Chapter 3: The Call to Resistance (Part 1)

  Cheng Jiaji was originally prepared to engage in a battle of wits with this beautiful woman, who seemed to have a bit of the spirit of Feng Jieyu from Dream of the Red Chamber. But unexpectedly, Yu Sanjie just kept urging him to drink, and the atmosphere at the table was always pleasant under her clever and courteous hospitality. The meal was enjoyed by all, thanks to Yu Sanjie's witty remarks. Cheng Jiaji had some doubts in his mind, but he figured that Yu Sanjie must have had an ulterior motive for coming to accompany him to this small gathering. Thinking about it, he decided that since he had the upper hand, he might as well enjoy the delicious food in front of him and not worry about anything else. So he continued to chat with Yu Sanjie in a casual manner. On the other hand, Wen Congyan felt that he was being favored by this beautiful woman, and since Cheng Jiaji was not competing with him for her attention, he became very lively during the meal. For some reason, Yu Sanjie also changed her usual cold demeanor towards Wen Congyan and gave him a few smiles. As a result, Cheng Jiaji just focused on enjoying the delicious Zhejiang cuisine prepared by the chef of Hongyun Casino, while Wen Congyan and Yu Sanjie were engaged in a heated conversation.

  A group of people ate and drank for nearly two hours before bidding farewell to the host and returning to their barracks. Unlike Wen Yuan Song, who was extremely excited because he thought he had won the favor of a beauty today, Cheng Jiaji's mood was inexplicably heavy.

  He had been in this time and space for more than half a day, but he still didn't know where to go or what to do next. He was also unwilling to fight with others for half a day, and his heart wasn't happy at all. The other people saw that Cheng Jiaji's interest was not high, so they all fell silent, except for Wen Songyuan who couldn't read the situation and kept talking excitedly along the way.

  Wu Town's night was still quite lively, with many small food stalls on the streets. The local snacks were truly dazzling, especially one stall selling Jin Hua dried vegetable crispy pancakes that wafted a savory aroma for miles and made people drool. This type of snack was most suited to Cheng Jiaji's taste buds. On ordinary days, even if he had eaten his fill, he would still have to come and try one to satisfy his cravings. But at this moment, he didn't have the mood for it.

  Is it going to find the old generation of revolutionaries or follow the Kuomintang? This is indeed a difficult problem for people to choose.

  Honestly speaking, Cheng Jiashi didn't have any bad feelings towards the Communist Party or good feelings towards the Nationalist Party. Deep down, he still wished to be one of the first generals of New China. Unlike some people, he didn't think that even if Chiang Kai-shek had won the mainland, China's future would necessarily be bright. After all, the situation on the mainland was fundamentally different from that of Taiwan, and with over 9 million square kilometers of land and a huge population, it was impossible for China to become strong through light industry alone. Without its own heavy industry and high-tech sector, China would forever be a lumbering giant.

  But there was a major problem in front of him, with his family background and the things he had done in Nan'an, he had joined the revolution, and in the subsequent movements, he would inevitably become an old activist. He didn't want to be constantly haunted by a few bitter and resentful laborers who would accuse him, at that time, it would be impossible for him not to become a negative example. As for the Nationalist Party, which was destined to fail at that time, it was the trend of the times, and no one could change it, he would have to figure out how to deal with it later. In fact, there was another reason why Cheng Jiaji couldn't make up his mind, a reason he himself didn't dare to say out loud, as a modern person who had never suffered or starved, he didn't have the courage and determination to give up his comfortable life now and go live in Yan'an's austere life.

  After thinking for half a day, Cheng Jiaji still couldn't come up with an answer that satisfied himself. The people around him saw that he was in a bad mood and didn't know what to say, even Wen Yuansong, who usually wouldn't notice the atmosphere, also stopped talking and walked silently with his head down. Among them, only Gao Shiqi was secretly guessing Cheng Six's thoughts, but of course, he couldn't guess it because this Cheng Jiaji was no longer the original Cheng Jiaji. As for the others, they didn't even bother to think about it.

  At around 11 o'clock that night, when Cheng Jiaji returned to his dormitory, the deputy chief of staff of the instructor team, Chang Jing, had someone waiting for him and asked him to go over.

  Chang Jing was one of the few talents from the Central Military Academy's 10th class, originally a lieutenant colonel staff officer in the War Zone Command Headquarters. He was reassigned to the Temporary 66th Division as deputy chief of staff with the rank of colonel when it was established. Chang Jing, although also a young and successful individual, was a steady and broad-minded person who got along well with everyone in the division, from top to bottom. This was extremely rare, especially for someone like him, a talent from the Central Military Academy, who had been transferred to a local unit like the Temporary 66th Division.

  Cheng Jiaji learned from Ma Sanbao that his relationship with the deputy was not bad, and they had some dealings on ordinary days, but it was the first time that the other party sent someone to invite him so late.

  With the idea of seeing what kind of medicine was being sold in the other person's gourd, Cheng Jiaji followed the newcomer to a small courtyard where Chang Jing lived, which was located deep in the Department of Education and was not large but had a clear and elegant atmosphere.

  Cheng Jiaji stepped into the small courtyard with a delicate and elegant atmosphere, where refined scholars cultivated their minds and nurtured their nature. He saw Chang Jing standing at the door, tall and slender in appearance, with an extraordinary air about him that seemed to possess a hint of otherworldly charm and was extremely approachable.

  The two met and Jing was not exchanging pleasantries with Cheng Jiaqi, but instead directly pulled Cheng's hand and led him into the house.

  Cheng Jiaji responded to Chang Jing's enthusiasm on the surface, while secretly thinking that his identity was indeed valuable, and everyone was eager to curry favor with him.

  Note: Jinhua dried vegetable pancake

  Jinhua pastry is a traditional Chinese pastry originating from Jinhua, Zhejiang Province. It is made with flour, dried mustard greens, fatty pork, sesame seeds and maltose sugar to form the dough, which is then baked for an extended period of time. The pastry encloses a filling of dried mustard greens and meat, has a round shape resembling a crab shell, with golden brown surfaces covered in sesame seeds, and consists of over ten layers, each as thin as paper. When bitten into, it crumbles into powder, emitting a fragrant aroma and having a crispy texture, with a unique flavor.