LRAB Chapter 140 I'll support whatever Sister Cao does
Chapter 140 I'll support whatever Sister Cao does
After a long stretch, Chen Zijun slowly opened his eyes.
Chen Zijun slept in late, which was a rare occurrence for him.
The sun shines brightly outside the window, and cicadas chirp incessantly.
He stretched and glanced at the calendar on the bedside table.
August 10th.
There are still twenty days until the wedding.
"Young Marshal!" came Wang Ma's anxious voice from outside the door. "Young Marshal, are you awake yet?"
Chen Zijun rolled his eyes.
He had never been married in his previous life, and now that he had transmigrated into this world, he was more nervous than anyone else about this major event.
But you absolutely cannot let anyone tell.
"Come in."
Wang Ma pushed open the door and entered, carrying a stack of bright red account books.
"Young Marshal, take a look at this list regarding the wedding preparations." Wang Ma placed the account book on the table. "Three thousand wedding invitations have been printed, eight hundred tables have been booked for the banquet, two hundred each at the Paramount and the Peace Hotel, and the remaining four hundred tables will be scattered throughout Shanghai. The bridal sedan chair was crafted by the best artisans from Suzhou; it's an eight-bearer sedan chair with a frame of golden nanmu wood, embroidered with dragons and phoenixes..."
"Wait," Chen Zijun interrupted her, "The bridal sedan chair?"
"Yes, a bridal sedan chair," Wang Ma said matter-of-factly.
"I don't want a bridal sedan chair," Chen Zijun said.
"Huh?" Wang Ma was stunned.
"Use armored vehicles."
Wang Ma's mouth opened into an "O" shape.
"I said armored vehicles." Chen Zijun finished dressing. "Armored vehicles will lead the way, followed by Mercedes military trucks, and the convoy will be loaded with flowers and red silk. The whole of Shanghai will know that Chen Zijun is getting married."
Wang Ma's lips twitched slightly: "Young Marshal, is this... is this appropriate?"
"What's inappropriate about it?" Chen Zijun straightened his collar. "I'm a soldier, not a scholar. My wedding should have the pomp and circumstance of a soldier."
Wang Ma could only write it down with a wry smile.
"By the way," Chen Zijun stopped at the door, "how are the preparations going with Sister Qingdi?"
"Everything is going smoothly with Miss Cao," said Wang Ma. "The dowry list has been prepared. Old Master Cao and Madam Chen came over specially and even asked her to bring a batch of antiques and calligraphy from Tianjin, all of which are family heirlooms."
"Okay." Chen Zijun nodded. "I'll go check on her."
……
Cao Qingdi's residence was in a small Western-style building on the east side of Chen's mansion.
The yard is filled with roses and jasmine, and the air is filled with a faint fragrance of flowers.
Chen Zijun pushed open the courtyard gate and saw Cao Qingdi squatting by the flower bed, pruning the branches and leaves of a rose bush.
She wore a plain white cheongsam, her hair was styled in a simple bun, and she wore a jade hairpin.
The sunlight shone on her, making her look as gentle as a painting.
Chen Zijun stood at the door and watched for a long time.
In his past life, he was a lonely man, spending half his life in the military and never experiencing any warmth until his death. In this life, after transmigrating, he has Cao Qingdi, Mo Huixin, Mo Lanzhi, Ye Yingxue, and oh, that Italian mafia princess Lily, and a group of brothers willing to fight to the death for him.
He felt that God had been kind to him this time, no, He had been very kind to him.
"What are you daydreaming about?" Cao Qingdi asked without turning her head. "Come in and sit down."
Chen Zijun was taken aback: "How did you know it was me?"
"In the entire Chen mansion, who else but you would dare to push open the gate and enter without knocking?" Cao Qingdi stood up, turned around, and smiled slightly.
Chen Zijun smiled and walked over, sitting down on the stone bench next to her.
"Are you done with your work?" Cao Qingdi handed over a cup of iced tea.
"Shen Li is keeping an eye on things in Xuzhou, so we don't need to worry about it for now. Uncle Yang Yanzhao is watching over things in Fujian to the south, and my father is in charge of our headquarters in Hangzhou..." Chen Zijun took the teacup, took a sip, and said, "I came here today specifically to see Sister Cao."
Cao Qingdi rolled her eyes at him: "Young Marshal, you are so busy with affairs of state, yet you still take the time to come see a little woman like me. I am truly blessed."
"What you're saying, sister," Chen Zijun said with a wry smile, "makes it sound like I don't come to see you often."
"You really don't come here often," Cao Qingdi said bluntly. "The last time you came was half a month ago."
Chen Zijun opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.
She was telling the truth.
For the past two weeks, he has been busy taking over Jiangsu Province, deploying the Xuzhou defense line, and dealing with the threat posed by Wu Peifu and Chiang Kai-shek, and has simply not had any free time.
"I'm sorry." Chen Zijun put down his teacup. "After the wedding, I'll definitely spend more time with you."
Cao Qingdi didn't speak, but just lowered her head and fiddled with the rose branch in her hand.
After a while, she said softly, "I'm not blaming you. I know you're busy. It's just... sometimes I worry."
"What are you worried about?"
"I'm worried about you." Cao Qingdi looked up at him, a hint of worry in her eyes. "Will Chiang Kai-shek's side take action against you?"
Chen Zijun was silent for a moment.
"Yes," he said, "but not now. Chiang Kai-shek is busy preparing for the Northern Expedition and has no time for me. But he's in Guangdong, and he's occupied Yunnan, Guizhou, and Guangxi. His first target should be Jiangxi, Hunan, and Sichuan, then Hubei, Anhui, Henan, and finally the Fengtian clique. After all, I'm still nominally the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Southeastern Front Army of the Southern National Revolutionary Army, personally recognized by Mr. Sun. The real trouble will come after he finishes the Northern Expedition."
"and you……"
"Don't worry." Chen Zijun held her hand. "I have over 200,000 well-equipped German-trained troops, armored divisions, heavy artillery brigades, and the Wusongkou Fortress. Chiang Kai-shek wants to mess with me? He'd better think twice before he gets the chance."
Cao Qingdi's hand trembled slightly, then she fell silent.
"That's just how you are," she sighed softly, "you solve everything with guns and cannons."
"If guns can't solve the problem, use more guns," Chen Zijun said seriously.
Cao Qingdi couldn't help but laugh: "You're hopeless."
The two took a walk in the garden for a while.
Cao Qingdi talked about her pharmaceutical factory.
"Sulfonamide production has stabilized," she said. "We can now produce 10,000 standard packages per month, which is more than enough to supply Europe and the United States. My next step is to expand the production line and build a second factory specifically for producing military and civilian medicines."
"Civilian medicines?" Chen Zijun became interested.
"Yes," Cao Qingdi said. "It's so difficult for ordinary people to see a doctor these days. A simple wound infection can be fatal. If we could bring down the price of sulfonamides so that ordinary people could afford them, then..."
"Okay." Chen Zijun didn't hesitate. "How much?"
Cao Qingdi paused for a moment: "I haven't finished speaking yet."
"No need to finish. I fully support whatever my sister wants to do. Just tell Mo Huixin how much money she needs."
Cao Qingdi looked at him, her eyes slightly red.
"Thank you," she said softly.
"What are you thanking me for?" Chen Zijun smiled. "You're my person, and what you do is my business."
Cao Qingdi lowered her head, her ears turning red.
……
evening.
Chen Zijun left Cao Qingdi's residence and returned to the main building of Chen Mansion.
Moranzhi was already waiting in the study.
"Young Marshal," Mo Lanzhi's expression was somewhat subtle, "there's something I need to report to Aunt Wang."
"What's going on?"
"This afternoon, while Wang Ma was organizing Miss Cao's dowry, she found a gift list," Mo Lanzhi said, handing over a piece of paper.
Chen Zijun took it and glanced at it.
The gift list included various gold and silver jewelry, silk fabrics, and other valuables, with a total value of approximately five thousand silver dollars.
The inscription reads: Respectfully presented by Guangzhou Hengchang Trading Company.
"Guangzhou Hengchang Trading Company?" Chen Zijun frowned.
"I've already investigated," Mo Lanzhi said. "The actual controller of this business is a peripheral organization of the Military Intelligence Bureau. They used the business as a cover to set up a liaison point in Shanghai."
Chen Zijun's eyes suddenly turned cold.
"What does it mean that they delivered the gift to Cao Qingdi?"
"Two possibilities," Moranzhi said. "First, a test. To see if there are any loopholes in our security, and if we can smuggle things in. Second, infiltration. To use the wedding as an opportunity to plant people within our ranks."
"There's a third possibility." Chen Zijun slammed the gift list on the table.
"What?"
"A demonstration," Chen Zijun sneered. "Tell me, does Chiang Kai-shek's hand reach to my pillow?"
Moranzhi was silent for a moment.
"Young Marshal, what should we do?"
Chen Zijun thought for a moment: "Has it been confirmed with Wang Ma?"
"It's been confirmed," Mo Lanzhi said. "After Wang Ma discovered the gift list, she reported it immediately. We conducted a thorough investigation of Wang Ma, including all her social media records, travel history, and contacts over the past month. The conclusion is that Wang Ma has no issues. This gift list was obtained through normal gift channels."
"Okay." Chen Zijun nodded. "I'm relieved that Wang Ma is innocent."
He stood up and walked to the window.
"Don't return the gift," Chen Zijun said. "Take it. Then, follow this line and find out Chiang Kai-shek's entire network of contacts in Shanghai. We've tried to crack down on them several times, but they just spring up again every time. It's really troublesome... I need their names, their addresses, and all their details."
"yes!"
"And another thing." Chen Zijun turned around, a cold smile playing on his lips, "On my wedding day, I'd like to see what other grand gift Chiang Kai-shek can give me."
Moranzhi accepted the order and left.
Chen Zijun stood by the window, looking at the night outside.
Chiang Kai-shek.
Are you trying to cause trouble on my wedding day?
Ok.
I'll be waiting for you right here.
Let's see if your schemes are more powerful, or my guns are stronger.