Chapter 634: Lu Hongjun Arrives in Hong Kong
Chapter 634: Lu Hongjun Arrives in Hong Kong
Upon hearing that their son could be transferred to Sijiucheng, Lu Jiazong and Lu Erso were delighted. It was challenging to meet up when he was in another province, but if he was stationed in Sijiucheng, he could be at home during his vacations.
Wang Xiaojie said, "Lu Tao's transfer to Sijiucheng is something your eldest brother will do his best to arrange, but he can't guarantee success. If it doesn't work out, please don't blame us."
Lu Erso's heart skipped a beat, and she spoke up before Lu Jiazong could, "Sister-in-law, the fact that you and your husband are thinking of Tao-zi is more than enough. Even if it doesn't work out, we are still incredibly grateful."
It was all her husband's fault that their family had such negative opinions of him. Fortunately, her brother-in-law cared about his nephew; otherwise, Lu Tao would never have had the chance to be transferred to Sijiucheng.
Lu Erso, disliking the look of Lu Jiazong and fearing he might say something unpleasant, sent him to the kitchen to prepare the ingredients, leaving the cooking to her.
Lu Erso apologized, "Sister-in-law, he's just like that. No amount of scolding seems to change him. Fortunately, the children don't take after him; they're more like their grandfather."
What she meant was that the children would remember their uncle's kindness and not pay attention to Lu Jiazong's opinions. However, her words weren't without reason—Lu Tao indeed knew how to treat people right. Since he started working for the Railway Bureau, he would send them local specialties every now and then. The gifts weren't expensive, but it was the thought that counted. This was also the main reason why she agreed to her husband's suggestion to promote Lu Tao, despite her initial opposition. This young man knew how to be grateful, and they were happy to help him.
Concerned, Lu Daso asked, "Now that Lu Tao is being transferred to Sijiucheng, will his girlfriend and her family have any objections? We need to communicate about this in advance."
Lu Erso sighed and replied, "Lu Tao and his girlfriend broke up a few months ago. He felt embarrassed to talk about it, so I only found out recently."
Following Lu Jiaxin's suggestion, she went to see the girl without Lu Tao's knowledge and secretly observed her. It turned out that the girl had a terrible temper and often gave Lu Tao the cold shoulder. Moreover, as an unmarried woman in her twenties, she didn't even know how to cook. "How could this be considered finding a daughter-in-law? It's more like adopting an ancestor!" she thought to herself. That's why she strongly opposed the match. Lu Tao, however, was reluctant to break up, and they had a big argument over it.
Fearing that the family would blame Lu Tao, Lu Erso kept the matter a secret, with only Xiao Qiu knowing besides herself. Even Lu Jiazong was left in the dark.
"They broke up? How did that happen?" Lu Daso inquired.
With a sigh, Lu Erso explained, "Their family knew that we have three sons, and since their daughter is an only child, they wanted their grandchildren to take their family name after marriage. Of course, I refused, and Lu Tao himself wasn't willing either, so they parted ways."
This wasn't something Lu Erso had made up; the girl's family had indeed entertained such thoughts and even tested Lu Tao's response. It was only after he made clear that he wouldn't be a son-in-law that they dropped the idea.
Later, when Lu Erso expressed her disagreement with the match, Lu Tao became moody, and his girlfriend, feeling that he wasn't paying enough attention to her, threw a fit. As this happened repeatedly, their relationship gradually faded, and after the passion of their initial romance cooled down, they both realized they weren't suitable for each other and decided to break up.
Lu Daso was surprised at first but then felt that something wasn't right. "Lu Tao is so talented and capable, with excellent communication skills. He wouldn't have any trouble finding a wife. How dare they make such an outrageous request?" she thought.
Lu Erso shared what Lu Tao had told her: "They thought that since Shan-zi has two sons and a daughter, and Lu Yun already has a daughter and could have another child, our family wouldn't need more children."
Lu Daso couldn't help but laugh at this. "Nowadays, with the country's family planning policy, couples are only allowed to have one child if either of them has a job, and a maximum of two children if neither has a job. Who would still worry about having too many children these days?"
Even the youngest of Lu Shan's family, Goshuang, was an accidental pregnancy, and his mother had to hide to give birth to him. Due to inadequate nutrition during pregnancy, his mother had little breast milk, and the child's constitution was weak. Fortunately, the second eldest brother's family earned enough from their noodle shop to afford milk powder; otherwise, the child would not have survived, let alone just being in poor health.
Lu Erso said, "Never mind them. It's all in the past now that they've broken up. When Lu Tao is transferred to Sijiucheng, we can find him a suitable match then."
At this point, she looked at Lu Daso expectantly and said, "Sister-in-law, I don't know many people, so I'll have to trouble you with this matter."
Lu Daso didn't refuse but brought up a concern of her own, "Your family's house is too small. It will be cramped if Lu Tao and his future wife live with you. If Lu Tao has his own place, we can introduce him to girls with better backgrounds."
She knew they were making good money from their noodle shop, which was why she brought this up. Indeed, doing business was lucrative. In just five years, Lu Shan's family had earned enough to buy a shop and a bungalow in Sijiucheng. Xiao Qiu had done even better, acquiring two shops and two houses.
Lu Erso didn't hide the truth and shared that she had been saving up a sum of money for Lu Tao's marriage, which was almost enough to buy a small bungalow.
With this knowledge, Lu Daso had a better understanding of the situation.
After a three-day train journey, Lu Hongjun and Lu Ping arrived in Pengcheng. They had originally planned to buy plane tickets, but Lu Hongjun refused, so they ended up taking the train.
Even though they had soft sleeper berths, three days on the train was still exhausting, especially for Lu Hongjun, who hadn't fully recovered his health. Therefore, they rested for a day in Pengcheng before heading to Hong Kong.
As they exited the port, they saw Wang Lin and another unfamiliar face waiting for them. Yan Yijun and Qian Xiao Xiao were not there as they were tasked with closely protecting Lu Jiaxin.
Noting Lu Hongjun's pale complexion, Wang Lin asked, "Sir, do you want to go to the hospital first?"
Lu Hongjun had spent enough time in hospitals and disliked them. "I'm just a bit tired. I'll be fine after a good rest," he replied.
The past four days in Sijiucheng had been uncomfortable, with poor food and sleep. All he wanted now was a decent meal and a good night's rest.
"Sir, this way, please."
When Lu Ping saw the two cars that had come to pick them up, his eyes widened in surprise. "Even the highest-ranking leader in my dad's unit doesn't have a car as nice as these!" he thought to himself.
Wang Lin opened the car door and pointed to the reclined seat, saying with a smile, "Sir, you can lie down. It will be more comfortable."
"Okay," Lu Hongjun replied.
Indeed, lying down was much more comfortable, and Lu Hongjun soon fell asleep. By the time he woke up, they had already arrived at their destination. Stepping out of the car, he saw a spacious courtyard with a large pool in the center. A huge rock stood in the middle of the pool, with water flowing down its sides.
Lu Hongjun looked up at the three-and-a-half-story building and said in surprise, "Shan-zi mentioned a small villa, but this house looks quite big."
Wang Lin, who had been accompanying Lu Jiaxin, understood immediately. "Sir, the small villa that Lu Shan lives in is rented. This house was bought by our boss, and it's much bigger than the villa."
Considering the high cost of real estate in Hong Kong, Lu Hongjun asked, "This house is so big, and the courtyard is so spacious. It must have cost a fortune, right?"
Wang Lin replied, "It cost over 60 million when it was purchased, and later, the boss bought the adjacent land to expand the garden, so it's probably worth seven or eight million now."
"How much?"
"Seven or eight million Hong Kong dollars, maybe even more."
(End of Chapter)
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