Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire-Chapter 567 - 550 Glorify the Ancestors (1)

Big Uncle Lu quickened his pace homeward when he heard she had returned. As soon as he arrived home, he entered his own room and failed to notice anyone there.

"Jiaxin, Jiaxin..."

When Big Aunt heard the calling, she came out of the kitchen and said, "Jiaxin is tired and resting in her room right now. Don’t call for her; you might wake her up."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the door to the room opened and Lu Jiaxin stretched lazily, calling out, "Big Uncle, you’re back."

Big Uncle Lu smiled and invited her in, "You girl, you didn’t even call me before coming back. I would have arranged for someone to pick you up."

Lu Jiaxin shook her head, indicating it wasn’t necessary, "I drove back, no need for you all to pick me up. Big Uncle, just now Seventh Uncle talked to me about the shrine construction. I put forward two conditions—if they agree, I’ll pay for it, if not, then forget it."

Hearing the two conditions she proposed, Big Uncle Lu fell silent for a moment then said, "Jiaxin, the village people probably won’t agree to your conditions."

Lu Jiaxin spoke indifferently, "If they don’t agree, they don’t agree. In that case, let the male members of the clan earn money and build the shrine themselves!"

It was also because Heng Mountain wasn’t far from here that she had come to visit the elderly couple. Mrs. Lu’s grave had been moved to Hong Kong and Lu Hongjun would definitely be buried in the Forty-nine City—unless there was something special, he would not come back again, so the construction of the shrine had nothing to do with her.

Big Uncle Lu said, "Jiaxin, if you were to pay for the shrine, everyone in the clan would be grateful to you."

It only took three words for Lu Jiaxin to express she was not interested, "Their gratitude won’t make me live to a hundred; their resentment won’t cause me to lose an ounce of flesh."

Big Uncle Lu hadn’t expected her to be so stubborn, but he didn’t try to persuade her further, instead, he brought up the school’s situation, "Jiaxin, the village school is too dilapidated. Could you fund the construction of a teaching building?"

It was because he saw how much she valued education that he dared to ask; he wouldn’t have even mentioned the shrine, worried she might not agree.

Lu Jiaxin didn’t agree right away but instead said, "Big Uncle, take me to the school tomorrow to have a look."

Big Uncle Lu replied, "Jiaxin, tomorrow morning let’s first visit your grandparents’ graves, then I’ll take you to see the school."

"Alright."

At that moment, Big Aunt came to call them for dinner. The dinner was sumptuous, with dishes like braised mutton, pumpkin chicken, marinated meat, and mutton bone soup, accompanied by three vegetable dishes. The staple foods included roujiamo and mutton dumplings. Considering that one of the bodyguards was from the south, rice was also cooked.

During dinner, Big Aunt asked, "Jiaxin, Jiaguang said you’re graduating in July. Now that you’ve graduated, what are your plans for the future?" fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Lu Jiaxin replied with a smile, "I’ve started two companies. Now that I’ve graduated, I can properly manage them."

Big Aunt, knowing she had been studying while doing business in Hong Kong, was not surprised to hear this. However, she was concerned about another matter, "Jiaxin, you’ve been dating that Mr. Nie for three years, isn’t it time to settle down?"

Lu Jiaxin hadn’t told them about the affairs with the Nie Family; there was no need, "Auntie, I’m only twenty this year; I don’t want to get married and have children so early. There’s..."

Big Aunt felt a pre-marriage engagement would be acceptable; delaying the marriage by a couple of years wouldn’t matter, "Jiaxin, it’s easier to recover from childbirth when you’re young. Besides, a woman has to get married and have children eventually, better sooner than later!"

Lu Jiaxin also didn’t argue with her, indicating she wouldn’t get married before the age of twenty-five. Sigh, she was pressured to marry in her past life, and now she was being pressured again in this life. The key issue was that nudging her to marry at just twenty was simply too horrifying.

Big Aunt knew she had her own plans, so she nudged Big Uncle Lu to speak his piece.

Big Uncle Lu, however, hoped Lu Jiaxin would prioritize her career and not marry too soon, "Don’t listen to your Big Aunt’s nonsense, hair long but wits short. If you get married and have kids, you’ll have to revolve around them, and then you’ll have to let the kids’ father manage the company. Jiaxin, you must hold onto the money your company earns, never hand it over to someone else. People are unpredictable; who knows if he’ll swallow the company whole once he takes over?"

People are unpredictable; how many have become enemies over profit, fathers and sons, brothers, spouses—the precedents are numerous.

Lu Jiaxin explained, "Big Uncle, Ah Zhan owns eight companies in his own name, among which his real estate company has a market value of over 40 billion and ranks fifth in Hong Kong. His net worth is conservatively estimated at 30 billion, so you don’t have to worry about him swallowing up my company."

Big Uncle Lu expressed his doubts, Jiaguang had said that the companies managed by Mr. Nie were all family assets: "If the companies belong to his family, how can it all be counted towards him?"

Lu Jiaxin said with a light laugh, "No, they have divided the family business. The real estate and construction companies both went to him, and the family bank went to his eldest cousin. The other companies were either started by his own factory or were acquired by him."

Big Uncle Lu gasped, "That Mr. Nie is actually so wealthy?"

Lu Jiaxin smiled and said, "He’s also good at investing and has earned a lot over the years. Big Uncle, his net worth is more substantial than mine and he’s better at making money. Moreover, I have made a will—if I should meet with an accident, all my assets would be donated to the state for the aid of poor children and education."

With that assurance, Big Uncle Lu was no longer worried about Nie Zhan plotting for wealth and causing harm, "Jiaxin, when will you bring Mr. Nie here for us to meet?"

As for vetting, they could forget about it. Jiaxin was such a determined person that their opposition would be useless, so they kept quiet.

Lu Jiaxin said, "Ah Zhan is always busy; having him come here specially probably won’t work with his schedule. But you and Big Aunt can come to Hong Kong, and then Ah Zhan can take care of you."

Big Uncle Lu and Big Aunt had no interest in going—they didn’t want to suffer the discomfort and expense of a trip.

Since they made quite a bit, there were some roujiamo and lamb dumplings left over. Their home didn’t have a refrigerator, and without finishing them off, the food would spoil by the next day.

Big Aunt said, "Jiayao, take some lamb dumplings to your Second Uncle’s house; the roujiamo you can bring to Seventh Uncle, he loves it."

Third Aunt Lu said discontentedly, "Mother, my parents love roujiamo the most. But we’re poor, and they haven’t had meat in a long time."

Big Aunt didn’t indulge her, retorting, "If you were a bit more hardworking and earned some money, you could buy a few pounds of lamb every month to take to them, couldn’t you? Then they wouldn’t lack roujiamo or lamb dumplings, would they?"

"Jiayao, what are you standing around for? Hurry up and go deliver the stuff. If we don’t eat it all tonight, it will go bad by tomorrow, and that would be such a waste."

Lu Jiayao hurried into the kitchen.

Third Aunt Lu was so angry she stomped her feet. Her mother-in-law was becoming more and more unreasonable, controlling the money and locking up all the good stuff in cabinets. If there was anything to spare in the house, she would rather give it to distant relatives than let her take it home—it was infuriating.

She hadn’t noticed it when Second Sister-in-law Lu was around, but now that she was the only daughter-in-law at home, her shortcomings stood out. Being lazy and not willing to work was one thing, but she also liked to show off back at her parents’ house. Despite being told several times, she never listened; to make matters worse, her son listened to everything she said.

Sometimes Big Aunt wanted to let the couple move out, but her eldest and second sons disagreed, saying they wouldn’t feel at ease with just the two of them living alone. Sigh, many things she simply had to turn a blind eye to. Just like the old man said, you can’t be Old Man without being deaf and mute.

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