Chapter 72: Planning
Chapter 72: Planning
The next day, Gu Wenfeng went out and returned with red jujubes and pomegranates. As Lu Jiaxin peeled the pomegranate and ate it, he said, "The leader said that he will make arrangements, but your belongings can't be transported with the rest."
The more people who know a secret, the harder it is to keep it. Currently, only the three of them and Xie Kaixiao are aware of the situation. As long as they keep quiet, no one will know who donated the items. However, if Lu Jiaxin's possessions are transported back together with the rest, it will undoubtedly attract unwanted attention.
Lu Jiaxin understood that this arrangement was the most reasonable. However, figuring out how to transport her belongings back without being noticed presented a challenge for her.
Gu Wenfeng suggested, "Miss Lu, I can borrow a vehicle to transport your belongings back. I'll drive myself, and by not involving others, we should be able to avoid any leaks."
Lu Jiaxin thought it was a good idea, but if Gu Wenfeng drove back to Si Jiucheng, he wouldn't have time to accompany her to Pengcheng.
After some thought, Lu Jiaxin asked, "Are there any ride-sharing opportunities? The apples, pomegranates, and jujubes here are quite cheap. I'd like to buy a few baskets to take back to Si Jiucheng."
Gu Wenfeng shook his head and explained, "Some of the roads are bumpy and uneven. Porcelain is fragile, and if it's not placed in a specially designed box, it will break."
Lu Jiaxin didn't see this as a problem. This time, she only intended to take the calligraphy, paintings, ink slabs, and inkstone back. As for the fragile porcelain, she could store it back in the secret passage for the time being and retrieve it later.
Gu Wenfeng asked, "If you put it back in the secret passage, aren't you worried that others from the Sun family will discover it? Secret passages usually have not only an entrance but also an exit."
Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, "Wait until next year. I'll buy the two courtyard houses behind this one as well, so there won't be any exposure to worry about."
Both the entrance and exit were extremely well-hidden. Back then, Sun Xun's discovery of the entrance must have been a stroke of luck. She didn't think that the other two branches of the Sun family would be so fortunate as to discover the exit. Even if they did, it wouldn't be a big deal. At worst, she would lose a box of porcelain. In any case, she had already achieved her goal, and it didn't matter if the porcelain ended up with the Sun family. In the future, when she made a lot of money, she could buy as much as she wanted.
Gu Wenfeng looked at her with surprise and asked, "You want to buy the two houses behind this one? What for?"
"I just want to buy them because I like them," replied Lu Jiaxin. This was a city with a rich historical past, spanning thirteen dynasties, and antiques were everywhere. She planned to send people to collect antiques at that time and use the secret passage as a storage room. Hmm, there was one big problem with that plan—finding someone who could identify antiques and be trusted was going to be difficult. However, there was no rush; she could take her time looking for the right person after returning to Si Jiucheng.
Gu Wenfeng didn't know that she had a specific purpose in mind for buying the two houses behind, but he also didn't inquire further. As long as it wasn't illegal, he didn't mind: "Miss Lu, the reason you were able to buy this house is that Sun Xun owed a lot of gambling debts. If he doesn't repay them, he'll have his arms and legs broken. The Sun family members living in the second and third courtyards will not sell their houses."
This was their ancestral property, and selling it would make them outcasts. Moreover, there were more than twenty people living in each of the second and third courtyards, and the sum of 2,600 yuan wouldn't be enough to sway them. With that amount of money, they wouldn't be able to buy such a spacious house elsewhere.
Lu Jiaxin didn't see it as a problem. "Brother Gu, if the price is right, they'll definitely be willing to sell. Anyway, it's too early to worry about that now. Let's focus on how to get back to Si Jiucheng first."
Gu Wenfeng looked at her and said, "Didn't you just say that you wanted to put your things in fruit baskets and hitch a ride back? What's there to discuss?"
Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, "Brother Gu, Xue Mao can hitch a ride back. I want you to accompany me to Pengcheng."
He had initially taken a two-month leave, and only one month had passed. Accompanying Lu Jiaxin to Pengcheng was possible, but he wanted to know the reason.
Lu Jiaxin didn't hide it from him and shared her plans. "I want to choose a painting to take to Pengcheng and exchange it for money. Then I'll use that money to start a business."
When she had mentioned that the calligraphy, paintings, and porcelain were valuable, Gu Wenfeng had already guessed that she would sell them for money. The country had passed the Law on the Protection of Cultural Relics last year, prohibiting the private transport of cultural relics out of the country. However, while cultural relics were antiques, not all antiques were classified as cultural relics. So, when Lu Jiaxin said she wanted to sell a painting, he didn't think there was anything wrong with that.
Gu Wenfeng asked, "Aren't you going to retake the university entrance exam?"
Lu Jiaxin's eyes dimmed as she replied, "I definitely want to take the exam, but you know my situation. Ding Jing and Zhao SiYi will do everything they can to seize my family's wealth. They won't let me have a good future. If I go back to retake the exam now, they'll definitely try to sabotage me again before the exam."
Gu Wenfeng understood her situation, and it was precisely because of this that he was more tolerant of her. "If you're worried that they'll harm you again, you can hire two people to protect you during the exam."
As her father, Lu Hongjun was extremely incompetent. Knowing that his wife and stepdaughter were harming Lu Jiaxin yet doing nothing about it—given her personality, Lu Hongjun would come to regret his inaction in the future.
Lu Jiaxin said self-deprecatingly, "It's impossible to be a thief for a thousand days, and it's equally impossible to guard against a thief for a thousand days. Brother Gu, I don't want to live in constant fear. Moreover, they almost took my life, and I will definitely take my revenge."
However, she couldn't act now. She had to wait until she had the ability to protect herself. Otherwise, if something happened to Lu Hongjun and she had no one to rely on, she didn't know what dangers she might face.
Gu Wenfeng understood. This young lady didn't want to retake the exam; instead, she wanted to start a business to empower herself. He didn't try to persuade her to let go of her hatred and refrain from taking revenge because if someone harmed him, he wouldn't let it go easily either. Since the mother-daughter pair dared to harm others, they had to be prepared to face the consequences.
Gu Wenfeng simply said, "Don't do anything illegal."
Lu Jiaxin had thought he would try to talk her out of it, so she smiled when she heard his response. "Rest assured, I will take my revenge openly and aboveboard, and I will not use despicable means. I have a long life ahead of me, and I won't let these people ruin it. They are not worthy."
Gu Wenfeng didn't ask how she planned to take her revenge. As long as it wasn't illegal, it was fine. He asked, "Miss Lu, starting a business is not easy. It's true that many people have made money in the past two years, but there are also many who have lost money."
Lu Jiaxin didn't claim that she would definitely make money. She smiled and said, "Brother Gu, when I said that the Sun family had a secret passage and that there were treasures hidden within, you didn't believe me. Look, we've found the treasure now."
Gu Wenfeng was speechless.
Gu Wenfeng was perplexed as to why Lu Jiaxin insisted on going to Pengcheng. He asked, "Why go to Pengcheng instead of selling the items back in Si Jiucheng?"
Lu Jiaxin replied honestly, "There are many Hong Kong merchants in Pengcheng, and antiques are worth a lot there. I don't have any capital right now, so I have no choice but to sell the paintings. If I have the opportunity in the future, I will redeem the items. That's why I need to choose the buyer carefully."
Gu Wenfeng said, "Miss Lu, as you said before, antiques thrive during prosperous times and gold during turbulent times. Once the items are sold, their value will increase significantly, and you may not be able to buy them back then."
(End of Chapter)
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