The sun never sets in America

Chapter 41 Celebration
Crackling... crackling...

Whizzing……

The night sky in Liujiabao was filled with brilliant fireworks. In front of every house, the red firecrackers were like the prelude to a hymn, starting warmly.

bang... bang...

squeak……

"Who is it?" The door of a house in the alley was opened, and a middle-aged man wearing a scarf, plain Confucian clothes, and dressed as a scholar asked outside, "It turns out it's you little guys. Why did you come to me if you didn’t go out to play in such a busy day today?” A middle-aged man named Yan Jun asked with a smile as he looked at several children standing outside in colorful clothes and new shoes.

"Uncle Yan, today is a day to celebrate victory. My mother made sweet cakes and asked me to bring them to you." One of the little girls with a milky voice took a bag wrapped in oil paper and tied with hemp rope. The cake was handed to Yan Jun opposite.

"Have you eaten?" Yan Jun asked the children outside while taking the oil paper bag handed over by the little girl.

"Eat, eat, we all ate at home." The little girl looked at the little boys with gleaming eyes beside her and quickly replied to Yan Jun.

"I haven't eaten it since I saw it. Come on, take one each." Yan Jun saw from the greedy expressions of the two little boys that the little girl was lying. Then he untied the hemp rope on the oil paper on the spot, and then took out the wrapped Three fist-sized cakes, yellowish-white in color and with a sweet aroma, bent down and handed them to the children in front of them.

"Then, it's okay. Uncle can't eat that much by himself." Looking at the two little boys who didn't dare to take it because of the warning in the little girl's eyes, Yan Jun sighed inwardly at the little girl's sensibleness, and then comforted several children, "Moreover Now, if you eat it, your mother will not know, and your uncle will not say anything." Yan Jun then persuaded several children. It was only at this time that one of the little boys couldn't help but take it from Yan Jun's hand. I ate the sweet cake with big mouthfuls.

"Hey, that's right. People, you have to enjoy yourself in time. Don't be like your Uncle Yan, who is over 30 and hasn't married yet." After Yan Jun saw several children eating sweet cakes, he smiled and made fun of himself. road.

"Uncle, you can marry my mother. My mother has been waiting for you for a long time." The little girl's words almost made Yan Jun fall down in fright. "Uncle, can you be our father? In the future, uncle will teach you We don't have to run back and forth to study." The little girl looked at Yan Jun with eyes that seemed innocent but were actually very calculated. Her dark eyes were so innocent, but she was different on the inside.

"This..." Yan Jun was speechless all of a sudden. He couldn't speak for a while, "Uncle has something to do at home, so I won't disturb him. Come to uncle's place to play when you have time, come and play..." Yan Jun Jun was a little flustered by being stared at by three children, and then he found a lame excuse and ran into the house.

"Uncle, you are so shy. You are so scared for such an adult."

"Ha ha……"

Behind Yan Jun, the laughter of two little boys mocking him came.

"Hey, after all these years in North America, I still haven't accomplished anything!!" Yan Jun, who was sitting at his desk and lighting the oil lamp, looked at the ordinary and extraordinary official documents on his desk and sighed, "Am I really Do you want to die in the position of a civil official? I think my family also had a few candidates in the past. How come my generation is so unlucky??" Yan Jun murmured to himself with a bitter look on his face, and kept questioning him. Hold yourself.

Yan Jun was born in Zhejiang, China, and was considered a landlord in the local area. His ancestors had been elected officials and county magistrates. He did not have much land, only a few hundred acres, and a few houses left by his ancestors in the local area. He was not considered rich and powerful, but he was from a scholarly family. His status was much higher than that of ordinary rural landowners.

But since arriving in Yan Jun's generation, the family has completely fallen into decline. I used to guard the hundreds of acres of land, a few properties, and a sign for people to be promoted, but I was able to live like a human being. Who knew that because of the local disaster relief Yan Mi De, his father, discovered that the local county official had embezzled funds for disaster relief, causing tens of thousands of victims to starve to death. Out of anger, he reported the news to the provincial capital. At first, the provincial capital officials still came to investigate, but not long after, the county official did not Knowing what method was used, he was actually acquitted. In the end, he came back to bite his family, saying that their family was jealous of talents and oppressed the people in the local area. Originally, this was nothing and could not constitute a crime, but I don’t know what methods the county magistrate used, which resulted in Their tenants and servants all stood up to criticize their family verbally and verbally... Forget it, some even accused their family of colluding with a cult and intending to commit rebellion.

In view of the fact that the White Lotus Sect uprising had not been put down for many years, the county magistrate seemed to add fuel to the fire and arrested their whole family. Halfway through the trial, they were immediately sentenced to death. However, because their family lived in the local area, after all He had some fame and some old friends, so after selling all his family property, he didn't end up being exterminated, but he was eventually exiled to Fujian to work as a tracker in a government-run shipyard.

You must know that this tracker's job is not something that anyone can do. It is tiring and hard. His father and several of his brothers died of exhaustion in Fujian. He was the only one who got acquainted with the pirates of the Red Flag Gang and eventually fell in love with the pirate friends. After being introduced, he didn't do anything and went straight to the pirate ship.

Then by accident, he joined a small pirate group headed by Liu Yan. The final outcome was naturally to come to the Americas. But after establishing himself in the Americas, Yan Jun faced a problem, that is, compared with other people, Yan Jun faced a problem. , his qualifications were really too shallow, he wanted military merit but not military merit, he wanted opportunities but not opportunities. In the end, he was awarded the position of civil officer because he had passed the boy student examination.

The so-called civil officials, to put it nicely, are in charge of civil affairs; to put it worse, they are to manage the disputes among the people in Liujiabao. After all, Liujiabao is so big, and there is no need to file a lawsuit if something goes wrong, but the internal conflicts are still Yes, so civil officers like him came into being, and some were comparable to the directors of street offices in later generations.

It doesn't matter if this kind of thing happens to ordinary people, but who is Yan Jun? Their ancestors have been successful at all. Seeing that Li Zhaowu, who was born as a scholar and whose family was not as prominent as his, became the commander of the four major battalions. , I heard from others that after reorganizing the army in the future, he will have to be promoted... For Yan Jun, that is a shame and a denial of everything in his life.

And the reason why he acted so unnaturally and unwillingly just now after the little girl said that she wanted her mother to marry him was that he, Yan Jun, was not a nerd. Of course I know the intention.

Although Yan Jun knew that he would probably be like this for the rest of his life. Even if he was promoted in the future, he would not be able to do much, but it was difficult for Yan Jun to accept the fate of marrying a widow. Although he was the only child in their family, he could not do much. It is precisely because of this that he is so focused on his marriage. Although as the old saying goes, the poor do not choose a wife, and the poor do not choose clothes, but after all, Yan Jun has not gotten into that position... so he can still resist now. live.

But as time goes by, he may not be able to resist anymore. After all, he is also a human being and a man.

"Hey, what my father said is right. The books of saints are for reading and not for doing things. They are useless." Picking up a book on the Great Learning from the Four Books and Five Classics in his hand, Yan Jun said with a wry smile. In his opinion, , he has lived in vain for the past few decades, and read so many books in vain. Now that he has come to North America, he has only found a civil officer who helps people deal with neighborhood conflicts. This civil officer is worse than a lawyer... This was the first thought that popped into Yan Jun's mind after receiving the order, and it is also the thought that he still has now.

"That's all, I'll submit this plan tomorrow. If no one responds, forget it. It would be good to find a widow in this life. After all, the children are ready..." Picking up the book on the table that was tucked under the book A letter sealed with wax, Yan Jun sighed and said to himself, even at the end he thought of those lovely children just now, and showed a satisfied smile. Sometimes Yan Jun even thought about whether he could live an ordinary life. People's lives are pretty good too. They don't have to think about hatred, ancestral inheritance, or raising people...

Will Yan Jun live a more secure and happier life? ?
Yan Jun asked himself.

.............................................

Colorful flags are displayed in the castle lord's palace, and colorful lanterns are hung everywhere. The entire castle lord's palace is filled with rainbow-colored light, which makes people feel as if they have entered a dreamlike country, even the surrounding areas. Carrying things, cleaning, and the servants coming and going have become scenes that can only happen in fairy tales.

"Come on, let me bring the dishes in first." The servant carrying the dishes shuttled among the busy people, like a little bee shuttled among the flowers, constantly looking for the place where the nectar is.

Carrying the plate, he walked into the inner courtyard and saw that the inner courtyard was already filled with round tables with exquisite and affordable dishes. Sitting on the table were famous dignitaries from Liujiabao... The servants carefully placed the dishes on the table. an empty seat on the top.

"Everyone, today is the happiest day since I, Liu Jiabao, established my foothold in America." Liu Yan stood on the stage, looking at the officers and civilian officials below who put down their chopsticks and said.

"Since Liu Jiabao came to North America, I have been bullied by those white-skinned ghosts. They want us to pay taxes, and they want me to help them fight..." Liu Yan said without hesitation that he had a good relationship with Mexico. The terms of the white people's negotiation, "Damn it, I told those white devils directly, if you want money, you can, but if you want your life, you can't... fight with me, I will accompany you!!" Liu Yan continued to say to the people below with a straight face. "Ha ha……"

Everyone at the table below was amused by what Liu Yan just said.

"Let's take Los Angeles and defend Los Angeles. You are really the ministers of the humerus and have contributed a lot... Please accept Liu Yan's thanks." Liu Yan looked at the large and small Liujiabao officers on the dining table in the audience, leaning down. He bowed in obeisance, with a solemn expression on his face.

It can be seen that although it is an attempt to win over people's hearts, it can be regarded as sincere.

"Fortmaster, you can't, you can't..."

"If the castle master hadn't brought us across the ocean to this North American continent and led us to establish this great achievement, wouldn't we have wasted our lives in the Qing Dynasty and ended up doing nothing? The castle master has shown us the kindness of rebuilding. I should wait for the Lord of the Fort..." Zhao Wei stood up and thanked Liu Yan. He placed Liu Yan's status at the highest level both inside and outside his words. This shows that he is nominally the second-largest commander in the Liu Family Fort Army. Being the leader is not for nothing. He has no sense of worldliness and has long since died. There may be a fierce power struggle. Zhao Wei is in this position and it is difficult to avoid it.

"Yes, what Vice Marshal Zhao said is that you, the fortress master, owe the greatest contribution to our current situation." Lan Yun was the first to stand up and echo what Zhao Wei just said. Although the Yingyang Camp where he is located, due to defense reasons The reason is that throughout the war, they were dispersed and integrated into the other two battalions. He himself only helped organize the battle plan in the rear, but it cannot be said that he did not contribute. It is just that he did not rush to take command for the sake of credit, regardless of the overall situation. The army is enough to be admired by many people in the army. They asked themselves that if it were them, they would not be able to do it. After all, it would be a pity if their names were not included in such a battle that is likely to go down in history. And Lan Yun wanted to He was not the first to follow Liu Yan, and therefore he was the most concerned about Liu Yan's face and the overall situation of Liujiabao. Therefore, during the war, he took the initiative to give up the halo of being the protagonist to Xu Zhi of the Wuwei camp and Li Zhaowu of the Tiewei camp, so that now Many people only know Xu Zhi, Li Zhaowu, and even the newly established Dragon Cavalry Battalion, their battalion commander Tang Wuwei is more famous than Lan Yun, and his name is more prominent, which shows the sacrifices Lan Yun has made for Liujiabao.

"Father is the backbone of my Liu Family Fort. Those of us who are attached to him, no matter what we do, we will treat you as the main one and respect you." Liu Peng stood up and bowed to his father Liu Yan. He said with a very respectful expression.

"Okay..." Liu Yan shouted "ok" after hearing this, with a satisfied smile on his face, "You guys have worked hard these days. We will not go home until we are drunk tonight. Come, drink..." Liu Yan picked up the agate made of agate. Looking at the wine glass that was half full of wine, Liu Yan toasted to everyone in the audience.

"Fuck..." Liu Yan first pushed the wine glass in front of everyone, and then drank it all in one gulp.

"Fortmaster, do it..."

"Dry……"

Everyone at the dinner table stood up and responded to Liu Yan.

"Have a nice meal and drink, everyone..." Liu Yan smiled, continued to greet everyone, and then got off the platform.

"Fortmaster, have another drink with the big guys, have another drink."

"That's right, Castle Master, I must have a few more drinks today."

"Fortmaster, I respect you."

As soon as Liu Yang got off the high platform, there was a sound of drinking below. There was even an ignorant young officer who directly raised his glass and toasted to Liu Yan, which made the old and cunning Liujiabao old men sweat for him.

"Okay, I'll drink..." Liu Yan looked at the well-dressed and neatly buttoned young officer in front of him, and agreed directly, drinking down the wine glass handed to him, "Young man, what is your name, and what is your current position? ?" Liu Yan inquired about the origins of this young officer.

"Fortress Master, my name is Mo Yu, and I am an infantry captain in the Wuwei Battalion." Mo Yu respectfully answered with clasped fists at Liu Yan, although when he came forward to toast Liu Yan just now, many people were a little surprised and even pinched him. He broke into a sweat, but he didn't take it seriously. He didn't even look as frivolous as before.

"Mo Yu, good name, and a captain." Liu Yan looked at Mo Yu in front of him and nodded with satisfaction, "Li Zhaowu, you have to take more care of such a courageous young talent." Liu Yan then He turned to look at Li Zhaowu, the commander of the Wuwei Battalion who was sitting at the table and chair on the left, pointed at Mo Yu and said, making Mo Yu on the opposite side feel elated when he heard it.

"Fortmaster, you are really discerning. Mo Yu is the most capable infantry captain in our military guard camp. You really have a keen eye for recognizing heroes." Li Zhaowu first praised Liu Yan in a roundabout way, "Fortmaster, don't worry, Mo Yu is my most capable infantry captain." He is a capable general, how could I not be interested in him?" Li Zhaowu then answered Liu Yan's question.

"Young man, work hard. When we old guys can't do it anymore, the world will be yours from now on." Liu Yan stepped forward and patted Mo Yu on the shoulder, as if saying to Mo Yu, but also to himself, Even all the veteran officers present said the same thing.

Only a few people understood Liu Yan's intention, and then turned their attention to Liu Peng, who looked a little silent on the side. Liu Peng's face was expressionless, as if nothing had happened, so those who observed had to I lament Liu Peng’s Qi-nurturing skills.

It was so obvious that he didn't express anything at all, and there wasn't even any happiness or other expressions other than happiness on his face. He just treated it as a normal thing.

"Drink, everyone drinks..."

"Fortmaster, please..."

Liu Yan was drunk after not knowing how many drinks he had. He was supported by Liu Peng and left the courtyard.

"Dad, you're not drunk..." Looking at Liu Yan standing up from him, Liu Peng said angrily, saying that he was just pretending...

"It's a joke, how can I, your father, be drunk with such a small amount of wine? Remember back then when I..." Liu Yan started talking non-stop when he mentioned how much he drank. He even talked about how he drank with Sister-in-law Zheng and Zhang Baozai in the Far East. come out.

"It's a pity, it's a pity..." Liu Yan said, with a lonely look on his face, "If it hadn't been for that matter, we wouldn't have come to North America, to this place we call Liujiabao. And he has done such a great feat." Liu Yan no longer thinks about the unhappy past in his mind, and is very satisfied with the current situation. After all, he has just defeated the arrogant California coalition forces, and it is a time when Liujiabao's morale is high. , let alone the entire army of the Republic of Mexico, they are not afraid even if the United States comes.

And all this self-confidence was gained through these two wars about Los Angeles...

"Son, remember, these people can help us in the same boat today, but if they become a stumbling block in the future, they must not be soft-hearted..." Liu Yan suddenly said such cruel words to Liu Peng, "You need to know that since ancient times, we have been weak. Incompetent masters will basically die in the hands of their ministers." Liu Yan continued to educate Liu Peng earnestly.

"Yes, father, the child understands." Liu Peng agreed without hesitation, with a serious expression on his face.

(End of this chapter)