Chapter 132: Chapter 125 Gu Xiuxiu (2)
Su Heyuan had returned, and the eldest of the Su family, Su Xingcong, came over with his wife and four children. Old Master Su was different from other elders, who loved having their grandchildren around their knees; he found it noisy. After Su Xingcong and his wife had a fight over another woman, he had them move out. As for the third and fourth sons, they were each kicked out upon marriage because they lacked ambition.
The eldest grandson of the Su family, Su Hexu, would still put on an act in front of Old Master Su, but behind his back, he was full of sarcasm and even once brought friends to humiliate Heyuan.
When Heyuan had first arrived in Hong Kong, he would become very angry when faced with these humiliations, and once he even lost his temper and got into a fight. However, after being scolded by Old Master Su, he quickly adjusted his attitude. Now, when faced with provocations from Hexu, he was able to respond calmly.
Upon learning that Heyuan wanted to join the company, Hexu couldn’t help but threaten him, “I’m telling you, if you know what’s good for you, go back to Peng City right away and honestly run your little broken factory. Don’t even think about taking over the company. Otherwise, I’ll make you regret coming to Hong Kong.”
Heyuan knew that Hong Kong was different from the Mainland; there were many societies here, and those people were capable of anything, from arson to murder. He was not yet strong enough to confront them head-on, “It was Grandpa who wanted me to join the company to learn. I just refused, but Grandpa didn’t agree. But rest assured, my main focus will still be the electronics factory in Peng City.”
Old Master Su was autocratic, and Hexu knew this all too well. Seeing Heyuan understanding the situation made him quite satisfied, but he still couldn’t help adding a harsh word, “If you behave yourself, we’ll all live peacefully. But if you dare to play tricks, watch your back.”
In his heart, Heyuan did not respect Hexu. If Hexu had the ability, he should persuade the old man to hand over the company to him so that no one else could take it away. But all Hexu did was threaten him—useless. However, Hexu’s threats made Heyuan vigilant; once he made enough money, he would hire a bodyguard to protect himself.
Old Master Su liked to take a walk after meals. The eldest, Su Xingcong, was busy and left after dinner. Hexu and his four siblings did not have the patience and quickly went back with Eldest Madam Su. So, it was Su Xingwen and Heyuan who accompanied Old Master Su on a walk in the garden.
As they walked and talked, Heyuan suddenly asked, “Grandpa, I saw a statement in the newspaper today that He Long’s widow, Madam Guh Xiuxiu, and her adopted daughter, Xing Yujun, have severed their ties. Grandpa, have you ever met this Madam Guh before?”
Old Master Su asked, “You don’t normally pay attention to gossip magazines, so why did you ask about this today?”
Heyuan had already thought of an excuse, “I saw a photo of Madam Guh when she was young in the newspaper, truly a dazzling beauty with an unmatched elegance. None of the current Hong Kong actresses can compare to her.”
Su Xingwen had some understanding of him, and it was impossible for him to suddenly become interested in an old lady. There must be something he didn’t know.
Old Master Su laughed, “Madam Guh Xiuxiu was indeed the most beautiful among the Four Golden Flowers of Ten-miles Yangchang in her youth. Not only did she sing beautifully, but she also had the title of Dancing Queen. Back then, countless men were bending over backward for her. She suddenly disappeared one day, and it was only when I came to Hong Kong that I found out she had married He Long.”
Once married, it became inappropriate for her to be in the limelight, and one could no longer witness her elegant demeanor. Thinking about it was quite regrettable.
Heyuan was somewhat surprised, “Was Madam Guh a social butterfly when she was young?”
The term “Golden Flower” was just a more elegant way of saying high-class social butterfly, the plaything of wealthy and influential men.
You could say that wasn’t wrong.
Curious, Heyuan asked, “Grandpa, if Madam Guh wanted to adopt a child, she could have taken one from her siblings’ families. Why did she go to an orphanage to adopt?”
A child from a sibling would at least share a blood relationship; it would be difficult to raise an adopted child with the same closeness.
Old Master Su said, “Her family used to be very wealthy, but after her grandfather passed away from illness, her father was schemed into an opium addiction and squandered all the family assets before resorting to selling his sons and daughters. Gu Xiuxiu was beautiful and her name was well-known, so a wealthy merchant paid a high price to take her home. He probably died of excitement on the very night, drunken at the dinner table, and she seized the opportunity to escape. It was only later, when her fame rose in the Ten-miles Yangchang, that her past was dragged into the light.”
Only women with skills and backing could make it in the Ten-miles Yangchang. After the death of the wealthy merchant, however, his sons fought over the inheritance in a life and death struggle that led to their decline by the time Xiuxiu’s reputation soared.
After walking around the garden for five laps, Old Master Su went inside to watch financial news. After that, he swam in the pool for over half an hour before retiring to his room to rest. Thanks to this self-discipline, Old Master Su remained robust even in his sixties. When he went out, he even looked more spirited than Big Boss Su, who partied every night.
After Old Master Su had gone to bed, Su Xingwen came to find Su Heyuan and asked, “Why did you ask about Gu Xiuxiu today?”
Heyuan didn’t hide it and replied, “Dad, Lu Jiaxin resembles the young Gu Xiuxiu by six or seven parts. I hear Aunt say that Ding Xiaoxia’s family used to be landlords before they fell on hard times. After the New Year, I’ll go back to the Mainland and have someone look into whether Jiaxin is related to Madam Guh.”
Despite the many look-alikes in the world, he felt it couldn’t be such a coincidence.
Su Xingwen asked, “And what if you find out that Jiaxin and Madam Guh are related? Do you think Madam Guh would recognize her and bring her to Hong Kong? If she cared about kinship, she would have sought out her sold mother and siblings thirty years ago. With her capabilities at that time, if they weren’t dead, she could have easily found them.”
She didn’t even care for her own mother and sisters, let alone a niece removed by one degree – thus, he didn’t want his son to waste his efforts.
Heyuan replied, “Dad, that was then, this is now. Madam Guh is getting on in years, and she holds shares of He’s Jewelry. The He family’s descendants are eyeing those shares, and now that her adopted daughter has betrayed her, perhaps a blood relative might give her more peace of mind.”
It was obvious that Madam Guh going into a coma and then disowning her adopted daughter through a newspaper announcement upon regaining some health was related.
Su Xingwen didn’t see the point in what he was doing.
Heyuan said, “Dad, in just over three months, Jiaxin turned ten thousand into more than seven hundred thousand with her ability to amass wealth, an ability few possess. In Hong Kong, she thrived even more.”
“I originally wanted to take her under my wing, promising to help her secure a Hong Kong residency, but she refused. After learning about it, Aunt said someone like her would not stoop to serving under others.”
Su Xingwen was very surprised, “She actually doesn’t wish to settle in Hong Kong?”
Due to effective propaganda, to many people on the Mainland, Hong Kong is heaven – with high salaries and plentiful goods. Countless people wish to come, some even resorting to smuggling. Of course, this is not wrong; Hong Kong is indeed heaven, but only for the wealthy.
Heyuan explained, “It’s not that she is unwilling to come to Hong Kong, but her health isn’t great, and she wants to heal first. However, I can tell that she is wary of me.”
Su Xingwen felt that was a normal reaction, “She was nearly killed by Ding Jing and her daughter’s schemes; if she had simply agreed to come to Hong Kong with you, such a person wouldn’t be worth noting.”
A fifteen-year-old girl, falling for a trick the first time might be attributed to naiveté and not knowing the dangers of the world. But to have suffered so much, nearly losing her life and still easily trusting to go with a man to a distant land without any preparation – that would be beyond help.