Chapter 416: Chapter 405: Giving Away the Storefront (2) Chapter 416: Chapter 405: Giving Away the Storefront (2) As soon as Second Sister-in-law Lu saw that it was He Bin, she immediately greeted him with enthusiasm, “Mr. He, how come you have time to visit our little shop?”
He Bin had come over this time to deliver the property deed of the store. Upon seeing Lu Shan, he took out the property certificate and handed it to him, saying, “Young Master Shan, this is a gift from the boss to you.”
Lu Shan had never dealt with property deeds but could read. Astonishment filled his face upon seeing the property certificate, “Mr. He, why has my aunt given me the house in Chaoyang District?”
He thought this way because Lu Jiaxin had given Lu Jiaguang a house, so he subconsciously assumed it was the house in Chaoyang District.
He Bin was initially startled, but then he said with a smile, “It’s not the house in Chaoyang District. That house is for Old Mr. Lu to live in, and it won’t be touched for now.”
It wouldn’t be given away now, but who could say about the future? After all, the boss was so wealthy that gifting a house worth tens of thousands of dollars was nothing to her.
Lu Shan was somewhat confused and asked, “Then this is…?”
He Bin said with a smile, “The boss knows you’ve been adopted into the third branch and can no longer inherit your parents’ property, so she feels you’re at a disadvantage and bought a shop to give you as compensation.”
Second Sister-in-law Lu slapped the back of Shanzi’s head, “Did you tell your aunt that you won’t be able to inherit your dad’s and my property in the future?”
Lu Shan covered his head, stepped back two steps from her furious face, and said softly, “Mom, you were the one who said it, that the shop and money at home belong to Ah Yun and Taozi from now on, not related to me. When my aunt asked, of course, I told the truth.”
Second Sister-in-law Lu was nearly furious to death, “You fool, how could you say that to your little aunt?”
Lu Shan replied with frustration, “Why can’t I tell my little aunt? She is an elder who asked me. Could I lie to her?”
Second Sister-in-law Lu, infuriated, started to hit him, cursing as she did so, “By saying this, isn’t it implicitly showing that being adopted into the third branch is a loss…”
She knew her son wasn’t shrewd, but Jiaxin would definitely think so. And here she was, buying a shop for him as compensation.
When Lu Shan heard this, he immediately felt guilty and didn’t dare dodge, letting her hit him. Of course, Second Sister-in-law Lu was restrained and didn’t use much force; it was painful but wouldn’t cause injury.
After Second Sister-in-law Lu stopped, Shanzi said, “Mom, I know I was wrong, I will tell my aunt right away that I can’t accept this shop.”
This was more like it, Second Sister-in-law Lu said, “Shanzi, everyone wants to live a good life, but that life shouldn’t depend on others, it has to be earned by oneself. In the future, if your aunt wants to give you anything valuable, you mustn’t accept it. Even though she has made a lot of money through business, it’s not easy for one person in Hong Kong, we can’t take advantage of her.”
Lu Shan hurriedly nodded in agreement.
He Bin thought that the mother and son were quite admirable, not wanting something that was gifted to them, “Third Young Master, it’s a sincere gesture from the boss, please accept it!”
Lu Shan repeatedly waved his hands to indicate he couldn’t accept it.
He Bin said, “In the Mainland, there’s a saying that a gift from an elder must not be refused. The boss is your aunt, and you cannot decline her gifts. Otherwise, it would be a betrayal of her kind intentions.”
Lu Shan still didn’t want to accept it. He said, “Mr. He, I know you are very capable, please change the shop to my aunt’s name!”
He Bin chuckled helplessly, “I can’t change that.”
He could register the purchased shop under Lu Shan’s name, but this was a buy-in. However, changing the shop’s name required the property owner to do it; he didn’t have that authority. Of course, these were things he couldn’t possibly say to Lu Shan.
Placing the property deed on the dining table, He Bin said, “The boss instructed me to do this, and if I take this property deed back, it would mean that I’m incompetent, and the boss won’t use me anymore. Young Master Shan, I hope you won’t make this difficult for me.”
Lu Shan was a straightforward person and, after hearing this, he felt bad about pushing the property deed back onto him.
He Bin bid farewell to the two, “Sister-in-law Lu, Young Master Shan, I have to leave now for another matter.
Second Sister-in-law Lu’s invitation for him to stay for lunch was gracefully declined, and then she and her son walked him out of the store, watching as he got into a small car and drove away.
Returning to the store, Second Sister-in-law Lu picked up the property deed and started to look through it. She hadn’t been educated formally, but she had attended a literacy class organized by the commune. It wasn’t that she loved learning or wanted to progress, but because Big Uncle Lu, as the village party secretary, had to Find your next favorite novel on NovelHub today! Over time, Second Sister-in-law Lu had learned to recognize quite a number of characters. The words on this property deed, she could basically understand.
After looking at the property deed, Second Sister-in-law Lu exclaimed in admiration of Jiaxin’s wealth and generosity, “Shanzi, the shop your auntie bought is forty-eight square meters!”
You have to understand, her own shop was only eighteen square meters, and for that, she had spent all her savings and even borrowed money from her daughter. She was also grateful for having heeded Jiaxin’s advice to buy it in time; in just one year, the price had risen by almost twenty percent. But even so, whenever there was a shop for sale, everyone scrambled to buy it.
Shanzi was more unruffled; after all, he knew that Jiaxin was someone who could easily spend a hundred years’ worth of rent, so purchasing a forty-eight square meter shop was not really a big deal, “Mom, we can rent this shop out for auntie, and the annual rent should be quite substantial.”
“You’re thinking the same thing as I am.”
That evening, Lu Shan spoke to Jiaxin on the phone about the shop matter, “Auntie, this is too valuable; I can’t accept it.”
“Just take it if I’m gifting it to you.”
With a mournful face, Lu Shan spoke, “Auntie, my mom beat me up when she found out about this. She said I was brainless and accused me of indirectly asking you for things. Auntie, I really didn’t mean to ask for the shop. It was just something I said in passing without thinking.”
“Aunt, please take back the shop! This morning my mom was still showing some mercy. If you don’t take the shop back, she might beat me until I’m covered in welts.”
Jiaxin couldn’t help but burst into outright laughter, and through her chuckles she spoke, “Now, you are the heir of our third branch. As your aunt, gifting you a shop as a welcome present is my right, and she has no say in it.”
Lu Shan glanced at Second Sister-in-law Lu standing beside him and said with an aggrieved tone, “If I say that, she’ll break my legs.”
Jiaxin burst into hearty laughter, “Your mom’s there, right? Let her take the call, I’ll talk to her.”
Second Sister-in-law Lu took the phone and explained to Jiaxin, “Jiaxin, even if we disregard the adoption issue, once your second brother and I have bought him a place, we wouldn’t be giving him any more money from the family assets. We have three children of our own, and we need to save for Lu Yun and Taozi.”
After an acknowledging hum, Jiaxin spoke up, “Second Sister-in-law, everyone has their own interests at heart. You may think you are being fair, but Lu Yun and his wife won’t see it that way. Besides, Shanzi works hard in the noodle shop because he feels like it belongs to the family.”
“Second Sister-in-law, adopting him out was your and second brother’s idea, not his demand. Yet because of that, you say the shop won’t be his and that the money earned from the shop won’t have anything to do with him. It’s unfair to him to work so hard every month for only a hundred dollars in wages.”
She thought that given Lu Shan’s personality, he likely had no intention of renting another shop and starting his own business; that must have been Da Mai’s idea. But it made sense. If the shop and the earnings were not going to be shared with them, then it was better to start their own thing, so that any money earned would belong to their small family.