You talk too much.
Tan Yuanbo lacked the restraint of the intellectuals within the Party; when he drank, he didn't care who was eating at the same table.
Zhang Chenglin had previously heard Sheng Dongsheng say that Tan Yuanbo wasn't given much responsibility when he first joined the army because his captain didn't like him.
Later, after winning a battle, at the victory banquet, he drank an entire platoon under the table by himself, and eventually drank all the way to the commander's table, managing to drink several large bottles without getting drunk.
It was because of that drinking contest that Tan Yuanbo caught the eye of the commander. Coupled with her personal abilities, she rose steadily through the ranks to her current position.
Zhang Chenglin had often accompanied Jiang Yuanxing to various drinking parties since he was a child, and Tan Yuanbo did not deliberately make things difficult for him, so he could handle it.
Ji Yuxing, who had never touched a cigarette or alcohol since childhood, was in for a lot of trouble. Although he started drinking after entering officialdom, encountering someone like Tan Yuanbo was a disaster for him.
Tan Yuanbo personally poured wine for the two of them, speaking in somewhat impolite official jargon as he did so: "Since you've come to Shandong with me, you should do your job well. You know what the situation is like outside right now. We need to keep a close eye on the developments in the Northeast while we wait for orders from the organization..."
"Thump—"
As Tan Yuanbo was speaking, Zhang Chenglin was listening quite attentively when Ji Yuxing, who was standing next to him, suddenly fell to the ground without warning.
Zhang Chenglin reacted immediately and helped him up. Tan Yuanbo had no choice but to ask someone to prepare a guest room for Ji Yuxing.
“Judging from his appearance, he doesn’t seem like he can go back,” Tan Yuanbo said, his tone as cold as ever, but unusually showing the concern of an elder for a younger person: “Let him stay at the mansion tonight.”
Zhang Chenglin, supporting the person, did not refuse: "Then I'll have to bother you."
Tan Yuanbo waved his hand, as if he didn't like hearing these polite words, and Zhang Chenglin quickly led Ji Yuxing out with the Tan family's servants.
Tan Yuanbo watched Zhang Chenglin's retreating figure, his eyes slightly darkening.
*
"I'm not saying this to be mean!" The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, the gate of Zhang Chenglin's residence was flung open without warning, and before anyone could be seen, a voice could be heard: "You're just going to abandon me, the brother who's been through thick and thin with you, like this?!"
Zhang Chenglin was eating breakfast and knew without turning around that Ji Yuxing had returned.
I sobered up pretty quickly.
At this moment, Zhang Chenglin had only one thought in his mind.
Ji Yuxing walked into the room and sat down. Ignoring Zhang Chenglin's reaction, he picked up the teapot on the table and poured himself a cup of tea.
He took a sip but then realized the taste wasn't quite right: "Don't you not drink black tea? Why are you brewing it?"
Zhang Chenglin doesn't have a deep understanding of tea, but he has a preference for green tea, especially Longjing.
Ji Yuxing knew absolutely nothing about tea; he would drink whatever the people around him brewed, treating it as a way to quench his thirst.
Having followed Zhang Chenglin around for a long time, I gradually learned a bit about him, and at least I could tell the difference between Longjing tea and other teas with just one sip.
Zhang Chenglin simply looked at him without saying a word, nor did he intend to.
Ji Yuxing took another sip and suddenly felt that the taste was somewhat familiar. He frowned and asked, "This isn't black tea... It tastes a bit like the kind that Lao Zheng used to like to brew."
Ji Yuxing pondered for a long time, and just when Zhang Chenglin thought he was about to give up, Ji Yuxing suddenly spoke up: "Ah right! I remember now! It's Da Hong Pao."
After saying that, he asked Zhang Chenglin as if to take credit, "It's Da Hong Pao, right? I was right, wasn't I?"
Zhang Chenglin sat there without moving, the faint smile between his brows betraying his inner thoughts and giving Ji Yuxing a definite answer.
"Why are you suddenly brewing Da Hong Pao tea?" Ji Yuxing finished one cup and poured himself another. "I don't remember you having this tea at home."
Just as Zhang Chenglin was about to speak, another voice came from outside: "What? Can't you just make it for me to drink?"
Ji Yuxing abruptly stopped drinking his tea, turned to look at the person, and the instant he saw who it was, jumped up to greet them: "Zhonghua?!"
He Zhonghua was a little overwhelmed by Ji Yuxing's enthusiasm. The smile on his face was squeezed out by Ji Yuxing, and he looked at Zhang Chenglin with a resentful look: Why don't you do something about it!
Zhang Chenglin looked away and continued eating his breakfast as if it were none of his business.
He Zhonghua: "..." Good brother.
He Zhonghua shoved Ji Yuxing off him a few times before sitting down with him at Zhang Chenglin's table. The servants served them breakfast.
"When did you come to Shandong?" Ji Yuxing had calmed down now and began what he considered to be an 'interrogation': "Why didn't you tell me?!"
“I accompanied the old man to the Northeast to discuss business, and we passed through Jinan on the way back,” He Zhonghua said, taking a bite of a fried dough stick. “When I heard that you two were here, I told the old man to go back by himself first.”
"Your business is booming now." Ji Yuxing's words were tinged with undeniable envy.
He Zhonghua's father was the biggest coal boss in Shanghai. His family basically controlled all the coal supply from north to south, which meant they controlled the lifeline of China's coal industry.
"So what?" He Zhonghua said, eating his meal as if to say, "The weather is nice today." "The old man is the one who's powerful, not me."
Ji Yuxing was speechless for a long time after hearing this, while Zhang Chenglin laughed and said, "One day you will be more powerful than your old man."
“Hey, you know what,” He Zhonghua put down the fried dough stick in his hand, reached out and patted Zhang Chenglin on the shoulder, “I really love hearing you say that.”
Zhang Chenglin gripped the fabric of his green military uniform by the shoulder, looking at the oil smeared on his shoulder blade by He Zhonghua with disgust, his face showing a series of black lines.
Ji Yuxing watched Zhang Chenglin's discomfiture and shrugged off, suppressing a laugh.
"What are your plans going forward?" Zhang Chenglin asked him. "Stay in Shanghai?"
He Zhonghua was silent for a moment, then resumed his usual carefree demeanor and said, "I'll go wherever I'm needed."
Zhang Chenglin nodded silently. He Zhonghua seemed to care about nothing, but in fact, he always retained his original intention for what he believed in.
Just as he viewed the Communist Party, and just as he firmly believed that socialism could save China.
Unfortunately, such people are bound to have regrets in life, with love being the first to suffer. Thus, He Zhonghua and Elizabeth were both victims.
Three people with absolutely nothing to do chatted for a whole day, from dawn till dusk, from Zhang Chenglin's dining room to his living room.
They talked about their youth, their unrequited love, and what great achievements Zheng Mingzhe, who couldn't come to Shandong, had made.
“Hey, did you guys know?” Zhang Chenglin watched the night fall, got up to close the window, and listened as He Zhonghua continued, “Zheng Mingzhe reached a cooperation agreement with Mr. Jiang last month, and now he even has a place to speak at the Shanghai Railway Bureau.”
"Wow, that's impressive!" Ji Yuxing raised an eyebrow. "He's the truly successful one."
“Who can argue with that?” He Zhonghua said with a hint of melancholy, “Not only is he successful in his career, but he also has a fucking happy and fulfilling marriage!”
"What door did God close for him?!" He Zhonghua said, then suddenly began to wail, lamenting the injustice of fate.
Ji Yuxing initially agreed with him, but as he continued to agree, he realized that what he said made a lot of sense, so without saying a word he joined He Zhonghua's "lamenting" camp, and the two of them started howling like ghosts late at night.
Zhang Chenglin got annoyed by their arguing and pushed open the door to leave.
After He Zhonghua and Ji Yuxing finished wailing, they suddenly realized that Zhang Chenglin was no longer in the room. They looked around and then got up and went out at the same time.
In the courtyard outside, Zhang Chenglin stood alone, looking at the moon.
"What's he doing?" He Zhonghua quietly leaned closer to Ji Yuxing and asked, "Is he indulging in melancholy?"
"Maybe." Ji Yuxing didn't know either, so he could only give a casual reply.
“Speaking of which, I’m a little curious,” He Zhonghua leaned closer to Ji Yuxing, “has he still not met his soulmate?”
"It's a long story..." Ji Yuxing was just about to tell He Zhonghua about Zhang Chenglin and Fengyue when Zhang Chenglin interrupted him before he could even open his mouth: "Since it's a long story, then don't bother telling it."
As they were talking, Zhang Chenglin had already walked up to Ji Yuxing and He Zhonghua. Looking at Ji Yuxing, he said, "You talk too much all day long."
Ji Yuxing: "..."
Seeing Zhang Chenglin's reaction, He Zhonghua suddenly laughed: "There's something going on, bro?"
Zhang Chenglin stared at him for a few minutes before calmly saying, "No, he's just making things up."
He Zhonghua: "..." Your reaction doesn't seem like it was nonexistent.
Ji Yuxing: "..." Are you being polite, bro?
"Alright, it's getting late, go to sleep." Zhang Chenglin began to dismiss them, not wanting to waste any more time talking nonsense with them.
If you really get into a conversation with them, given He Zhonghua and Ji Yuxing's thirst for knowledge, you might not be able to finish even by tomorrow morning.
Zhang Chenglin went into the bedroom first, leaving Ji Yuxing and He Zhonghua standing there. They looked up at the moon and down at the pond. Finally, they exchanged glances and went into Ji Yuxing's room one after the other.
-
As Zhang Chenglin said, when Ji Yuxing and He Zhonghua get together, no one else in the world has a voice.
No one knows what the two of them talked about last night, or what time they talked until, but when Zhang Chenglin got up in the morning, the light in Ji Yuxing's room was still on.
Later, it was destroyed at some point. Zhang Chenglin went to Huayuelou and returned as dusk fell. Ji Yuxing and He Zhonghua were still asleep.
The three of them, along with "Old Zheng" Zheng Mingzhe, met a few years ago when they were studying at Cambridge. He and Zheng Mingzhe were more reserved and quiet, while the meeting between Ji Yuxing and He Zhonghua was a once-in-a-millennium event. Once these two started talking, they could chat for three days and three nights without any problem.
Zhang Chenglin and Zheng Mingzhe sometimes really couldn't understand where the two of them got so much to say every day, as if they could say in a day what they would say in a lifetime.
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