Chapter 298: Paving the Way for My Second Sister, Racing Back to the Northeastern Home!

The sky hadn't fully brightened yet; outside the window was a gray haze, and the late‑November cold wind swirled the dried whistles through the alleyways, able to slip into the cracks of a person's bones.

The kitchen of the Lu Family courtyard was already lit with a dim yellow light, and faint sounds drifted out.

Lin Yue'e got up to use the bathroom, groggily opened her eyes, and found the spot beside her empty, the quilt still holding his lingering warmth. Her heart tightened for no reason; she sat up sharply, pulled back the heavy cotton curtain, and saw the kitchen's steady, warm light like a calming pill, instantly soothing her racing heart.

So early.

She slipped on her cotton coat and walked over, seeing Lu Qingshan's towering figure shrouded in the stove's firelight. He deftly added honeycomb coal to the furnace, while a cast‑iron pan fried golden, fragrant scallion pancakes, sizzling; beside it, a small pot on the gas stove bubbled with steam, its rich millet porridge aroma mingling with the fire scent, filling the whole room.

On the low stool beside him lay an unfolded map of Baishan City that he had drawn himself, with several places—Fusong, Jingyu, Changbai—encircled in red ink, and beside them notes reading "ginseng," "deer antler," "forest frog oil," and so on.

Among them, on the small town of Wanliang in Fusong County, he had drawn a heavy red circle, with a startling cross beside it.

In his previous life, after being released from prison he roamed the jianghu, and had heard that in the early 1980s the country's largest ginseng distribution hub was in Wanliang. That place wasn't a market; it was the jianghu. It offered the most authentic mountain goods, as well as the craftiest "ginseng rats" and the most ruthless "head‑cutters"—both opportunity and a trap that could grind a person to bone dust. He remembered a "Ginseng King" named Zhang Baishui who built his fortune there, using brutal methods and dealing in both legal and illegal trades.

"Why get up so early? Still thinking about something?" Lin Yue'e's voice was hoarse from just waking, her pretty face flushed, and she naturally took the tongs from his hand, deftly poking the furnace.

"Couldn't sleep, so I got up to make something for you two mothers." Lu Qingshan brushed coal ash from his hands, turned and fetched two white‑flour mantou from the cupboard, placing them on a rack by the pot to warm, his voice gentle, "Our courtyard still needs more ventilation to air out the paint smell. Even if we move, we'll still eat here with Mom and Dad; the bustle makes them happy."

"Mm." Lin Yue'e lowered her head, stirring the fire; the flames lit her face, warm and cozy, and she whispered, "Whatever you say."

The simple exchange nonetheless carried the steadiness and security of a life weathered by storms.

During breakfast, the family gathered around an Eight Immortals table, steam rising. Lu Qingshan slipped a peeled boiled egg into Xiao Xue's bowl; the little girl was hungrily slurping porridge, her tiny mouth instantly exhaling steam.

"Xiao Xue," Lu Qingshan said softly, "Mom and Dad are heading out on a trip today, going to the Baishan house in the Northeast to take care of some matters."

Xiao Xue paused her spooning, lifted her head, a ring of rice broth still clinging to her mouth, her big eyes fixed on him, her little mouth pursed slightly, "Going again?"

"Mm, Dad has to work, earn money for Xiao Xue to buy a floral dress, a big meat bun." Lu Qingshan dabbed the rice broth from her corner with a handkerchief, while other thoughts surged in his mind.

This trip to Baishan was far more than simply paving a market path for his second sister. The three hundred million dollars were a dragon‑slayer sword, but the blade must bleed in London, and the hilt must stay firmly in his own hand. The Xinghan Specialty Market was the domestic cash‑flow engine he intended to build, the most solid logistics base for the upcoming financial war. Every profit earned here would become a bullet aimed at the hungry wolves of London Financial City. Thinking of this deepened his guilt toward his daughter. "Auntie and Mom are also going; we'll be back in a few days."

Hearing Mom was also going, Xiao Xue's eyes lit up briefly, then dimmed again; she lowered her head, poking the egg in her bowl with a tiny spoon, her voice muffled, "Then… okay. Dad, you have to come back quickly, or Jin Hu will miss you. And bring me those sweet‑and‑sour red berries from the mountains."

The little girl clearly wanted it herself, yet she dragged Jin Hu in as a shield.

Lu Qingshan felt both sour and soft inside, stroked her head, "Alright, I promise you, once the business is done I'll be right back and bring you the tastiest mountain reds."

On the way to kindergarten, Xiao Xue clung tightly to her dad's hand, her tiny palm gripping so hard she feared he'd fly away the moment she let go.

At the doorway, she unusually didn't dash inside to find Zhang Xiao to play with; instead she hugged Lu Qingshan's thigh, looked up with a solemn little face, and said, "Dad, could there be bad people at work? You have to be careful."

Lu Qingshan's heart felt as if a small hand had gripped it tightly; he solemnly nodded, "Dad will be careful. Hook."

"Alright, hook."

The father and daughter extended their pinkies, solemnly hooking them together, their thumbs sealing the pact.

Watching his daughter walk into kindergarten, looking back every few steps, Lu Qingshan felt a heavy weight in his heart, yet his resolve grew stronger.

At the alley entrance, two cars were already revving: Lu Qingjun's brand‑new Tiger‑Head, and a Toyota off‑road vehicle for the bodyguards. In the winter's gray‑white dawn, the black paint reflected a cold, expensive sheen, like two coiled beasts.

Lu Qingjun, Lu Fang, and Lin Yue'e were already seated inside. When they saw Lu Qingshan approaching, Lu Qingjun immediately leapt out and courteously opened the rear door.

"Brother, get in!"

Before stepping into the car, Lu Qingshan's gaze met Ahu's in the rear‑view mirror, the man seated in the off‑road driver's seat. Ahu's face was expressionless, his eyes sharp as a hawk; he gave a barely perceptible nod, one hand casually resting on the steering wheel, the other constantly at his waist. Lu Qingshan knew a weapon was concealed there, ready for any sudden situation.

The car door slammed shut, sealing out the cold wind, and the heater blared inside. Lu Qingjun floored the accelerator, and the Tiger‑Head surged forward smoothly and swiftly, its V8 growling lowly, the chassis barely trembling.

The early‑rising snow‑clearing elder Wang Da Ye straightened his back, rubbed his eyes, and watched the two never‑seen, gleaming iron machines glide silently by, startling him so that his broom clanged "Clang!" onto the ground. A few neighbors beside him stretched their necks, mouths agape for ages. "My dear… how much does this… this car cost? It's more magnificent than the officials' cars in movies…"

Inside, second sister Lu Fang clutched her little notebook tightly, its pages densely filled with prices and notes on various mountain goods, her palms sweating. "Yue E, tell me… can I do it? Dealing with the Supply and Marketing Cooperative people makes me uneasy…"

Lin Yue'e grasped her hand; her palm was warm and dry, giving Lu Fang a steadying strength. "Second sister, don't be afraid. Qing Shan has everything arranged; we're going to deliver money, not beg anyone. Keep your back straight. I'll watch the accounts for you."

"Open it slowly!" Lu Qingshan said, eyeing his excited younger brother, frowning, "The notebook you just took, don't flip it too fast. Let Ahu and the others in the car ahead keep the speed in check."

"Brother, it's not my fault!" Lu Qingjun gripped the steering wheel, his face alight with excitement, "This car's power is insane! A light tap on the gas and it rockets forward; it feels like the car is pulling me flying! It's a hundred times easier to drive than the Liberation trucks from our factory! This feeling is… 'man‑car unity'!"

The people in the car laughed at him, and the homesickness and tension about the road ahead eased considerably.