Chapter 67 Return to Shanghai

  Qin Keqing's mother glared at her husband and said, "It's all your fault. If it weren't for that thing back then, Keqing and A'feng would already have children of their own. I'm still waiting to hold my grandchildren! You'd better not set a bad example for the kids."

  "How could I?!" Qin Guozhong said with his mouth, but in his heart he sighed and involuntarily raised his head to glance at the direction of his daughter's bedroom upstairs.

  "A Feng!"

  "Ke Qian!"

  As Lin Ao Feng walked into Qin Ke Qing's bedroom, he put down his luggage and turned around unintentionally, meeting Qin Ke Qing's gaze. The entire room fell silent in an instant, as if time had stopped at that moment. After a while, Lin Ao Feng couldn't help but hug Qin Ke Qing tightly. Qin Ke Qing leaned against Lin Ao Feng's chest, listening to his heartbeat, as if she and Lin Ao Feng had merged into one.

  Qin Keqing knew that her man was not an ordinary person, he bore a lot of pressure that others could hardly bear. Qin Keqing involuntarily raised her head to look at Lin Ao Feng's face full of determination, revealing a hesitant expression.

  It seemed that he had felt the gaze of his loved one, Lin Ao Feng lowered his head and looked at Qin Keqing with eyes full of tenderness, asking: "Do you have something on your mind?"

  Qin Keqing shook her head and said: "A Feng, I already know about what happened in Shanghai."

  "Cough!" Lin Ao Feng sighed, released Qin Keqing, walked to the bedside and sat down, bitterly smiled: "I'm a son who's not filial, my parents passed away when I wasn't by their side."

  "Ah Feng!" Qin Keqin walked to Lin Aofeng's side and persuaded: "The dead cannot be brought back to life. Your grandfather and grandmother do not want to see you so heartbroken either."

  "I know!" Lin Ao Feng said calmly: "Injustice has a head and debt has an owner. The hatred of parents is not shared with the heavens, this account I will sooner or later settle with that little devil." As he spoke, Lin Ao Feng grasped Qin Ke Qing's hand and sighed: "Ke Qing, I, Lin Ao Feng, am afraid that in this lifetime, the one I have wronged the most is you."

  Qin Keqing pinched the soft flesh around Lin Aofeng's waist, and upon seeing his twitching expression, she couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic and helped him massage it. She said: "Since you know that in the future you will owe me an apology, now treat me well. Before this happened, your father-in-law and mother-in-law came to Hong Kong, they told me about the inscription left by the abbot of Daiyun Temple for you back then."

  Lin Ao Feng laughed and asked: "You also believe this?!"

  Qin Keqing shrugged and said, "Don't believe it completely, but don't not believe it either. As long as you're mentally prepared, you won't go wrong." Then Qin Keqing asked, "A Feng, when are you planning to return to Shanghai? Can I come with you this time?"

  Lin Ao Feng thought for a moment and said: "I plan to stay in Hong Kong for a week. As for you, as long as your parents-in-law don't have any objections."

  The conversation was interrupted when Lin Ao Feng and Qin Ke Qing were in the house, Japan's Consul General to Germany, Oshima Hiroshi, returned to his office after being questioned by the German Foreign Ministry. Not long after, Onozawa Tami came to Oshima Hiroshi's office on orders. Before Onozawa Tami could speak, Oshima Hiroshi slapped him twice and shouted: "The people you sent are all useless! Lin Ao Feng didn't die, but brought a big trouble to the Empire."

  "Consul, please calm down!" said Onozawa Tominosuke, after a few words of persuasion. "I will take all the responsibility for this failed affair myself!"

  ōshima Hiro narrowed his eyes and stared at Onozawa Tami for a while, then said in a cold voice: "You have this heart, so you don't need to! You'd better keep your life and continue serving the Great Japanese Empire!"

  "Hey!" Onozawa Min responded with a question: "Consul General, are you going to notify the Hong Kong side to send someone to eliminate Lin Ao Feng?!"

  "Never mind! Although Lin Ao Feng is a top student from the Berlin Military Academy in Germany, the Empire doesn't need to continue wasting its elite for just one person."

  "Ah Feng, Ke Qing! Look who's here!" On the third day after Lin Ao Feng arrived in Hong Kong, at 9 o'clock in the morning, Qin Ke Qing's mother's voice rang out. Lin Ao Feng and Qin Ke Qing hastily walked out of the bedroom and saw Jiang Bai Li sitting in the living room. Lin Ao Feng excitedly exclaimed: "Teacher, how did you come?!"

  "Good boy, you've gotten even more robust after all these years! Not bad! Not bad!" Jiang Baili punched Lin Ao Feng's shoulder twice, then turned to Qin Keqing who was following behind Lin Ao Feng. He took a wooden box from his wife and walked in front of Qin Keqing, saying: "Keqing, this is something your mother-in-law asked me to give you before she passed away. From now on, you are the mistress of the Lin family, and all matters of the Lin family will be handled by you."

  Facing the wooden box in Jiang Baili's hand, Qin Keqing hesitated and looked at Lin Aofeng. Lin Aofeng nodded to Qin Keqing and said: "Since it was given by your mother, you take it."

  "Ah!" Qin Keqing responded with a sound and took over the wooden box. Jiang Baili nodded his head in satisfaction, gave his wife a wink, and Jiang Suomei walked to the side of Qin Keqing and her mother, saying: "Sister, let's talk about women's matters, leave this for the two men!"

  Qin Keqing's mother smiled and said: "Good! Let's go sit in the courtyard."

  After the three women left, Jiang Baili took the lead and asked: "A Feng, I've heard about your situation. When are you planning to return to Shanghai?"

  Lin Aofeng replied: "I and Keqing are going back to Shanghai in a few days." Then Lin Aofeng suddenly asked, "Teacher, are you planning to go to Japan?!"

  Jiang Baili was stunned and looked at Lin Aofeng with a puzzled face, asking: "How did you know?!"

  "I guessed it!" Lin Ao-feng and Jiang Bai-li walked together to the sofa, sat down, and said: "The war between China and Japan is imminent. As the saying goes, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be in danger.' The Japanese are very clear about our strength, but we don't know anything about Japan's situation. Therefore, I think Chiang Kai-shek may let you go to Japan to take a look, and at the same time, feel out the Japanese."

  "You little fox!" Jiang Baili cursed with a smile, saying: "If I didn't understand you, I would have thought that you had planted a mole by Chiang Kai-shek's side. How come you are so clear about Chiang Kai-shek's thoughts?"

  "What's the use of being clear and transparent?!" Lin Ao Feng took a deep breath and said: "The 412 old Chiang betrayed the revolution, and with the Central Plains War, he won a great victory. This made his ambitions swell. To say something unpleasant, if he could be called an emperor, Old Chiang would definitely do it. So I don't have high hopes for the future of the Nationalist Party."

  "Alright! Party affairs are not something you and I can interfere with." Jiang Bailu changed the subject, jokingly saying: "You're a top student from the Berlin Military Academy. I'd like to hear your views on the future Sino-Japanese War."

  Lin Aofeng smiled and picked up an orange from the fruit plate, peeling it as he spoke: "Teacher, there's actually nothing much to say about this. My views are still the same as they were back then. However, my senior fellow apprentice Tang Shengzhi will definitely not be content with just defending against the Japanese."

  When Lin Ao-feng mentioned Tang Shengzhi, Jiang Baili's face changed several times, and he comforted himself by saying: "Although Tang Shengzhi is not very broad-minded, he is still relatively reasonable when it comes to major issues of right and wrong."

  Lin Aofeng pursed his lips, thinking to himself: "It's precisely because he was too rational that the Japanese attack on Nanjing led to the fake transmission of orders, abandoning the people of Nanjing, and perhaps the Nanjing Massacre wouldn't have occurred." Seeing Lin Aofeng's hesitant expression, Jiang Baili asked: "What, do you think I'm wrong?"

  "Yes!" Lin Ao Feng said resolutely: "Teacher, didn't you spend a few years in prison because of your involvement with Tang Shengzhi?! Tang Shengzhi is a self-centered hero who only seeks his own interests and doesn't care about others."

  Jiang Baili nodded thoughtfully and said, "It seems you're right!" Then Jiang Baili took out a file from his briefcase and handed it to Lin Ao Feng, saying: "Originally, according to Chiang Kai-shek's intention, you were supposed to enter the army directly. But I didn't agree. This is the admission certificate for the 8th term of the Central Military Academy's 2nd General Corps. You still have a month and a half before school starts, so go back to Shanghai and settle your affairs, then report to Nanjing! As for Ke Qing, that little girl, I've also arranged for someone to take care of her, she'll be teaching at Jinling Girls' School."

  Lin Ao Feng simply glanced at the things in the folder, put them away, and asked: "Teacher, how did you know I was going to Hong Kong?!"

  Chiang Pai-li replied: "It was Liu Wen-tao who sent a telegram to report it to me."

  "Ba Li, you came without saying a word!" Before Jiang Ba Li's words had fallen, Qin Guo Zhong walked in from outside. Jiang Ba Li smiled and said: "Brother Zi Chen, I'm afraid I've disturbed you, do you mind?"

  "What a rare guest, you can come to my place, I'm so eager to have you!" Qin Guozhong said, pulling Jiang Baili down to sit. Lin Aofeng smiled and took the file back to the bedroom, then helped Qin Guozhong pour a cup of tea, and tactfully left the living room.

  Four days later, in the morning, Qin Guozhong and his wife saw off Jiang Baili and his wife with their daughter and son-in-law. In the afternoon, Qin Guozhong and his wife sent off their daughter and son-in-law at the dock, the parting emotions were beyond words, the mother and daughter hugged each other and cried, the scene was so touching that it was hard not to feel sad.

  After drifting at sea for seven days, Lin Ao Feng brought Qin Ke Qing back to Shanghai.

  "Master! You're finally back!" Lin Ao Feng rang the doorbell of the Lin Manor with Qin Ke Qing. Lin Quan Nan, who was missing an arm, opened the door upon hearing the bell and saw Lin Ao Feng's tears flowing uncontrollably.

  "Uncle Nan!" Lin Ao Feng gave Lin Quan Nan a hug and asked: "Uncle Nan, your arm..."

  Lin Quan Nan sighed and said: "Young master, it's not a place to talk outside, let's go in and talk!"

  As he walked into his own home, although the decorations in the house hadn't changed much, it was already a completely different world for Lin Ao Feng. After putting away his luggage and resting for a bit, Lin Ao Feng took Qin Ke Qing out of the room. In the living room, Lin Quan Nan, who had been pacing back and forth, heard Lin Ao Feng and Qin Ke Qing's footsteps and hurried to the staircase, calling out: "Young Master!"