MWC – Chapter 65 High Society

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After half a month, the jury was finally successfully formed. However, Yamakawa then brought up the issue of a key witness who was still not in place and required detailed investigation, resulting in a ten-day extension.

During this period, Lu Ming and his family moved to No. 23 Hepu Road.

This was a Western-style mansion with a small courtyard by Bi Lake.

The entire courtyard covered more than ten acres. The three-story mansion, in Lu Ming’s view, had a style combining both Western and Eastern elements, featuring tall doors and large windows for brightness, as well as flying eaves and upturned corners for a classical touch. The three-story mansion had over twenty rooms in total, equipped with running water, electric lights, and telephones.

Behind the three-story main building was a large, lush, and even lawn with a swimming pool, sun umbrellas, and loungers. Next to it was a vibrant flower garden.

Outside the back courtyard wall was a rippling lotus pond, offering a view of green leaves as far as the eye could see.

In the front yard, on the far left, there was a slightly lower long building. The first floor and the basement were storage rooms and warehouses. The second floor extended like a balcony from the main building, with a glass canopy on the northern half for sun and rain protection, and several rooms on the southern half with shooting holes facing the outside wall, seemingly designed as a defensive point against bandits.

On the far right side of the yard was another slightly lower building, housing the kitchen, servant rooms, and guard residences.

Such a residence cost only over 30,000 yuan, mainly due to property taxes being levied all over the empire, making the house prices never an issue.

The economic trajectory of the empire was similar to that of the major Western countries in history. Real estate taxes appeared 150 years ago, and the real estate boom happened over a century ago. In the Western country known to Lu Ming from his previous life, the real estate boom in 1819 led to the first financial crisis in the original sense, and later, real estate tax gradually improved in various places.

The empire followed a similar economic history, experiencing a land price collapse due to the real estate boom a hundred years ago.

Nowadays, each region had its own real estate tax policies.

Compared to the average income, house prices, car prices, and prices of large items were low, but daily consumption was high. This was the norm.

For example, the villa at No. 23 Hepu Road required a property tax of over 1,000 yuan a year, which was equivalent to a white-collar worker’s annual salary in Donghai City.

In other words, if an ordinary white-collar worker inherited such a house, they would have to sell it because they couldn’t afford to maintain it.

Similarly, a 6,000 to 7,000 yuan apartment required a property tax of about 200 yuan a year, and the rate increased for the second and third properties, making hoarding real estate for investment unwise.

Lu Ming wandered around, lost in thought.

The standalone villa was enclosed by a tall blue-brick wall with a spiked iron fence on top.

The courtyard gate was a tall black iron gate, securely closed, with a small iron window to see outside. Next to the gate was a small iron hut, serving as the gatehouse.

Sun Lutian lived in the gatehouse, staying far from the main building and even the servants’ quarters in the auxiliary building, as if something terrifying resided in the main building.

Sun Lutian’s wife, Sun Erniang, lived in the servants’ quarters in the auxiliary building.

Following Liu Laocai and Wen Liangyu’s suggestion, Lu Ming hired more than a dozen workers, given the large yard and many rooms, to avoid an empty and lifeless appearance.

However, all this was managed by Sun Erniang. After brief contact, Lu Ming found Sun Erniang to be efficient and capable of handling the miscellaneous tasks of the large house, treating her as a housekeeper.

But when Lu Ming finally saw these workers, he couldn’t help but smile wryly.

There were fifteen workers, all on lifetime contracts, essentially former slaves. There were seven black slaves and eight Dietuoluo slaves, all young women.

Six of the black female slaves were muscular, having been members of a chief’s guard training team in their native land, recently conquered and sold to Donghai. Each carried a pistol, making them suitable as guards.

They were also responsible for heavy labor in the mansion.

The black slaves, cherishing their chance to enter civilized society, were extremely loyal to their master. After some training, they would understand Central Continent etiquette and morality.

One black female slave could drive a car, acting as a chauffeur for the other mistresses.

Among the eight Dietuoluo female slaves, four were graceful and skilled in singing and dancing, with one each assigned as a maid to Mistress Zhen and Mistress Pan, and two to serve the young master.

These were Sun Erniang’s words, and Lu Ming didn’t bother to correct her. Indeed, not mentioning Hanzhu, just Pamela moving here with Bess naturally made them see her as a mistress or lover.

The remaining four Dietuoluo female slaves included one skilled in gardening, assigned as a gardener; the other three worked in the kitchen, one being quite good at cooking.

Sun Erniang mentioned that these female slaves cost a total of 9,000 yuan, all charged to the master.

Lu Ming found it amusing and frustrating. He was already heavily in debt, so a bit more didn’t make much difference.

It seemed that joining high society required being deeply in debt.

……

The main building had over twenty rooms. On the first floor was a luxurious and imposing living room of over 200 square meters, splendidly decorated with a magnificent chandelier. There were wide spiral staircases on both sides leading to the second and third floors.

The rooms along the corridors on the first floor were for servants and their washrooms.

The second and third floors were the living areas for the mansion’s owners. The second floor had a study, private reception rooms, a tea room, a game room, etc., with luxurious bedrooms on both the east and west sides, each with a dressing room and washroom. The third floor had even more opulent master and mistress bedrooms, with traditional northern decorations, including carved beams, painted pillars, and screens. There were also a few luxurious bedrooms, temporary rest rooms for maids, and a lounge with a view of Bi Lake.

Lu Ming let Bess choose a room first, either the children’s room on the second floor or the one on the third floor. Bess, feeling shy and intimidated by the mansion’s opulence, seemed scared. Knowing it was not something to be taken for granted, she missed the days of living with her mother in Jing’an Lane and sticking to her uncle.

Lu Ming ultimately decided for her, choosing the children’s room on the third floor, with Pamela naturally taking the luxurious bedroom next to it.

When Pamela was touring the rooms, her green eyes held complex emotions. Perhaps she was reminiscing about her past life, or she was still hesitating about whether she should really move in.

Especially when Sun Erniang respectfully called her “Mistress” and introduced the Dietuoluo servants assigned specifically to serve Pamela and her daughter, Pamela’s gaze became even more dazed.

Hanzhu had probably been up early, worrying about something her master might have forgotten to bring, busying herself for half the day. She was too tired, so Lu Ming persuaded her to rest for a while in her room. She obediently complied but soon came out again, curiously wandering around, clearly transformed into Bess. Lu Ming didn’t bother with her, letting her do as she pleased.

Standing in front of the large floor-to-ceiling window, with curtains lifted on both sides adding a classical touch, one could see the beautiful scenery of Bi Lake with its lotus leaves rippling.

“Is it alright for me to live here?” Lu Ming heard Pamela’s footsteps approaching and standing beside him. He didn’t turn around, not expecting her to ask such a question.

Turning his head, Lu Ming looked at Pamela in surprise.

Where had her confidence, her nonchalance, and her boldness gone?

At this moment, this Western beauty, with her green eyes full of hesitation and uncertainty, wore a rose-red ball gown, revealing her white shoulders and back, with her jade feet in thin red high heels. She looked stunningly beautiful, yet she seemed lost, unlike her usual confident self.

“I thought you were going to take over my room at Wind Bao Club’s Room 408 without hesitation. Why are you afraid to live here?” Lu Ming smiled slightly.

“That’s different…” Pamela gently shook her head, gazing at Bi Lake in the distance. “I have a feeling that soon, you’ll be in a much higher position. In twenty years, ten years, no, maybe even less time. By then, it might be difficult just to see your silhouette…”

Lu Ming smiled, “No matter what happens, I’ll still be me, still Bess’s favorite uncle, and your most trusted boss!”

“Here you go again, I’m not the one you trust the most!” Pamela’s pretty face was full of helplessness.

Lu Ming just laughed.

Pamela sighed softly again, “I’m just wondering what I mean to you. Maybe I still have some value in your eyes now, but what about in the future? What will it be called if I move in with Bess now? You’re not interested in me now, let alone in the future. I don’t want to become a joke again. I’ve already been a joke once. I swore that I’d never make the same mistake again in this life!”

Lu Ming, who had been joking around, was slightly taken aback. He was silent for a moment, then gently took her slender, white hand.

Pamela’s body trembled, and she looked at him in surprise with her green eyes.

With a soft sigh, Lu Ming said, “I didn’t realize I was so charming. Can’t I just find a wife to love and be faithful to for life? Do I really have to reluctantly marry ten or eight concubines and keep dozens of mistresses outside just to avoid breaking girls’ hearts? Sigh…”

Pamela, who had just closed her eyes slightly with her long lashes fluttering in a tender yet uneasy way, was slowly leaning her delicate golden hair towards Lu Ming’s shoulder. But hearing his words, she froze, then opened her green eyes wide and shook off Lu Ming’s hand, glaring at him in anger. “You… you scoundrel!” She rarely spoke harshly, but she was genuinely furious this time.

Seeing Lu Ming’s half-smiling expression, Pamela paused, bit her red lips, and said, “You never tell the truth!”

Lu Ming snorted, “And you, you’re just as insincere. Do you really want to be my mistress? How did you learn to repay kindness with your body like us people from Central Continent?” He examined Pamela, reaching out to pinch her pretty face with a teasing expression, “You look quite beautiful when you’re angry, my lady!”

Pamela, about to push him away in anger, suddenly blinked her green eyes, smiled slightly, gently held Lu Ming’s hand, and brought it to her red lips.

Lu Ming was startled and quickly withdrew his hand.

Pamela burst into girlish laughter, proudly raised her chest, turned, and walked out with a click-clack of her heels. She stopped at the door, turned back with a light smile, and said, “I’ve decided. I’ll move in with Bess. Boss, your courage is only this much!” She made a small gesture with her slender, white finger, then turned and left.

Watching her elegant figure, Lu Ming smiled. Pamela was a very conflicted person, proud yet somewhat insecure deep down. And he had gradually made her less confident.

He still preferred the confident and proud Western beauty, so he teased her.

Since that day she “forcefully kissed” him, he always felt a bit awkward around her. Today, bringing up the past, he felt they had finally moved past that incident.

“Sir, your phone call!” At the door appeared a woman in a red wraparound long dress. Her dress, resembling a long red cloth wrapped around her body, was a traditional garment of Dietuoluo women called “Saluo.” Dietuoluo women had high noses and deep eyes, mostly black hair and eyes, slightly curly hair, and darker skin, resembling women from a populous southwestern country in his previous life.

The Dietuoluo servants serving him were too many to name individually, so he simply numbered them as Luo One, Luo Two, Luo Three, and Luo Four, and so on.

Luo One and Luo Two were responsible for serving him. Now it was Luo One notifying him of the phone call.

She looked about seventeen or eighteen, quite pretty. Sun Erniang had mentioned that these dozen or so slaves were expensive because they were all virgins, including the black slaves, considered good-looking in their tribes, and taught some basic Central Continent language, hence the price.

But compared to the old society, the price wasn’t high. The market was small now, with few customers, and ordinary people couldn’t get into this circle, no matter how much money they had.

Thinking about Sun Erniang’s traditional mindset, Lu Ming shook his head and went to answer the phone.

Unexpectedly, it was a call from Congressman Meng Dezhu, who mysteriously offered to introduce him to someone, a truly important figure.

In his words, that truly important figure must be someone of great significance. Lu Ming was immediately intrigued.