Newborn 1927

With his career steadily rising and his family life harmonious, Yang Jiefang was naturally happy. As the New Year approached, everyone, rich or poor, was preparing for the festivities. This year was different; Yang Jiefang was now a married man. He recalled watching the Spring Festival Gala with his family in his previous life and discussed with his women the possibility of organizing some entertainment for the New Year. What entertainment was there in this era? At most, they'd hire an opera troupe to perform at home. That was how wealthy families celebrated the New Year. For Yang Jiefang, even hiring an opera troupe wasn't necessary. Sheng Fangyi, using her position for personal gain, wanted a performing arts troupe to perform at their home. Yang Jiefang wasn't particularly interested in the troupe's programs. Sheng Fangyi explained that since she took over, the troupe had recruited a new batch of performers and created some new programs that hadn't been publicly performed yet. Yang Jiefang agreed, wanting to see just how good Sheng Fangyi's program-writing skills were.

On New Year's Eve, Yang Jiefang did not go to work. He granted a seven-day holiday to government agencies and various enterprises, excluding the military and police. Everyone knew Yang Jiefang was a workaholic, so his leniency was unusual and his subordinates were somewhat unaccustomed to it.

Yang Jiefang invited his two widowed mothers-in-law, Chuba and Jiang Zhenguo, to his residence for a family reunion. As for Sheng Fangyi's mother, she was also widowed and lived far away in Shanghai; it was too late this year, but he would invite her to Jinan next year. After thinking for a moment, he also sent someone to invite Liu Yamei. After all, she was a woman he had an affair with, and she was lonely enough living alone in Jinan.

Before time travel, Yang Jiefang grew up in the south, where family reunion dinners were always eaten at noon. After time travel, he arrived in Shandong, where family reunion dinners were now eaten in the evening, and dumplings were a must. After inviting everyone, everyone busied themselves with making dumplings. The whole family making dumplings together created a wonderful atmosphere, and they tasted especially delicious. Lunch was just a quick bite, but dinner was sumptuous and eaten quite early. Then they watched the cultural troupe perform. The troupe arrived in the afternoon and were first arranged to rest and put on makeup in a separate courtyard, making final preparations.

Just before the performance, Chu Gu suddenly appeared behind Yang Jiefang and whispered in his ear, "Come here for a second, something's happened." Yang Jiefang calmly got up and said, "I'm going to the restroom, you guys watch the show." He went to Chu Gu's side and asked, "What is it?" Chu Gu said, "Come with me, I'll take you to see someone." Yang Jiefang was secretly puzzled and followed Chu Gu to a guest room. Wang Dali was guarding the door with two bodyguards; the lights were on inside, so someone was clearly there.

Aunt Chu pushed open the door and entered, followed by Yang Jiefang. A young woman sat inside, looking up at them. Yang Jiefang felt she looked familiar and unconsciously walked over to examine her closely, but couldn't immediately place her. The woman smiled faintly, "You're quite the forgetful person! The former Sanwazi is now a provincial governor; you probably don't remember a country girl like me." Yang Jiefang suddenly remembered and exclaimed, "You're Zhao Xiaohui!" The woman replied, "It's me." Yang Jiefang asked, "What are you doing here?" Zhao Xiaohui replied, "I came to find you."

Yang Jiefang turned around and asked again, "Why is she here?" Chu Gu replied, "Didn't she say she came to see you?" The daughter of the landlord from Zhao Family Village whom he had fought to death, is now coming to see him? Heh, even a fool could tell she wasn't here to pay a New Year's visit.

Aunt Chu continued, "Didn't you suspect that there was a spy hiding around Miss Eight? Well, she was the one who brought Miss Eight from Shanghai to Jinan. She's now in the performing arts troupe and is on the performance list tonight. I only suspected her at first and didn't know her true identity, so I specifically asked Wang Dali to keep an eye on her. I didn't expect Wang Dali to recognize her. That's when I found out that there's such a complicated history between you and her!"

Yang Jiefang immediately understood. Sheng Fangyi said she had coincidentally met a female student returning to Jinan from Shanghai, and they traveled together. Now, thinking back, that coincidence was probably not so coincidental. Chu Gu took over the Military Discipline Inspection Department, and also the internal counter-espionage work. Unexpectedly, the first spy she caught was Zhao Xiaohui, standing right before her.

Yang Jiefang asked, "Have you already interrogated her?" Aunt Chu replied, "Does it even need an interrogation? Don't you know what you've done?" Regarding the Zhao Family Village incident, both publicly and privately, Yang Jiefang didn't feel he had done anything wrong. He felt he had treated Zhao Xiaohui and her mother, as well as her sister-in-law, fairly well. However, judging from Aunt Chu's tone, she seemed somewhat dissatisfied with him. So he asked, "Did I do something wrong?" Aunt Chu said sternly, "You started her and then abandoned her, and you still think you didn't do anything wrong? Now the victim is coming to our door, what do you say we do?" This was a bit strange! Yang Jiefang asked in surprise, "I started her and then abandoned her? Who told you that?" Aunt Chu said, "Back in Zhao Family Village, didn't you touch her? Many people saw the bloodstains on the sheets. Should we call Wang Dali in to testify?"

Yang Jiefang felt his head buzzing as he recalled that night two years ago. Zhao Xiaohui had crawled into his bed, and it happened to be her period, leaving a stain on the sheets. Yang Jiefang had just transmigrated at the time, and in the dead of winter, he didn't even have a blanket. He hadn't paid any attention to the stain and had just taken the sheets home to use. The group of young men around him had all seen the stain, and while they all understood what had happened, they kept quiet. Unexpectedly, it had now become irrefutable evidence of his crime, leaving him with no way to refute it.

Only Zhao Xiaohui and herself, the parties involved, knew the truth. He turned to look at Zhao Xiaohui and said, "You said you came to find me, what do you want?" Zhao Xiaohui replied, "I was kicked out of my family and have nowhere to go. I can only come to you for help, after all, I am your woman." In Zhao Xiaohui's heart, whether or not that last line of defense had been crossed was not important; the important thing was that the two of them had indeed slept in the same bed for one night. Yang Jiefang shouted, "What do you mean 'my woman'? You should know what's going on between us. If you want revenge, I'll be waiting here. Don't try to claim any connection!"

Zhao Xiaohui said, "They all know what happened between us. My father caused your family's ruin and death in order to seize your land. I have nothing to say about you coming back for revenge. Besides, what you did wasn't too outrageous. Let's call it even. Our matter is another matter. Ever since that night, my mother's attitude towards me has changed. Not to mention my sister-in-law, she's a ruthless person. She's plotted to sell me again several times. That family can no longer accommodate me. Where else can I go besides here? Do you want me to be with another man and give you a green hat?"

Hearing her words, Yang Jiefang almost believed her. He pressed on, "Where's your second brother? I heard it was your second brother who led you away from Zhao Family Village. You're from Shanghai, so your second brother took you to Shanghai? I remember your second brother has always been good to you, he wouldn't abandon you, would he?" Zhao Xiaohui replied, "My mother-in-law and sister-in-law don't get along, my mother sides with my sister-in-law, do you think a younger brother-in-law can control that?" Yang Jiefang retorted, "Even if he can't control your mother and sister-in-law, he wouldn't have let you come to Jinan alone, would he?"

Zhao Xiaohui said, "My second brother got into the Central Military Academy and isn't home at all. I came to Jinan hoping to stay with a relative. But after the chaos of war, my relative disappeared, and the house changed hands. I'm penniless and have nowhere to go." Yang Jiefang pressed, "Your second brother got into the Central Military Academy?" Zhao Xiaohui nodded, "Yes. Come to think of it, he was influenced by you." Indeed, the person who forces you to grow is often your enemy.

Yang Jiefang turned to look at Aunt Chu, who was also moved by the news. To be honest, she had originally felt quite sorry for Zhao Xiaohui. She could tolerate Yang Jiefang's philandering and having multiple women, but she couldn't tolerate his abandonment after starting something. Now she had to reconsider. She first walked up to Zhao Xiaohui, took her hand, and examined it carefully. Zhao Xiaohui's hand was very soft, with delicate skin, unlike the hands that had handled guns.

Aunt Chu turned and gave Yang Jiefang a look. Yang Jiefang nodded and left the room with Aunt Chu. The two came to a corner of the courtyard, and Aunt Chu asked, "What do you plan to do?" Yang Jiefang replied, "Send her away! Although she has ill intentions, she hasn't caused any damage." Aunt Chu pressed, "Is it because of his second brother that you're afraid?" Yang Jiefang said disdainfully, "Even if he were a general now, let alone a student soldier, I wouldn't take him seriously." Aunt Chu said, "Then why send her away? Doesn't that make you look cowardly? Actually, she's right. The grudges between your two families from the previous generation are settled. Your relationship with her is just another story."

Yang Jiefang said, "There's absolutely nothing between us. I didn't touch her at all that night." Aunt Chu looked at Yang Jiefang like he was an idiot; who would believe that? Yang Jiefang continued, "She was having her period. It's not what you're thinking." Aunt Chu was taken aback, and asked doubtfully, "But she said you slept with her. Is she lying? How could a girl lie about her virginity?" As the saying goes, "A woman's words reveal her true nature." Even in later times, let alone in this era, if a woman accused a man of rape, it would be very difficult for the man to prove his innocence. Yang Jiefang really wanted Aunt Chu to personally examine her to prove her innocence. Women in this era generally didn't engage in promiscuous behavior; Zhao Xiaohui was most likely still a virgin. But it wasn't certain; if she had already lost her virginity, then he would be a terrible victim.

Unable to prove his innocence, Yang Jiefang countered, "Then what do you think we should do?" From her own perspective, Chu Gu thought carefully for a moment and said, "As a woman, there are two men she can't let go of. One is the man she loves, and the other is the man she gave birth to. She lost her virginity to you, and now she's come back to you. Maybe she can't let you go? If you drive her away now, what kind of person would you be?"

Yang Jiefang strongly suspected Zhao Xiaohui was a spy, but he wasn't entirely sure. During this period, the Communist Party of China established the Central Special Branch due to the needs of the struggle. However, the Kuomintang had not yet established its own intelligence organization. His task of having Chu Gu conduct counter-espionage within the Party was aimed at the Japanese. Could Zhao Xiaohui really be a Japanese spy?

Yang Jiefang immediately voiced his concern: "Isn't she suspected of being a spy? Wouldn't it be dangerous for her to stay with us?" Chu Gu replied, "Her behavior is explainable; there's nothing wrong with it for now. Didn't you say that a good spy is one who's exposed? Just keep an eye on her; what's there to be afraid of?" Yang Jiefang wanted to argue further, but Chu Gu continued, "Are you just making excuses for your own infidelity?" Ultimately, she still didn't believe Yang Jiefang would hold a beautiful woman in his arms and not make a move that night. Yang Jiefang was speechless.

Leaving Zhao Xiaohui aside for the moment, the two returned to the front yard to watch the cultural performance. Yang Jiefang was somewhat absent-minded and showed little interest in the program. Everyone else was watching with great enthusiasm, indicating that their appreciation levels were not on the same level. Liu Yamei approached him and whispered, "Are you still hungry? Do you want me to give you a snack?" Yang Jiefang knew from her tone what she meant by "snack," and suddenly a thought struck him. He whispered, "Did you take some measures? Otherwise, why haven't they sprouted after so many attempts?" Liu Yamei replied, "I'm a doctor, I have plenty of ways." Yang Jiefang pressed, "Did you take any medicine?" Liu Yamei nodded and said, "Yes." Yang Jiefang asked again, "Won't it harm your body?" Liu Yamei said, "How could the medicine I chose harm myself?" Yang Jiefang guessed that she had some medicine on her and said, "Let me see it!" Liu Yamei looked at him suspiciously, paused for a moment, took out a small paper packet from her pocket, carefully opened it, revealing several small white pills. Yang Jiefang reached out and picked up one, saying, "I'll borrow one." Liu Yamei said, "This is for women; it's useless for men." Yang Jiefang replied, "That's perfect! I won't trouble you to have an extra meal tonight, sister; we already have enough to eat." He left Liu Yamei behind, got up, and left.

If a man is accused of rape by a woman and cannot prove his innocence, what would he think? Most men would think of confronting him directly, not wanting to be wrongly accused. Yang Jiefang was in that same mindset. He went back to the room where Zhao Xiaohui was being held. Guards were still standing at the door; without orders, they dared not let Zhao Xiaohui leave.

After Yang Jiefang went inside, he closed the door behind him. He walked up to Zhao Xiaohui and said, "Since you've come to my door, are you prepared?" Zhao Xiaohui asked, "Prepared for what?" Yang Jiefang replied, "To serve you in bed." Zhao Xiaohui laughed, "I thought it was something serious. It's just sleeping together, isn't it? It's not like we haven't slept together before. When do you want to sleep?" Yang Jiefang said succinctly, "Now." Zhao Xiaohui turned and walked towards the bed.

Yang Jiefang called out, "Wait!" Zhao Xiaohui turned around and smiled, "What? Are you scared?" Yang Jiefang took out the pill and said, "Eat this first." Zhao Xiaohui walked over and reached out to take it, but Yang Jiefang dodged her, saying, "Open your mouth." Zhao Xiaohui opened her mouth as instructed. Yang Jiefang put the pill into her mouth, then picked up the teacup on the table and made Zhao Xiaohui drink the water in it. He was only relieved after making sure she had swallowed the pill.

Zhao Xiaohui sat on the edge of the bed, took off her shoes, and began to undress. Yang Jiefang pulled a white towel from his pocket and said, "Although I'm promiscuous, I don't take just any slut. Put this on! If I don't see what I want, you'll regret coming here!" Zhao Xiaohui was slightly taken aback, but quickly understood. She took the white towel, reached out and pulled back the quilt, spreading it on the sheets. Then, she quickly took off her clothes and lay down straight on the bed.

Seeing her so composed, Yang Jiefang realized she was probably still a virgin. He thought to himself, "If I had Aunt Chu and Liu Yamei examine her, wouldn't that prove my innocence?"

But then Zhao Xiaohui shouted, "Are you even capable? It's so cold, how long do you want me to wait?" A real man can't say no. Yang Jiefang's anger flared. If he backed down at the last minute, wouldn't he be worse than a beast? Looking at that alluring figure, Yang Jiefang immediately transformed into a beast.