Chapter 671: All Aspects
Chapter 671: All Aspects
Yan Yijun and Li Qing were on the earliest flight from Yangcheng to Siyujiu, arriving ahead of Lu Jiaxin. However, they had agreed to meet in the evening, so Lu Jiaxin was in no rush.
After a satisfying meal, Lu Jiaxin took a stroll in the backyard garden. Lu Hongjun joined her, proudly pointing to a few wax plum trees in the corner. "Those are from a relative's mountain. I asked your fifth uncle to get them for me. We planted them, and they bloomed beautifully last winter."
It was impressive that the transplanted trees had survived.
Lu Hongjun continued, filling her in on recent events. "During Chinese New Year, when you weren't back, Jia Guang and Jia Zong brought their children to my place for the celebrations. It was wonderful to have the whole family together for the festive reunion dinner."
Lu Jiaxin let her talk while her mind wandered elsewhere.
"Jiaxin, Jiaxin, what are you thinking about?"
Lu Jiaxin snapped back to attention. "Nothing. What did you just say?"
Lu Hongjun felt a bit dejected. She had taken the initiative to come over and join her for a walk, only to have her daughter-in-law's mind wander during their conversation. Knowing that Lu Jiaxin wouldn't be staying in Siyujiu for long, Lu Hongjun smiled and said, "I was saying that your fifth uncle's business has been doing well these past two years. He told me privately during Chinese New Year that he's close to repaying your debt."
With the border trade booming, it wasn't surprising to make over 800,000 yuan in two years. There was even a legendary figure who traded canned goods between China and Russia; he traded hundreds of trucks' worth of canned goods for four Russian planes and then resold them, making over a billion yuan. In the early 1990s, a billion yuan in mainland China was an astronomical sum. However, this story took place a few years after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and the trade wasn't as lucrative now as it would be in a few years. The various conflicts and wars that followed the dissolution led to shortages of supplies, causing prices to soar, and traders could get their hands on even better goods.
"Tell him to give the money to Great Uncle, to be used for sponsoring impoverished students back home," Lu Jiaxin said.
At this, Lu Hongjun's face lit up even more. "Jiaxin, everyone in our ancestral county is talking about how our Lu family has produced a great philanthropist because of what you've been doing. When I went back last time, everyone was so hospitable and enthusiastic toward me."
Lu Jiaxin had long adjusted her mindset, and she remained calm in the face of her mother-in-law's praise. "How's life in Chaoyang?"
Lu Hongjun replied cheerfully, "It's good. I go to the park every morning to practice tai chi, and after breakfast, I play chess and chat with friends in the park. In the afternoon, I join my bird-keeping friends for tea and conversation."
He used to have a hwamei bird, and earlier this year, he bought a new bird, a meadow bunting, from a bird-keeping friend. He would take his bird to the park in the morning and then head to the teahouse next door in the afternoon to listen to stories and chat. On days with bad weather, he would invite a few old friends over to play chess and catch up. He had a spacious home, no younger generation to worry about or tiptoe around, and an auntie to cook for him. His old friends couldn't help but envy his comfortable retirement life.
After walking with her for half an hour, Lu Jiaxin returned to the courtyard. Soon after, she received a call from Lu JiaGuang.
"Jiaxin, are you back?"
"Mhm, I arrived a little past four in the afternoon," Lu Jiaxin replied.
"How long will you be staying this time?"
Lu Jiaxin had a flexible schedule, as the managers handled the day-to-day operations of her companies. "Tentatively three days. If things don't go smoothly, I might have to stay a couple of days more."
Lu JiaGuang laughed and said, "I received a call from Jiajie this noon. He'll be home tomorrow morning. Jiaxin, he's managed to save up the full amount, and he wants to repay you."
"Dad just mentioned that as well," Lu Jiaxin said. "Tell him to give the money to Great Uncle to sponsor those impoverished students."
Lu JiaGuang's expression faltered for a moment, indicating that he hadn't forgiven Old Five yet. Sighing, he decided to let Old Five handle the matter himself and not get involved: "Alright, I'll tell him."
At eight in the evening, Yan Yijun and Li Qing arrived. Unlike before, they didn't disguise themselves and came as they were.
Lu Jiaxin was slightly taken aback when she saw Li Qing. Two years ago, Li Qing had a sharp aura about him, but now he seemed harmless and easy to get along with. However, this new image would be more advantageous for gathering information.
Li Qing handed the bag he was carrying to Lu Jiaxin and said, "Boss, everything is in here. Boss, I've been spotted by SL's Security Committee, and I can't go back."
He had been disguised in SL, and his current appearance was completely different.
"How were you found out?" Lu Jiaxin asked.
Li Qing had hired several intermediaries to help gather information, and he rarely made appearances himself. Recently, one of the government officials he was dealing with was arrested for corruption, and this led to the exposure of one of the intermediaries. Li Qing was very cautious in his dealings with the intermediaries and immediately went into hiding when he learned that one of them had been caught. When the Security Committee raided his residence, he knew he had been exposed and didn't hesitate to return to China.
"From now on, you can't stay by my side anymore. When we get back to Hong Kong, you'll help Gu Wenfeng train the bodyguards at home," Lu Jiaxin instructed.
With her current identity, there were times when paparazzi took secret photos of her, but they usually weren't published. However, there was always a possibility that one day, Li Qing might be photographed and recognized, even though he was disguised in SL. Perhaps someone might identify him through his bone structure or some other means!
"Okay," Li Qing agreed.
Wanting to look through the collected information, Lu Jiaxin asked the two of them to go downstairs and rest first. She opened the bag and found two lists on top. The first list contained the names of people who had sold information or confidential documents to Li Qing, while the second list was of those who had been bribed by America or other Western countries, according to Li Qing's note. This was just the tip of the iceberg.
The first list was only two pages long, while the second list went on for eighteen pages. And these were just the ones Li Qing had managed to uncover; there were surely many more that he hadn't discovered yet.
At Lu Jiaxin's request, Li Qing had gathered information on five aspects: politics, economy, culture, military, and education. The materials he had brought were categorized according to her requirements.
After reading through these six sets of materials, it was already past midnight. Lu Jiaxin shook her head inwardly; no wonder SL had fallen apart so quickly. When the upper echelons of a country admired the culture and economy of the West and sought to emulate them, hiring them as economic advisors and heeding their advice, and when the younger generation thought highly of the freedom, equality, and inclusiveness of America, it was no surprise that the country fell into disarray.
Lu Jiaxin took a shower and fell asleep as soon as she lay down. Because she had slept so late, she woke up late the next morning, opening her eyes to find that it was already 8:30.
After getting up and washing her face, she went to the dining room, where breakfast was already set out. "Boss, your grandfather went out for his morning exercise and then headed back when he saw that you weren't up yet. He mentioned that you might need the car later, so he took the bus home. But I wasn't reassured, so I had someone drive him back," Xing Ziyang explained.
Hearing this, Lu Jiaxin said, "One car is not enough; we need to buy another one."
In Hong Kong, they had a lot of cars and could use them as they pleased. In the mainland, however, cars were still difficult to purchase, and imported cars were extremely expensive. Although the country was poor and backward, with many places yet to solve the problem of food and clothing, the number of people who could afford cars was minuscule.
Xing Ziyang was delighted to hear this; more cars meant more convenience, and most importantly, he would get to drive a new car.
(End of Chapter)
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