Chapter 001
“Poor children without a mother! The master took the entire family abroad, yet abandoned Miss Eight and Young Master Sun. Young Master Sun isn’t his biological son; he was adopted from outside by the First Wife, so it’s somewhat understandable that the master left him behind. But Miss Eight was born to the First Wife, the original spouse! How can she be treated worse than those born to concubines? Where can one find justice for this!”
“What can be done? It all stems from the Old Lady’s dislike of the First Wife. Moreover, the Eldest Son died young, leaving only an adopted heir to continue the family line. No one is there to support Miss Eight. Fortunately, the First Wife passed away from illness last year; otherwise, witnessing the master’s such heartless betrayal would have surely angered her to death.”
“The master, the Old Lady, and the Second, Third, and Fourth Wives have all departed. Who will pay our wages from now on?”
“A camel, even when starved, is still larger than a horse. Even if Miss Eight and Young Master Sun are down on their luck, they still possess this grand mansion and shops outside. Just plucking a single hair from them would be thicker than our waists. What is there to fear?”
“Since Miss Eight and Young Master Sun don’t manage the accounts, the master must have taken all the family assets with him.”
“What are we to do then?”
“We should wait until Miss Eight wakes up and ask her. If she can pay our wages, we’ll stay on to serve her; if not, we’ll each go our separate ways.”
“That’s true enough, but working outside as laborers or servants won’t offer wages as generous as those at the Lu household.”
“That doesn’t mean we should serve them for nothing.”
Lu Mingzhu, amidst her haze, heard several women chattering outside the door. Her head throbbed as if it were about to split open from the flood of memory fragments that weren’t her own.
With great effort, she opened her eyes and met the gaze of a young boy leaning by her bedside.
He appeared to be around fourteen or fifteen years old, with delicate features, fair skin, and rosy lips—undeniably handsome. His strong, upright eyebrows added a touch of heroism to his looks, though his swollen, red eyes somewhat marred his appearance.
His face was etched with fear, but the moment he saw Lu Mingzhu awaken, his eyes suddenly brightened. “Auntie…”
Lu Mingzhu finally regained some clarity. She reached out with her right hand, the one not held by him, and gently touched his cheek. “I’m here. Don’t be afraid.”
“Mm, as long as Auntie is well, I won’t be afraid!” He wiped away his tears and managed a faint smile.
This boy, named Lu Ping’an, had been adopted from outside by the original body’s mother and registered under the name of her elder brother, who had died young. He was fifteen years old. The original Lu Mingzhu was only eighteen; she had just graduated from high school and, though admitted to university, had not yet begun her studies when her biological father decided to move the entire family abroad, abandoning only her and Lu Ping’an. Overwhelmed, the young girl had fainted on the spot.
Overwhelmed by rage and distress, she lost consciousness.
When she awoke, the soul within had become Lu Mingzhu’s.
She quickly familiarized herself with her predecessor’s family circumstances.
The Lu family were major capitalists in Shanghai, owning factories, hotels, properties, and land; they ranked among the top fifty wealthiest families nationwide, embodying extreme affluence. Before liberation, they had not fled because Lu’s father, along with several of his sons, had been busy profiting from the war—contributing significantly to hyperinflation and currency devaluation. After liberation, he discovered that their lifestyle remained entirely unaffected, making him even more unwilling to leave his homeland.
Why leave now?
Because the entire family of Lu’s father’s uncle, a major landlord, had perished; their lands were distributed to the masses, and all their gold, silver, and treasures were completely confiscated. He believed that capitalists would very likely be the next to suffer misfortune.
Thus, assets that could not be moved—such as factories, hotels, properties, land plots, and company shares—were gradually donated by Lu’s father to the state under the pretext of serving the nation and its people, while he posed as a patriotic capitalist. Secretly, however, he fled overseas with all the portable gold, silver, and treasures, along with his family and trusted confidants.
The reason he chose to take his trusted servants rather than his own daughter was simply because, years earlier, a fortune teller had declared that Lu Mingzhu’s fate clashed with her father’s, believing she would bring ruin to the Lu family’s wealth.
Lu’s father firmly believed in this and had treated her with cold indifference for years.
Lu Mingzhu scoffed at such notions.
If her predecessor truly carried a fate of misfortune, the Lu family would have gone bankrupt centuries ago; how could they possibly possess the wealth they enjoy today?
They fled without a second thought, yet left behind the damning label of “children of capitalists” for this aunt and nephew. While it might not affect their lives in recent years, no one can say what will happen a decade later; during that upcoming movement, they would undoubtedly suffer catastrophic consequences.
It is now early August 1951, and the weather is unbearably hot.
Lu Mingzhu believes she must take her nephew and leave.
What is most needed when departing?
Money!
Thinking of this, Lu Mingzhu got out of bed, opened the door, and said to the three maids still chatting outside, “Rest assured, I am still here. Not a single penny of your wages will be withheld. Those who should cook must cook; those who should clean must clean. If you stay quietly at home, I will give you all a bonus.”
Her predecessor’s features were stern and commanding, exuding an innate authority. With just a few words, she dismissed the remaining three maids, yet managed to make them willingly stay at home without spreading rumors.
After they left, Lu Mingzhu returned to her room to comfort her handsome nephew.
After dinner, she sent Lu Ping’an off to sleep. When the night grew deep and silent, she slipped out of her bedroom like a cat, moving with utmost lightness and caution.
The Lu family resided in the main building of a four-story garden villa, which occupied an expansive plot of land. Flanking wings on either side housed the servants, while large gardens stretched before and behind the estate, earning it the name “Lu Family Garden.” The doors, windows, furniture, and staircases were all crafted exclusively from premium yellow rosewood, rendering the entire residence both opulent and steeped in classical elegance.
Within this arrangement, Mr. Lu, the matriarch, and the primary wife’s household occupied the first floor, a placement that underscored their status as the heads of the family. The second, third, and fourth wives’ households were situated on the second, third, and fourth floors, respectively.
Lu Ping’an was the exception; raised personally by the primary wife, his bedroom was located adjacent to Lu Mingzhu’s.
Upon entering Mr. Lu’s bedroom, Lu Mingzhu immediately began rummaging through boxes and cabinets.
When Lu’s father and the others departed, they undoubtedly prioritized packing gold, foreign currency, jewels, and diamonds first; bulky items would never have made it into their luggage. No matter how meticulously he packed, some things were bound to be left behind in the room.
Lu Mingzhu had her sights set on these overlooked remnants.
Unfortunately, apart from large pieces of furniture, there was little of value left in the house. Even the famous calligraphy and paintings that once hung on the walls, along with porcelain ware and potted landscapes that used to adorn the rooms, were gone. All that remained were several stacks of cash and a hundred or so silver dollars tucked inside the dressing table drawers.
Presumably, they deemed these items useless to take along, so they were left behind.
The first series of RMB featured very large denominations, mostly 1,000 yuan, 5,000 yuan, and 10,000 yuan notes, all crisp and brand new.
Lu Mingzhu first put them away, then opened the hidden compartment in the wardrobe bed.
In those days, wealthy people liked to hide treasures underground or within walls; many pieces of old furniture were crafted with secret compartments, and rooms often included hidden chambers. The original owner knew about these because, before her death, Mrs. Lu had taken out considerable amounts of gold, silver, and jewels from the hidden compartments in the wardrobes of her own and Mr. Lu’s master bedroom, handing them over to the original owner and also revealing how to open the hidden chamber.
Mrs. Lu was born with an exceptionally fortunate fate, destined for great wealth and honor, bringing prosperity to her husband and benefits to her children. Sharp and capable herself, she lived in the master bedroom with Mr. Lu during her lifetime. Neither the death of her eldest son, the original owner’s fate, nor Lu Ping’an’s treatment affected her status within the Lu family.
The fortune teller said that Mrs. Lu could keep them in check.
After Mrs. Lu passed away, coinciding with the establishment of the new nation and its new policies, the Lu family’s business went from bad to worse. Instead of seeking the real reasons, everyone blamed it on the original body, and the old lady repeatedly hinted to her son to drive them out of the house.
Soon, Lu Mingzhu successfully found a small chest of gold bars, six large chests of silver coins, and the deed to the Lu family garden in a secret room.
The deed was newly issued, and the owner turned out to be Lu Mingzhu herself!
Inside the box containing the gold bars was a letter from her father, written in hurried, messy handwriting. It stated that he had left her forty “big yellow fish” (gold bars), thirty thousand silver dollars, and ten million in cash hidden in the outer drawer. The Lu family garden was also bequeathed to her, along with all the private savings her stepmother had left behind. This wealth would be more than enough to ensure her comfort and security for the rest of her life; even without taking her abroad, he felt he had done right by her.
Lu Mingzhu pursed her lips and immediately stored the gold bars, silver coins, and property deeds into her personal space.
A few years before her transmigration, she acquired a storage space—not very large, about three meters high, with length and width of 13 and 8 meters respectively, equivalent to three spacious tiled rooms. Time inside remained frozen. Believing heaven had entrusted her with a great mission, she had specially purchased essential survival supplies and sealed them within; these items were not lost during her transmigration and still occupied half the space.
Nevertheless, the remaining half of the space was still more than sufficient for her needs.
She retrieved the metal detector she had bought from her storage space and continued searching. Soon, she unearthed a gold earring set with a ruby from a corner crevice beneath the bed. It appeared to be one her original body’s mother had lost two years earlier and never recovered.
Shortly afterward, Lu Mingzhu found a diamond women’s ring in the pocket of a coat hanging in Father Lu’s wardrobe.
The stone appeared to be around four carats, faintly glowing with a blue hue reminiscent of kerosene flame; it was unclear whether Lu’s father had intended it to woo a mistress or if some woman had left it behind with him.
Even though he had one wife and three concubines at home, it was common knowledge that he still had countless female companions outside.
Lu Mingzhu accepted them without hesitation.
Apart from this, the only valuable item found was a slightly worn foreign watch left on the washstand in the bathroom adjoining the bedroom; it had belonged to Father Lu. No other precious objects were discovered, indicating that Father Lu had long prepared for his departure abroad.
Lu Mingzhu turned and stepped into the old lady’s room.
The old lady resided in the secondary bedroom on the first floor, which had been tidied even more thoroughly. Not a single piece of silver jewelry or half a silver dollar remained; even the diamond, gemstone, pearl, jade, and coral buttons had been snipped off her clothes and taken away. Needless to say, all the original antiques and calligraphic paintings were gone, leaving behind only a small amount of cash, some unused clothing and bedding, and bulky furniture that could not be carried away.
Just as Lu Mingzhu, believing she was about to find nothing, prepared to leave, she suddenly received feedback from her detector. Quickly, she unearthed a chest of valuable items from beneath the teak flooring in the corner behind the wardrobe.
It appeared to be the old master’s private collection.
The original body saw that the jadeite thumb ring the old man often wore was in the box, along with 120 gold bars, seven calligraphy scroll paintings, five porcelain pieces, a Chengni inkstone, a Duan inkstone, a jadeite lidded bowl, three pigeon-blood rubies, four emeralds, six sapphires, a pair of mutton-fat white jade pendants, a pair of white jade twisted bracelets, and three fully green jadeite bangles, plus a string of jadeite beads.
The old man died very suddenly without leaving any last words; everyone searched for a long time but could not find his treasures. The old lady flew into a rage, cursing that he must have given them to some young mistress outside.
Everyone knew he had once found a piece of jadeite of exceptional green hue and crafted it into three bangles and a bead necklace, but no one had ever seen the finished pieces.
Now, Lu Mingzhu was the lucky beneficiary.
She happily moved to another location to continue her treasure hunt.
In Lu’s father’s study, she first found a diamond in the desk drawer, which had rolled into a corner and gotten stuck in a crack at some unknown time; it weighed about two carats. She also discovered a substantial amount of cash and several dozen silver dollars.
Leaving the first floor, Lu Mingzhu meticulously searched every room on the second, third, and fourth floors one by one.