Chapter 115 Young Marshal Dou and his wife will be together in a couple of days…
"Brother, how could you do this!" Lu Chang pushed open the door in a flurry, expressing his strong dissatisfaction.
Lu Lin kept his head down, reading the newspaper, not even glancing at him.
"Sister-in-law." Lu Chang turned to someone to complain.
Shen Rong could no longer pretend not to see, so she walked over with the milk and asked knowingly, "What's wrong?"
Lu Chang's eyes widened. Was his sister-in-law pretending to be stupid too?
He had worked tirelessly through the night to write the report, which was how he had established a good relationship with Lin Shaojie. But when his elder brother issued an order, all his work was for nothing.
I've heard that Lin Shaojie is planning something big again, and this is a good opportunity for him to get firsthand information.
“My older brother is hindering my career.”
This is a big problem. Lu Lin shook the newspaper in his hand: "You can't just say things like that. When did I stop you?"
Lu Chang was somewhat agitated: "You won't let me go to the government office building anymore."
Lu Lin glanced at him coldly: "Not just you, no one else is allowed to go. The government building is a place for offices, not a place for you to drink coffee and socialize."
Whether it was her imagination or not, Shen Rong felt that he had deliberately glanced at her.
Shen Rong lowered her head, not daring to meet his gaze.
Because of the coffee incident involving the second young lady of the Wen family, Shen Rong and Lu Lin had a falling out. When he got angry, he wouldn't allow outsiders to go to the government building, and he wouldn't even allow family members to go. He told them to talk about things at home.
Regardless of whether the second young lady had any thoughts, she no longer even had the chance to be served coffee. Lu Lin asked her if she was satisfied.
She was satisfied, but Lu Chang didn't seem so.
She gave Lu Lin a meaningful look, hoping he would at least offer some comfort. She couldn't stand him complaining about her every meal.
Lu Lin sighed and put down his newspaper: "What's the big deal? Aren't you two like brothers? Can't you just meet outside?"
Does it cost nothing to meet up outside? He only earns a few dollars a month, not even enough for a single drink.
Lu Lin could tell what he was thinking just by looking at his eyes. After a pause, he said, "If I ask your sister-in-law to give you an extra hundred yuan for pocket money every month, would you be able to accept that?"
Lu Chang was overjoyed, his eyes shining.
"Thank you, brother. Thank you, sister-in-law. You are so kind. I am so touched."
Lu Lin couldn't stand his behavior; it was shameful. He snorted coldly.
"If you mess around, I'll deal with you." Lu Lin's eyes were sinister.
Seeing Shen Rong go upstairs to get the money, he rubbed his hands together excitedly; happiness had come too suddenly.
He never imagined he would receive so much pocket money. His family gave him a subsidy of 100 yuan per month, which, combined with his salary, was barely enough to cover his expenses.
But Shanghai is a den of iniquity; if he eats and drinks a little bit casually, he'll be in dire need of food and drink.
That hundred dollars made him quite wealthy.
Shen Rong took out the money: "Here you go."
Lu Chang chuckled and accepted it, then hugged Xiao Ming, kissed him twice, and happily walked away.
Shen Rong looked at Lu Lin: "Aren't you afraid he'll go astray?"
Lu Chang has been going to Qianyue Tower every day these days. Everyone knows that he and Miss Xiangqin are getting along very well, so of course he's short of money.
"If I wanted to go bad, I would have gone bad long ago."
That's true. Lu Lin hasn't always lived such a tight life. After all, he is the third young master of the Lu family. It's just that he invested his private savings in Lu You's textile factory, which is why he's short of money.
"I didn't realize you were so open-minded," Shen Rong teased him, thinking that Lu Lin wouldn't like his younger brother getting too close to movie stars.
Lu Lin reached out and hugged his son, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips: "Playing the long game to catch a big fish."
Before Shen Rong could understand what he meant, he changed the subject to something that interested her: "By the way, Young Marshal Dou and his wife are coming to Shanghai in a couple of days."
Shen Rong jumped up excitedly: "Really?"
Seeing him so happy, Lu Lin felt a little envious.
Seeing that she was already thinking about what gift to give as a greeting, Lu Lin sighed and shook his head: "Are you that happy?"
“My sister-in-law and I haven’t seen each other for a long time. I’ve been thinking about the time we spent in Bincheng a lot these past few days. I miss her quite a bit.”
She asked Lu Lin how long Dou Wenliang and the others would stay in Shanghai.
"Are you here on official business?"
Lu Lin shook his head: "Not entirely."
Those official duties weren't enough to make Young Marshal Dou travel all the way to Shanghai. Lu Lin felt it was more likely a private matter, or perhaps a vacation.
In the past, Dou Shaoshuai often came to Shanghai.
Seeing her excited expression, Lu Lin suddenly had the urge to tease her: "Actually, you have an old acquaintance in Shanghai as well?"
Shen Rong became curious. She knew Hu Peifang, an old acquaintance of hers. Who else could it be?
Lu Lin suppressed a laugh: "That Mrs. Uchida, huh?"
Shen Rong looked annoyed. This was more like an enemy than an old acquaintance. But why was she in Shencheng?
Her heart tightened; they had already shifted their focus to Shanghai so quickly.
What is she doing now?
Little Ming, who was in Lu Lin's arms, couldn't sit still and started to fuss about getting down. So Lu Lin bent down and put him down, casually replying, "The old job."
Shen Rong thought to himself, "What kind of luck is this? I'm running into these people again."
"Are they planning to do something shady in Shanghai?"
Lu Lin sneered: "They wish, but it won't be that easy for them to get what they want."
Is Shanghai going to become another Bincheng? This time, he will absolutely not back down.
What happened in Bincheng will not happen again.
This Uchida Eiko is best at intelligence work. I wonder who she's targeting this time?
Lu Lin comforted her, "It's all about ability, don't worry too much. I know what I'm doing. But you should take more people with you when you go out in the future, because they really like to use underhanded tricks."
Shen Rong nodded.
Dou Shaoshuai's visit to Shanghai was big news. Lu Chang was the first to get an exclusive interview and even took photos of the young marshal's family relaxing in the back garden. This helped him gain a foothold in the newspaper and he is now a well-known reporter in Shanghai.
He earned this opportunity by diligently helping his sister-in-law carry gifts.
He felt that he had sold his labor, rather than relying solely on his elder brother's connections as everyone thought.
Xiangqin listened to his complaints while smiling and comforting him.
"These are just rumors spread by people who are jealous of you. Anyone who knows your abilities and talents wouldn't think that way. But..." she changed the subject, "Are you also very familiar with Young Marshal Dou?"
He just spoke as if he were already very familiar with the other person.
Lu Chang paused for a moment, then laughed and said, "We're familiar, but not as familiar as my older brother and sister-in-law. My older brother used to work for them, didn't he? I visited Bincheng for a while and even went to the Marshal's Mansion. So we're fairly well acquainted."
"By the way, the Dou family is having a dance party at Qianyue Tower tomorrow, and I'd like to invite you to be my dance partner." Lu Changyou sincerely invited her, seemingly unwilling to let her get bogged down in the Dou family's affairs.
Seeing that Xiangqin didn't speak, he asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Did you make plans with someone?"
Xiangqin smiled and shook her head: "I was just wondering if it's appropriate? There will be many people you know tomorrow."
Won't his older brother and sister-in-law be angry if he brings her along like this?
So that's what you were worried about. Lu Chang smiled and said, "Don't worry, my sister-in-law isn't that kind of person. She's very open-minded. My brother..."
As long as my sister-in-law is around, I can ignore my brother's opinions. At worst, I'll just scold him when I get home. I won't give anyone a hard time in front of them.
Xiangqin asked curiously, "Is Young Marshal Dou suddenly holding a ball because he's finished with his business and is preparing to return to Pingcheng?"
Lu Chang paused in pouring tea, glanced up at Xiang Qin, then lowered his eyelids to hide the regret in his eyes: "Maybe, anyway, it's none of our business. Let's not talk about them. Has anyone been bothering you lately?" He changed the subject once again.
Xiangqin had mentioned before that a brat who didn't know his place kept bothering her. Lu Chang had beaten that guy up once, but he didn't know if he'd come back after that.
Xiangqin lowered her head and took a sip of tea: "This tea smells so good." Then she looked up and smiled slightly, "I suppose you chased that person away, because no one has been causing trouble lately."
Lu Chang nodded and said with a smile, "If you like this tea, I'll bring you some more next time. This time, the young marshal's wife gave some to my sister-in-law, and we still have some at home."
Xiangqin quickly declined, "How could I? This is enough. This tea must be very expensive. Please leave it for Mrs. Lu."
Lu Chang said casually, "My sister-in-law doesn't drink tea much. Even if she likes it, it's fine. My brother wouldn't let his wife lack these things. It's okay for me to take some. I'll bring some to you tomorrow."
Xiangqin pursed her lips, a little embarrassed: "Whatever Mrs. Lu likes, I'll buy her some gifts to thank her for the tea."
Lu Chang leaned back: "There are plenty, but my sister-in-law has a discerning eye. Ordinary things don't meet her standards, and she doesn't lack anything." As he spoke, there was a hint of envy in his voice: "My sister-in-law is the richest person in the family, and my brother spoils her. She can buy whatever she wants. She's only been in Shanghai for a few days, but the managers of all the department stores already know her. They call her as soon as new stock arrives, so you don't need to buy anything too expensive. Just a token of your appreciation will suffice."
He was worried that Xiangqin had spent a lot of money on something that Shenrong wouldn't like, which would be a waste. It would be better to save some money from the beginning.
My sister-in-law isn't the kind of person who cares about money.
Xiangqin felt a little bitter when she heard him say that. Yes, although she had earned some money, she was still far behind a lady from a prominent family like Mrs. Lu.
I'm afraid Lu Chang is worried that she has poor taste and that people won't like the things she buys.
"Okay, I understand." Her voice held a hint of sadness.
A few days ago, Shen Rong had several cheongsams made. Today, she happened to be out shopping, so she picked them up herself. On her way back, she happened to pass by Jinlou again, where they said they had some good stuff. After being flattered by them, Shen Rong couldn't resist spending some money.
When she came out of the Golden Pavilion, it was already three or four in the afternoon. She was a little hungry, so she turned to her son and asked, "Do you want to eat some cake?"
Xiao Ming was licking a candied hawthorn when he heard his mother ask him that question. His ears immediately perked up, and he nodded repeatedly.
"It smells delicious!" she replied crisply.
She turned around and looked around. There were no coffee shops nearby, but there was a Cantonese teahouse in front of her.
Afternoon tea is also a good choice at this time.
"Let's go have some tea."
As long as there's something delicious to eat, Xiaoming doesn't want Guichun to carry him anymore. He gets down and pulls his mother along quickly.
Xiangqin, head down, was about to step out the door when someone suddenly pulled her inside.
Uchida Eiko looked at the people walking in this direction with some surprise.
Xiangqin saw it too, and her face showed some panic: "It's Mrs. Lu, what should we do?"
I wonder if Mrs. Lu has noticed her.
"What's the panic!" Uchida Eiko scolded her. "Go sit over there and don't make a sound."
There were private rooms on the second floor, but it was too late to go up now. She could only have Xiangqin hide behind the screen while she straightened her clothes and pretended to bump into her by chance.
"Mrs. Lu, it's been a long time!"
Although Shen Rong had heard Lu Lin mention that she was in Shencheng, she didn't expect to meet him so soon.
"Mrs. Uchida, it's been several years. You still look as charming as ever!" Shen Rong smiled reservedly, nodded slightly, and her attitude was somewhat indifferent.
She frowned, a hint of repulsion on her face: "Could this teahouse be Mrs. Uchida's hideout? Should I avoid it?"
These words put Uchida Eiko in an awkward position: "Mrs. Lu, you're joking. I'm just visiting relatives in Shanghai. I heard the pastries here are good, so I came to try them. You're overthinking it."
Shen Rong looked around and asked, "Mrs. Uchida is alone?"
Uchida Ayaka subtly shielded him with her body, saying, "I came with a friend, but they had to leave."
She looked down at Xiaoming.
"This must be your son. He's grown so much in the blink of an eye." She squatted down and tried to pat Xiaoming's head. "Hello."
Xiao Ming hugged his mother's leg and pulled back slightly, deflecting her hand and looking at her warily.
Shen Rong smiled and picked up her son: "He's a little shy and doesn't like people touching him." Her refusal was quite obvious.
Uchida Eiko awkwardly withdrew her hand, her smile tinged with bitterness: "Mrs. Lu, are you unwilling to be friends with me?"
Shen Rong suddenly smiled, but the smile didn't reach her eyes: "If you really want to be friends with me, we should be having coffee in Bincheng right now."
Uchida Eiko also stopped smiling: "War was not our intention."
Shen Rong scoffed, "Your fangs are already showing, so there's no need to say these lies to children. Don't try to have it both ways; it's too ugly."
The waiter noticed the commotion and quickly came over to greet her. Shen Rong was led to the second floor by him. Uchida Eiko watched her back with complicated eyes before turning around and leaving.
At the corner on the second floor, Shen Rong slowed her pace, looked at the screen, and asked the waiter, "Who is sitting over there?"
The waiter looked over and saw that there was no one sitting there. He touched his head and said, "There shouldn't be anyone sitting here."
Shen Rong was even more certain that Uchida Eiko had deliberately blocked her way just now, to cover for this person.
Unfortunately, the screen blocked her view, and she could only see a pair of embroidered high heels, which appeared to belong to a woman.
Could she know this person? Otherwise, there would be no need for her to hide. With these questions in mind, she went upstairs to the second floor.
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