20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 599: Ten-year Luck

That evening, Jiang Lianheng drove to Yulin Hutong and asked Zhang Xiaokun to meet him at Juxianglou in Xiaoxiguan.

The two of them booked a private room upstairs. The room was not very big. There were three or five side dishes and a jar of old wine on the table. There was no one else around, but they seemed to be having a heart-to-heart talk and reminiscing about the past.

Zhang Xiaokun was wearing casual clothes with a military coat wrapped around him. His eyes were wandering and he seemed a little guilty, not as heroic as before.

Cannibals are soft and short.

Even the extraordinary poet Zhang couldn't help feeling a little uneasy at this moment.

During the meal, they talked about their trip to Shanghai for a while. Zhang Xiaokun was absent-minded. He just asked a few questions about Jiang Lianheng's injury on his right ear, and then started to talk about other things.

"Brother, when did you come back? Why didn't you tell me in advance so that I could prepare everything and welcome you back!" He squinted his eyes and said with a smile.

Jiang Lianheng waved his hand and said, "My family is quite busy at the end of the year, so Brother Zhang, please don't bother to arrange it."

"That's right. After all, you have such a big business, so it's normal for you to be busy. But why are you here today? I thought we were going to Bagua Street!"

"Well, the food at my own restaurant is boring, and it's not right for me to go there all the time. This one is good, it's been around for more than ten years, I used to come here often."

Hearing this, Zhang Xiaokun's eyes rolled. It was not that he did not understand the hidden meaning, but he was pretending to be stupid.

After laughing a few times, he took two bites of food and smacked them in his mouth. His eyes lit up and he gave Jiang Lianheng a thumbs up, praising his taste, his ability to eat and his understanding of food. He must be a lucky eater in this life.

Unexpectedly, all the flattery was in vain!

As Jiang Lianheng spoke, he reached into his arms, fumbled for a moment, then pulled out a stack of debt receipts, placed them on the table, and pushed them forward.

Zhang Xiaokun looked down and saw his name on the paper, and his face immediately became embarrassed.

He turned it over and over, then glanced up and down at the pile of debt receipts on the table.

It would have been better if he hadn't looked at it. After taking a closer look, not to mention others, he was shocked first - how could he owe so much money?
I felt surprised, but when I looked at the handwriting on the list, it was indeed from his handwriting, so how could it be fake?
It turns out that Zhang Xiaokun didn't intend to take advantage of his brother.

The reason why he owed so much money was purely due to his personality.

You have to know that Zhang Xiaokun is a poet first, and everything else secondarily.

Most poets have a romantic temperament, and they often have tantrums and lose their composure. It is not uncommon for them to make decisions on impulse, and they spend money without thinking.

When signing the bill, people often don't take it seriously, and are even too lazy to check the specific amount. Now that all the IOUs are in front of them, they gradually feel that it's a bit too much.

Zhang Xiaokun's monthly salary was only about 180 yuan, which was not a small amount, but it was not enough for him to waste it like this.

If someone else came to collect the debt, he would probably turn against himself on the spot, but in front of Jiang Lianheng, he couldn't save face after all.

Killing someone means paying with your life, and debts must be repaid. This is only natural.

What's more, the two of them had a pre-existing friendship. Even if they didn't have a friendship, considering the power of the Jiang family in Fengtian, he, a mere military police battalion commander, would not dare to boss Jiang Lianheng around.

The more Zhang Xiaokun thought about it, the more ashamed he felt. Looking at his face again, it was as if he had drunk two kilograms of lard, and even his eyebrows and eyes were greasy.

"Brother, these debts...haha, give me a few days' grace. I will definitely pay you back after a while."

He just said he would pay it back, but he didn't say what he would use to pay it back.

Jiang Lianheng was stunned for a moment, then he smiled and waved his hands, and hurriedly explained: "Brother Zhang, you are mistaken. I am not here to collect debts from you."

"Then what are you..."

"Take it back, this thing affects our relationship!"

"No, no, no, how can that be possible?" Zhang Xiaokun said hurriedly, "Brother, keep these IOUs. I'm a man of my words and will definitely pay you back in the future!"

Jiang Lianheng declined, "Well, we are all brothers, why are we talking about whether to pay it back or not? There is no point in talking about this."

"No, no, brother, you have to listen to me and keep it! You have to keep it!"

"Are you insulting me? Take it away, take it away. I can't bear to read these. If I take them back today, I won't be able to sleep tonight!"

"Quick, quick, put it away!"

"Okay, okay, forget it!"

The two argued for a long time, but they still couldn't reach an agreement.

Finally, Jiang Lianheng became a little impatient, so he simply snatched the IOU and tore it to pieces on the spot.

"That's good now!" He threw the paper scraps behind him and clapped his hands, "Brother Zhang, can we two drink in peace now?"

Zhang Xiaokun could not help but be stunned. He turned his head to look at the debris on the ground. Only then did he realize that Jiang Lianheng was not being false. There was some emotion in his eyes. He smacked his lips, turned around, raised his glass, and said, "Brother, there is nothing more to say. We are all in the wine!"

"Well, it's all in the wine!"

They drank three cups in a row, and then three more cups.

No matter how disappointing life is, you can still enjoy it. After drinking one jar of wine, have another one.

After drinking a lot of wine, he suddenly felt a little heroic and said a lot of irrelevant things that were rambling and unsubstantiated.

Zhang Xiaokun gradually showed his drunkenness, and said with a thick tongue: "Brother, don't look at me as careless. In fact, I know how others treat me, but I just don't like to take it seriously."

"I can tell." Jiang Lianheng flattered casually, "People who write poetry tend to have delicate emotions. People are deceived by your appearance."

"Well, otherwise why would I say you are my confidant!" Zhang Xiaokun looked up at the beams, thinking, "Speaking of which, we have a deep bond! Although we haven't met very often, we hit it off right away and we get along pretty well. Almost... Let me think about it, we meet about once every ten years."

"Is it?"

"Isn't it? You figure it out!"

Zhang Xiaokun muttered, "When we first met, I was still building the railway. It was the 1902th year of the reign of Emperor Guangxu, which was... 1912 in the new calendar. When we met again, it was the end of the Xinhai year, which was almost 1922 in the new calendar. Now, this time we met, it was almost the New Year, which was . How about that? It's quite a coincidence, isn't it?"

"Oh, that's true!" Jiang Lianheng realized later, "She still had braids at that time!"

"Yes, from building railways, to making revolution, and now to being the battalion commander of the Pioneer Battalion, it's like a fucking dream!" Zhang Xiaokun sighed.

Seeing that he was a little depressed, Jiang Lianheng couldn't help but encourage him, "Brother Zhang, you have to stand up. From what you said, I guess your luck in this life should be once every ten years, and it's all about the festival. Although you are frustrated now, it's a happy thing for us brothers to take this opportunity to reunite. In my opinion, your luck will soon turn!"

"One luck every ten years?"

Zhang Xiaokun couldn't help but be stunned.

This statement inevitably sounds a bit metaphysical, as if it is nothing more than the self-consolation of the frustrated.

But if you think about it carefully, the ups and downs of his life were indeed all on time. In every corresponding year, there would always be some inexplicable coincidences that helped him rise straight to the top and soar into the sky.

As the saying goes, there is no coincidence in the world.

It just so happens that every corresponding year, the two brothers are always able to reunite across thousands of miles and renew their friendship.

"Hey, don't say it, you really shouldn't say it!" Zhang Xiaokun's face showed joy, "Brother, it seems that you are not only my confidant, but also my lucky star!"

Seeing him cheer up again, Jiang Lianheng also smiled, but said: "I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it, this is all arranged by God."

Zhang Xiaokun became more and more excited as he spoke, and couldn't help but laugh out loud: "That makes sense, the Jade Emperor's surname is also Zhang, he can't embarrass me, Old Zhang, hahahaha!"

As he spoke, his heart surged, and he could no longer suppress the lofty ambitions in his chest. Zhang Xiaokun waved his hand and suddenly suggested, "Brother, for the sake of our fate, how about we become sworn brothers?"

"Okay!" Jiang Lianheng said hurriedly, "Brother Zhang, to be honest, I have had this intention for a long time, but I have never been able to speak up for fear of embarrassing you."

"Well, what's the problem? It's time to bow long ago. Come on, bow now!"

“Worship here?”

"Hey, brother, my emotions are all there, so don't be picky. The form is not important, what matters is the person!"

After saying that, Zhang Xiaokun suddenly stood up and walked around the room like a pig jumping through a circle. Jiang Lianheng stared at him for a long time before he realized that he was looking for directions.

There is no shrine in the private room, so we can worship the Heaven and Earth in all directions.

The sages are above us. Guan and Bao, soulmate, cutting one's own neck, sacrificing one's life, glue and paint, chicken and rice, forgetting age, life and death, these are the eight kinds of friendship.

Jiang Lianheng was an old man in the sect and was already familiar with the process of becoming sworn brothers, but Zhang Xiaokun was half-blind. There were no rules in his mind, only feelings. He saved the red tape and returned to basics.

In a hurry, Zhang Xiaokun didn't care about much else. He simply pointed to the door and suggested: "Brother, how about we start from this side and worship in a circle?"

"also."

Jiang Lianheng stood up with a smile, but before he could walk over, he saw Zhang Xiaokun kneeling down first, which frightened him so much that he hurriedly did the same.

"Brother Zhang, what can you say?"

"Isn't it all in the wine?"

"Ah? These seem to be two different things, right?"

"Well, it's no use saying anything else, we'll have to see what happens when the time comes!"

Having said that, oaths are always inevitable, but they are said very simply.

Heaven is above and the thick earth is our witness. The two brothers are sworn brothers who share the joys and sorrows. This is their heart!
After he finished speaking, there were two "bang" sounds, and he nodded his head to the ground. When he stood up again, they became sworn brothers.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, the door opened.

"Here you are, Boss Jiang. Our shopkeeper heard that you were here, so he specially added two dishes for you—"

The waiter was startled when he entered the room. He saw two people kneeling in front of him, looking up at him. He couldn't help but blink and asked, "Hey, did you two drop something on the ground?"

"Get out!"

Jiang Lianheng and Zhang Xiaokun shouted at the same time, scaring the waiter so much that he ran away. Halfway through, he came back, closed the door, apologized repeatedly, and said nothing.

This little episode did not dampen the brothers' enjoyment.

After the eight bows, the two sat down again and felt much closer to each other.

Zhang Xiaokun regained his old color and started talking louder. He laughed and said, "Brother, you are right. My career may soon take a turn for the better. Don't worry, I won't eat your food for free. There will be a war, right? Haha, when the cannon goes off, there will be a fortune. I won't say more. You just have to wait and see how I repay you."

Jiang Lianheng took over the conversation and said, "Brother, speaking of war, I have a younger brother who joined the army. He used to be stationed around Fengtian and could come home from time to time. I haven't heard from him in several months. Can you help me find out which division he is in now?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaokun frowned and started sucking his teeth.

When Jiang Lianheng saw this, he asked, "Brother, are you in trouble? If you are, forget it. It doesn't matter. I'll ask someone else."

"No, no, no, I'm not in trouble. The key is..." Zhang Xiaokun sighed, "The key is that I'm in the General Staff Department and I really don't have a say!"

"Being excluded?"

"Hey, brother, there's a villain around Marshal Zhang!"

After asking in detail, I found out that Zhang Xiaokun is now on the edge of the edge among the Fengtian warlords, and his position is extremely embarrassing.

The old backbones of the Feng-Zhang Group disliked him as an outsider and were wary of him; among the new faction, both the non-commissioned officer faction and the Lu Da faction looked down on his background and were even more disgusted with his bandit habits.

When he was not welcomed by both the old and new factions, although Marshal Zhang loved talents, he was unwilling to entrust him with important tasks because of various advices.

As a result, even though Zhang Xiaokun was serving in the General Staff, he knew nothing about Fengtian's military and political plans.

What's more, he originally defected from the Zhili clique to the Fengtian clique. How could he have risen to the top overnight and become one of the core leaders of the Fengtian clique?
Jiang Lianheng heard this and said to comfort her: "It's nothing, I'll ask others later, come, let's drink!"

Unexpectedly, Zhang Xiaokun reached out to cover the cup and suddenly said seriously: "Brother, listen to my advice, you'd better not ask too many questions."

"Why do you say that?"

"Brother, fighting is no joke. The mixed formation and rotation of various divisions are only known by the General Staff Headquarters. If you ask too much, you will harm your brother."

"This... is just a question, isn't it?"

"Why not? You haven't been in the military camp, but I know that the military camp despises those who use connections to get things done through the back door. Unless you are the son of Zhang's brothers, then just pretend I didn't say anything. Otherwise, the more you ask, the more likely they are to send your brother to carry out dangerous missions, especially Guo Guizi, who only cares about soldiers like him."

Jiang Lianheng had no military experience after all, so after hearing this, he suddenly woke up from his dream and nodded repeatedly, saying, "That makes sense, this is what a human being is like!"

"Of course not!" Zhang Xiaokun said, "However, if your brother is not in Fengtian, then he is most likely transferred to the outskirts of Beijing or Junliang City."

"He used to be in the Guards."

"So what? Our barracks have been doing autumn drills this year. If a war really breaks out, the cadets will have to go too. Besides, he may not even be a member of the guard regiment now."

"That's true. The point is that my wife is always worried about him and wants to find out where he is!"

"Don't ask. Marshal Zhang's son is going to be there this time. What are you asking about?"

Jiang Lianheng was not surprised.

In fact, when Marshal Zhang suddenly issued an order last year to send the young marshal to Jilin Province to suppress bandits, many people had already guessed that this was a way for the prince to practice in the name of suppressing bandits.

At this point, Jiang Lianheng couldn't help but ask: "Brother, what is your mission this time?"

"I don't know." Zhang Xiaokun shook his head. "I'm very familiar with the direct lineage. I don't think they'll give me much of a chance this time. But it's not certain. Who knows? The battlefield is ever-changing. Maybe I'll be able to rise to the occasion! It's a once-in-a-decade thing!"

"Yes, yes, then I'll congratulate you in advance!"

He continued drinking like this for a long time.

When the banquet was about to end, Jiang Lianheng suddenly took out a banknote and handed it over, saying, "Brother, take this money. When you want to visit me next time, just go as usual. Just don't buy on credit. I don't mind, but you are a general after all. It's not good to always pay IOUs when you take your brothers out to play. If you need money, just tell me."

Unexpectedly, Zhang Xiaokun refused in a rare move: "Brother, forget it. The first time we met, you gave me a box of gold and silver jewelry. The second time I passed through Fengtian, you gave me a lot of money. Counting the IOUs just now, this is the third time. It's time for me to repay you."

"Take it, we'll talk about it later."

"Well, I'm not being polite. I can't stay in the city for many more days. Fortunately, you came to see me today. Otherwise, the military police would have tightened their control in a few days."

"Is that so..." Jiang Lianheng pondered for a moment, then said, "Then you can come today and drink as much as you want! Come, I'll drink it, you can do whatever you want!"

“Hey, brother, are you deliberately trying to embarrass me?” Zhang Xiaokun narrowed his eyes, cursed with a smile, and then raised his glass to congratulate, “Cheers, hahahaha!”

The two of them drank the wine, and before they knew it, it was completely dark outside the window...

(End of this chapter)