Chapter 157

Chapter 157

Calculating it, the royalties Lu Mingzhu received from "The Swordsman" had already reached 132,000 yuan, plus an additional 10,000 yuan for the screenplay fee, totaling 142,000 yuan. Even with rising property prices, it was enough to buy a building in Hong Kong.

No matter what others said, she believed the more property, the better!

Lu Mingzhu made up her mind and called Zhao Sinan. Previously, someone would answer and say he wasn't available, but now the call wouldn't go through.

After a moment's thought, she called Wang Bohui.

When he answered, Wang Bohui was pleasantly surprised, "Mingzhu, how do you have time to call me? It seems like you're always busy these days. Before and after the New Year, your sister-in-law invited you to go shopping, but you said you didn't have time."

They thought Lu Mingzhu didn't want them to spend money, but in reality, she was busy writing the script for "The Swordsman" at that time.

When you're busy, who has time to go shopping?

Hearing Wang Bohui's words, Lu Mingzhu laughed, "I have some free time today. Brother, does our company have any new buildings for sale? I want to buy one in my private name."

"Buy one? Why not buy ten or eight at once?" Wang Bohui joked with her.

With Lu Mingzhu's financial capability, she could easily afford that.

"But my elder brother took my money to buy a grain and oil company! I don't have much spare cash." The money she had set aside was soon to be invested in the company she co-founded with Lu Pingan. Since he's been busy lately, this hasn't been settled yet, so Lu Mingzhu didn't dare to spend recklessly, as the rent had to cover living expenses.

Wang Bohui perked up, "Chang Sheng is going into the grain and oil business?"

Lu Mingzhu said cheerfully, "Yes, after the New Year, he went to the United States to acquire a grain and oil company. He hasn't returned yet because he sees great potential in the mainland's material scarcity."

"There's definitely potential," Wang Bohui understood the extent of the mainland's grain scarcity better than anyone.

After years of war, the labor force had significantly decreased, leaving mostly the elderly, children, and women. How much could they really do? As a result, grain production had greatly decreased, and for a long time, it wouldn't be possible to meet everyone's food needs.

Fertile lands were still okay, but many areas in the mainland were very barren.

Thinking of the money Lu Mingzhu helped him get, Wang Bohui always regarded it as a pleasant surprise, as all his contributions during the war were voluntary, without expecting any return.

Accepting this money was purely because his father's actions had disgusted him, and he was taking back the Wang family's assets.

"Mingzhu," he began.

Lu Mingzhu immediately responded, "Brother, what is it?"

Wang Bohui asked, "Do you think your brother would agree to let me invest? Let's make a big move, in the name of the grain and oil company, to buy our own ten-thousand-ton cargo ship to reduce transportation obstacles."

Lu Mingzhu's eyes lit up, and she smiled, "I believe my brother would be more than willing!"

One more person means one more force!

Wang Bohui was a good man, having donated so many materials without compensation, busy helping out, owing a lot of favors. In the future, when fellow countrymen face difficulties, he should be willing to lend a hand.

Lu Mingzhu was thinking whether she should help her brother bring in a few more partners.

They need to find someone with a kind heart.

Hearing Wang Bohui say, "When your brother returns, have him come to see me."

"No problem," Lu Mingzhu readily agreed, returning to the original topic, "I plan to buy a building, brother, do you have any?"

Wang Bohui regretfully said, "No. Now they are sold by floors, and they are almost sold out as soon as they are built."

"Then I'll ask a real estate agent for help." Besides Zhao Sinan, Han Bin, who is often used by Lu Mingzhu's father, should be good. When Lu Mingzhu received the residential and commercial properties her father gifted her, she always turned to him, and his business was thriving.

Wang Bohui thought of something and hurriedly said, "Don't go to Zhao Sinan; he's no longer in the business."

Lu Mingzhu asked curiously, "Why? I remember he had several mansions in his hands, which means his business was good."

She wanted to see the Deep Water Bay mansion before deciding to buy it!

She was finally ready to do business with him, but it all fell through.

Wang Bohui replied to Lu Mingzhu, "Someone found out that he sold haunted houses without disclosing it beforehand, and he also sold fake jewelry."

"Mrs. Liu's 6-carat Ceylon diamond!" Lu Mingzhu blurted out, "When Mingzhu Diamond Jewelry Store opened, I saw her wearing a diamond ring that was fake, but I didn't want to call her out in front of others, and I haven't seen her since."

Naturally, there was no chance to remind her.

Another reason was that she knew a lot about diamonds and should be able to tell the difference between real and fake; perhaps she intentionally wore the fake diamond.

Hearing her mention Mrs. Liu wearing a Ceylon diamond, Wang Bohui turned to ask Liao Wanru if she knew about it. Liao Wanru directly took the phone and said to Lu Mingzhu, "Mrs. Liu's fake diamond has nothing to do with Mrs. Zhao Sinan. The transaction was for a real diamond; I was there. Later, while playing mahjong with Mrs. Liu, I found the real diamond had been replaced with a fake one. I asked her about it, and she went back to investigate."

"What was the result?" Lu Mingzhu was extremely curious.

Liao Wanru sighed, "The real diamond was swapped by her husband, who gave the swapped real diamond ring to his secret third wife, letting Mrs. Liu and the second wife battle it out, while Mr. Liu and the third wife lived a peaceful life."

This outcome left Lu Mingzhu sighing deeply and lamenting, "Marrying someone is really like gambling."

Few win, most lose.

Ordinary folks struggle financially and lack the means to fool around, but the wealthy are different. Faced with countless temptations around them, very few can stay loyal.

Fortunately, Lu Mingzhu is not afraid of gambling.

Win and live happily; lose and live freely.

She can handle winning, and she can handle losing.

After chatting with Wang Bohui and Liao Wanru, Lu Mingzhu personally went to find Han Bin. When she arrived at his brokerage company, she found out that her father was his partner!

No wonder he was her father—he even made money on the brokerage fee.

Han Bin warmly received Lu Mingzhu, "Just give me a call, and I’ll bring the relevant materials to you."

Taking the tea he poured, Lu Mingzhu smiled, "I had some free time, so I decided to take a walk."

"That's right; you need to balance work and rest; you can’t stay cooped up at home all day." Han Bin knew that Lu Mingzhu was the least seen socialite in the upper class, even her engagement was very low-key, "What are you looking for?"

Lu Mingzhu said, "Residential properties or shops under $140,000."

The appreciation potential is high, and so is the rental income.

Han Bin thought for a moment, turned to his desk to find a document, and said to her, "There’s a two-story shop in a prime location, with a large floor area, built less than ten years ago, priced at $140,000—the same as last year. Would you like to see it?"

"Let’s check it out." Lu Mingzhu was straightforward.

Han Bin then led her there.

The shop is located on Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, with two floors, rented to a watch store, still in operation.

"This shop is leased out." Han Bin told Lu Mingzhu.

Though the shop wasn’t particularly big in Lu Mingzhu’s opinion, its location was good, and it came with a lease, so she was happy with it. "Let’s go with this one; no need to look at others."

Han Bin gave a thumbs up. "You’re a quick decision-maker."

He preferred working with people who made quick decisions and steered clear of overly fussy clients.

He tracked down the shop owner, and they wrapped up the paperwork that same day, while also drafting a new lease agreement with the tenant.

Lu Mingzhu took Han Bin out to eat, then took the freshly acquired property deeds home, locked them up in the safe, and met up with her old colleagues, joining their ranks.

Lu Changsheng returned the next day.

The day after Lu Mingzhu bought the shop, he showed up, looking worn out from his trip.

"Big brother, you haven’t slimmed down at all!" Lu Mingzhu looked at him, unable to hide her surprise. "What good food have you been eating abroad? You’ve gained a noticeable amount of weight."

He looked nothing like the Lu Zhuri she first met.

Lu Changsheng touched his face. "Fried chicken, fries, and burgers—easy to grab and eat."

"Like KFC?" Lu Mingzhu quickly asked. "Was it any good?"

"Delicious! A fried chicken joint run by a guy in his sixties." Lu Changsheng found it very much to his taste. "After buying the grain and oil company, I came across it by accident, thought the shop was good, so I bought the recipe along with the shop in the company’s name, offered a fair price, and the old man was thrilled. He even agreed to help the company launch a fried chicken chain."

Lu Mingzhu stared at him, quiet for a while.

"What’s wrong?" Lu Changsheng felt a bit strange. "I paid special attention; I shouldn’t have gotten fat enough to look distorted."

"Not distorted. In fact, you look much better than when you were thin and dark. This is what a healthy person should look like." Lu Mingzhu was just surprised by Lu Changsheng’s business acumen.

He actually saw the potential in the fried chicken market!

Fried chicken!

Craving it badly, Lu Mingzhu couldn’t help but swallow her saliva. "When will you open one in Hong Kong?"

She wanted to visit.

Lu Changsheng smiled. "Not for now."

"Why?" Lu Mingzhu was puzzled, tilting her head. "Is it because the price of meat in Hong Kong is very high? I remember Ah Rong mentioned once, the price of meat and vegetables is particularly high—a chicken costs 10 yuan."

Lu Changsheng nodded. "You know this quite well; why are you asking me?"

Lu Mingzhu said discontentedly, "I’m not sure, that’s why I’m asking you! And, you could open a fried chicken shop not targeting ordinary citizens. Open one, open one. You should have the awareness to enrich Hong Kong’s food market."

"We’ll talk about it later. Let’s manage the grain and oil company well first." Lu Changsheng remained unmoved.

Lu Mingzhu pouted. "Didn’t you learn how to fry chicken from the old man? It’s most important to have the recipe and frying method in your own hands. Bring some seasonings—can you fry some for me?"

After all the support she gave, wasn’t she worth a fried chicken?

Lu Changsheng gestured towards the things he brought. "A pressure cooker, a bucket of seasonings."

Lu Mingzhu cheered. "I’ll call everyone!"

Lu Changsheng was dumbfounded. "That’s not necessary, is it? My frying skills aren’t that proficient. I’ll fry some for you to try. If you think it tastes good, then I’ll fry some for dad, Pingan, and Ningning."

Lu Mingzhu shot him a look, "So you’re using me as your guinea pig? I’ll just call everyone over to try it together."

Right as Lu Changsheng was about to stop her, she said, "Brother Bohui’s got $3 million to invest in a grain and oil company. Who knows, maybe others will want in after tasting the fried chicken."

Lu Changsheng clammed up instantly.

Lu Mingzhu happily called Wang Bohui to explain the matter, "My godmother’s still recovering, so we’ll skip inviting her this time. You and sis, hurry over!"

Once Wang Bohui and Liao Wanru agreed, she called Lu’s father and Lu Pingan, "Don’t forget to bring Ningning."

What kid doesn’t love fried chicken and fries?

She’s no exception.

She was curious if there were chicken nuggets and golden tenders.

Then she notified Xie Junyao, "You and Junhao should come try my brother’s cooking. Real-deal American fried chicken—crispy, juicy, and totally addictive."

Lu Changsheng muttered beside her, "Like you’ve actually tried it."

He bit his tongue, knowing he needed her help.

Lu Mingzhu stuck her tongue out at him and called Ming Yue, "A Yue, come try the fried chicken my brother whipped up. If Sister Xuan’s around, bring her too. My brother and I started a grain and oil company, and we might collaborate with your company in the future."

We’ll need grain and oil transport, after all!

Even with a 10,000-ton ship, not every shipment will max it out.

Ming Yue immediately said, "Mom’s traveling, but I’ll be right over."

The last person to receive Lu Mingzhu’s call was He Yun. After listening to her, he gave a small smile, "No problem."

Living nearby, he showed up first.

As soon as He Yun entered, he handed Lu Mingzhu a box and said without waiting for her to ask, "Last time I gave you a diamond to have your father set it for you, but I haven’t seen you wear it. I guess you were busy, so this time I’m giving you a finished set."

Lu Mingzhu held the box, her eyes curved with joy, "Thank you, godfather!"

She opened it politely to peek inside.

Lu Changsheng, with sharp eyes, noticed it was a set of emerald jewelry.

In Western countries, emerald holds the highest status among gemstones, though it’s currently being overshadowed by diamonds.

"It’s Moussaieff, no less!" Lu Changsheng had seen his mother wear jewelry from this brand before, but the quality and size of the gemstones were not as good as the gift his sister just received.

Lu Mingzhu was surprised, "Wow, brother, you’re quite knowledgeable."

Lu Changsheng patted her head, "Hurry up, stash it."

He invited He Yun to take a seat and said apologetically, "Mingzhu made a fuss and insisted on making me show off, disturbing you again."

"It’s fine, I was just idling at home," He Yun replied with a smile and proactively asked, "How was your trip to acquire the grain and oil company? Any difficulties or places where you need help?"

Lu Changsheng shook his head, "Not for now."

Except for the funds.

This medium-sized grain and oil company used up all the cash he and Lu Mingzhu had, but fortunately, it was a mature grain and oil enterprise with its own farms, ranches, and grain and oil processing plants, so it could keep running right after the takeover.

It wasn’t sold due to bankruptcy, but because the owner felt that the profits from grain and oil were far lower than before and was planning to invest in other industries.

After some research, Lu Changsheng had his eye on two large farms and wanted to buy them but lacked the money, so he hurriedly returned home to see if he could get some money out of his father.

He knew his father must have money.

As for Lu Pingan’s assets, he didn’t dare touch them.

Lu Changsheng’s mind was racing with calculations.

Mr. He read the situation from his expression, smiled, and said, "I have quite a bit of idle cash in my bank account in the United States."

Before Lu Changsheng could get excited, they heard the voice of Lu’s father at the door: "How can we trouble Mr. He to spend?"

He strolled in.

Behind him was Lu Pingan, holding Lu Ning’s hand.