Reborn as a Rich Woman in the Eighties
Chapter 174 - 173: Brother Lu?

Chapter 174: Chapter 173: Brother Lu?

Everyone had a light chat and Lin Xia soon brought up that she wanted Jiang Mingyuan to accompany Lin Dong on a visit to someone else’s house.

Jiang Mingyuan agreed right away and then suggested they all go out to eat together. Since Lin Dong was also there, it wouldn’t be right not to include him, so he invited him along as well.

Lin Xia asked them to wait a moment—she would be ready to leave as soon as she changed her clothes.

Since she was at home, Lin Xia had casually tied up her hair. After changing, she deftly put her hair up on top of her head.

Jiang Mingqing noticed how Lin Xia, perhaps due to having money now, also paid more attention to her appearance. Her clothes were no longer the shabby kind she wore years ago, and Jiang Mingqing quietly curled her lips in disapproval.

When they arrived at the agreed location, Ma Hao and Sheng Yijin were already there, chatting leisurely.

Lin Xia and Lin Dong once again expressed their thanks to Ma Hao for the help he had given.

Ma Hao found it amusing that everyone turned out to be acquaintances. He laughed heartily, "You siblings don’t be so formal! We’re all friends here!"

Jiang Mingqing deliberately sat close to Sheng Yijin, and the two chatted softly.

Lin Xia and Lin Dong sat together, realizing what was going on. They definitely couldn’t be the third wheels.

And listening to the conversation that Ma Hao and Lin Dong’s elder brother were having also intrigued them.

"... Mingyuan! You wouldn’t believe it! A relative of mine made a fortune growing Clivia. I happened to be in Ji City during a Clivia expo, where the entrance fee had gone up from fifty cents to a dollar!"

"I just had to join in the excitement, and boy, those Clivia plants are really worth a fortune..."

Lin Dong listened, wide-eyed and dumbfounded, hearing about such things for the first time.

He quietly asked Lin Xia, "Big sister, isn’t Clivia just a flower? Why is it so valuable?"

"Right, I really don’t get why it’s so valuable!"

Although Lin Xia said this, her mind was racing. She recalled the Clivia craze that had not only heated up in Ji City but eventually affected the northeastern provinces and the whole country.

Even singers performed for Clivia, artists painted them, and the master Hou Baolin even did comedy sketches about them.

But all of this...

She couldn’t remember exactly when, maybe around 1985? The bubble burst!

In any case, it was a gamble where few got rich and many lost out.

Lin Xia’s thoughts returned to the present just in time to hear Ma Hao asking Jiang Mingyuan, "So, why don’t you consider it? If you pull this off, it could make money faster than any stall you set up!"

Lin Xia also looked at Jiang Mingyuan. If handled well, this could indeed be a quick path to wealth.

She didn’t know if her elder brother would be interested.

Jiang Mingyuan raised an eyebrow, "Clivia? I’m not interested for now! Dealing with flowers is tough! We’re also far from the market, and transportation alone is a problem! You know how chaotic the streets are... Let’s wait and see..."

Ma Hao nodded, acknowledging the practical issues Jiang Mingyuan had pointed out, "Waiting a bit longer works too, given how quickly things are changing right now!"

After dinner, everyone went their separate ways.

On the way home, Lin Dong continued to talk to Lin Xia about Clivia.

Lin Xia responded intermittently, but her mind was preoccupied with calculations.

Now that she knew that the next few years were good times for Clivia, should she seize the opportunity to make a big profit?

But thinking about her Jade room, which seemed to have a drying function for green things, she wondered whether it would work for storing Clivia.

If it didn’t work out, the only advantage she could rely on was the convenience of the Jade room, as handling the logistics on her own would be impossible.

For the moment, Lin Xia shook her head and laughed, thinking that since it was only 1982, she might as well wait and see, focusing on the tasks at hand first.

Mingyuan had come to the Lin Family home the next day, looking for Lin Dong, insisting on accompanying him to a classmate’s home.

Lin Xia had given Lin Dong ten large bills, instructing him to prepare the money, as Haizi’s family, if they indeed had it, should not be taken advantage of.

After they had left, Lin Xia anxiously waited at home.

On their way back in the bus, Lin Dong and Mingyuan chatted idly.

It was then that Mingyuan found out what Lin Dong was going to his classmate’s home for.

"Your eldest sister had given that Lingzhi to our family before. Had I known, I would have kept it unused... Is it for your eldest brother that you’re looking for?" He really hadn’t expected that the purpose was to buy Lingzhi.

Connecting the dots, he realized it might be because of Lin Chun’s health that they needed to buy Lingzhi.

Lin Dong whispered to him, "Brother! Even if you have some, it won’t be enough! One plant is not enough! We need several plants! It’s not just for my eldest brother but also for Brother Lu!" After saying this, he felt he might have said too much.

"Brother Lu?" Mingyuan suppressed the sudden surge in his heart and asked quietly, "Who is this person?"

How had he never heard of him?

Lin Dong had no choice but to explain who Brother Lu was, but he did not mention the incident of being robbed that day.

Mingyuan listened, nodding, but his mind was full of thoughts.

When the two arrived at Haizi’s home, Haizi was alone.

When Haizi saw the two men entering, one of them being Lin Dong, he excitedly embraced him like a good brother.

"Dongzi! Why are you here? I’ve missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, Haizi!" Lin Dong hurriedly asked, "Which school did you get into?"

"No. 8 Middle School! I’ve been wondering these last few days where you got in, buddy! If it’s also No. 8 Middle School, we might even be in the same class!" Haizi’s eyes heated up with excitement; it had been almost a year since Lin Dong transferred schools.

Lin Dong was equally excited, grinning, "I got into No. 1 Middle School!"

Haizi first looked astonished, then burst into lavish praise, pounding Lin Dong’s shoulder powerfully, "You really did it!"

Lin Dong introduced Mingyuan to Haizi, and after a lively exchange, they brought up the matter of the Lingzhi.

Haizi immediately said he would take them both to his grandfather’s home to see; they should have some.

The three set out together, heading straight for Haizi’s grandfather’s house.

All along the way, Lin Dong was extremely cautious, fearing that he might run into someone from the Lin Family.

Mingyuan patted Lin Dong’s shoulder, telling him to relax, as his presence meant even if they encountered someone from the Lin Family, it wouldn’t be a problem.

When they reached Haizi’s grandfather’s house, the old man had just harvested three Lingzhi from the mountain a few days earlier, all fairly large.

Lin Dong wanted to buy them, and knowing the young boy was close to his grandson and hearing he had gotten into No. 1 Middle School, the old man suggested just taking ten yuan symbolically.

Lin Dong thought over it and left thirty yuan instead, persisting until the old man finally accepted it.

Haizi and Lin Dong agreed to meet in the city the next day to buy school supplies and bags together before they parted ways.

Mingyuan saw Lin Dong onto the bus and then slowly walked home, but his mind was swirling with thoughts.

He thought Lin Xia was still young and naive, and he could just silently be good to her, silently wait.

But now, without his knowledge, there were other men making contact with her.

However, perhaps this Mr. Lu was just Lin Chun’s leader, but for some reason, his heart was unsettled...