Chapter 28 Only a thin silver thread slipped from the corner of the mouth

Is this the tricolor jade bracelet that belongs to Qi Yunxin?

Lin Yufan seemed to recall that Qi Yunxin had mentioned this bracelet was one of a kind.

She immediately called Tielong and told him to have Tu Laoliu look into the tricolor jade bracelet.

After reviewing and locking up the information, Lin Yufan went downstairs.

Downstairs was unusually quiet today, with just two servants changing the flowers.

She walked toward the back villa and from afar heard Qi Yunxin and Zhao Jingxiu talking.

When she walked in, she saw Liu Fang, Qi Yunxin, and Zhao Jingxiu in the living room.

Zhao Jingxiu, in her church school uniform, smiled and asked Lin Yufan as she came over, "Sister-in-law, how do I look in this dress?"

Lin Yufan looked her over and smiled, "You look great. It fits perfectly. Are you going to wear this to school?"

Zhao Jingxiu nodded, "This is the school uniform. When school starts, I'll wear this. Cousin-in-law Yunxin bought it for me."

Qi Yunxin smiled and fixed Zhao Jingxiu's collar, "Your mom never goes out. If I didn’t buy it for you, who would?"

A seemingly ordinary remark, but today it was dripping with sarcasm.

Liu Fang, oblivious, added with a smile, "Thank goodness you were here. I wasn’t feeling well this morning. Next time you go out, call me. I’d love to go downtown too."

Qi Yunxin kept smiling, "Sure. I’ll call you next time, but don’t slack off."

Liu Fang, not wanting to be a bother, said, "I won’t slack off. Just don’t get annoyed with me."

Lin Yufan chimed in, "Aunt, when you go shopping downtown, you should pick up some fabric for clothes. You don’t wear much jewelry, so it’s time to add a few pieces. Sister-in-law Yunxin’s jade bracelet she wore last time was so pretty and went with everything. You should get one too."

"I’m not good at much, but shopping is my thing. Second Madam, whatever you want, as long as you’ve got the money, I’ll make sure you get something nice," Qi Yunxin ignored Lin Yufan’s hint about the bracelet.

Liu Fang surprisingly bit, "Yunxin, that bracelet you wore last time, why haven’t I seen it on you lately?"

Qi Yunxin replied awkwardly, "The clasp broke, so I took it in for repairs a couple of days ago. That bracelet’s no good—it broke right after I bought it. I’ll take you to get something else."

Lin Yufan acted like she didn’t notice Qi Yunxin’s discomfort and advised Liu Fang, "Good jade is too pricey and hard to sell. Cheap jade doesn’t hold its value. Gold’s better—it keeps its value and is easier to sell."

Liu Fang was a bit embarrassed, "I don’t have much saved up. I can’t afford gold or jade, but I can get some silver jewelry."

Zhao Jingxiu cut in, "Let Dad pay—he’s got money."

Liu Fang hushed her daughter, and Qi Yunxin smiled and asked, "How do you know your dad’s got money?"

Zhao Jingxiu pouted and whispered, "I saw it."

Just then, Zhao Yanhui walked in, and Zhao Jingxiu asked her dad if her dress looked nice.

Zhao Yanhui smiled and said, "It looks nice," and asked what they were talking about.

Lin Yufan watched quietly; both Zhao Yanhui and Qi Yunxin were good actors, barely making eye contact, and unless you were paying close attention, you’d miss the affair between them.

Zhao Jingxiu quickly laughed, "We were just saying Dad should buy Mom some gold jewelry."

Hearing this, Zhao Yanhui paused and awkwardly said, "I don’t have the money."

Zhao Jingxiu got impatient: "How could you not have any? I saw money in your pocket."

Liu Fang, who had been somewhat hopeful, was met with a cold response. Seeing her daughter speak out of turn again, she immediately stopped her: "Jingxiu, don't talk nonsense."

Zhao Yanhui glared at his wife: "The child is so grown up, yet she's getting more and more out of line. I don't know how you managed to discipline her in Haicheng."

Liu Fang, called out by her husband in front of everyone, lowered her head in shame, her face frozen in embarrassment.

Qi Yunxin quickly stepped in to defuse the situation: "Jingxiu is so well-behaved, she just cares for her mother."

"She only cares about her mother, not her father."

After saying this, Zhao Yanhui noticed Lin Yufan standing behind the shelf and hurriedly greeted her with a smile: "Your Second Aunt is the same; people who don’t know might think I’m being hard on her."

Zhao Yanhui may look good, but he’s got no conscience.

Lin Yufan couldn’t say anything outright, so she turned to Liu Fang and smiled: "Second Aunt, next time we'll go buy jewelry together. Buy whatever you want, and let Zhi Ao foot the bill. If Zhi Ao asks, I'll just say Second Uncle really has no money, he can't even afford a pair of gold earrings."

Zhao Yanhui: "..."

He didn’t expect his niece-in-law to be so sharp in dealing with people.

But he was really afraid that Lin Yufan would tell Zhao Zhiao that he was unwilling to buy a pair of gold earrings for Liu Fang, which might lead to unnecessary trouble. He quickly tried to cover his tracks: "It's not that I'm unwilling to buy. If it’s just basic gold jewelry, I can afford it. What I mean is, I can’t afford expensive stuff like diamonds."

Lin Yufan followed his lead: "Second Aunt just plans to buy some gold jewelry, like gold rings, gold bracelets, and gold earrings. How about Yunxin and I take Second Aunt shopping, and then we'll come back to settle the account with Second Uncle."

Both Zhao Yanhui and Qi Yunxin were caught off guard. Qi Yunxin reacted quickly and smiled: "I’m good at picking out jewelry; I’ll take them shopping."

Zhao Yanhui glanced at Qi Yunxin and didn't say anything more.

Only Liu Fang, hearing her husband agree to buy her gold jewelry, secretly felt giddy.

The next day, Tielong got the latest info from Tu Laoliu. The tricolor jade bracelet Zhao Yanhui had sent for repair was worth 2000 Hong Kong dollars, one of a kind in Hong Kong, and the repair was needed because the clasp was loose.

So, the affair between Zhao Yanhui and Qi Yunxin was a done deal.

It’s not like Zhao Yanhui doesn’t fool around or take mistresses, as Xi Gu said, the person he’s involved with has to be kept under wraps.

A few years ago, in some parts of the mainland, the involved parties would’ve been severely punished by being dunked in a pig cage.

This time, hiring a private detective didn’t turn up anything important, but instead uncovered these dirty little secrets.

Lin Yufan fell into deep thought. These matters weren’t her problem, and she couldn’t deal with them.

It was about Zhao Zhiao's own life and death, so he should handle it himself.

These troublesome matters would only affect her efficiency in pursuing her own career.

She immediately decided to find a way to dump the responsibility.

Since Zhao Yanhui spent 2000 Hong Kong dollars on jade for Qi Yunxin, then the gold for Liu Fang shouldn’t cost less than 2000.

Converting that, 2000 Hong Kong dollars could buy several taels of gold.

The next day, they went to the largest gold shop in the city to select jewelry.

First, they bought a gold bracelet for Zhao Jingxiu, who didn't come along. Then they selected a gold ring, gold earrings, and a gold necklace for Liu Fang. These weren't heavy, the main event was the gold bracelet.

A good, solid gold bracelet could easily weigh several taels.

"Second Master's wife, which one do you like?" Qi Yunxin stood with them in front of the glass counter, which displayed twenty or thirty gold bracelets.

The glittering gold was overwhelming.

Liu Fang was unsure which one to pick and chose the lightest one: "Is this okay?"

Qi Yunxin glanced at it, seeing it was less than half a tael, and quickly said, "It's beautiful, let's try it on."

The shop assistant enthusiastically took out the gold bracelet for Liu Fang to try on. As Liu Fang wore it on her wrist, Qi Yunxin added, "The gold bracelet suits you; it makes your hands look especially fair."

Liu Fang was pleased and asked Lin Yufan and the Fourth Concubine, who had come along for the fun, "So, should I get this one?"

Lin Yufan pointed to another one: "Why not try this one?"

Everyone looked and saw it was the heaviest and most expensive gold bracelet, weighing a full four taels.

"This is way too expensive," Liu Fang worried that buying it would upset Zhao Yanhui, who might then refuse to settle the bill with Qi Yunxin.

The shop assistant immediately said, "Madam, buying heavier pieces is more economical; the craftsmanship fee is lower."

The Fourth Concubine, with a similar taste to Lin Yufan, was also someone who wouldn't buy anything unless it was expensive: "The one the First Madam chose is the best. Second Master's wife, don't just think about saving money for the Second Master. What you wear on your own wrist is real gold and silver. Any woman would pick this. Right, Sister Yunxin?"

Qi Yunxin controlled her expression well and nodded with a smile: "Of course, this one is the best choice."

Lin Yufan decisively said, "Then let's get this one, a pair."

A pair? Eight taels?

Liu Fang was even more hesitant to buy: "I like the one on my wrist better."

Lin Yufan made the decision: "Then we'll take both."

Hearing this, the Fourth Concubine gave an approving look: "That's the spirit! Second Master's wife, take advantage of the opportunity; you should really make the Second Master pay up."

Qi Yunxin just smiled without saying a word.

The shop assistant beamed with joy, "I'll package them up for you. And I'll throw in two small gold beans as a gift."

Once all the gold jewelry was packed, when it was time to settle the bill, everyone looked at Qi Yunxin.

Qi Yunxin had no choice but to pay the bill, since she would have to explain it to Zhao Yanhui later.

Only she could explain it, and Zhao Yanhui wouldn't be able to argue.

*

Since coming to Hong Kong, things around Lin Yufan had become simpler, with other young maids helping her with daily tasks, and Gui Xiang and Hong Yu usually had it easy.

Lin Yufan handed over the management of accounts and finances for her house rentals to them.

Tie Long was responsible for dealing with tenants and collecting rent, Hong Yu kept the accounts, and Gui Xiang managed the money. These three non-professionals, led by a non-professional boss, formed an amateurish team.

Fortunately, the team had Kang Nian's help, who had a proper accounting staff under him. These accountants usually worked on the first floor of the small villa behind, and Hong Yu and Gui Xiang could go to consult them whenever they needed.

Apart from wanting to earn and save money for a comfortable life, Lin Yufan also wanted to do one thing well.

That was to open a publishing house where she could have the final say.

She had this ambition because her favorite job in her previous life in Hong Kong was working as an editor at a fiction magazine.

She only worked there for half a year before the magazine went bankrupt due to poor management.

She was in charge of three writers at the magazine, who had fled from the mainland. They were talented but underappreciated, earning meager salaries at the magazine. Yet, when Lin Yufan was going through tough times, they donated half a month's salary to her without hesitation.

Lin Yufan would never forget this kindness.

Unfortunately, after the magazine shut down, one of the female writers ended up marrying a playboy who had been relentlessly pursuing her. Her marriage was miserable, and she took her own life by burning charcoal within six months.

The other two male writers also faced career struggles. One became a painter to support his family, while the other kept writing and submitting his works everywhere. Sadly, he ended up in poverty and vanished without a trace.

Whenever Lin Yufan thought about it, she felt both heartache and regret.

After being reborn, she initially thought the best she could do was find ways to support them, but she felt she couldn't do more. Recently, after calming down, she realized that with her current situation, she could do much more.

Short-term help wouldn't make much of a difference; the most effective way to help would be to give them jobs.

That's why she decided to start a novel publishing house.

Not only would she be able to help those she wanted to assist, but it would also fulfill her dream of working in the literary field.

It was a win-win situation.

If she wanted to start a publishing house, she had to tackle two major challenges.

First, she had experience in magazines, newspapers, and bookstores, but she had never worked in a publishing house. She wanted to get the hang of it first.

This would just mean working at a publishing house to understand all the processes.

Second, and more importantly, starting a novel publishing house would be very expensive. How would she get that much funding?

The money she had might only cover the expenses for a year or two, so she needed to make money before her former three writer colleagues arrived in Hong Kong.

How to make money? How to quickly make money grow?

It was late August 1948. From the second half of this year to the 1950s, a large number of people would flock to Hong Kong.

Among them were many wealthy individuals.

How to make money from them might be a good idea.

Once these people arrived, their immediate needs would be clothing, food, housing, and transportation.

Zhao Zhiao's current business, besides rubber, included trading companies and car dealerships covering "clothing, food, and transportation," but he had no involvement in real estate.

Real estate was the fastest, most lucrative, and easiest way to get rich.

Lin Yufan read the newspaper daily, mainly focusing on the classified ads to see if there were any opportunities to pick up bargains.

In the past few days, she had seen two ads.

One was for the sale of Turtleback Mountain next to Sun Jingxi's house.

The other was for the sale of a factory dormitory building.

Lin Yufan first called the contact number listed in the Turtleback Mountain ad. A middle-aged woman's voice came through the receiver, "Who are you looking for?"

The woman's voice was harsh.

Lin Yufan replied, "I saw your ad in the newspaper. Are you selling Turtleback Mountain?"

The woman said, "Hold on."

Then, the woman was heard shouting in Cantonese in a very aggressive tone.

Soon after, an equally impatient middle-aged man's voice responded: "Who is it?"

After stating her purpose and asking for relevant information, and knowing the man's surname was Zhou, Lin Yufan inquired, "Boss Zhou, sorry to ask, but is Turtleback Mountain your personal property?"

"A 999-year lease—can you live for 999 years? It’s practically a personal property transfer. There are very few mountains like this in the entire city." Because it was unique, Boss Zhou could be so confident and demand an exorbitant price.

Yes, he was asking for 250,000 Hong Kong dollars, a staggering amount for Lin Yufan.

However, in just over half a year, by early next year, the price of this mountain would skyrocket from 250,000 to 1.2 million.

Boss Zhou refused to negotiate over the phone and suggested that Lin Yufan visit Turtleback Mountain herself and call back if she was genuinely interested.

After hanging up, Lin Yufan quickly jotted down the key details about Turtleback Mountain in her notebook, then made the second call.

The second call was to an office number, and the manager who answered explained it was a dormitory building for a shoe factory—four floors, eight units per floor, each unit 300 square feet, and it couldn’t be split; the entire building was for sale.

Lin Yufan quickly calculated that the building covered about 280 square meters, with a total floor area exceeding a thousand square meters.

Since it was sold as a whole and couldn’t be split, the unit price was low—only 18 dollars per square foot—but the total price of the building was a hefty 170,000 Hong Kong dollars.

Lin Yufan didn’t have that kind of money.

She exchanged all the US dollars from selling the shop and the gold bars she owned, and could probably scrape together around 40,000 to 50,000 Hong Kong dollars.

Unless she sold 'The Hidden Sun in the Quiet Mountain' painting.

However, with the ongoing war, it was unclear whether the painting would hold its value.

After much deliberation, it wasn’t entirely impossible; she could mortgage her property to the bank.

She just needed to mortgage her vacant villa in Repulse Bay to the bank, and that should cover the cost of the dormitory building.

Although the future profit from buying Turtleback Mountain might be greater and more lucrative, she wouldn’t be able to sell it until next year, and there was no guarantee.

What if she couldn’t sell it next year? A massive cemetery stuck in her hands, she’d have to find a way to repay the mortgage loan—let alone start a publishing house; she might even lose the villa in Repulse Bay.

Buying the dormitory building was different; as long as it could be split and sold, the profit was guaranteed. In the coming months, there would undoubtedly be a large influx of people into the city, and such small-sized units would sell quickly.

Even if she couldn’t sell them in the end, she could rent them out for profit. With 24 small units, the monthly rent would ensure she wouldn’t take a big loss.

So, setting aside the question of Turtleback Mountain, she decided to find a way to acquire the shoe factory dormitory building.

But a move as big as buying a dormitory building couldn’t be hidden from Zhao Zhiao.

On second thought, it was just as well that it couldn’t be hidden; she wanted to leverage his connections to make more money.

She just didn’t know if he’d let her ride on his coattails.

She was a woman of action, and that afternoon she headed to the Yaohui Shoe Factory dormitory building in the city with Tielong.

The 170,000-dollar building was in shambles—peeling paint on the exterior walls, most of the glass windows shattered, and it looked utterly lifeless.

Tielong shook his head: "First Madam, is this a scam? Is this rundown building really worth 170,000?"

It was precisely because it looked rundown and the total price was steep that Lin Yufan had the chance to snag it.

In this regard, Lin Yufan was confident: "Spending a few thousand to renovate it will make it look brand new."

Lin Yufan figured that if the four-story building with 24 units could be divided and sold individually, the price per square foot could at least double, or even more.

In fact, if she could secure the dormitory building, the profit she’d make would be enough for her to open a small publishing house and live lavishly for ten or eight years.

The main hurdle right now was how to persuade the Housing Department to allow her to split and sell the units.

This would definitely require pulling some strings.

The shoe factory manager who accompanied her to view the property was a balding, portly man, and he was very enthusiastic: "Business at the factory has been slow, and we’ve had to let go of a lot of workers, so we don't need so many dormitories. Otherwise, our boss wouldn't be willing to sell. The location is super convenient, and if you buy it to rent out, it’s a guaranteed moneymaker."

Lin Yufan complained: "Your building, with its windows falling apart, walls peeling inside and out, and outdated plumbing and wiring, would require a lot of money for renovation, and the price is still steep..."

The Portly Manager knew Lin Yufan wanted to negotiate, so he smiled and said: "Ma’am, if you’re serious about purchasing, I can ask the boss for a better price for you."

"How much lower could it be?"

"It probably won't be much lower, as prices are rising everywhere. At most, we might knock it down to an even 170,000."

Lin Yufan put away her folding fan, "If your dormitory building can't be split and sold, no one’s going to touch it."

"If it could be split and sold, the price per unit wouldn’t be this cheap. It's precisely because it can't be split that it's priced this way."

"140,000," Lin Yufan shot back.

Actually, there were quite a few people who came to view the property, but not many who haggled. The Portly Manager seemed to see the chance to close the deal, and he quickly said: "Then I'll go ask the boss. 140,000 is definitely not possible, but I'll see how much he's willing to lower it."

After chatting for a while longer, Iron Dragon gave the Portly Manager the office number of a small villa before they departed.

*

Zhao Zhiao got back from Guangzhou after 9 PM.

He went to his bedroom, showered and dried off before calling Shen Te into the study to ask him: "When’s the Silla Corp. rep getting here?"

Shen Te replied: "They will arrive tomorrow morning. We’ve set up a meeting at the office in the afternoon to discuss cooperation, and we'll host a banquet at Treasure Restaurant in the evening."

Zhao Zhiao instructed: "This cooperation with Silla Corp. is very important. Make sure they’re treated well."

"Okay. I'll remind them again."

"Has anything happened at the company these past few days while I was away from Hong Kong?"

Shen Te: "Nothing much at the company, but..."

Zhao Zhiao looked up: "Speak."

Shen Te then said: "First Madam brought along that guy, Iron Dragon, and the day before yesterday our people found out he went to a private detective agency."

Zhao Zhiao knew that errand boy named Iron Dragon: "What did he go to a private detective for?"

"To investigate Second Master Yan," as Shen Te handed the information to Zhao Zhiao.

Zhao Zhiao quickly flipped through the documents, and without realizing it, his brow furrowed slightly, and his eyes turned icy.

After asking about the relevant situation, he said: "Got it, you can go."

After Shen Te left, Zhao Zhiao looked through the documents in his hand once more, then put them in the drawer.

He walked out of the room and headed towards Lin Yufan's bedroom.

At that moment, Lin Yufan was writing something at her desk, and she was slightly surprised to see him come in: "Isn't your train tomorrow morning?"

"I came back early for some business," Zhao Zhiao stood behind her. "Keeping a diary?"

Lin Yufan had already closed the notebook. "No, I’m doing some bookkeeping."

Zhao Zhiao didn’t ask her what accounts she was keeping. Instead, he sat down on the sofa and got straight to the point: "Did you know Tielong hired a private detective to look into my Second Uncle?"

Lin Yufan had expected him to ask, but she didn’t expect him to be so blunt. This actually put her at ease.

She observed Zhao Zhiao’s expression, but his face was blank, giving nothing away.

Lin Yufan said, "I’m the one who sent him to the detective."

Zhao Zhiao was surprised his wife admitted it so quickly.

"Why?"

Lin Yufan sat down beside him. She figured Zhao Zhiao was so direct because he saw her as just a well-informed widow, not some spy sent by anyone.

After all, it wasn’t she who had deliberately approached him; it was he who had insisted on marrying her.

"If I tell you, you’ll probably think I’m being silly," Lin Yufan lowered her head, her voice quiet and submissive.

Zhao Zhiao hated when she acted so meek; it made her seem too vulnerable.

He reached out and gently touched her arm. "Tell me."

"Don’t laugh at me."

"I won’t."

Lin Yufan: "On the boat to Hong Kong, I had a dream... I saw you get killed."

Zhao Zhiao: "!"

"Who killed me in your dream?"

"I didn’t see who it was. I saw it in a paper, and someone in the dream said you and Li Xiang were both killed by your own people..."

Zhao Zhiao’s face turned grim!

Getting killed in a dream and dragging that parasite Zhao Lixiang into it!

Was she worried about him or that little punk Zhao Lixiang?

Seeing Zhao Zhiao’s face grow darker, Lin Yufan couldn’t figure out his thoughts and was about to continue when he suddenly kissed her, cutting her off.

She hadn’t finished what she was trying to say.

But Zhao Zhiao didn’t care whether he and his brother were dead or alive in her dream. He kissed her hard.

Lin Yufan opened her mouth to speak, but there was no chance for her to say anything. A thin line of saliva trailed from her lips until she was gasping for air, and only then did he stop.

At the last second, he held back. They needed to keep talking, and he’d have time for other things later.

"You dreamed Second Uncle killed me?"