Chapter 90: Chapter 84: Looking for a Buyer
Gu Wenfeng came back from getting dinner, this time it was rice with steamed fish and fish-flavored eggplant, “The doctor said eating porridge all the time isn’t sufficient; the nutrition can’t keep up. I remembered you like yellow croaker, and it just so happened that the store had some.”
It had been three days, and at last, Lu Jiaxin had a full meal.
That night she didn’t have a fever again, and the next day when the doctor came to work, he issued a discharge certificate. The four-day hospital stay cost thirty-one yuan, which was half a month’s salary for the average person. No matter the era, getting sick was expensive.
During these days, Gu Wenfeng had been taking care of Lu Jiaxin in the hospital, afraid of any sudden complications, he didn’t dare to leave except to buy meals. So after being discharged, he planned to take Lu Jiaxin to rent a place.
Lu Jiaxin had changed her mind a while ago, “We’re not renting a place anymore, let’s go to Yangcheng City.”
It was only after talking on the phone with Lu Jiaguang that she realized, although Peng City was a special economic zone, it was Yangcheng City that was the center where the wealthy gathered. Especially since last year, the five-star Swan Hotel had opened in the beginning of this year was definitely a gathering place for the rich.
Gu Wenfeng was a bit puzzled as to why she had suddenly changed her mind, and he said, “Miss Lu, I don’t know anyone in Yangcheng City. Once we get there, we’ll have to rely on ourselves to find leads.”
Lu Jiaxin explained, “I was thinking wrong before. We should find a middleman, someone to help us make the connections to sell the paintings. And it’s in Yangcheng City where the real wealthy from Hong Kong gather, not Peng City.”
She was influenced by her thinking from a previous life, believing Peng City had many rich people. But she forgot that the place had only been designated as a special economic zone for three years, and it wasn’t yet the major metropolis it would be forty years later.
Gu Wenfeng countered, “We don’t know anyone in Yangcheng City, and intermediaries that are found through inquiries might not be reliable.”
Lu Jiaxin assured him that there was no hurry, “Have you heard of the Swan Hotel? Let’s stay there for a few days first; we can plan the rest slowly.”
“Where do you think we’ll find buyers?”
“I don’t know, let’s go there and see.”
Gu Wenfeng couldn’t argue with her and had to accompany her to the train station. He had no choice; Lu Jiaxin was fine with trains, but as soon as she got in a car she would start vomiting.
Upon reaching Yangcheng City, the two went straight to the Swan Hotel. She had stayed there twice before and was more familiar with it. As soon as they entered the hotel lobby, there it was, just as she remembered—the landscape scene with lush greenery, burbling water, and a waterfall spouting from the rocks.
Gu Wenfeng was stunned as soon as he walked into the hotel. Had he not known in advance that it was a hotel, he would have definitely mistaken it for a park. Hmm, even parks aren’t this beautiful.
Lu Jiaxin went to the front desk to check in and realized Gu Wenfeng was still admiring the beautiful scenery inside. She approached him with a smile and said, “Let’s go, our room is on the third floor.”
“Third floor, how many floors does this hotel have in total?”
Lu Jiaxin replied with a smile, “The hotel has a total of 28 floors, so the third floor is considered on the lower side. I’m a bit tired; if you want to keep looking, I’ll go upstairs first.”
The hotel, being in a flight path, couldn’t exceed one hundred meters in height, or else it would have been taller and more spacious. She had just heard a staff member explaining to someone that there were over eight hundred rooms. Yet, even so, when there’s a significant event or for some other reason, there aren’t enough rooms available.
There was no way Gu Wenfeng would let her go upstairs alone, as he had been too shocked to even notice when Lu Jiaxin had checked in. If this had been during a mission, such an oversight would have been fatal.
Since the third floor wasn’t high up, Gu Wenfeng wanted to take the stairs, but Lu Jiaxin insisted on taking the elevator. Gu Wenfeng thought she hadn’t ridden an elevator before and wanted to experience it, so he did not stop her.
Lu Jiaxin’s room was adjacent to Gu Wenfeng’s. Before she entered her room, she said to Gu Wenfeng, “I’m going to take a nap first. You can drop off your things and continue to admire the lobby’s scenery. Brother Gu, the hotel’s security measures are excellent, and the people staying on the top floor are all wealthy. You don’t need to worry about me.”
Even if someone were to attempt a kidnapping, they would target those wealthy individuals, not a poor soul like her.
Gu Wenfeng responded, “Then I will go out for a while, and you should not leave the room until I return.”
Lu Jiaxin agreed, “I haven’t had much rest these past few days. You might find me still deep in sleep when you come back.”
The rooms here each had a private bathroom, complete with hot water. As soon as Lu Jiaxin locked her door, she immediately went into the bathroom to take a shower. Over the two months she had been here, the things she missed the most were the water heater and the flush toilet.
She washed herself from head to toe and then found a hairdryer to dry her hair. Staying here, Lu Jiaxin felt as if she had returned to the twenty-first century.
She climbed into bed and quickly fell asleep. Before drifting off, she thought that she must install a bathroom when she got back. Right, and buy a hairdryer, too—living without one was just too inconvenient.
Lu Jiaxin slept straight through until it was dark, only waking because she was hungry. Otherwise, she could have slept longer. While washing her face, someone knocked on her door,
Hearing that it was Gu Wenfeng’s voice, she opened the door to let him in, “I was just about to look for you. I didn’t expect you to come over first.”
Gu Wenfeng had heard noise from her room and figured she must be awake, “Miss Lu, I just got back and ran into Old Mr. Su and Su Heyuan while waiting for the elevator.”
Lu Jiaxin instinctively searched her memory and realized she didn’t know these two people. As she was about to ask who they were, a thought flashed through her mind, “Are they Su Heming’s father and older brother?”
Su Heming’s mother had passed away several years ago, leaving behind the three men in the family. According to Su Heming, his mother’s biggest regret before her death was not seeing them married and with children.
Lu Jiaxin was not surprised, recalling that Su Heming had mentioned his father and brother had gone to Hong Kong. Now it seemed that the two men had returned from Hong Kong, “Do they know you?”
Gu Wenfeng nodded, “I met them once at a leader’s residence, but they probably don’t remember me, so I didn’t greet them just now. Miss Lu, it seems that they have come from there.”
Lu Jiaxin understood there was more to his words and shook her head, “Brother Gu, I can’t rely on others for everything. Besides, a favor once called upon is one less to use.”
There were many who knew the goods and even more with vision. It would be easy for her to sell her painting at a high price, but she wanted to find a buyer with real substance.
Gu Wenfeng thought she often seemed too shrewd for a fifteen-year-old. He couldn’t help but ask, “Who taught you all this?”
“My mother taught me. I was too young to understand before. But later, while trying to make a living in the Ancient Capital, I suddenly had an epiphany and started doing well by following what my mother had advised.”
Gu Wenfeng remained silent. According to the information he had gathered, Mrs. Lu was a cunning yet generous person. Lu Hongjun’s smooth career path owed much to her. It was a shame she passed away early, leaving her daughter to be roughed up by others.
Lu Jiaxin asked, “What are you thinking about? Come on, let’s go eat.”
The hotel had many restaurants—thirty in total, both big and small, offering Chinese and Western cuisines. Whatever flavor you fancied, you could find it here. Lu Jiaxin chose the Cantonese restaurant. The Cantonese cuisine here was very authentic, and she liked it a lot.