20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 876 Relaxation
That evening, Xiao Cui went to Hu Xiao Yan and truthfully reported the situation of Sixth Master and Seventh Master's meeting.

At that time, the cold wind was strong and the snow was gradually becoming thicker. She jumped off the rickshaw at the entrance of the alley and almost immediately noticed the changes around her.

The officials who used to patrol the area have long since left; the water sniffers who used to stand guard day and night in the alley are gone; even the number of bodyguards outside the door has returned to normal, a total of ten people, working in two shifts to take turns on night watch, but Yuan Xinfa is nowhere to be seen.

All signs indicate that the Jiang family has completely returned to normal.

Even tigers eventually take a nap.

The Jiang family has been on high alert day and night for over a month. Now that the external threat has been quelled, and people aren't made of iron, the brothers should finally get some rest.

Stepping through the gate, the courtyard was quiet, and it felt like something was missing.

Upon closer reflection, it turns out that what's missing is the flavor of many years past.

In the past, after the Little New Year, large red lanterns would be hung in the courtyard and kept burning all night until the end of the first month of the lunar calendar.

But this time was different. The Jiang family had just finished their funeral. According to old customs, the family could not put up Spring Festival couplets, set off firecrackers, or visit relatives and friends. On New Year's Eve, they had to leave a bowl and chopsticks for Xu Ruqing and keep this for three years to be considered to fulfill their filial duty.

The other requirements were manageable, but the one that Jiang Lianheng simply couldn't comply with was "not being allowed to visit relatives and friends."

After all, with such a large family business, someone has to step forward to manage and handle things. At most, he can only decline guests at home. But in the arena of fame and fortune, there is no time to withdraw. Let alone three years, even three days would be too much for Jiang Lianheng to afford.

As a result, the large courtyard appears unusually deserted this year.

When Xiao Cui entered the mansion, she was greeted by the strong smell of medicine, but there was no lively atmosphere at all.

It turned out that the children had been staying at home for too long and were complaining of being bored, so Dongfeng and Nanfeng took them out for some fresh air and to stock up on New Year's goods. They hadn't returned yet, so they must be eating out.

However, it wasn't that no one was left at home.

Li Zhengxi and Gu Yu were playing with the child in the living room.

The little guy was not even a year old. He sat on the sofa, swaying from side to side, and putting whatever he could grab into his mouth.

Hai Xinnian was in the kitchen preparing medicine for his godmother. Actually, it wasn't really medicine, but rather some expensive tonics.

Xiao Cui greeted Xi Feng in the living room, explained her purpose, praised the child's good looks, and then quickly went upstairs.

He entered the bedroom and, in a few words, recounted what he had just witnessed.

Upon hearing this, Hu Xiaoyan subconsciously asked, "Are you sure the person who came was Seventh Master?"

Xiao Cui didn't dare to make a definitive statement, and quickly replied, "Madam, I've never met Seventh Master before! Anyway, Sixth Master calls him Seventh, so I came here. He wouldn't lie to me about this, would he?"

Hu Xiaoyan paused for a moment, then suddenly realized that she was being a bit absurd. She waved her hand and said, "That's right, I'm overthinking things. It's an old problem of mine; I'm too suspicious, and I can't change it anytime soon. Sixth Master really doesn't need to lie about this matter."

Xiao Cui said, "Madam is meticulous, that's how a mistress should be. I'm the one who's impulsive and didn't think much before I came."

As he spoke, he asked Hu Xiaoyan if she had any photos of Seventh Master, so that they could be identified and verified to avoid mistaking him for someone else.

Of course there is a photo, it's still the same family photo from over a decade ago.

Hu Xiaoyan got up and sat in her wheelchair. She went to the table, took out photos from the drawer, but instead of handing them to Xiao Cui, she buried her head in her books and looked at them for a while.

Of the original ten people in the group photo, only four remain. Although the two uncles are still alive, they haven't seen each other for many years.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but sigh.

Xiao Cui walked over slowly, and after only a quick glance, she immediately recognized him and hurriedly said, "Madam, it's him. This must be Seventh Master, right?"

Hu Xiaoyan nodded and asked, "How is Seventh Master now?"

"Hmm... he hasn't changed much. Compared to this photo, he's definitely aged a lot, but not that much. Anyway, he looks much younger than Sixth Master." Xiao Cui suddenly asked curiously, "Madam, they should be about the same age, right?"

Unexpectedly, such a simple question stumped Hu Xiaoyan.

Recalling the past, when Jiang Chenghai was still alive, she had asked the old man the same question.

According to Jiang Chenghai, Gong Baonan was two years younger than Guan Wei; however, Gong Baonan himself said that he and Guan Wei were the same age, and that his birthday was even older. He was the seventh child because he joined the group later.

Whether it's true or false, who knows?
In conclusion, the two brothers are indeed around the same age, but due to their different circumstances and mindsets, they are aging at vastly different rates.

Hu Xiaoyan has a hurdle in her heart.

She always felt that her own involvement was somehow related to Seventh Uncle's decision to leave back then, so she asked, "Did Seventh Master mention me?"

Xiao Cui shook her head: "No, I didn't say more than a few words to them."

"Has he said when he plans to come to our house?"

"It seems they plan to come after the New Year, after the current excitement has subsided."

Hu Xiaoyan knew that Seventh Uncle didn't want to be too conspicuous, so she stopped asking and instead instructed, "You must not tell anyone that Seventh Master has returned, and don't come over easily again. Just pretend that nothing happened. You need to work hard these days and take good care of Seventh Master. Don't neglect him."

Xiao Cui nodded, then asked, "But... during the New Year period, Miss will probably go to see Sixth Master, right? If Miss goes, should Seventh Master be asked to leave?"

Hu Xiaoyan waved her hand and said, "No need. Seventh Master can see me if he wants to, and he can avoid seeing me if he doesn't. Let's just do as he pleases!"

As he spoke, he rummaged through the drawer and took out money, including silver dollars and foreign currency, but no banknotes. He divided it into three portions, wrapped them all in handkerchiefs, and handed them to Xiao Cui.

Xiao Cui took it; it was heavy. She quickly asked, "Madam, isn't this too much?"

Hu Xiaoyan explained, "This is your reward money, this is a tribute to Seventh Master, and the rest is for Sixth Master's New Year expenses. When you go back and see Seventh Master, please tell him for me that I know it wasn't easy for him to retire, but everyone misses him. Tell him to come and visit often when he has time."

Xiao Cui nodded in response, exchanged a few more casual words, and then hurried back to Dongcheng before nightfall.

…………

Later that evening, Jiang Lianheng, Dongfeng, and the others returned to the mansion one after another.

The atmosphere of family reunion returned to the house. The children, still excited, chattered and made noise downstairs for a long time before finally going back inside to rest.

Jiang Lianheng had drunk quite a bit tonight and was slightly tipsy. As soon as he entered the house, he went straight back to his bedroom and lay down without even changing his clothes.

Seeing this, Hu Xiaoyan couldn't help but frown and ask, "How much did you drink?"

Jiang Lianheng was getting impatient and immediately retorted, "What business is it of yours how much I drink? I haven't had too much to drink!"

"I think you've already had a bit too much."

"Nonsense! Go around asking around in Fengtian City, who dares to challenge me in drinking?" Hu Xiaoyan silently shook her head and didn't say anything.

Jiang Lianheng jumped out of bed, took two steps forward, and said, "What, you still don't believe me? Whether I've had too much to drink or not, look at my legs, can't you tell? I'll show you a set of Xingyi Quan right now, taught to me by my fourth uncle. I haven't practiced it for many years, so it'll be a good opportunity to broaden your horizons!"

As they spoke, they began to gesture and make a ruckus.

Judging from his posture and steady gait, he was definitely not drunk, just a little too excited.

Hu Xiaoyan was both annoyed and amused. She waved her hand and said quickly, "Alright, alright, stop acting like a drunkard. Take off your coat now!"

Jiang Lianheng laughed loudly, "Hahaha, you slut, you're so impatient. Very well, since you've pleased me today, I'll definitely fight you three hundred rounds and add another stick of incense to my Jiang family. Show me what tricks you have up your sleeve!"

What is this all about?
Hu Xiaoyan couldn't bear to look and couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with you today? You've never been this drunk outside before."

Jiang Lianheng said, "Stop talking nonsense and get down to business!"

"Have you forgotten how your father taught you?"

"I haven't forgotten, I haven't forgotten. When you're out and about, drinking too much is a big no-no online."

"Then you still drink?"

"I didn't drink much!"

Jiang Lianheng's enthusiasm was dampened, and he immediately became somewhat dissatisfied: "Look at you, Qin Huaimeng is dead, and Whistle Li and Sky Eagle have also been killed. You've been holding back for so long, can't I even have a moment of joy? Why do you have to keep such a long face all day? You're such a killjoy, I'm going to find Shu Ning!"

“Wait a minute,” Hu Xiaoyan called out to him, “I have news about Uncle Qi.”

"Really?" Jiang Lianheng's eyes lit up.

Hu Xiaoyan nodded, patted the bed, and said with a smile, "Get on the bed first, and I'll tell you."

"That bitch, she's really full of tricks!"

Jiang Lianheng smiled and then crawled into bed.

Immediately afterwards, Hu Xiaoyan repeated the news that Xiao Cui had brought.

At first, Jiang Lianheng was quite happy, shouting that he would go see Uncle Qi that night.

But when he heard that Uncle Seven had gone to Dongcheng and was with Guan Wei, he immediately fell silent and stopped talking. No matter what Hu Xiaoyan said, he seemed to ignore her.

Hu Xiaoyan sighed, hesitated for a moment, and then suddenly suggested, "Xiaodao, our eldest aunt is no longer here, and we only have these two uncles left. How many more times will we see them? More than ten years have passed since then, and Sixth Uncle has had a hard life. Let him come with Seventh Uncle this time."

"No."

"Can't you just think of it as letting the children recognize their relatives?"

“I said no, and that means no. Uncle Qi is fine, but Guan Wei is not.”

"Why bother with such a trivial matter?"

Hu Xiaoyan whispered, "Sixth Uncle was very good to us back then. It's been thirteen years. Shouldn't you let it go by now?"

"Why should I let it go?" Jiang Lianheng retorted. "Do you even know how dangerous our situation was back then? He told Zhou Yunfu where you were hiding. If I hadn't been aware of this and moved you to the Nakamura Photo Studio in advance, Han Ce would have sent people to kidnap you and use you to blackmail me!"

"But, after all, that didn't happen..."

"I gave him a chance!"

Years later, Jiang Lianheng still finds it hard to let go: "If he had confessed to my father back then, he wouldn't have ended up in this state today. But until the day my father died, he never intended to confess. He's a coward, he doesn't even have the courage to admit his mistakes. From beginning to end, he only wanted to get away with it. How can someone like that step into the Jiang family again?"

The lack of kindness and affection is not an empty statement.

Hu Xiaoyan knew Jiang Lianheng held grudges, but she didn't expect him to be so vengeful. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Are you really not going to forgive him forever?"

Silence, for a long time.

Jiang Lianheng finally spoke up: "Let's wait until he can openly and honestly admit his mistake like a real man before we talk about it!"

"But we are the younger generation, and he is so much older..."

“Wife, you’ve got it wrong. I didn’t ask him to apologize to me.”

Hu Xiaoyan paused for a moment, then muttered to herself, "The problem is, the old man has been gone for so many years, you can't just..."

Jiang Lianheng shook his head, but said, "It's not like I'm apologizing to my father."

Now, Hu Xiaoyan was completely confused.

Despite her sensitive nature, she was, after all, a woman. She could only observe the unspoken feelings between men from afar, like watching a spectacle, but she could not truly empathize with them.

Jiang Lianheng turned his head and explained ambiguously, "I really don't want to see him, but do you think that if he really came now and was standing outside the gate, I would rush downstairs and kill him?"

Hu Xiaoyan remained silent.

Jiang Lianheng continued, "Don't send anyone to look for him. If he only dares to come because someone invited him, I'll shoot him dead. If he's afraid of me, then he has no right to come see me again."

Hu Xiaoyan finally understood and nodded, saying, "Don't worry, I understand."

Jiang Lianheng didn't say anything more, but suddenly changed the subject and brought up the suggestion made by Boss Ren of Yongxing Match Factory.

Hu Xiaoyan frowned and asked, "It's fine for Hengshe to start a business on the first day of the Lunar New Year, but is it really necessary to hold that promotional meeting? If you really want to win over other merchants, why not just send someone over to notify them? Why go through all this trouble?"

"Hey, that's exactly the kind of spectacle they wanted!"

"All I know is that making a fortune quietly is already quite high-profile. I'm afraid you'll go too far and end up becoming a thorn in the side of the Japanese!"

"There's nothing we can do about it!" Jiang Lianheng waved his hand and said, "The problem is, if you notify them one by one, they won't dare not come. There will be quite a few people, but if they are all unwilling, what's the point? If the mutual guarantee among businesses isn't voluntary, how can it be a mutual guarantee?"

Hu Xiaoyan thought for a moment, then added, "That's true! However, too much talk leads to mistakes, so you'd better say less. Just let them say what they want to say, and don't make a big fuss!"

"Don't worry, patriotism is not a crime!"

When does the recruitment presentation start?

“Three days later, at 9:30 in the morning,” Jiang Lianheng muttered. “Tomorrow, I plan to have Chuanghu write an article for me. It will be something like those clichéd words, which won’t cause any problems no matter how you say it. It’s just a formality to let everyone know what Hengshe does. You don’t need to worry about it.”

(End of this chapter)