20 years of the Republic of China

Chapter 631 Strange
"I didn't know that Boss Jiang was coming to visit. I served him such simple food and poor hospitality. I am really guilty of this."

The huge restaurant seemed a bit empty. On the wall hung a huge fine-brush painting of a middle-aged man wearing the official uniform of the Qing Dynasty and sitting upright. Although his rank was not very high, he was still a glory to the family.

Jiang Lianheng and Zhao Guoyan sat in the guest seats, watching the servants and maids of the Shen family coming and going, serving plates of delicious food.

If you rely on the mountains, you will eat the mountains; if you rely on the sea, you will eat the sea.

Soon, the table was filled with wild delicacies such as stewed forest frogs with sauce, stewed flying dragons with hazel mushrooms, and fried river shrimps.

Time was short and there was no time to prepare fresh ingredients like the three fresh vegetables, so Mr. Shen opened a jar of tiger penis medicinal wine as a treat.

The old man spoke in a flowery manner and was out of touch with reality, so Jiang Lianheng had no choice but to respond in a pretentious tone.

After several negotiations, Mr. Shen finally agreed to let Liu Kuaitui and others rest in the tenant's house outside the manor and arranged meals for them.

Those mud houses were originally the private property of the Shen family, so the tenants naturally did not dare to have any complaints.

Sitting in the mountains for a long time, I don’t hear about what’s going on in the world.

When Mr. Shen heard that the three northeastern provinces had closed their borders and exercised self-government, he was quite surprised and quickly turned to the young man around him for confirmation.

It can be seen that the old man has become a hands-off boss at home and doesn't work hard on weekdays.

This young man is Mr. Shen’s youngest son, and is about the same age as Jiang Lianheng. However, he looks sickly and listless, and is distracted from time to time. He looks as if he cannot handle such a heavy responsibility.

The Shen family's goods were lost in his hands.

Hearing his father's question, he was stunned for a moment and asked back: "Ah? What do you mean by self-government?"

Mr. Shen then frowned, laughed dryly twice, and said helplessly: "My son is incompetent. I'm sorry to make you laugh, Boss Jiang."

"How dare I, how dare I!" Jiang Lianheng had no choice but to flatter, "Master Shen is probably the first time to be the head of the family. There must be a process. Just run around more and it will be fine."

Mr. Shen glanced at his youngest son, shook his head, and said, "It's a pity that my eldest son is studying in Japan. Now it seems that I still have to rely on him to come back and take over my family business."

According to the old man's original idea, the eldest son should return to China to engage in politics, and the youngest son should inherit the business, and the two should complement and take care of each other.

Jiang Lianheng naturally couldn't comment on the other party's family affairs, so he changed the subject and asked:
"Speaking of family business, Master Shen, I see that your village association is well organized, and the watchtower is built as solid as a rock. I have really broadened my horizons today. I admire you."

In fact, Jiang Lianheng had found it strange a long time ago.

In his eyes, the Shen family's financial resources seemed a little too exaggerated.

Although big landowners are never short of money, Laoyeling is a mountainous area after all, and there is not as much arable land as in the plains. It is really suspicious that the manor is built in such a grand manner.

Mr. Shen did not hide anything. He stroked his white beard with a smile on his face, looking quite proud. As he spoke, he began to reminisce about the past.

"Boss Jiang, you don't know that I am not very talented. I used to be the assistant director of the Jilin Forestry Bureau. I mainly dealt in timber and furs, and the land was just a bonus. As early as the Guangxu period, I was ordered by the Jilin General to train local militia to resist forest bandits. When I was young, I was quite successful, unlike those landlords who colluded with the bandits. Later, when the revolution broke out, I founded the Shenjiadian Village Association."

"No wonder Haichaoshan and his men don't look like an ordinary armed team. It turns out that they are all well-trained by Master Shen!"

"Oh, it's all over!"

Mr. Shen waved his hand and said modestly, "I am old and my energy is not up to par. This armed team is led by Hai Chaoshan himself. I only provide the money. I don't have the energy to take care of it anymore."

"Humph, you speak as if you can control it if you have the energy!"

The youngest son of the Shen family suddenly blurted out something, causing the old man to glare at him and his face immediately turned red.

"Zhiye——"

The old man suddenly raised his voice, picked up the walking stick on the table, and knocked on the ground while scolding in a low voice: "I'm talking to Boss Jiang, is it your turn to interrupt, you uneducated thing!"

Young Master Shen seemed to have given up on himself. He grunted twice, picked up a fried river shrimp, chewed it, picked up the wine cup, drank a glass by himself, and said no more.

Jiang Lianheng and Zhao Guoyan looked at each other, and quickly turned away as if nothing had happened.

"Hehe, these river shrimps are fried to perfection, crispy and crunchy. Thank you, Master Shen, for your hospitality. Come, come, let me toast you a glass!"

Jiang Lianheng stood up, clinked glasses with Mr. Shen, drank the wine, and then explained his purpose.

"Master Shen, I am here so abruptly this time. It is not for any other reason but because of the robbery of the Shen family last time."

"Oh, I guessed it, I guessed it."

Mr. Shen laughed, then frowned again, seeming a little confused: "However, the insurance claim...hasn't it been settled? Boss Jiang's credibility comes first, which is rare these days. I'd like to offer you a toast as well."

Zhao Guoyan saw the opportunity and interrupted, "Master Shen, your family has received compensation, so the matter can certainly be considered settled, but the Jiang family's face has not been restored yet!"

"Yes, yes, when I was young, I was just like Boss Jiang. I couldn't tolerate any grain of sand in my eyes. If anyone dared to take over the Shen's store, I would never tolerate it, but——"

Mr. Shen's tone suddenly softened. "The world is like this, how can we force it? I understand now. When will the cycle of revenge end? Sometimes, suffering a loss is a blessing!"

"You are right, senior!" Jiang Lianheng said with a smile, "But I, Jiang, have always been destined to suffer hardships. I'd better let others enjoy this blessing!"

Although it was the first time that Mr. Shen dealt with the Jiang family, he had heard about the Jiang family's style of doing things a long time ago. After hearing this, he knew that persuasion was useless, so he turned his attention to the youngest child.

"Zhiye, then tell Boss Jiang and the others about what happened that day!"

"Ah? What's going on?"

"You useless thing! How on earth were the furs and grain that our family shipped out last month robbed?"

"I have already said everything I need to say in the telegram. What else is there to say?"

Young Master Shen leaned limply in the chair and lit a cigarette. He didn't seem to be arrogant, but rather looked as if it had nothing to do with him.

"Then say it again!" The old man knocked on his cane again.

Master Shen snorted, looked at Jiang and Zhao, and said weakly, "Okay, but I don't know where to start, so why don't you just ask!"

"Did the person who robbed your goods report his bandit number?" Jiang Lianheng asked.

"No—or maybe I did, but I didn't hear it."

"How many bandits are there?"

"A bunch of people."

"They are robbing people on the road, whoever they kill will be theirs, or are they targeting your family?"

"I don't know, either is possible."

"Have you met their boss? When you rob goods, there must be someone to talk to you, right?"

"Have."

"What does that man look like?"

"Well... he's a man, healthy, not too tall, not too short, not too fat, not too thin, not too handsome, not too ugly."

"It's outrageous, absolutely outrageous!" Master Shen couldn't help but tremble with anger when he heard the youngest son's answer. "Boss Jiang guaranteed our goods. If something went wrong, he should pay the compensation. Now he wants to understand the situation from us. Why are you talking like that?"

"What else?" Young Master Shen said dejectedly, "Dad, I know what I know and I don't know what I don't know. I can't just make up lies. What if I'm wrong? Not only will I not be able to settle the account with Boss Jiang, but my family will also have an enemy. What will happen then?"

Mr. Shen had a gloomy face and could not help but sigh: "Boss Jiang, look at this... this boy is so rude, this boy is so rude!"

Unexpectedly, Jiang Lianheng waved his hand nonchalantly. Not only did he not show any dissatisfaction, but there was even a hint of joy in his eyes.

"It's okay, it's okay. After the bandit robbed your goods, where did he go?" "The situation was critical at the time. I'm not afraid of being laughed at by Boss Jiang. I was so scared that I couldn't tell east, west, south or north. If I have to say, I guess he went to the north, maybe due north and a little south. That should be it."

Due north and south, is it east or west?
Master Shen was so angry that he almost rolled his eyes. He shouted angrily: "You bastard, you are talking nonsense. I think your brain is all about women. Get down, get down quickly, don't embarrass yourself here!"

Young Master Shen accepted it submissively, neither refutating nor getting angry. He picked up a silk handkerchief to wipe his mouth, then stood up with the help of the maid, coughed twice, bowed and said goodbye: "Boss Jiang, I'm not feeling well, so I won't accompany you for now."

"I understand, I understand!" Jiang Lianheng stood up and greeted him, "Master Shen, take care. Thank you for your advice."

Shen Zhiye still looked sick. He nodded weakly, turned around and went back to his room to rest.

"Boss Jiang, please bear with me. Please bear with me."

As soon as the youngest son left, Mr. Shen apologized, "I have spoiled my son. He said nonsense. Please forgive me, both of you."

"No, no, Jiang may be young, but I have seen a lot of the world. I think your son is definitely not a playboy. I think he can keep your family business."

"Lend your auspicious words!"

Mr. Shen invited Jiang Lianheng to sit down, and after a moment's silence, he continued, "Boss Jiang, please allow me to take advantage of my age. Your insurance business is so big, and my little matter is really a drop in the bucket. It's not worth mentioning. I will still buy your insurance in the future. I heard that the government has sent troops to suppress the bandits. Why do you have to compete with them?"

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"Hey, Master Shen, I don't understand what you mean. I will help you and take down the bandit leader who robbed the goods. The Laoyeling area will be peaceful in the future. Why... are you not happy?"

"No, no, I just don't want to cause you any trouble."

"If you want to trouble someone, I'm the one who's causing you trouble!"

Jiang Lianheng said, "Master Shen, Ning'an County is too far from here, and it's not convenient for me to travel back and forth. I wonder if I can stay with you for a few more days?"

"Ah, this..." The old man put his hands on his crutches, stared at the wine cup in front of him, and did not respond for a long time.

"Don't worry, I will pay for your food and drink for the next few days, including the twenty soldiers outside the village. You won't be left out."

"Alas, why bother talking about money? It's nothing more than a few more pairs of chopsticks. I can afford it..."

"Then what's the problem?"

The old man thought about it and really didn't dare to offend the Jiang family, so he had to force a smile and agreed: "No, Boss Jiang, you can stay if you want. I also want to hear about the latest situation in Fengtian. I just don't know how Boss Jiang plans to find the bandit leader Hu?"

Jiang Lianheng tapped the table with his fingers, shook his head and said, "I haven't thought about it yet, but after robbing the goods, we have to sell them. Even if we keep them for our own use, we should at least spread some rumors!"

…………

The banquet was over.

Mr. Shen personally arranged guest rooms for everyone in the Jiang family. After chatting for a while, they went back to their rooms to rest.

It was late at night and the room was even darker. Jiang Lianheng stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back.

The nights in the countryside are no quieter than those in the city. The mountains are majestic and dark, and all kinds of strange noises can be heard from time to time.

The Lianzhuang Association can not only resist bandits, but also prevent attacks by wild beasts.

In the deep mountains and forests, wild boars, blind bears, Siberian tigers...any one of these wild animals is enough to take a person's life.

"Boom boom boom——"

The door of the room suddenly opened, the sound was so light that it was almost inaudible.

"My boss, it's me."

"Enter!"

Zhao Guoyan pushed the door open cautiously, but still accidentally made a creaking sound - he was not an expert at sneaking into doors and picking locks.

Fortunately, the lights in the entire blockhouse had been turned off. After a moment of silence, nothing unusual happened, so he slowly walked in.

Neither of them changed their clothes, and although they didn't say it explicitly, they had a tacit understanding with each other.

"Boss, there's something wrong with Young Master Shen!" Zhao Guoyan moved closer to the window, and the moonlight outlined half of his silver-gray face.

Jiang Lianheng nodded: "He knows everything, but his mouth is sealed."

"Could it be that Master Shen is colluding with the Hu bandits? But this doesn't make sense!"

"No, this old man is quite decent."

"Were they threatened by the bandits?" Zhao Guoyan recalled carefully, "I didn't see any female relatives just now. Could it be that there are hostages in the hands of the bandits?"

"Do you think that Hai Chaoshan is just a useless person?" Jiang Lianheng snorted coldly, "I think he might be the one who shut Young Master Shen up!"

"You're against Tiangang? You're taking over the landlord here?"

"Hiss - this doesn't make sense. Logically speaking, since he can take over the position, why not just seize the position of landlord? Even if he doesn't want to be the landlord, he can just take the money and run away. There's no need to stay here. Besides, this old Shen doesn't look like he's being humiliated. If he's really holding him hostage, how can the young master have a chance to enter the city?"

Jiang Lianheng pondered over it, and always felt that every statement had loopholes.

After thinking for a long time, he finally shook his head and said, "Forget it, wait a little longer and ask him in person later!"

Zhao Guoyan nodded and secretly touched the pistol in his arms.

Before I knew it, it was already midnight.

Jiang Lianheng put on the "black gauze cicada wing cloud pattern shoes", led Zhao Guoyan to the door, and gently pushed it open.

The same door, in his hands, is like a docile kitten.

The corridor was pitch black, and because the tower was so large, there was an inexplicable gust of cold wind.

Jiang Lianheng did not deliberately slow down his pace, but he was as quiet as a wandering ghost. He soon passed the stairs and ran towards Young Master Shen's bedroom.

At this moment, he suddenly stopped again.

But I saw a warm yellow light seeping out from under Young Master Shen’s bedroom door - not asleep?
While I was hesitating, I suddenly heard an old voice coming faintly from inside the door. It made a rustling sound, and seemed to be suppressing anger, like a snake raising its head and spitting out its tongue.

"You want to kill our family... Stop dreaming, it's no use... He's just a passerby, you're courting disaster... What can I do... If your brother was still here, our family wouldn't be like this now... Trash, useless thing, bringing shame to our ancestors..."

There is no doubt that it was Mr. Shen's voice.

However, compared with dinner, he was no longer polite, but inexplicably seemed a little vicious.

The quarrel lasted for five or six minutes...

Soon, the door was pushed open with a creak, and Mr. Shen, wearing a white cloth shirt, hunched over, holding a candlestick in his hand, walked out of Young Master Shen's room tremblingly.

The flickering candlelight revealed an old, decayed, and even somewhat haggard face.

He closed the door gently, protecting the tiny flame with his hand, and walked towards the depths of the gloomy corridor, his thin figure stretched out very long.

Mr. Shen slowly moved forward a few steps.

Suddenly, without any warning, he stopped and was silent for a moment. Then he turned his head quickly, holding the candlestick and looking behind him.

The corridor was empty, no one was in sight...

(End of this chapter)