I Am the Eldest Rich Man’s Aunt 9

Chapter 009
What bold vision!
It was completely at odds with his refined, jade-like demeanor.
He also knew how to seize opportunities; he was surely a competent businessman.
Lu Mingzhu admired Xie Junyao.
The way she looked at Xie Junyao was exactly the same as the way Lu Ping’an looked at her.
Her large eyes were moist and bright, clear and pure.
The cold sternness on Xie Junyao’s brow faded. Seeing Wang Bohui lost in thought and silent, he slowly spoke, attempting to persuade him: “Mr. Wang, you might do well to carefully consider my proposal. In Hong Kong, the sales model Miss Mingzhu has proposed is unprecedented. Just because she thought of it doesn’t mean others won’t; we must seize the initiative.”
“Exactly, Big Brother, I am willing to cooperate.” Lu Mingzhu did not want to let such a splendid opportunity slip away.
She was not skilled at business, but she could act as an investor.
Collecting dividends sounds wonderfully appealing!
On her very first day in Hong Kong, she unexpectedly found herself co-founding a company with someone else.
It was all her own fault for speaking out of turn.
She truly hadn’t anticipated that this world differed from the one she once knew, even though its historical trajectory and place names remained identical.
Glancing at Xie Junyao and then at Lu Mingzhu, the steady-natured Wang Bohui still did not immediately agree, smiling as he said, “Let me think it over; I’ll give you my answer tomorrow.”
“Of course,” Xie Junyao replied understandingly.
At that moment, Liao Wanru approached with a smile and said, “Enough talk about business for now; go wash your hands and get ready for dinner. Junyao, Housekeeper Li brought quite a few things from Shanghai; after dinner, take some back with you. A while ago, I was playing cards with your mother, and she mentioned having a cough and craving our hometown’s pear paste candy. Unfortunately, she couldn’t find any authentic ones, but luckily, there’s plenty available right now.”
Xie Junyao did not decline, politely saying, “Thank you for thinking of us.”
Lu Mingzhu only then realized that Xie Junyao had been speaking authentic Shanghai dialect from start to finish.
Could he also be from our hometown?
Lu Mingzhu held back the question and presented the four gifts she had brought to Liao Wanru. “Just a small token of my regard, nothing worthy of your esteem. Sister-in-law, while the other items are rather ordinary, the tea is this year’s fresh harvest—the very first picking before Qingming. Two tins contain the Shifeng Longjing that you and my elder brother favor, while the other two hold Biluochun, which our godmother enjoys.”
Drawing upon her predecessor’s memories, she had selected these with particular care.
Lu’s father had a lifelong love for tea; every year, the Lu family would purchase large quantities of famous teas, selecting only the finest among the finest. However, since it was inconvenient to carry too much during travel, Lu Mingzhu ultimately benefited from this surplus.
Her thoughtfulness brought great joy to Liao Wanru, who exclaimed, “Look at you! We’re all family—why spend so much?”
“It’s only proper; it wasn’t any trouble at all,” Lu Mingzhu replied with a slight smile, revealing two deep dimples. “Before we buy a house and move out, Ping’an and I will still be imposing on you and my elder brother!”
Liao Wanru immediately responded, “Just stay here in the house; why move out?”
“One must eventually have one’s own home.” Lu Mingzhu disliked living under another’s roof, and she believed Lu Ping’an felt the same. As for what kind of house they would ultimately purchase, she would discuss that with him later.
After finishing her conversation with Butler Li, Mrs. Wang emerged from the reception room and said upon hearing this, “Mingzhu, can’t you stay to keep me company?”
She had no daughter of her own, so she was exceedingly fond of this adopted daughter.
She was beautiful to look at, a true delight to the eyes.
“Even if you move out, I can still come visit you every day! Shopping, playing cards, mahjong—I’m up for it all.” Lu Mingzhu linked her arm through hers, tilting her head with a bright, beaming smile, radiating such beauty and sweetness it was almost overwhelming.
Mrs. Wang patted the back of her hand, then walked over to the dining table and sat down.
As the elder and hostess, she took the seat of honor at the head of the table.
Wang Bohui and Liao Wanru regarded Lu Mingzhu and Lu Ping’an as family, seating the pair beside themselves, while Xie Junyao was given the place of honor among the guests.
The table was laden with Shanghai-style dishes, which Lu Mingzhu and Lu Ping’an thoroughly enjoyed.
Even the servants spoke Shanghainese, so there was nothing to which they needed to adjust.
After finishing his meal, Xie Junyao politely took his leave. Liao Wanru hurriedly handed him the prepared Shanghai specialties she had ready. After she and Wang Bohui saw their guest out and returned, they found Lu Mingzhu and her nephew engaged in a lively conversation with Mrs. Wang.
Mrs. Wang addressed her eldest son and daughter-in-law: “Bohui, Wanru, you must take good care of Mingzhu and Ping’an. I’ve just learned the reason they came to Hong Kong. No wonder your father sent Old Li personally to escort them. It turns out Master Lu took his entire family abroad, even bringing along his most trusted servants, abandoning these poor aunt and nephew. How despicable!”
Wang Bohui and Liao Wanru both looked puzzled. “Why?”
Lu Mingzhu shrugged. “I don’t know either. Anyway, they left without saying goodbye. Fortunately, the old man wasn’t completely heartless; he left me some gold, silver, and valuables. My godfather and I exchanged them for foreign currency before we came out. So, Big Brother, please help Ping’an and me get our identity cards as soon as possible. I need to invest in your business; we can’t just sit around and deplete our resources.”
Liao Wanru nodded repeatedly. “Identity cards are indeed crucial. Ask your big brother to take you both to register tomorrow.”
Wang Bohui agreed.
The next day, after breakfast, Wang Bohui took Lu Mingzhu and Lu Ping’an to the police station.
Clearly, he was very familiar with the staff inside the station.
After exchanging greetings, an officer proceeded to take photographs of Lu Mingzhu and Lu Ping’an. Perhaps by good fortune, the film roll happened to be finished, so they quickly developed the black-and-white photos and mounted them onto two pieces of light blue cardboard.
Those two stiff cards are identity documents, entirely in English.
They also bear the three traditional Chinese characters for “Identity Card,” with handwritten personal details in Chinese, primarily including name, age, date of birth, and home address—very simple indeed.
Noticing that someone else had received a pink identity card, Lu Mingzhu quietly asked Wang Bohui.
Wang Bohui explained, “There are three colors of identity cards, each corresponding to a different group: yellow for civil servants, pink for employees, and light blue for ordinary civilians.”
Are identity cards even stratified into different classes?
Lu Mingzhu was neither a civil servant nor employed, so indeed she could only obtain the standard civilian version of the identity card.
Stepping out of the police station, she narrowed her eyes.
The bright sunlight shone directly onto her face, somewhat blinding.
Yet the sky was a flawless blue, without a single cloud in sight.
After escorting her and Lu Ping’an home, Wang Bohui finally took a car to his company to attend to work.
Before he left, Lu Mingzhu couldn’t help but remind him, “Big Brother, please give serious thought to that three-party partnership for establishing a company. If you want to make big money, you must act early rather than late.”
Since there was currently no tiered sales system in place, they had to seize the opportunity; once others caught on later, where would there be any share of profits left for them?
Wang Bohui smiled faintly. “How much money do you have?”
Lu Mingzhu did not answer directly, but instead asked, “How many Hong Kong dollars can 33,000 British pounds and 80,000 US dollars be exchanged for?”
The exchange rate between the British pound and the Hong Kong dollar is 1:16, but what about the US dollar?
Wang Xingcai didn’t say, so she remained unaware.
Uncle Wang Hui replied without hesitation, “One British pound equals 16 Hong Kong dollars; thus, 33,000 pounds amounts to 528,000 Hong Kong dollars. The exchange rate between the US dollar and the Hong Kong dollar stands at 1 to 5.7, subject to slight fluctuations, with the exact calculation based on the day’s rate. Therefore, 80,000 US dollars would approximately convert to 456,000 Hong Kong dollars.”
Lu Mingzhu did a quick calculation and said, “Then I will contribute one million Hong Kong dollars.”
The combined total of the two foreign currencies amounted to 984,000 Hong Kong dollars, falling short of one million. However, she still possessed an additional 40,000 Hong Kong dollars, which would make up the difference.
Wang Bohui was somewhat surprised. “Well, Mingzhu, I didn’t realize you were so wealthy.”
Never would have imagined.
When the four brothers divided their family estate, each received only one million in cash and a large mansion. Yet, besides his eldest son Lu Changsheng and Lu Mingzhu, Father Lu had sixteen more children with his concubines. Although some died young, even averaging out the inheritance, each child’s share would certainly be less than what the four brothers received. Moreover, since Lu Mingzhu had never been favored since childhood, would Father Lu really leave her one million?
It was impossible no matter how one thought about it.
Lu Mingzhu chuckled, “I dug up the gold and silver that some ancestor of ours buried somewhere in the house. Just keep this to yourself; absolutely do not let it slip.”
Wang Bohui understood.
Every wealthy family hides gold, always preparing for two possible outcomes.
After a moment’s thought, he said to Lu Mingzhu, “The net assets on my property company’s books amount to approximately 1.2 million. If you are truly intent on pursuing this business, why not inject this sum into my company in exchange for a 45% stake? That way, we siblings can invest and partner with Xie Junyao under the company’s name, sparing you the unnecessary complications that might arise from investing in your personal capacity.”
Lu Ping’an suddenly interjected, “Auntie can contribute 1.2 million for a 50% stake.”
Lu Mingzhu was taken aback, but then she heard him continue, “I have a sum of US dollars on hand, along with some previously saved US currency and gold, which should be enough to make up the remaining 200,000 Hong Kong dollars.”