20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 662 Intentional and Unintentional
That night, Jiang Lianheng and others returned to the mud house outside Shenjiadian Village in a drunken state, staggering.

The oil lamp in the house was still on, but the oil was almost dry, and the flame jumped up and down, making it seem even more restless.

Zhao Guoyan paced back and forth around the earthen kang. When he saw a few people pushing the door and entering the house, he hurriedly went forward and asked, "Boss, why did you come back so late?"

Jiang Lianheng narrowed his eyes, burped, patted Zhao Guoyan's shoulders twice, and said with a smile: "Guoyan, I did a big thing for you today, please take some time to thank me!"

The oil lamp flickered, and Zhao Guoyan asked hurriedly, "What's the matter?"

"Don't worry about it for now. You'll understand everything when the time comes." Jiang Lianheng pretended to be mysterious and stumbled straight to the kang. "Pack up tomorrow and set off the day after tomorrow. That's it. It's getting late. Let's go to bed quickly."

After saying this, he lay down with his clothes on and did not move again.

In the blink of an eye, snoring sounds gradually began to sound.

The rest of the people smiled without saying anything, and said "Congratulations, Brother Yan" for some reason, and then went to bed.

However, there was no point in keeping it a secret, as the fact that he was going to propose marriage had already been made clear.

Zhao Guoyan was not stupid, and he could guess roughly what was going on, so he immediately grabbed Erma, dragged him out of the house, closed the door, and asked in a deep voice:

"Did you go to the Hai family to propose marriage?"

Erma was quite proud, and laughed: "Brother, look at you, it's boring now that you've said it, and we wanted to give you a surprise!"

"Bullshit, who the hell wants a surprise?" Zhao Guoyan suddenly turned hostile, grabbed Erma by the collar and pushed him against the door, "Speak, was it you who instigated the boss to ask Haichaoshan to propose marriage?"

Erma was stunned, the smile on his face froze, he seemed a little puzzled: "Brother, why are you so excited? The man has feelings, the woman is interested, this is a good thing! Look how kind Boss Jiang is, he personally came to your house to propose marriage, Haichaoshan gave you everything you wanted, if I had such a boss, I would wake up with a smile in my dreams, you...why are you not happy?"

"I just want to ask you, was it you who instigated this?"

"Yes, yes..."

"Fuck you!" Zhao Guoyan tightened his grip and threatened, "I'm warning you, if you dare to get involved again, I'll fucking smack your mouth!"

Erma was a little confused, blinked, and asked, "Brother, don't you like the girl from the Hai family?"

"Did I say that?"

"Needless to say, everyone can see it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Guoyan suddenly pulled out a dagger, put the tip of the knife against Erma's eye bags, and asked, "Which eye did you see that with, huh?"

"No, no, no, big brother, let's not use the knife!" Erma stood on tiptoe and hurriedly dodged the sharp blade. "Brother, you are also kind-hearted. Can't you just admit that I was wrong? After all, you don't have to stab me to death with your knife, right?"

"Fuck off!"

Zhao Guoyan stretched out his leg to trip Erma, swung his arm, and immediately knocked Erma to the ground. Then he walked into the earthen house angrily, closed the door with a "bang", and locked it.

Er Ma was still in shock, sitting on the ground in a daze. He thought for a long time, but still couldn't understand Zhao Guoyan's attitude. Seeing that it was getting late, he straightened his clothes, found a place to squat against the wall, and couldn't help muttering to himself.

"You obviously love this girl, so what's the point of this song..."

…………

After a sleepless night, it was early the next morning.

Zhao Guoyan got up early, without combing his hair or washing his face, he quietly opened the door and went straight to the fields.

In the countryside, the days are long and the nights are short. As soon as the sky is bright, you can see many people working in the fields.

Zhao Guoyan walked quickly across the furrows and found a few tenants. He asked everyone he met, "Fellow villagers, have you seen Xiaoqing from the Hai family?"

Everyone said they didn’t see it, but after asking more and more questions, ambiguous smiles gradually appeared on the villagers’ faces.

A few married women were brave enough to laugh and tease from a distance, "Don't worry, she's yours, she can't run away, it's all destined, it's fate!"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Guoyan became even more anxious.

It seems that Shen's store is too small after all and cannot hold any secrets.

The news that Jiang Lianheng came to propose marriage has gradually spread in the Lianzhuang Association, and now everyone knows that the girl from the Hai family is about to get married.

In addition to the envy of the villagers, they couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. As the noise became more and more serious, some jealous people began to speak in a sarcastic manner, gossip, and gossip.

Judging from their implied meaning, what they want to say is: Xiaoqing from the Hai family is actually just so-so. In certain aspects, she is not as good as our girl!

Zhao Guoyan naturally didn't bother to pay attention to all this, and didn't want to argue about anything. He simply said goodbye to everyone and went to find Xiaoqing alone.

Unexpectedly, after searching from early morning till noon, not only was Xiaoqing nowhere to be found, but even the whereabouts of Haichaoshan and his sons were nowhere to be found.

Little did they know that the Hai family had gone out to visit the graves early in the morning.

Zhao Guoyan wanted to ask someone about it, but before he could even open his mouth, he was teased by everyone: "Oh, can that girl still fly away? Can't she wait even for a day?"

If we continue asking at this rate, it will probably only add fuel to the fire, pushing the lively atmosphere of Shen's store to its peak and making it impossible to calm down.

Zhao Guoyan had no choice but to sigh and give up in disappointment.

A day passed in a flash.

By nightfall, everyone was busy packing their luggage, the door of the Lianzhuang Association was closed, and it was even more difficult for Zhao Guoyan to find time to look for Xiaoqing.

As a result, his face became even gloomier, he spoke less, and looked depressed as if he was struggling with something.

However, everyone was busy and planning what to eat and what to do after returning to Ning'an County. They were all in high spirits, so naturally no one noticed Zhao Guoyan's abnormality.

…………

I had a hazy dream all night, and it seemed as if I had just fallen asleep when a rooster crowed outside the window and the sky was already bright.

Everyone hurriedly fetched water to wash up, and stood in front of Zhao Guoyan with their luggage, saying with a smile: "Old Zhao, let's go pick up your wife and brother-in-law!"

"Okay, okay, stop messing around and let's go!" Zhao Guoyan pretended to be stupid.

"Tsk, who is making trouble with you? The boss has already negotiated for you. Xiaoqing, that girl, will go with us!" Everyone laughed. "If you don't believe me, go ask the boss!"

As he was talking, Jiang Lianheng happened to come over and raised his hand and said, "Alright, Guo Yan, stop wasting time. She's just a woman. How long do you plan to stay here? Take her back quickly so you don't feel upset."

Everyone's horses were still being fostered at the Lianzhuang Association, so they had to go back anyway. However, Zhao Guoyan was a little hesitant. He sat on the kang, stammering, unable to speak.

Jiang Lianheng became impatient and urged again: "Let's go, you are usually a very straightforward person, but what's wrong with you today? You are more stubborn than that virgin girl!"

"Boss..." Zhao Guoyan thought for a moment and finally said, "I have a few words to say. Your kindness is..."

“Crackle…”

Before he could finish his words, the sound of horse hooves was heard outside the window.

Then Yang Lazi pushed the door open, looked around, and said, "Boss, the Koreans are here."

Jiang Lianheng nodded, said casually, "We'll talk on the way," and stood up and walked towards the door. Outside the house, Jin Youxuan's guerrillas happened to arrive. When they saw Jiang Lianheng coming out, they all dismounted and walked over and said, "Boss Jiang, yesterday some of our people came to Shen's store to sell furs. We heard that you were leaving, so we came here to say goodbye to you."

"Thank you very much, you're so welcome."

"No, no, this is what we should do!" Jin Youxuan and others said with a little shame, "It's just that Boss Jiang rarely found us this time, but we couldn't help much. We are really sorry."

Jiang Lianheng waved his hand and said, "Not really. You guys also helped provide clues. Whether it's successful or not is the same thing when you report to a gang. It won't hurt to make yourself familiar with them. Besides, there's still a long way to go, and there will be opportunities in the future."

The two exchanged a few polite words.

Jin Youxuan asked: "Boss Jiang is leaving now?"

"Yes!" Jiang Lianheng pointed to the Shen family tower in the distance and said with a smile, "Let's go to the Lianzhuang Association to get a horse first, and find a wife for my brother!"

Kim Woo-hyun translated these words to his Goryeo compatriots behind him.

After hearing this, everyone laughed, then bowed their hands, clasped their fists, and said a few words, which I thought were probably congratulations.

After laughing, Jin Youxuan suggested: "Then let's go together. This can be regarded as our farewell to Boss Jiang."

Jiang Lianheng did not refuse. He raised his hand and called Yang Lazi, asking him to go into the house to urge Zhao Guoyan to leave quickly. Then he and everyone else slowly walked towards the Shenjiadian Diaolou.

When they were halfway there, they saw from afar that the gate of the village association was open. Mr. Shen, along with his entire family, as well as the tenants and villagers in the village, gathered outside the watchtower, waiting for everyone.

Hai Chaoshan and his son were standing on the right side of the gate, holding a few military horses, their faces a little blurry.

Xiaoqing changed into a clean set of clothes. The clothes had been washed so many times that the originally maroon fabric had turned slightly white. Her shiny black braids reached her waist. Needless to say, her whole body was covered with many bags and even the girl was getting married, she was carrying a hunting rifle on her shoulder.

Hai Xinnian stood next to his sister. His outfit looked even more exaggerated, just like a refugee fleeing famine. He carried a bedding roll on his back, and his arms were stretched out, each holding a large cloth bag. No one knew what was in them, but they seemed so big, as if he had emptied the house of everything.

The other tenants and villagers also rushed over upon hearing the news, and gathered near the gate, looking around and vying to sell their tricks.

As soon as everyone approached, Mr. Shen immediately walked over quickly, grabbed Jiang Lianheng's hand, sighed and pretended to be affectionate.

"Hey, Boss Jiang, why are you in such a hurry? Stay a few more days, stay a few more days before leaving!"

Jiang Lianheng responded with a few words and pulled his hand out, but stopped in front of Master Shen and suddenly reminded him, "Master Shen, from now on, Captain Hai is my brother's father-in-law. If anything happens, you have to take care of it!"

Shen Zhiye's face was stiff and he forced out a dry laugh.

As early as the night when Lao Mang was killed at the Hongmen Banquet, he had already seen the Jiang family's methods. At this moment, he didn't care about anything else and hurriedly agreed tremblingly: "That's right, that's right!"

Jiang Lianheng ignored him and turned to look at Xiaoqing. He smiled and asked, "Girl, you are about to get married. Why are you still holding a gun?"

Xiao Qing held the shotgun tightly and refused to let go, saying, "If he dares to bully me, I will shoot him."

Everyone started laughing, and Jiang Lianheng said quickly, "How cruel!"

Liu Kuaitui said, "Girl, even if you can take this gun to Ning'an, you can't take it to Fengtian. Be careful that the Japanese will find it on the train and arrest you!"

Xiaoqing had never been on a train before, so when she heard this, she asked worriedly, "Can't I just hide it in my bag?"

"Girl, don't listen to his nonsense!" Jiang Lianheng stepped forward to comfort her, "We are family now. If you want to take me with you, I can find a way to get you on the train!"

Xiaoqing was very happy when she heard that and said thank you a few times.

At this time, Hai Chaoshan also came over, handed the reins in his hand to everyone, and asked by the way: "Boss Jiang, why hasn't Zhao Guoyan come yet?"

"Damn it, he's been dawdling since this morning!" Jiang Lianheng said as he turned around and looked around, "But he should be here soon."

Sure enough, not long after the words fell, Zhao Guoyan, Erma and Yang Lazi were seen walking quickly towards this side from the direction of the fields.

Everyone immediately started to make a noise: "Oh my, girl, why is your face red? Where is the energy you had just now?"

Xiaoqing just kept pulling the shoulder strap of the shotgun, lowered her head and said nothing.

The closer Zhao Guoyan got, the more frequently the girl looked at her father. Her heart was far away from him, but she was reluctant to leave.

Jiang Lianheng was so happy that he immediately turned around and said, "Old Yuan, give some money to the villagers to share in their joy."

As he said that, he clasped his hands together and shouted to the villagers of Shenjiadian: "Fellow villagers, today is the day my brother is getting married. The girl is marrying far away, so we won't have a banquet here. I'll prepare a red envelope for everyone. It's my apology on behalf of Guo Yan and Captain Hai. Please say hello later so that we can have some fun."

To be fair, he is qualified to be the leader and no one can find fault with him.

This is only Zhao Guoyan. If it were someone else, Jiang Lianheng would be too lazy to help.

The tenant villagers received red envelopes, no matter how much, it was free money after all, so they naturally thanked them repeatedly. The gossipy women stopped talking about other people's affairs and instead congratulated them loudly.

"Thank you, Boss Jiang, and congratulations, Captain Hai!"

"Xiaoqing, I hope you will have a baby soon. Come back to your parents' home next year and bring the baby back for us to see!"

Everyone was talking at once, saying auspicious words, and the festive atmosphere was unknowingly pushed to its peak, which gave the Hai family enough face.

Finally, the two rivals met on a narrow road, close to each other.

It is said that the two of them have known each other for a long time, but at this moment, they feel inexplicably unfamiliar.

Erma took the reins from the eldest brother of the Hai family and handed them to Zhao Guoyan.

Xiaoqing lowered her head, deliberately downplaying the solemn atmosphere, and only pushed her brother from behind, urging him softly: "Xinnian, let's go!"

Yang Lazi was also kind-hearted. He immediately came over with a big smile on his face and said, "Sister-in-law, let me help you carry the things. You can just get on the horse."

"No need, I can carry it myself!"

Xiaoqing was still the kind of person who didn't ask for help from others. Just as she was about to take a step, a figure suddenly flashed before her eyes.

Looking up, it was naturally Zhao Guoyan.

Xiaoqing hesitated for a moment, then suddenly raised her hand, handed over the package she was carrying, and said confidently, "Here, hold it for me!"

Seeing this, everyone couldn't help but "ah-ah-ah" and started to make a noise.

Zhao Guoyan's heart sank and his brows furrowed, but he did not reach out to take the bag that Xiaoqing handed over.

Looking around, although I feel sorry for it, I know it is too late if I don't say some things now.

He thought for a moment, and finally shook his head, his voice chillingly cold.

"Miss Hai, I never said I wanted to marry you."

----

[To be continued, to be continued]

(End of this chapter)