Chapter 343: The Queen Returns Home, Three Share One Room

A monthly sales volume of 500, 00, even if only half were consumed in Hong Kong, still left Zheng Donghan in awe of Wei Ming's talent and strength.

So after hearing "First Love" on the radio, he immediately contacted Zhou Hui through Tan Yonglin, hoping to sign her.

Signing Zhou Hui is practically the same as signing Wei Ming!

But Ah Min refused—first, her mother disagreed; their family's circumstances were now so good, why should she expose herself publicly?

Second, Ah Ming wanted her to go to university—how could a high school student possibly match up with Ah Ming, who was enrolled in Peking University's correspondence program?

Yet deep down, she still longed to sing; she often observed young customers' reactions to "First Love" in the store, and seeing them enjoy it gave her a deep sense of accomplishment.

Moreover, the song's performance on the radio kept improving; as the popularity of the "Tomorrow Will Be Better" album waned, this new Wei Ming composition surged to the top, though it still couldn't break into the top five.

At this point, Zhou Hui had already made a name for herself in the music scene, though many still couldn't connect her with the little girl who had led the chorus of "Tomorrow Will Be Better" at the charity concert.

Wei Jiefang and Wei Anping returned from the Magic Capital; when they got home, Old Wei handed his son a set of keys.

"Take it—I rarely go to the Magic Capital anyway," Old Wei said, his words carrying an unspoken implication: his eldest son might soon be traveling there frequently.

Wei Ming accepted them, but he had no way to live in two old Western-style mansions.

On the other side, after returning home, Wei Anping immediately rummaged through drawers and cabinets, pulling out an old photo of his mother.

The photo wasn't displayed because it was a torn fragment—cut cleanly down the middle from a full picture.

His mother said the other half showed his father, whom he had never met; Uncle Wei Senhao claimed his father worked underground, so it was normal no photo remained.

But during this trip to the Jueyuan Western Mansion, Wei Anping felt a corner of the house looked familiar; after comparing it with the photo, he confirmed it: the spot where his mother was photographed was precisely Jueyuan No. 2!

Was his mother from the Magic Capital? How had she ended up taking a photo there?

Only now did Wei Anping realize how little he knew about his mother—he didn't even know where she came from or her ancestral home; he only knew she wasn't from Hengzhou, and beyond that, everything was blurred.

Holding the photo, wanting to learn more about his mother, wanting to understand why she had been photographed at Jueyuan, only his aunt in America could possibly provide answers.

Wei Anping thought there would be an opportunity—soon, Fang Zheng would be evaluating the PC industry, and he might travel abroad with the experts.

He'd heard there was a place in America called Silicon Valley, where Hewlett-Packard, Apple, and Intel were all located, and Silicon Valley, like his aunt, was in San Francisco.

That evening, Lu Xiaoyan picked up the two younger children and complained to him: Xi Zi had given his Black Cat Detective doll to a girl in class named Xiao Mei, whom he liked very much.

Lu Xiaoyan hinted: "Some people start dating in high school, some are already misbehaving in elementary school—truly, like father, like son."

Wei Anping smiled awkwardly: "Giving a gift isn't such a big deal."

Le Le pouted: "He gave away MY doll!"

Wei Anping: "He deserves a beating!"

After dinner, he quickly put the two children to sleep; Lu Xiaoyan immediately returned to their bedroom, where Master Ping had already washed up.

Half an hour later, Wei Ping exhaled smoke: "Xiaoyan, I need to confess something to you."

Lu Xiaoyan's heart skipped: "Did you meet your first love?"

"What nonsense," Wei Ping said, "it's about the trip to the Magic Capital."

"Work-related?"

"Family matters," Wei Ping chose his words carefully, "you know, Jiefang has a real aunt in America."

"Yes, you mentioned it—also a big uncle in Taiwan; lucky you're distant from them, or Peking University wouldn't have accepted you back then."

Wei Ping said: "I used to think we were distant, but now it seems we're quite close. Did you know? My aunt left behind a Western-style mansion in the Magic Capital, and she's already reclaimed it from the government. She's too old to return, so she decided to leave it to us brothers."

"What?"

"On this trip, I went to see it—it's three stories, each floor several hundred square meters, and the courtyard is huge." Wei Ping pulled out the keys. "Now if we go to the Magic Capital, we'll have a place to stay."

Lu Xiaoyan's first reaction wasn't joy, but concern: "Could this violate any policy?"

Wei Ping said: "No—it's not even in my name; Jiefang holds it for us. If we ever sell it, he'll give me my share."

"That's fine," Lu Xiaoyan sighed in relief, never doubting Jiefang's integrity. "But that distant aunt really goes overboard for you."

"Maybe because she was close to my parents," Wei Ping thought of the half-photo.

The next morning, Wei Ming dressed formally and left.

Today marked the reopening of the expanded Beijing Lu Xun Museum, along with the opening of Lu Xun's former residence, so a ceremony was held.

Wei Ming had been officially invited—he had repeatedly praised Lu Xun in public and was currently very popular.

Walking through Lu Xun's former residence, Wei Ming wondered whether his own Sihe Academy would ever become a celebrity home after his death.

The window he and Xue-jie had opened would surely be a highlight for visitors, and statues of Yin and Jingzhang the cat and dog would have to be made.

There, Wei Ming met Lu Xun's son, Zhou Haiying, also a Peking University graduate; they talked at length, though he wasn't very familiar with this 400-square-meter residence.

He had grown up in the Magic Capital, but after the founding of the PRC, this house no longer belonged to him—his father's books and cultural relics had all been donated Wuchang to the state by his mother.

He only knew his father had bought it for 800 silver dollars, while Lu Xun's monthly salary at Peking University was 300 silver dollars—enough to buy a one-courtyard Sihe Academy every three months.

Wei Ming was deeply interested in Lu Xun's time at Peking University, but unfortunately, Zhou Haiying hadn't been born yet; he only knew fragments from his mother's memories.

Zhou Haiying studied radio technology and later joined the Broadcasting Bureau—the predecessor of the State Radio and Television Administration—handling technical matters; he could not discuss TV drama production with him.

After the ceremony, Wei Ming slipped away—he had another appointment: house hunting.

He'd seen several houses meant for Lin-jie, but none satisfied him—he demanded a three-courtyard Sihe Academy, and wouldn't compromise on location or transportation.

Fortunately, as policies took effect, more fine residences were returned to private owners, and many of those who received them, still fearful, immediately sought to relocate.

This created an opportunity for Wei Ming to buy property—again, Li Guangfu was helping him.

He joked: "Even if I quit the Beijing People's Art Theatre, I'd never lack for work—I could help people buy houses."

Wei Ming smiled: "Private property sales will definitely heat up; taking on this side job isn't bad."

Since buying the previous two-courtyard Sihe Academy, Wei Ming had insisted on paying Li Guangfu a commission.

At first he refused, but when Wei Ming offered foreign exchange coupons, he "reluctantly" agreed—and became far more eager, using nearly all his free time outside work to scout neighborhoods.

The Lu Xun Museum is on Gongmenkou Second Alley; Li Guangfu found a house nearby, in Gongmenkou Fourth Alley and Fusu Jing Alley.

Wei Ming immediately spotted Fusu Jing Building—a rare Beijing residential building with an elevator.

If he ever buys another house, he'll prioritize elevator buildings and villas.

This was a well-proportioned three-courtyard Sihe Academy—its location wasn't prime, tucked away a bit, but the alley was wide enough for cars to enter and exit.

Standing in the courtyard, Wei Ming could see the White Pagoda directly from the right angle.

That was the White Pagoda of Miaoying Temple—famous, beloved by literary youths; Wei Ming had often met people at cafés around the pagoda to discuss scripts and investments.

The owner was a bearded middle-aged man, looking mentally distracted.

Li Guangfu told him the man had just been released, but his wife had left, his job was gone; though he owned the house, he was disheartened and planned to join relatives in Australia.

Oh, an early Australian immigrant—Australia wasn't yet a popular destination for Chinese migrants; those who went had few people to talk to.

Though the location wasn't perfect—it lay deep within the alley network, requiring two turns to reach the main road—the house was excellent, about 1, 00 square meters, well-maintained, previously used by three government offices, all now relocated.

After much hesitation, Wei Ming decided on it—this way, Xue-jie had a home in Dongcheng, Lin-jie had one in Xicheng, and the Beichi Zi house remained in between.

Plus, the two residences were one quiet, one lively; if they grew tired of either, they could swap homes.

Though the seller was downcast, he wasn't foolish—he knew Wei Ming, knew this man who earned foreign exchange writing songs and fairy tales.

But he knew even better that Wei Ming had donated over a hundred million Hong Kong dollars to disaster areas.

So he named his bottom line: "Twenty thousand U. . dollars."

Twenty thousand U. . dollars covered the thousand-square-meter, three-courtyard Sihe Academy and some antiques and paintings left by the owner.

Wei Ming asked: "Aren't you taking these? They don't take up much space."

"My father loved these things—but they brought him no good fortune. I have no special attachment to them. You're a man of letters—keep them. The best pieces are already gone; the rest are worthless without peace and prosperity."

Money didn't matter—Wei Ming loved the paintings; he'd happily gaze daily at ones he liked, even if they were cheap, like Wu Zuoren's Panda Embracing Bamboo.

The owner was straightforward; Wei Ming was direct too: twenty thousand U. . dollars, it was settled.

"Deal!"

Later, Old Wei could come to authenticate these items—leave them here or move them to Beichi Zi, as he wished.

Finally, he'd bought Lin-jie a grand mansion, but the paperwork had to wait until she returned; yet the seller was eager—he wanted to sell quickly and leave.

Seller: "If you buy it fast, I'll take less."

Wei Ming: "What if I pay more—can you wait a few months?"

Just as both were stuck, Zhu Lin returned!

In a few days would mark the 100th anniversary of Lu Xun's birth and the release of the film "A Sad Story"; the "Du Shiniang" crew adjusted their shooting schedule and gave Zhu Lin five days off to return to Beijing for related events.

To stay in Beijing longer, Zhu Lin bought a plane ticket and flew back—her entire month's salary gone.

Living with Wei Ming for so long, hearing his theory that money buys time, she sometimes spent recklessly.

After returning to Beijing, Zhu Lin immediately called the Overseas Chinese Apartment.

That noon, Wei Ming learned from his grandmother that a girl named Zhu had contacted him.

Wei Ming immediately called Tuanjiehu—no answer; he called Beiyingchang, feigned casual inquiry—Zhu Lin wasn't there.

Had she gone to her parents' home?

Wei Ming hesitated, then decided to check Tuanjiehu.