Chapter 45: A Streak of Good Luck and Waiting by the Tree

“Host, would you like to draw a prize now?”

“Draw!” Lu Qingqiang answered without hesitation.

In the next moment, a spinning prize wheel appeared in her mind, rotating at a steady pace.

“Ding! Congratulations, Host. You’ve received the Good Luck Buff. Duration: 4 hours.”

“Ding! Good Luck Buff activated. Wishing the Host great fortune and endless luck~”

“Hey, Tonzi, are all the rewards now activated in real-time?” Lu Qingqiang was caught off guard.

“This time, yes.”

“…” Lu Qingqiang.

Isn’t this a bit too pushy?

Oh well, since the Good Luck Buff was already in effect, it would be a waste not to do something with it.

Just then, she spotted a lottery shop by the roadside. After thinking for three seconds, Lu Qingqiang pulled into the parking spot right in front.

“Hi, boss, can I get a lottery ticket?”

“Numbers?”

“Just do a quick pick, five entries with the same numbers.”

With that, Lu Qingqiang scanned the code with her phone and paid ten yuan.

Soon, the ticket was printed.

She glanced at it, thanked the shop owner, stuffed the ticket casually into her pocket, and walked out.

Next door to the lottery shop was an antique and jade store.

Usually, the place was pretty quiet, rarely seeing any customers.

So when Lu Qingqiang stepped inside, the shop owner immediately came over to greet her.

“Hello, what would you like to see?”

“Do you have inkstones?” Lu Qingqiang asked.

Although Lu Shenlin was a businessman, he wasn’t the type to chase profits blindly.

He would often find ways to avoid unnecessary social events.

On quiet days, he liked to stay home, drink tea, and practice calligraphy.

Thinking about how the orphanage’s construction was funded by her father, Lu Shenlin, and how the animals on the mountain were also purchased with his money, Lu Qingqiang figured she might as well pick out a gift for him.

And since she had the Good Luck Buff, this antique store next door seemed like the perfect place.

When giving a gift, it’s best to cater to the recipient’s tastes.

Naturally, Lu Qingqiang thought of items like calligraphy brushes, inkstones, and tea sets.

“Yes, yes, you’ve come to the right place, miss. We have Duan inkstones from the Tang Dynasty and the Ming and Qing periods. Feel free to take a look.”

Lu Qingqiang didn’t know much about antiques.

But that didn’t matter—she had her cheat.

Her eyes landed on an inkstone shaped like a clam. Pointing at it, she asked, “How much is this one?”

“Excellent eye, miss. That’s a Duan stone clam-shell inkstone from the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty. If you’re serious about buying it, I can let it go for 800,000.”

“Four hundred,” Lu Qingqiang bargained.

“…” The shop owner.

Damn, he’d never seen anyone haggle this hard.

“Miss, are you joking? This piece is worth way more than that. It’s from—”

“Five hundred. That’s my final offer.”

“Alright, alright, five hundred it is. You’ve got a kind face, miss. Let’s call it fate.” The shop owner gave in.

“…” Lu Qingqiang.

Damn, she should’ve gone lower.

If she’d known, she would’ve started at twenty.

“How much for those earrings?” Lu Qingqiang pointed to a pair of gold and jade earrings under a glass display.

“Ah, those are from the Ming Dynasty. Gold filigree with jade inlays, butterfly and plum blossom design. 880,000.”

“Can I take a closer look?” Lu Qingqiang asked.

“Of course.”

In the end, Lu Qingqiang spent a total of 19,300 yuan and walked away with four gifts.

Besides the ones for her parents, she also picked out a string of prayer beads for her second brother, Lu Jianshen (as a bonus gift).

Oh, and she also got herself an antique brush holder.

The most expensive item was the pair of earrings for Madam Lu.

They were pure gold with jade inlays, elegant and unique.

After picking out the gifts, Lu Qingqiang stopped by the convenience store next door to stock up on water, yogurt, and other drinks.

Then she got back in the car and drove straight to the foot of the mountain.

Since she had already leased the mountain, she had her people install a security barrier at the entrance.

Of course, there were still a few smaller paths that led up the mountain, which she hadn’t gotten around to fencing off yet.

“Lu Qingqiang, what took you so long?” Lu Jianshen called out as she got out of the car.

“First time driving a mini truck. I was a bit nervous, so I took it slow.”

“I also stopped to buy some drinks on the way.”

“…” Lu Jianshen.

Nervous? He didn’t buy it.

The first time she rode his motorcycle, she wasn’t nervous at all. In fact, she looked downright thrilled.

Whatever. No point in overthinking it. As long as she got here safely.

“Alright, everyone take a bottle of water. Once you’ve got it, we’re heading up!”

“Yay!”

Once everyone had gathered, each holding a bottle of water, they began their hike up the mountain.

Since the weeds and brush had already been cleared, and there were workers up there now, they always followed the same path up.

Over time, it had become a well-trodden trail, surprisingly easy to walk.

“The air up here is amazing,” Madam Lu said after a while.

“Yeah, the moment I stepped into the mountain, I felt like just another tourist on vacation. So peaceful,” Lu Shenlin said, walking beside her.

The mountain was lush and green, filled with vibrant wildflowers and grasses.

Insects chirped cheerfully.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees.

Even the air, just as Madam Lu had said, was fresh and clean.

“Alright, Little Radish Heads, the race starts in five minutes!”

“Safety first.”

“The first three to reach that spot will get a prize from your big brother.”

Lu Jianshen pointed to a signpost halfway up the trail, speaking to the seventeen children.

The signpost had been installed by the workers Lu Qingqiang had hired.

It marked various zones on the mountain: animal enclosures, fishing areas, medicinal herb gardens, bamboo cottages for relaxation, and more.

The spot Lu Jianshen was pointing to was the nearly completed bamboo cottage area.

“Awesome, I’ve been ready!” said Wang Zhiyu.

“This mountain is so fun! I heard crickets chirping.”

“Do you think there are wild rabbits or pheasants up here? I heard roasted rabbit is delicious,” said Su Tao.

“Man, if I’d known, I would’ve brought my longsword. I could’ve used it to skewer a rabbit,” said Zhou Yang.

“Pheasants are protected animals now. You can’t eat those.”

“As for rabbits, come on, do you really think there are any left around here? They’d have been caught ages ago. Right, sis?” Lu Jianshen turned to Lu Qingqiang.

“I wouldn’t be so sure. You never know.”

“Maybe we’ll get lucky and catch one by waiting under a tree,” Lu Qingqiang said with a raised brow and a playful smile.

“Wait under a tree? Lu Qingqiang, you think you’re living in a fable?”

“In today’s world, there’s no such thing as a dumb rabbit running into a tree. That’s just a fairy tale.”

“Mama Lu, what does ‘waiting under a tree for a rabbit’ mean?”

Just as Lu Qingqiang was about to explain, her vision blurred.

Then, not far from her, right in front of a particularly tall tree, she saw a large gray rabbit lying unconscious—apparently it had run headfirst into the trunk.

“See that? That’s what it means to wait under a tree for a rabbit,” Lu Qingqiang said, pointing at the rabbit.

“???” Lu Jianshen.

“!!!!” Lu Shenlin, Madam Lu, Yuan Yuan, Director Feng, and the others.

— Translator’s Notes —

– Qianlong era: The Qianlong era refers to the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735–1796) during the Qing Dynasty, known for cultural flourishing and artistic achievements.

– Ming Dynasty: The Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) was a major Chinese dynasty known for its cultural restoration and expansion of trade and art.