20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 798 Long Live the Wife
Fengtian Concession, Nantie Hotel.

Jiang's wife and family members were finally settled.

Three rooms were set aside on the top floor of the hotel: one for Hu Xiaoyan and Jiang Ya; one for Sister Hua, Jiang Chengye, and Gu Yu and his daughter; and the remaining brothers shared one room, taking turns to stand guard, watching the door and patrolling the corridor.

Because he was worried about his senior sister, Xue Yingqing did not go upstairs with her. Instead, he kept going in and out of the hotel lobby and outside the door, always looking anxious.

Wang Zhengnan, meanwhile, was in the rest area, inquiring about rumors from the powerful and influential people staying at the hotel.

No one was sleepy.

Or rather, almost all the guests in the hotel stayed up all night...

Birds of a feather flock together.

Most of the well-known gentry and celebrities in Fengtian City knew each other and mingled in the same social circles.

After the Jiang family checked into the hotel, they immediately ran into several old acquaintances.

As I passed the banquet hall, I happened to see a plump woman walking towards me.

"Oh dear, Mrs. Jiang—"

She strode forward, grabbed Sister Hua's arm, and asked with concern in her eyes, "You're here too? How's everything at home? Is everything alright?"

Sister Hua was taken aback for a moment, then quickly got into character, nodding insincerely and saying, "Oh, it's Mrs. Chen. Everything's fine at home. How are you?"

"Oh no, oh no!" Mrs. Chen was an honest woman. She shook her head repeatedly and said in a low voice, "Our shop has been robbed. My husband is out trying to find someone to help us. These scoundrels are even more hateful than that Guo devil!"

Sister Hua's eyes were somewhat unfocused as she sighed, "Yes, I really didn't expect it to get this chaotic."

"Now it's all good. The concession is safe. Even if Guo's devils reach Fengtian City, their shells won't fall on our heads!" Mrs. Chen patted Sister Hua's hand and then invited, "Mrs. Jiang, don't rush back to your room to rest. The old ladies are all here. Let's chat for a while and relieve our boredom!"

Sister Hua was a little undecided. She glanced at Hu Xiaoyan subconsciously, only to see her sister-in-law being carried upstairs by Dongfeng.

At this moment, Wang Zhengnan suddenly walked over and said in a low voice with a smile, "Sister-in-law, since there's nothing much to do right now, if you're not tired, why don't you go chat with Mrs. Chen and the others for a while!"

Nanfeng intentionally pushed Hua Jie to integrate into the circle of wives of powerful and wealthy people in Fengtian.

After all, these women were not ordinary village women.

The guests staying at the South Railway Hotel tonight are all wealthy and powerful. Although these women often compare themselves to each other and occasionally gossip behind each other's backs, a lot of important information often comes from this circle of wives first. The more you participate, the more you will gain.

Upon hearing this, Sister Hua, thinking of the role she was responsible for, nodded in agreement.

Mrs. Chen led her to the banquet hall, where she sat down by the window with several other ladies.

At this time of year, mealtimes had long passed, and the hotel only offered tea. However, the banquet hall was still filled with men and women, and quite a few guests had gathered there.

Needless to say, everyone was trying to find out information from each other.

Although the Jiang family has a long-standing reputation, Sister Hua is a quiet and reserved person and is not a popular figure among the ladies. The wealthy women are more familiar with Zhuang Shuning, the third concubine of the Jiang family.

Fortunately, Mrs. Chen was a kind-hearted person, and when they chatted, she often took care of Sister Hua, so that Sister Hua was never neglected.

There were also several ladies at the table.

The woman with almond-shaped eyes in the cheongsam is Mrs. Liu from the Transportation Department; the woman with willow-leaf eyebrows wearing a jade bracelet is Mrs. Gao, who works in trade…

The youngest one, surnamed Huang, is unmarried but a well-known socialite in Fengtian, specializing in seducing married men, making her the number one enemy in the wives' circle.

However, now that she's sitting here, no one dares to tell her to leave.

how?
Because she recently hooked up with a Japanese military officer, she has become more confident and speaks in a high-profile manner, so no one dares to provoke her.

Miss Huang was dressed quite fashionably, with a new-style perm, wearing a Western-style dress, a cigarette with a filter between her fingers, adorned with gold and silver, and wearing high heels. She always had a decadent and carefree look. Although her features were not particularly delicate, her eyes had a natural flirtatiousness. Every move she made was more alluring than a vixen, and anyone who looked at her would be mesmerized.

She seemed to be using this gold and jade outfit to cover up her inherent baseness.

Mrs. Chen looked down on her, but dared not offend her.

Whenever Miss Huang spoke, Mrs. Chen would silently pretend not to hear, waiting for others to offer insincere flattery.

That being said, since we were sitting at the same table, even if we tried to avoid it, it was inevitable that we would clash if we talked for a long time.

"Sigh, I don't know how long this war will last!" Mrs. Gao said with a worried look. "The provincial capital is in such chaos, how can we do business?"

Most warm-hearted people are a bit gossipy.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Chen immediately asked, "What happened? Was your business also robbed?"

“No, not at all,” Mrs. Gao said. “But the Beijing-Fengtian Railway has been shut down for a week, and trains from Kuanchengzi are also out of service. Now we can’t get into or out of the provincial capital, so what kind of trade can we do? We just wake up every day and stare blankly, losing money all the time!”

Mrs. Chen nodded, seemingly genuinely concerned for others. She then turned to Mrs. Liu and asked, "Sister, your husband works at the Transportation Department. Is there any news from him? How long will it take for the railway to resume service?"

Madam Liu sighed and said, "Don't think nonsense. My husband said that they are busy dismantling the railway on important sections of the Beijing-Fengtian Railway. They are afraid that Guo Degang will use the railway to transport troops."

"So where exactly has Guo's devilish army advanced to now? Is General Zhang really going to lose?"

"Who knows? Anyway, my husband has been going with the provincial government to negotiate with the Japanese lately, asking them to open the southern railway so that reinforcements from Jilin and Heilongjiang can be transported over."

"So that means if the Japanese don't agree, Zhang Fuchen and Marshal Wu's troops won't be able to get here?" Mrs. Gao asked.

Madam Liu shook her head and said, "We can't make it in time. Even if we did, it would probably be too late."

"No wonder General Zhang ran away!" Mrs. Chen suddenly turned to look at Sister Hua and asked in a low voice, "Hey, Mrs. Jiang, have all of the Zhang family's assets been moved to the foreign concession?"

Sister Hua was taken aback and quickly waved her hand, saying, "This... I'm not quite sure either."

No one believed it and pressed them for an answer: "Mrs. Jiang, don't keep it from us! Your husband is someone who can enter the Marshal's Mansion, how come there's no news at all?"

Sister Hua was slightly embarrassed, thinking to herself that if the Jiang family had known in advance, they wouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state.
"No, no, my husband really didn't know. He only brought the whole family here to take refuge after he heard that the Marshal's Mansion was moving things. If he had known earlier, he would have made preparations in advance."

"Sigh, that's true..."

The three noblewomen nodded and muttered to themselves, "The government office isn't giving any definite news. They keep saying that the front lines have been won, but the number of refugees in the city is increasing."

At this moment, Ms. Huang suddenly spoke up.

"Tch, forget it, what's the point of asking the Jiang family!"

She stubbed out her cigarette, looked at everyone through the smoke, crossed her arms, and sneered twice, saying, "How could the Jiang family know about something like this? I'm not looking down on Boss Jiang, but the war has come to this point, and even Marshal Zhang can only watch helplessly. What can he do? He has no choice but to obediently ask the Japanese for help."

Mrs. Chen pretended not to hear and didn't look at her. She stirred the cup with a small spoon and said with a smile, "Come on, Mrs. Jiang, let's have some coffee."

"Hmm, okay..." Sister Hua was a little embarrassed, so she silently took a sip of coffee.

Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Gao looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and then smiled apologetically at Miss Huang, saying, "Yes, the attitude of the Japanese is also very important."

"What do you mean 'also important'?" Miss Huang glanced at Mrs. Chen and said in a strange tone, "The attitude of the Japanese is the most important thing. All that talk about Marshal Zhang and Guo the devil is nonsense. Whichever side the Japanese are on, that side will win. It's that simple. Don't you understand?"

These days, socialites aren't just about looks.

First, one must have a keen eye for people, able to distinguish between a true tycoon and a fake rich kid; second, one must be eloquent, able to chime in on any topic, as long as the man is interested; and finally, one must be charming and flirtatious.

Miss Huang is well-traveled and knows the top echelons of Fengtian like the back of her hand. Having been in the world of fame and fortune for a long time, she has picked up bits and pieces of other people's wisdom and has always been able to come up with some insightful observations.

"Don't worry!" Miss Huang said, "As long as there are Japanese people here, Fengtian won't descend into chaos!"

Mrs. Chen scoffed, pursing her lips and saying, "What are you talking about? Isn't the city chaotic enough already?"

Miss Huang said, "That's because the Japanese haven't decided who to help yet. Once they do, the city will be peaceful again."

Mrs. Gao's family business often relied on the help of the officers, so upon hearing this, she quickly asked, "So, who exactly are the Japanese planning to help?"

Miss Huang waved her hand and said, "How would I know? Anyway, just follow the Japanese. It saves us from having to change commanders every few days. You business people will have to go around currying favor all over again. It's so tiring. Just thinking about it makes me feel exhausted for you!"

Madam Liu put down her cup and muttered to herself, "But my husband said that Guo Guizi is leading the elite troops of Fengtian Army. If a real war breaks out, even if the Japanese win, it will probably not be easy. At that time, we will suffer as well."

"Tch, come on, they're all paper tigers!"

"Oh my, Miss Huang, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were Japanese!"

Mrs. Chen couldn't stand her talking so eloquently, so she couldn't help but make a few sarcastic remarks with a smile.

Unexpectedly, Miss Huang stretched out the back of her hand, examining her nails as she said smugly, "That's not impossible. Mr. Kawada told me a few days ago that he would marry me, and then I would be a Japanese. If you need any help, just come to me."

"No thanks. By then, we old ladies will probably be too good for Miss Huang."

"It's alright, it's just that I'm kind-hearted and feel sorry for you, Mrs. Chen!"

Mrs. Chen's face turned pale with anger, and she replied coldly, "What a joke! I don't need your pity!"

Miss Huang was pleased with herself and said with a smile, "Alright, alright, Mrs. Chen, you'd better never come to me for help, but let me make it clear first, if you do come to me for help, I will definitely agree."

Seeing this, the others quickly intervened to mediate and persuade the two not to argue.

Mrs. Gao then flattered, "Miss Huang, it seems Mr. Kawada treats you very well. When you two get married, please let me know so I can give you a gift."

Miss Huang became increasingly smug. Suddenly, she opened her neckline, took off the necklace around her neck, and showed it off, saying, "Mr. Kawada is a romantic person. Look, this is a gift he gave me a couple of days ago. It's an Italian brand, Bulgari. It's not easy to buy even if you have money."

Mrs. Liu took it, looked at it, nodded, and said, "It's very good, really nice."

As he spoke, he passed it to Mrs. Gao, who was standing beside him.

Before Mrs. Gao could even take it in her hands, she immediately exclaimed, "Oh my, this is a fine piece! It's all thanks to Miss Huang's sophisticated taste that this foreign brand looks so good on her. Unlike me, no matter how good something is, it always looks like something from a street stall!"

It's Sister Hua's turn to give her comments.

She knew she should say a few flattering words at this moment, and the necklace was indeed exquisite and unconventional, but she was really bad with words. After looking at it for a long time, she couldn't think of how to flatter it, so she just mumbled, "It's really beautiful. It must be worth a lot of money."

Unexpectedly, Ms. Huang loved hearing this. She immediately smiled and waved her hand, saying, "It's not expensive, it's only seven or eight hundred yuan. I'm not after his money, it's mainly the sentiment that matters. The sentiment is more important than anything else."

Mrs. Gao's eyes widened, and she quickly chimed in, "This isn't expensive at all! Mr. Kawada is really willing to spend money on you!"

Seven or eight hundred yen, that's in Japanese yen, which is about three or four hundred silver dollars.

The price is indeed not cheap; it's enough to buy a large mansion in an ordinary county town.

But Mrs. Gao's family is also very wealthy and doesn't lack money. She said this on purpose simply to make Miss Huang happy.

Even so, Sister Hua was a little surprised and couldn't help but ask, "Can Japanese officers earn this much?"

Miss Huang laughed and said, "Hey, he recently made some extra money. During the autumn training this year, the South Railway Garrison retired a batch of guns, and the higher-ups gave them to him to resell. As soon as I heard about it, I rushed over and begged him to buy me some jewelry!"

As they were talking, he suddenly turned to Mrs. Chen and said with a smug look, "Mrs. Chen, you are the most knowledgeable person here. You take a good look for me. I was worried that it was fake!"

Mrs. Chen took it, glanced at it, and without looking closely, immediately returned it, saying coldly, "It's right, how could it be fake?"

"Oh dear, with Mrs. Chen's discerning eye as my guarantee, I can rest assured."

"Alas, Miss Huang has suffered."

"Suffer?" Miss Huang was puzzled. "You must be joking!"

"Isn't that right?" Mrs. Chen retorted. "Sister, tell me the truth, you've been tormented by that little Japanese guy a lot because of this necklace, haven't you?"

Lies don't hurt, truth is the knife.

Upon hearing this, Ms. Huang's face changed instantly. She snatched back the necklace and glared at him, demanding, "What do you mean?"

Mrs. Chen said leisurely and unhurriedly, "It doesn't mean anything. This is what you deserve. You have to give to receive! It's business, there's nothing shameful about it!"

Miss Huang suddenly stood up, pointed at Mrs. Chen's nose, and wanted to start cursing, but she was afraid of damaging her reputation in social circles. After holding back for a long time, she could only say resentfully, "You're just jealous. You can't stand seeing others doing better than you!"

Mrs. Chen wasn't intimidated and retorted sarcastically, "What a joke! Why would I be jealous of a little Japanese mistress?"

Miss Huang retorted, "Mrs. Chen is quite something! If you look down on the Japanese so much, why are you hiding in the concession? Stop trying to be hypocritical. If you're so capable, go back to the city. Then I'll admire you!"

"Oh, so you know this is called a concession? Concessions, concessions, one day they'll all have to be returned. This is Chinese territory. I'm Chinese, I can come and go as I please. The Japanese haven't even said anything yet, and you, you traitor, are already unhappy? How ridiculous!"

"Fine, you think you can do it? We'll see!"

Miss Huang blushed, realizing she couldn't win an argument with Mrs. Chen, and finally uttered a harsh remark before storming off in a huff.

Mrs. Chen, still seething with anger after she left, continued to mutter to herself, "This world has really changed. Even prostitutes dare to sit at the same table as you, Mrs. Chen. She's always trying to seduce other people's men, and now she's hooked up with a Japanese devil. Look how smug she is, shamelessly sidling up to us. She's almost forgotten who she is!"

Upon hearing this, Sister Hua quickly tugged at Mrs. Chen's sleeve twice and whispered a reminder, "Say less!"

Mrs. Gao hurriedly said, "Oh, Sister Chen, I've disliked her for a long time. Only you can help us old ladies vent our anger!"

Mrs. Liu glanced at Mrs. Gao, shook her head very slightly, then slowly stood up and said, "Sigh, I've been busy for half a day, and I'm a little tired too. You two chat first, I'll go upstairs and rest for a while."

Seeing Madam Liu leave the banquet hall, Sister Hua pondered for a moment, then secretly made an excuse to get up and leave as well...

(End of this chapter)