Three

At this point, he took out his pocket watch and opened it to check the time: "What time is it?"

Ma Yongkun glanced at her, then walked to the bedside and presented the letter with both hands: "Master, this is from Beijing, said to be a personal letter from General Lei."

She smiled and buried her face in his neck: "How annoying!"

Additionally, there is another matter. One of Zhang Jiatian's subordinates is a brigade commander who previously followed Hong Xiaojium. Later, he received a large sum of money from Zhang Jiatian and voluntarily switched sides to follow him. This brigade commander died from poisoning a few days ago, and the perpetrator has not been found. The troops he left behind were disbanded and reorganized by Zhang Jiatian, and this brigade has thus disappeared

Pah! I am not someone who cannot live without this matter

He did not pay her any attention at all, but he also knew that Lin Yannan was truly infatuated with him. If she liked him, then let her like him; he had no interest in managing her feelings. With Lin Yannan's hand, he finished a bowl of lotus seed soup. Then Lin Yannan brought him some boiled water to rinse his mouth, and helped him loosen his clothes and covered him with a quilt.

Zhang Jiatian's deputy officer was the perpetually melancholic Ma Yongkun. Ma Yongkun, with a somber face that resembled one mourning a loss, received the envoy from the capital on behalf of the division commander. The envoy, unaware that Ma Yongkun usually bore such an expression, assumed he was deliberately showing a displeased demeanor, and thus refused to stay long, choosing to return to the capital by train that very night

Butler Li, assessing the situation, immediately took a step back and, with a smile, remarked: "Indeed, indeed, I must not hide it from you, Madam. As I grow older, I truly feel that my mind becomes more muddled by the day. Even though our household has few members, I still find myself forgetting things constantly, feeling overwhelmed. Your willingness to take charge of this household has truly saved this old man."

Not long after Ma Yongkun left, the lotus seed soup was ready. Lin Yannan served a small bowl and walked to the bedside, snuggling up to Zhang Jiatian. She scooped a spoonful of the lotus seed soup with a small spoon, first blowing on it, then tasting it with pursed lips to confirm that the temperature was indeed suitable, before bringing it to Zhang Jiatian's lips: "Come on—open your mouth—"

He is a child, a child who has been spoiled by himself. As the saying goes: spoiling a child is akin to killing a child. Another saying states: if a child is not taught, it is the father's fault. Therefore, he can no longer stand by and watch; he must give that child a wake-up call.

Lin Yannan immediately turned around and said: "It's still early! If you are going to leave, you should have the lotus seed soup before you go"

He crumpled the letter into a ball and threw it back to Ma Yongkun, who lazily said: "Draft a reply, make it sound nice, and once it's ready, I'll copy it out."

He has something on his mind, and this concern originates from Zhang Jiatian, who is over a hundred miles away. Recently, Zhang Jiatian has taken two actions that have infuriated him to an extreme degree. First, that young man has been frequently visiting Lin Yannan, and he cannot tolerate his loyal subordinate associating with that worthless woman. Second, the military in Wen County is growing stronger; he dispatched a team of officers—most of whom are graduates of the Japanese Army Officer School—to assist Zhang Jiatian in training soldiers. However, to his knowledge, these officers have hardly even touched a single soldier since arriving in Wen County. Zhang Jiatian has kept them at a distance, not allowing them to manage any specific affairs.

Ma Yongkun stood at attention and saluted, then turned and walked away. Just as he was leaving, he glanced back at Lin Yannan, who happened to lift her head, glistening with sweat, and their eyes met. She smiled at him, but he maintained a stern expression and did not respond. However, he felt a sense of satisfaction inside, believing that the trip was worthwhile.

She was interrupted midway through her speech and was shot a fierce glare by Lei Duli. Noticing his impatience, she wisely closed her mouth and turned to leave, feeling somewhat displeased, as they had only been married for a month, still considered newlyweds, yet he was so unabashedly showing her a sour face.

What he desires is a young hero, not a young tyrant. However, he anticipates that Zhang Jiatian will never become a second Hong Xiaojiu. Zhang Jiatian is ultimately still too young, practically just a child. Even if he had begun his training in the womb, by now, he would not have been able to cultivate the skills and foundation of Hong Xiaojiu.

In the bedroom stood a magnificent brass bed, adorned with a thick satin mattress. Zhang Jiatian leaned against a duck down pillow, half reclining and half sitting at the edge of the bed. Lin Yannan squatted in front of a small Western-style stove at the door, stirring a small pot of lotus seed soup with a long-handled spoon. The steam wafted towards her face, giving her complexion a delicate rosy hue, while her small red lips were pressed thin, resembling the most exquisite porcelain figure.

Lin Yannan replied: "It seems that he fell into the river during winter and froze all the parts of his body. " At this point, a look of disdainful amusement appeared on her face, "But I can't say he is completely incapable; in any case, he is not as good as you."

Lin Yannan hummed through her nose: "Isn't Lei Yiming capable?"

He lay with his back to Lin Yannan and said, "Wake me up early tomorrow, I have things to do."

She loves his warm body, loves his sweaty scent, this is what a real man is, this is what a true guy is. Even if he is a heartless and ungrateful lover, she accepts it.

Zhang Jiatian suddenly turned his head to look at her: "What does it mean? Is he not capable?"

"What are you pretending to be, a virtuous young lady?" he said to her with cold words, "It's not the first time."

After walking for a while, she stopped and looked back, but did not see Lei Duli coming out to chase her

He was cold and hungry at that time, so he ate someone else's food, drank someone else's wine, and under the influence of drunkenness, got into someone else's bed

Zhang Jiatian withdrew his gaze, his expression unchanged: "Is this the reason you escaped?"

Reverend Lei suppressed his surging anger and wrote a handwritten letter, giving Zhang Jiatian a thorough scolding

Lei Duli wanted to compete with him in everything. When he took a liking to a young lady, Lei Duli also wanted to compete for her; when he trained an army, Lei Duli wanted to compete in that as well. When he could not win, he turned hostile and used his identity as the governor of Zhili to pressure him. What nonsense is this about Eastern students studying abroad? Who would use those students as supervising instructors? Those guys came from Beijing, pointing fingers and making demands, only wanting to seize power, right? They just want to undermine his position as the division commander, don't they? Those guys came from Beijing, pointing fingers and making demands, only wanting to seize power, right? They just want to undermine his position as the division commander, don't they?

Zhang Jiatian took the envelope, tore it open, and pulled out the letter paper to unfold it—after reading just a few lines, he let out a cold snort from his nose

A snow-white, slender arm wrapped around his neck, and wet lips drew close to his ear, emitting sweet and cloying laughter like syrup: "I am going to die..."

It is said to be his home, but in fact, it no longer belongs to him and is entirely the domain of Lin Yannan. After entering, he first called out "Report" and only after receiving permission did he lift the curtain and enter the inner bedroom.

Ye Chunhao also said: "Last time I mentioned that I wanted to invest in Tianjin Dayang Company, look at the amount of this investment—"

Zhang Jiatian seemed not to hear her, ignoring her completely, and continued to eat the lotus seed soup one spoonful after another

Lin Yannan readily agreed. With a few soft puffs, she extinguished a row of red candles on the candlestick, then felt her way in the dark to undress and get into bed, joyfully embracing Zhang Jiatian from behind. Pressing her face against his broad back, which was slightly damp with sweat, she closed her eyes and felt that they were truly a perfect match, a couple in love.

He wanted to know, and could only ask Lin Yannan. So, on an extremely cold evening, he took the time to come over. When Lin Yannan saw him arrive, she was very pleased and skillfully prepared several small dishes in an instant, along with a pot of fine wine

Zhang Jiatian has forgotten the date on which he established a relationship with her

Ray Duli did not care about the life or death of that brigade commander; what he cared about was that Zhang Jiatian was quite bold, not even bothering to greet him and directly wiping out an entire brigade.

Mr. Lei has no interest in household matters, he is too lazy to even listen, simply saying: "Whatever you want."

Zhang Jiatian coughed once, turned his head and spat on the ground, and in the blink of an eye saw the photo of Supervisor Lei in his pocket watch, then muttered, "Damn it."

As Zhang Jiatian opened her mouth to eat a spoonful of lotus seed soup, she smiled and asked, "Is it sweet? I added a lot of rock sugar."

Then he snapped the cover of the pocket watch shut with a "click," raised his head, and glared at Ma Yongkun: "What are you looking at? Hurry up and go back to write your letter!"

This letter did not go through the postal system, but was instead carried by an aide who took it on the train and delivered it to Wen County on the same day. However, the aide was unable to find Zhang Jiatian himself, so he handed the letter over to Zhang Jiatian's chief aide.

Ray Duli was completely unaware of Ye Chunhao's subtle intentions

At midnight, he turned over, feeling satisfied and exhausted. Lying on the bed, panting heavily, he suddenly felt a warmth on one side of his body; it was Lin Yannan softly pressing against him

She always criticizes Director Lei for this and that, which he originally disliked hearing. However, after returning from Beijing this time, he suddenly became concerned about these issues—what Director Lei's attitude is towards his subordinates, he knows, but what his attitude is towards women, he does not know

Zhang Jiatian does not speak of love or indifference towards Lin Yannan

He showed no mercy towards Lin Yannan, indulging himself in crushing and kneading her, making her moan and scream. Under him, she convulsed and spasmed several times, leading him to believe she was on the verge of death. Yet, with a long, sobbing groan, she managed to catch her breath and ultimately did not die

The two of them had reached a harmonious understanding, unspoken yet clear. Ye Chun turned back to meet Director Lei and informed him: "In the past few years, at least one-third of the household expenses each year have been unaccounted for. However, I have not said anything to Steward Li, after all, he is of advanced age. Although he has embezzled some money, he has indeed put in effort in his work. I intend to take over the management from now on, so as not to give him the opportunity to take advantage any longer. But I have not said anything to Steward Li, after all, he is of advanced age. Although he has embezzled some money, he has indeed put in effort in his work. I intend to take over the management from now on, so as not to give him the opportunity to take advantage any longer. What do you think?"

After he finished his report, Ye Chun showed no sign of anger; she remained amiable and did not criticize him. Instead, she expressed her appreciation for his hard work, saying: "Household matters have always been the most mentally and physically taxing. You have truly worked hard over the years. Let us not mention the past. Now that I am married here, it is unreasonable for me to completely neglect household affairs. I believe that if we work together, you will bear less burden, and I can learn from you."

Zhang Jiatian glanced at her and said, "Is that so?"

Lin Yannan smiled, continuing to feed him spoonful by spoonful, and then cheerfully asked him in a low voice: "Are you not leaving tonight, is that alright?"

In any case, Lei Duli does not regard the concubine as a human being

Zhang Jiatian nodded and said: "Sweet"

Ma Yongkun was unaware that he had offended someone. As soon as the adjutant left, he stepped out and took the letter to see Zhang Jiatian—at that moment, Zhang Jiatian was at his home

Zhang Jiatian remained composed and took a moment to reflect, only then did he understand her meaning

My dear baby..." She caressed him, entangled with him, speaking in a strange, thin, and trembling voice, "You almost took someone's life..."

He did not tell Lin Yannan that before this, he was still a virgin

Ye Chunhao summoned Steward Li to report on the income and expenditure of the Lei residence for the past year. As she listened, her expression was kind and gentle, resembling a young and delicate Bodhisattva, sitting upright in the chief grandmaster's chair. Steward Li sat at the lower end, clutching a handkerchief, wanting to wipe his sweat but hesitating to do so. He was aware of the numerous flaws in his account, yet he could not find a way to rectify them in time, so he could only speak the truth and leave the outcome to fate