Chapter 75 Something's happened at the Marshal's Mansion, I have to go...
Shen Rong's face lit up with joy, and she urged Lin Wenhui and the others to leave first: "Go back and wait for my news. When you leave, don't look dejected. Try to act normal."
Although Lin Wenhui found it strange, she still did as she was told. Mary couldn't understand Chinese and smiled at everyone.
Uchida Eiko watched their retreating figures, her eyes filled with a deep, unsettling gaze.
"Mrs. Uchida, what brings you here?" Shen Rong greeted her, bundled up tightly.
Uchida Eiko smiled and stepped forward to greet her: "I only had a brief meeting with Mrs. Lu at the hospital that day, and there was some misunderstanding. I've been feeling uneasy ever since, so I felt I had to come and see you."
Shen Rong waved her hand generously: "It's just a misunderstanding, nothing serious. My husband has already told me that you Japanese soldiers have all been released."
Uchida Eiko nodded: "That's right. Mrs. Lu is very magnanimous. We were the narrow-minded ones. Dean Ito even said he wanted to come and apologize in person, but I heard that Director Lu is not at home recently, so he can't come over."
Shen Rong's smile deepened. So they had come to gather information. That was even better. She felt more confident about what she needed to do.
She deliberately put on a worried look: "That's right, he's very busy, he's like a dragon whose head is seen but not its tail. I haven't seen him for several days. This morning he told me he was going on a business trip again, but he didn't say how long he'd be gone?"
Uchida Eiko asked curiously, "Didn't Director Lu say where he was going?"
"Who knows? I didn't ask. Now when I run into trouble, I can't find him. It's so annoying!" She sounded a little impatient.
A thought struck her, and she asked, "Mrs. Lu, are you in some kind of trouble? Is there anything we can do to help?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Rong's eyes lit up, and she excitedly grabbed her hand, saying, "Don't tell me, I really need your help with this?"
Do you know anyone in your military police unit?
She explained to Uchida Eiko, "I asked someone to buy a box of old books to give to my father-in-law. He likes these things, but they were confiscated in your concession."
Uchida Eiko exclaimed in surprise, "Director Lu's belongings have also been confiscated. How dare they be so bold?"
Shen Rong was a little embarrassed: "No, they didn't know they were our family's things. I asked my friend, the lady who just left, who teaches at Bincheng University, to help me collect them. She just came to tell me that the books have been confiscated. I originally wanted to ask Lu Lin for help, but he wasn't here when I needed him. Can you believe it? I'm in a hurry to send them back to my hometown, so I can't afford to delay."
She smiled at Uchida Eiko, a little embarrassed, "You're the only Japanese friend I know, Mrs. Uchida. Could you possibly help me get this box of books back?"
Uchida Eiko lowered her head and took a sip of tea, weighing the pros and cons in her mind. If helping her with a small favor could earn Shen Rong's trust, it would be a very worthwhile thing. However, she couldn't do it so easily; she had to make sure Shen Rong remembered this favor.
But... is it really just a box of old books? After all, Lu Lin's identity is special.
She hesitated for a moment: "I do know a few people, but..."
Shen Rong hurriedly grasped her hand: "Don't worry, just tell me if you need anything arranged. Actually, this book is a birthday gift for my father-in-law. If it were any other kind of thing, it would be held back. But I've already told you in advance, and if the gift doesn't arrive, wouldn't I lose face?" Her face showed both pride and embarrassment.
Uchida Eiko roughly understood what was going on and made her own judgment. Before Shen Rong could continue speaking, she changed the subject.
"I just saw a foreigner, is he also your friend?" he asked tentatively.
Foreigners, aren't you a Japanese person also a foreigner? You've been staying here for so long that you think you're the owner of this land.
Shen Rong concealed her disgust and shook her head with a smile: "I don't know her. Isn't this a coincidence? The commander originally wanted me to be the translator for their inspection team. I happened to be giving birth, so I recommended my friend. Who knew that her classmate in the United States was on the team? She also learned that I was interested in the United States, so she brought her classmate to tell me about her experiences."
"Wasn't I just bored during my postpartum period?" Shen Rong smiled somewhat embarrassedly.
Uchida Eiko asked in surprise, "Is Mrs. Lu going to America?"
Shen Rong nodded: "If I have the chance, I'd like to go and see for myself."
The two talked about other topics for a while, but fortunately, before leaving, Uchida Eiko finally agreed to help think of a solution.
Although she left things open-ended and there was no guarantee of success, Shen Rong knew that if she wanted to continue to find out about Lu Lin and the Marshal's Mansion from her, she would definitely handle the matter well.
This is the advantage of having a bad reputation. Everyone knows that Mrs. Lu Lin has a somewhat arrogant and willful temper. If you offend her, she won't give anyone face.
However, Shen Rong was also somewhat worried, hoping that what Lin Wenhui said was true and that the ancient books were well hidden and would not be discovered.
Shen Rong thought that Uchida Eiko was deliberately dragging things out to make her look like she had done a great job, but she didn't expect her to be so efficient and personally deliver the things the next day.
"Mrs. Lu, is this what you've found?"
Shen Rong smiled and had someone open the box to take a look. She nodded and said, "These are it. Thank you."
She asked Zhang Ma to prepare some good dishes so that Uchida Eiko could stay for dinner and express her gratitude. However, just after they finished eating, a car sounded outside, and a little while later, Da Mao came in and said that the master had returned.
This is really unexpected. Wasn't it supposed to be two or three days? It's only been... She counted on her fingers; it seems like it's been two days already.
Uchida Ayaka's eyes flickered, and she smiled as she stood up, tactfully taking her leave.
Lu Lin came in looking travel-worn, carrying a suitcase. Uchida Eiko glanced at him a few more times without making it obvious.
After leaving the Lu family home, she hurriedly got into her car and went straight to the Japanese hospital.
"Lu Lin is back?" Dean Ito asked directly when he saw her.
Uchida Eiko: "Yes, they're back as expected. The informants at the Marshal's Mansion said that Dou Wenliang hasn't returned yet. It seems our previous guess was wrong; they didn't go to Pingcheng."
She had originally intended to keep Shen Rong in suspense, letting him know that things were difficult and that she owed him a great favor. But last night, she suddenly learned that Lu Lin was already on his way back.
If Lu Linruo comes back, she won't be able to give him the favor, so she hurriedly sent the things over this morning. However, their people have checked them carefully and found nothing unusual.
Dean Ito took off his glasses and placed them on the table, rubbing the corners of his eyes: "The inspection team will leave tomorrow. Continue to keep an eye on the movements of the Marshal's Mansion. This Mrs. Lu is quite a good pawn."
Uchida Eiko smiled and said, "Mrs. Lu is too well protected by her family," as innocent as a naive young girl.
Lin Wenhui was brought over by Shen Rong's men.
"How is it? Is this it?" Shen Rong looked for a long time but couldn't find the ancient book she was talking about, and suspected that it had been taken away by the Japanese.
Lin Wenhui breathed a sigh of relief: "No, they didn't notice."
However, the Japanese must have searched carefully, leaving many traces. Fortunately, the packer was skilled and the item was not recognized when mixed in with the old books.
Under the cover of night, she took the batch of ancient books out.
The next day, the inspection team boarded a ship at the port. Lin Wenhui went to see them off and took the opportunity to hand her suitcase to her classmate Mary, who would be met by her friends in Shanghai.
***
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Shen Rong was still in her postpartum confinement period, and she was craving Cantonese-style mooncakes.
According to her account, Zhang Ma made some egg yolk and lotus seed paste mooncakes, but Lu Lin was strict and only gave her a small half-piece.
Lying in bed, staring at the ceiling, she counted on her fingers. There were only ten days left until she was out of confinement, and then she was going to eat like crazy!
She glared at Lu Lin twice, then turned over and closed her eyes to go to sleep. Shen Rong never considered herself a foodie, but for some reason, perhaps because Lu Lin wouldn't let her eat, she felt it tasted even better and missed it even more, to the point that she couldn't fall asleep.
Lu Lin's breathing was steady. Shen Rong called out softly twice, but there was no response. She was secretly pleased. She carefully got out of bed, and afraid of making a noise, she tiptoed to the door, barefoot and holding her cotton shoes with both hands.
Holding my breath, I gently opened the door, thankfully without making a sound.
As soon as she stepped out of the room, she rushed downstairs as if she had escaped a great danger. Once downstairs, she roughly put on her cotton shoes and headed straight for the kitchen.
She remembered that Zhang Ma had put it in the cupboard, and after searching for a while, she finally found it.
She leaned down and took a deep breath; the fragrance made her feel happy.
Lu Lin is such a jerk. What's wrong with eating a mooncake? Shen Rong cursed Lu Lin in her heart, scolding him over and over again.
She insisted on eating, taking a big bite and exclaiming how delicious it was!
She couldn't bear to eat it in big bites, savoring each small sip. Just as she was enjoying herself, a long shadow appeared on the ground.
Her back stiffened, and she quickened her movements, no longer savoring the mooncake slowly, stuffing the rest into her mouth in a few bites.
Turning around, she looked aggrieved and tried to argue with the newcomer, "I'm hungry!"
Lu Lin glanced expressionlessly at the other half of the mooncake in her hand.
Shen Rong glanced at it reluctantly, then quickly scooped out the yolk and stuffed it into her mouth. She threw the rest back into the bamboo basket, puffed out her cheeks, and said, "I'm not eating anymore."
Lu Lin sighed, draped a coat over her shoulders, and then turned to pour her a cup of hot water.
Are you still hungry?
Shen Rong didn't know what he was going to do. Lu Lin's stern face was quite scary, and she wondered why he had suddenly woken up.
He wouldn't be pretending to be asleep to catch her in the act; that would be too cunning.
Lu Lin, you're really cunning. I don't know why he asked that question. Shen Rong gritted her teeth and shook her head: "I'm not hungry!"
Lu Lin pushed the water toward her, urging her to drink some more, feeling both sigh and helpless.
It's not that he doesn't want her to eat it; he specifically asked a doctor, who said it's best not to eat too much.
But she was really craving it, and she looked at him with resentment. Didn't he notice? But it was for her own good.
Lu Lin smiled and nudged her, "If you're not hungry, go back to sleep. If you really want to eat, we can have Zhang Ma make some more after you finish your postpartum period. You can't eat too much now, it's not good for your health."
He was half-asleep when he turned over and reached out, only to find the person next to him was gone. He immediately woke up with a start, and once fully awake, he realized she must have gone downstairs to cheat on him.
Actually, there was some noise when he went upstairs, but someone was so focused on the food that they didn't notice at all.
Shen Rong glanced at him in surprise, finding it strange that he was so easy to talk to, but this was a good thing for her!
She cheerfully descended the steps, yawning, "I'm so sleepy, I'm going back."
Then she quickly turned around and went upstairs, as if afraid that Lu Lin would change his mind and pull her aside for a lecture.
Lu Lin shook his head as he watched from behind, staying in the kitchen to clean up after her and putting everything back in its place.
After Shen Rong finished brushing her teeth and lay back down, Lu Lin still hadn't returned. She was a little puzzled; could he be sneaking around downstairs too? But soon, she heard his hurried footsteps at the top of the stairs, and Shen Rong had a bad feeling.
Lu Lin pushed open the door and quickly changed his clothes: "I'm going out for a bit, you can continue sleeping."
Shen Rong: "What's wrong?"
Lu Lin frowned: "Something's happened at the Marshal's Mansion, I have to go check it out!"
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