20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 471 Small Reunion

"The dumplings are ready! Come on, come on, someone move over to a table. There will be two more plates later!"

In the restaurant of the Jiang family mansion, the reunion dinner has just begun, and the table is filled with sumptuous dishes. Since it is Chinese New Year, it is time to eat and indulge in the delicious food!

Fish is a must, and there will be surplus every year.

Pig's trotters are also a must, so that you can have "head scratching" and your fire points will turn around in the coming year.

In addition, there are sausage skin jelly sauce chicken feet, and many types of drinks, including red wine, beer, white wine, and of course soda.

Bei Feng came back on the night of New Year's Eve. Hu Xiaoyan was very happy and drank two cups of strong liquor. She smiled and advised: "Xiao Bei, you should eat more. Jiang Yajing was thinking about you just now."

"There's still this?" Zhao Zhengbei looked at Jiang Ya and said with relief, "Niece, you have your fourth uncle in your heart, that's good!"

"Okay, drink it quickly!" Zhang Zhengdong rarely took the initiative to pick up the wine cup, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp. He looked quite depressed.

Wang Zhengnan also urged them to drink: "Yes, yes, yes, Xiaobei, what's wrong with you? Your sister-in-law has already drunk, why is your glass still empty?"

"That's right. You're the most prestigious person in the family now!" Li Zhengxi said with a smile. "It's Chinese New Year now. Now that you're back, hurry up and get married!"

Faced with the crowd's repeated urging to drink, Zhao Zhengbei quickly covered the rim of his cup with his hand, shook his head and explained, "No, no, it's not that I'm not being polite, but I have to go back right after dinner. If I drink, I won't stop and it will delay things!"

"Nonsense, just a drink, what can it delay?"

"If you have one cup, there will be a second one. Forget it, Third Brother, wait until I have a day off next time and then we can drink together."

"Hey, stop pretending. Second brother, help me hold him down. It's just one glass, and he doesn't drink much. What are you afraid of?"

"Xifeng, stop trying to persuade me. If you have something to do, don't drink." Hu Xiaoyan stopped them and asked, "Beifeng, when are you going back? Ask Aunt Song to bring you some dumplings."

Zhao Zhengbei nodded quickly and said, "Yes, yes, yes, let Song Ma hurry up, I will only stay for an hour at most and I have to leave soon."

"Why are you in such a hurry?" everyone asked.

"Well, isn't it Chinese New Year today?" Zhao Zhengbei replied with a smile, "Our guards are on duty at the former Governor's Mansion. The brothers have agreed that whoever lives closer will take turns going home to have a meal and bring some dumplings back to the brothers who live farther away."

Upon hearing this, Hu Xiaoyan's face suddenly changed, with a hint of dissatisfaction and a bit of worry in her expression.

"So...does your superior know about this?" she asked.

Zhao Zhengbei blinked and said, "Sister-in-law, I am the superior!"

"Fourth Uncle, are you the highest-ranking official?" Jiang Ya suddenly interrupted and asked.

"Uh... that's not the case. I have many officials above me."

"Does your superior know about this?" Hu Xiaoyan asked. "Don't make decisions on your own. Be careful that someone finds out and takes off your uniform."

"Oh, no!" Zhao Zhengbei said nonchalantly, "Sister-in-law, don't worry. What's the saying? The law cannot hold everyone responsible. That's right. Everyone is doing this, not just me. Besides, most of our guards are in the city. Those who live close to home can sneak back every now and then."

At this time, Jiang Lianheng took a sip of wine and asked, "Beifeng, from what you said, your camp is quite lax?"

"It's OK. You can't say that they are lax, it's just..." Zhao Zhengbei pondered for a moment before continuing, "It's just that we can discuss anything. We are all brothers, so there's no need to make things difficult for each other. If they are caught by the battalion commander, they just admit their mistakes and it's over after a few words. If it doesn't work, just give them some money. It's not a big deal."

After hearing this, Jiang Lianheng couldn't help but frown.

Now that he is the leader of the underworld, he naturally gets used to thinking from the perspective of a leader.

"North Wind, without rules, there will be no order!"

Jiang Lianheng sucked his teeth twice, lit a cigarette, and asked half-jokingly and half-seriously: "Everything is easy to talk about in your camp, can we still fight in the future?"

Without waiting for Bei Feng to answer, Hu Xiaoyan frowned and said with a reproachful tone: "Don't talk nonsense, Bei Feng is still in the camp, it's best not to fight forever."

"What's the use of your thoughts?" Jiang Lianheng said instinctively, "Old Zhang is not a person who can stay quiet. He just doesn't have enough weapons now. When he gets stronger, he will definitely compete with those old men in Beijing for the world."

Zhao Zhengbei nodded repeatedly and said, "Sister-in-law, my brother is right, but Marshal Zhang never relies on hard tactics. He plays politics, and that's what he's best at."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Zhengnan put his arm around Bei Feng's shoulders and said with a smile, "Xiao Bei, you're great. You know everything! Let me tell you, in fact, those foreigners also think of Lao Zhang in this way. They all say that he doesn't look like a general, but more like a politician."

"Second brother, you are the one who said this. Does that mean that Marshal Zhang is not that kind of person if the foreigners don't see it that way?"

Zhao Zhengbei stuffed a dumpling into his mouth and continued, "My mission is to lead people to stand guard for Marshal Zhang. We go to either the Governor's Mansion or the General's Office. From time to time, we have to go to the Marshal's house. I am so blind and deaf every day. Even if I am dumb, I can still see something fishy!"

"What has Lao Zhang been doing recently?" Jiang Lianheng asked suddenly.

"Brother, don't tell me, it really exists!"

Zhao Zhengbei unconsciously lowered his voice and said, "I've noticed that recently, someone from the capital has been coming to see Marshal Zhang every now and then. I heard - I heard that not long ago, Old Duan and Old Feng had a falling out, and the Anhui clique came here to try to win over the Marshal."

Everyone was stunned and couldn't help asking, "What does Lao Zhang think?"

"It looks like he's planning to form a partnership with Lao Duan. As for the specific situation, I don't know." Zhao Zhengbei asked, "Brother, if you want to know, I can help you find out?"

"No need!" Hu Xiaoyan suddenly interrupted, "Beifeng, you are already close to Marshal Zhang, so don't get involved in family affairs easily. Don't mess with your connections in the barracks unless it's absolutely necessary, or else it will make people suspicious." Jiang Lianheng also nodded and said, "Things in the capital are too far away from us. If there is any situation, I will ask someone else to find out."

Zhao Zhengbei remained silent, with a complicated expression on his face.

He knew very well that his elder brother and sister-in-law were thinking about him, but he also considered himself a member of the Jiang family and wanted to help the family all the time.

The topic stopped abruptly.

The table suddenly seemed too quiet.

Seeing this, Xue Yingqing took the initiative to pick up the wine glass and liven up the atmosphere, saying, "Come on, come on, let's eat and drink! Why are you chatting about irrelevant things on New Year's Eve? It's New Year's Eve, we should have a good time. What are you wasting your time on, Mr. Zhang, Mr. Duan? It's not worth another night!"

Xu Ruqing also said, "Yes, let's not talk about these things during the New Year. Xiaoya, Chengye, go to your aunt to wish her a happy new year. I have prepared some lucky money for you."

"Yes, yes, it's time to celebrate the New Year soon, right?" Xue Yingqing said with a smile, "Lian Heng, I've also prepared some New Year's money for you."

"What do you say?"

"What did I say? Everyone at the table today is my family, and it's Chinese New Year, so I have to raise my generation. As the eldest nephew, what's wrong with you wishing a happy new year to your aunt?"

As they talked, everyone drank a few more glasses of wine with laughter.

Jiang Ya and Jiang Chengye were so impatient that they jumped off their chairs before the early morning in order to get the lucky money as soon as possible. With their two pink hands, they greeted each elder at the table one by one. Finally, they stretched out their hands with a smile, waiting for red envelopes from everyone.

Si Fengkou laughed and said, "It's not okay to greet the New Year like this. We are still eating at the table. It's too informal. We will greet again later."

"Does that mean two gifts of New Year's money?" Jiang Ya asked.

Everyone burst into laughter.

Just at this moment, Xu Ruqing suddenly winked at Hu Xiaoyan.

The two looked at each other and both felt that the atmosphere was just right, the children were talking and laughing, the elders were slightly drunk, and then they thought of the "big thing" that they had "planned" earlier.

Hu Xiaoyan cleared her throat.

Everyone realized that the sister-in-law had something to say, and they gradually quieted down.

Sure enough, after thinking for a while, Hu Xiaoyan seemed to muster up great courage and finally spoke out what was in her heart.

"Lian Heng, I want to discuss something with you."

"Hmm?" Jiang Lianheng was a little surprised, then smiled and said, "It's New Year's Day, and you're still discussing it with me. Just tell me if you have anything to say."

"Well... Lian Heng, look... Jiang Ya and Cheng Ye are already this old, it's time to recognize the people they should recognize. We don't have many relatives in Fengtian, there's only this table, and yet there's still one person missing..."

Having said this, Hu Xiaoyan paused and carefully observed the changes in Jiang Lianheng's expression.

"I was thinking... after the New Year, can we let Dongfeng take the two children to see Uncle Six... It's been six years, and the children don't understand what happened before, so we should let them get to know Uncle Six, right?"

After he finished speaking, the whole restaurant fell silent.

Everyone looked at Jiang Lianheng tremblingly. Even Xu Ruqing didn't dare to say a word of advice at this moment.

This can only be said by Hu Xiaoyan.

Otherwise, no matter who it was, Jiang Lianheng would probably turn hostile on the spot.

After all, Sixth Master's life was saved thanks to the intercession of Hu Xiaoyan and Gong Baonan.

Over the years, Hu Xiaoyan has always been thinking about her sixth uncle.

Because when she first arrived in Fengtian, she lived in Lao Cui's residence in Daxiguan, and her sixth uncle Guan Wei lived diagonally opposite, so naturally he helped and took care of her on a daily basis.

Jiang Lianheng had a stern face and a frown on his face, and seemed to be lost in thought.

The sudden silence frightened Jiang Chengye a little, so he secretly tugged at the corner of Jiang Ya's clothes and asked in a low voice: "Sister, who is the Sixth Master?"

Jiang Ya leaned over to her brother's ear and said, "There's a photo in my aunt's room. The one with the small eyes is Master Liu."

Apart from the two children's whispered questions, the entire restaurant was dead silent; even the sound of breathing became unusually clear.

Hu Xiaoyan hesitated for a moment and spoke again: "Lian Heng...the two children don't go there often. It's been so many years. Let Uncle Six take a look. He also..."

"No."

Everyone lowered their eyes in response, no one dared to express their opinion, and Xu Ruqing just shook his head lightly.

Hu Xiaoyan wanted to fight for it again, but just as she was about to open her mouth, Jiang Lianheng immediately turned his head away with a firm and unquestionable attitude.

"Stop talking. No."

(End of this chapter)