The high-rise buildings lined up one after another, the brightly lit billboards, and all kinds of cars running on the wide avenues were very similar to the photos of New York in the 1950s that Lu Ming had seen.
But that magnificent scene is only in the main urban area, especially the West District, which has the largest number of Westerners and is also the most prosperous area in Donghai.
The newly developed areas with the largest number of immigrants and the satellite towns in the suburbs are home to the civilian slums and shanty towns on the dark side of the moon, where the hard-working people at the bottom of society who contribute their blood and sweat to the operation of this huge city of Donghai live.
Beiguan Town is adjacent to the Donghai New Development Zone. Administratively, it belongs to the Donghai Autonomous Metropolitan Area. It is the largest satellite town in Donghai. Although it is called a town, it is larger than Wu'an and has a population of several hundred thousand. It is not much different from some small cities in the north. Moreover, in terms of prosperity, it is incomparable to other small cities in the north.
The Beiguan Branch of the Imperial Bank is a slightly old clock tower-style building.
In the alleys opposite the bank, there are large courtyards with bungalows as well as two-story buildings.
At this time, Lu Ming was on the second floor of a small building in the alley, standing on the balcony looking at the narrow alley below.
Under the moonlight, the alley was extremely quiet, with few people in sight, only swaying green willows.
Lu Ming bought this two-story building for 7,000 imperial coins, which was slightly cheaper than buying an upscale apartment in the city of Donghai. However, the living area of high-end apartments of the same price in the city was much smaller than this one.
Lu Mingxian had been in Donghai for more than a month, and almost everything was settled. Yesterday, he brought Zhen here from a big hotel in a nearby city.
The second floor of this small building has been completely cleaned and painted, and the furniture has been replaced with new ones. Even Zhen's bedroom has furniture specially built in accordance with northern traditions, including a moon-shaped bed, a dressing table, and so on.
Lu Ming's dormitory is more Donghai style, with a large Simmons bed, bedside tables and the like.
The second floor has four bedrooms and a living room. According to the original layout, Lu Ming lives in the master bedroom, the bedroom is the wife's room, and there is also a study and a maid's room.
However, the first floor of the small building is still rented out as a laundry shop, but the lease is about to expire and Lu Ming does not plan to renew the lease for the tenant.
Going down the second floor, there is a corner staircase from the balcony side. It is not connected to the interior of the first floor because the previous landlord had renovated it and the first floor was rented out as a store.
…
Just now, Lu Ming went out for a walk and just came back.
However, Zhen seemed to be too tired. She fell into a coma since yesterday and is still sleeping in the dormitory.
During this period without herself, she must have felt helpless. Fortunately, it was a high-end hotel and she didn't have to see anyone. The waitresses, to whom she had given sufficient tips, served her very well.
But mentally, she must be very tired.
Just like a pet that has lost the protection of its owner
Lu Ming was stunned. This seemed too disrespectful.
However, Zhen might really be thinking this way.
The more this is the case, the more we feel pity for her.
Lu Ming was lost in thought and took out his pocket watch to check it. It was already past nine o'clock in the evening.
After thinking about it, he turned back from the balcony, pushed open the door of a room on the east side, and the room was filled with fragrance.
It was a very quaint bedroom, with a moon-shaped bed with red curtains hanging down. On the table were a replica of an emerald green jade ruyi, a single-bottle feather duster, and other items.
There was a person lying vaguely in the moon-shaped bed, covered with a thin red blanket. From Lu Ming's perspective, he could only see the beautiful black bun that was tied up like a flower.
Lu Ming smiled and coughed.
“Ah…” With a start, the owner of the beautiful bun sat up abruptly, turned around and giggled, “Master, you are here!” Her pretty face was full of joy, and she stretched out her delicate hands to brush aside the gauze curtain of the bed.
The beautiful lady was none other than Zhen.
Her pretty face was as white as moonlight, beautiful and enchanting. She wore a gorgeous red gauze jacket and a goose yellow skirt. At this moment, she was sitting on the bed, and the hem of her skirt faintly revealed the gorgeous silk stockings wrapped around her tiny pink feet. Her lazy style made people's hearts beat wildly.
Lu Ming rubbed his nose and looked away.
Zhen hastily got out of bed, "Master, I'll serve you some snacks to fill your stomach, and then make you a hot meal."
Lu Ming nodded and followed Zhen out, but he felt very strange in his heart.
Every time I was in the same room with this little beauty, this strange feeling became stronger and stronger.
Following her, I saw that she had a graceful figure, her slender waist swaying as she walked, with a hint of charm and a faint scent of flowers at her glance and smile. When she sat down, she was even more charming and full of charm.
On the dining table outside the kitchen's perforated glass sliding door, there were several snacks, and it was covered with gauze to prevent flying insects from falling in.
Zhen stretched out her delicate hand and took away the gauze cover on the dining table. The snacks on the table were very exquisite, including orange balls, snow-white cakes, etc.
Lu Ming was stunned: "You did all this?"
"Well, sir, please try it and see if it suits your taste..." She picked up a snowball that looked like a glutinous rice ball with her snow-white slender hands and brought it to Lu Ming's mouth.
Looking at her delicate hands painted with nail polish, Lu Ming was stunned and couldn't open his mouth for a moment, as if he was afraid of touching some precious work of art.
But the snowball had already reached his lips, so Lu Ming had to open his mouth slightly, and he felt a hint of sweetness coming from his lips.
"Master, do you like it?" Zhen raised her pretty face and asked with her beautiful eyes full of anticipation.
What else could Lu Ming say? He could only nod vigorously. It melted in his mouth and was not as sweet as he had imagined. It was fragrant and a rare delicacy in the world.
But after hearing what Zhen said, although she said it unintentionally, he still felt something was ambiguous, especially the charming and pretty face so close to him, with such a flattering expression. Lu Ming's mind was dazed for a moment, and he almost kissed her.
He quickly took two steps back, crying out to God in his heart, thinking that he was young and inexperienced, how could he withstand this
Especially as a modern person, if you suddenly have a charming female concubine, a top-notch beauty, a concubine with classical thinking, who can do anything you want, this kind of shock both psychologically and physically is fatal.
"Isn't it to my master's liking?" When Zhen saw Lu Ming hiding behind her, a hint of disappointment flashed in her beautiful eyes.
"No, no, it's delicious, so delicious!" Lu Ming said hurriedly.
"Ah, as long as I like it!" Zhen's thinking was so simple that she immediately burst into laughter, her smile as beautiful as a blooming peony.
Then she said, "I don't know when you will come, so I made dessert. What do you want for dinner? I'll go prepare it!" Then she said, "The modern stove here is so convenient. Fortunately, there is an instruction manual."
Lu Ming then remembered how she knew how to use a gas stove, and said with a smile, "That's because you are smart."
I originally thought she was just a vase, but who would have known that she was actually a well-trained top-notch lady who could be used both in the living room and in the kitchen.
I like her quite a lot now, which is completely different from my first impression in court.
She was frail and her physical strength was probably not as good as mine which had been ruined by opium. However, she followed me on my journey, across most of the empire, making a big detour which took several months.
I was so tired that I almost vomited blood. Once I slept for several days and nights, all thanks to her for taking care of me.
But she never complained or felt tired despite traveling thousands of miles. And because she was in disguise and I asked her to pretend to be mute most of the time, she just followed me silently and did whatever I said.
Just like that, little by little, she became the first person close to him in this world, the one he depended on for life.
Looking at Zhen, Lu Ming smiled, "I've booked a small restaurant and have three meals delivered here every day. You don't have to go out if you don't want to see outsiders. The women who deliver the meals will knock on the door and leave the food at the door. Don't always touch your little hands, which are so white and tender. If they become rough due to cooking every day, wouldn't it be my fault?" He smiled as he spoke.
Zhen's pretty face blushed slightly, but her beautiful eyes were filled with joy. She said, "No need. I can cook by myself."
Lu Ming ignored what she said and pointed to the small round table on the balcony: "I brought today's dinner up here. Go eat it and take a breath of fresh air. Don't stay in the house all the time. Look at the moonlit night and the scenery outside."
Zhen shook her head gently, "I'd better go to the restaurant to eat."
Lu Ming knew that although she was a little confused, she also knew that she had just arrived in this unfamiliar foreign land and it would be easy for her to bring trouble if she showed up in public.
"Okay, whatever you want..." Lu Ming smiled.
Indeed, Zhen is the kind of beauty who brings disaster to the country and the people, so it is better for her to show up less often.
Especially the clothes she was used to, which were too eye-catching when she wore them outside. The main reason was that they were not suitable for her environment. If she were in an upper-class gathering area, some noble ladies would actually like to wear this traditional dress.
If we ask her to wear a skirt now, it will definitely go against her long-held concept of women's virtues. Not to mention exposing her skin, even her embroidered shoes are not something that can be seen by outsiders casually, right? Secondly, wearing a skirt to show off her icy skin? That's simply unimaginable. I'm afraid that any man who sees it will go crazy, which is even more troublesome.
"Master, I'll go tidy up. When you want to sleep, I'll run the water for you to take a bath."
When they were almost done eating, Zhen blushed and stood up to clean up the dishes.
Lu Ming was stunned and his heart skipped a few beats.
All men understand the meaning of this statement.
However, not to mention whether I am Liu Xiahui or not, I wonder if I have not fully entered this era yet, and I am not able to accept things like female vomiting.
I know my own body and I don't want to fail miserably the first time. That will be a lifelong shadow.
Therefore, I am thinking about how to exercise to keep healthy.
Although there are already gyms in Donghai, they are mainly in the East District.
Besides, it seems that my body cannot be trained in the gym, right
The main thing is to raise it
Now that I am in this body, my addiction to opium is gone, but this body is still my real body. I have to think of ways to regulate and strengthen my body.
He coughed and said, "Go to sleep. I don't need you to serve me for the time being."
“Ah…” Zhen was a little surprised, and she glanced at Lu Ming secretly with her beautiful eyes, but she also seemed to be secretly relieved.
Lu Ming rubbed his nose and thought, it seems that you are not so willing, right
It’s just that the education you received since childhood has made you rely on me and obey me in everything.
…
King size Simmons bed.
Lu Ming slept very comfortably. It had been a long time since he had slept so comfortably.
In the middle of the night, Lu Ming suddenly woke up, as if he had a nightmare.
The black hands like ghost claws pinched his throat, making it impossible for him to breathe.
Lu Ming sat up suddenly.
"Ding, ding..." The wall clock struck twelve o'clock.
Lu Ming wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and was about to lie down again when he suddenly looked to the side and saw what seemed to be a dark shadow. He shuddered and quickly pulled the light cord, and the bedside lamp came on.
Lu Ming was stunned.
But on the small round tea table by the window, standing there was Zhen, wearing a red dress with fluttering ribbons. At this moment, she looked like a fairy from heaven, with one of her small embroidered shoes tiptoed on the tea table, spinning lightly and gracefully.
"Zhen Hanzhu, what are you doing?!"
Zhen seemed to be immersed in a dream, and the smile on her pretty face became more charming.
Silently, she suddenly appeared on the red carpet, her posture unchanged.
It's as if these two frames were directly extracted from a continuous video, giving people the illusion of instant movement.
The next second, she suddenly appeared in front of the bedroom door, and her figure flashed again and disappeared.
Lu Ming was stunned for a while, then slowly stood up, pondered for a while, got out of bed and followed him out.
There was no one in the living room.
After hesitating for a while, Lu Ming gritted his teeth and gently pushed the door open to enter Zhen's bedroom. It was very quiet and the fragrance of flowers was refreshing.
But Zhen was seen sleeping soundly in the moon-shaped bed in the inner room. Through the pale red curtain, her pretty face looked peaceful. She lacked the charm that she had when she opened her eyes, but had a more tranquil beauty.
"Master, I remember, my life is used to protect the young master..."
"I am three years old. From now on, I live for the young master..."
Zhen was murmuring, but she was actually talking in her sleep, and tears were flowing from her eyes, as if she was going through something painful.
Lu Ming was stunned and wanted to wake her up, but after hesitating, he withdrew his hand.
After sitting on the balcony for a while, Lu Ming returned to his room.
Lying in bed, my thoughts were flooding in and I couldn't fall asleep no matter what.
Zhen, it seems, is also a martial artist, and should be a much more powerful martial artist than Master Long.
However, her fragility was definitely not a pretense. According to her experience of watching TV dramas or reading novels in her previous life, her abilities must have been temporarily restrained by some means, and perhaps even her childhood memories.
She suddenly felt a little bitter in her heart, it turned out that she had a "young master" who she vowed to protect since she was a child.
But by mistake, she became her own slave.
How did it end up in my side
Although Mr. Long's attainments in martial arts were not high, he had been practicing martial arts since he was a child and was knowledgeable. How could he not have noticed anything unusual about Zhen
Sending yourself such a powder keg
Recalling the scenes of my time with Lord Long in the fragments of memory.
Suddenly, he was startled. When Master Long was about to give Zhen to him, he said something in a vague way, "She is not a plaything. She was originally trained for you, young master. You will know it in the future!"
At that time, I thought that what Long Ye meant was just like when he used to bully people by saying, "Your something was originally prepared for me..."
But now I think, maybe, that’s not what I meant
"Training" doesn't refer to the method Zhen uses to serve people
But, martial arts
Could it be possible that the "young master" that Zhen was talking about was himself
Lu Ming was suddenly stunned.
If this is true, then the Lu family may not be as simple as the inheritance of generations of gentry in a corner of the country.
It makes sense. Look at the enemies of the Lu family, who created many coincidences silently and almost made the Lu family become extinct.
The type of enemy you encounter will generally depend on the level of ability you have.
If the Lu family was just a wealthy family in Wuan, even though it was an ancient family that had been passed down for thousands of years, they shouldn't have attracted such a powerful enemy, right
Lord Long stomped his feet and the city of Wu'an shook, but he treated his grandfather and father like a servant treats his master.
This cannot be explained by family friendship.
Scratching his head, Lu Ming was speechless for a moment. The more this happened, the more dangerous his situation would be. Was he going to be hunted down for the rest of his life
Fortunately, the north and the south are separated, and no matter how powerful the enemy is in the north, they cannot reach the East China Sea.
Not to mention, the isolation between the north and the south can be seen as the domestic and foreign barriers in the previous life. It is not just a geographical isolation, but also a lack of information communication. After all, the East China Sea and the four northern provinces are almost two different social forms, and they will not care about each other's information.