Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire
Chapter 378 - Chapter 378 Chapter 367 The Mansion

Chapter 378: Chapter 367 The Mansion Chapter 378: Chapter 367 The Mansion Lu Jiaxin wasn’t going back to sweep the tombs alone this time; she was taking Gu Xiuxiu with her. The original plan was to move the grave during Qingming Festival, so Aunt Mei and Aunt Hong would take her there. However, since the Feng Shui Master chose the sixth lunar month, they arranged to accompany her to and from the Forty-nine City.

Since everything was arranged in advance, He Bin and Zhang Sining were waiting outside as soon as they left the airport. For convenience while traveling, Lu Jiaxin had considered and decided to buy a Crown sedan. The car was purchased by He Bin.

The big house had been repaired, so this time they didn’t stay in a hotel, and the car drove straight into the five-entry mansion in Shichahai.

After the house was repaired, a caretaker was hired to look after it, but since the owner wasn’t there, the main gate was always closed. Today, as Lu Jiaxin and Gu Xiuxiu were coming back, the gates were opened early in the morning.

The car could drive straight in, but Lu Jiaxin asked the driver to stop at the entrance and then helped Gu Xiuxiu out of the car.

Aunt Hong, Aunt Mei, and the others got out of the car and were astonished at the sight of the gate.

The majestic tall gates had “Lu Family Courtyard” inscribed in the middle — the characters bold and powerful, gleaming golden in the sunlight, looking very imposing.

Lu Jiaxin said to Aunt Mei, “The weather is nice today, let’s walk in while supporting Aunt, and take a look at the mansion’s scenery as well.”

Aunt Mei had no objections.

Once inside the gate, everyone saw a spacious courtyard with pine and cypress trees planted along the walls. The house had carved beams and painted rafters, with exquisite patterns also carved into the round columns and doors/windows.

Aunt Hong stared, wide-eyed. She’d heard from Aunt Mei that the houses in the Forty-nine City were big and beautiful but didn’t take it seriously. Her impression of the Forty-nine City, which was dusty two years ago, didn’t prepare her for this level of luxury.

The first section of the courtyard was kept by Lu Jiaxin for entertaining guests; the second section was for her own residence, furnished with antiques that she had collected, and the step bed in the bedroom, which seemed to capture the awe of the sky, was something she fell in love with the moment she saw it last time; the third section was for Gu Xiuxiu, considering her age and frequent confusion, furnished with sofas and round tables and chairs, with sharp corners all wrapped in fabric, arranged similar to her bedroom in Hong Kong. The fourth section had a small stage, which Lu Jiaxin decided to keep; if Gu Xiuxiu got bored, she could dance there or enjoy opera and storytelling; the fifth section was not yet arranged, but with two large trees next to the house and near the backyard pond, it was very cool and would be comfortable to live in during the summer.

The most beautiful part of this mansion was the backyard garden, with pavilions, terraces, towers, and bridges over flowing water — the scenery completely modeled after Suzhou gardens.

After looking around, Aunt Mei asked, “Miss Cousin, the restoration of this mansion must have cost quite a bit, right?”

Lu Jiaxin smiled and replied, “The initial expenses were covered by Aunt, about two hundred thousand for buying the property and restoration, and I spent around one hundred thousand afterwards.”

Aunt Mei, who knew her stuff, asked incredulously, “This mansion from inside out only cost three hundred thousand? How could it be so cheap?”

Lu Jiaxin smiled, “Indeed, it was three hundred thousand, but I’m referring to Hua currency, which converts to about one million Hong Kong Dollars. However, this amount only covers the purchase and restoration costs. The furnishings and decorations certainly far exceed this figure.”

Just the step bed alone was worth tens of thousands, not to mention the furniture made of golden-threaded sandalwood and rosewood; the furniture in just her section of the courtyard was worth over two hundred thousand.

Aunt Mei felt this was more reasonable. The furniture in the second section and the old lady’s room looked expensive — three hundred thousand Hua currency would not suffice at all. The Mainland might be poor, but there are many with insight. With Lu Jiaxin setting a precedent, she would not dare to underestimate anybody from the Mainland.

The mansion had a large pool in which one could row boats. The pool was filled with water, but it was enclosed with a wire fence.

Lu Jiaxin explained to Aunt Mei, “Given Aunt’s condition, I originally wanted to drain the pool to ensure safety. However, He Bin said water represents wealth and it shouldn’t be drained, as that would be an inauspicious sign. Enclosing it with a wire fence is safer.”

“Aunt Mei, He Bin has found two professional caregivers. When the time comes, you and Aunt Mei can each bring a caregiver to follow Aunt. That should make things a bit easier.”

This arrangement was fine, and Aunt Mei had no objections.

The dinner was prepared by a chef skilled in Shanghai cuisine, something Gu Xiuxiu had missed a great deal in Hong Kong, and she mentioned it several times to Lu Jiaxin.

Gu Xiuxiu ate with gusto, and if Aunt Mei hadn’t been watching to stop her in time, she surely would have overeaten.

After filling up, Gu Xiuxiu set down her utensils and ran off to the backyard garden.

Gu Wenfeng said, “Boss, Madam Guh’s illness has become more serious.”

“There’s no helping it, this disease can’t be cured,” Lu Jiaxin said.

Not to mention now, even thirty years later, it wouldn’t be curable, only manageable with medication. As time goes by, the condition worsens until the patient no longer recognizes anyone.

Seeing her look sorrowful, Gu Wenfeng immediately changed the subject, “Boss, didn’t you say last time that you wanted to hire some bodyguards? If you still do, I can have them come over for an interview tomorrow afternoon.”

He knew that Lu Jiaxin had to go to school on Monday, visit the graves tomorrow, and then rush back the day after, so she wouldn’t have much time to spare.

He Bin had already hired three stout men to watch and protect the estate. However, since he recruited them through the manager of a large hotel, Lu Jiaxin wasn’t very reassured and still planned to hire some retired military personnel.

Lu Jiaxin nodded and said, “Have them all come over. If they’re good, we’ll keep them all.”

“I’ll notify them later so they can come over after lunch tomorrow.”

“That would be fine.”

Sleeping on the canopy bed that night, Lu Jiaxin thought she wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, but instead, she drifted off quickly and slept soundly. When she woke up the next morning, she heard that both Lu Jiaguang and Lu Jiazong, with their three brothers, had come over with their whole family, not a single person missing.

They hadn’t come over the previous day because they knew she had had a tiring journey and needed rest.

After freshening up, Lu Jiaxin went to the front courtyard. As soon as she entered the main hall, she saw it was packed with people. Not just the three brothers, but even their children were brought along.

The moment Second Sister-in-law Lu saw her, she couldn’t wait to ask, “Jiaxin, I heard from the gatekeeper that the estate has five courtyards. When did you buy such a big estate without ever mentioning it?”

Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, “This estate was bought for me by my aunt. It’s been under renovation since purchase, and because of its size, it didn’t get finished until the end of last September.”

After that, she added, “I’m going to have breakfast; you all can go look around. However, don’t go to the third courtyard; my aunt lives there, and she’ll get angry if disturbed.”

Second Sister-in-law Lu was eager to know just how big the estate was, “Jiaxin, then I won’t stand on ceremony.”

Lu Jiaxin said with a smile, “We are family, being too formal just creates distance.”

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.