Chapter 251: Returning to the Mainland
Chapter 251: Returning to the Mainland
After much contemplation, Lu Jiaxin decided to seek Su Heyuan's help with the matter of the shop.
Su Heyuan exclaimed in surprise, "You want me to buy the shop with your money, and you'll pay the loan interest too? Then you plan to transfer it back to yourself later. Why go through all this trouble when the shop is already in your name? Are you trying to burn a hole in your pocket?"
With the purchase and sale, taxes and loan interest would amount to several million.
Lu Jiaxin explained her reasoning, "The value of the shop will increase significantly, and if I sell it now, I might not be able to buy it back."
After hearing her out, Su Heyuan also felt that holding onto the shop was a tricky proposition. "So, are you still planning to donate this money to the orphanage?"
Lu Jiaxin shook her head. "I haven't decided yet. I'll figure it out once the money is in my account."
Since the purchase involved a mortgage, it would take some time for the buyer to receive the full amount from the bank.
"Alright," Su Heyuan agreed.
As soon as Lu Jiaxin cleared customs, she spotted Su Heming. This time, he was wearing a round-neck floral short-sleeved T-shirt, white suit pants, and a pair of black pointed leather shoes.
Noticing Lu Jiaxin staring at his outfit, Su Heming smiled and asked, "Do you like it? Everyone says I have good taste."
Lu Jiaxin played along, "Yes, this outfit really suits you."
"Come, come, come," Su Heming said, "The car is waiting outside. Let's go to the hotel first to drop off our things, and then we can take a stroll on Gaodi Street."
Lu Jiaxin's flight back to Hong Kong was scheduled for 9 a.m. the next day, so she had some time to explore Yangcheng. However, having spent so much time in Hong Kong, she wasn't particularly interested in Gaodi Street anymore. "I don't feel like shopping right now. Let's go to the beach this afternoon to collect seashells!"
As for taking a batch of clothes to sell on Gaodi Street, she didn't want to bother with that either. This time, she would hand over the management of the shop to Xiao Qiu. If Xiao Qiu didn't want it, she would simply transfer it to someone else. A shop that small wasn't worth her time and effort.
Su Heming smiled and said, "Gaodi Street is even more bustling and vibrant than before."
"Even if it's more prosperous, can it compare to Hong Kong?"
Su Heming pouted, "Sister Jiaxin, you've changed. You're not the person I used to know."
"Speak sense," Lu Jiaxin retorted.
Su Heming's smile faded, and he said earnestly, "Jiaxin, don't you turn your nose up at the mainland too. I admit that it's not as advanced as Hong Kong right now, but I believe it will get better and better, and one day it will surpass Hong Kong."
That was a non-sequitur if she ever heard one.
Lu Jiaxin looked at him, puzzled. "The mainland is the place that raised me. How could I ever look down on it? It's true that the mainland lags behind Hong Kong, but we need to face that fact and work to close the gap."
Su Heming realized that he had misunderstood her intentions. "I'm sorry, Sister Jiaxin! I've met several people recently who kept praising Hong Kong and Americ Island while putting down the mainland. Once, I even beat up two idiots who wouldn't stop spouting nonsense."
Lu Jiaxin sighed, "It's a timeless truth that the weak will be bullied. But things will get better gradually."
Even four decades later, there would still be people singing praises about Americ and the island nation! To those people, she wanted to say, "Get lost, no one wants you here."
"As long as you don't change, I don't care about those people," Su Heming said. "If I come across them, I'll scold them. If that doesn't work, I'll give them a beating."
That afternoon, they spent over three hours at the beach, collecting a plethora of seashells. For dinner, they feasted on fresh seafood at a fisherman's home.
After the meal, they drove to Yangcheng. During the journey, Su Heming said, "Jiaxin, since you love the beach so much, why don't you buy a piece of land by the sea and build a villa?"
Lu Jiaxin shook her head, indicating her lack of interest, and shared her own thoughts instead.
Su Heming was astonished and exclaimed, "You're planning to buy a villa by the beach in Hong Kong? That's incredibly expensive; I've heard it costs over a thousand dollars!"
Lu Jiaxin nodded and said, "The garden villas in Repulse Bay go for around fifty to sixty million. I'll have to work hard to make my dream come true sooner rather than later."
"You're certainly ambitious," Su Heming remarked.
Lu Jiaxin smiled and replied, "We all need dreams; otherwise, what's the difference between us and dried fish?"
Su Heming laughed and said, "My older brother always tells me to learn from you, but I just can't do it. As long as I have food and drink, I'm content. Why bother with all these desires? Today it's a villa, tomorrow it's a yacht, and the next day it's a private jet. That'll tire you out!"
Gu Wenfeng's expression turned strange as he recalled that Lu Jiaxin had mentioned wanting to buy all those things.
Without probing Su Heming further, Lu Jiaxin said, "Everyone has different pursuits. It's not wrong if you're content with a simple life, but I want to enjoy the finer things in life. And to achieve that goal, I need to work hard and make money."
Su Heming added, "You work hard to enjoy the finer things in life, but my older brother works hard to trample on those who bully him and look down on him. I think it's exhausting to live like that, but no matter how much I try to persuade him, he won't listen."
Lu Jiaxin disagreed with his viewpoint and said, "He values his dignity. When others ridicule and insult him, he wants to crush them and trample them underfoot. There's nothing wrong with that."
Everyone has different things they value, and the choices they make are equally valid.
Su Heming looked at Lu Jiaxin with a hint of resentment and said, "I wish you were my real sister! Unlike my brother, who constantly complains about my laziness. Sigh, why bother making so much money when you have enough to get by?"
It wasn't her place to interfere in matters between brothers. So, Lu Jiaxin steered the conversation toward a different topic.
That night, they stayed at the Swan Hotel, and the next day, Lu Jiaxin took the 9 a.m. flight back to Guangming Road. When she arrived, the door was locked. Luckily, she had a key, and just as she was about to unlock it, someone called out to her.
A man in a uniform looked at Lu Jiaxin and asked, "Are you looking for Er Aunty and them? They went to set up a stall on Xiushui Street and won't be back until the afternoon."
Lu Jiaxin glanced at him and said, "You look new around here. Did you just move in?"
"How did you know?" the man asked.
Lu Jiaxin smiled and replied, "Because I own this house. If you didn't recognize me, then you must have moved in after I left."
The man in uniform exclaimed, "So, you're Comrade Lu? I'm sorry, I didn't know. I hope I haven't inconvenienced you."
"No, no, don't worry about it. You go ahead with your work," Lu Jiaxin assured him.
As she opened the door, Lu Jiaxin instructed Gu Wenfeng, "You locked the door, so if anyone knocks, just say I'm asleep and don't let them in."
There were no secrets in Hutong alleyways, and she expected visitors soon—neighbors who would ask her countless questions. The best way to avoid that was to keep them from entering. Besides, once the Shichahai house was renovated, she planned to move there and probably wouldn't return to this place, so she wasn't concerned about offending them.
Gu Wenfeng said, "Your older brother and second brother will get the news and rush over here soon."
Lu Jiaxin shrugged it off. "Let them come. Sigh, this place is really not as convenient as Hong Kong. Otherwise, I would have bought the incense and offerings, rented a car, and visited my mother's grave directly."
Having grown accustomed to Hong Kong, Gu Wenfeng now saw areas in Si Jiucheng that needed improvement. "Let's just hire a car," he suggested.
"Okay," Lu Jiaxin agreed.
(End of Chapter)
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