Old Master Lu was taken aback. He saw Lu Yunzhang staring intently at him, a hint of melancholy in his eyes.
“Your fourth uncle is unruly and flamboyant, but he is my favorite son. I didn’t want our family to end up like this.”
"If Grandpa is still alive, his greatest wish is to receive your fourth uncle's forgiveness."
As people get older, they tend to miss the past more and more.
As soon as I close my eyes, memories of old friends and past events automatically surface in my mind.
"Grandpa," Lu Yunzhang's voice was slightly hoarse, his eyes filled with unreadable emotions, "It's true that you miss Fourth Uncle, and it's also true that you're thinking about the private shares that Fourth Aunt inherited from Tan Shuo. Am I right?"
When Lu Yunzhang first heard the old man talk about the Lu family's past, he followed his perspective and empathized with his feelings throughout the whole affair.
But the more Lu Yunzhang listened, the more he felt something was wrong.
Back then, his uncles and aunts used every means and did all sorts of bad things for fictitious property, and the old man never stopped them, completely letting them have their way.
It wasn't until the fourth uncle was forced into a corner and burned down the Lu family's house, and the fourth aunt had no so-called property, that the old man stepped forward.
It was obvious that the old man, like everyone else, had his eye on the rumored fortune that was said to be worth more than a country.
If things hadn't spiraled out of control, the old man would never have intervened to stabilize the situation.
At the same time, Lu Yunzhang carefully analyzed what the old man had just said. He said that he had been investigating his fourth aunt's background and family relationships for many years and had spent a lot of effort to find out about Tan Shuo's existence.
Tan Shuo had just passed away, and if no one inherited his private shares within two years, they would become public property.
Tan Shuo never married and had no children; his only heir was his fourth aunt.
The old man's sudden request for him to do his best to find his fourth uncle and aunt was clearly a ulterior motive.
In the quaint room, the dim light cast shadows. Old Master Lu sat on the bed, his back slightly hunched, exuding a heavy aura of age. His eyes seemed calm, yet they revealed an unfathomable depth.
After hearing Lu Yunzhang's words, he was taken aback at first, and then a faint smile slowly appeared on his face.
The smile didn't contain anger at being exposed; instead, it was full of relief and satisfaction.
He couldn't help but nod, "Intelligent and perceptive, truly worthy of being my grandson, Lu Zonglin."
Lu Yunzhang forced a smile, but couldn't manage it.
He was raised to be a soldier from a young age, and his uprightness was ingrained in his bones. He assumed that his family members were the same.
If you suddenly tell him that his family has done so many despicable and shady things, and that even his respected grandfather is no exception, how can he bear it?
I wish it were all a dream, so I could forget everything when I wake up.
Grandpa Lu took Lu Yunzhang's hand and said earnestly, "What happened back then was a mistake. Grandpa wants to make it up to your fourth uncle and aunt, and it's also for the future of our Lu family."
"Times change so fast, and there are many families with impressive backgrounds in this capital city. If Grandpa doesn't give you more leverage, how difficult it will be for you to support a family on your own."
"To make a family powerful, power and money are both indispensable. Look at the Chu family. Chu Weinian, who went into politics, married the daughter of a red capitalist. He gained power and money. If the Chu family doesn't prosper, who will?"
The Lu family gained power, but without the support of money, they went downhill all the way. Old Master Lu saw this and was very anxious.
He still couldn't believe that Wen Jiarong, who had controlled four provinces in East China for more than a decade, really left nothing for his daughter.
They persisted in their investigation and finally found Tan Shuo.
Tan Shuo was a patriotic capitalist who, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, actively responded to national policies and spared no effort in contributing to socialist construction. When leaders mentioned him, they praised him more than anything else.
For the sake of the Lu family's future, Old Master Lu would do everything in his power to obtain the private shares and assets left by Tan Shuo.
During this period, he also sounded out the higher-ups, who generally believed that only Tan Shuo's niece, his fourth daughter-in-law, was eligible to inherit this portion of the assets.
If his fourth daughter-in-law were to meet with some misfortune, or were already deceased, these assets would be confiscated by the state.
In addition, if the two children from that time were still alive, they could also inherit in order of succession.
Unfortunately, both children died at birth. Old Master Lu witnessed Lu Hua strangling them to death; their faces turned blue and red, and they stopped breathing.
The only solution now is to find Lu Mo and his wife.
Old Master Lu's eyes flickered. He had a strange intuition that his fourth son was definitely not dead.
Lu Yunzhang knew that his grandfather's intention was for the sake of the entire Lu family, but his ingrained upbringing told him that he could not do that.
He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say. His gaze fell on the key that Old Master Lu was holding in his hand, and he changed the subject, "What is that key for?"
Grandpa Lu came to his senses and handed the key to Lu Yunzhang. "This key was given to you by your third uncle from your fourth aunt. It was later lost in the fire, and I found it."
Lu Yunzhang took the key and immediately recognized it as the key to a secret room, a place where people used to hide things.
Almost no one uses it now.
Grandpa Lu explained to him, "Although the rumor of his wealth being comparable to that of a country is false, Wen Jiarong did leave your fourth aunt a considerable fortune, consisting of antiques of collectible value and old currency."
"The secret room is located in the south of the city. This is the only key that can open it. You must keep it safe and not lose it."
It seems the old man had opened the secret room, otherwise he wouldn't know so much.
Lu Yunzhang instantly felt that what he was holding had become a hot potato.
He reflexively put the keys aside, frowned, and said with some resistance, "Grandpa, we can't have this kind of thing, and we can't touch it."
Otherwise, what would it become?
Grandpa Lu didn't force him to touch those things, but said, "You saw your third uncle's pressing attitude today. Yunyi and Yunchen came back most likely for this key."
"Just in case, keep the key. The Lu family will eventually be handed over to you. Whether you use it or not is up to you."
When Lu Ze was mentioned, Lu Yunzhang thought of how Lu Ze had deliberately provoked his father not long ago and how he had been disrespectful to the old man.
If the key falls into his hands, he might take everything from the secret room the next day.
Lu Yunzhang frowned, but ultimately put the key in his pocket.
The things in the secret room were all left by Wen Jiarong to his fourth aunt, and he would not touch them no matter what happened in the future.
If one day Uncle and Aunt return to Beijing, or if he encounters them elsewhere, he will solemnly return this key to Aunt.
"Yunzhang, you must remember to make good use of those things and try to maximize their value," Old Master Lu instructed.
Lu Yunzhang gave a wry smile.
He felt overwhelmed by a heavy sense of guilt.
Property is secondary; their family is burdened with the loss of two lives.
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