20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 694 A Happy Gathering

"stop!"

Jiang Lianheng shouted intimidatingly, and Chuanghu was so frightened that he quickly retracted his short legs, turned around, and smiled playfully.

"Boss, are you guys having a meeting?" He was still standing near the entrance. "How about I come over later?"

Jiang Lianheng shook his head, raised his chin towards him, and asked, "No need, what are you holding in your hand?"

"Movies, there are some outside!" Chuanghu lifted up the roll of canvas under his armpits, "This is the projection screen..."

"Come in and talk!"

"Oh, here it comes."

Chuanghu poked the canvas roll at the door, then walked into the living room with a smile on his face.

"Boss, didn't you ask me last month to bring the movie machine here when I have time to help my sister-in-law relieve her boredom? I thought today is Mid-Autumn Festival, and after dinner, we can just show a few movies in the yard, it will be so lively! So... I took the initiative and brought all the things here."

When Jiang Lianheng heard this, he nodded and smiled, "Hu, you are really good at finding fun, and you have arranged it very well!"

Hu Xiaoyan said, "Why bring your home? Isn't this going to delay business?"

"Why waste time? We don't have only one machine in our cinema!" Jiang Lianheng chimed in, "You, you've got to learn to enjoy yourself sometimes, since you're always worried about things!"

As he spoke, he introduced Hai Xinnian to Chuanghu.

Unexpectedly, Chuanghu had seen him before, and he smiled and said, "Brother Zhao took him for a stroll in the city a few days ago, and I happened to meet him. He even gave him a book!" He then looked at Hai Xinnian, "How is it, young master? My novel is good, isn't it?"

Hai Xinnian shook his head and said, "I didn't see it."

"Why didn't you see it?"

"Uncle Zhao took it away and told me to stop looking at those indecent things."

Chuang Hu was very sad. He collapsed and sat on the sofa. After a long while, he sighed: "The paper is full of nonsense and bitter tears. Everyone says the author is crazy, but who can understand the meaning of it?"

"Forget it!" Jiang Lianheng curled his lips, "Just the titles of the books you wrote are full of sluttiness, who the hell can understand the meaning of them!"

Everyone also said, "Tiger, the government didn't arrest you, but convicted you of a crime that violated morals. That's already good governance. Don't be ungrateful!"

Chuanghu didn't dare to talk back, but he was unhappy. He sat on the sofa, muttering to himself like a punching bag: "What do they know? If the common people are full of bad intentions, they learned it from them. What does it have to do with me? Forget it, forget it! Good and evil are up to me, and praise and criticism are up to others. I... I won't argue with you!"

Everyone took turns teasing him, and the living room gradually became cheerful again.

Xue Yingqing loves movies, so I asked him what movies he brought.

Chuanghu said hurriedly, "There are plenty. I brought all the movies from the cinema. The domestic ones include "Yan Ruisheng" and the Western ones include "Robin Hood". You can order whatever you want to watch later, and I will be your guide."

"How many Western films are there recently?" Hu Xiaoyan asked.

"A lot, all imported from Harbin, but some movies cannot be shown publicly because the government has issued a document saying they incite obscenity and theft. We have no choice but to secretly hold midnight shows." Chuang Hu leaned forward and asked, "What's the matter, sister-in-law, do you like to watch foreign movies?"

Hu Xiaoyan shook her head, but said, "I don't care about anything, I just want to ask about your business."

Chuanghu was very confident, and patted his chest to assure: "Don't worry, sister-in-law, my brother Lin Qi is doing this in Harbin. No matter what good movie it is, he can get it!"

Listen to him playing the flute!
The reason why the Jiang family was able to get the latest Western movies, even banned films, was mainly due to Fan Sibai's connections.

But for the Jiang family, this business can only be regarded as a bonus at present. It has no meat to eat, but it is still tasty to throw it away. So all of it was handed over to Chuanghu, who is fond of literature and art.

Everyone was chatting excitedly when they suddenly heard a noise coming from the courtyard.

"Hey, Guo Yan is here!" Jiang Lianheng glanced out the window and immediately stood up in a hurry, "You guys chat, I'll go out to greet him!"

Everyone watched him leave the living room, frowning, and seemed quite confused - how could Zhao Guoyan be so honored that the host would stand up to greet him?

Only Hu Xiaoyan had a stern face and cold eyes. She saw through everything but didn't say anything.

In the courtyard, Jiang Lianheng walked up quickly and said with a loud laugh: "Guo Yan, are you here?"

Zhao Guoyan nodded and deliberately said loudly: "Ah, I just came from Xiaoxiguan and came to see the place at home!"

The two men met in the center of the yard, exchanged glances, then turned around, walked around the kitchen team, and found a secluded corner in the yard.

"Has everything been arranged at the outer residence?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

"It's been arranged long ago." Zhao Guoyan whispered, "I just came from there. There are not many of them, so I guess they have already eaten by now, but..."

"What's wrong?"

"Boss, next time this happens, can you change someone? Let Nanfeng and the others do it next year?"

"Stupid!" Jiang Lianheng scolded in a low voice, "Don't you know who these four people are on the side of?"

"I know, but I can't always go, right?" Zhao Guoyan was a little embarrassed. "Someone has to go once in a while. I'm afraid my sister-in-law will have a problem with me!"

"Aren't you afraid that I might have something against you?"

"No, I didn't mean that..."

"Don't talk nonsense. From now on, you have to do this. No one else." Jiang Lianheng emphasized, "If Shu Ning hadn't given me a big fat boy, I wouldn't have needed you to take care of me during the holidays. For the sake of your nephew, you have to do your best. Why do you have to deal with poverty?"

"dad--"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Ya poked her head out of the living room window and shouted, "Why don't you two go in?"

"Why are you in such a hurry? I'm going into the house now!" Jiang Lianheng frowned and said as he walked.

"Everyone is hungry!" Jiang Ya shouted, "My mom asked me to ask you, when is dinner?"

Jiang Lianheng looked up at the sky.

At this time of year, the setting sun had not yet set, and a long, narrow strip of fiery cloud stretched across the distant sky, with no end in sight. It was like a dividing line that separated light and darkness, day and night.

Winter is approaching, and a group of autumn geese are flying south in formation.

Jiang Lianheng lowered his eyes and was about to tell the kitchen staff to start cooking and prepare the meal when he suddenly heard a commotion outside the courtyard gate.

Then, Yuan Xinfa and others came over quickly and reported in a hurry: "Boss, Wen Tingge is back!"

Jiang Lianheng was stunned. He had just received a telegram from Wen Tingge two days ago. He thought he would not be able to make it back because of the long journey, but he did not expect to arrive early. It was better to arrive at the right time.

When the news reached the house, Li Zhengxi rushed out.

Looking forward, I saw a figure walking slowly towards the gate, followed by three brothers, all of whom were familiar faces.

Wen Tingge changed his appearance. He was no longer wearing a long gown, but a dark suit. He leaned on a cane in his right hand. Although he did not limp, he was always a little cautious when walking. His back was naturally not as straight as before. Lao Jie and others followed behind him and greeted the host separately.

The brothers met again after a long separation and seemed to have endless things to say, but they didn't know where to start, so they all burst into laughter.

Li Zhengxi looked at Wen Tingge and said with a smile, "Why did you change your clothes?"

Wen Tingge was a little embarrassed and explained quickly: "I have no choice. There are many merchants in the concession, and they all dress like this. Otherwise, we can't even do business."

"I thought you couldn't make it in time!"

"I almost missed it. When I was reversing in Zhili, I exchanged tickets with a fellow villager and paid some money, and then I was able to make it back."

Everyone nodded - it was good that they made it in time, and the Jiang family could be reunited tonight.

Jiang Lianheng immediately turned around and told the kitchen staff to start cooking and prepare the meal, then asked, "How do you feel now?"

"Not bad!" Wen Tingge said, "The hospital in Shanghai is good, and there are many foreign doctors. I was shot in the back, but now I can still walk, I am very satisfied!"

Li Zhengxi suddenly felt sad and said hurriedly: "Then don't stand outside, sit inside!"

Wen Tingge and others nodded, walked into the living room one after another, greeted the eldest sister-in-law, greeted Xinnian, and told each other many anecdotes, occasionally interspersed with a few words of concern.

After a cup of tea, the aroma of food gradually wafted through the house.

Jiang Lianheng saw that the time was almost up, so he stood up and said, "Wen Tingge, come with me."

Wen Tingge followed his host to the small tea room at the corner of the corridor.

"Sit down!" Jiang Lianheng waved at him.

"Boss, I'd better stand for a while!" Wen Tingge said with a wry smile, "My waist is so tired. I've been sitting for a long time. It's better to stand and feel comfortable!"

Jiang Lianheng naturally did not give in after hearing this. He asked him to close the door and then said, "Thank you for your hard work in Shanghai."

"Boss, you are too kind. Life and death are determined by fate, and wealth and honor are determined by God. Since it was done online, I must have been prepared in advance. It's not hard at all, not to mention..." Wen Tingge suddenly paused, "At least I managed to save my life. Compared with Brother Liu, I am lucky enough."

Jiang Lianheng pondered for a long time. Thinking that today was a holiday, he didn't want to mention Yan Sheng anymore. He changed the subject and asked, "Is business in Shanghai going well?"

Wen Tingge nodded and said, "We made it clear during our last tea talk. As long as we buy Jiang's insurance for our Fengtian merchant ships and cargo, we will be taken care of at Shiliupu. Whether it's unloading and loading, or storage and transshipment, there will be no problems."

"Any information?"

"It's not really any intelligence, but the situation in Shanghai is very tense right now."

Jiang Lianheng was not surprised at all. It would be strange if the situation in Shanghai was not tense.

During the Zhi-Feng War, according to Marshal Zhang's original idea, Feng, Anhui and Guangdong should have united to fight against the Zhi army.

Now that the Fengtian Army has suffered a crushing defeat and fled, retreating outside the Great Wall, the Anhui and Guangdong families must be in danger, especially the Lu-An warlords entrenched in Zhejiang and Shanghai, who have long been surrounded by the Zhili Army. General Qi from Jiangsu Province has been coveting Shanghai for a long time, and Mr. Wu advocates "unification by force". It is only a matter of time before the two sides go to war.

According to Wen Tingge, there had long been rumors in Shanghai that Governor Lu was raising military funds and recruiting soldiers on a large scale, ready to deal with the Zhi army's attack from the north and south at any time.

This cannot be said to be intelligence, but a fact that is laid bare in plain sight.

Jiang Lianheng lost interest after hearing this, and then asked, "Is Brother Nine okay?"

"I don't know," Wen Tingge shook his head and said, "I haven't seen him for a long time. I heard that he seemed to be helping General Lu train his troops in Taihu Lake."

"Then the Axe Gang is leaderless, isn't it?"

"Yes, the Wan Clan in Shiliupu has changed a lot since the time when Master Jiu was here, and Chen Lixian is now the boss."

"In that case, that guy got the upper hand in the end!"

"Well, we lost a lot of brothers. The Anhui and Guangdong gangs were not much better. The Qing Gang also lost face. So many people died in the beginning, but in the end, they helped him."

At this point, Wen Tingge's expression suddenly became solemn, and he said thoughtfully: "Boss, I always feel that we did not thoroughly investigate the circumstances of the Zhabei assassination case and withdrew too hastily. Now that I think about it, there are actually many doubts in many places."

Jiang Lianheng did not deny it, but he also did not show any intention of digging deeper.

He couldn't convince himself to abandon his family and career, so he sneaked back to Shanghai again, going through all kinds of trouble just to find out the so-called truth.

After all, no matter what the truth is, the mastermind behind the Zhabei assassination was definitely from the Qing Gang.

Now, there is only one reason that can make him change his mind and set off for Shanghai again, and that is the news about his seventh uncle.

Before leaving Shanghai, although he did not hold much hope, Jiang Lianheng still asked Wen Tingge to keep an eye out for a northerner named Gong, but naturally he found nothing.

Jiang Lianheng was not obsessed with meeting.

He was just a little curious about how his seventh uncle had been doing over the years, whether he needed money, and whether he planned to come back.

But these words were also buried in my heart.

Inside the courtyard outside the window, voices gradually became noisy. The servants began to busy themselves with setting up tables, arranging chairs, and serving dishes. The air was filled with laughter and joy everywhere.

The dinner was about to begin, and Jiang Lianheng was in no mood to talk any more, so he said, "Business in Shanghai is not essential to our family. It's inconvenient for you to move around now. If you don't want to leave again after coming back this time, you can stay in Fengtian in the future! Don't worry, you will get all the dividends you deserve!"

Unexpectedly, Wen Tingge said: "Boss, if you agree, I still want to go to Shanghai. After all, Brother Liu's blood feud has not yet had a chance to be avenged!"

Jiang Lianheng saw the obsession in his eyes, thought for a moment, and said in a deep voice: "I know you and Yansheng have a deep friendship, but Fengtian is too far away from Shanghai. It's not that I don't support you, but my family can't send all the people to Shanghai."

"I understand, as long as the owner doesn't object."

"I have no objection, but when the family needs you——"

"I will definitely come back!" Wen Tingge responded immediately, "Boss, I can tell the priorities clearly!"

Jiang Lianheng said in a deep voice: "You have no roots in Shanghai. If you want to take revenge, you can only achieve victory by surprise. This is not easy. It requires the right time, the right place, and the right person."

Wen Tingge was unmoved and said calmly: "It doesn't matter. A gentleman's revenge is never too late, and I'm not in a hurry."

Seeing his statement, Jiang Lianheng didn't know what to say.

As I was hesitating, the door of the tea room suddenly made a "bang bang" sound, shaking the window frame slightly.

Jiang Lianheng opened the door and saw Jiang Ya laughing and urging him loudly, "Dad, are you two done talking? It's dark outside, why don't you have dinner yet?"

"I'm coming!" Jiang Lianheng said with a smile, "Go tell them to hurry up and get to the table!"

Jiang Ya rushed to the living room in response, and then heard everyone standing up one after another while talking and laughing.

Jiang Lianheng turned around and said, "Okay, it's a big festival, let's not talk about that. We're all here, so let's drink and have a good meal!"

(End of this chapter)