Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire

Chapter 45: Chapter 43 Gu Wenfeng

Unable to pry open Lu Jiaxin’s lips, Gu Wenfeng turned his attention to Xue Mao. This kid was not on guard against him, and he quickly divulged information.

Hearing that Lu Jiaxin stayed in the Ancient Capital to hunt for treasure, he was stunned. He had thought of many reasons, but hadn’t considered the truth to be this.

Not wanting to waste time, Gu Wenfeng took Xue Mao to find Lu Jiaxin, “Miss Lu, may I know where you plan to hunt for treasure?”

Seeing Xue Mao hanging his head, not daring to look at her, Lu Jiaxin knew he had let something slip. Alas, she had told him to keep it a secret; she hadn’t expected his lips to be so loose.

Gu Wenfeng understood her expression; she didn’t trust him now. “Miss Lu, as long as this matter isn’t illegal, I can help you find it, and I won’t reveal a word of it once the treasure is found.”

“What if you don’t do as you say?”

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Gu Wenfeng replied, “If I go back on my word, you can tell Madam Xie. Miss Lu, the leaders won’t reuse someone who doesn’t keep their word.”

His words persuaded Lu Jiaxin, and she said, “I can trust you, but what about Zhao Dajun?”

Gu Wenfeng immediately replied, “Don’t worry about him; he won’t leak this matter either. If he dares to speak out, his job opportunity will be gone.”

Lu Jiaxin had originally planned to buy the house, then search slowly with Xue Mao, but with Xue Mao’s loose talk, she had to change her plan. “Don’t tell Zhao Dajun about this for now; let’s talk when I get back from my hometown.”

Gu Wenfeng nodded in agreement.

Lu Jiaxin told him everything she knew, in great detail.

Upon hearing that the homeowner’s name was Sun Xun, Gu Wenfeng frowned and asked, “Miss Lu, apart from his name, do you have any other clues?”

With the Ancient Capital’s large population, finding someone based solely on their name would be difficult. An extra clue could narrow down the search significantly.

Lu Jiaxin described Sun Xun’s family situation, “They were once a local prominent family and now live in the ancestral home. I think they should be easy to inquire about.”

Upon hearing this, Xue Mao chimed in, “Sister Xin, we could ask Uncle Feng to help inquire. He knows many people in the Ancient Capital and should be able to find out quickly.”

As soon as Gu Wenfeng heard this, he dismissed the suggestion, “Since it’s about treasure hunting, the fewer people who know, the better. Otherwise, if the information leaks, even if we find the treasure, we won’t be able to keep it.”

Lu Jiaxin already regretted telling Xue Mao, and of course, she couldn’t tell Uncle Feng now; the more people who knew, the greater the risk. Drawing too much attention could alert the astute, and there were many clever people in this world. She wanted to find these antiques, earn her first pot of gold, and not have any complications.

The four split into two groups to make inquiries: Zhao Dajun with Gu Wenfeng and Lu Jiaxin with Xue Mao. Stepping outside, Zhao Dajun asked with confusion, “Brother Feng, didn’t we come with Miss Lu to catch traffickers? Why are we looking for someone now? Does this person have something to do with the traffickers?”

Gu Wenfeng hadn’t told him about the treasure hunting, merely saying, “She wants to find someone, and our job is just to help her do it.”

Gu Wenfeng was quick to act, finding the person in no time, “Miss Lu, this Sun Xun is thirty-nine years old, a boiler worker at the cotton factory. He had two brothers and one sister, none lived to adulthood. His family situation is basically as you described, with eight members currently living in the front courtyard of the old house.”

The residence comprises three sections. Sun Xun’s father was one of three brothers. When they divided the house, they didn’t assign it directly but decided by drawing lots, with Sun Xun’s father getting the first section of the courtyard.

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Gu Wenfeng said, “This Sun Xun likes to gamble. He plays cards as soon as he gets his salary. His six children all depend on his wife doing odd jobs for support. Their house is said to be so dilapidated that it could collapse at any time. Miss Lu, are you sure there’s treasure in that decrepit house?”

As soon as Lu Jiaxin heard that the other party liked to gamble, she was certain she had found the right person. She had heard the follow-up story during her later trip to the Ancient Capital. That Sun Xun had sold the collection of calligraphy, paintings, and ancient books for a fortune, and not long after, he died on the street. As for how he died, there were various theories, but none could be verified.

“Brother Gu, let’s find a way to buy his house.”

Gu Wenfeng didn’t believe there was any treasure in the house. He tried to persuade her, “Miss Lu, the Sun Family isn’t doing well. If there truly were treasures, they would have taken them themselves long ago, and it wouldn’t be our turn.”

Lu Jiaxin spread her hands and said, “Even if we don’t find the treasure, Xue Mao will have obtained a house; even if that house is run-down, it’s still better than the shack he had before. But if we do find it, we’ll be rich, and we won’t have to worry about making a living anymore.”

Xue Mao finally realized what was going on: “Sister Xin, you pawned the jewelry set that Big Brother Su gave you, and you even withdrew the dowry money your mother left you, just to buy this dilapidated house and search for treasure?”

After receiving an affirmative answer, Xue Mao felt she was crazy: “Sister Xin, this must be Ding Jing’s conspiracy, don’t be fooled!”

Lu Jiaxin was amused by his wild speculation.

Gu Wenfeng gave up trying to persuade her. From what he had observed over the past few days, he could tell that Lu Jiaxin was a person with plans in mind. Even going to the lengths of using her late mother’s dowry money to search for treasure, no amount of persuasion would change her mind. So there was no point in wasting any more words.

After thinking it over, he said, “Miss Lu, we can’t just directly buy his house. Sun Xun isn’t a fool; if we rashly approach him to buy his house, he will definitely become suspicious.”

Xue Mao was stunned. What was Brother Gu doing? It was bad enough that he wasn’t helping persuade her, but now he was even encouraging the purchase of that ramshackle house.

Lu Jiaxin had already considered this, so her plan was to find a middleman. As long as the price was right, she believed Sun Xun would sell the house, as gamblers were not known for their rationality. However, it was best to leave this matter to Gu Wenfeng to handle, as she and Xue Mao were too young and inexperienced to be convincing.

Gu Wenfeng said, “Miss Lu, Sun Xun’s house is so decrepit that just the repairs alone would cost a fortune. No normal person would buy his house. Even with a middleman, he would be suspicious.”

“Do you have a better idea?”

Gu Wenfeng’s plan was to exploit Sun Xun’s weakness for gambling and have creditors pressure him to pay his debts, leaving him no choice but to sell the house. In this way, there would be no fear of arousing suspicion.

Lu Jiaxin’s eyes sparkled as she looked at him. Having the ability to be adaptable and not bound by conventions was exactly the kind of assistant she needed!

Gu Wenfeng reminded her, “Miss Lu, this will take some time. We have been out for five days now; your father and Station Chief Lu must be looking for you everywhere.”

“I left a note at home before I left; my Fifth Brother will see it when he comes over.”

Although she said this, she still went to the post office to call Lu Jiaguang, telling him she was in the Ancient Capital.

“Weren’t you going to Feng County to find that human trafficker? Why are you still in the Ancient Capital?” Lu Jiaguang asked. He had been worried since receiving a call from Lu Jiajie the previous afternoon saying she hadn’t returned home. He was somewhat reassured by the thought that the two bodyguards with her were arranged by the Xie Family, so he hadn’t filed a report.

Lu Jiaxin had already thought of an excuse: “When Xue Mao got off the train, he was pushed and twisted his ankle. The doctor said it needs to rest for a while; otherwise, the injury could get worse.”

A muscle and bone injury takes a hundred days to heal; with an injured foot, they couldn’t hurry on their journey, and Lu Jiaguang understood this as well.

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