Lin Laosan walked over quietly and carefully picked up Lin Hu. The little guy snuggled against him, smacked his lips, and fell asleep again.

"Young Master, let me carry the young master back to his room."

Ah Zhen came over and tried to take the child from her.

"No need, I can do it."

Lin Laosan carried his nephew up the stairs, his steps light and graceful.

As he reached the corner on the second floor, he glanced back at the study upstairs. The light was still on, and his mother's figure swayed gently on the curtains.

He gripped the key in his pocket tightly, his heart feeling as if it were filled with something warm and heavy.

Meanwhile, Lin Li sat at her desk, looking at the words "Taikoo City Apartment" on her notebook, and suddenly felt a little tired.

She rubbed her temples, picked up the phone, and dialed Chen's Real Estate's number.

“Wang Sheng,” her voice was tired but still clear, “I’ve reserved that apartment in Taikoo City. I’ll send the payment over tomorrow.”

After hanging up the phone, she walked to the window and looked at the sea under the moonlight.

The ferry had docked, and the lights on the pier twinkled in the darkness like a string of scattered pearls.

Lin Laosan put Lin Hu on the bed, covered him with a small quilt, and then tiptoed to Lin Yao's room.

The little guy was already asleep, still clutching the Cantonese literacy flashcards in his hand.

He sat on the edge of the bed for a while, tucked the blanket around his nephew, and then turned around and gently closed the door.

Back in his room, he put the two dark brown leather suitcases in the deepest part of the wardrobe, placing several old suits on top of them.

After doing all this, he walked to the window and looked at the light in his mother's study upstairs.

He didn't know how his mother managed to raise so much money in such a short time, nor did he know why she kept it a secret from everyone, but he knew that everything his mother did was for the sake of the family.

He took out his cigarette case, intending to smoke a cigarette, but then put it back after thinking about it.

I have a lot to do tomorrow; I need to see Mr. Yu and contact the supervisor…

He needs to keep a clear head.

The lights upstairs finally went out.

Lin Laosan knew that his mother had also gone to rest.

He lay in bed, silently planning his schedule for tomorrow.

As night deepened, the lights of the port city remained dazzling, like a starry sea that never goes out.

The next morning, Lin Laosan left home with two leather suitcases.

He didn't tell anyone what was in the box, but simply asked Acheng to drive him to Mr. Yu's company.

On the way, he watched the street scenes rushing past the window, his heart filled with enthusiasm.

From today onwards, the Lin family's business will turn a new page, and he will shoulder even greater responsibilities.

...

Lin Li slowly woke up when Lin Laosan left the house.

She slowly sat up and stretched out a big yawn.

Last night I specifically asked Ah Zhen to set the air conditioner to 26 degrees Celsius, and the room is just the right temperature right now.

When I opened the bedroom door, I could already hear noises coming from downstairs.

Uncle Fu was directing Ah Zhen to set out breakfast, and the bone china bowls on the silver tray kept making a crisp sound.

Lin Hu and Lin Yao, dressed in matching blue outfits, sat at opposite ends of a long table, munching on toast. Lin Hu had cream all over his nose, while Lin Yao used a small spoon to spread strawberry jam neatly on his bread.

Good morning, Grandma.

The two children looked up in unison, the morning light falling on their fuzzy hair, giving it a pale golden glow.

Lin Li walked over, took out a tissue, and wiped Lin Hu's nose: "Teacher Zhou is going to teach a new Cantonese text today. Have you memorized it all?"

"Got it!"

Lin Hu jumped up holding a loaf of toast. "The teacher said we're going to learn about 'banks' and 'money' today. My third uncle also said that Grandma is going to the bank today."

Lin Li smiled, didn't reply, and turned to sit at the head of the table.

Uncle Fu brought over bird's nest porridge, served in a white porcelain bowl decorated with lotus scroll patterns, and the sweet aroma of rock sugar immediately filled the air.

She scooped up a spoonful and drank it slowly, her gaze fixed on the view outside the window.

The branches and leaves of the phoenix tree have grown even more lush, and the pink and purple petals have fallen to the ground, like a soft carpet.

Just after eight o'clock, Zhou Manyun appeared at the door on time.

Today she wore a moon-white cheongsam with a small pearl button at the collar, and the spine of a Cantonese textbook was sticking out of her canvas bag.

Good morning, Mrs. Lin.

She bowed slightly, her gaze behind her glasses falling on the two children. "Have you memorized all the vocabulary I taught you yesterday?"

"Memorize it!"

Lin Yao took out his notebook, on which the Cantonese pronunciation was marked in red pen. "Teacher, is this how 'real estate' is pronounced?"

Lin Li watched them sit together and open their books, then quietly got up and went back to her room to get her handbag.

After putting the gold bars from the space into a leather suitcase, he went out.

Inside the leather handbag was a phone book with the phone number of Mr. Wang from Chenji Real Estate listed.

“Uncle Fu,” she whispered as she changed her shoes in the entryway, “I might not be back at noon. If the children ask, just say I’m going to see an old friend.”

Uncle Fu nodded, watching her leave with a smile in his eyes.

The driver, Ah Biao, had already parked the black sedan at the entrance.

Lin Li sat in the back seat, placing her suitcase beside her feet and her handbag on her lap.

Outside the car window, joggers in brightly colored sportswear ran past on the roadside with their golden retrievers.

The sea breeze carried a salty, damp scent, mingled with the aroma of caramel wafting from a distant café.

"Go to HSBC headquarters first."

She said to A Biao, her gaze falling on the rearview mirror.

The villa's outline gradually shrank, and the sound of Teacher Zhou teaching the children to read Cantonese was locked behind the carved iron gate, with only a few childish words faintly heard following along.

Not long after, the car stopped in front of the HSBC revolving door.

Lin Li picked up her suitcase, grabbed her handbag, and got out of the car.

As soon as I stepped through the revolving door of HSBC, a uniformed security guard bowed and greeted me.

Lin Li walked straight to the VIP counter, where she was greeted by Manager Chen, a middle-aged man with slicked-back hair.

Lin Li placed the suitcase on the coffee table and unlocked it with a click.

Sunlight streamed through the blinds, falling on the gold bars and reflecting a dazzling light.

The fifty gold bars were stacked neatly, each engraved with the words "pure gold" and bearing the original foundry mark on its side.

Manager Chen gasped, reached into his pocket, pulled out white gloves, put them on, and picked up a gold bar, weighing it in his hand.

"Mrs. Lin, this is..."

"Exchange for cash."

Lin Li leaned back on the sofa, watching him take out a balance scale. "At today's market price, the sooner the better."

Manager Chen dared not delay and immediately asked his assistant to bring the latest gold price list.

“Today, pure gold is 380 HKD per tael,” he said as he weighed the gold bars and recorded the figures. “These are all 100-gram bars each, so 50 bars would weigh 5 kilograms. One gram is approximately equal to 3.125 taels. That would be a total of 5,937,500 Hong Kong dollars.”

He carefully placed the gold bars one by one into a specially made velvet box, his movements as gentle as if they were precious treasures. "Mrs. Lin, are you sure you want to exchange them all? Gold prices are rising now, maybe you should keep them..."

"No need."

Lin Li interrupted him, "Exchange them all, I need them."