Damn, How could my family be so wealthy?!-Chapter 462 - 461: The Ancestors Plant the Trees, and Their Descendants Enjoy the Shade

Chapter 462: Chapter 461: The Ancestors Plant the Trees, and Their Descendants Enjoy the Shade

Old Man Gu certainly wasn’t the type who had nothing better to do than to loiter around, subjecting himself to disdain without the intent to leave.

After all, this was the last item up for auction, and Old Man Gu still hadn’t shown any sign of budging.

So, Old Man Gu definitely had a purpose in staying.

It seemed that Young Master Gu was rather talented when it came to mingling with little stars.

As for anything else, he was quite ordinary indeed.

In some aspects, he even gave off a sense of being a bit slow-witted.

Old Man Gu didn’t feel like talking to his grandson anymore.

Besides, some thoughts are best kept to oneself—once spoken, they might not come to pass.

Old Man Gu felt that if he voiced his thoughts, and by some chance someone overheard and relayed them to Su Junqiang,

then Su Junqiang might not be so easygoing anymore.

Old Man Gu was very aware of the iron-fisted tactics Su Junqiang had employed in the business world.

Therefore, Old Man Gu didn’t have the courage to reveal the schemes in his heart.

After glaring at his grandson, Old Man Gu realized that the young man’s IQ and EQ were really not that high.

Seeing that his grandfather didn’t seem inclined to speak, Young Master Gu didn’t dare to keep asking.

Embarrassed, he closed his mouth.

Young Master Gu thought that if his grandfather didn’t care, then he might as well toughen up his skin a bit.

After all, what’s the worst that could happen? He could be criticized a bit more, but as long as he didn’t take it to heart, wouldn’t everything be fine if he just let it in one ear and out the other?

Without a word, Young Master Gu glanced at his cellphone still held in his grandfather’s grip and helplessly diverted his eyes.

Since his grandfather showed no intention of returning the phone, there was no use in Young Master Gu being anxious about it.

Young Master Gu had just been having a lively chat with a few beauties.

He wondered if those pretty girls would get anxious now that he had suddenly stopped talking.

At first, Young Master Gu could still see the screen of his phone light up in his grandfather’s hands.

It was probably because he hadn’t replied to the messages from the beauties, and they were getting worried.

Lately, Old Man Gu also noticed the phone lighting up incessantly.

Probably feeling annoyed, Old Man Gu went ahead and turned off the phone.

Poor Young Master Gu watched helplessly as the screen of his phone turned completely black.

That also meant that Young Master Gu’s flirtation with the beauties was truly put on hold for the moment.

With the Old Man not willing to leave, and his phone out of reach,

Young Master Gu surveyed the front and noticed that the little master of the Su Family had put down his phone too, and was now raising his proud head to look at the last auction item on display.

Was the young master of the Su Family interested in this Tang Bohu’s "Thoughts of Returning on a Donkey"?

Young Master Gu figured since they were all young folks and the little master seemed interested, the piece must have some appealing qualities.

With nothing better to do, Young Master Gu actually started to pay attention to what the auctioneer was saying.

Of course, the auctioneer wasn’t concerned with whether or not the grandfather and grandson seated at the back row were listening.

In the auctioneer’s mind, the last item was likely destined to belong to Elder Su.

But he still had a job to do.

Otherwise, his boss wouldn’t be paying him, right?

The auctioneer naturally had to declare the rules he needed to clarify.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this ’Thoughts on the Way Home on a Donkey’ can be said to be Tang Bohu’s finest work, and naturally, its collectible value is extraordinary."

"Therefore, the starting bid for ’Thoughts on the Way Home on a Donkey’ is eighty million."

"Also, there’s one more point – the bidding rules for this last item differ from the previous seven auction items."

"For the previous seven auction items, each bid signified an increase of five hundred thousand."

"For ’Thoughts on the Way Home on a Donkey,’ each bid from those present will represent a voluntary increase of one million."

"The main reason for this is that ’Thoughts on the Way Home on a Donkey’ is quite precious, and it would be too troublesome to add five hundred thousand each time."

"Directly raising the bid by one million each time also serves to not waste the valuable time of all the executives here."

The auctioneer reiterated the rules for the eighth auction item.

In fact, the auction was deliberately designed this way to psychologically enhance everyone’s valuation of ’Thoughts on the Way Home on a Donkey’.

Of course, the auction organizer certainly didn’t set the starting price arbitrarily.

They would definitely abide by the principle of aligning with market values.

Those present were worldly individuals, and except for a very few, they were not easily fooled.

The organizers of the auction were naturally aware of this.

They had only slightly modified some small details, neither violating any principles nor making the participants feel that ’Thoughts on the Way Home on a Donkey’ was something special from their hearts.

It could be said that the auction organizers had put a great deal of thought into it.

"The starting bid is eighty million? It seems that Tang Bohu indeed is remarkable."

"What use is Tang Bohu’s skill? Can the eighty million be of any use to him now?"

"That’s true, do you think Tang Bohu has descendants, and is this ’Thoughts on the Way Home on a Donkey’ brought to auction by one of them?"

"If that’s the case, then it really is a case of descendants enjoying the shade of trees planted by their ancestors."

"Who could know that? The auction is selling Tang Bohu’s painting, not his family affairs. Surely you’re not saying you’ll decide whether to bid based on who’s selling ’Thoughts on the Way Home on a Donkey’?"

"I was just speaking off the cuff. What do you think of the painting?"

"With such a high price, it certainly is a fine piece, but it’s unknown who will end up nabbing it."

"As long as Elder Su doesn’t make a move, I’d like to give it a try."

"Indeed, if Elder Su doesn’t bid, I’d like to try too. I’ve come away empty-handed today so far."

"Same here, all thanks to that Wu Wanli, spoiling my good mood."

"Enough, enough, Wu Wanli was just lucky. What can you do when you’re not as nimble as him?"

"You’re thin? Thin or not, you’d have ended up the same."

The lively discussion among the individuals was interrupted by a quip, and they began sulking like children, closing off the conversation.

They tacitly stopped talking.

Both individuals shared the same thought; when the moment came, they would compete over ’Thoughts on the Way Home on a Donkey’.

Of course, both had already agreed that, if Elder Su refrained from bidding, only then would they entertain the idea of joining in on the excitement.

One could say that neither had figured out the reason why Elder Su was attending the auction today.

Fortunately, they were no blockheads and knew to observe Elder Su’s actions later on.

If Elder Su showed no interest in ’Thoughts on the Way Home on a Donkey,’ they felt they should take the chance to display their prowess in the final auction.

But if Elder Su showed the slightest bit of interest, both were certain not to dare compete with him.

It wasn’t just a matter of daring; they lacked the capability.

"If everyone is clear, let us appreciate ’Thoughts on the Way Home on a Donkey’ now."

The voices of the two quarreling individuals were very low.

It seemed as though the two were somewhat gossiping about Old Master Su behind his back, of course, not daring to let anyone else hear.

So, the awkwardness between them was only experienced by the two of them.

However, such childish behavior, if known to others, would only be a laughingstock.

The nouveau riche didn’t hear the topic of discussion between these two individuals either.

Because they didn’t know Elder Su had actually come for the "Thoughts on Returning Home on a Donkey" painting, the enthusiasm of the nouveau riche was sky-high at this moment.

He was practically rubbing his hands together with eagerness.

At this time, the nouveau riche felt that the auctioneer was really talking too much.

He beat around the bush a lot—wasn’t it just to say that the "Thoughts on Returning Home on a Donkey" painting was valuable?

Everyone present was wealthy, and the nouveau riche felt that the auctioneer was somewhat underestimating himself and the big shots attending the auction.

The nouveau riche looked around and saw that no one else seemed to want to say anything about the auctioneer.

The nouveau riche knew that some situations weren’t suitable for him to be too pushy.

Even Old Master Su hadn’t said anything, so naturally, the nouveau riche also didn’t dare to speak too much nonsense.

He swallowed the words he wanted to say right back down.

The nouveau riche was just waiting for the auctioneer to announce the start of the auction for the last item.

Young Master Gu actually felt the same way as the nouveau riche.

Both were eager for the auctioneer to quickly move on to the auctioning phase.

The only difference was, the nouveau riche was waiting to start bidding so he could raise his paddle.

As for Young Master Gu, he knew that only when the auction started would the end of the auction be one step closer.

Because he saw Su Mu intently watching the display, Young Master Gu was initially very interested in Tang Bohu’s "Thoughts on Returning Home on a Donkey."

Unfortunately, although Young Master Gu was an expert in chatting with beauties, he was a dud when it came to studying.

If it weren’t for the influence of the Gu Family’s connections, it’s likely that Young Master Gu wouldn’t even have been able to attend high school.

Compared to Su Mu, the academic star, Young Master Gu was, of course, outclassed.

Since his academics were nothing to brag about, naturally, Young Master Gu didn’t appreciate the "Thoughts on Returning Home on a Donkey."

To Young Master Gu, even knowing the great name of Tang Bohu was already giving face to his Chinese language teacher.

Bored, Young Master Gu watched as the auctioneer kept talking without announcing the start of the auction.

Young Master Gu was incredibly anxious on the inside.

If it weren’t for the fact that today his energy didn’t match that of the auction, resulting in Young Master Gu becoming an object of everyone’s disdain,

Young Master Gu, given his usual temperament, would have stood up and berated the auctioneer by now.

Su Mu watched the authentic piece by Tang Bohu.

Although he couldn’t decipher any particular technique, Su Mu felt that from the perspective of pure appreciation, this was truly a fine painting.

"Xiao Mu, what do you think?"

Elder Su was also tired of listening to the auctioneer’s rambling.

It’s understandable that you’d want to highlight the value of the "Thoughts on Returning Home on a Donkey."

But there has to be a limit, right? You can’t just go on and on endlessly.

Sometimes, the principle of backfiring from going to extremes should be heeded.

Elder Su had already acquired a certain understanding of the "Thoughts on Returning Home on a Donkey."

So, at this moment, Elder Su didn’t need to admire the "Riding Donkey Thinking Picture" once more.

When the eighth lecture auction began, Elder Su saw his grandson put down the smartphone he was holding.

And Xiao Mu seemed to be admiring the "Riding Donkey Thinking Picture" too.

That’s why Elder Su had this question.

If Xiao Mu had still been playing with his phone at this time, Elder Su wouldn’t have insisted that Su Mu must appreciate the "Riding Donkey Thinking Picture" that he had taken an interest in.

Being young, Elder Su knew that Su Mu might not necessarily be interested in such antique paintings and calligraphy.

Fortunately, Su Mu did show some interest, and Elder Su found a topic to chat with his grandson about.

Elder Su was very open-minded.

If his grandson was playing with his phone, Elder Su would definitely not disturb him.

Only when Su Mu had time would Elder Su think about discussing it with Xiao Mu.

"Grandpa, I don’t understand these paintings and all; I just think they’re fun to look at," Su Mu said.

Su Mu knew that an amateur may enjoy the spectacle, but a connoisseur appreciates the technique.

When it came to the "Riding Donkey Thinking Picture," Su Mu was indeed just an outsider.

Su Mu couldn’t possibly pretend to understand something he didn’t.

Moreover, in front of his own grandfather, Su Mu naturally spoke the truth.

Because Su Mu had flaunted his King-Level Calligraphy Skill in front of the old master once after obtaining it through a sign-in.

So, subconsciously, Elder Su felt his grandson must have some understanding of painting and calligraphy.

Now, hearing how Xiao Mu responded, the elder knew he had misunderstood.

But it wasn’t a big deal; not understanding is just that.

Elder Su knew that with his grandson’s clever mind, just a bit more exposure to these paintings would definitely make him more knowledgeable than the average person.

However, they were at an auction, and the elder was not in a hurry for Xiao Mu to start studying and researching these antiques right now.

With Xiao Mu’s age, Elder Su knew that even if he forced his grandson to learn, Xiao Mu wouldn’t truly enjoy it.

Only those of a certain age would actually become interested in these ancient paintings and calligraphy.

Of course, this excludes those who make money by collecting antique paintings and calligraphy; that’s a different matter altogether.

"Xiao Mu, guess what price this ’Riding Donkey Thinking Picture’ will finally sell for?" Elder Su asked.

Since Xiao Mu didn’t know much about these paintings, Elder Su chose another lighter topic instead.

The purpose, purely, was to pass the time.

Why was the auctioneer not announcing the start of this final auction yet?

Elder Su was not as impatient as he had been in his youth.

But that didn’t mean he was willing to waste time listening to a bunch of nonsense from the auctioneer.

If it weren’t for the sake of decorum, Elder Su probably would have shown his displeasure and urged him on by now.

Unable to do such a thing, Elder Su felt it was much better to chat casually with his grandson than to listen to the auctioneer’s bunch of nonsense.

"Grandpa, can you really guess this?" Su Mu asked.

"It also depends entirely on how much the people attending the auction today like the ’Riding Donkey Thinking Picture.’

If there are many who want this ’Riding Donkey Thinking Picture,’ then the final transaction price will definitely be high."

"As for how high exactly, that’s really not something you can estimate."

"Of course, if only a few people raise their paddles, it might not even reach ninety million."