In the late autumn of 1946 (the 35th year of the Republic of China), the Bund in Shanghai, the river breeze blows, it is still the unique Shanghai-style atmosphere on the Huangpu River, men and women are wearing all kinds of fashionable autumn clothes, tweed coats, cashmere hats, velvet scarves, calfskin boots, the street is full of traffic, very noisy, across the embankment, it is horizontal, vertical, hundreds of ships docked on the shore. Flowers, liveliness, fashion and vitality are the hallmarks of the city of Shanghai.

In the luxury suite of the towering International Hotel on Nanjing Road, a tall man in a suit was standing in front of the window, leisurely lit a cigarette, took a puff gently, turned off the lighter, opened the curtain with one hand, looked at the vehicles on the Waibaidu Bridge outside the window, squinted, and the white smoke exhaled softly from his mouth.

The smoke made his eyes look even more misty and hazy, and there was no sadness or joy on his face, but it made people see at a glance that he was preoccupied and unhappy.

"Mr. Zhou, it's time to take medicine." A little girl in her early twenties, dressed in a pink and white nurse's uniform, walked in with a small tray and a sweet smile.

"Hmm." His thoughts were interrupted, and with a deep groan, he left the window and walked slowly to his desk.

Hundreds of battles, large and small, left him with a bunch of scars and diseases, he was already very lucky, neither crippled nor dead, but that once handsome and flawless face, there was an extra scar an inch long, and there was the sequelae of headaches.

He swallowed the pill, drank the water, and said thank you, but she didn't move, he looked up at her curiously, she was looking at him with a shy smile, Zhou Ruikang was very familiar with this kind of vision, the former Mei Ruoli, Xu Manlin, Cheng Jiaqi, and Mei Ruojun all looked at him with such eyes, he suddenly felt heartache, frowned painfully, turned his face away, and looked at the window on the other side.

Her name is Hu Xiaofen, she has been with Zhou Ruikang for more than a year, she was originally a nurse in the field hospital, Ruikang was injured on the battlefield for the last time, and she stayed in the hospital for half a year, she has been carefully cared for, after being discharged from the hospital, Song Yuanyang saw that there was no one around him to take care of him, so he privately hired her to follow him.

After the surrender of Japan, Ruikang looked at the complicated situation and resolutely left the army, his gun could be aimed at the invaders, but not at his compatriots, and he wanted to go back to Chongqing to find the whereabouts of Mei Ruojun's mother and son, but Song Yuanyang asked him to go to Shanghai first, saying that there was something important to discuss.

After coming to Shanghai, Song Yuanyang arranged his life, but he went to Yunnan temporarily, and just asked Zhou Ruikang to wait for him back in Shanghai, and he didn't have to worry about anything else.

Ruikang still doesn't understand how he made Song Yuanyang's friend, but the two didn't like each other from the beginning, and they became jealous, and they became irreversible friends, and it is unpredictable to think about life experiences.

Hu Xiaofen looks very sweet, with a round face and a pair of bright double eyelid eyes, a very sweet smile, medium height, round figure, not fat or thin, lively and gentle, like a warm morning sun. It's just that her rays of sunlight only shine on a desert, and the desert doesn't expect sunlight...... What the desert needs is rain and dew......

Ruikang sighed lightly and returned to the window, when the phone on the desk rang, Hu Xiaofen picked up the phone, handed the phone over with a smile and said, "Mr. Zhou, it's Mr. Song's phone." ”

Ruikang took the phone, and Song Yuanyang said on the other end of the phone: "I'll go to Shanghai tonight and come to your hotel at 12 o'clock in the evening." At 11:45, you asked Xiaofen to go out of the room to see if there were any suspicious people on the stairs and in the lobby downstairs, and you should not go out of the room yourself. ”

"Oh? Good. Got it. ”

After the two hung up the phone, Ruikang was inexplicably nervous and excited, for so many years, he had been speculating about what secrets Song Yuanyang had related to him, and it seemed that he would be able to get the answer tonight.

In the afternoon, Ruikang took a nap, trying to keep his mind awake tonight, and slept in a daze, when he vaguely heard the phone ring in the living room again.

Xiao Fen knocked on the door twice: "Mr. Zhou, it's Mrs. Zhou's call from Beiping." ”

Ruikang opened his eyes groggily, pinched the corners of his eyes, got up and walked out, picked up the receiver, and Jiaqi's voice came from the other end of the phone: "Ruikang, are you okay?" ”

"Alright, how are you doing?"

"It's okay, Dad is just worried about you, the body is still strong, we have moved back to the Zhou family compound, cough, although it is grass and trees, but it is finally home. Dingbang has grown up a lot and has begun to read and write, and my brother has gone to find his lost dream......"

"Hmm......"

After listening to Jiaqi's series of reports of safety, Ruikang just groaned a few times and hung up the phone.

The Zhou family's compound, home, the place he often dreamed of in his dreams, but he didn't want to go back, as long as he remembered the scene when his father threw Nian'an on the ground, as long as he remembered Ruojun's scream, he didn't want to go back. He didn't know how to face his father, how to face Jiaqi, the Zhou family compound was a place that made him contradictory and painful.

Although he knew that the Japanese were gone, the Zhou family would be able to slowly recover with the original field shops, and the Cheng family would take over, so there would be no major problems economically, but he still sent most of his salary to his family, and all his current expenses were basically arranged by Song Yuanyang.

"Mr. Zhou, why didn't Mrs. Zhou come to Shanghai to accompany you?" Hu Xiaofen casually picked up the newspaper on the coffee table, and asked seemingly casually.

Ruikang frowned, didn't say a word, returned to the bedroom, closed the door, took out a small suitcase from the cabinet, opened it, and there were his diaries and manuscripts inside, although he had been writing for many years, but words, literature, and writing flowed in his veins like the genetic code of the Zhou family, no matter how fierce the war was and how hard life was, as long as he was free and had the conditions, he would use words to record the bits and pieces in his heart.

There is also a small transparent box next to the manuscript paper, which contains two wedding rings, one for Xu Manlin and one for Cheng Jiaqi. Although he and Jiaqi still retain their status as husband and wife, in his heart, this marriage has long been dead.

On the manuscript paper, the diary, the ring box under the press is a wide and flat box, he carefully came out, opened the lid, inside the cascade lying three folded rectangular delicate handkerchiefs, one embroidered with geese, one embroidered with green bamboo, one embroidered with red plum, each with a handsome "Kang" word, he gently touched these three handkerchiefs, his heart was sour like a bowl of Chinese medicine......

//

At midnight, Song Yuanyang came in a hurry, and as soon as he entered the door, he immediately asked Hu Xiaofen to leave, and then looked at the corridor very cautiously before closing the door.

As soon as the two met, they were very happy, Song Yuanyang grew two mustaches, looked more like a wise man, patted Ruikang's arm, and said, "Hey, Zhou Ruikang, finally meet again, you are really beautiful." ”

"Hehe, you're really good at laughing, I'm already out of shape, and I'm still talking about what style is still there." Rikon smiled and asked him to sit down.

Song Yuanyang smiled: "Hey, a man with a little scar is even more attractive, I just looked at Xiaofen looking at you, it seems that he is interested in you." ”

Ruikang raised the corners of his mouth and smiled, shook his head, sat down on the sofa, Song Yuanyang took out two cigars, handed one to him, and lit it for him.

"I went to Yunnan this time, and I didn't forget to find the whereabouts of Mei Ruojun's mother and son for you along the way." Song Yuanyang said.

Ruikang immediately sat up straight and asked, "How is it?" Any news? ”

Song Yuanyang shook his head: "No." When I passed through Chongqing, I specially sent someone to visit the Jinyun Mountain cabin, but cough, even the house was gone. ”

"What? The house is gone? Ruikang was taken aback, his heart was cold, the house was gone, that is, Ruojun had never been to the cabin again.

"yes, it looks like someone deliberately demolished it."

Ruikang frowned and collapsed into the couch and put the cigar into his mouth.

"Don't worry, I'll pay attention to this matter, and when we're done with our business, I'll contact major newspapers and magazines to post a search notice."

As he spoke, he picked up the briefcase he brought with him, solemnly put it on the coffee table, looked at Ruikang seriously, and said, "Ruikang, tonight, I will solve the mystery in your heart for many years." He was just about to speak, pursed his lips, stood up again, walked to the door, looked out through the cat's eye, and after confirming that there was no one outside, he returned to the sofa, Ruikang was a little puzzled why he was so cautious, but he also knew that the world was weird, and it was better to be careful.

Song Yuanyang opened his mouth and said: "Back then, you once asked me why you wanted to help you, and I told you that I was entrusted by others. ”

"Yes, who is that man?"

"Look at this." Song Yuanyang took out a document from his briefcase and handed it to Ruikang.

Ruikang took it, and the letterhead of the document paper turned out to be "Bank of China", which was a letter of entrustment for property trusteeship, and the terms on it were densely written, Zhou Ruikang didn't understand it very clearly, but he saw the huge wealth of "10,000 taels of silver and 500 taels of gold", as well as the names of several properties, and Ruikang was even more surprised that there was actually "Beiping Wenxing Publishing House" on it, which made Ruikang jump up from the sofa in surprise Every page has the same signature: Xu Manlin!

His mind was full of question marks, and he looked at Song Yuanyang with a look of surprise and said, "What's going on?" ”

Song Yuanyang took out another letter from his bag and said, "This is Man Lin's handwritten letter, which was written to me before you got married. ”

Ruikang took the letter and opened it a little nervously, which read:

"Dear Yvon,

I'm sorry, but I can only refuse your seductive proposal, for the reason you know, I have found the sun of my life, and without him, I think I would be like a flower in the dark, soon withering and dying. I know I shouldn't have said this to you, you've always been such a gentleman and gentle to me, but I've always been so indifferent to you.

Actually, I know that your words are correct, you are for my good, I know that he doesn't love me, he has someone else in his heart, but I am so incorrigibly in love with him.

The night he proposed to me was the happiest moment of my life, oh no, in two days I will officially marry him, and I will be his bride, his wife, and it will be my happiest moment.

Dear Yvon, although I cannot marry you, we went to school together in France, sang together on the banks of the Seine, I have always regarded you as a good friend, and I know that although you are not forgiving, you are a trustworthy and intelligent professional.

I would like to give a portion of my property to Ruikang as a wedding gift. It's just that he's a proud man, and I don't think he'll accept my kindness, and besides, he's not a businessman, so I'd like to make a letter of intent to donate my property, and then entrust this part of the property to your bank and handle it yourself. You manage this part of the assets for Ruikang, 20% of the profit is your commission, and the remaining 80% is owned by Ruikang. When the time comes, I'll surprise him personally. Or, one day, when he needs money, I tell him again, and he will be moved, don't you say?

There is one more thing I want to tell you, I don't know why, I always have nightmares these days, the white wedding dress has turned bright red, so cold, so cold, alas, I think I love him too much, too afraid of losing him, so I become so nervous. However, Yvon, just in case, just in case, I have any surprises, please help him, he is an impractical romantic, he does not understand that the world is driven by money power, so I want you to be friends with him and help him when necessary.

You see, love has made me sensitive, soft, crazy, but how beautiful this feeling is. Finally, I also wish you to find a love that can change you as soon as possible, and then you will be able to understand my current mood.

Manlin

May 18, 28th year of the Republic of China"

After reading this letter, Ruikang has understood everything, his lips are trembling, his nose is sore, and the tears are more and more in his eyes, he clutches his lips hard and wants to hold back the tears, but his eyelashes are still wet with tears, Xu Manlin, a woman he has never really loved, never really liked, but he has given all his love for himself, how indifferent, cold, and even cruel he is to her, and he has not even really understood her.

He gently put his hand to his lips, trying to hide his imminent collapse, but still couldn't stop the tears from quietly flowing out of the corners of his eyes, he quickly wiped them away with his fingers and sniffed.

Song Yuanyang was also sad and silent for a long time, and after a while, he spoke: "Ruikang, Man Lin handed over these assets to me, and I have been managing them, now as long as you sign your name on this agreement, we will go to the law firm together tomorrow morning to do another legal document handover, and it can be attributed to your name." ”

"No," Ruikang's voice trembled, shook his head, paused, and said: "I can't ask for these properties, I have never treated her well, to be honest, I used to dislike her, and the marriage proposal was just to save Ruoli, not from my own heart, what qualifications do I have to accept her property with the face?" ”

Song Yuanyang sighed and said: "Ruikang, she knows that you don't love her, but she still wants to give you her property, and you don't accept it, isn't it equivalent to rejecting her love again?" ”

Ruikang stammered, but still shook his head: "Xu Enhai once forced me to sign a consent to renounce the right to inherit. ”