Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire-Chapter 181 - 170 Leaving
Chapter 181: Chapter 170: Leaving
Chapter 181 -170: Leaving
Wang Xiaojie was very grateful to Lu Jiaxin and took the opportunity away from the children to thank her, “I also told him about planning to take the postgraduate entrance exam after graduation since the current educational levels are too low in the hospital, but he wouldn’t listen. However, after you talked to him that time, his attitude changed, and now he seriously studies books every day when he comes home.”
Lu Jiaxin thought this was quite good, “Uncle said that the children of our second and third uncles are not up to par, but your family could produce two more university students! If Lu Ping gets into graduate school, uncle will definitely be very pleased.”
When the subject came up, Wang Xiaojie felt overwhelmed, “Lu An’s grades are not good enough, and Lu Zhang is too playful; he doesn’t focus on his studies. Zhenzhen is obedient and has good grades, though, so maybe there’s still hope.”
With Lu Jiaxin’s permission, Lu Jiaguang also invited Second Brother Lu and Lu Jiajie to the dinner. Second Brother Lu and his wife came over after closing their stall and even helped prepare the dishes; Lu Jiajie couldn’t come because he was taking care of Lu Hongjun at the hospital, and Ma Lili said she couldn’t make it due to other obligations.
During the meal, Second Sister-in-law Lu raised her glass with her husband, “Xinxin, if it weren’t for you, our family would still be farming back home. Xinxin, your second sister-in-law is truly grateful to you. If there’s anything you need in the future, just call us. As long as we can help, we won’t hesitate.”
Xiao Qiu quickly raised her glass, too, smiling as she said, “Auntie, I wish you smooth academics, abundant wealth, and ever-increasing beauty.”
Wang Xiaojie thought the girl had really changed a lot. Last year she was so nervous she couldn’t even speak coherently when coming to her house, but now she was composed and articulate.
Lu Jiaxin raised her glass with a smile, “Let’s all get rich together.”
After the meal was over and everything was cleaned up, Wang Xiaojie was ready to take the children back home. Before leaving, she said to Lu Jiaxin, “When you get there, if you face any difficulties, make sure to tell us. Don’t bear it alone. The more you endure, the bolder those people will think you are without support, and the more rampant they’ll become.”
Even though Lu Jiaxin had matured and become more independent than before, after all, she was only sixteen years old. They were all worried about her being bullied in an unfamiliar place, especially since the original person was only a paper tiger, and they weren’t at ease.
Lu Jiaxin responded with a smile, “Don’t worry, big sister-in-law. If they dare to bully me, I’ll stand up for myself. I won’t just swallow my anger.”
Given Aunt Hong’s attitude, she had no intention of living in Mid-mountain. Once the school situation was settled, she planned to rent an apartment close by. Moreover, she planned to run a business while studying for university.
Second Brother Lu and his wife didn’t leave; they stayed over for the night. Previously, it was agreed that the house would be temporarily rented to Second Brother Lu, his wife, and Xiao Qiu, with the annual rent deposited into a savings book Mrs. Lu had created for her at the end of each year. It was supposed to be temporary, but Xiao Qiu mentioned that once they had saved enough money, they planned to buy a house. The clothing store was quite profitable, and with a thirty percent share of the profits, they expected to earn a good amount of money. Together with the earnings from their snack stall, she believed they could afford a small house by the end of the year.
The next morning, just as it was getting light, Lu Jiaguang came over and started giving Lu Jiaxin many instructions. His incessant, worried manner made Lu Jiaxin think of her own father, and her eyes couldn’t help but moisten. Her father’s hair had turned white overnight upon learning of her late-stage cancer diagnosis.
It was at that moment that Lu Jiajie also arrived, bringing a bag of fruit. He knew Lu Jiaxin liked fruit and had gone out of his way to buy it.
Lu Jiaxin didn’t decline and accepted the gift with thanks.
After the brothers helped Lu Jiaxin onto the train and settled her belongings, Lu Jiajie slipped a box into her hand, “I found this for you, consider it a keepsake.”
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Before Lu Jiaxin could open it, he and Lu Jiaguang had already left the train. Upon opening the box, she saw a jade bracelet so green it seemed almost to drip. He knew Lu Jiaxin liked jade ornaments and had asked a friend to find it, spending twelve hundred yuan for it.
Xiaoxiao looked at the bracelet with disdain and said, “Sister Xin, let me help you return it!”
Lu Jiaxin shook her head, “No need, I’ll give it to Xiao Feng when she grows up.”
Imperial green wasn’t valuable now, worth at most a thousand yuan, but in over twenty years, it might be worth millions. If Xiao Feng’s marital relationship was good, she wouldn’t need to worry about food and clothing, adding to her fortune. But if the relationship was poor or even ended in divorce and the children struggled, the bracelet would serve as a security for her dowry.
Three days later, Lu Jiaxin arrived in Peng City. Upon exiting the train station, she saw Su Heming dressed in flashy clothes and wondered why he liked to wear such flashy garments. She didn’t know that Heming, having grown up seeing his family in drab apparel, now wanted to compensate for that now that he could afford it.
Su Heming had driven there himself; once the three of them were in the car, he asked, “Do we head back to the rental place first, or should we go to dinner?”
Lu Jiaxin checked her watch, not even four o’clock, “Let’s go to the rental place and rest a bit first; we can eat dinner later.”
Su Heming had rented a house for Xiaoxiao and Xue Mao, with four spacious rooms plus a firewood shack and kitchen but it was a bit shabby without furniture.
Lu Jiaxin took a shower and napped, feeling more refreshed afterward.
By six o’clock, Su Heming took them to a Cantonese restaurant. Not only did he have fun, but he also had great taste in food – the dishes at this restaurant were authentic, and Qian Xiaoxiao praised the chef’s skills after the meal, planning to treat herself there once she received her next paycheck having given all her saved money to her grandfather.
After asking Xue Mao how the food tasted and hearing his approval, Su Heming hinted with a smile, “How does it compare to yours?”
“How can I compare to a master chef like that?” Xue Mao replied.
Su Heming laughed a bit and then changed the subject, “Sister Jiaxin, when do you plan to head to Hong Kong?”
Lu Jiaxin glanced at Xue Mao and Qian Xiaoxiao, saying, “Let’s head over once we’ve got them settled.”
Upon hearing this, Xue Mao immediately said they could manage the stall on their own, “Sister, I’ve got experience, and Xiaoxiao has martial arts skills, nobody can bully me.”
With a curious sound, Su Heming asked, “They still don’t know?”
Both of them had a feeling something was off and turned to look at him in unison, asking in chorus, “What should we know?”
Smiling, Su Heming said, “Sister Xin has asked me to find each of you a mentor! Xiaoxiao, you’ll learn shooting, and Xue Mao, you’ll learn cooking. However, Xue Mao, that chef will test you first, if he thinks you have what it takes, he’ll take you on, and if not, he won’t teach you.”
Xue Mao expressed surprise, “Sister Xin, didn’t you say we were going to set up a stall first when we came to Peng City?”
Lu Jiaxin said without inflection, “What future is there in running a stall? If you can find a mentor tomorrow and learn skills, you could later open a restaurant, earn more, and it won’t be as hard.”
She had originally wanted to cultivate Xue Mao into a talent manager, but sadly, the lad had no love for studying and had only just managed to become literate under Lu Jiaxin’s coercion. Out of necessity rather than preference, Lu Jiaxin changed her approach, seeing his passion for cooking.
Xue Mao said hesitantly, “Sister Xin, do you think I can do it?”
Lu Jiaxin countered, “Don’t you love cooking the most? Now that you have a chance to become an apprentice and you don’t want to learn, then tell Su Heming to call it off right now.”
Perhaps because he had never had enough to eat when he was younger, Xue Mao had a particular fondness for cooking, and now he certainly wasn’t about to miss such an opportunity, “I’ll learn! I’m just afraid the master chef won’t approve of me.”
Lu Jiaxin wasn’t worried about that. If Su Heming’s chosen chef didn’t agree, she could simply find another, and would surely find a master chef willing to take Xue Mao as an apprentice.
Qian Xiaoxiao, seeing that Xue Mao’s situation was settled, finally spoke up, “Sister Xin, why should I learn shooting?”
Lu Jiaxin’s reply was vague, “Didn’t you say you’d follow me wherever I go? If you want to stick with me, you have to learn shooting.”
Seeing that Qian Xiaoxiao had more questions, Lu Jiaxin rubbed her belly, “I ate too much tonight, I’m a little bloated. Xiaoxiao, after a while let Xue Mao tidy up the house, and you can accompany me for a walk outside to help digest.”
Qian Xiaoxiao wasn’t foolish, and immediately knew she was being kept away from Xue Mao on purpose. But she was curious about what it was that Xue Mao couldn’t know!
During the walk, Lu Jiaxin explained in detail, “The situation in Hong Kong is economically developed but the public security is very poor, with many black//society//organizations as well as desperados. These desperados all have guns, and many cases of kidnapping wealthy businessmen have occurred in Hong Kong. For that reason, those businessmen hire a lot of bodyguards, and those bodyguards are also armed.”
Qian Xiaoxiao was astonished to hear this. Being armed meant they had to use guns.
Lu Jiaxin assured her, “You are skilled in martial arts and can handle close combat, but you can’t wield firearms. If we really face kidnappers and they draw their guns, we’d be afraid to confront them.”
Xue Mao and Lu Jiajie had both disappointed her, but Qian Xiaoxiao showed a lot of potential. The girl was simple-minded and had a clear sense of gratitude and grudges. Lu Jiaxin believed that with the time and effort she would invest in training her, Qian Xiaoxiao would become utterly loyal and devoted to protecting her.
Upon hearing this, Qian Xiaoxiao immediately affirmed she would learn and would definitely master it to achieve a hundred shots, a hundred bullseyes.
Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, “Then I’ll be waiting.”
When meeting the master chef the next day, Xue Mao was very nervous, worried the chef wouldn’t take a liking to him. Su Heming said with amusement, “If he doesn’t like you, we’ll just find another. With a backer like Sister Jiaxin, are you afraid you won’t find a master chef to teach you?”
His own elder brother was so proud, rarely praising anyone, but whenever he talked about Sister Jiaxin, he was full of praise, which made him all the more disparaging of him. With Sister Jiaxin joining forces with his brother in Hong Kong, there was no question they’d be invincible.
No amount of reassurance was as effective as Su Heming’s words. And since Xue Mao was no longer nervous, he passed the master chef’s test, meaning he could go to work at the restaurant the next day.
Xue Mao was full of questions, but he didn’t dare to voice them in front of the master chef. Only after they left the restaurant, did he ask, “Shouldn’t I be learning to cook with the master chef, instead of working?”
Thinking of how his own brother always scolded him for being stupid, Su Heming thought this lad was truly naive, “The master chef has his own job, and to learn from him, you have to work at the restaurant too. The difference is, the master chef gets paid, and you don’t.”
This was within Xue Mao’s expectations. Apprentices aren’t paid for the first three years; they only start earning once they’ve learned the trade. Fortunately, he had saved a considerable amount of money, which should sustain him if he lived frugally.
Qian Xiaoxiao began her shooting lessons with an instructor. For now, lacking proper conditions, she could only start with an air rifle, but later, when the situation allowed it, she would learn to use various firearms.
With both of them taken care of, Lu Jiaxin set off for Hong Kong. The last time had just been a quick trip to get an ID card, but this time she intended to stay for a long period, so she packed a suitcase full of clothes. Apart from that, she also took three paintings with her.
