Chapter 2 May's Fresh Flowers (Part 4)
Wine is the most important lubricant in human social interactions. Since its birth, its mission has not been limited to satisfying the desires of the mouth and stomach. Three cups of strong wine down the hatch, even if the person sitting opposite is an enemy, it's hard to immediately draw a knife and turn against each other. For ordinary people, finding an excuse to sit together and drink a few cups is the easiest way to eliminate each other's defenses.
Although in the presence of outsiders, Peng Xuewen and Fang Guoqiang and other students maintained sufficient caution. However, Qin Deguang still relied on his old social experience to successfully explore the details of the two student teams through a series of probing questions. When he heard that the members of the Blood Flower Society were raising funds for the 29th Army while promoting anti-Japanese propaganda, he was immediately moved and not only reiterated that he would not charge any accommodation fees for the two student teams but also proactively offered to help the students borrow the stage used for singing opera during the Spring Festival in town to raise more donations for the Blood Flower Society and awaken more numb civilians.
"This won't do, we've already troubled you a great deal. How can we, how can we trouble you again to run around for us?" Zhou Ju had drunk quite a bit of wine and his head was starting to spin, he supported himself on the table and stood up, loudly refusing.
"Little brother, sit down! Patriotism is not just your or Zhou Lao's personal matter! Nor is it the business of you Blood Flower Society people!" Qin De-guang's face turned stern, and he protested with great displeasure. "Qin cannot go to the battlefield like you guys, I'm already very ashamed of that. If I can't even do something as simple as running errands for you, what qualifications will I have to hang out in this place in the future?! Besides..." He stretched out his arm and forcibly pressed Zhou Jue back into his seat, with a serious expression all over his face, "Besides, Qin is doing this to repay a debt! Don't be fooled, gentlemen, that embezzler you mentioned earlier, who used public funds to build a luxurious villa in the hotel district, is actually my father!"
"Ah——” Not only Peng Xuewen, but all the students present, whoever still had a bit of clarity in their minds, immediately turned red with embarrassment. Qin Deguang did not take the opportunity to accuse everyone of gossiping behind his back, but instead bowed deeply to the crowd and said very seriously: "As the saying goes, 'A child does not cover up for his father's mistakes.' Our parents' generation, due to their limited knowledge, indeed did many things that made a laughing stock. But fortunately, our generation has grown up gradually in the experiences and lessons they left behind. We no longer repeat their jokes, nor do we let the whole country become a laughing stock again!"
He spoke with a genuine Hebei accent, pronouncing the word "掩" in "掩饰" clearly. Just this attitude made all the students respect him, and they raised their wine cups in front of them, saying loudly: "Brother Qin is absolutely right! Many mistakes our parents' generation made were actually unintentional. As long as we strive to make a good showing for ourselves, people will eventually forget our parents' mistakes and bring glory to our whole family!"
"Yes, Qin is indeed a straightforward and upright person, I admire him!"
"Qin big brother, let's have another drink!"
All the toasts, Qin Debang came and did not refuse. After drinking two rounds, he finally belched, supported his hands on the table and said: "I'm lucky that you can call me a big brother, Qin Mou is three lives. Today I still have things to do, so I won't accompany you all to drink more. In the future, if there's anything that needs Qin Mou's help, just speak up. As long as Qin Mou can do it, he will not frown!"
"Go ahead, Brother Qin!" "Farewell, Brother Qin!" The students who had just met this Mr. Qin felt a deep sense of admiration for him. They all stood up and bowed to see him off.
Qin Deguang stumbled and staggered towards the elegant room he came from, but halfway through, his legs suddenly weakened and almost fell to the ground. Luckily, the waiter reacted quickly and supported him with a hand, barely keeping him upright. "I've lost my composure! I've lost my composure!" He laughed again, turned around, and awkwardly bowed to everyone. Then he leaned his upper body on the waiter's shoulder and became a drunk mess.
"This Qin boss is really an interesting person!" As he watched Qin Dehuan's figure disappear at the back door of the restaurant, Tian Qingyu smiled, as if hinting at something.
"Yes indeed, in the countryside, there are often hidden dragons and sleeping tigers. The ancients were not deceiving me!" Peng Xuewen also blurted out a sentence to express his heartfelt emotions.
"Will he have any ideas about us?!" Zhang Songling, although the youngest, had been influenced by his father and brother since childhood, and had a kind of instinctive vigilance towards people in the business world. He furrowed his brow, probingly reminding.
"What can we show to others that's worth looking at!" Perhaps it was self-abasement, or perhaps he had just been hit and hadn't recovered yet, Lu Ming spread out his long fingers and asked back with a smirk.
Indeed, with Qin's wealth, he may not even notice the few hundred yuan in donations that everyone brought. Moreover, this person can openly admit to his own father's mistakes, which shows how upright and honest he is. Everyone looked at each other and smiled, unable to think of anything else they had that could be swindled by Qin. They decided to stop being suspicious and started discussing the arrangements for tomorrow's charity performance instead.
At this moment, the anti-Japanese salvation movement is being carried out among students everywhere. As the leader of all universities in Beiping, the students of Beida naturally have their own strengths. Not wanting to fall behind the Blood Flower Society, several core members quietly discussed and then proposed to Peng Xuewen that they would also contribute their efforts to tomorrow's performance. Peng Xuewen had long wanted to find an opportunity to make more contact with the people of the Blood Flower Society in order to dispel Zhou Ju's idea of going to Beiping. Seeing the excuse being handed over, he immediately proposed a joint performance application to Zhou Ju. Zhou Ju asked for opinions from Fang Guoqiang, Tian Qingyu and others with his eyes, and seeing that the others did not intend to object, he gladly agreed. He made an appointment with Peng Xuewen that if they could borrow the stage tomorrow, the Blood Flower Society would be in charge of the first half and the Beiping students would be in charge of the second half, jointly promoting anti-Japanese views.
Both sides of the backbone sat together, chatted for a while, and nailed down the specific details of the performance one sentence at a time. Then they each returned to their rooms to rest. As they were about to go up the stairs, Peng Xuewen intentionally fell behind a few steps, reached out to put his arm around Zhou Ju's shoulders, and with a hint of drunkenness said: "Stone, I know that my words today are too deep for the people of Blood Flower Society. But my relationship with you is different from theirs! From childhood to adulthood, I have always treated you like an older brother. Weiwei has also always taken you as a role model. We can't just watch as you jump into the fire pit in front of us. Listen, listen to me, don't go to Beiping. If you do, you'll only end up feeling more and more desperate, just like me!
"Are you not desperate about that central government of yours?" As if he had expected Peng Xuewen to play this trick of speaking the truth after drinking, Fang Guoqiang, who was walking in front, quickly stopped and turned back with a cold smile. "Don't forget, most of us are Shandong people! In 1928 when the Japanese invaders killed and set fires in Jinan, what did that central government of yours do?"
