20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 441: Southeast, Northwest, Year after Year [7K]

As the winter moon approaches, a light layer of new snow falls on both sides of the river.

To the south of the vegetable garden on the south bank, under the outer city wall, bursts of smoke filled the air from the dilapidated mud houses.

There seemed to be howling ghosts and wolves in the house, and there was air leakage everywhere.

How many little beggars are rustling in the corner, some are big and some are small, some are male and some are female, some are born stupid, some have acquired disabilities, all of them are born and raised, so they can't be distinguished at all. Qing Qing's appearance, everyone looked at the kang head eagerly at this moment.

"How about that pot for you?" Li Zhengxi asked the little fans around him.

"It's easy to use and it's not too big or too small to put on the stove. It's just right." Several people replied, "Thanks to those pots and pans, everyone can finally have something hot to eat during the winter this year! "

Li Zhengxi nodded, and then said: "The firewood is not worth much, so you can burn it if you need to. If it's gone, come back to me."

The little fan quickly waved his hand and said, "Third brother, there are many people in this room, so it won't be cold if everyone is crowded at night."

While he was talking, he suddenly heard a shout coming from the outer room.

"Here we go!"

"Come on, third brother, try my handiwork!"

The man put the iron basin on the kang table. Li Zhengxi looked down for a long time, but he couldn't see what was in the basin.

Several people smiled and clapped their hands, holding back the greed in their stomachs and pushing the iron basin in front of Xifeng.

Everyone looked at Xi Feng in unison.

It had been six or seven years since he had eaten in such a helter-skelter manner, but he still didn't seem to mind.

Although there was help from Xifeng, there were dozens of mouths after all, and he had no business, so he could only do his best.

Xiao Xian was usually half hungry and full, so it was extremely difficult to scrape together a meal of meat through his teeth. Of course, Li Zhengxi couldn't bear to upset everyone's hearts, but seeing this messy stew , it is inevitable to show three points of hesitation.

"Third brother, just grab it with your hands!" The little fan next to him immediately stood up, "It's not hot, come on, I'll grab a piece for you!"

Several people had food in their mouths and hesitantly said: "It's just this pot of meat, how can I share it?"

Li Zhengxi saw that the little fan was doing it out of his own free will and not under coercion, so he didn't want to say anything more. He was thinking about making up for it in the future, and he didn't forget to mutter: "No matter what, I have to leave it for everyone." A bowl of soup!”

"D-Everyone is here together!" Several people looked at each other.

Normally, people in this profession would not be so miserable, but the group of half-grown children in the house are all just beggars who do not open their eyes to open opportunities. They just stay together in one place and have never traveled far and wide, never learned from a teacher, or even He didn't understand the ways of this industry, so he spent all his time sneaking around, complaining about being poor and being foolish. He was not considered a worthy person at all, and his life was naturally miserable.

Along the way, there was a smell of meat, which made everyone stretch their necks and explore their heads.

Even so, it made everyone in the room salivate.

"Stop eating it!" Li Zhengxi asked with some dissatisfaction, "Where did you get the money to buy the meat?"

"Third brother, stop picking pickled vegetables and eat meat instead!"

Shi Shi threw a few sesame seed cakes on the table, and thought they were lumps of wood.

When several people saw this, they looked a little lonely, and then they forced their smiles.

"Third brother, this is not comparable to what you usually eat, but...but it tastes really good, really, I just tasted it!"

"Forget it, forget it." Li Zhengxi waved his hand, "Don't go to such trouble, just like everyone else, just enjoy it!"

"Clang! Clang!"

The little ones nodded in acknowledgement.

It was stewed in a messy pot, and the blood foam on the head was not skimmed off at all. It smelled like chicken, but there was no clue what kind of offal minced meat was mixed in. A pile of pickled cabbage had already been boiled into a paste, and it was just put whatever was put there. It's cooked in water and poured out.

"Eat, eat."

"They also want money, why don't they get their share?" Li Zhengxi asked.

After that, in order to dispel the doubts of several people, he quickly reached out and fished out two pieces of pickled cabbage that had become a paste from the iron basin, brought it to his mouth, and said comfortingly: "Come on, come on, eat them all!"

Li Zhengxi suddenly raised his head and glanced at the many little beggars squatting on the floor of the outer room and under the kang. Seeing that they were all looking at this side eagerly, he couldn't help but frown and asked, "What's their share?"

The maniac felt a little relieved and started eating.

Laizitou and Shitou are old, and they take care of everyone and help each other, so they are rewarded for their hard work.

Seeing this, several people gradually stopped talking and said a little at a loss: "Third brother, everyone has discussed the matter of eating before. They don't eat because they are asking for help. If you don't believe me, ask them."

Immediately afterwards, he turned over on the kang, broke the sesame cakes into small pieces one by one and threw them into the soup. Finally, he carefully licked the cake residue on his palms clean, and then sat down firmly.

The scoundrel's head interrupted with a "pop", "Go away, take your dog paw away!" After saying that, he turned around and yelled towards the outhouse, "Who is that? Go outside and pick up some tree branches. Pick the hard one and bring it back!”

"Third brother eats first, third brother eats first!"

Li Zhengxi shook his head quickly, but said, "That's not what you meant. The key is the chopsticks?"

"Third brother, logically speaking, I should have treated you to this meal a long time ago." The mangy man said, "It's a pity that it took me more than half a year to save enough money and barely scrape together this meal. It's a little late, but it's a good meal. Aren’t you afraid of being late?”

"Yes, yes, today is a good day, we all welcome the third brother out of prison!" Shitou echoed from the side.

"That's fine."

"There is soup." Shitou quickly explained, "It's in the pot. Save it for dinner. It'll be cold at night."

Of course they are willing to save money to treat their third brother to dinner.

People arrived following the sound, and saw Laizitou and Shitou carrying an iron basin and a few broken bowls respectively, and walked into the back room with a smile.

Li Zhengxi quietly stopped eating. Suddenly he felt a little relieved, so he took out a two-yuan ticket from his pocket and said, "It's pointless to eat it dry. You haven't tasted grain water, have you? Come on, get it." I’ll go get some drinks!”

"That's not okay!" Several people immediately raised their hands to stop, "Third brother, we agreed that we would invite you. If you are willing to do so, you can change the day."

"What's the point? It's a cold day, just for the couple!" Li Zhengxi insisted on paying.

Several people looked at each other.

After thinking for a moment, Laizitou and Shitou stood up and said, "If Third Brother wants to drink, please wait a moment and let's find a way."

"What are you two going to do?" Li Zhengxi asked warily, "Are you going to take someone to the entrance of the tavern to have sex?"

"Third brother, then don't worry about it."

"Don't fucking bother me. I have to go back in the afternoon and I don't have time to wait for you."

Rattou and Shitou looked embarrassed. After thinking for a while, they immediately jumped off the earthen bed and came to the outhouse. They stood in front of the gang of little fans and asked with all their faces: "Third brother wants to drink, who still has money?" ? If you don’t have money, anything you can pay back will do!”

Everyone was silent.

The two of them said again: "How does third brother treat us? Needless to say? Where did this house, this firewood, and these pots and pans come from? I don't know in my heart? If it weren't for this place, there might be another one this year." How many of them will freeze to death? Let’s talk!”

Li Zhengxi cursed in his heart after hearing this in the back room. He quickly turned his head sideways and cursed: "What the hell are you two so crazy about doing there? If you don't want to drink anymore, get back here!"

Unexpectedly, as soon as he finished speaking, a girl actually stood up from the crowd and hesitantly stuffed something into Shi Shi's hand.

"Third brother, just wait, I'll get you a drink!"

"Fuck you, get here!"

Li Zhengxi's face turned red, and he slapped the table angrily with a "bang" sound. He was really angry.

There was a sudden silence in the house, and Shitou did not dare to leave. He stood at the door and defended: "Third brother, she, she is willing to give -"

"I fucking told you to come here and bring people here too!"

Li Zhengxi sat cross-legged on the kang with an angry look on his face. A bright beam of sunlight slanted down from the window lattice and spread across the room.

Lazitou and Shitou took a deep breath and had no choice but to lead the girl into the back room.

The closer he gets, the more frightened he becomes.

Li Zhengxi's anger and blood rushed to his heart, and his face was as heavy as a jujube. Just when he was about to have an attack, he glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw the girl walking into the light. His anger suddenly disappeared, and he was stunned for a moment, as if he had suddenly forgotten what he wanted to do.

"Third brother, she is willing-"

Shitou was about to defend himself, but was pulled behind him by the mangy head.

However, this interruption brought Li Zhengxi back to his senses immediately. He cleared his throat, looked around and asked, "Well, who is this? I don't think I've seen it before."

The maniac head hurriedly came over and said with a smile: "Third brother, this is Guyu, the new guy. He was sold before and ran away. Isn't he awesome? Xiaogu, this is the third brother."

"Third brother." The girl was thirteen or fourteen years old and was not familiar with anyone, so she was inevitably a little nervous.

"Don't interrupt!" Li Zhengxi scolded the maniac, then looked at Shitou and asked, "What did you take?"

"Nothing, just a pair of earrings." Shitou opened his palms forward.

Li Zhengxi looked down and saw a pair of small silver earrings with a dark surface, which seemed to be quite old.

"It's so shameless to steal something from your own family. I bought these earrings and used the money to go out and drink."

Shitou was a little embarrassed, "But, third brother, we have agreed on this meal -"

"What have you said?" The man snatched the earrings and put them on the Kang table. He picked up the money and urged, "Let's go out and drink! Hey, there are a few of you, that ass It’s okay to be on the long bed, don’t worry about it being too hot, just go down to the ground and get some wine!”

Everyone winked at each other, quickly turned over and got off the kang, and walked towards the outhouse together.

"Eh? Guyu, don't follow me out. We have enough manpower. You can stay here and chat with Third Brother for a while!"

Neither Li Zhengxi nor the girl reacted. It seemed that in just a blink of an eye, they were the only two people left in the back room.

There was silence for a long time.

Li Zhengxi pointed at the iron basin and said in a hoarse voice: "That...you eat it! Oh, no more, haha, I didn't pay attention."

The girl's eyes were indeed fixed on the kang table, but not on the iron basin.

Li Zhengxi was stunned for a long time before he reacted and said: "Oh, yes, yes, you can take these earrings back!"

The girl wanted to take it but didn't dare to take it. It wasn't until Xifeng forced the earrings into her hand that she blushed and nodded, "Thank you, third brother."

"You're welcome."

"Then..." The girl pointed sideways at the door, "Am I going back?"

Li Zhengxi scratched his head and struggled for a long time, but finally said: "Okay, then you can go back."

The door opened and closed, and the girl left. Li Zhengxi finally breathed a sigh of relief, but then he felt a little scratchy and itchy inside.

Sometimes they go to the ground, sometimes they get on the kang. After hesitating and hesitating for a long time, Laizitou and Shitou finally ran back in a hurry.

"Eh? Third brother, where is Xiaogu?" Lezitou asked as he entered the room.

"I asked him to go back to the outhouse. Didn't you watch when you two came in?" Li Zhengxi asked, "Why did it take you so long to come back?"

"What? I'm not with you in the house?" Shitou sniffled twice, looking quite annoyed, "I told you earlier! It's so cold here that I almost went to find my mother."

"I'll ask her to come in." The mangy man said, turning around and pushing the door open.

Li Zhengxi hurriedly shouted to stop: "Come back, don't make trouble, do you want to drink? If you don't drink, I'm leaving!"

"Drink, drink, drink!" Several people responded quickly and got on the kang. While the man was pouring wine for Xifeng, he said, "Third brother, I have something to ask you."

"What's going on?" Li Zhengxi was a little surprised.

The man put down the wine jar, laughed dryly, and said: "Third brother, you see, I'm not too young anymore. It's not an option to beg for food on the street all the time. Look - can you help me?" Personal security, what can I do if you introduce me to Jiang’s house?”

Hearing this, Li Zhengxi's hand that reached out to the edge of the bowl suddenly stopped.

"Scorpion, my boss's rules have changed now. It's no longer like before. Anyone can come in if they want."

"I've heard about this, but third brother, you are so good. With you as guarantee, can I still not enter the Jiang family?"

Li Zhengxi knocked on his forehead and said, "If you want to enter the Jiang family, you have to work hard for the Jiang family."

"That's necessary!" Lezi slapped his chest, "If you want to hang out on the road, you must work hard!"

"Do you know what it means to sacrifice one's life?" Li Zhengxi asked.

The mangy head was a little surprised. He looked around blankly and said, "Selling one's life...that's just selling one's life! I'll cut whoever you ask me to kill. I'll kill whoever you ask me to. I'll help watch the scene and take the blame. Isn't that right?" Is it just selling my life? My life is worthless anyway, I might as well sell it and enjoy it for a few years!"

"Tsk! Lezi, if you want to find a job, I can help you contact me. Pulling foreign trucks, I know the owner of the car dealership, I also know the boss of the factory, the switch switch, the porter, the construction worker..."

"No, no, no!" The mangy man waved his hands quickly, "Third brother, what's that? You're a hard worker, working hard every day, you can't make much money, it just depends on other people's faces, you're not impressive at all, or It’s a great place to visit, and it’s a great way to take a stroll all day long!”

Several people nodded.

After killing Translator Tan and his family in anger, they experienced the pleasure of violence and became so obsessed with it that they forgot the cost.

The prerequisite for their survival was that Li Zhengxi never betrayed them.

Otherwise, that's another story.

Li Zhengxi looked troubled.

He couldn't continue to persuade him. If he continued to talk further, he would be sorry for his eldest brother and sister-in-law. At the same time, he might make these people jealous and suspect that he was narrow-minded and intolerant of others.

As the saying goes, loyalty and justice have been in dilemma since ancient times.

The method of getting the best of both worlds leaves only a sigh.

When the man saw this, his expression was inevitably a little gloomy. He hesitated for a moment and said with a bitter smile: "Third brother, if you are in trouble, forget it. I will go and take a look myself."

"No, please let me think about it again." Li Zhengxi thought deeply, "Actually, I have always thought that the area of ​​​​Xiaoheyan'er is quite good. After a while, I will ask my second brother to see if there is any money here. When the time comes, please ask my boss to let me open the door, and then I will tell you."

"Okay, okay!" Several people immediately put on smiling faces, "Then I'll trouble Third Brother."

"Don't be happy yet. This matter can't be done in a matter of days. If you want to turn it into a business, it may take a year or two."

"Hey, third brother, we are short of everything except time, no need to be in a hurry!"

The maniac head quickly picked up the wine bowl, looked around and greeted: "Then, let's honor Third Brother together, shall we?"

"Okay, okay, come on, come on!"

Li Zhengxi reluctantly put on a smile and bumped into everyone with his wine bowl.

…………

"Cheers!"

The goblets collided with each other, making a series of melodious "ding-ding-dang-ding" sounds. The glass chandelier overhead was dazzling, reflecting the full-colored high-end red wine in the glasses.

Everyone raised their heads, held the rim of the cup, took a gentle sip, smacked their lips, and immediately showed a seemingly intoxicated look.

Wang Zhengnan, wearing a suit and leather shoes, and several foreigners, sat down again around the rich dining table.

"Eh? Everyone, what I just said is correct, right?" He looked around with a smile, "Cheers, you mean cheers, right?"

"Yes! Yes!" The pale-faced British guy nodded, "Wang, you said 'hate Hao'!"

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, it must be Mr. Thomas who teaches you well!"

Wang Zhengnan said as he provoked Brother Thumb.

Although he and the group of foreigners in front of him were not old acquaintances, they had maintained a relatively stable relationship.

Looking around, there are British people, Americans, French people, Maozi, and even two little Japanese people on the seats.

Only there were no Germans - for fear that the atmosphere would be too awkward.

All in all, there were all kinds of people, and those who didn’t know it thought they were holding an international conference here!
Of course, these foreigners are not high-ranking consuls or civil servants, but mostly inconspicuous little characters, such as foreign journalists, foreign teachers, employees of foreign companies, missionaries, so-called writers, and even adventurers.

Wang Zhengnan never understood at first who was an adventurer.

Later, he finally realized that the so-called adventurers were actually a group of "Western Street slickers".

You can "eat money" in a foreign country, get some money by cheating, and then take a boat trip all over the world to "watch the wind" and "step on things". Finally, you can "glorify" all the good things from others, euphemistically calling it "discovery". Explain and everything will make sense.

Adventurer is a ligature that wanders around online!

Wang Zhengnan begged a sum of money from his sister-in-law, and he was hosting a treat today. He gathered this group of foreigners, firstly to find out the rumors and public opinion, and secondly, at the request of his sister-in-law, to see if he could find someone to hook up with the two. Foreign firms entered the commercial port and asked about the conditions of each foreign black market.

As for whether there is any specific purpose, actually there is none.

However, Wang Zhengnan has understood one thing in the past two years-the so-called business opportunities are news.

Whoever's information is better-informed, faster, and more accurate will be able to take advantage and become rich suddenly.

News is not always kept in a high cabinet and airtight. News is everywhere, it just depends on whether you are willing to dig out it.

As everyone sat down, the topic of war was naturally unavoidable.

After Verdun, there was the crossing of the Somme. People were beaten to the point of being brainless. Europeans thought that the war should be over, but in fact it was always a little short of a breath, and it was delayed until it ended.

Bergson said worriedly: "If we continue to fight like this, the country will be left with only widows and mothers."

The American was chattering and his expression looked very "righteous".

"Eh? Let's not keep talking about foreign language!" Wang Zhengnan was a little anxious, "Why are we eating together when everyone is talking about their own affairs?"

"They don't want the war to stop." Bergson explained with a cold snort. "They haven't made enough yet, and there are no battlefields taking place on their land, so they are making sarcastic remarks there."

Wang Zhengnan nodded and comforted in a low voice: "It's okay, don't worry, God gave me a dream two days ago, saying that you will definitely win, sooner or later!"

"That's what I say, but France still hopes that the Far East can participate in the war, but -" As he spoke, Bergson suddenly lowered his voice and winked at Wang Zhengnan, "Those Oriental people are unwilling."

Wang Zhengnan pondered and responded, but looked at the Yankee across the table, thinking secretly in his mind that if a war really broke out, besides pig bristles, sugar and munitions, what else could be profitable.

…………

The door of the barracks was pushed open with a bang. The soldiers lying on the bunk turned around and took a look. They quickly arranged their clothes, turned over and got off the kang, straightened their waists, and shouted in unison:
"Hello, sir!"

Zhao Zhengbei had a face as sharp as a knife and a serious expression. He stepped on knee-high military boots and stepped into the house with a thump. He walked to the front of the Tongpu and walked to the middle of the team. Suddenly he kicked the ground with his right foot and used his left heel as a pivot. He turned around and faced the guards.

Everyone stared intently.

Each other is both in sight and out of mind.

After a moment of stalemate, Zhao Zhengbei suddenly shook his head and said with a smile: "Stop pretending, I came here by myself, no one else."

Everyone glanced sideways at the door, then turned their faces, and finally turned sideways. After confirming that only Bei Feng came in, they finally breathed a sigh of relief and sat back on the bunk with lamentations.

"Oh my god! I was scared to death. I just took a break and I thought I was going to train again!"

"Zhengbei, could you please be quieter when you open the door next time? Why are you making so much noise!"

"Hey! Now that I have been promoted from 'Pistol Captain' to 'Guard Company Commander', why shouldn't I be allowed to show off my prestige?"

"Stop fucking burying people!" Zhao Zhengbei smiled instead of being angry, "Whoever dares to talk nonsense again, I, as a commander, will order him to go out and run around!"

"Look, you're not showing off your prestige!" Someone stood up and patted his butt and said with a smile, "Come on, I'll cooperate with Chief Zhao and go out for a few laps!"

"Don't mess with me, it's freezing and snowy outside, why don't you run away!"

Zhao Zhengbei quickly smiled and pulled the man over, pretending to wrestle him.

Others followed and watched, cheering and applauding.

This barracks is occupied by the students from the academy who did not officially graduate from the Martial Arts Hall back then. Everyone has been getting along day and night and is familiar with each other, so they are naturally close to each other, and it is normal for them to laugh and scold each other.

Moreover, Zhang Laogeda's troops originally had a rough atmosphere and attached great importance to brotherly loyalty. They were basically a mixed army. This kind of relationship between officers and soldiers was not uncommon in the military camp.

After fighting for a while, Zhao Zhengbei knocked down three guards, and everyone sat on the kang laughing and chatting again.

"Zhengbei, I heard that the army has recently started recruiting troops again?" Lin Zhidong asked.

"Aren't you asking this question all the time?" Zhao Zhengbei frowned.

Everyone came over and murmured in a low voice: "But this time it seems that there are more recruits than before! Hey, what's going on? Can you, the company commander, have a full staff?"

"Hey! I, the company commander, was recruited out of the ordinary. Even if we recruit troops, we can't give them to the guards first!" Zhao Zhengbei said excitedly, "Our commander-in-chief is an ambitious person. He can't always recruit troops." If we are stuck in Fengtian, we will definitely go out to compete in the Central Plains in the future, and of course we will have to recruit troops. "

Lin Zhidong suddenly complained, "What are you doing in the Central Plains? Let's fight foreigners and Japanese!"

"Then let's fight!" Everyone laughed happily, "Little Fatty, how about you become the president and lead us to drive all the idiots and little devils out of the Northeast?"

Lin Zhidong knew that everyone was making fun of him, so he cursed and turned his head to look at the snowflakes gradually falling outside the window.

…………

"Shua-"

The comic strip in his hand turned to a page, and there were five big characters written on the cover - "Xue Rengui's Eastern March".

The tea bowl on the table was filled with steam, and persimmons and frozen pears were placed at hand. However, Zhang Zhengdong did not move at all. He only focused on staring at the illustrations on the comic strip. He did not move away until the tea was completely cold. With my eyes, I could barely read the words above, but I didn't seem to understand them.

There are many comic strips on the shelf behind him, such as "Beauty Splattered with Blood", "Sima Ding Liaodong", "Battle of Shanhaiguan", etc... Each one is neatly and orderly stacked.

However, this is not Dongfeng's hobby.

If he didn't have anything on hand, he could still sit at home all day without getting bored. Unless Jiang Lianheng and Hu Xiaoyan asked him to do something, he would never go out.

In this way, Zhang Zhengdong became Jiang Ya's regular partner when playing house.

Counting over and over again, he has been a son thirty-six times, a neighbor twenty-eight times, a husband twelve times, a nanny five times, and a housekeeper twice.

As Jiang Ya knocks on the door and enters the house, a new challenge comes.

"Uncle Dong, can you be Chengye's wet nurse?"

Zhang Zhengdong looked past the spine of the book, then placed the comic on the table, glanced at his chest, nodded, and said in a dull voice: "Okay."

Jiang Ya clapped her hands happily, skipped into the house, grabbed Dongfeng's sleeve, and urged: "Go quickly, go quickly, you are the only one missing!"

Zhang Zhengdong let his niece control him and slowly walked out of the room. The figure passed the window. It was already the time when the grass was growing and the orioles were flying.

Another year.

(End of this chapter)