Second Uncle's Admonition

Just now, Second Uncle Lu Yi said that if he didn't have enough Luck Points, he would make up the difference. Lu Mingyuan refused immediately upon hearing this.

"Second Uncle, no need. I've already resolved the issue with the Luck Points."

Didn't he know the financial situation of his Second Uncle's family?

Second Uncle was a simple farmer. More than half of his family's income came from about ten mu of thin land. In his spare time, Second Uncle would also take on odd jobs, and Second Aunt would do needlework to supplement their income, which was how they managed to support the family.

In reality, their family couldn't save much silver taels throughout the year.

Even if Second Uncle's family didn't eat or drink, they would only earn about four hundred taels of silver a year. In his previous life, this purchasing power would be equivalent to about forty thousand yuan, just enough to get by.

However, converting these four hundred taels into tradable Luck Points, specifically Earth Luck Points, would only yield less than three hundred points of Earth Luck, possibly even only around two hundred points.

These few Luck Points were like a drop in the bucket for Lu Mingyuan.

He estimated that the shortfall for his new supernatural power was around three to four thousand Luck Points.

Moreover, it wasn't just a matter of sufficiency. If he took this from his Second Uncle, how would his family survive?

Would they starve?

Adding to that, Second Uncle's family had two children attending school, Lu Mingyuan's female and male cousins. This was a time when they spent a lot of money. It would be good if the family didn't have to dip into their savings each year, let alone have any surplus.

Therefore, Lu Mingyuan absolutely could not accept his Second Uncle's money; it was for his Second Uncle's family's livelihood.

Unexpectedly, even though Lu Mingyuan had just said he didn't need it, Second Uncle Lu Yi hadn't given up on his idea. "Mingyuan, listen to your Second Uncle. I took your advice and have been growing some vegetables and fruits these past few years, and I've saved some. If you're still short..."

Lu Mingyuan was speechless. His Second Uncle was truly an honest man, to say such things out loud?

But he really didn't need it. So, to completely dissuade his Second Uncle, he had to be direct. "Second Uncle, I've already spoken with Jing Zhi. She will have a dowry, so you don't need to worry about the Luck Points."

"A dowry? That's right. Jing Zhi's father also joined the army back then, so he should have some Earth Luck Points. As for expenses, he hasn't had any other significant ones besides supporting his eldest son's education over the years, so he should have saved some. But Jing Zhi's father said he would use Earth Luck Points as a dowry?"

"Yes! Jing Zhi told me herself. Uncle Jing also agreed."

Lu Mingyuan answered this question with great certainty. Jing Zhi often mentioned this to him, and he had confirmed it multiple times, so there shouldn't be any mistakes.

Besides, the other party had no reason to lie to him on this matter.

Even if this method didn't work, he, Lu Mingyuan, had other ways.

Whether it was actively establishing schools to earn wealth and exchange it for Earth Luck Points, or diligently improving his Talent cultivation to increase the output of Human Luck Points, these were all viable methods.

A person couldn't be drowned by urine.

In fact, if Lu Mingyuan could be promoted to Three Stars, he would gain at least four Human Luck Points every day, which would amount to over a thousand points annually. Three to four thousand points would only take two to three years, which was very fast.

If he really didn't want to delay any further and wanted to create the new supernatural power immediately, he could always borrow from someone. The government had a dedicated Earth Luck Point lending service. However, the interest rates were quite high; "nine out of thirteen returned" was considered low.

But Lu Mingyuan had full confidence in his new supernatural power. Even if he couldn't make a fortune, earning a hundred thousand wouldn't be a problem.

No matter how high the interest was, he could still afford to repay it. Borrowing five thousand and returning ten thousand would be acceptable, right?

The government's interest rates wouldn't exceed double.

Therefore, Luck Points were not a problem for Lu Mingyuan at all.

And this was without even using his "Anonymous" alias to access his hundreds of billions in assets.

In fact, if it really came down to it, Lu Mingyuan could write a more professional book and upload it to the Heavenly Dao Virtual Net, setting a higher price of ten thousand. Then, he could have his "Anonymous" alias buy it once.

This way, Luck Points would come in, wouldn't they?

However, this method had some loopholes and wasn't very rigorous, nor did it align with Lu Mingyuan's own persona.

Based on Lu Mingyuan's usual display of knowledge, he didn't have the qualifications to publish a book at the moment, let alone have the famous "Anonymous" buy it after publication.

If he exposed the fact that he was "Anonymous," he would become a piece of fat meat for others.

Therefore, Lu Mingyuan would not choose this method unless it was a desperate situation.

Hearing his nephew's firm reply that he would indeed use the Jing family's dowry to cover the Luck Point shortfall for creating the supernatural power, Second Uncle Lu Yi sighed inwardly, confirming something.

"I see!"

However, he immediately asked, "Mingyuan, Second Uncle has a question for you. Answer it seriously."

On the other side, Lu Mingyuan looked at his Second Uncle's suddenly serious expression, feeling puzzled. Why the sudden change in demeanor?

"What is it? Second Uncle, please ask. I'll answer as much as I can."

Lu Yi didn't ask directly. Instead, he first glanced at the doorway, then looked around the courtyard, and after confirming no one else was eavesdropping, he asked in a low voice, "Mingyuan, tell Second Uncle the truth. You're accepting support from the Jing family, aren't you afraid people will say you're relying on your wife's family? Aren't you afraid of people gossiping later?"

Hearing his Second Uncle suddenly bring up this issue, Lu Mingyuan looked at the usually honest and simple man in front of him with surprise. He suddenly understood why his Second Uncle had brought up the matter of Luck Points.

"Second Uncle, you haven't heard any gossip, have you?"

Although he asked this, Lu Mingyuan was already about eighty percent sure. His Second Uncle must have accidentally overheard something, which was why he was talking to him about this. After all, his Second Uncle wouldn't usually talk about such things; he would just chat with him about everyday matters.

"Uh!"

Lu Yi hadn't expected his nephew to ask this. A hint of embarrassment flashed across his face, and then he said somewhat indignantly, "Don't change the subject. Answer Second Uncle's question first.

Mingyuan, I'm telling you, once you accept support from the Jing family, people will definitely talk. This is a given, and no one can avoid it.

If you don't become successful, people will at most mention it occasionally, and the matter will pass;"

But once you achieve something beyond ordinary people, they will definitely spread it everywhere. Are you sure you can handle it then?"

Gossip can indeed ruin a person.

However, was this really his second uncle?

Lu Mingyuan looked at his second uncle with surprise. He hadn't expected his second uncle to say these things to him, but it didn't quite sound like his second uncle. Could it be his shrewd second aunt?

Scrutinized by his nephew's meaningful gaze, Lu Yi was a bit confused. What bad idea was this kid thinking of again?

He couldn't help but gently pat the back of Lu Mingyuan's head. "I'm talking to you, why are you looking at me?"

"Oh! Oh! It's nothing."

Seeing his second uncle about to hit him again, Lu Mingyuan quickly dodged and said, "Second Uncle, don't worry. I've never cared about those things.

Besides, if I really got rich relying on Jing Zhi's dowry, I definitely wouldn't deny it. On the contrary, I would publicize it. So, Second Uncle doesn't need to worry about me being affected by those rumors in the future.

Your nephew, I, have a big heart."

Hearing this, Lu Yi looked at Lu Mingyuan seriously for a while before saying, "That's good!"

Actually, judging by his nephew's usual character, he wouldn't care about this. But what about the future? Who can say for sure about the future?

Therefore, when his wife mentioned it a while ago, Lu Yi decided to talk to his nephew in advance, lest this kid go down the wrong path in the future and become an ungrateful person. If that happened, Lu Yi would have no face to see his elder brother and sister-in-law in the afterlife.

"Hey, Second Uncle, why are you suddenly lecturing me today?"

His second uncle was indeed a bit unusual today. He never used to say these things.

"What lecturing? I'm just sharing some experience in dealing with people. As for lecturing, how could I lecture you? You're the little teacher of our Osmanthus Lane, you speak so eloquently."

Lu Yi glanced at Lu Mingyuan. This kid used to lecture him all the time, and the key point was that he couldn't argue with him because what he said made sense.

Now, it was good. Today, he, Lu Yi, finally got one back.

Otherwise, if the uncle always lost arguments to his nephew, it would be too much of a blow to his confidence as an uncle.

Thinking of this, Lu Yi suddenly felt a sense of relief, as if he had seen a great harvest in his vegetable patch.

No, it felt even better than that.

On the other side, Lu Mingyuan didn't know his second uncle's current mood. He didn't refuse the title of 'little teacher' that his second uncle mentioned, and even felt a little proud.

This was something he had painstakingly built up over the years.

In the beginning, Lu Mingyuan, just to repay kindness, gathered the children on the street at his home to teach them to read and write. Eventually, as the number of people grew and the scale expanded, he reorganized "Tingtao Academy" and reopened it under the suggestion of the villagers.

However, because Lu Mingyuan was the only teacher in the entire academy, and he was still young at the time, he earned the elegant title of 'little teacher'.

Lu Mingyuan did not refuse this. He was indeed teaching, so being called 'teacher' was normal.

As for the prefix 'little', it didn't matter, as long as it wasn't called the wrong thing.

While Lu Mingyuan was thinking about these things, Lu Yi suddenly said, "Mingyuan, do you know why I'm telling you this today?"

Lu Mingyuan didn't speak, he just looked at his second uncle, waiting for him to speak.

Lu Yi looked at the large willow tree in the courtyard, recalled for a moment, and then said, "About two hundred years ago, there was a young man named Qian in our Osmanthus Lane.

This person's family conditions were not good, but his ancestors had military merits, so he entered the academy to study from a young age.

In the academy, due to his family's circumstances, he studied very hard, quickly stood out, and met a young lady from a prominent family named Huang.

The two fell in love from then on.

With the financial support of the Huang family, the Qian family progressed rapidly, and he soon became a five-star master, admired by all.

However, rumors followed closely.

They said he climbed up relying on his wife's family, and that without the Huang family's support, he would be nothing.

It is said that the Huang family initially sponsored him with thirty to forty thousand points of earth luck, which allowed him to complete the first step.

Although it was a fact that he rose with the help of the Huang family, it was also inseparable from the Qian family's own efforts.

However, this Mr. Qian couldn't stand it. He felt he had lost his dignity, that he was living off his wife's money, so his relationship with his wife, the young lady from the Huang family, deteriorated. He would hit and scold her.

Finally, it escalated, even leading to a murder case."

"A murder case? He killed his wife..."

Hearing this, Lu Mingyuan was extremely surprised. He made a gesture across his neck with his hand.

His second uncle nodded.

Seeing this, Lu Mingyuan sighed in his heart, it seemed that such people existed everywhere.

No matter how knowledgeable one was, they couldn't escape this.

"What happened in the end?"

"In the end, of course, he was sentenced to death. Killing his wife is a grave crime."

"That's good! By the way, Second Uncle, is that Huang family the one that runs pawnshops in our city?"

"Yes! It is said that the Huang family almost monopolized the pawnshop industry in our Changfeng City at that time, but because of Mr. Qian's retaliation, many people from the Huang family were killed. After that, the Huang family also gradually declined, and now they only live by those three or four pawnshops."

"There's such a thing?"

"There are actually many such things. I often heard about them when I was young. Your Uncle Jing also lived here originally, so he must have heard them too. That's why I actually admire him for daring to sponsor you."

"Hey, Second Uncle, I'm not that kind of person. Besides, aren't there quite a few people who helped their wife's clan after rising to power? We can't just look at the bad side."

"I'm just telling you, don't let them down in the future."

"Don't worry."

Lu Mingyuan replied firmly. He had finally met someone who wholeheartedly cared for him, so of course he had to cherish them. How could he possibly let them down?

Besides, he, Lu Mingyuan, didn't care what others said. As long as they didn't maliciously slander him, he wouldn't bother with them.

Afterward, the uncle and nephew chatted in the courtyard for a while, ate a little something, and then, with appropriate gifts, headed to Matchmaker Liu's house at the east end of the alley.