Episode 22 Returning to Nanjing with my mother-in-law

It was the winter vacation of primary school at this time. There was no sound of reading aloud the next morning. Except for Shang Xiaojun, all the young people got up very late. Xiang Xiaoqiang was the last one to get up. Although it was almost nine o'clock, he still

Holding on to the window rail, I took a deep breath of the fresh morning air of the water town. Wu-style architecture is different from Hui-style architecture. The windows of Hui-style architecture are basically opened in the patio. Although the exterior is also painted with white walls and black tiles, it is very closed, like a small

It's the same as a castle. But the Wu-style buildings here are very open and transparent, with a large view, and you can easily lean on the railings and overlook the distance.

The small building of Pinxian Academy only has two floors, but it is considered tall in this small town. Looking out from the distance, you can see a row of pink walls and black tiles, surrounded by several emerald green rivers. It is extremely beautiful. The windows

Below is the river. The back door of the academy opens on the river. Several stone steps lead to the water, and there is a small boat tied next to it. Xiang Xiaoqiang rested his elbows on the window sill and watched with interest the neighbors squatting on the river below.

While there, I washed rice, washed vegetables, washed clothes, cleaned the toilet, and chatted loudly in a language I couldn’t understand...

Alas, this river is used for cooking, washing and washing, and this river is used for cleaning toilets... But the water surface is always so clear, like green jade. When the breeze blows, a large wrinkle-like ripple appears on the water surface,

It looked increasingly clear and translucent. Occasionally, townspeople passed by in small boats, with a few fish, a pickled pig leg, or a bag of rice thrown into the boat. While they were rowing, they were joking and saying hello to the neighbors on the river. Behind the boat

Dragging the green water waves...

Xiang Xiaoqiang lowered his head and looked at the boat tied by the small door. This should belong to Xiuxiu's family. Seeing the boat, Xiang Xiaoqiang became more excited and went to wash up excitedly, preparing to let Xiuxiu accompany him to go boating and have a good tour.

Fan.

Wu Xiaojun got up very early, already holding his wheelchair and preparing breakfast for everyone. Although the breakfast was simple, it seemed to Xiaoqiang that it was all local specialties.

With Shang Xiaojun's narration last night, when I woke up today, the way Xiang Xiaoqiang looked at Xiuxiu was different. There was even infinite love in every pore. Looking at his mother-in-law Shang Xiaojun, he also felt a little more admiration.

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After breakfast, Xiang Xiaoqiang proposed to take a boat trip to Tongli Ancient Town. It was a leisurely experience, and most of the townsfolk would watch him all the way. Xiu Xiu didn't like to show up in public, but seeing how interested Xiang Xiaoqiang was, and it was a rare visit, she didn't like it.

He agreed with a smile.

Xiang Xiaoqiang also wanted to take his mother-in-law with him, because he felt that it was not good for three young people to go out to play and leave his mother-in-law at home. But Shang Xiaojun just let the young people go and have fun, and he was here

After more than ten years of living, my legs were disabled and I had long lost interest in sightseeing. So Xiang Xiaoqiang and Xiu Xiu brought two more guards, untied the boat at the back door, and rowed out along the river.

Sure enough, just as Xiu Xiu expected, some townspeople soon looked at them on the bank. They were surprised, then envious, and then followed them in groups on the river bank, looking at Xiang Xiaoqiang and Xiu in the boat below.

show.

People in the town kept saying hello to the Xiuxiu siblings. After a small disturbance last night, it has completely spread in the town. Everyone rushed to see the Commander of the People's Guard and the "Ryukyu Princess". Although

The "princess" is the little Xiu'er in her own town, but she must take another look at it.

More and more people were saying hello, and their voices became more and more attentive. Ye Ziyu stood at the stern of the boat, rocking the oar arrogantly, and loudly answered the townspeople from time to time:

"Yes, this is my brother-in-law, Commander Xiang! These are his guards!"

The crowd on the shore made envious sounds of "ah..." and "ah..." and looked at the boat with more and more admiration.

Xiang Xiaoqiang couldn't laugh or cry, but she couldn't stop her brother-in-law. Xiuxiu lowered her head, her face flushed, and she was also very awkward. She quietly asked her brother to keep a low profile several times, but it was of no use. There were already huge crowds of people on the shore, and Ye Ziyu kept coming from time to time.

It seems more natural to "interact" for a while, and at least it feels like riding a big horse and wearing red flowers. If you don't say a word, it will be like being in a cage in the zoo.

Tongli is famous for its many bridges. According to later statistics, there are forty-nine ancient bridges in the town. Xiang Xiaoqiang feels that every once in a while, he has to crawl under the belly of a small stone bridge. Especially on each small bridge.

All the townspeople were standing in advance, staring directly at them as they rowed under their feet and got into the belly of the bridge. Then the townspeople turned around in unison and stared down at them as they came out from the other side of the bridge's belly.

Xiang Xiaoqiang couldn't stand it anymore. This was not a sightseeing, it was simply a parade. He asked Ye Ziyu if there was any place where there were not many people. Ye Ziyu said he could paddle to the lake. Xiang Xiaoqiang immediately ordered: turn the steering wheel and leave the town.

Go to the lake.

The boat quickly rolled out of the ancient town and entered Tongli Lake. There were many children and teenagers in the town who also followed out on the boat, laughing and watching from behind. But this was much better than "parading" in the town.

This is where they entered the town last night. It was hard to see how big the lake was at night, but Xiang Xiaoqiang now saw that Tongli Lake was too small. It was about one square kilometer, which was just a larger pond. It could be seen from all sides.

Clearly. He felt depressed for a while and asked Xiuxiu if there was any larger water area nearby. Xiuxiu was afraid that he would go crazy, so she hesitated and did not answer, while Ye Ziyu grabbed the avenue behind:

"Yes, brother-in-law, just a few miles to the east, across Muzhuang Lake, is Cheng Lake. That lake is more than ten times bigger than this one! Brother-in-law, shall we go there? There are many fishermen there, and there are some on boats by the lake.

Small restaurant, we won’t go back at noon, we will buy some fish from the fishermen and take them to the tavern on the boat to cook and eat!"

The brother-in-law's words immediately aroused great attraction. Xiang Xiaoqiang's interest was piqued and he immediately agreed. Xiuxiu knew that Xiang Xiaoqiang and her brother were going to go crazy again, so she smiled helplessly. She stood up and waved, and called out a

The children on the boat were asked to go back and tell Teacher Shang that they were going to play on Chenghu Lake and would not go back at noon. These children were all studying at Shang Xiaojun Academy and were very familiar with Xiuxiu, so they all agreed immediately and happily.

Ye Ziyu is indeed a young man who grew up in a water town. He has superb boating skills. He took the boat and got into the small river on the east side of the lake. He drilled left and right along the river. He first got into a smaller Muzhuang Lake, and then entered the river. Soon

, a vast lake spread out in front of us.

This is one of the several large lakes between Chenghu Lake, Taihu Lake and the Yangtze River.

Xiang Xiaoqiang had rarely seen such a large body of water. It was much wider than the water surface of the Yangtze River. He felt so refreshed that he stood up unsteadily and roared into the distance like in a martial arts novel. Ye Zi

Yu also shouted with him. Xiuxiu sat on the boat and laughed, and Hu Jiong and another guard also laughed. When they arrived at the lake, Hu Jiong was more relaxed. It was a wide area, with nothing else within hundreds or thousands of meters.

Ships, security requirements are reduced to a minimum.

A few people swam on the lake all morning. Ye Ziyu also asked Xiaoqiang to punt to the side of a fisherman's boat to watch them fishing with ospreys. The fishermen stood on the boat, with two rows of black and ugly "ospreys".

That is, there was a boatload of herons standing there. The fishermen used a long pole to catch them, and the herons jumped off the boat and got into the water one after another. After a while, more herons flew onto the boat with bulging throats. The fishermen caught them.

The herons held their wings upside down, squeezed the small fish out of its throat with their hands, and then threw it back into the water. The herons kept flying onto the boat and being thrown off again. After a while, the basket was full.

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Xiang Xiaoqiang was so excited to see this thing. If he saw this thing in tourist attractions in later generations, he would have to pay for it. Now he was satisfied with the original sight. They bought some small fish from the fishermen, and then

Pole a boat to the middle of the lake in the distance and watch people fishing with fishing nets.

But this is obviously not as interesting as egret fishing, and it takes a lot of patience. After looking at the net, Xiang Xiaoqiang stopped looking, and bought two big fish from others, each one was more than a foot long, and put them on the small boat.

Let them flutter. It was already noon, and Ye Ziyu took the boat to a place on the lake shore. There were several larger boats gathered among the reeds, carrying wine in the guise. This was the legendary boat restaurant.

They picked the biggest boat and asked others to cook the fish. They fried a few more dishes, boiled a pot of wine, and several people started eating with great fanfare. Although the fish prepared by this small restaurant on the lake was not as good as

Later generations of fish restaurants had "one fish, four meals", but what they wanted was this atmosphere. In the reed marsh, on the fishing boat, drinking warm rice wine, eating braised fish, rowing the boat by yourself, buying it with your own hands from the fishermen... the taste

What happens next is another matter.

After this morning's trip on the same ship, Xiang Xiaoqiang and his brother-in-law naturally got to know each other a lot better. Hu Jiong, the guard platoon leader, and another squad leader were no longer so restrained as attendants. Although Hu Jiong was Xiang Xiaoqiang's guard platoon leader at the headquarters.

, but rarely have the opportunity to have face-to-face contact with the Commander. This trip to Tongli, following the Commander and his wife all the way, although it was hard work, it was a good job that so many officers of the People's Guard could not even dream of.

During this journey, Hu Jiong thought that he had performed very well, with a flexible mind and a sharp eye. He also served as a translator for the commander, and heard a lot about the commander's wife's family. After returning, he did not dare to say that he would be promoted immediately.

At least he will be treated as a confidant by the Commander.

During the meal, everyone was more relaxed, eating food, drinking wine, and chatting about interesting things while they were sober. Ye Ziyu chatted about interesting things about the town, Xiu Xiu also talked about interesting things about the Naval University, and Hu

Jiong and another guard also chatted with everyone about their hometowns... After chatting for a while, only Xiang Xiaoqiang didn't talk about his hometown. He just pretended to be dumbfounded and laughed and followed the others.

Xiang Xiaoqiang deliberately chatted with the two guards more, to find out their usual thoughts, the thoughts of soldiers in the People's Guard and their previous troops. He found that in some grassroots armies, soldiers and middle- and lower-level officers,

They were all suffocated by the aggressiveness of the Northern Qing Dynasty. They were all excited about the annihilation of two Eight Banners Divisions in the Nanjing Defense Battle, the bombing of the Qinglu Airport, and especially the Pukou Counterattack. They were relieved.

Xiang Xiaoqiang smiled widely when he heard this, but he was very cautious in his mind. He knew that it was probably Hu Jiong and another guy who said this deliberately to please him. But after drinking them two more drinks, the two of them became more and more enthusiastic.

Son, Hu Jiong is okay, but the squad leader is obviously complaining, probably meaning that we have to fight the Qing captives in this way, it has been long overdue, we can't just wait for them to go south, we also have to be able to fight across the Yangtze River.

Most of these middle- and lower-level officers came from poor backgrounds. Like Xiu Xiu, they studied hard and had excellent grades. However, because their families were poor, they could only go to military academies. These middle- and lower-level officers entered the army hoping to change their destiny through their own efforts and escape from poverty.

Poverty in the family also makes people superior. They are highly motivated and eager to get ahead. However, in peacetime, officers can only wait for a long time if they want to be promoted. Lower-level officers like them may not be promoted until they are gray-haired.

For a lieutenant colonel, being promoted to a colonel is already a great achievement. As for a general, that is a luxury that only a very few people can hope for.

However, this war between the Ming and Qing Dynasties, although it lasted only a short time, produced a large number of officers who were promoted in a rocket manner. The first one was Xiang Xiaoqiang, who was promoted from colonel to lieutenant general. Not only did he break through the threshold of colonel and general, he was promoted to two consecutive levels.

Although the officers of the People's Guard were suppressed by Xiang Xiaoqiang and could not be promoted conveniently, many of them also received medals in battle. They knew that now that Xiang Xiaoqiang was promoted, it would be their turn to be promoted according to military medals.

As for other units other than the People's Guard, countless middle- and lower-level officers have been promoted.

However, just when the vast number of middle and lower-level officers saw great hope, the door of opportunity was closed again. The Ming and Qing Dynasties had a tacit ceasefire, and based on the experience of previous Ming and Qing wars, this ceasefire may be

For many years, I may not be able to catch up again when I was young.

Xiang Xiaoqiang chatted with them about this aspect, and was very happy in his heart. Only with such a group of grassroots officers who are eager to get ahead and have opportunities, can his "fantasy" of unifying the country become an ideal.

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A few people spent the whole day playing on the lake, and they didn't return to Tongli Town until it got dark.

On Tongli Lake, one or two hundred meters away from the town entrance, they were surprised to find a man in a suit and top hat squatting on the bridge at the entrance of the town river, with several children watching him.

Ye Ziyu stopped the boat and floated on the lake. Several people looked at the man from a distance. Hu Jiong grabbed the cloth bag in the boat and held the submachine gun in his hand. He asked Xiang Xiaoqiang and Xiu Xiu to squat down, and let Ye Ziyu also

Squatting down. Several people with guns held the box gun in their hands.

It's quite dark, so it's hard to see what that person is doing. The worst possible person is a killer. If it's from Beiqing, he can't be so bold and not disguise himself, just standing here in a suit and ties, etc. Yes.

It might be some enemy of Xiang Xiaoqiang from within the Ming Dynasty.

Zheng Gongyin? Xiang Xiaoqiang shook his head, he wouldn't be so bold. Shen Rongxuan?... It's possible. Since he accepted the Queen's edict, he has been very silent, not thinking about Zheng Gongyin being so active in him, as if there is no such thing

.In fact, as the chief minister, he should be the first to object. Moreover, he has Dongchang in his hands, so it is very convenient to kill him.

However, it seems that a person as sophisticated as him wouldn't use such a stupid method, would he?

Suddenly, the man on the bridge discovered the boat, stretched his neck and looked at it for a while, and suddenly picked up something from under the railing. Several people on the boat yelled and fell down together.

A bright light flashed across the bridge, and a puff of white smoke rose.

It turns out that was a reporter...
To be continued...