African Nationhood

Chapter 421 Regret

In July 1904, the temperature in Dongwanlu City was extremely hot.

The sun was scorching the earth fiercely. Sitting in the T-model car, Zhong Wenyao felt extremely hot. If he had known that it would be so hot in the car, he might as well have ridden a bicycle.

After driving for about ten miles, Zhong Wenyao stopped the car at an alley, got out and walked.

After walking for five or six minutes, he came to the entrance of a courtyard, which was guarded by a gun-wielding guard.

Seeing Zhong Wenyao coming over, the guard said loudly with a straight face: "ID?"

Zhong Wenyao smiled, "I am the deputy director of the Nanhua Immigration Bureau, and this is my ID.

Today I am here to help you, so that you can be liberated. "

Hearing what Zhong Wenyao said, the guard showed a smile, but he still carefully checked Zhong Wenyao's ID. After confirming the other party's official position, the guard smiled.

"Are you really here to pick someone up?"

"What's the point of lying to you? This is an order issued by the director of your Lanfang Company. If you don't recognize it, you can ask your superior to confirm it."

"You, huh, it's hard to raise a woman and a villain!!!"

The person who spoke was probably a girl, with a milky voice, but the voice of the man called daddy clearly contained suppressed anger.

The woman hurriedly came over and coaxed her daughter, "What's the use of getting angry again? You still can't get out if you're locked up here. If you have evil fire, just find a place to vent it yourself. Don't take it out on us!"

The small courtyard is extremely clean, and some remaining footprints can be seen on the ground, some are large and some are small. There is a lot of space in the courtyard. Overall, it is a courtyard that stretches from east to west, with a two-story house on each east and west.

"Dad, I want some candy."

After waiting for a while, the guard ran back.

Zhong Wenyao nodded to the guard and then walked into the small courtyard.

"We are villains, you are a gentleman!

A gentleman would let someone lock him up here for more than ten years without being able to get out? "

After saying that, the guard took out the key from his pocket and opened the courtyard door behind him.

The woman was scolded, but instead of holding back her voice, her voice became even louder.

Zhong Wenyao was standing in the middle of the courtyard, thinking of going over there to call the door first, when he suddenly heard voices coming out from the east.

The daughter was frightened by her father's stern voice and burst into tears.

"It's been confirmed, you can mention the person."

The loud slaps made the fight scene even more chaotic, the little girl cried and the woman screamed sharply.

"Yeah, you beat us, mother and daughter, to death and you can live alone!"

"Snapped."

The guard nodded and quickly ran over. It seemed that he was on the phone.

Then a female voice interrupted the conversation between father and daughter, "Oh, husband, please give my daughter some candy. She has been thinking about this bit of candy for a long time..."

"Eat, eat, just eat. Those candies are for the whole month. If you eat them all in one go, what will you do next? Where can I get them for you when you want to eat them again?"

"So what if I've been thinking about you for a long time? This family is just so big, and I'm locked here all day long, so I can't make any long-term plans?

Children can't just follow me to study. If they don't study well, they won't be allowed to eat today! "

When the woman touched on his painful point, the man could no longer suppress his anger and roared: "You bitch!"

In the chaos, another child's voice appeared: "Dad, stop hitting Mommy. If you hit Mommy again, we will starve again."

When Zhong Wenyao heard this, he couldn't listen anymore and planned to go to break up the fight.

Not wanting to hear the door opening in the west, he turned around and saw a thin man standing at the door looking at him blankly.

The thin man called out tentatively: "Brother Wen Yao?"

When Zhong Wenyao heard the other party's voice, he remembered that this person was Cao Jifu who had visited the "Hot Springs City" with him at the dock in Shanghai many years ago.

"Brother Cao, long time no see!"

After Cao Jifu confirmed that the person who came was really Zhong Wenyao, his face was immediately filled with a smile. He quickly walked down the stairs and trotted to Zhong Wenyao.

"It's really you! I really wasn't dreaming. I didn't expect you to be the first old classmate to visit me in so many years."

His voice was choked as he said, "Ten years, I've been locked up here for ten years!"

The Cao Jifu in front of him was thin and his eyes were dim. He was no longer as energetic as he was at the port of Shanghai, nor was he as energetic as he was in Southwest Africa.

Even when he was crying and choking, he was a little timid. Time really changes people!

Zhong Wenyao sighed, "Brother Cao knew why he did this today, but you don't have to be sad. I'm here to let you go today. You can leave." Cao Jifu raised his head in disbelief, grabbed Zhong Wenyao's hand, and said Youzi asked in disbelief: "Really, really?

We can leave, wow, that's great! "

Waves of pain came from Zhong Wenyao's hand. Could this guy scratch my hand?

"Well, it's true. Prime Minister Ouyang Geng personally sent me a telegram asking me to come and release you. Nanhua Company is independent and is now the Nanhua Dominion. You are free."

Hearing this, the expression on Cao Jifu's face became a little unpredictable, "I am independent, I am finally independent. But it has hurt me!"

Zhong Wenyao saw that Cao Jifu had a strange look on his face, and couldn't help but think of Fan Jin in "The Scholars" who was suffering from phlegm and phlegm in his heart because of his passing exam.

He tried to inquire about the other party, "Brother Cao?"

Cao Jifu's eyes were blank and he muttered, "It's good to be independent, it's good to be independent, haha... It's good to be independent, it's good to be independent."

Zhong Wenyao immediately stopped hesitating and slapped Cao Jifu's slim face with a rounded palm.

"Snapped!"

This slap was very loud and made the thin Cao Jifu stagger immediately.

After Zhong Wenyao finished slapping him, he stepped forward and grabbed the other person, "Brother Cao, Cao Jifu?"

Cao Jifu, who was interrupted from his longing, slowly focused his eyes and saw Zhong Wenyao clearly in front of him. He asked anxiously: "What's going on? What happened to me?"

Zhong Wenyao didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "Well, Brother Cao, you had phlegm rushing into your heart just now, and I slapped you awake. How about you? Are you feeling better now?"

After listening to Zhong Wenyao's words, Cao Jifu was still a little confused, but he did regain his consciousness.

"You just said that Nanhua is independent. This is a good thing. It is also a good thing that I can be released. I should be happy."

Zhong Wenyao nodded, "Yes, this is something to be happy about. Let's go and call Brother Shen. He was beating his wife just now."

Cao Jifu shook his head, "That's not his wife, she's just a local girl who came to serve us. Over the years, we have nowhere to go but to take in the local girls around us to kill time. His temper is a bit explosive, and after the beating, alright."

While the two were talking, they heard the door open.

Shen Deyao, who was also thin, walked to the door and saw the two people standing in the courtyard. He let out a sigh and then dropped the cigarette in his hand.

"Brother Zhong!"

Zhong Wenyao waved to Shen Deyao, "Brother Shen, long time no see!"

Shen Deyao also walked over quickly like Cao Jifu, "Oh, Brother Zhong, what kind of wind brought you here? I heard that your brother often passes by Lanfang, but I just didn't think of us brothers.

It is a once-in-a-lifetime great thing to see you, Brother Zhong, today!

Did you bring some wine and meat for my brother to satisfy his appetite here? Everything is fine here, but the food here is too bland. Several debt collectors have been pestering me for food all day long. Brother, I really feel bad. ……well"

Cao Jifu glared at the old neighbor and said, "Stop talking nonsense, Brother Zhong is here to let us out. Clean up quickly and get out!"

"What, really? This, this is so good!

Just where are we going? Brother Zhong, can you tell me what official position you hold now, and can you give me some support?

You also know that we have been imprisoned for so many years and our lives are basically ruined. It would be good to give our brothers some guidance. "

Zhong Wenyao didn't like Shen Deyao very much, "I can't help you in any position. When you return to the Qing Dynasty, you can try to find Tang Shaoyi. He is now relying on the big shots in Beiyang."

Hearing the name Tang Shaoyi, Shen Deyao couldn't help but frown.

He wasn't familiar with this person, but it was better to have a relationship than nothing.

"Brother Zhong, do you have any money on you? Brother, I've been locked up here for so long. I haven't had a good meal in a long time. I want to have a good meal."

Zhong Wenyao took out a wad of South China coins from his pocket and divided it into two.

"This is the intention of Premier Ouyang and I. You two can go and take care of yourself!"

After saying that, Zhong Wenyao turned around and left.

Cao Jifu and Shen Deyao followed Zhong Wenyao to the door and found that there were no guards at the door. They were secretly happy. Then they walked to the alley and watched Zhong Wenyao open the car door, get in the car, and turn around to leave.

The two of them sighed to themselves for a while, and then Shen Deyao realized, "The Prime Minister Ouyang he was talking about couldn't be that guy Ouyang Geng, right?"

Cao Jifu nodded, "Exactly, Ouyang Geng became the Prime Minister of South China."

Shen Deyao sighed after hearing this, "Well, back then Zhong Wenyao was about the same level as us, but now he drives a car when traveling, and we are still hesitating about a good meal.

I really regret it! "

(End of this chapter)