20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 838 Ups and Downs
The iron spike was shiny black and sharpened at both ends. Although it was very sharp, it was wishful thinking to think that such a hidden weapon could take a person's life through three floors and a window.

Moreover, the iron spikes were nailed to the window frame precisely; if they were even slightly off, the window would likely be broken and cause trouble.

Looking at the note tied to it, its purpose is self-evident.

Jiang Lianheng has been in the martial arts world for over twenty years. In broad daylight, he could use the word "He" to such an extent that he could avoid being seen by others. Looking across the entire Fengtian City, there was only one person he could think of.

Thinking of this, a thought suddenly struck him, and he quickly lifted the gauze curtain and looked downstairs for a moment.

The streets were bustling with people, and I looked around, but I couldn't find that familiar figure anywhere.

After a short while, Jiang Lianheng sighed, feeling somewhat dazed. He then turned to the side, pushed open the window frame, and pulled out the iron skewer.

Even at this point, he remained skeptical.

He went back inside, picked up the iron skewer, unfolded the piece of paper, and saw sixteen tiny characters written on it:
"A cunning rabbit has three burrows; opening the door invites thieves in. Danger lies in the funeral procession; the matter is accomplished in secrecy."

It was like meeting you in person; there wasn't a single wasted word, and the handwriting on the paper looked strangely familiar.

Jiang Lianheng was finally certain that his Seventh Uncle had returned, right now in Fengtian.

"You old bastard..."

He muttered a couple of curses under his breath, then immediately jumped up from his chair, put away the note, put on his coat, grabbed the stack of folders on the coffee table, and rushed out of the room.

There were two bodyguards outside the door. When they saw him come out, they hurriedly followed him.

Jiang Lianheng remained silent, went straight downstairs, and walked onto the street. The other bodyguards quickly swarmed over to accompany him.

Everyone was a little surprised and asked, "Boss, what's wrong?"

Jiang Lianheng didn't explain anything. He hurriedly walked to the center of the street, stood still, looked around, and seemed a little lost.

He didn't care, but the bodyguards were very nervous. They looked around and hurriedly said, "Boss, the situation is different now than before. It's too dangerous on the street. Please go back inside first. Tell us what you need, and we'll take care of it for you."

Jiang Lianheng was speechless for a moment.

The uncle and nephew had a tacit understanding. When Jiang Lianheng thought of the words "the matter was accomplished in secrecy" written on the note, he simply waved his hand and did not make a fuss.

Moreover, none of his current group of men have ever met Gong Baonan, and most of them don't even know that he has a seventh uncle. Finding him is out of the question; to put it bluntly, they are all blind.

After a moment's hesitation, Jiang Lianheng asked, "Did you notice anything unusual just now?"

Everyone was startled and said no. Fearing that they had been negligent and would be blamed by their employer, they quickly suggested, "How about we bring a few more people over from home?"

Jiang Lianheng sighed, shook his head, and said, "No need, I'll go back now!"

After saying that, he immediately walked towards the car parked by the roadside.

Everyone crowded around and followed immediately, opening car doors and saying "Be careful!" They were so busy they were practically running themselves ragged.

Jiang Lianheng climbed into the back seat, turned around, rolled down the window, waved the stack of documents in his hand, and then instructed, "Leave someone here and tell Fang Yan that I've taken the things first."

Everyone nodded, and after the arrangements were made, they followed the car all the way to the mansion in the north of the city.

When he returned home, Sister Hua and the others were keeping vigil in the courtyard. They were a little surprised to see him return early, but they didn't dare to ask any questions.

Jiang Lianheng still didn't explain. He simply informed her and went into the mansion, heading straight to the study on the second floor to find Hu Xiaoyan.

As soon as I reached the door, I heard a violent coughing sound coming from inside.

"young married woman--"

Jiang Lianheng pushed open the door and strode to the desk. Before he could speak, he suddenly froze for a moment.

Hu Xiaoyan was wrapped in two thick cotton-padded coats, her face was pale, and her expression was unfocused. Despite the freezing weather, she looked as if she had been pulled out of the water, with a fine layer of sweat on her forehead.

"Why is your face so pale?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

Hu Xiaoyan said, "It's nothing. I went downstairs this morning to burn some paper money for my aunt. I probably caught a cold, and my legs are a little sore."

"Did you take your medicine? Should I ask them to get you some ginseng to tide you over?"

"Sigh, Dongfeng searched for a long time but couldn't find it. It was probably stolen that night. But it's nothing serious. I feel much better now."

Hu Xiaoyan spoke casually, but in reality, she sounded weak and listless.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lianheng hurriedly said, "Then tell them to go buy some more. You're too weak. Have them make you some chicken soup with a stick to help you recover! Also, don't go downstairs anymore. Let them handle the incense and paper money burning. The yin energy in the mourning hall is heavy, and you're already weak. Don't let them take you away again."

Hu Xiaoyan blinked, frowned, and asked, "Didn't you not believe in these things?"

Jiang Lianheng was taken aback and suddenly became dazed, wondering how he had managed to say those words.

At the beginning of this year, Hu Xiaoyan made him a red belt, saying it was for his birth year and to ward off bad luck. He didn't take it seriously, thinking it was all nonsense.

Looking back now, it seems that all the accusations of being in conflict with Tai Sui and having an unlucky year have come true.

That year, the Jiang family's business suffered a severe blow, the matriarch fell ill from overwork, and her daughter Jiang Ya was arrested and imprisoned. With frequent changes and internal and external troubles, there was hardly a moment of peace.

As people reach middle age, the youthful impetuosity inevitably begins to waver.

But Jiang Lianheng was stubborn. As soon as he sat down, he immediately changed his tune, saying, "Just kidding, I was just worried you'd get cold!"

Hu Xiaoyan coughed twice, glanced at the stack of documents in his hand, and asked, "What's this?"

"What a mess!" Jiang Lianheng casually put it down, then added, "Wife, don't go to Aunt's funeral!"

"How can that be?" Hu Xiaoyan waved her hands repeatedly. "I know how my aunt treats me. I have to go no matter what. Besides, I'm not that sick yet!"

"Don't rush, take a look at this."

Jiang Lianheng took out the iron skewer and handed it over along with the note.

These days, firearms are king, and there aren't many people who practice using stun guns anymore. Even if the enemy is deliberately trying to mislead people, they usually wouldn't think of using this method to transmit messages.

Hu Xiaoyan's heart skipped a beat when she saw the iron skewer. Then, her gaze fixed on the writing on the note, and she murmured to herself, "This is..."

"Seventh Uncle is back!" Jiang Lianheng lowered his voice. "Look, the plan has been successfully completed. He's going to be the undercover agent for the secret gang... That old bastard, he even came to my office. Couldn't he have just made a phone call? Why did he have to do this? He comes back and starts showing off to me!"

Hu Xiaoyan was intelligent and understood what her seventh uncle meant. She said, "He has been away from Fengtian for more than ten years. He doesn't know the situation at home and is not sure who he can trust. If you answer the phone, it will be fine. But if someone else answers first, he is afraid that the news will leak out. So he can only use this old-fashioned method."

Jiang Lianheng thought for a moment and said in a low voice, "It's possible, but Uncle Qi is quite shrewd. It's not surprising that he knows I'm in trouble now. Everyone in the city knows that Qin Huaimeng is challenging me, but how did he know that Qin Huaimeng was deliberately opening the door to let in a thief and deliberately giving me a weakness?" Hu Xiaoyan remained silent, seemingly confused as well.

Little did they know that all their calculations were no match for a chance encounter; many pieces of intelligence are often hard to come by and require a bit of luck.

Jiang Lianheng didn't dwell on it anymore, but hesitated slightly before saying, "I'm still thinking about whether or not to tell Dongfeng and the others about this."

Hu Xiaoyan shook her head and said, "Let's forget it. This isn't a matter of trust, but rather that having another helper changes everyone's mindset and makes it easier for outsiders to spot our flaws. Since it's a secret organization, the fewer people who know about it, the better. Just continue with your plans as usual, and don't try to take care of Uncle Qi too much, or you might end up making things worse."

Jiang Lianheng pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "That's true. It wasn't easy for Seventh Uncle to retire. He probably had this in mind for not showing his face. It's already quite good that he was able to send me a message. When dealing with Qin Huaimeng, it's best to avoid using him if possible!"

Hu Xiaoyan didn't speak, seemingly preoccupied with something else.

Seeing this, Jiang Lianheng frowned and asked, "Wife, Uncle Qi is back. Why do you always look so long-faced?"

"When Seventh Uncle left, he was with Miss Bai!" She was still worried.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Lianheng said, "Don't worry, with you here, Uncle Qi would never bring that girl back, even if you beat him to death."

"You blame me for being heartless?"

Jiang Lianheng shook his head and softly comforted him, "I know you did it for me."

Hu Xiaoyan lowered her eyes, suddenly feeling a little guilty, and timidly said, "Actually, Uncle Qi's decision to leave back then was also related to me... That night, he saw Zhao Lingchun, and I said a few things to him..."

"Sigh, it's all in the past!" Jiang Lianheng smiled with relief. "Wife, nothing is insurmountable. He had the idea of ​​retiring back then. Since he was going to retire, he certainly wouldn't stay in Fengtian. I'm not interested in what you two have said, and I don't want to hear it. You are my wife, and he is my seventh uncle. They have both been kind to me, and we are all family!"

Hu Xiaoyan nodded silently and said nothing more.

Immediately afterwards, a knocking sound rang out on the door.

Jiang Lianheng quickly put away the iron slip and said, "Go in!"

Zhang Zhengdong pushed open the door and whispered, "Brother, sister-in-law, a few military officers have come outside. They say they are friends of Beifeng and have come to offer their condolences and contribute a gift."

After returning home, Beifeng followed his elder brother and sister-in-law's instructions and stayed indoors. However, the brothers in the army camp knew that he had asked for leave to go home. Now that the Fengtian Army had won the battle, officers from all walks of life were returning to the provincial capital to report on their duties. They heard that the Jiang family was holding a funeral, and out of respect for Beifeng, they discussed coming over to offer their condolences.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Lianheng didn't dare to be negligent and immediately stood up, saying, "Alright, call Xiao Bei over and come with me downstairs to entertain them."

…………

Outside Fengtian City, north of Shenshui River.

At the entrance of the Jiang family's gravel yard, two brothers from the fan gang were on guard duty. The river in the distance was already frozen, and the withered grass nearby trembled and swayed in the north wind.

From the gatehouses on both sides of the courtyard wall, a series of quiet conversations gradually drifted over.

"Brother Lai, what do you think the boss sent us to do in this godforsaken place, with no village in sight and no shop in sight?"

"That's right. Everyone says the sand and gravel business is profitable, but there are only four handcarts, one mud-brick furnace, and a pile of stones and sand in this yard. Who would steal this junk? Even if they were just there to guard the place, why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? We don't need more than twenty of us, do we?"

"I think this lousy place is even worse than the riverbank!"

Everyone nodded in agreement, feeling that they had been wasting their talents.

Lai Zi sat cross-legged on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), smoking silently with a bitter expression on his face. He muttered to himself, "Well, you can't say that. There are still two second-hand machines in the factory to the west, supposedly for crushing stones. They're probably worth a few bucks. The boss said the sand and gravel business is very important, and he trusts me, which is why he entrusted this job to us!"

"But we've been here for days, and nobody's come!"

"Who says otherwise? Isn't this just a waste of time?"

Suddenly, everyone started discussing it again.

The cripple from the fan gang said, "Brother Lai, the key is that this place is too desolate. Even if someone comes to cause trouble, and we brothers risk our lives, there won't be a single person cheering us on. We're just singing and playing our own tune here, and nobody's joining in. When will we ever make a name for ourselves?"

Immediately, someone else chimed in, "Brother Lai, didn't you explain things clearly to the boss?"

"Bullshit!" Lai Zi glared and cursed. "This is a task assigned by the master. What can I do? If I had a choice, I would have gone to Huifang Lane and Songfeng Zhuyun to see the prostitutes. Why would I need to stay here and look at your gourd faces?"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, though they were all somewhat indignant.

Unexpectedly, just as he finished speaking, someone outside the window shouted, "Brother Lai, something's up!"

Upon hearing this, Lai Zi was overjoyed and immediately jumped off the kang (a heated brick bed), shouting, "Brothers, we've got work to do! Grab your weapons!"

His men were all eager to show off, and they loved to make a big deal out of small things. Even a tiny hole could let in a lot of wind. At the first sound, they would rush out in a flurry of about twenty men.

When I ran to the gate of the courtyard, I could only vaguely see two figures in the distance.

Moreover, the two people didn't seem to be heading towards the sand and gravel pit; they appeared to be just passing by.

It's not a tough battle; it's pointless to fight it.

The fan-wielding gang relaxed a bit, but since they were already there, they felt they should at least shout a few words to show off their power, otherwise they would feel they were letting down the place.

"Hey, you two!" the leper shouted sternly, "Stop staring, it's just the two of you, come here!"

The kidnapper and his gang joined in the cursing: "Tsk, I called you over here, are you deaf? If you dare turn around, I'll chop you up, you believe me?"

Hearing the commotion, the two people in the distance hesitated for a moment before bowing and scraping as they approached.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be an old man and a young man.

The older ones aren't too old, in their forties, approaching fifty; the younger ones aren't too young, in their early twenties, not yet thirty.

The two men were dressed in blue cotton-padded jackets and felt hats. They didn't look wealthy, but they were probably people who didn't have to worry about food, clothing, or other necessities.

Lai Zi looked at the two men sternly, and before they even got close, he berated them, "Hey you two, it's almost dark, why aren't you staying in the city? What are you doing wandering around here?"

"Oh, isn't this the hero!" The old man replied irrelevantly, hurriedly walking over and bowing.

"A hero?" The leper didn't react for a moment. "What hero?"

The old man frowned slightly, seemingly even more confused than him, and couldn't help but mutter softly, "This...aren't you the hero who shouted back the puppet regime in Xiaoxiguan that day?"

"Heh!" Lai Zi was pleased, and with a smug grin, he asked, "What, you've heard my story too?"

(End of this chapter)