Inside the room.

Grandpa Lu patted the bed. "Sit down."

Lu Yunzhang did not sit down immediately, but poured a glass of water for the old man first, saying, "Your lips are dry. You should drink more water."

Grandpa Lu looked at his grandson, who was tall and had long legs, an outstanding temperament, and a resolute expression on his face, and his eyes were filled with satisfaction.

He only spoke after finishing the water in his cup, "How was it feeling staying in the army?"

Lu Yunzhang smiled and said, "It's great. Although it's tiring, it's also very fulfilling."

He then recounted some amusing anecdotes from his military training, which amused Grandpa Lu so much that he showed his teeth.

As he spoke, Grandpa Lu began to reminisce, saying, "The conditions now are much better than when we joined the army."

"Life was tough back then. Your grandpa was one of those who went straight to the battlefield after joining the army. I woke up every day to the sound of gunfire. Bombs rained down on us, and we couldn't even get a hot meal. In winter, we didn't even have a decent set of clothes. The cold wind was like a knife, cutting right through our bodies..."

"During war, amidst gunfire and explosions, even hungry and barefoot, we had to charge forward, traversing mountains and valleys..."

Listening to the old man reminisce about the hardships of the past and commemorate the revolutionary comrades who sacrificed their lives, Lu Yunzhang formed a vague picture in his mind and felt a deep sense of respect.

"Grandpa..." He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but his throat seemed to be choked up.

Grandpa Lu snapped out of his reverie, looked at him, and said with relief, "Fortunately, you are here to carry on your grandfather's will. The Lu family can only rely on you from now on."

"Grandpa, I will not let you down."

Ever since Lu Yunzhang demonstrated his excellent military skills, he has been groomed by the old man as his successor.

He certainly knew what the old man expected of him, and he had been working towards that goal for many years.

He is now the youngest regimental commander in the Beijing Military Region. As long as he doesn't make any mistakes, he will be able to become the commander of a local military region by the time he turns forty.

Thinking this, Lu Yunzhang revealed a confident smile.

Grandpa Lu nodded in satisfaction, "Grandpa doesn't know how many more years he has left to live, but just to be on the safe side, there's something I'm planning to give you now."

Lu Yunzhang was taken aback. "What is that?"

Then, I suddenly remembered what my third uncle had said to my grandfather not long ago, and he had mentioned something in his words.

But the old man said that the thing had long since disappeared and had been lost by his third uncle.

Yun Yi and Yun Chen's sudden return from the Northwest seemed to be related to that thing as well.

What is it that everyone is so concerned about?

Grandpa Lu didn't take the item out immediately, but instead asked him, "How much do you know about your fourth uncle?"

Fourth Uncle?

Lu Yunzhang's first thought was of the towering fire twenty years ago, and that tall figure.

He didn't know much about the upheaval that happened to the Lu family twenty years ago, after all, he was only seven years old at the time, and he had very little memory of his fourth uncle.

But I remember my fourth uncle's exceptionally handsome face clearly.

Many people say he is good-looking, but Lu Yunzhang thinks they haven't seen his fourth uncle when he was young. It is said that his fourth uncle was able to marry his fourth aunt because he had a face that was so good-looking it was unreal.

After the fire at the Lu family home, Fourth Uncle disappeared with Fourth Aunt. As he grew older, he learned some of the reasons for the Lu family's misfortunes from outsiders.

A property dispute involving individuals with immense wealth.

Lu Yunzhang couldn't believe it and had asked the old man indirectly many times, but he still didn't get a definite answer.

I've speculated about this over the years, but I've never been able to find the right answer.

“My fourth uncle was very handsome,” Lu Yunzhang tried hard to recall. “He was very kind to me, my older brother, and my older sister.”

My eldest brother and sister were the children of my deceased uncle, and they also perished in the fire.

At seven years old, he had many memories of Lu Mo taking them out to play when he was little, giving them pocket money, and bringing them delicious food and fun things when they came back.

Grandpa Lu's eyes revealed nostalgia, "Yes, your fourth uncle was the most handsome among my seven children."

“I remember when you were just born, your fourth uncle was still in the south. He went a long way to send you a very large gold lock. He never mistreated any of you siblings, but then those things happened.”

The last words were spoken with great difficulty by Old Master Lu, his voice trembling with emotion.

Lu Yunzhang's eyelids twitched, and he asked softly, "Grandpa, is what happened back then really the same as what's being said outside?"

Grandpa Lu's eyes were unfocused, and he asked him woodenly, "Yunzhang, let me ask you, if you were given a fortune that could rival the wealth of a nation, would you be tempted by it?"

This is practically an open secret.

Lu Yunzhang closed his eyes to hide the sadness in them.

After a moment of silence, he shook his head. "I can't."

Grandpa Lu laughed, "Child, you still don't fully understand the phrase 'wealth that rivals a country,' which is why you said no."

"How about I put it another way?"

He stared intently into Lu Yunzhang's eyes and said slowly, "The property your fourth uncle's father-in-law left to your fourth aunt back then would be worth over 10 billion yuan today."

Lu Yunzhang's pupils contracted.

"US dollars," Old Master Lu added the unit to the string of numbers.

Lu Yunzhang frowned. "It's unreasonable to keep these assets now."

The wealth Wen Jiarong amassed before the founding of the People's Republic of China, even if the property still exists, should be confiscated by the state. What is there to covet?

He didn't understand.

Old Master Lu chuckled, seemingly mocking his naiveté, "Yunzhang, do you think Wen Jiarong only left your fourth aunt a little over a hundred million in assets?"

Lu Yunzhang: ? ? ? There's more?

Old Master Lu sighed and said slowly, "Wen Jiarong is indeed a warlord, but he is not an ordinary warlord. Most of his assets come from commercial tax revenues within his jurisdiction, profits from military enterprises, and profits from investments in civilian government-run enterprises."

"The more than 10 billion I mentioned refers only to the visible and quantifiable assets and profits."

“Your fourth aunt inherited more than just Wen Jiarong’s property.”

Lu Yunzhang was completely dumbfounded. "Isn't Fourth Aunt an only child? And as far as I know, Wen Jiarong has no other family members."

Where did the other assets come from?

Grandpa Lu: "Have you forgotten your fourth aunt's mother?"

Lu Yunzhang thought about it carefully, "It is said that she was the only daughter of a prominent Han Chinese official in the late Qing Dynasty."

Thinking about it this way, it makes sense. A high-ranking official in the late Qing Dynasty must have had considerable wealth.

Perhaps Fourth Aunt also inherited her maternal grandfather's property.

“If it’s just that, then forget it.” Old Master Lu shook his head. “Although your fourth aunt’s mother is an only child, her maternal grandfather also adopted a son. On the surface, he was an adopted son, but he was raised as his own son.”

"Your fourth aunt's uncle is quite something."

Old Master Lu sighed.