The Jade of the Republic of China

The winter in the south of the Yangtze River is wet and cold, and the sheds are ventilated from all sides. At night, we have to huddle together to keep warm.Meng Liansheng's neighbor was a young man about his age, named Xiao Dacheng, who was also from Huizhou. He came to Shanghai with his fellow countrymen, but his fellow countrymen left within a few days, leaving him alone to make a living at the pier.

Xiao Dacheng loves to say that Meng Liansheng is willing to listen, and they are about the same age. After a few months, the two have become very familiar with each other.

Now that the weather is getting colder, Xiao Dacheng moved over with his quilt and made a bed with Meng Liansheng and his cousin.

Not only is Xiao Dacheng about the same age as Meng Liansheng, but he is also as thin as him, but a little shorter.He was not as strong as Meng Liansheng, and he worked very hard as a porter.At the beginning of winter, because of the heavy burden, he sprained his foot accidentally, so he had to stop working for two days and rest in the shed for the time being.

Being alone and no one to take care of him, Meng Liansheng would finish work from the pier early every day, and bring his meals back to the work shed to eat with Dacheng.

Although Xiao Dacheng is of average strength, he is a young man who knows how to live. He picked up a small red clay stove from somewhere and bought a few pieces of charcoal. On such a day, he would burn two pieces of charcoal in the small stove and simmer a small soup pot. , boil the vegetables in, put some vinegar and soy sauce, it can make people warm from the stomach to the whole body.

In the evening of this day, it was still early for the porters to go to work, the shed was empty, and two teenagers were eating dinner around the small stove, when the Chen brothers walked in aggressively from the door.

Xiao Dacheng had no choice but to be bold. Seeing the two people, he trembled a little, his hand shook, and the chopsticks he was holding fell back into the small pot.He subconsciously glanced at Meng Liansheng, only to see that he was still eating his food with a normal expression, as if he was unaware of the two uninvited guests who came in.

The two uninvited guests rudely opened the floor beds one by one, as if they were looking for something, finally came to them, Chen Da looked at the small clay stove on the ground, pointed at Xiao Dacheng: "Open your bed !"

Xiao Dacheng glanced at him timidly, moved over and lifted off his dirty old quilt, there was nothing inside except for a few crumpled old clothes.

Chen Er bent over and picked up the clothes in disgust and shook them, but nothing came out, so he threw the clothes aside roughly, kicked away the quilt of Meng Liansheng next to him, and stepped on the bed with his bare feet. He flipped the pillow over.

Meng Liansheng, who was serving food, frowned slightly, and continued to put the food on the chopsticks into his mouth.

Having found nothing, Chen Er came down and glanced at the two teenagers who were eating.Xiao Dacheng met his gaze, stammered and asked, "Second Brother, did you lose something?"

Chen Er ignored him and continued to search. After finding nothing, he turned back to the two of them, looked at them and said, "My elder brother lost a gold chain. There are too many people with dirty hands and feet in your room. If you see who took it later, tell your second brother quickly, there will be a good job for you later."

Xiao Dacheng nodded again and again: "Yes."

The two were about to leave when Chen Er suddenly caught a glimpse of a red thread on Xiao Dacheng's neck, bent over and stretched out his hand, and a piece of Jade Guanyin was pulled out from his chest.

Xiao Dacheng was shocked and wanted to hold it, but it was a step too late. Chen Er had already torn off the Jade Guanyin and held it in his hand. He rubbed it and said with a smile: "This thing is not bad!" After finishing speaking, he took out a few copper coins and threw them at the panicked young man, "I sold it to my second brother!"

"No... no, no." Xiao Dacheng stood up in panic, "This is a relic left by my mother."

"Don't think you have enough money?" Chen Er took out another two cents of Xiaoyang and threw it to him, "Is it enough now?"

"Second...Second Brother, I really can't do it. This is my mother's relic, I can't sell it." Xiao Dacheng was about to cry from fright, but he didn't dare to go forward to snatch it.

Just as Chen Er was about to throw Jade Guanyin into his pocket, a hand suddenly reached out and snatched the small object away—it was Meng Liansheng who had been sitting cross-legged in front of the small clay stove eating vegetables.

There were only so many workers on the dock. Although Meng Liansheng had only been a porter for a month, the two Chen brothers knew him and knew that he was shining shoes at the dock.

He had always thought of him as a taciturn and honest child, and now that he had snatched the Jade Guanyin, Chen Er couldn't help being stunned.

Meng Liansheng had no expression on his face, he still had a gentle and pure appearance.

Chen Erchi came back to his senses, and laughed, "You're quite courageous!"

Xiao Dacheng was so frightened that he shivered, grabbed Meng Liansheng's arm and called "Liansheng" softly, but he didn't know the use of calling the other party. He wanted to keep the Jade Guanyin left by his mother, but he also knew that Meng Liansheng was with him. He is also weak and weak, and he doesn't want him to be hurt because of himself.

Meng Liansheng did not respond to Chen Er's words, but bent down, picked up the money that the other party threw on the ground, and handed it over, saying word by word: "This is left to him by his mother, it cannot be sold."

"Little bastard is quite meddling!" Chen Er didn't take the money, and kicked him directly.

He exerted so much force on this kick that Meng Liansheng couldn't stand still and fell to the ground.

Chen Er came up and tried to snatch the Jade Guanyin from his hand, but unexpectedly, the young man looked thin and strong, and he couldn't break his clenched hand no matter what.

In desperation, Chen Er kicked him hard again.Meng Lian groaned twice in pain, but he still didn't let go of Yu Guanyin's hand.

Seeing this, Xiao Dacheng on the side didn't dare to step forward to fight, and cried out in fright.

I don't know if it was because of the howling, or seeing a stubborn donkey, when Chen Er was about to continue kicking people, Chen Da who was standing by the side shouted softly: "Okay, if you don't want to sell, don't force it. What an amazing baby."

After hearing what his elder brother said, Chen Er reluctantly withdrew his hand, stood up and spat: "Let you go today."

Xiao Dacheng hurriedly moved over: "Thank you, big brother and second brother."

Chen Er snorted coldly, and walked away with his elder brother.

Meng Liansheng sat up, patted the dust off his body, handed the undamaged Jade Guanyin to Xiao Dacheng, moved it to the small clay stove, picked up his chopsticks and continued eating as if nothing had happened.

Xiao Dacheng looked at the jade pendant in his hand, then looked at Meng Liansheng who had already eaten, walked over and asked, "Liansheng, are you injured?"

Meng Liansheng raised his eyelids, looked at him with his dark deer eyes, shook his head and said softly, "It's okay, let's eat."

Xiao Dacheng sat cross-legged across from him, choked up and said, "Liansheng, thank you, if it weren't for you, the things my mother left me would have been taken away."

Meng Liansheng's tone remained flat: "It's okay."

Xiao Dacheng's tears fell down: "I'm so useless, I almost can't even keep my mother's things. The two brothers surnamed Chen are really nothing, they only bully us poor people."

Meng Liansheng listened to his complaints in silence, and after a long time, he said calmly, "Those two people are nothing special."

"Isn't it?" Xiao Dacheng nodded in agreement, "Shanghai Beach has a lot of famous people. Compared with those people, they are not even as good as an ant."

But after saying this, he lowered his head in frustration. If the Chen family brothers are not even as good as ants, and they still have to beg for food under the hands of the two brothers, what is it?

He was indignant and unwilling at one moment, and complained about himself at the other, in short, his mood was in a mess, and the taste of the food in his mouth was long gone.

However, Meng Liansheng, who was opposite him, always had a calm face, and his appetite was not affected in the slightest.

Originally they were the same person and should have the same troubles.

But obviously, Meng Liansheng didn't have such troubles as him.

Shen Yutong has already started working in the factory at home. The Shen family has a lot of property, but the main business is still salt.Salt has been a hard currency like silver since ancient times. Times change. No matter how other businesses change, as long as you can sell salt, you will never be afraid of not making money.

Although starting from the Year of Gengzi, every time you encounter compensation for ceding land, you have to deduct it from the salt tax, causing the salt tax to increase year by year. The life of salt merchants is much more difficult than in the early years, but the salt industry is still the most profitable. One of the professions.

The Shen family has a saltworks in Fengxian, and Shen Yutong goes there one or two days a week.

This day, when he returned to the Shen Family Garden from the salt field, he heard the housekeeper Rong Bo shout: "Second Young Master, you are finally back, Young Master Long has been waiting for you for a long time."

"Xiaolong is here?" Shen Yutong walked in quickly with surprise on his face.

Rong Bo said: "Isn't it? It is said that after a day and a night of driving, I returned to Shanghai this morning and didn't even change my clothes."

Shen Yutong walked into the living room of the western-style building. Sitting on the sofa was a man in a gray-blue military uniform, his legs were wide open, and he was quite a bit of a gentleman.

Seeing him coming in, the other party's eyes widened immediately, jumped up from the sofa, stepped forward to meet him in three steps, two steps in two steps, a pair of big hands grabbed his shoulders firmly: "Xiaofeng, I finally hoped for you back."

Shen Yutong also laughed: "Xiaolong, I haven't seen you for a few years, you have changed a lot!"

Xiaolong's name is Long Jialin, and he is Shen Yutong's friend and classmate who grew up together.

It was also the man who broke his leg stealing roses for Shen Yutong back then.Of course, those rumors outside are just rumors, Shen Yutong thinks that his friendship with Long Jialin is purer than Tianshan Xueshui.

Long Jialin has indeed changed a lot. Back then, he was born thin and weak, and his homework was poor. In addition, the Long family had not yet gained power, so he was a poor little wretch that no one liked in school. Only Shen Yutong played with him until graduation. They are still thin and frail teenagers.

But now Long Jialin has a tall and straight figure, and the military uniform on his body makes him look even more heroic. He can be called a handsome and handsome Daqiuba.

It turned out that when Long Jialin's legs healed, his father forcibly threw him to the lecture hall. Two years later, he went to his father's military camp. .

Four years apart, of course Long Jialin is not the only one who has changed.Shen Yutong also grew up from a young boy to a young man facing the wind. Long Jialin looked him up and down excitedly, but he didn't know what to think of. He touched the back of his head in embarrassment: "Xiaofeng, you have changed a lot."

Xiaofeng is Long Jialin's exclusive title.The phoenix lives in Wu. Shen Yutong, who was carved with jade in childhood, is a phoenix of Shen's family, so she has the nickname of Little Phoenix.It's just that as he grew older, this exaggerated nickname gradually withdrew from the stage of history.Because Long Jialin was called Xiaolong, he felt that dragon and phoenix were born together, just like his relationship with Shen Yutong, so he insisted on calling him "Xiaofeng".

After hearing what he said, Shen Yutong said indifferently, "There will always be changes when people grow up." After saying that, he pulled him back to the sofa to sit down, "Come on, let's sit and chat slowly."

During the few years when Shen Yutong went abroad, he wrote several letters with Long Jialin, and in the past two months since he came back, he read the newspaper every day, so he had a general understanding of the current situation of the Long family.

Four years ago, Long Jialin's father, Long Zhenfei, was just a brigade commander, but now he is the guardian history of a powerful party.Long Jialin is Long Zhenfei's only son, and he has been appointed as a staff officer in the military camp, so he will definitely succeed him in the future.

Shen Yutong used to be a little unimaginable how a person like Xiaolong would lead troops to fight, but seeing Long Jialin now, his doubts were dispelled.

People always grow up.

The little dragon has become a big dragon.

Long Jialin thought he was an open-minded man, but now he is sitting next to Shen Yutong. I don't know if it's been a long time since he saw him. He wanted to see him but he didn't dare to look at him, which caused his eyes to dodge like thieves. How to place it.

It was Shen Yutong who noticed his abnormality, and slapped his broad shoulders with a smile: "What are you doing? Don't you know me?"

Long Jialin patted his head again, with a look of embarrassment on his face that went against his temperament: "I just didn't expect four years to pass in a blink of an eye, and I can't believe it."

Shen Yutong sighed: "Yes! Time flies so fast. By the way, how long can you stay in Shanghai this time? Let's make an appointment with our former classmates and have a good time."

Long Jialin said with a smile: "My father and I took half a month's leave, plus the round trip, we can stay in Shanghai for at least ten days."

When old friends meet, open the chat box, there will be endless old stories, and after the narration, they will enthusiastically plan the itinerary for the next few days