Chapter 004
Lu Mingzhu was not the original owner and felt no concern over the whereabouts of Mrs. Lu’s vast fortune, since the assets currently in their possession were already sufficient to secure both her and Lu Ping’an’s future.
After arriving in Hong Kong, they could simply purchase properties to rent out and live comfortably without further effort.
Everyone knows that housing prices in Hong Kong are outrageously high, making landlords and landladies the ultimate winners in life.
For Lu Mingzhu, the most important thing right now is to leave Shanghai smoothly and arrive safely in Hong Kong; she hopes everything will remain calm and uneventful during this period.
She explained this to Lu Ping’an, and he understood.
He said, “Auntie, please get some rest. I’ll go out to buy a few things we’ll need for the journey.”
“Go, and return early.”
After he left, Lu Mingzhu double-locked the door from the inside.
Having stayed awake all night, she paid no heed to rest. First, she took out from her spatial storage the gold bars intended for exchanging foreign currency with Wang Xingcai, placing them together with the gold bars, silver dollars, cash, and gold and silver jewelry already outside. She left untouched the old master’s 120 large gold ingots. Then, she slipped ten pound notes into her handbag, storing the rest safely within her spatial storage in case of trouble on the journey. Finally, she began packing her luggage.
Mainly, this included clothes and footwear suitable for all seasons, textbooks, her book collection, antiques, and calligraphy paintings. Additionally, Lu Mingzhu unexpectedly discovered two Browning pistols and a box of ammunition hidden in the wardrobe.
Some items were packed into crates, others stored in her spatial dimension, while the Browning pistol was kept on her person for self-protection.
Take as much as you can carry with you.
When traveling abroad, every necessity—clothing, food, shelter, and transportation—requires money.
Having once been an ordinary citizen, Lu Mingzhu understood well the art of managing a household frugally.
Recalling that each wing of the house still held considerable quantities of unused silk, fabrics, furs, books, and medicinal herbs that had not been taken, along with large antique pieces left openly in view at night before Lu Ping’an, Lu Mingzhu felt it would be a disservice to herself not to claim them. Thus, she quietly slipped upstairs, stored everything within her spatial dimension, intending to make use of it after their departure, thereby saving herself the expense of repurchasing such items.
Rather than waiting over a decade only for everything to be utterly consumed by fire or smashed to ruins, it was far better to put these treasures to good use now.
Had she possessed the skill to dismantle furniture, Lu Mingzhu would have even taken apart and carried away every piece.
Made of precious huanghuali wood, intricately carved, they were exceptionally valuable.
Unfortunately, her portable space was a bit small; after storing these items, only half of the space remained available.
Lu Mingzhu felt quite regretful. She took out her metal detector and thoroughly scanned the third and fourth floors. Unsurprisingly, she found a diamond ladies’ ring and several pieces of gold and silver jewelry in the Third Mistress’s room. In the Fourth Mistress’s room, hidden within the footrest of her canopy bed, she discovered a pair of vivid green jade bracelets and a box containing no fewer than ten gold bars. As for the other rooms, the only find was a Western-style watch tucked away in Seventh Brother Lu Changgen’s wardrobe.
The front and back gardens also needed careful scanning to see if any treasures lay buried beneath the soil.
Taking advantage of Lu Ping’an’s absence, Lu Mingzhu slipped past the three maids and began her garden treasure hunt. Sure enough, the detector signaled at several spots. She marked these locations, planning to have Lu Ping’an join her later to dig them up once he returned home.
Believe it or not, they actually struck gold.
Digging down at the seven marked spots, one yielded nothing but worthless scrap metal, while the other six revealed six large earthenware jars, four small bronze chests, and six large iron-bound trunks.
Lu Mingzhu pried it open directly.
Oops!
The six jars contained silver dollars, the bronze chest held large gold bars, and the large iron trunk was filled with jade carvings, porcelain, and other antiques wrapped in silk; all had been buried separately, which is why they were unearthed from six different locations.
Lu Ping’an’s eyes widened in astonishment: “Auntie, these belong to Grandfather!”
Lu Mingzhu also recognized that a significant portion of the antiques were items once displayed in her father’s room, yet she truly did not know who owned the silver dollars and gold bars, as the surfaces of the jars had corroded and the bronze chest was covered in mottled verdigris, bearing clear marks of age.
“We’ve struck it rich!” Lu Mingzhu exclaimed, beaming with joy.
Lu Ping’an was also delighted. “Auntie, you’re so clever! I never even thought to dig up the garden.”
Lu Mingzhu gave his shoulder a light pat. “I’ve eaten three more years of rice than you! They say old mansions of wealthy families often hide treasures, and indeed, they didn’t lie! The urgent matter now is figuring out how to deal with all these items.”
Lu Ping’an pondered for a moment. “We can exchange the gold and silver for foreign currency, but we can’t approach Grandpa Wang again; it would be too conspicuous.”
Lu Mingzhu nodded and asked him, “Then what should we do? There’s so much; we simply can’t carry it all away.”
Lu Ping’an quickly came up with a plan. “When I did business with Grandma, I got to know quite a few bosses whom I can still approach. I’ll take the gold out in batches and exchange it for foreign currency with different bosses. They all hold substantial amounts of foreign currencies—US dollars, British pounds, and Hong Kong dollars. Out of respect for Grandpa and Grandma, they surely won’t charge us black-market rates, and I can also ask them to keep this confidential.”
“Then try taking some gold bars first,” Lu Mingzhu said, counting out ten large gold bars from the bronze chest and handing them to him.
Lu Ping’an took them and left the house.
Lu Mingzhu glanced around to ensure no one was watching, then quietly stored the antiques in her spatial dimension. She reburied the empty wooden chest where it had been, used the power of her space to bring the bronze chest back to her bedroom before taking it out again, while leaving the large vat still positioned in the garden.
Before long, Lu Ping’an returned with a thick stack of US dollar bills.
“One hundred taels of gold exchanged for 3,125 US dollars, calculated at the official bank rate; we were not shortchanged.” Lu Ping’an handed the bills to Lu Mingzhu. “Boss Li, who shares a close friendship with Grandmother, has a strong fondness for gold. If we have more, we can take it to him for exchange. He holds tens of thousands in US dollars and wishes to sell, as he has no plans to leave the country.”
Since the state only accepted gold and silver without releasing foreign currency in return, Boss Li was unwilling to conduct exchanges through the bank.
He believed that gold remained the ultimate hard currency, far more trustworthy than paper money.
Lu Mingzhu then gave another 40 large gold bars to Lu Ping’an.
The copper chests were small; each contained only 50 large gold bars, equivalent to 500 taels of gold.
Lu Ping’an worked from late morning until evening, exchanging a total of 200 large gold bars for 50,000 US dollars, 40,000 Hong Kong dollars, and 3,000 British pounds, all of which he handed over to Lu Mingzhu for safekeeping.
Lu Mingzhu did not decline, but instead told him, “Since they were difficult to carry, I have reburied the antiques.”
“You did the right thing; we truly couldn’t have taken them out,” Lu Ping’an agreed wholeheartedly with her approach. “But what about the remaining six jars of silver dollars? Even if I make a trip, I can’t carry much, and exchanging them is far less convenient than trading gold bars.”
Lu Mingzhu thought for a moment and said, “Leave it to my godfather! He already gave me an extra 3,000 pounds sterling, which alone is worth tens of thousands of silver dollars.”
“Agreed!” Lu Ping’an raised no objection.
She glanced up at the sky outside the window. “It’s getting dark; Grandpa Wang will be here soon.”
Sure enough, not long after they finished dinner, Wang Xingcai, Butler Li, and the others arrived as promised.
Lu Mingzhu and Lu Ping’an warmly welcomed them.
Wang Xingcai waved his hand. “No need for you to busy yourselves; let them begin.”
Counting fifty or sixty thousand silver dollars was no small undertaking.
Lu Mingzhu smiled brightly as she told him about the six vats of silver coins she and Lu Ping’an had unearthed. “Godfather, we’ve decided to give all these silver dollars to you, in gratitude for your care towards us, aunt and nephew.”
Wang Xingcai was taken aback. “How could I take advantage of you children? Later, I’ll have Steward Li count them, and I’ll give you foreign currency in exchange.”
Before Lu Mingzhu could decline, he continued, “As the saying goes, ‘A poor home, but a rich journey.’ When traveling abroad, having more money is never a bad thing. Steward Li, go ahead and bring the silver dollars from the garden over here first, then count them.”
“Yes, Master,” Steward Li immediately acknowledged the order.
All were trusted and capable men; they swiftly transported the six large vats of silver coins to the living room in batches and began counting them under the lamplight.
With many hands making light work, the inventory was completed in two hours.
“A total of exactly 100,000,” reported Steward Li to Wang Xingcai.
Wang Xingcai couldn’t help but remark, “Mingzhu, your father really leaves me at a loss for words. He’d rather bury his wealth than leave it to you; his heart is truly ruthless.”
“It may not have been my father who hid it,” Lu Mingzhu replied.
“That makes sense.” Wang Xingcai, too lazy to investigate who had buried the silver dollars, did some mental calculations: “One hundred thousand silver dollars could be exchanged for roughly over a thousand taels of gold, equivalent to more than thirty thousand US dollars. However, I only have thirty thousand on hand, so I’m afraid you’ll have to accept a slight loss.”
Joy lit up Lu Mingzhu’s face. “This is already more than enough. Thank you for your generosity, Godfather.”
Wang Xingcai personally returned home to retrieve thirty thousand US dollars and handed them over to Lu Mingzhu.
At that moment, Butler Li was leading a team to inventory gold bars, silver coins, cash, and gold and silver jewelry, all being transported from Lu Mingzhu’s bedroom to the living room, while the accountant recorded everything nearby.
Beneath the brilliantly lit crystal chandelier, everyone was bustling with activity.
After hesitating for a moment, Lu Mingzhu could not help but say, “Uncle Li, they left behind many clothes, shoes, and bedding. I’d like to sell them at the secondhand market. How should we proceed?”
There’s no need to bother the ever-busy Wang Xingcai with such matters; you should ask Housekeeper Li instead.
He handles all household trifles and surely knows how to resolve this.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Housekeeper Li replied, “Why sell them? Miss Mingzhu, these are all fine fabrics. It would be better to add a little money and exchange them for new ones, or trade them at a discount for unfinished materials to take to Hong Kong for your own use. Let me tell you, Hong Kong is small, its people are poor and simple-minded; compared to Shanghai, it’s practically the countryside. Once you arrive there, you won’t find anywhere to buy such excellent goods.”
Wang Xingcai, sitting nearby, nodded in agreement. “Housekeeper Li is absolutely right. When I first arrived in Hong Kong, I found it very difficult to adapt. In recent years, conditions have improved somewhat, largely due to the substantial capital, talent, and factory equipment brought over by wealthy merchants from the mainland, with those from our Shanghai constituting the majority.”
Lu Mingzhu’s eyes lit up: “Doesn’t that mean I’ll get to meet many old acquaintances?”
“Exactly.” Wang Xingcai nodded again. “Your godmother Ruyi is already in Hong Kong; she arrived two years before me and has resumed her former trade, establishing a film company with extensive connections. Should you encounter difficulties even your eldest brother cannot resolve, do not hesitate to seek her assistance.”
Lu Mingzhu smiled cheerfully and said, “I’ll follow your advice and certainly won’t try to handle everything on my own.”
She then turned to ask Butler Li, “How exactly does the trade-in process work?”
Butler Li smiled warmly and said, “Just leave it to me; I guarantee everything will be handled perfectly.”
“Then I’ll trouble you,” Lu Mingzhu replied, adding, “Since Ping’an and I cannot carry much luggage with us, please exchange just a small amount for us. Convert the rest into cash so I can buy nourishing supplements for my godfather.”
Wang Xingcai smiled gladly. “I have no shortage of those; take them with you to Hong Kong.”
“What’s yours is yours; what I give is my gesture of goodwill.” Lu Mingzhu stepped outside and called the three anxious maids to move all clothing, bedding, and household items from every room except her own and Lu Ping’an’s into the main hall, making it convenient for Butler Li and others to carry them out.
One maid, summoning her courage, asked, “Miss Eight, are you also going abroad?”
Lu Mingzhu did not deny it. “They have all gone abroad. It makes no sense for Ping’an and me to stay behind merely guarding this empty mansion. You three faithfully complete your final shift, and I promise I will not treat you unfairly when I leave. Later, you may also select some clothes and bedding to take home.”
“Thank you, Eighth Miss!” The three immediately brightened with joy.
After all, everything the master’s family used was of the finest quality!
Working swiftly and efficiently, they soon carried everything down, sorting and stacking items on the sofas, coffee tables, and dining table, with additional piles arranged on the floor over the carpeted surface. There were fur coats, various leather hats and muffs, qipaos in every color, Western-style dresses, student uniforms, Zhongshan suits, business suits, woolen overcoats, leather shoes, silk stockings, embroidered shoes, and much more—a dazzling array sufficient to stock several clothing boutiques.
The Lu family, immensely wealthy, had always placed great importance on maintaining appearances; thus, the items they abandoned all looked brand new, with not a single piece showing signs of wear.
Lu Mingzhu told the maids to choose whatever they wished for themselves.
They exchanged glances and, as if by unspoken agreement, each selected a fur coat first, followed by other valuable garments such as wool coats, leather shoes, fur hats, or fur muffs.
Though they had no use for these items themselves, they could easily sell them elsewhere for cash.
Seeing that Lu Mingzhu did not stop them, they quickly grabbed several quilts and wool blankets for themselves, claiming they would be useful at home.
Lu Ping’an pressed his lips together and said nothing, while Lu Mingzhu merely smiled and thoughtfully added, “Those cotton clothes won’t fetch a good price; take a few more pieces home to alter and wear, or save them for making shoe soles.”
In a few years, the country will enter the era of ration coupons; without cloth coupons, it will be impossible to buy fabric to make clothes.
The three maids were overjoyed at this and each selected a pile to wrap up again.
When Butler Li came out and saw this, he pointed to the remaining fur coats and said to Lu Mingzhu, “We’ll get you several new fur coats once we arrive.”
Lu Mingzhu smiled and replied, “I’ve heard Hong Kong is very warm; will there be any need for them?”
“It’s not warm all year round,” Butler Li explained, well-informed about conditions there. “Last year, Hong Kong faced a cold snap. Which of the ladies who traveled from Shanghai to Hong Kong didn’t have a fine fur coat?” He added with a smile, “We’ll also exchange for several bolts of top-quality silk brocade suitable for making qipaos. Once in Hong Kong, we’ll have them tailored specifically for you. There are skilled old tailors from Shanghai working there, whose craftsmanship is truly exceptional.”
Lu Mingzhu was deeply grateful upon hearing this.
Steward Li, highly capable, spent the evening inventorying and transporting gold, silver, and other valuables before accompanying Wang Xingcai back to his home. By the next morning, he returned with a team delivering twelve bolts of silk fabric and twelve fur coats—both long and short styles in various colors—including sable, fox, and even one immaculate chinchilla coat without a single blemish. Each came with matching hats and muffs, all exquisitely crafted.
Additionally, there were twelve wool coats, twelve pairs of leather shoes, twelve dresses, and twelve qipaos.
After returning, Wang Xingcai frequently instructed the steward to purchase clothing and shoes for Lu Mingzhu, all tailored to her measurements.
Lu Mingzhu was stunned at the sight. “Uncle Li, there’s too much; it’ll be difficult to carry.”
Steward Li replied, “The master has instructed me to take a few men to accompany the young lady and the young master on their journey. After delivering you safely to meet the mistress and the other young masters, I will return by ship. The master has important matters to discuss with the eldest young master, so I must go in person.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Mingzhu immediately understood Wang Xingcai’s kindness.
It was clearly out of concern that she and her nephew were still young; he had specially arranged for escorts to accompany them part of the way.
“Godfather is truly kind,” Lu Mingzhu said sincerely.
Steward Li smiled and replied, “I won’t disturb you and the young master as you pack your luggage. I’ll come to escort you aboard the ship early the day after tomorrow.”