The Jade of the Republic of China

Shen Yutong and Meng Liansheng entered Sichuan in early summer, and Zhongqiu began their parting for the next year.

One month later, Shen Yutong received the first letter from Meng Liansheng, which was signed on the ninth day after he left, that is to say, the day he arrived in Shanghai, the letter was sent.It's just that Lu Yao drove slowly, and it took more than half a month before it arrived in his hands.

A thin piece of letter paper, the content is very simple, following his usual reticent style, it is nothing more than saying hello to him and saying hello to him.

This was the first time Shen Yutong saw Meng Liansheng's words.In the era when fountain pens were popular, it was absolutely pleasing to see this cursive script written with a small pen.

He himself had learned calligraphy when he was young, and his handwriting was not bad, but after two years of proficiency with Wang Xizhi, in the end he only had four different characters.And Meng Liansheng's cursive script is strong and unrestrained, and it looks like it came from Zhao Mengfu.A child who only went to a private school for a few years has learned Zhao Ti both physically and mentally, which cannot but be said to be a gift.He once again found that Meng Liansheng was a treasure. In the old days, he might have been a talent who could write a pen to secure the world and martial arts to set the world.

A letter was obviously only half a page long, so he read it back and forth several times.In order to be worthy of the words, he called Ah Fu to prepare pens, inks, papers and inkstones, bathed and burned incense, and then began to write a reply.

Every week thereafter, he would receive a letter from Meng Liansheng from Shanghai, the content of which was nothing more than daily chores. There is not much rain recently, and the weather has turned cold again. What delicious food to eat.Although simple, it is a joy to read.After being happy, he will return a letter seriously, and the content is naturally similar.It's just that one talks about Shanghai and the other talks about Ziliujing.

Occasionally, the letter was two days late, and Shen Yutong would go to the post office to check it in person.

Such an unshakable communication frequency is obviously far higher than that of ordinary friends.He and Long Jialin had only exchanged two or three letters in total. Long Jialin's handwriting, which looked like a dog crawling, made him feel dizzy at a glance, let alone return it seriously.

He actually understands the reason for such differential treatment.

He sincerely hopes that Meng Liansheng can live a happy life in the world, but he falls in love with him uncontrollably.

In a blink of an eye, it was the end of the year, and because the salt factory couldn't leave, Shen Yutong didn't go back to Shanghai for the New Year, but Shen Yuan came to Artesian Well in Zhengnan Fengyue to visit his young master on behalf of the whole family.

Originally, when Shen Yutong returned to Ziliujing from Xikang, he had to come to Ziliujing in person to rest assured. However, his family business was heavy and his father was old. They only stayed for two days before leaving, but it took more than half a month to go back and forth.

After a lot of tossing, it was just to take a look at my brother.

Shen Yutong knows the burdens that his elder brother has borne these years. The elder brother is an ambitious person, and now he is the vice president of the Shanghai Chamber of Commerce. Huaxia, an old giant ship, has a new light, which is why he came back and said that he wanted to set up a refined salt factory, and he fully supported it.

Isn't he the same as his elder brother, the country is in a precarious state, born in a merchant's family, how can he feel at ease and enjoy himself behind closed doors in the mansion?

So even though I came to visit my younger brother, the conversation between the two brothers was always inseparable from the factory.

It wasn't until the time of saying goodbye that Shen Yutong seemed to think of something, and asked casually, "By the way, brother, have you seen Xiao Meng in the past few months?"

Shen Yuan knew very well that Meng Liansheng rescued Shen Yutong from Mr. Wang to Xikang. Originally, the child was kind to the Shen family, but this time he saved his younger brother again.After Meng Liansheng returned to Shanghai last year, he went to the Bai mansion to give a gift and a check. The other party accepted the gift, but he didn't want the check anyway, so he had to give up in the end.

For this reason, Shen Yuan made people pay attention to Meng Liansheng, thinking that when he was in need, the Shen family would help him in time.

It's just that I didn't wait for this opportunity, and...

He pondered for a moment, looked up at Shen Yutong, and said, "Once Sun Zhidong dies, Xiao Meng is the most important thing for Bai Qinghe now. He is already an important figure in Lixin." He paused for a moment, as if hesitating for a while, before saying, "I don't know if it's because he's grown up, anyway, the news about him doesn't seem to be quite the same as the little Meng I thought of before."

Shen Yutong said with a smile: "He is a capable person, and it is understandable that he can be reused."

"That being said, you know what Lixin is doing."

Of course, Shen Yutong understands why opium harms the country, but he couldn't help but want to defend Meng Liansheng: "In order to protect the country, Yunnan and Sichuan smoke and soil were banned, and now warlords from all walks of life can't do without the tobacco tax when they fight and raise soldiers. This can't be blamed on local merchants. It’s just doing things for people.”

"That's true," Shen Yu'an nodded, "I'm just hearing about Xiao Meng. He is such a good boy, he must be sensible and sensible. In life, the first thing to do is to make money to eat. He has a different background from you and me. , should not use our standards to ask him."

Hearing what his elder brother said, Shen Yutong smiled happily: "He must have a sense of proportion."

After seeing off Shen Yuan, Shen Yutong began to look forward to the latest letter from Meng Liansheng again.Because of the Spring Festival, this letter came five or six days later than expected, just in time for the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

When he got the letter in the evening, he didn't even go out to watch the Lantern Festival. He dismissed Ah Fu and went into the study by himself, eager to open the envelope.

A photo fell out of the envelope first, and he picked it up and put it under the lamp.The man standing in front of the backdrop of the photo studio in the photo is Meng Liansheng.

His hair was a little longer than before, combed into a neat part, and he still had a pair of rimless glasses on his face, and a long woolen coat. He was not only handsome, but also more handsome than before. Add some maturity.

For such a handsome young man, he probably couldn't call him a child anymore.

Shen Yutong looked at the handsome guy in the photo, and wanted to laugh at first, but after unfolding the letter, the smile that had just surfaced gradually froze again.

The content of the letter is still simple. It said that during the New Year, I went to the photo studio to take pictures with the servants in the mansion who did not return to their hometown. Everyone got the photos and sent them to their relatives in their hometown.

Although the letter also said that it was very happy to celebrate the New Year in Bai Mansion, Zhang Ma made him new cotton shoes, Mr. Bai sealed a big red envelope, and set off fireworks with Zijun.But Shen Yutong still felt a little sad.

He himself has not spent this year with his family, but the house he lives in is called Shen’s House, and he is the owner of it. The Shen Tianci family who celebrated the New Year with him are also his relatives, and even the family in Shanghai cares about it. They have a home to return to. .No matter how much Meng Liansheng talked about a happy new year, he was always dependent on others, no matter whether he had no family around him or far away, if he could really start a family, it would be a good thing both emotionally and rationally.

However, after several months of correspondence, he seemed to no longer be looking forward to Meng Liansheng's family as before, but instead developed a little unspeakable possessiveness towards life in his heart.

He knows it's wrong, but he's just a person, he can control his behavior, but he can't control his inner feelings—no, maybe he can't even control his behavior.That's why I put this photo in my wallet, and when I wrote back, I didn't mention anything about letting him get married. I just said that everything is fine in Ziliujing, and I'm fine. I just feel homesick and want to be in Shanghai. he.

Between letters and letters between Sichuan and Shanghai, the days passed quickly, the grass and trees were green, the rainy season was over, and it was another year of summer and autumn.

After an autumn rain, most of the street trees in Shili Yangchang were bald overnight, and the coolness hit the city overwhelmingly.

In Lixin's office in the public lease, Meng Liansheng sat on the executive chair behind the rosewood desk, holding a letter he had just received in his hand, and carefully tore off the wax seal. As the letter was pulled out, a yellow ginkgo leaf Fall out of it.

Meng Liansheng picked up the ginkgo leaves from the table and held them in the air for a long time.

He knew that this was the first batch of yellow leaves in Ziliujing this year, and it had entered autumn just like Shanghai.

He put away the ginkgo leaves and stuffed them into the English dictionary that was often used on the desk, and then slowly unfolded the letterhead to read the letter.The content of the letter is as simple as before, but completely different.

Shen Yutong said in the letter that this was the last letter, and told him not to send him any more letters to Ziliujing.

Because, he will leave for Shanghai in three days.

If it hadn't been for his never expressing his emotions of joy and anger, Meng Liansheng would probably jump up from his chair with joy.

The second son is going back to Shanghai.

360 nine days, four days more than the whole year.

He glanced at the signing date on the letter, it was ten days ago.He is familiar with the flights between Shanghai and Chongqing. If there is no accident, the second son will arrive in Shanghai the morning after tomorrow.

"Little Meng!"

Just as he was thinking, the door of the office was pushed open from the outside, and Du Zan hurried in.

"Brother Duzan, what's the matter?"

Du Zan closed the door, walked to his desk, and said in a low voice, "It's about Zhang Huaiming. Didn't he build a wharf in Zhabei, and all the goods entering Shanghai bypass the public concession and enter from Zhabei. You said earlier that we'll wait." Wait a minute, after waiting for two months, not only did he not say hello to us, but he also poached several tobacco shops in the concession to pick up the goods from him. And now that he has bribed the military and police in Zhabei, we have no way to go there move him."

Meng Liansheng still stared at the letter in his hand, without raising his head, he said in a low voice, "Boss Zhang can't move in Zhabei. His son is in middle school in the French Concession, so he should be able to move."

Du Zan frowned a pair of thick eyebrows: "You mean to tie up Zhang Huaiming's son? But now the patrol house in the concession is quite strict about these things, and has already told us several times to not make trouble. Zhang Huaiming has always had a good relationship with foreigners. , If he files a lawsuit, we still have to let him in. Moreover, Young Master Zhang always brings two White Russian bodyguards with him, so it is not so easy to tie him up."

Meng Liansheng carefully folded the letterhead and stuffed it back into the envelope, opened the drawer and put it in, looked up at the man across from him, smiled lightly and said, "Who said you want to tie up Young Master Zhang? Brother Du Zan, relying on force alone is no longer feasible in Shanghai Beach." No, that would only steal the chicken instead of losing the rice."

Du Zan frowned deeper: "Xiao Meng, what do you mean?"

Meng Liansheng said unhurriedly: "Master Zhang has recently fallen in love with the third child of Fuchun Building in Huile. The third child of Fuchun Building has an old friend. It is our old friend Chen Comprador of Lixin. I’ve been trying to figure it out. Tonight is the third birthday of Fuchun Tower, and it’s estimated that many masters and young masters will come to cheer, and the two of them will definitely be there, so you can also give me a gift.”

Du Zan still didn't understand why, not only his brows were furrowed, but his eyes were also wrinkled into triangular eyes.

Meng Liansheng stood up, walked to the hanger, took his coat, and said in a low voice, "Young Master Zhang is young and energetic, you should find a way to set him on fire and let him fight Chen Comprador. Young Master Zhang stabbed Chen Comprador in the foreign concession, and with Chen The relationship between compradors and foreigners makes it easy for Young Master Zhang to be imprisoned for a year or so. When Boss Zhang wants to save his son, there is no other way, so he can only ask Lixin for help."

Du Zan suddenly realized, and there was only one puzzle: "But how can we guarantee that Young Master Zhang will stab Chen comprador?"

Meng Liansheng said: "It doesn't matter whether Master Zhang stabbed you or not, as long as people think it was him. It should be easy for Brother Du Zan to make it happen in such a lively place. However, you have to control it well." Strength, don't really want Chen comprador's life."

This time Duzan understood completely.

Zhang Huaiming's son is a typical dandy young master. He is already a frequent visitor to brothels while he is still in middle school.He is actually not too young, he is twenty-one this year, he has been in school all these years, this year he asked the emperor to go to Chengli De Mountain Villa for a long vacation to escape the summer, and next year he will take a break from school to learn business from his father.I got tired of doing business and went back to school.Six years of middle school, I was read like sheep shit by him for almost ten years and still haven't graduated.But no matter how incompetent he is, he is also Zhang Huaiming's only son. This incompetence is also the result of his father's habit. It is said that Zhang Huaiming regards this son more than his eyeballs. ?

And when Chen comprador offended the gang member, it was Lixin who saved his life, so he will definitely sell his face.

Although Du Zan only had a bright smile on his face, he still admired Meng Liansheng in his heart.

When he returned to Shanghai, Boss Boss brought him up to be Lixin's manager. Many people inside and outside Lixin were waiting to see the jokes of this brat.He has already rolled up his sleeves and needs to protect Xiaomeng well.

I don't think so, those people who wanted to touch Meng Liansheng either came to beg him or drifted away in desperation in the end. In less than half a year, Xiaomeng has firmly secured the position of manager Lixin.

Back then, not to mention Sun Zhidong, even Boss Bo, it was all fought by fists.And Meng Liansheng firmly secured the second place in Lixin without spending a single soldier. In his own words, he relied on the two books on his desk, the art of coercion in "Guiguzi" and the art of war in "Sun Tzu's Art of War". military strategy.

Du Zan also looked through these two books curiously, but after reading them, he found nothing. Every time something happened, he still couldn't think of a solution that Meng Liansheng could think of.

Originally, he had protected Meng Liansheng because he had saved his life when he was in Xikang, but gradually, he began to be convinced from the bottom of his heart to this brat, and he was willing to work under him.

Good birds choose trees to live in, and Meng Liansheng must be a good tree to rely on.

The author has something to say:

Entering a new chapter, this time I really want to fall in love~

Think about it, Xiao Meng is only 20 years old now, that is really young.

Xiao Meng: Small?