troubled times reckless

When Wang Quan was sent back to Yue Weiren, Yue Weiren was smoking in the room.

The cigarette case on the table was already empty, Yue Weiren leaned back in the grand master's chair, stretched out his hand to the ashtray and cut off the last one, a white mist rose up and spread out, filling the room.

Seeing me bring Wang Quan in, Yue Weiren didn't even look at it, but said to the adjutant beside him, "Go get me another bag."

"This... sir, it's so late now, and everything is closed, even if you want it, I... have nowhere to buy it?"

Yue Weiren raised his eyebrows, and his tone suddenly turned bad: "How did you become an adjutant? You don't know how to be prepared? You have to ask me to buy it!" Yue Weiren turned his eyes to Wang Quan: "You have Is it?"

Wang Quan rushed forward a few steps, obediently put a pack of new cigarettes that he had kept tucked in his chest, and gave Yue Weiren his hands to respect it.

"Look at how he is an adjutant." Yue Weiren took Wang Quan's cigarette without looking at it, and snorted.

Wang Quan grinned when he heard this.

My face didn't move, and my lips curled up in my heart.Wang Quan didn't understand, what did Yue Yueweiren sing!

Yue Weiren held Wang Quan's cigarettes and was about to unpack them, but he stopped. He glanced at the packaging: "You bought this?"

He asked Wang Quan.

Wang Quan looked proud: "Yes."

Yue Weiren suddenly crumpled up the cigarette and threw it at Wang Quan's face - hitting his forehead.

Then there was Yue Weiren's angry reprimand: "You bought it? You bought it? I told you to buy it! This is fucking British cigarettes! The British sold my opium, occupied my land, and killed my compatriots. You still buy British cigarettes? You I think the British are not earning enough from renting! There are domestic cigarettes everywhere on the street, don’t you know how to buy domestic cigarettes?”

"I..." Wang Quan was completely knocked out, and his voice was completely hoarse.

Yue Weiren pointed to the adjutant standing beside him: "Buying me British cigarettes is better than he has nothing! Chinese soldiers, do you have the words Chinese soldiers in your heart! Do you have righteousness in your heart!"

I walked over and pushed Wang Quan: "Why don't you admit your mistake?"

"Wrong...wrong."

"What did you say? Can't hear clearly!"

"This subordinate knows it's wrong!" Wang Quan said loudly.

Yue Weiren sighed, patted his sleeves, slowly sat back in the teacher's chair, took out a piece of something and put it on the desk.The lights were dim, and it took me a while to see that it was a check.

"This military supply..." Yue Weiren cleared his throat, and his voice was much lower: "You have made great contributions. What the army lacks most now is equipment, and equipment needs money to buy..."

"But the source of the money is really better than none..." Yue Weiren stared at Wang Quan with a serious tone.

Wang Quan was stunned, as if he hadn't reacted yet.

"What else do you have to say?"

Wang Quan shook his head.

Yue Weiren tapped on the counter: "Since that's the case, your merits and demerits will be equalized this time. However, because of your improper thinking and style, I will seriously warn you today. I will accept this military supply. You can go back."

Wang Quan didn't seem to realize what was going on until he left.

After Wang Quan was taken away, I sat down beside Yue Weiren and said with a smile, "One hundred thousand is not a small number. Even if you don't get promoted, you should give him an honorary title anyway."

Yue Weiren rubbed his forehead and gave me a weary look: "That depends on how well he lifts it up."

"Where is Brother Yue, who do you want to praise, isn't that a matter of reaching out?"

Yue Weiren's figure seemed to have aged a lot in the dark: "Brother, there are some things you know in your heart, and I know it too. We have been partners for so many years, and we don't talk about nonsense. I... It's worrying."

"..."

"The mountains and rivers are messy, but there are still people here who are drunk and dreaming. If I really become the head of the army stationed in Shanghai, I will ban both smoking and gambling here."

"..."

"What do you want to say?" Yue Weiren looked at me, "He seemed hesitant to speak."

"Brother Yue, Lin Zexu's fate is not good."

Yue Weiren patted me on the shoulder: "Gou Li's country lives and dies, why do we avoid it because of good fortune and misfortune? I'm afraid it will end badly, so what's the revolution?"

----

After talking about the past with Yue Weiren, when I returned to the room, I saw an unexpected guest.

His gray hair was combed neatly behind his head, he was wearing a western suit, and he was sitting on the sofa in my room, thinking about something.

As soon as he saw me coming in, he raised his head: "Ah Hao is back, I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Close the door, I stood in front of him, this is our reunion after a year.

Looking at him coldly, I tried my best to recall his appearance when we met last time, but it was completely blurred.

What floated in front of his eyes was only many, many years ago, when he was still young, he was leaning on the railing, full of scholarly vigor and in full bloom.

The brilliance and years have chiseled thick marks on his face, and the tough lines in his youth gradually became smoother with the change of age.

I often think that he was a revolutionary in the past, just like Yue Weiren is now; but now he has degenerated into a speculator.

Glancing at him indifferently, I walked to the bed and took off my coat and threw it on the bed.

"What are you doing here?"

He laughed and didn't take it seriously: "I'm your father, why can't I come."

"You deserve it too." I sat down across from him and reached out to untie the tie that had bound me all day.

His smile grew wider, drawing out the traces of smile lines on his face: "Seriously, Ah Hao, I have to attend a party tomorrow. You know, it's a very important party. I want you to go with me."

"Okay." I took off my tie and hung it on the head of the bed.

"It's very refreshing to promise."

I raised my eyes and looked at him: "Since they are all important military personnel, people will know who I am if they want to, you will always take me to honor you, and you won't take me to embarrass you."

"Of course." He leaned back on the sofa behind him, the dark color covered his unclear face, and his words became unfathomable: "This time... some German equipment was added, it is said... ...ready to equip the Garrison in Shanghai."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"It's not sure yet...but I've heard some rumors. Anyway, you'll know when you go tomorrow."

"Hmm..." I stood up and sent him away.

He put on a western hat with one hand, and when he walked to the door, he stopped and looked at me: "Ah Hao, haven't you forgiven me yet?"

"I have forgiven you." I said lightly.

He was silent, and after a while, he sighed: "Then don't be like before, just run back to your hometown without hearing anything from me..."

I opened the door and made a gesture of invitation, and he walked out, half-opening the door, and I leaned on the door to watch him.

It’s funny to say that this posture of leaning against the door to watch people was taught by him. When I was young, in the yard where my eldest brother and my mother lived, there was always a wanderer passing by, leaning on the gate of the yard to watch. my mother.

I smiled slightly: "This time I'll go back and think about a truth."

He put his hands in his pockets and looked at me, perhaps because the night lights were dim, but in his appearance, he seemed to have reappeared the suave and suave shadow of his youth.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Since you can give me glory and wealth, why don't I follow you?"

"Ah..." He smiled helplessly: "It's not good for you to think like this."

As he spoke, he lowered his voice and approached: "It's exactly the same as when I was young."

----

After sending Liang Zhiyuan away, I glanced inadvertently at the window when I returned to my room, but under the shade of black trees, I vaguely saw a figure flashing across the corridor downstairs.

It was getting late, the lights on the roadside had already been turned off, on such a moonless night...

After all, with years of experience and eyesight, even though it's just a glimpse, I can't make a mistake.

The man wearing the short cap and the rough jacket was none other than Wang Quan who had taken off his military uniform...

As early as in the martial arts hall, tracking and investigation were not my strong points, but I was still pulled by a force, and through the night, I sneaked out like him.

Observing from a distance, the figure in front walked quickly and familiarly through the dilapidated streets and alleys.

The night wind blew into my cuffs, and at the same time the frost and wind were cold, my mind gradually cleared up...

He finally stopped, looked back and looked around again, Fang lowered his head and got into a dilapidated dice room.

I don't know the layout inside, and I didn't rush to follow up.Just as I was thinking in the dark, I saw a half-aged woman coming out sticky from the arms of a man covered in rough clothes...

Looking up, I noticed the red cloth hanging on the door. It turns out that this place is not only a low-level gambling room, but also a kang head with half-closed doors.

Suppressing the nausea rising in my chest, I pushed open the door, only to see that the low space was already full of people, with smoky atmosphere, crude gaming tables, loud shouting, dim candlelight, and no faces could be seen clearly.

"Brother, if you want to come in, close the door first, the wind is cold." A middle-aged man who curled up his sleeves and took a nap was guarding the door.

My eyes searched the whole venue, but I didn't see him. I squeezed through the crowd smelling of sweat and smoke, and passed through the poorly furnished gambling stalls.

When I walked to the last door that was ajar at the end, I gently pushed it open, and just as I was about to go in, a man dressed as a clerk ran over: "My little brother, you need to pay five dollars to enter the private room at the back. If you want to invite a girl, you'll have to hand it over."

I took out a piece of ocean from my pocket and handed it to him: "I don't want a girl, I just want to be alone."

When the door behind me was closed again, and the noise outside the door was cut off, I walked forward slowly, walked through the small cells, closed my eyes and listened attentively, distinguishing the various sounds coming from behind the door ...

He stopped in front of the deepest door, approached with breathless breath, looked through the crack of the door, but could only vaguely see a few hands.A man's, big and careless hand, more than one person...

"The boss... I think Yue is too deceitful, or..."

A deep voice came from inside: "No need... Anyway, he won't live long."

Several people laughed, and Wang Quan's voice was almost hidden in the laughter: "I heard from the surname Yue that this time, please take over the army stationed in Shanghai. He himself wants to go to the north to fight against Japan. When the time comes, he really wants to When it comes to that step, it’s up to us.”

"That's right, the brothers are as familiar with that land as their own backyard. Not to mention the Central Army, even the Japanese were everywhere and couldn't catch us. When he really gets to the land, he will know whose advice to listen to!"

"Besides, anti-Japanese can resist the fart! It's nice to say, it's just burning money, it's not in the account, what's the picture of wearing a belt on the head, the brain of the surnamed Yue is broken!"

"Brothers are right." Wang Quan said, "Now this set of military uniforms can be regarded as a protection against disasters and a blessing. After all, everyone knows how many dark losses they have suffered, but the group of birdmen are too big. Fuck it! How many times, I gritted my teeth and endured it all because of this dress, and I didn't say a word, but this time it's a fucking hundred thousand! It was originally intended to be fun for the brothers, but also for us Tuan bought more guns, heh, it’s gone! Today he can take us [-], and tomorrow he can take our lives!"

I took a step back, turned around, opened the door, walked through the noisy and unpleasant crowd, and returned to the cold and desolate street.

Look up, it's a moonless night.

I yawned and walked back bored.