Chapter 41. Chapter 41 is about making him kneel before my stone...
Aunt Zhang has already prepared the dishes. Today, she even specially made a few Bincheng dishes that she learned from the old lady next door.
"Delicious." Shen Rong praised sincerely, which made Zhang Ma very happy, and she kept wiping her hands on her apron.
“There’s so much food, we can’t finish it all. You can share some with us.” Shen Rong asked Gui Chun to bring over a bowl.
Zhang Ma and the others are too honest. Shen Rong said that everyone should eat the same food, but Zhang Ma never leaves any for herself when she cooks a big meal.
Shen Rong felt it was wrong to always wait until they had leftovers before eating.
“Leftovers taste different. There’s so much food for the two of us, we can’t possibly finish it. Next time, just divide it into two portions.” Shen Rong instructed Gui Chun to divide the food while speaking to Zhang Ma.
Aunt Zhang was getting anxious; this wouldn't do.
My wife, no family is this frugal. If a servant gets to eat meat once every ten days or half a month, that's considered a good family. But if the servant eats with the master every day, they'll eat the family out of house and home.
"That won't do. I'll buy less next time." Zhang Ma was worried for Shen Rong. With such extravagant spending, she wondered if her husband's meager salary would be enough.
It was rare for Shen Rong to suffer such a setback, which made Lu Lin want to laugh.
This caused her to turn around and glare at him, and Lu Lin instantly put on a cold face.
"I'll listen to my wife." That was the final decision.
Shen Rong smiled.
Halfway through dinner, Shen Rong suddenly remembered what had happened at the Marshal's Mansion and asked him, "Has something happened?"
Lu Lin's expression darkened: "I received a call from Pingcheng. Mr. Sun has passed away."
Last month, the negotiations between General Dou and Mr. Sun did not go well, and the two sides failed to reach a consensus. They originally planned to talk again next month, but now it seems that things may have changed again.
Shen Rong was stunned: "Is it at this time?"
Lu Lin sighed, "I wonder when this chaotic situation will end."
Mr. Sun was originally the most likely to end this chaotic situation, but unfortunately he died young, and now it seems there will be more trouble to come.
Nowadays, there are countless warlords of all sizes in various places, fighting each other for territory every day, making life too difficult for ordinary people.
"And what about the external enemies eyeing us covetously?" Shen Rong added to him.
She patted Lu Lin on the shoulder, her face solemn: "The revolution is not yet complete, comrade, we must continue to strive!"
"But don't worry, one day all this will end, and we will have a brand new society where no one will dare to bully us."
Lu Lin twitched her lips, speaking as if she had witnessed that era.
*******
Police Department office.
Lu Lin stared intently at the newspaper.
Dou Wenliang strode in at that moment: "Tianming, what are you daydreaming about?"
Lu Lin snapped out of his daze and tried to put the newspaper away, but Dou Wenliang stopped him.
"Why is the young marshal here?"
Dou Wenliang flipped through it; it contained writings commemorating Mr. Sun's life, as well as his last wishes and will.
He sighed, "What a pity." Mr. Sun's departure has affected countless people and impacted the overall situation.
"My old man has changed his mind again. He just finished dealing with the Russians yesterday, and today he's going to fawn over the Japanese."
Lu Lin: "The Commander-in-Chief doesn't want to talk to them anymore?"
Dou Wenliang: "Now they are leaderless and they are fighting fiercely among themselves. I heard that the south is about to take action, and everyone wants to be the leader. Can my father submit to them?"
His expression was contemptuous; only Mr. Sun could command some respect from Commander Dou.
When Dou Wenliang got down to business, he plopped down on the other man's desk, put his hands behind his back, looked at the ceiling, and spoke with a sense of helplessness.
"You know your dad wants to start a university, right?" He glanced at Lu Lin sideways.
Lu Lin nodded. "I've heard about it."
"A lot of money has been invested. Even the equipment is high-end stuff bought from the United States and Germany. The school is almost ready and will be able to enroll students soon. But there is still one small thing that hasn't been settled yet."
Lu Lin just looked at him without saying a word. Dou Wenliang couldn't hold back any longer and immediately put on a bitter face: "Brother Tianming, my own brother, you have to help your older brother. Dad entrusted this task to me. You know me, I have a headache when it comes to studying. You can easily ask me to find guns and cannons, but how can I find a teacher?"
He grabbed Lu Lin's hand: "Brother Tianming, I heard that Mr. Dai is your teacher. Could you please write a letter to introduce him and help us recruit some good teachers? We can discuss the terms."
"This is my father's pride project. He's counting on it to cultivate more talent. If I don't do it well, he'll court-martial me. You have to save your old brother."
Lu Lin felt a chill as his hand was constantly being touched, and he pulled it back in disgust.
"I can write a letter to the teacher to explain the situation, but I can't guarantee that I can find the right person."
Dou Wenliang perked up immediately and laughed, "You don't need to worry about that. I'll have someone negotiate. As long as they want to come, they can name their terms. It's cold and tough here, but we can pay them. We'll pay them double what other schools pay, or even three times what they pay."
He acted like he had plenty of money.
Lu Lin nodded and took out paper and pen to write a letter.
Dou Wenliang leaned closer again: "Tianming."
Lu Lin paused, sensing something was wrong.
"I heard you have a friend who studied medicine, returned from the United States, and has superb medical skills..."
Lu Lin: "Young Marshal, you also want to invite him to be your teacher?"
Dou Wenliang gave an awkward smile: "No, that's not it." He rubbed his hands together. "It's like this, didn't my old man also build an army hospital? They're short of good doctors!"
His eyes were burning with anticipation.
Lu Lin sighed softly, "I'll write him a letter too."
He liked Lu Lin's sensible manner and patted him hard on the shoulder.
"Good brother, don't call me 'Young Marshal' like others do, it's too formal! Call me 'brother' instead."
This personality seems familiar! They all beam with joy and call each other brothers once they achieve their goal.
Dou Wenliang left happily with several letters, while Lu Lin looked at the swaying office door with mixed feelings.
Secretary Tian Shun poked his head in: "Director Lu, what brings the young marshal here?"
Lu Lin: "It's a private matter, you don't need to be nervous."
Tian Shun breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."
There are so many important people in this city, it's tough for the police department!
"I didn't expect you and the young marshal to be acquainted." The young marshal left with a smile, and Tian Shun's words carried a hint of probing. Lu Lin didn't answer, but lowered his head.
Tian Shun clicked his tongue inwardly. This newly appointed Director Lu was indeed no ordinary person. Not only was he highly valued by the Marshal, but he could also handle the young marshal.
It seems he needs to perform well and not disappoint Director Lu.
"Then I'll take my leave now, Director, please continue with your work!" He said with a slightly obsequious smile, gently closing the door behind him.
When he was alone, he took out the newspaper again.
Her expression was somewhat complicated. The newspaper published Mr. Sun's last words, some of which matched the two sentences she had said a few days ago.
How did she know? It was just published in the newspaper.
He suddenly felt like asking her, so he called home, only to be told that his wife had been invited away by the Marshal's Mansion again.
After this detour, he lost the urge to continue asking questions.
She even worried that if he pressed her for answers, she might expose everything. What should she do then? Should she cover it up or investigate according to the law?
The couple has a child, what should they do?
Shen Rong had no idea about his dilemma; she was completely overwhelmed by what she was seeing.
Cao Fengyi sent someone to take her away today; she was here to accompany the young lady shopping.
Originally intended as a dowry for Dou Meiyun, it ended up becoming a shopping spree for everyone.
"Is it good-looking?" Cao Fengyi asked.
The boss said there was a new batch of cheongsams that were the most fashionable style in Shanghai right now. The boss's wife was very persuasive and convinced everyone, so everyone picked one to try on.
It was a bit too close to her body, and Cao Fengyi wasn't quite used to it.
"Beautiful, so beautiful! It accentuates your figure and elevates your overall look by several notches." Shen Rong transformed into a group of complimenters.
Cao Fengyi was flattered and became a little arrogant. She abandoned her previous composure and admired herself in the mirror, saying modestly, "It's not as exaggerated as you say."
She has a full figure and is tall, so she looks particularly charming in this cheongsam.
"Sister-in-law, it looks great," Dou Meiyun agreed.
Cao Fengyi looked at herself in the mirror again and again, quite infatuated.
"This is it. I'll wear it tonight to surprise the young marshal. I guarantee he'll be so captivated he won't be able to find his way around," Shen Rong said mischievously.
Cao Fengyi blushed and pretended to spit at her.
"So you wore this outfit to seduce Director Lu?"
Shen Rong shamelessly admitted, "Yes, I want him to fall at my feet, no, at my feet!"
Everyone burst into laughter at her antics; they had never seen such a mischievous person before.
Mrs. Han also came out somewhat awkwardly: "I feel a bit strange, I'm not used to it. Why don't you buy it, I don't need it."
Without the cover of loose, baggy dresses, she always felt as if she were wearing nothing at all.
Dou Meiyun: "Mrs. Han needs to keep up with new things occasionally, but she'll get used to it once she gets used to it."
"It's too tight." She covered her chest with one hand and pinched the slit of her skirt with the other.
"This looks best when it's form-fitting, showcasing a woman's curves." Shen Rong took her hand down and showed her her reflection in the mirror.
"Look, how beautiful and vibrant it is! What's strange about it?"
Mrs. Han looked up at her unfamiliar reflection in the mirror and slowly tried to straighten her back.
It seems to be somewhat good-looking...
She turned to look at Chen Rong, her eyes sharp, and immediately noticed something was wrong with the belly: "Mrs. Lu, your belly..."
This isn't fat, is it?
Reminded by her, Cao Fengyi also looked over. Having given birth herself, she immediately understood the situation.
"Mrs. Lu is pregnant, isn't she? Almost five or six months along?" she asked with a look of surprise.
Shen Rong touched her belly somewhat embarrassedly: "That's the downside of cheongsams, they can't hide my belly, you all saw right away."
She even specifically chose thick, loose-fitting ones so that they wouldn't hide anything.
Cao Fengyi told her to sit down: "Why didn't you say so earlier? I've been dragging you around everywhere. If you get tired, someone will come after me."
Shen Rong laughed and said, "I was bored at home, you guys are practically my saviors who rescued me from this hellhole, does he dare to say that?"
Mrs. Han looked on with envy: "That's wonderful, Mrs. Lu, congratulations!"
Dou Meiyun glanced at her stomach several times, somewhat curious.
When my sister-in-law was pregnant, she wasn't as daring as Mrs. Lu. This Mrs. Lu is truly surprising.
"How about we call it a day and come back in a few days?" Cao Fengyi was worried that she would get tired.
Shen Rong grabbed Cao Fengyi's hand: "No, I haven't had enough shopping yet! I've only just started buying things. I'm really fine. How could I be so energetic if I wasn't feeling well?"
That's true; they've only been here a short time.
Cao Fengyi smiled and said, "Then let's stroll around a little longer."
Shen Rongdao nodded: "I need to buy another coat. The fur coats you're wearing are very nice. Where did you buy them?"
She touched her neck again; it felt empty.
"I need to buy a beaded necklace to match this cheongsam."
The group exchanged knowing smiles. Mrs. Lu, being the daughter of a banker, certainly didn't hesitate to spend money without batting an eye, showing no remorse whatsoever. To match...
The group returned home laden with goods. There were so many that the shopkeeper had to deliver them to their homes first. Cao Fengyi took Shen Rong home first.
Unexpectedly, Lu Lin had already returned.
"Director Lu, Mrs. Lu has had a long and tiring day. You must be worried sick about her, right?" Cao Fengyi teased.
The shop had already delivered the goods before they even got home, and Shen Rong had a great success!
Lu Lin laughed and said, "It's heartbreaking. I'm afraid I'll lose my entire month's salary."
Shen Rong was embarrassed and annoyed. She threw her bag into his arms and pushed him away, saying, "You talk too much."
She smiled and told the driver, "Be careful on the road, drive slowly." She then waved goodbye to the people in the back seat.
Dou Meiyun said, "If you're free tomorrow, Mrs. Lu might as well come over and play cards."
Cao Fengyi looked at Lu Lin and smiled, "Tomorrow is a day off, Director Lu will probably have to spend some quality time with his wife."
Dou Meiyun didn't pay any attention.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
