? Xiao Liu."
Yan Detai realized that he had yelled at the wrong person and felt very embarrassed. His tone softened and he asked, "I'm sorry, I've been receiving harassing calls recently. Xiao Liu, what do you want to talk to me about?"
Xiao Liu said, "It's like this. Recently, the association is preparing for a watercolor art exhibition. We hope that artists like Mr. Yan, who are both virtuous and talented, can bring their works to the exhibition. The scale of this exhibition will be very large, and the publicity will be very strong. When the time comes, celebrities from all walks of life will come to comment."
Yan Detai was instantly moved and said without hesitation: "Don't worry, I will definitely bring my work to participate!"
"Okay, thank you Mr. Yan for supporting our work."
"Haha, no problem. By the way, I'm really sorry for what happened just now."
"It's okay, it's okay. I hate people who make random phone calls all day. Well, I won't bother you anymore. Goodbye, and I wish you good health."
"goodbye."
After hanging up the phone, Su Bao saw that Yan Detai's expression had eased, and asked, "Brother Yan, you are in high spirits because of good things happening to you. Share any good things with your brothers."
Yan Detai said cheerfully, "Nothing. The Zhonghai Artists Association held a watercolor art exhibition and invited me to participate."
"I see."
Su Bao complimented him, "With your status in the flower garden, if you agree to participate in the exhibition, the level of their exhibition will be raised."
Louise McAdam also said: "Yes, it is an honor for the organizers that you participate in the exhibition."
Yan Detai looked at Louis McAdam and said jokingly, "You are a foreigner with thick eyebrows and big eyes. When did you learn the compliments of our Xia country?"
He had no other pursuits in his life except his love for painting. Now that he was older, he hoped to leave a resounding name behind him.
In the evening, Lu Yiming and Shi Qingxue were sitting in the study room reading books, when suddenly his trouser pocket began to vibrate, making a buzzing sound.
After Lu Yiming and Shi Qingxue exchanged glances, they ran out to answer the phone.
The call was from Su Yunjin.
As soon as the call was connected, Su Yunjin said bluntly, "Lu Yiming, why are you so concerned about the Yan family's ancestral property? Although the Yan family is now in decline, it is still strong and there are still people in the circle who support it. Don't narrow your path."
Lu Yiming quickly said, "Aunt, you misunderstood. Why would I want to take over the Yan family's ancestral property? I'm not such an unreasonable person."
Su Yunjin was very satisfied to see that Lu Yiming was willing to learn from her: "It's good that you are willing to give up on your own initiative. After all, it's not good to have a good reputation if you force someone to buy the ancestral property."
"No, Auntie, don't get me wrong, I didn't say give up."
"What?!"
On the phone, Su Yunjin's voice rose octaves.
"What on earth are you thinking about? Don't be so arrogant just because you became the richest man."
Lu Yiming explained, "Aunt Su, don't worry. I won't force you to buy or sell. As for the ancestral property, after the Yan Family Garden was confiscated, it was messed up by some residents. Now it's in tatters and it doesn't look good to leave it there. So, I want to buy it and renovate it. It's better than leaving it there like this, right?"
Before Su Yunjin could continue speaking, Lu Yiming assured her, "Don't worry, Auntie. I will definitely make Mr. Yan accept the conditions I offer and get a result that satisfies everyone. I will never force anyone to buy or sell anything."
Since Lu Yiming had said so, Su Yunjin couldn't continue to object and could only tell him, "Don't mess around. She's already in her forties."
"I know."
