Chapter 94 The wife has held on for so long, and then...

At Cao Fengyi's place, Shen Rong saw an acquaintance, Ma Langhua.

Ma Langhua didn't give her a friendly look. She was very upset that her cousin-in-law had gone to Pingcheng without her but took Shen Rong instead. Not daring to criticize Cao Fengyi, she could only give Shen Rong a cold shoulder.

However, Shen Rong didn't care about the eye rolls; her mind was entirely focused on the situation in Bincheng.

"Langhua, you should go back now," Cao Fengyi said, dismissing her.

"Didn't you say you wanted to go see Miss Bai?" Ma Langhua was initially reluctant, but after hearing this, she finally agreed to leave.

Shen Rong asked in surprise, "Miss Bai is here too?"

Cao Fengyi's expression remained remarkably calm: "Yes, they live in the alley next door."

Shen Rong sensed something was wrong. Dou Wenliang had actually sent Bai Yuan back to Pingcheng, and Cao Fengyi was so calm. It couldn't be that Dou Wenliang cared about Bai Yuan and was concerned for her safety, but rather that he himself was about to return.

Is he going to retreat back to the interior of the pass again?

Cao Fengyi held her hand and sighed, "Bincheng has already been embroiled in conflict. The young marshal also wants to fight the Japanese with all his might, but now it's not something he can decide alone. There are orders from Jincheng not to engage in direct conflict with the Japanese, and the government can't provide any follow-up support. They may have to retreat back to Pingcheng one after another."

Shen Rong looked up at her. There must be a second half to what she was saying, otherwise Cao Fengyi wouldn't have specifically invited her here, especially since it was about Lu Lin.

Her heart was pounding. Cao Fengyi looked troubled, but also a little pitying. She patted her hand to comfort her.

"Lu Lin volunteered to cover the rear, but don't worry, sister, Wenliang left him enough manpower and weapons. He's very capable, nothing will happen to him."

Shen Rong's face turned pale instantly. So that's how it was...

"So you're just going to give up on the Northeast and Bincheng like this?" Shen Rong's voice was very soft, without any excitement, as if she had expected it all along.

Cao Fengyi sighed. Given their relationship, there was no need to use platitudes to appease her, especially since her husband had taken the initiative to shield Dou Wenliang from the Japanese attacks.

She chose to tell the truth.

"There's nothing we can do about it. Jincheng doesn't want to go to war with the Japanese. They're hoping to get foreigners to put pressure on Japan internationally and make them stop the war. To be honest, Wenliang has done his best. We can't just throw all 200,000 of our men into that war. How can we fight Japan with just our own forces? What if Jincheng is just thinking about this? They'll feel at ease once we've used up all our men."

"Bincheng is our home too. I want to drive the Japanese out even more than you do."

"Don't worry, Wenliang won't let anything happen to Lu Lin. He'll be recalled once the main force withdraws back to the interior."

Shen Rong's smile was more like a grimace: "Okay, thank you, sister-in-law."

Cao Fengyi felt bitter inside, but she couldn't get involved in the matter; she could only relay the man's decision.

"Don't talk nonsense, we're like family."

Shen Rong stumbled out of the Dou Mansion, her mind in turmoil.

Everyone has their own agenda, and everyone is acting out of self-interest. No one cares what the civilians trapped in the war zone think or what they should do.

The Dou family feared that once they had exhausted their military forces and run out of leverage, the Jincheng government would want to sit back and watch the two sides fight, reaping the benefits. Therefore, their minds were preoccupied with power struggles, assuming the Japanese would be satisfied after occupying Northeast China.

Will they be satisfied? Shen Rong knew they wouldn't; they would rush towards the Central Plains even more frantically.

She knew, and many others did as well, that newspapers were filled with people angrily criticizing the current government every day, reminding the authorities of Japan's wolfish ambitions, cunning, despicable nature, and aggressive intentions, but those in power turned a deaf ear and let it go unchecked, while hundreds of thousands of troops were busy fighting amongst themselves to "suppress bandits."

How ridiculous!

Shen Rong felt powerless. She wanted to run to the high platform, take out a megaphone, and tell everyone she knew, but would that do any good?

Others would just think she's like those hot-blooded, radical students, spouting nothing but threats.

Did the Dou family not know the Japanese ambitions? Did the Jincheng government really not know? Yet, for their own immediate interests, they still chose to back down.

Cao Fengyi watched Shen Rong's retreating figure, sighed and shook her head. The old maid beside her stepped forward and said, "Mrs. Lu must be frightened."

Cao Fengyi: "She and Lu Lin are a loving couple, so it's not surprising that she's worried."

Back home, Shen Rong looked at her son and suddenly felt like crying. The phone rang, and she had a feeling it was Lu Lin.

Gui Chun wanted to pick her up, but she stopped her, insisting on picking her up herself.

Hearing that familiar voice again after two months, Shen Rong couldn't hold back her emotions.

"Don't cry, you know everything?" Lu Lin's voice was a little low. The environment was noisy, and the sound of gunfire could be faintly heard. The smoke seemed to reach Shen Rong's nose through the telephone line.

"Is it my fault?" Lu Lin asked hesitantly.

Even if Shen Rong is sad and angry, he will still make this choice. He cannot cowardly retreat back to the interior and hand over Bincheng to the Japanese.

Shen Rong sniffed and smiled, "Of course not, Lu Lin. I'm proud of you. I knew you would do that. Lu Lin will never back down from a fight."

Lu Lin's deep laughter came: "Arong, I'm very happy too." He was very happy that Shen Rong could understand him and support his choice.

"This should be the last phone call. I might not be able to call you again. Don't worry about me. Take good care of yourself and the baby. If... you must be well." If he were to die, he hoped that Shen Rong would only be sad for a month or two. He was not afraid of death, but he was afraid that she would be sad.

Shen Rong knew how precious this phone call was, and she was reluctant to hang up, holding the phone line tightly: "But I want to talk to you. I don't want to get news about you from those newspapers and military intelligence reports. I want to know if you are okay? I have so much to tell you."

Lu Lin paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Then write me a letter." Even though he might not receive it, "Write everything you want to say in it, okay?"

When Shen Rong heard someone calling him from the other side, his heart tightened, and he called out his name.

"Don't be afraid, wait for me." He hung up the phone without even saying goodbye.

Shen Rong lay on the sofa and cried. Zhang Ma and Gui Chun held Xiao Ming and hid in the kitchen, sighing.

"Zhang Ma, what happened? Why is Madam crying so sadly?" Gui Chun asked.

Aunt Zhang sighed, "It must be related to the war in Bincheng. Take the young master outside for another walk, but don't disturb the madam."

My wife has been holding on for so long, let her cry it out and let it all out.

Those Japanese are so hateful. Don't they have their own country? Why do they come here to steal their things? They're robbers, no, they're even more hateful than robbers.

It took Dou Wenliang's army three months to gradually withdraw back to Pingcheng. Upon returning to Pingcheng, he immediately met with Shen Rong.

"Tianming asked me to give this to you." Dou Wenliang pointed to a small box full of letters. "You can just make a phone call."

They had to write love letters amidst the flames of war.

With the war situation urgent, how could one casually call the front lines? What if it caused a misunderstanding? Shen Rong simply smiled and accepted the call.

"Thanks."

A whole box full, enough for her to look at for a long time. Did he make up for the next few months' worth?

Seeing her so calm, Dou Wenliang became curious: "Aren't you going to ask about his situation?"

Shen Rong shook his head: "I don't understand the war, and as for his current situation... as long as he's not dead, that's fine!" Even if he were dead, the newspapers should have already reported it.

Dou Wenliang laughed: "You have a good attitude. No wonder Tianming is so at ease."

She smiled bitterly. How could she manage if she always looked so miserable? How could she possibly get by with such a bad attitude?

"Don't worry, although the war is tough, it won't be so easy for the Japanese to defeat him." He took out a cigarette, but saw Shen Rong put it down again.

He remembered Lu Lin saying that Miss Shen couldn't stand the smell of smoke.

"With Han Xiwen cooperating with him, the Japanese won't be able to take Bincheng so quickly." Dou Wenliang has lost much of his spoiled nature. After being baptized by gunfire, his face has become cold and hard, and his eyes are firm.

Shen Rong believed him. In fact, it was already beyond expectations that Bincheng could hold out for so long and that Dou Wenliang had only just withdrawn to Pingcheng. Although they hadn't driven the Japanese out, they had at least dampened the Japanese army's morale to some extent. They weren't as terrifying as they were boasted about. What myth of invincibility? Weren't those well-equipped Japanese troops stopped by the flesh and blood of the Chinese people?

Cao Fengyi told her that her family was going to hold a dance party in a few days and that she should remember to come.

Shen Rong nodded in agreement. She knew that the banquet was arranged to welcome the special envoy from Jincheng.

Lu Lin is still fighting on the front lines, so as a family member, she naturally has to attend. Moreover, the people from Jincheng will definitely say some words of condolence to her.

If possible, Shen Rong wouldn't want to participate at all; she has a lot of things to do.

Lu Lin is at war, so she can't just stay home crying and waiting for news every day. These days she's also busy with her own career, learning things from Lin Wenhui.

Lin Wenhui is currently working on cultural relic preservation, and she helps out with the work.

After leaving the Dou Mansion, Shen Rong went directly to the Dong Family Mansion by car.

Lin Wenhui was a little surprised to see her: "Why are you back so soon?" She knew that Shen Rong had gone to the Dou family and thought that she was not coming today.

Seeing the papers, straw, and wooden boxes scattered all over the floor, Shen Rong asked curiously, "What are you doing here?"

Lin Wenhui was already showing her pregnancy and couldn't squat for too long, so she got up and sat on a higher spot to the side.

"I'm learning how to pack."

Do I need to learn how to pack?

Seeing Shen Rong's confusion, she explained, "The war is about to reach Beiping. There are so many treasures in the palace. What if the Japanese invade? They can run away on their own. What will happen to all these things?"

Shen Rong suddenly realized, so they started preparing at this time?

Are you going to move them?

Lin Wenhui nodded: "The teachers do have this idea, but they haven't reached a consensus yet. After all, it's not a small project, and these things can't withstand bumps and jostles. I'm just being prepared and figuring out how to pack them first."

"You have foresight." Shen Rong gave a thumbs up.

Lin Wenhui picked up a straw and threw it at her, then pointed to a few books on the table next to her: "Your teacher heard that you like to study cultural relics. These are his research findings over the years. I'll lend them to you to take a look and give you a foundation."

Shen Rong was a complete novice, not even qualified to be a beginner. Lin Wenhui's teacher had heard about Shen Rong from her, so he kindly lent her a few books. At least one must be able to identify genuine cultural relics before one can protect them.

Don't mistake a fake for the real thing, or you'll embarrass them.

"Teacher Lin, how can you be so kind? Don't worry, I'll definitely watch it carefully." Shen Rong's performance was somewhat exaggerated.

Lin Wenhui teased her, "Who told me to owe Mrs. Lu? But you'd better take a good look, this is my teacher's experience over many years, I don't usually lend this to just anyone!"

Shen Rong nodded and repeatedly assured that she would watch it carefully.

Seeing that she was about to pack again, Shen Rong put the books aside, squatted down to help, and under Lin Wenhui's direction, wrapped them layer by layer and put them into a wooden box. Then they would have to go through tests such as vibration, water immersion and fire.

The results were somewhat disappointing. Lin Wen picked up the straw with a troubled expression: "It's still not soft enough."

Shen Rong recalled that modern express delivery packaging uses foam boards and bubble wrap to fill gaps, which can effectively prevent collisions. Nowadays, these straws alone are not enough.

"What do you think about using cotton?" Cotton is soft and can fill even the smallest gaps.

Lin Wenhui shook her head: "We've thought about it, but cotton is too expensive. It would be great if we could find a cheaper alternative."

Shen Rong clicked her tongue: "Our Teacher Lin has put the cart before the horse. Which is more expensive, cotton or national treasures? Of course, we should use the best to pack them." A bright idea popped into her head: "If we don't have enough funds, we can raise some money."

She winked at Lin Wenhui, saying that there were many wealthy people in Pingcheng, and those rich ladies had nothing to do but play cards or compete for attention every day. Why not find a high-class reason to get them to donate some money?

Lin Wenhui hesitated for a moment: "Will this work?"

Shen Rong snapped his fingers: "Leave it to me."

Just a few days later, the Dou family will be holding a ball, which will be attended by all the city's celebrities—a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Pretending to be cultured is something that people in the upper class love to do. Don't we also have all sorts of charity galas in modern times?