Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

Because he lived in the commander's residence for a long time, Shen Jingyuan gradually developed a strong interest in military affairs. Whenever Commander Lin summoned his staff to discuss matters in the study, he would always take the opportunity to serve tea and water, stand outside the porch and pretend to arrange the tea set, but in fact he was listening carefully with his ears perked up.

The staff officers' arguments about troop deployment, railway transportation plans, and the deployment of new artillery gradually penetrated into his ears.

Gradually, this former street kid was able to come up with some unexpected insights when Commander Lin was worried about the war, such as suggesting the use of the Shanghai-Nanjing Railway to quickly deploy troops, or proposing to consider the patrol routes of foreign police when setting up an ambush at the border of the concession.

Commander Lin therefore noticed his potential and began to cultivate him intentionally. He first allowed him to attend military meetings, and later began to teach him military tactics personally.

When Commander Lin discovered that the child had an extraordinary talent for sand table simulation, he finally made up his mind to send the sixteen-year-old Shen Jingyuan to the Pujiang Military Academy to receive systematic military education.

Shen Jingyuan studied hard while in military school and completed his studies with excellent grades. After graduation, he steadily rose through the ranks in the military with his own abilities and Commander Lin's support, eventually becoming a staff officer and the most trusted adjutant of Commander Lin.

The encounter with Chi Xianqiu wasn't exactly a happy one. It was a rainy late autumn evening, and while trying to gather intelligence on Commander Lin's rival's arms trade, Shen Jingyuan accidentally exposed his whereabouts.

The gunmen sent by the other side pursued him relentlessly. He maneuvered several times in the intricate alleys of west Shanghai. Although he managed to escape by chance due to his familiarity with the terrain, he was hit in the left shoulder by a bullet when he was climbing over a brick wall, and blood soon soaked half of his shoulder.

The rain washed the wound, and Shen Jingyuan's vision began to blur due to excessive blood loss. He struggled to avoid the last wave of pursuers, and finally collapsed from exhaustion in a dark alley on the edge of the French Concession.

The streetlight at the entrance of the alley had been in disrepair for a long time, flickering sometimes bright and sometimes dim, stretching his figure very long. As his consciousness gradually faded, he heard a burst of brisk footsteps approaching from afar.

"Sir? What's wrong with you?"

A clear female voice sounded above his head. Shen Jingyuan tried hard to open his eyes, but he could only see a vague outline. The faint scent of ink from the girl's body mixed with the smell of rain came to his face, which was completely different from the usual musty smell in the alley.

His vision darkened and Shen Jingyuan completely fainted.

The next morning, after he woke up in the clinic, he learned from the doctor that a female student who passed by saved him, carried him to the clinic, and stayed with him for most of the night until dawn. After confirming that he was out of danger, she left quietly, leaving behind a few silver dollars without even leaving her name.

After recovering from his injuries, Shen Jingyuan tried to find out the whereabouts of his benefactor. He visited a nearby girls' middle school, asked the newspaper boy at the alley entrance, and even went to the alley to wait at the same time, but he never encountered the female student who saved him.

The only thing that is certain is that she should be a student of a girls' middle school. The doctor remembered the school badge on her schoolbag, but when Shen Jingyuan asked someone to inquire at the school, he was told that there were hundreds of students in the school and there was no way to check.

This unrequited favor became a concern in Shen Jingyuan's heart.

Occasionally, when he passed by the French Concession, he would unconsciously pay attention to the female students in blue shirts, thinking that he might meet the girl who saved him again.

For Shen Jingyuan, who was used to seeing life and death, the encounter on that rainy night was like a wild flower that he accidentally caught a glimpse of on a battlefield filled with smoke. It made him suddenly remember that there is still pure kindness in this world.

Later, Miss Lin, Commander Lin's daughter, was filled with resentment because of Xu Yucheng's cancellation of the engagement. She pointed the spearhead at Chi Xianqiu, the instigator of all this, and began to target her everywhere.

At this time, the situation in Shanghai was becoming increasingly tense. Japanese warships were parading on the Huangpu River, and the secret struggle between the Green Gang and the Revolutionary Party was intensifying.

Commander Lin not only had to deal with the open and covert attacks from various forces, but was also worried that his daughter would do something extreme because of the broken engagement, which would give people a reason to criticize her.

After much deliberation, he assigned his most trusted adjutant Shen Jingyuan to protect Lin Xi personally. Ostensibly to be her bodyguard, he actually wanted to restrain this willful young lady.

On the other hand, Chi Xianqiu's father unfortunately fell seriously ill, and this family, which was originally just an ordinary family, suddenly fell into trouble.

However, Xu Yucheng, who was in love with her, was placed under house arrest by his parents at this time. He temporarily lost contact with her and was unable to provide her with financial support.

In order to raise the high medical expenses, Chi Xianqiu had to interrupt her studies at the girls' school and started working in a coffee shop.

After Miss Lin heard the news, she took a group of ladies to the coffee shop. When Chi Xianqiu approached with coffee, she suddenly raised her hand and knocked over the sugar jar, and white porcelain fragments and sugar grains were scattered all over the floor.

Chi Xianqiu squatted down silently, his slender fingers moving between the sharp porcelain pieces, and he seemed unaware of the few tiny bloody marks on his fingertips.

Shen Jingyuan, who was standing aside, had a slightly gloomy look in his eyes. When Miss Lin picked up the scalding cup of coffee and pretended to pour it over, he calmly stepped forward and stood between the two of them just right.

Miss Lin met his cold gaze. Although she was angry, she did not dare to act rashly. She just snorted coldly and turned away.

However, in Chi Xianqiu's eyes, this man in a neat military uniform and with an extraordinary demeanor was obviously Miss Lin's bodyguard, and his behavior was nothing more than false sympathy.

She remembered those cold eyes. He didn't even look at Miss Lin when he stopped her. This made her naturally classify him as a powerful and wealthy child like Miss Lin, who was arrogant and looked down on the common people.

The good deed she had done in saving someone on a rainy night, combined with the image of the indifferent officer in front of her, suddenly made her feel unspeakable disappointment and anger.

Later, Shen Jingyuan confirmed through multiple investigations that Chi Xianqiu was the female student who saved him that year, but Chi Xianqiu was already full of hostility towards him at this time. Coupled with the entanglement between Lin Xi and Xu Yucheng, he could only bury this unbudding feeling deeply.

So, Shen Jingyuan began to help secretly. He anonymously paid for Chi's father's medical expenses, and asked someone to pass a message to the coffee shop owner to increase Chi Xianqiu's salary.

Whenever Miss Lin wanted to cause trouble for Chi Xianqiu, he would always appear in time to stop her. Although these actions were insignificant, they were the most inconspicuous way he could think of to repay her.

Chi Xianqiu never knew that the stranger she saved on that rainy night was now silently protecting her in this way.

As the Japanese army's attacks on Shanghai intensified, the entire city fell into panic and chaos.

The roar of artillery shells continued day and night, the streets were filled with fleeing crowds and collapsed houses, the borders of the concessions were crowded with citizens trying to seek shelter, and the air was filled with the smell of gunpowder and fear.

At such a critical moment, Xu Yucheng and Chi Xianqiu, who had finally been together after going through all kinds of difficulties, decided to evacuate the city that was about to fall overnight.

Before leaving, he thought of Shen Jingyuan's character and his help to Chi Xianqiu, and specially sent him a precious boat ticket.

Late that night, he braved the danger of stray bullets and crossed several streets to a dilapidated apartment building on the edge of the French Concession.

Here lives the only blood relative of Commander Lin, who was persecuted to death for refusing to cooperate with the Japanese - Miss Lin, who was married and then widowed.

Pushing open the door that made the harsh sound, Shen Jingyuan saw a small room of less than ten square meters. Miss Lin was mending clothes under the dim light of kerosene lamp. She slowly looked up after hearing the noise.

Although she was in her early thirties, her face already showed signs of ageing, and the white hair at her temples was particularly glaring under the light. On the simple wooden table lay half a bowl of cold porridge, and next to it was a tattered literacy textbook.

"Why don't you leave?"

Miss Lin looked at the boat ticket that was gently placed on the table, her voice so hoarse that it was almost impossible to hear the shadow of the spoiled young lady from the past.

Her eyes swept over the yellowed family photo on the wall. Commander Lin in the photo was still majestic, and she was standing next to her father, wearing the most fashionable dress, with a smile as bright as a flower.

On the day Commander Lin was persecuted to death, Mrs. Lin was found hanged on the sycamore tree that she and Commander Lin had planted together.

Overnight, Miss Lin fell from being the daughter of a high-ranking commander to being a homeless dog. If it were not for the secret support of Commander Lin's loyal old subordinates, and if it were not for the secret protection of her "cousin" who had made things difficult for her, she would probably have become a handful of fish food in the Huangpu River, and there would not even be anyone to collect her body.

The arrogance and unbridled ambition she once had, had long since vanished amidst the trials and tribulations of these years. Now, there was only endless emptiness and numbness in Miss Lin's eyes.

She often sat by the window all day long, staring blankly at the smoke-filled sky in the distance. Only when she thought of the tragic death of her parents would a trace of deep hatred flash across her dead eyes.

Miss Lin had already made plans. She hid a sharp dagger under her pillow and a bottle of highly toxic cyanide deep in her wardrobe.

If the day ever came when Shanghai was attacked, she would definitely use this dagger to cut the throats of at least three Japanese and then take poison.

Although her Lin family is gone, her bones are much tougher than any Japanese.

But she never expected that this "cousin" who in her eyes had usurped her brother's position, this adjutant who had always spoken coldly and rudely to her, this "traitor" who always stood against her when she and Chi Xianqiu were jealous of each other, would now bring her the only way out.

"An Ding Fang Fang, this is the name the commander gave me."

Shen Jingyuan did not answer the question in her eyes. His voice was very soft, but it hit Lin Xixin like a heavy hammer.

He pushed an old rosewood box along with the boat ticket to the front of the table. The box was carved with delicate twined branches, which was Commander Lin's favorite style during his lifetime.

He turned and left, the hem of his military uniform drawing a neat arc in the air, just like him, always decisive and efficient, never dragging his feet.

"Live well." These were the last words he left for Miss Lin.

It was not until the tall figure completely disappeared around the corner of the stairs that Miss Lin slowly opened the wooden box in front of her with trembling hands.

A small Colt revolver lay quietly on the velvet lining, the gun body emitting a faint cold light under the kerosene lamp, and two small words were engraved on the handle - exactly the phrase her father said most often when he was alive: "Be cautious when alone."

But in the end, neither of them survived.

Shen Jingyuan stood on the ruined city wall, leading the last defenders to hold out in this city that was about to fall for three whole months.

When he ran out of bullets, he used his bayonet. When the bayonet broke, he picked up bricks and stones. When the Japanese tanks rolled over the last line of defense, he still straightened his back and used his flesh and blood to block the retreating people.

It was not until a shell exploded beside him that the wounded body finally fell down, and his body remained in the shooting posture until his death.

On the day the city was broken, Miss Lin changed into her most decent cheongsam, combed her hair carefully in front of the mirror, and put the pistol left by her father on her waist.

When the Japanese army's iron hoofs stepped into the French Concession, she calmly pulled the trigger, and three shots took the lives of three Japanese soldiers who rushed into the house.

Finally, she stood in front of her parents' portraits and ended her life with the last bullet. When the bullet passed through her temple, there was a smile of relief on the corner of her mouth.

The water of Huangpu River still flows, carrying away the blood and tears of countless heroes. Only the old sycamore tree by the river remembers that there were countless stubborn souls who used their flesh and blood to protect the rivers and mountains at their feet in the most decisive way.

----------------

Thanks for the gifts, my dears. Here is today's update. When writing this paragraph, I looked up some information about the battle in Shanghai. This is just for reference and has no intersection with real history. Please don't delve into it.

But those who are interested can go and search it. It is really much more shocking than the few short lines in the history book. I pay tribute to the heroes and move to tears.