Chapter 31: Secretly Joining the Party (Part 2) Fei Ku Wang

  Chiang Baili smiled and replied, "I am alone, the only valuable things on me are my pistol and the saber I received for graduating first in class from the Japanese Military Academy; apart from these, I have nothing!"

  "In those years, you three heroes, have earned enough face for us Chinese people! Unfortunately, Cai E died early, and today in early April, Zhang Xiaozhong drank too much wine and followed Cai E away. Two of the three heroes are gone, now only you are left." Qin Guozhong's face showed a regretful expression.

  "Let's just forget about those unpleasant things today!" Jiang Baili continued to ask with a smile: "Brother Zichen, are you going to treat us to this cup of celebratory wine or not?!"

  "Please! Please! How could I not invite you?! However, what I say doesn't count, you should ask your precious apprentice!" Qin Guozhong said with a teasing expression, looking at Lin Aofeng.

  Lin Ao Feng's face turned red as he said, "Tomorrow I'll have my dad come over and propose!"

  "You're all bullying me! I won't care about you anymore!" Qin Keqing stomped her feet a few times, turned her head and ran out of the Xinyue Society.

  "Keqing!" Lin Aofeng bowed to Jiang Baili and Qin Guozhong, then hastily chased after her. Watching Lin Aofeng's back, Jiang Baili smiled and asked: "Zichen brother, are you really willing to marry Keqing off so early?!"

  Qin Guo Zhong tilted his head and retorted, "Don't you want to drink this cup of joyful wine earlier?!" The two of them looked at each other, threw their heads back and burst out laughing.

  "Keqin!" Not long after running out of the New Moon Society, Lin Aofeng caught up with Qin Keqin and tightly hugged her into his arms. Qin Keqin symbolically struggled twice, her two small fists hitting Lin Aofeng's chest twice, pouting and saying: "You rascal, you just know how to bully me!" After a while, Qin Keqin calmed down, her head resting on Lin Aofeng's chest, and quietly asked: "Aofeng, will you really marry me?! But I don't want to get married yet!"

  Lin Ao Feng held Qin Ke Qing and said: "Unless the mountains collapse, the rivers dry up, thunder rumbles in winter, and snow falls in summer, I dare not part with you."

  "Afeng!" Qin Keqin suddenly lifted her head and looked at Lin Aofeng, slowly closing her eyes. Lin Aofeng involuntarily lowered his head and kissed Qin Keqin's lips.

  After a long time, their lips parted. Qin Keqing and Lin Aofeng's faces simultaneously turned red. After an unknown amount of time had passed, Lin Aofeng was the first to break the silence: "Keqing, if you don't want to get married now, I won't force you. How about this: tomorrow, let my dad go to your house and set a date for our engagement?"

  "Uh-huh!" Qin Keqin responded with a shy smile. As she was about to say something else, she felt Lin Aofeng's unusual behavior and unconsciously turned her head, seeing her father, Jiang Baili, and the people from Xinyue Society standing behind her, startling her, and asked: "Dad, when did you all arrive?!"

  "Don't worry! We just arrived, we haven't seen anything." Jiang Baili couldn't help but burst out laughing. Qin Guozhong sighed and said, "It's really bad luck to meet people like this! Can you two be a bit more discreet with your affection?"

  "It's getting late, let's go!" Lin Ao Feng whispered, pulling Qin Ke Qing's hand and taking off in a sprint. ...After running for over ten minutes, Lin Ao Feng and Qin Ke Qing stopped to catch their breath, leaning against the wall and exchanging a glance before bursting out laughing. Lin Ao Feng wrapped his arms around Qin Ke Qing, saying "I really wish time could stand still."

  Qin Keqing heard Lin Aofeng's words, smiled and remained silent, looking up at the sky. At this moment, a meteor happened to flash across the horizon. Qin Keqing thought to herself: "Heavenly gods, if you can really hear my prayers, then I hope you can bless me and Aofeng to be together forever..."

  Expectations are always beautiful, but reality is extremely cruel. Lin Ao Feng and Qin Ke Qing did not expect that the road ahead of them was full of ups and downs. The following events will be temporarily skipped over, to be continued later.

  Lin Aofeng returned home after 8 pm. Cheng Xue Mei, who was chatting with her husband in the living room, heard Lin Aofeng's footsteps and smiled, asking: "Aofeng, what made you so happy today?"

  Lin Aofeng rarely showed a shy expression, walked to the middle of Cheng Xue Mei and Lin Guotong, sat down and said: "Can you help me with something tomorrow?!"

  Lin Guodong smiled and asked: "Is it asking me and your mother to go to Keqing's house for a marriage proposal?!"

  Lin Ao Feng was taken aback, raised his head and asked in puzzlement: "Dad, how did you know?!"

  Cheng Xue Mei smiled and said: "I was just talking to your father about this. Before you came back, Mr. Jiang Baili had called. You child, such a big thing as proposing marriage, why didn't you say it earlier?"

  Lin Ao Feng said: "Mom! Ke Qing and I are still young. We want to first settle the engagement, then get married after graduating from university."

  Cheng Xue Mei gave her son a displeased glance and said, "Your father and I have been through all this before, we know what to do. You can rest assured! Tomorrow morning, your father and I will go to the Qin family to propose on your behalf."

  Because Qin Keqing and Lin Aofeng loved each other deeply, and both sets of parents were quite fond of the two children. So Lin Guodong and Cheng Xuemei brought Lin Aofeng to Qin's house to propose, and the Qin family didn't make things difficult for them, readily agreeing to the proposal.

  As the year draws to a close, Shanghai's citizens have not been affected by the strikes of workers and students in May and June, or the closure of businesses, and everything remains as it was before.

  "Afeng, you're here! Come quick!" Then Jiang Baili said to the middle-aged man beside him: "Zhongfu brother, this is my closed-door disciple Lin Aofeng."

  The middle-aged man looked up and down at Lin Ao-feng, smiled and stood up, extending his hand and saying: "I'm delighted to meet a young hero like you, my name is Chen Duxiu!"

  "Mr. Chen?!" Lin Aofeng was stunned, hastily stretched out his hand and shook hands with Chen Duxiu, who smiled and said: "I've long heard that Baili Xin has taken in a talented disciple, today I see it's indeed true to its reputation!"

  "Mr. Chen, you're too kind!" Lin Ao-feng exchanged a few pleasantries with Chen Duxiu and obediently sat down beside Jiang Baili.

  After Lin Bofeng took his seat, Chen Duxiu continued to say: "Brother Baili, now Sun Chuanfang has swept through Jiangsu and Anhui, controlling Zhejiang, Fujian, Jiangsu, Anhui, and Jiangxi. The five provinces are indeed mighty. As the chief of staff, you have also risen with the tide."

  "What a rise in water raises the boat!" Jiang Baili sighed: "Sun Chuanfang is now just the last madness. This world will eventually belong to the Guangzhou National Government. You GCD are helping them conquer the east and west, and it will be boundless in the future."

  Chen Duxiu crossed his legs, changed his posture, and said: "Nowadays, no one can clearly say what tomorrow will be like. I'm just a monk for a day, ringing the bell for a day." Chen Duxiu suddenly turned to Lin Aofeng, who was paying attention to his reaction, and said: "Young man, why don't you agree with my views?!"

  Lin Ao Feng smiled and shook his head, saying: "If you were an ordinary person who indulges in wine and ignores the world, your idea wouldn't be wrong. Unfortunately, you're not! Now that the Feng family is dominant, although the Guangzhou National Government has a bright future ahead, for now it still needs to rely on your GCD to fight battles everywhere. By the time they reap the benefits, I'm afraid there won't be any share left for you."

  Chen Duxiu frowned and then smiled, saying: "I think this is absolutely impossible. Didn't Premier Sun Yat-sen's last words say 'Unite with Russia, unite with the Communist Party, and support the workers and peasants'? Would they dare to defy heaven and earth by violating Mr. Sun's will?"

  Lin Aofeng replied, "You've already said it's a last wish, but a last wish doesn't have to be followed. Moreover, party struggles have existed in China since ancient times, let alone now. Now that the GCD has control of the military, what do you have?! Haven't the lessons of the May 30th Incident, the Shahe Incident, and the Nanjing Incident awakened you yet?! I strongly agree with Mr. Mao Runze, editor-in-chief of Xiangjiang Review, who said 'Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.'"

  "What a great saying, 'Power grows out of the barrel of a gun!' It's so apt, really too apt!" Jiang Baili clapped his hands and said, "What a pity he isn't in Shanghai. If he were, I'd really like to meet him."

  "Teacher, unfortunately, Mr. Mao Runze fell ill last November and left Shanghai to return to his hometown in Hunan for recuperation!" Lin Ao-feng said, looking at Chen Duxiu with a surprised expression. Chen Duxiu took a deep breath and asked: "Do you know Mao Runze?!"

  Lin Ao Feng shook his head and said: "I've only read his articles, I haven't met him in person. If I have the chance, I really want to meet him. He's my idol!"

  After more than an hour, Chen Duxiu bid farewell and left. After Chen Duxiu left, Lin Aofeng was led into the study by Jiang Baili. Jiang Baili said: "Aofeng, I know you have a strong ability to predict things. However, I want to remind you that there are some things you can say, but some things you can only keep in your belly."

  "Teacher, I understand!" Lin Ao Feng said softly with his head down. Jiang Baili smiled bitterly and said: "You and I are both very pure people. We are not suitable for politics. What kind of person is Chiang Kai-shek? I know better than you. He can abandon his own wife to marry Soong Mei-ling in order to solidify his position. Can't he eliminate dissidents for the sake of his own position?"

  Lin Aofeng raised his head and looked at Jiang Baili's back, saying: "Teacher, I know what you're worried about!"

  Jiang Baili turned around and looked at Lin Ao Feng with a puzzled face. Lin Ao Feng continued, "Teacher, you are now worried that the Japanese will take advantage of our domestic warlords' infighting and launch an attack on us."

  Jiang Baili nodded and said, "I am a bit worried about this. But this is not what worries me the most. As I just said, Sun Chuanfang now seems to be in control of five provinces, but in fact, Sun Chuanfang is also very clear in his heart that he is now strong on the outside but weak on the inside. If nothing unexpected happens, within two years at most, he will suffer a crushing defeat."

  Lin Aofeng hesitated for a moment and asked: "Teacher, now that Sun Chuanfang's army has been defeated, where will you go and what will you do?"

  Jiang Baili took a deep breath, revealing a helpless expression and said: "Now we can only take it one step at a time. If all else fails, I'll just retreat to the mountains and forests and become a hermit." As he spoke, Jiang Baili's face straightened up, and he continued: "Alright, let's not talk about these unpleasant things anymore, let's get back to class."