Plan A
Old Shadows of the Republic of China 12
After
“Zhizhi, I know you have prospects, but how will you live without relying on men?”
The second concubine’s voice rose.
“Your father and brother can’t protect you for a lifetime! Your brother will have a woman sooner or later, and you’ve been apart for so long. He can support you temporarily, but can he support you forever? It’s good for a woman to rely on herself, but what do you have? No money, no power, no gun—what can you do?”
The second concubine was angered by her own daughter; isn’t a peaceful and stable life good enough?
Su Xin thought of her frighteningly tall sister-in-law (brother-in-law lmao), who was over 1.8 meters, and silently felt sorry for the second concubine for a moment.
If this woman, who wholeheartedly plans for her own children, knew the truth, she would probably faint from anger.
“Mother,”
Su Xin held the second concubine’s hand, comforting her.
“I’m not planning to grow old alone; I’m just going for further studies. Maybe there I can meet my true destiny? I won’t be gone for long, and I’ll ensure my own safety. Father has already allowed me to go. Don’t you trust me, or do you not trust Father?”
Su Xin acted spoiled, gently coaxing the second concubine.
“Mother doesn’t want to stop you. You’ve loved to read since you were young; Mother knows. You’re stubborn and strong-willed; Mother also knows. Mother doesn’t think reading is useless at all. If there were no war, Mother would gladly let you read, but now it’s very special circumstances. Mother just wants you to live a bit more stably.”
The second concubine sighed; her daughter’s thoughts were too bold and dangerous. What if something happens?
“Mother, I know. I have my own life that I desire.”
Su Xin patted the second concubine’s shoulder and showed her a smile.
The second concubine began to help Su Xin pack her things, filling a suitcase.
“Mother, just bring a few items; I can’t take too many.”
Su Xin felt very helpless.
Knowing Su Xin wanted to leave, Wei Ting was somewhat surprised.
“Why do you suddenly want to leave? Didn’t you just come back not long ago? I heard from Mother that you want to go out and continue studying?”
Wei Ting, who had just started to consider her as one of his own after she learned his secret, expressed his confusion about his younger sister’s departure.
He doesn’t exactly dislike reading, but he also can’t understand why there are people in the world who love reading so much.
“I can’t say specifically, but I’m going out to do something big.”
Su Xin showed a serious expression towards Wei Ting, which made Wei Ting unable to help but become serious as well.
“How big?”
“Very big, big enough to influence the entire structure.”
Wei Ting raised his eyes, his expression amazed.
“I’ll leave everything here to you. In the future, this place will become chaotic, but the specific timing is unknown. What can be confirmed is that it won’t happen in the short term.”
There’s just that tendency; who knows if it will be in one year or two years.
It’s still 1921 now, still early.
“Alright, I will prepare.”
Wei Ting felt complicated inside, recalling the second concubine’s angry look when she learned her daughter still wanted to study, and he sighed.
“Don’t tell others.”
“Does Father know?”
“Of course.”
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“Have a safe journey. If you need help, remember to call me.”
Wei Ting looked at his younger sister, as if he didn’t quite recognize the girl in front of him; her abilities were surprisingly big, and her hidden skills really made it hard for people to see.
“Alright.”
At the agreed-upon midnight, a car left from the back door of the Wei residence, with the destination being the dock.
The wind at the dock was strong, blowing Su Xin’s hair into a mess.
“Are you afraid?”
Shen Xiangting was not wearing the qipao she used to love; instead, she wore a black coat, exuding a cold demeanor. She tilted her head, inquiring of Su Xin, her eyes fixed on Su Xin’s face.
“I started living alone abroad when I was just over ten years old, so how could I be afraid?”
Su Xin’s expression was indifferent.
“This time is different. You will not be facing those foreigners who won’t harm you but rather more cruel circumstances.”
“If I say I regret it, will you agree?”
“I won’t.”
“Then that’s settled. Besides, even if something happens, isn’t there still you?”
Su Xin brushed aside the hair blown in front of her eyes by the wind, feeling very cold.
Su Xin’s tone was full of indifference, but when she said the last sentence, it was filled with trust.
“You trust me that much?”
“If even I can’t protect you, then how can you get what you want? If you don’t even trust me, I might as well not go with you today and just jump down from here.”
Su Xin pointed to the wide surface of the river, then withdrew her hand and placed it in her pocket.
“That is true.”
Shen Xiangting let out a light laugh.
The boat arrived.
Someone came down to help Shen Xiangting carry her box, respectfully calling her Miss.
Su Xin carried things and went up with her, the water waves slightly rippling.
The boat traveled for three days and two nights, winding carefully.
Su Xin sat in the boat looking at her books, occasionally writing and drawing.
Shen Xiangting looked at the river’s surface, her eyelashes slightly trembling.
Su Xin personally supervised in the small factory, and after repeated modifications and experiments, the first result appeared more than half a month later.
Shen Xiangting personally tested the gun, patting Su Xin’s shoulder in strong praise.
Shen Xiangting began investing in production, tearing off her luxurious exterior to reveal a ruthless interior.
She counterattacked so quickly that some people simply did not react.
In a flash, a year had passed, so fast that it made people surprised and dazed.
This year, Su Xin once again drew a design and created a type of weapon.
Relying on her own abilities and understanding of Shen Xiangting’s character, Su Xin, in just one year, secured the position of Shen Xiangting’s trusted aide.
Su Xin wasn’t unwilling to leave, but the matters on Shen Xiangting’s side were never finished. She didn’t feel good or at ease leaving just like that, and Shen Xiangting was also not willing to let her go so easily.
“Let’s wait a bit more,” Su Xin thought.
She wasn’t in a hurry to leave; it’s just that always staying like this, with no freedom, having to deal with many people and many matters, felt very troublesome to Su Xin.
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Su Xin sat in the back seat, her expression serious.
The driver in front was somewhat trembling, wiping nonexistent cold sweat from his forehead.
The person in the back seat was a favorite of Miss Shen and the only person the driver had seen dare to fiercely argue with her.
There was a time when Shen Xiangting wanted to issue a command, but Su Xin stopped her, believing it was inappropriate and would not only fail to achieve victory but also result in major losses.
Shen Xiangting, of course, would not doubt her own judgment, so the two had a very intense argument. Su Xin was not afraid of Shen Xiangting, and Shen Xiangting knew her limits and would not let anything happen to Su Xin. They smashed everything in the room that could be smashed, and the hostility between them was intense.
Everyone in the house knew about this matter, and the driver happened to be present at the time.
That incident ended with Shen Xiangting’s concession.
Su Xin did not remember many things, but she remembered this very clearly; Qiu Qingqing had once pointed it out to her, so she remembered.
After confirming with Fourteen that changing this would not have a big impact and would not alter the major trends of the world, Su Xin used her own head as a guarantee.
Although Shen Xiangting did not understand why Su Xin was so stubborn this time, she conceded.
The facts proved Su Xin was right. Afterward, Shen Xiangting asked Su Xin the reason, but she did not say.
“Could it be that you are a prophet?”
Shen Xiangting joked.
“Yes, haven’t you noticed that every word I say is correct?”
Su Xin followed up, putting on a serious expression.
After that, the relationship between the two people became more intimate, with some subtle changes occurring, such as Shen Xiangting being more indulgent towards Su Xin.
At 11:30.
Shen Xiangting, wearing a black trench coat, walked steadily towards the car, talking to the person beside her as she walked.
When Shen Xiangting reached the side of the car, she said goodbye to that person.
Su Xin frowned at the pungent smell emanating from her body.
“Drive.”
As soon as Shen Xiangting entered the car, her entire aura changed. Her head leaned on Su Xin’s shoulder, her face flushed.
“Damn, a bunch of disgusting people.”
Shen Xiangting pinched her own thigh, trying to sober herself up a bit.
Heaven knows how much willpower she used to walk out from inside without changing her expression; otherwise, she would have collapsed halfway.
This time, the foreigners were especially difficult to deal with, very hard to communicate with.
While negotiating with them, Shen Xiangting had to accept their forced drinking, and only then was the matter settled.
There was indeed something in the wine, no wonder their expressions were so malicious at that time.
However, their actions did not dare to be too blatant, so what was in the wine was very mild. They tried to delay time, but did not expect Shen Xiangting to endure for so long, and could only watch her leave with regret.
“What happened to you?”
Su Xin sensed that Shen Xiangting’s intoxication this time was different from any previous occasion, with her breathing somewhat irregular.
“There is something in the wine.”
Shen Xiangting, half-squinting her eyes, felt uncomfortable moving and lay down on Su Xin’s leg.
By the dim light flashing outside the car, Su Xin clearly saw Shen Xiangting’s expression.
Extreme impatience and agitation, her face flushed, and sweat made her hair wet.
“Drive faster.”
Su Xin instructed the driver, who nodded and increased the speed.
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Before long, they reached the destination.
“Can you walk by yourself?”
One of Su Xin’s hands was held by Shen Xiangting for cooling, while the other hand gently stroked Shen Xiangting’s hair.
Shen Xiangting hummed softly and propped herself up to sit.
“I have little strength, so support me when we go upstairs.”
Shen Xiangting whispered this in Su Xin’s ear and walked over from the other side of the opened car door.
This woman always seemed so strong-willed, unwilling to show the slightest trace of vulnerability in front of outsiders, but it seems she has changed, and it’s because of her.
Su Xin followed Shen Xiangting upstairs, the wide trench coat covering their clasped hands. Shen Xiangting gripped tightly, as if treating Su Xin’s hand as her sole support.
Su Xin allowed Shen Xiangting to hold her hand and followed her into the room.
The wooden door closed with a bang, and Su Xin was forcefully pressed against the door panel, the place where she was bumped spreading pain, with Shen Xiangting’s rapid breathing in her ear.
“Zhizhi, I feel very uncomfortable.”
Shen Xiangting’s hoarse voice revealed a tone of pain.
There were no lights in the room, so Su Xin couldn’t see her expression, but she could imagine what kind of stunning expression would be on Shen Xiangting’s enchanting face.