Jiang Gubei looked at Jing Mingchen and his expression suddenly became strange.
Suddenly, he stretched out his hands and covered Jing Mingchen's ears: "Don't listen!"
He pulled Jing Mingchen off the bed and whispered in her ear, "This wild inn is not a proper hotel, it's also engaged in the flesh trade!"
Jing Mingchen's face turned pale instantly, and she finally realized what the noise was coming from next door.
So in the middle of the night, the two of them packed up their luggage and fled.
After escaping from the wild inn, it was still dark outside. A few stars twinkled in the gray-blue sky. It was still quite chilly in the middle of the night. Jing Mingchen crossed his arms and complained to Jiang Gubei: "It's all your fault. Why didn't you realize at the beginning that this was a..."
She was too shy to say those two words, but looked at Jiang Gubei angrily with anger in her eyes. Jiang Gubei held back his laughter and said, "There are many people coming and going on the Yunnan-Burma Road, most of them are bachelors, so it's not surprising that the inn also does this kind of business. I don't think it's necessarily a shady inn, but it's you who insisted that it was a shady inn and insisted on escaping. Now it's good, it's still early before dawn, we can only sleep under the sky and use the stars as a blanket."
Jing Mingchen sat down on the ground: "Sleep on the grass, what's the big deal!"
Well, let's sleep on the grass.
However, it is easier said than done. After waking up the next morning, Jing Mingchen realized that not everyone could sleep on the grass.
Yunnan is located in the subtropical zone, with a hot and humid climate and lush vegetation, which is the most likely to breed mosquitoes and bacteria. After sleeping on the grass all night, her skin was kissed by countless wild mosquitoes, and her exposed arms were covered with red spots. Not only that, she also felt a chill all over her body. She sneezed, lowered her eyebrows, and complained to Jiang Gubei with a sad face: "Isn't it malaria?"
Jiang Gubei picked her up and let her stand on the ground: "It's not that easy to get malaria. You must have caught a cold. You can borrow a bowl of ginger water from a family later."
Jing Mingchen acted coquettishly and said, "No, I don't have any strength, you carry me."
Okay, then I’ll carry you on my back. Jiang Gubei squatted down, and Jing Mingchen jumped onto his back with a smile on his face and hugged his neck.
In the wilderness where the sky was about to brighten, there was still a faint cloud of smoke in the distance where the sky and the earth met. Jiang Gubei carried Jing Mingchen on his back and walked forward. They passed through the grass and the dew soaked their clothes. Jing Mingchen lay on Jiang Gubei's back and looked into the distance. The wilderness of Yunnan in the early morning was refreshing everywhere, with the simplicity and calmness described in poems.
How wonderful it would be if there were no war.
There was a noise coming from the front, and Jing Mingchen jumped off Jiang Gubei's back: "There is a large group of people gathered in front, I don't know what happened, let's go over and take a look!"
It turned out that it had just rained yesterday on this road. After the heavy rain, the road was muddy and vehicles were most likely to have accidents. This was the case today. A car got stuck in the mud pit when passing by, and the car stalled. The driver was a teenager who was obviously inexperienced. He had been struggling here for a long time, but the car still didn't move.
An experienced driver passing by laughed at him: "You are just a talker, but you are not reliable. I see you are so young, this is your first time to drive a car, right?"
The young driver was enraged: "If you have the ability, come and drive. If you can drive well, I will give you a pack of Lao Dao brand for free!"
The old driver jumped out of the car and walked towards him: "No need for the Laodao brand, I drink but don't smoke, just buy me a drink when we get to the shop in front."
However, after struggling for a long time, the engine still did not move.
This stubborn stalled train inspired the fighting spirit of passing drivers. As a result, the prize changed from a pack of Laodao cigarettes to whoever could fix the train would be called daddy. However, one after another, the veteran drivers were defeated in the end.
Someone said helplessly: "Or we should wait for the road maintenance workers to come."
Suddenly, a loud and clear voice came from the crowd: "Let me try."
Jiang Gubei pushed through the crowd and walked in. He jumped into the cab, bent down to check the situation, jumped out again, opened the hood and tinkered with it for a long time. When he jumped into the cab again, the engine finally made a sound, and a moment later the car finally drove out of the mud pit.
The crowd cheered, and someone started to shout, "Call daddy! Call daddy!"
Jiang Gubei stood with his arms folded, a smile on his face, and squinted his eyes at the young driver.
Amid the booing, the young driver slid down to his knees and called out obediently, "Big Brother."
Sitting in the wine shop, Jiang Gubei said sternly: "You are so brave, you dare to come here to be a driver just by leaving a letter."
Jiang Qianmo muttered softly: "I am right. Yunnan needs drivers. China needs drivers. I don't want to stay in school and waste my youth. I don't want to be a useless person anymore."
Jiang Gubei threw away a cup of residual tea: "Do you still remember what your principal, Mr. Fu Wu, said at the Prime Minister's Memorial Week?"
Jiang Qianmo was picking at the paint on the table and refused to speak. Jiang Gubei shouted, "Back!"
Jiang Qianmo also became stubborn: "I just don't remember!"
Jiang Gubei sneered: "Okay, if you don't remember, I'll recite it to you. 'If we want to maintain the survival of our country, we must modernize our country. To modernize our country, we must have specialized knowledge. These specialized knowledge can only be obtained in universities. University education is not to decorate the country's facade, nor to seek status for you students, but to provide for the urgent needs of maintaining and continuing the survival of the nation.'"
His voice was high-pitched and passionate at first, but it became gentler as he went on. "Even I remember this, how could you not remember it? I noticed that you were confused and hesitant a long time ago, so I wrote this on the cover of the notebook I gave you on your birthday last year. Who knew that you would still be so stubborn. The country needs drivers, but the country also needs students. How can you belittle yourself? Japan is a small country. Before the Meiji Restoration, it was not even as powerful as the Qing Dynasty yesterday. Why did it rise so rapidly in a few decades? You are a student of Wuhan University. Do you still need me, a middle school student who graduated from Gezhi Middle School, to teach you these principles?"
Jiang Qianmo finally lowered his head: "I'm sorry, brother, I was wrong."
Seeing that the atmosphere had eased, Jing Mingchen hurriedly tried to smooth things over: "It's good that you know you were wrong. Mr. Jiang, don't be angry anymore."
Jiang Qianmo burst out laughing. He squinted at Jing Mingchen and said jokingly, "Third brother, should I call you sister-in-law instead?"
Jing Mingchen picked up the teacup and pretended to hit him. The two of them quarreled, and Jiang Gubei watched them with a smile. Suddenly, Jiang Qianmo uttered a sharp and inflected "Be careful" and rushed towards Jiang Gubei.
Jiang Gubei only heard a gunshot, and he was pushed to the ground by Jiang Qianmo, with Jiang Qianmo's heavy body pressing on him. Jiang Gubei reached out and felt his palm, which was wet. He raised his hand to his eyes and saw that his palm was full of bright red blood.
He turned Jiang Qianmo over, only to see that Jiang Qianmo's eyes had begun to blur.
For the first time in his life, he felt so flustered. He reached out to cover Jiang Qianmo's wound, but blood continued to flow out, staining his hand red through the gaps between his fingers. How could one person have so much blood? Jiang Qianmo was about to turn into a bloody man.
He comforted Jiang Qianmo incoherently: "It's okay, we'll go to the hospital right away, you will be fine..."
Jiang Qianmo just smiled slightly, and said weakly: "Brother, this is the first time I see you so panicked."
Jiang Gubei's tears fell and hit his face, diluting the bloody handprint Jiang Gubei left on his cheek, revealing the true color of his skin. He was originally a fair-skinned boy, but these days, running on the Burma Road, exposed to the wind and sun, his skin has turned into a light wheat color. Jiang Gubei choked up and comforted him: "It's okay, you will return to Leshan safely, and you will continue to study. When the war is over, we will return to Wuhan. You will definitely become a useful person to the country..."
Jiang Qianmo said softly, "Just bury me on the side of the road... Don't tell my mom, brother. My mom and uncle are stupid people. For my sake, you should be more tolerant of them."
His hands dropped limply.
In accordance with Jiang Qianmo's last wishes, Jiang Gubei buried him in the weeds on the roadside.
He borrowed a shovel from the owner of the wine shop, and dug a grave for Jiang Qianmo shovel by shovel. The grave was dug very deep, and it was not finished until it was almost dark. He put Jiang Qianmo in the grave, and Jing Mingchen had already wiped Jiang Qianmo's face clean with water. He was only nineteen years old this year, a round-faced boy who was always smiling. Now his eyes are completely closed, and those big black eyes that are always brewing some playful ideas will never be seen again. The weeds are lucky to bury this passionate boy, and he will sleep forever in the place where he died, next to the road he once traveled for . Among the flowers and weeds blooming on the side of the road next year, there will surely be azaleas transformed from his spirit.
Jing Mingchen knelt on the ground, accompanied Jiang Gubei, and scattered the soil to cover Jiang Qianmo's young face. She didn't say a word, she knew that it would be powerless to say anything at this moment, and only accompanying Jiang Gubei could give him some comfort.
After burying Jiang Qianmo, they stayed at his grave for a whole night.
The next morning, the sun rose from the east, and the golden-red sunlight shone on Jiang Gubei's face. He finally said in a low voice, gritting his teeth: "In my lifetime, I must find the person who shot me and avenge Qianmo."
It was obvious that the killer was coming for Jiang Gubei, but Jiang Qianmo was smart and noticed it, so he blocked the bullet for his brother.
Who wanted him dead? He was a stranger in Yunnan, so he definitely didn't have any enemies. His enemies were only in the business world. This man was obviously from Chongqing, and he came to Yunnan just to see if he was dead or not, and to do everything he could to prevent him from leaving Yunnan alive.
He insisted on going back to find out the mastermind behind the incident and avenge Qianmo!
Chongqing, Chiang Residence.
The entire Jiang Mansion was shrouded in a pale white. People coming in and out were all wearing black clothes and black pants, and their expressions were solemn. Mrs. Jiang and Mr. Song stood in the mourning hall and cried in a fake manner: "Gubei, you are gone at such a young age. How can I explain this to your father in the future..."
In the middle of the mourning hall was a photo frame, in which was Jiang Gubei's handsome young face. People passing by couldn't help but sigh. Who in Chongqing didn't know the name of Jiang Gubei of Jiang's Industry? Although he was only in his twenties, he was already a well-known figure in Chongqing's business community. He opened wells and built houses. Everyone said that if they had a son, they would want to be like Jiang Gubei. However, overnight, this young and talented man was gone.
Suddenly, Gu Nanqiao, wearing a headscarf, rushed in. She had just given birth a few days ago and was weak and stumbling. She tore at anything white she saw: "Who told you to hold a funeral? Xiaobei is nowhere to be found, alive or dead, so what right do you have to say he is dead!"
Mrs. Jiang ran over and grabbed her hand to comfort her, "Nan Qiao, I know you two have a deep relationship as siblings, but since it has already happened, you have to accept it..."
Everyone present had tears in their eyes. The younger brother died, and the older sister, who had just given birth, couldn't bear the shock and went mad. What a tragic scene!
At this moment, a clear and familiar voice suddenly sounded: "Who said I'm dead?"
Everyone looked outside the door following the sound, and saw two rows of men in black leading the way. Against the light, a tall figure led a petite figure into the room. The draft lifted the corner of his suit, and the momentum of his walk had already stunned everyone.
Jiang Gubei held Jing Mingchen's hand tightly and walked to the coffin. He turned around and smiled at everyone: "Since I'm here, what is in the coffin?"
Mrs. Jiang and Mr. Song's expressions suddenly changed.
Gu Nanqiao was stunned for a long time before rushing over to hug Jiang Gubei and Jing Mingchen, crying with joy: "Xiaobei, you are really not dead. Mingchen, you really brought him back to me."
Jiang Gubei also looked at her belly in surprise: "The baby is already born? Am I an uncle?"
A funeral turned into a farce of a corpse, and the mourners left one after another. Mrs. Jiang and Mr. Song also left in disgrace. Jiang Gubei asked someone to take Gu Nanqiao upstairs to rest. Only Jiang Gubei and Jing Mingchen were left in the mourning hall. Ah Da came over and asked, "Sir, are we going to tear down this mourning hall?"
Jiang Gubei shook his head: "Stay one more night."
Ah Da replied "yes" and walked out.
Jiang Gubei kicked away the paper money on the ground and sat down. Jing Mingchen also sat down beside him. Jiang Gubei looked around and saw the paleness of the surroundings. The soul-calling banners fluttered in the cold wind after dusk. He smiled bitterly: "My stepmother thought she was crying for me, her stepson, but she didn't know that she was crying for her own son."
In the evening, Jiang Gubei and Jing Mingchen went to see Gu Nanqiao and the child.
Richard finally came back from England. He was so exhausted that he didn't have time to rest. He just held the child and looked at him endlessly. When he saw Jiang Gubei coming, he greeted Jiang Gubei happily: "Bei, you Chinese people say that nephews look like their uncles. Look how much he looks like you!"
It was the first time Jiang Gubei became an uncle, and his eyes were as bright as stars. He leaned over to take a look, then turned back and said excitedly to Jing Mingchen, "Yes, he looks exactly like me!"
Richard asked, "Do you want to hug him?"
Jiang Gubei was instantly at a loss. His face was filled with nervousness and anxiety as if he was facing a great enemy, and his expression was as serious as if he was signing a large multinational contract. Finally, he stretched out his hands stiffly to take the child that Richard handed to him carefully. When the child finally touched his palm, he was stunned for a moment, and then he smiled.
A strange feeling overwhelmed him. This child captured him, and he also captured this child. He became relaxed, strolling around the room while gently rocking and patting the child, and asked Gu Nanqiao: "When was the child born?"
Gu Nanqiao answered him: "Five days ago."
Jiang Gubei's footsteps suddenly stopped.
Five days ago.
Qianmo died five days ago.
He looked down at the child. The nephew looks like his uncle. The child looks like him and also like Qianmo. Qianmo is also his uncle. All the men in the Jiang family have a smiling mouth.
Richard called him: "Bei, you are the child's uncle, give him a Chinese name."
Jiang Gubei was stunned for a long time, then answered him: "Just call him Sinan."
Richard mentioned Sinan several times and said happily, "What a good name. His mother's name is Nanqiao. He misses his mother no matter where he is."
Jiang Gubei didn't say anything.
He turned around and saw Jing Mingchen standing by the bed not far away, his eyes already filled with tears.
She understands him.
Coming out of Gu Nanqiao's house and walking on the road, Jing Mingchen asked, "How did you hide Qianmo's matter?"
Jiang Gubei answered her: "This is not a problem. Before Qianmo ran to Yunnan, he lied that he was going to study abroad and had already said goodbye to his mother and uncle. I just need to pretend that he is not dead and that he is abroad."
Peach trees line the avenues. As April draws to a close, the ground is covered with falling peach blossoms. The few remaining flowers that linger on the branches cannot withstand the ravages of the spring wind and are carried by the wind to the soil. Some flowers bloom very early and wither very early, just like some lives, which are as brilliant as peaches and plums but also as short as morning dew.
Jiang Gubei said: "The name I want to give my child is actually Simo."
Si Nan Si Nan, this Nan is not the Nan of Nan Qiao, but the Nan of Yunnan. What he is thinking about is not Nan Qiao, but Jiang Qianmo who is buried under the wilderness of Yunnan. He wants to name the child Si Mo but he dares not. His sister is smart, and he is afraid that she will see through the clues and understand the heavy bloody secret.
It would be fine if he knew the secret himself.
But it's really sad to keep a secret in my heart.
Jing Mingchen's footsteps suddenly stopped.
She stopped under the peach tree, standing in front of him, and looked up at him.
Suddenly, she reached out and placed her hand on his chest, feeling the thumping of his heart.
Then, she gently grabbed his chest, curled her ten fingers into a ball with her palms facing upwards, then retracted her hands, placed her fists against her chest and slowly stretched them out.
She put her hand over her heart and said to him solemnly, "Mr. Jiang, I will keep your secret for you from now on."
When Jing Mingchen returned home, he was scolded by his mother again, as expected. His mother was so angry that she had a headache. She lay on the sofa, holding her head and complaining about how the whole family made her worry. She talked about how Jing Mingchen ran away from home to Yunnan, and then mentioned that his second sister was disobedient and went to military school. Now she didn't know what kind of job she was doing and she was away from home every few days. She traced it back to decades ago when Mr. Jing went into exile in Japan for the revolution, leaving her alone at home to serve his parents-in-law...
Jing Mingchen knelt on the carpet without saying a word and pretended to be well-behaved until the people sent by Gu Nanqiao finally rescued her.
Gu Nanqiao's people came to deliver an invitation to her to attend a dance to celebrate Sinan's birth and Jiang Gubei's escape from death.
Gu Nanqiao also brought a gift.
Jing Mingchen returned to the room with the gift box and opened the box. Inside was a satin dress, a gentle light bean green color, with a simple cut, low-key and gorgeous.
There is a card attached to the box: Looking forward to dancing with you.
Jing Mingchen looked at the card and smiled.
When Jing Mingchen appeared at the venue in the evening wearing this dress, he immediately attracted the attention of the guests.
Jing Mingchen knew that it was not just her clothes that attracted people. She had traveled thousands of miles to find her lover. Who in Chongqing didn't know Miss Jing San? Some people praised her for her courage and bravery in love and hate, while others mocked her for being shameless and paying for men. In any case, she was the most dazzling star at the venue tonight. How many people came to see her beauty? You could tell from their expressions.
Jing Mingchen walked slowly between two silent rows of people, enduring their gazes that were either curious or contemptuous, or amazed or jealous. He suddenly remembered that year in Wuhan, when Jiang Gubei also appeared in such a silent and focused atmosphere.
Finally reached the end of the crowd.
Jiang Gubei was standing there, wearing a black tuxedo, tall and handsome, like Romeo who had been waiting for Juliet for a long time. He smiled and stretched out his hand to her: "Miss Jing, would you do me the honor of dancing with me?"
Compared to that year in Wuhan, Jiang Gubei's dancing steps have improved a lot. He was the leader of the whole dance, holding Jing Mingchen and dancing like a butterfly on the dance floor. Jing Mingchen couldn't help but feel jealous: "Who did you practice dancing with? How come you are so familiar with it?"
Jiang Gubei smiled but said nothing. With a bent-leg dance step, Jing Mingchen leaned back, and the clothes on her shoulders slipped down, revealing half of her shoulders. When the song ended, she hurriedly reached out to pull her clothes back on, smiling shyly and saying, "I've been in Leshan for too long, wearing coarse cloth clothes for a year. It's a bit hard to adapt to this slippery silk."
Someone came over and asked Jing Mingchen: "Miss Jing, can you dance with me?"
Without waiting for Jing Mingchen to answer, Jiang Gubei held her hand tightly, pulled her into his arms, and answered for her with a smile: "I'm sorry, Miss Jing, I'm the only dance partner tonight."
A new song began again.
Jing Mingchen turned around, her skirt fluttering, dazzling the eyes. Jiang Gubei held her with his long arms, and she turned around, leaning her back against his chest, and asked him, "How is the company going?"
Jiang Gubei answered her, "It has been dealt with. It turns out that my uncle and stepmother were planning to let Mr. Jin become a shareholder. The contract has been prepared. They will sign the contract after my funeral and I will be declared dead. But since I am still alive, the contract will always be a piece of waste paper."
There was a sigh in his words: "Long before I returned to the Jiang family, when I was still fighting with the Jiang family at Wilson & Co., I had already discovered the bad role Uncle Song played in the Jiang family's business. One of the important reasons why I was able to defeat the Jiang family at the beginning was that the Jiang family's oil pressing technology had not been improved for many years, and the tung oil was seriously adulterated. Whether it was quality or price, they were at a disadvantage. At that time, my father had been bedridden for many years, and the Jiang family's business was actually managed by Uncle Song. It can be seen that this person has evil intentions. Therefore, after I took over the Jiang family, I sent him to an idle position, but the treatment was the same. Who would have thought that he was not satisfied."
Jing Mingchen asked: "So, how did you handle it this time?"
Jiang Gubei didn't speak for a long time. After a long while, he replied, "I didn't deal with him."
Jing Mingchen said in shock: "He did such a treacherous thing. If you keep him in the company, he will be a disaster in the end."
Jiang Gubei smiled bitterly: "I know that too. I was going to fire him, but my stepmother heard about it and came to the office and scolded me in front of the shareholders. She also said that the Jiang family doesn't belong to me alone, Qianmo is also the son of the Jiang family."
His fingers holding Jing Mingchen's arm suddenly tightened, and Jing Mingchen knew that he remembered Jiang Qianmo's words before his death, about how much he cared about his mother and uncle.
She could only hold his hand silently.
Don't worry, from now on, I will accompany you through thousands of miles of mountains and rivers.