Chapter 088

Chapter 088

After Lu Pingan finished discussing business with Zhang Zhenxing and returned carrying the old capital cheese that Zhang Zhenxing specially had made for Lu Mingzhu, Lu Zhuri was no longer in Lu Mingzhu's room.

He had tactfully made himself scarce.

Lu Mingzhu, savoring the cool cheese, shared the latest scoop with her nephew.

Lu Zhuri must have come to remind her.

Seeing no trace of surprise on Lu Pingan's face, she was stunned.

"You knew?" Lu Mingzhu was puzzled, "How could you know? Where did you notice the clues?"

Lu Pingan replied, "I've seen photos of Third Uncle when he was young."

Lu Mingzhu looked confused, "You've seen them?"

The original body had never seen them.

She had never seen old photos of Lu Changsheng, nor photos of her other siblings before she was born. She had only seen photos of her family and herself after her birth, as well as family portraits.

The original body couldn't understand it before, but Lu Mingzhu figured it all out when she learned that Lu Changsheng was still alive.

Father Lu and Mrs. Lu had wiped out every trace of Lu Changsheng's existence.

"All photos of the Lu family from twenty years ago were collected by her grandparents, including photos taken outside, especially those with their eldest son. It's normal that you haven't seen them," Lu Pingan said calmly, "I hadn't seen them either before. Later, when I lived with Grandpa and helped sort through some old belongings brought to Hong Kong, I stumbled upon many old photos."

To be honest, seeing old photos of Lu Zhangling, he was quite surprised, thinking how time is a powerful tool that can completely change a person's appearance.

Now he's really let himself go!

However, from what Lu Pingan could remember, the Lu Zhangling he had seen always looked mature. When he was very young, he had seen people who didn't recognize him and Father Lu mistaking them for brothers.

Father Lu was the epitome of charm back in the day.

Perhaps it was due to age, or perhaps the three years of internal conflict had caused anxiety, Father Lu now began to show his age.

Even so, he still looked more than ten years younger than his peers.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhangling's looks had gone downhill.

Over the New Year, he even tried to leverage his aunt's marriage for his own gain—what a piece of work!

Mediocre in talent, yet he held himself in high regard, proud of being the eldest son of the Lu family, indulgent and arrogant. Yet, due to his status as the son of a concubine, he had to be cautious in his words and actions in front of his grandparents. If it weren't for the building projects he could get from Lu's Property Company, his construction firm in Hong Kong might have gone under.

"Once we're back, we're in for some real drama," Lu Pingan said to Lu Mingzhu.

Lu Mingzhu nodded and added, "If he's really been impersonating the old man and carelessly spreading his seed around, the old man won't rest until he's broken his legs. By the way, what was he thinking? Why not use someone else's name instead of impersonating his own father?"

He's the king of father-scamming, no doubt about it!

How old was he sixteen years ago? Barely in his twenties, while the old man was well into his forties. How on earth did he pull off the impersonation?

Even without the charade, there would've been women lining up for him!

After all, at that time, everyone thought Lu Changsheng had died young, and he was indeed considered the eldest son.

Did the future heir to the Lu family really need to resort to impersonation?

That's really hard to believe.

Lu Pingan, however, said, "He probably wouldn't dare, and just what the twins say isn't enough to go on. Something's definitely off."

"Huh? You're that sure?" Lu Mingzhu was quite surprised.

"It's simple—he's just not brave enough. In Shanghai, every time Third Uncle introduced himself, he said he was the son of Lu Yanzhi, never daring to say he was Lu Yanzhi himself. It was only after coming to Hong Kong that he stopped flaunting it and quit mentioning it so often," Lu Pingan explained.

"How would you know that?" Lu Mingzhu was even more astonished.

Lu Pingan said with a sigh, "I often saw it when I went out with Grandma to discuss business. Grandma also taught me to make it on my own and never to follow his example, acting like a spoiled kid, always talking about his father being Lu Yanzhi wherever he goes."

"Your grandma's got a point. Making it on your own is what really counts. Don't ride on your dad's coattails," Lu Mingzhu praised strongly.

Lu Pingan smiled.

His features were delicate, and his smile was downright dazzling.

Lu Mingzhu put down her cheese bowl, stood on tiptoe, and messed up his hair. "Young people should smile more, full of life, not always looking all serious like a grumpy old man."

Lu Pingan immediately stopped smiling, turning into a cold youth.

Lu Mingzhu tutted twice, knowing why he had been like this since coming to the capital, and didn't push further.

"I can't wait to get back to Hong Kong and see the drama!"

Hearing her words, Lu Pingan was speechless. "Aren't you worried Grandpa will cut your allowance?"

"Since when does he give me an allowance?" Lu Mingzhu said, then immediately realized, "Do you guys get allowances too? How much each month?"

"I don't, Ningning does, 3000 Hong Kong dollars a month," Lu Pingan knew the details inside out. "Seventh Aunt and the unmarried Ninth and Tenth Uncles are the same. Seventh Uncle doesn't, and it's normal you don't either, since you have dividends. This trip out gave you 50,000 US dollars, much more than 3000 Hong Kong dollars a month."

Lu Mingzhu felt balanced. "That's true."

The old man's really generous with her!

Thanks a lot!

The next day, she continued to spend happily, and the plan to write her second novel was pushed back again.

With money to burn, no need to hurry.

It's just like her old procrastination habits from before she crossed over—truly, no pressure, no motivation.

With Mr. Zhang's birthday still far off, Lu Mingzhu wasn't in a hurry to visit.

The original body was willing to indulge him, but she didn't want to.

Mr. Zhang's all about spending other people's money. Luckily, He Yun didn't mind and even donated a genuine Tang Yin painting.

Sigh!

Acknowledging me as his goddaughter, He Yun is at a total loss!

Lu Mingzhu bought him a few more gifts.

However, it wasn't spent in US dollars.

50,000 US dollars is a large sum of foreign exchange, and Zhang Zhenxing was very concerned about it. Since Lu Pingan was also spending foreign exchange, Zhang Zhenxing exchanged new currency notes with them and sent people to accompany them shopping everywhere, making things super convenient for them.

Lu Ping'an became increasingly convinced of the correctness of his decision, bringing Secretary Chen along to purchase thousands of pieces of lacquerware, jade carvings, and cloisonné porcelain, all of which they helped to source.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have bothered exchanging money with them.

Lu Mingzhu really wanted Lu Zhuri to accompany her, but unfortunately, he was of high rank and extremely busy.

It was enough to meet him and get the answer through penicillin.

Just a year, she could wait it out.

By the time Lu Mingzhu had nearly spent all her money, Mr. Zhang's birthday was just around the corner.

Following the original body's customs, Lu Mingzhu and Lu Ping'an carried the longevity peaches, clothes, shoes, and socks they had prepared for Mr. Zhang early in the morning to pay their respects, and arranged for the International Hotel to deliver a feast to the Zhang family at noon.

And birthday gifts? Forget it!

Owing 50,000 silver dollars and still expecting a birthday gift? Fat chance!

Although Lu Mingzhu had settled the debt by taking some modern calligraphy and paintings from his study and had also obtained some raw stones that yielded valuable jade, what was 50,000 silver dollars worth? The market value of those items didn't even reach 10,000.

Mr. Zhang's family was still not with him, and he was alone, not even considering celebrating his birthday. Seeing Lu Mingzhu visit, he was delighted and eagerly pulled her over, saying, "Come, come, come and see a new plum vase I've just acquired, just about to send it off to the museum."

Lu Mingzhu examined it; it was a Ming Dynasty blue and white cloud and dragon plum vase, in impeccable condition.

In more than half a century, it would be worth eight figures!

"Teacher, are you really set on protecting national cultural relics to the end, not joining me in Hong Kong?" Thinking of his future, Lu Mingzhu felt a pang of sadness. "You're not young anymore, let the younger generation shoulder such burdens, you should enjoy your retirement."

The old man didn't survive, and it took a toll on his wife and children, leaving his descendants in dire straits, entirely dependent on the original body for support.

Mr. Zhang laughed, "I believe I can still work for a few more years. This line of work depends on vision and experience; young people without a certain level of skill can't manage it."

After speaking, he couldn't help but say, "I heard you've been buying up a storm at Liuli Chang again? I've been waiting for you for days."

"Your news is quite swift," Lu Mingzhu snorted lightly.

Mr. Zhang said enviously, "Having money is good, you can buy antiques and calligraphy as you please."

"That's my father's earnings," Lu Mingzhu said.

Mr. Zhang knew, which is why he was envious. "Ah, let's not talk about it, let's not talk about it. Back to the main topic, did you come specifically to celebrate my birthday? It's far, really no need."

Lu Mingzhu nodded, "I won't come next year."

Mr. Zhang puffed out his beard and glared.

Lu Mingzhu smiled, "This year is a special case, I have some free time, and I wanted to donate some penicillin. Next year might not be the case."

Mr. Zhang also understood, feeling somewhat sad. "At seventy, life is rare. I'm already seventy, who knows when I might not be here anymore."

"You'll surely live to a hundred," today's goal wasn't achieved, but there's always next time.

With more than a decade, there's plenty of time to take it slow.

Mr. Zhang was noncommittal, suddenly asking again, "Penicillin? Did you bring penicillin?"

"Yes," Lu Mingzhu nodded.

Mr. Zhang immediately took her out, and as they walked, he said, "You really are a lifesaver! Remember that boy you had bring me breakfast? He's also sick, not sure if it's pneumonia or something else, but it's really serious. He's had a high fever for two days now. We took him to the hospital, and they said he needed penicillin and some other medicine, but there's no penicillin available right now. The family had no choice but to bring him home to wait for him to die."

Upon hearing this, Lu Mingzhu immediately called for a bodyguard to fetch the medical kit from the International Hotel, "And find a doctor who knows how to give injections."

Just because Lu Mingzhu knows first aid doesn't mean she's a doctor.

For injections, it's better to find a professional.

The bodyguard ran off quickly, setting out immediately.

They exited the small alley to a small restaurant, which was now closed, filled with despair.

Faintly, they could hear the proprietress crying, "When they treated those prostitutes, there was penicillin. The country spent so much money to cure and reform them one by one, arranging jobs or marriages for them. Why is there none for our child? Just one dose, just one dose, just one dose would be enough!"

Mr. Zhang pushed the door open, "Our savior is here!"

The owner, who was smoking, and the proprietress, who was weeping bitterly, were startled and looked up simultaneously.

Without any delay, Mr. Zhang pointed at Lu Mingzhu and said, "You know her, I often brought her to your shop for breakfast before. She's from Hong Kong and has penicillin."

Without hesitation, the couple knelt before Lu Mingzhu, their faces full of hope, "Really? Really, there's penicillin?"

Lu Mingzhu nodded, "I've already sent someone to get it."

As the couple looked at her with tearful eyes, she reached out to help the proprietress up, signaling Lu Pingan to help the owner up.

"Isn't there any penicillin at the hospital? Didn't you check other hospitals?" Lu Mingzhu felt that with the 5000 doses of penicillin she had brought, there should be some allocated to the hospitals.

The owner extinguished his cigarette and shook his head without speaking.

The proprietress, her voice hoarse, spoke, "I heard that the big hospitals have penicillin, but it was only transferred there recently, and the quantity is limited. We took Huangdou to see a doctor, and it was just our bad luck that when it was our turn, the last dose of penicillin had just been given to a syphilitic man!"

She couldn't help but curse the man with syphilis, "Why does a man with a filthy disease get saved, while our clean Huangdou doesn't have that luck? We tried other medicines, but they didn't work at all!"

The owner sighed, "What can we do when there's none left? Luckily, Mr. Zhang brought a savior!"

Lu Mingzhu felt heavy-hearted.

5000 doses of penicillin seemed like a lot, but for the current population, it was just a drop in the bucket.

Lu Zhuri hadn't lied to her.

"Do you really have penicillin?" the proprietress asked Lu Mingzhu again, afraid it was all just a dream.

Lu Mingzhu nodded, "Don't worry, we have enough."

Unlike Xie Junyao, who was stingy and only carried twenty doses, she had placed twenty boxes, that's 80 doses, in the medical kit!

During the anxious wait, the bodyguard arrived with the doctor.

This doctor wasn't planning to make a house call, but when the bodyguard offered him a box of penicillin as payment, he immediately grabbed his medical kit and ran over.

Coincidentally, he was the doctor who had treated Huangdou.

After carefully observing Huangdou's current condition and diagnosing him, he directly administered a dose of penicillin and two doses of other medicines.

"You're lucky to have penicillin. The last time I treated a child in a similar condition, we couldn't save him," the young doctor said with a heavy voice.

Lu Pingan suddenly asked, "Is the hospital severely lacking in medicine?"

The young doctor nodded, "Desperately scarce. Due to the limitations of domestic medical capabilities, some diseases cannot be treated, but many can be cured as long as there is medicine, yet we are short of it."

Lu Mingzhu listened silently. If the capital is like this, what about other small and medium-sized cities?

As for the countryside, there are no hospitals at all.

The bodyguard whispered to her about the reward for the doctor, and Lu Mingzhu said, "What's one box gonna do? Make it five!"

Hearing this, the young doctor was overjoyed.

"Thank you, thank you, you're a real lifesaver!" He gratefully accepted the five boxes of penicillin.

Noticing her son's fever had slightly subsided, the landlady also expressed her gratitude tearfully: "Miss Mingzhu, thank you, you've saved our child. When he recovers, I will have him bow deeply to you."

Lu Mingzhu waved her hand, "How could I not lend a hand when I saw this? If you want to thank anyone, thank my teacher; otherwise, I wouldn't have known about this situation."

The young doctor, having just stashed the penicillin in his medical box, couldn't help but scratch his ear, "Mingzhu? Lu Mingzhu? Lu Mingzhu from Shanghai? The Eighth Miss of the Lu family?"

Lu Mingzhu looked at him in surprise, "Do you know me?"

There was no such person in the original body's memory!

"I'm your sworn brother!" The young doctor was extremely excited. He held Lu Mingzhu's hand, his face full of excitement, "Remember my mom? She was a lawyer, my father, Cao Kui, a doctor. I'm Cao Lu, with a brother, Cao Jing, also a doctor, and a sister, Cao Yaoyao."

Lu Mingzhu blurted out, "Godmother Huo Qingrong?"

This godmother, surnamed Huo, passed away three years ago!

"Yes, yes, it's her!" Seeing that Lu Mingzhu remembered, Cao Lu was very happy, "I wanted to study medicine abroad, but my family didn't have enough money. It was your funding that made it possible!"

In fact, before he went abroad, his family was quite prosperous, his brother and sister were both overseas students, but in troubled times, they managed to save their lives but not their property. After escaping to Shanghai, they managed to live decently on their parents' earnings, but it was far from enough for him to go abroad. That's when the Lu family stepped in with their generosity.

Ten years ago, this little sister provided the funds, and at sixteen, he was able to board a ship to study abroad, returning with a wealth of knowledge.

He returned last autumn, went to Shanghai, only to find the entire Lu family had moved. Only after inquiring with Wang Xingcai did he discover the Lu family had settled in Hong Kong, so he regretfully headed north to reunite with his father and brother.

His eldest brother is a military doctor in the capital military district, his sister-in-law is too, and his father works as a doctor in a hospital in the capital, all doing well. He joined his father's hospital to put his medical skills to use, only his mother had passed away several years ago.

Meeting her sworn brother, Lu Mingzhu was thrilled, yet overwhelmed with a flood of emotions.

Sworn relatives are popping up everywhere!

Where are the other sworn relatives of the original body? Will they suddenly appear one day?

Mr. Zhang and others were stunned.

Cao Lu said cheerfully, "Ten years, and look how much you've grown! Luckily, I came here tempted by the penicillin, otherwise I would have missed the chance to meet you. Mingzhu, come on, let's go to my house, it's not far from here, my father will be very happy to see you."

Lu Mingzhu didn't move, "Don't you have to work?"

Cao Lu slapped his head, "I almost forgot, I still have to go back to the hospital to work. Here, I'll write down the hospital address and home address for you, don't forget to come!"

He took out a pen and paper from his pocket and wrote down two addresses.

Lu Mingzhu accepted them and gave him five more boxes of penicillin, "We will certainly pay a visit to our godfather."

What else could a godmother's husband be but a godfather?

It's just that it hasn't been formally recognized.

After Cao Lu left, Lu Mingzhu bid farewell to the boss and his wife, leaving them with the remaining three doses of penicillin in the box. "Once Huangdou's condition improves, take him to the hospital for a check-up. The doctor will decide if more is needed."

The wife grabbed it with both hands and promptly nudged her husband, "Go get the money!"

The boss jumped up, rummaged through the cabinets, and found a small jar, which he handed to Lu Mingzhu with both hands. "I heard years ago that penicillin is more precious than gold; it can save lives, but gold cannot. Here are some gold bars and a few silver dollars, please take them."

Lu Mingzhu declined, "I don't need money. Just make sure my teacher doesn't pay for breakfast when he visits."

The couple was taken aback, "How can that be? Mr. Zhang saved our family's life, it's only right to provide him breakfast for life. But penicillin is extremely valuable, you must have paid a high price for it, we can't take advantage."

"It didn't cost much," Lu Mingzhu said offhandedly, "Just listen to me and don't hold up my teacher's birthday plans."

Only then did the couple realize it was Mr. Zhang's birthday.

They congratulated and thanked Mr. Zhang, who waved his hand, "It's what neighbors do—help each other out. I just brought Mingzhu here; she was the one who got the medicine and found the doctor. You should thank her, not me."

He couldn't help but sigh, "Huangdou is really lucky."

"Surviving a great disaster brings great fortune," Lu Mingzhu said, then added, "Alright, teacher, we should go. I'll have someone prepare a good meal for you and deliver it at noon."

Mr. Zhang, who had been sitting on a chair, stood up upon hearing this.

After they left, the boss and his wife finally came to their senses and ran out, but they were already out of sight.

"What should we do?" the boss asked his wife.

The wife thought for a while, "I noticed Miss Mingzhu's bracelet, adorned with green floral designs, was very beautiful, it looked like jadeite. Isn't Old Meng running a jade shop? I saw similar ones in his shop, cheaper than the green ones. Let's buy a few now, get four gifts ready, and head over to thank her at Mr. Zhang's place."

The boss gave a quick nod of agreement, "Alright, you go buy them, take all the money, I'll stay home and watch Huangdou."

The jade shop the wife went to happened to be one Lu Mingzhu had visited. Upon learning the reason, the shop owner, Mr. Meng, said, "That generous lady, her boyfriend refers to her as Mingzhu. Saving Huangdou, she's truly a good person. Last time she bought a lot of things here, it seems she prefers glass-like transparent jadeite, regardless of color. These are not expensive, colorless ones only charge for the workmanship, you can afford them."

The wife nodded, "It's even better that she bought from you before, show me what she likes."

She spent several taels of gold and a few hundred silver dollars on a bunch of items.

She didn't keep any for herself, sending them all along with four gifts to Lu Mingzhu.

Worried about Lu Mingzhu's reaction, the couple hastily dropped the items and bolted.

After running home, they locked the door and wouldn't open it for anyone.

Seeing the bodyguards return with the items unopened, Lu Mingzhu was both amused and resigned, so she accepted them.

She said to Mr. Zhang, "We'll return soon, likely after we visit my godfather Cao. I'll leave you five boxes of penicillin, keep them just in case."

Aware of penicillin's value, Mr. Zhang didn't turn it down.

At that moment, none of them knew that soon after, Mr. Zhang would use the penicillin left by Lu Mingzhu to save two children who had fallen into the water and developed pneumonia with high fever. The fathers of those children later rose to power and protected Mr. Zhang's family for ten years, even Zhang Huaizhi was fortunate to survive without much suffering.

After celebrating Mr. Zhang's birthday, Lu Mingzhu said to Lu Pingan on the way back to the International Hotel, "What do you think about us opening a pharmaceutical factory? We can ask my godfather and your grandfather for help, buy a pharmaceutical production line, produce various Western medicines, and sell them domestically."

Lu Pingan was pondering the issue, "Buying the production line isn't a big issue; equipment that's sixty to seventy percent as good as new will suffice. The main challenge is finding skilled pharmaceutical workers, and setting up the factory in Hong Kong isn't feasible since it's under close watch. Many supplies are first shipped to Macau and then to the mainland. I think it's better to set up the pharmaceutical factory in Macau."

Lu Mingzhu nodded in full agreement, "Let's discuss how to proceed when we return to Hong Kong, money is not a problem."

We'll use the dividends to start the factory first, instead of giving the money back to my father.

If we succeed, Lu Zhuri won't have any trouble getting the country's support for the penicillin we've acquired.