cicada

Chapter 1223 Party

At No. 14, Dexingli, Shancheng City, an elegant and simple courtyard stands deep in the streets. The courtyard has yellow walls and green tiles, and the interior buildings have raised beams and flying eaves, which also have some Western style.

The gate of the courtyard is closed all day long, which makes it quite mysterious. A golden signboard with the words "Jinlan Society" hangs on the gate, and noble ladies dressed in jewels and precious stones often appear there.

The people around here have many speculations about this place, and all kinds of gossips are spread with details. Only the local police station and officials know that the backgrounds of these ladies are not simple. There are also those who are trying their best to join, but they have never succeeded.

On the morning of the second day after Zhong Xiao returned to Shancheng from the Women's Normal School, the Jinlan Club was crowded with people, and cars with military or government license plates kept stopping at the door.

Then, one by one, the wives of officials with graceful demeanor walked into the yard surrounded by their entourage, and greeted warmly a woman in her thirties who looked gentle and dignified.

"President Sima, you look so beautiful today."

"Mrs. Li, thank you for your compliment. Please come in. Miss Kong will be here soon."

"Ouch, good, good."

Sima Linglong, the president of the Jinlan Society, had a smile on her face. She was enthusiastic but a little distant as she invited the members into the main room in a familiar manner. Her attitude was neither humble nor arrogant, making sure that no one felt left out, nor did she show any intention of trying to please them. She also mentioned Miss Kong's name in passing.

When they heard the name Miss Kong, all the members smiled happily. They joined the Jinlan Club just to establish a relationship with the daughter of the Kong family, so as to help their husbands, fathers and brothers make further progress in their careers. Knowing that she would come today, they were naturally very happy.

Soon, the main room, which was a combination of Chinese and Western styles, was filled with people. Several pretty waitresses carefully served wartime luxuries such as South American coffee and Sri Lankan black tea. Everyone drank and chatted, and there was constant laughter and joy, making the place very lively.

At around ten o'clock in the morning, Zhong Xiao also arrived at No. 14 Dexingli. She looked at Sima Linglong, smiled and nodded, then went into the room on her own.

More than ten minutes later, Miss Kong, with a slicked-back hair, a cigar in her mouth, and dressed in men's clothes, appeared at the door. Sima Linglong's eyes lit up, and she quickly walked up to greet her, completely losing her previous reserve.

Miss Kong waved her hand gracefully and strode into the main room. She immediately attracted greetings from a group of wives and daughters of officials. After a long exchange of greetings, she was finally able to sit down.

Sima Linglong stood aside with a smile on her face. Seeing this, she looked at the watch on her wrist and clapped her hands gently. The waitresses bowed and slowly left.

Miss Kong Er, who was sitting on the main seat, was leaning back in her chair with her legs crossed, looking very heroic. She picked up the cup and tasted the coffee, with a look of disgust on her face.

"President Sima, you still have to drink Abyssinian coffee (the old name of Ethiopia, the origin of coffee). I'll have someone send you a few cans later. By the way, I wonder why you called me here today?"

Upon hearing this, Sima Linglong bowed slightly to her, nodded to the other members, and when she saw everyone was looking at her, she slowly spoke.

"Everyone, the government went to war with the Northwest Army in Jiangnan a few days ago. Although we won, we suffered heavy casualties. I would like to raise some medicines and comfort items for the soldiers on the front line in the name of the Jinlan Society. What do you think?"

As the saying goes, talking about money hurts feelings, and talking about feelings hurts money. When they heard that they had to donate money, the wives of officials smiled on the surface but felt a little resistant in their hearts.

Everything in this world is fake nowadays, only banknotes and gold bars are real. They are just a bunch of soldiers. What qualifications do they have to ask them for money? If they die, they die.

Sima Linglong was not in a hurry when she failed to get a response from the members. She turned her gaze to Miss Kong Er who was shaking her head, wanting to hear her opinion.

Miss Kong's eyes rolled, she thought of the scolding from her father and brother, and the discussions about her in the streets, and felt that this was a good opportunity to show off, so she slapped the coffee table beside her.

"Donate! Kong gave $1000!"

With Miss Kong Er taking the lead, the members were no longer stingy and immediately contributed money and materials, fearing that they would fall behind.

"I'll give you $500."

"I have a batch of medicinal herbs at home, and I am willing to donate them all to the front line."

"Our master had stored several tons of grain, and he donated it as well."

In the crowd, Zhong Xiao raised his hand and reported a number, no more, no less, 800 US dollars, slightly lower than Vice President Miss Kong Er, but higher than other secretaries.

Such a generous gesture attracted the attention of Miss Kong Er. The two looked at each other from a distance. Zhong Xiao smiled shyly and said nothing more, acting like a lady from a noble family.

After Sima Linglong counted the amount of donations and supplies, she bowed to thank everyone and said that she would deliver the money and supplies to the front line as soon as possible. She would also provide account books for everyone to check, and she acted very prudently.

The members couldn't help but feel satisfied. They were rich and were willing to use money to please Miss Kong Er, but that didn't mean they were willing to be cheated.

As if to show fairness and impartiality, Sima Linglong asked everyone who had connections in the Third War Zone, and planned to send money and property over through acquaintances to prevent anyone from embezzling money.

Everyone naturally knew about Guo Jun's character. A fat lady stood up and replied that her brother was the director of logistics of the Third War Zone, and was in charge of the distribution of supplies.

Sima Linglong clasped her hands together and expressed her gratitude, then casually asked where the headquarters of the Third War Zone was located so that she could send someone to take over.

The fat lady didn't think much about it and told the truth: "I heard from my brother that the headquarters is in Zaotou Kaoshan Village, Gan Province, but it will be moved to Jianyang, Min Province in a few days. I will inform the president of the specific date and location at that time."

Feeling that the limelight had been stolen, another person added: "Yes, the leader was deeply dissatisfied with the loss of Zhejiang Province and had repeatedly ordered the Third War Zone to drive out the Japanese in Zhejiang Province. The Military Weihui had already formulated a corresponding plan, and the war zone headquarters did plan to move to Jianyang so that they could command nearby."

Sima Linglong nodded, smiling all the time, and turned to look at a member who was dressed simply and behaved in a low-key manner. "Mrs. Yang, Deputy Director Yang is in charge of the Ministry of the Interior's transport fleet. Can you ask him to help transport the goods to the Third War Zone?"

The middle-aged woman called Mrs. Yang hesitated for a moment and did not agree directly. She said she would go home and discuss with her husband before giving a reply, which made the members laugh.

Hearing the faint laughter, Mrs. Yang remained calm and continued to hold the teacup and act as an invisible person. There are some things she can help with, but there are others she cannot even touch, as she does not want to implicate her husband.

Miss Kong Er felt very bored listening to everyone's discussions. She raised her hand to cover her mouth and yawned. Suddenly, as if she thought of something, she greeted Mrs. Yang.

"Mrs. Yang, did Deputy Director Yang agree to what I told you last time? The price of food in the rear changes every day. We have to hurry and ship food in from Southeast Asia.

There are checkpoints everywhere on the Burma Road. Without the approval of your Deputy Director Yang, the military convoy cannot enter. Don't worry, I will never break my promise. "

  The members were shocked. When did Miss Kong become so easy to talk to? She was so polite to the wife of a mere deputy director. Is there a big shot behind her?

Mrs. Yang didn't want to talk about this in front of so many people, but since Miss Kong Er had spoken, she had to answer and could only speak vaguely.

"Ms. Kong, the government is keeping a close eye on the Burma Road. Except for military supplies, all other supplies are prohibited from being transported. There are also military inspections along the way. This matter needs to be carefully considered."

Miss Kong Er waved her hand and said nonchalantly, "Your old Yang has a good relationship with Deputy Director Zuo of the Military Control Commission. It's just transporting some food. Deputy Director Zuo will give him this face."

Mrs. Yang thought for a moment, glanced at the members, and whispered, "Then the director you mentioned last time..."

"What director? It's the deputy minister. I will tell my aunt." Miss Kong was full of confidence and decided on the appointment of a deputy minister while chatting and laughing.

No one doubted whether Miss Kong Er was capable of making this happen. Everyone knew that the lady doted on him the most. With the help of Deputy Director Zuo of the Military Control Commission, it would not take long for Deputy Director Yang to become Deputy Minister Yang.

I really didn't expect that Mrs. Yang's family actually had this kind of relationship with Deputy Director Zuo, who was one of the leader's most trusted confidants. He once accompanied my wife to Chang'an when he was in danger and made great contributions to saving the emperor.

With such a person as a backer, there is no need to worry about the future in officialdom. The members who were just mocking Mrs. Yang changed their faces instantly, and kept saying all kinds of flattering and fawning words as if they were free.

Half an hour later, Miss Kong Er was the first to leave the Jinlan Club, and the others also said goodbye.

Sima Linglong sent everyone away one by one, and finally only Zhong Xiao was left. The two stood in the middle of the yard and chatted in low voices.

"Is Mr. Bian busy recently?"

"He went to the front and sent me a letter."

"Well, there has been no movement in your house recently, so you can just focus on your studies."

"Okay, thank you for your concern, President. I'll be leaving now."

Zhong Xiao tidied up her hair, walked out of the gate lightly, got into her own car, and soon disappeared.

Watching the car go away, Sima Linglong turned back to the main room and sat down with a man who had appeared out of nowhere.

"Was anyone following her on the way here?"

"No, it's very clean."

"What about the area around the Zhong Mansion?"

"There was a popular shop with many strangers. I went to see it myself. Most of the workers had the accent of Jingzhen, Jiangxi Province. They ate buckwheat rice. There was nothing wrong with them."

"Well, although you and I are not afraid of Shancheng, we still have to be careful. Use your connections to check Bian Jichao's whereabouts and see if he really went to the front line."

"it is good."

"Also, find a way to find out the details of the government's steel restructuring plan. My hometown needs this information."

"Understood. I'm leaving now."

The man stood up and left, disappearing into the darkness, but the front and back doors of the Jinlan Society remained closed, and no one was seen entering or leaving.

That night, the guard room of the Huangshan official residence received a phone call from a director of the Military Wei Association, who wanted to verify the number of guards.

The guard who answered the phone reported a number as required, and specifically pointed out the names of the people on official business, including Bian Jichao. After hanging up the phone, the guard nodded to Wu Chunyang beside him.

Wu Chunyang wrote down the caller's name and position in the monitoring record, picked up another internal phone and contacted the headquarters, requesting a secret identification of the person.

In a safe house in the mountain city, He Yijun recited the file of disguised identity over and over again. At the same time, Joanna dialed the number of Miss Kong's residence.