Chapter 250: Chapter 250

Qin Xi thought for a moment, then walked to the bed, pulled Li Xianglu into his embrace and said, "Grandpa doesn’t want us to buy too many houses. I will be entering politics in the future, and if you were to join the bank, you would need to be even more cautious. Trouble ensues when the properties under your name don’t match your actual income."

Li Xianglu nodded and said, "I know. This apartment is in Grandpa’s name, and that larger one over there is under my name. Plus, didn’t Dad allocate a two-bedroom apartment to us? We haven’t moved in, though. You just don’t need to have any properties under your name; buying one for Qin Zhen would be enough."

Qin Xi nodded and said, "That could work. I’ll discuss it with Grandpa first. Count how much gold we have from what I gave you last time. I plan to sell some after a while."

Many people were planning to go abroad, and although China had established diplomatic relations with countries like the United States, there was no direct policy for currency exchange. The best method was to carry gold out of the country, which is universally solid currency and can be exchanged for local currency in any country.

Therefore, for the past six months, gold prices have skyrocketed. From the initial price of eight yuan, it has increased to over twenty-nine yuan. These are the bank’s official prices; the black market price is at least starting from fifty yuan.

When Qin Xi and Li Xianglu got engaged, he brought out a batch of gold, which included large pieces and some smaller ones. Li Xianglu felt that most of the gold that Grandpa had asked Qin Xi to exchange for money had been kept by Qin Xi himself. She remembered clearly; it was two thousand yuan more than what the bank offered. People aren’t fools; naturally exchanging was to make a profit, and giving more was unlikely, unless Qin Xi was adding some of his own money.

However, these were now trivial matters, as all the gold belonged to Li Xianglu.

After discussing with Grandpa the following day, the old man agreed too, suggesting that they melt down and refine all the gold unearthed while building the house, and make them into standard gold bars for easier storage. As for the issue of exchanging them, it was up to them to manage.

In the afternoon, Li Jianqing had prepared all the firewood, washed his hands, and came in to see his sister stewing food in a large clay pot on a small stove in the living room. Lifting the lid, he saw chicken frames and fish in a particularly rich broth and laughed, "What are we eating tonight?" He had gained at least seven or eight jin recently, and if he returned to the military, he probably would not be able to keep up with the training.

Li Xianglu said with a smile, "We’re having a hot pot tonight: meatballs, small crispy meat, and half a cooked chicken. I’m getting the soup base ready first." Saying this, Li Xianglu glanced outside.

Li Jianqing also looked out worriedly, "I wonder how Qin Zhen is doing with the negotiations."

Li Xianglu sighed and said, "I’m concerned too. That guy is so erratic, what if things don’t go well and he causes a scene?"

Li Jianqing frowned and said, "That shouldn’t happen, right?" Even as he said it, he wasn’t confident; he had grown up with Qin Xiaopang, who was notoriously difficult to handle once he started to misbehave.

As everyone was preoccupied with their worries, time slowly ticked by.

Li Xianglu checked the time; it was already past five, and time to cook. She couldn’t afford to be distracted any longer, hurriedly cleaned the copper pot and brought it out, neatly arranged the vegetables and meat. Then Li Jianqing, by her side, stoked the fire and helped pour the soup base over them.

Li Xianglu went to the kitchen to heat up the steamed buns.

At six o’clock, Qin Xi returned, carrying a black cloth bag. Li Xianglu hurriedly took it from him and went back to their room.

As soon as she entered the room and plopped the bag onto the crescent moon-shaped couch, a crisp clinking sound of metal was heard. The sound was music to Li Xianglu’s ears. She reached for the heavy pieces.

This was the old gold that Qin Xi had taken out early in the morning; she didn’t expect so much of it to come out.

Qin Xi observed Li Xianglu counting and said, "There are sixty pieces in total, 38 grams each, adding up to two thousand and eighty grams."

Li Xianglu heard Qin Xi, but couldn’t help but count them herself. None were missing. Before leaving, she had stealthily weighed the gold, which was five jin. She didn’t expect so much would be lost to impurities. However, the refining techniques from a long time ago weren’t as good as now, so she decided not to fuss over it.

After changing his clothes and about to leave the room, Qin Xi suddenly asked, "What about Qin Zhen? Has he returned?"

Li Xianglu shook her head, "Not yet, we’ve been waiting. Shall we call the Lu Family?"

Qin Xi thought for a moment, "Let’s wait a bit longer. You put the stuff away first, I’ll go talk to Grandpa."

Li Xianglu nodded and, a few minutes after Qin Xi left, she couldn’t resist smiling smugly as she stashed the black cloth bag into her space. Five jin of gold, which Grandpa had promised to be divided into four parts at the start, was supposed to be split between Grandpa, herself, Qin Xi, and Qin Zhen.

Grandpa’s, Qin Xi’s, and her own portion was all hers; only a little over one jin was given to Qin Zhen, heh heh.

Li Xianglu washed her hands thoroughly after leaving the room, then went to pick up the steaming steamed buns. The hot pot on the dining table in the living room was already bubbling, and the whole house was filled with an enticing aroma.

The three men, unable to resist, had already washed their hands and were seated there. Li Xianglu amusedly placed a bowl of pickled vegetables next to them, "Go ahead and eat, what are you waiting for? It looks like Qin Zhen got held up for dinner."

Mr. Li cheerfully said, "I think so too. Qin Zhen is a good lad. The Lu Family must be blind not to like him."

Qin Xi’s expression remained unchanged, while Li Xianglu hurriedly served him a meatball, "Alright, don’t worry. We’ll find out everything when he comes back."

The four of them decided not to dwell on the unknown and enjoyed a hearty meal together.

After the meal, Mr. Li felt comfortably warm and took off his fleece jacket. Sitting down on the couch, he beckoned Qin Xi over for a couple of rounds of chess.

Seeing Qin Xi looking restless, Li Xianglu glanced at the clock, which showed past eight. She interrupted, "Qin Xi, go and play chess with Grandpa. Third Brother and I will clean up and join you soon."

As Qin Xi went off to keep Mr. Li company at chess, Li Xianglu had intended to sneak off to make a quick call, but she heard Li Jianqing signaling her, and swiftly headed out.

Someone had knocked on the door; there were visitors.

Li Xianglu hurried out only to see a black sedan parked at the doorstep, with Lu Anna emerging first, followed by a tall, lanky man who helped a stumbling Qin Zhen out of the car.

Li Xianglu’s face darkened—the fool had gotten drunk on his first visit to meet his future mother-in-law!