Red Headscarf

  The small steamer had been on the Yangtze River for three days and arrived at Pukou. The boat owner informed Luo Yi and He Jichun that the small steamer would be loading and unloading a batch of goods at Pukou, which would take half a day, and they could go ashore to relax.

  He Jichun said he happened to have some official business in Nanjing and had to take care of it, so he hastily disembarked and left. Zeng Shan was excited when she heard that they had arrived at the capital and wanted to see what Nanjing City looked like. Luo Yi instructed Su Xiaofeng and Le Jialin to stay close to the shore with the other soldiers and not wander off too far, while he accompanied Zeng Shan and Yuan Jing, along with Tu Jiu and another guard, and took a boat across the river into Nanjing City.

  The city of Nanjing is thriving, with several major streets named after Mr. Sun Yat-sen lined with newly completed high-rise buildings, their white pillars looking particularly majestic. The pedestrians on the street are dressed in bright colors, chatting and laughing, while cars honk their horns as they drive by. The shops along both sides of the street are engaged in a fierce price-cutting war, with salesgirls waving colorful ribbons to attract the attention of passersby. Everywhere is filled with scenes of prosperity and celebration.

  Luo Wei looked back on the scenes in history with emotion. More than two years ago, the Japanese army launched the "January 28 Incident" in Shanghai, and the war directly threatened Nanjing, forcing the Nanjing government to relocate to Luoyang. After more than half a year, due to the agreement between China and Japan, the government returned to Nanjing. It had only been two years, and the people of Nanjing had completely forgotten the dark clouds of war. Among all the people, only Luo Wei clearly knew that in just three years, a brutal massacre would befall this beautiful city.

  "Luozige, come and see, there's a tram over there." Zeng Shan thought everything was fun. Although she had been to Wuhan with Mrs. Zhang before and could be considered as someone who had seen the world, following her boyfriend around town was a completely different feeling from following her godmother around town.

  Yuan Jing had never been to a big city before, and this would be even more dazzling. However, she was more restrained than Zeng Shan, although her curiosity was strong, but she didn't dare to say it out loud. Luo Yi looked at Yuan Jing's eyes straightly, with an awkward expression of wanting to speak but hesitating, and couldn't help but find it amusing.

  "Come on, I'll take you to buy some snacks." Luo Yi pointed to the department store in front of them and said to the two girls.

  As they entered the department store, the two girls' eyes were not enough to take in all the sights. The colorful foreign fabrics, ready-made clothes, cosmetics and jewelry were all "eye-catching" for the girls. Although these things seemed like street vendor goods from a later era to Luo Yi's eyes, at that time, they were all top-notch products.

  "Do you like this?" Luo Yi asked the girls for the hundredth time. Zeng Shan and Yuan Jing's faces turned bright red, wanting to say they liked it but fearing Luo Yi would buy it without hesitation; wanting to say they didn't like it, yet couldn't bring themselves to say so.

  "Boss, come and take two scarves..." At this time, Luo Yi repeatedly took the initiative to make decisions for the girls. It feels great to go shopping with a big shot and his mistress.

  "I want the purple one."

  "I want it red."

  As soon as Luo Yi spoke up, the girls were no longer polite. Yuan Jing chose a purple scarf and Zeng Shan chose a red one. The two helped each other tie the scarves around their necks and then showed them off in front of Luo Yi. The onlookers around them were filled with envy: taking out two wives to go shopping, it's rare that the two wives get along so well, what a luxurious life!

  Tu Jiu followed them with another soldier, also busy buying gifts. Luo Yi had instructed them that in Nanjing City, they didn't need to be too tense, as they were strangers here and no one would bother them. Tu Jiu was not young anymore, but he was still single. During this time, he had met a widow in Zhu Shan Town and they had reached the point of mutual affection. Therefore, he also needed to buy various luxury goods. The military pay for the assault battalion was not low, and as the head of the guard squad, Tu Jiu could earn 12 taels per month. With almost no expenses, he had saved up over a hundred taels in a year, which made him a small white-collar class even in Nanjing City.

  "Miss, help me out with this. Is this fabric suitable?" Tu Jiu was really not familiar with women's things, so he had to ask Zeng Shan for help.

  "Uncle Jiu, what's with your gaze? This color is so outdated!"

  "Uh, your future aunt is also quite old, it's not good to dress too brightly."

  "What's so great about it, it's just over 30 years old?" Luo Yi also chimed in, the person who had caught Tuo Jiu's eye was introduced by Luo Yi, so he knew him too. "Listen to me, buy that big red one."

  "It's just that the big red one is more festive, and it can be used when doing things," said Zeng Shan.

  Yuan Jing said with a smile: "Of course, look at Shan'er, her kerchiefs are all big red ones, also waiting to be used for something."

  "Xiao Jing, you're going to die!" Zeng Shan scolded while trying to scratch Yuan Jing's itchy spot. Yuan Jing giggled and dodged away. Zeng Shan was about to chase after her when she saw that many people in the department store were staring at them, and her face turned red with embarrassment. She composed herself and returned to Luo Yi's side.

  "Luozige, do you think this scarf is too red?" Zeng Shan asked Luo Yi quietly while intentionally lagging behind.

  "No, girls from good families look better in red."

  "Or I'll just keep it," Zeng Shan said in a barely audible voice. "I'll wear it when we get married, okay?" As she spoke, she stretched out her small hand and casually brushed against Luo Yi's hand. However, she didn't dare to openly hold hands with Luo Yi, as Yuan Jing and the others were just two or three steps ahead, and might turn around to greet them at any moment.

  Luo Yi also whispered: "When we get married, I'll buy you a new one. A whole new set."

  "I don't want it, I want to keep this handkerchief. This is the first handkerchief you bought for me, when we get married, I'll wear it just for you to see."

  Lu Yi felt a warmth in his heart, moved by Zeng Shan's words. In Lu Yi's mind, he had mixed feelings towards Zeng Shan. He indeed wasn't mentally prepared to marry Zeng Shan, but he also knew that Zeng Shan was devotedly waiting for him, and this feeling made it hard for him to avoid her. Maybe having one wife and one concubine was a good choice after all? He sometimes thought like this. If both Zeng Shan and Yuan Jing were by his side at the same time, living together like they did now, wouldn't that be a wonderful thing? However, as a modern person, could he accept such an arrangement?

  Looking into Zeng Shan's deeply affectionate eyes, Luo Yi couldn't help but reach out and wrap his arm around Zeng Shan's waist. Zeng Shan hesitated for a moment, then reached out to push Luo Yi's hand away, but her eyes clearly revealed a hint of happiness.

  "Luozige, someone is watching." Zengshan said in a low voice.

  "Look at that couple over there, aren't they also holding hands? They're not afraid either."

  Zeng Shan took a glance and indeed there was a couple stuck together on the upper deck. Zeng Shan's face turned even redder, saying: "They are city people."

  "You'll become a city person in the future too. Just exercise for now."

  "I won't," Zeng Shan said with a shy smile.

  Luo Yi was actually just joking with Zeng Shan, and since Yuan Jing and others were in front of them, he didn't dare to be too reckless with Zeng Shan, otherwise it would have a bad influence if it spread back to Zhu Shan Town.

  A group of people spent nearly two hours shopping at the department store and finally came out with big bags and small bags. Tu Jiu and another soldier took on the task of carrying all the purchases, shouldering and holding them in their hands. Luo Yi had his hands free, while the two girls each held a bag of snacks, eating as they walked. Luo Yi was now also getting used to this feeling of being a leader, if he were to go help carry those things, Tu Jiu would probably feel embarrassed.

  "Let's go find a place to eat." Luo Yi suggested.

  "Okay, what's for lunch?" The two girls exclaimed in unison. They had so much fun today and Nanjing was such a wonderful city. Lunch should also be a surprise for them.

  "I've got it." Luo Yi racked his brains to recall what he knew about Nanjing. He had a classmate from Nanjing in college who had talked about the city's various specialty snacks, "I remember now, duck blood soup with vermicelli noodles, this is one of Nanjing's famous dishes. And also Osmanthus-flavored salted duck."

  "I want to eat!" Zeng Shan shouted, actually she didn't know if these things were delicious or not, but as long as it was something Luo Yi said, she would definitely support it most resolutely.

  "I've heard my dad mention Nanjing's duck blood and vermicelli soup before, he said that if you don't eat the duck blood and vermicelli soup, it's as if you haven't been to Nanjing at all." Yuan Jing also said with a smile.

  Zeng Shan pointed forward and said, "Look, there's a restaurant over there! The sign says 'duck blood'." During this time, Zeng Shan had been following Yuan Jing and Mrs. Zhang to learn culture, so she already recognized many characters and could understand the restaurant's sign.

  Luo Yi said: "Let's go to that house."