20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 690 Reciprocity

That night, everyone had a great time and was very happy.

After guessing the riddles, Jiang Ya clamored to go watch a circus.

Zhuang Shuning didn't want to travel with everyone, but because Xu Ruqing was there, he couldn't refuse, so he reluctantly followed.

Fortunately, Jiang Ya is lively and eloquent by nature, often making everyone laugh and getting along naturally harmoniously.

Zhuang Shuning gradually relaxed, and the barrier in her heart was dissipated. Although they were not as close as before, they were no longer strangers to each other.

The night market is bustling with colorful lanterns, and people are reluctant to leave. When they get tired, they just chat and laugh at the snack stalls, gossiping about interesting stories in and around the provincial capital.

Soon, the fireworks show organized by the Fengtian Chamber of Commerce began.

The crowd suddenly surged, countless smiling faces looked up at the night sky at the same time, fireworks shot straight up into the sky, blooming in a riot of color, drawing waves of cheers and applause.

The lively atmosphere of the Mid-Autumn Festival gradually reached its climax.

The fireworks went off for several minutes.

When the last firework went out, everyone suddenly quieted down, gradually waking up as if from a dream, finally realizing that the firework had burned out, and then burst into the warmest cheers.

Immediately afterwards, smoke and dust fell.

The crowd retreated and dispersed in a rush.

The lanterns went out one by one, and in the blink of an eye, the whole street returned to silence, leaving only the moonlight shining on Fengtian.

After a long time, a cold wind suddenly blew, sweeping up the mess all over the ground, as if to prove that the prosperous scene just now was real, but it also swept away all traces of the scene...

……

……

In the north of Fengtian City, there is the Jiang family mansion.

Two hours ago, the heavy iron gate slowly opened, and accompanied by the roar of the engine, a black car slowly drove into the house.

Jiang Lianheng reeked of alcohol and was slightly tipsy. He slowly got out of the car. As soon as he raised his head to take a look at the mansion, his brows immediately tightened.

The whole house was in darkness, except for a faint ray of light coming through the curtains of the study on the second floor.

The courtyard was unusually quiet. Apart from the bodyguards' whispered conversations outside the door, the only sounds around were the buzzing of autumn insects.

Jiang Lianheng couldn't help but mutter a few words, then walked into the mansion.

The two servants in the room were dozing off. When they heard the noise, they woke up suddenly and ran to the entrance to greet them.

"Where are all the people?" Jiang Lianheng took off his coat and handed it to the maid.

"In reply to the master, Song Ma and Ying Jie went to the Lantern Festival, and the others haven't returned yet."

"Where's Madame?"

The servant turned sideways and pointed to the stairs, whispering, "Madam is resting in the study!"

Jiang Lianheng felt a little unhappy. He snorted coldly, walked straight up the stairs and came to the door of the study.

I gently pushed open the door, only to see Hu Xiaoyan sitting alone by the window, silent and bored.

Tonight, she was not checking the accounts, but the whole mansion was empty, leaving her alone, and she looked a little lonely.

It wasn't until she heard footsteps that she perked up a little, turned her head to look at the door, smiled and asked, "Are you back?"

"Where are they?" Jiang Lianheng walked to the tea table, sat down and asked, "Did they all go to the Lantern Festival?"

Hu Xiaoyan nodded and said, "Since there's nothing to do at home, I'll give Song Ma and Yingzi half a day off so they can go and have some fun."

"North Wind hasn't come back yet?"

"He took Xinnian out of town. He said he was taking the kid to shoot targets on the outskirts of town."

"Where are Guoyan and Xiaogu?"

"Busy, the city is opening a night market today, it's busy business time, how can I get away, Guo Yan also has to take people to see the place!"

"What about the south wind and the west wind?"

"Oh, don't ask me, they are all busy in various places!" Hu Xiaoyan couldn't help but wonder, "What's the matter? Do you have something to do with them?"

Jiang Lianheng shook his head, but his eyes were already showing annoyance. He unbuttoned two buttons on his shirt collar and said in a deep voice, "Why didn't you leave someone to accompany you?"

Hu Xiaoyan didn't mind and just said calmly: "Why are you accompanying me? Just sit in this room?"

"Isn't this a festival?"

"It's not the actual day yet. Forget it. Don't let me spoil everyone's fun. Besides, it's been so many years. I've gotten used to it."

Jiang Lianheng didn't say anything. He just lowered his chin, stared straight ahead for a moment, and suddenly he burped.

Hu Xiaoyan frowned immediately, and fanned her face twice with her hands, asking, "You're choking, how much did you drink tonight?"

Jiang Lianheng curled his lips, poured himself a cup of tea, and said as he drank, "Why do you care how much I drank? Just look at my state. Do I look like I've drunk too much?"

I'm not trying to show off.

Jiang Lianheng could indeed drink a lot, but more importantly, how could a man who was always on the edge of danger go out and get drunk easily?
People are treacherous, and although refusing to drink is a petty act, it is a required course for those who are in the underworld.

Jiang Lianheng hasn't been drunk outside for many years.

It was possible before, because even if the sky fell, his uncles would help him hold it up; it is not possible now, because he has become the pillar of the family and must stay sober at all times.

Hu Xiaoyan advised: "You should drink less, after all, it's harmful to your health, and you're not young anymore."

"Why am I not considered young?" Jiang Lianheng curled his lips and said, "I am only thirty-three this year. I am at the peak of my career, not old yet!"

"You're already thirty-three!"

"Nonsense, you don't even know how old I am, how can you be my wife?"

"Of course I know. I just feel a little emotional!" Hu Xiaoyan looked out the window at the night and muttered to herself, "How fast it has gone by. In a blink of an eye, it has already been 20 years."

Jiang Lianheng was serious for once. He pondered for a moment, nodded and said, "It's quite fast. Twenty years is not short. How many twenty years can a person have in his life?"

However, he was serious for only three seconds, and then he said, "But that's nothing. Tonight I'll let you see what a hard and strong young man is!"

"Stop it!" Hu Xiaoyan immediately pinched her nose. "You reek of alcohol. I can smell it even from where you are. Go and cause harm to others!"

"Hey, you were so dirty back then, but I didn't mind you. Now you still look down on me?"

As he was talking, Jiang Lianheng clumsily touched over, scaring Hu Xiaoyan so much that she quickly pushed him away, "Get out of the way, my daughter and the others will be back soon!" "Then let's do it first!" Jiang Lianheng got interested and refused to give in. He grabbed Hu Xiaoyan's wrists and leaned over with a smirk, "Tsk, we are already an old married couple, why are you so shy that you have to flirt with us? Don't move, just give me a kiss!"

Hu Xiaoyan half smiled and half scolded, but suddenly her body softened and she finally gave in.

Jiang Lianheng finally succeeded, and sat down again, smiling and asking: "How is it, it quenches your thirst, right?"

Unexpectedly, after just a few moments of commotion, Hu Xiaoyan's forehead was already covered with sweat, and even her breathing became heavier.

Seeing this, Jiang Lianheng quickly put away his smile, bowed slightly and asked: "Why are you so weak?"

Hu Xiaoyan rubbed her wrist and shook her head, saying, "Nothing, I just didn't sleep well these past two days."

"Have you called the doctor?"

"Let's talk about it after the holidays. It's nothing serious, just a little headache."

"Don't waste time!" Jiang Lianheng lit a cigarette. When he turned around, he suddenly saw a lot of gift boxes piled up in the corner of the study. "Are these gifts sent online?"

Hu Xiaoyan nodded and said, "I think there will be more tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."

"What are these gifts?"

Jiang Lianheng stood up and walked over, picked up two heavy long gift boxes, opened them and saw two bottles of foreign liquor inside.

The wine bottle is dark green, with a slender mouth and a full bottom. It has a streamlined transition and is shaped like a water drop. It is tightly wrapped in paper. There is also a small card in the box that reads: French Champagne.

"That wine was sent by Tong Saner from southern Liaoning. I heard that foreign sailors always like to drink this kind of wine to celebrate at the dock before setting sail." Hu Xiaoyan pushed the wheelchair over.

Jiang Lianheng narrowed his eyes and smiled: "He just loves to play with these foreign things!"

He put down the two bottles of scented wine, and his eyes suddenly fell on a dirty cloth bag.

"Who sent this? Why is it so shabby?" Jiang Lianheng asked as he bent down to open the rag bag.

Unexpectedly, although it looks shabby on the outside, it actually contains four deer antlers.

It was not the dried antler that had been sliced ​​into thin slices, but the fresh antler that had just been sawed off. There was still blood at the root, and it felt furry to the touch, as if it had a pulse still beating.

Jiang Lianheng was very surprised and said hurriedly: "This is a good tonic, why is it wrapped in a piece of rag? Aren't you afraid it will get moldy and spoil?"

Deer antler is indeed a powerful tonic that can strengthen the yang, replenish qi and blood, improve the essence, and strengthen the tendons and bones. Such a precious thing is wrapped up so casually like rags. After thinking about it, probably only Li Zheng could do such a thing.

Hu Xiaoyan nodded and said, "He asked someone to send it to me."

"It's just right for you to replenish your body!" Jiang Lianheng said, "You have to cut this thing up and dry it quickly. Don't keep it to keep it from getting smelly. Leave one for me to soak in wine!"

As he said this, he reached out to take another gift box.

The gift box was exceptionally exquisite, with the paper shell painted with intricate auspicious cloud patterns in gold lacquer. However, it looked good but was not practical, as it contained only a few mooncakes.

Jiang Lianheng didn't pay much attention to it and threw it aside.

Hu Xiaoyan said, "Don't throw it away. Gu Chuan kindly sent it to me."

"Who?" Jiang Lianheng was stunned for a moment, "Gu Chuan?"

This name is already quite unfamiliar to me, so much so that even after repeating it several times, I still get nothing in my mind.

Hu Xiaoyan reminded, "I haven't seen this person either, but I heard from my aunt that he helped you with things in Luda before. Have you forgotten about Master Rong Wu?"

Jiang Lianheng suddenly realized and said hurriedly: "Oh, I remember, I remember, it's that Xiao Gu!"

Gu Chuan was originally Xue Yingqing's subordinate.

Back then, when "Xuelihong" led a gang to commit fraud in southern Liaoning, he was one of the members.

Later, Jiang Lianheng went to Lüda alone, and accidentally led a flag officer, Xue Yingqing, to assassinate Rong Wuye. Gu Chuan helped to scout the area and made great contributions.

Unfortunately, the situation was dangerous at that time. Gu Chuan was shot three times, two of which hit the legs and one pierced the cheek. He survived by chance. Originally a handsome young man, his spirit was depressed because of this. Although he cannot be said to have retired from the world, he has remained unknown over the years and just lived a low-key life.

The last time he was used was when Han Ce was forced to go to Darini to assassinate Miyata Ryuji, and he was responsible for secret surveillance.

Since then, six or seven years have passed, and Jiang Lianheng has never thought of him again.

However, since Gu Chuan had worked for the Jiang family, his efforts were certainly not in vain. Not only did the Jiang family cover his annual food and clothing expenses, but Xue Yingqing also gave him dividends and money. After all, he had made the right choice of employer, and his life was relatively comfortable.

"Why did he suddenly think of giving me a gift?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

Hu Xiaoyan said: "Every year they send you mooncakes, but you just don't know it."

Jiang Lianheng returned to the tea table and sat down, saying with a clear conscience: "Well, I have so many people under my command, and he is not in Fengtian, how can I take care of him? How is he now?"

"It seems like he's doing some small business in Lüda, I don't know the details." Hu Xiaoyan said, "These mooncakes were sent by my aunt. She said Gu Chuan came to Fengtian two days ago, but she was afraid you were too busy, so she didn't dare to come and disturb you. She also asked my aunt to help pass on a message, asking you to bear with me."

Jiang Lianheng naturally didn't argue. Even if Gu Chuan came to see him, he really didn't have time to accompany him.

"That brother was a good man, but it was a pity that he was disfigured later."

"Brothers like this are hard to come by. You should keep this in mind. Don't let someone come to see you someday and you can't even call out their name. It would be embarrassing if it gets out."

Jiang Lianheng pondered and said, "I remember that he was recuperating in Lüda, and he said he was keeping an eye on the movements of the Zongshe Party for me. It's been six or seven years now. If there's nothing else, just come back. When we get to Fengtian, I can find him a minor job, right?"

"Why do you need to look for him?" Hu Xiaoyan said, "My aunt probably has already made arrangements. Gu Chuan didn't come back, so he probably started a family there. He can't work for me anyway, so he can go wherever he wants in the future!"

"If you ask me, he's just too sensitive! Look at my second uncle, half of his face was licked off by a blind bear, but he still wanders around the streets! Who doesn't have some injuries when they are always on the line?"

"correct--"

Hu Xiaoyan suddenly remembered something and hurriedly pushed her wheelchair back to the table. As she opened the drawer, she muttered, "When you mentioned recuperation, I just remembered that you were not at home a few days ago, and Wen Tingge sent a telegram to Fengtian."

"Really? His injury is almost healed, right?" Jiang Lianheng asked, "It's been almost a year. Can he still walk?"

Hu Xiaoyan took out the translated telegram, handed it over and said, "From what he said, he should be able to leave. He said he was planning to come back in the next two days!"

Jiang Lianheng was not overly surprised. Wen Tingge was a Buddhist who was shot in the waist. Even if he could walk in the future, he would most likely be a disabled person and his skills would certainly be gone. However, relying on the power of the Jiang family, he would still be qualified to continue to be the head of the Rong family after returning to Fengtian.

After all, to be a thief leader, the key lies in official connections and whether there are ways to sell the stolen goods safely. As for how skilled one is, it is secondary.

I took the translated message and unfolded it. The letter was written in very simple language:

"Boss: My injury has healed, and I am going back to Fengtian to report to the government in the near future. The journey is long, and I have to reverse frequently. My return date is uncertain, so there is no need to pick me up at the station.

"It is the Mid-Autumn Festival recently, so I shouldn't be disappointed, but I am worried: I don't know how the geese are doing at the grave. When I return home, I will definitely sweep and mourn.

"There are so many things going on in Shanghai that it is difficult to cover them all in this letter. I hope we can talk in person.

"I wish you all the best, Wen Tingge."

(End of this chapter)