20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 777: Rare Sharing of Suffering
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Lianheng frowned, and felt his toothache getting worse. He muttered in a low voice, "No, I can't wait any longer. I have to leave tonight."

Seeing this, Hu Xiaoyan couldn't help but ask, "How are you trying to persuade my aunt?"

Jiang Lianheng sighed, shook his head and said, "Alas, the old lady doesn't want to leave. I think she is still a little scared."

As he spoke, he looked up at his two children and ordered, "Jiang Ya, Cheng Ye, both of you go upstairs and persuade them. Don't just sit there."

The two children looked at each other, nodded, and then went upstairs as instructed.

Hu Xiaoyan watched her children leave, and then asked, "But the reserved rooms are gone. What should we do when we go to the South Railway?"

"As long as we bring enough money, we should be able to find a place to stay, right?" Jiang Lianheng thought, "Besides, Nanfeng knows a lot of foreigners. If we spend some money, we should be able to stay for a night. If that doesn't work, I'll call Nakamura!"

Hu Xiaoyan remained silent.

At this juncture, if you want to seek refuge in the South Railway Concession, the sooner the better. The longer you delay, the harder it will be to find a place to stay.

Besides, she had stayed at Nakamura Photo Studio before, and her impression of Ichiro Nakamura, although not very good, was certainly not too bad.

The only thing I was worried about was Xu Ruqing's various concerns.

However, throwing the baby out with the bathwater is not a solution. We can neither leave the old lady alone nor risk the safety of the entire family just because of her panic.

Jiang Lianheng immediately made up his mind, picked up the receiver and called Nakamura Photo Studio.

At the same time, Zhang Zhengdong also came out of the basement with various guns and ammunition. Following Hu Xiaoyan's advice, he distributed them to the brothers who were guarding the courtyard one by one.

Song Ma, Yingzi and others also started to help carry the luggage. For a while, everyone in the mansion was busy.

Soon, the call was connected and a few words in Japanese came from the receiver.

Jiang Lianheng asked anxiously: "Hello, is this Nakamura?"

"Hi, are you Jiang Jun?" Nakamura Ichiro asked with concern, "How are you? I heard that Fengtian City is in chaos now. There are Chinese everywhere around me. Are you okay?"

Jiang Lianheng was in no mood for pleasantries, so he asked directly, "Do you have any extra space over there? I want to stay there. Is it convenient for you?"

"Of course, you are welcome to come!" Nakamura answered cheerfully, "However, how many people are there? I don't have much space here, so three or five people will definitely be no problem!"

"You just need to give me a place to stay. As for the rest, I'll figure it out myself when I get there. Anyway, I won't let you stay here for nothing."

"Jiang Jun, please don't say that. Aren't we..."

The sound in the receiver suddenly stopped.

Jiang Lianheng frowned and called out several times: "Hello--Hello?"

Seeing that there was no response, he hung up the phone and called again.

Unexpectedly, no matter how many times I called, the phone could not be connected again. Not only was the phone number of Nakamura Photo Studio unreachable, but other phones also had problems.

After repeated attempts without success, Jiang Lianheng finally realized that the telephone company staff might have also fled.

Communications in the provincial capital were completely cut off.

This also means that the Municipal Government has completely come to a standstill.

"Fuck it!" Jiang Lianheng hung up the phone and muttered indignantly, "Fengtian City is so big, isn't there anyone in charge to manage it properly?"

Just as he finished speaking, Zhang Zhengdong walked in from the door, holding a heavy wooden box, and asked, "Brother, the guns have all been issued, do you need to carry another one for self-defense?"

Jiang Lianheng always carried a pistol with him, mostly a Continental pistol. Now he was thinking of carrying a large mirror-faced rifle, but when he looked down, he was stunned.

The box was filled with pistols wrapped in oilcloth and neatly stacked together.

"Why are there so many left?" Jiang Lianheng was a little surprised.

Zhang Zhengdong did not dare to answer directly, but said: "The brothers in the yard have been equipped with guns, and daggers and pickaxe handles have also been issued."

Jiang Lianheng was stunned and asked hurriedly: "Guo Yan and Xi Feng haven't brought anyone back yet?"

Zhang Zhengdong said nothing, but just shook his head silently.

Seeing this, Hu Xiaoyan's shoulders suddenly sank, and she didn't say anything.

Jiang Lianheng became furious and cursed under his breath, then stood up and rushed into the courtyard.

At this time, the sky had completely darkened, and there were gusts of cold wind outside, with the winter wind fluttering in the night sky.

The courtyard was still filled with the same brothers as before.

No, there are even fewer people than before.

Because Zhao Guoyan and Li Zhengxiong had just taken away two brothers each, and Yang Lazi and others had gone to the house outside the south city, there were only thirteen or fourteen people left in the yard now. They were all the death warriors that the Jiang family had painstakingly supported over the years.

Thirteen or fourteen people, is that too few?

In fact, it’s already quite a lot.

There is an old saying: Once the horse dies and the gold is gone, relatives become strangers.

Even the closest relatives and married couples often scatter when the tree falls, let alone sworn brothers who are not related at all?

If everyone could be so righteous, I'm afraid Guan Yu would not be worth mentioning.

Although the Jiang family has not yet reached the end of its road, seeing the chaos in Guanxiang, it is inevitable that people's minds will change.

The Jiang family claimed to have hundreds of brothers "in the gang", but until this moment, not a single one had come.

Jiang Lianheng walked quickly to the gate and asked anxiously, "Where are all the people?"

Yuan Xinfa shook his head and said in a deep voice: "Old Zhao and Third Master haven't come back yet. They may have been delayed on the way. After all, the city is quite chaotic now."

Jiang Lianheng waved his hand and said, "I know they can't come back so soon. I'm asking the others. The people at the other counters haven't come yet, either?"

Yuan Xinfa still shook his head. He was not good at speaking and now he didn't know what to say.

Just at this moment, a few gunshots were heard from the street, and then a dark red light was seen in the distant sky.

The situation of open fire robbery has become increasingly serious in both the north and south city gates. Jiang Lianheng frowned even deeper, and his back teeth hurt even more.

In theory, these dozen brothers, equipped with guns, are enough to ensure their own safety during the turmoil.

However, saving others and saving yourself are two completely different things.

It is like jumping into a river to rescue someone who has fallen into the water. No matter how good you are at swimming, you cannot guarantee that you will not be dragged to death by the person who has fallen into the water.

Saving others is much harder than saving yourself!
If you want to ensure the safety of the Jiang family's female members, the more people the better.

What's more, this trip was in a hurry, and there was still a large amount of gold and silver cash in the basement at home that could not be taken away, so a few people had to stay behind to look after the house.

As for the saying “As long as the green mountains remain, there will be no shortage of firewood”, most of the people who say this are poor. If they really have a fortune, who would be willing to give it up easily?

Yuan Xinfa held it in for a long time before uttering only one sentence: "Boss, wait a little longer. I'll watch here. I'll go in and tell you when someone comes."

What else could happen?
Jiang Lianheng was at a loss as to what to do and was feeling depressed when he suddenly heard a commotion coming from the mansion. It was truly one crisis after another.

Fang turned around and saw Song Ma standing at the door, saying tremblingly: "Master, the old lady..."

Before Song Ma could finish her words, Jiang Lianheng rushed into the mansion and ran up the stairs to the second floor.

As soon as I turned the corner, I saw Sister Hua, Guyu, Yingzi, Jiang Ya and Jiang Chengye surrounding Xu Ruqing in the corridor, at a loss as to what to do.

Everyone said everything, good and bad, but they couldn't persuade the old lady to stay at home.

Xu Ruqing was on the verge of collapse. She didn't allow anyone to touch her and just kept repeating, "I'm not leaving. I'm not going anywhere. I'll just stay at home..." When everyone saw her like this, they seemed a little shaken. They looked at each other and thought, why not just not leave.

However, seeing that the wealthy families in the city fled to the concessions for refuge, how could the Jiang family be immune?
Over the years, the Jiang family has abused its power to bully others and seize property by trickery. How many potential enemies have dared not speak out, and have been lurking around, waiting for the opportunity?

If these people take advantage of the situation and unite to seek revenge, and come to the Jiang family to destroy the kiln, can this mansion be defended?
We are all flesh and blood, and all are equal in the face of bullets. Jiang Lianheng really doesn't want to take any risks, so he has to take his family to a place where there is still order.

There was still noise in the corridor.

Everyone was talking at once, making a lot of noise, which gave Jiang Lianheng a splitting headache. Finally, he couldn't bear it anymore and shouted loudly on the spot.

"Okay, everyone, shut up!"

The room suddenly became quiet and everyone stopped talking.

Xu Ruqing was stunned for a moment, tears suddenly welled up in her eyes, and she said tremblingly: "Xiaodao, don't scare me."

Jiang Lianheng suddenly felt guilty and said quickly, "Aunt, I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about them."

"Xiaodao, I don't want to go on. I don't want to go through all this trouble anymore..."

"I know, I know everything, but the city is too chaotic right now. I'll take you to a quieter place, and everyone will go there to accompany you. You don't have to be afraid of anything."

As Jiang Lianheng spoke, he stepped forward tentatively, fearing that he might rush into things too hastily and drive his aunt completely crazy.

Xu Ruqing felt aggrieved like a child, and suddenly blurted out nonsense, saying: "I don't need them to accompany me. Xiaodao, where is your father? Ask your father to come and accompany me. With him here, I am not afraid of anything. Those people dare not mess with him. Please help me find him and ask him to come quickly. I miss him..."

"My father?"

Jiang Lianheng suddenly had an idea and said quickly, "Aunt, my father is waiting for you at the South Railway Station. He just called me and asked me to urge you to come over quickly. He misses you, too."

Xu Ruqing suddenly felt a little embarrassed. She looked around, lowered her head, and her face turned red.

"Impossible, your father couldn't possibly say that..."

"Well, he doesn't dare to say it in front of you. Don't I know him? Lao Deng says a lot of dirty things behind his back."

"Then why doesn't he come to see me?"

"What you said, he is still talking about it, why don't you go to see him?"

"Then I...will go over to see him now?"

"Sure, the car is ready for you downstairs."

Xu Ruqing wiped her tears, smiled self-deprecatingly, and asked, "Are you being too eager and making fun of yourself?"

"No way! This is the right time. What's so funny about this?" Jiang Lianheng pointed his finger at everyone and asked sternly, "Do you think anyone would laugh at this?"

Everyone shook their heads and said hurriedly, "No, no, these are all too normal."

Jiang Lianheng walked forward with a smile and asked softly, "Aunt, shall we go downstairs now?"

Xu Ruqing hesitated for a moment, then said, "Xiaodao, I want to go back to my room and clean up."

"That's right, we have to dress up before going out! Aunt Song, go get the old lady's mink coat! Jiang Ya, go into the house and comb your aunt's hair! Others, don't just stand there, hurry up and help the old lady with some work!"

Jiang Lianheng didn't push too much.

As long as Xu Ruqing agrees to go, there is still time. After all, we still have to wait for Guo Yan and Xifeng to come back.

After calming them down, I finally breathed a sigh of relief and hurried downstairs to check the situation.

At this time, the personal luggage of the whole family, young and old, had been packed and loaded onto the carriage one by one.

The snow was getting heavier and heavier, and in the blink of an eye, the courtyard was covered in white.

Jiang Lianheng walked to the gate and asked again, "Old Yuan, hasn't the person at the counter come over yet?"

Yuan Xinfa shook his head silently.

Jiang Lianheng was getting impatient, so he drew his gun, walked out of the courtyard gate himself, and looked left and right into the alley.

The city was in chaos, and shouts from afar were deafening, seemingly approaching the Jiang family mansion.

Not long after, Jiang Lianheng's brows furrowed, and he saw a shadowy figure in the depths of the alley, running towards this side hurriedly.

Seeing this, Yuan Xinfa and others immediately raised their guns and asked, "Stop, who is it?"

The man paused, and before he could speak, Jiang Lianheng recognized him. He quickly put his hand on Yuan Xinfa's arm and signaled everyone to let him pass.

Soon, the man came closer hesitantly.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be Jiang family's lucky general - Bedxia Peng Chuanghu!

"Boss, here I come!"

Chuanghu was holding a short stick in his hand, which at first glance looked like a toilet plunger, but it was very suitable for his body length.

Jiang Lianheng looked at him blankly, but asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Chuang Hu was stunned, took two steps back, patted his chest, and said generously: "Boss, the border is in chaos right now, I think you must be short of manpower, Chuang is here to lend a hand!"

Everyone looked at each other and asked, "Are you the only one here?"

"Uh... I don't have anyone else under my command!" Chuanghu scratched his head and explained with a bit of shame, "Originally there were a few typesetters, but I don't know where they are now!"

Jiang Lianheng felt his teeth ache even more. He smacked his lips, waved his hand and said, "Come in, get in the car."

"it is good!"

Chuanghu slipped under the armpits of Yuan Xinfa and others, entered the courtyard, and went straight to Jiang Lianheng's car.

"Come back!" Jiang Lianheng called him and pointed to the carriage in the corner, "Get on that carriage!"

"Oh, sorry, I didn't see it just now."

Chuanghu smiled awkwardly, then walked to the carriage, lifted the curtain, turned around and said, "Boss, there is luggage in here!"

Jiang Lianheng walked over and kicked Chuanghu into the carriage: "Then you can help me look after the luggage!"

Chuang Hu poked his head out from the canopy and asked hurriedly, "Boss, it's a mess outside now. How much are the things in this car worth? How about you send someone in?"

"Stop nagging me about being poor, you don't have to pay for it if it's lost!"

Jiang Lianheng cursed a few words and just turned around when he happened to run into Zhao Guoyan who had also returned.

Zhao Guoyan brought a small number of people, only five or six at most. When he entered the house, he was stunned, as if he was quite surprised.

"Why are there only so few people?" He looked around, as if asking himself, "I just went to the counter to notify them to come over for support first, right?"

Jiang Lianheng's face was gloomy, and he whispered: "Don't ask, those who should have come have already come, as for those who haven't come... I'll tell you after I calm down!"

Just as he finished speaking, there was another noise in the mansion.

Xu Ruqing, wearing a mink coat, walked out of the room with the help of Jiang Ya and Jiang Chengye, and the others followed behind him.

Everyone was asking, "What's going on? Can we go now?"

Jiang Lianheng nodded and said, "Xifeng hasn't come back yet. Wait for him for another ten minutes. You guys get in the car first."

(End of this chapter)