Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
“Cheng Mosu is back? Sit down.” Cheng Yi suddenly felt very tired. He had been walking alone, thinking that after traversing dangerous paths he would glimpse brilliance, but unexpectedly, he fell into another hell.
Cheng Mosu asked anxiously, “What happened to Dad?”
“Nothing.” He smiled, putting down his pipe. His once bright eyes had become murky lately. “What do you want to eat? I can have the kitchen prepare something, or should we go out to eat today?”
Cheng Mosu shook her head. A flash of light cut through the dark sky; it was a sudden downpour, and the weather changed abruptly.
Cheng Yi sighed helplessly. “This rain comes out of nowhere. It seems we can't go out to eat; let’s just eat at home today.”
“Dad.” She held his hand. His hand was still large but no longer strong. A wave of sadness washed over her nose. “Is something wrong?”
“What could be wrong? Don’t worry, as long as I’m here, nothing will happen.” Cheng Yi interrupted her impatiently.
“I’m not a child anymore; I can help you share your worries.” She raised her voice, breaking through the darkness, her words echoing softly in the brightly lit room. Seeing that Cheng Yi still did not respond, she bit her lip. “Dad, I already know about the news of my brother’s passing.”
Outside, thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. The violent sounds and fierce wind and rain came crashing down in an instant. Cheng Yi looked at his daughter’s sorrowful face in front of him and felt that she was truly different now. Her thoughts no longer revolved solely around herself; she understood what family meant.
“Dad, it was my fault before for not understanding your hardships. I’ve always known my brother was in America, and I knew you stayed here for me and for the country. Now that my brother is gone, you only have me as your daughter left. I will carry my brother’s and my own filial piety and stay by your side.” It seemed she had never spoken so much at once or said such heartfelt words to Father. Suddenly saying this made her face slightly flush, and her eyes were red-rimmed.
Cheng Yi quietly looked out the window as the yellow light illuminated the continuous raindrops falling to the ground. Amidst the sound of rain, there were still bustling crowds; distant objects were blurred by the rain, losing their shapes, just like the current situation.
He remained silent for a moment before speaking softly. “Cheng Mosu, your brother's death was sudden; everything is unpredictable. In the face of natural disasters, we are ultimately too insignificant.”
"Yes, what can we do in this situation?" She smiled weakly, thinking about her and Shaoyi's fate.
"Do you remember Azhou?"
"Azhou?" She thought for a moment and replied, "I remember. Back then, Liu Butler tried to poison us all, and his scheme was uncovered by Shaoyi. When we counted the people the next day, we found that Azhou from the kitchen had run away, so we concluded he was an informant sent by the mastermind. Why are you suddenly asking about him? Has Azhou been caught?"
"Exactly." Cheng Yi took a puff of smoke, his mood serious. "After that incident, you locked up Liu Butler, and I later gave him some money to retire back home. Originally, there was no way to pursue this matter further, but just now Xu Hua told me that the police caught a thief today—it's Azhou."
Cheng Mosu's pupils tightened as she hurriedly asked, "And then?"
"During interrogation, he revealed his boss behind him, who is the person that wanted to harm our Cheng Family back then."
"Who is it?!"
Cheng Yi snorted coldly; he never expected this person would want to harm them. "It's Nan Wan, the leader of Shanghai Nanbang."
"Why would he want to harm us? We have no grievances with him."
The rain outside gradually stopped, the earlier violence faded away, leaving a quietness as if nothing had happened. But something indeed happened; the quieter it became, the more turbulent it felt.
He paused for a moment and continued, "We indeed have no conflict with him; if anyone in Shanghai is my sworn enemy, it's the Zhu Family. At that time, Jiang Shanghao was preparing to attack several warlords in the north and sought funds from me; my attitude was noncommittal. But the Zhu Family supported him, so they must have made a deal—Zhu Family provided capital to Jiang Shanghao, and in return, Jiang Shanghao would help eliminate us Cheng Family, who posed the greatest threat to Zhu Family. Jiang Shanghao and Nan Wan are sworn brothers; this responsibility falls on Nan Wan."
These matters were like a tangled ball of yarn; only by slowly unraveling could one find where it all began. Cheng Mosu had not experienced enough of the world; after hearing this conversation, she was already sweating coldly. "According to what you said, we are still not safe since the Zhu Family is still entangled with Jiang Shanghao."
"No, now Jiang Shaohao wants to win us over. Recently, Zhong Chuping came to propose, and it's very likely that it was his suggestion," Cheng Mo Su shook his head, feeling more confused as he listened. Cheng Yi had to continue explaining, "Jiang Shaohao is cunning; he has long known that Shaoyi is hiding in our home. Yet he hasn't sent anyone to eliminate Shaoyi. Do you know why?"
Cheng Mo Su pondered for a moment and finally began to understand, "Shaoyi's father, General Shangguan, was killed by the Japanese for refusing to compromise with them. This shows that Shaoyi is unlikely to be pro-Japanese and is very likely to submit to the Southern Government. However, Lin Hongyao, who is supported by the Japanese, will definitely not submit to the Southern Government. If Jiang Shaohao wants to eliminate him, he will need to send his own troops."
She paused and continued, "Jiang Shaohao knows that Shaoyi will definitely try to seize power. If Shaoyi succeeds in taking power and regains control of the Northeast, he can unify the country through peace talks. Even if he fails, Shaoyi's actions will deplete a significant amount of Lin Hongyao's military strength. At that point, if Jiang Shaohao sends his troops, his chances of victory will increase."
"That's right; you truly are my daughter," Cheng Yi nodded in appreciation. "So he has kept quiet about Shaoyi hiding in the Concession Area and allowed him to return and seize power just to watch the tiger fight from the mountain and reap the benefits. Later, when the Northeast returned to Shaoyi's control, he sent someone to investigate your relationship with him. That's why Zhong Chuping came to propose to me: first, to separate you from Shaoyi and prevent me from supporting him; second, if you marry his confidant, I would naturally support Jiang Shaohao for your sake. This move kills two birds with one stone."
"Jiang Shaohao is such a cunning old fox."
"Yes, it's also my fault for not seeing things clearly when I just returned. I only felt that being with Shaoyi was too unsafe; after all, he is an old-fashioned warlord who will eventually be overwhelmed by the tide of change." Cheng Yi took a sip of the tea on the table; it was bitter at first but revealed a hint of sweetness after a while, much like time passing—only after tasting it could one appreciate its beauty and sorrow.
Cheng Yi put down his teacup and slowly spoke, "Originally, I intended to continue fighting against Jiang Shaohao, against the Zhu Family, against this world. But Su'er, ever since your brother suddenly passed away, I've realized that all these years of hard work have been for nothing. I severed ties with my own daughter for these things, and in the end, all I have are some broken coins and empty compliments—truly useless! Su'er, I plan to wrap up my banking affairs and retire in America for some peace and quiet. It would be best if you come with me; if you want to stay behind, your father will also agree."
Her long eyelashes trembled slightly as she gently closed her eyes.
Comment 0 Comment Count