Chapter 237

Chapter 237

Back in Paris, Lu Mingzhu still felt a lingering sense of incompleteness.

The crisp autumn weather was ideal for travel.

She was eager to keep going.

Xie Junyao said to her, "We have plenty of time in the future. We can come out again after we get married."

Lu Mingzhu's eyes lit up: "A honeymoon."

Xie Junyao smiled and nodded.

This reason was perfectly sound.

Lu Mingzhu's father and He Yun, led by Xie Junhao, walked ahead, oblivious to the whispers between the two behind them.

They arrived at the castle in the afternoon around two or three o'clock. The new butler, Robert, was attentive, directing the servants to serve tea and desserts before arranging the evening feast.

He had received instructions from Xie Junhao in advance and did not prepare a French feast, but rather Chinese cuisine.

Authentic Huaiyang cuisine.

After afternoon tea, Lu Mingzhu led He Yun and her father to the warehouse to see the treasure she and Xie Junyao had found.

Unlike before, everything was now neatly organized.

The treasures were no longer in disarray!

They were sorted and neatly packed into new boxes, with fragile items wrapped in cotton padding. Some porcelain fragments were also cleaned out, not discarded but piled in a corner, as they contained many ancient famous porcelains, and even the fragments were extremely rare and valuable.

Pieces like Ru kiln, Chai kiln, and Yuan blue and white porcelain were all treasures worth a fortune each.

Lu Mingzhu was heartbroken.

What a waste.

Ordinary people couldn't repair them; professionals were needed.

Butler Robert stood nearby and informed Lu Mingzhu, "Your castle has been renovated; only the interior decoration is left unfinished. Would you and the young master like to take a look? If you have any requests, you can tell me, and I will arrange for the workers to make adjustments according to your requirements."

Lu Mingzhu was stunned: "It's finished?"

She had gone for the treasure in the abandoned castle and hadn't considered the renovation in the short term.

Robert smiled, "The master hired many workers."

With ample resources, the abandoned castle was transformed in just half a year, the estate managed, and the lake expanded. By next year, it would become a beautiful vacation spot.

"Big brother is so kind," Lu Mingzhu said, thanking Xie Junhao.

Xie Junhao replied calmly, "It's only right."

Seeing a gilded bronze statue of Sakyamuni, Lu Mingzhu's father stopped to examine it, even walking around to the back. He said to Lu Mingzhu, "This is a palace craft from the Yongle period of the Ming Dynasty. If I remember correctly, it was something our ancestor presented, later collected in the Old Summer Palace."

Lu Mingzhu was astonished: "Really?"

Her father nodded, "There are records at home. Our ancestor, Lu Hao, a salt merchant at the time, bought the statue at a high price and presented it as a birthday gift, likely during the Qianlong era."

"Then let's keep it," Lu Mingzhu had the final say.

Her father looked at her, "Didn't you say you would show respect to me and your godfather? How come it's turned into keeping only one Buddha statue? Or were you just buttering us up that day?"

Catching her mistake, Lu Mingzhu waved her hands and said without changing her expression, "Of course, I will show respect to you and godfather. I meant to keep this Buddha statue in our home, and you and godfather can divide the rest, and also give a portion to Brother Junhao. He has been so concerned for us."

Better than her own brother, she thought.

Xie Junhao felt touched and smiled, "Mingzhu, thank you for your kindness, but I can't accept it. You should show respect to Uncle Lu and Mr. He, they will surely be pleased."

"Godfather, are you pleased?" Lu Mingzhu asked He Yun.

He Yun smiled, "Pleased."

After a pause, he continued, "I see a lot of the items have different degrees of damage and need restoration."

Lu Mingzhu sighed, "Yes. Gold, silver, and most porcelain are fine, but mainly the calligraphy and paintings, along with some colored sculptures and silk fabrics, are cultural treasures."

How despicable!

These thieves, they took them and didn't even preserve them properly.

After a quick look, her father quickly came up with a plan, "Mingzhu, pick some well-preserved and significant items from these Yuanmingyuan treasures to keep, and donate the rest to the Forbidden City Museum. Let them determine how to restore and preserve them, but each piece must be marked as donated by you, never to erase the process of their return. These items aren’t meant to be kept entirely by us. Even if no one comments now, there will be talk in the future. Why waste effort restoring and preserving them only to be pressured to donate to the nation later? So, we must silence the gossip."

Keeping thirty or fifty items is not a problem.

Donate most, keep a few, and no one can criticize us.

In the future, if they want something, they can buy it again, it's not like they can't afford it. He hadn't forgotten Lu Mingzhu's comment that antique paintings and calligraphy works from the mainland in the sixties and seventies were sold cheaply.

Even cheaper than before, she had said.

He Yun, hearing her father's words, quite agreed, "When it comes to understanding human nature, you are unmatched. Mingzhu, listen to your father."

Lu Mingzhu was surprised, "Donate them?"

Although she had initially considered this, she hadn't expected her father and godfather to have such foresight.

He Yun smiled, "You’ve worked hard; it’s not about keeping everything. Just pick a few favorites as dowry—it’s only natural. Da Xie and Xiao Xie have given us such generous betrothal gifts, our dowry shouldn’t fall short."

Xie Junyao quickly added, "Betrothal gifts and dowry don’t matter, what we cherish is Mingzhu herself."

Her father glanced at him, "We’re not a family that disregards rules."

Xie Junyao couldn't help but touch his nose.

He knew he was in the wrong.

He would definitely improve in the future.

Lu Mingzhu secretly intertwined her fingers with his, "Let godfather, brother, and dad stay to choose the items to keep, we'll go see the Delvaux bag you customized for me, where is it?"

"In the dressing room, shall we take it back to Hong Kong together?" Xie Junyao led the way.

"Take it." After all, they were settling in Hong Kong.

A decision that left them with so much luggage for their trip to New York that it was impossible to count, finally hiring a yacht to cross the sea.

Boarding and disembarking were time-consuming and took a lot of effort.

Upon arriving in New York, Lu Pingan sent someone to pick up Madam Guo, Pingan, and Lu Ning.

The two children hadn't yet gone on vacation and had taken special leave to come.

Since everyone couldn't wait until their vacation to reunite with them, they were brought over to gather and say their goodbyes.

As soon as Lu Ning arrived, she asked Lu Mingzhu, "Auntie, how many times has my stock risen?"

"Stock?" Lu Mingzhu remembered the time she opened an account with $1000 in her own name for Lu Ning to play with. "Let's go to the trading hall to check our stocks. Junyao, you stay here and help big brother organize the items and plan the transportation method. Since we're donating some antique paintings and calligraphy works to the Forbidden City Museum, we'll have to take a ship from Los Angeles, cross the Pacific Ocean, and dock in Tianjin."

Transporting the items from New York to Los Angeles was quite a hassle, but fortunately, they had money.

With money, they could hire trucks, trains, or even take a plane.

Ah, with big brother around, she didn't have a care in the world.

Xie Junyao watched with a forlorn expression as she took Pingan and Lu Ning to Wall Street.

Xie Junhao patted his arm, "Stop looking, come and help."

When they left Paris, they realized just how much these two had bought during their travels. The local specialties alone were no less than the treasures they had found, not to mention the custom-made clothes, shoes, bags, and jewelry Xie Junyao had ordered for Lu Mingzhu. Piled up, it was an impressive sight.

Lu Mingzhu, on the other hand, played the role of the hands-off manager.

She took her niece and nephew to the trading hall, instantly drawing a lot of attention.

Most people didn't know her, but many in the financial industry recognized this Oriental Pearl who earned $400,000 a day. Combined with her existing wealth, she was considered the top female tycoon.

Immediately, brokers and securities agents came forward to greet her, their enthusiasm evident, with no hint of racial discrimination.

Lu Mingzhu smiled faintly, acknowledging each one.

When some of them asked what stocks she planned to buy, she said she was bringing her niece and nephew to experience the stock market.

They were skeptical.

So, Lu Mingzhu took her niece and nephew to see the only stock she hadn't sold in her account, right in front of them.

The stock she had bought for $1300 had now soared to $65,000.

A staggering fifty times!

Everyone was stunned. No one had anticipated that a stock she casually picked would skyrocket like that!

Many were kicking themselves.

If they had known, they would have followed her lead.

But this stock was quite under the radar, and everyone was only focused on Lu Mingzhu's big moves, overlooking this one.

Lu Pingan and Lu Ning were both amazed and thrilled, "Auntie."

Incredible.

Lu Mingzhu asked Lu Ning, "Sell it?"

"Sell!" Lu Ning was ecstatic, twirling around in excitement. "During the summer vacation, my brother and I visited grandpa, and we crunched the numbers based on the stock price. At that time, it had only risen to $4000."

How long ago was that? It had skyrocketed more than tenfold since then.

Lu Ning, who only received a weekly allowance of $100, was overjoyed, thinking that $65,000 was a huge sum compared to her weekly allowance.

Lu Mingzhu remarked, "The stock market is inherently volatile," before selling the stock and making a $64,000 profit. Together with the initial $1,000 investment, she added a bit more to make it $100,000 and bought a tech stock.

Seeing her buy this stock, many people immediately jumped on the bandwagon.

Lu Mingzhu was both amused and exasperated.

She didn't know when she would next visit Wall Street, so she bought this stock, which was worth holding long-term. It fluctuated over time, but five years later, it increased fiftyfold and never dropped again. By the 21st century, it had risen two thousand times, becoming a giant in the tech industry.

Lu's father owned 30% stakes in this tech company, which he had acquired with considerable effort.

Thus, Lu Mingzhu didn't consider buying the company outright at that time.

Everyone followed her lead in buying the stock, causing the stock price to jump 11% the next day, further boosting their confidence in her.

However, Lu Mingzhu rarely bought stocks after that.

For the next two days, she took Lu Pingan and Lu Ning around, imparting some financial knowledge she had learned and showing them the joys and sorrows of the traders in the exchange hall.

When stocks rose, people were happy; when they fell, they cursed; those who lost money were in despair. The siblings were overwhelmed by the variety of emotions.

The day before they were to leave New York, Lu Mingzhu took the siblings to Wall Street again and found someone had jumped to their death, blood and remains scattered everywhere.

Lu Mingzhu quickly shielded Lu Ning's eyes, only releasing her once they were inside the trading hall.

Lu Pingan inquired about the situation.

It was said that the deceased had lost everything on stocks, went bankrupt, and owed millions in debt.

This person had once been very prominent, calling himself the Speculation King. The millions he used for stock trading were earned from an initial investment of $500 over twenty years ago. No one expected him to stumble financially, unable to accept the drastic change, and choose to end his life.

Lu Mingzhu sighed and turned to teach Lu Pingan and Lu Ning: "Our family has other businesses that are just as profitable as stock trading. Never blindly follow these speculators who stake everything on the stock market. Few can win without losing. When facing uncertain ventures, just play with some pocket money."

In fact, she could have made even more, but too many eyes were on her. Even hiring hundreds of stockbrokers couldn't hide her intentions, so it was better not to get involved.

In a few years, when the spotlight had faded, she planned to return under an alias to make another fortune.

Earning money to save her compatriots was deeply fulfilling.

Lu Pingan and Lu Ning took her advice.

Lu Pingan also had a stock account, opened when his father brought him to gain experience. He bought several stocks, some rose in value, some fell. Under Lu Mingzhu's guidance, he sold two stocks, breaking even, and held onto the rest.

As they were leaving, they spotted John and Zhao Bo, the Paint Magnate, who had noticeably slimmed down, walking in together.

They were followed by a translator.

Their expressions were somber.

"Mr. Zhao, haven't you returned to the country?" Lu Mingzhu calculated that she and Xie Junyao had left New York approximately half a year ago. Could it be that he hadn't managed to buy the machine he wanted in half a year?

Zhao Bo wiped his face and said, "I returned a while ago and just got back yesterday. How do you manage to make money?"

Lu Mingzhu, understanding the underlying meaning, asked cautiously: "Lost everything?"

"Not only did I lose everything, but I also owe $200,000 due to some leverage in my investments." Zhao Bo was livid, having just arrived in New York to this devastating news, unsure whether John's incompetence or the stocks themselves were to blame. "At first, before I left, the stock price really rose, about 20%, netting me $20,000! I sold it to buy other stocks, but a month ago I received a letter from John saying the stock price kept falling, couldn't even sell it. I knew something was wrong, hurried over, only to find out I owe $200,000!"

Lu Mingzhu thought better of laughing.

Playing stocks without understanding finance, got yourself played like a fool, huh? Lost everything, down to your last penny.

"I got lucky," Lu Mingzhu said with a straight face.

Did Zhao Bo believe her?

Believing her would be like believing in fairy tales!

Zhao Bo wanted to grab Lu Mingzhu's hand but stopped himself, remembering propriety. He asked, "Mingzhu, could you take a look at this stock of mine? Is there any chance it could bounce back?"

Lu Mingzhu asked what stock it was, and upon finding out, she was speechless. She said, "If you hadn't used leverage, you wouldn't be in debt."

Zhao Bo smiled bitterly, pointing at John, "He said you used leverage when you traded stocks."

Lu Mingzhu facepalmed, exasperated.

She only used leverage when shorting; otherwise, she traded with her own money.

She couldn't explain this in detail to Zhao Bo because he simply wouldn't understand. She just said, "The situations are different. If you don't understand stock trading, just focus on stocks in pharmaceuticals, transportation, computers, communications, energy, and similar sectors, and buy for the long term. But I can't make any promises."

If Zhao Bo picked the wrong stocks, he'd still lose.

Every industry has winners and losers, so stock trading depends on real-world factors.

Zhao Bo sighed, "So should I sell out or not?"

"Keep it," Lu Mingzhu advised, "it might recover."

It might recover in two years, but you might still lose a little.

You might get back 100,000 of your 120,000, enough to clear the debt.

Zhao Bo took her advice.

After returning home with her niece and nephew, Lu Mingzhu prepared to say goodbye.

Her father sent them back to Cambridge before heading to Los Angeles to board a luxury cruise across the Pacific.

About twenty days later, the ship finally docked at Tianjin Port.

The sun was just rising.

Many passengers got off in Japan, but plenty also disembarked here.

Most were returnees—elite professionals who'd answered the call, "The country needs you," and come home without a second thought.

Stepping onto their homeland, they were overcome with emotion, tears in their eyes.

They all thanked Lu Mingzhu profusely.

In Los Angeles, many had been searched, and some almost detained before boarding. Lu Mingzhu saw this and asked He Yun, her father, and Xie Junhao to intervene. After paying a deposit, they finally made it back to their homeland.

"It was nothing, no need to thank me," Lu Mingzhu said.

Everyone thanked her again and then left the port.

Since there was too much luggage this time, making it inconvenient to move everything, only Lu Mingzhu and Xie Junyao went ashore with a batch of antique paintings and calligraphy works from the Old Summer Palace that they intended to donate, along with their bodyguards.

As for Lu's father and the others, they continued south by ship, passing through Shanghai, then heading to Hong Kong, with Australia as their final destination.

Of course, the batch of Western antiques and selected treasures from the Old Summer Palace remained on the ship.

Tianjin was in the midst of a heavy snowfall. Lu Mingzhu, bundled in a mink coat, covered her cheeks with her mink hand muff. "Junyao, call Comrade Zhang and ask him to arrange for people here to load the items onto trucks and transport them to the capital."

They caught a ride.

Xie Junyao smiled, "No problem."

Upon receiving the call, Zhang Zhenxing was both surprised and delighted: "You said you discovered a batch of treasures from the Old Summer Palace abroad and decided to donate them to the Forbidden City Museum? How many are there? I'll arrange for people to assist you right away."

"Just the 50-tael gold ingots alone amount to 500 pieces," Xie Junyao told him. "The rest can fill a truck, and not a small one at that."

The reason for mentioning 500 gold ingots was that Lu Mingzhu had kept 36 for herself.

All were first-class cultural relics.

Zhang Zhenxing was astonished: "That many?"

Xie Junyao laughed, "Come quickly, it's snowing here. We'll discuss the details when we meet."

Zhang Zhenxing immediately notified the local armed forces to send military trucks to pick up Lu Mingzhu, Xie Junyao, and the items. Since Zhang Zhenxing had informed Xie Junyao over the phone about who he had arranged, the meeting went very smoothly.

They arrived in the capital in the evening, where the snowstorm was even heavier.

A full-blown blizzard.

Zhang Zhenxing arranged a hotpot dinner at the International Hotel, specifically hiring chefs from Donglaishun, using Donglaishun's utensils and ingredients, to welcome Lu Mingzhu and Xie Junyao and express his gratitude.

To say nothing else, just the 500 gold ingots alone were worth a fortune.

Their selfless donation was truly moving.

The items were temporarily stored in the International Hotel's warehouse, guarded by special personnel, and not immediately sent to the Forbidden City Museum. Zhang Zhenxing had discussed this with higher-ups and needed to consult Lu Mingzhu and Xie Junyao further.

As soon as Lu Mingzhu entered the heated restaurant, she took off her mink coat, hat, and hand muff. "Much warmer now."

Zhang Zhenxing personally took them and hung them on the nearby coat rack. "Little Mingzhu, it's been a long time since we last met. I didn't expect you to give us such a surprise upon our reunion."