Chapter 161

Chapter 161

Lu Mingzhu was so articulate!

With Lin Xianglian looking extremely displeased, she buttered up Wang Xingcai so thoroughly, leaving him feeling pleased and all smiles.

"Godfather, once I sell the houses in Shanghai, I’ll also need to sell properties like West Lake Garden, Suzhou Garden, Nanxun Garden, and Yangzhou Old Residence, then return to Shanghai before moving on to Guangzhou," Lu Mingzhu explained her itinerary to Wang Xingcai. "What do you think I should do with these two houses? Should I advertise them for sale in the newspaper?"

Since she often saw property listings in the Hong Kong Daily, Lu Mingzhu thought this approach was effective.

Wang Xingcai inquired, "Where exactly are these two houses?"

Lu Mingzhu recalled the details from the deeds and property certificates, "One is a three-story house on Yuyuan Road, 736 square meters with a 600-square-meter garden. The other is on Xinle Road, 789 square meters with a 500-square-meter garden. Originally, my father set them aside for Pingan and his sister, but now we’re settled in Hong Kong with no immediate plans to return to Shanghai."

Wang Xingcai thought for a moment and replied, "I’ll check if anyone’s interested in buying them."

"Thank you, godfather," Lu Mingzhu was very happy.

She was eager to start treasure hunting right away, but Wang Xingcai insisted they stay for a lavish lunch.

Noticing Lin Xianglian on the verge of throwing her chopsticks, Lu Mingzhu casually mentioned to Wang Xingcai, "Godfather, do you know the godfather I have in Hong Kong? He’s the wealthiest man in Southeast Asia, He Yun, who’s also done business in Shanghai."

Lin Xianglian quickly grabbed them instead, her face a mix of surprise and suspicion.

Wang Xingcai smiled and nodded, "I know. Your father and I have both worked with Mr. He. He built his fortune from nothing—his strategies and skills are unmatched."

"My godfather gave me ten highly skilled bodyguards," Lu Mingzhu said.

Lin Xianglian instantly dared not show her displeasure anymore.

Lu Mingzhu hummed lightly in her heart, then continued, "Didn’t I mention before that my godfather also invested in my brother’s grain and oil company? With his protection, our business will surely flourish, and we’ll distribute dividends to you on time every year."

Wang Xingcai thought for a while, "I don’t need it for now. Use the dividends to expand the grain and oil company, and I’ll let you know when I need it."

Lu Mingzhu was more than willing, "But since you’re not in Hong Kong, how should we sign the contract?"

"When you leave, I’ll prepare the money, find a lawyer to witness, and I’ll authorize you to handle all matters related to the investment in the grain and oil company on my behalf," Wang Xingcai said. Compared to his four sons in Hong Kong, he trusted this goddaughter, who had no conflicts with him, more. It was said that she was now a shareholder of several companies, so there was no need for her to covet his little money.

Although in Shanghai, Wang Xingcai was well-informed about many news from Hong Kong. The only miscalculation was the sudden arrival of his four sons.

Lu Mingzhu nodded, "No problem, godfather. You can rest assured."

With these, her godfather wouldn’t have to worry about his later years!

If his name was added during the three years of donations, it might ensure his safety.

There were precedents in history where red capitalists with strong overseas family influence, even if their status in Shanghai fell to the bottom, their lives were safe. At most, they suffered the hardship of cleaning toilets and streets, but they could see the rainbow after enduring.

If possible, Lu Mingzhu still hoped Wang Xingcai would leave Shanghai before that.

By then, he would be almost eighty years old.

After the meal, Lu Mingzhu and Xie Junyao took the bodyguards back to the hotel to get the metal detector, then went out to buy more than a dozen shovels. The group took the tram to Yuyuan Road.

Yuyuan Road is not far from Jing’an Temple, where small Western-style houses shaded by French plane trees can be seen everywhere, each with a different style.

Before the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the most famous people in Shanghai lived here.

Walking into the deep and long alley, they found the garden house belonging to the Lu family according to the address on the deeds and property certificates, with tall camphor trees planted at the entrance, emitting a unique fragrance.

Lu Mingzhu used the key that came with the land and house deeds to unlock the large iron gate.

As soon as they stepped in, they saw a thick layer of fallen leaves, untouched for years.

Last year's leaves had already rotted away.

But looking up, they saw towering green trees blocking the sky.

It was spring again, with overgrown plants running wild from neglect, giving off a lonely vibe.

Xie Junyao said, "This Western-style house looks pretty good."

The three-story white Western-style house, built in American fashion, looked worn on the outside.

Lu Mingzhu smiled softly, "Now that it's sold, maybe we can buy it back someday."

Little did they know her words would come true.

They brought four metal detectors—three for the bodyguards—and some shovels. Lu Mingzhu and Xie Junyao shared one metal detector and two shovels. She told the confused bodyguards, "My dad said he stashed some old stuff here but forgot where. Help me check the front yard, backyard, and garden so we don’t leave any treasures for the next owner."

The Caucasian bodyguards nodded, "Got it."

Treasure hunting in old houses is big abroad—some strike it rich, others find nothing, all luck.

Lu Mingzhu and Xie Junyao unlocked the door and stepped in, hit by a musty smell.

They backed out for fresh air, opened the door to air the place, and Xie Junyao went in to open the windows before coming back out.

After airing it out for over ten minutes, the smell eased, and they went back in.

"I’ll get the upstairs windows," Xie Junyao said.

Lu Mingzhu, appreciating his thoughtfulness, nodded, "Thanks!"

As Xie Junyao headed upstairs, she checked out the first floor.

The fancy furniture was still there, just dusty. Sofa cushions, tablecloths, and curtains were moldy, but the rosewood furniture, paintings, and lamps were fine.

Clearly, the previous owner was loaded too.

Lu Mingzhu's gaze fixed on a painting hanging on the wall.

Ever heard of Cézanne’s "Still Life"? This was one of them.

In a glass frame, the dust didn’t ruin the painting.

First treasure down. Yes!

Lu Mingzhu eagerly checked the walls.

The previous owner must’ve loved mixing East and West—besides oil paintings, there were traditional Chinese ink paintings and calligraphy scrolls by old masters.

Lu Mingzhu started taking them down.

Just then, Xie Junyao came down with a glass-framed painting, "Mingzhu, I found Monet’s 'Water Lilies'—let me get it down for you."

"I just took down Cézanne's 'Still Life'," Lu Mingzhu pointed to the oil painting she had placed on the table.

Xie Junyao showed a surprised expression, "Looks like there's something here."

Lu Mingzhu smiled, "Clearly, there's more than just a little."

They teamed up to carefully take the calligraphy and paintings out of their glass frames, rolled them up, and set them aside. Using the metal detector, they soon got a response from the largest leather sofa.

Xie Junyao lifted the sofa cushion and felt around, but couldn't figure out what was inside.

"Cut the leather open and take a look," Lu Mingzhu suggested.

It seemed the family had sold the house, furniture and all, to Lu's father, as recorded in the land and property deeds from 1949, so they hadn't had time to pack their belongings carefully when they left Shanghai.

Xie Junyao went to the kitchen and found a fruit knife. He followed the metal detector's signal and cut open the sofa's leather.

First, he pulled out some foam padding, then continued to feel inside. Near the armrest, he found a small, dark blue, heart-shaped leather box, about the size of a finger. He opened the clasp to reveal two gemstone rings.

One was a sapphire, the other a ruby, each surrounded by a circle of diamonds.

Lu Mingzhu took a quick look, "Kashmir sapphire and Burmese ruby, Victorian style."

Though the colors weren't top-grade, just ordinary blue and rose, the stones were large and very beautiful.

Xie Junyao nodded, "There's more in there."

"Let me," Lu Mingzhu said, reaching in and pulling out several more small boxes.

Most of the boxes were small—purple-red velvet squares, brown leather ovals, gem-green leather rectangles—with just one larger sky-blue round velvet box.

"These are all jewelry boxes!" Lu Mingzhu was amazed.

She often got gifts and naturally recognized all sorts of jewelry boxes.

Usually, the small ones held rings or brooches, while the larger ones were for necklaces or sets.

Xie Junyao said, "They probably didn’t have time to grab them."

Lu Mingzhu opened them one by one and saw the glittering treasures inside.

In the gem-green leather rectangular box, nestled in the yellow velvet lining, were five pearl rings—gold, white, pink, orange, and black—all with platinum settings and diamond accents, in ornate styles.

The brown leather oval box held a diamond brooch, half the size of a palm, with delicate, trembling petals.

The purple-red velvet square box held a square emerald ring, set in a platinum band with four prongs, no accent stones, showcasing the emerald's even color and size.

The sky-blue round velvet box had a red thread stitched through it, holding a jade bead necklace and a pair of interlocking earrings.

The jade was as green as water, evenly colored, with an icy glow.

Though not as fine as glass-grade jade, it was still high quality.

Lu Mingzhu exclaimed, "This family was really rich! What they left behind are all treasures."

"Let's keep looking; there must be more," Xie Junyao, now very intrigued by the family's left-behind items, picked up the metal detector and slid it along the wooden floor, soon getting a signal.

"Here it comes, here it comes," Lu Mingzhu said, quickly closing all the jewelry box lids.

Running to Xie Junyao's side, Lu Mingzhu said, "Let's lift the carpet and pry open the floor to see what's underneath."

The plush carpet was bulky and hard to move. The two of them lifted it and threw it aside, then pried open the teak floor. Without any digging, they spotted a small brass box set into the floor, level with the ground.

"What do you reckon is in there?" Lu Mingzhu asked Xie Junyao.

Without hesitation, Xie Junyao replied, "Probably gold bars."

Lu Mingzhu tilted her head, "When fleeing, they might forget the jewelry in the furniture or the calligraphy on the walls, but gold bars? Never. When they packed their valuables, gold bars must have been their top priority."

Gold and valuables, gold and valuables, gold ranks first.

Gold's the universal currency, after all.

"Let's open it and find out," Xie Junyao said, noticing a handle on top of the copper box. He lifted it out and immediately knew he was wrong, "Too light to be gold bars."

It had a clasp but no lock, so he popped it open easily.

Lu Mingzhu peeked inside and found a gold-lined white jade gourd-shaped jewelry box.

"This must be a Qing dynasty concubine's jewelry box, huh?" Lu Mingzhu reached out and opened it. The gourd split open, its Hetian white jade exterior carved with clouds and blessings, its interior gold-lined. The two halves fit together seamlessly, a masterpiece of craftsmanship.

Of course, it wasn’t empty—it was packed with jewelry, half of it rings.

Seems the lady of the house had a thing for rings.

They closed the boxes and added them to their growing stash. Finding nothing else in the living room, they moved on to the dining room, reception area, servants' quarters, and kitchen.

A classic Shanghai villa, with no master bedroom on the first floor—typical for the era.

The Lu family’s setup was different—their garden had annexes, and with a big family, all four floors were crammed. The first floor was put to full use, sparing the elderly master and mistress from daily stairs.

The dining room boasted lavish furniture and walls lined with famous paintings.

The reception room was equally opulent.

The servants’ quarters were bare—just a bed and a wardrobe, nothing else.

The kitchen had a stove and utensils—nothing valuable, but the porcelain and silverware were top-notch.

Stashing the jewelry in the living room? Classic ‘hiding in plain sight.’

Lu Mingzhu and Xie Junyao went upstairs.

The second floor housed the master suite, study, and tea room, all dripping with luxury. Sadly, the place was a mess—spider webs, mold, and dust everywhere.

But that didn’t deter Lu Mingzhu and Xie Junyao from their treasure hunt.

While old furniture often had hidden compartments, this bedroom was all European—Victorian bed, wardrobes, and dressing table, still pristine despite years of neglect.

The craftsmanship was impressive.

Lu Mingzhu opened the wardrobe to find moldy clothes left behind.

Xie Junyao glanced at them, "This family must’ve fled in a panic."

"Weren’t they all fleeing for their lives in 1949?" After they left, Shanghai’s housing market crashed. Before that, prices had skyrocketed to 230 million yuan per square meter.

Sure, it was partly due to inflation, but it still shows how insane Shanghai’s housing market had become.

In the original body's memory, in three to four years, Shanghai's housing prices soared 40 times, and in a few more years, they rose another three to four times on top of that, totaling 140 times the original price in less than ten years.

When it came to property speculation, Shanghai was at the top.

By the way, the origin of the "ding shou fei" (key money) concept seemed to be Shanghai, and it was paid in gold bars.

In the 1930s and 1940s, one would first spend 10 large gold bars to secure a room, then pay monthly rent, about one three-hundredth of the key money. This led to many celebrities arriving in Shanghai unable to afford a house, ending up renting attic rooms.