20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 682: Meeting the Mistress
Jiang Ya was still in high spirits and failed to understand her mother's long-term concerns. She just curled her lips, smiled and walked over, and asked hurriedly: "Mom, guess who I saw today?"

"Who is it?" Hu Xiaoyan was confused for a moment.

Jiang Ya was obedient and did not shout. She whispered back, "Sixth Master! Sixth Master is back and lives near my school. I just went to his house to play!"

The girl had no idea of ​​the grudges involved and was very happy when she talked about it.

Hu Xiaoyan was stunned when she heard this. After a long while, she subconsciously looked up at Dongfeng. There was no blame in her eyes, but she could not hide her surprise and astonishment.

Of course, Zhang Zhengdong didn't dare to make the decision on his own on such a big matter.

In fact, he had long known that his eldest sister-in-law wanted the grandfather and grandson to recognize each other, otherwise she would not have sent him to deliver photos to the Sixth Master a few years ago.

But rules are rules, and most people who work online follow a tacit principle - external enemies can be forgiven, but internal traitors must be killed without mercy!

The Sixth Master was able to survive because of Hu Xiaoyan and Gong Baonan's pleadings for him.

Jiang Lianheng did not agree to his children's recognition of their parents, so the matter had to be dropped hastily.

Seeing that his sister-in-law was a little confused, Dongfeng closed the door and carefully explained the whole story and the causes and consequences of what had just happened.

After hearing this, Hu Xiaoyan was silent for a long time, and finally sighed, thinking: Since it is a coincidence, although it is three parts of human nature, it may not be destined.

Thinking of this, he nodded and said, "Just admit it, but don't make it public. Don't tell anyone about it. Do you understand?"

Dongfeng said of course.

So far, this matter has been limited to the three of them.

There is no need to mention Hu Xiaoyan and Zhang Zhengdong, the key lies in whether Jiang Ya can control her mouth.

The girl couldn't understand what was going on and desperately sought an explanation or a white lie.

Zhang Zhengdong knew that it was not his turn to speak out, so he simply asked to leave and said, "Sister-in-law, if you don't have any other instructions, I will go and pick up Lao Zhao and the others first."

"Go ahead, and be careful on the road." Hu Xiaoyan responded.

Sitting at the table, Jiang Ya frowned in confusion. She had sensed something was wrong but didn't know where to start. When she saw Uncle Dong leave, she started asking more questions.

Hu Xiaoyan was not in a hurry to respond, but asked instead: "Xiaoya, what did you play with your Sixth Master today?"

"He performed a magic trick for me—telekinesis!"

Jiang Ya quickly told her mother what she had just seen and heard, exaggerating the magic trick as if it were a miracle.

She spoke excitedly, but for some reason, her mother reacted calmly and did not seem surprised at all.

The reason was simple: Hu Xiaoyan had seen her sixth uncle perform similar tricks when she was young.

However, the "cover" that Uncle Six used back then was not the "Kunlun Sacred Tree" but the "Ruyi Colored Glaze Lamp", in which he transformed the silver into the lamp.

"Sixth Master said," Jiang Ya said excitedly, "Next time I go to see him, he will teach me how to change. When I learn it, I will change it for you."

Hu Xiaoyan smiled and asked, "Xiaoya, do you want to visit your Sixth Master again in the future?"

"Go, why not?" Jiang Ya secretly pinched the silver dollar in her pocket and showed a sly smile.

"Then you must keep it a secret and not tell anyone that you have met Master Liu."

"My dad can't tell me either?"

"No."

"Where's my great aunt?"

"But why?" Jiang Ya was confused. "He's been gone for several years, and now he's back, why don't any of you go to see him?"

"Why?" Hu Xiaoyan sighed, "Oh, how can I tell you..."

At the moment, it seems that there is no other way but to make up a story and get away with it for the time being. As for how long this can be done, it depends on when Jiang Ya grows up.

…………

Fengtian Station, the square in front of the station.

The sun was setting in the west, and the temperature had cooled down a lot. It was the time when trains were running frequently, and pedestrians and passengers were rushing to and fro.

Zhao Guoyan and Hai Xinnian walked down the steps and looked towards the north side of the square for a moment. Suddenly they found Dongfeng standing next to the car, waving at them, so they immediately walked over quickly.

Hai Xinnian was still the same as usual, carrying a bedding roll on his back, with large and small bags hanging all over his body. He walked and stopped frequently, fearing that he would accidentally drop something.

Zhao Guoyan's hands were not idle either. He carried two high-end gift boxes and led Hai Xinnian through the square in front of the station.

It can be seen that even though the two have been together for more than ten days, they still feel a little uncomfortable when looking at each other, one feeling guilty and the other feeling awkward.

Seeing the two approaching, Zhang Zhengdong opened the car door and greeted them, "Old Zhao, thank you for your hard work!"

"Thank you for your hard work!" Zhao Guoyan put the gift box into the car and immediately introduced, "Dongfeng, this is the godson adopted by the Dong family. His name is Hai Xinnian. Xinnian, based on seniority, you have to call him Uncle Dong!"

"Uncle Dong!" Hai Xinnian responded.

Zhang Zhengdong nodded silently, looking a little cold.

Hai Xinnian didn't mind. At this moment, his eyes had already been attracted by the Ford car in front of him. He couldn't help but bend down to look at it carefully. He wanted to tinker with it, but he was afraid that he would make a mess and not be able to pay for it. So he stood up and asked, "Uncle Dong, is this your car?"

"The Jiang family's car."

"My godfather's car?"

Hai Xinnian didn't know what to say, but he understood more and more why his father insisted that he worship Jiang Lianheng as his godfather and asked him to come to Fengtian to try his luck. He never changed his mind even when his sister was humiliated in public.

In the past few days, when Zhao Guoyan led him to represent the Jiang family to attend the "Whip Ceremony" of the bandit gangs in Jilin Province, he had heard a lot of rumors about his adoptive father.

There is no doubt that the mountain bandits who attended the "Whip Ceremony" all respected the Jiang family, even if they were not afraid of it.

For the first time in his life, Hai Xinnian truly felt what it meant to be "a person's reputation is like the shadow of a tree."

It turns out that reputation can really make a living. Not to mention anything else, as soon as the bandit Hu heard that he was Jiang Lianheng's adopted son, he treated him to delicious food and drinks and he was never treated with disrespect.

As for how wealthy the Jiang family is, Hainian is still at the stage of groping in the dark. We don’t know the exact amount and can only speculate.

"Okay, hurry up and get in the car!" Zhao Guoyan helped him open the door and repeatedly reminded him, "When you meet your godmother later, don't forget what I told you!"

Hai Xinnian nodded reluctantly, hugged the bedding roll tightly, and after a long time of hesitation, he finally got into the back seat of the car.

Soon, Zhang Zhengdong drove the two of them quickly towards Jiang's residence in the north of the city.

Along the way, it was inevitable to ask a few questions about the "Whip Ceremony".

Zhao Guoyan sat in the co-pilot seat, shook his head and said with emotion: "I think Li Zheng is now on the rise. This time, the 'Anti-Feng Army' rebelled, and the government suppressed several gangs. Zhang Xiaokun took office as the garrison commander of Suining and issued an imperial decree to pacify all the gangs in Shandong Province. Among the remaining gangs, Li Zheng has the most power. He has both people and guns."

"So he is now the boss of the mountain?" Zhang Zhengdong asked calmly, just asking casually, not seeming to care.

"Although it's not stated explicitly, this time, among the 'whip-pullers', the one who has drawn the widest area is the 'King of Hell Li'. If he's not the boss, then no one else will be."

"The big tree attracts the wind!"

"Yes, that's why he didn't want to admit it. When he was the 'whip master', he insisted on worshipping 'Old Hawk' as his big brother. He had to agree even if he didn't agree. The boy was scared."

"Vile enough!" "Well, that's because the government has been cracking down on him recently, otherwise why would he do such a thing?" Zhao Guoyan stared at the front and murmured, "You know Li Zheng, he is practical in everything and will not do anything without profit. Now whoever dares to make a fuss will be made an example by the government, and he will not be the first to speak out at this time!"

Zhang Zhengdong nodded, and changed the subject, saying, "Old Zhao, there have been changes at home recently."

"Is it about business or online?" Zhao Guoyan asked slowly.

"Both sides!" Zhang Zhengdong explained, "The overall direction has been adjusted. We are going to build a gravel factory soon, and we will no longer collect protection fees in the street market."

After hearing this, Zhao Guoyan immediately realized that this adjustment was no small matter, so he continued to ask about a few details.

The two men were still talking to each other, while Hai Xinnian hugged his bedding roll tightly and looked out the window at the street scene of Fengtian.

It is worthy of being the highest military and political capital of the three northeastern provinces. It is much larger than Ning'an County. Whether it is government offices or shops, they seem to be several times larger than Ning'an County. The roads are also very spacious, and the people are numerous and diverse. This is not the Russians' sphere of influence, but the Japanese are so numerous that they can be seen everywhere.

Soon, the car passed through the concession and entered the city along Xiaoxiguan Street. There were new buildings lined up one after another, and foreign goods were everywhere. Occasionally, there were old street performers performing on the street, and their shouts were one after another.

Hai Xinnian felt that he had not seen enough, so the car turned left and quickly headed towards the north of the city.

Not long after driving, we suddenly saw a luxurious two-story mansion with a deep courtyard and high locked walls. There were green trees all around and birds singing. There were several bodyguards patrolling back and forth outside.

Looking inside along the top of the wall, even though one could only see the second-floor roof, one could still tell that the house was ridiculously large. It didn't look like a private residence, but more like a clubhouse.

"What kind of government building is this?" Hai Xinnian couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Unexpectedly, the car suddenly slowed down and the bodyguards outside the house immediately pushed open two heavy iron doors.

Everyone shouted in unison: "Brother Yan, thank you for your hard work!"

Zhao Guoyan nodded slightly and clasped his fists to everyone in the car.

Hai Xinnian immediately recognized Yuan Xinfa and asked hurriedly, "Uncle Dong, is this my godfather's house?"

He clearly came here with Zhao Guoyan, but he asked someone else, which surprised Dongfeng.

Zhang Zhengdong turned the car into the courtyard and said "yes". Then he subconsciously glanced at the rearview mirror, secretly observing the changes in Hai Xinnian's expression.

Hai Xinnian still held his bedding roll tightly. What he saw and heard today left him dumbfounded.

Seeing his adoptive father's mansion, luxury car, and abundant financial resources, the country boy suddenly felt a little embarrassed, uneasy, and even inferior.

Envy is certainly a natural human emotion, but there was only shock and astonishment in his eyes, without any greed or delusion.

Zhang Zhengdong lowered his eyes, stopped looking at him, and silently turned off the engine.

Seeing this, Zhao Guoyan whispered to comfort him, "Don't worry, the child is fine. I have been watching him for more than ten days."

Zhang Zhengdong nodded, opened the car door and said, "Introduce him to my sister-in-law later." After getting out of the car, he suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, does this guy know about my sister-in-law's situation?"

"I've already told him about the general rules of the family." Zhao Guoyan got out of the car carrying the gift box, turned around and shouted to Hai Xinnian, "What are you still standing there for? Get out of the car!"

Hai Xinnian woke up as if from a dream. He hurriedly carried his bedding roll, got out of the car, raised his head, and stared at the Jiang family mansion in a daze.

Although the mansion has only two floors, the roof is very high. At a glance, it seems to be nearly seven or eight meters high.

Dongfeng ignored the two of them and walked into the mansion first.

Zhao Guoyan urged, "New Year, hurry up and don't dawdle!"

Hai Xinnian nodded, hurriedly followed Zhao Guoyan, and walked quickly towards the Jiang family mansion.

As soon as I entered the door, Song Ma and Yingzi were already waiting at the entrance, ready to greet me, and their words were extremely respectful.

Of course Zhao Guoyan was already used to it, but it was the first time for Hai Xinnian to be a "young master". He felt quite awkward when someone suddenly bowed to him and didn't know how to respond.

Seeing Yingzi coming over to take his luggage, Hai Xinnian hurriedly declined, "No, no, I can carry it myself."

"Oh, don't worry, no one will steal your junk!" Zhao Guoyan frowned and advised, "We're already home, why are you still carrying all these big and small bags on your body? Leave the things here and go meet your godmother first!"

Hai Xinnian hesitated for a moment, and finally put down the other luggage, but he still held on to the bedding roll and refused to let go, insisting: "I have to take this myself!"

Everyone tried to persuade him, but it was no use.

Song Ma said, "Just take it. The child has just arrived and is not used to it yet. He will be fine after a few days."

Zhao Guoyan knew the boy's temper, so he gave up and took him to the study on the second floor to meet his sister-in-law.

Seeing that the decoration and furnishings of Jiang's house were of great value, Hai Xinnian didn't dare to carry the bedding roll anymore, so he simply held it upright in his arms.

When they were near the door of the study, Zhao Guoyan suddenly grabbed him and asked in a low voice, "Do you remember what I told you?"

"Oh, I know, you've grumbled it eight hundred times!" Hai Xinnian was really impatient.

Boom boom boom!
After knocking on the door three times, Hu Xiaoyan's voice came from inside the room: "Come in!"

Zhao Guoyan slowly opened the door and saw Hu Xiaoyan sitting in a wheelchair drinking tea, Jiang Ya nestled in her arms, and Dongfeng standing behind her with his hands behind his back.

"Sister-in-law, I——"

Zhao Guoyan had just opened his mouth, but before he could finish his words, he saw Hai Xinnian squeeze into the study and stride towards Hu Xiaoyan.

He walked so fast, so fast that Zhao Guoyan and Zhang Zhengdong almost mistakenly thought that this kid was going to do something bad to their sister-in-law.

"Hey, what do you want to do?"

The two men shouted loudly and took steps almost at the same time, one chasing from behind and the other blocking from the front.

Hu Xiaoyan was not panicked at all, and the tea in her hand was as steady as if it was covered with a layer of ice.

Sure enough, when Hai Xinnian reached the center of the study, he suddenly stopped, put his luggage roll beside him, and then knelt on the ground with a "thump", and said in a loud and full voice: "Godmother, Xinnian salutes you!"

Having said that, he bowed his head and kowtowed!
Before anyone could react, there was a loud bang, like a huge hammer hitting the floor.

How loud and heavy was the knock?

It is no exaggeration to say that even two ounces of dust fell from the ceiling downstairs.

Song Ma and others were still wondering why they started fighting as soon as they met, but they didn't expect that the boy was kowtowing to his mother.

Just now, when Hu Xiaoyan saw Hai Xinnian rushing towards her, she was still calm and composed. Unexpectedly, the loud noise scared her so much that the tea bowl shook and accidentally spilled on her clothes.

"This... this child is too stupid..."

While wiping her clothes with a handkerchief, Hu Xiaoyan looked at Hai Xinnian curiously and asked with concern, "Child, are you okay?"

Hai Xinnian raised his head suddenly, and because the amplitude was too large and there was no warning, he scared everyone again.

But I saw that there was a red mark on the boy's forehead.

Just as I was about to ask him if he was okay, Hai Xinnian had already turned sideways, squatted on the ground, and concentrated on untying the bedding roll he brought with him.

Everyone looked around curiously, but before they could see the result, Hai Xinnian turned around again, pushed aside the bedding roll, knelt in front of Hu Xiaoyan again, and said:
"Godmother, my family is poor and I can't afford to give you anything valuable in the New Year. These mountain products were brought by my family. Please don't despise them. I will give you something more valuable in the New Year when I have made a difference!"

After saying this, he was about to kowtow again, which frightened everyone so much that they hurried forward to dissuade him.

(End of this chapter)