Chapter 406: The Gift of a Shop (2)
Chapter 406: The Gift of a Shop (2)
Upon seeing He Bin, Lu Er's mother eagerly greeted him, "Mr. He, what brings you to our humble shop?"
He Bin had come to deliver the deed to the shop, and upon seeing Lu Shan, he took out the property certificate and handed it to him. "Young Master Shan, this is from your aunt."
Although Lu Shan was unfamiliar with property deeds, he could read, and seeing the certificate, he was astonished. "Mr. He, how has my aunt given me a property in Chaoyang District?"
He thought this because Lu Jiaxin had given Lu Jiaguang a set of residential properties, so he subconsciously assumed it was a property in Chaoyang District.
He Bin was initially taken aback but then laughed and explained, "It's not a property in Chaoyang District. That house is for Master Lu, and it won't be touched for now."
While it wasn't being given away at the moment, the future was uncertain. After all, his boss was incredibly wealthy, and gifting a house worth merely tens of thousands was a trifle matter.
Lu Shan was perplexed and asked, "Then, this is..."
He Bin smiled and said, "Your aunt knows that after being adopted by the third wife's family, you can no longer inherit your parents' property. Feeling that you're at a disadvantage, she decided to buy you a shop as compensation."
"Ah..."
Lu Er's mother slapped Shan Zi on the back of his head. "Did you tell your aunt that you can't inherit your father's and my property in the future?"
Lu Shan covered his head and, seeing her fierce look, took two steps back before whispering, "Mother, you're the one who said that from now on, the shop and money would belong to A Yun and Tao Zi, and that I have nothing to do with them. When my aunt asked, I merely told her the truth."
Lu Er's mother was so angry she could burst. "You blockhead! How could you say something like that to your aunt?"
Lu Shan replied glumly, "Why shouldn't I tell my aunt? She's my elder, and when she asked me, how could I lie to her?"
Enraged, Lu Er's mother started hitting him while scolding, "By saying that, you're indirectly implying that being adopted by the third wife's family puts you at a disadvantage."
She knew her son lacked this awareness, but she was certain that Jiaxin would think along those lines. And indeed, she had bought him a shop as compensation.
Hearing this, Lu Shan immediately felt guilty and didn't even try to dodge the blows. Of course, Lu Er's mother had her limits and didn't use much force, so while it stung, it wouldn't cause any injuries.
When Lu Er's mother finally stopped, Lu Shan said, "Mother, I know I was wrong. Later, I'll tell my aunt that I can't accept this shop."
That was more like it. Lu Er's mother said, "Shan Zi, everyone wants to live a good life, but you can't rely on others for that. You have to earn it yourself. In the future, you mustn't accept any valuable gifts from your aunt. Although she's made a lot of money in business, it's not easy for her to be alone in Hong Kong. We can't take advantage of her."
Lu Shan nodded vigorously in agreement.
He Bin found the mother and son quite unusual, refusing a gift delivered to their doorstep. "Young Master Three, this is your aunt's sincere intention. Please accept it."
Lu Shan repeatedly shook his hands, indicating that he couldn't accept it.
He Bin said, "There's a saying in the mainland: 'Gifts from elders should not be declined.' Your aunt is your elder, and you shouldn't delay accepting her gift, or you'll be disappointing her."
Still, Lu Shan was reluctant to accept. "Mr. He, I know you're very capable. Could you change the ownership of the shop to my aunt's name?"
He Bin couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm afraid I can't do that."
While he could purchase a shop and put it under Lu Shan's name, that was because he was buying it. However, changing the name on the deed required the authorization of the property owner, and he didn't have that authority. Of course, he wouldn't explain this to Lu Shan.
Placing the property certificate on the dining table, He Bin said, "Your aunt instructed me to do this. If I bring this property certificate back, it means I've failed in my task, and my boss won't employ me in the future."
Lu Shan was a kind-hearted person, and upon hearing this, he could no longer bring himself to return the property certificate.
He Bin bid them farewell, saying, "Mrs. Lu and Young Master Shan, I must take my leave as I have other matters to attend to."
Mrs. Lu invited him to stay for lunch, but he politely declined. The mother and son saw him off and watched as he drove away in his car.
Back in the shop, Mrs. Lu picked up the property certificate and opened it. She hadn't received a formal education, but she had attended literacy classes organized by the commune years ago. It wasn't out of a love for learning or a desire for self-improvement but rather because her husband, as the village head, had to set an example by supporting the campaign. As a result, all the women in the family were sent to the literacy classes. Over time, Mrs. Lu learned to recognize quite a few characters. The words on the property certificate were mostly within her vocabulary.
After examining the certificate, Mrs. Lu exclaimed in awe at Lu Jiaxin's wealth: "Shan Zi, your aunt bought a shop that's forty-eight square meters!"
You should know that her current shop was only eighteen square meters, and she had spent all her savings and even borrowed money from her daughter to afford it. However, she was grateful that she had heeded Jiaxin's advice and bought it in time, as the value had already increased by almost twenty percent in just a year. Even so, whenever a shop went up for sale, there would be a rush of people vying to buy it.
Shan Zi remained calm, as he was well aware of Lu Jiaxin's generosity, knowing that she was the sort of person who would willingly spend a hundred years' rent on a place, so buying a forty-eight-square-meter shop was not out of the ordinary for her. "Mother, let's help Aunt rent out this shop. The annual rent should be quite substantial."
"You're thinking what I'm thinking," his mother replied.
That evening, Lu Shan called Lu Jiaxin to discuss the shop. "Aunt, this gift is too valuable. I can't accept it."
"It's a gift for you, so just take it," Lu Jiaxin insisted.
Lu Shan's voice was filled with dismay as he said, "Aunt, my mother found out about this and gave me a beating. She scolded me for being thoughtless and said that telling you about it was just a roundabout way of asking for something. Aunt, I really didn't want the shop. I just blurted it out without thinking."
"Aunt, please take the shop back! This morning, my mother showed some restraint, but if you don't take the shop back, she'll beat me black and blue."
Lu Jiaxin couldn't help but laugh at his plight, and as she laughed, she said, "You're now a member of the third branch of the Lu family. As your aunt, it's only right for me to give you a shop as a welcome gift. Your mother has no say in this."
Lu Shan glanced at his mother, who was standing nearby, and said plaintively, "If I insist on keeping it, my legs will be broken."
Lu Jiaxin burst into laughter. "Is your mother there? Let me talk to her."
Mrs. Lu took the phone and explained to Lu Jiaxin, "Jiaxin, even if we hadn't adopted Shan Zi, after your second uncle and I buy him a house, we wouldn't give him any more money. I have three children with your second uncle, and we need to plan for Lu Yun and Tao Zi as well."
Lu Jiaxin acknowledged this with an "Mm-hmm" before responding, "Second Aunt, everyone has their own biases. You may think you're being fair, but Lu Yun and his wife won't see it that way. Moreover, Shan Zi works so hard at the noodle shop because he thinks of it as his own family business."
"Second Aunt, the idea of adopting him came from you and Second Uncle, not him. Yet because of this, you said that he wouldn't get a share of the shop or the profits. It's unfair to him since he works so hard but only earns a meager one hundred yuan a month."
She felt that, given Lu Shan's personality, he probably wouldn't consider renting another shop to run his own business. This was most likely Dai Mai's idea. However, it made sense. Since the shop and the profits wouldn't be shared with them in the future, they might as well start their own business so that all the earnings would go to their small family.
(End of Chapter)
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