RPAGF Chapter 852 Oh dear, is my wife going to run away again?
Chapter 852 Oh dear, is my wife going to run away again?
Jiang Xia led Jin Zhen and Zhou Xiaofeng through the dock area, heading straight for the "Donghai" 10,000-ton ship, which was moored in its designated berth. Several figures who were having a heated discussion under the shade of trees on the shore noticed them and immediately stopped arguing.
"Huh? Isn't that Jiang Xiao'er? Why are they going to the boat?" one of them asked, pushing up his glasses.
"Is it time to board? No way, didn't the notice say tomorrow?" Another person craned their neck to look.
The elderly man at the head of the group, wearing thick glasses and with gray hair, immediately sprang to attention and hurriedly waved his hand: "Forget about the notice! Hurry up and catch up, don't leave us behind! If we miss the ship and can't leave the country, that would be a real tragedy!"
"Yes, yes, Mr. Dong is right! This opportunity to go to Geneva is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, we can't afford any mishaps!" The group quickly echoed, their faces filled with longing and eagerness for the government-funded trip abroad, and hurried after him.
Without pausing, Jiang Xia and his two companions stepped onto the gangway to board the ship. Seeing this, Elder Dong and his group also wanted to follow without hesitation.
"Stop!"
Two sailors standing guard at the gangway stepped forward and raised their hands to stop them.
"Hey? Why are you stopping us?" Old Dong suddenly became anxious, pointing at Jiang Xia's back as he walked onto the deck. "If they can go up, why can't we? We are members of the delegation!"
A friend of similar age beside him chimed in, "That's right! Look closely, this is Dong Jixian from the translation team, Mr. Dong! We are the accompanying personnel assigned by our superiors, why can't we board the ship? Did Jiang Xia say something to you?"
The man referred to as "Old Dong" puffed out his chest: "That's right! Comrade Xiao Jiang! Jiang Xia! What do you mean by this? Are you trying to abandon us and leave? Let me tell you, this opportunity to go abroad was decided by the organization, not by you alone!"
He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, trying to get Jiang Xia's attention on deck. "Leaving us behind to go and enjoy the sights of Geneva by yourself? What kind of logic is that!"
However, Jiang Xia seemed not to hear at all, and without turning his head, he disappeared at the entrance of the cabin with the two young men.
Old Dong felt he was losing face, his face flushed, and he wanted to argue loudly, but a sailor had already pushed forward a rifle with a fixed bayonet. Although it wasn't pointed at him, the cold metallic gleam and the authoritative look in his eyes were extremely intimidating.
"Step back! No noise! No one may board the ship without permission!"
Just then, steady footsteps sounded from the other side of the passageway. A naval officer with prominent epaulets was respectfully accompanying an elderly man dressed in a plain dark Zhongshan suit and wearing a wide-brimmed hat as he descended the stairs. It seemed they had just finished an inspection and were preparing to leave.
Old Dong recognized the naval commander at a glance. As if grasping at a lifeline, he didn't bother to think about who the old man was. He immediately straightened his collar, forced a smile, and hurried forward, trying to bypass the guards' obstruction.
"Commander! Commander, please wait!" he said urgently. "You've come at the perfect time! Please be the judge! We are members of the delegation's translation team. This Comrade Jiang Xia was able to board the ship ahead of time, so why can't we? This is clearly..."
Before he could finish speaking, the old man in the hat paused slightly upon hearing the sound, his gaze casually sweeping over from under the brim of his hat.
At the same time, a small part of his weathered yet exceptionally resolute profile was also revealed.
This seemingly ordinary glance caused Old Dong, who was talking incessantly, to be suddenly choked and his voice came to an abrupt halt.
The color drained from his face instantly, his eyes widened as he stared intently at the face that hadn't been seen in public for years. He gasped for breath, frozen in place, unable to move.
The naval officer frowned slightly, glanced at Old Dong with a hint of displeasure, then turned back to the old man, his posture still respectful, preparing to escort him on his way.
The friend behind Old Dong, still confused, anxiously tugged at his arm: "Old Dong! Old Dong, what's wrong? You should explain this to the leader!"
Old Dong shuddered violently, as if he had been whipped by an invisible whip.
He struggled to raise his trembling, leaf-like fingers, pointing to the tall, upright figure about to get into the jeep. His lips trembled for a long time before he managed to squeeze out a few words through clenched teeth in an almost inaudible voice: "It's...it's him...how could he be here...shouldn't he be...reflecting in the garden?"
His friend followed his gaze and carefully examined the area. A few seconds later, his face drained of color, and he abruptly covered his mouth, forcing back the gasp that almost escaped his lips.
The jeep doors closed and it drove away from the dock silently.
The guard at the gangway looked away, his face expressionless as he stared at the stunned Mr. Dong and his entourage. His voice remained icy: "Boarding is prohibited without permission. Please return to the area beyond the safety line."
"Clang, clang, clang..." The bayonet thrust out diagonally.
This time, Mr. Dong and those around him had no further objections and obediently stepped back several paces.
The jeep started smoothly and drove along the road in the dock area. The May sea breeze, with its capricious energy, playfully sneaked into the car window. The girl in the passenger seat gasped softly, her wide-brimmed hat almost being blown away by the wind, and she quickly reached out to hold it down.
But the wind had already succeeded, instantly lifting a head of long, jet-black hair, the ends of which were strangely interspersed with a few strands of shimmering gold, like marks left by sunlight penetrating the deep forest, fluttering and dancing outside the car window, entwining and dancing with the salty wind of the harbor, outlining a breathtaking silhouette.
Unfortunately, only two elderly people in the back of the carriage were able to appreciate this beautiful scene.
Inside the car, an elderly man sitting in the middle of the back seat, his hat pulled low, glanced back through the window at the receding "Donghai" warship, broke the brief silence with a cold snort: "What, could you find a few young people in the translation team for this delegation? They're all just..."
The naval leader beside him gave a cold smile and said, "I don't know the specific arrangements. I heard it's being coordinated from above."
However, from what I understand, those senior colleagues are said to be among the few experts in Italian and Romansh in China. There are very few people in the country proficient in these two obscure languages these days, so they had to rely on these "old hands" to fill the gaps.
He paused, his tone turning serious: "Some leaders have pointed out that this IEC conference can be seen as a 'mini-United Nations' in some ways. We can use this stage to rehearse and practice for our future return to larger international forums. We need to 'encircle the cities from the countryside,' and we also need to 'not fight unprepared battles'..."
Upon hearing this, the old man raised his white eyebrows slightly, a look of understanding flashing in his eyes: "I see. No wonder you called me out to coordinate things. I thought Comrade 'Poet' was trying to slack off again."
"Hehehe," the naval leader turned to the side, his warm, broad hand tightly gripping the old man's thin but still strong hand.
"A poet wouldn't utter such lofty words. The person who said this is currently at my home, waiting to taste my wife's home-cooked meal. How about... we come over and join the fun?"
The old man's expression suddenly became agitated, his chest heaving slightly. It took him a long time to calm his turbulent emotions, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly: "Go! I must go! But... wouldn't it be too much of a disturbance to come here so abruptly..."
The naval leader smiled but didn't answer directly. After a moment of silence in the car, he added, seemingly casually, "If that person hadn't nodded and spoken, even if I had the greatest courage in the world, I wouldn't have dared to invite you..."
Another profound silence spread through the car.
The naval leader glanced at the old man beside him, whose breathing had become rapid again, and suddenly reached out and poked the girl in the front row on the shoulder with a hint of mockery.
“Hey, Mulan,”
"Did you see that 'husband' that Xiaodongdong went to so much trouble to find for you at the dock just now? What do you think of him? Does he seem decent enough? Should I turn around now and send you back so you can get a closer look?"
Mulan turned around at the sound, her eyes clear and open beneath her wide-brimmed hat, without a trace of girlish shyness, but rather with a unique decisiveness: "Uncle Commander, don't tease me!"
It's not a matter of 'looking for' him; I've known him for a long time."
"Oh?"
"Regarding the incident in Vladivostok two years ago, someone tried to smuggle his technical data out of the country, and I was the one who intercepted them."
The naval leader was taken aback for a moment, then slapped his chair: "So there's this connection! I thought this was the first time you two had crossed paths, but I didn't expect you, Mulan, had already helped Jiang Xia before."
"Oh right, I was supposed to pick you up last time, but I found out that two 'nest dogs' had fallen into the water. I was quite surprised, but when I received your letter saying that everything was normal, I was relieved... So that's what happened!"
"As for the rest," Mulan looked ahead at the road again.
"Sir, there's no point in turning back now. The most urgent task is to ensure the delegation's safe arrival in Geneva; that's the priority. Personal matters can wait until this is settled!"
“Oh dear… it won’t delay us! It’s a good journey, we’ll be at sea for over a month. Back then, your Aunt Xiu and I did… you know…”
The old man said with a smile, but the mention of the name made Mulan fall silent for a moment.
The naval officer quickly interrupted, "Hey, you're mistaken. That kid doesn't go out much, otherwise, we wouldn't have sent him here for this temporary training!"
"Not going out? How...how is he feeling?"
"You don't need to worry about that. That kid said people over there urinate and defecate anywhere, and he doesn't want to go and experience the stench..."
"Where did this kid hear all this from..."
"Haha, I don't know."
The two bigwigs then began to discuss this.
Mulan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "Hey, this little brother is quite interesting!"
……