Chapter 126 She had some doubts about whether it might be...
Lu Zhan got out of the car in a huff, threw his little schoolbag on the sofa, and sat there silently sulking. His arms crossed and cold face really had a bit of his father's temperament, which was quite intimidating.
Gui Chun and Zhang Ma tried to coax him with food, but he wouldn't laugh, so they had no choice but to call Shen Rong back.
Shen Rong had just asked what was wrong when Lu Zhan burst into tears, looking aggrieved: "Teacher Yu is gone."
"Good boy, speak properly. Where did Teacher Yu go?" Shen Rong pulled her arm away and wiped his snot and tears.
Lu Zhan burped: "They said that Teacher Yu didn't want us because I was too naughty, and she left because she didn't like me. Mom, is that true?"
Shen Rong couldn't help but laugh and asked him, "So, do you think so?"
Lu Zhan shook his head: "I don't think so."
Shen Rong picked him up and threw him onto the sofa: "Then why are you crying? You just believe whatever others say. When have you ever been so obedient?"
Lu Zhan sniffed and pouted, "I know, that's why I beat them up, but why did Teacher Yu leave?"
He liked Teacher Yu so much, and he even listened to her and stopped fighting with his classmates, so why did he still leave?
She comforted him gently for a long time, telling him that perhaps Teacher Yu had something to do that prevented her from teaching them, such as an emergency at home, or that she would be back in a while.
Lu Zhan seemed to understand, but not quite. His father had told him that family was very important, so he accepted the explanation. However, he was still in a bad mood. To cheer him up, Shen Rong promised to take him to the amusement park again during the two-day holiday.
"Mom, when is Dad coming home? I miss him so much." Lu Zhan snuggled in his mother's arms; it had been a long time since he had done something like this, typical of a child.
It's clear she really misses her dad.
Lu Lin has been gone for almost three or four months. I wonder what the situation is like in the Northwest? It's not just her son who's thinking about it; she's thinking about it too.
Shen Rong gently patted her son: "Soon, soon, he'll be back in a couple of days."
She'd said this so many times, and Lu Zhan was starting to doubt it. He pouted, "Mom's lying again."
Shen Rong chuckled and reached out to pinch his nose: "This time it's for real, Mom isn't lying to you."
After all, she had received a telegram from Lu Lin an hour earlier, saying that he would be back the day after tomorrow.
***
Lu Zhan's energy is truly boundless. Before, with Lu Lin around, Shen Rong didn't find it too difficult, but this time, even though he was almost exhausted, Lu Zhan still wanted to play.
Shen Rong waved her hand, "No, I can't go anymore. Going to the amusement park is too exhausting for Mom. Zhang Ma and Gui Chun are also pale with exhaustion."
"Young Master has raised this child very well."
Zhang Ma regretted letting both her sons go to the Northwest with their master. If she had left one of them behind, it would have come in handy now, as he could have kept an eye on the young master.
Shen Rong also regretted not inviting Lu Chang today; she had underestimated her son's abilities!
Lu Zhan had already disappeared from sight. Shen Rong struggled to get up and followed him, secretly vowing in her heart that she would never bring him here alone again!
Anyone who wants to come can come! I'm practically dead.
When they came out of the amusement park, only Lu Zhan was in high spirits, while everyone else looked like wilted eggplants.
Shen Rong made a quick decision and found a restaurant to replenish her energy.
Lu Zhan munched on a pig's trotter, swinging his toes contentedly. Shen Rong shook her head and poured him a glass of water.
A large number of students were demonstrating in the street. Lu Zhan's eyes lit up and he wanted to run over to watch the fun, but Shen Rong stopped him and warned him: "Behave yourself."
Students taking to the streets has been a frequent occurrence these past few months, so she's gotten used to it. Zhang Ma chatted with the people next to her, asking what was going on.
The man lowered his voice, somewhat surprised: "I heard they arrested over a hundred Communists and are going to execute them. Shanghai is going to be in chaos again."
The person next to him was taken aback: "Didn't you say we should unite against Japan and stop the suppression of the Communists?"
Some people scoffed, "The people above are just saying it casually; what if they go back on their word?" Their words were full of sarcasm.
"Breaking faith and breaking promises, isn't that..." someone sighed.
Many people think this way, which is why there are endless student protests. The situation in the north is critical, and foreign enemies could return south at any time to destroy our homeland. Yet, some people still can't let go of the matter of eliminating dissidents.
Upon seeing the police approaching, someone whispered a warning: "Don't talk about state affairs...be careful what you say."
Since Du Xinmin took over the security of Shanghai, there have been many more spies lurking on the streets. You might get into trouble with just a casual remark.
Everyone felt a pang of sadness and fell silent, no longer discussing these matters.
Shen Rong frowned and sighed deeply.
Someone whispered, "Shanghai has only been enjoying good times for a short while. As soon as Du Xinmin took office, he caused widespread panic. The Japanese have become more active. A few days ago, a relative of mine who lives in Xijiekou said that there are many more Japanese soldiers in their vicinity. I wonder if Commander Lu will ever return?"
If Lu Lin were here, things would probably be better in Shanghai, the crowd nodded in agreement.
Upon hearing them mention Lu Lin, Shen Rong prepared to leave with the child, fearing that they might be recognized.
"I heard that Commander Lu's family is still in Shanghai. They should be able to come back."
"That's not necessarily true. With Young Marshal Dou arrested, the Northwest is in complete chaos."
Lu Zhan led his mother downstairs and asked her, "Are they talking about Dad?"
The fact that the people remembered Lu Lin showed that he had done a good job, and Shen Rong felt honored.
Shen Rong's lips curled slightly: "Yes, but you are a child, you are not allowed to repeat what they say."
Lu Zhan responded with an "oh," but he wasn't going to imitate that; he was already a big kid.
But the thought of those more than a hundred people weighed heavily on Shen Rong's mind. What a terrifying number! These were lives lost. She desperately hoped that Lu Lin would return soon. Perhaps if he did, Du Xinmin wouldn't dare to act so recklessly.
When it was time for dinner and Lu Chang still hadn't returned, Shen Rong put down her chopsticks, looked up and asked Zhang Ma, "Has he not been home for dinner in a long time?"
Aunt Zhang nodded: "It's been about a week."
His older brother hasn't been home for so long, has he gotten too big for his britches? He's really acting like he owns the place. He calmly put down his chopsticks and went to make a phone call.
First, he called the newspaper, but they said he had already left work. Then Shen Rong called several places he frequented, but they all said that Young Master Lu hadn't been there recently.
Shen Rong was now puzzled. Where would he go?
She also felt a little uneasy, especially since Shanghai had been quite turbulent lately. After thinking about it, she finally asked Hu Peifang for Xiangqin's home phone number.
The phone rang three times before the maid answered. When she heard that the maid was looking for Miss Xiangqin, she told her to wait a moment.
Xiangqin was home. Could it be that Lu Chang went to her house? But that doesn't make sense either, Ruyue wasn't home either. He couldn't have taken Sheng Ruyue with him, could he?
Before Xiangqin arrived, she turned to Zhang Ma and asked, "When did Ruyue leave?"
Zhang Ma didn't know either. She went out to ask her husband and came back saying, "They left around four o'clock. They left in a hurry."
"Didn't you go out with Lu Chang?"
Aunt Zhang shook her head: "No."
Shen Rong felt uneasy. Sheng Ruyue's sudden departure was probably related to Lu Chang. Had the two had a falling out?
Xiangqin finally answered the phone, her pleasant voice coming through as Shenrong exchanged greetings with her.
Ask her if she had seen Lu Chang today.
Upon learning that she was Lu Chang's sister-in-law, Xiangqin's voice became somewhat excited: "Mrs. Lu, I think he went to the Japanese Concession."
She explained that the Japanese trading company was having a ball today, and Lu Chang had asked her to get an invitation.
He must have gone to attend a banquet.
Why was Xiangqin behaving so strangely at the banquet? Under Shen Rong's questioning, Xiangqin finally spoke up: "I feel that this banquet is somewhat inappropriate. Mrs. Lu must know my identity. Although I am Japanese, I grew up in Shanghai. I love this place and this country. I do not approve of their actions at all. They forced me to get close to the Third Young Master to obtain information. In fact, Lu Chang had already discovered my identity, but he did not make things difficult for me. On the contrary, he covered for me. But as time went on, I became a smarter person. I knew that he was using me to get close to the Japanese to obtain their information."
“The information I got before was useless, but this time it’s different. I have a feeling that they let me know on purpose, and the invitation was easy to get.” She was a little suspicious that it might be a trap.
"Mrs. Lu, I'm actually a little worried too. If possible, you'd better bring more people to meet us."
She spoke in a low voice, and after a long pause, said "I'm sorry" and hung up the phone.
Xiangqin's words seemed to explode in Shen Rong's mind, and she suddenly realized the danger involved.
She didn't have time to figure out Lu Chang's identity. After hanging up the phone, she put on her coat and asked someone to prepare a car.
Fortunately, Lu Lin left her a few people before he left. Shen Rong told them to find as many people as possible, and she emphasized that they should all bring guns.
"Madam, what happened!" Ma Cheng was Lu Lin's confidant in Shanghai and a trustworthy person.
Shen Rong then bluntly stated that Lu Chang had gone to the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and might be in danger.
Ma Cheng immediately understood and quickly called for help. He originally wanted Shen Rong to stay at home and wait for news, while they went to meet the Third Young Master.
But Shen Rong couldn't sit still and insisted on going with them, just in case... maybe her identity could intimidate them a little.
The group drove to the location of the Japanese trading company, but they were only halfway there when they heard a burst of gunfire.
"Quickly, speed things up." Ma Cheng ordered his men to take out their weapons, ready to fight at any moment, his face grim.
Shen Rongxin jumped up; the gunshots were coming this way.
Ma Cheng told the driver to stop the car, got out and came to Shen Rong's side: "Madam, there's gunfire ahead, so please don't go over there. It's too dangerous. You should wait in the car."
But Lu Chang is still inside.
"I'll send someone to check it out." Ma Cheng instructed someone to go ahead and scout the situation, reassuring her, "It might not be the Third Young Master."
Shen Rong clenched her hands, praying to every god and Buddha in her heart, hoping it really wasn't him.
Otherwise, when his older brother comes back, she will definitely urge Lu Lin to give this kid a good beating. He's so immature.
Soon, the person who went out to check the situation returned and said that a group of Japanese soldiers ahead were looking for the assassin and were making quite a fuss.
Ma Cheng was a cautious man. He knew that his main task was to protect Shen Rong's safety, so he strongly disapproved of Shen Rong going there at this time.
"The accident happened at a ball hosted by a Japanese trading company?" Shen Rong asked.
The man shook his head, and Shen Rong instantly felt relieved. Lu Chang had gone to the ball, and since the incident didn't happen at the ball, it probably wasn't him.
However… Shen Rong looked at the quiet street and felt a little strange. With such a commotion, and most of the day having passed, why hadn’t the police been dispatched yet?
Ma Cheng also found it strange. They planned to split into two teams: one group would escort Shen Rong back, while the other group would go ahead to check the situation and look for Lu Chang.
In order to get home as soon as possible, Ma Cheng asked the driver to take a shortcut through the British concession. When the car reached a street corner, the driver suddenly slammed on the brakes, and a person appeared in front of the headlights to stop the car.
Unable to make out his appearance clearly, Ma Cheng cautiously got out of the car to check.
Shen Rong's head hit the back of the chair, making her a little dizzy. She looked ahead in the light and saw that the person had moved and was walking towards the car.
Once out of the glaring lights, the driver immediately recognized her: "Madam, it's Miss Sheng."
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