Chapter 142

Chapter 142

Following her father out of the study, Lu Mingzhu could hear the old lady's voice clearly, and so could Lu Yanzhi, who had the receiver pressed to his ear. Feeling like his eardrums were about to burst, he immediately moved the receiver away.

Getting no response, the old lady frowned at the receiver and put it back to her ear.

"Lu Yanzhi, did you hear me?" To lessen the burden on her eldest grandson, she was determined to have her son settle this bill. Seeing the approving expression on her eldest grandson's face, she knew she had done the right thing.

Lu Yanzhi replied resignedly, "I heard you. I'll go to the hospital later to settle the bill for you."

The old lady said discontentedly, "What do you mean later? Now. You must say immediately, come immediately."

"Come immediately," Lu Yanzhi resigned himself to his fate.

She was his own mother, who had borne and raised him. Even if she had faults, he still had to take care of her.

Lu Mingzhu decided not to get involved.

She obeyed her father and went home to work on the script for "The Swordsman."

Only after his younger daughter had left did Lu Yanzhi change his clothes, had Xu the Butler fetch a redwood cane that was far inferior to agarwood, and using the cane, he went to the hospital to find the old lady waiting for him to settle the bill.

Seeing Lu Changsheng accompanying the old lady, Lu Yanzhi shot him a glare.

Having already gotten the old lady's gold, couldn't he have paid the bill?

The old lady, though elderly, was sharp-eyed and glared at Lu Yanzhi. "Why are you opening your eyes so wide? You've squandered over half the family fortune. Can't you cover your mother's medical bills?"

Lu Changsheng nodded in agreement. "Dad, you are really good at spending money!"

Suddenly, Lu Yanzhi felt that his eldest son was a hundred times, a thousand times more detestable than his younger daughter.

He actually denied the debt!

Lu Yanzhi sneered, "I spent it?"

"If you didn't spend it, who did? I saw the IOU in the newspaper, and judging by the date, it was you who spent it because Changsheng wasn't in Shanghai at that time; he was abroad." She used the ready-made reason.

The old lady was determined to pin this on her son!

A patriotic entrepreneur—that's him!

It wasn't Lu Changsheng's doing.

If the third and fifth branches knew that so much money was spent by Lu Changsheng, they would definitely be unwilling and might even fight over the little family fortune left in Lu Yanzhi's hands.

It was different when Lu Yanzhi spent it; they wouldn't dare to complain.

The old lady was sharp as ever.

Sensing the old lady's kindness, Lu Changsheng decided to help her. Looking at Lu Yanzhi with admiration, he said in an amazed tone, "Dad, I was in a car accident abroad, broke my leg, disfigured my face, and was held hostage, almost unsure where my next meal would come from. I couldn't return to the country to lend you a hand, but I admire your loyalty to the sun."

He patted his chest. "In this lifetime, I am proud of you!"

"Changsheng, my eldest grandson, you speak so well." The old lady looked at him with loving eyes. When she turned to Lu Yanzhi, she wanted to show disdain, but thinking of her own plans, she forcibly changed it to relief. "Yanzhi, as a mother, I am also proud of you. The things you've done, the money you've spent, have all been just right. It can be said that you have not let down the good family traditions passed down by our ancestors, nor the education your father gave you. I feel very relieved."

In the ward, there were also doctors, nurses, and servants, who nodded in agreement upon hearing the words of the grandmother and grandson.

Throughout history, many capitalists have spent money to buy fame, but few who spent so lavishly, so much so that it was no longer spending money to buy fame, but truly making a contribution.

Although they lived under colonial rule, they still loved their own country and admired patriots.

Back then, it was the heroes from our homeland who drove out the Japanese who had invaded Hong Kong for years, restoring peace to the citizens and ending that humiliating history. However, after the retreat, the British, who had abandoned Hong Kong, quickly stepped in to take over, which was utterly shameless.

Lu Pingan's cane moved, almost landing on Lu Changsheng's forehead.

He was appalled by the boy's shamelessness!

So shameless!

Gritting his teeth, Lu Pingan forced a smile: "Yes, it was all spent by me, not just me, but also the old master and the late madam. One spent their life savings, the other spent all their dowry and private savings, even the dowry for Mingzhu was used up. The three of us, under the accusation of profiting from the war, secretly prepared various scarce supplies to support the front lines, hoping to end the chaos as soon as possible."

So they wanted to blame him?

He would oblige.

The old lady summoned the second concubine, the third concubine, Lu Zhangsheng, and Lu Changgen, who were arranged to listen behind the curtain, and said, "Did you all hear that? Did you hear what your master said?"

"We heard," the four nodded in agreement.

However, they were truly heartbroken!

Several million dollars.

The first time they read that article, they were heartbroken.

Later, they realized that if these assets were not donated but divided equally, with Lu Mingzhu, Lu Changsheng, and Lu Pingan present, their branch would only get a tiny portion.

Calculating this way, the biggest loss was for the main branch!

Strangely, they felt a sense of balance.

Another reason was that they had experienced the darkness of Shanghai's occupation and had actively responded to calls for donations from all walks of life. The Lu family's donations were always among the highest, frequently reported in the newspapers, known to everyone. It was just that Lu Pingan had spent more privately this time.

After all, if not donated, it wouldn't end up in their hands anyway.

Once they came to terms with it, they let it go.

Compared to prodigal sons who squandered the family fortune on vices, Lu Pingan's actions could not be called squandering.

The third concubine, curious, asked Lu Changsheng, "Young Master, does it pain you? If the master hadn't donated, it would have largely been yours. The master, madam, and old master spent what was originally your family fortune."

Then she added, "And the Eighth Miss's dowry as well."

When Kang Yingying married, the old master and madam provided her with a dowry, and the younger sisters should have had one too, but starting from Lu Qingqing, there was none, including her daughter.

She hadn't understood it back then, but now she knew.

The greatest loss was for Lu Mingzhu, who should have had the most dowry from the old master and madam, but now she could only rely on Lu Pingan to prepare it for her.

At that moment, she forgot about the family fortune Lu Mingzhu had received.

Lu Changsheng declared with righteousness, "It doesn't hurt! Passing it on to me would only benefit me, but giving it out benefits millions! Father did the right thing; he did well. He is my pride and my honor!"

Lu Pingan observed his performance coldly from the side.

Compared to movie actors, he was not lacking at all; he should change careers.

Later, he would have Mingzhu write a script and cast him as the male lead.

Grandmother Lu also chimed in, looking deeply moved, "My eldest grandson truly lives up to being the heir of our Lu family. Look at this breadth of mind, this magnanimity—who else could compare?"

Father Lu felt a sour taste in his mouth, as if he had swallowed vinegar.

The second and third concubines naturally praised the old lady for her excellent parenting and grandparenting skills, vying to express, "The master's money has all been spent, and what little remains is divided among the children. He’s been fair to the nation and his family—he’s truly the best man alive. If the master has no money to settle your bill, there's still us!"

Outsiders only knew that the three branches of the family each received millions in Hong Kong dollars, but they didn't know about the value of the four chests of jewelry each, nor the gold.

When you really think about it, what they got seemed like nothing compared to what Father Lu had spent.

In the end, it was Lu Changgen who settled the bill.

The second and third concubines were too busy talking to the old lady, Lu Zhangsheng didn’t react in time, and Lu Changgen, who always knew how to read the situation, naturally stepped up.

The third concubine couldn’t help but admire, "With the fourth sister not here, the seventh has certainly made her proud."

Lu Changgen smiled bashfully.

Even the attending doctor couldn't help but remark to Grandmother Lu, "What a harmonious family indeed!"

"Yes! I, the old lady, am blessed." As she spoke, the old lady didn't forget to clutch Lu Changsheng's hand, "It’s always been my eldest grandson who’s been by my side, taking care of me, making sure I’m comfortable—not even my sons and daughters-in-law have been so attentive."

Lu Changsheng sweetly said, "After you're discharged, I'll continue to accompany you like this."

Well, they do live together!

Since he’d inherited the old lady’s wealth, it was only fair to take care of her.

Father Lu felt like Grandmother Lu had dragged him there just to make that speech in front of the second concubine and the others—he had underestimated her. Even at over eighty, her mind was still sharp.

He shot a look at Xu, the family butler, who had come with him, and Xu stepped forward, smiling amiably, "Old lady, ready to head home?"

"Discharge, I miss home." Grandmother Lu was carried out by Lu Changsheng and helped into the car. The whole way home, she kept praising her eldest grandson until everyone was sick of hearing it.

Lu Changsheng, now free of the prodigal son label, felt a huge weight lifted.

Seeing him like this, Father Lu was not pleased.

He stormed home and called Lu Mingzhu to vent about her brother’s shameless antics.

After hearing him out, Lu Mingzhu covered her mouth with her hand and burst out laughing, then said, "Now you see I’m the one who really cares about you, right? My brother’s just not cut out for it."

He actually pinned the prodigal son label on you—what a slick move!

Let’s be honest, it wasn’t Lu Changsheng who spent the money.

It was Grandfather Lu, Father Lu, and Mother Lu.

"You're still laughing, do you think your brother did the right thing?" Father Lu said.

"No, no, I'm not laughing." Lu Mingzhu held back her laughter and then earnestly comforted, "You’ve got the recognition, which is what matters. Forget about my brother! I’m not like him; he’s stubborn, but I actually listen. You told me to write a script, and I worked hard on it, even though my hands are killing me."

Father Lu sighed in relief, "Thank heavens for a daughter who actually listens."

It really made him feel better.

Otherwise, that ungrateful son would’ve been the death of him.

Lu Mingzhu gently persuaded him with kind words and advised him to rest early, "I'll visit you tomorrow."

She hadn’t planned to go but decided to at the last minute.

Her father, however, replied, "Don’t come over, I have something to do."

Lu Mingzhu was puzzled, "What is it? Not even time to have breakfast with you?"

She could go early.

"Your uncle is conducting pharmaceutical research at a drug factory in Macau, isn’t he? When I informed him about your engagement, he was at a critical juncture in his research and couldn’t attend your engagement ceremony. He told me today that there’s been progress, so I’m going to check it out." Her father was quite optimistic about Shen Shihao’s research and had also invited He Yun to join.

Hearing this, Lu Mingzhu was very pleased, "This is important, go ahead, don’t worry about me."

She then added, "If you need research funding, let me know."

Within her capacity, she was more than willing to provide financial support.

Her father smiled with satisfaction, "The pharmaceutical company hasn’t paid you any dividends yet, have you noticed? It’s because all the profits are being reinvested into new drug research."

Lu Mingzhu hadn’t noticed whether this dividend was among her income, "Research is more important."

She understood it was inherently a money-burning endeavor.

Besides, she wasn’t exactly strapped for cash.

Her father paused for a moment and then asked, "Mingzhu, would you like to come with me to Macau tomorrow for a visit?"

Lu Mingzhu shook her head, thinking about the script she was writing, "I won’t go, but please say hello to my uncle and godmother for me."

Her godmother from the Zhou family had promised to come to the engagement ceremony but didn’t show up. Lu Mingzhu didn’t understand at the time, but later she figured it all out. The next day, she sent someone to deliver wedding cakes and candies to them.

Her father acknowledged, "Got it."

After hanging up, Lu Mingzhu checked the time and went back to her study to continue working on her script.

She wanted to see her work on the big screen.

It would be a shame not to make use of such great resources.

With her marriage settled, the company didn’t require her personal management. She couldn’t go to the mainland at the moment, didn’t want to go abroad, and her fiancé was at work, so she decided to focus all her energy on her own career.

Before retreating into seclusion, she called Lu Changsheng to ask when his grain and oil company would get started.

Once the grain and oil company was up and running, a major concern she had been harboring would be largely resolved, because from the start of her efforts to make money, she had thought about that impending crisis.

Grandma Zhang had mentioned it to her.

She said that to maintain the continuous supply to Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai, grain was diverted from other major grain-producing provinces, amounting to billions, which resulted in insufficient supply in areas that were originally unaffected by disasters.

In short, it was a crisis resulting from a mix of various factors.

Lu Mingzhu had no intention of pressuring others to donate money or supplies. She just wanted to make some money herself to contribute her modest effort.

Initially, she just wanted to save money to buy grain, but her father and brother were too capable.

Starting a grain and oil company! It was the ultimate solution to all the problems, and even if a large amount of grain was provided at that time, it wouldn’t arouse suspicion, because it was expected for a grain and oil company to stockpile grain.

Therefore, Lu Mingzhu was more proactive than ever.

From then on, she was truly free from all worries!

Lu Changsheng smiled and said, "I plan to register the company in Southeast Asia, and Singapore would be a good choice."

We can tap into He Yun’s connections and also avoid the trade blockade by the UK and the US.

Lu Mingzhu hesitated, feeling a bit conflicted: "Is it really okay to trouble Mr. He so much?"

"It was suggested by our father, and it has already been agreed upon by Mr. He. He is even willing to prioritize supplying the products from their sugar factory and farm to our newly established food and oil company." Lu Changsheng urgently needed to leverage everyone’s strength for rapid development.

The quicker and more successful we grow, the more capital we can accumulate, allowing us to stockpile more grain for when it is most needed.

Although the property left by the late Mrs. Lu (Lu’s mother) was substantial, it was not enough to buy 100,000 tons of grain, which was far from the shortfall mentioned by our father.

Lu Mingzhu nodded, "That’s fine."

She knew deep down why He Yun was willing to help and was naturally very grateful.

Before Lu Changsheng left for Singapore, she gave him all the money she could use and even allocated a portion from the additional funds she had agreed with Lu Pingan to contribute.

The company has always been managed by Lu Pingan, with our father assisting. It made sense for me to reduce my additional investment and slightly decrease my shareholding.

From now on, Lu Pingan will be in charge.