Sunday, October 12, 1642.

Located at the very end of Garden Street in the south of Manchester is the villa estate of Senate member An Shaoqing. In the vast luxury manor, a little decoration was specially made today to celebrate the 19th birthday of An Jie, the daughter of the An family.

Dozens of luxury carriages stopped outside the gate, and a male and female guests of no low status slowly entered, and the servants guarding the door carefully and cautiously entertained the guests who invited them to visit.

There was still more than half an hour before the dinner, and the people who had some communication through the birthday party were still bored and chatting in the special side hall, while most of the young people were walking and resting in the lawn area outside the main building, and comparing their autumn clothes with each other.

Gu Jikun and the other three stood a little restrained in the remote corner of the lawn area, not far away, a gorgeous girl with flowers and branches was going back and forth, not to mention Wang Fuzhi was stunned, even the old Gu Jikun blushed slightly.

"Mr. Luo, right?" A tall European girl in a colorful oriental dress walked up to the three with a young Chinese man in a police uniform, and looked at the youngest of them with a mysterious smile.

"It was in the next that I saw the second miss......"

The girl Taixi in front of her, whom she had seen when she first arrived in Manchester City, Luo Jian knew that she was An Shu, the second daughter of the An family, and An Jie's younger sister. For the An family to have such a "bizarre" daughter of Taixi, Luo Jian and others were also puzzled for a while.

"Liu Zhuhe, Superintendent of the West Street Police Station in the South District of Manchester City (quite a second lieutenant), it is a pleasure to meet you."

The young policeman beside An Shu took the initiative to step forward and stretched out his hand to Luo Jian.

The first biological son of Zheng Quan and his wife, Liu Zhuhe, who inherited the surname of Liu Mingjun's old man Liu family, is only 19 years old, and only graduated from the Manchester City Police Academy not long ago. An Shu is about 1.7 meters tall. And the handsome Liu Zhuhe is a head taller than An Shu, and he is the tallest couple among all the young men and women at the scene.

"Brother Liu has been looking up for a long time, and I am glad to meet you." Luo Jian wanted to give it up, but when he remembered something, he still reached out and shook it with Liu Zhuhe quite awkwardly.

"This is Gu Jikun, Brother Gu, this is Wang Fuzhi, Brother Wang." Luo Jian hurriedly turned sideways again and showed his companion.

"It seems that I heard my parents talk about the two of you, and it seems that everyone cares about you. It's an amazing feeling. An Shu shook her small fan and looked at Gu Wang and the others with big eyes, but after a few seconds, she still fell her gaze back on Luo Jian, "Mr. Luo, you are probably the first person in this country to bring some trouble to my family, you may not know it, right?" ”

Luo Jian was stunned for a moment, exchanged glances with Gu Jikun and Wang Fuzhi, and his face began to flush slightly.

"Sasha. This shouldn't be said here, today is your sister's birthday. Liu Zhuhe probably knew something, and quickly interrupted his girlfriend with a smile, "The dinner is about to start." It's better to wait for everyone to sit together, and I want to hear more stories from the East. ”

"I just don't want to worry my mom and dad, in my dad's words, it's just an academic issue." Ahn Sook accepts her boyfriend's hint. slightly bowed to Gu Jikun and the three of them, and then in front of the three of them, he took her boyfriend's hand-held skirt and walked away.

"And Brother Nong. I'm afraid there are some rights and wrongs. Probably heard some clues, Gu Jikun's brows furrowed slightly, and Wang Fuzhi still had an inexplicable expression.

And Luo Jian, who was a little absent-minded at this time, was looking at the ground in a trance.

……

In a side hall in the main building of the villa, An Shaoqing and his wife were sitting on the sofa, and the eldest daughter An Jie opposite stood with a lonely expression.

“…… Jie'er, I have already negotiated with the Wen family, when the dance begins, Lieutenant Wen Yujun will come to invite you, I hope you can be happy. Well, I'll go and change to a more suitable dress later. ”

Zhang Li, the chairman of the board of directors of Standard Oil Group of North America and the hostess of the An family, was looking at the eldest daughter she had brought up with a stern and kind smile at this time, and her tone revealed a trace of non-refusal.

An Jie's head lowered, but she still didn't speak, her face was a little pale, as if she had been in a stalemate with her parents for some things for a long time.

"There are still guests outside, the banquet is about to start, there can't be no one, I'll go and entertain it." Probably feeling that he couldn't stay any longer, An Shaoqing pretended to look at his pocket watch.

"Let's go! Don't rush these few minutes! Zhang Li had a cold face, pressed her husband's thigh very strongly, directly knocked over the other party's halfway slipping behavior, and then continued to whisper to her daughter, "General Wentuo and your father have always had a good relationship, and this affects the relationship between our family and the military...... Wen Yujun's kid I also watched grow up, his appearance, personality, and conversation are very good, he is one year older than you, he is already a lieutenant in the Navy at a young age, and he is still working in the Navy Command, I think you are a good match. ”

It is said that An Jie has looked like Zhang Li since she was a child, so for more than ten years, Zhang Li's love for An Jie is no less than that of her own children, so she naturally has high expectations.

"......" Wen Jie still lowered her head and bit her lip, and when she heard her mother mention the marriage of the designated family again, her whole body trembled.

"There is still half an hour left, and there are probably new guests arriving, we must be there, let's take into account the feelings of the guests......" An Shaoqing glanced at his silent daughter and his serious wife with a little worry, and retreated again.

"Have you taken my feelings into account? It's not like you're bringing back a Ming Dynasty man who is inexplicable?! I don't know what my daughter was fascinated by halfway, but she was actually interested in that worthless soil bun with a tender head! What's in it for our family?! ”

An Shaoqing continued to pretend to be stupid and didn't speak, and when he opened his mouth again at this time, he seemed to have touched some reverse scales, and Zhang Li suddenly showed an angry face.

"Alright, that's it. Today is your birthday, and I will formally introduce your relationship with the literati family and son, and you will be more familiar with each other in the future. After speaking, Zhang Li clapped her hands, the door opened, and a middle-aged housekeeper appeared in the side hall.

"Mina, take Jie'er to change clothes, remember that the seating arrangement of the dinner party should be adjusted, and let Lieutenant Wen and Jie'er sit together." Zhang Li gave an "order" without question. The housekeeper hurriedly crouched down and saluted.

"Daddy......"

Zhang Li left, and only then did An Jie raise her head and look at An Shaoqing with teary eyes.

"Maybe your mom is right. He's just an international student, and even though I admire him, I have to consider your mother's feelings. An Shaoqing walked up to her daughter and gently patted the other party's shoulder, revealing a loving gaze.

……

In the hall of the main building of the extremely spacious Anjia Manor Villa, which can accommodate almost hundreds of people, a sumptuous dinner is being held. This is another large-scale gathering held by the An family since the coming-of-age banquet of the second daughter An Shu the year before last.

A huge, multi-tiered birthday cake sits in a food truck. It's full of candles. The big-money Manchester City Entertainment Band was playing soothing music in the corner, and the male and female guests were laughing and laughing and feasting.

Wen Tuo, who was promoted to rear admiral at the beginning of the year, returned to the mainland a few months ago to serve as the commander of the home fleet for the second time, and at this time he also brought himself and Qi Yu's eldest son Wen Yujun to the birthday party of the An family's daughter.

As today's protagonists, the daughter of the An family can be described as dressed as beautiful, except for the face and expression a little rigid, the conversation and etiquette at the banquet are almost impeccable, so that the Wen Tuo couple who are secretly observing keep nodding in approval.

Wen Tuo himself is a naval general with a strong literary temperament. Compared with Sun Yang's kind of person with a little gangsterism, he can be regarded as a veritable Confucian general in the Chinese Navy. According to some of the words that are secretly circulating within the military, Wen Tuo will be a strong candidate for the post of future commander-in-chief of the Navy.

Although Wentuo is a soldier, his cultural literacy is the most outstanding in the navy. At the same time, he is a part-time senior lecturer at the Manchester City Maritime Academy and the Long Island Naval Academy, so he is very compatible with An Shaoqing, a person who has made great contributions to the exploration and scientific research and education of China's land resources, and the relationship between the two families has been very close for more than 20 years. Wen Tuo and his wife Qi Yu were very happy.

Wen Yujun inherited his father's elegant demeanor, and at this time, he took care of the girls around him very gentlemanly, and seemed to be very satisfied with the eldest daughter of the An family. Let Zhang Li on the other side see it in her eyes and smile in her heart.

In the far corner, at another dining table, Luo Jian and the other three people, accompanied by Liu Zhuhe and An Shu, also chatted very harmoniously. Especially Liu Zhuhe, who was asking questions to Gu Jikun almost from beginning to end, would show a surprised look every time he got an unexpected answer. And An Shu would stare at Luo Jian a few times from time to time, and the strange smile in his eyes never decreased.

Luo Jian had been restless since the beginning of the banquet, and he would involuntarily glance in a certain direction in the center of the banquet hall, and then he would always retract his gaze as if he had been stung by a bee.

“…… Today is the birthday of the little girl Anjie, and I am very honored to invite everyone to have a party. Here, I would like to announce two happy events. After three rounds of wine, Zhang Li stood up with a smug face holding a wine glass, "The first happy event is that North American Standard Oil Group has successfully purchased an oil-rich shale coalfield in Jingu City, and will invest in the establishment of a new coal-coke and oil-shale integrated chemical company, and the construction of the mine and plant will be officially launched in January next year, and it is expected to be put into operation in June." ”

Many of the guests present are shareholders of Standard Oil Group of North America, and when they heard the good news, they immediately burst into applause.

“…… The second happy event is the engagement of the little girl An Jie and Lieutenant Wen Yujun. In two years' time, we will invite you to come back again and bless the children. The scene was full of applause again, Zhang Li glanced at the daughter and the handsome lieutenant on the other side, and nodded to the Wentuo couple beside her with a smile.

In the corner, Luo Jian raised his head, glanced at a certain girl in the gap between the figures, and then slowly turned sideways. Looking at his companion's lonely expression, Gu Jikun could only shake his head slightly.

"It can be regarded as a talented woman, men and women sit at the same table, and the words of their parents are made public, but they are also a foreign land." Wang Fuzhi hasn't figured out the situation yet, and is still commenting on himself at this time.

"And Brother Nong, be cautious." Gu Jikun gently tugged at his companion's sleeve and secretly glanced at the other party.

……

At night, Anjia's dance party was still going on, and in the outdoor lawn area, Luo Jian was walking alone, while Gu Jikun and Wang Fuzhi left early on the grounds of sorting out books.

"Mr. Luo, aren't you used to life at Manchester City?"

A familiar voice came, and Luo Jian subconsciously turned sideways, just like the habit of getting along with An Jie in the Governor's Mansion of Hong Kong.

Under the light of the exquisite kerosene lamp hanging from the lamppost, An Jie was dressed very beautifully today, but her expression was very calm, just standing a few steps away from Luo Jian.

"The teachers of the school are very caring, and the true knowledge of arts and sciences is as vast as the sea. The qualifications are shallow, and I am afraid that the time to study is urgent, and it is difficult to understand it. Luo Jian said absentmindedly, not daring to look at the other party.

"Mr. Luo is a genius, it's definitely no problem. According to Dad, the professors at Metropolitan National University have a high opinion of you and the other two. An Jie probably saw Luo Jian's mood at this time, and her heart hurt for a while, and she even regretted inviting the other party to her birthday party.

It has only been more than half a year since she realized it, and from the very beginning, An Jie felt that she was attracted by Luo Jian's seriousness, studious and simplicity. From the day she became sensible, An Jie knew her future destiny, although she did not deny the significance of the marriage between her parents and the Wen family, and also agreed with the perfect temperament of Lieutenant Wen Yujun as a gentleman and a soldier, but her mind was not on that person at all.

"Eldest sister, if you don't mind, I'd like to invite Lieutenant Wen to dance later." At this time, An Shu came out of nowhere, and was standing under a tree in a daze.

"It's not too late, two young ladies, please go back and say goodbye." Luo Jian seemed to feel that he had figured it out, and with a light salute, he retreated in the direction of the gate.

"Simple and cute, if I hadn't met Officer Liu in advance, maybe I would have fallen in love with him, but he doesn't belong to us, sister." An Shu walked up to her sister and took the other party's hand with a grin.

"Well, you're right, he doesn't belong here, he belongs to that eastern country, and he is the hope of that country." An Jie nodded, lifted her skirt and lowered her head and quickly ran towards the main building of the villa.

……

Just as the ball was at its highest, an urgent message from the Governorate of the Azores was forwarded to the duty room of the Military Intelligence Agency of the Department of Defense.

"The intelligence was verified, the royal army was assembled in Nottingham, King Charles announced the crusade, and the English Civil War broke out."

After transcribing a few dozen words, the clerk on duty hurriedly put the letter on the highest-grade delivery cabinet. The second lieutenant did not know that this English Civil War was about two months later than in history because of butterfly wings, and the royal army gathered under the command of Charles I was almost twice as large as in the same period in history.

In just a dozen hours, the Cabinet will meet after dawn to discuss this information.

At this time, in the port warehouse on the island of Serra in the Azores, a batch of arms and supplies that had been prepared for a long time could be shipped at any time. The intended recipients of the arms could be Liverpool under the control of the Royalist Party of England or Bristol in the hands of the Parliamentary Army, and the only criterion for judging was who would be more unlucky in the coming year. (To be continued......)