Chapter 005

Chapter 005

After Uncle Li and the others left Lu Family Garden, Lu Mingzhu immediately packed the clothes, shoes, and fabrics they had brought into her luggage. Everything was ready for boarding the ship. However, the day before their departure, a sudden storm rolled in.

It came out of nowhere.

From the early morning until dinner time, the heavy wind and rain showed no sign of weakening. The wind and rain pounded against the windows, the noise clear and inescapable.

The crystal chandelier cast a warm glow, illuminating the room.

Seated at the head of the dining table, Lu Mingzhu looked worried, fearing they wouldn’t be able to leave the next day.

"Do you think it’ll let up by tonight?" she asked Lu Pingan.

"Aunt, I don’t know when this rain will stop either," Lu Pingan replied truthfully, then added, "But don’t worry, a little wind and rain won’t stop us."

Lu Mingzhu nodded. "Have you packed all your luggage?"

Lu Pingan nodded. "It’s all packed."

He was only bringing important gold and silver items; most of his belongings had been left behind.

Through the glass window, Lu Mingzhu gazed at the curtain of rain outside. "I still hope this rain stops soon. A sunny day is the best for traveling, safer too."

She was cautious.

It was precisely because she was cautious that she had decided to leave.

Lu Pingan smiled, revealing deep dimples, his eyes clear, making him look exceptionally handsome. "Aunt, you're so kind, Heaven will surely listen to you."

After dinner, the rain outside gradually weakened.

"See, I was right," Lu Pingan said proudly to Lu Mingzhu.

Relieved, Lu Mingzhu returned to the bedroom, sat in front of the dressing table, opened the drawer, and took out three gold bracelets and six gold rings that had been prepared long ago, all from the original body’s jewelry box.

The original body’s hundreds of exquisite gold jewelry still belonged to her. When Wang Xingcai instructed Uncle Li to inventory the gold and silver jewelry, these items were left behind and not taken away.

What a great godfather he turned out to be.

Lu Mingzhu planned to give the gold jewelry to the three maids as severance.

In this world, nothing beats gold.

Casually placing the gold jewelry on the dressing table, Lu Mingzhu’s eyes flickered. Her gaze caught her reflection in the mirror.

Her new body was stunningly beautiful, with an oval face, peach blossom eyes, a straight nose, red lips, and willow-leaf eyebrows, delicate and striking, almost identical to her features before she traveled here, except the skin was whiter and more lustrous, like a thick filter had been added, beautiful and clear, seductive yet not vulgar.

She could really become a star.

Even in the era when the Hong Kong entertainment industry was filled with top talents, she would stand out the most.

The person in the mirror frowned slightly, her large, round, and deep eyes naturally exuding innocence.

When traveling, stunning beauty could be a curse rather than a blessing.

After a moment of contemplation, Lu Mingzhu untied her braid, took a strand of hair from the top of her head, and placed it over her face. She then used scissors to cut it, instantly turning her thin bangs into a thick layer, completely covering her full forehead, the length passing her eyebrows, almost hiding her eyes.

This way, her beauty was toned down just enough.

Lu Mingzhu felt it wasn't enough and rummaged through her spatial pocket for the cosmetics she had prepared before her time travel.

The next morning, after washing her face, she applied foundation several shades darker than her skin tone and used contour powder, eyebrow pencil, and lipstick. She thickened her eyebrows, flattened her nose, and exaggerated her lips, softening their elegant curves.

Both Lu Pingan and the three maids were shocked when they saw her.

It was as if she had become a completely different person!

Yesterday, she was a blooming flower; today, she was just another face in the crowd.

Lu Pingan couldn't help but marvel, "This look makes you much less noticeable, Aunt."

Lu Mingzhu had abandoned all her fancy clothes and was now wearing only the most ordinary blue cloth jacket, black skirt, and black cloth shoes, carrying a cloth handbag. Her overall look was simple, understated, and dignified.

Lu Mingzhu smiled, pleased with his comment. "That’s a relief."

They ate breakfast quietly, listening to the continuous light rain outside.

With departure imminent, the Lu family had stopped cooking. Lu Pingan had sent the maids out to buy shengjian bao (pan-fried buns), doujiang (soy milk), youtiao (fried dough sticks), and zongzi (sticky rice dumplings). Lu Mingzhu had a little of each.

Once they reached Hong Kong, it would be hard to find such authentic Shanghai breakfast.

After eating, she rinsed her mouth and called over the three maids, giving them gold bracelets and rings.

The three maids, who had packed their bags the night before, were overjoyed to receive the heavy gold jewelry. "Thank you, Eighth Miss, thank you!"

Lu Mingzhu waved them off. "No need to thank me. After breakfast, you can leave!"

With second-hand clothes and bedding from the Lu family, the three maids had quite a lot of luggage, so they hired three carriages to take them away, each leaving Lu Family Garden with a carriage full of luggage.

They definitely got their money's worth!

The servants who were let go before the family left the country didn’t get such generous treatment.

Thus, the three maids were quite excited as they left.

Lu Mingzhu stood at the main gate, watching them until they were out of sight, before she and Lu Pingan walked back to the main building along the central road.

Thinking for a moment, she said to Lu Pingan, "Pingan, you watch our luggage. I'm going to take a look around, inside and out. Who knows when we'll be back to live here again."

At least thirty years from now!

By then, she would be in her forties, well into middle age.

Lu Pingan nodded and went into the main building first.

Pretending to be nostalgic, Lu Mingzhu actually went to search the storeroom. She had just remembered the place.

Unfortunately, the storeroom had been thoroughly cleaned out. There were no valuable gold, silver, jade, or rare antiques like paintings and calligraphy. There were only some obviously modern and less valuable porcelain, bronze ware, ivory carvings, cumbersome furniture, and a small amount of silk cloth, fur, tea, tonics, spices, etc. The quality of the latter items was quite good, though.

Lu Mingzhu stuffed the best items into her spatial pocket.

Seeing her now fully packed storage space, she left the storeroom satisfied and didn’t lock it.

The rain had stopped outside, revealing a clear blue sky. The sky was clear and serene, making it a refreshing sight.

Miss Lu Mingzhu had only been in the main building for less than ten minutes when Uncle Li arrived with the servants and a carriage to load the luggage. "Miss Mingzhu, Young Master Lu Pingan, Master Wang is personally seeing you off on the ship. He's waiting in the car outside."

Lu Mingzhu hurriedly went out with her nephew to get in the car.

"Godfather," Lu Mingzhu called sweetly.

Wang Xingcai, dressed in a white shirt and silver-gray Western-style trousers, looked slightly surprised upon seeing his goddaughter for the first time in two days. "What's this look? I almost didn't recognize you."

Lu Mingzhu, with her eyes curved, said, "I put on a little bit of makeup. Do I look very ordinary?"

Wang Xingcai, who had been worried that Lu Mingzhu's extraordinary beauty might cause trouble, now felt relieved. "Yes, yes, it's good. When you're out and about, you should protect yourself well and not talk to strangers casually."

Lu Mingzhu was especially attentive when it came to her own safety.

She bowed her head and took out the key to Lu Family Garden and a prepared rental and lending authorization from her handbag, handing them over to Wang Xingcai with both hands. "Godfather, after I leave, I'll have to trouble you to handle the follow-up matters of Lu Family Garden."

Wang Xingcai accepted them. "It's nothing, not troublesome."

He had no daughters, and it was because he liked Lu Mingzhu that he had agreed to make her his goddaughter. His goddaughter's matters were naturally his own, without distinction.

Lu Mingzhu hesitated for a moment and said in a low voice, "Godfather, if the situation turns bad, come to Hong Kong to join us as soon as possible."

She certainly loved her country deeply and admired those patriots who were eager to return to serve their country, but she could not influence the course of history. It wasn't something that could be changed by one person's words.

For their family background, running away was the best strategy.

Staying behind meant a nine out of ten chance of death.

Although not in her original body, Lu Mingzhu had fully experienced this godfather's kindness in just a few days and sincerely hoped he wouldn't return to the country with a passion for construction, only to be humiliated and stripped of his dignity.

Hearing Lu Mingzhu's words, Wang Xingcai smiled gently, his expression kind and resolute. "I'm sixty-two this year, and I can't work for many more years. Once everything is on track, I'll step down. You and Lu Pingan must study hard in Hong Kong, and I'll check on your progress when I come over. If you've fallen behind, I won't let you off easily."

Lu Mingzhu said happily, "You can rest assured!"

Before they knew it, they had arrived at their destination.

This was one of the largest docks in Shanghai, bustling with countless large and small ships. The shore was crowded with people—some in bright, colorful clothes, while others wore tattered rags. The latter were laborers working on the docks, and some were rickshaw pullers, all drenched in sweat.

Wang Xingcai led Lu Mingzhu and Lu Pingan onto the most luxurious and massive ocean liner. As they walked, he explained, "Although it's a company co-owned by your elder brother, there's also British investment. Nominally, it's a British-funded shipping line. It will take only three days to reach Hong Kong."

Lu Mingzhu raised her eyebrows. "So fast?"

It was a bit unexpected.

Wang Xingcai smiled. "It’s the most advanced international liner. The trip from Shanghai to Hong Kong is just a small part of its route. It can even go to several European countries. Your father and the others missed it, so they’ll probably have to take a regular cruise."

Passing by the patrolling crew members on the ship, he escorted Lu Mingzhu and Lu Pingan to the top-most cabin. "Mingzhu, you'll stay in the middle cabin. Uncle Li and Pingan will be on either side. The other servants will stay in the lower cabins. Don't be alone during meals or when you go out for air. Have them follow you."

Lu Mingzhu nodded repeatedly. "Thank you, Godfather, for your thoughtfulness."

After confirming the cabin locations, Wang Xingcai took Lu Mingzhu and Lu Pingan to meet the other passengers, mostly wealthy merchants and socialites from Shanghai, along with a few foreigners working in Shanghai, all of whom were very familiar with Wang Xingcai.

Wang Xingcai asked them to take care of Lu Mingzhu during the journey.

It wasn’t until the liner was about to set sail that he left the shore, under Lu Mingzhu's reluctant gaze.

Thick smoke and rumbling sounds accompanied the liner as it slowly left the shore.

After entering the cabin, Lu Mingzhu didn’t lie down immediately. Instead, she stood by the window, gazing at the rolling waves outside. The heart that had been on edge finally settled in her chest.

The goal of running away had been achieved!

She didn’t have to face famine, a planned economy, or a life that felt like falling from heaven to hell. Though the next thirty years would be spent in a foreign land, her personal safety was now guaranteed, as long as she didn’t do anything reckless.