Living Paper

nostalgia/article

Huo Chaozong fell asleep until dawn, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that he was still lying on the sofa, and he had slept in the study all night.

It was rare for him to sleep so well. He slightly raised his body to look at Secretary He who was sleeping on the desk, got up from the sofa, and put the blanket that had just covered himself on Secretary He's shoulders.

Secretary He woke up suddenly: "It's dawn."

"It's still early, you can sleep a little longer." Huo Chaozong picked up the manuscript on the table and quickly scanned it. Some contents seemed too weak to him, but according to the meaning above, that's all he could say.

"Do you want to polish it up?"

"No need," Huo Chaozong waved his hand, "It's still the same meaning even if you polish it, what's the use of filing a lawsuit."

He had a good night's sleep last night, and his mood was calm: "I haven't slept well for several days, but I had a good rest yesterday."

When Secretary He heard it, he knew it was the pouch. He smiled and said, "It's because I see that the young master has not been able to sleep well, so I asked the traditional Chinese medicine shop to make a pouch with some soothing herbs in it. I put it in the purse last night. It's in your pocket."

Huo Chaozong reached out and touched it, and there was indeed a pouch. He put it to his nose and smelled it, but he didn't smell any Chinese herbal medicine inside. He didn't expect this thing to be so useful.

Since it is useful, take it with you.

"You have a heart." Huo Chaozong held his purse, "I'm going to take a shower and change clothes. By the way, have you made arrangements for Yunyin and the others to come to Shanghai?"

Huo Chaozong came to take office first, his wife and daughter are still in Nanjing, he has been here for more than half a month, he should also pick up his wife and daughter.

Secretary He didn't change his face: "It's all been arranged. The rooms are arranged according to the little lady's liking. The piano will be delivered today. Their train will arrive in Shanghai tomorrow afternoon. I will pick it up in person."

Huo Chaozong nodded, he went back to his room to take a shower and change clothes, Secretary He also went back to his room to rest, put on a newly made suit, stood in front of the wardrobe mirror, and straightened his collar and tie.

Secretary He's room is on the ground floor, a guest room in the mansion, much more luxurious than the servants' quarters, with a separate washroom, verdant vegetation outside the window in spring and summer, and ginkgo in autumn.

The trunk of this ginkgo tree is in front of his window, and the crown is in front of Huo Chaozong's window.

He chose this room on purpose.

When Secretary He was wearing a tie, he glanced up. He lowered his head and raised it again, staring at himself in the mirror.During that glance just now, he seemed to see something on his shoulder.

He thought it was dust on his shoulders, so he stretched out his hand to dust it off, but when he looked carefully, there was nothing. Seeing birds flying by outside the window, he thought it was the shadow cast by the passing birds.

It was almost time, he walked out of the door, came to the hall, made sure that the driver was waiting on the garden driveway, and stood under the stairs waiting for Huo Chaozong to come down.

Mama Liu came over to inquire: "Secretary He, the young mistress is coming tomorrow, what dishes should I prepare? How is her temper?"

Mama Liu has never served this young lady, but she only knew that she met him when he was studying abroad, and she is a good family member, and she has been living with him in Nanjing.

"Eldest young mistress is well educated, Mama Liu doesn't have to worry, except for drinking milk every morning, and eating swallow cup every few days, there is nothing else to be picky about."

Only then did Mama Liu breathe a sigh of relief, she was afraid that someone as difficult as Mrs. Huo would come, so she might as well go with the Seventh Young Master, so that she could serve Miss Bai and recuperate her body.

Mama Liu hesitated. Of course, she still wanted to take care of the seventh young master and Miss Bai. Since the eldest young mistress is a considerate person, she might agree!

Huo Chaozong changed his clothes and came down. When he walked down the stairs, Secretary He asked, "Did you bring your purse?"

"Bring it," Huo Chaozong said with a sigh, "I'm afraid that if I don't bring this, I will have sex with the Japanese in front of my face."

Huo Chaozong sat in the back, and Secretary He sat in the front seat. When he closed the car door, he saw a gray shadow on the window glass again.

This time, he no longer thought that he was wrong. He had a faint premonition in his heart. The scenery by the window passed by quickly. Sometimes he could see a little gray shadow, but sometimes he couldn't find anything.

He turned around and reported to work as before: "After the meeting, the Ministry of Finance is waiting for you."

Huo Chaozong nodded, looked down at the document, and when he looked up again, he found that Secretary He was still looking at him: "What's wrong? The tie is crooked?"

"No, it's because I see that the young master's complexion is much better."

"Then this purse is useful. I'll put it under my pillow tonight." Huo Chaozong's mouth relaxed, "Thank you very much."

Then Secretary He turned around and hid the smile on the corner of his mouth: "The young master's kindness is as great as a mountain, these are really nothing."

Huo Chaozong frowned: "This happened so many years ago, why mention it again?"

He is just Huo Chaozong's bookboy, the young master has eight schoolboys in his studies, he is the youngest among them, and he has the worst background. At that time, the Huo family still had domestic servants and servants.

He is a "family-born child", the most hopeless kind, who will be a slave to others all his life.

Because of his handsome appearance, he was chosen to be a book boy in the study of the eldest and young master, but there is also competition among the book boys, whoever is the most loved, and whose mother is the most respectable in front of the wife and master, will be the toughest.

Even slaves are divided into first and second classes.

He is like a bean sprouts, not to mention that he can't eat enough, and he is bullied by the older bookboys.

A person like the eldest young master actually looked at him and found him suffering.Leave him alone, let him wait for the meal, eat more than a dozen dishes each time, and there are many untouched ones after eating, all for him to eat.

In a few years, I went abroad to study abroad, and I took him with me. I didn't let him do the work of serving others, but let him study together.

When I returned home, I asked him again if there was anything I wanted to do, and if so, I would do it.

All he wanted to do was to stay by the young master's side.

"Yes, I won't talk about it in the future."

The car drove to the outside of the venue. Secretary He saw Huo Zhenye waiting outside, and he reminded Huo Chaozong: "Eldest Young Master, Seventh Young Master is here."

"Old Seven? Why is he here?" Huo Chaozong felt a little strange.

"Maybe I need to find the young master for something." Secretary He nodded to Huo Zhenye through the car window without saying anything.

Huo Zhenye sent Bai Zhun to the bungalow he just bought early in the morning. The furniture was ready-made, and even the meals were ordered from the restaurant.

The first thing Bai Zhun did when he got home was to search for his spring bed all over the house.

After three days of sleeping on a hard plank, his back was unbearable.

Opening the bedroom door, there was a double bed inside, said to be a double bed, and two more people could lie in the middle, Bai Zhun knew what Huo Zhenye was thinking when he bought this bed.

Huo Zhenye had no thoughts at this time: "When the food delivery person comes, you can ask Axiu to pick it up. Axiu's room is upstairs. Zhu Ding's cage is in the yard."

As soon as the little squirrel came in, it rushed to Zhuding's cage. As soon as Zhuding saw the squirrel coming, it could sing again, and it had been refusing to open its voice for several days.

Huo Zhenye turned around to leave, but he didn't give up: "Is there really no other way?"

Yes, if someone is willing to die for you.

Bai Zhun shook his head: "No."

He couldn't say yes, he was afraid that Huo Zhenye would be impulsive.

Huo Zhenye hurried out, Bai Zhun watched him from the balcony on the second floor, with a fingertip, he called the little oriole out of the Zhuding cage, and followed behind Huo Zhenye.

Huo Zhenye rushed to the Hongkou meeting place early in the morning, and finally heaved a sigh of relief when he finally got his eldest brother's car.

The guard post was full of Japanese soldiers. They stopped Huo Chaozong's car and checked their identities one by one before letting them in, but Huo Zhenye couldn't get in.

Secretary He specially got off the car and said to Huo Zhenye, "Don't worry, Seventh Young Master, I will always be by Eldest Young Master's side."

Huo Zhenye watched them go in, and found a seat by the window in the Japanese-style tea house opposite. The Japanese sentinel patrolled back and forth, staring at him from time to time.

Huo Zhenye ordered a cup of sencha and two strings of three-color glutinous rice balls. After a taste, he thought that Bai Zhun might like it. When he left, he would pack two copies and give him a taste.

The officials' cars drove in one after another, and all the media reporters were stopped outside. The content of this negotiation was not announced to the public.

There are wooden low houses everywhere, and there are many Japanese ronin with knives walking by on the street. Occasionally, Chinese people pass by, and they dare not look at them.

A female student passed by outside the window. She walked very fast, keeping her head down and not daring to lift it up.

But her clothes were too eye-catching, two Japanese wanderers stared at her from the other side of the street, one stopped her in front of her, and the other surrounded her from behind.

Shoulders touched hers, and reached out from the baggy clothes to touch her face.

Huo Zhenye stood up abruptly, and before he could leave the tea house, a man rushed forward from behind the street.

He punched one of the Japanese ronin, and then drew out the ronin's long knife, only to find that the long knife was not sharpened at all. He laughed out loudly, "You son of a bitch!", and stabbed the ronin's abdomen with the unsharp knife.

Another Japanese ronin saw the blood flow all over the ground, and started yelling loudly. The man drew out his long knife, and the ronin turned around and ran away.

The shouts of the ronin alarmed the sentries, and they rushed over with guns, and the crowd dispersed.

The proprietress of the tea house was dressed in a kimono, gentle and elegant. She opened the door, and the crying female student pulled into the tea house, gave her a cup of tea, asked her to spread the book, and said in blunt Chinese: "Don't cry."

The sentinels were looking for the escaped murderer, and people's eyes were attracted by the screaming woman and the bleeding ronin, only Huo Zhenye kept following the murderer.

This man actually took advantage of the chaos on the street to get past the sentries.

Huo Zhenye rushed out, he probably knew how the accident would happen, but the man grabbed hold of it for just a few seconds, and jumped in like a monkey climbing a rock.

Two Japanese sentinels tried to stop him, but he cut off his head with a knife, and rushed in with a bloody path.

Huo Zhenye rushed to the door, and the patrolling Japanese soldiers were rushing back to chase the man, two of the sentries stopped Huo Zhenye.

"I'm an official from the Ministry of Finance. I'm late." But he couldn't show his ID, and the sentry stared at him fiercely. He recognized Huo Zhenye. This Chinese guy had been sitting in the opposite teahouse for a long time.

Just as he was about to escort Huo Zhenye back for interrogation, there was a muffled sound from inside the building.

All the glass was shattered, people couldn't stand stably under the violent shock, many people poured out of the building, everyone was screaming, and some people were covered with blood from broken feet.

Huo Zhenye changed his words: "My brother is inside!" He didn't speak Japanese fluently, but he could understand the Japanese soldiers, but they stopped everyone from entering.

But they couldn't stop the flood of people, and everyone on the street was running.

After an explosion, there was another explosion, this time in the side building. Huo Zhenye finally broke through the checkpoint of the Japanese sentry and rushed into the building against the flow of people.

Huo Chaozong came down the stairs with the bloody man in his arms.

Huo Zhenye immediately escorted them out of the building and found a car to take them to the hospital. Huo Chaozong didn't let go until they were sent to the hospital.

After lifting him to the hospital bed, Huo Zhenye saw that Secretary He had been shot twice in the back, one of which was in the heart, and the blood soaked most of his suit.

Huo Zhenye stretched out his hand with a wooden face, and touched his neck.

Huo Chaozong was still asking the doctor: "Can the bullet be taken out at this position?"

"Brother, he already..." Huo Zhenye tried to tell his elder brother that Secretary He was no longer here.

"Can you take it out?" Huo Chaozong couldn't hear his brother's voice at all, he stared at the doctor, he didn't know if this hospital was famous at all, they looked for the nearest one, as long as he was wearing a white coat, it was his faint at the moment hope.

"Brother!" Huo Zhenye put his arm around Huo Chaozong's shoulder and whispered in his ear, "He has already left."

Huo Chaozong was covered in blood, he looked up at his younger brother, as if he couldn't understand what he said for a while, and when he finally understood, he was silent for a moment.

Said to the doctor: "Please take out the bullet and suture the wound cleanly."

The person was pushed away, Huo Zhenye asked, "Who fired the shot?"

"The Japanese." Huo Chaozong couldn't hold it back. He argued hard and angered Commander-in-Chief Yamamoto. The meeting hall suddenly changed. The assassin's target was very clear, which was the Japanese.

Yamamoto's guards wanted to take advantage of the chaos to snipe, and they could push it to the assassins afterwards. They wanted to kill high-ranking Chinese officials without taking any responsibility. They didn't expect Xiao He to protect him.

He knew that Xiao He had always been loyal to him, but...he did it to this extent...

Huo Zhenye saw Huo Chaozong's eyes showing a trace of bewilderment, knowing that his elder brother didn't understand this kind of feeling, and Secretary He kept silent because he knew he didn't understand.

He thought about it and decided not to say it. Secretary He would not want to let him know in this way.

"Then, what did the elder brother decide to do?"

Huo Chaozong took out a handkerchief from his pocket. He wiped the blood on his hands and face with the handkerchief. After wiping slowly, he folded the handkerchief and stuffed it back into the bag.

His gaze had completely calmed down, except that his hands were still trembling when he folded the handkerchief.

"I won't let Yamamoto go."

He said so.