Chapter 294: Money Is Endless, but There Is Only One Home!

The children were coaxed to go to sleep, and only the Lu family's parents, brothers and sisters remained in the living room. Warm yellow light illuminated everyone's faces, the room was steamy, but the atmosphere was unusually heavy.

The newly assigned enterprises felt like scorching iron plates, branding each person's heart, burning hot and heavy.

Brother‑in‑law Zhang A Yu remained restless, as if a nail were stuck under his seat; he rubbed his calloused, thick‑skinned hands, sweat continuously dripping from his face, muttering repeatedly, "No, no, I really can't do this job; I can't even read the ledger… that's a business worth hundreds of thousands to millions; if… if I lose money on it, I… I'd have to jump from the upstairs and still couldn't cover the loss!"

"You shut up!" Lu Hong, angry and frantic, slapped her husband's back hard. She was terrified inside herself, yet seeing her brother's steady, mountain‑like face, an inexplicable courage rose from her heart. Gritting her teeth, she said to Lu Qingshan, "Qing Shan, don't worry; I'll stay up day and night with your brother‑in‑law and make sure this hotel is ready for you!"

Lu Qingshan smiled faintly, said nothing, and lifted his teacup, gently blowing the tea froth floating on top.

The room was clearly heated, warm as spring, yet the invisible pressure made everyone feel a bit suffocated. Eldest brother Lu Qingyuan hunched his head and smoked cigarette after cigarette, the smoke swirling around his weather‑worn face, obscuring his expression. Second sister Lu Fang nervously twisted her garment's hem, already calculating how to deal with specialty goods merchants from across the country, her palms sweating.

Lu Qingshan set the teacup down, the cup's base striking the table with a crisp, light sound.

The sound was faint, yet like a pebble dropped into a silent lake, drawing everyone's gaze back to him.

"The matter of the enterprises is only the first step," Lu Qingshan surveyed the group, his voice calm but carrying undeniable weight. "Our family is many; our hearts must be united. We can no longer scatter to the four corners as before."

He paused, his gaze slowly sweeping each family member's face, then uttered a sentence that plunged the entire room into absolute silence.

"By the way, there's also the matter of the house."

"From now on, our whole family will live at the Prince Hui's residence near Wangfujing, Fuqiang Hutong 23 Courtyard."

Buzz—, and everyone's mind was struck as if by an invisible massive hammer, instantly blank, even the ability to think lost.

Live… where?

23 Courtyard? The one so large it resembles a park, filled with blue bricks, gray tiles, carved beams and painted rafters, a Prince's mansion composed of a dozen connected courtyards?

Clang!

Zhang A Yu's teacup flew straight to the floor, shattering into pieces, scalding tea splashing onto his trousers, yet he felt nothing. His mouth snapped open, a "hoho" sound coming from his throat like a fish out of water, he stared blankly at Lu Qingshan, his mind obsessively looping one thought: that place… isn't that place meant for immortals?

"Q‑Qing Shan… what… what are you saying? That place… isn't… " Isn't it the one you bought for office use?

"The courtyard where Mom and Dad now live is already part of 23 Courtyard. This time the entire Prince's mansion has been fully renovated, and the garden inside has been restored to its former look." Lu Qingshan ignored his brother‑in‑law's astonishment, stood, and walked to the center of the room, as if announcing a commonplace matter, "Tomorrow, each family will go to 23 Courtyard and choose an independent two‑room, four‑courtyard residence."

"We seven brothers and sisters will live next to Mom and Dad. The courtyard is large, the children can run freely; later, going to school and back, dropping by for a meal, will be convenient."

At that moment, not only Zhang A Yu, but everyone was shocked to the core, their spirits soaring.

"I… do we… also have?" Second sister Lu Fang's voice trembled, she pointed at her own nose, her face full of absurdity and disbelief. In her mind flashed the coldest winter when she was sent down to Longhua, she and the children wrapped in a broken cotton blanket that was as wet and hard as an ice lump, listening to the knife‑like north wind outside, feeling the cold seeping out of every bone joint.

And now, the second brother says she can pick a courtyard house?

Is it still in the very center of the Capital City? With heating, sofas, a spacious bright two‑room, four‑courtyard house?

This is no longer a dream; it's a dream even immortals wouldn't dare have! A massive sense of happiness surged like a flash flood, instantly breaking all her mental defenses, tears spilling "splash" in an instant.

The ever‑silent father Lu Hua, his hand holding the teacup, trembled violently in an almost imperceptible way, hot tea spilling onto the back of his hand, yet he didn't notice, just stared blankly at his son, deep in his eyes roiling like a storm of pride and satisfaction. Mother Wang Guilan directly reached out, grabbed Lu Qingshan's hand, her lips trembling, unable to utter a single word, only continuously shedding tears.

"Of course there is. Consider it a property the Maternal Home arranged for you." Lu Qingshan looked at eldest brother Lu Qingyuan, "Brother, you're the head of our family; you pick first."

Lu Qingyuan's cigarette butt "plop" onto the floor; he sprang up, eyes wide like a tiger, his smoke‑blackened face flushed bright red, his voice altered, tinged with anger and stubbornness after the massive wealth shock: "Qing Shan! This is absolutely unacceptable! This is the family business you fought for with your life! We, the older siblings, haven't helped you at all, yet we're forced to live in a house you bought with blood‑sweat money—doesn't that become a burden that sucks the younger brother's blood! If this spreads, where will the Lu family's reputation go! Do you still want my backbone, Lu Qingyuan?!"

"Brother." Lu Qingshan also stood, calmly cutting him off, his gaze sweeping each family member, finally lingering on his father's moist eyes.

"Money is endless, but there is only one home." His voice was calm and powerful, like a rock steadying everyone's frantic hearts, "Mom and Dad have suffered a lifetime with us, you all have endured the hardships of going down to the countryside for so many years. I earn money not to let it sit and mold, but to let our family hold its back straight and live with some semblance!"

They looked at their older brother and said word for word, "This isn't a burden, listen carefully, this isn't a burden! This is the foundation of our Lu Family, our stronghold! From now on, when I'm out there fighting people, risking my life, you staying safe and steady at home is my greatest support! We of the Lu Family, from now on, must twist into a single rope, sharing honor together! No one may suffer any grievance any longer!"