Chapter 061

Chapter 061

No one noticed what Zhang Shuo was thinking, except for Xie Junyao.

When it came to Lu Mingzhu, he was the most perceptive.

He noticed that Mr. Zhang’s nephew kept looking at Lu Mingzhu, with a strange expression in his eyes—not one of admiration, but rather full of sorrow and pain, as if all hope was lost and his heart was broken.

Xie Junyao frowned.

Why?

Lu Mingzhu didn’t even know him.

Whether she knew him or not, Xie Junyao could still tell.

Though puzzled, Xie Junyao chose to stand beside Lu Mingzhu to block Zhang Shuo’s gaze. He positioned himself right between them as they both looked at the ancient painting Mr. Zhou had brought out.

A genuine Tang Yin masterpiece!

Though Xie Junyao didn’t have a keen eye for art, he could see Lu Mingzhu’s astonishment.

Not just Lu Mingzhu, everyone in the room who understood art was deeply impressed.

Mr. Zhang, standing behind Lu Mingzhu, said, "See? It’s Tang Yin’s work, well-preserved. Mr. Zhou showed it off before, and a dozen seasoned experts confirmed its authenticity."

"It’s indeed genuine," Lu Mingzhu concluded, relying on her previous experiences.

She knew that Tang Yin’s most expensive work, *Viewing the Waterfall at Mount Lu*, had sold for $590 million. This painting, in terms of size, theme, and artistic skill, was no less impressive.

This is absolutely priceless!

Even if it didn’t reach $590 million, $500 million would still be a fair estimate.

$500 million!

He Yun gave the painting a casual glance, clearly unimpressed, and gently asked Lu Mingzhu, "Do you like it?"

"Dad, you’ve already promised Mr. Zhang. He’s watching closely behind us. Don’t ask me if I like it—it’s pointless. Asking won’t make a difference." Lu Mingzhu stepped aside, and Mr. Zhang immediately rushed forward.

He hadn’t washed his hands and didn’t dare touch the painting, but fearing He Yun might change his mind, he started bargaining with Mr. Zhou. "Back then, you asked for 400 taels of gold, but that was during Liuli Chang’s heyday. Now, the market is in decline, and many antique treasures have dropped in price. You can’t still demand 400 taels of gold. You must lower the price!"

"Based on the gold price before we left, 400 taels of gold would be around $14,000, right?" Lu Mingzhu whispered quietly to Xie Junyao.

She kept her voice low to avoid Mr. Zhou overhearing.

She fully supported Mr. Zhang’s bargaining!

Xie Junyao, unaware of today’s gold price, nodded. "Yes, at $35 per ounce, it’s roughly $14,000. Even if there’s some fluctuation, it won’t be significant."

Lu Mingzhu couldn’t help but exclaim, "That’s an incredible deal!"

Compared to $500 million, that is.

She began tallying up the numbers on her fingers. She had spent 1,250 taels of gold to buy that luxury mansion in the Peak, adjusting the amount for William’s convenience. In the future, that mansion would be worth billions—around 20 billion Hong Kong dollars, not US dollars.

By this calculation, buying Tang Yin’s painting without leveraging was a much better deal!

$500 million was equivalent to nearly $4 billion Hong Kong dollars, and it only required 400 taels of gold, which was one-third of the 1,250 taels she had spent.

It seems that buying a house is not as good as buying antiques.

Xie Junyao whispered, "If you like it, I'll buy it for you. I'm not like Mr. He, who casually makes grand promises."

Lu Mingzhu shook her head, "Godfather has already made his promise, so he can't go back on his word. The teacher won't give him the opportunity to back out either. Didn't you see how actively he's bargaining with Mr. Zhou?"

Perhaps Mr. Zhou wanted to foster goodwill, or perhaps he was wary of the several high-ranking officials present, but he quickly relented.

The original price was 400 taels of gold, reduced to 350 taels after bargaining.

Lu Mingzhu suddenly interjected, "Mr. Zhou, I advise you to accept US dollars!"

In the future, US dollars will be more valuable than gold. They can be exchanged for foreign exchange certificates and used to buy goods at high-end consumption places like Overseas Chinese Stores and Friendship Stores, where the variety of goods is complete and not restricted by coupons.

As for gold, the state encourages people to exchange gold and silver for paper currency at banks, meaning they don't want people to use gold themselves.

In other words, it's effectively banned from circulation.

There's no other way. It's said that when the state took over the banks, there were only a few hundred taels of gold inside, let alone important foreign currency. It was truly a time of unprecedented poverty.

So, they had to find ways to improve the situation.

The state has an almost obsessive focus on foreign currency.

Although keeping US dollars at home carries the same risk of confiscation as gold, that's something that might happen over a decade later. Perhaps Mr. Zhou would have already spent all his US dollars before any turmoil occurs.

In the era of the planned economy, it would be foolish not to exchange US dollars for foreign exchange certificates, wouldn't it?

Mr. Zhou, knowing Lu Mingzhu's cleverness, smiled and said, "Alright, I'll listen to you and accept US dollars."

US dollars were backed by gold, hence the term "US gold."

When Zhang Shuo looked at Lu Mingzhu again, his eyes couldn't hide his surprise.

Did she know what the future held?

Upon hearing this, Zhang Shuo guessed the reason behind Lu Mingzhu's statement.

She so calmly assumed Mingzhu's place and enjoyed everything that had belonged to Mingzhu. Did she know where Mingzhu went?

Hearing Mr. Zhou agree to accept US dollars instead of gold, He Yun had his entourage pay a sum in US dollars directly, then handed Tang Yin's work to Lu Mingzhu.

It wasn't directly donated to the Forbidden City Museum.

Mr. Zhang was so anxious that he was scratching his head and pacing around Lu Mingzhu, "Little Mingzhu, little Mingzhu, your godfather said it would be donated to the state in your name. Everyone heard it. You can't go back on your word."

Lu Mingzhu made a face at him and deliberately said, "I don't want to honor my word. After all, it's worth 350 taels of gold."

Mr. Zhang blurted out, "What's 350 taels of gold to you? Didn't one of your godmothers buy you a ring for that price? Don't be stingy, little Mingzhu."

He was referring to that blue diamond ring, which was worth $10,000 at the time, more than 350 taels of gold when converted.

Lu Mingzhu refused to give it to him and instead handed it to Zhang Zhenxing. In Zhang Zhenxing's surprised gaze, she smiled and said, "The teacher is always flying off the handle, which isn't proper. I'll trouble you with this matter."

Zhang Zhenxing laughed heartily, "Did you know that your teacher is a distant cousin of mine?"

"I didn't know." In the original body's memory, Mr. Zhang never mentioned the Zhang family's affairs. Even in the original book, Lu Shen and Lu Aiguo never mentioned that the original body's ex-husband was the nephew of Mr. Zhang.

After all, even the original body only existed in the memories of the female protagonist Lu Aiguo and her brother Lu Shen, never making a direct appearance.

Zhang Zhenxing smiled and accepted the scroll, handing it to his trusted attendant. The young man held it carefully with both hands, terrified of dropping something worth 350 taels of gold.

Seeing this, Mr. Zhang felt relieved and gave Lu Mingzhu a thumbs-up: "Well done, my dear."

Meanwhile, Zhang Shuo's thoughts drifted unconsciously to his earlier days.

At first, Lu Zhuri had suggested introducing his sister to him, praising her as beautiful, lovely, and talented—the top beauty in Shanghai, someone ordinary men couldn't match. Unwilling to let others dictate his marriage, Zhang Shuo had declined, and Mingzhu had also refused to meet him, believing Lu Zhuri to be domineering and lacking the demeanor of an elder brother.

The more Lu Zhuri tried to control her, the more she rebelled, showing her stubborn streak.

So how did they end up together?

A subtle smile tugged at Zhang Shuo's lips.

He had rescued Lu Mingzhu from a robbery attempt while on his way to visit Mr. Zhang.

Such a dazzling and radiant beauty walking the streets without any protection, dressed in luxurious attire with a handbag adorned with pearls and a piece of jade, naturally attracted the attention of some local thugs.

They wanted both her money and to take advantage of her.

Zhang Shuo broke the limbs of the two thugs but didn't notice that Mingzhu had already gripped her ever-present Browning pistol inside her handbag. He offered to escort her to her destination. To his surprise, he learned she was Mr. Zhang's beloved student—and the sister Lu Zhuri had tried to introduce to him.

At that moment, Zhang Shuo was filled with regret!

Mingzhu wasn’t just stunningly beautiful and talented—she was also a skilled equestrian and sharpshooter, having even defeated the renowned sharpshooter Wang Yang in the military. She had nearly been recruited into the military as a female soldier by his father.

Many men pursued her passionately.

Zhang Shuo, on the other hand, was the most hesitant, afraid that a rejection would close the door forever.

After their marriage, many asked how he had managed to outshine so many suitors to win Lu Mingzhu's heart, not knowing that he was actually the one being pursued. Mingzhu had said he was the most handsome in the military and matched her aesthetic preferences.

And Mingzhu herself disliked frail, delicate men.

Zhang Shuo half-heartedly went along and ended up winning the beauty's heart.

Lost in those sweet memories, Zhang Shuo absentmindedly touched his face. Back then, Mingzhu hadn't known that he secretly took care of his skin, using his mother's cold cream to narrow the gap in their appearances.

In truth, he was only eight years older than Mingzhu, but years of military life had made him look over a decade older.

Zhang Shuo glanced at the refined and handsome Xie Junyao.

Too pale, too weak, and too soft—not Mingzhu's type.

Xie Junyao, unaware of being looked down upon, was examining some ancient calligraphy and paintings Mr. Zhou had brought out, asking Lu Mingzhu if she liked them and suggesting they buy them if she did.

"I still have twenty thousand dollars and forty thousand Hong Kong dollars," he whispered to Lu Mingzhu.

Her eyes lit up.

Then she sighed, "If only I could collect the debts my father owed, I could buy whatever I wanted now."

Two of the debtors had died or left, and the remaining two's debts had been written off.

A huge loss, truly.

While the calligraphy and paintings from Zhang Huaizhi and Mr. Zhang would eventually appreciate in value, it would take at least fifty years—far too long to improve her current life.

Mr. Zhang, having achieved his wish, was content and pretended not to hear Lu Mingzhu's conversation with Xie Junyao.

He eagerly stepped forward to appraise the antique paintings and calligraphy works that He Yun had taken a liking to. He was also astonished, as He Yun had nearly bought out the entire store, leaving Mr. Zhou so thrilled that he was practically dancing with joy.

Missing such a big client would surely lead to a lifetime of regret!

Mr. Zhou swiftly opened the storeroom and brought out more and better treasures. Of course, these were only the items he was willing to part with.

He was in this business because he personally enjoyed collecting antiques, so he had also kept a batch of precious artifacts for himself, unwilling to show them to anyone, even to such a big client as today.

Mr. Zhang beckoned Lu Mingzhu to come forward and help, but she didn’t listen. Instead, she asked He Yun, "Godfather (a term of endearment for a close elder male figure), is this enough? If not, I can go to other shop owners and have them prepare their best items. I know several shop owners from when I used to accompany my teacher, and each of them has some treasures."

He Yun didn’t mind, "You call the shots. Whichever shop owner you like, we’ll check out their store."

Lu Mingzhu was about to advise him not to spend so much money, but before she could speak, Zhang Zhenxing pulled her aside and whispered earnestly, "Comrade Mingzhu, you can’t say no to buying. You should encourage your godfather to buy more, as he’s paying in foreign currency. Our country is in desperate need of foreign exchange, to the point where we’re pinching every penny. The 200,000 pounds and 300,000 dollars you donated earlier have been incredibly helpful. Since your godfather is willing to spend, let him spend! It’s not like the money is wasted—we get the foreign exchange, and he gets many precious antique paintings and calligraphy works. It’s mutually beneficial!"

"How bad is the shortage?" Lu Mingzhu asked curiously.

She knew there was a shortage of foreign exchange, but she didn’t know how severe it was. The cold numbers in the records couldn’t accurately represent the situation.

Zhang Zhenxing replied honestly, "In 1949, our foreign exchange reserves were zero. Our country’s currency had no exchange rate with the US dollar. In 1950, thanks to everyone’s efforts, the national foreign exchange reserves grew to 157 million dollars, with the exchange rate fluctuating with prices, but it was still far from enough. In 1951, the reserves dropped to 45 million dollars. If it weren’t for patriots like Mr. He, you, Mr. Xie, and the support of the domestic population, our country wouldn’t have been able to afford the supplies needed for the frontlines. Many things internationally can only be bought with US dollars, and our country is gradually being embargoed by various nations. It’s a huge problem!"

At this point, Zhang Zhenxing sighed deeply.

For a developing country, what could such a small amount of foreign exchange accomplish? Even ten times that amount wouldn’t be enough.

Lu Mingzhu blinked and asked, "If foreign exchange is insufficient, what do we do? Use gold?"

She vaguely remembered Grandma Zhang mentioning something like this.

Zhang Zhenxing smiled bitterly, "Without foreign exchange, we can only use gold and silver to purchase necessary supplies. When we first took over the banks, there were only a few hundred taels of gold in reserve. That’s why we urged the people to exchange their gold and silver for paper currency. To this day, our country’s gold reserves are still less than 100 tons."

Lu Mingzhu nodded.

She remembered that in 1952, the gold reserves were only 5 million ounces, about 141 tons, and remained at that level for several years. Data from before that was unavailable to her.

"Godfather can buy as much as he wants. I can’t make decisions for him, but I can for my boyfriend. Can you guarantee that the shop owners will deposit the foreign exchange into the bank?" Seeing Zhang Zhenxing nod and say they had people monitoring it, Lu Mingzhu cheerfully walked over to Xie Junyao. "Junyao, buy these for me."

Xie Junyao agreed without hesitation, "No problem. What do you want to buy?"

Lu Mingzhu looked around the shop and smiled, "Godfather has bought out this place. Let’s visit other shops tomorrow. For now, let’s help appraise the antique paintings and calligraphy works in front of us."

"Alright, we’ll go out on our own tomorrow," Xie Junyao nodded.

As they approached He Yun, they noticed two boxes of jewelry and jade in front of him, containing dozens of pieces. Though not priceless, each piece was exquisite, crafted with imperial craftsmanship, dazzling and quite captivating.

"Mingzhu, Mr. Zhou and your teacher said these are treasures from the northeast. I don’t know what ‘northeast artifacts’ are, but they look quite nice. Take them and enjoy wearing them," He Yun said nonchalantly, as if he were giving away trivial trinkets rather than Qing Dynasty imperial treasures.

"Thank you, Godfather," Lu Mingzhu expressed her gratitude, then turned to Mr. Zhou with dissatisfaction, "Why didn’t you show me these before when I came?"

Mr. Zhou was surprised, "Didn’t you like collecting antique calligraphy and paintings? Last time you came to buy modern paintings, I was quite shocked. Who would have thought you’d now like these things? I remember giving you a large jade hairpin before, but you complained that the green wasn’t evenly distributed, the texture wasn’t clear enough, and it wasn’t attractive. You even had it turned into a brooch."

Lu Mingzhu stuck out her tongue, "Everyone’s tastes change. I’m no exception."

But Zhang Shuo knew that Mingzhu’s tastes had always remained the same.

The change in Lu Mingzhu is simply because she is not *his* Mingzhu.

Why is that?

He used all his accumulated merits to ensure Mingzhu's health, safety, and longevity, but the female mystic he met in Hong Kong didn't tell him that he would be reborn in another life, encountering a Lu Mingzhu who is not his Mingzhu.

Was his merit insufficient?

After finally getting a second chance, he no longer has the opportunity to truly know and stay with her.

Or is it that Mingzhu doesn't want to see him?

Did she choose to let someone else live in her place, while her soul drifts away?

She never gave others a choice, just as she hadn’t during their divorce in their previous life.

He and his father were implicated by her status, subjected to interrogation and investigation for several days without food or water, only to be suddenly released. Afterward, Zhang Shuo learned that he had divorced his wife, and it was he himself who had written the declaration to cut ties.

A bitter smile crept across Zhang Shuo's lips.

She never trusted him, preferring to write the declaration and divorce papers in his tone and handwriting rather than believing that he could take her and their children far away to the border.

Zhang Shuo knew that his wife, tough on the outside but soft on the inside, was actually doing it for their good.

Once the declaration and divorce papers were issued, he and his father were released, and their son remained politically pure. Only Mingzhu herself, along with Lu Shen and Lu Aiguo, who had impeccable backgrounds but were implicated by their aunt and father after the turmoil, were branded as capitalist descendants. They lived in the Lu Family Garden, standing in opposition to everyone, and refused to see him or their child for years.

Even Lu Shen and Lu Aiguo thought he had abandoned their aunt, and every time they met, they gave him cold looks.

Though he bore the reputation of being ungrateful, Zhang Shuo didn’t feel wronged.

He was the beneficiary.

He thought he had a chance to make amends, but he didn't expect Mingzhu to leave so early, leaving him alone to suffer sleepless nights and constant pain for decades.

The female mystic told him to use his merit as an exchange, and he complied.

Not only did he comply, but he also spent the rest of his life accumulating good deeds.

But what was the result?

She was no longer here—how could she be healthy, safe, or live a long life?

When Zhang Shuo looked at Lu Mingzhu again, he couldn't hide the deep gloom in his eyes. Where had this wandering soul come from? Occupying Mingzhu's body, enjoying everything she had, even inheriting her talents.

Mingzhu was fluent in foreign languages and had top-notch skills in appraising antiques, all of which were now embodied in this Lu Mingzhu before him.

How could he make her disappear?

If she disappeared, would the real Mingzhu return?

Zhang Shuo wasn't sure, didn't dare to act, and was at a loss about the current situation. Unless he found that female mystic, but she wouldn't be born for several more decades.

Lu Mingzhu suddenly felt a chill down her spine, her heart filled with unease.

It was as if she was being watched by some monster.

She glanced around but found nothing out of the ordinary, and couldn’t help frowning.

"What's wrong?" Xie Junyao asked with concern.

Lu Mingzhu shook her head, "It's nothing, I just feel a bit cold."

"Here, let me warm your hands," Xie Junyao immediately grabbed her hands and cupped them between his palms. "The antique shop doesn't have heating, I'm sorry for the inconvenience."

Antiques require a certain temperature and humidity to be preserved well, so antique shops do not have heating facilities.

He Yun immediately spoke up, "You two go back first, Mr. Zhang and his colleagues are handling things here, there's no need for you to stay and help."

"Thanks for understanding, Mr. He," Xie Junyao quickly followed up.

But Lu Mingzhu wasn't about to give up the excellent opportunity to come into contact with various antiques and to appraise their authenticity. "No, we can't leave early. I promised my godfather I'd help him appraise the antiques, I can't go back on my word."

Xie Junyao had no choice but to go along with her.

As she looked at the dazzling array of antiques, and thinking about the value of Tang Yin's authentic works, Lu Mingzhu felt that she could take a good stroll around Liuli Chang, hoping to buy an antique painting of comparable value to Tang Yin's authentic works. She planned to gift it to her original body next National Day, which could fetch hundreds of millions of dollars at an auction. She'd say it was a lucky find, a better choice than any jewelry or jade.

The crown, adorned with jewels, might not even fetch such a price.

Lu Mingzhu felt a surge of determination.