Zhou Wenjie found his nodding agreement to be quite endearing, so he ruffled his head.
"You're not little anymore, why can't you be more obedient? It's not safe on the ship. What if you fall off the railing? Besides, you're the older siblings, you should set an example for your younger brother!"
Zhou Wenjie's reprimand to his younger siblings was not an exaggeration. They were still young. What if a wave crashed over, the deck swayed, and they fell overboard?
"We truly know we were wrong," Wen Ying said, her eyes welling up with tears. She was just too excited and had forgotten her elder brother's admonitions. She truly didn't expect her elder brother to be so angry.
Zhou Wencong also felt wronged. He just wanted to see the big fish. After so many days, it was the first time he had seen such a large fish! And he had been holding the railing tightly. However, he didn't dare to tell his elder brother, for fear of making him angrier.
"Go back and practice writing a few more pages, and think about what exactly you did wrong!" Zhou Wenjie could tell they didn't realize their mistakes, but they were still young and could be taught slowly.
At this moment, on the deck above, a woman in a white Western-style dress was watching their family interaction with great interest. Such sibling affection was truly enviable!
Unlike their family, where siblings fought like enemies, with no affection at all.
She wondered what it felt like to have such a brother, would it be very happy? The four of them must have been born to the same mother, and their relationship was so good. Even if the family didn't have much money, they must be living quite well.
The woman lived on the third floor of the ship, where people of wealth and status resided, indicating her distinguished background. If this were a system, it would know that this was the protagonist of the story.
A few gunshots shattered the peace of the country, and the war began.
However, due to Mr. Du's arms business, the armed forces of some warlords were greatly strengthened. This war of aggression was much more difficult than Lin Yan remembered.
This was what Lin Yan wanted to see. Lin Yan had instructed Mr. Du to sell a large quantity of manufactured arms to the warlords in the north in exchange for wealth.
These arms had also empowered those warlords, so when the war broke out, the invaders encountered stronger resistance than anticipated.
Lin Yan had been in Nanjing for over a year. When the war broke out at the predetermined time, Lin Yan felt a sense of arrival.
After learning that the arms had been put to good use, she felt a sense of relief. One person's strength was too insignificant in the face of war; she was already gratified to have made some difference.
The stalemate in the war did not last long, as the opposing forces were still outmatched by the invaders. However, their resistance angered the invaders. Just as Lin Yan remembered, they boasted that they would conquer China in three months.
Simultaneously, they mobilized more troops to attack Shanghai, but this time they encountered more resistance. Mr. Du, who controlled a munitions factory, took advantage of the chaos to seize control of Shanghai.
As officials in Shanghai began to flee, Mr. Du took over the management of the city. His subordinates, working with the army, held the invaders at bay outside Shanghai.
At the same time, Mr. Du's munitions factory emerged from obscurity, working overtime to produce weapons and ammunition, striving to convert all raw materials into finished products.
The war lasted two months longer than Lin Yan remembered and ended with China's victory.
After this war, Mr. Du officially controlled Shanghai and its surrounding areas, becoming a regional warlord and beginning to recruit soldiers. He had money and guns, and having just collaborated with the local army to achieve a great victory, the local forces did not obstruct him.
After failing to capture Shanghai, the invaders bypassed the city. At this point, the Nanjing government also felt that the situation was no longer safe, and they began to discuss relocating the capital.
Even after winning the war, they were unwilling to remain in a precarious position.
The first to evacuate were Lin Yan and her group, as they were their most significant trump card. With the area no longer safe, what if the invaders discovered the munitions factory and sent planes to bomb it?
Shanghai's victory was attributed to the presence of many concessions and Mr. Du's prior preparations.
However, Nanjing was still not safe enough. If planes were sent to bomb them, their lives would be threatened.
Therefore, they had to move the munitions factory to an inland region to ensure its safety.
Before Lin Yan's departure, she visited the pastry shop again. The people there were already familiar with Lin Yan's arrival.
"Prepare yourselves. We should be able to return soon," Lin Yan casually dropped this bombshell.
"What! We can go back!" Xiao Peng immediately jumped up.
Old Fan glared at Xiao Peng, who immediately composed himself.
"I received word that everyone at the munitions factory must evacuate Nanjing as soon as possible, including the machinery and workers," Lin Yan explained.
"This is a good opportunity to leave. You all prepare yourselves as well. I will detach myself from the group during the evacuation. You can meet me along the way, and we will return together."
"Then I will expedite matters here and make all the arrangements," Old Fan said immediately.
It was not easy. After so long, they could finally return. Although Hong Yan could gather much information here, it would be more reassuring to have such talent on their side.
After Lin Yan and they agreed on a rendezvous point, she left.
Old Fan and his group began to prepare for their departure. The shop would still need to be open, so they would entrust it directly to the cook brought from the Lin family, ensuring that nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Once everything was packed, they quietly left Nanjing.
They actually wanted to help Lin Yan leave, but they also knew of Hong Yan's capabilities. Their assistance might cause more trouble than help.
Over the years, Hong Yan had always come to them, never alerting the guards. Yet, they could never get close to her.
For this evacuation, all they could do was likely take care of Lin Yan's daily needs throughout the journey. Sigh! The more they thought about it, the more useless they felt!
The retreat soon began. Lin Yan, as part of the first group to evacuate, obediently left with the others. However, during their departure, they were ambushed.
Lin Yan felt this was an excellent opportunity, and she used the chaos to slip away from the group and disappear into the jungle.
The ambush was so cunning that Lin Yan had to suspect that their whereabouts had been leaked. But who could it be?
Most of this group were civilians. Was this person so sure that key individuals would not be harmed?