20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 687 Three Tigers and One Leopard

South of Fengtian City, the Jiang family’s outer residence.

The car stopped at the gate of the courtyard, and all the servants gathered in front of the screen wall, standing with their hands hanging down, welcoming Jiang Lianheng back.

As soon as the car door was opened, everyone bowed and greeted in unison.

"master--"

"It's gone, it's gone!"

Jiang Lianheng hurriedly got out of the car, waved his hand, then strode up the steps and walked into the courtyard alone.

At this time, two more doormen came up to the car in small steps, bowed and asked respectfully, "Second Master, Third Master, would you two like to come in and sit for a while?"

Nanfeng and Xifeng looked at each other, and without thinking, they replied in unison: "No need, let's just stroll back!"

After saying that, the two of them immediately got out of the car and walked quickly towards the mansion in the north of the city as if they were somewhat shy.

The servants in the outer house knew what was going on, so they didn't try to persuade them any more. They just said "Goodbye", watched the two of them go away, and then closed the vermilion lacquered door.

It's inevitably chilly in the large courtyard, with gusts of cold wind blowing from time to time.

Perhaps because the house is mostly made of beams, there is always a faint smell of decay in the yard, which is especially obvious on cloudy and rainy days.

Jiang Lianheng walked around the screen wall and pushed open the hanging flower door, only then could he see a ray of warm sunshine.

The courtyard is bright and clear, the grass and trees are lush and growing, and they are about to wither but have not yet withered. It is the golden autumn season.

Two figures, one big and one small, were seen coming towards them, squatting in a grass nest in the corner of the ear room, acting stealthily.

When I got closer and took a closer look, I found that it was Dong Niya and Jiang Chengzhi who were squatting there watching the ants.

The concubine from the fourth room took the young master from the third room to play and have fun in the yard - this situation was truly rare and even unbelievable in the large mansion.

The reason was simple, because Dong Niya didn't consider herself as the concubine of the Jiang family at all.

This foreign lady had absolutely no intention of competing for favor.

Perhaps, in her heart, she always regarded herself as the Jiang family's tutor, but she only needed to provide some extra services occasionally.

But there is nothing wrong with this action. As a fallen White Russian noble lady, she could only flee to the Northeast. Although she had no choice but to live as a parasite in the Jiang family, she had no other choice.

If calling herself a "home tutor" can comfort her, then let her do it!
When marrying a wife, marry a virtuous one, and when taking a concubine, marry a beautiful one.

Jiang Lianheng didn't seek any fame, he just wanted something new.

However, it is true that there is evidence to say that Dong Niya is the Jiang family's tutor.

In fact, she always played the role of a teacher, often telling the Jiang family's children northern fairy tales, or teaching them music, painting, and Russian.

Dong Niya likes children very much. Whenever school is on vacation, Jiang Ya and Jiang Chengye like to come and play with her, and visit their young brother Jiang Chengzhi.

As for what they learned when they were together, Jiang Lianheng didn't care or concern himself.

He only knew that the children of wealthy families in the city were all learning Western art, so he also followed suit and urged his children to learn it.

At this moment, Dong Niya and Jiang Chengzhi were squatting in the grass, watching with fascination, giggling from time to time.

Jiang Lianheng walked to the center of the courtyard, cleared his throat, and asked loudly, "What are you grinning about?"

Dong Niya looked back and saw Jiang Lianheng coming. She immediately stood up and stepped aside. She lowered her head and responded in a formal manner: "Master."

She had gradually adapted to life in the Far East. Not only did she change into a cheongsam, but she could also speak a few simple words in Chinese.

Jiang Lianheng nodded at her, then looked at the youngest, deliberately put on a cold face, and said sternly: "Jiang Chengzhi, didn't you see me coming?"

Jiang Chengzhi has three shortcomings. At the beginning, he talked a lot. It was ok if he said a few words unexpectedly, but when he talked too much, his speech became "babbling", which was difficult to understand and only his mother could translate it.

The boy was wearing new navy blue clothes and holding a wooden toy gun in his hand. When he heard someone calling him, he stood up and looked back in confusion.

Of course he knew that the person coming was his father, but because they had met so seldom, every time they met, it took him a while to recognize him before he could react.

"What's the matter? I haven't seen you for a few days, and you don't recognize me?" Jiang Lianheng asked, "Have you forgotten who bought you the toy gun in your hand?"

Jiang Chengzhi looked at his father, then at the toy gun, his eyes lit up with joy, and he immediately shouted, "Dad!"

"Come here!" Jiang Lianheng squatted down and waved to his youngest son, "Chengzhi, come here and let daddy treat you well!"

Jiang Chengzhi hesitated a little, pointed to the flower bed under the window of the ear room, and said seriously: "There are ants!"

"I know there are ants, come over here first!"

"Ran!"

"What's so good about an ant? It can't run away." Jiang Lianheng clapped his hands and called out, "Come here quickly. Your father is not as good-looking as that ant?"

Jiang Chengzhi hesitated for a moment, and finally left the ant behind, running towards his father with his hands and feet dancing. However, after taking a few steps, he suddenly tripped and fell to his knees on the ground.

Dong Niya was shocked when she saw this and quickly ran over to help.

Jiang Lianheng, however, acted as if nothing had happened. He squatted there and said with a smile, "Son, it's not even the New Year yet, and you're going to kowtow to your father when you see him?"

Jiang Chengzhi didn't cry or make a fuss. When Dong Niya helped him up, he actually laughed along with his father.

Then he suddenly raised his toy gun and said something at his father.

Although Jiang Lianheng didn't understand, he could guess what Xiao'er meant, so he cooperated by raising his hands high and begged for mercy in a serious manner: "Young man, don't shoot, let's talk it over!"

Jiang Chengzhi was not willing to let him off easily, and immediately shouted with a smile: "Da! Da! Da!"

"what--"

Jiang Lianheng covered his chest with his hands, his expression ferocious, and stood up shakily, saying in great pain: "No, I've been shot, no one will buy you toys in the future..."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chengzhi panicked, and hurried over to hug his father's trouser legs, shouting desperately: "Don't die, don't die!"

Jiang Lianheng seized the opportunity, immediately picked up the youngest child, and poked him in the ribs a few times, making Jiang Chengzhi laugh continuously.

The father and son made a fuss for a while, and Jiang Chengzhi begged again: "Dad, I want to ride on your neck!"

Jiang Lianheng picked him up, let him ride on his shoulders, and ran around the courtyard a few times.

Seeing this, even Tonya's eyes showed a happy smile.

Compared with his brother, Jiang Chengzhi has a more adventurous spirit in his bones. Since he is more like his father, he is more favored by his father.

Jiang Lianheng, in particular, often felt that he owed the youngest child something, and thus became more and more obedient. Every time he came to the outer house, he would humble himself and play with the youngest child for a while.

Being ruthless does not necessarily mean you are a hero, and how can a loving person not be a real man?
Do you know that the one who stirs up the wind and roars, when he looks back, he sees Xiao Yutu!
After playing and making noise, Jiang Lianheng let the youngest child go.

Jiang Chengzhi hadn't had enough fun yet, but Jiang Lianheng had already lost his patience.

As we all know, fathers are only enthusiastic for three minutes when playing with their children. If it lasts another second, they start to get annoyed.

Jiang Lianheng was no exception. Seeing his youngest son yelling endlessly, he pointed to the flower bed under the window of the ear room and coaxed him, "Okay, go watch the ants. They will run away soon!"

After much persuasion, he finally got the boy to leave. He then turned his attention to Dongnia, asking her if she needed money and about Jiang Ya and Jiang Chengye.

Dong Niya's comments are the same as always. She always says: "Chengye is smart and learns things quickly, very quickly."

"Where is that girl?" Jiang Lianheng couldn't help but frown when he mentioned Jiang Ya.

Dong Niya continued, "Ya is also very good, likes to move, is smart, but likes to play."

"What about him?" Jiang Lianheng curled his lips at the youngest. Dong Niya smiled and said, "He is still too young. I didn't teach him anything."

Jiang Lianheng nodded and couldn't help but look at the fourth wife a few more times. He always felt that she seemed to understand the three children better than he, the father.

Dong Niya is only about 23 years old this year. Although she has been abused by Jiang Lianheng many times, she still felt a little scared when she saw him staring at her.

However, it was just noon and Jiang Lianheng was not in the mood for that. He waved his hand and said, "You take him out to play," and then strode into the main room.

When the door curtain was opened, a low whisper came from the inner room.

Jiang Lianheng followed the sound and walked in, only to see nearly twenty gift boxes of various sizes placed on the kang. Zhuang Shuning was leaning against a large suitcase, holding a gift list in her hand, and was counting the numbers with her personal maid Xiao Huier.

The master and servant seemed to be extremely attentive and did not even notice that someone had entered the room.

"Okay, Shuning, since you gave birth to a son for me, you have become more and more confident!" Jiang Lianheng walked slowly to the tea table and poured himself a cup of tea. "What's the matter? Didn't the servant tell you that I'm back?"

"Where did you come back from?" Zhuang Shuning looked at the gift list in his hand and asked without raising his head, "Did you just come back from Jilin?"

"Oh, you're trying to argue?" Jiang Lianheng said with a smile, "Okay, okay, you know how to be jealous. I'm very pleased!"

Zhuang Shuning rolled his eyes at him and muttered softly, "No, it's fine if you don't come."

"Duplicity?"

"It's a joke!"

"You want to refuse but you still want to welcome?"

"interesting!"

"Tsk, stop messing around, I'm here, I have something to discuss with you later!" Jiang Lianheng looked at the gift box on the kang and asked the girl, "Hui'er, who sent these gifts?"

Xiao Huier explained: "Master, these were not sent by others, but were given away by grandma."

"Who are you going to give it to?" Jiang Lianheng was stunned.

"Do I even need to ask this?" Zhuang Shuning muttered, "It's less than half a month before the Mid-Autumn Festival. You gave gifts to the officials, so how can I not give gifts to Marshal Zhang's concubines? After all, we often play mahjong together, so you can't go empty-handed, right?"

Jiang Lianheng said with relief: "Thank goodness you still have this heart, I came here today just to tell you about this!"

Zhuang Shuning didn't say anything, but his breathing suddenly became heavier.

Jiang Lianheng immediately changed his tone and said with a laugh: "Of course, giving gifts is a small matter, meeting you is a big matter."

Zhuang Shuning snorted coldly, "Come on, you are a man who comes here for no reason. As soon as you walked in, I guessed why you came."

It seems that there is some truth to the saying that a mother's status is determined by her son.

Ever since giving birth to Jiang Chengzhi, Zhuang Shuning's words and actions in front of Jiang Lianheng have become noticeably more assertive.

However, it is important for people to know themselves.

Although Zhuang Shuning was favored because of her children, deep down, she never thought of competing with Hu Xiaoyan.

It's not because of cowardice, but precisely because I can see clearly.

She knew very well that the Jiang family was not an ordinary wealthy family and could not be judged by common sense. Jealousy and intrigue were not allowed in this family.

Those old rich men might disregard the grace of marriage and divorce their wives and remarry just because their concubines gave birth to children, but Jiang Lianheng would not do that.

No matter what, the two of them have been sleeping in the same bed for nearly ten years. Zhuang Shuning knew very well what position Hu Xiaoyan held in Jiang Lianheng's heart and did not dare to have any unrealistic thoughts.

She clearly remembered that one snowy night, the two were discussing and communicating on the warm kang, but someone from the north of the city sent a letter saying that the eldest sister-in-law had caught a cold and was talking nonsense due to the heat. Jiang Lianheng immediately jumped off the kang, picked up his trousers, and ran away, not to be seen until two months later.

Zhuang Shuning had never seen Jiang Lianheng like that before. He was panic-stricken and at a loss.

From that moment on, she clearly realized that she would never be able to compete with the eldest sister-in-law of the Jiang family, even though they had never met each other.

Moreover, the Jiang family is an important family, and Hu Xiaoyan's status in the family is not just expressed in a marriage certificate.

It can be said that even if Jiang Lianheng really divorced Hu Xiaoyan and married her, she would only be a decoration of the Jiang family.

Si Fengkou, Zhao Guoyan, Xue Yingqing, Wen Tingge - Zhuang Shuning couldn't command any of these Jiang family backbones, and no one would recognize her as the eldest sister-in-law.

If that’s the case, why bother with intrigue?
Back then, how did Zhuang Shuning get from the Qiao family to the Jiang family? Others might not know, but didn't she know it herself?

Therefore, she kept to herself and allowed her temper to prevail, but she never said or did anything that crossed the line.

However, she was also sure that she had the qualifications to settle down - in the Jiang family, only two people could enter and leave the Marshal's Mansion freely: one was Jiang Lianheng, and the other was Zhuang Shuning.

Hearing Shu Ning say this, Jiang Lianheng said with a smile: "Arranging the gift delivery and coming to see you, these two things are not contradictory, they are both important matters!" Then he quickly changed the subject, "By the way, the gifts for the Marshal's concubines can't be shabby. Are the things you bought high-end enough?"

"Don't worry, my elder sister has given me the money."

"When did it happen?"

"Just a few days ago, Dongfeng sent a lot of money over, asking me to prepare Mid-Autumn Festival gifts according to the preferences of the concubines of the Zhang family. Before leaving, he also reminded me not to forget the gift for the young marshal's wife."

"That's it, then I'll be relieved."

"What about the gifts you are going to give to the officials? Are they all prepared?" Zhuang Shuning asked.

Jiang Lianheng waved his hand and said, "I usually don't worry about this kind of thing. Anyway, if there is anything at home, I will just come forward and deliver it."

"Aren't you afraid of tiring your elder sister?"

"Don't keep calling her Big Sister. She's younger than you."

"I can't call her sister, can I?" Zhuang Shuning put down the gift list and saw that the amount had been settled. He sent Xiao Hui'er out to prepare the meal, and then asked, "How are you doing in Jilin? How long have you been there? It's been almost a month, right?"

"Don't mention it. I was delayed by something."

Jiang Lianheng took off his shoes and got on the kang. In a few words, he gave a general description of the situation in Shenjia Store, and then talked about the preparations for setting up a sand and gravel factory.

Zhuang Shuning didn't care much about other things, but when he heard about Hai Xinnian's adopted son, he showed interest and asked, "Why did you adopt another godson out of the blue? Do you think you don't have enough sons?"

Jiang Lianheng smiled and said, "It doesn't matter. No matter how many sons you have, if they are useless, it's useless."

"That's not necessarily true!" Zhuang Shuning stared at the courtyard outside the window. "As the old saying goes, 'Three tigers give birth to a leopard, and three spots give birth to a kite.' If you have many sons, there will always be one who can be of use."

The sounds of Dongnia and Jiang Chengzhi's laughter were intermittent, and from time to time a breeze blew into the courtyard, making the pomegranate tree rustle.

"No matter how useful it is, it's not my own flesh and blood!" Jiang Lianheng snorted coldly, "It's not like I can't have children. I fought hard and risked my life to build this family business. I would rather destroy it than pass it on to someone else!"

"Who knows?" Zhuang Shuning said, "I just want to remind you, don't forget that I still have a son like you!"

"How could I forget what you said?"

"I was afraid you'd forget."

Jiang Lianheng shook his head and said, "You think too much. Besides, I think Chengzhi is good and might be of great use!"

"Comfort me?" Zhuang Shuning raised his eyebrows.

"I'm not trying to comfort you. Chengye is too dull and silent. He doesn't look like someone who can accomplish anything great!"

"That's called inner talent. The world is in chaos now, but it doesn't mean it will always be in chaos. Sooner or later, the one who holds the pen will have the final say."

Jiang Lianheng was silent, wondering in his heart, among his two sons, Jiang Chengye and Jiang Chengzhi, who would take over his family business in the future?
But, for some reason, whenever he thought of this question, he would always mutter inexplicably:
"Oh, if only you were a boy!"

(End of this chapter)