Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire-Chapter 187 - 176 Planning and Scheming (2)
Chapter 187 -176 Planning and Scheming (2)
Chapter 187 -176 Planning and Scheming (2)
Guh Xiuxiu felt what she said made sense, “Buying stocks of big companies is relatively safer, but apart from buying houses and stocks, I also want to make some other investments.”
Lu Jiaxin’s heart stirred, “Aunt, your idea is right, you can’t put all your eggs in one basket. I have a business here that’s sure to make a profit without any loss, but I don’t know if Aunt is interested.”
Guh Xiuxiu smiled. How could there be any business in this world that guarantees a profit without the possibility of loss? But she didn’t want to discourage Lu Jiaxin, so she went along with it, “What business is it? Tell me about it.”
Lu Jiaxin said, “The antique business. Aunt, in the Forty-nine City, a jade ring that was used by a prince from a former dynasty can be bought from an antique shop for only two hundred yuan but can be sold for twenty to thirty thousand Hong Kong Dollars in Hong Kong. You’re not short of money now, Aunt, and these things have great potential for appreciation. You could start collecting them.”
Guh Xiuxiu was surprised, “Are antiques that cheap in the Mainland?”
Lu Jiaxin said, “The cost of living is low in the Mainland, and many people struggle just to get by, so antiques and old paintings aren’t worth much. For this reason, some people buy up antiques at low prices in large quantities and sell them abroad. Ordinary antiques are just sold off, but it’s a real pity when valuable and research-worthy cultural relics are smuggled out and sold.”
This 𝓬ontent is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.
Guh Xiuxiu was getting on in years and didn’t want to take risks. It was also because the cost of living had risen sharply, and she worried that without making some investments, she would no longer be able to maintain the affluent and respectable life she had now. She used to be confident in the housing market, but after one big crash, she felt it was no longer stable. As for stocks, that was even less stable, with too many crashes to count. With these bloody lessons behind her, she would buy some, but never too much.
After some consideration, investing in antiques for eventual appreciation indeed seemed the most stable choice. “In times of chaos, gold is valuable; in times of prosperity, antiques are treasured,” she understood this principle.
Guh Xiuxiu said, “You need someone who knows their stuff, otherwise it’s easy to end up with fakes and suffer huge losses.”
Lu Jiaxin thought this was hardly a problem, “Aunt, you don’t have to open a shop in the Forty-nine City yourself; you need a background to do that. Just find someone to collect from your hometown or places like Luoyang, and you’re guaranteed to find satisfactory old items.”
According to the information given to her by Su Heyuan, Guh Xiuxiu had donated money and supplies during the war. With her support, Guh Xiuxiu’s investments wouldn’t implode. Given her financial situation, she wouldn’t sell antiques abroad. As for what would happen a hundred years later, that could wait until then.
Guh Xiuxiu nodded, “I’ll have someone look into it.”
After going through various experiences, Guh Xiuxiu had come to deeply understand a truth: the only reliable thing was the money in hand. It was also because she had money that she could live so comfortably, even without children. She could bring her nephews and niece’s daughter over, and nobody could stop her. If she had no money and relied on He Zhuliang’s support, she would’ve had to look at his face and wouldn’t dare to bring the younger relatives to her side.
Lu Jiaxin herself had opened an antique shop through Master Qian and had not visited it to this day. But once she sold the Amigo stocks, she would buy the other two houses of the Sun Family. She would have Master Qian store the precious antiques in a secret passageway.
The next morning, Guh Xiuxiu gave Lu Jiaxin a card and said, “You’ve just arrived, let Aunt Mei accompany you to buy some new clothes. This is a supplementary credit card from my bank, just swipe it after you buy something. The PIN is my birth date and month.”
Lu Jiaxin declined, saying she had her own money.
Guh Xiuxiu stuffed the card into her hand and said, “Don’t take that girl’s words to heart. Since Aunt has agreed to take care of you and Haifan, she naturally will. Take it, us women need to dress beautifully every day, not for those stinky men, but to make ourselves happy.”
Jiaxin inwardly agreed but her face remained blank.
Only then did Guh Xiuxiu realize she had misspoken and quickly returned to the previous topic, “You should buy several outfits and also skincare products. At your age, you can go without makeup, but proper skincare is still necessary. Remember to buy the big brands, their products have good effects and fewer side effects. And remember when you’re shopping, expensive things have their reasons for being expensive.”
Many girls enjoy shopping, and Lu Jiaxin was no exception, but that would be with besties or friends. What’s the fun in shopping alone, looking so desolate by oneself?
In Hong Kong, Lu Jiaxin only knew one person, Su Heyuan, and just happened to have made dinner plans with him. She said with a smile, “It’s early in the morning, many shops in Central Plaza aren’t even open yet. Aunt, I’ve got a lunch date with Big Brother Su, I’ll go out in the afternoon.”
Guh Xiuxiu did not object, but she still reminded Lu Jiaxin, “Su Heyuan is capable and cunning, but he’s ambitious and no one in the Su family’s third generation can match him. It’s fine to be friends with him, but don’t go any deeper. The first branch of the Su family has ties with some people in the clans. If they can’t handle Su Heyuan, they might turn to target you, which would be dangerous.”
Lu Jiaxin felt somewhat helpless; it wasn’t uncommon for girls around fifteen or sixteen to date in Hong Kong, yet Aunt still held old-fashioned ideas. She said, “Aunt, I won’t date before I graduate from college. As for marriage and children, that won’t happen until I’ve established my own career.”
It reminded her that Gu Wenfeng had said something similar. Since they parted ways, there had been no contact, and nearly a year had passed. Time really flew by.
Guh Xiuxiu said with a laugh, “It’s fine not to date before university, but once you’re in university and meet a guy you like, you can date. As for marriage, indeed there’s no need to rush. Having your own career gives you confidence and both your husband and his family will respect you.”
Lu Jiaxin thought she was still rather conservative. Indeed, women from that era all believed that a woman needed to get married to be fulfilled in life.
At noon, Lu Jiaxin called Su Heyuan, “Big Brother Su, when do you get off work? I asked the driver, it takes over an hour from your office to here. You don’t need to pick me up, it’s a waste of time, I’ll have the driver take me there.”
Su Heyuan said with a laugh, “I’m not busy right now, how about I come to pick you up? You’ve just arrived in Hong Kong and lack many things, I’ll take you shopping.”
Having joined the family business, he felt as though Su Hexu and his son were guarding against him like one would guard against a thief. Initially, he had fought for control but lost interest once he got deeper into the company. Just because he wasn’t contending for the company didn’t mean he wasn’t doing anything else.
Lu Jiaxin said with a laugh, “Why do you sound just like my Aunt? Come over at two o’clock, I need to take a nap so I won’t be exhausted this afternoon.”
After hanging up the phone, Lu Jiaxin went upstairs and took out paper and a pen. She wrote down anything she thought she needed to buy. Although her memory was very good, it wasn’t as reliable as writing things down in black and white. Once she had written down everything she wanted to buy, she put down the pen and thought back to the investment conversation from that morning. It’s best to ask those who specialized in investments, but how should she ask? Except for making a good amount of money from making shoes, she hadn’t done anything else. Unable to figure it out, she gave up on the idea.
