December 31st in the Western calendar.

It snowed for the first time in Shanghai, with sleet and sleet.

The turbid Huangpu River was rushing, and the buildings of various countries on the edge of the Bund seemed to be frozen. The sky quickly darkened, the sound of bells cut through the rain and snow, there were only a few cars on the street, and snowflakes fell on the women's clothes.

The new fashionable Paris coat fell on the poor workers in ragged clothes on the streets and in front of the window of Fu's mansion.

Fu Chengshan looked at the snow outside the window. In the warm study with charcoal fire, he was sitting in a wheelchair with a blanket on his legs. But even so, in such a cold weather, he still felt a trace of warmth coming out of his bones.

pain.

He withdrew his gaze and looked at the middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses in front of him, with a steady voice. "Xiang Wen, go back."

"Brother-in-law, you should really think about it again." Sitting opposite him was a middle-aged man who looked to be about forty years old. His face was quite gentle, and his face was white and beardless, so he looked much younger, but at this time his face

His expression was very urgent, "What is the relationship between our Pan family and Fu family? If you don't take action, our Pan family will really have no choice..."

His name is Pan Hongcai, also known as Xiangwen, and he is the current head of the Pan family. In the early years, he was just a small comprador. It was not until the Pan family's daughter married into the Fu family that the Fu family gained momentum, and the Pan family followed the chickens and dogs to heaven.

As soon as he was promoted to a small and prestigious family in Shanghai, he himself also joined the ranks of Shanghai's new rich.

"No need to say any more." Fu Chengshan interrupted him, and he coughed twice, "One code is one code, and the Fu family must not make this kind of national treasure."

"What is the national financial crisis? This, this is talking about business -" Pan Hongcai looked a little embarrassed on his face. He took a deep breath and softened his tone, "Besides, brother-in-law, this is the same as the other."

, what do you think about the current situation?

Don’t you understand? If this war continues, we don’t know when it will reach Shanghai! You said, we have strong ships and cannons, can we win this battle? I have always admired your foresight, how could you not?

How about making early plans for Shaoze’s future?”

Fu Chengshan stared at him and suddenly sighed, "Xiang Wen, go back." He said it again, but his tone was a little deeper than before.

"Brother-in-law..." Pan Hongcai had a pleading look on his face.

"Xiang Wen, for the sake of your sister, I can promise you many things, but as long as I am still alive, I will never agree to this kind of thing." Fu Chengshan said calmly, "If your sister is still here,

She wouldn't agree to it either."

Pan Hongcai felt a lump of air in his chest and said, "I think if my sister had not died of illness, Biying would have given birth to several grandchildren for the Fu family by now!"

Fu Chengshan said calmly, "Biying, when I first brought her here when she was fifteen, I told her that she couldn't enter the Fu family. You'd better not waste her years any longer."

Pan Hongcai was speechless and couldn't help but said, "Biying has hired a foreign female teacher to teach her at home since she was a child. The foreign language piano is not bad at all. Even if she can't compare with the Tang family, how can she be better than that straight girl?"

Is Yu Mengwan who came here bad?"

"Mengwan..." mentioning this name, Fu Chengshan thought of something and was in a trance for a moment.

At this moment, Aunt Shu knocked on the door and came in, placing a cup of ginger tea in Fu Chengshan's hand, "Master, the young master and A Dong are back."

"Call them over." Fu Chengshan said.

Seeing this, Pan Hongcai had no choice but to stand up and leave. Before leaving, he took a deep look at Fu Chengshan and said, "Brother-in-law, if you change your mind, come to me at any time."

Fu Chengshan looked at the fine snow falling outside the window, as if he hadn't heard what he said. He only looked away when he heard Fu Shaoze and Fu Dong coming in.

"What's the date?"

Fu Shaoze was startled, and Fu Dong quickly said, "On the 31st, sir, tomorrow is the new year."

"I mean the old calendar, what day is it?"

Nowadays, Shanghai is a city that follows the Western calendar everywhere. The old calendar is called the "abandoned calendar". Not many people can remember it now. Aunt Shu came in and gave the answer.

"Master, today is the sixth day of the twelfth lunar month."

Fu Chengshan nodded and tapped Fu Shaoze with his cane, "You, go to the agarwood box on top of my safe and take out an envelope. The key is in the second drawer of the cabinet on the left."

Fu Shaoze had long been accustomed to his commanding tone, and lazily followed his instructions one by one. He took out a yellowed envelope from the agarwood box and handed it to him, "Here."

"Open it and take a look..." After Fu Chengshan finished speaking, he couldn't help coughing twice.

Since the weather has gotten colder, a lot of his old habits have returned, but he doesn't trust Western medicine and doesn't want to go to the cold hospital. The most he can do is drink some Chinese medicine. Anyway, as long as he survives until spring, he will feel much more relaxed.

Fu Shaoze hesitated to speak, but finally opened the envelope.

However, the moment he opened the envelope and saw the familiar red sticker, he was stunned.

The cold wind was howling at this time, and the dead branches in front of the window trembled slightly, and snowflakes hit the window densely, making a slight sound. Indoors, the charcoal fire in the fireplace dimmed in an instant, and ashes rose.

This eight-character note, which was exchanged between men and women during an old engagement, was also carefully preserved by the Fu family. However, the page belonging to the Yu family had long since dissipated in the rain on Xia Fei Road.

"When I was young, I wanted everything to be perfect, but as I get older, I know that I should leave everything to spare." Fu Chengshan's voice was a little hoarse. At this time, he was no longer as strong and stubborn as before, but just

A twilight old man said, "Children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. Whoever you want to marry is up to you... I don't care about you anymore."

Fu Shaoze's throat was dry and he didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Originally, I was thinking that the Tang family seems to be very fond of you, so I would just come to propose marriage. But after thinking about it, I think Mengwan still needs an explanation. You young people don't

We, the older generation, are sensible and cannot be so disrespectful of etiquette." Fu Chengshan looked at his grown-up son and said in a deep voice, "Go and return this Geng Tie properly."

Fu Shaoze was silent for a moment and finally said, "Let's live some time."

Fu Chengshan said without hesitation, "No! It must be today."

Seeing that the atmosphere between the two became tense again, Fu Dong quickly smoothed things over and said, "How about I go deliver it? It's snowing here."

"He refused to go, so I had to go in person." Fu Chengshan was about to get angry, but suddenly the corner of his mouth curled up and he coughed twice, "This kind of thing is our family's fault, and I should come and apologize in person...

Get me my coat and prepare the car..."

"Okay, okay, just go, as if I'm scared!" Fu Shaoze impatiently put the envelope in his arms and strode out.

Fu Chengshan's eyes finally softened when he saw the back of him leaving in a menacing manner.

After that birthday, Fu Chengshan began to re-examine his naughty son. Probably because of the warm birthday peach, he began to feel that Fu Shaoze was not that unbearable, but just a little ignorant, a little frizzy, and a little unruly.

Untamed...

——Although the boy pretended to be completely unaware of Shoudao afterwards, Fu Chengshan stopped asking further questions in order to preserve his youthful stubbornness.

But no matter what, he is still his son after all, and he still has filial piety.

Since the beginning of winter, Fu Chengshan's health has been deteriorating. At that time, Fu Chengshan found that whenever he coughed or looked sick, and then ordered Fu Shaoze to do something, he would mostly hold his nose and complete it.

And since his birthday, Fu Shaoze's playfulness seems to have curbed. He doesn't go to places like racetracks, dance halls and movie theaters very often. He is ordered by him to run errands and read contracts and sign documents, and he seems much calmer.

I no longer lose my temper easily.

"The young master has changed a lot recently." Fu Dong followed the old man's gaze and guessed what he was thinking.

"I know best how he is, and you don't have to say good things for him." In front of others, Fu Chengshan is still stingy in praising his son, "With his current ability, he is still not good enough to take over the responsibility of the Fu family.

It’s far away.”

"Give the young master some time, he will mature." Fu Dong said.

Fu Chengshan stood up shakily from his wheelchair, looked at the four words "Persistence is strong" written in cursive on the plaque hanging on the wall of the study, and remained silent for a long time.

…

The black century car was parked at the entrance of the alley on Moliai Road.

The sleet gradually became lighter, with only scattered snowflakes floating. Fu Shaoze got out of the car without holding an umbrella, and strode directly to the small building in the alley.

Walking downstairs, his pace slowed down.

Take steps and go up the stairs.

The Geng Tie in his arms was like a red-hot iron, making his whole heart feel hot.

He couldn't figure out what the emotion was, and he didn't want to figure it out. Ever since that night filled with the scent of sweet-scented osmanthus, Yu Mengwan's matter had become a mess that he couldn't sort out, like a ball of thread tangled up by a cat.

He had tried to find an answer, but where to start? From the engagement when he was a child? Or from his childhood sweetheart, from Yin Xiaozhi, from the torn Geng Tie, the red wine splashed on his face, the rational but cruel truth

What?

Fu Shaoze didn't like to think about these things. He made girlfriends, broke up with them, and then made new girlfriends. It was as short-lived as a gust of wind. Others thought he was romantic, but in fact he didn't know how to deal with feelings at all. Only Yu Mengwan seemed like a demon.

The curse reminded him of it countless times when he was tossing and turning.

Thinking of her, there seems to be an empty space in my heart.

When he reached the second floor, the music from the record player came out of the poorly soundproofed door, the smell of food wafted over, and there was the laughter of children. When he walked up, his steps became heavier and slower.

He remembered the day he broke up with Yin Xiaozhi.

When he walked into the familiar small building on Xiafei Road that day, he was a little hesitant. They hadn't seen each other for a month before they broke up. Once, he thought he would never be separated from her, so maybe this is just temporary now.

The cold war, meeting each other, brought back the love of the past, maybe he would be reluctant to let go.

But when he really met Yin Xiaozhi, Fu Shaoze found that he could easily say the word "break up".

Because the lover who once seemed perfect in his eyes suddenly had many shortcomings - she was not that beautiful, had a bad figure, had average taste, did not know how to behave, was a little willful, difficult to coax, and talked too old.

He is constantly dragging out articles...

Once upon a time, he felt that this was "hibiscus emerges from clear water, leaving natural carvings behind", this was true nature, love requires mutual tolerance, and the poems that occasionally appeared were so cultured and tasteful...

He had to admit that he did not love Yin Xiaozhi, or in other words, he just liked the woman he had imagined. Once he had it, his imagination dissipated, and nothing was left. Yin Xiaozhi, like the other women he had

Girlfriends are never different.
To be continued...