Volume 1

Chapter 2

1. Legend of Pi Town

Chuzhou was located at the lower reaches of the Dongjiang (East River), about 250 kilometers away from the provincial capital, Dajiang City. It's an ancient city with more than a thousand years of history. Its recorded history goes back to the pre-Qin period when it was part of the Chu State. The city's many rivers and lakes had earned it the nickname "Yunmeng Marsh." Chuzhou has a rich history, with many cultural relics in the city. The city wall, built in the Tang Dynasty, was still strong, except for the East and West Gates, which sadly fell victim to war during the Republic of China period. Thankfully, the North and South Gates had been well-preserved. Chuzhou was not only the hometown of the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, Zheng Juren, but it also served as an official post for officials from Shanxi Bingzhou. Legend had it that while serving as a military officer in Chuzhou, Wu Shiyue stationed his troops and trained them at Pigu Mountain, 50 kilometers away from Chuzhou. He fell in love with a local woman who was as beautiful as Xi Shi, and they had two children together, including his second daughter, Ba. She became the only female emperor in Chinese history, a remarkable figure known as Wu Zetian.

Pigu Mountain stretches nearly a hundred miles from Dongjiang River, meandering like a green dragon along the edge of Pi Town and continuing into the neighboring province of Bazhou, which borders Chuzhou. Until the 1980s, there was no proper road in Pigu Mountain. You had to take a boat from Dongjiang to travel from Chuzhou to Bazhou. If you were trying to get from Chuzhou to Bazhou, it would take at least three days, and that's not even counting the rough mountain roads and the wild animals that could make you nervous. Many people saw Pigu Mountain as a remote and untamed wilderness. There was even a saying: "Good girls don't enter Pigu; good men don't become bandits." In the Pigu dialect, "bandit" refers to a thief. Before 1949, Pigu Mountain was a place where bandits would meet. However, after the People's Republic of China was founded, these bandits were eradicated entirely. Still, some criminals sought refuge in Pigu Mountain to evade legal sanctions. Some of them stayed for years, and when they came out, they found a world that had changed entirely. It's like spending seven days in the mountains but a thousand years in the world. History tells us that Pi Town, at the northern foot of Mt. Pi Gu, was where Wu Shiyue tunneled troops.

There's a story going around that when Wu Shiyue was the military commander in Chuzhou, he had an excellent opportunity for promotion. But he turned it down because he was so attached to his wife back home. Instead, he chose to station his troops under the Zigu Mountain, where he maintained peace. He was a deep student of Laozi, with a profound understanding of Daoism. He was also skilled in the art of fasting. A beautiful legend about him says he could go weeks without eating, relying instead on the nourishment of air and dew. This allowed him to reach a deep state of selflessness, where the boundaries between self and nature blurred. He lived a long life and passed away at the end. He was 108 years old, with white hair and a youthful face, looking younger than his daughter, the empress. Even today, there's a temple called Baishousi below Pigu Mountain, which was said to commemorate the fasting skill of longevity practiced by Wu Shiyue. In addition to Baishousi, Zhizhen preserves many historical relics, such as the Wuzhen Well, where Wu Zetian combed her hair in her childhood, and the "Zhenggong Temple" where Zheng Juren lived out his last days after being dismissed and returning to Chuzhou.

According to the local stories of Chuzhou, when Zheng Juren returned from the capital to Chuzhou, he traveled lightly and did not bring much jewelry or silver. He even dismissed all the servants following him for many years. The only person he brought with him was his beloved concubine, Yunniang. Yunniang was originally a courtesan in the capital and was twenty-eight years old. She was not only beautiful, but she was also skilled at playing the pipa. After Zheng Juren's fortunes at the imperial court changed, he often came to a teahouse called Chuyun Xuan. There, he would drink tea and listen to Yunniang play the pipa. The teahouse owner was also from Chuzhou, and Yunniang often played Chuzhou tunes there, attracting mainly people from Chuzhou to the teahouse. The owner of Chuyun Xuan was surnamed Chu. He had lived in the capital for a long time and had met Zheng Juren, who was a high-ranking official. But Chu never bothered him. Although he was a businessman, Chu had the bearing of a gentleman. Whenever Zheng Juren stopped by the teahouse, he would lovingly request that Yunniang play a folk song from Chuzhou called "Picking Tea Tune." Yunniang's melody and charm would stir a deep longing in his heart.

After working as an official for a long time, Zheng Juren was tired of the political games and dishonesty in the government. He had tried to make changes for a long time, but the rich and powerful families didn't like it. They didn't want things to change. This left him in a tricky spot; even the kind Emperor Wanli, who had been very supportive at first, started having second thoughts. At his age, Zheng Juren felt his fate was already set in stone. He started thinking about going back to his hometown.

When the time came for Zheng Juren to leave his official position and Beijing behind, he noticed that none of his former colleagues or subordinates came to see him off. Only Chu, who had never been close to him, was accompanied by his daughter Yun, who came to see him out of the capital. The north wind was blowing, and the willows in the city were weeping. Before they parted ways, Chu gave Yun, dressed in a simple gray dress, a gentle push in front of Zheng Juren and said, "It's my good fortune to have met you, sir. I have nothing else to offer as a gift, so I'm giving you Yun. The road ahead may be difficult, but you'll be strong and brave. It's better for you to have a companion by your side." With a heart full of gratitude, he bowed and left, his eyes brimming with tears.

Zheng Juren returned to his hometown of Chuzhou with his dear maid, Yun, but did not stay long at the Zheng Mansion in the city center. One reason was that his two lawful wives made things difficult for Yun, and the other reason was that he could not bear the officiousness and intrigue of the officialdom that extended from the capital city to Chuzhou. In less than half a year, he built a new home for himself under Pigu Mountain, far from Chuzhou, and moved in with Yun, leaving the Zheng Mansion behind. Eight years later, Zheng Juren passed away at the age of sixty-nine due to illness. His children then moved his body back to Chuzhou for burial. Shortly after, Yun also passed away and was buried at the foot of Pigu Mountain. According to her last wish, only a simple tombstone with no name or inscription was erected for her.

The small Pi Town, nestled in a remote and secluded place, was a place of humanistic charm that captivated some unexpected visitors. The town's cultural landscape was unique and also possessed a great deal of natural beauty. You'll find vast bamboo forests on Pigu Mountain and dozens of other trees, like ginkgo, Chinese toon, Chinese mahogany, metasequoia, boxwood, and more. At the foot of the mountain, to the east of Pi Town, stood an ancient ginkgo tree that was nearly one hundred feet tall, with a trunk that three people could not encircle. This incredible tree was said to be over eight hundred years old.

Everyone in Pi Town knows a beautiful story about this ginkgo tree. During the Republic of China period, the Kuomintang's regular army and militia forces attacked the Pigu Mountain Soviet Area. They captured the dozen or so Red Army soldiers there and took them to the ginkgo tree, where they were executed. The Red Army soldiers, with quiet dignity, sang the Internationale as their final act of defiance. Before the song ended, the guns fired, and rows of bullets pierced the bodies of the Red Army soldiers and entered the sturdy trunk of the ancient ginkgo tree. After 1949, the people of Pi Town affectionately named this ginkgo tree the "Red Army Tree." Even today, you could still see bullet holes the size of copper coins on the tree. In Pi Town, the most common tree was not the Niangzihair tree but the Chinese toon tree. If you're a visitor from out of town and arrive in Pi Town for the first time, you'll be amazed by the graceful Chinese toon trees lining the streets and the refreshing fragrance that wafts through the air. You would find yourself genuinely falling in love with this place, even wanting to stay and never leave.

Back in 1966, two young folks from other places strolled from Chuzhou City to Pi Town. As soon as they stepped into the town, they were immediately captivated by the enchanting scent of toon filling the air.

These two young people, a boy and a girl, were part of a group called the Red Guards.

In 1966, many Red Guards came to Pi Town. Some of them hailed from the capital city of Beijing, some from the provincial capital of Dajiang City, and some from the bustling city of Chuzhou. They came in waves, forming a vast and endless procession. They wore grass-green military uniforms and carried white towels tied to their bags. They marched in a neat formation, singing loud and clear military songs. The Pi Town folks had seen People's Liberation Army soldiers in movies, and they could see that these Red Guards looked just like them. The only difference was that the Red Guards didn't have the cap badges or collar insignia the soldiers wore. The town government organized residents and students from Pi Town Primary School to line up on the street to welcome them, shouting slogans such as "Learn from the Red Guards!" and "Pay tribute to the Red Guards!" as well as "Carry the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution to the end!" The Red Guards waved to the welcoming crowd while shouting, "Learn from the people of Pi Town!" and "Pay tribute to the people of Pi Town!" Their cheers filled the sky, creating a joyful atmosphere.

During the summer heat, some residents joyfully imitated movie scenes to welcome the People's Liberation Army. They carried water bottles and delicious homemade sour plum soup to offer to the young Red Guards. A special reception station had been set up in the town, where the Red Guard youths were accommodated in the classrooms of Pi Town Elementary School, which had already started its summer vacation. The community had prepared food and drinks, ensuring the Red Guards were well cared for. After enjoying their meals, the Red Guard youths kindly offered to pay, saying they wanted to learn from the PLA and not take anything from the people. When the residents refuse to accept payment, the youths sing the "Three Main Disciplines and Eight Points for Attention" repeatedly, from "All actions must follow commands" to "No looting or taking prisoners," and then to "Wholeheartedly support and welcome nationwide." After a good night's rest and a hearty meal, the Red Guard youths start causing a bit of mischief in the town. They begin by breaking into the abandoned Guandi Temple in the western part of the town. Then, they publicly criticize and parade a former deputy mayor who was recently dismissed. They then pay their respects at the "Red Army Tree," raising their fists towards the towering ancient ginkgo tree, solemnly pledging: "To protect our beloved land and honor the sacrifices of the martyrs, we must answer the call of our beloved leader, Chairman Mao. Together, we must overthrow the capitalist leaders and ensure that their dreams never again rise above our own." The Red Guard youths then walk through the streets and alleys, visiting schools, factories, and residents' homes. They perform revolutionary cultural programs, deliver speeches on the righteousness of the revolution, and call on everyone to unite against the capitalist roaders. Whenever this happens, the streets are bustling with crowds, livelier than during the Spring Festival.

The most memorable characters from the cultural program of the Red Guards in Pi Town were a pair of male and female Red Guards. The man was quite handsome, tall and slender, with striking blue eyes hinting at a foreign influence. His slightly upturned chin gave his round face a touch of femininity.

His face had a rugged look and a slightly arrogant, wild vibe. The woman was slender, with eyebrows like willow leaves and a face like a full moon, resembling a star who had stepped out of a painting. She had a subtle mole under her left eye, barely noticeable. Still, sharp-eyed folks immediately noticed it and pointed out it was a "beauty mark," suggesting that a woman with such a mole would be gorgeous. However, some people disagreed, believing it was not a beauty mark but a "tear mark," suggesting that a woman with such a mole might have a difficult life filled with tears. As everyone shared their thoughts, the performance began. The man sang We Were Chairman Mao's Red Guards with a deep and resonant voice, making the melody even more distant and desolate. The woman accompanied him with an instrument that most people in Pi Town had never seen before. It was a guzheng, as a music teacher from the town's elementary school recognized. Then, the woman sang a song called Liuyang River, with the man accompanying her on a flute. Her voice was like a gentle breeze, clear and sweet, and together with the flute, she sang this Hunan folk song with such deep emotions that it touched everyone's heart. The man, who seemed a few years older, appeared more mature, but their performance was so in sync that it seemed like they were one person. Some women in the audience couldn't help but wonder: Could these two Red Guards be a "couple"?

And lo and behold, they were right! These two Red Guards were a real-life couple. The man was Zong Xiaotian, a young teacher at Dongjiang University, and the woman was Gu Ying, a student in the art department of Dongjiang University.

2. Blue Flame

Zong Xiaotian and Gu Ying met each other at a cultural performance.

Dongjiang University presented a modern ballet, The White-Haired Girl, at the provincial youth art performance. The performers were carefully selected from among young teachers and university students. Zong Xiaotian, a student of the 63rd class of the Art Department at Dongjiang University, became a teacher in the Department of Art Research after graduation and mainly taught Western art history courses. Gu Ying, a junior majoring in folk music in the Art Department, was also selected, and both of them joined the cast of The White-Haired Girl. Gu Ying played Xier, and Zong Xiaotian played the leading role, Da Chun.

Gu Ying's parents hail from Shanghai. Back in the early 1950s, they answered the national call to support border construction and worked at a big steel plant in the northwest. They were later transferred to the newly established Dongjiang Iron and Steel Plant in the 1960s. Her father was an engineer, and her mother taught music at a school for children of factory workers. Gu Ying was not only naturally beautiful and looked like her mother, but she also had her mother's musical talent. She's been a natural at singing and dancing since she was a kid, and her artistic talent was evident. Although her mother was only a music teacher at a school for children of factory workers, she had always loved art. She dreamed of becoming an artist in her youth, but life had other plans. She ended up becoming a primary school teacher. But that didn't stop her from pouring all her energy into Gu Ying's growth. When Gu Ying was in junior high, she was sent to the Junior Ballet Team at the Workers' Cultural Palace in the city. The teachers were famous actors from the city's song and dance theater. Her mother had always nurtured the dream that Gu Ying would become a ballet dancer when she grew up. But then, Gu Ying accidentally hurt her ankle during practice, ending her dreams. But her Mum was still hopeful, encouraging her to apply to the Department of Art at Dongjiang University when she completed her college application. Dongjiang University was a nationally recognized institution, and its Department of Art was a well-known center for art education and training. Many of the school's graduates became choreographers and performers in professional art groups. So, when Gu Ying got accepted into the Department of Art at Dongjiang University, it was like her mother's dreams came true.

Gu Ying once heard Zong Xiaotian talk about the History of Western Art, and she was captivated. His father, Song Qiankun, was the deputy governor of Dongjiang Province, and his mother was an international friend who joined the Chinese Revolution very early. This unique and privileged background might seem a bit mysterious to college students. Zong Xiaotian's father's surname was Song, but his own surname was Zong, which was a bit confusing to people.

Gu Ying never imagined that she and Zong Xiaotian would star together in the ballet White-Haired Girl one day. During the White-Haired Girl production, rehearsals were intense, but the cast didn't have much time to bond outside of that. Zong Xiaotian was a versatile guy. He could play the guitar and had a good voice. He was kind and thoughtful, but he could be a bit reserved. Zong Xiaotian's family lived in the city, but he rarely went home. Whether weekends or holidays, he stayed at school like students whose families were out of town, as if his home wasn't even in the city. Gu Ying was curious about this.

The summer of 1966 arrived earlier than usual. As soon as May hit, the weather turned hot, with temperatures soaring from around 20 degrees Celsius to over 30 degrees Celsius. The cicadas on the campus became increasingly dense with each passing day. The number of people reading aloud on the outdoor hillsides and in the woods gradually increased. Every morning before dawn, students running on the oval track on the playground would crowd the track to capacity. Almost overnight, the college students traded their spring attire for skirts or short-sleeved shirts. The vibrant and lively energy of the college students, especially the girls, brought a joyful and thriving atmosphere to the campus.

On a mid-May weekend, the White-Haired Girl cast rehearsed as usual in the gymnasium. That day, they were rehearsing the scene where the protagonist, Wang Dachun, searches for Xier, who had turned into the White-Haired Fairy, at the Mountain God Temple. The two had a double ballet, which was quite challenging, but they worked hard and did their best. Gu Ying and Zong Xiaotian had practiced many times but couldn't get past the director. The director, a guest from the City Opera and Dance Theater, surnamed Yu, had an impressive background. He had graduated from the Central Ballet over thirty years ago, and his long hair was combed into a ponytail. As he walked, the braid in the back flapped around, giving him a feminine look. He had played the male lead in "Swan Lake" and had even studied at the Soviet Union National Ballet Theater for half a year. "Whether the whole play could succeed or not depends on Xi'er and Dachun. If you two misbehave, the whole play will be smashed, and everyone will follow you to the end." "Every time he said the play, Director Yu always flipped over and over again this sentence, which sounded more like a threat than encouragement. Gu Ying's injured ankle began to ache. Once, while Director Yu was in the bathroom, Zong Xiaotian wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand and whispered to Gu Ying, "Every time that ponytail says this, I wish I could slap him or pull that ugly ponytail off!"  Behind the scenes, the students in the theater group lovingly called Director Yu "Ponytail." After rehearsing together for so long, Gu Ying realized for the first time that Zong Xiaotian was quite cute when he was naughty like a big boy.

At that moment, the loudspeaker outside the gymnasium began broadcasting a central document. The announcer's voice was a bit firmer than usual, and he spoke in a serious and formal tone.

The school radio station played this document over and over all day long. Gu Ying later learned that it was the famous May 16 Notice.

From that day on, the normally quiet campus was abuzz with activity. In just a few days, the newspaper column in front of the school cafeteria, the publicity windows of the student dormitories, the entrance of each department, and even the school's administrative building were all covered with big-character posters. Some famous professors and school leaders were treated as "reactionary academic authorities" and "capitalist authorities," becoming objects of criticism. "And became the target of criticism by the big-character posters. Soon, all departments established student rebel organizations of varying sizes. Initially, these organizations were scattered, each with its own distinct political platform and ideas. The situation was very chaotic. Gradually, they joined forces and established a larger rebel corp. From the school to the outside, the struggle shifted from writing large print to significant debate and gradually moved to demonstrations and open criticism. It's essential to note that as the battle evolved, it shifted from writing large-character posters and engaging in debates to more violent forms, including demonstrations, holding criticism meetings, and organizing workers' strikes. Schools were closed, and the administrative and teaching work was almost paralyzed.

Even rehearsals for the cast and crew of White Haired Girl had to stop. No one could give instructions, nor could anyone follow them. Many of the students in the cast returned to their respective departments to participate in the movement, and the number of people rehearsing decreased. Soon, the ponytailed director also left without saying goodbye and returned to the City Opera and Dance Drama Theater, leaving the troupe leaderless and on the brink of dissolution.

Gu Ying had never been interested in politics. Since classes had been put on hold, she had been doing that dance in the gym that she could never seem to get right. The gym was vast and empty, except for Gu Ying. She faced a large mirror and tried to remember the dance moves. "Remember, you're not just moving your body; you're also channeling someone else's emotions..." The voice of Director Ma Weibian reminded her of this. As she practiced, she started to feel like the world in the mirror was real, while the world outside felt like an illusion, including herself. She reached out to touch herself in the mirror, but what she touched was a cold mirror. She stood on one toe, the classic "golden chicken independent" posture in ballet, but the center of gravity of her body tilted towards the mirror as if she were going to get into the mirror. At this moment, Gu Ying's injured ankle started to hurt violently again, and her mind was spinning. But just as she was about to take a tumble, a kind pair of hands grabbed her, saving her from a fall. She saw Zong Xiaotian staring at her intently when she opened her eyes. His eyes were as blue as the most transparent, pristine sky or the most straightforward, transparent lake water. But no, those eyes were like two fiery flames, and she felt like she was about to be set ablaze by those two blue flames. She felt a moan escape her lips, a mixture of desire and fear.

Since that day, Gu Ying and Zong Xiaotian became a couple, of course, in secret. They lived in a collective dormitory and used the gym rehearsal hall as their principal meeting place. For days and nights on end, the two of them would quietly slip into the rehearsal hall through a loose window in the gym. This became their little slice of paradise, a place where they could be alone. They'd often stay there until the middle of the night, lost in their own world. One day, Gu Ying fell asleep and woke up to find Zong Xiaotian sitting beside her, hands on his knees, staring blankly out of the window with his blue eyes looking a bit melancholic. Gu Ying sat up and. She embraced him from behind, softly asking, "Darling, what's wrong?"

Zong Xiaotian didn't say a word and simply stared out the window. The window showed an endless expanse of darkness. Gu Ying wondered what he was thinking. Gu Ying felt a pang of concern. She remembered a piece of news she had read in the newspaper that day: "Revolutionary masses in Dongjiang Province held a conference to denounce the traitor and internal spy Song Qiankun!" The three words "Song Qiankun" were marked with three black crosses. Instantly, a prominent member of the Red Second Generation had become a member of the Black Fifth Category. It's easy to imagine how Zong Xiaotian must have felt. Gu Ying buried her face in his neck, asking, "Dear, is it because of your father?"

Zong Xiaotian's body trembled. "No, he's not my father." He quickly and gently pulled Gu Ying's hand away and spun around, and in the dim light, his eyes glowed like two flames. "He's just my stepfather; besides, my mother and he have long been divorced..."

"Then, where is your biological father?" Gu Ying looked at him in surprise, as if she didn't recognize him.

"He was also a big shot, a traitor," Zong Xiaotian sneered. "He's dead now. I never had the chance to meet him. Some say he's dead, while others say he's still alive. But to me, it didn't matter. After I was born, I took my stepfather's surname, Song, and became Song Zhe. My mother only changed her surname to Zong after divorcing my stepfather..."

Gu Ying was taken aback, thinking that he was delirious due to some stimulus. "I don't believe it. Could it be that your mother married two traitors?"

"That's just how it is," Zong Xiaotian replied, turning his face towards the window again, his gaze fixed on the dark night outside. "Sometimes, I really want to just... jump into the darkness, like a drop of water, disappearing in the water."  He spoke thoughtfully, each word like a pearl, as if he were reciting poetry.

He looked puzzled, even desperate. "Love is all there is. Love is the only thing that can make me forget all my shame." He looked so sad, lonely, raising his hands in the air like a frail and helpless child, as if praying for help. "Darling, do you know? Revolution has turned me into a suspicious hybrid; I am afraid of revolution!" He shouted, his voice cracking with emotion, "I just want to find a little corner of paradise to call my own. I want to let go of who I am, where I come from, and where I'm going..."

Gu Ying felt a deep sense of compassion for him and wrapped his arms around Zong Xiaotian. That day, they spent the whole night in the gymnasium until the sun came up, and then they left...

3. Purple-Tiled Roof, Toon Tree, and Attic

For a long time, the people of Pi Town had promoted the settling of those two Red Guards in the town as one of the significant achievements of the Cultural Revolution. They included it in the "Chronicle of Major Events" in the local chronicles of Pi Town:

In May 1967, young teacher Zong Xiaotian from Dongjiang University and college student Gu Ying responded to Chairman Mao's call for educated youth to support farmers in the countryside. They requested to be assigned to the Pigu People's Commune to serve as a Pi Town Primary School teacher, later transferring to Pi Town Middle School.

The following items were also listed as "important achievements":

In August 1967, after two years of hard work by the many commune members, the Chupi Highway was finished and opened to traffic. This marked the end of a period when no roads connected Pigu Mountain to Chuzhou and the provincial capital, Dajiang City.

In January 1968, Pi Town's first senior high school, Pi Town Middle School, was established, marking the end of Pi Town's history of having only primary schools and no middle schools.

In September 1970, a modern brick-and-tile factory was established at the foot of the Pigu Mountain. The first factory director and chairman of the revolutionary committee was Wang Shengli, a disabled revolutionary soldier. Before this, over three-quarters of the houses in the Pigu Commune were built with adobe and thatched grass. But thanks to the brick-and-tile factory, things started to change. Within just three years, most of the farmhouses in the Pigu Commune were converted into spacious and impressive brick-and-tile houses, significantly improving the living standards of the people.

The newly established Pi Town Middle School was in dire need of teachers, and both Zong Xiaotian and Gu Ying were transferred to the school. At that time, apart from a row of newly completed classrooms, Pi Town Middle School did not even have a decent dormitory for teachers. So, Zong Xiaotian and Gu Ying still lived in their old primary school dormitory.

Pi Town Primary School was lovingly expanded from the former "Zheng Mansion," which was originally a private residence built by Zheng Juren, a prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, after he retired from office. This was a lovely Ming Dynasty-style courtyard. Although the main buildings had been damaged over time, the remaining row of purple-tiled houses, the half-moon arched gate beside the pond, and the ivy-covered pavilion behind it still reveal the lingering charm of late Ming Dynasty courtyard architecture. The houses, painted in a vibrant purple, had walls and floors made of blue bricks on all sides. The walls were lined with ancient bronze-colored nanmu and pine boards, creating a cozy and inviting atmosphere. The eaves of the front and back houses were adorned with intricate carvings of lions, flying dragons, and a variety of birds and beasts. Despite their age, these carvings still retain their vibrant colors. It's said that this row of purple-tiled houses was where Zheng Juren studied, received guests, and enjoyed tea. The pavilion behind the pond was built for Yunniang, the concubine he brought from the capital. In her daily life, Yunniang would accompany Zheng Juren, embroider on the pavilion, and play the guqin. After Zheng Juren's passing, it is said that Yunniang remained in the pavilion, and she passed away there in a state of deep sadness. Unfortunately, a fire during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty almost reduced the pavilion to ashes, leaving only a half-collapsed tower. Because of this, no one knows exactly what the inside of the pavilion looked like or what furniture was there. Back in the early 1950s, when the People's Government of Pigu District was just getting started, the district office used the purple-tiled houses for a while, but they moved out not too long after to make room for the newly built Pi Town Primary School. In the early 1960s, after the new teaching and office buildings were finished, the purple-tiled houses were used as dormitories for the teaching staff.

Not long after Zong Xiaotian and Gu Ying started working at Pi Town Primary School, they got married. The school kindly provided them with a room, complete with a purple-tiled roof, to make their new home. While it was just one room, it offered a cozy space of around 30 square meters, which could be easily split into two smaller rooms. One room became a cozy bedroom, while the other was transformed into a warm living room, dining room, and study. The corridor was spacious, and with the addition of a wooden partition, it transformed into a cozy kitchen. Despite being a bit small, life was very convenient. Right next to the door was a pond with clear water that was just perfect for drinking. Back then, the town hadn't been connected to the tap yet, so the school cafeteria and married faculty members relied on the pond's water for cooking and washing. If the wok were about to smoke, the housewife would calmly go to the pond in front of the door, scoop up a ladle of water, and pour it into the wok, making a swishing sound.

After Zong Xiaotian and Gu Ying transferred to the newly established middle school, they still lived in the purple-tiled primary school house. At this time, the couple had given birth to their son, Zong Tianyi. For Gu Ying, it was her life's sweetest and happiest time. Zong Xiaotian taught Chinese language classes in the second year of high school, while Gu Ying taught music classes in the senior year. The middle school was just a stone's throw away from the primary school, making it easy for them to walk to class. Every morning after breakfast, the loving couple would send their son to the nursery next to the primary school, then cross the small street with its green flagstones to attend or prepare classes at the middle school across the street. At noon, they'd have lunch at the cafeteria. In the afternoon, Gu Ying would have some free time. She would tidy up the house, prepare dinner, and then pick up their son from the nursery. At that time, Zong Xiaotian would also come home with textbooks and teaching aids covered in chalk dust. After dinner, the couple would take their toddler son for a walk on the street. At this time, the busy town of Pi Town had calmed down, and the narrow streets were empty and a bit lonely. The green flagstones, just watered, were spotless and smooth like a mirror; the camphor trees on both sides of the street, after being exposed to the sun all day, swayed their branches in the wind like a group of dancing girls. The air felt as fresh as if it had just been washed with water. Gu Ying always felt like singing, and she especially loved the idea of Zong Xiaotian joining in. She sang "Evening outside Moscow," and Zong Xiaotian sang "In that distant place." Both songs were their favorites, and they still accompanied each other, just as they had when they first arrived in Pi Town as Red Guards. Gu Ying played the guzheng, and Zong Xiaotian played the flute or guitar. The scene of Gu Ying and Zong Xiaotian's family of three taking a walk under the toon tree in the evening had long been a beautiful sight in the hearts of the people of Pi Town.

Gu Ying sees Pi Town as a place that's so charming and untouched, like a perfect piece of white jade, stunningly beautiful. She loved this place, cherished this life far from the hustle and bustle, and was free from worldly concerns. It's the perfect place she's always wished for. She's sure that Zong Xiaotian feels the same way. She's also sure that she loves this man and that he loves her too. How else could they have coincidentally chosen to settle down in this remote town?

Gu Ying had always been a bit of a homebody. Shortly after her birth, her parents left for the newly established steel mill in the northwest to support the construction of New China, so her kind grandmother raised her. Her grandmother's home was tucked away in an alleyway called Hongzhen Old Street in the heart of the Hongkou District, Shanghai. Nearby, there's a bustling vegetable market where her grandmother selling braised eggs. Every day, she got up before the sun to make the braised eggs, then pushed a handcart to the market to sell. She left Gu Ying, who had just turned one year old, alone in the attic, often for half a day until her grandmother returned from selling the braised eggs. On the attic's roof was a square, bright tile. On a clear day, the sky and white clouds could be seen through this tile, while on windy and rainy days, dark clouds rolled by and thunder and lightning flashed. For little Gu Ying, this was her entire world. She knew the world was vast and mysterious, and people's lives were tiny, just like the attic where she lived. It's no surprise, then, that Gu Ying's sentimental personality developed in this way.

It was three years before Gu Ying's parents returned to Shanghai from the northwest for the first time to visit relatives. When Gu Ying saw them, she couldn't recognize her parents. After that, they returned to Shanghai every other year to visit relatives, staying for a maximum of ten days or half a month before heading back to the northwest. They were always on the go, and it wasn't until much later that Gu Ying was able to develop that close-knit bond with her parents. It wasn't until she was about to graduate from primary school that her parents transferred from the northwest to the Dongjiang Iron and Steel Plant, bringing her along, and the family was finally reunited. But by then, her grandmother had already passed away.

It's as if her mother were trying to make up for not paying as much attention to her daughter in the past. She showered Gu Ying with love and attention, dedicating most of her time and energy to her daughter, except when she was at work. Gu Ying felt overwhelmed by the attention, and it made her uncomfortable. However, even so, Gu Ying's quiet and thoughtful personality, which she'd developed in her childhood, remained unchanged until she went off to college.

Gu Ying's life took an unexpected turn during her college years when she stumbled upon Zhang Ailing's novels,  Half a Lifetime, Love in a Fallen City, and Red Rose, White Rose in the library. It was like she'd finally found someone who understood her — a petite woman who also preferred tranquility and peace in a chaotic time. But at the same time, she felt overwhelmed by the enormity of the times, and it seemed like everyone and everything was tiny, like specks of dust in a vast room. Sometimes, she even envied her parents, who had the courage to make unwavering choices for the greater good, a feat that was no easy task. On the other hand, she felt powerless to join the chariot of the era and could only settle in a corner, living her own small life. Gu Ying thought. Gu Ying's "faith" guided her decision to choose Pi Town and Zong Xiaotian as her love interest. This belief was so important to her that it led her to leave her parents, especially her mother, who had always hoped she would become an artist. Since moving to Pi Town, Gu Ying had never contacted her parents again. She wrote letters to them, but they never replied. Gu Ying never regretted her choice.

But then, one day, something happened that made her start to question everything. The source of this shake came from the man beside her, Zong Xiaotian.

4. The Man in The Mirror

It all started on that summer weekend.

As usual, Gu Ying arrived home early and tidied up the house. She was too rushed to tidy up before leaving for work in the morning, so it was finally nice to take some time for herself. She mopped up the water stains on the cement floor that her son, Zong Tianyi, had created the night before and watered the two pots of somewhat wilted orchid grass under the porch eaves. She scooped the water from the pond outside the door. While watering, she spotted a tiny tadpole, about the size of a grain of rice, bobbing around with its adorable tail peeking out. She turned back, poured the water and the tadpole back into the pond, and scooped another ladle of water. After taking care of the flowers, she closed the door and went to pick up her son from the nursery. The nursery was right next to the elementary school, just a quick turn away from the school gate.

After picking up her son, Gu Ying let him play with building blocks in the room while she went to the kitchen under the eaves to cook. Since it was the weekend, Gu Ying stopped by the vegetable market on her way back from class to buy some pork and asparagus. A kind vegetable farmer picked the asparagus from the Pigu Mountain. Zong Xiaotian was absolutely delighted in the simple pleasure of stir-fried pork with asparagus. Not long after, dinner was ready. Gu Ying was natural and graceful in her movements, like flowing clouds and running water. Over the years, this young college student from the city had been trained into a competent and capable housewife. As she gracefully removed her apron from her waist and hung it on the eaves, she couldn't help but glance at her watch. It was a beautiful flower-shaped watch, a gift from her husband on their wedding day, and it was a little earlier than usual. Zong Xiaotian's last class on the weekend ended at 5:45. With the time he needed to return to the office to store teaching aids and the time it took to get home from school, it'd take at most 15 minutes. That meant that Zong Xiaotian's figure would be at the door in five minutes, and the weekend dinner for the family of three could begin.

But, despite the anticipation, five minutes, half an hour, or even almost an hour later, Zong Xiaotian's figure still hadn't appeared. It was already dark, and the other households in the purple-tiled house had turned on their electric lights. The bright lights from the door cast dappled shadows, illuminating the pond in front of the purple-tiled house like a floor strewn with silver coins. Suddenly, the son knocked down the blocks piled up like a hill and cried, "Mum, I'm hungry. Where is Dad? He hasn't come back yet..."

Gu Ying felt her patience being tested. She turned on the lights in the room, served her son a bowl of rice, and coaxed him to eat a few bites. Then, she left the house, heading straight for the middle school next door. She walked a bit slowly, her thoughts drifting to her son. She was pregnant again then and had been carrying the baby for more than three months.

It was long past school time, and the middle school campus was empty, not a single person in sight. Gu Ying didn't often come to the campus this late. She felt a bit nervous, as if she was worried something might happen. She went to the second-year students' classroom, where Zong Xiaotian was their teacher. The classroom doors were all closed; not a single light was visible, and it was pitch black. There was no sound at all. She paused momentarily, then walked over to the teacher's office near the playground. It was a one-story building with red bricks and gray tiles. It was a place where all the school's teachers would come together to prepare lessons and review homework. Gu Ying's music, physical education, and art teaching and research office was just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Zong Xiaotian's Chinese teaching and research office. Still, Gu Ying never went to her husband's office to avoid gossip. Gu Ying stood at the entrance outside the Chinese teaching and research office and vaguely saw the door tightly closed. She stood there for about half a minute, torn between going in and leaving, when she suddenly heard a rustling sound and heavy breathing coming from inside. She hesitated for a Moment, then reached out to gently push the door open. At the same time, she flipped the switch to turn on the light beside the door. The light flashed on, illuminating the classroom completely, exposing two naked men and women on the podium to the light. The two men and women were still hugging each other tightly because they were so surprised. The woman lifted her face, her back against the blackboard, while the man had his back to the classroom door, burying his face in the woman's chest. The woman's snow-white thighs wrapped around his back like vines, making the whole scene resemble a monster.

This scene, reminiscent of a movie, froze before Gu Ying's eyes. She recognized the man as her husband, Zong Xiaotian, and the woman as Sun Nina, a petite and plump girl with a round face who had just graduated from Chuzhou Teachers' College and been assigned to the Chinese Language Teaching and Research Office at Pi Town Middle School.

Gu Ying was stunned, standing at the classroom door with her eyes wide open, as if she'd been struck by lightning. By the time the two young people reacted, Gu Ying had already turned around and stumbled away from the classroom door.

It was as if a mirror in Gu Ying's life had shattered into a thousand shards, all at once.

When Gu Ying was young, her parents brought her a heart-shaped mirror the size of a palm when they returned to Shanghai from Xinjiang. She treated it like a treasure and couldn't bear to part with it. Every day, she would hold the mirror and admire herself endlessly. One day, she accidentally dropped it on the ground, and it broke into several pieces. Looking at the pieces of glass on the ground, she cried her eyes out until her mother taped the mirror back together. It was at that moment, with a warm smile spreading across her face, that she felt the pain subside. The gymnasium of Dongjiang University also had a mirror as big as a wall. When Gu Ying was in the cast of the White-Haired Girl, she often found herself lost in thought in front of the mirror. It seemed as if the beautiful face and graceful figure reflected in the mirror belonged to a stranger, not herself. Gu Ying and Zong Xiaotian's first time together in the gymnasium was an intimate Moment, and it took place in front of that same mirror. She was overwhelmed by the intensity of Zong Xiaotian's passion and, at the same time, captivated by her own reflection in the mirror. That summer, Gu Ying and Zong Xiaotian shared many intimate Moments in the gymnasium. They would sneak in during rehearsals. Zong Xiaotian spread his clothes on the floor, and the two of them lay down on them. The floor was made of painted cement, and their knees and elbows were worn down from all the times they'd been there. Zong Xiaotian was not only vigorous and passionate in bed but also had a variety of positions: lying down, standing, prone, squatting—more complex than ballet movements. Gu Ying's favorite position, though, was to lean against the wall. Zong Xiaotian asked her to lean against the wall and hug her from the front. One time, Zong Xiaotian carried Gu Ying to a big mirror and asked her to face it, her hands on the smooth surface and her hips raised high. Gu Ying saw from the mirror that Zong Xiaotian's posture and expression were like a fierce beast coming down from the mountain, as if he were going to devour her alive. When they reached a climax, Zong Xiaotian suddenly let out a loud cry. At that moment, Gu Ying saw Zong Xiaotian's handsome face looking a bit wild in the mirror, and his blue eyes were like two fiery flames, making him look like a wild beast... Gu Ying was confused, wondering if her love for Zong Xiaotian was rooted in his amazing sexual talents. Gu Ying was a little puzzled about where he learned his lovemaking skills. Then, one day, he pulled out an illustrated edition of Jin Ping Mei from the Qing Dynasty. She was shocked when she saw the book, bound with thread and wrapped in Kraft paper. "This is a banned book under the Communist regime! Where did you get it?" Zong Xiaotian's answer surprised him: "Where else could it be? I stole it from Old Song..." He always called his former stepfather Song Qiankun "Old Song." Gu Ying was a bit doubtful, though: "Deputy Governor Song... Old Song also has this hobby?" Zong Xiaotian laughed gently, saying, "Look at how you say that. Do you think leaders only give speeches and don't know how to fuck?" Gu Ying felt her cheeks flush at the use of such a blunt word.

Zong Xiaotian then shared with her the story of how he had once caught his mother and stepfather, Song Qiankun, having an affair when he was a child. "Every time I got up in the middle of the night to urinate, I had to pass by my mother and stepfather's bedroom. One time, when I came back from the toilet, I suddenly heard my mother's cries coming from their bedroom. The cries were rapid and sharp, sounding very terrifying. I was confused and didn't know what was happening. I thought maybe my stepfather was beating my mother again. I remember being a kid and seeing them fight, and sometimes it would even get so bad that they'd end up bloody. So, my first reaction was to gently push open the door and rush into their bedroom. But when I turned on the light, I saw something completely different from what I had imagined. My stepfather and mother were both naked and hugging each other. My mother's blonde hair covered half of her body, while my stepfather's body was completely exposed... This unexpected scene took me aback. "Song Zhe, what were you doing here?" my stepfather yelled, his voice full of concern. He jumped out of bed, completely naked, and waved his hand in my direction. My stepfather had beaten me more than once, and every time, my mother protected me like a mother hen protecting her chick. I turned around, startled, and ran out of the bedroom. I heard my mother's voice calling out to me, "Old Song, stop chasing!" Then, the bedroom door slammed shut behind me..."

"My stepfather always kept this Jin Ping Mei beside him when he made love to my mother, following the illustrations in the book... Later, when my mother divorced him, I snuck this book... Zong Xiaotian said this with a playful smirk and a touch of mischief in his eyes. Gu Ying felt a bit uneasy, but Zong Xiaotian's strong body pressed against hers again before she could think further.

When Gu Ying and Zong Xiaotian got married, their furniture was very simple, and there wasn't even a decent dressing table. However, Zong Xiaotian took advantage of a business trip to buy a mirror as tall as a person in a large shopping mall in Chuzhou. He placed it in their purple-tiled house's narrow, simple bedroom, and it looked a bit out of place, almost extravagant. Gu Ying didn't say a word. Instead, she lovingly wiped the mirror several times with a towel until it shone brightly. The mirror was a precious keepsake in her heart, symbolizing her love with Zong Xiaotian. She believed that her husband felt the same way.

But now, this mirror suddenly shattered, without any warning, shattering more thoroughly than the small mirror that Gu Ying had broken as a child. She realized that Zong Xiaotian, whom she had always loved dearly, felt so distant now, as if he were someone completely unfamiliar. She felt betrayed, not by anyone, but by herself. She remembered the night in the middle school teaching and research office when Zong Xiaotian and Sun Nina were leaning against the wall, naked and tightly embraced like two monsters. It was just like the scene where she and Zong Xiaotian were making love in the gymnasium of Dongjiang University. From that day on, Gu Ying and Zong Xiaotian lived separately. They didn't make a big fuss or create drama, which was really sweet because many couples in Pi Town did that when something like this happened. But these two? They were nothing like that. Gu Ying stopped talking to Zong Xiaotian and avoided looking at him. Zong Xiaotian returned home after what happened that day, but when he went to school early the next morning, he took some clothes and daily necessities with him and never returned home again. It's hard to say whether he felt ashamed to face his wife or not. Gu Ying knew he was living in a single dormitory at school, which the school had originally assigned to them. At first, Gu Ying thought Zong Xiaotian was ashamed of his behavior and wanted to stay alone for some time to reflect, and she still held a glimmer of hope. She couldn't clearly say whether she still loved Zong Xiaotian, but she believed that she would forgive him if he came home and apologized sincerely. They could then restart their life as if nothing had happened. She was willing to do this not just for the second child in her belly, but for the Zong Xiaotian she had met at Dongjiang University, and of course, for her first love. In reality, Zong Xiaotian was the only man she had ever loved.

Gu Ying waited silently. Every night, she'd wipe the mirror clean and gaze at her face, slightly swollen from her pregnancy, with a warm smile. During the day, she would sometimes see Zong Xiaotian coming out of the single dormitory at school, carrying textbooks and chalk boxes to class, standing tall as usual, his handsome face slightly raised, with a proud and arrogant expression, as if nothing had ever happened. Gu Ying felt a surge of unidentified anger. She couldn't understand why he was so confident. Was it because he was the son of a high-ranking cadre? Gu Ying felt her feelings had been desecrated. She thought back to all the special moments she'd shared with Zong Xiaotian, including his playful and enthusiastic approach to intimacy. At that moment, Gu Ying realized that she didn't actually know Zong Xiaotian at all. It was as if a cold glass barrier between them made it feel like the man she lived with wasn't real, but a reflection in a mirror.The scene she had been eagerly awaiting never materialized. By the time summer vacation began, Zong Xiaotian had not returned home. The school organized a "work and learn" program for high school students, and Gu Ying was excited to participate. As the head teacher of the second-year class, Zong Xiaotian led the students into the mountains. The day before they went, Zong Xiaotian came home and took away a rattan wooden box. Coincidentally, Zong Tianyi, Zong Xiaotian's son, caught a cold with a fever on that very day. Gu Ying took him to the hospital. When she returned, she found a note from Zong Xiaotian that was only three words long: "I'm leaving."

Seeing these three random words, Gu Ying's heart skipped a beat, and she had an ominous premonition.

And wouldn't you know it? Not long after, Zong Xiaotian was nowhere to be found.

5. Disappearance and Madness

The news of Zong Xiaotian's disappearance was initially whispered to Gu Ying by a colleague who worked with him to bring students into the mountains. At first, Gu Ying didn't pay much attention to it. How could a living person just disappear like that? She thought that Zong Xiaotian's "disappearance" was only temporary, and that perhaps her husband had just gone back to the provincial capital to visit his family without taking leave. He had always been my way: free and easy. Similar behavior had happened before. Just married, soon after a weekend, Zong Xiaotian alone by coach, quietly back to the provincial capital, not even greeted Gu Ying to say a word. Gu Ying was worried sick, and couldn't sleep or eat. She looked everywhere in Pi Town, but there was no sign of Zong Xiaotian. But on the third day, Zong Xiaotian showed up out of the blue in front of his house. Gu Ying looked a bit upset, and Zong Xiaotian said, "A classmate working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs came back from the Soviet Union, brought me a record, let me go get it," as if he had been away from home for two whole days, but had been strolling around Pi Town to come back.

Would Zong Xiaotian behave the same way this time?

However, until the teachers and students who had gone to the mountains to participate in the labor returned to school, there was still no news of Zong Xiaotian.

At this time, the news of Zong Xiaotian's disappearance had already spread throughout Pi Town Middle School and the entire town of Pi Town, and it had reached Gu Ying's ears through various channels. It was said that Zong Xiaotian had "disappeared" after he was caught seducing a female student in his class and felt "ashamed to face people." Some people said that Zong Xiaotian had seduced more than one girl in the class he was the class teacher of, and that someone had already reported him to the school leaders and the Education Bureau of Chuzhou Special Area. This time, the truth finally came out, and he was caught in the act. It was said that the person who "caught him in the act" was Sun Nina, who worked in the same teaching and research office as Zong Xiaotian. The two had been in a relationship for quite some time, and according to Sun Nina, Zong Xiaotian had promised to divorce his wife and marry her. Sun Nina couldn't tolerate it after discovering Zong Xiaotian's secret of seducing girls and secretly followed him to Pigu Mountain Farm to catch him "in the act." Some folks also said that Zong Xiaotian was quite the ladies' man, with a talent for making love that was second to none, even better than Ximen Qing's. It was said that no woman who had been with him could ever leave. It was noted that almost everyone at Pi Town Middle School knew about these rumors about Zong Xiaotian, except for his wife, Gu Ying, who was kept in the dark.

The legend had a story behind it, and Gu Ying couldn't help but believe it. She felt her heart was like a piece of glass, breaking into pieces. She heard the sound of glass breaking, and the broken glass cut her heart, and blood was dripping out.  But she kept going, refusing to let herself shed tears. Every day, she sent her son Zong Tianyi off to kindergarten and school like any other mother. When people gave her strange looks, she just smiled and let them know she was doing okay. However, one day, Vice Principal Gong and the Dean of Studies from Pi Town Middle School came to the purple-tile house and told Gu Ying that Zong Xiaotian was gone. They told her that Zong Xiaotian had accidentally gone missing while leading students on a work project on the mountain. They didn't mention why he had gone missing, and that's okay, because they probably didn't want to upset Gu Ying by telling her something she might not be able to handle. They said that the school and the town government had organized a search party to look for Zong Xiaotian all over Pigu Mountain, but they couldn't find him.

"Teacher Gu Ying, the disappearance of Comrade Zong Xiaotian is a great loss to Pi Town Middle School. We were deeply saddened and upset." Vice Principal Gong, looking solemn in his blue khaki Zhongshan suit with fastened buttons, said in a subdued tone, "On behalf of the school, I express my deepest condolences. We have also reported to Vice Governor Song... er, I mean, Comrade Zong Xiaotian's stepfather. Comrade Zong Xiaotian was an excellent teacher, not only outstanding in his profession but also politically strong. The school's revolutionary committee had originally decided to promote Comrade Zong Xiaotian to be the vice principal and deputy director of the revolutionary committee. Vice Principal Gong looked a bit disappointed. He looked at Gu Ying as if he was feeling guilty and left with the silent dean of studies before Gu Ying could say anything. As they left, they left behind a yellowing rattan wooden box, the same one that Zong Xiaotian had taken away when he left home. When it was at home, the box was always locked, and no one knew what was inside.

When Gu Ying was left alone in the room, she couldn't help but feel curious and opened the box. Inside, she found a copy of Jin Ping Mei, a book she had read before, and a new English record. Gu Ying's English wasn't very good, but she could still tell that it was a record by the British rock band, the Rolling Stones, titled Folwer (Flower) released in 1966. A stack of envelopes was also addressed to Zong Xiaotian and marked for the Art Teaching and Research Office at Dongjiang University. The return address on the envelopes was a mystery, with just a scrawled English signature: Anna Louie.

About half a year later, one morning, Gu Ying was giving a music class to Class 1, Senior 1, teaching the students to sing The Rising Sun on the Prairie. Vice Principal Gong had the teaching secretary ask her to go to the office after class.

After class, Gu Ying headed towards Vice Principal Gong's office. As soon as she arrived at the office door, Vice Principal Gong greeted her and said in a hushed tone, "Teacher Gu, Vice Governor Song wants to see you..."

"Deputy Governor Song?" She didn't react immediately.

"It's Zong Xiaotian's stepfather!" Vice Principal Gong reminded her.

Gu Ying's face showed a subtle "Oh," and her eyes conveyed a thoughtful, yet distant, expression. Ever since Zong Xiaotian disappeared, she had always been so wooden when interacting with others, almost a different person compared to the past. Seeing how Gu Ying's face fell, Vice Principal Gong looked kindly at her swollen belly and asked, "Is your body... okay, Teacher Gu?"

Gu Ying nodded, her face red with embarrassment. Vice Principal Gong said nothing further. He gently adjusted the buttons on his Zhongshan suit and said, "Let's go then. Vice Governor Song is in the school reception room." After taking a few steps, he stopped again, seemingly a little worried, and said, "Teacher Gu, Vice Governor Song just 'liberated' and came to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Chupi Highway. He even took time out of his busy schedule to meet with you. You should try to make as few requests as possible and avoid putting the leaders in a difficult position.

But Gu Yingxiang didn't hear him and muttered to herself, "How can a big, living person just disappear like that?"

The school reception room was where school leaders usually received and met with superior leaders. It was Gu Ying's first time there. She saw a silver-gray car parked at the entrance, covered in dust, as if it had traveled a long way. A young man in a gray Zhongshan suit stood at the entrance, his hair perfectly combed. When he saw them approaching, he quickly came forward. Vice Principal Gong shook the other person's hand with a warm smile, saying, "Secretary Huang, I've brought Teacher Gu here..."

Secretary Huang nodded in greeting, but his attention was on Gu Ying. "Hello, Teacher Gu," he said warmly. I'm the Secretary of Vice Governor Song. You can call me Xiao Huang..."

But Gu Yingxiang didn't hear him and muttered to herself, "How can a big, living person just disappear?"

Secretary Huang was taken aback and at a loss for words. Vice Principal Gong leaned in and whispered in his ear, "Teacher Gu seems a bit mentally unstable." With a dry cough, he raised his voice and said, "Secretary Huang, could you kindly take Teacher Gu to see Vice Governor Song? I won't be going in."

When Secretary Huang led Gu Ying into the reception room, she saw a dignified elder sitting on the sofa in the center. His chin was slightly pointed, his eyebrows were thick, his back was straight, and his hair, though graying, was still thick and neatly combed back. He wore a navy blue Zhongshan suit with the collar open, revealing a white shirt underneath. When he saw Gu Ying enter, he gave a slight nod of his head and lifted his hand towards the sofa beside him. Gu Ying paused for a moment, as if thinking something through, before gracefully settling onto the sofa. Secretary Huang quickly brought over a cup of tea, gently closed the door, and left, leaving the room in a peaceful silence.

The reception room was now just two people, and the silence was palpable. Gu Ying felt that Vice Governor Song had been subtly assessing her. After a while, Vice Governor Song tapped his hands on the sofa's armrests repeatedly, like sending a telegram, and cleared his throat lightly, saying, "The comrades from Pi Town Middle School have reported to me about Zong Xiaotian's situation. I'm really disappointed and upset about how he's been acting and why he's gone. I never expected him to be so morally corrupt!" When Vice Governor Song said this, he looked a little upset. He tapped his fingers hard on the sofa's armrests twice, stood up, folded his arms behind his back, paced back and forth in the middle of the reception room, and then turned around. Clearly, he had made some kind of decision, and he asked in a curious tone, "Xiao Gu, did Zong Xiaotian tell you why he doesn't use the surname Song but the surname Zong?"

Gu Ying wasn't quite sure how to respond. But Vice Governor Song didn't seem to need her to answer anything, and continued, "You know, I was once Zong Xiaotian's stepfather, and his biological father's name was..." Vice Governor Song said a name that sounded a little strange, and his face showed a mystery that was hard to read. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, Zong Xiaotian's mother is called Anna... She's an Englishwoman, and we got divorced many years ago."

Gu Ying sat quietly on the sofa, like a statue. Vice Governor Song looked a bit surprised when he saw her expression. He picked up a cup of tea from the coffee table, took a sip, glanced at Gu Ying's swollen belly, and said, "As Zong Xiaotian's former stepfather, I feel sorry for his actions... If there's anything you need, whether it's work or personal, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. After all, Zong Xiaotian and I were once father and son in name!" He gave a little shrug and added, "I came to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Chupi Highway. Local leaders filled me in on Zong Xiaotian's situation, and I really feel for him. I also sympathize deeply with your unfortunate experience, so I came to meet you. If you're facing any challenges, please don't hesitate to reach out to me. At this point, Vice Governor Song took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the corners of his eyes.

However, Gu Ying didn't say a word. From the moment she walked into the reception room until now, she hadn't uttered a single word.

After a moment of silence, Vice Governor Song stood up from the sofa. The slightly ajar door opened at that moment, and Secretary Huang quietly walked in.

Gu Ying understood that this was a gesture of respect, a quiet way of saying goodbye. But she didn't say a word. With one hand on the sofa armrest and the other holding her growing belly, she stood up slowly, taking care not to jostle her unborn child.

Gu Ying turned around as she walked to the door and smiled strangely at Vice Governor Song's back, murmuring, "How can a big, living person just disappear?"

At that moment, Vice Principal Gong trotted towards the reception room entrance from afar, stirring up a cloud of dust under his feet. He ran very fast, like a student who was afraid of being punished by the teacher for being late. As he ran, he shouted shrilly, "Vice Governor Song, please have your meal before returning to the provincial capital. The cafeteria has prepared your meal!" It sounded less like a polite request to stay and more like a heartfelt plea.

But Vice Governor Song didn't seem to hear, ducking his head and climbing into the car door that Secretary Huang had opened. With a puff of black smoke billowing from behind him, the car shot forward, leaving Vice Principal Gong standing there, panting and looking a bit awkward.

Gu Ying looked at Vice Principal Gong and giggled.

Chapter 3

1. Water Lily, Tadpole, and Guzheng

Gu Zheng often walked with her mother on the street when she was young. Her mother, who had been cooped up at home for a long time, always enjoyed venturing out onto the street. Whenever her brother Zong Tianyi saw this, he would quickly instruct her, "Little sister, hurry up and follow your mother. Don't let her run around on the street..." "Little sister" was Gu Zheng's nickname. Gu Zheng put down her homework and hurriedly followed her mother, holding her hand as they walked towards the street. As soon as her mother set foot on the street, she became animated and looked around, curious about everything she saw. In spring, the toon trees on both sides of the street would be covered with tender toon buds. Like a child, her mother excitedly shouted, "Little sister, let's pick some toon buds to eat. They're so fragrant!" At this time, some people would gather around, point at her mother, and whisper, "She's crazy. She was so beautiful back then..."

Gu Zheng, however, didn't quite understand why people thought her mother was crazy. Even when her brother and mother argued, he would suddenly blurt out, "You're a lunatic!" At that moment, her mother, who had been crying, would suddenly stop, wiping the tears from her face with the back of her hand, much like a child being scolded by an adult. She would quietly return to her bedroom or walk to the door of the purple-tiled house, staring blankly at the pond. Her brother didn't like it when his Mum cried. Whenever he heard her crying, he would block his ears with two fingers, stamp his feet, and shout, "Mum, please don't cry, my brain is about to explode!" After saying that, he would angrily run out and not come back home for a long time. At that time, her brother had just started junior high school, but he spoke like an adult and always gave orders to her and her mother. He was like the grown-up in the family, while her mother, like Gu Zheng, was more like a child. Everything in the house was subject to his orders. He even collected her mother's salary at the middle school finance office.

The brother usually took very good care of Gu Zheng. Every time he received a paycheck for his mother, he would buy her a few lollipops on the street. At the same time, he didn't forget to buy a bouquet of flowers for his mother. Whenever she saw the flowers, her mother was so happy that she danced like a child, holding them and sniffing them. In Gu Zheng's impression, Mum especially loved beauty. Mum was a beautiful woman.

At that time, Gu Zheng had already started primary school and began to understand things. But she didn't know why she only had a mother and no father. She asked her mother, who looked at her dazedly and muttered to herself, "How could a perfectly healthy person just disappear?" After saying this, she giggled.

When Mum was alone, she often repeated this phrase. Gu Zheng repeatedly asked her brother about it, but he always responded impatiently. With his hands on his hips like an adult, he would ask in a series of rhetorical questions, "Do you believe what Mum is saying? Mum's out of her mind, isn't she?"

"Then... why do others have dads, but we don't? Where has Dad gone?"

"How many times have you asked this? Our father died a long time ago!" Her brother sounded angry. Gu Zheng sounded unsure. "Mum's not crazy, and Dad's not dead. He's still alive!" she exclaimed.

Her brother was pissed off at her and rolled his eyes, "You're so annoying, I'm going out to play, I'm ignoring you!"

Whenever he had free time, my brother would sneak out to play on the street, leaving Gu Zheng and their mother at home. Their mother was always easygoing about where her brother went, but she did make sure to ask Gu Zheng when it was time to eat, "Where's Zong Tianyi?"

My mother often sat alone in her room, lost in thought as she gazed at the rattan wooden box. The box was locked, and no one had ever seen it opened. No one knew what was inside. Gu Zheng once asked her brother about it, and he said he didn't know either. Sometimes, my mother would stare blankly at herself in the rectangular mirror on the bed, lost in thought for a long time. One day, Gu Zheng noticed a white hair in her mother's hair and plucked it out, handing it to her and saying, "Mum, you have a white hair on your head!"

Mother stared at the white hair, reached out, and grabbed it, holding it closely in front of her face. Suddenly, she covered her face with both hands and began to cry. Gu Zheng was at a loss. But after a while, her mother forgot about it, took her hand, and said, "Little sister, let's go and feed the tadpoles with Mum!"Her mother always called her by my nickname and rarely by her given name. In fact, her mother gave her the name "Gu Zheng". When she was in the first grade of elementary school, she didn't have a given name yet. When it was time to fill out the registration form, the teacher wrote "Zong Xiaomei" for her according to her household registration book. She didn't like that name, though, and so she didn't respond when the teacher would call her by it. The teacher was patient and suggested, "Zong Xiaomei, why don't you go home and ask your parents for a formal name?" Otherwise, you can't come to class." On the way home, she told her brother what the teacher said, saying, "Brother, you were listed as the parent on the registration form. Please give me a given name!"

Her brother was stumped, but after a moment of thought, he suggested, "Let's go home and ask Mum to help out.

Gu Zheng said, "Didn't you say that Mum is crazy? How can she name a child that way!"

The brother choked, "Maybe Mum is not completely crazy. Besides, Mum used to be a teacher. How can a teacher not know how to give names?" Gu Zheng felt that her brother was a minor quibbler, but she had to agree.

When the siblings returned home, their mother was lovingly wiping the guzheng with a clean cloth. She wiped it twice a day, and the dark body of the guzheng shone brightly in the dim light, casting shadows on those around her. The siblings gathered around, eager to lend a hand. After wiping it, the older brother teasingly said to their mother, "Give your little sister a proper name!"

Her brother spoke in a commanding tone, and their mother always obeyed him as if he were not her child but she was his. After a brief pause, she said gently, "Guzheng." At that moment, mother's gaze was fixed on the guzheng, and the siblings thought she was referring to the instrument.

"I asked you to give Little sister a proper name, not to mention this broken instrument!" Her brother was impatient once again.

"Guzheng." Those two words spat out of Mum's mouth again. This time, she turned her gaze to Gu Zheng. Gu Zheng suddenly understood. "Brother, Mum is naming me. Gu-zheng!" She clapped her hands in delight. "Did you hear that? My school’s name is Gu Zheng, and I have the same last name as my Mum, Gu." "When her Mum heard Gu Zheng's words, a wisp of a smile appeared on her face, and she wrapped her arms around her and took her into her arms.

Gu Zheng felt so warm and loved in her mother's embrace.

Mum's favorite thing was feeding tadpoles. Every spring, the pond in front of the purple-tiled house ripples with clear waves like a translucent jade. The lotus leaves in the pond stand tall and graceful, covered with green water lilies. The little tadpoles were happily waving their tails in the water, swimming in groups. On quiet nights, Gu Zheng heard a series of chirping noises coming from the pond. Mum said the little tadpoles were hungry and were happily munching on the lotus and water lily leaves! Every day, Mum lovingly saved the leftovers and steamed buns to feed the tadpoles in the pond. They usually ate at the elementary school cafeteria and brought food back to eat. On weekends, when the cafeteria was closed, they cooked for themselves. Every time Gu Zheng went to the cafeteria to get food, Mum would quietly remind her, "Little sister, get a little more food for the tadpoles." She was afraid that her brother would hear her. His brother objected to his mother feeding the tadpoles, saying she was wasting food. However, Gu Zheng stood firmly by her mother's side on this matter. She loved tadpoles, too. Every time she fed the tadpoles, her mother was very devoted to them, squatting by the pond, crumpling up the leftover rice or steamed buns crumbs in the bowl and slowly scattering them into the pond while chanting, "Don't grab it, you'll have some to eat, and when you're full you'll be able to grow your body.......", her face was full of love and affection, as if she were a mother breast feeding her child. The child was feeding the mother.

After spring, the tadpoles grew into frogs, filling the pond with their joyous croaking. When Gu Zheng came back from school, she often saw her mother standing under the begonia tree in front of the door, absentmindedly muttering to herself, "Where have the tadpoles gone?"

The begonia tree stood about ten feet tall, with a straight and sturdy trunk that was as black as if it had been coated with a thick layer of paint. Its branches and leaves were lush and dense, swaying vigorously and reaching down to the eaves like arms. Every spring, the tree was covered with pink begonia flowers, blossoming one after another in clusters, reflecting in the mirror-like pond like patches of beautiful rosy clouds. And in the fall, the fruits ripened, ready to be enjoyed. Her brother would gently tap the branches with a bamboo pole, and the fruits would fall like a shower of rain. Gu Zheng and her mother picked up the crabapples, washed them in the pond, put them in their mouths, and bit them with their teeth. They were sour and sweet, and their mouths were full of saliva. Mum was as happy as a child, overjoyed, and the crow's feet that gradually increased at the corners of her eyes seemed to be less, and she looked several years younger than before. When Mum was happy, she took out the guzheng from the house, sat under the crabapple tree, and played it seriously. The piece of music Mum liked to play the most was a beautiful foreign song. Gu Zheng later learned that the piece was titled Red Berries in Bloom. When Mum was playing with great enthusiasm, she couldn't help but hum a few lines in a low voice:

Red berries bloom by the river in the field

There's a young man who really pleases me

But I can't confess my love to him

I have so much confidence in my heart, but I can't express it…

Mum sang really beautifully. At that Moment, Gu Zheng felt that her mother was the most beautiful and elegant woman in the world. How could such a wonderful mother be considered crazy? Whenever Gu Zheng thought of this, she felt depressed. It made her feel especially sad when someone said in front of her, 'Your Mum is crazy.'"

2. Hands Up

Zong Tianyi, like his sister Gu Zheng, hated it most when someone said his mother was crazy. Zong Tianyi said the same thing when he was angry, but he didn't mean it that way. But these were two different things. When he said his mother was crazy, what he really wanted to say was "My mother is not crazy." He wished his mother would still take care of him carefully and gently as she used to, instead of being like this now, laughing and crying, lucid and confused at times, and having to take care of her himself. And all because Dad was gone, Dad was missing, Dad was dead - he didn't know which was true, but the only thing that was true was that Dad had disappeared from the house, from his life.

Zong Tianyi had always been hesitant to face this harsh reality. Still, the townspeople never ceased reminding him, even pointing their fingers and saying, "Zong Tianyi, your father is a big hooligan!" When he heard this, he felt his blood boil and wanted to rush up and say something to them. But it wasn't just one person who said this; many people in the town said the same thing. Some were too scared to say it to his face, so they whispered it behind his back. He felt so angry, but he couldn't do anything about it. At that Moment, Zong Tianyi felt ashamed and humiliated for not being able to protect himself, his mother, and his sister. Zong Tianyi felt a deep sense of responsibility, as if he were a man with a duty to protect those he loved. For a while, he felt so hurt by the people in Pi Town who had humiliated him both in public and behind his back. But he kept his feelings to himself. But little by little, he started to feel this "hate" towards "that person"—his father, who had been gone from home for a long time. In his heart, he always referred to his father as "that person." He felt that all the humiliation and pain he was going through now came from "that person." He wondered why his father had left without a trace. Was he dead or alive? Why did the townspeople call him a "big hooligan"? What had he done to deserve such a reputation?

Zong Tianyi was overwhelmed with questions, like a swarm of locusts buzzing around in his mind, leaving him with a throbbing headache. At such times, he would vent his frustration on his mother and sister at home, only to feel remorse afterwards. This would lead him to leave home and wander the streets aimlessly. Pi Town was a small place with only two streets, one running horizontally and the other vertically, which he could readily explore in the time it takes to smoke a cigarette.

It was in those moments of contemplation that Zong Tianyi first discovered smoking. At first, he only smoked to escape his troubles, picking up cigarette butts that others had discarded on the ground. As he smoked more, he found it increasingly difficult to quit. Zong Tianyi started buying cigarettes. But he didn't use the money from his mother's salary to buy cigarettes. That money was earmarked for the family's needs, and it was sacred. Since his mother fell ill, the school only paid her half of her salary every month. After his sister started school, his mother's meager salary became increasingly insufficient to cover the family's expenses. Zong Tianyi was a kind and hardworking student, and he used his spare time to collect scrap metal and sell it at the town's scrap yard to help his family make a little extra money. The money he spent on smoking came from the money he earned from selling scrap metal. One day, he was searching for scrap metal at home to sell to the scrap yard. He had an idea for the rattan box that his father had left behind.

The rattan wooden box was secured with a large brass lock. Since his father went missing, the box had remained locked and never been opened. The brass lock, golden and heavy, could fetch a substantial amount of money if he sold it at the recycling station. Zong Tianyi jiggled the lock with a wire and managed to open it. At first, he thought the box might have some rare or exotic treasures. Curiously, he lifted the lid and discovered inside a record with foreign text, a stack of envelopes, and a book wrapped in kraft paper, thicker than a brick. At home, there was also a large leather suitcase that his mother had brought from the city when she went to the countryside to work. It was filled with books such as The Red and the Black, Madame Bovary, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Anna Karenina, Resurrection, and more. As a child, Zong Tianyi often saw his mother reading these books enthusiastically. After entering elementary school, he had curiously flipped through a few of them, but the foreign place names and names of people in the books were difficult for him to remember. After reading a few pages, he felt dizzy and sleepy. But there was something special about this book. It was filled with vibrant illustrations, depicting people without clothes. Zong Tianyi felt his cheeks flush, and his blood felt as if it were on fire, causing a sudden surge of heat. Like a thief, he looked around the room, ensuring no one else was around. Then, as if possessed by a demon, he secretly pocketed the book, locked the rattan wooden box with the large brass lock, and quietly put it back in its original place.

Later, Zong Tianyi learned that the book was called Jin Ping Mei and was banned.

From that day on, Zong Tianyi spent every evening hiding in his room, immersing himself in the illustrated edition of Jin Ping Mei. He did not know when he began to pay attention to his appearance. Apart from indulging in smoking, he even purchased two T-shirts or jackets, which were commonly worn by many young people in Pi Town, along with leather shoes. Now and then, he'd spend a dime to catch a movie. During that time, the Pigu People's Commune had just transformed into Pi Town, and the grand hall, which had been used for mass rallies and various cultural performances, was converted into a cinema. The Peking opera model plays and war feature films that Pi Town people used to watch gradually decreased, and some Hong Kong, Taiwan, and foreign films began to be shown, such as Walter Defends Sarajevo, The Bus Adventure, The Chase, and Hometown. Zong Tianyi had a series of dreams the night after watching Looking Home and The Hunt. He dreamed of the young Aqi Po, the beautiful Japanese actress Kurihara Komi, and Ximen Qing from the illustrations in Jin Ping Mei, who leaped down from the pages….

That night, Zong Tian had a solo sexual act.

Zong Tianyi's personal expenses were increasing day by day, and his financial situation was becoming increasingly strained. One afternoon, as soon as school was out, Zong Tianyi couldn't wait to leave the classroom and head to the brick-and-tile factory in Pi Town. The brick-and-tile factory was located on the riverside at the western end of the town, occupying a large area. From the outside, rows of red factory buildings stood in the center of the factory area, looking very impressive. The brick-and-tile factory workers all wore safety helmets and blue denim work clothes during working hours, giving them a very imposing appearance. Some young workers, off duty, go to the town of Pi to go shopping, but also, as usual, wearing their work clothes and helmets, attract a lot of girls' and boys' envious eyes. But wait, there's more! In the heart of the factory area, there's a chimney that's a real showstopper. They said it was several hundred meters high, thick at the base and thin at the top, tapering as it ascended, like an unpeeled bamboo shoot. Some folks even said it looked like a male organ, visible from dozens of miles away. The brick-and-tile factory, a symbol of the community's pride, had been a fixture of Pi Town since its completion.

The brick-and-tile factory, established during the Cultural Revolution, was the largest "community-run enterprise" in Pi Town. It had a factory-run hospital and a school for the children. After being renamed a "township enterprise," although the brick-and-tile factory remained as prosperous as before, it no longer held the same prestige as before. In the past, no one dared enter the factory area to take even a single brick or piece of wire. However, people now often sneak into the factory to steal scrap metal. Some of that iron is parts that were removed from the brick-making machine and thrown on the ground, waiting for repair. Then, those parts were sold at the town's waste recycling station. People have tasted the sweetness, and more and more people were going to the brick-and-tile factory to "pick up trash."

Now, Zong Tianyi also came to the brick-and-tile factory to take his chances. Brick factory was the implementation of the three-shift work system, twenty-four hours a day were working, almost to the end of the day, the factory was still a busy scene, the workers used the chicken car moving the brick from the open brick-making site to the burning of bricks and tiles of the "big kiln" - that a vast chimney was erected from here.

The factory had no walls, and it was possible to enter from any point. Zong Tianyi hid for a while in a castor field on the side of the highway near the factory. He lit a cigarette and smoked it while patiently waiting for darkness. There were many cigarette butts scattered in the castor field, and it was obvious that many people had hidden here. After about two cigarettes of work, the sky was dark.

Zong Tianyi strolled out of the castor bean field and made his way to the factory area, taking his time.

At that time, it was the shift change time for the workers. The road leading to the "big cave" from the brick-making site was brightly lit, and people were coming and going, but no one noticed Zong Tianyi. He took this opportunity to sneak into the brick-making site. On the site, the finished bricks were piled up in neat rows, stacked like an army ready for battle. It was Zong Tianyi's first time here. He saw that it was just as the people had described; all kinds of abandoned or repaired parts were scattered everywhere, covered with engine oil and diesel, and exuding an unpleasant smell. He was so excited that his eyes sparkled as if he had found a treasure. He untied a long snakeskin bag from his waist, shook it open, then crouched down and quickly put the black objects on the ground into the bag.

The bag was almost full in no time, and he couldn't carry it anymore. Zong Tianyi finally picked up the heavy bag and walked outside. But just as he took two steps, a sudden shout rang in his ear: "Stop, don't move, raise your hands!"

Zong Tianyi was startled and turned his face to see two teenagers wearing red scarves jumping out from behind the brick billets. One held a small pistol made of bullet shells, and the other had a bright red tasseled gun.

Zong Tianyi couldn't help but drop the bag and raise his hands.

3. Leniency for Confession

Two young men, looking majestic and imposing, escorted Zong Tianyi through the factory's main road lined with brick blocks, heading towards the factory headquarters. The road was piled with broken bricks and tiles on both sides, which, under the pale electric lights, looked patchy and like a ruin. Every so often, on their way to or from shift change, some other workers would look at them with a friendly, curious expression. One of them asked, "Wang Cheng, who is this person you've caught?"

"He stole something from the factory, and I caught him!" the young man named Wang Cheng replied with his head held high, exuding a sense of pride akin to the Little Eighth Route Army soldiers who captured prisoners in the movies. He pointed his cartridge-case pistol at Zong Tianyi's waist to show his authority and said, "Hurry up, and don't try any tricks on me. Don't even think about escaping!"

Zong Tianyi defended, "I didn't try to escape."

"Be honest, no sophistry!" Zong Tianyi's back waist was pushed by the shell pistol again, this time with more force. He felt a burst of pain and grunted.

At that Moment, another teenager said, "Wang Sheng, you were mistreating prisoners. I'm going to report you to your father!"

"Badong, if you tell on me, I won't let you copy from me in the next exam, and I won't let you participate in any tasks in the factory!" Wang Cheng warned.

Upon hearing this, the young man named Badong immediately cowered but was still unwillingly retorted, "You're just good at threatening people. You're even more domineering than your father..."

Wang Cheng asked, a bit warily, "who said that? Was it your father?"

Badong paused, thinking back, then said, "It wasn't my dad. It was I who said it."

Wang Cheng looked at Badong, his face showing he didn't believe him, and said, "I know your dad often speaks ill of my dad in the factory!"

"Humph, you're slandering. My dad has never said anything bad about your dad!" Badong protested loudly.

When Wang Cheng saw Batong's anxious red-eyed look, he smiled cheekily, "My father said, we should be united and not divided, we should be honorable and not engage in plots and tricks, I'm not going to argue with you!"

"This is a quotation from Chairman Mao! Dare you say it's what your father said?"

Wang Cheng's face was slightly dark, with a big forehead and two black and bright eyes that always seemed to be pondering something. As for Badong, he had fair skin and was very handsome. His eyes dart around, revealing a shrewd and cunning demeanor.

The two teenagers chatted as they walked, taking turns guiding Zong Tianyi to the factory office. The office was not large, with a large desk in the middle and several rattan chairs and benches arranged around it. At the center of the front wall, there were two portraits of leaders: one of Chairman Mao and the other of Chairman Hua. Above the portraits was a bold slogan: "Inherit Chairman Mao's legacy, grasp the guiding principles and govern the country, work hard and fast, and strive to build the four modernizations!"

Zong Tianyi was ushered into the office, where Wang Cheng said to him in a friendly but firm tone, "Please start by writing your confession, and I know you'll be honest. My dad always said, 'Confess and be lenient, resist and be strict!' With a warm smile, he offered Zong Tianyi a piece of paper and a ballpoint pen. Then he looked at Ba Dong and said, "Please stand guard at the door and don't let him escape. I'll go get my dad."

"Yes, Comrade Squadron Leader!" Ba Dong replied, standing at the door with his red spear in hand, his head held high and chest puffed out. He even imitated the little soldiers from the movies and gave Wang Cheng a salute. Wang Cheng smiled warmly, extended his small fist, and tapped Ba Dong's chest gently. Then, with a swift and playful bounce, he rushed out of the factory office.

Zong Tianyi stared at the blank sheet of paper, not knowing what to write. He had always been a star student, excelling in Language class and always being the first to hand in his papers. But now, he felt like his mind was a complete blank, unable to write a single word. He was worried about what kind of punishment he would receive. They said that if he got caught by the brick-and-tile factory, the lightest punishment would be labor. If the circumstances were severe, he would be handed over to the police station and possibly even paraded through the streets. In the past, someone who stole from the collective and got caught would always be paraded through the streets of Pi Town and denounced. He imagined himself tied up in five-point restraints, wearing a paper hat on his head, and being led through the streets by a crowd. People would point at his spine and scold him, "Zong Tianyi, you were a thief! Your father is a big hooligan, and you were a little hooligan!" He looked up and saw the portraits of Chairman Mao and Chairman Hua on the wall, which looked very kind under the incandescent light. He quietly said, "Chairman Mao and Chairman Hua, I was wrong. I should not steal collective property. Please forgive me, and don't let this happen again. I'll be embarrassed if I have to walk through the streets of Pi Town with you watching!" He repeated "Long live Chairman Mao!" in his heart, his voice soft and sincere. He forgot that Chairman Mao had already passed away. Then, he looked at Badong, who was standing at the door. His eyes rolled around a few times, and suddenly, he had an inspiration. He suddenly put down his ballpoint pen and clutched his stomach, yelling out in pain.

Badong shot him a look and asked, "What's wrong?"

"My stomach hurts, I need to go poop..." Zong Tianyi looked a bit flustered and said, "Let's get this over with, or I might have an accident!"

"In the movies, when the Eighth Route Army catches the traitor, they always use this trick to escape," Badong chuckled as he looked at him. "You want to deceive me? Not a chance!"

When Zong Tianyi saw that his plan was quickly uncovered, he felt somewhat unwilling to accept it and came up with another plan: "That kid just now isn't taller than you—what's his name? Wang Cheng... Why does he always bully you?" were you afraid of him?"

"Huh? Who's afraid of him? Were you saying I'm afraid of him?" Badong looked a bit taken aback, but then he pointed his red-feathered spear at Zong Tianyi. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Could you please clarify?"

The tip of the red-plumed spear was made of wood and coated with white paint, making it obvious that it's fake. Zong Tianyi felt more confident. "If you're really not afraid, then let me go!"

Upon hearing this, Badong put down his red-plumed spear and deflated like a balloon. "I wouldn't dream of it. If his father finds out, it will be terrible."

"Who is his father that you're so afraid of?"

"His father is the factory director. Everyone in the factory is under his authority, and even my father, the deputy director, is under his authority..."

Zong Tianyi understood that his teasing had backfired. Feeling a bit embarrassed, he sighed and picked up his pen, looking at the empty room in front of him.

Just as Zong Tianyi contemplated writing his confession, heavy footsteps sounded from outside. The footsteps came closer and then suddenly stopped. Zong Tianyi looked up and saw a man with a full beard, a bronze-coloured face, and leopard-like eyes appear at the door. He wore an old military uniform that had seen better days, with his collar open and trousers rolled up to his knees. His shoes were covered in mud and ash, his left hand was stained with oil, and he was holding a wrench also covered in oil. The right hand - empty sleeves! The right hand - the sleeve was empty, so it was a "handful. Close behind him was a young man called Wang Sheng, who looked like a small bodyguard.

"Report to Uncle Factory Director..." Badong gave the 'handful' a somewhat unconventional military salute.

"You've done a great deed today, boy. Tomorrow, I'll talk to your principal and ask him to give you and Wang Cheng a big award certificate!" The “handful”   gave Badong a friendly pat on the head and said with a laugh, "Your job is done. Hurry back. And don't forget to ask your mother to make some dumplings to reward you. Just say it was my idea!"

Badong had already run away when he received the order. The “a handful” strode into the office, his eyes shining with warmth as he looked at Zong Tianyi, who was hanging his head. With a firm voice, he asked, "Are you the young man who took things from the factory? What's your name? Say it!"

Zong Tianyi kept his head down and remained silent. Wang Cheng, who was standing nearby, spoke up in a supportive tone, "Dad, this guy is so stubborn. He wrote only a few words when asked to write a confession... He gently handed the piece of paper Zong Tianyi wrote to the “a handful”. The“a handful” took it, glanced at it, and his gaze suddenly stopped on the paper. After a moment, he looked away and turned to Zong Tianyi, studying him carefully from head to toe. "Your name is Zong Tianyi?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Your father's name is Zong... Xiaotian?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Your mother's name is Gu... Ying?"

"Hmm... there."

"Are they all middle school teachers?"

"Hmm..." Zong Tianyi looked a little confused and noticed a strange look in the “a handful” 's eyes. He put the greasy wrench on the table and sat down. After a silence, he told Zong Tianyi, "Kid, I know your parents. Hmm, two talented young people! When they first moved from the provincial capital to Pi Town, I even went to Chuzhou to welcome them. At that time, I was Minister of the People's Armed Forces of the Commune and Deputy Director of the Revolutionary Committee..." As he spoke, he fumbled in his coat pocket and pulled out a pack of crumpled Da Qian Men cigarettes. He took one between his lips and fumbled in a drawer for a box of matches. He lit the match with clumsy but skilful movements and took a deep drag. "After your father disappeared, I led the cadre militia into the mountains to search. We scoured the area for over a month but couldn't find him. Even now, there's no official word on whether he's dead or alive... Your father made his share of mistakes, and his disappearance is a bit of a mystery. But hey, we all make mistakes, right? They were bright young people who followed Chairman Mao's call and settled in our Pi Town. Is your mother still sick?"

Zong Tian was taken aback by the surprising change in the 'handful '. He looked different from the dignified figure he had just seen, and his tone and expression were now more friendly. He hummed in recognition, and tears welled in his eyes for some reason.

"Kid, if I remember correctly, you have a younger sister, right? It must be tough for you, being an orphan and a single mother," the “a handful” said with a frown. "How about this? "Hey, why don't you try something new? From now on, you can work at the factory on Sundays and holidays. That way, you can earn some money to support your family. But, he added, you'll still be detained if you do anything to damage the property. "Chairman Mao once said, 'Learn from past mistakes to avoid future ones, and treat the disease to save the patient…’” He tossed the cigarette butt to the ground. "Hey, kid, what's your name? Oh, Zong Tianyi! You look like your father, but you're not as tall. You're still young!" Then he remembered something and asked, "Would you like something to eat? I'll ask the cook in the mess hall to make you some noodles. Without waiting for Zong Tianyi's reply, he kindly instructed Wang Cheng who was standing beside him, "Son, go ask the night chef in the mess hall to make him a bowl of noodles. Put it on my bill..."

Wang Cheng pursed his lips and uttered an "Hmm", then with a look of reluctance, he stuck the pistol with the cartridge case in his waist and walked out.

Zong Tianyi felt that Wang Cheng's eyes were different from those of ordinary people, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what exactly made them different. After pondering for a while, he finally realised: Wang Cheng had a single eyelid on his right eye and a double eyelid on his left eye.

4. The Head of The Family

After being locked up for two days, Zong Tianyi emerged from the brick factory. It was already afternoon when he returned home. As soon as he approached the purple-tiled house, his sister Gu Zheng flew to him like a bird and threw herself into his arms. "Brother, where have you been for the past two days? Mum and I were so worried!"

Seeing her teary eyes, Zong Tian felt a pang of guilt. He felt like a deer caught in the headlights, not knowing how to tell his sister about the past two days. Just as he was about to say something, his sister whispered in his ear, "Brother, there's a stranger in our house. Mum and I were so scared..."

"A stranger... Stranger ...... Where is he?" Zong Tianyi asked quickly.

"He's sitting at home. He came early this morning. He said he was our grandfather. But Mum said she didn't know him and was hiding in the room and wouldn't come out. Brother, could he be a wolf grandmother pretending to be our grandfather?” Sister said in a confused way. Zong Tianyi grew increasingly confused as he listened. He took two steps and entered the house. He saw an old man wearing a cap and grey overalls sitting on a chair by the door, reading a newspaper. When he saw Zong Tianyi enter, the old man quickly put down the newspaper and stood up. He looked at him and said in a foreign accent, "You were Tian... Yi, right?

Zong Tianyi nodded and looked at the old man. He felt he had seen this face before but couldn't remember where.

"Of course... neither you nor your siblings know me. I'm your maternal grandfather!" The old man's eyes teared up slightly, a hint of tears flickering faintly. "Even your mother doesn't recognise me anymore..." He said as he took a yellowed photo out of his pocket. Zong Tianyi took the picture and saw that it was a group photo of three people. He immediately recognized the girl with the ponytail in the middle as his childhood mother, and the two people next to her... "That's me, and that's your maternal grandmother!" The old man next to him pointed.

Zong Tianyi then remembered that he had seen this photo before in his family album. After his father had gone missing, the album disappeared. He suspected that his mother had torn it up. Since she had become ill, she often tore things around the house, sometimes even her schoolbooks.

"Child, your grandmother and I feel guilty about your mother and your siblings. We haven't visited you for so many years, and we didn't know your mother was so sick," the old man said, tears welling up in his wrinkled eyes. "This time, I came to Chuzhou on a business trip, and your grandmother asked me to find you and meet you no matter what..."

Zong Tianyi didn't know how to face such a tearful grandfather. After all, it was his grandfather. He thought and said to Gu Zheng, "Little sister, where's mum? Ask Mum to come and meet Grandpa!"

Gu Zheng looked at her grandfather with big, curious eyes. She told Zong Tianyi, "Mum said she didn't know Grandpa. She said she was scared and ran out into the street..."

"Your mother doesn't even recognize me. How did she get like this?" Grandpa said sadly, taking out his handkerchief to wipe his eyes again.

Later, Grandpa wanted to leave. He said he would catch the last bus of the day to Chuzhou and then return to the provincial capital. He mentioned that the next time he wanted to visit was with Grandma. He said, "Child, at your young age, the responsibilities of a family have already fallen on your shoulders. If you have any difficulties, write to Grandpa and Grandma. Grandpa chattered away like an old lady and took a bundle of money out of his pocket to give to Zong Tianyi.

Zong Tianyi tried to push the pile of notes away and said, as if he were an adult, "I don't want it! I'm going to work in the brick factory. I can earn money and support my mother and sister..."

But his grandfather just shoved the money into his arms. Before he left, he pulled Gu Zheng to his side and kissed her on the forehead.

At that moment, Zong Tianyi suddenly felt like he had grown up. As the head of the family, he should take responsibility for supporting his mother and younger sister.

Since then, Zong Tianyi had worked as a temporary laborer in the brick factory every weekend and on holidays. Most of the temporary workers at the brick factory were farmers recruited from nearby villages, but there were also young people like Zong Tianyi. Their main job was to use a handcart to carry the bricks from the brickworks to the firing workshop - the big cave under the chimney. The handcart, which the people of Pi Town called the "chicken cart", was issued by the brick factory. Because of its single wheel, the balance of the chicken cart was not easy to control, and it relied mainly on arm strength to control the handle. Zong Tianyi was young and lacked arm strength, so he overturned the cart for the first time. The bricks on the cart fell to the ground and broke into pieces. The loss of the bricks would be deducted from his wages. After overturning the cart several times, Zong Tianyi became increasingly nervous. Whenever he pushed the cart, he felt like facing a great enemy. But the more anxious he was, the more likely he was to make mistakes, and the cart would still tip over.

That day, just as Zong Tianyi was pushing the cart full of brick molds out of the brick factory, the cart started to tip over, and the bricks fell off. It looked like the whole cart was going to fall over. Suddenly, two young boys wearing red scarves ran up from behind and supported the cart from both sides.

When Zong Tian looked up, he saw Wang Cheng and Ba Dong. With their help, the cart drove smoothly all the way into the large cave. When the cart was unloaded, Wang Cheng and Ba Dong helped Zong Tian move the bricks off the chicken cart. It was already summer, and the temperature inside the large cave was higher than outside. After unloading the brick blocks, the few people were all sweating profusely, as they had just climbed out of the water.

"Why were you helping me?" Zong Tianyi asked as he handed them the towel around his neck.

"To learn from Lei Feng!" Wang Cheng lifted his rosy and sweaty face, revealing two rows of white teeth.

"His father requires students from the elite school to come to the construction site to work on weekends and holidays!" "Every time they participate in labor, the factory gives them a big ice cream," Badong added.

"You only know how to eat. You won't participate in labor if you don't receive ice lollies, right?" Wang Cheng rolled his eyes at Ba Dong. "With your level of consciousness, you're still far from meeting the requirements of a Young Pioneer!" Seeing Wang Cheng and Ba Dong picking on each other again, Zong Tianyi chuckled, "You two were hilarious. Do you enjoy bickering in your everyday life?

When they heard Zong Tianyi say that, they felt a sense of embarrassment.

"Our houses were right next to each other. I can hear every fart he lets out!" Wang Cheng looked at Zong Tianyi, blinked his eyes, and made a face. "Do you still hate us for catching you last time?"

"What's there to hate? I'm more than grateful! If it weren't for you two, would I have the opportunity to work as a temporary worker at the brick factory today?" Zong Tianyi said sincerely, "As soon as I get paid, I'll treat you both to a meal at a restaurant!"

"Really? You must keep your word!" Badong held out his index finger as if to make a promise.

"People who don't keep their promises were scumbags!" Zong Tianyi said and patted his chest.

The three teenagers became increasingly friendly as they talked, and it seemed as if they had become close friends.

Half a year later, Zong Tianyi received his first pay cheque from the brick factory. After deducting the cost of the broken bricks from the overturned cart, he had 201 yuan. In Zong Tianyi's eyes, this was no small sum, almost enough to support his entire family for a year.

Zong Tianyi never forgot his promise. The first thing he did after receiving his salary was to invite Wang Cheng and Ba Dong to a restaurant. That day, Zong Tianyi waited at the brick factory's school entrance for quite a while before finally meeting them.

When Badong heard that Zong Tianyi was going to invite them to a restaurant, he almost jumped for joy. He gave him a thumbs-up and said, "You keep your word. You're really a man. From now on, I'll think of you as my boss!"

Wang Cheng hesitated and said, "Are you really going to invite us? If my father finds out, he'll say I'm abusing my privileges..."

"You're not going? I'm going." Badong smacked his lips deliberately, winked at Zong Tianyi, and grabbed his arm to leave.

Wang Cheng hesitated for a Moment but eventually followed them.

This was the first time Zong Tianyi had served guests since he grew up, and he felt a sense of pride like never before. With a bulging wallet, his heart was also filled with joy. He stood tall and straight, exuding wealth and confidence. On the way into town, he loudly asked Wang Cheng and Ba Dong, "Come on! What do you want to eat?"

"I want to eat meat!" Ba Dong said first, "I haven't eaten meat for three days!"

"You're lying!" Wang Cheng immediately revealed, "Yesterday, your father took you to the cafeteria for lunch and even bought you a plate of stir-fried pork with green peppers!

Ba Dong's face immediately turned red.

Seeing that they were about to argue again, Zong Tian changed the subject and asked Wang Sheng, "What do you want to eat?"

"Just a bowl of pork noodle soup," Wang Cheng said. "My father hates gluttonous and greedy people the most; he says it's a bourgeois lifestyle."

Ba Dong blushed and remained silent.

"Don't worry, I guarantee you'll have meat today. I have plenty of money!" Zong Tianyi patted his bulging pouch and comforted Ba Dong, but he knew better. He couldn't be reckless with his money. He had already thought it out. He would invite Wang Cheng and Ba Dong to the small restaurant in the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, where each would have a bowl of pork noodle soup and two meat buns. The three of them would cost less than one yuan, just enough to spend a small portion of their wages. This would satisfy Ba Dong's desire to "eat meat" without being considered "greedy", as Wang Cheng had said. Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds?

Many years later, when Zong Tianyi became a businessman, frequented fine restaurants and hotels, and enjoyed a variety of delicacies, he occasionally recalled the scene when he invited Wang Cheng and Ba Dong to eat pork noodle soup at the supply and marketing cooperative in Pi Town. He remembered that after Ba Dong had finished the noodles and a large meat bun, he licked his tongue and looked at the noodle soup with a layer of oil and scallions as if he hadn't had enough. Zong Tianyi had no choice but to order another large meat bun for him. Ba Dong's face lit up with a smile, and he gave him a thumbs up and said, "Brother, you were so generous! When I have money, I will also give you pork noodle soup. No, I will treat you to wok dishes and pay you back twice!"

Wang Cheng's single and double eyelids fluttered disdainfully, and he sneered, "You're just showing off. Is the allowance your father gives you too little? Have you ever invited me over?"

Badong wiped his greasy mouth and said, "You didn't invite me, so why should I invite you?"

Wang Cheng said, "My dad never gives me an allowance!"

Badong said, "Your father is so stingy!"

"Don't speak ill of my father!" Wang Cheng said angrily, "My father upholds the spirit of diligence, thrift, and hard work..."

When Zong Tianyi saw that they were about to argue again, he had no choice but to stuff two large meat buns into their mouths, which finally settled the verbal dispute.

After paying the bill, Zong Tianyi bought another basket of buns to take home to his mother and sister. He thought about taking his sister to the newly opened private clothes shop in town to buy two outfits. His mother's shoes had long since worn out, and it was time to buy her a new pair.

Such calculations made Zong Tianyi feel like the head of the family.

At some unknown time, Zong Tianyi developed a prominent Adam's apple on his neck, and his voice became a little deeper when he spoke. His brown hair hung untidily over his forehead, and his gaze was somber, giving him a somewhat rebellious appearance. Some people in Pi town who knew Zong Xiaotian and Gu Ying said that this boy had a handsome appearance, resembling his missing father, but Zong Tianyi's eyes were like his mother's. His mother was a beauty in those days. Do you know who this boy's parents are? Among the educated young people who came from the provincial city to settle in our town, they were truly a talented and beautiful couple. Unfortunately, one disappeared, and one later went mad.

Chapter 4

1. Miracle Doctor

This year, a clinic opened across from the Pi Town Health Centre. The doctor who runned the clinic was called Wu, and his first name was Bozhong. His name was also the name of the clinic.

Dr Wu wore gold-rimmed glasses, giving him a gentle and refined appearance, like a middle school teacher. On duty, he always wore a black double-breasted jacket with a white pattern, and his hair was combed in a sleek, greasy backcomb. What surprised the townspeople was that he did not grow a beard, which made him look almost feminine. Some suspected that he wasn't actually unable to grow a beard but had shaved it off. However, according to those who had visited the clinic and seen him up close, his face was completely smooth, not appearing to have been shaved. Due to his lack of facial hair, it was difficult to determine his actual age, as there were no apparent wrinkles either. Some guessed he was in his sixties, while others claimed he was only in his forties—nobody knew for certain

Gradually, people's interest in Dr. Wu's age and beard shifted to his medical skills. Initially, the townspeople were skeptical about Dr. Wu's abilities and didn't take him seriously, with very few patients visiting the Bozhong Clinic. In recent years, private shops of all kinds had been proliferating in town, a mixed assortment of good and bad, and several private clinics had appeared one after another. However, these either attracted no patients or closed down quickly. The people of Pi Town generally distrusted those itinerant doctors of unclear origin, preferring to seek treatment at the commune health center. Although the commune system had long been disbanded, people still habitually referred to the town health center as the "commune health center." They believed that Dr. Wu's boldness in opening a clinic directly across from the health center must indicate some backing—perhaps he was related to some official in Pi Town or even Chu Prefecture, or maybe he had bribed officials. Otherwise, how could he be allowed to open a clinic right at the entrance of the health center? Wasn't that challenging for the public institution? But it turned out they were wrong.

First, a carpenter surnamed Qiu from Pi Town fell ill with liver disease. His family sent him to hospitals in the provincial capital and Chuzhou, but he was brought back after a few days. It was said that he had advanced cirrhosis of the liver, with a swollen abdomen, and could not live much longer. Instead of wasting money in the hospital, it would be better to go home, enjoy good food and drink, and spend a few happy days. Carpenter Qiu was not yet forty, with high skills and good connections. Half the households in town had hired him to do their carpentry work. Seeing that he was going to die at such a young age, they could not help but feel sorry for him and visited him one by one. Not long ago, Carpenter Qiu, who was so energetic, was lying in bed with listless eyes and a thin face. His wife and several children surrounded him. The youngest was a girl who had just learned to walk, while the eldest was a boy in junior high school and in the same class as Zong Tianyi. His name was Qiu Xiaosu, and he also took a leave of absence. Hence, he and his whole family gathered around the seriously ill Carpenter Qiu, frowning and looking sadder than death. Those who came to visit were all sad and in tears. Someone said, "I've heard that Doctor Wu is very good at treating liver disease. Why not go and see him?"

"Which... Dr Wu?" someone asked.

"It's Doctor Wu from the newly opened Bozhong Clinic across from the township hospital."

"How do you know he specializes in liver disease?"

"I've heard many people say that..."

"We can't trust what a quack says, can we?"

"You have to taste the pear to know its flavor. How can you know if it's trustworthy without tasting it? Besides, since he's in this condition, it's better to treat a dead horse as if it were alive than just lying at home waiting to die!" The last sentence was whispered so the patient wouldn't hear. Many people thought it was reasonable. Even Carpenter Qiu's wife, who had given up hope, was moved. With the help of kind-hearted people, Carpenter Qiu was taken to Bozhong Hospital.

After being treated at Bozhong Hospital for some time, Carpenter Qiu miraculously recovered. Originally so thin that he resembled a leaf and could barely stand, Carpenter Qiu miraculously reappeared on the streets of Pi Town, his once sallow face now glowing with the healthy glow of a person in good health. His son, Qiu Xiaosu, also returned to Pi Town Middle School to attend classes. Qiu Xiaosu sat at the same desk as Zong Tian and had not attended classes for a long time since his father's illness.

The story of how Doctor Wu cured Carpenter Qiu's liver disease spread like wildfire. But few people knew exactly what medicine he prescribed or how he treated the disease. When someone asked Carpenter Qiu and his wife about the prescription, they were very secretive. Nevertheless, the people of Pi Town began to look at Doctor Wu with new eyes. He could cure a liver disease that even large hospitals were powerless to treat, suggesting that he had some real skills and was not just an ordinary quack. As a result, the number of people visiting Bozhong's clinic gradually increased.

Soon, another strange thing happened.

In Zhujiataizi, a rural area of Pi Town, there was a farmer named Zhu Laoguan who had a tumor growing in his stomach. At first, the tumor was only the size of an egg. It caused no noticeable symptoms other than occasional burping, flatulence, and frequent farting, which Zhu Laoguan did not take seriously. However, as the tumor grew, he found it difficult to eat and decided to seek medical help. Zhu Laoguan first went to the Pi Town Health Centre. When the doctor placed the stethoscope on his abdomen, he immediately withdrew it as if it had been scalded by boiling water. Without saying a word, he quickly waved his hand and urged, "Hurry, take him to Chuzhou Hospital before it's too late! Upon arrival at Chuzhou Hospital, it was discovered that Zhu Laoguan had terminal cancer. When the Zhu family asked if he should be transferred to a hospital in the provincial capital, the doctor replied, "Even if he were to go to a big hospital in Beijing or Shanghai, there's no hope for his condition. At best, the patient would suffer more. It would be better to bring him home quickly, give him good food and drink, and maybe he can live a few more days...". The Zhu family had no choice but to take the patient home. When they got off the long-distance bus and were about to return to Zhujiataizi, they met a fellow villager who worked as a bamboo craftsman in Pi Town. Kindly remind them, "Doctor Wu at the Bozhong Clinic specializes in treating complicated illnesses. Not long ago, the town's carpenter, Qiu, was preparing for his funeral, but he was miraculously brought back from the brink of death by Doctor Wu. Why don't you go and see him?"

Unexpectedly, a casual remark from the bamboo weaver saved old Zhu's life. After three months of treatment at Bozhong Hospital, the tumor in Old Zhu's stomach had disappeared entirely. He could eat three large bowls of rice a meal, plant rice seedlings in the fields, cut firewood in the mountains, and work even harder than a strong laborer.

Later on, the town's "Crazy Pei" was also cured by Doctor Wu. When it came to this "Crazy Pei", no one in Pi Town, young or old, was unaware of him. Crazy Pei's real name was Pei Yongyu, and he was the youngest son of Pi Town's major landlord, Huang Yaozu. Huang Yaozu had five wives, and Pei Yongyu was born to his fourth wife. The Red Army suppressed Huang Yaozu in the 1930s, so he took his mother's surname, Pei. In the early 1950s, he graduated from the Department of Chinese Literature at Dongjiang University. He worked as a cadre at the Chuzhou Cultural Bureau in his youth. Due to his father's reasons, he couldn't join the Communist Party, so he settled for joining the Democratic League, one of the eight democratic parties, and was a member of the Chuzhou branch of the Democratic League. In 1957, he actively participated in the "Great Outcry" and was labeled a "rightist". After Pei Yongyu was labeled a rightist, he was sent back to his hometown, Pi Town, to live with his mother, Huang Yaozu's fourth concubine. He underwent labor reform and soon went insane. Pei Yongyu used to be a gentle and refined person with a graceful demeanor. Since he went insane, his hair grew long and messy, like a pile of rotten straw, and his nails grew very long, becoming a different person. Unlike the "Crazy violence" who beat and scolded people when he went insane, Pei Yongyu was a "cultured madman". He wandered around the streets of Pi Town every day, talking eloquently, from ancient times to modern times, from politics to culture, from domestic to foreign affairs, like giving a speech, shouting, and waving his hands: "The sky is changing, the sky is changing..."

Unexpectedly, Pei, who had been mentally ill for decades, was cured by Doctor Wu of the Bozhong Clinic one day. One of the significant signs of Pei's recovery was that he no longer wandered around the streets of Pi Town all day long, giving speeches, nor did he shout "The sky is changing, the sky is changing..."

Dr. Wu earned the title of "miracle doctor" from then on, and his fame quickly spread from Pi Town to even farther places. Many patients came to seek treatment at his clinic, and for a time, the once-deserted Bozhong Clinic became crowded and bustling. In contrast, the communal health center across the street was deserted, with fewer and fewer patients coming to see a doctor. If this situation continues, the health center might have to close down. To change this dire situation, the town government once considered banning Bozhong Clinic for "operating without a license," but ultimately did not take action. There were various opinions on the specific reasons. Some say it was because many cured patients jointly wrote letters to the higher authorities pleading for mercy, while others say it was because Dr. Wu made some connections and made a call, which made the Pi Town government hesitate to take action rashly. Regardless of the reason, Bozhong Clinic's reputation became increasingly prominent, earning more and more money.

It was said that Dr. Wu had to go to the bank in town every day to deposit money, carrying a leather bag full of cash and accompanied by a young man with a camera hanging on his chest and wearing sunglasses; it was said that that was Dr. Wu's bodyguard hired to prevent robbers from robbing him.

Soon, Zong Tianyi appeared at the entrance of the Bozhong Clinic with his mother.

2. Clinic

At that time, due to the overwhelming demand for medical services, the Bozhong Clinic had already rented the building of the Commune Health Center opposite and officially moved in. The Health Center had previously occupied a building, but now it had rented two-thirds of the rooms to the Bozhong Clinic, with the remaining one-third used by the Health Center itself. Even so, very few people were visiting the Health Center for treatment. The doctors and nurses in the Health Center had nothing to do most of the time, while the Bozhong Clinic was bustling with people every day, creating a busy scene. Dr. Wu was too busy to handle it alone, so he recruited several doctors and nurses from the Health Center to help. The director of the Health Center was furious and threatened to dismiss them, but it still didn't stop this wave of talent outflow. After all, the salary offered by the Bozhong Clinic was much higher than that of the Health Center. In a fit of pique, the director resigned. As a result, the Health Center was only in name. Although the signs of "Pi Town Health Center" and "Bozhong Clinic" were hung side by side, people in the town no longer said they were going to the Commune Health Center for treatment as they used to, but instead changed their minds and said they were going to the Bozhong Clinic.

Zong Tianyi led his mother to queue up at the Bozhong Clinic early in the morning. Since moving into the Health Center, although every patient went to see the "miracle doctor" Dr. Wu, due to the overwhelming number of patients seeking treatment, even if Dr. Wu had three heads and six arms, he would be too busy. Therefore, a "triage system" had to be implemented. It was said this was a management experience learned from large hospitals in the provincial capital and Chuzhou. That is, Dr. Wu's assistants would first receive or pre-diagnose patients - the few doctors recruited from the hospital had all become Dr. Wu's assistants. Generally, the assistants could treat ordinary illnesses without having to see Dr. Wu. Only serious illnesses or complicated cases that the assistants could not handle could be transferred to Dr. Wu.

It was almost noon when Zong Tianyi led his mother through several rounds of pre-diagnosis and finally met Dr. Wu.

Dr. Wu's consulting room was exceptionally spacious, several times larger than those of his assistants. The facilities were also much more elegant and impressive, resembling an office rather than a consulting room. In fact, this consulting room was previously the hospital director's office. After the director resigned, it became Dr. Wu's consulting and office space. After Dr. Wu moved in, he didn't make many changes to the original facilities, even keeping the slogan "Saving lives and curing wounds to practice revolutionary humanitarianism" on the wall. He just replaced the portrait of the leader with a Tai Chi diagram. However, this change completely altered the atmosphere of the consulting room. On the other wall, opposite the Tai Chi diagram, there were various banners presented by patients, with thank-you messages such as "Hua Tuo reincarnated", "Contemporary Bian Que", "Living Guanyin", and so on. A banner also reads: "Dr. Wu: The grace of saving my life will never be forgotten! You were the reddest, reddest red sun in my heart!" Most notably, there was a bed in the consulting room, with the quilt neatly folded into a square, angular, and tidy shape. It was separated by a plastic curtain, usually used for Dr. Wu's lunch break, and occasionally for patients to lie down for further observation and diagnosis.

When Zong Tianyi led his mother in, Dr. Wu was sitting beneath the Tai Chi diagram, with his eyes lowered and his hands clasped together on the table, motionless, as if asleep or meditating. Zong Tianyi felt that the black and white pattern of the Chinese-style double-breasted shirt on Dr. Wu's body was exactly the same as the Tai Chi diagram on the wall, and the two complemented each other, giving people a sense of profoundness and unpredictability.

The consultation room was eerily quiet, starkly contrasting the bustling noise outside. Zong Tianyi helped his mother sit in the chair opposite Dr. Wu while he stood beside her, one hand pressed against her shoulder as if afraid she might run away. During the queue and pre-consultation process just now, his mother would have almost bolted away if it weren't for his coaxing and persuasion.

Zong Tianyi put a lot of thought into getting his mother to see a doctor. Ever since he decided to treat his mother's illness, he began working with his sister Gu Zheng to persuade her. At first, Gu Zheng doesn't believe the illness can be cured: "Brother, did Doctor Wu really cure Crazy Pei?"

Zong Tianyi said, "How could it be fake? I saw Crazy Pei dressed neatly on the street that day, accompanied by two people who looked like cadres, and got into a car. The townspeople said that Crazy Pei's 'hat' had been removed, and his former unit's leader came to pick him up to return to work."

Gu Zheng listened to Zong Tianyi recounting the rumors he had heard from the town, which sounded very convincing. She finally believed him. She said, "Once Mum recovers, we'll accompany her to the provincial city to visit our grandparents." Zong Tianyi agreed, "Yes, Mum studied at Dongjiang University. Let's take her to visit Dongjiang University and see our grandparents together. We'll also take her to Beijing and Shanghai for fun!" Gu Zheng said, "That would cost a lot of money." Zong Tianyi replied, "I calculated, and the money I earn as a temporary worker at the brick-and-tile factory is enough!" Gu Zheng's gaze stopped on Zong Tianyi's confident face and said, "Brother, you're really something!"

Now, Zong Tianyi stood opposite Dr. Wu, nervously gazing at this legendary figure. He had met Dr. Wu more than once, but only occasionally in town, at a distance. At this moment, Dr. Wu was so close that even the hairs on his face were clearly visible. He noticed that Dr. Wu was really like what he had heard in legends: he had no beard on his chin, his face was rosy, his hair was black and shiny as if it had been oiled, and coupled with the black and white patterned Chinese-style jacket on his body, it was hard to tell whether he was male or female, or how old he was.

Zong Tianyi waited for several minutes, but Dr. Wu remained motionless, eyes drooping, hands folded. Zong Tianyi sensed that his mother was starting to get restless and wanted to break free from his grasp and stand up. He couldn't hold his patience any longer and softly called out, "Dr. Wu..."

As soon as his voice left his mouth, Dr. Wu suddenly raised a finger and signaled to him, "Keep quiet and let me take another look."

But Zong Tianyi couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled as he clearly saw that he had kept his eyes tightly shut the entire time.

After a while, Dr. Wu slowly opened his eyes, and his gaze fell on Zong Tianyi's face. He stared for a full minute before muttering, "You should have been here long ago."

This remark left Zong Tianyi a bit puzzled. He was worried that the other person might misunderstand, so he said, "Dr. Wu, it's not me who needs treatment, it's my Mum..."

Dr. Wu waved his hand as if his explanation was completely unnecessary. "It's all the same; it's all the same. Her illness is your illness, and your illness is her illness. It's all the karma from our previous lives..."

Zong Tianyi seemed to understand but did not fully grasp the meaning. He looked at Doctor Wu and, fearing to say the wrong thing, whispered, "Can my Mum's illness... be cured?"

Dr. Wu chanted like a monk, "Your illness is your father's illness, and your father's illness is your illness..."

Hearing the words "your father" coming out of his mouth, Zong Tianyi's heart couldn't help but tighten. Curious and nervous, he asked, "My father... You know my dad?"

But Dr. Wu didn't answer, and he lowered his eyelids again, while one hand kept stroking his chin. Zong Tianyi noticed that Dr. Wu's hand was very white and plump, like a woman's. He heard from the townspeople that Dr. Wu personally treated patients and charged several times more than the health center. Could it be that he was worried I couldn't afford the medicine?

"I have money, as long as I can cure my mother's illness..." Zong Tianyi stammered, "I work at the brick-and-tile factory!"

"You get out," said Dr. Wu.

"W-What?" Zong Tianyi thought he had heard wrong.

"You get out," Dr. Wu repeated before slowly opening his eyes.

Zong Tianyi was at a loss and didn't move. He noticed that Dr. Wu's eyes protruded significantly, and when he looked at someone, they seemed to be a condenser lens that could penetrate one's heart - a pair of rare "hawk eyes".

At this moment, a young man wearing sunglasses walked in and said in a commanding tone, "Did you hear? Dr. Wu wants to diagnose the patient and asks you to leave."

Zong Tianyi had heard that Dr. Wu didn't allow others to be present during his diagnosis of patients. Therefore, he released his hand from pressing his mother's shoulder and walked outside. However, his mother, like a child, firmly held onto his arm and refused to let go, showing a fearful expression in her eyes. Zong Tianyi wanted to comfort his mother, but the young man wearing sunglasses impatiently tugged at him. He had no choice but to break free from his mother's grip and walk towards the clinic entrance.

As soon as Zong Tianyi walked out, the door slammed shut behind him.

3. Morgue, Darkroom, "The Heart of a Young Girl"

The young man was wearing sunglasses, had long hair, wore a pair of skinny jeans and a pair of white Nike sneakers, and dressed like a city person. His accent didn't sound like he was from this town, and Zong Tianyi had never seen him before. He only started appearing after the Bozhong Clinic opened in Pi Town. His relationship with Dr. Wu was bizarre. He wasn't like the bodyguards speculated by the townspeople, nor was he like an ordinary clinic employee. Sometimes, he disappeared for a few days, and after a while, he would suddenly appear in the clinic like he had emerged from the ground. He came and went without a trace, and no one knew where he came from or where he went. Some people speculated that the young man wearing sunglasses was Dr. Wu's apprentice. One reason was that the young man wearing sunglasses always followed him like a shadow whenever Dr. Wu went to the bank to deposit or withdraw money. Others said that the young man was Dr. Wu's adopted son because someone had personally heard him call Dr. Wu "dad" on the street.

In summary, the true identity of the young man wearing sunglasses in Pi Town was the subject of diverse opinions and conflicting theories, with rumors becoming increasingly bizarre. However, it was Zong Tianyi who truly clarified the relationship between him and Dr. Wu. At that time, he would accompany his mother to the Bozhong Clinic for treatment every few days. After delivering her to Dr. Wu's spacious consultation room, Dr. Wu would ask the young man wearing sunglasses to escort him out. Initially, Zong Tianyi didn't stray far; he waited in the clinic's hallway. Concerned about his mother, who was alone with Dr. Wu, Zong Tianyi would periodically approach the door and listen closely to any sounds coming from inside. He did so out of curiosity, as Dr. Wu had never prescribed any medication for his mother thus far, and he was eager to learn how Dr. Wu treated her. Additionally, he couldn't shake off the unease of his mother being alone with Dr. Wu. However, the consultation room's door was airtight, and there was a thick cloth curtain inside, with the curtains tightly drawn, making it impossible to see or hear anything.

Once, when Zong Tianyi was standing at the entrance of the consulting room, his ear pressed against the door, hoping to catch something, the door suddenly swung open. Dr. Wu stepped out, his eyes fixed on Zong Tianyi like a sharp needle. Without saying a word, he simply dragged out his tone and shouted, "Du-Wei—!" Before the words were even finished, the young man wearing sunglasses suddenly appeared from nowhere, grabbed Zong Tianyi, and left the consulting room without another word.

Du Wei grabbed Zong Tianyi by the arm and dragged him to a single-story house with a single door in a courtyard of the health center compound before letting go. Du Wei said that it was a house rented by Doctor Wu from the health center. "The rent is very low; it's like living for free. The health center is essentially being taken care of by us now. What's the big deal about this little money?"

Zong Tianyi was skeptical of his words.

Du Wei knew that Doctor Wu had expelled Zong Tianyi from the consultation room, and he felt a bit displeased. He explained, "My godfather hates interruptions when treating patients. It will affect the treatment outcome."

Upon hearing the word "godfather", Zong Tianyi let out an "Oh". "So, you really are..." He only said half the sentence, and just as he was about to say the rest, he swallowed it back and changed his mind, asking, "Your name is Du Wei?"

The other party nodded. Zong Tianyi said, "My name is..." But before he could introduce himself, Du Wei interrupted him, "I know," he said in a mysterious tone, "I not only know your name but also know the illnesses of you and your mother..."

"You're wrong. I'm not sick," Zong Tianyi corrected. "I'm here to treat my mother's illness!"

"How do you know you're not sick?" Du Wei sneered. "Every patient denies they're sick at first. But my godfather knows. He can tell just by looking at you. Not only can he see through you, but he can also see through your parents..."

Zong Tianyi felt that Du Wei's words were too mysterious. He originally wanted to retort, but considering the various rumors about Dr. Wu in town, he had to swallow his words and said, "But... he hasn't prescribed a single medicine for my Mum yet."

"You don't understand," Du Wei interrupted him again. "My godfather never uses medication to treat mental illness. Didn't he cure Crazy Pei without prescribing a single pill?"

"How does he treat illnesses?" Zong Tianyi widened his eyes.

"Exert power," Du Wei uttered two unfamiliar words.

Zong Tianyi originally wanted to ask what "exerting power" meant, but upon seeing Du Wei's mysterious expression, he knew that asking further would not elicit an answer. He had to hold his tongue tactfully.

From then on, every time Dr. Wu treated his mother in the consultation room, Zong Tianyi had to be taken by Du Wei to wait in that single-door, single-story house.

The single-story house looked very humble from the outside, with red bricks and gray tiles, not much different from most of the houses in Pi Town. It was described as a single-door, single-yard house, but in fact, it only had two and a half rooms. One was Dr. Wu's bedroom, and the other was the living room. The bedroom door was always closed. When Zong Tianyi once saw Du Wei open the half-door, he saw only one bed inside, which was unusually wide and almost filled the entire room. As for what it looked like inside, he didn't see clearly. What was there to see in a bedroom of two men? Zong Tianyi thought so because he had heard Du Wei say that sometimes he also slept there, "But sometimes I sleep alone in the living room..." Du Wei pointed to the clumsy wooden sofa and added, "Carpenter Qiu gave this as a thank-you gift for my godfather." At that time, he and Zong Tianyi were sitting on the sofa. Du Wei's words made Zong Tianyi deeply surprised. He couldn't imagine what it felt like for two men to live in the same room. However, when he thought of Du Wei calling Dr. Wu "godfather", the strange feeling in Zong Tianyi's heart lessened a bit. After all, they were father and son. He couldn't imagine sleeping in the same bed with his father. Zong Tianyi was still very young when his father disappeared and had no memory of it. A hint of sadness flitted through his heart, and he couldn't help but envy Du Wei a little

Perhaps because two men were living there and it was a temporary rental, the room was very messy. Apart from the sofa, there was hardly any decent furniture. Moreover, there was always an unpleasant smell in the room. As for what exactly the scent was, Zong Tianyi couldn't tell. Although it had a concrete floor, the room was still very damp, with traces of cockroaches crawling all over it. On one occasion, Zong Tianyi even saw a gecko on the ceiling, swinging like a trapeze, stretching its head very long to look down, with its eyes rolling around. He was so scared that he screamed.

Du Wei smiled, "You're really timid. What's there to be afraid of? This thing is full of treasures. My godfather and I often eat it."

When Zong Tianyi heard this, goosebumps rose on his body. His greatest fears since childhood were geckos, toads, and snakes.

"Of course, toads and snakes were also good things…,” said Du Wei.

Zong Tianyi felt like he was about to vomit.

"These few things can be called delicacies..." To verify his own words, Du Wei picked up a pair of chopsticks that had been carelessly thrown on the coffee table after dinner, walked to the coal stove by the wall, lifted the lid of a large iron pot that was gurgling and steaming, took out a piece of something that had been boiled out of shape, blew on it, bit off a piece with his teeth, put it in his mouth, and chewed it, murmuring, "Ah, the taste is delicious!" With that, he extended the chopsticks towards Zong Tianyi. "It still needs a bit more heat. It will be better if it's boiled a bit longer. Do you want to try a bite?"

Zong Tianyi finally couldn't hold it in and vomited.

"I used to be like you, feeling nauseous at the sight of these things, but I eventually got used to it." Du Wei laughed heartily, pointing at Zong Tianyi with his chopsticks. "This is excellent medicinal soup. You'll gradually appreciate the wonders of this stuff in the future..."

Zong Tianyi felt that Du Wei's demeanor was strikingly similar to Dr. Wu's.

Du Wei and Zong Tianyi didn't always chat casually when they were together. Sometimes, he would leave Zong Tianyi in the living room and disappear into the other small room for a long time. With nothing to do, Zong Tianyi had no choice but to lie on the sofa and doze off. Once, while Zong Tianyi was sleeping dreamily, something suddenly fell on him. He opened his eyes and grabbed it. It was a small book. Zong Tianyi looked up in confusion and saw Du Wei standing at the small room's door. He winked at him and said, "Don't sleep in. Have time to read more. My godfather said that books were the best nourishment for life." Then he went back into the small room.

Zong Tianyi felt that what Du Wei said made sense. He picked up the small book, and a few words on the cover caught his eye: "The Heart of a Young Girl - Memoirs of Manna". Zong Tianyi was drawn to the book like a magnet, and he curiously opened it. He saw that the words inside were handwritten, densely packed, like tadpoles, but the handwriting was neat and easy to read:

When I was eighteen, I was still studying in a middle school. At that time, due to my failure in one subject and my lack of emphasis on learning, I gave up my studies and applied to a sports school. My previous dream of becoming a glamorous movie star thus vanished into thin air. However, with my graceful and healthy physique and sports skills, I easily passed the entrance exam for a sports college.

Zong Tianyi felt his heart beating rapidly. He continued reading.

Suddenly, he fiercely embraced my body, one hand began to unbutton my blouse, while the other reached in and tore open my white bra, grasping my soft and elastic nipples. An indescribable sense of pleasure spread throughout my body, making me feel limp and feverish all over. Instinctively, I asked insincerely, "Cousin, don't... What were you doing? Oh, no!" "Let me touch it!" he said, busy stroking back and forth. I held his neck tightly with one hand, and my other hand unconsciously reached for his rigid part, then grasped the throbbing thing. A warm current of intoxication, like an electric shock, rippled through my palms and spread throughout my body, making me feel extremely happy!

Zong Tianyi felt a surge of warmth coursing through his body. He recalled the "Jin Ping Mei" at home, which he had never finished reading due to its complex traditional characters and classical Chinese style. In comparison, this handwritten book was more captivating. He forgot all about his surroundings and devoured it with eagerness. After an unknown period, Du Wei emerged from the small room again, holding the camera he often wore around his neck, aiming it at Zong Tianyi. He cautiously stood up from the sofa and asked, "W-What were you doing?"

"Let me take a photo of you." Du Wei made a face, "You look cool when you're reading."

Zong Tianyi realized that he was still holding the small book, and his face blushed as if the book were hot to the touch. He threw it onto the sofa.

"Don't be shy. My godfather said that books were good things, the ladder of human progress..."

"But this is a pornographic book," Zong Tianyi muttered.

"When I first saw this book, I thought the same as you, but my godfather said..."

Whenever Du Wei spoke, he would mention "godfather" like a parrot. Zong Tianyi found it a bit ridiculous and couldn't help but interrupt him, sarcastically saying, "Doctor Wu... I mean your godfather; he knows so much!"

"Of course, my godfather is my life mentor!" Du Wei said with a hint of pride. "He's not just a doctor. He knows everything, such as..." He glanced at the small book, picked it up, and flipped through a few pages. "This is the first lesson in life philosophy, worth learning well. Otherwise, you'll know nothing and accomplish nothing!"

Zong Tianyi felt that Du Wei's words were quite profound, and he couldn't help but admire him a bit. "I don't understand what you're talking about..."

"I didn't understand it before. My godfather said that the world is made up of men and women. Only by understanding the little things about men and women can one grasp life's big truths. If a man can't even understand women, what prospects can he have?" Du Wei said, again throwing the handwritten book into Zong Tianyi's hands. "This book is given to you. After reading it, you will understand everything!" With that, he turned around and went back to the small room.

Zong Tianyi thought that Du Wei spoke like Dr. Wu. The key was that he also liked Dr. Wu, who had a pair of eagle eyes. Despite talking in the clouds, he thought Du Wei was a pretty good person, not the edge of the tone, but to the people, he was still quite righteous ...

Zong Tianyi was lost in thought when a sudden thought popped up: he wanted to see what Du Wei was doing in the small room. He pushed the door open slightly, revealing a pitch-black interior. Even the windows were covered with thick canvas curtains, obscuring everything from view. The only light was a faint, reddish glow, which vaguely illuminated a blurry figure. It felt like seeing the legendary ghostly flames, and Zong Tianyi felt a chill run down his spine in fear. At that Moment, the "ghostly flame" suddenly went out, plunging the room into complete darkness. Just as Zong Tianyi was at a loss, he suddenly felt a hand pushing him out of the door. Then, Du Wei walked out, casually slamming the door shut behind him. "What were you doing?" he scolded with a stern face. "Don't you know that not even a bit of light can penetrate the darkroom? You almost ruined all the photos I've taken these days!"

Zong Tianyi then realized that the darkroom was inside, where the photos were being developed. Since he had just come out of the darkroom, and perhaps because he was angry, Du Wei's face was ashen, with no blood color at all.

The tension in Zong Tianyi's heart had not yet subsided, and he scrutinized Du Wei's face as if he wanted to see clearly whether he was a human or a ghost. "You scared me; I thought I had seen a ghost!"

Du Wei shook his hands, which were covered with developer solution, and asked Zong Tianyi, "Are you afraid of ghosts?"

"Who isn't afraid of…ghosts?" Zong Tianyi found Du Wei's question a bit strange.

"So, you've seen a ghost?" Du Wei smiled strangely.

"This... I haven't seen it. "This... I haven't seen it before." Zong Tianyi shook his head.

"I've seen it," Du Wei said with a mysterious expression. Right here in this room." Seeing Zong Tianyi staring at him in surprise, he added, "I didn't see it with my own eyes. I captured it with a camera."

Zong Tianyi recalled the camera that Du Wei often wore around his neck. However, he was skeptical of Du Wei's words. He felt Du Wei was deliberately trying to scare him as a punishment for his unauthorized entry into the darkroom. He realized that this guy was no ordinary character.

"I know you don't believe me, and I didn't believe it at first, either." Du Wei seemed to have read his mind. He carefully picked up a towel over the back of the sofa and wiped his hands. "But after hearing from my godfather that this small bungalow used to be the morgue of the health center, I had to believe it." As if to prove his point, he added, "I'll show you the photos when they're developed. Then you'll believe me." Du Wei glanced at Zong Tianyi and said, "I captured a ghost in this room and the clinic—on your mother's body! I'll take a picture of you later to see if the ghost on your mother's body has jumped to you..."

Zong Tianyi felt his hair stand on end as he remembered his mother, who was still receiving treatment in Dr. Wu's clinic. Without waiting for Du Wei to finish speaking, he suddenly rushed out of the room and sprinted towards the clinic. Behind him, he heard Du Wei's joyful laughter: "Haha, scared now, you coward!"

When Zong Tianyi sprinted to Dr. Wu's clinic at the speed of a 100-meter race, the clinic's door was wide open. Dr. Wu was the only one sitting behind the spacious desk, resting his eyes as if he were recuperating. The tightly closed door curtain behind him was lifted, revealing a bed inside that appeared somewhat messy, as if someone had just laid down.

"Where's my Mum?" Zong Tianyi shouted nervously.

Dr. Wu didn't answer and didn't open his eyes. He muttered to himself, "Just a little more, and I would have caught it. Just a little more..."

Zong Tianyi felt like he was about to collapse, and continued to shout, "I'm asking you, where's my Mum? Where is she?" He slammed the table, causing a gold-plated pocket watch on it to almost fall to the ground.

The pocket watch was originally in Doctor Wu's coat pocket and attached to a heart-shaped jadeite. However, the jadeite was now missing.

"Child, there's a ghost hiding in your mother's body, and it's the ghost that has bewitched her heart." Doctor Wu slowly opened his eyes. "I was just about to catch it when it ran away..."

Zong Tianyi couldn't figure out whether the "it" Doctor Wu was referring to was his mother or the "ghost" he had mentioned. He felt Doctor Wu's words were almost identical to Du Wei's. A few strands of his immaculate hair had fallen down, making his face look dejected.

Zong Tianyi stared at Doctor Wu as if trying to find any suspicious flaws in a painting. Suddenly, he turned around and broke into a sprint. He ran from the clinic onto the street, weaving through the crowds of pedestrians. Many people stopped and looked at him, wondering what was happening.

"Have you seen my Mum?" Zong Tianyi asked an acquaintance who had just come out of the vegetable market, carrying two empty baskets.

"No," the person shook his head and asked in return, "Didn't I see you accompanying your Mum to the clinic when I went to buy groceries this morning?"

Zong Tianyi asked several people in succession, but they all said they didn't know. From the anxious expression on Zong Tianyi's face, they guessed that something must had happened.

Zong Tianyi ran all the way from the street into Pi Town Primary School. At the entrance of the purple-tiled house, he saw his sister Gu Zheng, who had just returned from her afternoon class, sitting under the begonia tree in front of their home.

"Little sister, where's Mum?" Zong Tianyi grabbed Gu Zheng by the shoulder and repeatedly asked, "Have you seen Mum come back?"

"Mum has hidden in the embroidery room. She seems to have been frightened and isn't saying a word..." Gu Zheng pouted and asked with a hint of reproach, "Weren't you supposed to accompany Mum to the clinic for treatment? Why did you let her come back alone?"

Zong Tianyi's anxious heart finally settled. Ever since his mother fell ill with a mental illness, she often found herself alone in the embroidery room for long periods, only coming out at eating time.

When Zong Tianyi and Gu Zheng found their mother in the embroidered building surrounded by weeds and vines climbing all over the walls, they saw her clutching a heart-shaped jade tightly in her hand. Her face filled with fear, and she kept muttering, "I'm not sick, I'm not sick. I don't want to go see a doctor!"

"Alright, you're not sick, Mum. Let's not go to the doctor..." Zong Tianyi stepped forward, gently hugged his mother, and helped her home with his sister.

From then on, my mother refused to go to the clinic with Zong Tianyi. Whenever she heard the word "clinic", she would show a terrified expression.

4. Red Spear and Principal Gong

The embroidery building stood in a desolate garden, surrounded by artemisia, wild grapes, and wild jujube trees. Wild rabbits and hedgehogs often haunted the area. The garden teemed with butterflies, bees, and dragonflies every spring and summer, creating a lively scene. A moss-covered wall separated the purple-tiled house from the garden, with a half-moon gate in the middle. The gate, made of wooden boards, had long since decayed due to the erosion of wind and rain. When Zong Tianyi was young, he often sneaked through the half-moon gate with his friends, catching dragonflies, playing hide-and-seek, and engaging in war games in the garden. Zong Tianyi even spent fifty cents to especially have a red-feather spear made at the blacksmith shop in town, wrapped in red cloth, and declared himself the leader of the Children's Corps. He led several friends to launch an attack on the embroidery building, which was used as a Japanese gun emplacement. Only half of the embroidery building remained. According to adults, the Japanese mortar fire collapsed the other half. The remaining half was filled with broken bricks and tiles, and the wooden stairs were crumbled into powder. Whenever Zong Tianyi and his friends captured the embroidery building, they would urinate on it victoriously. Over time, the embroidery building became filled with a pungent urine odor. Compared to the lively atmosphere during the day, the garden becomes quiet and eerie at night, and even adults rarely enter it. No one in Pi Town knew that Zheng Juren, the prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, had his concubine Yunniang hang herself in the embroidery building. In earlier years, some people even saw a woman with disheveled hair walking around the garden at night, laughing and crying alternately. It was said that she was Yunniang's ghost. However, this was just a legend, and no one had ever seen it with their own eyes.

After entering junior high school, Zong Tianyi rarely went into the garden. However, ever since he heard Du Wei talk about "ghosts" last time, he also recalled the legend of the embroidery building and Yunniang. That day, he and his sister Gu Zheng managed to get their mother back home from the embroidery building. For the entire day, they were uneasy and restless. At night, he had a dream in which he was holding a red cherry spear and leading two friends, Wang Cheng and Ba Dong, to charge towards the embroidery building. He rushed up to the building, turned around, and saw that Wang Cheng and Ba Dong hadn't followed. Then, turning again, he saw a person on the embroidery building with disheveled hair and a long dress fluttering. He gripped the red cherry spear tightly and shouted, "Don't move! Raise your hands!" The person slowly turned around, with wet clothes dripping down. He recognized it as his mother... At this moment, Zong Tianyi woke up and found himself soaked in sweat.

During that period, when the brick-and-tile factory was firing kilns to produce bricks, Zong Tianyi often worked overtime and came home late every day. Before going to work, he repeatedly instructed his younger sister not to let their mother go to the embroidery building again.

 Summer vacation had begun, and Gu Zheng spent her days at home doing homework and reading novels. These novels were all rummaged out from her mother's trunk. Les Misérables, Notre-Dame de Paris, Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Anna Karenina, Gone with the Wind ... Gu Zheng was increasingly fascinated by these foreign novels. Whenever she had a novel to read, her mother would sit beside her, holding a goose feather fan with a few missing feathers to fan her. While fanning, she hummed a song with inaudible lyrics, appearing quiet and not like a patient. Gu Zheng thought that her mother might not really be sick, and her brother should never take her to the Bozhong Clinic for treatment

When the weather got hot, there was less cooking at home, and meals were taken from the cafeteria. However, during the summer vacation, the elementary school cafeteria was closed, so Gu Zheng had to go to the middle school cafeteria across the street to get her meals. Usually, it was her brother who went to the cafeteria to get food, but if he were working at the brick factory, the task would be handed over to Gu Zheng. The food at the middle school cafeteria was much worse than that at the elementary school cafeteria. Not only were the dishes tasteless, but the prices were also several cents higher on average. In the past, when Gu Zheng went to get food, she never dared to order meat dishes. But things were different since her brother started working as a temporary worker at the brick factory. "We have to buy meat dishes for every meal. Brother has plenty of money now!" her brother said as he handed her the meal ticket, with a tone of wealth and arrogance. This made Gu Zheng feel that getting food was a happy thing. Every mealtime, Gu Zheng would carry an aluminum lunchbox out of her house and show up at the middle school cafeteria on time. The lunchbox had three layers, with the first layer containing rice and the second and third layers containing vegetables, enough for two or three people to eat. Many people were at the middle school cafeteria, and if you arrived a little late, you would have to wait in line for a long time.

That noon, Gu Zheng waited in line for quite a while before getting her meal. When she got home, she found her mother missing. Her mother had been home when she went to the cafeteria to get her meal. How could she have disappeared in such a short time? Gu Zheng put her lunchbox on the table and walked outside, but didn't see her mother. When she came back home again, Gu Zheng heard someone talking in the bedroom where she and her mother lived. It wasn't her mother's usual monologue but a man's voice. The door was slightly ajar. Gu Zheng tiptoed over and looked through the crack in the door. She saw a man kneeling in front of her mother and saying something. The man had his back to the door, so Gu Zheng could only see his back and the back of his balding head. Her mother was curled up by the bed, with her hands twisted together in front of her chest and a terrified expression on her face

Gu Zheng was so surprised that she almost cried out. She quickly covered her mouth. She heard the person babbling on:

"...Teacher Gu, ever since you arrived in Pi Town, I've fallen for you! Not a single day has passed all these years without me thinking of you. Zong Xiaotian has such a wonderful wife like you, yet he still goes around philandering and seducing female teachers and students. He's truly a beast, worse than an animal. His disappearance on Pigu Mountain shows that even the heavens couldn't stand it and took him away. It's such a relief!...... Seeing you like this now, my heart aches. Fortunately, I finally ousted that rebellious headmaster and became the principal. I can continue to pay your salary. Although it's only half, it's enough to cover your living expenses with your two children. According to the policy, the school has no obligation to support you after being crazy for so many years. Nowadays, educated youths are not treated like precious gems. Many can't even find a job after returning to the city. Compared to them, you're quite lucky. Of course, I could have given you the full salary, which would have made life much easier for the three of you. But Song Qiankun... Deputy Governor Song is only Zong Xiaotian's former stepfather. I originally thought they were biological father and son! I was so convinced, and I flattered him so much, only to find out that I was kissing the ass of a donkey. Do you know why Deputy Governor Song came to see you? He came to distance himself from Zong Xiaotian - he was just 'liberated' as a capitalist roader. He was afraid of being associated with Zong Xiaotian's biological father, who had become a traitor! And his ex-wife, that foreign woman named Anna, who is Zong Xiaotian's mother... Forget it; Zong Xiaotian's background is too complicated, so I won't investigate it. I only care about you now. In the eyes of others, you're a lunatic, but in my eyes, you're the most beautiful person in Pi Town, a million times better than that yellow-faced woman at home. Whenever I have sex with her, all I can think of is you. Otherwise, that thing won't get hard. God bears witness, and every word I say is true. If there's even a single false word, I'm willing to die like Zong Xiaotian and not even find my bones... Baby! I would do anything for you. Don't worry, I will take good care of the three of you. After Zong Tianyi graduates from junior high school, don't go to high school or university. Find a job to earn money to support the family. I can let him work in a middle school like you did. It's also acceptable according to the policy. Baby, can you understand me..."

When Gu Zheng heard this, that man grabbed her mother's hand and buried his face in it, kissing it like a chicken pecking at rice. Her mother struggled desperately to pull her hand away. At that moment, she saw Gu Zheng peeping through the door and screamed. The person was startled, released her hand, turned around, and saw Gu Zheng, blushing and turning pale, hurriedly stood up, straightened his messy hair that had fallen onto his forehead, and walked out silently.

Gu Zheng recognized that the person was Principal Gong from Pi Town Middle School.

Formerly, Principal Gong was the Vice Principal and also resided in the faculty dormitory building of Pi Town Primary School, facing the Purple Tile House. Before being transferred to Pi Town Middle School, Vice Principal Gong served as the Academic Dean of Pi Town Primary School. He was very thin, with a high-pitched and shrill voice. Even without a loudspeaker, his speech during meetings was jarring to the ears. He used to wear a Zhongshan suit with a pen sticking out of his breast pocket. After being transferred to the middle school as Vice Principal, the pen in his pocket became two, and later, the Zhongshan suit was replaced by a Western suit. When he went to work, he always carried a briefcase under his arm, walking with his head bowed and frowning, as if he were thinking about something. Vice Principal Gong's wife worked as a cook in the primary school cafeteria. She had a broad chest and a round waist, earning her the nickname "Big Dough". She could easily lift a bag of flour onto her shoulder with a gentle grasp, and she spoke loudly and roughly, always as if arguing with someone. In fact, Vice Principal Gong and his wife often fought at home, and he was always beaten up by her, leaving his face bruised and swollen. After being beaten, Vice Principal Gong would stay in the middle school office for several days without returning home, only returning after his wife repeatedly went to invite him back.

Vice Principal Gong's son, Gong Xiaopeng, was in the same class as Gu Zheng. Gong Xiaopeng was as fat as his mother, and his classmates had given him the nickname "Little Doughball" behind his back. "Little Doughball" was extremely gluttonous, always carrying a pile of snacks in his pocket, and chews nonstop like a mouse during class. His deskmate was extremely annoyed, but dared not complain. Because he was as strong as his mother, he liked to pick fights, looking for excuses to pick on anyone who didn't suit his fancy. However, "Little Doughball" was quite friendly towards Gu Zheng, never picking on her. He often took out delicious things from his pocket and shoved them into her hands, saying, "This is what my Mum took out from the cafeteria, it's really delicious!" Gu Zheng didn't accept them, but he didn't get angry, just grumbling, "Hey, you're so thin, why aren't you willing to eat?"

After Vice Principal Gong became "Principal Gong", his family moved to the newly built dormitory building at the middle school, and his wife was also transferred to work as a cook in the middle school cafeteria. Except for often seeing Principal Gong's wife when she was serving meals in the cafeteria, Gu Zheng rarely saw Principal Gong himself. If it hadn't been for bumping into him at home today, Gu Zheng would have almost forgotten his appearance. For an entire day, Gu Zheng pondered over the words Principal Gong had said in front of her mother. To a little girl, those words were really too confusing, especially Principal Gong's strange posture when he knelt in front of her mother, which shocked her.

In the evening, when her brother Zong Tianyi came back from working the night shift at the brick-and-tile factory, Gu Zheng repeatedly tried to tell him about the scene she had witnessed during the day, but the words stuck in her throat and she swallowed them back.

From then on, Gu Zheng lived in a state of anxiety, fearing that Principal Gong might suddenly appear at her home again.

During that period, Zong Tianyi worked in the brick-and-tile factory all day. Sometimes, when he was too tired, he would spend the night crowding with the workers in the factory. Even when he went home, it was often already midnight. After showering, he would crawl into the small room partitioned off with planks and plasterboard, plop down on the bed, and fall asleep. The next day, he would go to work again before dawn, without noticing any abnormality in his sister's mood.

As summer vacation came to an end, Zong Tianyi's month-long overtime work at the brick-and-tile factory finally came to an end. Before leaving work, he went to the financial office to collect his salary for the month. Zong Tianyi felt particularly fulfilled with a thick wad of money in his pocket. During this busy period, he neglected his family and wanted to reward his mother and sister. On his way home, he deliberately detoured to the supply and marketing cooperative-run restaurant and bought the last two baskets of steamed buns.

It was not yet dark, and there was still a hint of crimson sunset glow on the western sky. The air seemed to have frozen, with not a breath of wind. The toon trees on both sides of the street, which had been bathed in the sun all day, drooped their heads and remained motionless. When Zong Tianyi walked into the gate of Pi Town Primary School, he saw the gatekeeper, Mr. Lei, sprinkling water on the ground with a plastic basin. The air was filled with a strong, dusty smell.

Zong Tianyi quickly walked towards the purple-tiled house. The door was open, and the room was empty. It was time for the cafeteria to open for meals, and Zong Tianyi thought that his sister had probably gone to the middle school cafeteria to get some food. He placed the two baskets of steaming buns on the table. Seeing that the door to the bedroom was slightly ajar, he called out, "Mum." No one answered, but he heard a strange moan.

Zong Tianyi's mind went blank for a moment. He took a few quick steps to the door and was immediately stunned by the scene before him. He saw a balding man with two skinny thighs lying on top of his naked mother, who was lying on her back in bed with her mouth covered by a hand, uttering incoherent cries. At that moment, the man heard the commotion and turned to look. In the dim light, Zong Tianyi saw that it was Principal Gong from middle school. For the fifteen-year-old Zong Tianyi, he had read or dreamed of such a scene more than once. Humiliation and disgust made him feel a surge of blood rush to his head. Without thinking, he turned around and ran into his small room, pulling out a red feather spear with the gun barrel removed from the bedside table drawer. When he turned back out, he just happened to bump into Principal Gong, who was rushing out of his mother's bedroom. He clenched his teeth and threw the red-feather spear with all his might. Principal Gong instinctively dodged to the side, and the red feather spear pierced his right eye, splashing a pool of blood

At that moment, Gu Zheng, who had just arrived at the door with a lunchbox, happened to see Principal Gong covering his right eye with one hand, as blood gushed out like a fountain. With the other hand, he held onto the door frame and let out a shrill, miserable scream: "Murder! Help!"

Gu Zheng's lunchbox fell to the ground with a thud. She glanced into the room and saw her brother, Zong Tianyi, holding a red-banded spear without a gun barrel, with blood dripping from the tip. She hurried over and repeatedly called out, "Brother, brother..."

Zong Tianyi stood there in a daze, completely unresponsive, like a wooden figure.

In an instant, Zong Tianyi realized he had made a big mistake. The only thought that flashed through his mind was to escape. He stuffed the salary he had just received into his sister's hand and slipped out of the primary school campus amidst the chaos.

He ran all the way to the dormitory of the brick-and-tile factory. The so-called dormitory was nothing more than a work shed built with discarded bricks and tiles. The residents, all older men who worked in the factory like him, had taken good care of him. Due to their exhaustion from the day's work, they had all fallen asleep early. When they saw Zong Tianyi silently enter, they assumed he hadn't gone home and would spend the night with them as usual, so they didn't pay any attention.

Zong Tianyi lay down on the bed of a fellow worker who hadn't returned from his night shift. But he had no desire to sleep. His mind was filled with the unbearable scene, as well as an eye gushing with blood. The ear was filled with the cries of Principal Gong, and the hand that had once held the red halberd kept trembling. It wasn't until the wee hours of the morning that he finally drifted off for a brief Moment.

At the crack of dawn, Zong Tianyi was awakened by a sudden, urgent shout. He opened his hazy eyes and saw Wang Cheng standing beside the bed, vigorously shaking him, "Zong Tianyi, wake up!"

Zong Tianyi was startled, and all his sleepiness vanished. He quickly scrambled to his feet. "What... matter?"

"What's the point? The whole town is buzzing with rumors that you've committed murder. The police station is organizing the militia to hunt you down. They even called my dad, asking if you've taken refuge in the brick factory. I overheard them..." Due to nervousness, Wang Cheng stuttered, "Quick, hide in the mountains!"

Zong Tianyi never expected Wang Cheng to be so loyal. His heart swelled with warmth, and without saying anything, he gritted his teeth and ran out of the work shed.

Chapter 5

1. Escape

After escaping from Pi Town, Zong Tianyi plunged into the vast and wild Pigu Mountain like a foal

This was not the first time Zong Tianyi had been to Pigu Mountain. In elementary school, he went to Pigu Mountain for a summer camp organized by his school. That time, he was so engrossed in picking pine mushrooms in the forest that he almost got lost. During the "severe crackdown" period, two criminals who had murdered people in Chuzhou escaped into the mountains. The Pigu Town government and the police station organized the militia to hunt them down. Even the senior students of Pigu Middle School were mobilized to assist the militia in searching the mountain. However, after searching for more than half a month, they failed to find any trace of the fugitives. Later, the starving fugitives sneaked down from the mountain to the village hoping to beg for food, and were finally caught by the villagers.

Zong Tianyi remembered the scene of the two fugitives being tied up and paraded through the town. When the parade passed the middle school gate, he saw the two tall and short fugitives, with their hands shackled. Their hair was very long, probably because they hadn't had a haircut for several months. The wanted notice said they were brothers, the elder brother named Wang Dashan and the younger brother named Wang Xiaoshan, referred to as "the Two Wangs" on the notice. They killed three people in the Chuzhou shopping mall and looted all the gold, silver jewelry, and cash from the mall. Both brothers were not very old, around twenty years old. The shorter one looked younger, probably the younger brother Wang Xiaoshan, who always kept his head down and his facial features were not clearly visible. The taller one was the elder brother Wang Dashan, who held his shackled hands in fists and raised his head like a hero in a movie, almost ready to shout slogans. When they passed the gate of the middle school, Wang Dashan's gaze paused for a Moment among the onlooking students, and a sneer appeared on his lips. Zong Tianyi was only a few steps away from Wang Dashan and noticed a horseshoe-shaped scar near the corner of his right cheek.

Now, the scar on Wang Dashan's right cheek resurfaced in Zong Tianyi's mind, deepening his panic.

After entering the mountain, Zong Tianyi didn't take the main road, as there was actually no main road to follow. He didn't dare to approach the village, as if he were spotted and reported to the police, he wouldn't be able to escape. He ran and ran deeper into the mountains, his hands and arms being scratched by thorns without even noticing. Once, he fell into a ravine covered with vines from a steep mountain path, bumping his forehead and forming a goose egg-sized lump. The blood that flowed blurred his vision. He climbed up with difficulty, gritted his teeth, endured the pain, and continued to run forward. He ran from morning until noon and then from noon until afternoon. As it was getting dark, he slowed down his pace. Looking around, he saw high mountains and dense forests with no signs of human habitation. He was sure he had already left the dangerous world outside and entered the hinterland of Pigu Mountain, and his tense heart finally relaxed.

Zong Tianyi spent the night beneath a cliff. Summer had just passed, and the mountains already had a hint of autumn. The temperature difference between day and night was more than ten degrees. Mountain fog and night dew fell like mosquito nets from all directions, as if a layer of frost had descended. In the middle of the night, Zong Tianyi was seized by a bone-chilling cold. His limbs were ice-cold, and he curled up into a ball. He felt something soft on the ground, which turned out to be pine mushrooms drenched by rainwater from the pine trees. After exposure to the sun and rain, they had turned into dried pine mushrooms. He chewed on them for a bit but swallowed them whole before savoring the taste. Later, he found a few pine nuts and cracked open the hard shells with his teeth, extracting the kernels to eat. After eating, he felt his body temperature gradually returning to normal.

The forest was so quiet that one could hear dew dripping onto the ground. Not far away, the hoot of an owl echoed, followed by an endless silence. Through the gaps in the leaves, one could faintly see the deep blue sky and a silver crescent moon hanging above. Not far from the moon, on the edge of the Milky Way, there was a gem-like star, big and bright. Zong Tianyi remembered that when he was a child, he often lay on a bamboo bed outside the purple-tiled house to enjoy the cool breeze. He often saw a particularly dazzling star on the edge of the Milky Way. His mother pointed to that star and said it was called the Cowherd Star, which was about to cross the Milky Way to meet the Weaver Maid. Then, his mother told him the Cowherd and Weaver Maid story. However, there were too many stars on the edge of the Milky Way, and he never found the Weaver Maid Star. Now, as he looked up at the vast sky, he wondered if the star he saw was the Cowherd Star his mother had mentioned, and even more, he wondered how his mother and sister were doing. Would they be affected?

Zong Tianyi's mind grew increasingly chaotic, and he gradually fell asleep. After an unknown duration, he was awakened by the chirping of birds. He opened his eyes to find that it was already dawn, with the morning light filtering through the dense forest, dispelling the thick night mist. With its long tail trailing behind, a squirrel crept stealthily over, its small eyes flickering as it looked at Zong Tianyi before scampering up a tree. Two white-headed magpies chirped incessantly on a nearby black pine, as if echoing each other. A cuckoo's cry echoed from deep within the woods, followed by more bird songs emanating from all directions. The entire forest seemed to transform into a vast orchestra, playing a symphony of birdsong

Zong Tianyi washed his face with water dripping from the cliff and continued to walk deeper into the woods. As noon approached, he finally emerged from the forest. A typical alpine landscape greeted his eyes, with gentle rolling hills and white clouds that seemed as soft as cotton wool, within reach. The sky seemed closer to the ground, and the grasslands, like blankets, spread out across the hillside in patches. Countless wildflowers bloomed in a wild and solitary manner. A small stream meandered out of a low shrub forest, resembling a green handkerchief, flowing gently along the grasslands. The sound of the gurgling water was pleasant, as if the stream was not flowing over the grasslands but into one's heart.

As he walked through the bushes, a stretch of farmland appeared before Zong Tianyi's eyes. The stalks were laden with heavy corn cobs, some almost crushed. Adjacent to the cornfield was a sorghum field, where the red sorghum heads swayed in the wind. From afar, it looked like a group of children armed with red halberds, ready for battle.

Zong Tianyi had never expected such a lush crop field deep in Pigu Mountain, far away from the hustle and bustle. He suspected he was dreaming, so he rubbed his eyes vigorously and pinched his arm. The pain made him realize that everything in front of him was real. Then, he dived into the crop field, broke off several corn cobs like a monkey, and sat down on the ground, devouring them without any choice. He had eaten boiled corn before, but he had never eaten raw corn. The white corn juice flowed down from the corners of his mouth like milk, and he didn't even bother to wipe it away. His greedy appearance makes it seem like he was not eating a few corn cobs but a delicious meal. From yesterday morning to today, he hadn't eaten a single grain of food, so he was really hungry.

At that moment, Zong Tianyi received a heavy blow to the head. He didn't even have time to groan before collapsing to the ground. When he woke up, he found himself being carried on someone's shoulders, with his hands and feet tightly bound. Due to being carried upside down, he couldn't see the person's face, but he could see two dark and shiny legs with prominent veins on the calves and a pair of bark-woven shoes on their feet. The rope tied to him was also made of bark, as sturdy as cowhide. He tried to struggle, but the rope didn't loosen at all. Instead, it tightened like rubber. The person smelled terrible, like the sour smell of someone who hadn't bathed for a long time, almost making him vomit. "Let me go!" he shouted, but the person ignored him and walked faster. Due to being carried upside down, everything was turned upside down. The blue sky that was originally above his head turned to his feet, like an unfathomable lake. The wild grass by the roadside fell under the trampling of those big feet wearing bark shoes, and the grasshoppers, mosquitoes, and flies scattered at the sound, as if it wasn't a person coming but a tank.

After walking for about the length of a cigarette, a house appeared not far away. The roof was covered with thatch, and the walls were all stone, resembling a small castle. Then, Zong Tianyi heard a few barks of a dog. Just as he was wondering where he was, the man threw him to the ground like a bag of potatoes. A four-eyed black dog covered with mixed fur barked wildly when he landed and lunged at him. Just as it was about to pounce on him, a sudden shout rang out: "Doo-!"

The dog stopped at the sound, retracting its two extended, sharp claws.

Zong Tianyi saw an old man with a wrinkled face and skin that was as dark and shiny as if coated with tung oil sitting on a stone under the eaves. His white hair resembled a pile of messy grass, mixed with his white beard, making it hard to distinguish which was which. The old man held a huge cigarette in his mouth, not the kind of paper cigarette people smoke, but a rolled-up raw tobacco leaf known as "yezi yan" in Pi Town. Uncle Lei, the caretaker of Pi Town Primary School, had smoked this kind of tobacco. Once, Zong Tianyi took a few puffs from Uncle Lei, and the spicy taste almost made his tears fall.

The white-bearded old man smoked noisily while squinting at Zong Tianyi lying on the ground, as if he were looking at a captured animal. The man who carried Zong Tianyi back held the red-feathered spear seized from him and gestured, muttering incomprehensible sounds. It turned out that he was mute. Like the white-haired old man, his hair was messy, but not white. The two men also looked alike in their facial features, and judging from their ages, he was probably the son of the white-haired old man.

The white-haired old man seemed a bit impatient with the mute's gestures. He seemed to have taken an interest in the red lance, snatching it from the mute's hand and turning it around in his hand for a closer look. Then, he turned his gaze to Zong Tianyi and pointed at him, asking, "Where were you from?"

The voice was rough and stiff, like a rock rolling down the mountain. Zong Tianyi felt that the old man's accent was a bit unfamiliar, and his speech was strange, like that of a child who had just learned to speak. He saw that the old man's fingernails, which were about to reach his nose, were very long, like a sharp dagger. He involuntarily shrank his neck back.

Zong Tianyi didn't answer. Although he guessed this area was already far from Pi Town, he was still afraid to reveal his identity. He looked at the red lance held by the old man and had an inspiration. "I went into the mountains to gather herbs... and got lost," he said

"Oh, so this is the tool you use to collect herbs?" The old man glanced at the red-tasseled spear. His Adam's apple moved as if he had swallowed a mouthful of phlegm, and his voice became a little unclear.

Obviously, he didn't believe what Zong Tianyi said.

"Well, I use it to gather herbs, and it can also protect against wild animals..." Zong Tianyi said, pondering in his mind. Living alone in the depths of this mountain was such a lonely household, with an old man with a white beard and a mute. It's a bit like the immortals or monsters in the fairy tales I heard when I was young

"These days, wild animals often break into the fields, ruining the corn and sorghum terribly..." muttered the white-haired old man. "Every day, Daxiong and I set traps in the fields, waiting for wild animals to come. I never expected that we would catch you instead of wild animals. Ha ha ha..." With a few laughs, he threw the red-plume spear in his hand onto the ground. The four-eyed black dog lying in front of him jumped up in surprise, raised its rear end, and ran toward the back of the house.

At this time, the mute was carrying a small black wooden bucket, grasping a boiled sweet potato in his hand, eating while walking from the back of the house to this side. The mute's lips were thick, his teeth were uneven and yellow, as if he had a mouth full of gold teeth, and his arms and legs were very strong, like an iron tower. He walked over to the white-haired old man, set the barrel down on the ground, and left.

When Zong Tianyi saw the sweet potatoes in the wooden barrel, a fragrance wafted toward him, and his saliva was about to drip down. The white-haired old man saw it in his eyes, picked up a sweet potato, and handed it to him, "Eat it. Cooked sweet potatoes were always better than raw corn..."

Tears welled up in Zong Tianyi's eyes after receiving the warm sweet potato.

2. White-haired Father

Unknowingly, more than half a month had passed, and Zong Tianyi, along with the white-haired father and the mute, lived together like a family. This stone-walled house had three rooms. The central room was the main hall, and like most households in the Pigu Mountain area, there were four small adobe-roofed rooms at the back, serving as the kitchen, pigsty, sheepfold, and a utility room specifically for storing farming tools such as plows and harrows. Surrounding the house were low walls made of small stones. Initially, the white-haired father allowed Zong Tianyi to sleep in the west room filled with grain, while he and the mute slept in the east wing.

The house's west wing contained large and small bags of grain, enough to feed the entire family for several years. To prevent moisture and rain, someone blocked the only small window, making it pitch black even during the day, with nothing visible. It emitted a strong, musty smell.

Every night, Zong Tianyi was awakened several times by mice stealing his grain. Sometimes, the mice would climb onto him, gnawing on his clothes and making squeaking sounds. On one occasion, they almost bit his ear. He was so scared that he cried out and then dared not fall asleep again, keeping his eyes open until dawn.

The corn and sorghum had already ripened, and the mute had to go to the fields daily to harvest the crops. The mute's strength was astonishing. Every time he returned from the fields, the corn and sorghum stalks he carried were a big part taller than his head. Sometimes, Zong Tianyi helped the white-haired old man break off the corn and rub the sorghum stalks on the flat ground in front of the stone house. Sometimes, he also went to the fields with the mute to harvest the crops. After a period, he had become like a family member with the white-haired old man and the mute. The white-haired old man liked him very much. When he took a shower in the backyard at night, he looked at Zong Tianyi's robust body and kept saying, "Wow, what a strong boy, just like me when I was young..." He stroked the tendons on his arm or gently pinched his protruding pectoral muscles, uttering two exclamations.

Two days later, the white-haired old man asked the mute to move to the west wing, and Zong Tianyi to move in with him in the east wing. While unwillingly moving things to the west wing, the mute grinned at Zong Tianyi, showing a miserable expression. When passing by Zong Tianyi, he even gave him a fierce glare.

"The Daxiong's snoring is too loud, keeping me awake..." Facing Zong Tianyi's puzzled gaze, the white-haired old man muttered. "It's been so many years, and I've only had this mute son by my side. I have no one to talk to. He speaks a language I can't understand, and I can't make myself understood to him..." A subtle hint of sadness flashed across the old man's face, a look Zong Tianyi had once seen on his grandfather's face, whom he had only met once.

At night, the white-haired father always lay in bed and fell asleep very late. When he couldn't sleep, he would smoke one pipe after another, making a hissing sound with his mouth. As people grew older, they became less sleepy and talked a lot when they were less sleepy. The white-haired father's words were like spinning threads, incessant and endless, drilling straight into Zong Tianyi's ears.

"When I first came up the mountain, I was about your age. I remember it was the 23rd day of the winter month of the Jiaxu year, and the day after was the Lesser New Year. Every household in the village made mochi, rice cakes, and spread bean skins. During that time, our village was in the “Noise Red”; Pi Town also set up the Soviet Workers’ and Peasants’ Democratic Regime, and the Pigu Mountain area became a red zone. The area around Pigu Mountain became a Red Zone. Boy, do you know what ‘Noise Red’ is? That is when the Red Army led the poor people to fight the landlords, the distribution of land ... The richest family in our village was surnamed Huang, Huang Yaozu. The Huang family was not only the richest in our village but also in the entire Pi Town. Speaking of the Huang family's land, if you jogged on the plain below Pigu Mountain for a while and asked any farmer who the owner was, you would definitely be told that it was Huang Yaozu. The Huang family had shops, restaurants, and oil-pressing workshops in Pi Town and opened two businesses and pawnshops in Chuzhou City. Although Huang Yaozu was from our village, since he became the town mayor, his entire family moved to Pi Town. The only one left in the village was his nephew, our village chief. The Huang family had money and guns. If they took a fancy to something from your family, you had to give it to them without saying a word, or you would suffer. My father worked as a long-term laborer in the Huang family since he was young. When he was herding sheep on the mountain, one sheep fell off the cliff and died. Huang Yaozu whipped him half to death... In the spring of the Jiaxu year, just after the Lantern Festival, a Red Army guerrilla team came down from Pigu Mountain and raided Huang Yaozu's house overnight. The silver coins they found were several large jars, all distributed to the poor in the four townships and eight villages of Pi Town. If it weren't because Huang Yaozu had led a militia to Chuzhou City the day before the Red Army arrived, they would have captured and executed him. I heard that the leader of the Red Army guerrilla team was a woman, Huang Yaozu's niece, the daughter of his second sister。 She originally studied in the provincial capital but somehow became a Red Army member and even led people to raid her uncle's house. I also heard that Huang Yaozu's youngest son also followed the Red Army guerrilla team to raid their house. It was his intelligence that allowed the Red Army guerrilla team to raid Huang Yaozu's house and establish the Soviet Workers' and Peasants' Democratic Government in Pi Town... These were all things I heard from adults, but I don't quite believe them. I asked my father, but he didn't say whether or not it was true. My father was the chairman of the village Soviet and the leader of the Red Guard, and he knew the female guerrilla leader of the Red Army. He just said, 'The female guerrilla leader of the Red Army? Oh, that girl is gorgeous and a sharpshooter...' Baby, were you asleep?"

"Mmm, I'm listening." Zong Tianyi, who was sleepy, barely opened his heavy eyelids and saw the flickering pipe of the white-haired father at the other end of the bed, twinkling like the legendary ghostly flames. “Noise Red”, Red Army guerrillas, sharpshooters, Soviet... These unfamiliar yet familiar words, which Zong Tianyi had once read in textbooks, were now heard from the white-haired father's mouth, which amazed him.

"Son, I know you don't believe in the stories I tell you, thinking I'm just making them up to pass the time." The white-haired old man coughed and turned over. "I've told these stories to Da Xiong (big bear in Chinese) before, but it doesn't matter if he can't hear them. As long as someone listens, I'll keep telling. When Da Xiong isn't home, I tell them to Four-Eyes. I'm talking about that black dog. Otherwise, in a few years, I will forget it all, forget how I hid in this big mountain ...... Child, where did I talk about it? If you don’t remember, I’d better start from the beginning, the twenty-third winter month of the year Jiaxu, and one more day is the Lesser New Year. From the beginning of the winter months, the entire village began to kill pigs and slaughter sheep. As far as I can remember, people have never been so happy. At that time, our village also set up a soviet regime, my father became the chairman of the village soviet and the leader of the Red Guard, my mother was the head of the women’s committee of the Farmers’ Association, and even my sister Guihua and I joined the Children’s Corps and carried red tasseled rifles. But no one expected that on that very night, Huang Yaozu would return. He sneaked back with the militia group. During those few days, the major force of the Red Army guerrillas wasn't in Pi Town, and the town Soviet only left a small team of about a dozen people. It was said that Huang Yaozu got the information from his escaped brother and returned. He not only brought a militia group of dozens of people with guns but also followed a regiment of regular soldiers. Their slogan was "Bloodbath in Pi Town, root out the weeds!" They first occupied Pi Town, killing all the dozen or so Red Army soldiers stationed at the town's Soviet. Then they carried out a series of raids on the surrounding villages, and the Soviet cadres, Red Guards, and their families in each village, even the children, were all killed overnight under Huang Yaozu's gun, including my father and my mother. In the middle of the night that day, when Huang Yaozu's militia came to the village to arrest people, if it weren't for my parents pulling me and my sister Guihua out of bed and hiding them in the cellar where sweet potatoes were stored in the backyard, my life and Guihua's would have been lost. When my father was about to cover the cellar, he told Guihua and me, 'Remember, if you have a chance, you must escape and never come back!' At that time, my father must have known that both he and my mother were not going to survive. He only wanted to find a way out for Guihua and me. Guihua and I hid in the cellar for a day and a night. It wasn't until the afternoon of the second day that we dared to crawl out of the cellar and walk to the village street. We saw every household closed, and many houses had been burned into ruins, some still smoking. At the entrance of the ancestral hall, militia and regular troops were guarding. The bayonets in the soldiers' hands emitted a pale light under the sun. Several village Soviet cadres were hung on the flagpole, and the third one was my father. His tongue was stretched out, looking very scary. Next to him was my mother, her hair disheveled, her skirt torn in half, and the bloodstains on her chest not yet dried. On the grain field in the center of the village, there was a pile of corpses lying in disarray, including two members of the Children's Corps, who were also my best friends, one named Dashuan and the other named Gou'er. The villagers were either dead or had fled, and no one could be seen. Guihua and I were stunned by the tragic scene in front of us. Sadness and fear made us too weak to cry. I remembered my father's words: 'Remember, if you have a chance, you must escape and never come back!' There was only one thought in my mind: hurry and escape from this hell on earth..."

Gradually, the white-haired old man's voice weakened, and he began to snore. Soon, Zong Tianyi also fell asleep. Apart from the rustling sound of the mountain wind blowing through the roof, the entire world was silent as if it had died.

For several days, Zong Tianyi’s mind tangled with the white-haired father’s stories; he could not find a clear thread or distinguish truth from fiction. He suspected that the white-haired father had been alone in the deep mountains for too long and had concocted some sensational stories to amuse himself. But what he said was so vivid and lifelike that Zong Tianyi could almost smell a choking, bloody smell.

On another night, the white-haired old man continued to speak:

" During the winter of the Jiaxu year, Guihua and I fled to Pigu Mountain. At first, we stayed in a cave, but the dampness inside was too heavy. And we were prone to rheumatism after living there for a long time, so we built a thatched hut of our own. We ate wild vegetables, gnawed on tree bark, hunted wild animals, and even stole crops from the mountain villagers. Once, I set a trap and caught a bear weighing over 200 pounds. Guihua and I couldn't finish it in a whole winter. Thanks to this big bear, Guihua and I survived that cold winter. A few years later, I wanted to go back to Pi Town and the village to inquire about the situation. But just as I descended to the foot of the mountain, I saw a squad of soldiers coming from afar. They wore helmets, with the leader holding a flag with a medicinal emblem. In the middle, an officer rode a tall horse, with a saber hanging at his waist, and he was talking jumbledly. They rushed into a village at the foot of the mountain like wolves and tigers, killing anyone they saw and robbing everything they found. Many houses were set on fire, and cries of pain and wailing echoed one after another, just like what happened in our village a few years ago. However, the soldiers holding the medicinal flag didn't seem to be Huang Yaozu's team. As I was at a loss, several villagers escaped from the village. I went up to stop a person not much older than me and asked, 'Brother, were these soldiers Huang Yaozu's team?' The person said breathlessly, 'What Huang Yaozu, Wu Yaozu? Those were devils!' 'Devils... who were they?' 'Devils are... Japanese soldiers!' The person glared at me impatiently. 'You don't even know Japanese soldiers? Were you human or a ghost?' Without waiting for my answer, he hurriedly ran into the mountains and stopped a few steps later to advise me, 'Brother, you should also escape quickly, don't lose your life in confusion...' Then he disappeared into the mountain forest. I also quickly fled the village. Since then, I have never dared to go down the mountain again and have given up the idea of returning home. Soon, I lived with Guihua like a couple. There was no way out. Our family has been passed down for three generations, and I couldn't let the ancestral lineage end with me. After more than a year, Guihua gave birth to a baby boy. I still remember the bear that helped Guihua and me survive the harsh winter, so I named my son Da Xiong. The Da Xiong grew up to two years old but still couldn't speak; another year passed, and Guihua gave birth to a boy again, whom I named Xiao Xiong (Little Bear in Chinese). Xiao Xiong also couldn't speak until he was over two years old. Faced with these two mute sons who couldn't speak, my heart turned cold, but I didn't give up hope. I thought of how I must at least get Guihua to give me a son with clear ears and bright eyes, or if not, a daughter, so that they could grow up to continue the family lineage. To get Guihua to continue giving me children, I worked from dawn till dusk every day. At that time, I had cleared a barren patch of land in the valley not far from the thatched hut, and using seeds stolen from the crops, I planted corn, soybeans, and sorghum. In a year, it was enough to feed my entire family. Soon after, Guihua became pregnant again. Looking at her slightly swollen belly, new hope ignited in my heart. But just after the Dragon Boat Festival that year, while working in the field, I saw people fleeing from the mountains. They saw me and said, 'The devils have swept the plains, and they will also enter the mountains to sweep. Don't plant the land anymore, escape quickly!' I had already fled to the mountains for so long, where could I go? It was a blessing or a curse; if it was a curse, there was no escaping it. Let's leave it to fate! A few days later, a large group of gunmen appeared in the Pigu Mountain area, just like the team I saw last time, holding bandage flags and wearing helmets. I knew their name: devils, Japanese soldiers. The number of times the devils entered the mountains to 'sweep' increased day by day, and I felt increasingly uneasy. That day, I was about to go to the field to work with a hoe, but just as I stepped out, I saw a group of devils emerging from the woods not far away, heading straight for my thatched hut. I quickly turned back and went inside, asking Guihua to lie on the bed with a quilt around her. I hid Da Xiong and Xiao Xiong under the bed, and to prevent them from making any noise, I used two pieces of rag to cover their mouths. Just as I finished all this, the devils rushed into the house. They rattled their gun bolts and spoke in gibberish, which I couldn't understand. Strangely, facing those dark gun barrels and shining bayonets, I wasn't afraid at all but instead stared at them boldly. I just wanted to see what the devils looked like. I saw that apart from being short and having short legs, they were no different from the gunmen in Huang Yaozu's team. They all had a ferocious appearance, resembling little devils who had escaped from hell specifically to take human lives for the King of Hell. At that time, I never could have imagined that the devils wouldn't even spare a pregnant woman. An officer came forward and tore off Guihua's quilt, pouncing on her like a hungry wolf. My eyes turned red with anger, and I picked up a hoe from a corner of the wall and chopped at the officer's head. I heard a thud, and a bayonet pierced deep into my back. The hoe fell from my head. I collapsed to the ground immediately. Then, the soldiers howled and rushed towards Guihua. At first, I could still hear Guihua's mournful screams, but gradually, apart from the howls of the devils like wild wolves, I couldn't hear anything else. I fainted. After a long time, when I opened my eyes, there was no trace of the devils in the room. Da Xiong and Xiao Xiong had crawled out from under the bed and were wailing for their dead mother. Guihua was lying on the bed, covered in blood, with her eyes wide open, and a tear hanging from the corner of her eye..."

At this point, the white-haired old man seemed to be trying to prove something. He got up from the bed, lit an oil lamp in a recess on the wall, lifted his belt, and exposed his back. When Zong Tianyi saw it, he indeed noticed a prominent scar on his waist.

One morning, when Da Xiong went to harvest corn stalks, Four-Eyed Black Dog followed him. Zong Tianyi and the white-haired-father were breaking off corn cobs at the entrance of the stone house. Taking this opportunity, Zong Tianyi raised a question that had been lingering in his mind for days: "Father, you've always said you have two sons, Da Xiong and Xiao Xiong, but why haven't I seen Xiao Xiong?"

Zong Tianyi felt a twinge of regret as soon as the words were out of his mouth. The white-haired father's face immediately darkened. He paused his work, lit a leaf cigarette, and smoked it with a series of puffs. After a while, his expression softened a bit.

"After Gui Hua died, I moved to this place with Da Xiong and Xiao Xiong. We slowly built this stone house. The crops we harvested from the fields were enough for us to eat. If we couldn't eat all the food, we would carry it down the mountain to exchange for salt, kerosene, needles, thread, cloth, and other things. After Gui Hua died, I became both a father and a mother. The clothes that Da Xiong and Xiao Xiong wore were all sewn by me, one stitch at a time. But since then, I have never gone down the mountain or seen anyone from outside the mountain. I haven't even encountered a bandit. Whenever I carried food down the mountain to exchange for things, I would let Da Xiong go. This went on year after year. I gradually grew old. I don't know what happened outside the mountain over the years, whether the devils were still killing and setting fires everywhere. Every time Da Xiong came back from outside the mountain, he would gesture to me for a long time, but he couldn't explain what had changed outside. That world is getting farther and farther away from me, as if it were from a previous life. But I can't forget my dead parents and Gui Hua, as well as so many fellow villagers. I had to tell Da Xiong and Xiao Xiong over and over again. If they couldn't hear, I would tell the wolves and bears on the mountain. The wild animals often came to my house to steal food, chickens, and ducks, but they couldn't understand. I still told them repeatedly not to let them listen, but to remind myself not to forget those past things. But now, Da Xiong and Xiao Xiong were about to turn forty. What will they do if I die? What about the ancestral lineage? When I think about this, I can't eat or sleep because of worry. One day, I finally decided to let Xiao Xiong venture outside the mountain. He is two years younger than Da Xiong and doesn't have such a hot temper as Da Xiong. He is also smarter than Da Xiong. If he is lucky enough to meet a woman, whether it's a blind or lame person, and have a son or daughter, it would be considered a continuation of the ancestral lineage. So, I sent Xiao Xiong down the mountain. Ten years have passed since that day. I counted on my fingers, and it's been exactly ten years, not a single day less. Every year on the day Xiao Xiong went down the mountain, I waited for him at the pass ahead, sitting there all day long, but I never saw Xiao Xiong's shadow. I wonder if he was killed by the devils like his mother. Otherwise, why hasn't he come back yet? Even if he sends a message back, that would be good..."

Speaking of which, the old man's wrinkled eyes, filled with white hair, gradually became clouded with tears. He wiped the corners of his eyes with his withered hand and turned to Zong Tianyi, asking, "Child, you came down from the mountain. Tell me, were the devils still killing people?"

"Devils..." Zong Tianyi didn't know how to answer, just shaking his head, "I haven't seen... devils."

"So, the devils have gone to raid elsewhere," said the white-haired old man. "My child, don't be careless. They will come back after a while."

Zong Tianyi always took the words of the white-haired old man with a grain of salt, so he didn't take them seriously. A few days later, after helping Da Xiong sow wheat in the field and working for the entire morning, he returned to the stone house and saw two strangers talking to the white-haired old man at the door. Each of them was carrying a tripod with a lens, and one of them was wearing glasses. Their attire showed that they came from outside the mountain.

Zong Tianyi felt that the scene looked somewhat familiar. After careful consideration, he realized it resembled the camera Du Wei often wore around his neck. He immediately became wary and asked the white-haired old man in a low voice what they were doing. Perhaps because they hadn't been in contact with outsiders for many years, the white-haired old man was a bit nervous and said they had come to beg for water but knew nothing else.

Those two people seemed very interested in Zong Tianyi. One of them, who wore glasses, even tried to converse with him. Zong Tianyi ignored him and instead asked coldly, "What do you do?"

"Oh, the Pigu Mountain area is going to build the Chuba Highway, which connects Chuzhou and Bazhou. We were here to survey the terrain," said the person wearing glasses. Once the survey is completed, a large team will move in, and this quiet mountainous area will become bustling."

Zong Tianyi was skeptical of what he said. After drinking the water, the two men left with the tripod on their backs. That night, unusually, the white-haired old man didn't tell stories. Instead, he repeatedly asked Zong Tianyi what those two men were doing during the day and whether the tripod they carried on their shoulders was a weapon for killing people. "Child, were they from the same team as the Japanese and Huang Yaozu's team?"

"No," Zong Tianyi replied decisively.

The white-haired old man let out an "Oh" and soon fell into a snore. Zong Tianyi, however, had no intention of sleeping. He recalled the words "many troops were about to enter" uttered by someone during the day, and a sudden thought popped into his mind: Could they be searching the mountain? He felt that the stone house was no longer safe.

The following day, upon waking up, the white-haired old man discovered that Zong Tianyi, sleeping on the other side of the bed, had disappeared.

3. Redstone Valley

After leaving the white-haired old man and the mute, Da Xiong, Zong Tianyi kept heading south along the continuous Pigu Mountain Range opposite Pi Town. He couldn't remember how many mountains he had climbed. He had worn his Jiefang sneakers to shreds, and several blisters had developed on his soles. He simply threw away the sneakers and, following the instructions of the white-haired old man, wove a pair of "leather shoes" from tree bark, tied them on his feet, and continued walking.

A few days later, Zong Tianyi arrived at a place called Redstone Valley. Judging from the mountain terrain, he had already left the central peak of the Pigu Mountain Range. Compared to the area around the stone houses, the mountains here were much lower, barely rising to hills; the vegetation was not as lush as on the central peak, with sparse trees on the hills, revealing ochre-red rocks and soil, scattered here and there. They looked like burned, fragmented flags from afar, reminding Zong Tianyi of the “Danxia landform” his geography teacher had mentioned. The houses people lived in differed from those in Pigu Town. They made the windbreak walls of each house from red stone blocks, the houses featuring pointed, tall, and steep roofs with slightly upturned corners, like an eagle poised to fly.

When Zong Tianyi walked into the village, it was early morning. The sun had just risen, and the morning glow adorned the surrounding mountains with golden edges. The mist had not yet dissipated, and the village resembled a shy Niangzi, revealing half of its face while the rest was obscured and hidden within the vast misty veil.

Just as Zong Tianyi reached the village's entrance, a small black dog suddenly emerged from the thick fog and pounced on him without making a sound.

Zong Tianyi couldn't dodge in time, and the little black dog tore his pants, causing him to stumble and fall to the ground. In panic, he saw two conspicuous white patches of fur under the little black dog's eyes, making it look like it had four eyes. For a moment, Zong Tianyi thought it was the four-eyed dog of the white-haired old man. Could it be that the four-eyed dog had been following me these days? A layer of cold sweat broke out on his spine. But upon closer inspection, it wasn't right. The four-eyed dog of the white-haired old man had long legs and a broad back, making it tall and powerful. When it attacked, its ears stood upright, and its eyes widened, resembling a black clouded leopard. However, this little black dog had four short legs, and its ears drooped softly, resembling a black goat without horns.

The little black dog barked at the fallen Zong Tianyi, opening its front paws and about to launch a second attack when a crisp voice called out, "Tiger, come back!"

The voice was not loud, but it sounded like an irresistible command. The little black dog obediently retracted its two paws at the sound. Zong Tianyi turned around and saw a red figure emerging from the white fog. Dawn’s glow bathed the sun-facing person, making them appear like a burning flame. As the figure stepped out of the mist, Zong Tianyi realized it was a woman in a red dress carrying a basket on her back. She wore a red jacket, pants, and even shoes on her feet.

"Little brother, were you scared?" the woman in red asked with concern, extending her hand. Zong Tianyi hesitated for a moment, then extended his hand and held hers. With a gentle push, Zong Tianyi stood up from the ground.

Zong Tianyi felt his hand being pinched painfully. He never expected a woman's hand to be so strong. He withdrew his hand awkwardly, blushing slightly.

The woman in red didn't notice Zong Tianyi's expression at all. She generously patted the dust off his body and casually picked off a few grass clippings. - they were stuck on him when he slept on the grass in the mountain last night. "Little brother, look at how dirty you are. You must have traveled a lot of night roads, right?"

The accent of the woman in red sounded somewhat unfamiliar. She was around twenty years old, with a rosy, round face resembling a ripe big apple. Coupled with the pantsuit and the red headband in her hair, she looked red from head to toe. At first glance, she really resembled Li Tiemei from the model opera The Red Lantern.

Seeing Zong Tianyi stealing glances at her, the woman in red burst out laughing, showing no sign of shyness. Instead, she looked at him with a generous demeanor, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings. She exclaimed, "Little brother, why do I feel so familiar with you? Have you visited our village before?"

"This is the first time I've been to such a far place since I was born..." Zong Tianyi muttered.

"That's strange..." the woman in red muttered to herself, her gaze still fixed on Zong Tianyi. "Little brother, where were you from?"

Zong Tianyi didn't answer.

"Oh, you're from Chuzhou, right?" the woman in red said, her black eyes rolling around. "The person I spoke to last time talked just like you..."

"Who were you talking about?" Zong Tianyi was a bit confused.

The woman in red didn't answer but asked Zong Tianyi with concern, "Little brother, where were you going? were you hungry? Come to my house for some food before you continue on your journey. I still have some left from the meal I made for the miners, enough for two people..."

Hearing the woman in red calling him "little brother" repeatedly, in a tone reminiscent of an elder sister to her younger brother, Zong Tianyi's heart fluttered.

"My house is just at the west entrance of the village, a few steps away," said the woman in red. Without waiting for Zong Tianyi's response, she carried her basket and walked straight ahead.

Zong Tianyi hesitated momentarily, followed the woman in red, and walked towards the village.

Quick as the wind, the woman in red hurried, forcing Zong Tianyi into a jog to stay beside her. Not far away, a thick-necked old man with a sheep's stomach turban came towards them, driving a herd of goats up the hillside.

"Kestrel, have you already been to the mine so early?" the old shepherd said in a drawling tone, with one hand carrying a manure basket and the other holding a manure shovel. "You really were your father's good daughter..."

"Good morning, Uncle Old Black!" the woman in red politely replied.

It turned out that her name was Kestrel. Zong Tianyi was still pondering over the confusing sentence he had just heard.

In the blink of an eye, Kestrel walked ahead and said, "Little brother, we're home!"

Zong Tianyi took a few quick steps forward and looked up. A house with red stone walls and a black-tiled roof came into view. The black dog named Little Tiger had somehow run ahead and was now squatting at the main entrance, wagging its tail and barking incessantly at Zong Tianyi as if greeting a guest for its master.

4. Liang Kui and Qian Laohei

Kestrel was the daughter of Liangkui, the head of Redrock Valley Village.

Speaking of Liang Kui, everyone in the village admitted that he was shrewd and capable, whether or not they liked him. This person had traveled far and wide since childhood. Not only did he carry goods at the dry docks in Bazhou, but he also traveled further to Chuzhou and Pi Town to sell local specialties. Although he didn't make much money, he gained much knowledge. At the beginning of the land reform in the village after liberation, the villagers were afraid to confront Qian Yonglu, the only wealthy person in Redrock Valley, because of the face they had to save with their fellow villagers. Perhaps because Qian Yonglu was not too mean to others in his daily life, or probably because the people in Redrock Valley were backward in thinking and timid, no one would take the lead in criticizing Qian Yonglu, no matter how much the comrades of the land reform work team tried to persuade them. The land reform work in Redrock Valley fell into a deadlock. At this critical moment, Liang Kui, who had been doing small business in Bazhou, suddenly returned to the village and broke into the Qian family compound. He tied Qian Yonglu up with five-pointed ropes and placed him on the stage for the village's central troupe to perform. He shouted slogans and made accusations, fiercely criticizing him. From then on, they vigorously carried out the land reform movement in Redrock Valley.

When distributing the floating property, everyone in the village wanted to get their hands on the valuable items from Qian Yonglu's family. Some even fought head-over-head for the floating property, while Liang Kui sat on the side, smoking his leaf tobacco and watching the scene with amusement. The comrades of the work team felt that Liang Kui was a meritorious contributor to the land reform and should not be mistreated when distributing the floating property. They wanted to give him the self-ringing bell from Qian Yonglu's family, which was said to be a German product.

Qian Xiaohei, Qian Yonglu's cousin, was clinging to the self-sounding bell, shouting, "My third uncle bought this from Chuzhou City for one hundred silver dollars. Under no circumstances can I give it to you..."

Although Qian Xiaohei was Qian Yonglu's nephew of the same family, he benefited little from his uncle. He only earned some money by driving the carriage for the Qian family. If there were cargo, he would earn more; if not, he would earn less or even no money. Now that Qian Yonglu had fallen, he couldn't hold back and joined the fray to seize the plunder.

Qian Xiaohei was always arrogant because he knew Qian Yonglu was his third uncle. He believed that his failure to achieve the same success as Qian Yonglu was not due to his lack of ability but rather bad luck. Therefore, he looked down on everyone except Qian Yonglu and did not underestimate Liang Kui. In terms of age, Qian Xiaohei was one year older than Liang Kui, and the two families were neighbors, growing up together as childhood friends. In his eyes, Liang Kui had an inexplicable ferocity since childhood. Whether fighting, climbing trees to dig out bird nests, or going up the mountain to cut firewood and chase rabbits, he had never gained the upper hand over Liang Kui. The same was true when they grew up. Whenever he saw Liang Kui returning from the mountains and bragging to a group of village youths crowding around him about the various Western sights he had seen outside, Qian Xiaohei's jealousy would surge. Now, when he saw the comrades of the work team about to give the self-ringing bell to Liang Kui, he could no longer bear it. That self-ringing bell was the most valuable thing he had helped Qian Yonglu buy back from Chuzhou City, and he would not let it fall into Liang Kui's hands under any circumstances.

To Qian Xiaohei's surprise, Liang Kui didn't want the self-sounding bell.

"I don't want it," he said, pulling out the copper pipe from his mouth and shaking his head. "Give it to Xiaohei. I want nothing..."

After saying that, he ignored Qian Xiaohei and slowly walked away from the wealth distribution.

Liang Kui's attitude surprised those present and the work team's comrades. Only Qian Xiaohei was full of doubts, believing that, given Liang Kui's character, he couldn’t take such an enormous loss with his eyes wide open. He must have had ulterior motives and other plans.

As expected, shortly after the division of the accidental wealth, a rumor spread in the village that Liang Kui had married a servant girl named Yingzi from Qian Yonglu's family as his wife.

Qian Yonglu also purchased Yingzi for 100 silver dollars from the theater in Bazhou City. She looked like a budding flower, and when the villagers first saw her, they all thought she was a fairy descending to earth. Qian Yonglu originally planned to buy her as a concubine, but his wife adamantly opposed this plan. Qian Yonglu had no choice but to do her a favor and give her to his wife as a servant girl. Qian Xiaohei also played a role in the idea of Yingzi. Every time he went to the Qian family to handle affairs, his eyes would glaze over, and his feet would be unable to move whenever he saw Yingzi. Unfortunately, he was already married then, and his third aunt, Qian Yonglu's wife, had arranged the marriage. His wife had a harelip, but she was Qian Yonglu's wife's niece. Even though Qian Xiaohei was reluctant, he dared not disrespect Qian Yonglu and his wife's faces. Besides, his harelipped wife was also from a wealthy family and brought a considerable dowry. Since then, Qian Xiaohei had given up on Yingzi, but whenever he sees her, he still can't help but feel flustered and distracted.

Upon hearing the news that Liang Kui had married Yingzi, Qian Xiaohei couldn't help but suddenly understand: Liang Kui wasn't just trying to impress himself. It turned out that he had such a plan up his sleeve! A sound wave of jealousy surged up in his heart again, but amidst the jealousy, he had to admire Liang Kui at the core. This person would give up money and wealth to marry Yingzi. How much determination and strength it took!

Qian Xiaohei was utterly convinced of Liang Kui.

Later, Liang Kui joined the Party. When the collectivization movement began, he took the lead in establishing the first primary cooperative in Redrock Valley. Later, he became the secretary of the Redrock Valley brigade. For over 20 years, he had always been the undisputed "village leader" in Redrock Valley. Since last year, the government had introduced new policies, “fixed output quotas for each household” and the redistribution of collective land to each household.

The first person to hear the news was Qian Xiaohei, who, like Liang Kui, was already in his fifties. "Xiaohei" had turned into "Laohei". In his early years, Laohei's sister had married into a family on the plain, and he would inevitably visit her house every year. He heard the news of the "fixed output quotas for each household" from her home. After hearing the news, Laohei's heart, which had been like a stagnant pond for many years, suddenly came alive. He rushed back to the village overnight, and within a single night, every household in Redstone Valley had heard the news. Some were excited, while others were doubtful. In short, the entire village was suddenly in an uproar. Under Laohei's leadership, a group of people flocked to the head of the village, Liang Kui's house, forcing him to answer if such a policy existed. Liang Kui hesitated and couldn't answer. People's suspicions grew more vigorous. Some went to the commune to inquire, and sure enough, there was such a policy. Several villages on the plain had already divided their fields, but Liang Kui had been dragging his feet. The higher-ups repeatedly summoned Liang Kui to the commune to complete his work, warning him of replacement if he didn’t change his mind. During that period, Liang Kui was in a fierce inner struggle. Under Laohei's pressure, Liang Kui finally couldn't bear it. Within a few days, he held a village assembly and announced the new policy he had suppressed for some time.

At the village's eastern end, a sloping, nine-and-a-half-acre field in Redrock hill was given to Lao Hei. This was a fertile piece of land that could produce a lush green cover, even with just a tree branch planted. His long-dead landlord uncle Qian Yonglu had spent 50 silver dollars on this land. During those days, Lao Hei would wake up laughing even when asleep. When he walked down the village street during the day, his short and thick neck, which was always tucked into his shoulder girdle, would stand tall like a goose, and his once hunched back would straighten up. Having lived to this age, when had he ever had such a moment of standing tall and proud? Never. He answered his question, feeling that after decades of being a wimp, he could finally hold his head high and exhale with pride today.

Although Liang Kui still holds a prominent position in the village, his words and actions were no longer as influential as before. No one could stop a person from experiencing good luck in life, but similarly, no one could prevent bad luck from striking.

Liang Kui's misfortune began more than a decade ago when his wife, Yingzi, passed away.

That year, Liang Kui responded to the call to "learning from Dazhai in agriculture" and set a goal to double the grain output of Redrock Valley within three years. Learning from Dazhai, he built terraces on the mountain and mobilized the entire village, including men, women, and children, to take turns going up the hill to build terraces regardless of the season or time of day. That summer, a catastrophic mountain flood broke out in Redrock Valley. The flood seemed to have descended from the sky. That day, Liang Kui's wife, Yingzi, led a group of women building terraces on Redrock Hill in the village's west. Yingzi was the leader of the women's team, and she always followed Liang Kui like a shadow. Naturally, she would not fall behind in building terraces. The roaring mudslide swept Yingzi and several women away when the flood hit, leaving them no time to dodge.

That year, Liang Kui and Yingzi's daughter, Kestrel, had just turned ten. Later, the terraces in Redrock Valley were successfully built, and the grain output doubled as expected. However, Liang Kui's face never showed a hint of a smile. Since his wife Yingzi's death, the village leader seemed to have become a different person.

When the household contract responsibility system was implemented, Liang Kui could have allocated himself several acres of good farmland. However, he rejected the responsibility for the farmland assigned to him through a lottery, preferring the abandoned small coal mine he had acquired through his team's enterprise a few years ago. The small coal mine was located a few miles away from the village. It used hundreds of kilograms of explosives, which almost blinded a young man in the village. The excavated sticky black lumps sold for little money and smelled so bad that the community considered them too irritating even for firewood. Therefore, they abandoned it soon after. Lao Hei speculated that a spirit must have possessed Liang Kui. However, recalling his experiences in his youth, he felt uneasy. As the saying goes, "Even if the camel falls, its frame remains standing." Liang Kui gave up the good responsibility of the farmland and took the abandoned small coal mine into his hands. Could he be hoping to dig out a golden baby from that broken hole?

Lao Hei never dreamed that Liang Kui would actually dig out a "golden baby" from that hole. No, it should be called a "black baby". At that time, Liang Kui would go into the mountains before dawn and not return until dusk, which was busier than farming. His daughter Kestrel would bring him food, and what he dug out were still those black lumps that the villagers found smoky, even for cooking. However, the money Liang Kui earned from selling them in Chuzhou City was more than the villagers' hard-earned income from farming over several years. Within two years, Liang Kui became wealthy, becoming the first ten-thousand-yuan household in Redrock Valley, and even received a grand medal from the higher authorities. At this point, Lao Hei realized that Liang Kui, the camel, had not fallen as he had thought. He was still determined and ruthless, always doing things one step ahead. Thinking of this, Lao Hei felt highly depressed, wondering if Liang Kui would overshadow him for the rest of his life.

However, not long after, a roof collapsed in the small coal mine, burying Liang Kui, who was digging coal. Villagers rescued him, saving his life, but the accident paralyzed him, forcing him to hire others to dig coal. Watching Liang Kui's ever-changing fortunes, Lao Hei couldn't help sighing secretly. Life was truly unpredictable. Fortunately, though, Liang Kui had a good daughter. Every time he saw Kestrel, who looked like a carbon copy of her mother Yingzi, busy inside and outside the house, in the mountains and beyond, and struggling to hold up a home that was on the verge of collapse, a strange feeling would well up in Lao Hei's heart. He wasn't sure whether he felt relieved or envious of Liang Kui…

5. Kestrel

Liang Kui’s family house was built the year before a mountain flood swept away his wife, Yingzi.

On the day of the beam installation, Liang Kui went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy two strings of firecrackers with 1,000 bangs and five pounds of candies. The deafening sound of firecrackers and the clamor of children fighting for candies lasted for a long time, filling the entire courtyard with people who came to watch the fun and celebrate.

Since the land reform, Liang Kui had served as the village leader in Redrock Valley for over two decades, dedicating himself entirely to the collective affairs. This was the first time he had hosted such a grand event for his family. When he married the servant girl Yingzi from the landlord Qian Yonglu, it wasn't as grand as this. Of course, "grand event" was just a way of saying it. For those who came to congratulate him, Liang Kui not only didn't accept any gifts but also gave away quite a few cigarettes and candies. His wife, Yingzi, privately complained to him that everyone else who built a house made a lot of money, but he was still giving things away. Liang Kui smiled and said, "If I have to give things away, then give them away. Who asked me to be the village leader and a party member? To forge iron, one must be strong oneself. I absolutely cannot take advantage of others! Liang Kui wasn't just talking big. If it weren't for his own excellent abilities, during the "Four Cleanups", social education, and the Cultural Revolution, there were many challenges and obstacles, and each one was enough to cause the higher authorities to remove him as the village leader.

His parents built Liang Kui's old house before the land reform. Over the past few decades, villagers renovated and replaced most houses, but Liang Kui’s remained unchanged. Every time it rained, water dripped everywhere, and cracks had appeared on both gable walls. In winter, the north wind howled through the house, and his wife had scolded him countless times about it, but Liang Kui just could not decide.

At that time, the commune leader came to inspect the work in Redstone Valley and passed by Liang Kui's house. He went in to take a rest. Seeing the state of the house, the leader scolded him, "Lao Liang, your house is a disgrace to the entire village. It's time to build a new one. If I see you still haven't built a new house next time, I won't hesitate to remove you from your position as branch secretary..."

However, no one could have predicted that less than a year after Liang Kuigai built his new house, a mountain flood swept away his wife Yingzi, and her body was found several miles away at the foot of the mountain.

Ten years had flown by, and Liang Kui had aged. His straight back had bent. However, Liang Kui remained a tough man. Since implementing the household responsibility system, he had had little to do with public affairs. He had taken on the small coal mine that no one in the village cared for. Every day, he dug coal in the mountains, covering his entire body, hair, and eyebrows in black coal dust, making him look like a mud monkey.

The villagers never expected that within a year, Liang Kui would become the first "10,000-yuan household" in Redrock Valley by mining and selling coal. What they never imagined was that just a few days after Liang Kui became a "10,000-yuan household," the small coal mine collapsed, burying him inside. Although he miraculously survived, the collapse left him disabled and incapacitated.

After Liang Kui became paralyzed, the family's affairs fell on the shoulders of his daughter, Kestrel. Kestrel had grown into a big girl, and her beautiful appearance was exactly like her mother's. However, Kestrel's personality follows her father's, not only being tough and able to handle things, but also being smart and independent. While serving her paralyzed father at home, she repaired the collapsed small coal mine, hired people to continue mining coal, and arranged to transport the coal one truck at a time out of the mountain. The business did not collapse as the villagers thought, but it became more prosperous.

Gradually, Liang Kui revived his dead heart, despite being paralyzed and confined to bed all day. As Kestrel grew older, Liang Kui had one more thing on his mind.

Kestrel was eighteen years old. Girls her age in the mountains were married or had boyfriends, but Kestrel was still a lone goose. Liang Kui was secretly worried. With Kestrel's handsome appearance, he was not worried that his daughter would not marry. In Liang Kui's mind, as long as the small coal mine could produce coal, he would have a cornucopia, and the money would only accumulate more and more. But he only had one daughter, and if he could not find a satisfactory son-in-law, no matter how much wealth he had, it would all go down the drain.

Liang Kui became increasingly worried. Lying alone in bed, he often counted on his fingers the young men digging coal in the village and small coal mines, trying to find one worthy of his daughter. He even shared his chosen candidates with her, but none met with her approval. Liang Kui felt frustrated and anxious at home. He knew his daughter had high aspirations, and ordinary young men couldn't catch her eye. Yet with so few eligible men under his nose, where could she find a match worthy of her?

At that very moment, the kestrel quietly brought a half-grown boy home.

That morning, Liang Kui had just finished eating the rice that his daughter had cooked and left to simmer in the pot. He was lying in bed, puffing away on a cigarette, when he saw Kestrel enter the house with a basket on her back. He was about to ask about the coal output from the small coal mine these days, but then he noticed that his daughter was followed by a young man, his face covered in dust and his hair disheveled, looking like a mud monkey.

Liang Kui felt that the man looked unfamiliar and thought he might be a new worker recruited by the kiln. He asked, "Where did you recruit from? Why do you look so unfamiliar?"

The kestrel chuckled and said, "Offer? I found it by chance!"

"Picked up?" Liang Kui was taken aback. Usually, when he was feeling down after being cooped up at home alone for too long, Kestrelg would always try to cheer him up with words. At that moment, Liang Kui thought his daughter was teasing him again. But Kestrelg said seriously, "It's really picked up, Dad. It's right at the village entrance..."

Kestrel recounted the entire encounter with the half-grown boy at the village entrance to Liang Kui. Then, she took out the meal reserved for herself from the pot and fed the half-grown boy a hearty meal. Afterward, she asked him to take a bath and even found some clothes that Liang Kui had worn when he was young to change into. After such a transformation, the mud monkey from earlier became a handsome and dignified young man. The process was like a magic trick, leaving Liang Kui so astonished that he couldn't close his mouth.

In this way, Zong Tianyi settled down at Liang Kui's house. Every morning, he went to the small coal mine with Kestrel to dig coal, and they returned together in the evening. The two of them were inseparable, looking like a couple.

Someone in the village whispered, "I heard that handsome young man is Kestrel's fiancé. Now Lao Liang Kui won't have to worry about his lineage dying out."

Some people said, "The young man is indeed handsome. So, Kestrel was just picking and choosing to find a pretty face!"

"He's handsome, but judging from his appearance, he's probably several years younger than Kestrel! I wonder where she found him. Could she have bought him? These days, as long as you have money, what can't you buy?"

"Don't talk nonsense; the kestrel picked it up!" said Qian Laohei, who lives next door to Liang Kui. "I saw it clearly at the village entrance that day..."

When these words reached Liang Kui's ears, he felt somewhat embarrassed. After so many years as village leader, no one had ever spoken to him like that before. That night, he called his daughter and asked her what she thought about the gossip in the village. However, Kestrel curled her lips and said indifferently, "Whoever wants to gossip, let them gossip. Whether I pick it up or buy it, it's my business, not theirs!"

Liang Kui didn't know what to say. However, if the young man was really the one his daughter had chosen for herself, there was nothing wrong with it. After spending these days together, Liang Kui felt the young man was handsome and honest. Besides following Kestrel's instructions and doing this and that, he didn't show off or speak much. This personality was quite likable. The only thing that made him uneasy was his background.

Until now, Liang Kui knew nothing about Zong Tianyi except that he was a young man a few years younger than Kestrel. He had asked Kestrel several times, but his daughter didn't take it seriously. "Who cares? It's better to have a real person before you, regardless of background!"

Once, my daughter asked him in a mysterious tone, "Dad, do you think Zong Tianyi looks like a person?"

“Like... who?” Liang Kui exclaimed in surprise.

"A person came to our village before and even had a meal at our house..."

With his daughter's reminder, Liang Kui suddenly recalled the incident. It happened over a decade ago when his wife, Yingzi, was still alive. Around thirty years old, a young man suddenly arrived in the village. He wore glasses, was gentle and refined, resembling a city dweller, and spoke with a foreign accent. That day, two militiamen brought him to Liang Kui's house, saying that this person had been acting suspiciously and peeping around the village entrance. After asking a few questions, Liang Kui didn't think he seemed like a bad person. Yingzi even invited him to stay for a meal. After the meal, the man left. At that time, Kestrel was probably not even ten years old. Liang Kui had long forgotten about this incident, and he never expected his daughter to remember it so clearly.

"Oh, I remember now." Before Liang Kui could finish speaking, Kestrel suddenly asked, "Dad, do you think Zong Tianyi looks like that person?"

Liang Kui shook his head and said, "I don't remember, not a single thing."

However, from that day on, Liang Kui realized that his daughter was not acting impulsively, but had truly made up her mind about her lifelong commitment. With this realization, he felt much more at ease.

6. Return to Pi Town

It was already several years later when Zong Tianyi returned to Pi Town.

At this point, Zong Tianyi had fully grown into an adult. With his brown hair slightly curly naturally and wearing sunglasses, he looked quite striking as he walked down the streets of Pi Town, dressed in a dark blue suit that didn't quite fit him, just like the cadres and businessmen who were just starting to become popular during that period.

For Zong Tianyi, Pi Town had become somewhat unfamiliar. First, they replaced the toon trees on both sides of the streets with newly sprouted sycamore trees. Then, they replaced the original stone roads with cement roads, and the pedestrians on the streets wore colorful clothing, much richer and more fashionable than before.

The primary school in Pi Town had also built a new school gate. Zong Tianyi almost didn't recognize it; the Pi Town Middle School, which used to face the primary school across the street, had moved to a new location at the eastern end of the town.

Zong Tianyi was hesitating at the primary school entrance when Uncle Lei, the gatekeeper, limped out of the gatehouse. When asked who he was looking for, Zong Tianyi took off his sunglasses, bowed respectfully to Uncle Lei, and said, "Uncle Lei, don't you recognize me?"

Uncle Lei sized him up and exclaimed, "Oh my, isn't this Zong Tianyi? You've grown so tall, I really can't recognize you... Son, where have you been all these years?"

Zong Tianyi didn't have time to answer and asked Uncle Lei, "Where were my Mum and sister? were they... okay?"

"Alas, don't mention it. Since you left, your mother's illness had worsened. She ran around the streets, looking for you everywhere, and didn't return home even in the middle of the night. One day, she fell into the pond before the purple-tiled house..." Uncle Lei's eyes reddened as he paused before continuing, "After your mother died, someone reported Principal Gong. The investigation found that Principal Gong was suspected of rape and was indirectly responsible for your mother's death. He was dismissed from his public position, and the police station also withdrew the case of arresting you..."

"What about my sister?" Zong Tianyi asked eagerly.

"Your sister..." Uncle Lei said, “Soon after your mother passed away, two people came from the provincial city, claiming to be your maternal grandparents. After discussing this with the school leaders, they said they wanted to take her to the provincial city to attend school. After all, she's still a child. How can she manage alone?"

Zong Tianyi interrupted Uncle Lei, "My grandparents... No, didn't my sister say anything when she left?"

Uncle Lei let out an "Oh" as if he had just remembered something. "They left you a letter when they left, saying that if you come back, they want you to find them at the address written in the letter..." As Uncle Lei spoke, he limped into the gatehouse and came out with a crumpled envelope in his hand.

After reading the letter, Zong Tianyi didn't speak for a while.

That day, Zong Tianyi spent the entire afternoon in the deserted purple-tile house. When he walked out of the school gate, Mr. Lei noticed his red eyes and traces of tears on his face and couldn't help but sigh, "Alas, poor child..."

The next day, Zong Tianyi went to Pi Town Middle School at the eastern end of the town. At the entrance of the middle school, Zong Tianyi saw students in school uniforms coming in and out, with unfamiliar faces that looked so bright, reminding him of the scene when he was studying there a few years ago.

Suddenly, among the students, Zong Tianyi spotted a familiar face and blurted out, "Ba... Dong!"

Badong stopped at the sound and also saw Zong Tianyi. After a moment of stunned silence, he recognized him. "Zong Tianyi! I heard you fled to escape the crime after killing someone... I thought I'd never see you again!"

Zong Tianyi sized up his childhood friend, whom he had met at the brick-and-tile factory, and held his hand, saying, "Badong, you've grown taller and look more handsome than before."

Badong seemed a little embarrassed. "I'm only 1.68 meters tall, which is even shorter than you!" His eyes darted around Zong Tianyi, trying to imitate the tone of an adult. "You're this head, almost one meter eight ...... hee hee, also wearing the rocket head leather shoes? Have you made a fortune?"

Seeing Badong still looking as shrewd as before, Zong Tianyi couldn't help but laugh. "Are you studying in Pi Town?"

"Yes, senior year of high school..."

"Where's Wang Cheng? Is he also studying in Pi Town?"

"Wang Cheng..." Badong hesitated, "He graduated last year and got admitted to Chuzhou Teachers' College."

"Isn't he in the same grade as you?"

"I, I didn't pass the exam... I'm repeating the year." Badong seemed a little embarrassed.

"So, Wang Cheng isn't in Pi Town anymore?" Zong Tianyi sounded slightly disappointed. "I was just about to look for him..."

"What do you want to find him for?"

"I want to talk to him about some business," Zong Tianyi said hesitantly. "No, actually, I want to talk to his father..."

"What kind of business were we talking about?" Ba Dong's eyes lit up when he heard the word "business".

"Isn't Wang Cheng's father the director of the brick-and-tile factory?" Zong Tianyi hesitated and said, "I want to do some coal business with him..."

"So, you've really made a fortune!" Badong exclaimed excitedly, "However, you've got the wrong person when you're looking for Wang Cheng and his father."

"Why?"

"Wang Cheng is just a bookworm now. He knows nothing but reading. Besides, his father hasn't been the factory director for a long time. What's the use of asking him?"

Zong Tianyi remained silent, recalling the scenes of Ba Dong and Wang Cheng arguing whenever they met in the past.

"If I'm not mistaken, you want to sell coal to brick and tile factories, right?" Badong assumed a business-like demeanor. "You don't need to look elsewhere for this. Just come to me."

"To you?" Zong Tian was half-believing and half-doubting.

"Yes, my dad is now the director of a brick-and-tile factory. Isn't asking me the same as asking my dad?" Badong patted his chest and said, "Many coal merchants ask my dad. I understand the tricks of the trade..."

"I didn't expect you to have such a good business mind..." Zong Tianyi's gaze lingered on Ba Dong's face for about half a minute. "Alright, I'll rely on you. After all, we're friends!" He affectionately put his arm around Ba Dong's shoulder, and the last sentence was clearly laced with praise and even flattery.

"Of course! My dad said I was born to be a businessman, not cut out for studying!" Badong said, with no modesty.

Zong Tianyi thought: It seems I struck the right note by accident, finding the right person.

While staying in Pi Town for two days, Zong Tianyi never found the Bozhong Clinic. The original Pi Town Health Center had built a new building, and the faces of the doctors and nurses were all unfamiliar to Zong Tianyi. He asked several people before hearing a bit of news: shortly after he escaped into Pigu Mountain, a tuberculosis patient suddenly died after taking the medicine from the Bozhong Clinic. The patient's family filed a lawsuit against Doctor Wu, and after an investigation, the authorities closed down the Bozhong Clinic. Some said authorities arrested Doctor Wu; others said he fled to avoid prosecution.

Zong Tianyi had initially intended to inquire about Du Wei's whereabouts, but the words died on his lips. The next day, he left Pi Town to visit his sister, Gu Zheng, at his grandparents' house in the provincial capital.

VOLUME 2

Chapter 1

1. Go to Grandparents' House

Not long after the start of school in September, Gu Zheng went to her grandparents' house.

From Dongjiang University to Dongjiang Iron and Steel Plant, Gu Zheng first took bus No. 15 at the university gate, which took half an hour to reach Dragon Temple. Then, she transferred to bus No. 702 and got off at Renjia Road after about 40 minutes. After that, she walked for 15 minutes or took a motorized tricycle, which took about 10 minutes to reach Dongjiang Iron and Steel Plant.

Dongjiang Iron and Steel Plant, commonly known as "Donggang" and also referred to as "Steel City", comprised two main areas: the factory zone and the dormitory zone. This place used to belong to the suburbs of Dongjiang City and was the main garbage dumping ground of the city. Looking around, garbage was everywhere, and the stench was overwhelming. In the late 1950s, red brick-and-tile factory buildings, tall steelmaking furnaces, and chimneys rose from the ground. They built a modern, large-scale steel enterprise here in just a few years.

The dormitory area of Donggang had a quite poetic name: Steel Flower Village. Every street was named after "No. ╳, ╳th Street, Steel Flower Village", where Gu Zheng's maternal grandparents live.

When Gu Zheng first arrived at her grandparents' house, she had trouble sleeping at night and often dreamed all night long. In her dreams, she repeatedly saw the scene of her mother drowning, her brother Zong Tianyi's bloody red lance, the embroidered building covered with green vines, the ground littered with withered leaves, and a beautiful woman with her hair down, riding the wind over the pond, laughing eerily. Gu Zheng was always awakened by laughter, her body shrinking into a ball, and she kept calling out, "Mum, Mum..." Opening her eyes, she found herself lying in her grandmother's arms. Her grandmother looked anxious and kept wiping her cold, sweat-drenched face, neck, and back with a towel. Her grandfather, who was also nervous, stood beside her.

Grandpa and Grandma were already in their fifties at that time. They had a son, Gu Xiaole, who was one year younger than Gu Zheng and was in the sixth grade at Donggang Children’s Primary School. According to seniority, Gu Zheng should call Gu Xiaole “Little Uncle”, but she always found it difficult to say it. Gu Zheng was in the first grade of Donggang Children’s Middle School, one grade higher than Gu Xiaole, and she felt it was difficult to call him “Little Uncle.”

Her grandparents' house had two bedrooms, one large and one small. Her grandparents lived in the large one, while Gu Xiaole lived in the small one. When Gu Zheng arrived, her grandparents initially planned for her to share the small bedroom with Gu Xiaole. However, considering both children were already in middle school, they later had Gu Zheng stay with her grandmother and Gu Xiaole stay with my grandfather.

Grandparents doted excessively on Gu Xiaole. Normally, deciding what to cook at home was not up to the grandparents, but Gu Xiaole had the final say. However, since Gu Zheng arrived, this situation had changed somewhat. In the past, when the family made delicious food, the grandparents were eager to give it all to Gu Xiaole alone. Now, with the addition of Gu Zheng, every time the grandmother puts food in her son Gu Xiaole's bowl, she also remembers to put some for her granddaughter Gu Zheng. When shopping for clothes and shoes, Gu Xiaole and Gu Zheng each got one; sometimes, even the portion given to Gu Zheng was more than that given to Gu Xiaole.

Gu Zheng had a vague feeling that there was always a sense of guilt towards her mother in her grandparents' hearts. After her mother's death, her grandparents transformed this guilt into affection and transferred it to Gu Zheng. Gu Xiaole didn't understand their feelings towards Gu Zheng. Once, her grandmother bought an octagonal music box at the mall and gave it to Gu Zheng, saying it was a reward for her being selected as an outstanding student in the entire school. This time, Gu Xiaole refused to accept it. At dinner, he locked herself in his bedroom and refused to come out, protesting with a hunger strike. Her grandparents were frantically pacing around the room, not knowing what to do. Later, it was Gu Zheng who took the initiative to offer the octagonal music box to Gu Xiaole, which resolved the crisis.

When Gu Zheng was studying at Pi Town Primary School, she had excellent grades. After following her grandparents to Donggang Children’s Middle School, her grades remained among the top. She was even awarded the title of "Outstanding Student". As for Gu Xiaole, let alone being an outstanding student, he was always among the last few in class during exams. His grandparents were worried about him and would criticize him in front of Gu Zheng, urging him to learn from her. Gu Xiaole readily agreed, but behind Gu Zheng's back, he asked Gu Zheng to do his homework for him. When Gu Zheng refused, he would adopt a domineering attitude and ask, "Are my parents your grandparents?"

Gu Zheng nodded, and he asked again, "Am I your younger uncle?"

Gu Zheng nodded again.

"Your grandparents want you to help your younger uncle with his studies. were you willing to obey?"

Gu Zheng said, "My grandparents asked me to help you with your studies, but they didn't ask me to do your homework for you!"

Gu Xiaole twisted his neck and said domineeringly, "I just want you to help me with my homework, so what? You eat and drink at my house, and were unwilling to help with this little favor? That's really unfair!"

This sentence deeply hurt Gu Zheng's heart. At night, she hid in the quilt and cried secretly. When her grandmother found out, she asked, "Zhengzheng, why were you crying? Did your little uncle bully you?"

Gu Zheng didn't answer but simply said, "Grandma, I want to go home..."

Upon hearing this, Grandma hugged Gu Zheng tightly and said affectionately, "Child, your parents were no longer there, and your brother is nowhere to be found. How can you still have a home?..."

From then on, Gu Zheng became even more reticent. When alone, she would always think of Pi Town, of the home with purple-tiled roofs, of her mother and brother. Her mother was no longer around, but her brother was still there. He would come to her grandparents' house one day and bring her back. Gu Zheng fantasized and prayed like this until she was about to graduate from junior high school. One day after school, she saw her grandparents talking to a tall, handsome, and dashing young man in the living room. When Gu Zheng entered, her grandmother said, "Zhengzheng, look who's here."

Gu Zheng was surprised, momentarily unable to react. The young man stood up from the sofa, smiling at her, and said, "Little sister, I'm here to pick you up..."

Gu Zheng then recognized it was her brother Zong Tianyi, and tears streamed down her face.

Zong Tianyi said, "Your brother is making a lot of money in business now, and he's going to send you to Chuzhou Middle School to study in high school..."

Chuzhou Middle School was a key middle school in the province. Its annual college entrance examination enrollment rate was over 80%, ranking first in the province and surpassing the enrollment rate of the affiliated high school of the renowned Dongjiang University. Being admitted to Chuzhou Middle School was equivalent to being admitted to the university.

"I don't expect you to enter Beijing University or Tsinghua University. As long as you can get into Dongjiang University like your parents did, that's all!" Zong Tianyi continued. He wore a suit and tie, with a light mustache on his upper lip. His tone was so confident that Gu Zheng felt a bit uncomfortable. She wanted to ask her brother where he made the money, but ultimately didn't.

Zong Tianyi didn't lie; indeed, he sent Gu Zheng to Chuzhou Middle School. Later, as she had wished, Gu Zheng also successfully got admitted to Dongjiang University. Everything came so smoothly that Gu Zheng found it hard to believe whenever she thought about it.

After being admitted to Dongjiang University, it was the first time Gu Zheng had visited her grandparents. She only wrote a letter to her grandparents during this period after receiving the college entrance examination admission notice. She called them once during the second semester of her freshman year. Her grandmother reminded her to visit them during the school holidays, but Gu Zheng never went. For some reason, Gu Zheng could never develop that kind of affection for her grandparents, even after living with them for a few years after her mother's drowning. Her brother was also like this. Whenever he mentioned his grandparents, he would have a cold expression. This time, if it weren't for her grandmother calling and saying that her grandfather was turning sixty and asking Gu Zheng to go and celebrate his birthday no matter what, and also asking her brother to go, "Apart from Xiaole, you and your brother were the only two relatives we have besides your grandfather and me," her grandmother sobbed softly on the other end of the phone. Gu Zheng's heart softened immediately, and she hurriedly promised, "Grandma, don't cry. I will definitely come to see you and Grandpa..."

But she didn't promise to ask her brother to come. Zong Tianyi was very busy with his business now. Whether or not he could spare time, even if he could, Gu Zheng was not sure he could come.

Even after getting off the No. 702 bus, Gu Zheng still hadn't escaped this confusion.

2. Birthday Banquet

It was already past ten in the morning when Gu Zheng knocked on her grandparents' door, carrying a large cake she had bought at the market on Renjia Road.

It was Gu Xiaole, her younger uncle, who opened the door.

Gu Xiaole, who followed his grandmother, was not tall, standing 5.5 feet, 0.3 feet shorter than Gu Zheng. However, his body was well-proportioned, making him appear less short. Gu Xiaole's appearance also resembled his grandmother: a long face, double eyelids, long eyelashes, and two shallow dimples on his cheeks when he smiled. For a moment, Gu Zheng seemed to see his mother's shadow. Seeing Gu Zheng carefully sizing him up, Gu Xiaole's face blushed slightly. He was wearing headphones, obviously listening to some music, and walking as if stepping to the beat of the music. He nodded at Gu Zheng as a greeting, took the cake from Gu Zheng's hand, placed it on the dining table in the center of the living room, and went back to his room.

Gu Zheng couldn’t believe the shy young man before her was the naughty and overbearing uncle a few years ago. She was stunned when her grandmother came out of the kitchen. She was staring blankly when her grandmother came out of the kitchen. She wiped her wet hands on her apron, and while cordially taking Gu Zheng’s hand, she squinted her eyes and scrutinized her up and down, muttering, “I haven’t seen you in a few years, so I have to have a good look at you... Oh, you’re even taller than Xiaole!” She glanced at the cake on the dining table and added,  “Child, what cake were you buying? I ordered one last night. Your grandfather just went out and brought it back in a while...”

After several years of not seeing each other, Gu Zheng noticed that her grandmother's hair had turned significantly grayer, and she seemed more naggy than before. She pulled Gu Zheng to sit on the sofa and shouted into Gu Xiaole's room, "Xiaole, why were you hiding in your room when Gu Zheng is here? Is it because your niece got into a prestigious university while you, as her uncle, only managed to get into a junior college, making you feel embarrassed?" Seeing that Gu Xiaole didn't respond, she sighed and said, "Alas, your little uncle is getting increasingly useless. Your grandfather and I were worried to death..."

Gu Zheng listened to her grandmother while sizing up the two-bedroom house. Although Gu Zheng had spent two or three years in this home and was intimately familiar with it, she still felt an indescribable sense of strangeness. The living room was not significant, covering at most ten square meters. Apart from a dining table and a sofa set, there was no room for anything else. Blue and white floor tiles covered the living room, smooth as mirrors and spotlessly clean. Gu Zheng remembered that during summer and winter vacations, the only household chore her grandmother assigned to her and Gu Xiaole was to mop the floor. However, every time, Gu Xiaole would let Gu Zheng do his work. Gu Zheng was quite willing to help her younger uncle. She felt one year older than Gu Xiaole, so helping him with some work was appropriate. Therefore, she never revealed this to her grandmother. In the wall's corner stood an old sewing machine, covered with a white knitted curtain. Her grandmother brought it from Shanghai. Her grandmother was an able housewife. The bedding, curtains, and sofa covers in the house were all sewn by her with a sewing machine. Several picture frames and certificates of merit hung on the wall facing the door.

Once, my grandmother pointed to a photo of three people and said, "The one in the middle is your mother. She was only two or three years old at that time. Your grandfather and I came back to Shanghai from the northwest to visit relatives, and we took this photo at a photo studio..." When my grandmother said this, her eyes turned a little red. Gu Zheng's gaze lingered on her mother for a long time: Gu Ying, three years old, had a round face and a pair of big, black eyes like two glass balls.

This was the only photo of the grandparents and mother that Gu Zheng had seen.

Most of the awards on the wall belonged to Grandpa, among which was a steel medal awarded by the Dongjiang Steel Factory, which was particularly eye-catching. It read: "Awarded the title of Provincial Model Worker in 1970 to Comrade Gu Zhizhen. Dongjiang Provincial Federation of Trade Unions, May 1, 1973." Gu Zheng remembered Grandpa's name from then on: Gu Zhizhen. Grandpa hung the medal in the center of the wall and covered it with glass to prevent rust, showing how much he cherished it. Gu Zheng saw that someone had hung a new frame next to the medal. Upon closer inspection, I saw Grandpa’s retirement commemorative certificate: “Comrade Gu Zhizhen, worked at Dongjiang Steel Company (formerly Dongjiang Steel Factory) from 1958 to 1988 and retired honorably in June 1988. The only award certificate Grandma had hanging on the wall was the certificate of her winning the Guzheng competition when she was young. Gu Zheng remembered Grandma's name from then on: Su Wanyun.

At that monument, Grandpa came back, carrying a cake even bigger than the one Gu Zheng had bought.

In Gu Zheng's impression, her grandfather always wore a blue denim work uniform and wouldn't change, even when he came home. He emitted a powerful scent of machine oil. Usually, it was her grandmother who took care of household affairs, and her grandfather rarely interfered, including in the education of Gu Xiaole, which was also her grandmother's decision. Her grandfather was an engineer at the Rolling Steel Branch of Dongjiang Iron and Steel Plant. Besides working during the day, he was also busy with work after returning home in the evening, and he often went on business trips, which could last for ten days or half a month. Because of being too busy, her grandfather rarely had time to shave his beard. Her grandmother would nag him several times every time his beard grew long before he reluctantly went to the barber's. Compared to her grandmother, who was very tidy and always dressed neatly, her grandfather's appearance could be described as sloppy. But then, the grandfather who appeared before Gu Zheng seemed to have changed into a different person. He wore a neatly pressed Zhongshan suit, shaved his beard cleanly, and combed his hair meticulously. He looked both decent and energetic. Compared to a few years ago, he not only didn't look old, but he seemed to be a few years younger and didn't look sixty years old at all. Gu Zheng couldn't help but think that her grandfather must have been a very handsome when he was young. Gu Zheng recalled the scene when her grandfather took the opportunity to go to Pi Town on a business trip, which was the first time she had seen him. She was a little confused about whether her mother looked like her grandmother or grandfather.

The lunch was exceptionally sumptuous, filling the entire table. Apart from Gu Zheng's favorites, braised bream and mushroom chicken soup, there were also crabs, which she rarely ate. The fall crabs were big and plump, filling the plates with just four. Next to the plates was an exquisite small bowl containing a sauce made of vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger. Gu Zheng had expected a birthday celebration, but before the meal began, her grandfather took the liberty to cut the cake into several portions and served it on the table. Her grandmother looked a little perplexed and said, "You cut the cake before blowing out the candles?"

Grandpa sat down at the head of the table and smiled disapprovingly. "Let's not engage in those bourgeois trappings. Besides, it's too inauspicious to 'blow out the lamp and pull out the wax' when people were alive and well..."

When Gu Zheng first heard such an "interpretation" of the birthday ceremony, she felt that her grandfather's words were not unreasonable, and couldn't help but laugh.

At this moment, Gu Xiaole emerged from his small room, adopting an air of entitlement, looking even more like a guest than Gu Zheng. Gu Zheng only now noticed the large words printed on his T-shirt: "Graduation Souvenir of 1988 Steel Institute". "Steel Institute" is an abbreviation for "Dongjiang Iron and Steel Institute". Gu Zheng had forgotten that the schooling period at the Steel Institute was two years, and asked, "Has Little Uncle graduated already?"

“Now that He has graduated, He is mad at your grandpa about his job assignment,” Grandma said as she picked up a crab for each of Gu Zheng and Gu Xiaole. She also broke off the crab legs for Gu Xiaole as she had in the past, opened the crab shell, and scooped out the crab roe with chopsticks. She told Gu Zheng that the Dongjiang Iron and Steel Plant was publicly recruiting administrative staff. Gu Xiaole had already signed up and wanted Grandpa to say hello to the factory leaders. However, he was unwilling to “say hello” and opposed Gu Xiaole’s registration and insisted that his son start as a worker. He said that no matter whether the Iron and Steel College graduates will become technicians or cadres, they must first begin as workers. He said that if they sit in an office right after graduation, they will be like flowers in a greenhouse. They cannot withstand the wind and rain, so what future will they have? “Listen, your grandpa still thinks we are young now, and he is holding Xiaole to the standard of a model worker!”

Grandpa was pouring himself a drink when he interrupted Grandma in a grumpy tone after hearing her words: "Xiaole has already graduated from college. Can't you let him eat crabs by himself?"

Gu Zheng remembered that whenever they ate in the past, her grandmother would eagerly feed the dishes into Gu Xiaole's mouth. At this moment, being scolded by her grandfather, her face seemed embarrassed. After hesitating for a moment, she withdrew her hand and wanted to help Gu Zheng crack the crab legs. Gu Zheng quickly said, "Grandma, I can do it myself."

"If you keep spoiling him like this, he'll need someone to help him walk. When will he truly grow up?" Grandpa continued scolding Grandma, but before he could finish, Gu Xiaole, sitting opposite, pushed the bowl in front of him. The crab legs in the bowl rolled out one after another, and the sauce and vinegar in the condiment bowl spilled all over the floor.

"Dad, don't worry. Even if I lose my job, I won't let you worry about it!" Gu Xiaole almost shouted at his grandfather, his face turning red.

"You think this is a good way to show your spirit, right?" Grandpa sarcastically told his son, "If you lose your job, you'll still have to eat what your mother and I..."

His father’s public reproach in front of Gu Zheng likely hurt Gu Xiaole’s self-esteem. Pouting, he left the dining table and went back to his room.

Grandpa stopped Grandma from calling Gu Xiaole back. "Don't call him. A meal without food won't kill anyone."

"In your heart, that model worker hat on your head is more important than Xiaole..." Grandma, distressed for her son, finally couldn't hold it in any longer. "I'm not as hard-hearted as you. I've already lost one daughter, and I don't want my son to suffer any more injustice..."

As Grandma spoke, tears welled up in her eyes. Upon hearing this, Grandpa's head drooped like a frost-bitten eggplant, and he stared at the wine glass in front of him with an ashen face, without saying a word. Gu Zheng was at a loss. Grandma's last words reminded her of her deceased mother.

Because she was going to the writers' class with Li Hong in the afternoon, Gu Zheng returned to Dongjiang University after lunch at her grandparents' house.

3. Maple Garden

The female law students lived in Dormitory 503 in Osmanthus Garden, while the female Chinese students resided in Dormitory 504. A narrow path leads between the two buildings to the cafeteria. Because of the narrowness of the path, it was always bustling and crowded during meal times, resembling a market. When Gu Zheng returned to her dormitory, it was just two o’clock in the afternoon, which was also the time she had arranged with Li Hong. At this time, most people were still taking their afternoon naps. Downstairs, apart from two boys who seemed to be waiting for their girlfriends, craning their necks to look up at the girls’ dormitory, no one else was visible. Just as she was hesitating whether to go back to her dormitory to change clothes, she saw Li Hong gracefully emerging from Dormitory 504.

Li Hong and Gu Zheng arranged the interview with female writer Song Xiaofan in the writers’ class last Friday. Gu Zheng initially didn’t want to go, but couldn’t resist Li Hong’s repeated invitations. After all, she was a member of the Langtaosha Literary Club. Besides, since reading Song Xiaofan’s novel last time, she had developed a particular curiosity about the writer herself, so she agreed.

It was evident that Li Hong had put in a serious effort for today’s interview. She wore a white shirt on top, a red skirt on the bottom, and a big-flared skirt with a hem almost reaching her heels. She carried an exquisite purple leather small clutch bag on her shoulder, looking both dignified and elegant yet fashionable and beautiful. In contrast, as usual, Gu Zheng appeared to be very student-like and dressed casually. She had two ear-length braids tied on her head, wore a beige shirt on top, and some old jeans on the bottom, looking like a freshman just entering school. Unlike many girls who like to highlight their gender characteristics deliberately, Gu Zheng’s dress appeared very “gender-neutral”. Coupled with the fact that she never wore makeup, her face, originally full of feminine beauty, displayed a sculptural sense of coldness and arrogance. The two were about the same height, but today, Li Hong wore high heels, while Gu Zheng wore flat shoes with laces, making Li Hong two centimeters taller than Gu Zheng.

“Aren’t you going back to the dormitory to change clothes?” Li Hong looked at her watch and said, “I have an appointment with Song Xiaofan at 3 o’clock, from Osmanthus Garden to Maple Garden, which takes at most a quarter of an hour...”

“No, let’s go,” said Gu Zheng.

Maple Garden was a newly renovated graduate dormitory area at Dongjiang University. Although the school only issued undergraduate diplomas to the writers’ class, the students were young and middle-aged writers recruited from all over the country. Some of them had even won national awards and had considerable fame. Therefore, the school arranged for them to stay in Maple Garden, according to the accommodation standards for graduate students.

The campus of Dongjiang University sat on the banks of the Dongjiang River, constructed along the mountain known as the renowned Mount Pipa. Mount Pipa was not tall, with the highest peak reaching an elevation of less than 500 meters. The mountain sloped steeply from the west to the east, stretching out windingly. Legend had it that the Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi once lived in seclusion here in his later years and penned the poem “Mountain Pipa”. To the north of Mount Pipa lay the rolling Dongjiang River flowing eastward. With Mount Pipa as its axis, Dongjiang University divided the campus into four sections: Plum Garden, Osmanthus Garden, Peach Garden, and Maple Garden. The Plum Garden on the mountain's north side served as the administrative and teaching area, while the Peach Garden on the east side was the faculty dormitory area. The Osmanthus Garden on the south side was the undergraduate dormitory area, and the Maple Garden on the west side, bordering the Dongjiang River, was once occupied by the provincial party committee as a sanatorium. It boasted a beautiful environment and pleasant climate, and some leaders of Dongjiang Province enjoyed vacationing here. A few years ago, because of the campus's overall development and construction needs, Dongjiang University submitted a request to the provincial party committee to return the Maple Garden Sanatorium to the university. After approval, Maple Garden again became part of the Dongjiang University campus.

During the Anti-Japanese War, Maple Garden was the office location for the Dongjiang Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. To this day, the former residence of Dongjiang Bureau leader Zong Da was preserved there. It was said that the Dongjiang Provincial Party Committee leaders once hesitated over whether to preserve Zong Da’s former residence. In the fall of 1958, during Chairman Mao Zedong’s inspection of Dongjiang, he even stayed at Maple Garden. During that visit, Mao Zedong instructed the Dongjiang Provincial Party Committee leaders to preserve Zong Da’s former residence. He said, “Although Zong Da later betrayed the party and defected to the enemy, he was still a good scholar. Even Mr. Lu Xun praised him...” Zong Da was a professor at Dongjiang University in the 1930s and was a well-known left-wing cultural figure.

The historical changes of Maple Garden were all introduced in the “Student Handbook of Dongjiang University” that every new student receives upon enrollment, so few people were unaware of them.

From Osmanthus Garden to Maple Garden, there were two paths. One was the asphalt avenue leading to the library, and the other was the narrow path through the forest next to the gymnasium. Li Hong led the way into the narrow path in the woods, and Gu Zheng hesitated for a moment before following her.

The forest was home to a wide variety of trees, including pine, cypress, cedar, fir, maple, crape myrtle, and ginkgo, as well as rare species such as linden and boxwood. Even professional botany students may not recognize all of them. It resembled a small botanical garden, lush with vegetation and fragrant with flowers, where birds chirp and flowers bloom. It was not only the best place for students of Dongjiang University to read and review their lessons in the morning, but also a secluded and delightful spot for couples to rendezvous. Therefore, people also called this forest “Lover’s Forest”.

During her freshman year, Gu Zheng would come to the forest every morning to read English for an hour to prepare for her exam. One day, as she walked back and forth in the forest, reciting English, something stuck to her foot. She tried to shake it off several times but failed. When she lifted her foot, she saw a round, white tubular film attached to the sole of her shoe. She bent down and reached out to pick up the tubular film covered in sticky juice and emitting a fishy smell. At that moment, a female cleaning worker in her forties pushed a garbage truck along the gravel path in the woods. Gu Zheng held up the tubular film and asked the cleaning worker, “Auntie, what is this?” The female cleaning worker looked at it and said, “Condom! I see several of them in these woods every day.” She looked at Gu Zheng with surprise and suspicion. “You must be a freshman. No wonder...” Gu Zheng blushed immediately when she heard that. She felt as if she had been burned. She threw the fishy-smelling condom into the garbage truck and ran out of the forest as fast as she could. From then on, she never went to the Lover’s Forest for morning reading again.

Now, Gu Zheng and Li Hong walked onto the small path paved with stones in the middle of the Lover’s Forest. As it was a weekend afternoon, the forest was tranquil, with no sound of loud morning reading or birds chirping. Dense trees covered the ground with thick fallen leaves. Occasionally, a gust of wind would blow, causing a few golden yellow fallen leaves to spin and fly up, only to fall into the grass like injured birds. Li Hong raised her face and took a deep breath, stretching her arms as if to embrace something. She said thoughtfully, “Some people say that if you don’t go on a date with your boyfriend in the Lover’s Forest, it’s like going to Dongjiiang University in vain. Gu Zheng, do you agree with this?”

When Gu Zheng saw Li Hong say this, her cheeks turned red. She knew that Li Hong was already in love, and her boyfriend was the renowned Professor Lang Tao. Of course, their relationship had not been made public yet. Li Hong had only confided in a few close friends, including Gu Zheng.

“Last weekend, Lang Tao and I watched a movie and then walked in the woods...” Li Hong whispered in Gu Zheng’s ear, her tone revealing an unmistakable sweetness. Seeing Gu Zheng remain silent, she turned her head and asked seriously, “Gu Zheng, were you in love? Your only flaw is this androgynous look. If you spruce yourself up a bit, I wonder how many boys would chase after you! Once you fall in love with someone, everything will change, including your appearance...”

Li Hong sounded as if she was giving a stern warning. However, Gu Zheng didn’t pick up on her remark. She seemed to have smelled a strong fishy smell coming from the Lover’s Forest, making her feel like vomiting.

At this point, they had already walked out of the Lover’s Forest and embarked on a shaded path that wound its way towards the riverbank. Not far ahead, they would reach Maple Garden.

The writers’ class lived in a four-story Soviet-style building, originally the main building of the Provincial Party Committee Sanatorium, constructed in the 1950s. After being acquired by Dongjiang University, it served as the office building for the graduate school before being converted into dormitories for the writers’ class.

Song Xiaofan lived in Dormitory 203. Li Hong gently tapped twice, and the door opened. Standing in front of her was a woman with a beautiful face and elegant demeanor. She was about thirty years old and had short hair. She wore a soft-textured dress and a light red cardigan over it. She had beautiful almond-shaped eyes and slightly arched eyebrows, giving off an air of aloofness or reserve.

“Excuse me, were you Teacher Song Xiaofan?” Li Hong asked politely, “I’m Li Hong from Langtaosha Literary Club...”

“Hello! I’m Song Xiaofan.” The other person smiled and extended a hand to shake Li Hong’s. In her other hand, she held a quite thick open book. Gu Zheng glanced at it and saw that it was Woolf’s The Lighthouse Keeper.

At that moment, Song Xiaofan turned her gaze to Gu Zheng and extended her hand towards her.

When Gu Zheng held the other person’s hand, she felt her fingers were fair, slender, and delicate. It was her first time meeting a female writer, and she was a little nervous. Her palms sweated.

“You are...” Song Xiaofan’s gaze lingered on her face.

“Her name is Gu Zheng, she’s majoring in law, and her poetry is excellent...” Li Hong introduced from the side.

“Oh, this is quite interesting,” Song Xiaofan said with a smile, eyeing Gu Zheng with interest, yet her hand remained extended. She led Gu Zheng back to the room by her hand. “You’re a law student, so you must know Shi Qun, right?”

“I’ve heard the teacher talk about her,” Gu Zheng nodded and said. Shi Qun was a renowned jurist in China and also the first female barrister during the Republic of China period.

“She wrote poems in college, and Xu Zhimo even wrote reviews for her!” Song Xiaofan said. Her Mandarin was very standard, with cadences and intonations, somewhat resembling the tone of stage plays.

Li Hong took out several issues of Langtaosha magazine and handed them to Song Xiaofan, saying, “Teacher Song, these were our newly published issues. Please give us your advice!”

Song Xiaofan took the magazine, gestured for Li Hong and Gu Zheng to sit on the chairs, and then sat down on the edge of the bed. She casually flipped through the magazine and said, “Your magazine is doing quite well.”

“Please give us your support, Teacher Song. We also hope you can serve as a consultant for the Langtaosha Literary Club...” Li Hong said respectfully, as if afraid of being rejected, adding, “Professor Lang Tao is also our consultant!”

“Oh, Lang Tao is also your consultant?” Song Xiaofan hesitated for a moment and readily agreed.

The dormitory where Song Xiaofan lived had four beds arranged in two tiers facing each other. Boxes and miscellaneous items were piled up on the upper bunk while Song Xiaofan slept on the lower bunk. This room was about the same size as the undergraduate dormitory at Osmanthus Garden, but each room at Osmanthus Garden accommodates six to eight students; the accommodation conditions for the writer’s class were luxurious and enviable. The room was tidy and spotless, with a homely atmosphere and a faint fragrance. A separate desk was beside each bed, and a piece of plastic film was used to separate the two desks to avoid interference during writing. On Song Xiaofan’s desk was a vase made of a beer bottle, with several bright roses inserted inside and crystal-clear water droplets dripping from the petals. Next to the vase was a small mirror frame, in which a color art photo of Song Xiaofan was embedded.

Seeing Song Xiaofan close the magazine in her hand, Li Hong took out her notebook and pen, winked at Gu Zheng, and said, “Teacher Song, shall we start the interview?”

“Don’t take it too seriously, whether we interview. I’ll get nervous!” Song Xiaofan said, like an elder sister to a younger sister, “Let’s just chat casually.”

Every smile and every gesture of Song Xiaofan seemed so elegant. A line of poetry suddenly popped into Gu Zheng’s mind: “She is so beautiful, like a ripe begonia...”

Li Hong primarily conducted the interview, with Gu Zheng taking notes. Li Hong had previously shown Gu Zheng the outline, including questions such as “How did you embark on the path of literature?” “Can you talk about your family and life experiences?” “Who is the writer you admire most?” “Do you believe there is true love in the world?“The republication of your novel Xiangchun Street by Langtaosha sparked controversy. What were your thoughts on these controversies?”

Li Hong was not skilled in interviews and mostly read from the interview outline. However, Song Xiaofan did not passively answer her questions one by one. Instead, she selectively answered a few questions. Sometimes, she would suddenly digress from the topic under discussion and shift to another topic. For example, she was defending her novel angrily, saying, “The protagonist’s experiences were told to me by my father, but the article criticizing ‘Xiangchun Street’ claimed that I ‘fabricated false and bizarre plots,’ as if the critic knew her characters and life better than the author herself. It’s outrageous! But then, adopting a tolerant and magnanimous tone, she said, “The author wrote a well-written article criticizing me.” I heard the author is a graduate student in Chinese literature. So, he lives in Maple Garden? I really want to meet this classmate when I have the chance!” She didn’t seem to put on airs, and her face was sincere. Li Hong and Gu Zheng couldn’t react to Song Xiaofan’s stage-like changes in a monument.

At the end of the interview, Song Xiaofan saw Li Hong and Gu Zheng at the dormitory entrance. As they said goodbye, she suddenly said to Gu Zheng, “Seeing you reminds me of someone, a relative...” She hesitated, “But he’s not really a relative. I can only say he was once a family member. I have no blood relationship with him...”

Gu Zheng was perplexed, and even after leaving the Maple Garden, she still pondered Song Xiaofan’s words.

“Do you know that Song Xiaofan’s father is the vice governor of our province...” Li Hong’s voice was so low it sounded like a whisper, “Not long after Song Xiaofan went to the countryside to work, her father used his connections to get her transferred to the Donggang Cultural Troupe. Later, they transferred her to the provincial song and dance troupe as a composer. I heard that Li Xin has a high opinion of Xiangchun Street, and their relationship is quite special...”

“Who is Li Xin?”

“Li Xin is a big name in the literary world. You don’t even know him?” Li Hong said, “The movie When We Talk About the Night Rain in Ba Mountain, which was shown at school not long ago, was adapted from Li Xin’s novel!”

Gu Zheng let out an embarrassed “Oh”. Li Hong had many acquaintances in the entertainment circle and loved to spread all kinds of gossip. Gu Zheng had never been interested in this gossip news.

4. Good Girl Restaurant

Gu Zheng and Li Hong returned to the Osmanthus Garden from the Maple Garden and parted ways downstairs before returning to their dormitories.

The old man at the reception desk of Dormitory Building 503 had a face full of pockmarks. The girls behind his back called him "Pockmarked Dad" and had given him the nickname "Pockmarked Door God". Pockmarked Dad had a fantastic memory, able to memorize the names and room numbers of every girl in the dormitory building. He was ruthless in enforcing the building rules. Usually, he stood with his hands behind his back at the entrance of the reception desk, monitoring everyone who came in and out. No one who wanted to sneak in could escape his eyes, which were as wide as electric light bulbs. His dignified demeanor indeed resembled that of a door god.

According to the regulations governing student dormitory management at Dongjiang University, male students could not enter female dormitories. If a male student wished to meet his girlfriend, he could only enter if the female came downstairs to escort him. Male students were not allowed to stay in the dormitory for more than half an hour; otherwise, "Pockmarked Dad" would rush upstairs and forcefully kick them out without explanation. If any female or male student violates the dormitory rules, "Pockmarked Dad" will not only lose his temper but also record the name of the involved party and report it to their respective department or the security office, making it impossible for them to escape. When "Pockmarked Dad" lost his temper, his face was so full of pimples that it seemed like they were about to explode, which was very scary. The female students in Dormitory Building 503 all "turn pale at the mention of Pockmarked Dad". Some obedient female students try their best to please "Pockmarked Dad" and beg him to open a convenient door for them, but they often get a cold shoulder in front of the "strictly enforcing" "Pockmarked Dad". Therefore, many male students were waiting in line outside Dormitory Building 503 every day to date their girlfriends or visit female classmates or fellow townspeople.

Since no male students had ever entered the female dormitory to look for Gu Zheng, she rarely interacted with Pockmarked Dad, let alone had conflicts with him. She even felt Pockmarked Dad might not remember her name and room number. Therefore, when Pockmarked Dad stopped her as she passed by the reception room, she couldn't help but be startled. "Gu Zheng, there's a note for you..."

When someone went to the girls' dormitory to look for someone absent, it was common to write a note and ask the doorman to deliver it. But Gu Zheng wasn’t sure if the note was for her, so she looked doubtfully at the doorman standing at the reception room entrance and asked, “Are you asking... me?”

Pockmarked Dad ignored Gu Zheng's question and turned around to pick up a note from the windowsill of the reception room and handed it to her. Gu Zheng took the note and read it. It read:

Gu Zheng:

Lao Wei and I would like to invite you to dinner. If you can return to the dormitory before 6 p.m., please come to the Good Girl Restaurant.

Wang Sheng, this afternoon.

Wang Sheng. Gu Zheng's first reaction to seeing this name was that it belonged to the friend of her brother whom she had met at Lang Tao's lecture last time. Her mind flashed back to those eyes, one with a single eyelid and the other with double eyelids. Gu Zheng raised her head and glanced at the wall clock in the reception room. It was 5:30 in the afternoon, precisely when the cafeteria opened for meals. She hesitated momentarily and returned to walk outside the dormitory building. After taking two steps, she turned around and said, "Thank you!" to Pockmarked Dad

A hint of a kind smile appeared on Pockmarked Dad's face. Gu Zheng felt this old man was not as fierce as many girls had described.

Between the Osmanthus Garden dormitory and the school gate lies a narrow street named Xueyuan Road. The houses along the street were all wooden structures, featuring old-fashioned doors and windows, moss-covered eaves, and uneven, yet picturesque, roof ridges reminiscent of scenes from an old movie. The area was bustling with small restaurants, food stalls, grocery stores, stationery shops, second-hand bookstores, and privately run inns, creating a vibrant and lively atmosphere. When university students grew tired of the cafeteria food and wanted to improve their meals, or when they had friends or family visiting, they often gathered at these small restaurants for a meal. Good Girl Restaurant was one of them.

Gu Zheng rarely dined out at restaurants, not because she lacked money. Apart from tuition fees, her brother Zong Tianyi gave her 20 yuan of pocket money every month, which was more than enough. The extra money was all spent on books. She recalled that last semester, her classmates had a New Year's Day dinner party at the Good Girl Restaurant; on another occasion, Li Hong insisted on taking her out for a birthday dinner, also at the Good Girl Restaurant. Today, it's the Good Girl Restaurant again.

After walking a few steps along Xueyuan Road, she saw the striking signboard of the "Good Girl" restaurant. Bold and powerful strokes rendered the three characters “Good Girl” on a raw-wood signboard. Even those who don't understand calligraphy can tell that these were good characters. The owner of the "Good Girl" restaurant attached great importance to this signboard and enjoyed telling customers whenever he had time that a professor, surnamed Mo, from Dongjiang University, had inscribed it. Last time when she dined with Li Hong in the restaurant, Gu Zheng heard the restaurant owner say, "I'm an old acquaintance of Professor Mo, and he didn't charge me a penny..." There was a sincere pride in his tone. He introduced himself as Shao, the owner and head chef. His wife worked as a waiter and cashier, and they were the only two people in the restaurant.

Boss Shao was a passionate man with a broad chest and a round waist, resembling a sumo wrestler. The "Good Girl" restaurant business was booming, and it was always packed at night. Boss Shao was busy cooking in the kitchen and rarely had time to show up in the store. The restaurant was much quieter during the day when it was not peak meal time. After cooking, Boss Shao sometimes brought the dishes out and chatted with customers. If the conversation went well, he simply pulled up a stool and asked his wife to serve customers a complimentary plate of fried peanuts or spicy radishes. People called Boss Shao’s wife “Good Girl,” and he named the restaurant after her. Boss Shao was about thirty years old, while Good Girl looked to be in her early twenties. She was a lovely woman who, contrary to her husband, rarely spoke. She always sat quietly behind the cash register, flipping through a magazine called "Popular Cinema," except for carrying trays and cleaning up the store.

It was not yet dark, and Gu Zheng saw from afar that many people packed the Good Girl Restaurant. Plumes of steam wafted out, emitting the aroma of stir-fried dishes and alcohol. As usual, Good Girl sat quietly behind the cash register, with a large photo of Taiwanese film star Brigitte Lin, presumably torn from “Popular Cinema”, posted on the wall behind her. Then, Gu Zheng saw the person sitting at a table near the wall, with one eye having a single eyelid and the other having double eyelids - he was Wang Sheng. A person with their back to Gu Zheng sat opposite him so she couldn’t see his face. Gu Zheng thought he must be the "Lao Wei" mentioned in Wang Sheng's note.

When Gu Zheng walked to the entrance of the Good Girl Restaurant, Wang Sheng also saw her. He stood up, waved to Gu Zheng, and called out, "Gu Zheng!"

The person sitting opposite him turned around in response. Gu Zheng felt that the face was familiar, especially the eagle-like eyes that gazed at others and the long hair that covered the ears.

Just as Gu Zheng sat down on the bench beside the table, Wang Sheng pointed at the person and said to her, "Lao Wei, do you remember?"

Gu Zheng searched her mind but couldn't recall exactly when they had met.

"It seems you've forgotten me," Lao Wei shrugged and said, "I even took a photo of you..."

"Lao Wei, there's me too!" Wang Sheng interjected, "That time, your brother treated us to a big meal at Juzhen Garden..."

"Right, right, how could I forget you, the prodigy! You were studying at Chuzhou Teachers' College back then." Lao Wei slapped his forehead and continued to say to Gu Zheng, "At that time, you were still studying at Chuzhou Middle School and didn't like to talk. I can't believe you've now become a top student at Dongjiang University, and the three of us have become alumni..."

After listening to their conversation, Gu Zheng recalled something. Her brother had solemnly introduced them to her as his two good friends. She smiled apologetically. "So, it's you! The photo you took of me is really great. I've been keeping it in my album. But I remember your name was Du... Wei!"

"His name is Du Wei, and Lao Wei is his pen name when he publishes his works," Wang Sheng introduced solemnly. “Chuzhou now boasts Lao Wei as a famous young photographer, and Dongjiang University has accepted him into its photography class.”

So that's how it was. Gu Zheng thought it was just like a plot in a novel; what a coincidence. She suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Wang Sheng, "The review of 'Xiangchun Street' in 'Langtaosha' was written by you, right?"

"Yes," Wang Sheng replied like a prisoner being interrogated. "The article wasn't well written; it was purely written from the heart. Submitting it to 'Langtaosha' was just a whim..."

Gu Zheng wasn't interested in whether or not the article was good. She said curiously, "Wang Sheng, Wang Cheng, this name reminds me of a movie I watched when I was a child..."

Before she could finish, Du Wei spoke up, "You're referring to 'Heroic Sons and Daughters', right? The Volunteer Soldier who shouted 'Fire at me!' is called Wang Cheng!"

Gu Zheng remembered that the sister of Wang Cheng, the Volunteer Soldier in "Heroic Sons and Daughters," was named Wang Fang. She could even sing the insert song from the movie, "Why is spring always in the land, and the heroes' lives bloom like flowers?" The lyrics and the music were beautiful. Wang Cheng, Wang Cheng... What a resounding and timeless name! However, his name was Wang Sheng, so why was he called Wang Cheng? Gu Zheng thought, but she immediately asked herself: Why couldn't he be called "Wang Cheng"

"Why did your father give you such a name? Does he really hope you'll become a hero?" Du Wei asked with a hint of sarcasm.

But Wang Sheng remained silent. His face flushed as if someone had exposed his weaknesses.

Chapter 2

1. Wang Shengli

Wang Shengli, the father of Wang Sheng, had joined the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, but before he could go to Korea to fight, the United States and China signed an armistice agreement. That day was July 27, 1953, and Wang Shengli's unit had just arrived in Dandong from Dajiang City on a sealed train. The Korean War ended when they assembled by the Yalu River and were ready to deploy. This became the greatest regret in Wang Shengli's life.

In fact, Wang Shengli's physical condition did not meet the requirements for joining the Volunteer Army to fight in the Korean War: he only had one arm.

Injuries sustained during the battle to liberate Dajiang City, the provincial capital of Dongjiang, disabled Wang Shengli. In the early morning of October 8, 1949, Wang Shengli, the Sharp Knife Company commander of the vanguard unit of the Central Plains Field Army's Dajiang Liberation Campaign, led a commando team disguised as military police of the Kuomintang defending troops and infiltrated Dajiang City. At that time, the PLA siege troops had been besieging Dajiang City for nearly a month. To avoid casualties among innocent civilians and minimize the damage to urban facilities, the higher authorities instructed the siege troops to follow the "Beiping model", besiege without fighting, force the enemy to surrender, and strive for the peaceful liberation of Dajiang City.

The defending force was the Ninth Army of the Kuomintang, which had taken part in the Huaihai Campaign and was the direct subordinate of the Nationalist Government's Defense Minister, Bai Chongxi. Their defense was very stubborn. Although the People’s Liberation Army heavily encircled them and they were almost out of ammunition and food, there was no sign of surrender to the PLA. Several negotiations failed between the underground party's representatives in Dajiang City, the attacking troops, and the Ninth Army. At that time, Chairman Mao Zedong had already declared the founding of the People's Republic of China at Tiananmen Square. Because of the prolonged siege, food shortages in the city, market fluctuations, and soaring prices, people were constantly dying of hunger on the streets. According to intelligence intercepted by the underground party in Dajiang, Chiang Kai-shek was mobilizing troops to relieve the siege of Dajiang. If successful, it would not only cause the liberation campaign in Dajiang to fail but also delay the ongoing Dongjiang River crossing campaign by the PLA. This was a golden opportunity that would not come again. After consulting Chairman Mao and the Central Military Commission, the Central Plains Field Army commander launched a general attack on Dajiang City.

The underground party in Dajiang sent a liaison to meet the Sharp Knife Company. The comrade, who was about 20 years old, spoke with a local accent, wore a pair of myopia glasses, resembled an intellectual, and acted cautiously but was very capable, revealing a unique alertness and sharpness characteristic of underground workers. Under his leadership, Wang Shengli and the Sharp Knife Company successfully passed through the tight defense lines of the enemy in the city, launched a surprise attack on the central command of the Ninth Army - the city defense headquarters, and captured the Lieutenant General commander Lu Pengfei alive. Subsequently, based on the deployment map of the Dajiang City defense forces drawn by the underground party, the attacking troops bombed the enemy's key fortifications and defense areas. Within two days of the start of the general attack, the Dajiang defense line, which the Kuomintang garrison claimed to be "impregnable", collapsed.

During the fierce street battles that concluded the liberation of Dajiang, an enemy grenade injured Wang Shengli, resulting in the loss of his left arm. While recovering in the military hospital, Wang Shengli read a news article titled "Planting the Red Flag in the Heart of the Enemy" written by "Our correspondent Luo Zheng" in a newly published "Dajiang Daily". The article recounted his experience assisting the Sharp Knife Company in launching a surprise attack on the enemy's city defense headquarters.

"...Taking advantage of the confusion and emptiness, the soldiers of the People's Liberation Army's Sharp Knife Company charged toward the Kuomintang city defense headquarters like ferocious tigers. Faced with the suddenly appearing People's Liberation Army soldiers, who were like heavenly soldiers and generals, the enemy was surprised and had no time to organize effective resistance before being disarmed. The Lieutenant General commander of the city defense headquarters, Lu Pengfei, was also captured... The general attack began. Amidst the deafening sound of artillery fire from the People's Liberation Army, Comrade Wang Shengli, the commander of the Sharp Knife Company, and I climbed to the roof of the city defense headquarters, tore down the Kuomintang's Blue Sky and White Sun flag, and hung a bright five-star red flag on the flagpole. I gazed at the flag rising slowly, filled with excitement and tears: Dajiang City, which had been ruled and ravaged by the Kuomintang, was finally liberated. We won! The people have won..."

Seeing his name appear in the newspaper for the first time, Wang Shengli felt very proud. Of course, he also remembered the author of the article - Luo Zheng, the bespectacled underground party liaison who had helped him and the Sharp Knife Company infiltrate the city and raid the city defense headquarters.

For leading the Sharp Knife Company to infiltrate the city, taking out the enemy’s city defense headquarters in one fell swoop during the battle to liberate the Dajiang, the army awarded Wang Shengli the Second-Class Meritorious Service Medal and a Liberation Medal. When the award was presented, Wang Shengli was still recovering from his injuries in the PLA field hospital. The city’s new field hospital, filled with injured PLA commanders and soldiers from the Dajiang liberation battle, housed Wang Shengli. Every day, the hospital discharged people, transferring them to civilian areas as revolutionary disabled soldiers instead of returning them to their units. Before entering the city, Wang Shengli had just undergone an amputation surgery. At first, he refused to undergo the surgery, pleading, "Chairman Mao and Commander-in-Chief Zhu have issued the order to 'liberate all of China. ' I cannot fall behind. I still want to stay in the army to fight and liberate all of China. If I lose this arm, how can I continue the revolution?" He held onto the arm of the hospital director and cried. The director, a surgical expert who had assisted Dr. Bethune during the Anti-Japanese War, could not help but soften his heart upon hearing Wang Shengli's plea. An amputation surgery was necessary. Otherwise, his life would be in danger. However, moved by Wang Shengli's unwillingness to fall behind, the director reported his situation to his superiors. Upon learning of this, an old commander of Wang Shengli specially visited him in the field hospital. "You, this little tiger, can shoot with both hands and hit the target precisely. Even if you lose one arm, you still have the other one to shoot with, which won't affect your continued revolution!" The commander called Wang Shengli by his nickname and approved his application to continue serving in the army after the amputation.

Wang Shengli's former commander was Hong Hu, a commander of a particular corps in the Central Plains Field Army. During the Liberation Army's advance into the Central Plains, Wang Shengli served as a bodyguard for Commander Hong. During a breakout, Commander Hong was seriously injured, and Wang Shengli rode a horse to carry the commander out of the enemy's encirclement amidst a hail of bullets. During that incident, Commander Hong called him "Little Tiger".

Before becoming a security guard for Commander Hong, Wang Shengli had just joined the army. At that time, he was not called Wang Shengli, but Wang Sheng'er. Wang Sheng'er hailed from Huayuankou, Henan Province. His parents had seven children, but none survived due to illness or starvation. They gave birth to him in their forties and named him "Sheng'er", praying to the heavens for this only child to live and not to die young. When Wang Sheng'er was twelve years old, Chiang Kai-shek breached the Huayuankou embankment of the Yellow River to prevent the Japanese invasion. Before the flood arrived, Wang Sheng'er's parents hurriedly pushed him onto a crooked-necked willow tree, and the floodwaters instantly engulfed them.

After the death of both parents, Wang Sheng'er followed the crowd of refugees on the road. At first, he begged for a living, worked as a temporary worker at Zhengzhou Railway Station, and later drifted to Dajiang City, the capital of Dongjiang Province, where he carried large bags at the riverside dock. Soon, the war of resistance was won. Wang Sheng'er returned home with some money earned from hard labor, but on the way, a group of bandits called "Zhensong Army" robbed him. Bandits, the “Zhensong Army”, looted his money, kidnapped him, and forced him to become one of them. Within half a year, the civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party broke out. "Zhensong Army" took advantage of the chaos to loot and burn, harassing the countryside. Once, they even robbed a grain transport team of the People's Liberation Army, killing and injuring several people. The People’s Liberation Army, enraged, sent a regiment to surround the Zhensong Army camp, demanding their surrender within a limited time. The leader of the "Zhensong Army" initially wanted to put up a fight, but his subordinates were already terrified by the might of the People's Liberation Army. They secretly colluded, got the leader drunk, tied him up, and surrendered to the People's Liberation Army.

Wang Sheng'er thus became a soldier in the Central Plains Field Army. He was skilled with a gun and fought bravely. Despite being a bandit for a few days, he was from a poor background. Before long, Commander Hong selected him to be his bodyguard.

When Wang Sheng'er first met Commander Hong, he was a bit nervous, not knowing where to look, acting awkwardly like a shy girl. Commander Hong had participated in the Long March and served as a brigade commander in the 115th Division during the Anti-Japanese War. He was a formidable general in the Eighth Route Army. Although he was as terrifying to the enemy as Zhang Fei during battles, he was usually affable and pleasant to others, unlike some commanders prone to losing their temper. At that time, seeing Wang Sheng'er's nervous expression, Commander Hong rolled up a cigarette and chatted with him about everyday matters while smoking. He asked where he was from, how old he was, etc. When he heard that his name was "Wang Sheng'er", he burst out laughing and said, "This name isn't good. I'll change it for you!" Commander Hong pondered momentarily and said, "Let's call you 'Shengli. ' Yes, 'Wang Shengli'. You have good marksmanship and were brave in battle. You should be good at winning and dare to win!" Upon hearing this, Wang Sheng'er grinned happily and said, "Commander, this name sounds nice. I'll be called Wang Shengli from now on!"

Shortly after the liberation of Dajiang City, someone temporarily established the field hospital in an abandoned factory on the north bank of the Dongjiang River, where conditions were relatively poor. The wards were close to the riverbank. At night, when it was quiet, Wang Shengli, lying in bed, could hear the sound of waves crashing against the shore, feeling as if his head was resting on the waves and his whole body was undulating like them. Ship horns echoed in the river from time to time, making his eardrums tingle. The sounds and sensations further disrupted Wang Shengli’s sleep.

Because of the delayed surgery, Wang Shengli's recovery was relatively slow. From the radio, he heard that the People's Liberation Army was advancing with overwhelming force, defeating the Kuomintang troops easily, and cities were being captured one after another. The news that the liberation of the whole of China was imminent kept coming. Trapped in the hospital, Wang Shengli thought of his comrades bravely charging forward and killing enemies, frowning and sighing all day long at his helplessness.

One day, Luo Zheng came to visit him in the hospital. Although they had only met briefly, the two men always doubly cherished and never forgot the revolutionary friendship forged during their battles. Wang Shengli’s happiness returned, dispelling his depression.

“It was not easy for me to find out that you were hospitalized here ......,” Luo Zheng said as soon as he saw Wang Shengli, holding his hand tightly. Luo Zheng brought Wang Shengli the Dajiang Daily that published his newsletter, and although Wang Shengli had already read the article, it was a special gift for him.

Wang Shengli treated Luo Zheng with American beef cans and biscuits, which were trophies sent to him by his comrades from the southern front. In a brief note, his comrades wrote, "Company Commander, when you eat the trophies we captured on the battlefield, it's like fighting alongside us..."

Wang Shengli felt both relieved and ashamed after reading it.

Luo Zheng wore a youthful outfit and had his hair parted in the middle, looking more like an intellectual than when they first met. He told Wang Shengli, “Captain Wang, they transferred me to the Dajiang Daily newspaper as a reporter.” 'Placing the Red Flag into the Heart of the Enemy' is a newsletter I wrote before transferring to the newspaper. How is it? Is it written well?"

Wang Shengli said, "Okay, okay! But I can't recognize more than half of the words. I asked the nurse to read it several times!"

Luo Zheng said, "What's my article worth? You led the team to capture the enemy's city defense headquarters and raised the first five-starred red flag above the river. You were a great hero in the eyes of the people!"

Wang Shengli shook his head and said, “What kind of hero am I, those comrades who send me trophies were the real heroes. Compared to them, I’m a bear!”

Seeing that Wang Shengli was somewhat down, Luo Zheng realized that he only had one arm left and didn't know what to say.

“This is only a few months of work, the Kuomintang army is about to be wiped out by us, this gang of tortoise grandsons damn do not stand up to the fight, wait for me to get well and rushed to the front line after the injury, I’m afraid that the opportunity to clean up the field of battle is also not there. ......”.

Upon hearing Wang Shengli's words, Luo Zheng finally understood that he was not upset about losing an arm, but regretted losing the opportunity to fight. He couldn't help but laugh in silence.

Wang Shengli rolled his eyes and said, "Why were you laughing? Were you laughing at me or those bastards from the Kuomintang?"

"I'm laughing at you, Captain Wang!"

"Are you laughing at me... being a bear?" Wang Shengli's face darkened, and he seemed a bit angry. His face was already dark and looked even darker when he got angry.

"Laughing, you're afraid there won't be any battles to fight..." Luo Zheng stopped laughing and said seriously. Glancing around, he saw no one nearby and lowered his voice, "The large-scale wars within our country have indeed ended, but international wars could erupt at any time..."

"International and foreign wars?" Wang Shengli was taken aback upon hearing this.

"Haven't you noticed that the newspapers and broadcasts have been reporting on the situation in the Korean War all day recently?" Luo Zheng said with a hint of mystery. "The American devils have even been shelling the banks of the Yalu River. Once they cross the 38th parallel, the Party Central Committee and Chairman Mao will not stand idly by..."

"You guys who play with words were brilliant. Everything becomes clear after you analyze it!" Wang Shengli slapped his forehead and chuckled twice, "Based on this, it seems like there's going to be a big battle, right?"

"I'm just making a wild guess. Don't spread it," Luo Zheng cautioned.

"It's not to be disclosed, absolutely not! This is a secret. How could I not understand?" Wang Shengli nodded repeatedly with a smile as if he had received another military medal.

From that day on, Wang Shengli started paying attention to daily broadcasts and newspapers. He was once illiterate, but after joining the army, he attended literacy classes. He didn't know many characters, so he asked the nurses in the hospital to read aloud for him. Whenever they came across reports about the situation in the Korean War, he would ask the nurses to read them aloud several times. This helped him learn many more characters.

On July 27, 1950, the Chinese People's Volunteers officially went to Korea to participate in the war. Wang Shengli was the first to submit a request for combat to his superiors. At that time, he had already recovered from his injuries and returned to the team, but he "returned" not to the field army but to the local troops stationed in Dajiang City. Therefore, despite submitting countless requests for combat to his superiors, he did not receive the opportunity to go to Korea to participate in the war until 1953

Shortly after the end of the Korean War, Wang Shengli transferred to civilian work with a heart full of regrets. For Wang Shengli, who had lost both parents and had no relatives, the concept of hometown had long become blurred. Instead of returning to his hometown in Henan, he transferred to Chuzhou. Initially, authorities assigned Wang Shengli to work at the Chuzhou Agricultural Bureau. But within two years, he found the office work too leisurely, and his arms and legs had rusted from sitting in the office all day. He submitted a report to his superiors requesting to work at the grassroots level. The leaders, considering he was once a combat hero with only one arm, were worried that he might not adapt to the harsh environment at the grassroots level, so they never agreed. However, in the face of his mushroom tactics, they eventually compromised.

In 1958, authorities sent Wang Shengli to the Pigu People’s Commune, where he served as deputy head and concurrently headed the People’s Armed Forces Department.

2. Commune Love

Wang Shengli was almost 40 years old when he got married.

Wang Shengli's wife, Pei Fenglan, was a cook at the commune cafeteria. In their second year of marriage, Pei Fenglan gave birth to a son of Wang Shengli. When Pei Fenglan was giving birth, Wang Shengli was leading the militia training of the commune. Upon hearing that his wife had given birth to a big, fat boy for him, he rushed back to Pi Town overnight, hugging his son, who had not even opened his eyes, and smiling from ear to ear. Pei Fenglan reminded him, "Don't just be happy; we haven't named our son yet!" Wang Shengli thought for a long time, but his brain was about to explode and he couldn't think of a name for his son. He remembered a movie he watched at the militia training site two days ago, "Heroic Sons and Daughters". The Volunteer Soldier Wang cheng carried a walkie-talkie and chanted, "For the victory, fire at me!" In an instant, he felt his blood boil as if he had become that heroic Volunteer Soldier. He couldn't help but wave his only remaining arm and shout, "For the victory, fire at me!" Immediately afterward, the militia followed him and shouted, "For the victory, fire at me!"

"Let's call him Wang Cheng!" Wang Shengli said to his wife.

Pei Fenglan had also seen this movie, but thought she must have misheard. "Wang... Cheng?"

"Yes," Wang Shengli said, enunciating each word carefully, "our son shall be named Wang Cheng!"

Although Pei Fenglan was a cook in the commune cafeteria, she had more knowledge and experience than ordinary women. She also liked the name, so she named her son that.

Pei Fenglan was almost thirty years old when she married Wang Shengli. She had delicate skin and tender flesh, wore two big braids, and had two beautiful dimples when she smiled. Despite her cultured background, why did she wait so long to marry?

Pei Fenglan's father was the younger brother-in-law of Huang Yaozu, a big suppressed landlord. He served as a butler for the Huang family for many years and acquired dozens of acres of land in the countryside of Pi Town. During the land reform, he was classified as a rich peasant. She had a cousin named Pei Yongyu, who used to be a cadre in Chuzhou City but was later labeled as a rightist. Pei Fenglan spent her first twenty-five years farming in the countryside. However, she had attended a private school before liberation and had a broader mindset than typical rural girls. Because of her family's high social status, she never found a suitable marriage match.

In 1958, Comrade Wang Shengli, the deputy director of the Pigu Commune and the head of the People's Armed Forces Department, went to their village for a while. The village set up a large cafeteria. Because of Pei Fenglan's mother's excellent cooking skills, Deputy Director Wang appointed her as a cook. At that time, the entire village ate in the large cafeteria. When Fenglan's mother was too busy, she often asked Fenglan to help in the cafeteria. Gradually, Fenglan also developed excellent cooking skills. Later, the village closed the cafeteria. Because of the increasing number of people dining at the commune cafeteria and the shortage of manpower, Deputy Director Wang transferred Fenglan to work as a cook at the commune cafeteria. Fenglan grew up in the countryside and could handle delicate and rough work. Fenglan was the only woman in the commune cafeteria, and she could do many tasks that other women and men couldn't. In addition, Fenglan inherited her mother's cooking skills and was good at cooking. Whenever leaders came to inspect the work, Deputy Director Wang always designated Fenglan to cook.

Wang Shengli was already in his thirties but had not married. In the commune compound, no one else of his age was unmarried. During holidays, all the other commune leaders went home to enjoy their wives' "special cooking", while Wang Shengli still ate in the cafeteria with other single workers. Wang Shengli was from Henan and loved to eat noodles. Even the fragrant rice tasted bland to him. However, the cafeteria only served Mantou (steamed buns), steamed rolls, and noodles for breakfast, and only rice for lunch and dinner. Because of this, Wang Shengli developed gastritis and suffered from stomachaches from time to time. If he ate cold food, the pain would be even worse. Over time, he lost a lot of weight. During Wang Shengli’s time there, Pei Fenglan observed his eating habits. After working in the commune cafeteria, she would prepare an extra bowl of noodles for him at lunch and dinner or heat the Mantou and steamed rolls not sold in the morning. This way, Wang Shengli could have noodles for all three meals a day. Wang Shengli was very busy with work and always arrived later than others at the cafeteria. Fenglan would prepare his meals in advance and put them in the steamer, so no matter how late Wang Shengli arrived at the cafeteria, his meals were always hot.

Although Wang Shengli only had one arm, he worked with a desperation akin to fighting in the army. Commune cadres were required to spend one-third of their time each year in the countryside, eating and working alongside the members. Unlike other cadres who had families to attend to, Wang Shengli was unburdened and often ran to the countryside, staying for ten days or two weeks at a time.

That summer, Wang Shengli took part in the "double grab" in the village where he was stationed. After harvesting the rice and planting the rice seedlings with the commune members, he worked nonstop for half a month. Finally, he collapsed from exhaustion and returned to the commune. He lay in bed, unable to get up, feeling like his body had fallen apart.

Pei Fenglan was a meticulous person. She saw Wang Shengli go to the cafeteria to get a meal the first night but didn't see him at noon the next day. She asked Xiao Lei, the messenger who usually communicates with several commune leaders if Vice Director Wang had gone to the countryside again. Xiao Lei said no, Vice Director Wang had just returned from the countryside after finishing the double grab, and he wouldn't go to the countryside for a while. Fenglan was doubtful. In the evening, after Fenglan finished the cafeteria business, she took some steamed buns to deliver to Wang Shengli.

Fenglan knew that single commune cadres or those whose families were not in the local area all lived in a red brick and tile house behind the cafeteria, but she didn't know which room Vice Director Wang lived in. When she finally found out which room Wang Shengli lived in, she knocked on the door, but no one answered. She gently pushed the door, and it automatically opened. Inside, she saw Wang Shengli lying on the bed, with his eyes closed tightly and his dark face pale and bloodless. Startled, Pei Fenglan touched Wang Shengli’s forehead; it was burning hot. "Vice Director Wang, how did you get so sick?" Fenglan exclaimed and hurriedly went to the commune duty office to inform Xiao Lei.

The two of them together took Wang Shengli to the commune health center.

Wang Shengli suffered from acute pneumonia caused by a high fever, and it took three days of intravenous drip therapy at the health center to bring his fever down. The doctor said that if Deputy Director Wang had been sent to the hospital a day later, he would have been in danger. For this reason, the commune leaders commended Pei Fenglan. During Wang Shengli's hospitalization, Pei Fenglan brought him meals, all of which were his favorite noodle dishes. After he was discharged, Fenglan continued to bring him meals and helped him wash the dirty clothes piled up in his dormitory that had gone sour. She also took the opportunity to clean up the messy room thoroughly.

Looking at everything Pei Fenglan had done for him, Wang Shengli felt very guilty. One day, when he saw Fenglan bringing him food again, he said, "Fenglan, the cafeteria is busy. You can leave the meal-serving job to Xiao Lei!"

Pei Fenglan didn't say anything. The next day, the person who brought the meal was indeed changed to Xiao Lei. In the evening, Wang Shengli was lying in bed and hadn't fallen asleep yet when he heard someone knocking on the door. When he opened it, he saw Fenglan standing at the door, holding a large bowl of steaming noodles in soup, and there were two fried eggs in the bowl.

Wang Shengli refused to eat, chanting, "Fenglan, what were you doing? Am I almost recovered from my illness?"

Pei Fenglan said, "Deputy Director Wang, illness comes like a mountain collapsing, but goes like a thread being unwound. You need to take good care of your health!"

Wang Shengli added, "Fenglan, you can't, can't let me make mistakes!"

Pei Fenglan understood his meaning and quickly said, "Deputy Director Wang, don't worry. I bought this bowl of noodles and eggs and made them for you with my money. I didn't take advantage of the public funds."

A sense of warmth that Wang Shengli had never experienced before surged up in his heart, and he fell silent. Pei Fenglan raised her head and glanced at Wang Shengli, a blush rising on her fair face.

One year later, both Wang Shengli and Pei Fenglan received a marriage certificate stamped with a large red steel seal from the civil affairs assistant of the commune.

Their wedding was simple and lively, and several commune leaders attended. It is said that for the marriage of Wang Shengli and Pei Fenglan, the commune party committee held a special meeting. Given Wang Shengli's status as a revolutionary cadre and Pei Fenglan's family background, they urged him to contemplate. However, Wang Shengli stood tall, just like he had sworn to his superiors in the army, waved his only arm, and said, "Damn it, even if Pei Fenglan is a counter-revolutionary fortress, I will take her down, which will only benefit the revolution! There's no need to consider it. I am determined to marry Pei Fenglan..."

Wang Shengli’s fierce determination amused everyone, and they burst into laughter.

3. Successor

Since having a son, Wang Shengli had changed entirely. Before, he was all about work, spending all day and night immersed in it. He couldn't relax, and when he did, he felt bored. He was alone; if he ate well, the whole family wouldn't go hungry. So why not work? But now things were different. He had a wife and son; like most people, he had a real home. For Wang Shengli, who was lonely and single for many years, this was indeed a brand-new life. Every day after work, Wang Shengli could wait to rush home. The first action after entering the house was to pick up his son Wang Cheng and give him a big hug and kiss, regardless of whether his son was sleeping in the cradle or nursing in his mother's arms. The son cried out in pain from his whiskers.

Pei Fenglan took her son back from Wang Shengli's arms and forced him to shave his beard, threatening that he would never be able to kiss his son again. Wang Shengli had no choice but to go to the barber's obediently. For Wang Shengli, not allowing him to eat was one thing, but not allowing him to kiss his son was even more unbearable than taking away his life.

From then on, Pei Fenglan stopped working at the commune cafeteria to take care of her son. This was a decision made by Wang Shengli. At first, Fenglan was unwilling, saying she couldn't give up revolutionary work and opportunities for progress just because of her son. But Wang Shengli said with a serious expression, "What is revolutionary work, and what is progress? For you at present, raising Wang Cheng is the most important revolutionary work, and the greatest progress!" He unquestionably waved his hand, showing a strong paternalistic style. "What is more important than cultivating successors for the proletarian revolutionary cause?"

When Pei Fenglan saw Wang Shengli elevating the raising of their son to a political level, she had nothing to say and could only focus on taking care of her son and husband at home.

What Wang Shengli said to his wife was not mere cliché or empty talk. Raised as an orphan, he would likely still be a bandit in the mountains if he hadn't joined the People's Liberation Army and the Communist Party. For Wang Shengli, the Party's cause was his own, and his son was also the Party's son, destined to inherit the revolutionary cause in the future. Therefore, when Wang Shengli said that raising his son well was to cultivate successors for the proletarian revolutionary cause, it's absolutely true; it's a sincere sentiment flowing from his heart.

When Wang Cheng was born, both his eyes had single eyelids. Three months later, Pei Fenglan noticed that her son's left eye had developed double eyelids. She joyfully told Wang Shengli, but he seemed a bit disappointed. It turned out that Fenglan had beautiful double eyelids, while Wang Shengli's eyes were both single eyelids. "Who exactly did this baby take after?" Wang Shengli muttered.

Pei Fenglan rolled her eyes at her husband and scolded, "Can't you see? Our son has double eyelids on his left eye and single eyelids on his right eye. Isn't that just like you and me?"

Wang Shengli carefully examined his son again and noticed that not only did the son have his and Pei Fenglan's eyelids, but his skin was neither too dark nor too light, neither as white as his wife's nor as dark as his own. He felt that his wife had a point and smiled with satisfaction.

When Wang Cheng turned one, Wang Shengli gave him a gift, a toy gun that he had personally made. When he was in the army, every time after a battle, when they cleared the battlefield, Wang Shengli would pick up the cartridge cases scattered on the battlefield and put them in his pocket. Those cartridge cases included various types of bullets from pistols, rifles, and machine guns, dazzling to the eye. When he transferred from the army to civilian work, he didn't bring any other messy things, just those cartridge cases, which filled up an entire dry food bag. After working in the civilian sector, every once in a while, Wang Shengli would take out the dry food bag, rummage through the large and small, various types of cartridge cases, and wipe them with a cloth. Seeing those dark yellow cartridge cases become shiny again, scenes of smoke-filled battles and hail of bullets emerged in Wang Shengli's mind, as if he had returned to the days of intense fighting

Wang Shengli never hesitated when it came to work, and he was equally decisive when it came to training "successors". Pei Fenglan handled all the household chores, while Wang Shengli's only responsibility at home was to take care of the child. As soon as his son learned to walk, Wang Shengli would play war games with him. Every time, he would pretend to be a Kuomintang soldier or a Japanese devil, while his son would play the role of a New Fourth Army, Eighth Route Army, or People's Liberation Army soldier. He would pretend to flee in front while his son chased after him. Wearing a small military cap with a five-pointed star on his head and holding the pistol made from a bullet casing in his hand, he shouted loudly, "Charge! Kill!" and ran back and forth in the commune courtyard. Later, Wang Shengli lay down on the ground, and his son chased after him, stepping on one of his feet and pointing the pistol at his head. With a babyish scream, he said, "Raise your hands and surrender your weapons, or you will be killed!" Wang Shengli obediently raised one hand above his head. That Moment was the happiest moment for Wang Shengli.

Every night before going to bed, Wang Shengli would tell his son a revolutionary story. Besides well-known heroic deeds such as Dong Cunrui blowing up the blockhouse and Huang Jiguang blocking the gunhole, there were also stories of his battles. The stories he told most often were about how he rode a warhorse carrying a severely injured commander out of the enemy's encirclement, and how he led the sharp-edged company to sneak into the city during the battle to liberate the Dajiang River, raid the Kuomintang army's city defense headquarters, and capture the lieutenant general commander alive. After transferring to civilian work, local primary and secondary schools invited Wang Shengli to give students revolutionary traditional education. He always told these two stories; he could recite them by heart over time. For the story about raiding the city defense headquarters, Wang Shengli basically copied Luo Zheng's communication Planting the Red Flag in the Heart of the Enemy. Of course, he didn't forget to tell his son Wang Cheng about the story of the movie Heroic Sons and Daughters. "Your father was originally on the Yalu River. If the American devils had surrendered two days later, your father might have become a great hero!" Wang Shengli said with a regretful tone. "However, in this way, I wouldn't have met your mother, Comrade Pei Fenglan, and there wouldn't be you!" At this point, he looked sternly at his son and asked, "Now do you understand why your father named you Wang Cheng?"

Wang Cheng blinked his single eyelids, then blinked his double eyelids, nodded, and shook his head. Wang Shengli was completely confused and wondered if his son had understood him.

When Wang Shengli spoke these words to Wang Cheng, the Cultural Revolution had already been in full swing. Soon after, he stepped down from his position as Deputy Director of the Pigu Commune Revolutionary Committee and concurrently as the Minister of the People's Armed Forces, and was appointed as the Director of the Pi Town Brick-and-Tile Factory. To say "stepped down" is actually not accurate; it should be called "was dismissed" or "was demoted".

Not long after the start of the Cultural Revolution, Wang Shengli was knocked down. There were two charges against Wang Shengli. The first was that he had been a bandit before joining the revolution, which led to him being labeled as a "class alien who infiltrated the revolutionary ranks". The second was that he had taken advantage of his position to favor Pei Fenglan, the niece of a prominent landlord, Huang Yaozu, and the daughter of a wealthy peasant, and even married her, which led to him being labeled as a "degenerate". During the criticism sessions, he shouted along with the crowd, "Down with degenerate and class alien Wang Shengli!" with a calm and composed expression, as if it were someone else who was being "downed" instead of himself. After returning home and waiting for his son to fall asleep at night, Wang Shengli asked Pei Fenglan to fry him some eggs and drank alone in silence. As he drank, he began to curse, "Damn it, they say I married you because I've degenerated. Bullshit! My heart has been red since the day I joined the revolution, and it won't change until I die!" As he spoke, he opened his bloodshot eyes and asked Fenglan, "Do you believe me? If you don't, take a knife and cut open your body for them to see!" With these words, he was about to go to the kitchen to get a knife, but Fenglan quickly hugged him from behind and repeatedly said, "I believe, I believe! But what's the use of just me believing..." After saying this, tears streamed down her face.

Perhaps it was due to Wang Shengli's good attitude in confessing his crimes, or perhaps because he was, after all, an old revolutionary who had sacrificed an arm for the establishment of New China, that the commune revolutionary committee did not dismiss him from his position outright. Instead, they treated it as an internal contradiction among the people and demoted him. Considering that Wang Shengli only had one arm, the committee wanted to arrange for him to take up a non-essential position in some department of the commune. However, Wang Shengli took the initiative to offer to work at the Pi Town Brick-and-tile factory (Brick Factory). At that time, the factory building had just been completed, and the leadership team had not yet been fully established. The director of the commune's revolutionary committee was a young rebel who was worried about being unable to find a suitable factory director. Seeing Wang Shengli volunteering, he was somewhat hesitant. The brick-and-tile factory was a new achievement of the Cultural Revolution, and it seemed inappropriate to entrust it to a "class dissident" like Wang Shengli. However, Wang Shengli went to the office of the director of the commune revolutionary committee and patted his chest, saying, "Since I joined the revolution, my life has been given to the party. I have no complaints, whether it's scolding, beating, dismissal, or demotion. As long as I can do revolutionary work, if they don't let me do it, they might as well shoot me!" He became increasingly excited as he spoke, "If you don't trust me, I can sign a military order. If I am appointed the factory director of the brick-and-tile factory, I promise that within five years, all the poor and lower-middle-class farmers in more than ten brigades of the commune will live in brick and tile houses..."

The young director of the commune revolutionary committee was somewhat moved as he looked at Wang Shengli's empty sleeve. He shook his only arm and said, "To consolidate the achievements of the Cultural Revolution, we must promote production through revolution. Our task is so arduous! Whether the majority of poor and lower-middle-class farmers can live in brick-and-tile houses in a relatively short time depends on you, Comrade Wang Shengli. You should go to the brick-and-tile factory. I hope you can make new contributions to the revolution!"

The day after the transfer order was issued, it was drizzling, but Wang Shengli didn't wait for the weather to clear up. He took his wife Pei Fenglan and son Wang Sheng to report to the brick-and-tile factory.

On the day they left the commune compound, almost everyone in the yard turned out to bid farewell to their family. People stood in the drizzle, watching Wang Shengli and his family of three walk out of the dormitory. Pei Fenglan walked ahead with her bulging luggage, while Wang Shengli walked behind with his son Wang Sheng in his right hand. Wang Shengli was dressed neatly as if he was going to attend an important meeting or visit someone, wearing the old military uniform he brought back from the army when he transferred to civilian work. It was not wrinkled at all, with the buttons fastened tightly, and his beard was clean-shaven, with a green glow on his cheeks. He walked with a soldier's gait, and his empty sleeve was wet with rain, like a faded flag stained by war fire. His high-spirited and confident demeanor did not resemble someone who had been demoted at all

4. Mother Died

During Wang Cheng's teenage years, two significant events occurred. The first was the passing of his mother.

When Wang Cheng's mother passed away, he was just ten years old. At that time, he and his parents, a family of three, lived in the dormitory of a brick-and-tile factory. His father, Wang Shengli, worked as the factory director at the brick-and-tile factory, while Wang Cheng studied at the factory's school for children. His mother, Pei Fenglan, no longer had to take care of him all day as she used to, so she returned to her old job as a cook at the factory cafeteria. Every day, after finishing her work at the cafeteria, Pei Fenglan would take time to cook for Wang Shengli and Wang Cheng. She would bring home meals from the cafeteria if she couldn't find time to cook. Wang Cheng had always loved eating the dishes made by his mother. Although the dishes at home and the cafeteria were all made by his mother, he always felt that the dishes cooked at home tasted better than those at the cafeteria. He couldn't understand why, so he once asked his mother. She smiled and poked his forehead, saying, "Silly son, the big pot of dishes Mum cooks at the cafeteria has less oil. At home, we use a small pot and stir-fry with plenty of oil to taste better!"

Wang Cheng didn't know when his mother fell ill. At first, he only felt that his mother was getting thinner and thinner, like a thin piece of paper that a gust of wind could blow away. He often heard his mother coughing, and sometimes, he would be awakened in the middle of the night by his mother's coughing. When his mother coughed, her face turned pale, her entire body curled up, her mouth opened wide, and she shivered violently as if her internal organs were about to come out.

Once, Wang Cheng saw his mother coughing up blood. The basin placed beside the bed was filled with blood. It was the first time he had seen so much blood, and he felt an inexplicable fear. He saw this fear reflected in his father's eyes as well. At that Moment, his father was patting his mother's back. Although he only had one hand, it appeared dexterous and powerful, with exceptionally gentle and considerate movements. In Wang Cheng's impression, his father had always been a stern and rugged man, busy with work outside all day long, and rarely showing such consideration towards his mother at home.

After that day, my mother stopped working at the cafeteria and moved into the commune hospital. After a while, my father sent her to a major hospital in Chuzhou. Wang Cheng heard from someone that his mother had a large tumor in her stomach and needed surgery at the hospital in Chuzhou. Later, his father and mother returned, but his mother was lying in a square box. That was his mother's urn.

After his mother's death, Wang Cheng's life underwent significant changes. He noticed that his father had lost weight, and his square face had become elongated, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, resembling the so-called "horse face". His previously smooth-shaven chin and cheeks were now covered in a stubbly beard, as thick and lush as the artemisia on the riverbank.

But for Wang Cheng, the most significant change was that he had to go to the factory cafeteria for three meals a day, and he can no longer enjoy the "stir-fried dishes" made by his mother.

After his mother passed away, she was buried on the riverbank not far from the brick-and-tile factory. The riverbank served as the soil extraction base for the factory, from which all the soil used for de-molding was taken. A road paved with broken bricks and slag connected the factory to the riverbank, and every day, a stream of chicken carts transporting soil flowed back and forth between the factory and the riverbank. The spectacular scene resembled the frontline laborers transporting ammunition for the People's Liberation Army in the movie Rolling Wheels. The factory would screen outdoor movies every Sunday, showing two feature films each time. The first feature film was usually a model opera, while the second was a war story. Before the movie screening, the factory director Wang Shengli would occasionally give a speech to the employees of the brick-and-tile factory, all about the work in the factory.

Wang Cheng sat beside the projector and felt proud when he heard his father's strong Henan accent being broadcast through the loudspeaker to the entire open-air screening venue. Wang Cheng's favorite genre was war feature films, such as The Youth in the Flames, The Guerrillas on the Plains, Tunnel War, Mine War, The Scout, The Scout Crossing the River, Surprise Attack, Rolling Wheels, Unforgettable Battle, The Shining Red Star, Heroic Sons and Daughters… Wang Cheng had heard his father talk about the stories in these films. However, he still watches them with great interest.

After watching too many wars feature films, Wang Cheng couldn't help but want to go to war like the stories in the movies. He often led his friends to play war games on the river beach, with a pistol made by his father using bullet casings tucked into his waist. The pockmarked river beach was perfect for "war games". Wang Cheng had a pistol, while his friends only had red-banded spears. He naturally became the "king of children" - didn't the leaders in the movies all wield pistols? Every time they played war games, Wang Sheng always played the role of the People's Liberation Army or the Eighth Route Army, while Ba Dong played the role of the Kuomintang army or the Japanese devils and the US army. Ba Dong and Wang Sheng were classmates at the brick-and-tile factory school in Pi Town town, and his father was the deputy director of the brick-and-tile factory. Ba Dong was very dissatisfied with Wang Sheng playing the positive role and suggested that they take turns playing, but Wang Sheng refused outright.

Badong refused, but Wang Cheng stood with his arms akimbo and said, "My father is the factory director, and your father is the deputy director. You should obey my arrangement!"

Badong also retorted, "My dad listens to your dad, but I'm not my dad, so why should I listen to you?"

Wang Sheng rolled his eyes and said, "You can refuse to obey, but you won't be able to copy my homework anymore!"

Upon hearing this, Badong immediately lost his composure. This was Wang Sheng's trump card against Badong, and it had always worked.

Wang Cheng had good academic performance, often ranking in the top three in class. His essays had even been published as model essays by the teacher on the school's bulletin board. On the other hand, Ba Dong had poor academic performance, always ranking in the bottom few. He often copied Wang Cheng's homework

However, since his mother's death, Wang Cheng had stopped playing war games.

On the day of his mother's burial, as Wang Cheng and his father left the riverbank, they suddenly felt that the "battlefield" that had brought countless fun to him and his friends seemed so empty, desolate, and bleak. The house felt empty upon returning home, and they always felt something was missing.

That day, his father took him aside for a serious talk in front of his mother's portrait.

Dad first recited a passage from Chairman Mao's Quotations: "Death is a common occurrence, but struggle entails sacrifice. Our comrades must see the future and the light in difficult times and bolster our courage..."

Dad can recite quite a few quotations from Chairman Mao, and he enjoyed quoting them, whether it was during a big meeting at the factory or at home.

In the center of the living room at home, neatly arranged was the Selected Works of Mao Zedong, a book that my father often read. Next to it was a Xinhua Dictionary. Whenever he encountered an unfamiliar word, my father turned to that dictionary, which was almost worn out from frequent use.

"Son, your Mum is no longer with us. From now on, we'll eat together in the cafeteria. Your dad is busy with revolutionary work and doesn't have the time and energy to cook for you. In the future, you not only need to learn to take care of yourself, but also learn from Pan Dongzi, Gazi, and Haiwa to help your dad complete the task. I have submitted a military order to my superiors, promising to make all the poor and lower-middle-class farmers in the commune live in brick-and-tile houses instead of thatched cottages within five years. Now, three years have passed, and nearly half of the task remains unfinished!" When Dad said this, his thin face turned stern. "Since the day I joined the revolution, I have always fulfilled the tasks assigned by my superiors to the letter. Son, you can't let your dad lose face!"

Pan Dongzi, Gazi, and Haiwa were the young heroes featured in the war feature films The Shining Red Star, Little Soldier Zhang Ga, and The Chicken Feather Letter. Once, when the brick-and-tile factory was showing Heroic Sons and Daughters, he saw the scene where the Volunteer Soldier Wang Cheng shouted into the walkie-talkie, "Fire at me for the victory!" Tears welled up in his eyes, and he exclaimed, "Dad, my name is also Wang Cheng. I want to be a hero!"

Upon hearing this, his father stretched out his rough, large hand and caressed Wang Cheng's cheek. A long-lost smile appeared on his face as he said, "That's right, you are indeed the worthy successor to your father..."

At that moment, Wang Cheng was filled with pride.

5. Heroes and Bears

Chairman Mao passed away in the second year after my mother's death. This was the second major event in Wang Cheng's youth.

Chairman Mao was the person his father admired most. Not only did he have a portrait of the Chairman prominently displayed in the center of the living room, but he also kept a bust of Chairman Mao that he bought during a visit to Shaoshan on the chest of drawers in his bedroom. Next to the bust was a set of Selected Works of Mao Zedong. His father's education was not high, and he hadn't read many books. The book he read most often was Selected Works of Mao. He always quotes Chairman Mao's sayings. Whenever he encountered difficulties or worries at work, he either talked to his mum about them or read Selected Works of Mao. As he read, his furrowed brows unfurled. Dad rarely sang, and the only complete song Wang Cheng had heard him sing was "I Love Reading Chairman Mao's Books the Most":

I love reading Chairman Mao's books the most.

I've put in a lot of effort to read them a thousand and one times

I carefully comprehended the profound truths

and felt a warmth in my heart

Hey, it seems like a timely rain has fallen on the dry land.

The young seedlings are covered with dewdrops,

And Chairman Mao's rain and dew nourish me

I am full of enthusiasm for the revolution,

The works of Chairman Mao are like the sun,

Every word and sentence shines with golden light

The soldiers who followed the example were enlightened

They have a clear direction for work and study

His father was tone-deaf and had a terrible singing voice, but he sang very seriously, clapping his hands while singing, which looked a bit comical.

Wang Cheng first heard the news of Chairman Mao's death through the loudspeakers at the brick-and-tile factory. At that time, he and Badong were rolling iron rings on the open-air movie screen. It was a Saturday, and the two movies to be shown that night were the Albanian film "Coastal Thunderstorm" and the North Korean film "Invisible Frontier". One was a war film, and the other was an anti-espionage film, both of which were his and Badong's favorites.

At that moment, the loudspeaker at the brick-and-tile factory sounded. Wang Cheng felt a bit strange, as the loudspeaker usually broadcasted the news from the Central People's Broadcasting Station and the provincial station once each in the morning, afternoon, and evening, or else it would be Comrade Wang Shengli, the factory director, announcing some critical notice. He stopped the iron ring and looked at the sun in the western sky. It was still quite early before it got dark.

"It must be your dad broadcasting the announcement again," Badong sniffed, rolling the iron ring out again. Wang Cheng held onto the iron ring and didn't move. He wanted to wait until his dad finished broadcasting the announcement before playing. But unexpectedly, after playing a piece of low-pitched and depressing music, a low voice came out of the loudspeaker:

"The Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference deeply announce with sorrow that Chairman Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Chairman of the Central Military Commission of the Communist Party of China, the Honorary Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, the great leader of the Chinese people of all ethnic groups, and the great mentor of the proletariat and oppressed nations worldwide, passed away at 0:10 on September 9, 1976, at the age of 83, due to illness that proved untreatable..."

Wang Cheng was stunned, not yet reacting, when Ba Dong ran over from the other end of the open-air cinema, his steps faltering and appearing somewhat flustered. As he ran, he shouted, "Wang Cheng, did you hear the broadcast? Chairman Mao is dead!"

As if struck by something, the iron ring in Wang Cheng's hand clattered to the ground. He felt as if the sky had suddenly turned dark.

Wang Cheng walked home with heavy steps. On his way from the workshop to the factory dormitory, he saw many people listening to the radio while crying loudly. A middle-aged woman dressed in work clothes and covered in dust, dragged her voice and wept in sorrow, "Chairman Mao, Chairman Mao, aren't you immortal? How could you leave so suddenly..."

Cries echoed from every corner of the brick-and-tile factory, forming a river of sorrow.

Wang Cheng returned home and sat in the room for a while. His mind was empty, not thinking about anything. The loudspeaker played funeral music over and over again. His father had not returned yet, and the room was eerily quiet. He raised his head and looked at the portrait of Chairman Mao on the wall. Chairman Mao gazed at him kindly as usual, with a gentle gaze. He then looked at the portrait of his mother on the opposite wall. His mother also stared at him kindly as usual, with a gentle gaze. Wang Cheng felt that Chairman Mao's and his mother's gazes were as warm as sunshine when they shone on him. In his heart, Chairman Mao, like his mom and dad, was his own family. But now, like his mom, this relative was no longer with him! Thinking of this, Wang Cheng was so sad that he couldn't help but bawl, crying as sadly as when his mom died, tears rolling down his face and wetting his clothes.

Dad came back very late. The first thing he saw when he entered the room was the tear stains on Wang Cheng's face, and Wang Cheng also noticed a tear stain on his face. Dad had already cried outside, Wang Cheng thought. Without saying a word, Dad sat down next to Wang Cheng. The two sat shoulder-to-shoulder for a long time, forgetting to go to the cafeteria for dinner. Later, Wang Cheng heard his dad let out a heavy sigh and say in a hoarse voice, "Chairman Mao is gone, but the revolution must continue..."

After Chairman Mao's death, my father was upset for a while, but then he picked himself up and devoted all his energy to work. He came home very late every day, and sometimes Wang Cheng woke up in the middle of the night to find his bed empty and his father nowhere to be seen. Whenever the bricks and tiles were being fired, my father would lead the cadres in the factory and work overtime with the workers. The temperature inside the kiln was over 50 degrees Celsius, like a steamer.

One morning, while Wang Cheng was in class, the principal called him out of the classroom and said with a grave expression, "Wang Cheng, your father has fainted in the cave and is currently being resuscitated in the infirmary. Please hurry and go and check on him!"

The infirmary of the brick-and-tile factory was not far from the local school. Wang Cheng trotted into the infirmary and saw his father lying in bed with an oxygen tube in his nose, surrounded by a group of adults.

When the adults saw Wang Cheng coming, they automatically made way for him. He walked to his father's bed and saw that his father's eyes were tightly shut, and his face was red and purple as if he had been scalded. Someone whispered, "Your father has worked two consecutive shifts in the cave, and the temperature inside is so high that even young workers can't stand it. To meet the targets set by the commune, your father doesn't care about his life..."

A few days later, Dad was discharged from the hospital. Wang Cheng bought some dishes at the cafeteria and also purchased a bottle of wine at the convenience store. Dad hadn't had a decent meal in a long time, and Wang Cheng wanted to treat him to a feast. During that meal, Dad ate with great relish, and due to the wine, his pale face showed a healthy glow. Dad was pleased and laughed heartily. Pointing at Wang Cheng with his chopsticks, he said, "Hehe, my son knows how to show love and care for his father."

Wang Cheng didn't laugh and said seriously, "Dad, the last time you came to our school to give a report, didn't you ask the Little Red Guards to emulate heroes and take action? I also want to contribute to our brick-and-tile factory. If there's any task, just give me the order!"

"Wow, you're truly your father's son. You're taking the initiative to challenge me!" Dad burst out laughing. After some thought, he said, "Things have been quite unsettled in the factory recently. Outside thieves often sneak in to steal things, and some workers even take things from the factory home after work. These parasites. If we don't teach them a lesson, not only will they fail to complete their production tasks, but even the brick-and-tile factory might be emptied by them..." Dad became increasingly angry as he spoke, "Son, I'll give you a task. After summer vacation, you and the 'Little Red Guards' will patrol the factory. If we catch any thieves, I'll reward each of you with an ice lolly!"

"Yes, I will resolutely complete the task!" Wang Cheng stood at attention and replied loudly.

But what Wang Cheng never expected was that before the brick-and-tile factory completed the production task assigned by the commune, his father was dismissed from his position.

Ba Guangming, Badong's father, had become the new director of the brick-and-tile factory in Pi Town.

Years later, Wang Cheng graduated from Pi Town Middle School and was admitted to the Chinese Department of Chuzhou Teachers' College. The night before he went to Chuzhou to attend school, his father took him to the restaurant next to the Pi Town Supply and Marketing Cooperative for a meal. It had been a long time since the two of them had dined out, and his father ordered a full table of dishes and also got himself a large glass of wine. Before he finished the wine, he got drunk and stared intently at Wang Cheng, saying, "Son, you are now a university student. You have more potential than your father. When I went to work as the factory director at the brick-and-tile factory, I made a military pledge to ensure that all the poor and lower-middle-class farmers in the commune lived in brick-and-tile houses within five years. But I failed to complete the task. I lost the battle. Not only did I not complete the task, but I even lost the position! I am sorry to Chairman Mao, to the leaders, and your mother, Comrade Pei Fenglan! I am not a hero, I am... a bear!"

As my father spoke, he unexpectedly lay down on the table and cried bitterly, just like a child.

Chapter 3

1. Threesome

After Wang Sheng, Du Wei, and Gu Zheng finished their meal at the Good Girl Restaurant, it was already past seven in the evening. Gu Zheng had to study at the library, so she left early. Wang Sheng and Du Wei walked out of Xueyuan Road and strolled around the campus. Du Wei clearly had too much to drink and was excited. He even put one arm around Wang Sheng's shoulder. Since Du Wei was taller than Wang Sheng, it looked like he was leaning on Wang Sheng's shoulder. Their intimate behavior attracted the attention of many passersby. Wang Sheng felt a bit embarrassed, so he pulled away from Du Wei and kept a bit of distance from him. However, Du Wei kept leaning towards him, covering his mouth with his hand and saying, "I can't believe Zong Tianyi's sister has grown up so much. Back in Chuzhou Middle School, she was just a little girl!" He muttered, "Bro, do you think this girl is pretty?"

Wang Sheng detected a strong alcohol odor from his breath and frowned, saying, "Old Wei, you've had too much to drink."

"This little bit of wine can make me drunk? You are too, too underestimating me!" Du Wei said with his neck tilted up, but Wang Sheng could clearly see that his steps were swaying, like yangko twisting.

Soon, they arrived at a fork in the road, with one path leading to Maple Garden and the other leading outside the campus. Du Wei lived in a private house outside the campus while an adult group of students held the photography class. The two parted ways at the fork in the road, with Wang Sheng returning to Maple Garden and Du Wei heading back to his rented house.

Wang Sheng and Du Wei weren't really close friends. They met in Chuzhou through Zong Tianyi.

At that time, shortly after Wang Sheng was admitted to Chuzhou Teachers' College, the school's Youth Committee and the Chuzhou Municipal Youth League Committee jointly organized a series of activities titled "Young Entrepreneurs on Campus". They invited some up-and-coming young entrepreneurs to give lectures at the school, which had a significant impact. Newspapers, radio stations, and television stations of various sizes in Chuzhou reported on these events. At that time, the term "entrepreneur" had just entered people's field of vision, and everyone felt fresh and curious. The media and relevant government departments spared no effort to publicize these people who had become rich first, just like the promotion of "ten-thousand-yuan households" during the implementation of the "household contract responsibility system" in rural areas a few years ago. They wore dazzling halos such as "pioneers of reform" and "tide-makers" on their heads. Some young people couldn't help but be eager to try their luck, envying and even worshipping entrepreneurs like star-chasing fans. Therefore, the series of activities titled "Young Entrepreneurs on Campus" at the teachers' college aroused the interest of many students, and every lecture was packed with people.

But Wang Sheng never attended a single lecture. He was admitted to Chuzhou Teachers' College with the highest score in the Chinese department and could have gone to a four-year college or even Dongjiang University. However, due to his weak English, he had no choice but to enroll in Chuzhou Teachers' College. Wang Sheng had always been unwilling to accept this, and in his first year, he made a grand vow to definitely apply for graduate studies at Dongjiang University in the future. Therefore, besides immersing himself in his studies and preparing for the CET-4 exam (College English Test Band 4), he rarely participated in other school activities. That morning, he saw a poster on the newspaper board in front of the library, and a striking headline caught his eye:

"Young Entrepreneurs on Campus" Series Event No. 8

Having gone through hardships, we bravely ventured into the business world

Keynote Speaker: Zong Tianyi (Young Entrepreneur, Pacesetter of the New Long March in Bazhou City, and Manager of Redrock Valley United Industrial and Trade Company)

The familiar name "Zong Tianyi" firmly attracted Wang Sheng's attention like a magnet. Could it be the temporary worker he once knew from the brick-and-tile factory in Pi Town? But he immediately shook his head. No, it's impossible. Back then, the incident of Zong Tianyi's "attempted murder" caused a great uproar in Pi Town. After Zong Tianyi "fled to escape the crime", there had been no news of him, and his fate remains unknown. Some said he was caught and sentenced, while others said he escaped into Pigu Mountain and fell off a cliff and died. Wang Sheng had heard his father mention Zong Tianyi more than once, "Alas, how similar the fates of these two father and son are!" At that time, his father had already been dismissed as the director of the brick-and-tile factory. Every time he came home during school holidays, he would always tell him some old stories from the past

Could it be him? Perhaps it's just a coincidence of names. Wang Sheng kept asking himself. But in the end, he couldn't resist his curiosity and went to the lecture.

When Wang Sheng walked into the bustling lecture hall, the presentation had already begun. The secretary of the school's Youth Committee, who was hosting the presentation, was giving an opening speech. Sitting next to him was a young man with slightly curly brownish-yellow hair, a handsome face, and a pair of light blue eyes that seemed a little melancholy... Wang Sheng stared at those melancholy light blue eyes and almost cried out. Oh my God, it's really him! It's his childhood friend Zong Tianyi, who had been missing for many years.

Throughout the entire lecture, Wang Sheng didn't listen to a single word. He couldn't wait to walk to the podium when it finally ended. Several male and female college students were surrounding Zong Tianyi, asking him for his autograph. Wang Sheng waited patiently on the edge of the crowd. Zong Tianyi was taller than the people around him, and he seemed unfamiliar with such a scene. His autographing movements seemed a bit clumsy. When a girl asked him to sign her T-shirt, Wang Sheng saw his face turn red. He hesitated for a moment but still meticulously signed his name on the girl's T-shirt.

After the college students finally dispersed, Wang Sheng walked over and called out, "Zong Tianyi!"

Zong Tianyi turned around and his gaze fell on Wang Sheng's face. He was stunned for a moment and then recognized him.

Two friends who had been separated for a long time embraced tightly when they met again.

At that moment, the secretary of the Youth Committee walked over and said to Zong Tianyi, "Manager Zong, the headmaster will personally accompany us for dinner tonight. Let's go!"

Zong Tianyi hesitated, and the secretary of the Youth Committee turned his gaze to Wang Sheng and said, "You are a friend of Manager Zong. Why don't you come along?"

Wang Sheng politely thanked him and said, "No, I have evening self-study."

Zong Tianyi held his hand reluctantly, as if he had much to say to him. "I live in Chuzhou City. Come visit me someday when you have time!" He took out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Wang Sheng, solemnly inviting him with sincerity in his eyes

2. Chuzhou City

Chuzhou Teachers' College is nestled at the foot of Maozhu Mountain, about ten miles outside the north gate. The campus boasts a pleasant scenery, albeit somewhat secluded. In the early 1980s, public transportation in Chuzhou City was not yet well-developed. The only route from Maozhu Mountain to the city was the dedicated No. 34 bus, which ran roughly every fifty minutes. On weekends, the No. 34 bus would be packed with students from the college heading into town. After having breakfast in the school cafeteria, Wang Sheng arrived at the No. 34 bus stop a bit late, just two minutes after the bus had departed. The next bus was scheduled to arrive in fifty minutes. Seeing the pleasant weather, Wang Sheng decided to walk into town.

Wang Sheng rarely went to the city, spending most of his weekend time immersed in the library. Since entering school, he had only been to the city twice to purchase books at Xinhua Bookstore. Wang Sheng's living expenses were not abundant. Apart from the 15 yuan scholarship provided by the school, his father also gives him 10 yuan of pocket money every month. Apart from purchasing sporadic daily necessities, he can also save money to buy books for himself. Other than reading, Wang Sheng had no other hobbies, which is probably related to his childhood love for reading comic books. From elementary school to junior high school, Wang Sheng bought no less than a hundred comic books. Everyone in the brick-and-tile factory knew he was a bookworm. His father, a soldier, was very strict with him, especially against extravagance and wasteful spending. However, he was never stingy with money when buying books. He would never fail to get what he wanted as long as he asked. After being admitted to the teacher's college, Wang Sheng would go to the library whenever he had time. The library of the teacher's college had an extensive collection of books, but it was limited after all. It wasn't easy to read many new books promptly, so he would go to the city every semester and buy a few books at Xinhua Bookstore.

Wang Sheng's previous two trips to the city were for buying books, always coming and going in a hurry. But today, he visited a friend, appearing much more leisurely than usual. As he walked, he admired the scenery along the way. The area north of the city is the vegetable supply base of Chuzhou City. Including the teachers' college, the vegetables and fruits that Chuzhou citizens eat daily were grown here. On both sides of the highway live suburban vegetable farmers and vast vegetable fields in the distance. The rapeseed flowers were in full bloom on a sunny day in March. Looking ahead, the blue sky and white clouds, with waves of flowers rolling, resembled a golden ocean. Swarms of bees flew around in the fields, and the air was filled with the fragrance of soil and rapeseed flowers mixed.

Few cars were on the highway, but many pedestrians, mostly vegetable farmers and college students heading into the city. The farmers walked in a hurry to the town to sell their produce. Some rode bicycles, others pulled handcarts, and some carried loads, all laden with fresh vegetables freshly picked from the fields. Some vegetable farmers had just finished their morning market, walking back with empty loads, taking their time, and strolling back leisurely. Some held deep-fried dough sticks or Youbing (Deep-fried round and flat dough-cake) in their hands, eating as they walked, their faces filled with satisfaction and joyful smiles. As for the college students heading into the city, they were much more relaxed than the vegetable farmers. Most of them, like Wang Sheng, were visiting friends or sightseeing in the town, not in a hurry. They walked and stopped along the way, and some beauty-conscious girls even ran into the rapeseed fields, chasing and laughing, occasionally bursting into a series of silver-bell-like laughter. A few boys, who didn't seem to know the girls, were also infected and couldn't help but run into the rapeseed fields, joining in the revelry

Wang Sheng furrowed his brows slightly. He did not appreciate the behavior of these boys and girls. He felt that as college students, such actions were somewhat frivolous. Now was the season for rapeseed pollination, and how much rapeseed would they waste like this?

A large truck loaded with live pigs sped by, stirring up dust that obscured half the sky. After the truck disappeared, the air cleared, and soon the north gate of Chuzhou came into Wang Sheng's view.

The city wall of Chuzhou was initially constructed during the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty. During the Chongzhen era, Li Zicheng, the "Champion King," retreated to Chuzhou after his defeat, only to be subsequently captured by the Qing army. Following this battle, both the west and east gates were completely destroyed, leaving only the north and south gates intact. These gates were currently the best-preserved city gates in Chuzhou. The north gate comprises an inner-city gate and an outer-city gate. The city gate of the inner city was smaller, while that of the outer city was larger. The moat surrounding the city wall was approximately ten feet wide, with crystal-clear water that revealed the bottom. One could see the towering reflections of the city walls and gates in summer. However, as early spring and the rainy season had not yet arrived, the dried-up moat bed was exposed, and the river channel was filled with silt and garbage, emitting a pungent stench. Despite this, newcomers to Chuzhou still regard the north gate as their preferred destination for leisure. Tourists flock here, creating a lively atmosphere.

Not far from the North Gate was the crossroads of the Grand Cross Street. The Grand Cross Street was the center of Chuzhou City, and every street in Chuzhou radiated from this point. The crossroads is not only the hub of the entire city but also the most bustling place. The municipal government, cultural bureau, Xinhua Bookstore, cinema, department store, workers' club, photo studio, bank, etc., were all located in this area. From morning till night, crowds of pedestrians were bustling and lively. It is not much inferior to Wangfujing in Beijing or Nanjing Road in Shanghai.

Last night, Zong Tianyi called Wang Sheng and said he would invite him to dine at Juzhen Garden for lunch today. Juzhen Garden was the most famous time-honored restaurant in Chuzhou, where only wealthy and prestigious individuals dined. Ordinary people and students like Wang Sheng could only look on in awe. Zong Tianyi could invite him to eat at such a place, which showed that he had really made a fortune. Wang Sheng thought, looking at his watch, it was not even ten o'clock, which was still early for the appointed time. He walked towards the Xinhua Bookstore diagonally opposite the cinema.

Xinhua Bookstore was a square-shaped, gray, three-story building. Prominently displayed at the entrance were two quotations from famous figures: "Books are the ladder of human progress - Gorky" and "Knowledge is power! - Bacon". As it was a weekend, the bookstore was crowded, bustling like a market. Most of the customers were students, with some well-dressed cadres, and occasionally a few workers in denim overalls, as well as farmers with messy hair and dusty clothes. Despite their diverse identities, they did not feel out of place when crowded together, appearing harmonious and natural. Disputes rarely occurred if someone stepped on someone else's foot or got bumped. Being in this space surrounded by books, even rude people would become polite, kind, and cultured, and even their voices were much lower than usual. People's eyes roamed or paused in front of the bookshelves filled with undisturbed and highly focused books. This is an atmosphere that only a bookstore could provide. Wang Sheng liked this atmosphere. When he was a child, he would spend half a day in front of the book counter every time he went to the Pi Town Supply and Marketing Cooperative. Whenever he encountered troubles, he would feel better after spending time in the bookstore.

The first floor of the bookstore was mainly devoted to comic books and educational and supplementary reading materials for primary and secondary school students. Seeing a group of teenagers lingering around the comic books, occasionally bursting into laughter and chatter, Wang Sheng seemed to see his former self, with memories flashing through his mind of the comic books he once bought and the endless fun he had playing war games with his friends. A hint of a self-deprecating smile appeared on his lips

The second floor of the bookstore was dedicated to adult reading materials such as literature and philosophy. Compared to the noisy and bustling atmosphere on the first floor, it feels much quieter, resembling a library. Among the customers, there were a few familiar faces. Wang Sheng recognized them as students from the teacher's college. They also noticed Wang Sheng and exchanged a smile. This was the only large bookstore in Chuzhou, and it's common for Wang Sheng to run into his classmates from the teacher's college every time he visited.

Wang Sheng walked to the new book display and noticed that many books were new to him from his previous visit to the bookstore. His eyes sparkled like a hungry person seeing a sumptuous feast, and he eagerly began flipping through them. Among them was the Towards the Future Series edited by Jin Guantao, which had been highly recommended by teachers at his college in class. Wang Sheng had already purchased several books from this series. Now, he saw two newly published books, The Modernization of Human Beings and Builders in the Era of Great Changes, as well as Li Zehou's The Course of Beauty and Lin Yutang's The Feast of Life. These new books are currently being hotly debated in the academic community. Wang Sheng studied Chinese at Chuzhou Teachers’ College, but he rarely bought literary books. Most of the books he purchased were in philosophy and history.

When Wang Sheng took a few books and went down from the second floor to the first floor to queue up for payment, it was already past eleven o'clock, nearing the time agreed upon with Zong Tianyi.

Juzhen Garden, located next to the People's Bank of Chuzhou, was an old house from the Republic of China era. Its red walls and gray tiles featured glazed tiles along the eaves, reflecting a dazzling light when illuminated by sunlight or lights. At the main entrance were two stone lions, one on each side, each about half the height of a person. A row of large red lanterns hung under the eaves, giving it a majestic appearance from afar.

It was the first time for Wang Sheng to enter such a high-end venue. As he approached the entrance, he involuntarily slowed down his pace. As he hesitated, he saw Zong Tianyi walking out the door, and he greeted him from afar.

Just like the last time at the teachers' college, Zong Tianyi was still dressed in a suit and leather shoes, with his boots spotlessly clean and shining.

When the two walked into the restaurant side by side, the waiter at the door bowed respectfully to Zong Tianyi but ignored Wang Sheng beside him. Zong Tianyi was a regular customer here.

Although it was just noon, the restaurant hall was already packed. The waiters serving the dishes shuttled back and forth in an orderly manner, devoid of the chaos and noise often found in ordinary small restaurants.

When Wang Sheng followed Zong Tianyi into the private room on the second floor, he saw that there was already someone inside.

"This is Du Wei, also my friend ......," Zong Tianyi introduced to Wang Sheng after he sat down

Wang Sheng sized up Du Wei, noticing that he was a head taller than himself and had a pair of eagle-like eyes that gave off an intimidating vibe when he looked at others.

"My name is Wang Sheng, from Chuzhou Teachers' College..." Wang Sheng introduced himself, but before he could finish, Du Wei interrupted him and said sarcastically, "The 'Wang Cheng' from Heroic Sons and Daughters? Nice to meet you!"

Du Wei may have been just a joke with no other intention, but Wang Sheng's face blushed slightly.

"Du Wei is a young photographer quite famous in Chuzhou City," Zong Tianyi continued. "He used to live in Pi Town, and we only met a few days ago..."

"What photographer? I'm just a photography enthusiast," Du Wei said, glancing at Wang Sheng, sounding both humble and proud. "Every graduation season, I take graduation photos to the teacher's college. Which department are you in?"

"Chinese Department," said Wang Sheng.

"Oh, I've been invited to take graduation photos by several other departments, but not the Chinese department..." Du Wei said regretfully, eyeing Wang Sheng. "How about I take some artistic photos for you someday?"

"Sure, thank you," Wang Sheng said casually. He suddenly felt like he had seen Du Wei somewhere, but it wasn't in Pi Town. It was... at the north gate of Chuzhou City. Yes, many self-employed photographers were at the north gate, with cameras hanging on their chests and tripods on their shoulders, shuttling among the tourists like fish, soliciting business. When Wang Sheng first entered the city after passing the college entrance examination, he had taken two photos with some classmates on the north gate tower, one group photo and one individual photo. The self-employed photographer had long hair and wore washed-out jeans, looking not much older than himself. That was the second time Wang Sheng had taken a photo in his life. The first time was when he graduated from Pi Town Middle School and took a graduation photo, so the impression was profound... Yes, it was indeed him, especially those eagle eyes, which were too familiar. Wang Sheng thought.

Zong Tianyi left the private room at an unknown time. The two continued their conversation.

"According to Zong Tianyi, you're a top student from a teacher's college?" Du Wei took a book from the plastic bag placed on the chair by Wang Sheng, flipped through it, put it back, took another book, flipped through it, and put it back again. He muttered, "These books you bought are too abstruse for me. Like Zong Tianyi, I didn't finish junior high school. Nowadays, there's a saying that if someone hasn't attended university, they're half illiterate. So, in front of you, my younger brother, I'm an illiterate who can take pictures!" He obviously found this sentence humorous and burst out laughing. Wang Sheng felt that his laughter was a bit exaggerated and artificial, but out of politeness, he also laughed a few times.

At that moment, Zong Tianyi returned from outside, followed by a girl of about fifteen or sixteen. She had two braids and was dressed in simple attire. Her facial features were exquisite, and she looked very much like Zong Tianyi's sister, especially her melancholy eyes, which were strikingly similar.

"This is my sister Gu Zheng, who is currently studying in high school at Chuzhou Middle School," Zong Tianyi introduced the girl to Wang Sheng.

Wang Sheng had long known that Zong Tianyi had a younger sister. He had seen her in Pi Town before, but Gu Zheng was still a little girl with unkempt hair back then. Seeing Wang Sheng sizing her up, Gu Zheng glanced at him hurriedly and then shyly lowered her eyelids.

Du Wei stood up, pulled a chair over, and warmly greeted Gu Zheng, "We've been waiting for you. Come, sit here." From his tone, it seemed he had known Gu Zheng for a long time. However, Gu Zheng didn't walk over and sit beside his brother.

Zong Tianyi then asked the waiter to serve the dishes. The dishes were abundant, filling the entire table, all of which Wang Sheng rarely ate in his daily life. How much would such a table of dishes cost? He couldn't help but wonder. For a student, it was indeed a bit extravagant.

Zong Tianyi kept putting food into Gu Zheng's bowl, saying, "Eat more and take good care of yourself. The food in your school cafeteria is too bland..." He then turned to Wang Sheng and said, "You should also eat more! Today, let's treat you two students to a better meal."

Du Wei pried open the lid of a bottle of Wuliangye and poured a full glass for Zong Tianyi. When pouring for Wang Sheng, he covered the glass in front of him with his hand and said, "Thank you, I don't drink alcohol."

Du Wei said, "Brother, that's not right. You and I are friends; we haven't seen each other for years. It's not right not to drink a little wine after finally getting together."

Wang Sheng insisted on not letting Du Wei pour him a drink. Du Wei held the bottle and was in a standoff with Wang Sheng. Zong Tianyi signaled to Du Wei, waved his hand, and said, "Wang Sheng is a student. Let him and Gu Zheng have soft drinks if he doesn't want to drink!"

There was still a can of Coke on the table. Wang Sheng took it and poured a glass for Gu Zheng and himself.

This was the best meal Wang Sheng had ever eaten in his life. There were very few dishes left on the table. Zong Tianyi and Du Wei had an excellent capacity for alcohol. The bottle of Wuliangye on the table was almost empty, and after finishing the Baijiu, the two started drinking beer again. As they drank, they kept talking, and their voices became louder and louder, making Wang Sheng's eardrums buzz. The private room was filled with a strong aroma of alcohol and dishes.

Wang Sheng rarely spoke, and Gu Zheng, who sat beside Zong Tianyi, was no exception. Since entering the private room, Gu Zheng had said little, and she didn't even seem to care about what Zong Tianyi and Du Wei were saying, as if they were two strangers. Wang Sheng had a vague feeling that Gu Zheng was somewhat introverted, possessing something that middle school students her age didn't have, but he couldn't quite pinpoint what it was.

Upon seeing that there was still some coke left in the can, Zong Tianyi poured it for Gu Zheng and Wang Sheng. As he poured, he said to Gu Zheng, "Wang Sheng is a top student from a teacher's college. He's read a lot, a lot of books."

"Brother, you should drink less," said Gu Zheng, reaching out to take Zong Tianyi's wine glass, but he blocked her. "It's okay. Your brother is happy today. In the future, you should learn more from Wang Sheng..." His tongue was slightly slurred, indicating that he had clearly had too much to drink.

"Learn from me? I can't take that responsibility," Wang Sheng said, glancing at Gu Zheng. "Chuzhou is a key middle school in the province, and every year, more than half of its students are admitted to prestigious universities..."

Hearing Wang Sheng say this, Gu Zheng, who rarely smiled, actually burst out laughing. She was quite cute when she smiled. But she rarely smiled, spoke little, and looked like she kept people at a distance. This was not like her brother at all...

Wang Sheng's words made Zong Tianyi a little unhappy. "Don't shirk your responsibilities. When I'm not in Chuzhou, you two should take good care of Gu Zheng if she needs anything..."

The latter half of the sentence was addressed to Wang Sheng and Du Wei.

"Don't worry; your sister is my sister..." Du Wei patted his chest loudly. His face flushed red from drinking, and he had put on a layer of paint.

Wang Sheng remained silent, sizing up Gu Zheng sitting across from him, wondering: What could she possibly need our help with?

3. Evening Talks in the Ancient City

It was already two in the afternoon when the four of them left the private room. The peak dining period had passed, and the number of customers at Juzhen Garden had decreased significantly, leaving the spacious first-floor restaurant feeling empty.

Zong Tianyi stood beneath the row of lanterns at the entrance of Juzhen Garden and said to Du Wei, "Photographer, take a photo of me and Wang Sheng together!"

Du Wei's mind remained clear despite having had too much to drink. He said, "Okay," and got busy. After taking photos of Wang Sheng and Zong Tianyi, he proceeded to take pictures of Zong Tianyi and Gu Zheng's siblings. Finally, he handed the camera to the waiter, and the four of them stood in a row for another group photo. His efficiency reminded Wang Sheng of the self-employed photographer he had seen at the North Gate

"Let's go and explore the city walls!" said Zong Tianyi, in high spirits.

Gu Zheng said, "Brother, I want to return to school..."

Zong Tianyi glanced at his sister and hesitated for a moment. "Okay, let's send you back to school first," he said. Without asking Du Wei and Wang Sheng for their opinions, he affectionately held his sister's arm and walked across the road.

Chuzhou Middle School is less than 100 meters from Xinhua Bookstore and is just a blink of an eye away. At the school gate, Gu Zheng broke free from her brother's arm around her and waved to Wang Sheng and Du Wei, who were following behind, before entering the school gate.

Zong Tianyi stood at the school gate, watching Gu Zheng's figure disappear before turning around and saying to Wang Sheng and Du Wei, "Let's go!"

The three of them walked together and headed over to the city wall.

The city wall could be reached by turning into an alley next to Xinhua Bookstore and walking not far. From the North Gate to the East Gate, it was the best-preserved section of the city wall in Chuzhou City. Usually, many people visited the city wall from here. Today was a weekend, so although it was already afternoon, the city wall was still bustling with people. Tourists, individual photographers soliciting business, and merchants selling souvenirs and snacks were crowded together, lively like a market. Below the city wall, Du Wei stopped an old lady selling ice lollies and bought three, one for each person. Then he took the lead to climb up the city wall. Upon reaching the top of the wall, the view suddenly broadened. Looking into the city, the rows of roofs and crisscrossing roads like a chessboard presented themselves before people's eyes like a painting. Looking outward, in the distance were vast and flat fields and residential areas, with occasional tall chimneys rising, emitting thick black smoke from the chimney mouths, like a large broom, making the blue sky look smoggy. That was the largest enterprise in Chuzhou City - Chuzhou Chemical Plant.

"Seeing this chimney reminds me of our town's brick-and-tile factory. Back then, I even worked in a brick-and-tile factory!" Zong Tianyi said, pointing to the chimney of the chemical plant.

"Compared to the chimney of the chemical plant, the one of the brick-and-tile factory in Pi Town is nothing!" Du Wei said disdainfully.

Zong Tianyi and Du Wei exchanged words, while Wang Sheng looked silently at the large chimney resembling a cigar. He thought of his father, who had been dismissed as the director of the brick-and-tile factory, and felt a bit dazed.

Unknowingly, they arrived at the entrance of the North Gate Tower. The sun had already set, casting a golden glow on the city walls, resembling a giant python clad in golden armor. As they descended the tower, the bustling city gate had already emptied, with only a few tourists in sight. Zong Tianyi paused and said to Du Wei, "You go home; Wang Sheng and I will take a stroll for a while."

"I'll stay with you a bit longer," said Du Wei.

Wang Sheng looked at Zong Tianyi and said, "It's getting late. I have to go back to school, too."

"Don't go back to school today. Stay in the city for the night!" Zong Tianyi patted Wang Sheng on the shoulder and said, "I still have a lot to talk to you about!"

Zong Tianyi's words sounded like a plea and an order at the same time, and Wang Sheng felt unable to refuse.

Seeing the situation, Du Wei said goodbye and parted ways with them. As soon as Zong Tian saw Du Wei walking away, he whispered, "Du Wei's house is not far ahead..." Then, the two walked side by side along the moat.

When it got dark, Zong Tianyi brought Wang Sheng back to his company - a three-story house on a small street not far from the north gate. The Bazhou Red River Valley Agricultural and Industrial Company sign hung at the entrance looked very new, as if it had just been put up not long ago. The first and second floors were used for office purposes, while the company's employees lived on the third floor. Zong Tianyi always stayed here whenever he came to Chuzhou.

It was already time to get off work, and the company's main door was locked. Zong Tianyi took out his key and, while unlocking the door, introduced to Wang Sheng, "The company's headquarters is in Bazhou, and this is just a temporary rental for our branch office. I bought a piece of land outside the north gate, and construction will start in the second half of the year. Next year, the company can move into a new building for office use..."

As they were talking, the door opened, and Wang Sheng followed Zong Tianyi inside. The lighting in the building was dim, and the two of them almost groped their way up to the third floor in the dark. Zong Tianyi's dormitory was a mess, with folders, lunch boxes, packing boxes, and unwashed clothes scattered everywhere. Seeing Wang Sheng's surprised expression, Zong Tianyi smiled bitterly and said, "I travel between Bazhou and Chuzhou, and I don't stay in one place for more than a month at a time. There's no way around it. Both dormitories are a mess unless Kestrel comes..."

Wang Sheng asked, "Who is Kestrel?"

"My wife."

"I thought you weren't married!"

"My son is almost a year old," Zong Tianyi smiled at Wang Sheng with a slightly odd expression. "And you, do you have a partner?"

"Not yet..."

Wang Sheng was most afraid of being asked this question. Fortunately, Zong Tianyi didn't pursue the matter further. He had overeaten at noon and didn't feel like eating anything in the evening. After a brief wash, the two of them lay down on the bed with their clothes on. Zong Tianyi placed an ashtray and a pack of cigarettes on the bedside table. He took out a cigarette and asked Wang Sheng if he wanted one. Wang Sheng shook his head, so he lit the cigarette with a lighter and assumed a posture for a long chat. "Wang Cheng, I've been wanting to talk to someone about my inner thoughts for a long time..." He took a deep breath and said, "In recent years, I've been traveling back and forth between Bazhou, Chuzhou, and Redstone Valley for business, dealing with all kinds of people and meeting many of them. There are officials, businessmen, and people from all walks of life, but none are real friends. Du Wei, this person is quite righteous, but also very smart, in Chuzhou City, is a character, but not the kind of friend who can pull out the heart. With him, I can talk about business, about women, about anything, but I feel that there is always a layer of things, exactly what is separated, I can not say. You are different. If you and your father had not given me information, I would have been arrested by the police. I've always treated you as a good friend. When I met you at the teacher's college that day, you didn't know how happy I was, just like meeting a relative. You know, in this world, I only have my sister Gu Zheng as a relative..."

Zong Tianyi's words flowed freely. He talked about his parents, about the days and nights he spent after escaping from Pi Town into Pigu Mountain, about the white-haired old man and the mute father and son deep in the mountains, about the Redstone Valley, and about his journey from meeting to falling in love with Kestrel. He also shared his legendary experience of how he became the "young master" of the Redstone Valley village from a miner in a small coal mine. Finally, he talked about his "entrepreneurial history" of gradually expanding the business of the small coal mine from the Redstone Valley to places like Bazhou and Chuzhou

Zong Tianyi's journey is steeped in legend, sounding like something out of a fairy tale, hard to believe. Yet, upon reflection, it seems logical and reasonable. Behind this captivating story lies an irrefutable logic of life and an inevitable, irresistible fate. This feeling, Wang Sheng had only experienced when reading long novels with intricate plots. He had a peculiar sensation, as if the Zong Tianyi before him was not a real person, but a fictional character from a novel, like the Count of Monte Cristo or Jean Valjean

For Wang Sheng, this was destined to be a peculiar night. Thanks to Zong Tianyi's narration, this night felt both fleeting and interminable: fleeting because dawn was approaching before Zong Tianyi's tale was even finished; interminable because it seemed as if Zong Tianyi's tumultuous experiences over the past few years had been compressed into just one night, leaving him feeling as if he had swallowed a bag of compressed biscuits, struggling to digest it.

"Wang Cheng, are you listening?" Zong Tianyi's voice came from the other side of the bed, somewhat ethereal, as if it came from some distant place.

"I'm listening..." Wang Sheng replied. There was a Moment when he was caught by drowsiness and almost fell asleep, but as Zong Tianyi's narration entered a new paragraph, his sleepiness quickly disappeared. This was almost exactly the same feeling he had when he read novels in the middle of the night as a child.

"Do you think I'm making up stories?" Zong Tianyi seemed tired of talking, and his voice lowered slightly. "Actually, not to mention you, sometimes when I think about my experiences over the years, it feels like I've been in a dream. I always feel that everything will disappear cleanly after waking up, as if nothing ever happened. That's why I can't wait to find someone to talk to. Only in this way can I feel more at ease and believe what I'm saying really happened, rather than being fabricated by me..."

In the darkness, Wang Sheng heard the click of a lighter as Zong Tianyi lit another cigarette. On this night, Wang Sheng couldn't keep track of how many cigarettes he had smoked.

"Wang Cheng, I'm deeply conflicted. Sometimes, I wish all of this were just a dream and life could return to how it was before, to when I was just born. Every evening after dinner, my parents and I would take a walk on the streets of Pi Town, and the air was filled with the fragrance of toon trees... But sometimes, I feared that everything that had happened over these years was just a dream. If that's the case, then Redstone Valley, Kestrel, and my son, who is about to turn one, wouldn't exist. However, all of this is also beautiful, and I fear losing them... I'm deeply conflicted, just like how I once desperately wanted to know the truth about my father's disappearance, but didn't dare to face everything about him. Including my grandfather..." Zong Tianyi's expression turned grave, and after a moment of silence, he continued, "Once, I found several letters in the rattan wooden box my father left behind. They were written to my father by a foreign woman named Anna Louise. In the letters, she said that my grandfather was named Zong Da, and he was once a great scholar who held a high position in the Communist Party. However, he later defected to the Kuomintang and became a major traitor. I didn't believe it was true. At that time, I was in junior high school at Pi Town Middle School. I secretly went to the school library to check, and there was indeed a traitor named 'Zong Da' in the history books. His wife was a foreign woman named Anna Louise, the same woman who wrote these letters to my father. In other words, she is my grandmother. When she wrote these letters to my father, she was in prison, charged with being a foreign spy..."

When Zong Tianyi said this, he smiled bitterly. "I used to hear that my grandfather was a high-ranking official in the province, and I often clamored for my parents to take me back to the provincial capital to visit him. But these letters suddenly shattered my dreams. It turned out that the high-ranking official wasn't my real grandfather. My real grandfather was a traitor. I felt a sense of disillusionment that I had never experienced before, even when my father disappeared. I knew what 'traitor' and 'spy' meant. Without thinking, I threw the wooden crate and the letters and records inside into the pond outside the purple-tile house, except for the book 'Jin Ping Mei'. At that time, I would rather wish I was an orphan..."

It was the first time Wang Sheng heard Zong Tianyi talk about his family history. In the dim light of the fire and smoke, he saw Zong Tianyi's expression appear so confused and helpless.

"You know, I only went to junior high school and don't have much education. Every time I go on a business trip, I have to buy two magazines to pass the time. Not long ago, I read an article in Reader's Digest that said that everyone's destiny cannot be chosen because it is not we who decide our destiny, but a pair of mysterious big hands. To Westerners, this pair of mysterious hands is God. Still, in the hearts of the Chinese, that article doesn't say. You are a college student. Tell me, what exactly dominates our destiny and governs our fate?"

Zong Tianyi's question was too sudden and too complicated, and Wang Sheng couldn't answer it right away. Fortunately, Zong Tianyi didn't expect him to respond and continued, "I often dream, and every time I wake up, my mind is always blank, and I can't remember who I am. Every time I pass by some temples on business trips, I have to go in and burn a few incense, but I am not a Buddhist, of course, nor am I a party member, or even a league member. However, last year, the Ba Zhou City Youth League Committee gave me the title 'New Long March Pacesetter'..." As Zong Tianyi spoke, he probably felt this matter was absurd and couldn't help laughing.

"I'm not a League member either..." Wang Sheng murmured as if defending himself. But why was he defending himself? To whom was he defending himself?

"Oh, yes, when I returned to Pi Town a few years ago, I planned to visit you, but I bumped into Badong instead. From him, I learned that you had been admitted to a teacher's college and that Badong's father had taken over as the director of the brick-and-tile factory from your father. How is your father? I am so grateful to him, the old man..." Zong Tianyi's words made Wang Sheng's heart sink, and he didn't know how to respond.

On many issues, a person's wisdom is not reflected in how many books he has read or how high his academic qualifications are. Just like now, when he and Zong Tianyi faced those big questions about fate together, they didn't know how to answer them. When Wang Sheng thought of this, he was suddenly gripped by a sense of weakness and powerlessness similar to Zong Tianyi's. This sense of weakness and helplessness did not arise from listening to Zong Tianyi's family history but had been lurking deep within his heart for a long time, only to be awakened today

A streak of fish-belly white appeared outside the window, and the sounds of the city faintly drifted in from outside. The roar of passing cars, the chaotic footsteps of early morning pedestrians on the street, and various mixed sounds blended into a symphony. The sky was gradually brightening. However, Wang Sheng felt as if he was still shrouded in darkness, a feeling often experienced by individuals when facing their inner selves. At such moments, day and night, past and future, individual and world, ideals and reality often present a state of confusion and ambiguity. In his book The Way to the Middle of the Road, Heidegger referred to this state as "the poverty of the world's night." Heidegger was the most respected existentialist philosopher in Chinese intellectual circles and was almost a mythical figure among many scholars. When Wang Sheng was a freshman, he bought a thick copy of Being and Time from Xinhua Bookstore after listening to a professor from the Department of Philosophy at Dongjiang University lecture on Heidegger at Chuzhou Teachers' College. Later, he borrowed a biography of Heidegger from the library and discovered that Heidegger had actually sided with the Nazis during World War II, betraying his teacher, the famous philosopher Edmund Husserl, and abandoning his female student Arendt, whom he had always loved, like a discarded shoe. Since then, Heidegger's status in his mind plummeted, and that copy of Being and Time was also put away in a box. He was shrouded in confusion and loss for a long time

"My dad often talks about you too..." said Wang Sheng, pulling himself back from his thoughts and following up on Zong Tianyi's remark.

"Your father is a good man. Next time I return to Pi Town, I will definitely go and see him..." Zong Tianyi took a deep breath, stubbed out his cigarette, turned over, and after a while, a light snore sounded.

Wang Sheng, however, had no desire to sleep. Zong Tianyi's question, "Who am I?" flitted around in his mind like a butterfly. Later, he finally fell asleep and quickly entered the realm of dreams. He dreamed of Pi Town and the towering chimney of the brick factory, of the toy gun made from bullet casings and comic books his father gave him, and of course, he also dreamed of his mother, who had passed away many years ago. He even dreamed of Badong, holding a long red-plume spear... At this moment, dreams became his reality. In his dreams, reality became a dream for him.

In his dream, his father looked at him with an unfamiliar gaze and asked, "Who are you?"

Wang Sheng said, "I'm your son!"

"No, you are not my son," the father shook his head and said indifferently, "My son's name is Wang Cheng, and you are Wang Sheng..."

"I'm not Wang Cheng..." he said in confusion, "Then who am I?"

"I don't know who you are..." My father's wrinkled face revealed a sorrowful expression, and the empty sleeve fluttered in the wind, rustling like a tattered flag.

Not long after being admitted to Chuzhou Teachers' College, Wang Cheng changed his name to "Wang Sheng".

4. Go Home

In fact, from the moment Wang Sheng walked through the gate of Chuzhou Teachers' College, he was entangled by the question of "Who am I", like a whirlpool. The more books he read, the deeper he fell into it.

For Wang Sheng, this was not just a metaphysical proposition taught in class, but a very specific issue. He increasingly disliked his name: Wang Cheng. During his first class after entering school, when the teacher called out "Wang Cheng" during roll call, the classmates all turned their gaze toward him, with expressions of surprise, mockery, and even discrimination that were only seen when facing an outlier or an inappropriate person. Once, when the school showed the movie Heroic Sons and Daughters, when the screen showed the Volunteer Soldier shouting "For the victory, fire at me!" into the walkie-talkie, several classmates sitting next to Wang Sheng prankingly shouted at him, "Wang Cheng, did you fire?" while whistling. In the mouths of many boys, "fire" implied "sex", which was a vulgar and ambiguous word. Wang Sheng felt a sense of shame that he had never experienced before. Once upon a time, the name "Wang Cheng" was still an admirable symbol, representing bravery, dedication, heroism, nobility, and so on. He often expressed uncontrollable pride and satisfaction in his heart, especially when leading his friends to play war games. Due to this name, he seemed qualified to play a positive role naturally. But somehow, everything changed. Many figures once regarded as heroes were no longer the objects of learning, nor were they respected and admired. Sometimes, they even became the objects of mockery and humiliation. When Wang Sheng was still in middle school in Pi Town, he read an article in the newspaper saying that Lei Feng's diary was forged and that the landlord Zhou Bapi was actually a kind and benevolent person. Liu Wenxue deserved to be strangled to death by the landlord, who only stole a little chili from the commune. However, he was too unreasonable not to let it go... In Wang Sheng's teenage years, both Lei Feng and Liu Wenxue were heroes in his mind. He once carried cow dung from the roadside to the collective crop field to learn from them. For a long time, he was proud of this behavior, but now, he no longer felt proud, but somewhat embarrassed, as if it was something shameful... Wang Sheng was deeply puzzled by this. In this confusion, he grew from a teenager into a young man. When he stepped into the gate of Chuzhou Teachers' College, he realized that a new era had arrived. Everyone was bidding farewell to the past era, including the past "me", fearing this new era would abandon them. In the process, he suddenly realized that his name had become a stumbling block on his path to a new era. He had to remove it, just as he forgot the heroes of his youth.

In the face of the new era's tide, no one wanted to fall behind or be left out. As a college student, Wang Sheng was even more so. In the second semester of his freshman year, Wang Sheng decided to change his name. He flipped through the "Xinhua Dictionary" and found many alternative names: Wang Sheng, Wang Sheng, Wang Sheng, Wang Sheng, Wang Fu, Wang Chen, Wang Sheng, Wang Sheng... Then, he went to the police station, but the registered residence police officer said students must get their parents' consent to change their name. During the vacation, Wang Sheng went home and told his father about changing his name. His father asked him why he wanted to change his name. He hesitated and said after a long pause, "This name is too... rustic!" He didn't tell his father the real reason for changing his name, but made an excuse. But his father got angry, glared at him, and said, "You think this name is rustic? Do you also despise your father?" His father barked, "After going to college for a few days, you want to change even the name your father gave you. This is forgetting your roots. Your mother and I have worked hard to raise you, and it seems like we raised a white-eyed wolf..."

The more his father spoke, the angrier he became. Wang Sheng had never seen his father so angry before. If I reveal the real reason for changing my name, with his irascible temper, he would definitely beat me up, Wang Sheng thought, and then he fell silent. He secretly resented his father for giving him such an inappropriate name. This resentment had been buried in his heart for a long time. Later, when he took a class on the history of foreign literature and listened to the teacher talk about the ancient Greek tragedy Oedipus Rex, he learned a trendy new term: patricide complex. He found a legitimate reason for his resentment towards his father and felt at ease. He borrowed a copy of Family by Ba Jin from the library. This novel was published in the 1930s and has become a bestseller after being reprinted in recent years. Also reprinted was Fortress Besieged by Qian Zhongshu. Wang Sheng reads very fast, a skill he honed from reading comic books as a child. He finished a novel of over 200,000 words in two nights. For several days, Wang Sheng was immersed in the world of the story. Although he lived in the 1980s, he felt like the protagonist Jue Hui, who was suffering from the oppression of a feudal family. He regarded his father as the patriarch of the Family and was filled with a strong urge to break free from old concepts and old culture.

The relationship between Wang Sheng and his father became increasingly tense. During his freshman year's summer vacation and his sophomore year's winter vacation, he didn't return home.

A few days before the Spring Festival, Wang Sheng suddenly received a telegram with only four words: "Father ill, return urgently".

At that time, Wang Shengli had already retired. With his revolutionary experience before liberation, he could have been allocated a house in the town, but he used his retirement pension to build a home on the riverbank. When his father proposed to build a house on the riverbank, Wang Sheng strongly opposed it. He couldn't understand why his father would choose to live on the desolate riverbank instead of the spacious and comfortable house in the town. The two had a big argument over this. After the house was built, Wang Sheng only went back once and stayed for only one night before returning to school.

Looking at the telegram sent by his father, Wang Sheng's initially calm heart suddenly became agitated. He hurriedly packed his bags and boarded the bus back to Pi Town without thinking about anything else.

When the shuttle bus arrived in Pi Town, it was already 5 PM. In winter, days were short, and nights were long, so it got dark early. The streets were empty, with few pedestrians in sight. Wang Sheng wanted to find a tricycle, so he walked into the town for a while. He noticed that the original stone road had been replaced with cement and widened significantly. The toon trees on both sides of the street were replaced by two rows of low-growing sycamore trees, common roadside trees in big cities. In recent years, the greening of Pi Town has become increasingly urbanized.

Wang Cheng finally found a tricycle. Without even asking the price, he couldn't wait to ask the driver to take him to the riverbank. On the riverbank, not far from the brick-and-tile factory, he asked the driver to stop the tricycle and then walked along the embankment slope towards the river beach.

The evening mist hung low over the riverbank, reducing visibility. After passing through the wave-proof forest, Wang Sheng saw the house after only a few steps.

When Wang Sheng walked into his home, he saw his father sitting in the main room, puffing away on a cigarette, not looking at all sick. Wang Sheng hesitated and stopped, as if he had mistaken the door.

"Dad, aren't you... sick?" Wang Sheng asked in confusion.

"If I don't say I'm sick, will you return?" Father smiled slyly. "Little bastard, do you really want your father to spend the New Year alone?"

Wang Sheng was a little afraid of his father since he was young. His father, who was a soldier and had been accustomed to being a leader, always gave orders and commands in everything he did: "Go buy me a pack of cigarettes!" or "Go get me a bottle of wine!" If he were naughty, he would inevitably get a beating. Therefore, for a long time, his father had always been a feared and dignified figure in Wang Sheng's mind. After his mother's death, his father's temperament became much better, and he rarely got beaten again, but he still scolded him easily. His father, who was not highly educated, seemed used to expressing his feelings rudely.

But when Wang Sheng returned home this time, he felt that his father's attitude towards him had undergone a noticeable change. If his father had always treated him like a child before, he began to treat him like an adult, speaking kindly and doing things in a consultative tone, even cautiously, with a hint of ingratiation. Wang Sheng felt that this was the result of the conflict he had had with his father over the name change some time ago. Through this "cold war", he finally gained the right to live equally with his father, and a trace of joy flashed through Wang Sheng's heart.

The temperature at night was frigid. After having dinner with his father, Wang Sheng sat face-to-face by the fireplace in the main room, warming himself. The firewood was dried tree stumps dug up on the riverbank and crackled as it burned. The red coals illuminated half of the room, casting the father and son's shadows onto the main room's wall. Wang Sheng noticed that his father's shadow on the wall was much shorter than his own, with that empty sleeve hanging on one side like a crumbling cliff. When he was young, Wang Sheng saw his father as an unattainable mountain peak. This mountain had become so low, not just low, but almost ready to collapse... Indeed, his father was no longer the imposing brick factory director. He had aged.

"Dad, I want to apply for graduate school after graduation..." said Wang Sheng.

The father seemed a little unfamiliar with this term: "Graduate student..."

"Yes, I'm applying for graduate school at Dongjiang University," Wang Sheng repeated. His tone wasn't one of consultation with his father, but instead of informing him of his decision.

The father understood his son's intention and didn't say anything, just puffing on his cigarette. When he finished smoking and threw the butt into the firepit, splashing a cloud of sparks, he lifted his face, which resembled a baked sweet potato. He looked at his son with a pair of eyes that had lost their sharpness and edge: "Dongjiang University... good. Back in the day, my comrades and I raised the first five-starred red flag over the enemy's city defense headquarters..."

This was a story that Father had told countless times before, and Wang Cheng's ears were almost getting calloused from hearing it. His face revealed a look of boredom.

"Tomorrow was the Lesser New Year; go and add some earth to your mother's grave," my father tactfully changed the subject. "Your mother has been gone for ten years..."

Before going to study at Chuzhou Teachers' College, Wang Sheng would visit his mother's grave every year during the Qingming Festival and New Year's Eve.

The next morning, Wang Sheng followed his father to his mother's grave. His father carried a shovel, while Wang Sheng carried a dustpan.

His mother's grave is located on the riverbank not far from the house, separated by a patch of mixed woods and grassland. It took only a moment to reach. Wang Sheng noticed that his mother's grave had become slightly lower than it was two years ago, and the words on the tombstone had become much more blurred. On the grave were the remains of the incense and candles that his father burned when he came to sweep the grave during the Qingming Festival. Surrounding the grave was a soil borrow site for a brick-and-tile factory, with potholes and depressions that were as high as mountains and as low as lakes. At first, Wang Sheng didn't understand why his father wanted to build a house in such a barren place, but later he realized that his father did it to be with his mother. He had heard his father say to him more than once, "When I die, I will be buried with your mother..."

It took Wang Sheng many years to understand the affection his father had for his mother. One cannot be said to have matured if they do not know love; growing up does not equate to maturity. From this perspective, Wang Sheng was not yet an actual adult, even though he was already twenty years old

Wang Sheng and his father had been working all morning, and it was almost noon after they had finished adding soil to their mother's grave. Before they even reached home, they saw a young man of about his age at the door, carrying bags big and small, shouting at Wang Sheng, "Wang Sheng!"

After approaching, Wang Sheng recognized him as Badong. After several years, Badong had grown significantly taller. He was wearing a blue and white checkered down jacket, with his hair styled long, presenting a fashionable urbanite look.

Wang Sheng and his childhood friend had always been outwardly friendly but inwardly estranged. During the college entrance examination, Ba Dong failed to pass and later repeated two years at Pi Town Middle School, but was still unable to get into university. In the latter half of this year, Ba Dong transferred to Chuzhou Middle School to repeat the year. To facilitate the transfer, Ba Dong's father, Ba Guangming, now the director of a brick-and-tile factory, made a special trip to Chuzhou to host a banquet and give gifts, spending a considerable amount of money. Wang Sheng learned all of this from another middle school classmate.

Wang Sheng was a little surprised when he saw Badong. He looked at the bags in his hands and asked in surprise, "Badong, what are you doing..."

"Oh, isn't it the New Year? The factory is distributing New Year goods, and I happened to come across it, so I brought it over," he said, politely greeting Wang Shengli on the side. "Uncle Wang here's another hundred yuan. My dad said it's a bonus for you..."

As Badong spoke, he took a red envelope from his pocket and handed it over. However, Wang Shengli didn't even raise his eyelids and walked straight into the house, saying, "I've already retired. What kind of bonus is this? If there's a bonus, it should be given to those workers first. They haven't even received their salaries..."

"My dad said you are the former factory director, and you contributed to the development of the brick-and-tile factory!" Holding the red envelope, Badong wanted to follow Wang Shengli into the house, but Wang Shengli slammed the door shut. Badong was in a dilemma, so he turned his gaze to Wang Sheng and said awkwardly, "Look at this..."

Seeing his father's stiff attitude towards Badong, Wang Sheng felt somewhat sorry for him and took the red packet. After all, the latter was here to deliver New Year's gifts. It's not polite to strike a person offering help with a smile. However, he didn't say anything. He knew there had always been tension between his father and Ba Guangming. A few years ago, his father reported Ba Guangming for corruption to his superiors, causing a massive stir in Pi Town and the brick-and-tile factory. At that time, Wang Sheng was studying at Pi Town Middle School and even helped his father write a report letter.

Ba Dong looked grateful for his old classmate's help. He pulled Wang Sheng and walked towards the back of the house, saying as they went, "Originally, my dad was going to arrange someone to bring your dad some New Year's goods and bonuses, but I heard that you came back from Chuzhou yesterday, so I took the opportunity to meet my old classmate..."

Badong's words clearly intended ingratiation. Since his father was dismissed from his position and Badong's father took over as the director of the brick-and-tile factory, Badong had been indifferent to him for a long time. Only after he was admitted to Chuzhou Teachers' College did Badong's attitude change significantly.

At that moment, seeing that Wang Sheng was still carrying a winnowing fan on his shoulder, Badong took the initiative to help him take it off. "Let's go take a walk on the river beach!"

Wang Sheng hesitated for a moment and accepted Badong's suggestion. Then, the two walked side by side from the house's hilltop towards the riverbank and soon arrived at the riverside.

Although it was already noon, the sky appeared gloomy due to the thick clouds obscuring the sun, resembling a person with a frowning brow. The river flowed gently without ripples, looking from afar like an elongated mirror or a strip of azure silk. The sandbar in the center of the river protruded slightly above the water, its contours resembling a woman's body, soft and graceful. A barge carrying coal was sailing downstream, and the sudden blaring of its horn startled a flock of wild ducks perched on the sandbar into flight

"You know I transferred to Central Chu High School, right?" Ba Dong looked at the wild ducks that had taken flight and only then retracted his gaze, saying to Wang Sheng, "I originally wanted to come to the teacher's college to visit you, but now you're a university student. I repeated two years but still didn't get in, so I'm embarrassed to bother you..."

Badong's words sounded sincere, and Wang Sheng felt somewhat embarrassed. He had no choice but to say encouragingly, "Don't lose heart. The college entrance examination pass rate in Chuzhong is among the best in the province. You will definitely pass next year. Zong Tianyi's sister, Gu Zheng, is also in Chuzhong... He has now become an entrepreneur. By the way, haven't you two met before?"

"Yes, I have. He came to my dad that time, wanting to sell coal to the brick-and-tile factory... Gu Zheng's grades are so good; how can I compare?" Badong smiled bitterly and said with a hint of inferiority, "You don't have to comfort me. I know my own abilities, and I'm far from Chuzhou Middle School's level. If it weren't for my dad giving gifts to the education bureau and school leaders, they definitely wouldn't have wanted me. I really don't want to repeat my senior year anymore. You know, I'm not cut out for studying. All roads lead to Rome. Why should I cling to the tree of the college entrance examination? But my dad insisted that I repeat my senior year, and I argued with him a lot about it..."

Wang Sheng looked at Ba Dong's dejected expression and was Momentarily speechless. He could understand Ba Dong's feelings. He thought to himself, "If I were to repeat my studies for several years and still fail to get into university, my mood wouldn't be any better than his." But he didn't know how to comfort Ba Dong. He wasn't the kind of person who was good at perfunctory responses and pretense.

It seemed that Badong didn't expect comfort from others. He just wanted to find someone to pour out his inner depression, right?

"You know, your father has been suing my father for years, accusing him of corruption, deliberately raising the prices of bricks and tiles, arbitrarily dismissing workers, and delaying their wages. Your father even blamed my father for the farmers' inability to afford brick-and-tile houses." Badong suddenly changed the topic, raising his voice slightly, "Actually, my father can't be blamed for this. The brick-and-tile factory was contracted to my father, who followed the instructions from above and acted according to the commodity economy's laws. If it had been done as your father suggested, the brick-and-tile factory would have collapsed long ago..."

"In the past two years, I haven't been clear about my father's affairs at all," Wang Sheng said vaguely.

"I heard from my dad that your dad recently gathered some dismissed workers from the factory to write a joint letter to his former superiors and comrades-in-arms at the central and provincial levels, accusing my dad... My dad has never done anything to hurt Uncle Wang, and he has always respected your dad..." Badong frowned tightly and said to Wang Sheng in a pleading tone, "Old classmate, let's not beat around the bush. Can you help persuade your dad? This is also for his own good; after all, he's so old. Besides, my dad gives your dad a bonus and New Year's goods every Spring Festival. Why is he so obsessed with my dad?"

Badong's words sounded reasonable and compelling, leaving him speechless and unable to defend his father. Wang Sheng realized that Badong had come to see him not just to catch up with an old classmate, but to lobby on behalf of his father. Wang Sheng suddenly found that Badong was as shrewd as his father, the factory director, resembling him in both tone and demeanor. It was hard to connect him with the mischievous, scheming, and consistently poor-performing classmate from his childhood

5. Chinese New Year

After Wang Sheng and Badong parted ways at the river and returned home, Wang Shengli stared straight at him and asked, "What did Ba say to you?"

Wang Sheng said evasively, "I didn't say anything..."

"Don't give me any nonsense. I can see through it. Young Ba and Old Ba are cut from the same cloth," Wang Shengli snorted.

Wang Sheng initially didn't want to bring up this matter for fear of another dispute. However, upon hearing his father say that, he couldn't help but retort, "What's wrong with someone giving you a New Year's bonus?"

"Ba Guangming is a weasel paying New Year's greetings to chickens; he has no good intentions!" Wang Shengli's voice suddenly rose several degrees. "After Ba Guangming contracted the brick-and-tile factory, he raised the factory price of bricks and tiles by more than two times. Who can afford it? That's not all. Ba Guangming arranged for all his relatives to work in various factory departments. The price is halved when relatives, friends, and leaders buy bricks and tiles. Ba Guangming built a western-style building in the town himself, and the bricks and tiles he used didn't cost a penny..."

Wang Sheng interrupted his father and said, "You've already retired. Why bother with these trifles?"

"What are you talking about?" Wang Shengli was infuriated by his son's words and glared at him. "I may be retired, but I am still a Communist Party member. Chairman Mao once said that the philosophy of the Communist Party is the philosophy of struggle. As long as I live, I will fight to the end against those corrupt elements who undermine socialism and harm the interests of the masses!"

Wang Sheng looked at his father's righteous and stern expression and knew that if he continued to talk, he would end up arguing with him again. So, he had to remain silent.

But Wang Shengli's righteous indignation erupted like a volcano deep in his heart. He continued to say to his son, "In recent years, the brick-and-tile factory has been operating at a loss on the surface, but Ba Guangming still takes his contract bonus as usual. Not to mention bonuses, the workers' wages have been repeatedly delayed, and they were not paid even during the Chinese New Year. The workers went to the town, but the town leaders benefited from Ba Guangming and protected him. The workers have no choice but to come to me. Can I not care?" He became more and more angry as he spoke, turned around and went into the inner room, took out a stack of letters, and shook them in front of Wang Sheng, "Look, these are the replies from my former leaders and comrades-in-arms. Just wait, the day to investigate Ba Guangming is not far away..."

Wang Sheng took the letter from his father and opened an envelope signed "General Office of the Central Military Commission":

Comrade Wang Shengli:

The head of the town has received your letter and those from the public regarding the corruption issue of Ba Guangming, the director of the brick-and-tile factory in Pi Town. It has been transferred to the petition department for handling under regulations.

This letter

Salute!

General Office of the Central Military Commission

198╳year╳month╳day

Next, Wang Sheng opened another envelope of "Dongjiang Daily":

Comrade Wang Shengli:

I received your joint letter with some workers from the Pi Town Brick-and-tile factory today. I have forwarded it to the relevant leaders of the provincial party committee, hoping that it will receive sufficient attention from the higher authorities.

You have made outstanding military achievements for the liberation of New China, which is worthy of my learning. On the new Long March, your spirit of adhering to the truth and continuing the revolutionary struggle is also worthy of my learning. Back then, we jointly raised the Five-Starred Red Flag on the roof of the Customs Building in Dajiang City. Today, I am willing to continue to struggle with you and carry out the revolution to the end!

handshake!

Comrade-in-arms: Luo Zheng

"198╳ year ╳ month ╳ day"

Wang Sheng was quite familiar with the name "Luo Zheng". He had heard countless times about the story of his father and comrades planting the first five-starred red flag at Kuomintang's city defense headquarters.

Wang Sheng silently returned the letter to his father. He knew it represented his father's lifelong glory, which he had significantly admired as a child. Now, however, he felt a deep sense of estrangement, but that was all. He had no right to offend his father's dignity.

"Now do you understand why Yang Ba sent me New Year's goods and bonuses?" Wang Shengli carefully packed the letters as if they were precious treasures, and said with a hint of pride, "Not long ago, Ba Guangming ordered people to throw bricks at our roof in the middle of the night, and our main gate was also slashed several times. They wanted to intimidate me. When they couldn't do it by force, they tried to buy me off with sugar-coated bullets. No way! What they can't get on the battlefield, they won't get in private either..."

Wang Sheng felt that his father sounded like a stubborn and willful child when he said these words. His original intention to ridicule his father vanished into thin air.

On the morning of the first day of the lunar new year, Wang Sheng was awakened by a deafening sound of firecrackers. He knew it was his father setting off firecrackers. Last night was New Year's Eve, and he and his father went to his mother's grave to burn incense and set off a string of firecrackers. The sound of firecrackers coming from Pi Town was rising one after another, each louder than the last, pushing the atmosphere of the Spring Festival to a climax. If it were in his childhood, Wang Sheng would have already climbed out of bed, picked up the remnants of firecrackers on the ground to set off, or gone to play with his friends from the brick-and-tile factory. Now, Wang Sheng has long lost the enthusiasm of his childhood. Although he woke up early, he was still lying in bed reading. When he returned home, he borrowed a set of Jean-Christophe from the school library. This was a required reading assigned by his foreign literature teacher. He planned to finish reading it during the holidays but had only completed the second volume so far. Wang Sheng loved this novel. The description of Jean-Christophe's life in his youth in the book always made him involuntarily think of his own youth:

The two wealthy children suddenly developed a childish, cruel, and inexplicable aversion towards the poor boy. Seeing that he remained silent, they became even bolder and wanted to torture him with some amusing methods. The little girl was particularly unrelenting. She noticed that Christophe couldn't run in his tight clothes, so she had an idea and asked him to play a game of jumping over a fence. They piled small stools to make a fence and asked Christophe to jump over it. The poor boy didn't dare to say why he couldn't jump, so he gathered his strength and lunged forward, immediately falling to the ground while surrounded by laughter. They asked him to try again. With tears in his eyes, he made a desperate effort and jumped over.

Just as Wang Sheng was reading, he heard a loud commotion coming from the main room outside. When his father was still the director of the brick-and-tile factory, on the morning of the first day of the lunar new year, cadres and workers who came to pay their respects to his father were always in a continuous stream, crowding the entire room. Since his father retired, such a scene had never appeared again. Especially after moving to the river beach, it was even rarer for people to come to this remote wilderness with no nearby villages or shops to pay their respects to his father. Wang Sheng was somewhat puzzled, so he closed the book, put on his clothes, walked out of the door, and saw the main room filled with people. Most of them were already old, and many of them were former workers of the brick-and-tile factory. They surrounded his father, frequently clasping their hands and bowing, congratulating him on the new year, muttering "old factory director" and showing respect towards his father. His father was all smiles, chatting with them hand in hand, as intimate as a family.

After a while, his father suggested, "Let's send our New Year greetings to Chairman Mao!" So, people automatically formed two lines behind his father and bowed to the portrait of Chairman Mao in the central hall. his father stood at the forefront, giving orders like a commander:

"Wishing the great leader Chairman Mao a happy new year. One bow, two bows, three bows..."

This was a scene that Wang Sheng often saw when he was young. His father neither worshipped the God of Wealth nor the Bodhisattva, but every New Year's Day morning, he would light a stick of incense in front of the portrait of Chairman Mao in the center of the living room. Then, holding Wang Sheng's hand, he would bow three times to Chairman Mao, muttering to himself, "Wishing the great leader Chairman Mao a happy New Year. One bow, two bows, three bows..." After so many years, Wang Sheng unexpectedly saw this scene again.

From the first day to the second day of the lunar new year, people came to pay their respects to my father every day. During those few days, my father was in excellent spirits. He would get up before dawn, prepare tea and snacks for guests, and then put on that old military uniform that he usually folded neatly in a box. He would wait at the door for people to come and pay their respects.

Once, my father even dragged Wang Sheng, who was reading in his room, out and introduced him to everyone with great fanfare: "This is my son, who is studying at university in Chuzhou and will go on to pursue graduate studies in the provincial capital!"

Those old workers, whose faces were darkened by the sun and whose ages could be considered as uncles or elders of Wang Sheng, gave him a thumbs-up and praised him profusely. Some even offered him "lucky money". When Wang Sheng saw the hands with nails filled with dirt, crumpling the notes and stuffing them into his pocket, a warm current suddenly surged up in his heart

After the New Year, Wang Sheng went back to school.

Chapter 4

1. Teaching Coordinator and Deputy Department Head

At the end of last semester's exams, Gu Zheng only scored 56 in Introduction to Constitutional Law. The two short-answer questions that lost her the most points were: "What is the May Fourth Constitution? Please briefly elaborate on its basic connotation and significance," and "Why is the Napoleon Code considered to have laid the constitutional foundation for modern democratic countries?" Just these two questions alone cost Gu Zheng 30 points. This was already the second time she had failed a compulsory course. The last time was in "Economic Law", where she scored a little over 50 points. According to school regulations, if she fails another compulsory course, the school must "persuade her to quit" according to the rules. ...

On the Monday morning of the second week after the start of the semester, Gu Zheng had just returned to her dormitory after having breakfast in the cafeteria when she received a notification from the department's teaching secretary that the department head wanted to talk to her. She checked her watch and saw that it was only half an hour before the scheduled time, so she hurried to the department office.

As Gu Zheng walked into the law department office building hidden in the jungle with a sense of unease, she couldn't help but wonder: Who is the department head who invited me for a talk? Besides the dean, there were six deputy deans in the department. Gu Zheng mostly only knew their names, but she could match them with their faces; some even had names she couldn't remember clearly.

The teaching officer, a young woman who had just given birth, was sorting through a thick stack of reports in her office. Her surname was Jin, and she was fair and plump, with postpartum freckles on her face, adding a touch of charm. Secretary Jin usually dealt with students a lot, handling report cards, schedules, and other things, so she recognized most students. When Gu Zheng entered, she didn't even bother to raise her head, pointing up with her index finger and saying briefly like sending a telegram, "Room 212 on the second floor, Deputy Director Tang. Go!"

Deputy Director Tang, also known as Associate Professor Tang Fei, taught Introduction to Constitutional Law and concurrently taught Gu Zheng's class. Gu Zheng had always been afraid of dealing with strangers, and she was most afraid of having a conversation with a completely unknown department head. She felt slightly more at ease.

A small white sign reading "Deputy Department Head's Office" hung on the doorframe of Room 212. Gu Zheng knocked twice, but there was no response; the door was slightly ajar, and Gu Zheng gently pushed it open. There was no one in the room. There was no one in the room. Gu Zheng stood in the doorway and looked left and right when broken footsteps sounded behind her. She looked back and saw Deputy Director Tang carrying a bottle of boiling water, walking quickly from the stairway.

"Teacher Tang." Gu Zheng quickly stepped aside and respectfully called out. Deputy Director Tang nodded and walked into his office. Gu Zheng hesitated for a moment and followed him in.

The office only had one desk, and although the furnishings were simple, they looked messy. The desk was piled with books, newspapers, documents, and a large stainless steel teacup that looked like a missile. Every time Deputy Director Tang gave a class, he would place this teacup on the podium. At this moment, Deputy Director Tang unscrewed the lid, filled the cup with boiling water, sat down in the rattan chair behind the desk, and then turned his gaze towards Gu Zheng, exclaiming as if he had just seen her, "Classmate Gu Zheng, please take a seat!"

In front of the desk was an open red plastic folding chair with dust covering its soft cushion. Gu Zheng didn't sit down, not because of the dust on the chair but because she felt that it was appropriate for her to stand during a conversation with a leader as a student.

Tang Fei, in his forties, was a person who paid great attention to his appearance. He always wore a suit and leather shoes when lecturing, and his tie was meticulously tied, with an exceptionally bright color. Perhaps it's a habit formed from long-term lecturing, but his voice was a few octaves higher than ordinary people's. It's not too noticeable in the classroom, but it could be harsh when spoken at close range. Teachers tended to have a habit of being wordy and meticulous, which sounded like they were reading lines. However, all the students loved Tang Fei's classes. He really taught well. Among so many teachers in the law department, there were not many who could make a dull course interesting and attractive like Tang Fei.

When Gu Zheng was unwilling to sit down, Tang Fei realized something and got up to take a cloth from the hook behind the door. He wiped the chair clean and muttered as he wiped, "I haven't been in the office for over a week, and there's so much dust. It's evident how poor the air quality is!" After wiping twice, he still felt it wasn't clean enough, so he lowered his head and blew on the chair to check if any dust was left. Only after confirming that the chair was spotless did he straighten his back.

Gu Zheng witnessed Tang Fei wiping the chair and felt a bit sorry for him. Her nervousness somehow disappeared, so when Tang Fei gestured for her to sit down again, she sat down on the chair that had been wiped to shine.

But Gu Zheng never expected Tang Fei's opening remarks to make her heart tense again: "Gu Zheng, your college entrance examination scores are not low in the class, but why do your grades always rank at the bottom of the class after entering the school?" Deputy Director Tang asked in a reproachful tone, with a rather serious expression.

"Director Tang, I'm sorry," Gu Zheng involuntarily stood up from his chair and said, "I've dragged the whole class down..."

"Don't be nervous!" Tang Fei raised his hand to signal her to sit down, and a smile appeared on his serious face. "I'm not talking to you as the deputy department head today, but as a teacher and class teacher. Don't call me 'head,' call me 'teacher,'" Tang Fei said kindly. "I'm not blaming you for dragging down the class. I'm talking to you to determine why your grades are falling. I don't want a student who was originally very talented to be eliminated for some other reason..."

Tang Fei's intention may have been to comfort Gu Zheng, but she felt even more uneasy after listening. She felt that Deputy Director Tang's words were clearly meant to convey a specific message.

As expected, Tang Fei continued, "From your freshman year to the first semester of your sophomore year, your compulsory courses weren't always performed poorly. They were just inconsistent. In other words, it's not that your learning ability is poor, but rather that your learning state is unstable. For example, regarding the two questions that lost you the most points this time, as long as you had listened carefully to my lectures in the past, you wouldn't have been completely unable to solve them..."

Tang Fei's voice was quite calm and unhurried, sounding like a skilled doctor diagnosing a patient's condition.

"I've talked to Secretary Jin about this. Before you entered the university, you applied for the Chinese department, but the school made a last-minute adjustment to transfer her to the Law Department. I know you love literature, and most of your elective courses are in the Chinese department. You are also a member of the Langtaosha Literary Club, and I've heard that your poetry is quite good. As a university student, having a wide range of interests is a good thing, not a bad one, but you always need to distinguish between primary and secondary interests. You can't put the cart before the horse, right?" Deputy Director Tang said persuasively. "No matter how high your elective scores are or how good your poetry is, they can't replace the compulsory courses. When it comes to awarding degrees at graduation, compulsory courses are still the main focus..." He paused here, seemingly weighing his words. "I've reviewed your file. Your parents passed away when you were very young, and it's your brother who has been supporting you through school. Your high score on the entrance exam from Chuzhou Middle School to Dongjiang University proves you have excellent talent. You can't ruin your future because of your hobbies. In my experience, hobbies are hobbies, and majors are majors. The two cannot be confused. Take your love for literature as an example. Mr. Fu Lei once said something to the point: whether you are a writer or a poet, you can only be first-rate. There is no place for second-rate or third-rate literati in the literary world and society. But how many truly first-rate literati have there been since ancient times? Actually, when I was young, I also loved literature and dreamed of becoming a writer or poet, but neither literature nor poetry can be used as food! From the perspective of career choice, the law department is much better than the Chinese department. At least it can guarantee you the opportunity to become a judge or lawyer after graduation. You may not know how respected judges and lawyers are in society nowadays... Classmate Gu Zheng, do you understand what I mean?"

Gu Zheng seemed to understand but also not understand, and she murmured uneasily, "But, Teacher Tang..."

Before she could continue, Tang Fei glanced at his watch, stood up from behind his desk, and loosened the red diamond-patterned tie around his neck. "I have to go to the academic office. Let's talk about this until here!" With a friendly and natural demeanor, he walked over from behind his desk, extended his hands, gently pressed on Gu Zheng's shoulders, and supported her back as they walked towards the door. As they stood shoulder to shoulder, Gu Zheng felt that he was about the same height as her.

Arriving at the door, Tang Fei paused, pulled a business card out of his pocket, and handed it to Gu Zheng. "If you encounter any difficulties or problems in the future, feel free to reach out to me," he said with a sense of resignation as he spread his hands. "Since I'm also your homeroom teacher, no matter how busy I am, I can't ignore you!"

"Thank you, Teacher Tang!" Gu Zheng took the business card, bowed to Tang Fei, and turned around to leave in a bit of a hurry. She could still feel Tang Fei's gaze trailing her as she descended the stairs.

When passing by Secretary Jin's office, Gu Zheng was stopped by her. "Did Director Tang finish talking to you so soon?" she asked casually, lifting her head from a pile of rosters.

"Teacher Tang has something to attend to and needs to go out..." Gu Zheng said. Since they were standing very close, she could clearly see the few freckles on the face of Secretary Jin, and she smelled a pungent perfume mixed with makeup on her body. Gu Zheng had read in a magazine that it was not advisable for women to wear makeup during lactation, as it could be harmful to the baby. She hesitated whether she should remind Secretary Jin when she heard the other party say, "Among the several deputy directors in the department, Director Tang is the busiest. he is so busy that he can't even put his feet on the ground every day, let alone take care of his family affairs..."

The voice of Secretary Jin was very low, and as she spoke, she looked outside the office, as if afraid someone might hear her. The tone in which Secretary Jin said this was somewhat strange, but Gu Zheng couldn't quite put her finger on what was odd about it. She once again smelled the mixed scent of perfume and makeup on Secretary Jin

2. Christmas Dance Party

Since Deputy Director Tang's talk, Gu Zheng hadn't participated in the activities of the Langtaosha Literary Club for half a semester. Even when Li Hong asked her to serve as the duty editor for the new issue of Langtaosha, she refused because she was busy with homework. Gu Zheng's daily routine consisted of four points: dormitory, cafeteria, classroom, and library. Her efforts paid off. During the mid-term exams, her average scores in the four compulsory courses were all above 85, and her ranking in the class jumped to the top five. During a class meeting, Tang Fei personally attended the meeting and praised Gu Zheng by name. When leaving, he especially came over, patted her shoulder, and said with a smile, "You didn't disappoint me..."

Deputy Director Tang's kind gaze and warm palm made Gu Zheng somewhat excited. However, Tang Fei's palm lingered on her shoulder for too long, causing her body to feel uncomfortable. She even detected a familiar scent from him, a scent she had once smelled on Secretary Jin

Time flew, and Christmas was coming soon. People didn’t know when it had started to become popular on college campuses. Whenever Christmas approached, various clubs competed to hold various festive activities. Souvenirs such as Christmas hats and Christmas trees were everywhere in the shops and roadside stalls on campus.

The Langtaosha Literary Club was not to be outdone and was preparing to jointly host a Christmas dance party with the Writers' Class. This event was being orchestrated by Li Hong, who had requested that every member of the literary club not be absent.

Gu Zheng originally didn't want to participate. She had never been interested in dancing, and her dancing skills were limited to the level of a basic literacy class. When she first entered college, she participated in a ballroom dancing class out of curiosity, but she quited halfway through. She didn't know any tango, rumba, or other dances besides simple four-step and three-step dances. During her freshman year, Gu Zheng participated in one or two weekend dances held in the Osmanthus Garden cafeteria, encouraged by her roommate. College students themselves organized these dance parties, and the sound equipment and venue were relatively rudimentary. In addition to students, many people from outside of the campus also attended. On one occasion, a well-dressed fat man asked Gu Zheng to dance. Judging from his suit and leather shoes, she knew he was from outside. His dancing skills were even worse than Gu Zheng's, and he stepped on her foot as soon as he started dancing. In fact, that person wasn't there to dance at all. After dancing for less than two minutes, one of his hands began to move restlessly on Gu Zheng's back, and his body kept leaning forward. His mouth was like a big bellows, emitting a strong smell of alcohol. In the end, he recklessly hugged Gu Zheng tightly and tried to kiss her. Gu Zheng used all her strength to push the man away and ran outside the dance hall to vomit. Li Hong had also experienced similar incidents. "That guy wanted to take advantage of me, so I gave him a solid slap!" Li Hong said with contempt on her face. "These people rely on making a few stinking dollars to run around campus like flies, hunting for beauty. They are just a bunch of pigs!" Since then, Gu Zheng never participated in any dance parties in school again

"The Christmas dance party is specially approved by the school and will be held at the graduate club. It's definitely a high-end event. Both Song Xiaofan and Lang Tao are going to attend. I'm the chief host. Wouldn't it be unfriendly of you if you didn't come and support me?" Li Hong said. The temptation, "coercion," and encouragement were first-rate tactics.

Gu Zheng, who was always shy, couldn't bear it anymore and had no choice but to submit obediently: "Alright, I'll go..." The tone didn't sound like she was agreeing to attend a dance party, but rather like she was surrendering.

Apart from Li Hong, Gu Zheng did not have many close friends. She cherished Li Hong's friendship from the bottom of her heart and did not want to bear the stigma of being "not a good friend". Besides, during that period, she studied too hard and her nerves were constantly on edge. She really wanted to relax.

The dance party at Maple Garden Club was held every two weeks, except for private bookings or holidays.

The Graduate Club was a gray Soviet-style building located next to the former site of the Dongjiang Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. In the late 1950s, after the Dongjiang Provincial Committee built a sanatorium here, they not only renovated the original building but also added some new facilities, including a small auditorium.

The small hall had two floors in total. The first floor was a conference hall that can accommodate nearly 200 people, while the second floor consisted of reception rooms and offices. From the 1950s to the mid-1970s, every summer vacation, the main leaders of the Dongjiang Provincial Party Committee would come here to stay for a period of time, recuperating and working at the same time. Many important meetings of the Provincial Party Committee were held in the small hall. After the nursing home was incorporated into the university, the small hall naturally lost its function of office and meeting. Due to years of neglect, it was once used as a warehouse for storing materials by the logistics department. A few years ago, with the expansion of graduate enrollment, the school established a graduate school in Maple Garden. After some renovation, the small hall was transformed into a graduate club. The second floor was a reading room, gym, and conference hall, while the first floor was used for various get-togethers and dance parties.

Compared to the makeshift "cafeteria dance hall" used by undergraduates, the graduate student club's dance hall was more than one level higher in terms of environment and equipment, and the effect was almost comparable to that of a professional band performance; in addition to graduate students from the school, some school leaders and professors who loved ballroom dancing occasionally came to the club to enjoy themselves. The club had strict management of the dance hall, and only graduate students could enter with a graduate student ID or a school work permit. Later, the conditions were relaxed, and only one dance partner needed a graduate student ID and a work permit. Therefore, in the minds of undergraduates at the University, dancing at the Maple Garden Graduate Student Club had become a symbol of a certain status and taste. Many students even chose to go to the Graduate Student Club to dance when they were dating.

On the evening of the Christmas dance party, when Gu Zheng arrived at the graduate club, Li Hong had already been there for quite a while. She was the party's host, and there was still a lot of preparation work to be done before the party began.

The Christmas tree at the entrance of the Graduate Club was installed two days ago. It is adorned with a dazzling array of small colored lights, dozens of which are of various sizes and shine like stars, creating a rich Christmas atmosphere.

More and more people entered the dance hall, mostly members of the Langtaosha Literary Club and students of the writers' class. Of course, there were also a few specially invited guests, including Song Xiaofan and Lang Tao.

Song Xiaofan wore a white evening gown today; her graceful figure and elegant demeanor bestowed upon her a mature woman's unique charm. It's admirable enough for a woman to become a famous writer. Still, if she also possesses beautiful looks and a noble temperament, it inevitably makes many of the same sex envious. Song Xiaofan was such a woman. As she walked in with her graceful gait, the originally noisy ballroom suddenly fell silent. People's gazes involuntarily turned towards her, making her feel like she was standing under the spotlight in the center of the stage, instantly becoming the protagonist of the entire ballroom.

Song Xiaofan and Lang Tao entered the dance hall together. Lang Tao didn't dress up deliberately today. He wore a beige casual suit, and his hair was still messy as usual. When he walked into the dance hall with one hand in his pocket, just like he usually did when entering a classroom to teach, the scholarly reserve and the artist's ease were curiously mixed together on him. He looked more charming than when he was lecturing in the classroom. He was a few years younger than Song Xiaofan, but his "aura" was not inferior to Song Xiaofan's, and even slightly better. This could be related to Lang Tao's background of becoming famous at a young age and studying abroad. A person's cultural literacy and experience can always be reflected in his appearance and temperament.

When Song Xiaofan and Lang Tao walked into the dance hall, Li Hong and another boy came forward and presented them with a bouquet of flowers. The boy presented Song Xiaofan with flowers, while Li Hong presented Lang Tao with flowers. Gu Zheng saw that Lang Tao looked a little unnatural when he took the flowers from Li Hong; Li Hong seemed to be very calm and generous compared to him. This seemed to be somewhat inconsistent with their respective ages and statuses.

Li Hong later told Gu Zheng that presenting flowers to Song Xiaofan and Lang Tao was a "special performance," she added on the spot. Her intention was twofold: firstly, to highlight the special status of the two individuals, and secondly, to emphasize her relationship with Lang Tao. However, the effect might have been just the opposite. Gu Zheng felt that if this were a wedding, Song Xiaofan and Lang Tao would have seemed more like a couple, while Li Hong would have been more like a bridesmaid. She believed that not only did she think this way, but many others would have felt the same way as well. The subsequent situation confirmed Gu Zheng's impression.

After Song Xiaofan and Lang Tao entered the dance hall, the music began to play How Wonderful the World Is, Street Fighter, Nightclub Girl… The works of the Rolling Stones, romantic, passionate, wild, and rebellious, even those who didn't understand music would have their hearts racing, as if every cell in their body was on fire. Grandma's Penghu Bay, Childhood, Sweet Honey, If You Want to Sell Wine Without Me, these popular Hong Kong and Taiwanese pop music that swept the mainland also had many fans on university campuses. The sound effect was indeed good, especially the dynamic percussion; every drum beat seemed to hit the listeners' hearts, making them involuntarily drawn into the rhythm of the music. The lighting was also good, the spherical light in the center of the dance hall kept spinning, and the colorful light spots spread throughout every corner of the dance hall, creating a dreamy atmosphere

As many had anticipated, Lang Tao took the lead in inviting Song Xiaofan to dance the first dance. Subsequently, Lang Tao danced several dances with Song Xiaofan in quick succession. Both of them were first-rate dancers, performing the tango, rumba, waltz... Their performances were almost like a show, eliciting rounds of applause. Some people even involuntarily released their dance partners and stopped to admire their wonderful performances.

Li Hong was obviously a bit disappointed. Due to the confusing lights in the dance hall, Gu Zheng couldn't see the expression on her face clearly, but she could tell from the fact that Li Hong had rejected two writers' class students who had asked her to dance. Gu Zheng also rejected the invitations from two people, one from a literary club member and the other from a writer's class student. Gu Zheng refused because she really didn't like dancing, while Li Hong did it purely out of spite.

Today's Li Hong was elegant and radiant, not inferior to Song Xiaofan, and she deserved to be the undisputed protagonist of the ball, Gu Zheng thought. Moreover, Li Hong had put much effort into today's party. In a sense, the real purpose of hosting this party was for her and Lang Tao. As a friend, Gu Zheng secretly felt that Li Hong was treated unfairly. So, she walked over and held Li Hong's hand. Li Hong's hand was ice-cold as, stood in the corner, silently gazing at the colorful dance hall like an outsider.

At that moment, two people suddenly appeared out of nowhere and, as if on cue, simultaneously invited Gu Zheng and Li Hong to dance. Gu Zheng recognized one as Wang Sheng and the other as Du Wei.

Gu Zheng was somewhat surprised. "You guys..."

"Wang Sheng and Du Wei are both authors of Langtaosha, and I invited them to participate," Li Hong said casually, assuming Gu Zheng didn't know them. At the same time, her eyes were still fixed on Lang Tao and Song Xiaofan dancing gracefully in the center of the dance hall.

At this moment, the song ended, and Lang Tao and Song Xiaofan walked off the dance floor.

"Oh, we're from the same hometown..." Gu Zheng had not finished speaking when Li Hong suddenly left them and sprinted towards Lang Tao at the speed of a hundred meters. The speed and posture of her running made it seem as if she was not going to invite her beloved to dance, but rather like she was rushing headlong towards the battlefield to kill enemies.

When another jazz dance track, Useless Love, began to play, Li Hong, under the watchful eyes of everyone, took Lang Tao's arm and walked towards the center of the dance floor

Gu Zheng stared blankly at this dramatic scene, stunned. At that moment, she heard someone say, "Gu Zheng, may I have the pleasure of dancing with you?" She withdrew her gaze as if waking from a dream and saw Du Wei mimicking a Broadway play, with one hand on his chest like a gentleman and the other extended in front of her. Both his movements and expression seemed exaggerated. Meanwhile, Wang Sheng, who had been with Du Wei just moments ago, had vanished.

Gu Zheng hesitated for a moment and handed her hand to Du Wei.

3. Li Hong

Li Hong had fallen deeply in love with Lang Tao.

Li Hong was a precocious girl. In middle school, she became fascinated with novels by Qiong Yao and San Mao. Most of the quotes she copied in her diary were about love, such as "Love is selfish and exclusive." "Love is such a thing that even the most barren land cannot wither it." "As long as the purpose is for love, doing anything is right." And so on. Her sexual awakening also came earlier than most girls, with her first menstruation arriving at the age of twelve. At that time, Li Hong's parents were just entering middle age and were in the heyday of their careers. They were too busy. Her father was the general manager of the Dongjiang Boiler Factory, managing thousands of people. He would leave early in the morning and return late at night, sometimes going on business trips for ten or fifteen days without returning home. Her mother worked as the financial director at the boiler factory. They both had no time to pay attention to their daughter.

Li Hong was actually a girl with outstanding talent. Her grades were always among the best in her class from primary school to middle school. She attended No.1 Middle School, which was a key middle school in the province. In her first year of senior high school, Li Hong secretly fell in love with the art teacher at the school. The art teacher's surname was Xiao, and his name was Bai. He had just graduated from Dongjiang Academy of Fine Arts and was assigned to teach at No.1 Middle School. Xiao Bai was actually not handsome at all. He was thin and small, and his height was not even as tall as Li Hong's. The only bright spot was that his mouth was very sexy. Li Hong liked sexy men.

Li Hong's parents were from the north, and both of them had outstanding appearances. Li Hong inherited her parents' good genes and became strikingly beautiful during her junior high school years. However, why did Li Hong fall in love with Xiao Bai? She couldn't explain it herself. For girls of Li Hong's age, liking someone didn’t require any reason. Sometimes it was just out of curiosity or rebelliousness during adolescence. Ever since Xiao Bai tutored her in sketching alone once, she secretly fell in love with this unprepossessing art teacher. During that time, Xiao Bai tutored Li Hong in sketching alone once a week. At first, it was in the school's art teaching and research office, but later, it was moved to Xiao Bai's bedroom. One day, Xiao Bai proposed to draw a nude portrait of her. "Your body is so beautiful; it can be called a masterpiece of God. I have to draw you, otherwise it would be a great disservice to God!" Xiao Bai murmured, his gaze sliding over Li Hong like a hot iron, making her feel as if she was possessed and unable to refuse. So, Xiao Bai peeled off Li Hong's clothes layer by layer like peeling bamboo shoots, and threw them on the ground. When Xiao Bai's sexy lips and Li Hong's equally sexy lips glued together, Li Hong felt her body melting like a snowflake

Soon, Li Hong and Xiao Bai's secret romance was discovered by her parents. One day, while tidying up the room, Li Hong's mother found a stack of sketches in her writing desk drawer, all of which were nude drawings of Li Hong. She told her husband about it, and the two of them sensed the gravity of the situation from the small details. So, they took the stack of sketches to the No.1 Middle School and traced the clues, discovering their daughter's romance with art teacher Xiao Bai. Middle schools strictly prohibit teachers and students from dating, and any such relationships discovered will be dealt with seriously. Soon, Xiao Bai was expelled from the school. Li Hong's parents also arranged for her to transfer to the province's Affiliated High School of Dongjiang University, a key middle school. Moreover, when applying to Dongjiang University, students could enjoy a 20-point priority in admission.

Due to the shadow of puppy love, after being admitted to Dongjiang University, Li Hong didn't immediately immerse herself in another passionate romance. Whenever she saw those naive-looking girls around her with their boyfriends, engrossed in their intimate moments, a feeling of having been through it all would cross her mind. Li Hong's family background and personal temperament gave her an almost innate sense of confidence or superiority, which inevitably made her have a higher taste in men and life than many other girls. Li Hong became much more mature after experiencing puppy love in middle school. She seemed to have a clear vision for her future love and career and was not in the least bit anxious. She was like an excellent hunter, calmly lurking in the deep mountains and forests, ready to strike decisively once she spotted her target. It wasn't until Lang Tao appeared that Li Hong's originally passionate heart was reignited.

Suppose the early love affair between Li Hong and Xiao Bai began as a result of an accidental incident caused by what Freud called Libido. In that case, her falling in love with Lang Tao resulted from both emotional and rational influences. In the first semester of her sophomore year, Li Hong enrolled in Lang Tao's course on Western Modern Philosophy and Existentialism and scored 95, the highest mark among all students in the class. Li Hong was surprised by this score. She was not the type of student who worked particularly hard in class. After entering Dongjiang University, most of her energy was not devoted to her studies but to organizing the Langtaosha Literary Club. She enrolled in Lang Tao's course not because she was really interested in existentialist philosophy but out of a certain fashionable mentality. In the mid-to-late 1980s, existentialism was almost synonymous with "avant-garde" among college students. Anyone who had not read one or two books on existentialism would be regarded as old-fashioned. Li Hong was a fashionable and avant-garde girl in terms of her mindset and lifestyle. She actually got the highest grade in the class, and her vanity made Li Hong feel both surprised and excited. So, in the second semester of her sophomore year, she took another class, Toward Postmodernism, by Lang Tao. Jemson, Said, Huntington, Foucault, Cahill, Ayn Rand, Heidegger, Sartre, Freud, Arendt, Beauvoir; The Third Wave, The Theory of Man, Being and Nothingness, Being and Time, and The Second Sex ...... These novel and avant-garde concepts or book titles emerged from Lang Tao's mouth like A heavy bomb that bombed Li Hong's mind, making her feel dizzy, stimulated, and excited. Li Hong was gradually attracted to this young professor who had just returned from studying abroad, but at that moment, she did not realize that she would fall in love with Lang Tao, and it was out of her control.

It all started with that lecture on the New Fourth building.

After a lecture that night, Li Hong walked out of the New Fourth Building with Lang Tao. She had listened to Lang Tao lecture many times before but felt that none of the previous lectures had been as successful as this one. In her heart, Lang Tao's image had never been so radiant as it was now. Although she was usually as proud as a princess in front of everyone, in front of Lang Tao, she was as humble as Cinderella. Yes, she had unconsciously regarded Lang Tao as her Prince Charming. "Walk with me for a while!" Lang Tao's casual tone sounded like an invitation and also like an order. Li Hong felt she had been waiting for long and involuntarily leaned closer to Lang Tao. Lang Tao hesitated slightly and extended his arm to embrace her. They soon entered the Lover's Forest by crossing the small square in front of the gymnasium. The autumn night was very cool, and autumn insects could be heard coming from the woods by the roadside. The moonlight shone down from the dense branches, adding a dreamy color. "If Heidegger knew that his doctrine had so many sympathizers in China, how happy he would be!" Lang Tao seemed not to have yet emerged from the lively atmosphere of the lecture and was immersed in a joyful mood. Then, he began to tell Li Hong about his experiences studying and traveling in West Germany. "One winter vacation, I traveled alone from West Germany into Austria, carrying only two German books in my suitcase: Heidegger's The Way Home Through the Trees and The Life of Heidegger. The winter in Austria was freezing, and the snow-covered Alps seemed like a jade dragon wrapped in white armor. Although the train had ample heating, the bright white light shining through the train window still made me feel a chilling cold. After getting off at a small station on the border between West Germany and Austria, I stayed in an alpine hotel surrounded by snow. The majestic Alpine peaks shone brightly in the sun. The forests at the foot of the mountains, frozen rivers, and frozen railway tracks resembled a famous oil painting displayed in a museum, reminding me of Hölderlin's poem: 'How short are our lifetimes, I am running a few minutes late; my previous meeting was running over. We watch and count our years, but the years of the people, I will schedule some time for us to connect. Could it be that a mortal eye has seen them? Have you seen them?' Hölderlin was Heidegger's most revered poet.

For the emotional Li Hong, Lang Tao's experience was more fascinating than Heidegger's. Heidegger still seemed a bit abstruse to her. Unlike existentialist philosophy, Li Hong seemed more interested in Heidegger's personal life and love. "Tell me about Arendt! Didn't they love each other very much? Why did they break up in the end?" Li Hong's question seemed a bit inappropriate. At the end of the lecture, Li Hong saw someone asking this question in a pile of notes, but Lang Tao didn't answer. This made her curious.

"A master like Heidegger, let alone ordinary women, even for a woman like Arendt who is also very outstanding herself, is like a monument. Leaving him is not a bad thing..." Lang Tao's answer was obscure and full of philosophical implications, but Li Hong did not understand its meaning.

Li Hong and Lang Tao arrived at the Pavilion Evergreen, a diamond-shaped open space framed by stone pillars covered with dense grapevines. The Literary Club had once held poetry recitals here. Leaning against a stone pillar, Li Hong pondered Lang Tao's earlier question: "Why do people want to build monuments? Which is happier, loving a monument or loving a person?"

Lang Tao seemed amused by her words and smiled faintly, "It's easy to understand a person's pain, but the pain of the monument is not something ordinary people can comprehend..."

Li Hong felt that Lang Tao's words were still so obscure. This made her realize once again that she lacked a philosophical mindset. "But I love you..." Li Hong closed her eyes. This sentence was originally in her mind, but she couldn't help but say it out loud.

At that moment, Lang Tao and Li Hong stood face to face. Upon hearing this, Lang Tao hesitated slightly before suddenly bowing his head and gently kissing her. Although it was just a fleeting kiss, Li Hong's body trembled as if she were about to collapse. Lang Tao had to stretch out his arms to hold her, and thus, Li Hong was ignited like a torch, plunging into Lang Tao's embrace

From that day on, they began dating frequently. Apart from campus, Lang Tao would occasionally take Li Hong to cafes and restaurants outside the university. Lang Tao's father also taught at Dongjiang University, and both parents lived on campus. However, Lang Tao usually stayed in the single dormitory assigned by the university except for weekends and holidays. Lang Tao never took Li Hong to his single dormitory, and their dates were always at night, like underground workers. At first, Li Hong found this kind of secret dating exciting, but as time passed, she gradually felt unsatisfied. Once, Li Hong suggested that Lang Tao visit his dormitory, but he firmly refused, without any room for negotiation. Li Hong felt unhappy and depressed for several days. Maybe Lang Tao found this kind of secret dating exciting. Perhaps he didn't want their relationship to be known by more people. Maybe... In short, deeply in love, Li Hong felt like a dark cloud hung over her heart.

That day, at the Christmas dance party in Maple Garden, when Li Hong saw Lang Tao and Song Xiaofan enjoying the star-like status at the party, while she felt like a forgotten "Cinderella", her pride, which had always been proud, was stimulated like never before. "No, he's mine, and no one can take him away!" Li Hong couldn't help but think angrily. So, she took advantage of the intermission to push through the crowd, walked up to Lang Tao and Song Xiaofan, and held Lang Tao's hand under everyone's eyes

4. Lang Tao

Lang Tao grew up with a natural talent and a clear-cut face, which made him particularly attractive to people. But compared to his precocious intelligence, his love index was very low. When he was still in Chuzhou Middle School, some girls liked Lang Tao, wrote him love letters, sent him greeting cards, and so on, but he was always very slow or deliberately pretending to be slow. Once, a girl in the class who looked like the Japanese movie star Yamaguchi Momoe quietly stuffed a letter into Lang Tao's pocket, but until the end of the school day, Lang Tao did not read the letter. Later, his mother found it while washing clothes and gave it to his father. Lang Tao's father had always been rigorous in disciplining his son. He opened the envelope and read a poem: "This a heartbeat of the day has finally come! \The sigh-like approaching footsteps of your night,\I hear not the forest leaves and the night wind whispering,\the thin, broken hooves of the elk galloping across the mossy path! \ Tell me, tell me with your silver-bell song, \Are you the young god of prophecy? ......"

At that time, Lang Tao's father, Lang Yongliang, was still teaching in the Chinese Department of Chuzhou Teachers' College and was an expert in the history of Chinese literature. He naturally knew this was He Qifang's early masterpiece "Prophecy". Although the poem expresses the poet's inner anguish, from the graceful handwriting and the fragrant light blue letter paper, he immediately guessed that this must be a love signal sent by some girl to Lang Tao. Before opening the letter, his son had obviously not seen it. Lang Yongliang secretly withheld the letter until Lang Tao was admitted to Dongjiang University with the highest score in the city. Only then did Lang Yongliang give the letter to his son. He initially thought his son would be angry, but unexpectedly, after reading it, Lang Tao didn't say a word, just smiled and threw the letter into the trash can

Seeing his son's action, Lang Yongliang felt relieved.

Lang Yongliang had always had high expectations for his son. From primary school to middle school, Lang Tao's grades consistently ranked at the top of his grade, and he even won first place in a city-wide essay competition. Lang Yongliang set the goal for his son's college entrance examination to Peking University and Dongjiang University. After graduating from Peking University, Lang Yongliang was assigned to teach in the Chinese Department of Dongjiang University. He became a leading figure in Chinese literary history research in his thirties. In the mid-1950s, he served as the deputy director of the Chinese Department. If he had not been labeled as a rightist during the Anti-Rightist Campaign later on, his future would have been unlimited.

Lang Yongliang, who had fallen from the peak of his life to the bottom, was transferred from Dongjiang University to teach at Chuzhou Teachers' College. Along with Lang Yongliang, a rightist mathematician, was also transferred to Chuzhou Teachers' College.

At that time, Chuzhou Teachers' College was merely a specialized teacher-training institution. The sudden downgrade from a prestigious university to such a place must have left Lang Yongliang feeling deeply depressed. The tradition of Chinese intellectuals had always been to focus on personal integrity when in adversity and to contribute to the world when successful. Therefore, after falling from the center to the edge, Lang Yongliang gradually became optimistic and content with his lot in life, finding joy in the present situation. He immersed himself in the philosophies of Laozi and Zhuangzi, seeking contentment and freedom and finding his joy in life through his family's happiness. After the birth of his son, Lang Tao, Lang Yongliang devoted all his energy to raising him. Lang Tao was able to recite 300 Tang poems at the age of three and could recite Zhuangzi's "Free and Easy Wandering" backwards. The extraordinary talent displayed by his son during his childhood made Lang Yongliang see the ideals that had been lost during his youth. In 1977, when the college entrance examination system was just restored, Lang Yongliang made advanced plans, setting Peking University and Dongjiang University as his son's "goals" for the college entrance examination. This was perhaps not unrelated to a compensatory mentality for his "unfinished business."

Lang Tao indeed lived up to his father's high expectations. After graduating from Dongjiang University, he was admitted to a government-funded study abroad program and went to study in West Germany. A few years later, he became a prominent new star in the international Heidegger research field. Professor Bill, the head of the philosophy department at Marburg University, was a disciple of Heidegger and an authority in the international Heidegger research community. He once highly praised Lang Tao's doctoral thesis: "Mr. Lang Tao, through his thesis, has delved deeply into the study of Heidegger's thought, exploring its separation and unfolding, and discovering its hidden connections..."; Professor Bill greatly admired this young and intelligent Chinese youth and hoped he could stay at Marburg University as an assistant professor, specializing in Heidegger research. For Lang Tao, this was indeed a rare opportunity. In the early 1980s, many Chinese people like Lang Tao studied in Western countries, but those who had the chance to obtain a teaching position in mainstream research institutions were rare. Lang Tao, almost without hesitation, agreed to Professor Bill's proposal and wrote to his father about the news. However, he received a letter from his father during that winter vacation. The content of the letter was sincere, and the attitude was evident:

Tao Er:

The current situation in China is excellent, and the environment for intellectuals has dramatically improved, with them being highly valued. Your Uncle He has just taken up the position of president of Dongjiang University. Not long ago, he took the opportunity of a work inspection in Chuzhou to visit me at my humble abode, and we had a delightful conversation. He specifically inquired about you and expressed his expectation that you will serve the country. This is not only my opinion but also that of your Uncle He.

Your Uncle He also hopes I can be transferred back to work at Dongjiang University, but as a father, I'm old, and it doesn't matter to me anymore. I only care about my son's future.

This is a rare opportunity that comes once in a thousand years. My son, please cherish it. Upon receiving this letter, return to the country immediately. Be sure to do so.

The father's character

"Date: ╳ month ╳ day, 1985"

The "Uncle He" repeatedly mentioned in his father's letter, namely He Shouwu, the newly appointed president of Dongjiang University, was the mathematician who was transferred to Chuzhou Teachers' College along with his father. They spent two years together at the "May 7th" cadre school during the Cultural Revolution. Their families lived next door to each other, and their relationship was as close as family. They often invited each other over for a drink and a chat after preparing a meal. Shortly after the end of the Cultural Revolution, He Shouwu was transferred back to Dongjiang University, while Lang Yongliang remained at Chuzhou Teachers' College to teach.

Lang Tao's gaze lingered on the words, "As a father, I'm old and don't care much about anything else, but I place great importance on my son's future." In Lang Tao's memory, his father had been exceptionally strict with him since he was young. He had gone hungry more than once because he hadn't memorized Tang poetry, and it was common for him to be spanked by his father for unsatisfactory exam results. For some time, Lang Tao harbored resentment towards his father, but after passing the entrance exam for Dongjiang University, he gradually understood his father's hardships. Now, facing the neatly written regular script on the letter, Lang Tao's eyes floated to his father's clear and lean face, his already graying temples, and "Uncle He," who often got drunk with his father in the faculty housing of Chuzhou Teachers' College.

Two months later, Lang Tao returned to China and was exceptionally promoted to professor at Dongjiang University's Department of Philosophy, despite having worked there for less than a year. At that time, Lang Tao was just 26 years old, and there were only “a handful”  of professors of his age in the country.

One year later, Lang Tao's father, Lang Yongliang, was also transferred back to the Chinese Department of Dongjiang University from Chuzhou Teachers' College. It was probably the only case in China's key universities where a father and son taught at the same university.

The Lang and He families gathered together shortly after Lang Yongliang’s return to Dongjiang University.

During that period, Lang Tao was translating The Life of Martin Heidegger. The publishing house was urging him to hurry up with the translation. Except for going home to have a meal with his parents on weekends, he locked himself in his single dormitory every day to translate that book. He was so busy that he felt overwhelmed. He asked his father if he could not go. Upon hearing this, Lang Yongliang shook his head like a rattle. "No, today is the first gathering after you and Uncle He returned to Dongda (Dongjiang University). Besides, President He has put so much effort into transferring you back to Dongda. Aren't you going to thank him in person? You just came back from abroad not long ago. You must still pay attention to traditional Chinese interpersonal communication and etiquette..."

Father spoke with such conviction that Lang Tao could no longer find a reason to refuse. It was evident that Father attached great importance to this gathering. Not only did he dress up like it was New Year's Day, but he also ensured that Mother was well-dressed. Although Lang Tao's mother, Qi Shizhen, was not very educated, she was a sensible, virtuous, and gentle woman. She usually devoted herself to serving her husband and son at home, obeying her husband's every word and rarely having her own opinions. She used to work as an accountant in the logistics department of Chuzhou Teachers' College. After following her husband back to Dongjiang University, she continued to work in the logistics department.

Father asked Lang Tao to bring two bottles of high-end Riesling wine and specifically instructed him to pack them in two gift bags. Riesling was one of the most famous wines in West Germany, and Lang Tao made a special trip to the Egelhoff winery to purchase it before returning to China.

"Why do we need to bring two gifts?" Lang Tao was somewhat puzzled.

"Perhaps, there's another one..." Lang Yongliang was evasive, not specifying "which one", sounding mysterious. As he was about to leave, his mother remembered something and went back to the bedroom to bring a box of famous German skin care cosmetics. That was also a gift Lang Tao bought for his mother before returning to China, but she had never used it. At that moment, seeing his mother's suspicious gaze, she smiled and said, "Mum is old, it's a waste to use such high-end stuff. Why not give it to He Li? She has oily skin like me, so she can use it. Besides, you two used to play together as children, like siblings. You've been abroad for a few years; shouldn't you bring her a gift when you return?"

He Li was the principal's daughter and was two years younger than Lang Tao. After hearing his mother's words, Lang Tao felt it made sense. But for himself, since going abroad, he had almost forgotten this "neighborhood little sister"

5. Memories of "Cadre School"

The family gathering place for the Lang and He families was at the reception center of Dongjiang University. The reception center, built two years ago, integrates accommodation, catering, and conference halls. The facilities were designed according to the standards of high-end hotels, mainly for hosting various conferences and academic exchanges. The restaurant consisted of two floors. The first floor was a dining hall accommodating over 200 people, while the second floor featured private rooms, which were more suitable for private gatherings. Due to the elegant environment and distinctive dishes, not only did people from the university often come here for meals, but many people from outside also flocked here. It was always crowded, especially the private rooms on the second floor, which usually require booking two days in advance. Otherwise, you can only dine in the lobby on the first floor.

The private room had been reserved by Lang Yongliang two days ago. Although he was one year older than He Shouwu, the two often called each other brother, but that was in the past. Now, He Shouwu was the president of Dongjiang University, and his identity and status were obviously different from before. Lang Yongliang had a typical scholarly personality. Usually, due to his study of Laozi and Zhuangzi's philosophy, he also had a scholarly demeanor and did not care about the distinction of secular status and rank. However, the traditional bureaucratic mentality was deeply ingrained in his heart. Moreover, when he was young, he also had the ideal of "becoming an official" and even served as the deputy director of the Chinese Department for two years. If he had not been "disgraced" during the Anti-Rightist Movement, his career in government would not have ended so quickly. Therefore, when he faced his former friend, He Shouwu, who had become the president, Lang Yongliang's feelings were mixed. He was sincerely happy but also somewhat melancholy. However, this feeling did not make Lang Yongliang lose his composure. For example, the gathering between the Lang and He families, from the timing to booking the restaurant and other trivial matters, was all arranged by Lang Yongliang. Friendship aside, he could not let He Shouwu, head of a school, lose his dignity. Moreover, he proposed this gathering, and it was named a thank-you to He Shouwu for his great help in his transfer back to Dongjiang University. In fact, there was another intention

When Lang Yongliang and his family of three arrived at the reception center, it was just half past five, nearly half an hour earlier than the appointed time. Lang Yongliang also carefully planned this. He and his son Lang Tao are now "subjects" of He Shouwu, and they couldn't let the esteemed principal wait for them. Moreover, He Shouwu told him over the phone this morning that Song Qiankun might come to attend tonight's gathering. "Coincidentally, Governor Song came to our school for research work yesterday afternoon, and I casually told him that you have been transferred back to the university. There will be a gathering between our two families tonight. Governor Song was pleased when he heard that and said that the three of us were once comrades-in-arms in the 'May 7th' cadre school. When your two families gather, you can't leave my family out! I quickly said that if you can come, Professor Lang and I would be more than happy to welcome you!" He Shouwu stopped here, but Lang Yongliang couldn't hold back his impatience and urged, "Make it clear, Governor Song... Is he coming or not?" He Shouwu said, "Governor Song has to attend a banquet hosted by the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office to receive foreign guests this afternoon. He will try to decline." Putting down the phone, Lang Yongliang stared blankly in the study and couldn't help but recall those days spent in the 'May 7th' cadre school more than a decade ago

Lang Yongliang and He Shouwu met Song Qiankun at the "May 7th" cadre school. At that time, as the first batch of students from Chuzhou Teachers' College, they went to the "May 7th" cadre school at Niangzi Lake for labor training. Niangzi Lake was the largest freshwater lake in Dongjiang Province, with vast waters, misty waves, and lush reeds, creating beautiful scenery. However, since the large-scale reclamation of the lake for farmland in the mid-1960s, the water area had shrunk significantly, and vast stretches of rice paddies had replaced the original lake and mountain scenery.

The "May 7th" Cadre School at Niangzi Lake, jointly organized by the Ministry of Culture and Dongjiang Province, was located beside Niangzi Lake. Adopting a military organizational structure, the "May 7th" Cadre School implemented strict management, with regular political studies in addition to labor and drills. Lang Yongliang and He Shouwu were assigned to the Third Company of the Seventh Battalion of the Fifth Regiment.  He Shouwu was a student of the famous mathematician Hua Luogeng. Before the Cultural Revolution, he attended the National Congress of Youth Science and Technology Workers and was received by Chairman Mao Zedong. Although he was classified as a rightist, he still retained his party membership, so he was appointed as a company commander. The main labor tasks at the cadre school included land reclamation, dredging, rice seedling planting, and rice harvesting. On hot days, they went to the fields on an empty stomach at four or five o'clock in the morning. At seven, meals would be delivered to the fields. After everyone had finished breakfast, they would work until noon before taking a break. At dusk, they went back to the field to work until nightfall. When the cadre school was first established, there weren't enough houses, so Lang Yongliang and He Shouwu's third company borrowed rooms from fellow villagers. However, they couldn't stay in the villagers' houses for long and needed to build their own quickly. However, building a house required bricks, and most Niangzi Lake residents lived in adobe houses. Removing adobe was a heavy task. Next to the third company was the fifth, composed of experts and celebrities from the Ministry of Culture and the Academy of Social Sciences, such as Feng Youlan, Qian Zhongshu, and Ai Qing. Once, Lang Yongliang saw a small old man with glasses who was unsteady on his feet while removing an adobe block and fell down. He recognized the man as the famous scholar Qian Zhongshu and quickly went over to help him up. Seeing that his forehead was scraped, Lang Yongliang wanted to take him to the cadre school health station. However, Qian Zhongshu waved his hand and said calmly, "It's okay, it's just a scratch," and then went back to removing the adobe. Before the liberation, Lang Yongliang had read Qian Zhongshu's Fortress Besieged in middle school, and when he participated in the "Literary Criticism Training Course" organized by the Institute of Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in the 1950s, he even attended one of Qian's lectures. Originally, Lang Yongliang felt deeply aggrieved and indignant about being assigned to the cadre school for labor reform, and he was listless when participating in labor and learning. Now, seeing that the famous Qian Zhongshu was also "laboring and exercising" at the cadre school like himself, and with such a calm attitude, he felt much relieved.

Soon, the third company moved from the homes of the local people into newly built dormitories at the cadre school. Winter arrived, and the weather became colder and colder. The students at the cadre school rarely went to the lake area and the fields to work, and most of their time was spent in indoor meetings and studying the works of Marx, Lenin, and Mao. In his spare time, Lang Yongliang would take out the Tao Te Ching and South Lake a Sutra that he brought from home to read. This reading didn't matter, and it turned him from a scholar who studied Chinese literary history into an expert on Laozi and Zhuangzi. One day, it was raining. He was sitting on the dormitory's large bunk bed, wrapped in a quilt, reading the Tao Te Ching, with the mysterious concept of "One gives rise to two, two to three, and three to all things" filling his mind. Suddenly, he saw the dormitory's door curtain lifted, and He Shouwu walked in with a rolled-up luggage from outside, followed by a person in his fifties, wearing a gray cadre uniform, with messy hair and a somewhat down-and-out look, but there was an indescribable demeanor between his eyebrows; this demeanor, Lang Yongliang had seen it on the leaders who often sat on the podium. "Yongliang, this person... the higher authorities have arranged for him to undergo reform in our company, and the company department has decided to arrange for him to live with you," He Shouwu said, throwing the rolled-up luggage in his hand onto the bunk bed next to him.

The person personally brought to the dormitory by the company commander was definitely no ordinary character. After He Shouwu had left, Lang Yongliang engaged in a few words of conversation with the visitor. When he heard the other person mention his name, he was almost taken aback: "Song Qiankun." This person was an important leader in Dongjiang Province before the Cultural Revolution, but he was overthrown at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution. The crime announced in the newspaper was "traitor". How did he appear here today?

Facing Lang Yongliang's puzzled gaze, Song Qiankun remained silent. Although they lived in the same dormitory and shared a bunk bed in the following period, Song Qiankun rarely talked about himself. Sometimes, when he saw Lang Yongliang quietly reading the Tao Te Ching and South Lake a Sutra, he would chat with him about Laozi and Zhuangzi with interest, casually reciting a line from "Who Knows the Joy of Fish if You're Not a Fish?" Lang Yongliang seemed to glimpse his deep-seated emotions. He knew that Song Qiankun was a leading cadre with a cultural background and was skilled in writing and painting. In the early 1950s, he even published a novel titled The Magestic Song of the Great River, which depicted the underground struggle before the liberation of Dongjiang Province. Before the Cultural Revolution, he served as the minister of the Propaganda Department and secretary of the Secretariat of the Dongjiang Provincial Party Committee. His cultural literacy was clearly unmatched by ordinary senior Communist Party officials. "Secretary Song, I read your The Magestic Song of the Great River in college..." Lang Yongliang's words were not flattery but came from the bottom of his heart. However, Song Qiankun waved his hand and said, "This is also one of my major crimes, which has already been criticized to death by the workers, peasants, soldiers, and Red Guard young soldiers. You are welcome to continue bombarding me..." Lang Yongliang said self-deprecatingly, "We're both in the same boat. I'm also a monster!" Hearing him say this, Song Qiankun's face showed a rare smile. From then on, the distance between them seemed to have narrowed slightly.

One midnight, Lang Yongliang was suddenly awakened by a loud cry. He opened his eyes and saw Song Qiankun clutching his stomach, curled up into a ball, rolling on the bed, and uttering painful moans. His face was as pale as paper, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. Lang Yongliang went over to support him and asked what was wrong. Song Qiankun closed his eyes and struggled to utter one word: "Pain!" Lang Yongliang quickly put on his clothes and got out of bed. Outside, the north wind howled, and snowflakes danced in the air. He ran to the company headquarters, pulled He Shouwu out of bed, and the two braved the heavy snow, taking turns carrying Song Qiankun and sending him to the health station of the cadre school. The doctor diagnosed it as acute appendicitis. After surgery, Song Qiankun quickly escaped from danger. The doctor said that if he had arrived a step later, he would have been beyond help

6. "Three-family banquet'"

To Lang Yongliang's surprise, when the family of three walked into the private room on the second floor, He Shouwu had already arrived. He quickly stepped forward, cupped his fists, and apologized, "It's really rude of us to keep the principal waiting. Please forgive us!"

"Brother Yongliang, let's not be so polite. I live nearby, so it's just a short walk away." Heshouwu waved his hand generously, without any air of a principal. Lang Yongliang introduced his son, who was following closely behind, to He Shouwu. It was the first time Lang Tao had met Heshouwu on a private occasion since returning to Dongjiang University from abroad. He respectfully bowed in the Chinese style and greeted him, saying, "Hello, Principal He!"

He Shouwu was not tall and had a thin body. Although he was not yet sixty, his hair was almost entirely white. He wore thick myopic glasses with lenses as thick as bottle bottoms, which dangled precariously on his nose as if they were about to slip off at any moment. At that moment, he looked at Lang Tao through the thick lenses of his glasses and nodded with a smile, saying, "Hmm, when I was transferred back to the University, you were still in high school at Chuzhou Middle School. Now you're a Ph.D. from overseas! How's it going since you came back here?" As he spoke, he turned around and called out, "Xiaoli, come over and say hello to your uncle, aunt, and Lang Tao!"

Lang Yongliang's family of three turned their gaze behind He Shouwu and saw his daughter He Li standing at the back of the box, looking at them awkwardly. He Li had a slightly tanned skin tone, wore two pigtails, and was not particularly tall, about 1.6 meters, like her father. At first glance, she was a bit thin and looked like a middle school student. After graduating from the Department of Library and Information Science at Dongjiang University two years ago, she started working at the Dongjiang University Library.

He Shouwu's wife passed away several years ago.

"Hello, uncle and aunt!" He Li greeted Lang Yongliang and his wife one by one. She glanced at Lang Tao and lowered her eyelids shyly, and a hint of blush flitted across her slightly tanned face. "Hello, Brother Lang Tao..." Her voice was as low as a mosquito's buzz.

"Hello!" Lang Tao responded politely, and his face also blushed for some reason.

At that moment, Lang Tao's mother walked over, affectionately put her arm around He Li's shoulder, took out the skin care product box from her bag, and handed it to her, saying, "Xiao Li, it's been a few years since you and Lang Tao last met, right? Lang Tao hasn't forgotten you. Look, this is the gift he bought for you in West Germany, and he never found a chance to give it to you..." As she spoke, she pulled He Li and Lang Tao to sit down on the sofa.

Lang Tao felt a bit uneasy after listening to his mother's words.

At this moment, while they were talking, Lang Yongliang whispered to He Shouwu, "How about it? Can that family... come?"

"He called me half an hour ago; he's coming!" He Shouwu said with certainty, sounding a bit excited. "I came to check out the private room right after I hung up the phone, and the environment is pretty good..."

"Great, great! With Governor Song's arrival, the 'two-family banquet' has become a 'three-family banquet'. This is fantastic!" Lang Yongliang clapped his hands and said repeatedly.

"Brother Yongliang, you may not know yet," He Shouwu said, "Governor Song has already retired to the second line and is now the deputy director of the Provincial Advisory Committee..."

"Has he reached the age?" Lang Yongliang seemed a little surprised. "Why do I feel he's not much older than us?"

"We can't do this for many more years..." He Shouwu said, smoothing a few strands of sparse white hair on his temples.

"Indeed, it's been over a decade since I was in the cadre school... Things have changed so much, so much!"

As the two were sighing with emotion, they saw an elderly man with gray hair, a sturdy figure, and an extraordinary demeanor, who was about sixty years old, appear at the door of the box on the second floor. They hurriedly greeted him and simultaneously called out, "Governor Song..." Immediately afterward, the three people, with six hands, tightly clasped together.

A young and beautiful woman with an elegant demeanor accompanied song Qiankun. Lang Yongliang and He Shouwu initially thought she was his secretary. However, after shaking hands with them, Song Qiankun turned to introduce her, saying, "This is my daughter, Song Xiaofan, who works on creative projects at the provincial song and dance troupe..."

Lang Yongliang and He Shouwu had long heard that Song Qiankun's daughter was a writer, and now, upon meeting her, they indeed found her extraordinary. The two men paid her some compliments and, at the same time, called over the two families who were chatting on the sofa. They introduced her to Song Qiankun one by one. When it came to Lang Tao, Song Qiankun let out an "Oh" and exclaimed, "Wow, a foreign doctor returning from abroad. I heard from Principal He that it took quite a bit of money and effort to lure your overseas talents back to our country!"

It was the first time Lang Tao met Song Qiankun, and he had only heard a little about his relationship with his father. He was even more unaware that Song Qiankun was attending the gathering between the Lang and He families today, so he was unprepared and felt a bit awkward. It wasn't until Song Qiankun introduced Song Xiaofan that he relaxed.

Next, He Shouwu invited Song Qiankun to take a seat, with Lang Yongliang sitting on either side. After the others had taken their seats, they asked the waiter to serve the dishes.

"Why isn't Madam here with us?" He Shouwu whispered in Song Qiankun's ear while the dishes were being served.

"Isn't a foreign affairs event at the Provincial Foreign Affairs Office today? She couldn't get away. I had to sneak out by taking a little leave..."

He Shouwu said, "Yes, yes, the governor is so busy with countless affairs, yet he still comes to attend our family gathering. We are truly honored beyond measure!"

"Comrade Shouwu, stop calling me 'governor'! I've already retired to the Provincial Advisory Committee!" Song Qiankun reminded.

"I'm used to it, and it won't change in a short time," He Shouwu said with a smile.

Lang Yongliang had heard that Song Qiankun's wife worked in the provincial foreign affairs office. She was once the head nurse of the Dongjiang Provincial People's Hospital. She was young and beautiful. Just now, when she walked in, she almost mistook his daughter Song Xiaofan for her. Seeing that He Shouwu seemed a little nervous in front of Song Qiankun, he thought that he was after all a school principal with an intellectual background and was not good at dealing with bigwigs in official circles. Just as he was thinking, He Shouwu reminded him, "Brother Yongliang, didn't Lang Tao bring a bottle of famous German wine from abroad for Governor Song?"

Lang Yongliang suddenly came to his senses and quickly took out a gift bag from under his seat, presenting it to Song Qiankun with both hands.

Song Qiankun took the gift bag and carried the bottle of wine to a distant place. He squinted and examined it closely. "Hmm, Riesling. The year before last, I visited East Germany and briefly inspected West Germany. I went to the Egelhoff winery and tasted a century-old Riesling, which indeed tasted good..." As he spoke, he smacked his lips, as if still savoring the lingering aroma of the wine. At the same time, he turned his head and asked He Shouwu, "Are we going to drink this wine today?"

"Oh, no, I, as a student, came from Guizhou last time and brought me a bottle of Maotai. Today, I'm just passing it on to you, let's try it together..." Heshuwu said, got up, took a bottle of Maotai from the sofa, unwrapped the exquisite packaging, and presented the bottle to Song Qiankun with both hands.

Song Qiankun sniffed and said, "Haha, it really smells good! When it comes to drinking, Baijiu is the real deal. I remember when we were in the cadre school, you all had a great capacity for alcohol..."

"No, no, it's still the governor who is magnanimous..." Lang Yongliang couldn't help but interject when he heard Song Qiankun mention the cadre school.

"At that time, I was considered a traitor and a capitalist roader, with several charges that were terrifying! Everyone would avoid me for fear of being implicated!" Song Qiankun's full and rosy face flashed a bitter smile. "I had just been released from prison and sent to a cadre school for further reform. My health was not good. I was truly grateful to you two, one as a squad leader and my immediate superior, and the other for sharing the same bed. If it weren't for your care, it's hard to say whether I could have survived..."

"Yes, the Cultural Revolution indeed did us a great disservice!" He Shouwu echoed.

"If we count from the Anti-Rightist Campaign, you intellectuals suffered the second round, you stinking intellectuals!" Song Qiankun sighed and said, "However, we have all managed to survive in the end..."

At this moment, the dishes were served. A large round table was piled with bowls, plates, and dishes. Apart from the main courses like mandarin fish and lobster, there were also the famous Niangzi Lake wild duck and lotus root sprouts, all of which are delicacies that ordinary people rarely have the opportunity to taste.

Facing the appetizing dishes on the table, the trace of leadership demeanor that Song Qiankun had just displayed vanished. He took the lead in picking up a piece of wild duck with chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and tasted it, saying, "During the Anti-Japanese War, I led a company of the New Fourth Army and fought an ambush at Niangzi Lake, sinking two Japanese steamships. The local fishermen sent us half a boat of wild ducks as a celebration... Mmm, this is the taste, one word: fresh!"

Seeing Song Qiankun's enthusiastic expression, He Shouwu picked up the bottle and was about to pour him a glass of wine. However, Song Xiaofan, sitting opposite, called out, "Principal He, my dad can't drink. He had a gastric ulcer surgery just last year..."

Hearing Song Xiaofan's words, He Shouwu's hand holding the bottle involuntarily retracted. "Director Song, is what your daughter said true?"

"There's such a thing," Song Qiankun laughed heartily. "My daughter has issued me a 'two no's and one less' decree, and it's rigorous to follow!"

"Oh, what are the 'two no's and one less'?" He Shouwu and Lang Yongliang asked simultaneously.

"About this... you can ask Xiaofan!" Song Qiankun looked at his daughter across from him, his eyes brimming with a father's love.

Song Xiaofan hesitated slightly and said, "The 'two no's' mean no drinking and no smoking, while the 'one less' means less document reading..."

He Shouwu and Lang Yongliang also laughed after hearing this. After laughing, He Shouwu said, "Today is our first gathering since leaving the cadre school. Can we make an exception?" He was speaking to Song Qiankun and his daughter, Song Xiaofan.

Song Qiankun readily agreed. "Alright, I'll make an exception today." Seeing her father say this, Song Xiaofan didn't say anything else. She pouted coquettishly at Song Qiankun and turned to Lang Tao beside her, spreading her hands as if to say, "I don’t care!"

The "Three Family Feasts" truly began here. He Shouwu, Lang Yongliang, and Song Qiankun drank Maotai. Lang Tao brought back three bottles of Riesling to China, two of which were given to Song Qiankun and He Shouwu, and the remaining bottle was shared by him, his mother, Song Xiaofan, and He Li.

Unknowingly, three rounds of toasting had passed. He Shouwu refilled his glass and stood up to toast Governor Song Qiankun, seated on the right side. "Governor Song, you are a reformist among the current leaders of Dongjiang Province. The development of our Dongjiang University is inseparable from your strong support. This toast is for you, representing both myself and all the teachers and students of Dongjiang University!" With that, he tilted his head back and drank the entire glass of wine.

"Comrade Shouwu, whether you're drinking this wine on your behalf or on behalf of our teachers and students, I must drink it," Song Qiankun said with a nod, earnestly adding, "You were my immediate superior at the May 7th Cadre School, and you saved my life. Officially, you are the newly appointed president of Dongjiang University, a position I strongly advocated for promotion at the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee. Education must take precedence as we pursue reform and opening up and focus on economic development. We must cultivate many knowledgeable and cultured talents, break the old policies and concepts of the past, and recruit talents without any restrictions. Especially for intellectual cadres, we cannot be too demanding or critical. We must boldly trust and confidently appoint them. We have hurt intellectuals more than once in the past, and we cannot make that mistake again..." He said this, raised his glass, and drank it all down.

He Shouwu was different from others. When others get excited or drink too much, they blush, and their necks swell. But when he got excited or drunk too much, his face turned pale instead. Plus, he had a low tolerance for alcohol. He had already drunk three glasses just now. He was a little moved by what Song Qiankun said, so his face turned even paler, and his speech became stuttering. "Governor Song, thank you for your trust. Actually, I'm only suited for doing some research. Being a leader is like forcing a duck to jump on a shelf. I was a company commander in the cadre school, and now I'm the principal, it's the same..."

But before he could finish, Song Qiankun interrupted him: "Comrade Shouwu, don't be so modest. You are a student of the famous mathematician Hua Luogeng and have made remarkable achievements in mathematical research. You are a flag among the intellectuals of our province. Recommending you as the president of Dongjiang University is not out of personal favoritism on my part, but rather a necessity for reform and development! Of course, it would be wrong to say that I have no selfish motives." he paused, frowned, and said in a reminiscent tone, "During the Anti-Rightist Campaign in 1957, I was the main person responsible for leading the Anti-Rightist Movement in universities under the provincial Party committee. When the office of the Anti-Rightist Work Leading Group of Dongjiang University submitted the list to me, my signature approved it. There were two lists: one with the already decided Rightists, about 20 people, and the other with those who could be classified as Rightists or not, about 40 people. At that time, the central government assigned a quota for classifying Rightists to our province. To fulfill the task, I signed off on the list of those who could be classified as Rightists or not. I remember that your names were on this list of those who could be classified as Rightists or not..." Song Qiankun's face showed a look of shame as he spoke. He took the bottle from He Shouwu's hand, poured himself a full glass of wine, and with one hand holding He Shouwu and the other holding Lang Yongliang, sincerely said, "Back in Yan’an, Chairman Mao once apologized to comrades who the expansion of the rectification and cadre review movement had innocently hurt. The greatness of our party lies in its ability to correct its mistakes. I have made many mistakes and errors in my life and work, causing great pain to many people, including you two. Now, I apologize to you two with this glass of wine!"

Song Qiankun's tone was sincere, and his expression was also solemn. He Shouwu and Lang Yongliang stood up simultaneously. Song Qiankun's sincerity and open-mindedness particularly moved Lang Yongliang, who repeatedly said, " Governor Song, you are too polite. It's really too much for us to bear."

"Yes, Governor Song, you yourself have suffered a lot. You were falsely accused of being a traitor and even went to jail..." He Shouwu also said, "If anyone should apologize, it's the person who falsely accused you of being a traitor!"

The issue of Song Qiankun being a "traitor" caused quite a stir during the Cultural Revolution. For some time, newspapers and radio stations across the province published numerous articles detailing Song Qiankun's "crimes". Lang Yongliang also knew some of these details. At this moment, when he heard He Shouwu mention these, he couldn't help but interject, "Yes, Governor Song, I read about it in the newspaper back then. The one who exposed you for betraying and joining the enemy was a famous journalist. During the Liberation War, he wrote a very influential article. What was it called? Let me see my memory..." He patted his head but couldn't remember it at all.

"He was my subordinate when I was engaged in underground work in Dongjiang..." Song Qiankun said, frowning imperceptibly. "Forget it. Hasn't the central government already vindicated me? It's all in the past. I won't mention him anymore. In the revolution, who hasn't been wronged a little? Comrade Xiaoping even experienced three ups and downs. What I've done is nothing. Comrade Xiaoping said, 'Let's unite and look forward.' Come, let's drink this toast!"

So, the three of them drank the wine in their cups together.

Perhaps due to the overly serious topic, the atmosphere in the private room seemed somewhat oppressive. Lang Yongliang shifted the conversation to a lighter topic and said, "Governor Song, back in the 1950s when I was studying at Peking University, I read your The Majestic Song of the Great River. It left a deep impression on me, and I felt it was an excellent work comparable to Red Rock and The Taking of Tiger Mountain. It is said that after the publication of this book, Mao Zedong praised you as a talented person within the party. Is this true?"

"Oh, that's true," Song Qiankun pondered for a moment and said in a reminiscent tone. "It was in the summer of 1958 when Chairman Mao visited Dongjiang for an inspection. His main purpose was to investigate the problem of exaggeration that emerged during the Great Leap Forward. He stayed at the provincial sanatorium, which is now Maple Garden. I met the Chairman with the First Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and incidentally brought a copy of The Majestic Song of the Great River. When the Chairman heard that this novel was about the underground work in Dongjiang, he asked me with interest, 'Comrade Qiankun, did you engage in underground work before?' I replied, 'Yes, Chairman, this work is based on some of the materials I used to work with underground in Dongjiang. The Chairman nodded in approval and said, 'Hmm, you are both literary and martial, what a great talent! ' I said, 'Chairman, you are too kind. 'Great talent' is not the case. I haven't even attended university. At best, I can only be considered a minor talent.' The Chairman shook his head and said, 'Comrade Qiankun, you are wrong. Can't you become talented without attending university? I didn't attend university either! ' I immediately realized that my words were inappropriate and changed my tone, saying, 'I made mistakes in the Revolutionary War in the past, and I was also overheated during the Great Leap Forward. When the Chairman heard this, his expression became serious, and he raised a finger, saying, 'It doesn't matter if your mind is overheated. I was also overheated! The key is to cool down and reduce the fever in time. Otherwise, a minor illness will become a serious one. Bureaucracy can be fatal...'”

It was evident that Song Qiankun attached great importance to his meeting with the Supreme Leader. The alcohol had gotten him a bit excited, and once the floodgates were opened, he couldn't stop talking.

"Mao graduated from a teacher's college, and your remark must have upset him." Unlike Song Qiankun's respectful tone when mentioning Mao Zedong, Lang Yongliang's tone when mentioning Mao Zedong was somewhat indifferent, even tinged with anger. Like many intellectuals who suffered during the Anti-Rightist Campaign and the Cultural Revolution, Lang Yongliang did not hide his resentment towards Mao Zedong. However, in front of Song Qiankun, he could not let this sentiment be expressed too directly. "Governor Song, what do you think of the model opera performances at last year's Spring Festival Gala?"

"Are you referring to the aria 'Dahushangshan' from 'The Taking of Tiger Mountain by Strategy'?" Song Qiankun said thoughtfully. "Although the Gang of Four created those eight model operas, their artistic quality is still quite good, and they have made certain contributions to the innovation of Peking Opera..."

"However, after listening to this aria, I haven't slept well for days, constantly having nightmares, fearing that the Cultural Revolution is coming again..." Lang Yongliang frowned as if he had a toothache, "Many professors in universities have complaints about the inclusion of model opera performances in this year's Spring Festival Gala, believing it to be a sign of the return of ultra-leftist ideologies..."

Song Qiankun didn't seem to believe it. "Oh, is it really that serious?"

Lang Yongliang probably felt his words were exaggerated, so he changed his tone and said, "I've been reading Ba Jin's Random Thoughts recently. He proposed building a museum of the Cultural Revolution, echoing the sentiments of intellectuals like us. That catastrophe was too profound, making people have to remain vigilant!"

"Comrade Yongliang, don't worry. The central government has completely denied the Cultural Revolution in the resolution on certain historical issues within the party," Song Qiankun said in a comforting tone. "However, I fully agree with Mr. Ba Jin's suggestion. Remembering the past serves as a guide for the future..."

Lang Yongliang knew that Song Qiankun's persecution during the Cultural Revolution was far more severe than he and He Shouwu faced. Not only was he imprisoned, but even his book, The Majestic Song of the Great River, was implicated. He couldn't help but sigh and say, "How devastating the Cultural Revolution was to culture. Even your novel was labeled as a poisonous weed..."

This remark obviously resonated with Song Qiankun, who smiled bitterly and said, "How can the work remain unaffected when the author is labeled a traitor?"

Lang Yongliang said, "After the end of the Cultural Revolution, many 'poisonous weeds' were reprinted. When will The Majestic Song of the Great River be reprinted?"

Song Qiankun said, "It's coming soon. Last year, the publishing house approached me to sign a contract, so it should be out this year."

Lang Yongliang said, "Great! I'll go to the bookstore and buy a copy. Could you please sign it for me?"

"I wrote this book while working, so it's rough and lacks literary value. Xiaofan's generation has grown up, and she writes better than me..." Song Qiankun said, casting his gaze at his daughter Song Xiaofan, who was whispering to Lang Tao across from him, and raising his voice, "Xiaofan, don't just whisper to the foreign doctor. Give a toast to the two elders!"

Upon hearing her father call her name, Song Xiaofan blushed, stood up, and walked around from the opposite side of the dining table with a glass of wine. He smiled faintly at He Shouwu and Lang Yongliang and said, "Uncle He, Uncle Lang, I toast to you!"

He Shouwu and Lang Yongliang also raised their glasses.

"In the Chinese literary world, there are mothers and daughters as writers, mothers and sons as writers, but not many fathers and daughters as writers!" Lang Yongliang said in an elder's tone, "Xiaofan is in the limelight. When can I get a copy of your book?"

"My latest collection of novels is about to be published. I would appreciate your and Uncle He's feedback and corrections when it's out," Song Xiaofan politely replied.

"Xiaofan's literary talent far surpasses that of her father, but like me, she didn't read much and went to the countryside to work after graduating from junior high school. The Cultural Revolution delayed an entire generation. Recently, there was a novel called 'subtract...'" Song Qiankun couldn't remember it for a moment, scratching his white hair and turning to his daughter.

Song Xiaofan said, "Subtract Ten Years. The author is Chen Rong..."

"Yes, that's the name. It's an excellent novel. I know the author, who is also a female writer. During the Cultural Revolution, she wrote a novel called 'Wannianqing', criticizing the capitalist roaders..." Song Qiankun said, a hint of sarcasm on his lips, but it quickly disappeared. "Great writers from all times and places are well-versed in Chinese and Western cultures. If Xiaofan wants to reach the next level, she must study more and read more books..." He turned his gaze to He Shouwu and said, "Principal He, you are a scientist and an educator. Can you take bigger steps in the reform of higher education institutions? For example, can we break the current one-exam-determines-life enrollment system of ordinary universities beyond the existing adult education, such as TV universities and night schools, and explore a schooling model that allows more aspiring young people to enter universities, to cultivate more useful talents for the construction of the four modernizations?"

He Shouwu was not very familiar with literature and art. He didn't interrupt the conversation between Song Qiankun and Lang Yongliang earlier. He clearly stated his position at this time: "What Governor Song said is true. Dongjiang University is considering establishing a transfer student system to allow outstanding young talents from various fields in society to enroll in the junior year for studies. After graduation, they will be awarded undergraduate diplomas and bachelor's degrees. We plan to launch a pilot program in the Chinese Department, offering a writers' class..."

Lang Yongliang interjected, "I've heard about that too. The department has already informed me to prepare lessons for the writers' class."

"This is great! Can I apply for it, Principal He?" Song Xiaofan exclaimed happily.

"Of course, you're welcome. If you join the writers' class, you'll add luster to the University..." He Shouwu said with a smile.

After his remarks, the atmosphere in the private room became much livelier.

Seeing Song Xiaofan toasting to himself and Uncle He, Lang Yongliang shouted, "Lang Tao, will you also come over and toast to Uncle Song and Uncle He!"

While Lang Yongliang, Song Qiankun, and He Shouwu were chatting and drinking, the other few were not idle. Sitting on the other side, Qi Shizhen and He Li were head-to-head, whispering away, their intimacy resembling that of a mother and daughter.

Although Lang Tao had just returned to China and was unfamiliar with the literary world, he had heard of Song Xiaofan's name. Song Xiaofan, who had just transferred to the provincial song and dance troupe, was writing an opera script for the troupe. Upon hearing that Lang Tao had just returned from studying in West Germany, she began to talk to him about Wagner's operas and Günter Grass's novel The Tin Drum. By coincidence, before returning to China, Lang Tao had watched Wagner's masterpiece The Flying Dutchman at the Marburg Opera House and met Günter Grass, the author of The Tin Drum, at a book fair. The two immediately found a common topic and talked very well.

At this moment, Song Xiaofan had just returned to her seat after toasting, and Lang Tao was about to continue the conversation with her on the topic that had been interrupted earlier. However, when he heard his father call out his name to ask him to propose a toast, he had no choice but to stand up bravely.

When Song Qiankun saw Lang Tao approaching, he glanced at his red wine glass and asked, "Aren't you going to have some white wine?"

Lang Tao said apologetically, "Baijiu is too strong. I can only use this to toast you..."

"Don't beat around the bush. You must be used to drinking foreign wine abroad, right?" Song Qiankun laughed heartily, affectionately putting his arm around Lang Tao's shoulder as he said, "Since the reform and opening up, our country has sent tens of thousands of government-sponsored students to Western countries every year, but not many of them have returned to serve in our country. It's difficult for you to return, so we should treat you like a treasure!" As he spoke, he looked at He Shouwu and said, "Principal He, it's right for your school to spare no effort in mobilizing overseas students to return to work at their alma mater. But you also need to devise a plan to make them put their talents to good use. Focus on training, boldly use them, and don't be afraid to recruit talents from different backgrounds!"

He Shouwu nodded repeatedly. At this moment, Lang Yongliang, sitting on the other side of Song Qiankun, also stood up and toasted Song Qiankun with his son, Lang Tao.

Song Qiankun didn't decline; he drank the wine in his glass heartily. After putting down the glass, he seemed to remember something and said to He Shouwu, "Right, when you set up courses for the writers' class, there should be literature courses and some philosophy courses. When I studied at the Yan’an Anti-Japanese War University, the first book I read was Popular Philosophy by Ai Siqi. Chairman Mao even lectured us on 'On Contradiction' and 'On Practice'..."

He Shouwu said, "Governor Song, this suggestion is good. If you have time in the future, please give a lecture to the writers' class too!"

"Forget about my half-bottle of vinegar. It's better to invite the foreign doctor to give a lecture," Song Qiankun shook his head repeatedly.

After Lang Tao had toasted Song Qiankun and He Shouwu, he returned to his seat. Song Xiaofan turned to Lang Tao and smiled, then raised her high-legged wine glass and said softly, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Lang Tao, it seems I'm going to take you as my mentor. Does this toast count as a toast to becoming my mentor?"

"I'm flattered, I'm flattered," Lang Tao said with a blush and embarrassment. "You're older than me, so I should call you sister. Let me show my respect to you!"

The two young people were courteous to each other. Song Qiankun, He Shouwu, and Lang Yongliang, sitting opposite, couldn't help but laugh in understanding. Qi Shizhen and He Li, whispering aside, didn't know what was happening and looked up towards them.

In the private room, toasts were exchanged, laughter resounded, and everyone was in high spirits; thus, the "Three Family banquet" initiated by Lang Yongliang and temporarily joined by Song Qiankun reached its climax

7. Heidegger and Arendt

After the "Three Family Banquet", Lang Tao's parents talked with him.

"You should seriously consider your relationship with He Li," Lang Yongliang said, straight to the point.

Lang Tao didn't understand his father's words for a moment. "What relationship do I have with He Li..."

"Before you two were even born, I promised your Uncle He that if we had a boy and a girl, our two families would become betrothed as close relatives through marriage," said Lang Yongliang. "You and He Li have been childhood sweethearts, and your mother and I think you two are a perfect match. Now that you two are of an age to discuss marriage, it's time to finalize this marriage."

"It's the 1980s, and you're still practicing this feudal custom of betrothal at birth?" Lang Tao almost shouted. He couldn't believe his ears, but his father looked so serious, not at all like he was joking. He turned his gaze to his mother, as if asking, "Mum, is this really happening?"

Qi Shizhen nodded and said, "He Li's mother mentioned this matter to me before she passed away. She said that if Xiao Li married you, she would die with a clear conscience." She sighed and continued, "Xiao Li's mother has been gone for so many years, and your uncle He has never remarried because your relationship hasn't been settled..."

Mother's words were like a huge wave, washing away the last straw in Lang Tao's hand. He turned to his father again and asked, "So, you're asking me to return to China just for this?"

Lang Yongliang had obviously anticipated Lang Tao's reaction to this matter. "Your Uncle He asked me to persuade you to return to work in China to recruit talents for Dongjiang University and facilitate your marriage with He Li. As a principal and a father, there's nothing to be criticized..."

His father's words sounded like a defense for He Li and an excuse for himself, which seemed somewhat weak. Lang Tao recalled the lively scene at the "three-family banquet". No wonder his mother had given He Li the skin care products he had brought. He thought everything had been arranged beforehand, including the unexpected arrival of the "big shot" Song Qiankun. The entire "three-family banquet" seemed like a pre-designed performance

Lang Tao suddenly felt cheated.

For a long time thereafter, Lang Tao locked himself in his single dormitory in Cherry Garden, immersing himself in translating The Life of Heidegger, hoping to dispel his inner depression through this work. He didn't go home even on weekends and holidays. On several occasions, when his mother prepared Lang Tao's favorite dish, Bean crucian carp with leek and fried eggs, and came to his dormitory to invite him home for dinner, he ignored her. He took his lunchbox to the cafeteria to get his meals.

During that period, Lang Tao was translating the first two chapters of "Love and Love" in The Life of Heidegger. He had already read the part about Heidegger and Arendt falling in love several times, and when he reread it during this translation, he still felt a flutter in his heart.

In the late autumn of 1924, a Jewish girl named Arendt, with short hair and big eyes, appeared in the class of Associate Professor Heidegger at the University of Marburg in Germany. He was 35 years old, and she was 18. He later told her that he had fallen in love with her from the moment he saw her in the classroom. How could he not love her? This young girl in her prime, often dressed in exquisite and elegant green attire, was called "a piece of green" by her classmates. The exotic charm in her appearance and the seductive power in her eyes made those who faced her fear being overwhelmed by this power and never being able to rise again. Her well-educated background imparted a magical aura that mixed self-awareness, confidence, and shyness, giving Heidegger, who grew up in a remote rural area, a new experience. She could not refuse him. He was a mysterious star in the university world, a fleet commander standing on the command tower of the era, directing a massive fleet that faced the threat of icebergs at any moment; he was the king of a "secret kingdom" of thought, about to lead a revolution in thought. The charm of men and masters added a sense of mystery and awe-inspiring power when he consciously maintained a distance from young men and women.

In early February 1925, Heidegger invited Arendt to his office. It was a gloomy, rainy day. When she came in, she took off her raincoat and hat that covered her face deeply, revealing a shyness and timidity unlike usual, and even her voice was not so bright and clear. Heidegger engaged her in a conversation about philosophy, religion, family, society, interests, hobbies, and other topics. She seemed to rely on her breath to utter barely audible "yes" and "no". The teacher discovered the high quality of her soul and spirit, and she also experienced the irresistible, wizard-like magic of the teacher.

A few days later, he penned a passionate prose-style letter under the salutation "Dear Miss Arendt". She responded with a sense of flattered sensitivity. Four days later, she felt a kindred connection upon receiving the second letter under the salutation "Dear Hannah". Soon, the teacher and student began to ignite the flames of love in Arendt's bedroom, located in an attic near the university

.

It was under such circumstances that Lang Tao met Li Hong.

Lang Tao was reading Fromm's The Art of Loving during that period. Lang Tao had always been an obedient child in front of his parents and a brilliant and well-behaved student in front of his teachers and classmates. However, this "excellence" had suppressed his sexual desire to a certain extent, causing him to remain in a state of dormancy and repression throughout his middle school and university years and even when studying abroad. As a result, he often appeared somewhat insensitive when dealing with the opposite sex. But this time, the "marriage" arranged by his parents for him and He Li intensely stimulated this dormant sexual desire. As a young intellectual in the 1980s, he felt that he had been fooled and hurt, and his parents and elders had hurt and fooled him. This was particularly difficult for him to accept. He was like a fish trapped in a vast net, and his instinct for freedom gave rise to a strong impulse to rebel. However, his rebellion was somewhat weak and even blind due to the lack of a specific goal, like punching into the air, soft and limp, without even an echo

It was at this moment that Li Hong appeared. Li Hong's beauty, elegance, and warm sincerity made Lang Tao feel his blood boil. That time, after giving a lecture on Heidegger on the new Building Four, he took a walk with Li Hong on campus. When they parted, Li Hong handed him a thin envelope. Upon returning to his dormitory and opening it, he found a poem titled My Sun:

At the window at dawn, I take on the image of a tiny grass blade

Appearing in your field of vision, at your disposal to paint and shape as you like

But I dare not raise my head, afraid to greet your smile

I fear the dew droplets sliding down my face, carrying a tiny dream with them

It will die before it even sprouts

It is you who raise the white sails that I folded. The small boat that ran aground

Finally, we sailed out of the pitch-black harbor.

Although the voyage is still very long, I can see it through the rippling waves

I feel your warmth, like the long, melodious cry of a seagull

Your exhortations linger in my ears, never fading. My kite

The other end is tied to your hand

But I can never get close to you or touch you

This poem embodies the deep and lingering emotions of Shu Ting, as well as the passionate and unrestrained style of Whitman, carrying a powerful force of unstoppable youth. Lang Tao was overwhelmed by this intense emotion. He felt that the haze hanging over him for some time had been completely cleared away. From that day on, he began dating Li Hong, taking walks on campus, sipping coffee in cafes, and discussing philosophy, literature, and politics. The unprecedented physical and mental joy made him involuntarily think of his idol, Heidegger, and the passionate love between the master and his student, Arendt, which was as intense as a flame consuming their bodies. Of course, Lang Tao did not intend to compare himself with the master, but the long-dormant love desire awakened in his heart was like a small beast stirring, making him unable to control himself. He had never experienced this feeling when he was with He Li. Because of He Li's existence, a layer of gloom always hung-over Lang Tao's heart. Hiding behind the gloom were the eyes of his father, mother, and "Uncle He". Therefore, whenever he dated Li Hong, he always tried to avoid acquaintances and public places, feeling like a thief sneaking around. Once, Li Hong asked him to go watch a movie at the school's open-air cinema. After much hesitation, he refused. For this reason, Li Hong was a little angry and ignored him for several days

Lang Tao was completely focused on Song Xiaofan at the Christmas dance that day. Song Xiaofan had successfully enrolled in the first writer's class at Dongjiang University. Both Lang Tao and his father taught classes for the writer's class. Lang Yongliang taught a course on interpreting Laozi's Tao Te Ching, while Lang Tao taught existentialist philosophy. The family connection between Lang Tao and Song Xiaofan made their relationship more like friends than teachers and students. Song Xiaofan's charm as a writer and a mature woman had a unique attraction for Lang Tao, a few years younger. Of course, this attraction was more Platonic, completely different from his feelings with Li Hong, and had nothing to do with love. Because of this, he felt so comfortable dancing with Song Xiaofan at the Christmas dance. Lang Tao never expected that this comfort would intensely irritate Li Hong. When Li Hong walked through the crowd, held his hand under everyone's eyes, and led him to the center of the dance floor, he felt like an animal being chased by hunters in the forest with nowhere to run, gripped by a sudden sense of fear and pleasure. His demeanor was somewhat awkward. When Song Xiaofan and a male student from the writer's class passed by him and Li Hong on the dance floor, they joked like an older sister to a younger brother, saying, "Be careful! This girl is falling for you..." and left a trail of laughter behind.

After the Christmas dance, Lang Tao walked out of Maple Garden with Li Hong, passed through Plum Garden and Osmanthus Garden, and finally arrived at Cherry Garden, Lang Tao's dormitory.

This was the first time Lang Tao brought Li Hong into his dormitory. So:

"In Arendt's bedroom, located on a loft near the university, the teacher and student began to let the flames of love burn fiercely..."

Chapter 5

1. Why You

Gu Zheng often had dreams, and they were nightmares. She dreamed of running alone in the vast darkness or the boundless wilderness. Someone was chasing her relentlessly from behind. That person wore a black cloak, silent and invisible, like a shadow. When running, the cloak flew high, resembling a giant bat. Gu Zheng was terrified. She ran and ran desperately, but the more she tried to run fast, the more her feet seemed stuck or tied by some rope, slowing her down. The sound of hurried footsteps could be faintly heard from behind. Gu Zheng knew that the person was very close to her. A deep fear hit her back, and her heart leaped into her throat. In a panic, Gu Zheng turned her head. When she saw the person's face, she couldn't help but be startled. She woke up with a pounding heart and drenched in sweat, her clothes soaked through

Ever since her mother drowned, Gu Zheng had been relentlessly haunted by the same dream. The dream was always the same, except that the person wearing the cloak was sometimes her mother and sometimes Principal Gong. Her mother was drenched in water, as if she had just climbed out of the water, while a spear pierced Principal Gong's left eye, and blood spurts out like a fountain, resembling a blooming plum blossom. Similar scenes alternated like a slide show. Sometimes, the person wearing the cloak suddenly turned into another stranger: tall, handsome, with a dignified appearance and a pair of blue eyes. Although Gu Zheng had never seen this person before, the moment she saw those blue eyes, she felt a sense of familiarity, a bit like... She stopped running, turned around, and boldly asked, "Who are you?" The person gazed at her kindly, with tenderness in their eyes, murmuring, "Child, don't be afraid! I am your father..." With that, he opened his arms to embrace her, but she struggles to break free from those hands and screams, "No, you're not, I don't have a father!" Saying this, she sprints away as fast as she can. When she woke up again, she found her eyes filled with tears

Once, Gu Zheng told her brother Zong Tianyi about her dream. At that time, she was still studying at Chuzhou Middle School. On a weekend near the college entrance examination, her brother visited her from Bazhou. He brought a basket of fruits, milk, and nutritional supplements like malted milk powder. After listening to Gu Zheng's dream, her brother didn't speak for long. When he was about to leave, he gently touched her hair and said evasively, "I often dream too, just like the one you dreamed..." Gu Zheng noticed her brother's eyes were also blue, like the stranger in her dream.

After being admitted to Dongjiang University, Gu Zheng still often had nightmares. Every time she woke up, she would scream, and her roommates would be startled by her screams. "Oh my God, that scream is so terrifying. Only when the world is about to end do people scream like that..." the girl sleeping on Gu Zheng's upper bunk said with trepidation. The other girls echoed her words, asking her what terrible nightmare she had had. Gu Zheng sat on the edge of the bed with her head bowed, always keeping her dreams a secret. Over time, her roommates began to look at her strangely, and some even reported to the department that Gu Zheng's screams were disturbing their rest. Gu Zheng changed her dormitory twice from her freshman to her sophomore year. However, the nightmares didn't stop, still following her like a ghost. Gu Zheng spent most of her time in the classroom and library, returning to her dormitory only when the lights were about to go out at night. In the eyes of her roommates, she was treated as an outcast. Over time, her personality became withdrawn and solitary.

Shortly after the Christmas dance at Maple Garden, the school allocated two rooms to the Langtaosha Literary Club and the editorial department of Langtaosha. One room was designated for the editorial department to use as an office. At the same time, the other was assigned to Li Hong, the president of the literary club and the chief editor of Langtaosha, as her bedroom. Li Hong invited Gu Zheng to move in to keep her company. At that time, Gu Zheng, who often had nightmares and had a strained relationship with her roommate, hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

The night before moving to a new dormitory, Gu Zheng encountered Li Hong while going to the water heater room to fetch water. Li Hong asked if she had finished packing her things. Gu Zheng smiled and said, "There's nothing to pack." At that moment, she was still a bit apprehensive, worried that she might have nightmares and affect Li Hong. Seeing Li Hong's enthusiastic expression, she hesitated to speak further. Just as she was about to return to her dormitory with two thermos flasks filled with boiling water, Li Hong called her back and said, "I'll arrange someone to help you move your things tomorrow!"

"There's nothing to move..." Gu Zheng repeated the same sentence, but Li Hong waved her hand and said, "Wait in your dormitory tomorrow morning!"

Faced with the enthusiastic Li Hong, Gu Zheng couldn't refuse and had no choice but to agree. Li Hong was usually surrounded by a group of people, both boys and girls. Who would she ask to help her?

Gu Zheng got up early the following day, packed her bags, and waited in her dormitory. The other girls in the dormitory had all gone to class, leaving her alone. Despite not getting along well with her roommates, Gu Zheng unexpectedly felt reluctant when it was time to move out. This was her third time changing dormitories; would it be the last time? Just as Gu Zheng was lost in thought, footsteps approached from the hallway. Before she could recover, a person with curly hair and eagle-like eyes appeared at the door.

Gu Zheng never expected that the person who came to help her move things was Du Wei.

"How is it you..."

Facing Gu Zheng's surprised expression, Du Wei chuckled and said, "Didn't expect it, did you? I'm now a special photojournalist for the editorial department of Langtaosha, and Li Hong is my immediate superior. I heard you were changing your dormitory, so I immediately rushed over. I had planned to ask Wang Sheng to help, but he's been busy preparing his graduation thesis and needs to go to the library to gather information..."

"Such a trivial matter, there's no need to trouble you..." Gu Zheng felt somewhat embarrassed.

"Actually, Li Hong didn't need to say that. Wang Sheng and I were going to come and help you anyway," Du Wei said sincerely. "After all, we are your brother's friends."

A warm ripple stirred in Gu Zheng's heart.

Gu Zheng's luggage was quite simple, and a single trip by two people was sufficient. When they came downstairs with their bags and parcels and passed by the reception room, Pockmarked Dad deliberately poked his head out of the window, staring at the things Gu Zheng and Du Wei were carrying on their shoulders and, in their hands, scanning them back and forth several times, and asked with confusion, "Where are you moving to?"

Gu Zheng said, " Grandpa, I've changed my dormitory."

Pockmarked Dad's gaze lingered on Du Wei for a moment before he let him go.

"Damn, when I entered the building just now, the old guy interrogated me for quite a while..." Du Wei cursed under his breath as he walked out of the dormitory.

"He's already showing leniency. If you ask someone else, you won't even be able to get in..."

"So, the old guy treats you pretty well, huh?" Du Wei's tone softened, adding, "By the way, I'll treat you and Li Hong to lunch at the Good Girl Restaurant."

Gu Zheng said, "If I'm to invite anyone, shouldn't it be me inviting you guys..."

"Your brother only gives you a little bit of living expenses every month; how can you afford to treat guests!" Du Wei interrupted her. "I'm not inviting you completely. My photography works will be published on the second and third covers of the next issue of Langtaosha,  and I have to express my gratitude to Li Hong!"

Gu Zheng didn't say anything further. She recalled that Du Wei had also attended the previous Christmas dance party, indicating that he and Li Hong had known each other for a long time and their relationship was not ordinary. After all, the students in the photography class had been admitted from society, and their social skills were more substantial than those of ordinary undergraduates.

"I'm preparing for a solo photography exhibition," Du Wei said as he walked along. "Li Hong agreed to organize it under the names of the photography class at Dongjiang University and the editorial department of Langtaosha. Then, a photography collection will be published, with the publishing costs sponsored by your brother. Song Xiaofan and Lang Tao also promised to write prefaces for me..."

Du Wei wore a photography suit with numerous bulging pockets, concealing whatever was inside. The four artistic characters "Fuwei Photography" printed on his back were eye-catching. Coupled with his loud, boisterous speech and indifference to others, he attracted a stream of curious gazes.

Gu Zheng's mind flashed back to the scene of her and her brothers Zong Tianyi, Du Wei, and Wang Sheng dining at the Juzhen Garden Restaurant in Chuzhou a few years ago. She couldn't help but think, "Du Wei has only been in the photography class at the university for a few days, yet he's already like a duck to water, making so many connections. He's truly a man of great influence..."

2. Dajiang and Fuwei

Before 1949, two time-honored photo studios in Chuzhou City, Dajiang and Fuwei, but only Fuwei remained later. The reasons behind this were intricate and deserve to be recounted.

Among the two photo studios, Dajiang and Fuwei, Dajiang boasted the most extended history, having opened its doors in 1929. Its owner, surnamed Zhan, went by the name Datong. He participated in the Xinhai Revolution and was once a shareholder and chief editor of the Dajiang Newspaper. As a large number of Xinhai heroes, led by Li Yuanhong, gradually lost their positions of power, Zhan Datong also made a graceful retreat, returning to his hometown from Dajiang and using the savings he had accumulated over half a lifetime to establish the first photo studio in Chuzhou City - Dajiang Photo Studio. The name "Dajiang" was chosen to commemorate the Dajiang Newspaper, where Zhan Datong once served as a shareholder and chief editor.

Zhan Datong graduated from the Dongjiang Normal School, which was the predecessor of Dongjiang University. He highly esteemed Zou Rong, Qiu Jin, Chen Tianhua, and other patriots. He once adopted "a pawn in the revolutionary army" as his motto. On the eve of the Xinhai Revolution, he joined the Tongjin Society led by Sun Wu as a journalist and secretly planned an armed uprising. After the Xinhai Revolution, the intricate factional struggles within the revolutionary army gradually drained his political enthusiasm. He transitioned from establishing a newspaper to starting a business in his hometown, transforming from a revolutionary figure into a photo studio owner.

Zhan Datong was originally a scholar. Although he switched to the business world, he remained a scholar at heart and had little interest in making money through commerce. Moreover, there was only one photo studio in Chuzhou City, with no other branches, so there were no business competitors. He didn't have to worry too much. He stayed at home, writing- and reading, occasionally flipping through newspapers from Beijing, Shanghai, and other places. He sat back and watched the endless disputes between the government and the public in the Republic of China, the chaotic battles among warlords from the north and the south, the rise and fall of fortunes, and the ebb and flow of tides. He lived in a secluded corner, content and happy. He left the photo studio management to his staff, and except for checking the accounts at the end of the year, he rarely interfered on weekdays.

Among the assistants in the photo studio, Zhan Datong trusted a young man named Du Fu the most. Du Fu was the son of a vegetable farmer outside Chuzhou City. He had attended a private school for a few years, which meant he could read Hundred Family Names, Disciple's Rules, and Zeng Guang Xian Wen, keep accounts, use an abacus, and copy a few calligraphy samples.

Although Du Fu only had a rudimentary knowledge of literature, he was brilliant. Every day, he and his father pulled a handcart filled with fresh fruits and vegetables harvested from their fields to sell in Chuzhou. Unlike other vegetable farmers who rented stalls in the city's vegetable market, they traveled through the streets and alleys like those small vendors selling tofu, Tomatoes on sticks, and popcorn, despite the fatigue. Although they were tired, the price of the vegetables they sold was much higher than in the market. Sometimes, when the work in the vegetable fields was busy and Du Fu's father couldn't spare time, Du Fu would single-handedly pull the handcart loaded with fresh fruits and vegetables into the city to sell. At first, Du Fu's father was worried that his son was too young and inexperienced and that the city people would easily deceive him. However, after Du Fu sold vegetables a few times, the money he earned was no less than his own, so Du Fu's father felt relieved and let his son sell vegetables alone in the city.

At that time, Zhan Datong, the owner of Dajiang Photo Studio, resided in a secluded residence on Wenjing Street, not far from the North Gate. It was just across the street from Zhenggong Mansion, the former residence of a prime minister from the Ming Dynasty, which was listed as one of the scenic spots in Chuzhou. Zhan Datong purchased the residence for two thousand silver dollars from a businessman who was in debt due to gambling. It was a large courtyard with two entrances and exits, stretching from north to south, offering tranquility amidst the bustle. Inside the courtyard were many flowers and plants, an oleander tree, and a cluster of phoenix bamboo, which Zhan Datong greatly loved.

Zhan Datong attached great importance to his living environment and was also particular about his diet. On weekdays, he personally oversaw what vegetables were bought and eaten at home. Sometimes, he would even accompany his wife to the vegetable market with a cane, personally selecting seasonal vegetables and fruits to bring back and enjoy with his family.

It was through this way that Du Fu met Zhan Datong.

Whether sunny, windy, or rainy, Du Fu would pull his cart through Wenjing Street every morning, "Eggplant, beans, cucumber, Chinese cabbage, bamboo leaf vegetable, loofah, pumpkin, winter melon..." His drawn-out voice was crisp and bright and could be heard by people everywhere. When they heard this voice, they seemed to see the fresh vegetables dripping with dew on the cart and smell the rich fragrance of fruits and vegetables. Perhaps it was because the vegetables Du Fu sold were fresher than those sold in the market, or it was because Du Fu was quick at calculating, had a quick mind, rarely haggled over small amounts like other vegetable vendors, or was greedy for small profits. After the Zhan family bought vegetables from Du Fu several times, they became a little dependent on him. Every morning, as long as Du Fu's cart of fresh vegetables appeared on Wenjing Street, the Zhan family would wait far away at the door...

Later, Du Fu fell ill and didn't go to the city to sell vegetables for several days. When eating, Zhan Datong asked, "The bamboo leaves and eggplants are too old these two days. They're not from Du Fu, are they?"

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Zhan laughed, "Master's taste is truly authentic. Du Fu hasn't been here for several days. The vegetables we've been eating at home these days are all bought from the vegetable market. How can they compare to Du Fu's dishes, which are both fresh and tender? I could eat two more bowls of rice just because of them..."

The words of the lady struck a chord in Zhan Datong's heart. He put down his chopsticks with little interest and muttered, "It's been a few days since Du Fu came to sell vegetables. I wonder what's happened..."

A hint of melancholy was revealed in his tone.

After a while, a loud shout for selling vegetables suddenly echoed on Wenjing Street: "Eggplant, beans, cucumber, choy sum, choy, loofah, pumpkin, winter melon, hey——" The crisp and clear tone immediately identified it as the long-lost Du Fu. Mrs. Zhan hurriedly picked up her vegetable basket and headed towards the door but was stopped by Zhan Datong, practicing Tai Chi under the oleander tree in the yard: "Madam, let's go together!"

The couple both came to the street and saw Du Fu's handcart loaded with seasonal fruits and vegetables parked near their house. Many neighbors had gathered around, and Du Fu was busy weighing the produce with a scale.

Zhan Datong and his wife also joined the crowd, buying vegetables. This was the first time Zhan Datong met Du Fu. He stood at the back of the crowd, calmly observing the busy Du Fu. This was a teenager of fifteen or sixteen, wearing a coarse cloth shirt commonly worn by villagers. Due to years of hard work in the fields and exposure to the sun and rain, his face was tanned, but his thick eyebrows and big eyes revealed an unmistakable cleverness and intelligence. He was neat from head to toe, looking less like a farmer who did hard work and more like a refined scholar.

At this moment, the neighbors gathered around the handcart were eagerly picking through the vegetables on it, chattering and bargaining, creating a noisy scene. However, Du Fu remained calm and orderly, firmly gripping the weighing rod, calculating and collecting money quickly and accurately. Occasionally, he would say, "Eighteen cents, here's the change for you..." "Hold onto your vegetables; don't drop them on the ground!" "You bought so much today, here's a bunch of spring onions for you, no charge!" "Auntie, take care and come back again next time!"

After the neighbors had finished buying groceries and left, Zhan Datong walked up to Du Fu and started chatting with him: "Young man, your name is well chosen. It has the same pronunciation as the great poet Du Fu, but with different characters. It seems that your father is a cultured man..."

Du Fu blushed when he heard, "My father never went to school, and he can't read a single word!"

Zhan Datong said, "Oh, and what about you, can you read?"

Du Fu said, "I attended a private school in the village for two years."

Zhan Datong asked like a teacher quizzing a student, "You must have heard the teacher teach Du Fu's poems in the private school. Can you recite one for me to listen to?"

After a moment's hesitation, Du Fulu gracefully recited, "Good rain knows the season, coming in the spring. It sneaks into the night with the wind, moistening everything silently. The wild paths and clouds are all dark, while the lights of the boats on the river shine brightly."

Zhan Datong nodded and asked, "Which other ancient poems can you recite?"

Du Fu rolled his eyes and recited another poem, West Stream in Chuzhou by Wei Yingwu of the Tang Dynasty: "I only pity the secluded grass growing by the stream, where yellow orioles chirp in the deep trees. The spring tide comes late with rain, and the wild ferry lies idle with boats lying across."

"Good, good!" Zhan Datong nodded repeatedly after hearing this, not knowing whether he was praising Du Fu for his recitation or the poem itself.

At this time, Mrs. Zhan had already chosen several vegetables and paid for them. As she was about to leave, Zhan Datong suddenly said to Du Fu, "When you have time, you should go to the Dajiang Photo Studio."

Du Fu was taken aback. "Dajiang Photo Studio? You want me to deliver the vegetables there?"

"No," Zhan Datong shook his head and said, "We have always eaten the fresh vegetables you sell. As a token of gratitude, I want to take a photo of you..."

"Really? I've never taken a photo before!" Du Fu seemed not to believe his ears, but looking at Zhan Datong's attire and serious expression, it didn't seem like a joke. He sized up Zhan Datong, and his eyes suddenly lit up. "I often pass by the entrance of the Dajiang Photo Studio, but I never dared to go in... Are you the owner of the photo studio?" Zhan Datong nodded, and Du Fu laughed happily like a child.

When carrying the groceries home, Mrs. Zhan asked Zhan Datong skeptically, "Master, do you really want to take a photo of Du Fu?"

"Of course not," Zhan Datong smiled slightly. "The photo studio needed a capable assistant. I think this young man was pretty good..."

Soon, Du Fu, who sold vegetables, became an assistant at Dajiang Photo Studio.

Dajiang Photo Studio was located on Cross Road East Street, the most bustling market in Chuzhou City. It was a two-story Western-style building with a small facade. Two impressive glass display windows on both sides of the door showcased black-and-white photos. These photos included samples from the photo studio and some from major studios in Beijing and Shanghai. Among them were portraits of film stars such as Hu Die, Wang Renmei, Zhou Xuan, and Zhao Dan, which were either cut or rephotographed from pictorials and displayed in the windows for show. The downstairs storefront was small, with a curved counter facing the front. Behind the counter stands a row of cabinets, which not only display the four treasures of the study and Xuan paper but also some antique calligraphy and paintings by local literati in Chuzhou City, which can be considered the second business of the photo studio. On the second floor, besides the photo studio and the darkroom for developing photos, there was an office next door where Zhan Datong usually handled the affairs of the photo studio.

In addition to the owner, Dajiang Photo Studio also had a photographer and an assistant. The photographer, surnamed Cao, was a middle-aged man with a lean face. He hailed from Wuxi, Jiangsu, spoke a soft and melodious Wu dialect, and had once apprenticed at the renowned Wang Kai Photo Studio in Shanghai. Later, he became a photographer at a photo studio in Dajiang City, lured away by Zhan Datong with a high salary. Therefore, he was highly regarded and could almost be considered as half of the family of the photo studio. The assistant was Zhan Datong's wife's cousin, named Xiao Wu. He had his leg crushed by an ox cart when he was young and walked with a limp. He had always been supported by his parents at home. In the past two years, Mrs. Zhan had let Xiao Wu work as a clerk at the photo studio.

The clerk's job mainly involved receiving customers, collecting payments, delivering goods, and managing the four treasures of the study and antiques. It's simple yet complex, depending on whether one's mind was flexible. Little Wu, who had a limp, ate and slept at the photo studio every day, and he was honest and reliable. His only flaw was that his mind wasn't very sharp, and he always made calculating mistakes. It seemed that not only the ox cart injured his legs but his brain as well. Every month, when the accounts were checked at the end of the month, a few missing dollars didn't match the accounts. Zhan Datong had always been dissatisfied, but he was reluctant to fire Little Wu due to his wife's face. Until recently, Little Wu forgot to lock the door after the photo studio closed and went out to buy a late-night snack. Two valuable antiques that Zhan Datong had brought from a wealthy businessman in the city were stolen. Zhan Datong felt distressed for several days and decided to replace the assistant. Since her cousin made such a big mistake, the aunt naturally couldn't say anything anymore.

Since Du Fu became a clerk at Dajiang Photo Studio, not only did the accounts no longer make mistakes, but there were also no more incidents of theft. He tidied up the original somewhat messy storefront, and many regular customers gave Zhan Datong a thumbs-up and praised him. Even Mrs. Zhan had to admit that her husband had good taste and found a capable assistant who was many times better than Xiao Wu

Du Fu, once the son of a vegetable farmer, suddenly became the clerk at the Dajiang Photo Studio. The psychological changes that were brought about in him were nothing short of earth-shattering. Not only did he himself, but even his father, who had spent his entire life growing and selling vegetables, could never have dreamed of it. The only thing Du Fu wanted to do and could do was to repay Zhan Datong's kindness in recognizing his talent through diligent and conscientious work.

Although born into a family of vegetable farmers, Du Fu was brilliant and possessed an extraordinary character. The dramatic transformation of his identity from selling vegetables to working as a clerk in a photo studio made him appreciate the wonder and mystery of fate, and it also gave him new expectations for his own life. Therefore, besides fulfilling his duties as a clerk, Du Fu took the initiative to do extra work that was not his responsibility, such as helping Master Cao. There was only Master Cao in the photo studio, and he was often too busy when there were many customers. He had applied to Zhan Datong several times to hire a clerk, but to no avail. Now, the new Du Fu took the initiative to be his assistant, and Master Cao naturally wanted it, and at the same time, he had a good impression of this diligent and flexible young man. Over time, Du Fu became familiar with the daily affairs of the photo studio and learned photography techniques from Master Cao. He could not only take photos but also develop photos. He knew all this quietly when he took the initiative to work as Master Cao's assistant, but Master Cao was utterly unaware of it. After leaving the photo studio every day after work, Du Fu, who ate and lived in the photo studio, would learn to use the Zeiss camera imported from Germany in the photo studio. Du Fu also read through all the photography technology books that Master Cao usually left in the photo studio...The curiosity and thirst for knowledge of a smart and studious teenager towards new things initially drove Du Fu's actions. However, they later changed the fate of Du Fu and the Dajiang Photo Studio.

Not long after, an incident occurred in Master Cao's hometown in Wuxi. His wife eloped with a silk merchant. Master Cao was not yet forty years old, and since he got married, he had spent most of his time earning a living away from home. Except for the holidays, he rarely went back. So, his wife could not bear the loneliness and eloped with someone. Master Cao's father passed away many years ago, and his mother was over eighty. His remaining son and daughter were still young, so he had no choice but to quit his job at the Dajiang Photo Studio and return to his hometown in Wuxi.

This was akin to the sudden loss of a pillar for Dajiang Photo Studio. However, the unexpected turn of events faced by Master Cao made it impossible for Zhan Datong to retain him. Even if he had made an offer, he couldn't have kept Master Cao, so he had to let things take their natural course.

Due to the suddenness of the situation, after Master Cao left, Dajiang Photo Studio was on the verge of closing down as they couldn't find a suitable photographer to take his place. At this critical moment, the clerk, Du Fu, volunteered to Zhan Datong, saying, "Boss, let me give it a try!"

"You try... try?" Zhan Datong didn't understand at first. "You, you try what?"

"Photography..." Du Fu hesitantly said, seemingly embarrassed, "Not only have I learned photography and photo development from Master Cao, but I've also mastered the principles of that Zeiss camera, and I can disassemble, assemble, and clean it..."

Du Fu spoke calmly and unhurriedly, akin to settling accounts, exuding an indescribable confidence. Zhan Datong was skeptical and asked, "Du Fu, are you... Serious?"

"If there's even a hint of falsehood, you can fire me right away," said Du Fu, with a composed and unassuming expression.

Zhan Datong recalled the impression Du Fu had given him in the past and somewhat believed him. However, he still felt uneasy. He asked Du Fu to demonstrate on the spot, took a few photos of himself, and then went into the darkroom with Du Fu to watch him explain the entire process from taking photos to developing them. After being surprised, Zhan Datong believed that Du Fu had not lied. This kid had really learned skill as the whole set of a photographer

Soon after, the original clerk, Du Fu, transformed into the new photographer of Dajiang Photo Studio.

This happened in the 26th year of the Republic of China.

At that time, Zhan Datong and his wife were both over fifty years old and had only one daughter, named Zhan Rong, who was in her early twenties and studying at Chuzhou Middle School. The couple regarded her as the apple of their eye and doted on her. Although Zhan Rong was ostensibly studying at Chuzhou Middle School, she actually spent most of her time at home playing the piano and painting red characters. Her every word, action, and smile resembled a typical lady. Zhan Datong and his wife had already betrothed their daughter to a brigade commander named Guo Da from the Xiang Army. Guo Da was originally a Zhili warlord and Wu Peifu's subordinate and had once been stationed in Dajiang for a while. As both he and Zhan Datong hailed from Chuzhou, they had known each other for a long time. At that time, Guo Da was a young company commander stationed in Dajiang. During the Northern Expedition, Wu Peifu was gradually defeated by the combined attacks of several warlords such as the Fengtian and Guixi factions and the Southern Revolutionary Army, and he abandoned the capital of Dongjiang Province, Dajiang City. The young Guo Da, who had made a meritorious contribution by turning against the enemy at the last minute, was promoted to regimental commander by the Xiang Army's Commander-in-Chief, Tang Shengzhi. Since then, Guo Da became a rising star in the Xiang Army and made many achievements during the Northern Expedition. A few years later, Guo Da was promoted to brigade commander for his outstanding performance in the battle against the Red Army in Jiangxi during the "suppression campaign". When Brigadier Guo, who wore stars on his shoulder, returned to his hometown of Chuzhou to visit his parents, he specially went to Chuzhou City to visit his old friend Zhan Datong. The two met happily, and during their casual conversation, Zhan Datong learned that Brigadier Guo's first wife had died of tuberculosis a few years ago, and he had not remarried. Zhan Datong then had the idea of betrothing his daughter to Guo Da. After discussing it with his wife, the couple immediately agreed and expressed their intention to Guo Da. Guo Da had always respected Zhan Datong, and Miss Zhan was beautiful and charming. Brigadier Guo could not wait for this good match. Thus, their marriage was arranged. Guo Da was a few years younger than Zhan Datong, and they used to call each other brothers. Now that they had become father-in-law and son-in-law, their address had to be changed accordingly.

Zhan Datong had originally planned to arrange this marriage once his daughter graduated. However, shortly thereafter, the war situation became increasingly tense due to the Japanese army's occupation of the three northeastern provinces and their evident intentions to covet North and East China. Guo Da's unit was urgently ordered to advance eastward and join forces with the Nineteenth Route Army to defend Shanghai. Consequently, the marriage between Guo Da and Zhan Rong had to be postponed

3. Fate Playing Tricks on People

After graduating from Chuzhong, Zhan Rong stayed idle at home for a long time. Apart from doing needlework with her mother on weekdays and reading new novels, she had nothing to do, so she would stroll to her father's photo studio to ease her boredom.

Dajiang Photo Studio was just across the street from Wenjing Street, and it's only a short walk away. Since Master Cao returned to his hometown, Dajiang Photo Studio had been managed by Du Fu. Although Zhan Datong visited the photo studio more often than before, he only drank tea, wrote a few calligraphy pieces, and received a few friends in the office on the second floor without specifically managing the affairs. Whenever Zhan Rong went to the photo studio, she practiced calligraphy with her father. Zhan Datong was passionate about calligraphy when he was young, and his copies of Wang Xizhi, Yan Zhenqing, and Wu Changshuo's calligraphy were almost indistinguishable from the originals. The family also treasured a painting by Wu Changshuo, which they obtained from the master when he visited Dajiang shortly before his death. Zhan Datong's calligraphy gradually developed a unique style as he grew older, with thick and powerful brushwork and unrestrained and vigorous momentum. He gained a reputation in the calligraphy circle of Chuzhou. Although the Zhan family was not prestigious, it could be considered a scholarly family. Zhan Datong didn't want his daughter to be treated as a mere ornament after marrying Brigadier General Guo Da. He was happy to teach Zhan Rong calligraphy so that she could become a general's wife with refined taste.

If her father weren't in the photo studio, Zhan Rong would go downstairs to the first-floor photo room to watch Du Fu take photos for people. Sometimes, she would stay there for most of the day.

The photo studio was a long room filled with various props. At the end of the room stood a background wall, painted with a view of Shanghai. The painter, a local, had relatively poor skills. The foreign-style buildings on the Bund and the cars and ships on the Huangpu River were depicted distorted and slanted, looking very fake. However, customers didn't mind. Besides, the printed results were not bad. If you hadn't looked closely, you might have thought it was an actual scene in Shanghai. Zhan Rong had traveled to Shanghai with her parents before. She immediately recognized that the painting was too fake and pointed out various flaws in the painting, feeling smug like she had exposed a diorama. Du Fu was at a loss for words, bowing and pleading, "Oh my dear miss, please stop talking. Do you still want people to come to our photo studio for photos?"

Zhan Rong deliberately teased the photographer, displaying her temperament as a young lady. She folded her arms, raised her head, and said, "If you don't want me to talk, fine, but you have to take some photos of me!"

Du Fusheng was afraid that Zhan Rong's "nonsense" would affect the photo studio's business, making it difficult to explain to the boss when reporting the accounts at the end of the month. He agreed wholeheartedly, thinking, "The photo studio is your family's business. It's up to you to decide how many photos to take!" However, he made one condition: photography is allowed only when no customers are in the photo studio. Zhan Rong also agreed to Du Fusheng's request, as the photo studio was her family's business. If the business is bad, won't her family suffer the losses?

But to Du Fu's surprise, the photo Zhan Rong wanted to take was not in a photo studio. "You want me to take this kind of 'dead photo' like those unworldly country bumpkins in a photo studio?" Zhan Rong seemed humiliated, with contempt and disdain on her face.

"Where are you going to... film?" Du Fu was taken aback.

"I'm going outdoors to take photos of real scenery, such as city walls, fields, farmhouses, morning glow, and sunsets. Many wealthy young ladies and celebrities in Shanghai have their photos taken this way!" Zhan Rong turned to Du Fu and asked, "Don't you know? You're a photographer, for heaven's sake..." This last sentence left Du Fu speechless, and he had no choice but to agree with Zhan Rong.

From then on, whenever there were no customers in the photo studio, Zhan Rong would ask Du Fu to take her outdoors for photo shoots. Each time, Zhan Rong would carry a leather suitcase filled with various fashionable clothes, changing outfits for every photo shoot, as meticulous as a star. After taking street scenes, they would move on to the city walls and moats and even venture to suburban villages several miles away to capture rural farmhouses. Du Fu, who carried the heavy Zeiss camera while helping Zhan Rong with her suitcase, was exhausted. Over time, Du Fu felt like he was almost becoming Zhan Rong's personal photographer.

During this process, subtle changes occurred in the relationship between the two individuals.

Although Zhan Rong had been betrothed to Guo Da by her parents, she was, after all, a graduate of Chuzhou Middle School, having received a new-style education. Not only had she read novels of the Mandarin Duck and Butterfly School, such as The Family of Gold Powder and Tears and Laughter, but she also enjoyed Ba Jin's "Family Spring and Autumn". Her mind was filled with concepts such as freedom, democracy, and individual liberation, and she harbored an almost instinctive aversion and resistance towards feudal etiquette. Therefore, she had always been dissatisfied with the marriage contract she and Brigade Commander Guo Da had maintained under their parents' orders. However, due to her upbringing under her parents' strict discipline, she dared not openly oppose it. This time, due to changes in the political situation, the wedding date with Brigade Commander Guo had to be postponed. Zhan Rong did not feel a sense of loss and felt somewhat fortunate. To pass the lonely time waiting to be married, she broke away from her reserved demeanor as a "young lady" and "insisted" on Du Fu taking her photo. Whenever she saw Du Fu being assigned to do everything she asked without complaint, she felt the accumulated blockages in her heart slowly dissipate, and a sense of mischief-like pleasure surged up in her heart. However, she also felt a hint of dissatisfaction. She did not want Du Fu always to obey her, and sometimes even secretly hoped that Du Fu would refuse her once or quarrel with her. To achieve this goal, she found various excuses, such as the photo not being taken sound or other reasons to get angry with him. But this vegetable farmer's son had an astonishingly good temper and never refused her even if she was unreasonable and unreasonable. Zhan Rong understood why Du Fu was deeply appreciated and valued by her father, and somehow, she felt a little lost. She thought that this young man, who was about her age, had precise eyebrows and bright eyes, was knowledgeable and reasonable, and did not look like the son of a vegetable farmer at all, especially his gentle and considerate temperament, which was much more pleasing to the eye than Guo Da, who was of military background, had a beard, and was older than her

One day later, Zhan Rong suddenly asked Du Fu if she could watch him develop photos. "Miss, the chemicals in the darkroom have a strong smell; you won't be able to stand it..." Du Fu hesitated, but seeing Zhan Rong's resolute expression, he agreed.

The darkroom was located on the inner side of the photography room, with a small door opening and no windows. When the door was closed, it was pitch black, and it was impossible to see your own fingers. It felt like being in the dark of night—a dim red glow projected from the wall, resembling a ghostly flame. Zhan Rong suddenly felt afraid. She instinctively grabbed Du Fu's hand and cried, "I'm scared!"

Holding the soft, small hand, Du Fu involuntarily shuddered and said, "Miss, don't be afraid!" Even as he spoke, his teeth couldn't help chattering. Even Zhan Rong heard it and whispered, "Du Fu, are you scared too?"

Du Fu said, disguisedly, "I'm not afraid..."

Zhan Rong chuckled secretly. She saw Du Fu's eyes twinkling in the darkness like two stars and felt a sense of pleasure she had never experienced before. She deliberately teased him, "Who are you not afraid of? Is it my father or me?"

Du Fu could not answer anymore. In the darkness, Zhan Rong burst out laughing.

"Miss, let's go out!" Du Fu said nervously while trying to pull his hand back. However, Zhan Rong's hands not only didn't let go, but they became tighter and tighter, and her whole body leaned closer to Du Fu

It was Mrs. Zhan who first noticed the unusual relationship between Zhan Rong and Du Fu.

At first, when Zhan Datong saw several portrait photos of his daughter displayed in the glass window of the photo studio, they were displayed in a very prominent position alongside celebrity photos, which caught people's attention. These photos were naturally taken by the photographer Du Fu. Zhan Datong didn't pay much attention to them, thinking that this was just a common flaw of girls who like to follow fashion trends. Moreover, his daughter's appearance was indeed outstanding, and she was not inferior to those celebrity photos. Displaying them in the window could also be considered advertising for the photo studio. He even secretly admired them for a while, feeling that although Du Fu had not been a photographer for long, his photography skills were really not bad.

However, when Mrs. Zhan returned from a trip to the photo studio that morning, she said solemnly, "Sir, something has happened to our daughter!"

Zhan Datong was startled. "What, what's going on?"

Mrs. Zhan asked, "Did you see the photo studio's window filled with photos of Zhan Rong?"

Zhan Datong said, "I see..."

Mrs. Zhan asked again, "Do you know that Du Fu took all those photos?"

Zhan Datong said, "Du Fu took it, so what..." But before he could finish, his heart skipped a beat. Looking at his wife's face, he noticed that her expression had changed entirely.

"Master, haven't you noticed the tender affection and sweetness on Zhan Rong's face in those photos? She looks like a bride... Since she was betrothed to Brigade Commander Guo, has our daughter ever shown such a smile?" Mrs. Zhan said. Seeing that Zhan Datong remained confused, she simply raised her voice and said, "Only when a girl falls in love can she have such a smile. As a woman, I understand..."

The lady's words were like a bomb dropped, buzzing Zhan Datong's head. He hurried to the photo studio and first pulled Xiao Wu aside, asking, "Did you notice any unusual interactions between the young lady and Du Fu?"

Since Master Cao returned to his hometown in Wuxi and Du Fu became a photographer, the photo studio urgently needed staff. Mrs. Zhan asked her lame cousin to return as a clerk. Although Xiao Wu was a bit slow-witted, he was honest. At that moment, when the boss asked him with a serious face, he hesitated slightly and said, "Cousin, Miss won't let me speak. She will get angry if I do..."

Zhan Datong gave him a stern stare and asked, "Are you afraid of the young lady or my anger?"

Xiao Wu said, "Of course I'm afraid of you. If you get angry, I won't be able to finish this task."

Zhan Datong said, "That's good to know. Hurry up and tell me..."

Xiao Wu said honestly, "Miss often stays in the darkroom with Du Fu..."

Zhan Datong's voice suddenly rose an octave, "What are they doing inside?"

Xiao Wu said hesitantly, "Once, I saw them... kissing!"

Upon hearing this, Zhan Datong's face turned livid. Without saying a word, he turned around and left.

That day, Dajiang Photo Studio made an exception and closed early. Zhan Datong and Mrs. Zhan interrogated Zhan Rong and Du Fu for a long time, each taking turns, just like interrogating a criminal.

In the office on the second floor of the photo studio, Du Fu confessed to the "affair" between her and Zhan Rong. "Boss, don't blame Miss. It was me who fell for him first..." Du Fu took full responsibility for himself and kept defending Zhan Rong.

This made Zhan Datong even angrier.

In his eyes, Du Fu was audacious, shameless, and undeserving of his trust and esteem. "I must have been blind to have chosen you, a white-eyed wolf..." he roared at Du Fu. Feeling guilty towards his boss, Du Fu fell to his knees with a thud, bowing his head and saying, "Boss, I'm sorry. You can punish me however you like, but I truly like Missy... I want to marry Missy and am willing to take her surname, Zhan..."

But before he could finish, Zhan Datong spat at him, "Bah, you're just a toad trying to eat swan meat. You don't deserve to have the surname Zhan, nor do you deserve to... like my daughter!"

Du Fu's already pale face turned even paler.

For Zhan Datong, what worried him even more was how to explain to his future son-in-law, Brigade Commander Guo. In a state of panic, he suffered an attack of angina pectoris and slumped into the armchair behind the desk he usually used for writing. He was out of breath and rolled his eyes.

Seeing the situation, Du Fu, despite the saliva spat by Zhan Datong still on his face, ran to the street to hail a rickshaw. It was already dark, and the street was deserted. After a while, Du Fu managed to hail a rickshaw. Then, he called Xiao Wu, and the two of them hurriedly helped Zhan Datong from the second floor onto the rickshaw and sent him back to his home on Wenjing Street

The next day, Dajiang Photo Studio closed down. Zhan Datong also fired photographer Du Fu. Few people know the reason for his dismissal.

Not long after, Zhan Datong and his family left for Shanghai to bring their daughter to marry Brigade Commander Guo. Many people in Chuzhou who knew Zhan Datong thought he would stay in Shanghai and not return, relying on the powerful backing of the general's son-in-law. However, about half a year later, Zhan Datong returned to Chuzhou City with his wife and daughter. What caught people's attention was that Zhan Rong wore a small white flower on her chest, was dressed in plain attire, and, like her parents, had a look of sorrow and loneliness on her face. Later, people learned Brigade Commander Guo had indeed married the eldest Miss of the Zhan family in a grand ceremony and brought her into the general's residence with great honor. However, not long after, the Japanese army suddenly attacked Shanghai. The newlywed Brigade Commander Guo led his troops to join the soldiers of the Nineteenth Route Army in a tenacious resistance against the Japanese. In a fierce street battle with the Japanese Marine Corps three days later, Brigade Commander Guo led his soldiers bravely and fought fiercely. Unfortunately, he was shot and became the highest-ranking Chinese soldier killed in the Battle of Shanghai.

When the bad news came, Zhan Datong felt like a thunderbolt had struck him. His angina pectoris flared up again, and he almost couldn't breathe. He was rushed to the hospital and saved.

A few days later, Zhan Datong, accompanied by his wife and Zhan Rong, the daughter of the recently widowed Brigadier Guo, left Shanghai and returned to Chuzhou City. Upon learning of Zhan Datong's unfortunate fate, some couldn't help but sigh with emotion: Zhan Datong was once an ambitious young man. In his old age, he had hoped to rely on his daughter to marry a general's son as a powerful backer to survive in troubled times. However, in the end, he ended up with an empty basket, like a person trying to catch water in a bamboo basket. Isn't it a case of fate playing tricks on people?

The Dajiang Photo Studio had been closed for a long time and reopened. Apart from Xiao Wu, the staff and photographers had all changed.

A few years later, the Japanese occupied Nanjing and Dajiang from east to west, and finally, even the inland city of Chuzhou was also occupied.

Around the second year of the Japanese occupation of Chuzhou City, a new photo studio named "Fuwei" opened on the North Street of Dashi Road, less than 100 meters away from Dashi East Street and adjacent to Chuzhou Middle School. The photo studio owner was very young, with a fair complexion and a gentle demeanor. He was dressed in a suit and leather shoes, and his style and attire suggested that he had seen a lot of the world.

Some people felt he looked familiar and recognized him as Du Fu, the photographer who disappeared from Dajiang Photo Studio a few years ago.

4. Intrigue and Love

The owner of the newly opened Fuwei Photo Studio was indeed Du Fu.

The saying goes, "After three days, one should look at others with new eyes." Today, Mr. Du was no longer the vegetable farmer's son, the assistant, or the photographer of the Dajiang Photo Studio that he used to be. There have always been diverse opinions in Chuzhou City regarding Du Fu's rise to fame. Some say that after being dismissed for seducing Miss Zhan, the daughter of the owner of the Dajiang Photo Studio, Du Fu worked as an assistant and apprentice in photo studios in Dajiang and Tianjinwei for several years. Later, he moved to Beiping and finally secured a position at the Lixin Photo Studio on Dongsi Street.

Speaking of this Lixin Photo Studio, it was a renowned and time-honored brand in Beiping. It opened in 1912, the second year of the Xinhai Revolution. Many prominent officials and dignitaries in Beiping had their photos taken at Lixin. The glass display windows on both sides of the photo studio showcased a long row of celebrity photos, making a massive splash throughout Beiping.

The owner of the Lixin Photo Studio was a member of the Eight Banners. Initially, Du Fu was just an ordinary assistant. After working with him briefly, the owner noticed that he was not only familiar with photographic techniques but also brilliant and capable. Upon further understanding Du Fu's background, the owner felt that he was a talent, and it would be a pity to let him go unused, so he made him an assistant to the photographer. The photographer, Li Hans, was a German-Chinese. His father was the owner of a factory in Hamburg. Li Hans had studied at the renowned Heidelberg University in Germany, majoring in photography. Upon graduation, he interned at a factory that produced famous cameras such as the Leica. The camera used by the Lixin Photo Studio was also a Leica, which was more than a grade higher than the Zeiss camera from Germany used by the Dajiang Photo Studio.

As a photographer hired by Lixin Photo Studio at a high cost from abroad, Li Hans's skills were rare and exceptional in the entire city of Beiping. Not only did he hold a high status, but he also earned a high salary. Although he was not yet thirty, he exuded an air of authority, and even the boss showed him respect and deference.

As Li Hans's assistant, Du Fu endured many hardships. Li Hans was exceptionally particular about his appearance, arriving daily in a Western suit, his shoes polished to a mirror shine, his hair so sleek that not even a fly could land on it. He would occasionally pepper his speech with English or German phrases. While other staff called him "fake foreign devil" behind his back, Du Fu never spoke ill of Li Hans. Instead, he served him with utmost respect and caution, like a disciple to his master. During photo sessions, Du Fu would stand beside Li Hans, holding a thermos of tea, ready to serve it when Li Hans became thirsty. If Li Hans's shoes got muddy or dusty, Du Fu would immediately fetch a cloth and bend down to clean them to spotlessness. Many at Lixin, including the owner, felt Du Fu's subservience to Li Hans was excessive and often sneered at him behind his back, but Du Fu remained steadfast in his ways.

Two years later, Li Hans suddenly resigned to return to Germany and claim his inheritance following his father's death. Before leaving Lixin, he formally recommended Du Fu as his replacement. The owner was quite surprised and concerned that Du Fu was too young and inexperienced to be in such an important position. But Li Hans smiled slightly and said, "Boss, you can rest assured, I have taught him everything I know. If you don't trust him, you don't trust me..."

The owner, recalling Du Fu's devoted service to Li Hans, uttered a soft "oh" and said nothing more.

Du Fu became a photographer at the famous Lixin Photo Studio in his early twenties. In the Beiping photography industry at the time, this was a considerable piece of news. Later, facts proved that the owner’s choice was right. After Du Fu became the photographer at Lixin Photo Studio, business not only did not decline from before Li Hans's resignation but continued to rise for two consecutive years.

In the third year, the owner raised Du Fu's salary by 100% of his previous wage, putting him on equal footing with Li Hans.

But who could have expected that, just as Du Fu was doing exceptionally well at Lixin Photo Studio, he would suddenly resign from the owner and return to his hometown, Chu Zhou? Those who knew Du Fu were all bewildered. The owner was even more filled with regret and dismay.

Du Fu’s reason for giving up his promising future in the capital and returning to Chu Zhou was none other than Miss Zhan Rong, Young Miss of the Great River Photo Studio.

As mentioned before, after the affair between Du Fu and Zhan Rong was exposed, Zhan Da-tong fired him in a fit of anger. Du Fu possessed a strong sense of self-respect and sensitivity despite his humble origins. Had it not been for Zhan Datong's discerning eye, he might still be hawking vegetables in the alleys of Chuzhou; similarly, had it not been for his secret liaison with the young Miss Zhan, a scene of carnal passion, one only seen in modern dramas, enacted in the darkroom of the photography studio, he might have still been that diligent, obedient fellow, appreciated by Zhan Datong. Zhan Datong and his daughter, Zhan Rong, inadvertently served as mentors for Du Fu’s life, making him realize that a vegetable farmer's son also had the chance to pursue his grand life goals and was even entitled to pursue a rich man’s daughter like Zhan Rong. In the years that followed, whether in Tianjin or Beiping, Du Fu never forgot his brief romance with Miss Zhan, nor the humiliation Zhan Datong's spittle had brought him. He secretly formulated a grand goal: to one day return to Chuzhou, open a photography studio as grand as the Dajiang [note: a local photography studio], marry Miss Zhan, and swear not to rest until that was accomplished! Therefore, when Du Fu had saved up enough money, which he believed was sufficient to open a studio, he didn’t hesitate to leave Beiping and return to Chuzhou, opening a studio with a scale that was no smaller than the Dajiang studio, just across the street on the north side of the Great Crossroads.

Zhan Datong remained entirely in the dark regarding all of this. Even after learning that the young owner of the Fuwei Photography Studio was his former employee, Du Fu, it never crossed his mind that this contained Du Fu’s long-planned life drama.

The only person who had a premonition of things was Zhan Datong’s daughter, Zhan Rong. As the widow of Brigade Commander Guo Da, one could only imagine the sorrow and despair Zhan Rong had experienced; Du Fu’s appearance was like a ray of sunlight that suddenly pierced through the overcast sky of her heart. Zhan Rong suddenly realized that what had happened between her and Du Fu was not some frivolous affair between a noble lady and a poor young man, as described in foreign novels. More importantly, she discovered that she did not truly love the heroic Brigade Commander Guo, who had died a martyr’s death, but rather, Du Fu, the son of a vegetable farmer with whom she had once shared a brief “moment of passion.”

After realizing this, Zhan Rong was filled with mixed feelings. From that moment on, she had a feeling that Du Fu would come to see her sooner or later.

That day had finally arrived.

Since returning to Chuzhou from Shanghai with her parents, Zhan Rong had strictly adhered to the duties of a widow, wearing plain clothes, appearing without makeup, and staying home most of the time. One morning, after having breakfast as usual, Zhan Rong was reading and practicing calligraphy when she suddenly saw a postman at the door, bringing her a large bouquet of roses that shone like the sunset, with vibrant colors, along with an unsealed envelope containing only a thin note with a verse from Li Shangyin’s “Untitled” poem:

It's hard to meet and hard to part,

The east wind is too weak, the flowers all fade.

The silkworm spins its silk till death,

The candle sheds its tears till ash.

Below the poem was a line of neat characters: “To Mrs. Guo Zhan Rong: Kindly accept this invitation to a light repast on the second floor of Juhzhen Garden at noon. Fuwei Photography Studio, respectfully, Du Fu.”

After reading this, Zhan Rong’s eyes filled with tears. It was already near noon. She hesitated slightly, then applied a little light makeup, hailed a rickshaw at her door, and headed straight for Juhzhen Garden on the north side of the Great Crossroads.

Juhzhen Garden was a renowned restaurant in Chuzhou specializing in local cuisine. However, after the Japanese occupation, they added a Japanese-style restaurant on the second floor. In addition to hiring a chef from Japan, all the waiters wore kimonos. The authentic Japanese service attracted many Japanese officers to dine with their families and friends on weekends and holidays. As a result, business didn't decline after Chuzhou fell under Japanese occupation and thrived more than before.

Zhan Rong walked into a private room on the second floor and immediately saw Du Fu, the owner of Fuwei Photography Studio, sitting on the tatami mat.

Their eyes met, like lightning striking, sending sparks flying and stirring up a towering wave deep within their hearts.

"Madam Guo... Young Miss... Zhan Rong!"

"Boss Du... Du Fu!"

Both of them uttered the other's name in unison, their gazes upon each other carrying both the unfamiliarity and timidity of their first encounter and the lingering tenderness and affection of days long spent together. Although it was only a few short minutes, it felt as if they had traveled through endless years, and the wind, frost, rain, and snow of time suddenly flooded onto their faces. Neither could hold back the tears courting down their cheeks in the private room…

Following this, Du Fu recounted his life after leaving the Dajiang Photography Studio and his experiences working in Tianjin, Beijing, and elsewhere. His tone was remarkably calm, as if he was speaking of a story completely unrelated to himself. But for Zhan Rong, every single word struck her heart like a hammer. When she heard how Du Fu had humbled himself like a servant, enduring humiliation and hardship to serve the photographer Li Hans at the Lixin Photography Studio to curry favor with the man, tears flowed uncontrollably from Zhan Rong’s eyes.

After calming down slightly, Du Fu pulled out a stack of photographs from his pocket and spread them out on the tatami mat. As Zhan Rong took a look, she realised they were all the portrait photos Du Fu had taken of her in the past. In that instant, images of the passionate moments she had spent with Du Fu in the open air and the cramped, darkroom flooded her mind. “These past years, no matter how busy or tired I’ve been, I’ve had to take these photos out and look at them every day. I see these photos as if I’m seeing you…” Du Fu’s eyes were brimming with tears, “Young Miss, since I left you, not a single day has passed that I’ve forgotten you. Everything I've done up to now has been for you; without you, all of this would mean nothing to me. I swear to God, I’ll only be your servant in this lifetime, and I want to marry you. Everything I have, including the Fuwei Photography Studio, belongs to you. Whether in poverty or wealth, I’ll only love you and won’t leave you until forever…” Du Fu was speaking as if reciting a Christian prayer and then suddenly dropped to his knees, burying his tear-stained face in Zhan Rong's lap.

Zhan Rong felt like she’d been struck by lightning, involuntarily grabbing Du Fu's hands. The two embraced tightly, and Zhan Rong sobbed uncontrollably.

At that moment, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open a crack, and a Japanese lieutenant, his collar open and a saber slung across his chest, peeked his head inside, leering at Du Fu and Zhan Rong. He chuckled lewdly a few times, then pulled his head back.

The drunken Japanese officer Nakashima was the commander of the Chuzhou Military Police Command of the Japanese army. He inadvertently witnessed Du Fu and Zhan Rong's lifelong commitment to each other.

Soon, Du Fu held a grand wedding at the Juzhen Garden, and the bride he took was Zhan Rong, the Young Miss of the Great River Photography Studio.

On the wedding day, many dignitaries from all circles in Chuzhou were invited. Officer Nakajima, head of the Japanese Military Police, also attended to show his support for Du Fu. He announced on the spot that the Fuwei Photography Studio would be designated as the official photo studio for the Japanese troops stationed in Chuzhou. He awarded Du Fu a "Sino-Japanese Friendship Envoy" medal.

What puzzled many people was that Zhan Datong, the owner of the Dajiang Photography Studio and the bride's father, did not appear at the wedding. Madam Zhan, who was attending in his place, also had very little joy on her face. Some said that Zhan Datong's angina had relapsed, and he was being treated at the hospital, and some said that Zhan Datong had opposed his daughter marrying Du Fu all along and was calling Du Fu a traitor. Zhan Datong had participated in the Xinhai Revolution and was known to be highly patriotic, so it was no surprise to hear such claims. However, others said that not only had Du Fu not invited Zhan Datong to attend the wedding, but on the eve of the wedding, he had sent a letter to Zhan Datong in the hospital, containing only one sentence: "Sir: This toad has finally managed to eat swan meat!"

It is said that Zhan Datong fainted from anger on the spot.

Of course, these were just rumors and were not to be believed. The only sure thing was that three years after Du Fu and Zhan Rong were married, Zhan Datong passed away. As the sole heirs, Zhan Rong and Du Fu naturally inherited all of the Zhan family’s property, which included the Dajiang Photography Studio

From then on, the two photo studios in Chuzhou City, Dajiang and Fuwei, merged into one, and their scale grew larger and larger, their reputation became more and more prominent, and they became the leading force in the photography industry in Chuzhou

5. Du Wei was Born

When Du Wei was born, his parents, Du Fu and Zhan Rong, were already married during the Anti-Japanese War, which spanned two entire eras: the Anti-Japanese War and the Chinese Civil War, as well as the Republic of China and the People's Republic of China. In the first decade after the founding of New China, a series of vigorous events and movements such as land reform, the Korean War, the "Three Anti" and "Five Anti" campaigns, the public-private joint ventures, agricultural cooperation, the Great Leap Forward, and the people's communes took place. Du Fu and Zhan Rong and their Fuwei Photo Studio also underwent profound changes during these events. In the large-scale socialist transformation campaign of industry and commerce, the most famous old-fashioned Fuwei Photo Studio in Chuzhou became a state-owned Hongguang Photo Studio. The former owner, Du Fu, served as the deputy manager of the photo studio. In contrast, his wife, Zhan Rong, who originally had a job at the photo studio, resigned after less than a month due to the constraints of an eight-hour workday. After the photo studio became state-owned, the government paid the Du family monthly interest. With this money, Zhan Rong could continue to live a pampered life like before.

Although Du Fu and Zhan Rong had lost their status as the boss and boss’s wife, they had been relieved of the cumbersome pressures of running a photography studio and felt more relaxed. Du Fu went to work every day and followed the same routine, like a pendulum. Once the Fuwei Photography Studio owner and the most renowned photographer in Chuzhou, this man became content, happy, and satisfied with his lot. Du Fu seemed not to care about the state-run nature of the Fuwei Photography Studio. He only seemed to care about his home and his wife, Zhan Rong. Before the liberation, they had hired a nanny. Still, after the liberation, the new society promoted equality, self-reliance, and the principle of "from each according to his ability, to each according to his work." So, Du Fu took over all the housework himself. For many years, Du Fu had faithfully kept his promise to Zhan Rong, loving her "like a servant" and always calling her "Young Miss." Zhan Rong spent her time practicing calligraphy and tending to her flowers at home. She rarely did any housework. Du Fu did all the dirty and hard work around the house, from shopping and cooking to cleaning. Ever since they got married, rain or shine, they would walk hand in hand along the city wall every evening after dinner, a habit that had continued from their youth to their middle age. Over the years, although the times had changed drastically, and there were many upheavals, the Du Fu and Zhan Rong couple remained content in their way like people living in a Shangri-La. If there was any regret, it was that the couple, despite being over forty, had no children…

There are three forms of filial disobedience, but the greatest is the failure to produce offspring. Seeing that the lineage of the Du family was about to end in his hands, Du Fu was secretly anxious. To continue the family lineage, he accompanied "Missy" Zhan Rong to visit every hospital in Chuzhou, but to no avail. Unwilling to give up, Du Fu searched everywhere for folk remedies. To prevent poisoning, every time he brought back a prescription, he would taste it himself before giving it to "Missy". After several years, Zhan Rong's belly remained empty. Du Fu did not give up and sought secret recipes among the people, and to prevent poisoning, Du Fu always tried the prescriptions first before giving them to "Young Miss." After a few years, there was still no movement in Zhan Rong's belly. Du Fu almost gave up hope when he found a "miracle doctor" in the Chuzhou countryside.

This "miracle doctor" was surnamed Wu, and everyone called him Doctor Wu.

Du Fu knew very little about this Doctor Wu, only hearing that he had cured many difficult and complex diseases that large hospitals could not treat, including infertility. People praised him to no end when they talked about Doctor Wu, filled with gratitude and calling him a "miracle doctor." Based on Du Fu's experience in observing people, he also felt that this man was somewhat extraordinary. Doctor Wu wore a faded old military uniform and spoke with a peculiar southern accent mixed with formal classical Chinese, which made him seem inscrutable and filled people with a sense of awe. In addition, Doctor Wu's appearance was quite unusual. He had a full forehead, a straight nose, and a broad philtrum. His facial features were not as hard as most men's, and he looked delicate. The skin on his face was smooth, and he did not look like he had done hard labor, so one could not tell his actual age. What was particularly astonishing to Du Fu was that Doctor Wu had hawk-like eyes beneath his slender eyebrows. In his youth, Du Fu had studied Ma Yi Xiang Shu (a classic book on physiognomy). The book stated that people with "hawk eyes" were all exceptional individuals and should not be taken lightly.

As for Doctor Wu's background, Du Fu only heard that he had previously been a military doctor in the People's Liberation Army, and some said he had been in the Kuomintang army. There were different opinions. But in the end, it seemed that he was indeed someone extraordinary. Du Fu felt that he had met a "miracle doctor". So, he brought Dr Wu from the countryside to the city and let him stay at his home. He provided him with good food and lodging, hoping that Dr. Wu could help “Young Miss” Zhan Rong give birth to a boy or girl to continue his family line.

As mentioned, the Zhan family lived in a two-courtyard mansion on Wenjing Street. After Zhan Datong and his wife passed away, the Zhan family residence was inherited by "Missy" Zhan Rong and her husband, Du Fu. The rear courtyard used to be the couple's bedroom and study, and the front courtyard was the guest room, kitchen, and dining room. After 1949, although the government nationalized the Fuwei Photo Studio, the residence was not confiscated and remained inhabited by Du Fu and Zhan Rong. Compared to the time when Zhan Datong and his wife were alive, the layout and appearance of the residence had not changed much, with the only difference being the yard. Du Fu did not have the leisurely temperament of his father-in-law, who enjoyed gardening and moon gazing. He converted the flower garden into a vegetable plot, planting beans, eggplants, peppers, and loofahs. Gardening was something that Du Fu was skilled at, and he went straight to work in the garden after getting back from work and grew enough vegetables for the two of them to eat. Sometimes, he couldn’t finish them all and sent some to the neighbors

Du Fu and "Missy" Zhan Rong lived in the backyard, while Doctor Wu was arranged to stay in the guest room in the front yard. He would remain there for about ten days or half a month at a time, which was equivalent to two courses of Chinese medicine

Boiling the medicine was a time-consuming and meticulous job. Du Fu had to go to work, so Dr. Wu primarily took care of this task. Dr. Wu had designed a comprehensive Chinese medicine treatment plan for Zhan Rong. Everything was done with great care, from prescribing medicine to preparing it and taking it. Every time he finished writing a prescription, he had to go to the pharmacy to pick up the medicine personally. He checked the dosage of every single ingredient. Tiny, like 5g, more or one less was not permitted. After getting the herbs, Dr. Wu would pour them into the medicine pot, add water according to the proportions, and place them on a coal stove to be simmered over a low flame. Every dose of medicine took about an hour to simmer. During this time, Dr. Wu would watch the stove closely, focusing on the heat of the medicine pot with a serious expression, as if he were a scientist experimenting.

Du Fu tried to take over picking up and preparing the medicine a few times but was consistently rejected by Dr. Wu. Later, he realized Dr. Wu intended to maintain confidentiality, preventing the prescription and decoction process from leaking. Consequently, Du Fu had no choice but to give up, and his trust and respect for Dr. Wu grew.

A courtyard with a jujube tree in its center was between the front and back courtyards of the Zhan family's residence. Its branches stretched towards the sky like long arms, piercing through the eaves. Doctor Wu brewed herbs in the corridor beneath the courtyard, filling the air with the smell of coal smoke and spices. White steam rose from the courtyard's center, dispersing and disappearing into the air, leaving the entire courtyard imbued with a strong aroma of traditional Chinese medicine.

Every time the medicine pot on the stove emitted a bubbling sound indicating that it was boiling, Dr. Wu, who was sitting on the bamboo chair beside it, would quickly stand up, lift the lid, dip a pair of silver chopsticks into the medicinal soup for a Moment, then withdraw them and carefully examine them under his eyes. He would put the lid back on if he saw that the time and heat were not yet right.

When he was decocting medicine, Dr. Wu always had a book in front of him. The book was not thick, with thread binding, yellowed pages, and no cover. It was filled with dense traditional Chinese characters. Once, when Du Fu returned from work at the photo studio, he leaned over and asked, "Dr. Wu, what book are you reading so intently?"

Dr. Wu replied, "The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine."

Du Fu, who had only attended a private school and read a few books, had never heard of this book. He asked curiously, "Is this a medical book? Is it interesting?"

"It's not just medical books. Many of the contents seem to be about medical skills, but they convey the truth of everything in the world. I've read them countless times, but I'm still far from truly understanding them..." said Dr. Wu, speaking in a mysterious tone, carefully closing the book.

Du Fu noticed that the edges and pages of the book were worn and yellowed like winter leaves and would crumble into powder with just a gentle squeeze. At that moment, Du Fu felt that Dr. Wu was a skilled doctor and possessed profound knowledge.

That night, in their bedroom, Du Fu mentioned the book that Dr. Wu had been reading. “Young Miss” Zhan Rong gave a soft “oh” and said, “I know that book. It often sat on my father’s desk, and he would read it whenever he had time. The book was almost falling apart…”

When his wife mentioned the deceased Zhan Datong, Du Fu fell silent. Over the years, he harbored mixed feelings towards his father-in-law, who recognized his talents and severely humiliated him. He always tried to avoid mentioning him. Zhan Rong understood her husband's emotional knot, and Du Fu was obedient to her in everything except for this point, which he was surprisingly stubborn about. Therefore, no matter how unhappy she was, she had no choice but to accept it. At that moment, she glanced at her husband's furrowed brows and had to change the topic: "We've been taking Doctor Wu's medicine for almost half a year, but why hasn't it shown any effect... Is he really as amazing as you said?"

Du Fu didn't answer. Zhan Rong's question had lingered in his mind for a long time, but he couldn't reveal it. After all, it had taken him considerable effort to track down Dr. Wu from the countryside. He stretched out one palm and touched his wife's belly, which was as smooth as ever, even slightly cold, like a vegetable patch that never yielded fruits due to a lack of base fertilizer. He sighed gently and said, "Dr. Wu used to be a military doctor in the army. He doesn't seem like one of those quack doctors who swindle people in the streets..."

Du Fu's tone was very affirmative, but Zhan Rong didn't respond after listening. After a while, she whispered, "Having a stranger living in our home for so long makes me uneasy. I feel scared at home alone when you go to work during the day. I can't concentrate on practicing calligraphy or reading books. When I take a nap, I always feel like someone is walking around outside. Sometimes when I go to the toilet, I feel like two eyes are staring at me from behind like nails..."

Zhan Rong was already over forty, but she was still like a little girl. She liked to be spoiled by her husband and spoke softly, timidly, and almost neurotically. Du Fu was used to it, and when he heard his wife's words, he comforted her as he always did, “You’re just not used to having strangers in the house, you’re being neurotic. In a few days, I'll have Doctor Wu add a few ingredients to the prescription to help you calm your nerves…"

But by this time, Zhan Rong had already fallen asleep, with one hand still tightly gripping Du Fu's arm.

The next day was a Sunday, and Du Fu didn't go to work at the photo studio. He stayed at home to plant vegetables and clean the house. After lunch, Zhan Rong practiced calligraphy in the study in the backyard as usual. Du Fu and Doctor Wu sipped tea in the corridor under the patio and chatted for a while. It was May, and the draft from the hallway in the backyard was refreshing and pleasant.

"Dr. Wu, I heard that you used to be a soldier in the army," Du Fu asked casually. "Was it in the Communist Party's or Kuomintang's army?" When he voiced out this long-buried question, he felt much relieved.

"Initially, I served in the Kuomintang army, and later in the People's Liberation Army..." Dr. Wu said evasively, looking away from the book The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine.

Seeing Du Fu's doubtful expression, he added, "During the Battle of Xuzhou, I served as a military doctor in the 25th Army of Huang Baitao's Corps. The commander of the 25th Army was Chen Shizhang..."

“Then why did you end up in the People's Liberation Army?” Du Fu asked with great interest.

“The Huaihai Campaign, no, should be called the Xuzhou-Bengbu Campaign. The Kuomintang army was defeated, right? I was in a prisoner-of-war camp for a few days. The communists, oh, no, the People’s Liberation Army, found out that I was a military doctor, assigned me a job, and persuaded me to join their ranks. However, I wasn't in the military headquarters; I was in the field hospital of the column, which was equivalent to the Kuomintang Army's corps. The commander of the column was Wang Bicheng. He suffered from rheumatism for a long time. He couldn't walk or ride a horse when it was serious; he could only lie on a stretcher. I prescribed him a few herbs, and he got better…” Dr. Wu said boastfully.

Du Fu never expected such a legendary experience from Doctor Wu, and he asked even more curiously, "Then... why did you leave the army?"

"This... it's hard to explain in a few words, it's tough to explain!" Dr. Wu hesitated for a Moment and stopped talking.

Seeing that he seemed to have some unspoken difficulties, Du Fu didn't press further and instead changed the topic: "With your high level of medical expertise, you must have studied under some renowned doctor, right?"

“My family has been in medicine for generations. My father was a pharmacist at the Jiming Pharmacy in the provincial city. I guess you can say that I am self-taught…” Dr. Wu said, with his eyes still fixed on the book and a trace of a smile on his lips, but one could not tell if it was confidence or modesty.

"You're far from ordinary!" Du Fu's praise also seemed a bit exaggerated. After a moment, he asked tentatively, "Besides rescuing the wounded, what other diseases can the military doctor treat?"

"It treats all kinds of diseases, just like the local hospitals," Dr. Wu replied slowly, eyes off the book. "Back then, Commander Chen Shizhang and his wife married for over 20 years without any offspring. I prescribed some traditional Chinese medicine for them, and within half a year, Mrs. Chen became pregnant and gave birth to a fat little boy... You probably won't believe it, but I also treated Madame Chiang, oh, that's Ms. Song Meiling. She didn't have any serious illnesses; it was just a common gynecological disease and nervous exhaustion, causing her to have trouble sleeping at night. After taking some medicine, she got better. Later, I learned that Song Meiling and the commander's wife were from the same hometown, Wenchang in Hainan..."

Dr. Wu said, glancing at Du Fu. Seeing the suspicious look on his face, he realized something and put the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic on the bamboo tea table beside him. After thinking for a moment, he said, “Old Du, I know you’re worried about whether your wife will be able to conceive. How about this? I'll prescribe her a new formula, which you can take for another two months. That should be about it. However, there are a few herbs that I can’t buy in town, so I have to go to the countryside myself to pick them…”

Seeing that Dr. Wu had spoken to this extent, Du Fu had no choice but to remain silent. Instead, he felt somewhat embarrassed for repeatedly asking him questions. At that moment, he saw Zhan Rong leave the study and head towards the adjacent bedroom. He stood and said, "Oh, the young miss will nap. Don't disturb her, Dr. Wu. You can continue reading. I'll go tidy up the vegetable patch." With that, he picked up a hoe from a corner of the porch and walked softly towards the small vegetable garden in the front yard as if afraid of disturbing Zhan Rong.

Dr. Wu left the Du family the following day and went to the countryside.

Before long, Dr. Wu came back from the countryside. One of the ingredients in his new prescription was a turtle. This ingredient could not be found in the town's pharmacies or markets. In Chuzhou, turtles were seen as unclean and unlucky, and no one would eat them except for the wandering beggars.

"I went to great lengths to buy this from an old beggar, who used a special hook to catch turtles, and it was over a foot long..." As soon as Dr. Wu entered the Du family home, he went to the kitchen, used a gourd ladle to scoop two large ladles of water from the water vat, and drank it all. While wiping his mouth with his faded old military uniform sleeve, he recounted the story of buying the turtle. Du Fu was so touched that he was almost speechless.

In this newly prescribed formula by Dr. Wu, the turtle was a critical "guiding medicine". The process of preparing and administering the medicine and the treatment itself was very particular and complex: First, the turtle was cleaned with clean water and placed in a large wooden basin. Boiling water was poured in, and after the turtle was scalded to death, the meat and shell are separated using a knife. Then, the turtle shell was ground into powder using a stone mortar or other tools, sprinkled into the medicine pot, mixed with several different ingredients, and simmered over low heat for two to three hours.

After taking the herbal soup, Dr. Wu also performed "Qigong" on Zhan Rong in his study. According to Doctor Wu’s requirements, he and Zhan Rong would need to take a bath before starting the "Qigong." During the "Qigong" sessions, only Dr. Wu and Zhan Rong were allowed in the study. The sessions could be as short as an hour and as long as two hours.

Every time during the "Qigong", Du Fu would leave home and stroll around the streets. He would walk from the base of the city wall to the north gate tower. Sometimes, he would return home, and the study door would be locked shut. The "Qigong" was unfinished, so Du Fu would squat beneath the jujube tree in the courtyard and smoke. After a long wait, the study door would finally open. He quickly put out his cigarette and ran over. He saw that Dr. Wu was sweating profusely and looked very tired, and “Young Miss” Zhan Rong’s face was red, and her eyes were glazed over. She was half sitting and half lying on the sofa by the window in the study…

“Every time I perform ‘Qigong’ on Madam, I lose a lot of energy…” Dr. Wu took the wet towel that Du Wei handed him, pointing at the sweat on his forehead as he grumbled.

"Doctor Wu, you’ve worked hard, let’s stew some chicken soup for you tonight, to nourish you," Du Fu had barely finished speaking when Doctor Wu waved his hand and said, "Old Du, give the chicken soup to your wife, she's the one who needs to be nourished the most now. Just stir-fry the turtle meat for me; that'll do."

"Dr. Wu, do you dare to eat that stuff?" Du Fu asked, half-believing and half-doubting. "If you don't tell me, I'll feed it to the cats and dogs!"

"Back when we were fighting the Xuzhou-Bengbu Campaign, I even ate human flesh on the battlefield..." A hint of an inscrutable smile flashed across Doctor Wu’s face. Then, he walked towards the courtyard. As he was walking, he seemed to have remembered something. He stopped and turned around to tell Du Fu: "Oh right, Old Du, after every 'Qigong' session, ensure your wife rests well for two or three days. You mustn’t…" He swallowed the second half of his sentence.

Du Fu understood what Dr. Wu meant and nodded repeatedly: “Alright, I’ll sleep in the study for these two days.” As he said this, he thought: I'll do anything as long as ‘Young Miss’ is pregnant.

One evening, about two months later, before going to bed, Du Fu reached out and touched Zhan Rong's belly, noticing that it was slightly protruding compared to before.

Zhan Rong was pregnant.

In those years, urban residents’ grain supply was rationed, and many families did not have enough to eat. Although the Du family did not have to starve, they also had a hard time. To nourish the pregnant Zhan Rong, Du Fu had no choice but to take out the savings he had left over from before the liberation when he had run the photography studio and bought all kinds of nutrients. He, on the other hand, was going hungry, and sometimes his stomach ached with hunger. He would chain-smoke, his mouth would feel dry and taste bitter. Du Fu, who had not been a heavy smoker before, had become addicted to smoking this way.

A year later, ‘Young Miss’ Zhan Rong gave birth to a boy named Du Wei. On the day the child was one month old, Du Fu, who had a child at a later age, once again took out the savings he had accumulated from running his photography studio and booked several tables at the best restaurant in Chuzhou, the Juzhen Garden.

From the cadres and workers at the Hongguang Photography Studio to the neighbors on Wenjing Street, everyone who had drunk the wine at Du Wei’s one-month celebration sighed in amazement. It had been a long time since people had eaten such a lavish feast.

6. Godfather

Before Du Wei turned three, he lived a life many children envied, like being in a honey jar. In the mid-1960s, shortly after the famine, the material supply in society was relatively scarce. Milk and other nutritious products were still in short supply, and it wasn't easy to buy them even in the vast city of Chuzhou. To ensure that his son could drink milk, Du Fu had to make two trips to Shanghai almost every year, bringing back a large pile of milk powder, candy, honey, and other nutritious products. He grew up to be very fair-skinned, chubby, and much taller than his peers. Because his parents spoiled him, Du Wei had a terrible temper. When he got angry, he would refuse to acknowledge his relatives, and he would blindly bite and hit like a wild beast. One time, Du Fu went to work at the studio, and a colleague noticed the red and purple marks on his face and asked with surprise, “Old Du, what happened to you? Did you get into a fight with your wife?” The colleague knew that Du Fu was afraid of his wife and was teasing him.

"No, it was caught by my son." Du Fu scratched his head in embarrassment. Not only did he not seem angry at all, but he also wore a happy expression.

Strangely, although Du Wei was unruly and unreasonable in front of his father, Du Fu, he was exceptionally obedient in front of Dr. Wu. On one occasion, Du Wei threw a tantrum again, punching and kicking his father like a punching bag. Du Fu's eye corner even bled, but instead of getting angry, he was cheerful and seemed to enjoy it. Just as Dr. Wu arrived, he saw the scene and straightened his face, shouting, "Stop!"

Du Wei, who was usually fearless, obediently stopped and hid in his mother Zhan Rong's arms, not daring to lift his head. While coaxing the child, Zhan Rong scolded, "Doctor Wu, you've scared the child badly. He was just playing with his father..."

"Yes, the child was just playing with me. He's not strong enough to kill me, even if he tries harder," Du Fu echoed.

"He's not strong enough to beat you now, but what about when he grows up?" Dr. Wu said coldly.

Du Fu and his wife were speechless.

Logically speaking, Dr. Wu was just a traveling doctor who had treated the Du family. After the child was born, he was no longer related to them. However, over the years, Dr. Wu would visit every once in a while. He would stay for a night at the very least and for several days at most like he was visiting relatives. The Du family also treated him like a relative, providing him with good food and wine. It could be seen that Dr. Wu likes the child from the Du family. Every time he came to the Du family, he always magically pulled out one or two gifts from his pocket, which were for Du Wei. Sometimes it was a small windmill or kite, sometimes a rattle, and sometimes it was cotton candy or Bingtanghulu. Du Wei, who was a little nervous because of Dr. Wu's appearance, forgot everything as soon as he saw the gift. He took the gift from Dr. Wu and ran out of the yard like flying to find his friends to play on the street.

"It's rare for Dr. Wu to be so nice to us Du Wei..." Du Fu and Zhan Rong couldn't help but sigh when they were together.

"Perhaps it's because he hasn't got married or had children, so he particularly likes kids," said Zhan Rong.

"We owe our son to him..." said Du Fu, "Why not let Dewei call Doctor Wu his godfather?"

"This..." Zhan Rong hesitated briefly before agreeing.

This was before Du Wei was three years old. After Du Wei turned three, things changed a bit. First, some neighbors on Wenjing Street noticed that the cherished son of the Du Wei family, Du Wei, looked less and less like his father, Du Fu, as he grew older. Every time Du Fu held Du Wei's hand and walked down the street, people looked at them from behind, from left to right, and from top to bottom, and they couldn't believe they looked like father and son. But if Du Wei didn't look like his father, who did he look like? People pondered and pondered, and came to a bold conclusion: Du Wei looked exactly like his godfather - the occasional quack doctor, Doctor Wu, who would drop by the Du Wei house every now and then. Especially those eagle eyes, they were almost identical!

After arriving at this conclusion, many people were taken aback.

Since then, people's views and attitudes towards Du Fu and his son Du Wei had gradually changed. For instance, a group of neighbors who were chatting on the street just now suddenly fell silent as if they had heard someone give a command when they saw Du Fu and Du Wei approaching. They only started chatting again after the father and son pair had walked away. Meanwhile, various rumors about Du Wei's background also spread on Wenjing Street….

Finally, one day, the rumors reached Du Fu's ears.

Du Fu returned home from the market and prepared dinner as usual that day. When Zhan Rong and their son Du Wei came from the backyard to the front yard and sat down at the dining table to start eating, he sat beside them, continuously smoking and staring intently at Du Wei's face. His gaze was odd, as if he was looking at a stranger, not his own son.

Zhan Rong felt a bit strange. In the past, whenever they ate, Du Fu would always use chopsticks to fill Du Wei's bowl with dishes. What was going on today? She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Old Du, why aren't you eating?"

"Oh, oh, you guys eat, I'm not hungry..." Du Fu dodged Zhan Rong's probing gaze, fumbled for a crumpled box of Dahonghua brand cigarettes, and took a cigarette from it. When he used the butt to light the match, his hand trembled, and it took him a lot of effort to light the match. Zhan Rong noticed that Du Fu's two fingers, which he usually used to hold the cigarette, were yellow and black from smoke, resembling two withered branches.

Zhan Rong could sense that Du Fu seemed to have something on his mind. She wanted to ask several times, but the words stuck in her throat and were swallowed back.

That night, Du Fu didn't sleep in the bedroom he shared with Zhan Rong. Instead, he spent the whole night in the study. The following day, he bought breakfast for Zhan Rong and Du Wei as usual and then worked at the studio.

After this departure, Du Fu never came back.

During that period, just like the entire country and Chuzhou, the Cultural Revolution was in full swing at the Hongguang Photo Studio. The studio established a revolutionary committee comprised of young members. The original leadership, including Du Fu, was sidelined. However, for him, losing his position as deputy manager was just the beginning of his misfortune. Soon after, the revolutionary committee announced an isolated investigation into Du Fu, citing his treason during the Anti-Japanese War. They presented a long list of evidence, including photos of Du Fu's wedding to Zhan Rong during the Japanese occupation of Chuzhou, attended by the military police commander Nakashima, as well as newspaper clippings announcing Du Fu's appointment as the president of the Chuzhou Sino-Japanese Friendship Association.

Regarding Du Fu's "pro-Japanese" experience during the Anti-Japanese War, after the victory of the war, the Chuzhou National Government had already made an assessment when identifying traitors, considering Du Fu's actions as mere commercial behavior, not worthy of the charge of treason and collaboration, and therefore only decided to impose economic sanctions on Du Fu. Initially, the Fuwei Photo Studio was to be confiscated as "unjust wartime assets," but since the property rights of the photo studio were written in the name of Du Fu's wife, Zhan Rong, and did not belong to Du Fu's property, a significant amount of money was ultimately fined as a settlement. However, this time, the Revolutionary Committee sent people to Beijing for further investigation and discovered the special relationship between Du Fu and Li Hans, the photographer from the original Beiping Lixin Photo Studio. According to intelligence declassified after World War II, this Li Hans was not an ordinary German of Chinese descent, but a spy sent to China by Nazi Germany. While in Beiping, he provided many important intelligence reports to the German and even Japanese military. Moreover, a few years ago, Li Hans, who had just been released from prison, wrote a letter to Du Fu. After several rounds of transfer, this letter ended up in Du Fu's hands from Beijing and was hidden in the archive cabinet in his office. This time, the special investigation team searched for it. Although the content of the letter was catching up and unrelated to politics, it confirmed the "special relationship" between Du Fu and the German-Japanese spy Li Hans

In this way, the label of traitor on Du Fu's head became an irrefutable fact.

Du Fu did not mention this at home, and "Miss" Zhan Rong was also unaware. She thought Du Fu went to work at the photo studio that day as usual. Little did she know that the day before, the photo studio's Revolutionary Committee had notified Du Fu that a meeting of all the studio's cadres and staff would be held to publicly criticize his crime of "treason and collaborating with the enemy."

The criticism meeting was held on the second floor of the photo studio. Although the photo studio was a state-owned unit, it had few employees, with only about a dozen people, including the handymen. Since everyone was required to speak, it was already noon when the meeting ended. Du Fu stood in the meeting room for several hours, wearing a paper hat with "Traitor Du Fu" written on it. His whole body was stiff, and his waist could not straighten. When he walked downstairs from the second floor, his calves became weak, staggered, and almost fell. Fortunately, a colleague walking next to him reached out and supported him.

"Old Du, are you okay?" The colleague looked around and asked quietly, "You look pale, as if you are sick... Do you want me to help you go home?"

Du Fu closed his eyes, shook his head, said, "Thank you, but no thanks," and swayed out of the door of Hongguang Photo Studio like an autumn leaf.

The weather was perfect, and it was noon. The sun was shining directly overhead, and the surroundings were brightly illuminated by the dazzling sunlight, as if on fire, very stunning. Du Fu stood at the door of the photo studio, looking around. The road was bustling with people and cars. Du Fu stared blankly at this street scene that was no different from usual, with a confused look, like a countryman who came to the city for the first time.

In fact, after leaving the photo studio that day, Du Fu did not go home but turned onto a road completely opposite Wenjing Street, where his home was.

Two days later, an old worker who was doing morning exercises found an unidentified male corpse by the moat. He was about 50 years old. Because he had been in the water for too long, his body was swollen, and it was difficult to tell the identity of the deceased. Under a weeping willow tree on the shore where the deceased fell into the water, the old worker found a pack of crumpled Dahonghua brand cigarettes. The cigarette butts were scattered all over the ground. It can be seen that the deceased sat on the shore for a long time before drowning and smoked a whole pack of cigarettes.

The old worker found a soaked photo in the drowned man's chest pocket. The photo showed a little boy of two or three years old, with a chubby face and round eyes, looking very cute. In the lower right corner of the photo was printed a line of words: "State-owned Hongguang Photo Studio."

Later, the police station found the Hongguang Photo Studio based on this line of characters and confirmed that the deceased was Du Fu, the former deputy manager of the photo studio.

Like her father, Zhan Datong, Zhan Rong also suffers from heart disease. When she heard the bad news, she fainted on the spot.

About half a year later, a middle-aged man in an old military coat walked into Wenjing Street on a winter evening. As he passed by a group of children playing a game of chicken, one child suddenly shouted, "Du Wei, your dad is here!" Another boy wearing a woolen hat looked at the man and shouted, "You're wrong. He’s, my godfather. My dad is dead!"

The man watched the boy from afar, paused momentarily, and then turned around to enter a courtyard.

That person is Doctor Wu. He hasn't been seen on Wenjing Street for quite some time.

That night, Dr. Wu stayed at the Du family's house, or the Zhan family's now. Unlike in the past, when he stayed in the guest room in the front yard, he settled into the backyard—the bedroom previously occupied by Du Fu and Zhan Rong.

Zhan Rong had evidently not recovered from the grief of losing her husband. Her face looked haggard, and she seemed restless when she slept with Dr. Wu. She put on a cotton jacket and slippers several times and went to the small room next door to check if her son, Du Wei, was asleep.

"Are you still upset about Old Du's death?" Dr. Wu leaned against the bedside and said, "This isn't good. It will hurt your health..."

"Old Du gave up his property rights for me. Otherwise, the photo studio would have been confiscated by the Nationalist Government as 'unjust assets during wartime'. After liberation, I was able to live a comfortable life, thanks to Old Du..." Zhan Rong muttered to herself, "But I killed him for this child. I'm so sorry to Old Du!"

"Old Du didn't commit suicide by jumping into the river because of his child. It's said that he was criticized and denounced for being labeled a 'traitor'..." Doctor Wu's voice was somewhat slurred.

"No, no... He looked strange the night before he died, and he had Du Wei's photo in his pocket after he died." Zhan Rong said "no" repeatedly, "He jumped into the moat only after he found out the child wasn't his!"

Speaking of which, Zhan Rong couldn't control herself due to grief and guilt, and couldn't help but sob.

Dr. Wu fumbled for a handkerchief from the pocket of his coat draped on the bedside table and handed it over. When Zhan Rong didn't take it, he wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes.

After a while, Zhan Rong's mood eased a bit. "It's just a pity for Du Wei, he still doesn't know his own biological father..." She swallowed the rest of her words.

Dr. Wu asked tentatively, "You mean, tell him the truth?"

"No, absolutely not. Not only can't we tell the child now, but we can't tell him the truth in the future either. We can't let the child bear the shame we've brought upon him..." Zhan Rong shook her head, "Besides, the Old Du family has been passed down through three generations, and the lineage has been broken in his generation. He's counting on Du Wei to carry on the family name, and I can't let Du Fu's long-cherished wish come to nothing... Du Wei will always be a descendant of the Old Du family!"

Seeing Zhan Rong's resolute attitude, Dr. Wu remained silent for a moment before putting his arm around Zhan Rong's shoulder and solemnly swearing, "‘Young Miss’, I swear to you that I will not let you and the child be wronged, nor will I let you suffer..."

"For so many years, only Old Du has called me 'Missy'. I'm not used to you calling me that," said Zhan Rong with a bitter smile on her lips. "You can still call me Zhan Rong!"

Dr. Wu's eagle-like eyes were fixed on Zhan Rong, piercing her like an awl. She felt a bit scared and stammered, "Old Wu, that's not what I meant..."

"I understand what you mean, Miss." Doctor Wu gazed at Zhan Rong with a gloomy expression. "A person's fortune is like the fate of a country. I won't be a wandering doctor for life. I've read the divination. Both my era and my son's era will come... You must believe me!"

Dr. Wu's words had a peculiar magic. Zhan Rong closed her eyes and murmured dreamily, "I believe..."

VOLUME 3

Chapter 1

1. Mentor

On Saturday morning, Wang Sheng made an appointment to go to his supervisor's house to discuss his dissertation.

Wang Sheng's supervisor is Lang Yongliang. Lang Yongliang was not only his supervisor for his master's degree but also his teacher during his studies in the Chinese Department at Chuzhou Teachers' College.

When Wang Sheng was studying at Chuzhou Teachers' College, Lang Yongliang taught a course on the history of Chinese literature. Due to a shortage of teachers at the college, Lang Yongliang would teach ancient and modern literary history. At Chuzhou Teachers' College, no other teacher besides Lang Yongliang could bridge the gap between ancient and modern literary history in China. Lang Yongliang was pivotal at Chuzhou Teachers' College regarding knowledge and qualifications. Students in the Chinese department knew that Lang Yongliang had graduated from Peking University and had participated in the "National Seminar for Key Literary Critics" hosted by the Institute of Literature of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in the 1950s. The participants of this seminar were a group of young scholars who had emerged in the national literary theory circle, and the famous poet and literary theorist, He Qifang, chaired the seminar. If Lang Yongliang had not been labeled as a rightist during the Anti-Rightist Campaign, the tiny Chuzhou Teachers' College would not have become a place where such a "great bodhisattva" resided. Therefore, after the end of the Cultural Revolution, Chuzhou Teachers' College took the lead in removing the "rightist" label from Lang Yongliang and appointed him as the department head. It was said that Dongjiang University, where Lang Yongliang previously worked, had long wanted to transfer him back, but due to the unwillingness of Chuzhou Teachers' College's principal He Shouwu to release him, the transfer did not take place. Before becoming the principal of Chuzhou Teachers' College, He Shouwu was the head of the mathematics department and a student of the famous mathematician Hua Luogeng. Like Lang Yongliang, he was a young academic backbone at Dongjiang University in the 1950s and was labeled a rightist during the Anti-Rightist Campaign. They were sent to Chuzhou and later down to the Niangzi Lake May 7th Cadre School for training. The two could be considered friends who shared weal and woe. He Shouwu publicly stated at the school's cadre meetings that as long as he was the principal, he would not let Lang Yongliang transfer away from Chuzhou Teachers' College. At that time, the highest title for teachers at Chuzhou Teachers' College was associate professor, and there was no single full professor title. To retain Lang Yongliang, Principal He Shouwu specially applied for a professor position with the Provincial Education Commission and the National Education Commission. The relationship between Principal He Shouwu and Professor Lang Yongliang, the head of the Chinese department, was like a beautiful story passed down in the college, almost universally known. However, within two years, He Shouwu was transferred to Dongjiang University as vice president and later promoted to president of Dongjiang University

When Wang Sheng was admitted to Chuzhou Teachers' College, He Shouwu had already left Chuzhou and been transferred to Dongjiang University as Vice President. For a while, there were rumors among students that Lang Yongliang would be the Vice President in charge of teaching. However, the rumors faded away after a while. Some said it was because Lang Yongliang was too old and had exceeded the age limit for serving as Vice President, while others said it was because Lang Yongliang himself was unwilling to get involved in the administration and wanted to pursue his knowledge quietly. As for the real reason, except for a few people, most people were unclear about it.

At that time, Wang Sheng had already become a favored student highly appreciated and valued by Lang Yongliang. As a sophomore, Wang Sheng began publishing articles in the literary criticism supplements of Chuzhou Daily and Dongjiang Daily. After taking a modern literary history course and completing an assignment titled Do We Still Need Lu Xun's Style of Writing?  Lang Yongliang highly praised it. Not only did he recommend it for publication in the journal, but he also took it to the class to recommend it to the whole class. Wang Sheng became a leader among the students in the Chinese Department and was often called to Lang Yongliang's home on weekends for "special tutoring". It was Professor Lang's habit to call students he particularly admired to his home for individual tutoring.

That time, Wang Sheng went to Lang Yongliang's house and listened to the teacher talking about professional topics for a while. He couldn't help but ask: "Teacher, there are a lot of rumors about you recently... I don't know if they are true?"

"Don't believe those unreliable words. To tell you the truth, I am leaving Chuzhou Teachers College." Lang Yongliang said solemnly, "I originally planned to stay in Chuzhou for the rest of my life, but my old friend disagreed. When he left, he wanted to take me with him..."

As soon as Wang Sheng heard it, he knew that the "old friend" the teacher was talking about was He Shouwu, the former president of Chuzhou Teachers College. "So... you want to be transferred to Dongjiang University?"

Lang Yongliang nodded: "Yes. The academic environment of Dongda is much better than Chuzhou Teachers College's. I want to do some academic research before I retire. As for politics, that was my dream when I was young, and it has long gone with my youth..."

After listening to the teacher, a sudden sense of disappointment rose in Wang Sheng's heart. Lang Yongliang noticed his expression and asked, "Wang Sheng, what are your plans after graduation?"

"I haven't decided yet..." said Wang Sheng, avoiding his teacher's probing gaze. "Most of our school's graduates will be assigned to teach in middle schools, right?"

"You have a promising academic future; don't let it slip away." Lang Yongliang pondered for a moment and said, "How about this? After I transfer to Dongjiang University, you can apply to be my graduate student."

Lang Yongliang's tone sounded like he was asking and anticipating simultaneously. Wang Sheng felt a bit apprehensive for a moment: "Teacher, Dongjiang Unversity is a national key university. I'm afraid I won't be able to get in..."

"With your grades, there shouldn't be any problem..."

Lang Yongliang's gaze, filled with expectations and encouragement, brought a wave of warmth to Wang Sheng.

On this weekend morning, as Wang Sheng walked through the campus of Dongjiang University, he recalled his mentor's earnest teachings and ardent expectations from a few years ago, feeling as if he had returned to Chuzhou Teachers' College.

Professor Lang Yongliang lived in the North Third District.

The North Third Area is an old faculty dormitory of Dongjiang University, located at the northern foothills of Mount Pipa, intersecting with the Maple Garden corner at the western foothills of Mount Pipa. The North Third Area consists of the east and the west. The east area is a unit building that was only built a few years ago. Both its structure and appearance are new, and the camphor trees downstairs are not as tall as a floor. Like most housing built in the late 1970s and early 1980s, it is square and resembles a matchbox. Each building ranges from five to six floors, mostly with two or three bedrooms and one living room. Most of the cadres and teachers of Dongjiang University live here.

Near the southern section, a cluster of milky-white three-story buildings is nestled among the trees. The exterior has been sprayed with imported paint, and the balconies are spacious. It is said that each suite covers an area of nearly 200 square meters. A white fence surrounds the buildings, separating them from the surrounding architecture. The lawn within the compound is neatly trimmed, resembling a green carpet, highlighting the distinguished status of the residents living inside.

The white building housed all school leaders and senior professors of Dongjiang University, including the president, He Shouhu. Dongjiang University students affectionately refer to this building as the "White House." Less than 500 meters south of the White House stood the Dongjiang University International Academic Reception Center, completed only two years ago. Since the president resided in the White House, attending meetings or reception activities at the reception center was convenient.

With the white building as the boundary, the east side is known as the New North Area, while the west is the Old North Area. The so-called Old North Area is a stretch of old houses at the foot of the northern foothills of Mount Pipa, featuring red walls and gray tiles, typical of the architectural style of the Republic of China era. There are eight two-story buildings in total, which are also known as the "Old Eight Buildings". During the Republic of China period, the "Old Eight Buildings" were all occupied by famous professors from Dongjiang University, each occupying one building with a single entrance and courtyard, exuding an aristocratic air, even more imposing than the school leaders currently residing in that white building. However, times had changed, and due to years of neglect, the once magnificent "Old Eight Buildings" had become dilapidated, with peeling walls, overgrown weeds, and debris scattered everywhere, creating a desolate scene. In the 1920s and 1930s, when the famous scholar and writer Zong Da was employed to teach in the Department of Chinese Literature at Dongjiang University, he lived there for more than a year and wrote a short story called The Deserted Garden. Later, the students of Dongjiang University gave the "Old Eight Buildings" an alternative name: the Deserted Garden.

Most residents living in the "desolate garden" were ordinary faculty members of Dongjiang University. Each building housed several families; some even shared a kitchen and bathroom with two families. Compared to the spacious and luxurious living conditions of the past, where professors lived in a single building, it now appears cramped and crowded. It was said that the principal, He Shouwu, who was recently transferred from Chuzhou Teachers' College, once lived in the "desolate garden" for some time but soon moved to the "White House".

Professor Lang Yongliang lives in a building in the Deserted Garden. With his qualifications, he could have lived in the "White House" along with the school leaders. However, when he transferred from Chuzhou Teachers' College to Dongjiang University, the "White House" was already full. Fortunately, there was an empty room in the "abandoned garden", so he moved in.

Perhaps due to the buildings from different eras being squeezed together, the house numbers in the northern area were not uniform and were somewhat chaotic. When Wang Sheng first went to visit his mentor at the "desolate garden", he wandered from the new northern area to the old north area, feeling like he was in a maze. It took him quite a bit of effort to find it

2. Talk in the Abandoned Garden (1)

Prof. Lang Yongliang's home was on the first floor.

Opening the door was Mrs. Lang, Qi Shizhen, Wang Sheng called her "teacher mother". Wang Sheng was a frequent visitor to Lang's home when he was at Chuzhou Teachers College. Not long after Lang Yongliang was transferred to Dongjiang University, Wang Sheng was admitted as his graduate student. He always visited his mentor's home during the holidays. The teacher's wife treated him casually, like a family member, and rarely spoke politely.

Qi Shizhen was cleaning the living room. She was wearing an apron tied around her chest, sleeves on her arms, and a mop in her hand.

"Teacher Mother, let me help you mop the floor!" As soon as Wang Sheng entered, he reached for the mop, but Qi Shizhen blocked him with her arm and nudged her mouth, "Teacher is in the yard cutting branches for the loquat tree, go help him."

Wang Sheng let out an "oh" sound, so he found a pair of cotton slippers in the shoe cabinet and changed into them, walked through the living room and towards the yard.

The courtyard was insignificant, with half a vegetable patch and the other half filled with various flowers, plants, and bonsai. According to the lunar calendar, it was March or April when everything came back to life, and the weather was warm and sunny. The two loquat trees in the courtyard had already sprouted green leaves, with thick and plump leaves densely layered, making the originally graceful and tall trunks appear fat and bloated, resembling pregnant women. Lang Yongliang was wearing an open-neck sweater, with his sleeves rolled up high, and he was holding a large pair of scissors to trim the branches. With a series of snapping sounds, the superfluous leaves and branches fell down one after another, covering the ground. His proficient posture resembled that of an experienced gardener.

"Teacher, let me do it!" Wang Sheng took the large scissors from Lang Yongliang's hand without waiting for his reaction. Every time he came to his teacher's house, Wang Sheng would take the initiative to help with some household chores, and he had become adept at tasks such as pruning flowers.

Lang Yongliang was clearly accustomed to Wang Sheng’s diligence, and stepped aside, taking a towel from the clothes rack against the wall and wiping the sweat from his face. At the top of the clothes rack hung two strings of cured sausages and a salted fish, gifts that Wang Sheng had brought from his home during the winter break for his advisor.

After cutting the branches, Wang Cheng and Lang Yongliang worked together to clean up the fallen twigs, both of them sweating profusely. Once the work was done, the two men returned to the study.

The study was not large, and the walls were lined with bookshelves. A small desk stood by the window, also covered in books. In the middle of the room was an old-fashioned tea table stacked with a thick pile of books. The bookshelves, desk, and tea table had all been transported from Chuzhou, and their style and color were as antiquated as the house itself. Whenever Wang Sheng talked with his advisor in the study, he would always be reminded of his days at the Chuzhou Normal School, giving him a feeling of unreality. . . .

Wang Sheng noticed an open book on the tea table, Yang Jiang’s Six Records of Cadre School Life, which had become a bestseller recently. Yang Jiang was the wife of the famous scholar Qian Zhongshu. Wang Cheng had read a few chapters in the reading room of the library, and they had left a deep impression on him. Now, seeing the book again in his advisor's study, he couldn’t resist picking it up and flipping through it. His eyes stopped on a passage:

In our cadre school, there was a forthright and outspoken Doctor Huang. Once, Mo Cun went to see her for medical treatment. She saw that he had written Qian Zhongshu's name in the signature book and angrily said, "Nonsense! What a Qian Zhongshu! I know Qian Zhongshu!" Mo Cun insisted that he was Qian Zhongshu. Doctor Huang said, "I know Qian Zhongshu's wife." Mo Cun withstood the test and told her his wife's name. Doctor Huang still wasn’t convinced, but whether Mo Cun was an imposter didn’t matter, so she didn’t argue further. Afterward, when I brought up this incident with Doctor Huang, she couldn't help laughing, saying, "How is that not alike at all?"

Just then, Lang Yongliang returned from the bathroom and sat on the rattan chair behind his desk. He reached for the thermos on the table, took off the lid, and sipped tea. Seeing that Wang Sheng was so absorbed in reading Six Records of Cadre School Life, he pointed a finger at it and muttered, “Indeed a good book, you can read it a hundred times without getting tired, I'm already on my third read.”

“I’ve read a few chapters at the library; the author's writing style is excellent. . . ” Wang Sheng agreed.

“It’s not just the writing style; it's practically a spiritual history of Chinese intellectuals!” Lang Yongliang corrected him earnestly.

Wang Cheng kept quiet. He knew that his advisor was about to expound. As a student, the wisest course of action was to remain silent.

"I experienced all the things Yang Jiang wrote about in her book when I was at the Niangzi Lake Cadre School..." Lang Yongliang said in a reflective tone, "When I first arrived at the school, I lived with He Shouwu in a temporary shack by the lake. Due to the low terrain, the shack was very humid. Whenever it rained or the lake water rose, leeches and cockroaches were everywhere. Over ten people slept on a large bunk bed, with only a thin layer of thatched grass on the floor. The cold rose from the ground in winter and penetrated people's bones. It was then that He Shouwu got rheumatism. Soon after, the school began to build its dormitories. To complete them before the rainy season, the company required each student to de-mud one thousand adobe bricks every day - do you know what de-mud brick means? It's to put soil into a rectangular wooden frame and make it into adobe bricks for building walls and houses..."

When Wang Sheng heard the word "adobe", he couldn't help but let out an "ah". He thought to himself, "My family lives right next to a brick-and-tile factory, and I've been dealing with adobe since I was a child. Not only am I familiar with every step of the adobe-making process, but when I was in elementary school learning about work and agriculture, I even learned how to make adobe from the workers!" However, he didn't say it out loud. Instead, he continued to listen silently to Lang Yongliang as he spoke, just like he usually did in class when listening to the teacher.

"A thousand adobe bricks a day is no small amount! Fortunately, I was young then, and I could barely finish it from early morning till late at night. But it wasn't so easy for Shouwu. He was weaker than me and had rheumatism. By dinnertime every day, half of the workload remained. To complete the task, he had to work overtime after dinner, and he would work until midnight. After a while, he lost much weight and couldn't straighten his back. I feared he couldn't handle it, so I helped him work together. Finally, we managed to finish the task by the end of the month. When the company settled the task, Shouwu met the target and exceeded the daily goal of a thousand adobe bricks. Six months later, we moved into new dormitories, and Shouwu was also rated as an activist of the whole school. Soon after, he became the squad leader..."

Lang Yongliang paused to take a sip of tea. It was clear that Six Records of Cadre School Life had stirred up memories that were hidden deep in his heart.

Wang Cheng had heard about the special relationship between Lang Yongliang and Principal He Shouwu back when he was studying at the Chuzhou Teachers' College. But he was hearing about their experiences at the cadre school for the first time. From the somber light in Lang Yongliang’s eyes behind his spectacles and the tightly knitted gray eyebrows, he could sense the pain this period had left in the old man’s heart. He had read about this kind of pain in many contemporary novels, and he was not unfamiliar with it. But at this moment, when he heard it directly from his advisor, he was still shaken. He said, "Advisor, you can also write down these experiences like Yang Jiang . . ."

“When I even think about those nightmarish experiences, my nerves feel like they can't bear it, if I were to write them down, it would be like reliving them again . . . I can't take that kind of torture!” Lang Yongliang shook his head resolutely. “The Ten Years of Catastrophe destroyed so many intellectuals’ dreams; it’s really unbearable to look back on. Luckily, that absurd era has finally passed, and I've returned to Dongda. But to me, it's like in that song, ‘My youthful bird has flown away and never returned.’ I’m already old, and I'll be retiring in a few more years.

Lang Yongliang seemed a bit sad when he said this. Perhaps feeling that revealing his emotions easily in front of his students was a bit inappropriate, he quickly adjusted his mood and regained his usual reserved and reserved demeanor. "Oh, today we're talking about your paper. Look where I've gone," he smiled self-deprecatingly. "So, tell us about your paper..."

Seeing that the teacher had shifted the conversation to today's main topic, Wang Sheng heaved a sigh of relief. He shifted his motionless posture and took out a stack of manuscript paper from his schoolbag, presenting it with both hands respectfully: "This is my thesis outline. Please take a look first..."

Lang Yongliang leaned up from his rattan chair, placed the thermos flask on the coffee table, and took the few pages of manuscript, starting to read them carefully.

At this moment, Wang Sheng noticed that Lang Yongliang's thermos cup was empty, so he picked it up and walked outside the study. He passed through the living room and arrived in the courtyard. He poured the tea leaves into the trash can under the clothesline and was about to return to the house when he saw his teacher's wife, Qi Shizhen, and a young girl reinforcing the loofah frame in the vegetable garden. This loofah frame was built by Wang Sheng and Lang Yongliang not long ago. At present, the vines had climbed to the top of the frame. If it wasn't reinforced, the loofahs would easily collapse after they grew out. At this moment, seeing the clumsy appearance of his teacher's wife and the girl, Wang Sheng said, "Teacher Mother, you can leave this work for a while. I'll do it with my teacher later!"

However, Qi Shizhen continued to be busy. Without raising her head, she said, "It's okay. You guys go ahead with your work. Xiaoli and I will finish in a while."

It turned out that this girl was called "Xiaoli". Wang Sheng sized her up from afar: Xiaoli was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with short hair that reached her ears, wearing a beige checkered corduroy jacket. She had a petite figure, standing at less than 1.6 meters, with compact and ordinary facial features, appearing very plain. Wang Sheng felt that she looked somewhat familiar, as if he had seen her somewhere before, but not at Lang Yongliang's house. The intimate way she and his wife whispered and worked together made them look like a family... As Wang Sheng was pondering this, he noticed that Xiaoli turned her face around to size him up as well, and he awkwardly retracted his gaze.

When Wang Sheng returned to the study room with a cup of fresh tea and water, Lang Yongliang had already finished reading the thesis outline and was frowning, thinking about something. Wang Sheng saw the teacher's expression and was worried that he was not satisfied with his thesis outline, so he became nervous. Although Lang Yongliang was usually kind to him, like a father, he was very strict in academic requirements and never vague. He suddenly felt a little regretful. Maybe he really shouldn't have chosen "On Zong Da's Literary Research and Revolutionary Activities in the 1930s" as the title of his master's thesis. He thought. From the beginning, the teacher disagreed with his topic choice. Zong Da is a controversial figure in both the history of the Communist Party of China and the history of modern literature. "Zong Da's research involves many complex political topics. Even many mature scholars dare not venture into it; you don't need to wade into this muddy water. If you are really interested in this person, it won't be too late to study him after graduation when you have better conditions..." The tutor once reminded and warned him in this tactful way. But he didn't listen to the tutor's advice in the end. He even thought, not without pride, that his supervisor's primary research interest was no longer in modern literary history but had shifted to ancient literature. Hence, he more or less ignored his supervisor's opinions. Lang Yongliang did not object to Wang Sheng's stubbornness. In academic research, Lang Yongliang was always tolerant of him and other graduate students.

But why did I "knowingly go to the tiger mountain"? Wang Sheng asked himself. Was it because of the photo I saw at the Memorial Hall of the Former Site of the Dongjiang Branch of the CPC Central Committee?

It was a Sunday last semester when Wang Sheng had nothing to do and was wandering around Maple Garden. As he strolled, he arrived at the Memorial Hall of the Former Site of the Dongjiang Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Although he had seen an introduction to the memorial hall in the "New Student Handbook of Dongjiang University" when he was just admitted to graduate school, and it was just a stone's throw away from his graduate dormitory, Wang Sheng had never visited here before. The memorial hall was located in a dense maple forest and was a Western-style mansion. It is said to have been the villa of James, an American missionary who was also a school director at Dongjiang University. At the beginning of the anti-Japanese war, when James left China, he provided the Dongjiang Bureau of the CPC Central Committee with a residence and office for free. The exhibition hall on the first floor displayed pictures and textual introductions of important activities of the Dongjiang Bureau of the CPC Central Committee from its early establishment to the two and a half years before its evacuation from Dongjiang.

The introduction to Zong Da was just a few words: "Zong Da (1898-1946) was a modern Chinese writer, translator, and scholar. During the Anti-Japanese War, he served as a key leader of the Dongjiang Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. He advocated right-wing capitulationism and Trotskyist views. In 1938, he was secretly arrested and imprisoned by the Kuomintang's Military Intelligence agents, whereupon he defected. He died of illness in Hong Kong in 1946."

The second floor housed the offices and bedrooms of several leaders from the Dongjiang Bureau. Zong Da's bedroom-cum-office was slightly larger than those of other leaders. It consisted of a two-bedroom apartment, with the inner room serving as Zong Da and his family's bedroom and the outer room as his workspace and reception area. The house's interior was sparsely furnished, with nothing but a low-legged office desk painted in red, a set of wooden sofas, and a few rattan chairs. Above the desk, there was a group photo embedded in a large glass frame, with the names and identities of the individuals in the photo labeled below the frame in order:

Third from the left: Zong Da, the then principal leader of the Dongjiang Bureau of the CPC Central Committee;

Fourth from the left: Anna Louise, Zonda's wife and secretary;

First from the left: Song Qiankun, who was serving as the security staff officer of the Dongjiang Bureau of the CPC Central Committee

……

Due to the age of the photo or the fact that it was a reproduction, the faces of the people in the photo were very blurry, and only their facial features could be vaguely recognized. Wang Sheng carefully examined Zong Da and Anna in the center of the photo. Zong Da was wearing a suit and glasses, with a thin face and elegant demeanor, resembling a refined scholar. Anna, sitting next to her, had curly hair and sparkling eyes, reminding Wang Sheng of the portrait of the German female revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg he had once seen. This photo looked very familiar. Wang Sheng felt that he had seen it somewhere before. He pondered for a while and suddenly remembered that many years ago, in Pi Town, he and Badong had once gone to visit Zong Tianyi's family. It was the first time they had been to Zong Tianyi's house, and by then, they had already become good friends. They spent the entire afternoon playing at Zong Tianyi's house that day. In search of a book, Zong Tianyi opened a rattan wooden box under his mother's bed in her bedroom. Although he didn't find the book, he stumbled upon a photo album. Wang Sheng opened the album curiously and started browsing through it, but before he could finish, he heard Zong Tianyi shout, "Quick, let's go, my Mum is coming!" and snatched the album away and put it back in the box. Wang Sheng had long heard that Zong Tianyi's mother was crazy, so he was scared and quickly followed Zong Tianyi out of his mother's bedroom.

Wang Sheng was sure that the photo he saw on the wall of Zong Da's office in the memorial hall was the same one he had seen in the album of Zong Tianyi's family. The two photos were identical. Moreover, he was surprised that Zong Tianyi looked similar to Zong Da in the photo. And that foreign woman named Anna…

Wang Sheng recalled the family history he had heard from Zong Tianyi in Chuzhou City, and his heart skipped a beat: Could it be that this renowned figure in modern Chinese history is the grandfather of Zong Tianyi and Gu Zheng?

This unexpected discovery stunned Wang Sheng and fueled his curiosity even more.

3. Talk in the Abandoned Garden (2)

"Whether it's 'I annotate the six classics' or 'the six classics annotate me, ' a rigorous academic paper should ensure that every statement is well-founded, with ample evidence to support each argument. One should not be satisfied with ready-made conclusions when dealing with historical events or figures. Instead, one should present their own arguments based on thoroughly examining diverse materials and carefully considering various viewpoints...."

Professor Lang Yongliang sat in his rattan chair and spoke in a rather serious tone. Wang Sheng rarely saw his teacher so serious, and he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. He quickly took out his notebook from his bag to take notes, not daring to breathe too loudly.

"Based on the current outline, you have not done well in these two aspects. Firstly, Zong Da was not merely a writer or scholar. He was also a revolutionary who once held important leadership positions within the Communist Party of China. These two roles often conflicted with each other. Whenever politics and academia contradicted, Zong Da would inevitably give up politics and stick to academia, reflecting an intellectual's professional duty and integrity. Secondly, most of the historical materials you quoted are from the left-wing camp, with very few from the right-wing camp. These historical materials all adhere to the same conclusion: ' Zong Da is a traitor. ' In other words, Zong Da's literary activities in the 1920s and 1930s should be responsible for his later political defection. The problem is that Zong Da's 'betrayal and collaboration' during the Anti-Japanese War remains a mystery. However, even with irrefutable evidence, it cannot be inferred that everything Zong Da did during his leadership of the Shanghai Leftist League in the 1930s was wrong or even reactionary..."

"Teacher, do you mean that Zong Da didn't necessarily 'betray'?" Lang Yongliang's words took aback Wang Sheng.

Lang Yongliang did not directly answer Wang Sheng's question. He took a sip of tea and continued, "In the early 1950s, I wrote a paper on Zong Da. When I reviewed many historical materials before liberation, I found that the so-called treason and collaboration of Zong Da all came from the Kuomintang Military Intelligence and Central Intelligence Bureau. When the Communist Party and Yan’an media reported on this matter, they also quoted newspapers from the Nationalist-controlled areas. During the eight years from his arrest to his death, Zong Da himself did not publish any other statements except for the 'My Confession' he publicly released after his arrest. As a scholar engaged in progressive literary and artistic activities since the 1920s, this is unbelievable..."

"Where did you publish that article?"

Lang Yongliang smiled bitterly and said, "I was labeled a rightist even before it was published."

"Just because of that unpublished paper?" Wang Sheng was astonished. "What viewpoint did you put forward, exactly?"

Lang Yongliang recalled, "That paper mainly discussed the issue of human belief and freedom, using Zong Da's My Confession as an example. The basic viewpoint was that belief is not equal to religion, and establishing belief is a tortuous and difficult process. In this process, belief is not constant once and for all; it changes with practice and changes in people's understanding. Therefore, if a person abandons or denies his previous beliefs in the later period, it cannot be regarded as a betrayal of the self or belief, but a problem bound to be encountered in pursuing truth... When this paper was just submitted to the journal's editorial department, it coincided with the Anti-Rightist Campaign. It was regarded as a 'poisonous weed' that promoted bourgeois idealism and violated Marxism, and it was subjected to fierce criticism..."

"Teacher, I really want to read this article," said Wang Sheng, unable to contain his curiosity. "Do you still have... the original manuscript?"

"I originally made two copies, but they were confiscated during the Cultural Revolution, and I haven't found them since," Lang Yongliang sighed regretfully.

Lang Yongliang's words completely disrupted Wang Sheng's initially clear train of thought, turning it into a tangled mess that couldn't be sorted out. However, can academia and politics be separated? ... He thought aimlessly, feeling that all his efforts during this period had been in vain, and he couldn't help but feel a bit depressed.

Lang Yongliang sensed Wang Sheng's mood and, to ease the overly serious atmosphere changed his tone and said, "Of course, this cannot be entirely blamed on you. As long as we don't rid ourselves of that omnipresent political thinking logic, it will be impossible for us to objectively and fairly evaluate Zong Da's life. This is also why I initially disagreed with you writing about Zong Da. In Chinese history, especially since modern times, literature, art, and academia have always been entangled with politics, and examples of mutual harm are not uncommon. The spiritual and imaginative spaces of ancient intellectuals were much freer and looser. In the modern political environment, producing such unrestrained and uninhibited literati as Laozi, Zhuangzi, Li Bai, and Su Shi would be impossible. This is also why, after the end of the Cultural Revolution, I gradually shifted my academic interests from modern literature to ancient literature and culture..."

At this point, Lang Yongliang stood up from the rattan chair, took out a book from the bookcase next to the desk, and handed it to Wang Sheng, "This is a book I just published, which was compiled based on the handouts for the writers' class."

Wang Sheng took the book with both hands, and the smell of new book ink hit his face. On the cover were a few prominent handwritten characters, New Interpretation of Laozi and Zhuangzi. He opened the catalog and saw the title of one of the chapters was "Laozi 's "Nothing" and "Something," so he read on with great interest:

"In the thoughts of Laozi and Zhuangzi, 'non-action' is an important concept. 'Non-being' is a remarkable idea. In a sense, 'non-being' is more important than 'being'. Western political science also holds a similar view. It believes that a government's primary responsibility is not to dictate what people should do. Its most essential and indispensable duty is to define what people should not do: for example, you should not steal, you should not kill, you should not set fire, you should not disrupt public order, you should not cause physical harm to others, and you should not infringe upon others' property or public property. Besides, 'non-action' mainly refers to governance, to the monarch and the ministers. Of course, it does not refer to workers, farmers, or ordinary people. If workers do not work, farmers do not plant, and ordinary people do not marry or take wives, how can it work? So Zhuangzi made it clear that 'non-action' is at the top and 'action' is at the bottom. Of course, you can also interpret it from the opposite perspective. It does not discuss issues from the perspective of diligent governance, nor does it discuss issues from the perspective of giving off a bit of heat and light. So Zhuangzi is not Lu Xun, and Laozi is not one of the most accomplished politicians. But their 'non-action' is indeed aimed at the 'disorderly action' during the Spring and Autumn period, which oppressed, tormented, and exploited the people..."

Wang Sheng had long known that his mentor had given a class on Laozi and Zhuangzi to the writers' class. According to classmates who had attended, the class was very interesting. However, he had never had the opportunity to participate in it. Now that he had seen this book, it was indeed interesting. Even though he had only read one passage, it was as insightful and engaging as if he had personally listened to his mentor's lecture, which was both profound and accessible. He said, "Teacher, could you give me a copy of this book?"

"Of course, I'll give it to you. I've already prepared it for you," said Lang Yongliang, turning around and taking out a stack of equally brand-new books from under the bookcase, pulling out one of them. Wang Sheng eagerly took it over and saw a line written on the title page: "To Student Wang Sheng, please correct any errors." Below is the signature of the mentor.

When Wang Sheng was studying at Chuzhou Teachers' College, he received a gift of a textbook on literary history of colleges and universities edited by Lang Yongliang. It was the first time he had received a personal monograph from his mentor. Overwhelmed with joy, he repeatedly said, "Thank you, teacher! I will study hard when I go back!"

Lang Yongliang said thoughtfully: "Well, not only do people who engage in modern and contemporary literature need to learn more about ancient Chinese thought and culture, but people who study foreign literature and philosophy should also learn! Modern people are not as good as ancient people in many aspects. Compared with the great wisdom of Laozi and Zhuangzi, who are neither noble nor humble, neither honorable nor humiliated, and who do what they want and enjoy themselves, the pattern and realm of Lu Xun and Hu Shi seem narrow in comparison... I have not only said this to you but also to Lang Tao. Heidegger, whom he studied, is regarded by the Chinese philosophical community as a Western existentialist. Master Yi, the abstruse concepts of "self," "id," and "superego" sound unfathomable. Still, they are actually also found in the thoughts of Laozi and Zhuangzi, such as "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao," "One begets two, two begets three, and three begets all things," which are much more thorough than his ideas. In Laozi and Zhuangzi, philosophy has achieved the true oblivion of self and things and the unity of body and soul. But Heidegger, who always talked about "poetic dwelling," ended up relying on the Nazi rule and became an accomplice of fascism. I have debated with Lang Tao about these many times...."

Speaking of which, both Lang Yongliang and Lang Tao are teachers of Wang Sheng. Last semester, he even took a course taught by Lang Tao. However, Lang Yongliang rarely talked about Lang Tao in front of him, and what puzzled Wang Sheng was that although he had visited Lang Yongliang's house many times, he had never met Lang Tao. When his mentor suddenly mentioned Lang Tao, he felt slightly surprised and couldn't help but recall the note he had handed out during the last lecture on Heidegger given by Lang Tao on the New Fourth Building. He felt that his mentor's views coincided with his own. He pondered on sharing his thoughts with his mentor, such as the relationship between Heidegger and his teacher Husserl and his abandonment of Arendt... What would his mentor think? He saw an enlarged photo hanging on the opposite wall, a family portrait of his mentor, his wife, and Lang Tao. Lang Tao stood between his parents in the photo, wearing a bright smile. Judging from the back of the Dongjiang University gate, it was taken shortly after his mentor transferred to Dongjiang University.

Wang Sheng's gaze lingered on that photo for a moment, and the words he had initially wanted to say to his mentor were swallowed back. Instead, he uttered, "Lang Tao... Doesn't he live at home?"

"Oh, he lives in the school's single dormitory and rarely returns." Lang Yongliang also looked at the family portrait on the wall and said sarcastically, "The forgotten exist... He's full of these concepts, and your Master Mother and I are almost 'forgotten' by him!"

Wang Sheng sensed a hint of reproach in his mentor's words, yet his face betrayed a look of paternal affection akin to that of a father towards his son. He had once seen such an expression on his own father's face.

It was almost noon when Wang Sheng heard the sound of chopping vegetables on a cutting board. A fragrance of stir-fried dishes wafted from the kitchen, indicating that his mentor's wife had started preparing lunch. In the past, if it was mealtime, Wang Sheng might have stayed at his mentor's house to eat. But this morning, after a long conversation with Lang Yongliang, his mind was filled with his mentor's words, akin to overeating that was hard to digest. His heart felt blocked, and his thoughts were in disarray. He wanted to find a place to be alone for a while, so he got up and excused himself.

"Don't forget to take the outline," Lang Yongliang reminded, "Think more, read more materials and don't rush to start writing..."

Wang Sheng nodded and bowed respectfully to his mentor before exiting the study and walking into the courtyard. At that moment, Xiao Li was squatting on the ground, picking chives. Upon seeing Wang Sheng leave, she nodded politely and smiled slightly, revealing two shallow dimples. Wang Sheng felt that although Xiao Li's appearance was ordinary, her smile was very gentle and serene. From the intimate look Xiao Li had when she was with his mentor's wife, it was evident that her relationship with the teacher's family was definitely unique. It could either be a relative or... Wang Sheng speculated in his mind as he unknowingly walked out of the abandoned garden.

4. Photographer

It was less than two kilometers from the abandoned garden to Maple Garden, but it felt like Wang Sheng had walked for a long time. Along the way, his thoughts drifted and wavered, and Lang Yongliang's exhortation echoed in his ears: "Think more, read more materials and don't rush to write..." Although it was still in an encouraging tone, the fleeting expression of disappointment on his mentor's face was still captured by the sensitive Wang Sheng and his heart was overshadowed by a haze

From Chuzhou Teachers' College to Dongjiang University, Wang Sheng's every step of growth was inseparable from the guidance and earnest teachings of his mentor, Lang Yongliang. Whenever he encountered any difficulties in his studies, the first person he thought of was to seek advice from his mentor. Every word and smile of his mentor had a pivotal influence on him. In Wang Sheng's mind, if his father represented the past, then his mentor represented the future, representing the era he was currently navigating. In his eyes, his mentor's experiences, academic achievements, and accomplishments were tinged with a sense of solemnity and brilliance, making him admire him immensely and secretly regard him as his role model. However, despite his constant efforts to keep up with his mentor's pace and integrate into this fascinating era, he still felt powerless, like a child learning to walk with stumbles and falls. As a country boy who grew up reading comic books, black and white lines and color blocks constituted the entire color palette of Wang Sheng's youth. Therefore, when he suddenly found himself in a colorful and bizarre world, he felt very uncomfortable, like a color-blind person. All people and things seemed so strange and exaggerated in his eyes. He once thought that knowledge and academic qualifications could change him from the inside out. Still, this process was so long and challenging, no less than the process of a silkworm turning from a chrysalis into a butterfly. However, he had been working hard and had performed outstandingly, at least in the eyes of his tutor. But now, he had been vaguely shaken in this confidence. Was the tutor really disappointed in me? He couldn't help asking himself, just like a child's first reaction when encountering trouble outside is to go home and ask his parents. But he quickly dismissed the idea. Wasn't a person's self-confidence based on self-cognition but on the attitude of others, even if this person was his mentor? The answer was, of course, no. From Chuzhou Teachers College to Dongjiang University, my mentor has always admired me very much. Otherwise, he would not have taken the initiative to suggest I take the exam for his graduate student. As he thought about it, the loss and frustration in his heart gradually disappeared...

For Wang Sheng, this was ultimately just a "growing pain." Therefore, when he returned to Maple Garden, his mood had become as bright as the sunny weather.

It was lunchtime, and Wang Sheng had just finished eating at the Maple Garden cafeteria. He returned to his dormitory amidst the bustling crowds and noticed a note lying on the ground. Picking it up, he read the scrawled handwriting on it:

Zong Tianyi is coming. We'll invite his sister, Gu Zheng, to have dinner with us tonight. The location is Room 666, "Jiangshang Renjia" on Jiangxin Island.

The note had no opening or closing, but Wang Sheng knew Du Wei had written it at first sight of the sloppy handwriting. There was also a brand-new magazine on the ground, the latest issue of Langtaosha, which Du Wei had slipped through the door crack.

Wang Sheng picked up the magazine and looked through it. This issue was "Du Wei's Photo Album"; the cover, second cover, third cover, and back cover were all Du Wei's photographs. At the end of the album, Wang Sheng wrote an article, Hardships and Difficulties Make You Successful - A Record of Young Photographer Du Wei. For this article, Du Wei came to Maple Garden to see him almost every day a few days ago, said a lot of good things, and even brought up Zong Tianyi to provoke him: "To help me hold a film exhibition and publish this album, Zong Tianyi sponsored 2,000 yuan! This article belongs to you, who wants us to be friends! Besides, I won't let you write for nothing; I will pay you a fee of 20 yuan for 1,000 words, "Dongjiang Daily" is not even at this standard; I published a photograph in their supplement, and the fee was only 10 yuan..." When Du Wei said this, he had a rich and arrogant tone, and Wang Sheng was a little amused and thought to himself, when did I make such a friend?

In Wang Sheng’s mind, Du Wei and he were completely different types of people. Du Wei possessed a thick, roguish air. Sometimes, you felt he was warm-hearted, chivalrous, and willing to go through fire and water for a friend. Other times, you felt his words and actions were too exaggerated, with a lot of fabrication, making it hard to know which statements were factual and which were false. Especially those hawk-like eyes, with an unspoken fierceness, often silently staring at you from afar, and when you turned to meet his gaze, he’d quickly look away. Since their first acquaintance, Wang Sheng had never been sure he truly understood Du Wei, just like his understanding of Zong Tianyi. At first glance, Du Wei and Zong Tianyi had much in common. Both had lost their father or mother at a young age, had struggled in the lower rungs of society, and carved out their own careers. On this point alone, Wang Sheng admired them from the bottom of his heart. Of course, they also shared a common shortcoming: their low level of education. Wang Sheng thought this way and felt relieved, disregarding Du Wei’s habits and actions he disapproved of...

The Maple Garden graduate dormitory housed two people per room. Wang Sheng’s roommate was a law student named Lu Wei, who was from the city. He went home every weekend, so every Saturday and Sunday, Wang Sheng had the room all to himself. Du Wei rented a place off-campus but ate in the Maple Garden graduate dining hall. Wang Cheng bought meal and bath tickets for him, and they often ran into each other at the dining hall. Sometimes, if Wang Sheng were late due to class or school activities, Du Wei would come to Wang Sheng’s dorm to rest for a while. If it happened to be the weekend and Lu Wei wasn't there, he would be too lazy to return to his off-campus apartment and stay overnight on Lu Wei's bed. No matter how Wang Sheng tried to persuade him against it, it was no use. Lu Wei was a neat person who would make his bed every morning and keep everything tidy. But Du Wei was a messy person, and on top of that, he was a smoker. Every time he slept on Lu Wei’s bed; he’d leave behind a strong odor of smoke. When Lu Wei returned to the dorm, he smelled it, immediately lowered his face, and asked if someone had been sleeping on his bed. Wang Sheng had never learned to lie, so he had to admit to the truth. Lu Wei knew Du Wei because he often came to the dorm, and Du Wei had even taken a picture of him, but he would still angrily question Wang Sheng: “Old Du is your friend, not mine. Why do you let him sleep on my bed?” Wang Sheng was speechless. Although he wasn't the one who allowed Du Wei to sleep on Lu Wei's bed, Du Wei was, after all, his friend, and he had to take responsibility. So, he apologized repeatedly to Lu Wei, and in the end, he took Lu Wei’s sheets and bedding to wash them.

Wang Sheng had the habit of taking an afternoon nap. At the moment, he was lying in bed, holding a new copy of the magazine Longtaosha. Lu Wei’s bed was empty across from him, and an image of Du Wei lying on his bed, smoking with his legs crossed, popped up in his mind. No matter how, Du Wei was an extraordinary person. In less than a year since enrolling in the Photography Department of Dajiang University, he had created quite a stir both on and off campus. He not only got to know celebrities like Lang Tao and Song Xiaofan, but he also successfully held his solo exhibition, with a special feature about him published in the Dajiang Daily newspaper. In the provincial photography scene, he had become a young photographer who attracted much attention. In such a short amount of time, he had mobilized so many resources and connections, and the whole process felt like a wonderful acrobatic performance, leaving people stunned and in awe...

With these scattered thoughts, Wang Sheng unknowingly fell asleep. He had a dream. He dreamt that he, Zong Tianyi, and Du Wei were strolling on the city walls of Chuzhou. There were a lot of tourists on the wall. Du Wei held his camera, running through the crowd, taking pictures everywhere. The flash of the magnesium lights kept flashing, making people’s eyes hurt. Suddenly, Du Wei disappeared. Wang Sheng and Zong Tianyi desperately searched everywhere, from the north tower to the south tower, but still couldn’t find Du Wei. Just when they were about to give up, someone suddenly shouted behind them: “Hands up! Lay down your arms and be spared!” Wang Sheng turned around and saw a dark muzzle of a gun pointing straight at him and Zong Tianyi. The one holding the gun was none other than Du Wei. Wang Sheng and Zong Tianyi were dumbstruck. Just then, Gu Zheng suddenly appeared, grabbing Du Wei’s gun-holding hand, and crying out: "Du Wei, are you out of your mind? This is Wang Sheng and my brother-- your friends!” Du Wei glared with those hawk-like eyes and gave a cold laugh: “That’s right, they’re the ones I want to kill...” Then he was about to pull the trigger. But the gun didn’t fire. Only then did Wang Sheng realize that it wasn't a gun that was pointed at them, but the wide-angle lens of a camera…

5. Jiangxin Island

Wang Sheng had originally planned to go to the library in the afternoon to look up research papers, but Zong Tianyi's arrival changed his plans. After waking up from his nap, he spent the entire afternoon reading in his dormitory. It wasn't until it was almost dark that he left the graduate dormitory and headed out of campus.

Dongjiang University had four gates: East, South, West, and North. The East Gate was the main gate. The other gates were side entrances. The Maple Garden gate was the West Gate, which didn't allow any traffic except pedestrians. Outside the West Gate was a small fishing village by the river called Scenic Village. Half of the villagers were fishermen, and the other half were merchants who owned restaurants, small inns, and tour boats. It was all kinds of businesses. Within a few years, Scenic Village had grown into a lively and prosperous place. Many villagers had made a fortune, tearing down their low houses and building beautiful, multi-story buildings.

Du Wei's rented apartment was in Scenic Village. Wang Sheng had been there once. It was on the top floor of a recently built three-story building. The view was very wide, and from the window, the river scenery looked like a painting.

Jiangxin Isle was a small island in the middle of the Dongjiang River. It had previously belonged to a radar station under the Provincial Military District. The entrance to the island was guarded by sentries wearing steel helmets, fully armed, who were regarded as mysterious by the locals. Later, the radar station was moved away, and Jiangxin Isle became a deserted island. A few years ago, a villager from Scenic Village leased the island and established tourism and catering businesses. The "Jiangshang Renjia" restaurant was the main attraction on the island. Within half a year of opening, the restaurant became very popular. In addition to the local residents, it also attracted many students and teachers from Dongjiang University. Every weekend, customers flocked to the island, making business particularly brisk

From the riverside to Jiangxin Island, there was a hundred-meter-long plank road. The railings on both sides of the road were adorned with colorful triangular flags. The flags flutter when the river breeze blew, creating a joyful and festive atmosphere. Although it was not yet dark, the island was already ablaze with lights. From afar, you can see the golden characters "Jiangshang Renjia" (People on the River) twinkling in the hazy sky.

When Wang Sheng walked into Box 666, Du Wei, Zong Tianyi, and Gu Zheng had already arrived. Du Wei was busy ordering dishes as if he were the host, not Zong Tianyi.

As Wang Sheng entered the private room, Zong Tianyi, who was sipping tea, stood up to greet him.

Wang Sheng and Zong Tianyi hadn't seen each other for a long time. Compared with a few years ago, Zong Tianyi seemed to have gained some weight, and his rectangular face had become an oval one, looking much more stable and mature than before. Of course, the most significant change in Zong Tianyi was his appearance. He wore two golden rings on each hand, and a mobile phone as thick as a brick was always in his hand. He looked exactly like those wealthy people in the movies.

Zong Tianyi extended his arms exaggeratedly and hugged Wang Sheng. Wang Sheng was not used to this kind of etiquette standard among adult friends. His face turned slightly red. Perhaps it was because the light in the box was dim; Zong Tianyi did not notice it. He patted him on the shoulder heavily, looked him up and down, and said in an intimate tone: "Wang Cheng, you still look like a scholar! I haven't heard from you for so long. Did you become a graduate student at a prestigious university and forget about me?"

"Who's forgotten who? Your sister is studying at Dongjiang University, and you haven't come to see her for so long..." Wang Sheng explained earnestly, turning his face to Gu Zheng beside him as if asking her to verify his words: "Don't you think so?"

Gu Zheng just looked back and forth between Wang Sheng and Zong Tianyi, saying nothing. She remained as taciturn as before.

Zong Tianyi glanced at his sister, seemingly somewhat embarrassed, and said, "What Wang Cheng said is true. I've been too busy with my business these past two years..."

"I know your business has grown big. Otherwise, you wouldn't have sponsored Du Wei with such a large sum of money," said Wang Sheng.

"It's hard to say whether our business has expanded, but if my brothers are in trouble, I won't hesitate to help!" Zong Tianyi spoke with a sense of righteousness and gallantry. "If you need any support in the future, I will also contribute my money and effort, and it won't be less than what I give to Du Wei..."

But Wang Sheng didn't pick up on his remark. Looking at those blue eyes, he recalled the photo he saw in the Dongjiang Bureau Memorial Hall and thought, Zong Tianyi and Zong Da look too alike.

There were two unfamiliar young men and women in the private room besides Zong Tianyi and Gu Zheng. One was handsome, the other beautiful, and they were dressed fashionably. At first, Wang Sheng thought they were a couple, but upon closer inspection, he realized that the young man was actually Ba Dong. Their eyes met briefly, and Wang Sheng wanted to say hello, but Ba Dong turned his face away as if he didn't recognize him. Recalling the complicated and ambiguous relationship between their fathers, Wang Sheng felt a bit uneasy and turned his gaze away as well

"Wang Sheng, it's been a long time since you last saw Badong, right?" Zong Tianyi noticed the subtle expressions on both their faces and asked deliberately, "Badong also got admitted to university and is studying at Dongjiang Economic Management College!"

Wang Sheng let out an "Oh" and then turned his gaze back to Badong. After Badong heard Zong Tianyi introduce himself to Wang Sheng, he felt too embarrassed to ignore or snub him, so he nodded at Wang Sheng. Wang Sheng nodded back and casually said, "Oh, that's great! Congratulations!"

"What's there to congratulate? It's just a mediocre university. How can it compare to Dongjiang University?" Badong curled his lips and lowered his eyelids, wearing an expression that was hard to pinpoint as self-deprecation or inferiority.

Dongjiang Economic Management College was a private vocational college established just two years ago. Most of its students failed to meet the unified admission line during the college entrance examination. Not only do they have to pay tuition fees, but they also receive diplomas from adult education. Therefore, it was nicknamed "Pheasant University." Thinking of having spent so many years repeating his studies in Badong, only to end up in such an irregular college, Wang Sheng couldn't help but feel a bit sympathetic towards his childhood friend. He said, "It's not important which school you attend, but the major. Economic management is a popular major nowadays. The job you find after graduation may not be much worse than that at Dongjiang University..."

"Wang Sheng, you don't have to comfort me like this," Badong said, rolling his eyes at Wang Sheng. "I know you look down on me. I'm not as good at reading as you, but I don't need your sympathy!"

Wang Sheng's face turned slightly red. "Badong, how can you say that? When did I ever look down on you?"

Seeing that they were about to quarrel, Zong Tianyi once again played the role of a mediator, as he used to: "Come on, you're a graduate student and a college student. How can you still quarrel like you did when you were kids?"

At that moment, Du Wei returned to the private room after ordering. "You finally came. I was worried you might not see the note I left!" he said to Wang Sheng. "I don't need to introduce Badong. Let me introduce Miss Mengfei to you. She's a student at Dongjiang Art School and will soon become an actress in the Chuzhou Song and Dance Troupe. Later, we'll invite her to sing a song..."

The beautiful girl named Mengfei was whispering to Zong Tianyi. When she heard Du Wei introduce herself, she raised her head, pursed her lips, and smiled, revealing two shallow dimples.

Du Wei clapped his hands, cleared his throat, and said in a host's tone, "Tonight is my treat, and Tianyi will pay the bill! First of all, I must solemnly point out that the successful holding of my film festival is entirely due to Tianyi's strong support! Therefore, before the dinner officially begins, please allow me to express my sincerest gratitude and highest respect to our famous young entrepreneur of Chuzhou and, of course, my iron brother, Mr. Zong Tianyi!"

"Alright, alright, there are no outsiders here. Don't act like you're performing a play!" Zong Tianyi laughed and said, "Besides, the food and drinks haven't arrived yet. What are you going to offer me in gratitude and respect?"

Du Wei also laughed self-deprecatingly, put down his glass, and suggested, "Since we finally got together, why not take a group photo first?"

"Hehe, that's a given," Zong Tianyi said, "How can I not take pictures when dining with you, a photographer!"

So, Du Wei took out his camera from the camera bag, and he never left his side. He asked everyone to take photos like a director. This was Du Wei's old profession, so he was naturally handy at it. He first pushed Zong Tianyi to the center position and had everyone line up in turn. The box was spacious enough to accommodate seven or eight people without feeling crowded. Du Wei shuffled a few people around, like arranging seats on the podium at a meeting. At first, Du Wei placed himself and Wang Sheng on either side of Zong Tianyi. Later, he felt it was inappropriate and pulled Gu Zheng, initially sitting on the far side, to the left of her brother. Meng Fei, originally sitting with Ba Dong, was also picked up by him and arranged to sit on the right side of Zong Tianyi.

Wang Sheng sat closely next to Gu Zheng, noticing that she was frowning and her face devoid of any smile, seemingly dissatisfied with Du Wei's arrangement. She even deliberately distanced herself from her brother Zong Tianyi, leaning closer towards Wang Sheng. Meanwhile, Meng Fei sat on the other side of Zong Tianyi, with one hand gently draped around his arm, appearing very intimate.

Du Wei arranged the seating order, retreated to the door of the box, picked up the camera and took a photo first, then called a waitress over, handed the camera to her, and quickly took a seat next to Wang Sheng in the space reserved for him. The waitress, obviously taking photos for the first time, had a slightly trembling hand. She took several pictures in a row, but none satisfied Du Wei. He had to go through several rounds of adjustments.

After the group photo, the dishes were served. A large round table was packed with farm-style dishes. The main dish was "Boiled Silver Carp," the most famous dish of "Jiangshang Renjia." A large carp weighing three or four pounds was placed in a rectangular aluminum tray with red and green chopped scallions and chili peppers. The tempting aroma of the fish filled the entire private room, making people drool even before they started eating.

Wang Sheng's opportunities to dine out were few and far between, especially after he enrolled as a graduate student at Dongjiang University. In his memory, a dinner gathering of this scale could only be compared to the one held at Juzhen Garden in Chuzhou a few years ago. Zong Tianyi also hosted it, but this time, there were two additional guests, Ba Dong and Meng Fei. Time has changed, and it's indeed not easy for these childhood friends to gather together. Thinking about this, Wang Sheng felt a bit dazed. He, who rarely drinks, had unwittingly become slightly intoxicated.

At this moment, the large round dining table was littered with empty beer bottles, and the large silver carp in the rectangular tray had been eaten down to a skeleton. The compartment was getting a bit stuffy. Du Wei, with his shirt unbuttoned, yelled at the top of his lungs, "Waiter, it's so hot; why don't you turn on the air conditioning?"

"Fill me up!" Zong Tianyi also drank quite a bit, and his speech was slightly slurred. Meng Fei, sitting next to him, whispered, "You've already had five bottles!"

"Cut the chatter; I have to drink this!" Zong Tianyi impatiently grabbed a bottle of beer from the table, filled his glass first, and then poured for Du Wei and Wang Sheng. Next, he raised his full glass and said to them, "To this drink, I toast to you both!"

Du Wei quickly raised his glass and said, "Don't make us feel guilty; let's toast to you instead!"

"Lao Wei, listen to me first," Zong Tianyi said, "My sister is studying at Dongjiang University. I've been busy with my business and haven't had time to visit her. Today, I should toast to you and Wang Sheng. Thank you for taking care of her..." Saying this, he gestured to Gu Zheng, "Little sister, have a drink with them!"

But Gu Zheng had no intention of raising her glass. In fact, she never drank alcohol and rarely spoke during the banquet, exuding an indifferent demeanor like an outsider.

"Little Sister, I came here especially to see you this time..." Zong Tianyi added.

But Gu Zheng acted as if she hadn't heard, glancing at Meng Fei sitting next to Zong Tianyi and saying, "Brother, you should tell this to Miss Meng Fei!" With that, she suddenly stood up and walked out.

Zong Tianyi was taken aback for a moment. "Little Sister, where are you going?"

"I have something to do. I'm going back to school," Gu Zheng said, leaving without looking back.

Zong Tianyi felt a bit embarrassed and loosened his tie as if trying to conceal something. Then he digressed from the subject, saying, "It's so hot in the box. Is the air conditioning on...”?

Including Meng Fei, the other few people exchanged glances. Wang Sheng felt that compared to the lively atmosphere just now, the box had noticeably cooled down.

As if to break the awkward atmosphere, Du Wei suggested, "Mengfei, why don't you sing a song for us?"

After being choked by Gu Zheng, Meng Fei's face turned red and white alternately, and she was somewhat at a loss. Upon hearing Du Wei's proposal, she turned her gaze to Zong Tianyi and sought his opinion. However, Zong Tianyi was angry about Gu Zheng's pouting departure and didn't notice Meng Fei's gaze. Meng Fei hesitated momentarily, forced a smile, and said, "Then I'll sing 'Childhood'..." Then she stood up, clasped her hands in front of her chest, held her breath, and sang:

On the banyan tree by the pond

Cicadas are chirping, signaling the arrival of summer

On the swing by the playground

Only butterflies rest on it

The teacher's chalk on the blackboard

Still chirping and clamoring away

Meng Fei's voice was crisp, delicate, and melodious, with a hint of childlike innocence. It perfectly conveyed the nostalgic sentiment of youth embodied in this Taiwanese campus song currently popular on the mainland.

"As expected of a student from the provincial art school, you sang really well!" Du Wei was the first to applaud and cheer as Meng Fei finished singing.

Wang Sheng and Ba Dong also applauded. However, Zong Tianyi seemed to have not yet recovered from his previous emotions and sat in a gloomy mood. Du Wei picked up the beer bottle and poured beer into his and Meng Fei's cups, saying, "I toast to you both!" Then, he raised his glass and winked at Wang Sheng and Ba Dong, "Wang Sheng and Ba Dong, you two should also join me in toasting to Tianyi and Meng Fei!"

Wang Sheng read Du Wei's intentions from his gaze. It seemed that the relationship between Zong Tianyi and Meng Fei was indeed extraordinary. Remembering that Zong Tianyi had a wife and child, he immediately understood why Gu Zheng left in a huff.

Several people took turns toasting again, and Wang Sheng, who rarely drank, started to feel a bit dizzy. Zong Tianyi's mood improved a bit, and he, in turn, toasted everyone. He was visibly drunk, putting his arm tightly around Meng Fei and asking Du Wei loudly, "Old Wei, tell me the truth today. Is it reliable for Feifei to join the dance troupe?"

Du Wei said, "Don't worry about it. I've already spoken to the old man, and he promised to speak to Secretary Zhang of the singing and dancing troupe. No problem!"

Wang Sheng heard everything clearly from the side. "Feifei" was naturally Meng Fei, but who was "the old man"? As he was wondering, Du Wei told him again, "Brother, I showed your article to the old man, and he praised your writing skills!"

Wang Sheng could tell that Du Wei was ostentatiously showing off himself while praising him on the surface, so he asked curiously, "Old man... who is he?"

"Oh, it's the former governor Song Qiankun, the father of Song Xiaofan," Du Wei said, patting Wang Sheng on the shoulder. "By the way, didn't you publish an article reviewing Song Xiaofan's novel in Langtaosha?”

Hearing the name "Song Qiankun" coming out of Du Wei's mouth, Wang Sheng was somewhat taken aback and didn't speak for a moment. Du Wei always liked to exaggerate and brag when he talked and acted, but when he spoke with Zong Tianyi, he sounded so convincing that one couldn't help but believe him

"Do you suspect I'm lying?" Du Wei saw Wang Sheng's suspicion and patted his chest, and said, "I'm going to the old man's house next week. If you don't believe me, come with me?"

Du Wei was very serious and did not seem to be joking at all. Wang Sheng recalled the photo of Song Qiankun and Zong Da that he had seen in the memorial hall of the former site of the Dongjiang Bureau. An idea suddenly popped into his mind: Song Qiankun had once been Zong Da's security staff officer, so perhaps he might possess some information that the library did not have. With this thought in mind, he blurted out, "I'm writing my graduation thesis, and I'm thinking of visiting Song... Qiankun..."

"No problem," Du Wei readily agreed, "I was just looking for a companion!"

Wang Sheng looked at Du Wei with mixed feelings and then glanced at Zong Tianyi as if asking whether Du Wei's words were credible. However, Zong Tianyi was absent-mindedly playing with the empty wine glass in his hand. Wang Sheng once again felt that Zong Tianyi not only looked like Zong Da but also resembled Anna, especially those eyes

6. Unexpected Visit

A week later, Wang Sheng got up at six in the morning as usual, washed up, read English for half an hour, and then went to the cafeteria to buy breakfast. The breakfast in the graduate cafeteria was better than that of the undergraduates, with steamed buns, steamed bread, porridge, noodles, fried cakes, fried dough sticks, and boiled eggs. Wang Sheng was not very particular about food and clothing. He had steamed buns and bread for breakfast every day, which he finished quickly. These days, to prepare his graduation thesis, he spent most of the week in the library. He returned to the dormitory, put on his backpack, and was about to go to the library. As soon as he went out, he bumped into Du Wei, walking hurriedly towards him.

Wang Sheng stared at him with a surprised expression on his face and asked, "Lao Wei, you're here so early. What's up?"

"What a jerk, Wang Sheng! Didn't we agree to go to the old man's house today?" Du Wei looked even more surprised than Wang Sheng.

"Old... man?" Wang Sheng was momentarily taken aback. He slapped his forehead and recalled the incident during their meal at "Jiangshang Renjia" last week. He initially thought Du Wei was just talking casually, and he had merely echoed the sentiment. He never expected the other party to take it seriously. At that moment, he noticed that Du Wei had shaved and changed from his usual dirty jeans to a new pair of trousers, looking much more polished, as if he were visiting someone. Wang Sheng, who was not particular about his appearance, usually wore a blue student uniform with cuffs that were worn through. "I should change my clothes too," he thought. He turned back to his dormitory and changed into a beige windbreaker. The clothes were very new, having been bought not long ago, and it was the only decent "formal wear" he had. He even wore the red school badge on his chest, which he rarely wore on ordinary days.

Du Wei sized him up from head to toe, cracking a joke, "Wow, you're dressed quite well. You look like a graduate student!"

Hearing Du Wei's praise, Wang Sheng felt somewhat embarrassed and grinned, "What about you? Do you want me to say you resemble a photographer?"

Upon hearing this, Du Wei also bursted out laughing.

They walked out of Maple Garden together and headed towards the west school gate.

Wang Sheng was a hopeless case when it came to navigation. After three years of studying at Chuzhou Teachers' College, he often couldn't distinguish the cardinal directions when exiting the Xinhua Bookstore. He would mistakenly take the East Gate Road for the West Gate Road and the North Gate Road for the South Gate Road. Even after more than a year of graduate studies at Dongjiang University, he remained unfamiliar with the street traffic in Dajiang City. Unlike Wang Sheng, Du Wei was a natural at navigating his surroundings, just like he was at dealing with people. Although he joined Dongjiang University later than Wang Sheng, he had already become well-acquainted with the city's traffic.

Less than 50 meters from the west school gate was the No. 15 bus stop. As it was a weekend, quite a few people were waiting for the bus. Du Wei took out a pack of cigarettes and asked Wang Sheng if he wanted one. Wang Sheng shook his head, so Du Wei lit up one himself.

Seeing Du Wei carrying a grass-green backpack, Wang Sheng asked curiously, "What's all that stuff stuffed inside?"

Du Wei smiled mysteriously and said, "You'll find out in a moment."

"Song... Qiankun, I mean, where does the old man... live?" Wang Sheng was not accustomed to addressing a stranger as an "old man," let alone someone of such high status.

"South Lake. The leaders of the provincial party committee and government all live there..." Du Wei said, sounding as if he himself lived there too,

"Is it far? Which bus should we take?"

Du Wei drew a big circle with the hand holding the cigarette. "Dongjiang University is in the west, and South Lake is in the east. It goes through the whole city. Do you think it's far or not?"

Wang Sheng was slightly puzzled. How did Du Wei get to know Song Qiankun? Listening to him calling him "old man" repeatedly, as if they were family, Wang Sheng found it somewhat ridiculous. Still, he could not help but admire Du Wei's ability to get acquainted with people so easily.

The No. 15 bus crawled slowly towards them. Wang Sheng followed Du Wei and boarded the bus. The No. 15 bus was a double-decker vehicle, and its long body seemed clumsy. Especially during sharp turns, the entire bus leaned severely as if it was about to topple over. Wang Sheng had to grip tightly onto the overhead rail. The bus was crowded, and the cabin was filled with a pungent mixture of gasoline fumes and human odor, reminding him of the black diesel fuel that flowed everywhere on the brick-and-tile factory's molding site.

Wang Sheng was half a head shorter than Du Wei. Standing behind him, he saw the bulging grass-green backpack swaying in front of him, resembling a moving hill. What could be inside? He couldn't help but wonder. Du Wei once told him that this backpack was a gift from a buddy of his who was a squad leader in the army. "It's a genuine field bag, waterproof!" he said, showing off. Du Wei had a fondness for military gear. In Chuzhou, he often wore a military cap or a pair of military leather shoes, looking very imposing. Wang Sheng had heard from Du Wei that his greatest dream was to join the army, but he was rejected several times when he applied to enlist. "It wasn't because of my physical condition; it was because I came from a capitalist family..." Du Wei said this with a gloomy expression. Wang Sheng thought, if I hadn't been admitted to university, perhaps I would have joined the army too. As a child, he was so fascinated by war games

The No. 15 bus, resembling a long snake, swayed unsteadily as it headed eastward. Wang Sheng looked out the window from above the passengers' heads, watching the variously sized buildings pass by in a blur. The sound of car horns and human chatter washed over him like waves. For a fleeting moment, Wang Sheng felt as if he were on the highway from Pi Town to Chuzhou City. While studying at the teacher's college, he had traveled back and forth on that provincial highway countless times, and he was already familiar with the smells on that long-distance bus and the scenery on both sides of the road.

The buildings on both sides became increasingly sparse and low-rise. The bus exited the downtown area and entered the city's edge. Not long after, the bus stopped, and Du Wei pulled Wang Sheng and said, "Here we are!"

The two people got out of the bus, one after the other. On both sides of the road were dense forests filled with verdant greenery that stretched as far as the eye could see, obscuring more than half of the sky. They unfolded and closed like a screen before them, presenting a different scenery with each opening and closing.

After walking for about ten minutes, the two turned into a secluded shaded path beside the South Lake and stopped in front of a gate with iron bars. The gate was tightly closed, and a small door on the right side was half-open. Next to it, a green-roofed sentry box stood with a sentry inside, who was probably not more than twenty years old and still had a childlike innocence on his face. Although he didn't carry a gun, the bright red cap badge, the collar badge on his military uniform, and the armed belt on his waist gave him a majestic and imposing appearance.

Du Wei asked Wang Sheng to take out his student ID and hand it to him. "Wait by the side for a moment," he instructed, then walked towards the sentry box. When he reached the sentry, he whispered something to him. The sentry took the ID from Du Wei, looked at it, and then went to make a phone call. Due to the distance, Wang Sheng couldn't hear what the sentry said. After a moment, the sentry put down the phone, gestured to Du Wei, and Du Wei turned back to Wang Sheng. "Go in!"

Two people walked in through the half-open small door. Before them stood rows of tall sycamore trees, spruces, pines, and other trees they couldn't name. The sunlight filtered through the dense branches, painting bizarre and colorful images on the ground. Occasionally, the sound of birds came from the woods, deepening the tranquility around them and making it feel like they were in a botanical garden.

Wang Sheng and Du Wei walked along the winding path. The road was paved with dark blue asphalt, clean and smooth, with no dust. They saw a road sign marked with numbers and red arrows at every intersection. The direction indicated by the arrow faintly revealed a villa with gray walls and red tiles.

Du Wei led the way, and judging from his familiarity, it was clear this was not his first time here. They came to a crossroad and followed the direction indicated by the road sign, approaching a building that was the same as the villa they had just seen.

"Here we are," said Du Wei, ringing the doorbell. A series of beeps sounded, and the door opened. Before them stood a well-groomed, nanny-like middle-aged woman. She sized up Du Wei and Wang Sheng and said, "Mr. Song is still writing; please wait in the living room downstairs for a while."

"Okay, Aunt Zhao," said Du Wei. He changed into a pair of slippers, and Wang Sheng also found a pair to put on. Only then did the two of them head towards the living room.

The living room was almost half the size of a badminton court, with white walls and chestnut-colored wooden floors that had just been waxed, reflecting light like a mirror. In the center of the room stood a set of brown leather sofas. When Wang Sheng sat on them, half of his body sank into them. He tilts his face and looks at the ceiling above him, feeling very small.

Aunt Zhao brewed a cup of tea for each of Wang Sheng and Du Wei and placed them on the coffee table. Then, she carried a wrung-out mop and went upstairs.

"Mr. Song practices calligraphy for a while every morning..." Du Wei whispered, picking up the steaming cup of tea and siping.

Du Wei didn't call Song Qiankun "old man" this time, appearing much more dignified than usual.

Wang Sheng gazed at the curling steam rising from the teacup, gradually dissipating like smoke from a kitchen chimney, feeling slightly nervous. He picked up the teacup just like Du Wei did to calm himself. Inside the glass teacup floated a few yellow chrysanthemum petals, emitting a faint fragrance, looking like a serene ink painting.

Wang Sheng was admiring this "teacup scenery" and momentarily forgot to drink the tea. At this moment, Aunt Zhao came downstairs and whispered, "Song Lao wants you to go upstairs."

Du Wei and Wang Sheng simultaneously put down their tea cups and stood up from the sofa. They ascended the stairs, turned the corner, and were confronted by a hallway. The doors on both sides were closed, except for one at the end of the hallway, which was wide open. The light streaming in from the doorway brightened up the dim hallway considerably.

As the two approached the door, they unconsciously slowed their pace. Even though the door was wide open, Du Wei still tapped his fingers to knock.

"Come in," a deep and resonant voice sounded from within.

Wang Sheng followed Du Wei into the room. This room was also spacious, and because it was on the second floor and had floor-to-ceiling windows, the entire room was brightly lit. On the left side of the entrance was a row of bookcases, filling up a whole wall, with the top of the bookcase meeting the ceiling, thus forming a "book wall." Due to the distance, Wang Sheng couldn't see clearly what books were in the bookcases. On the right side of the entrance was a row of museum shelves, also filling up an entire wall, with the top connected to the ceiling. The museum shelves were filled with various antiques and crafts that he couldn't name. In the center of the room was a desk as large as a ping-pong table, piled with multiple documents, telephones, inkstones, paperweights, brushes, and rice paper.

Wang Sheng's gaze fell on a row of wooden sofas beside the desk. As the sofas were facing away from the door, he only saw a sparse, gray head leaning against one of them.

"Song Lao..." Du Wei respectfully called out to the gray and sparse head.

"Hmm." The sparse, gray head moved slightly and slowly turned around. It was the face of an elderly man who had been well-maintained. His gray hair was combed back, revealing a broad forehead. His face was ochre-red, like a solid and heavy rock, showing no signs of aging or relaxation. A pair of gold-rimmed reading glasses were perched on the tip of his nose, and the gaze coming through the lenses was solemn and dignified, as if he was scrutinizing and pondering something.

Wang Sheng gazed at that intimidating face, convinced that he must have seen it somewhere before. However, it wasn't in reality but in newspapers and TV news.

After shaking hands with Du Wei, Song Lao turned his gaze to Wang Sheng.

"Song Lao, this is Wang Sheng, whom I mentioned to you when I called the day before yesterday. He's a graduate student in the Chinese Department at the Dongjiang University..." Du Wei introduced from the side.

Mr. Song let out a casual "Hmm," lowered his eyelids, and extended the hand that had just shaken Du Wei's to him. Wang Sheng hurriedly took a half-step forward and grasped Mr. Song's hand with both of his. It was soft and warm, not quite like the hand of an elderly person... Just as he was about to say something, Mr. Song withdrew his hand, turned around, and sat down on the sofa again. "Hmm, have a seat," he said, lowering his eyelids and squirming his plump mouth. A few indistinct sounds emerged from his nostrils.

Du Wei didn't sit down. He removed his backpack and retrieved a brown paper file bag from it. He handed it to Song Lao with both hands and said, "This is the photo I restored for you. Please take a look."

Mr. Song opened the file bag, took out a stack of black-and-white photos, placed them on the wooden coffee table in front of him, and then picked up a magnifying glass to examine each photo one by one, like a dealer of cultural relics or antiques. "Hmm, not bad; the restoration is quite good," he muttered while looking at them. After examining the stack of photos, he raised his head with a smile and said, "Xiao Du, it's not easy for you to restore these old photos from decades ago to look like new ones!" He paused and asked, "You said your father was a photographer, and your family used to run a photo studio in Chuzhou. What was the name of the photo studio?"

"The original name was Dajiang Photo Studio," said Du Wei, "Later, it was changed to Fuwei Photo Studio..."

"Oh, oh, Dajiang, Fuwei..." Song Lao muttered these words, putting the magnifying glass back on the coffee table. "I remember now. While studying at Chuzhou Middle School, my photo was taken at your family's photo studio, but it has long been lost..." Seeing that Du Wei was still standing, he reached out and pulled him to sit beside him, his tone and attitude completely relaxed. "These old photos were taken during the war years. I kept them with me for decades, but they are badly damaged. I had the comrades in the office try to restore them, but none of them turned out well... Thanks to Xiaofan recommending you to me. You've helped me a lot!"

"Song Lao, this is just a small matter. You are too kind."

"It's a trivial matter for you, but it's a big deal for me!" Song Lao said with a smile as if he had remembered something. "Wait a minute," he stood up, walked to his desk, opened a drawer, took out an old-fashioned camera, and said to Du Wei, "Little Du, are you an expert? Take a look at this old relic!"

Du Wei took the camera from Song Lao's hands and examined it from top to bottom and from left to right several times professionally. As he looked, he said, "Oh, a Leica 3D! Produced by the Leitz company in Germany, it is the world's first 35mm camera to use standard 35mm film. It expanded the film's 18×24mm frame to 24×36mm, and the aspect ratio changed from 4:3 to 3:2. Leica has launched several portable cameras, and yours is a product from 1930. Dr. Max Berlekamp designs the Elmar 50mm f/3.5 lens used, and the focal plane shutter speed can be adjusted between 1/20 second and 1/500 second. I have a Leica from 1925 at home. According to my mother, it was specially purchased in Germany when my maternal grandfather founded the Dajiang Photo Studio. It's not as advanced as yours. At that time, ordinary people who used Leicas were few and far between, mostly journalists and military personnel..."

Du Wei knew it like the back of his hand and rattled off a long list in one breath.

"Haha, you are indeed from a photographic family!" Song Lao exclaimed. "This camera was a gift from an old leader. It has been with me through wars and upheavals and can be a testament to my revolutionary career over the better part of my life. Many of my photos were taken with it. When my home was raided during the Cultural Revolution, it was broken and could no longer be used. I kept it around as a souvenir..."

"This is a cultural relic of the revolution!" Du Wei returned the camera to Song Lao and complimented him. Then, he opened his backpack and took out a wooden box. "Song Lao, this is a cultural relic collected by my godfather. It is said to have been dug up by farmers in the suburbs of Chuzhou during the Cultural Revolution when they were digging canals. It was sold as scrap metal to a scrap yard, but my godfather bought it back. He knows a bit about the history and said it is from the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty. I don't understand it either, so it's just lying idle in my hands. It's better to bring it to you..." As he spoke, he opened the wooden box, lifted the lid, and held out an odd-shaped object from inside.

"During the Kaiyuan period?" Old Song muttered with a doubtful look, then picked up the magnifying glass again and carefully examined the object. The object was square, with dragon patterns carved all around it. It looked like a tripod, but it was a copper-cast box with a copper lock on top. "Hmm, this looks a bit like a bronze box, which was invented by Empress Wu Zetian as a reporting box. Many people only know of its name but not its appearance. What exactly does it look like? There are few records in history. Empress Wu Zetian was the second daughter of Wu Shiyue, the governor of Chuzhou. It's believable that the bronze box was excavated in Chuzhou. However, this thing isn't a real bronze box. It might be a replica made by the officials in Chuzhou to praise Empress Wu Zetian's achievements in punishing corrupt officials. Even so, it's still a rare cultural relic..." Old Song spoke like an archaeologist and turned his gaze to Du Wei, "Xiao Du, your godfather has a discerning eye. Is he an archaeologist?"

"My godfather is a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner who specializes in treating difficult and complex illnesses. Speaking of which, my birth is somewhat related to him," said Du Wei. "My parents were in their forties and still childless. Later, my father searched high and low for renowned doctors and remedies and eventually invited a doctor surnamed Wu to their home. My mother took the prescription given by Doctor Wu, and a year later, I was born. To thank Doctor Wu, my parents asked me to recognize him as my godfather..."

"Hmm, so your godfather is a miracle doctor!" Song Lao said with interest. "I'd like to meet this person and have a good discussion with him about the bronze complaint box when I have the chance..."

"You can't see him now," said Du Wei, "I haven't seen him for a few years either..."

Seeing Du Wei hesitating, Song Lao asked, "Oh, what's the matter?"

Du Wei said, "Several years ago, my godfather opened a clinic in a small town at the foot of Pigu Mountain to treat the local people. He cured many complicated diseases. Due to his excellent medical skills, the locals regarded him as a reincarnation of Hua Tuo. People flocked to his clinic, while the town health center across the street remained deserted and empty. Later, someone falsely accused my godfather of misdiagnosing a patient to death and reported the case to the higher authorities, resulting in the closure of my godfather's clinic and his arrest..."

"What happened next?" Old Song asked, clearly captivated by Du Wei's narration.

"Over the years, he has been living in seclusion and practicing on Mount Pigu..."

"Cultivation?"

"it’s said to be practicing the skill of avoiding hunger... I can't explain what that means."

"Hmm, I know that. Bigu is a method of Taoist cultivation for achieving immortality. In modern terms, it's qigong..." Old Song said while gesturing. "It seems that your godfather is not only a miracle doctor but also a qigong master!"

Song Lao and Du Wei were so engrossed in their conversation that they almost completely forgot about the other person. Wang Sheng, who was left out in the cold, felt a bit bored. Sitting on the wooden sofa, he looked around and noticed a painting on the wall. It was Wu Changshuo's Peony, which looked quite historic in color. He wasn't sure if it was an authentic piece or a fake. Hanging next to Peony was a piece of calligraphy:

Eighty years without effort, let alone discussing rise and fall,

There are successors in the Long March relay.

The mentor's entrepreneurial spirit will endure for generations to come,

I feel ashamed to follow in the footsteps of my peers.

Hundreds of millions of foolish old men work together to break and erect,

The five continents' hegemons have all fallen into ruin.

I enjoy composing odes to the evening,

The green mountains stretch as far as the eye can see, illuminated by the evening light.

The signature on the lower left side reads: "I copied Marshal Ye Jianying's "Eighty Thoughts" when I retired to express my aspirations. Written on the left of Qiankun." Wang Sheng didn’t understand calligraphy, but he could still feel the charm and grace contained in the words

The phone on the desk rang. After answering the call, Song Lao went to the bathroom next door.

At this moment, Du Wei came over and pointed to the peony painting on the wall and asked in a whisper, "See that painting?"

Wang Sheng didn't know what he was selling and didn't answer.

"This painting was personally gifted to my grandfather by Master Wu Changshuo!" Du Wei said almost close to Wang Sheng's ear, "See the words 'Zhan Chuzhou Collection of Paintings'? 'Zhan Chuzhou' is my maternal grandfather's elegant name ......"

Wang Sheng looked in the direction pointed by Du Wei, and indeed, there was a line of minor characters along with the date: "January 12, 2nd year of the Republic of China". His gaze lingered on that line momentarily before turning to Du Wei: "This painting... was it given to Song Lao by you?"

"Well, keeping this treasure at my home is a bit of a waste," Du Wei chuckled. "Mr. Song is an expert. As the saying goes, 'A good horse deserves a good saddle, and a good boat deserves a good sail!'

As they were talking, Song Lao came out of the bathroom. He seemed to realize Wang Sheng's presence only then. "Hmm, Xiao Du, we've been talking and neglected this guest." He turned his gaze to Wang Sheng and asked kindly, "You're a graduate student at Dongjiang University. Which department are you in?"

"Chinese Department," Wang Sheng quickly straightened his body, which was leaning against the back of the sofa, and replied.

"So, you know Professor Lang Yongliang?"

"Professor Lang is my mentor."

"Oh, Lang Yongliang and Lang Tao are the famous professor father-son duo at Dongjiang University!" Old Song sat down on another sofa. "Xiao Du told me you have some questions to ask me. I'm just a high school dropout; I'm afraid I can't answer your questions as a graduate student!"

Mr. Song's wit and modesty dispelled Wang Sheng's awkwardness. "Song Lao, I'm writing a paper on Zong Da, but I'm unsure about some historical materials. You worked with him during the Anti-Japanese War, so I came to visit you. Could you please talk about the Zong Da, you know...?” As he spoke, he took out his notebook.

Mr. Song made a "mum" sound, lowered his eyelids, picked up the teacup from the wooden tea table, and took a sip. It was a small purple sand teapot engraved with the "Three Friends of Winter" pattern—pine, bamboo, and plum—and was a high-quality ceramic teapot.

"During the Anti-Japanese War, Zong Da was the main leader of the Dongjiang Bureau and my immediate superior. I was just a small staff officer. It might not be appropriate to say that I was his colleague..." Old Song took a sip of tea, held the purple sand teapot with both hands, squinted slightly, and said in a reminiscent tone, "Before being transferred to work at the Dongjiang Bureau, I studied at the Anti-Japanese War University in Yan’an and read The History of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (Bolsheviks) written by Zong Da. In my mind, he was not only an important leader of our party but also a renowned left-wing intellectual. I never thought that one day I would work under his leadership. I was responsible for security work at the Dongjiang Bureau and was under Zong Da's leadership. I arranged security for all his important activities during his stay in Dongjiang. The Dongjiang Bureau was located in Maple Garden, and Zong Da and his wife, Ms. Anna Louise, lived on the second floor. The security personnel and I lived downstairs. I was a security staff officer, and Anna was Zong Da's confidential secretary. At that time, although it was the second period of cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, the Kuomintang did not eliminate its hostile attitude towards the Communist Party. Not only did they often disrupt and obstruct our party's anti-war activities, but they also secretly spied on, even attempted to recruit and assassinate, the leaders of the Dongjiang Bureau. Before I came to Dongjiang, my predecessor, Staff Officer Dong, was assassinated by military intelligence agents during a private gathering. Since then, the central government instructed that no one from the Dongjiang Bureau, from leaders to ordinary cadres, was allowed to go out for private activities. As a security staff officer, I was even more cautious. I had not been out on the street for half a year after coming to Dongjiang. But despite my caution, something happened that I regretted for the rest of my life..."

"Are you referring to the incident where Zong Da defected to the enemy?" Wang Sheng paused his note-taking and asked with a raised head.

"Yes," Song Lao sighed. "I feel the most heartbroken about Zong Da's betrayal. While working at the Dongjiang Bureau, Zong Da provided meticulous guidance in my work and showed concern and inspiration for me in my personal and ideological life. He even gave me a book called Visiting the Soviet Union, which he wrote when he served as a representative of the Communist International in the Soviet Union..."

Seeing that Song Lao's words were spreading like wildfire; Wang Sheng had to interrupt him and ask, "Some people in the academic community have raised doubts about Zong Da's defection to the enemy, suggesting that he was secretly kidnapped by Kuomintang agents rather than voluntarily joining the enemy. Do you agree with this viewpoint?"

"What's the difference between taking the initiative and being passive? Zong Da published My Confession in the Kuomintang newspaper, which is conclusive evidence of his defection and collaboration with the enemy..." Song Lao glanced at Wang Sheng and said with a smile, "I can guess without any hesitation that the scholar who put forward this viewpoint is your mentor, Professor Lang, right?"

Wang Sheng suddenly didn't know what to say.

"I know Professor Lang very well. We were comrades in arms at the May 7th Cadre School, but I disagree with his viewpoint!" Song said frankly, "It's no wonder that the academic community raises these questions. In previous years, with class struggle as the guiding principle, the academic and literary circles suffered a great decline. The practice has proved that replacing academia and literature with politics will only lead them to a dead end. Of course, we should also prevent moving from one extreme to another. For example, in the case of Zong Da's betrayal, some people suspect or even deny his political defection just because he was once an intellectually accomplished intellectual. This is not good. A Western proverb says, 'Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and unto God what is God's.' Neither academia nor literature can be completely separated from politics!"

When Song Lao said this, he stood up from the sofa, walked to the desk, rummaged in the drawer for a while, took out a magazine, and handed it to Wang Sheng, saying, "This article published in Dongjiang Literary and Historical Series is selected from the memoir I'm writing. Take a look..."

Wang Sheng took the magazine and flipped through the table of contents. A striking headline caught his eye: My Marriage with Anna Louise

In the mid-1950s, although there were occasional disputes between Anna and me, they were only related to lifestyle and personality. Anna was, after all, a foreigner. I was born and raised in China and spent my youth during the war. It wasn't until the 1950s that I had the opportunity to go abroad, and many habits were different. But overall, our marriage was relatively harmonious. However, when I moved my family back to Dongjiang Province from Beijing, our marriage finally faced a severe crisis.

Emotionally speaking, despite Anna and I having been married for many years, she has never forgotten Zong Da. She has always kept photos of their travels and life in the UK and the Soviet Union, including the Leica 3D camera Zong Da used. Once, when I went on a business trip and borrowed it for a few days, Anna made a scene and almost scratched my face. This is unacceptable to me, both emotionally and intellectually. Zong Da was a great intellectual with knowledge and grace. He once held a high position in our party's history, and I admired him when I was young. However, he eventually defected to the enemy and became a widely recognized traitor. Anna's deep emotional attachment to him is too rigid for me to accept.

More importantly, Anna and I had serious disagreements in terms of political ideology.

Anna worshipped Rosa Luxemburg in her youth and was influenced by anarchism and Trotskyism after arriving in the Soviet Union. She once believed in Trotsky's "world revolution" theory. In this regard, she is quite similar to the 100% Bolsheviks in our party's history. On the one hand, she maintains a devout and fanatical belief in communism. Still, on the other hand, she is prone to detachment from practice, committing the dogmatism and leftist naivety typical of petty intellectuals, swinging from one extreme to the other. Zong Da's degeneration from a Wang Mingist to a traitor of the party is a clear example. As Zong Da's former follower and ex-wife, Anna had already divorced him, but she was not free from his influence in her mind. Therefore, since the mid-1950s, Anna's hidden ailments began to surface as the political environment became increasingly complex.

Regarding the issue of Zong Da, despite the long-established verdict in the party's history, after liberation, Anna and I, as Zong Da's ex-wife and subordinate, would be investigated every time there was a political movement. This gradually affected our relationship and even our marital life. Later, I met a female nurse at Maple Garden Sanatorium and gradually developed a romantic relationship with her. When Anna found out, she made a scene, making it impossible for me to live and work normally. In desperation, I had no choice but to move out of my home and stay at Maple Garden Sanatorium. This further infuriated Anna. In retaliation, she wrote letters to the provincial party committee and the central government, revealing that my transfer to Beijing for work and promotion to the Standing Committee of the Dongjiang Provincial Party Committee and Minister of Propaganda were all due to the connections of my cousin Han Ying and her husband, Comrade Hong Hu. This is pure nonsense. My transfer to Beijing and later back to Dongjiang for work were all decided by organizational procedures by the central and provincial party committees. As my relatives and the leaders of my revolutionary journey, Comrade Han Ying and General Hong Hu's concern for me is only natural. Anna's accusations are baseless and slanderous against me, Han Ying, and General Hong Hu. Not only that, Anna also dug up the "rebellion incident" of Zong Da, which had already been concluded by the organization, accusing me of betraying Zong Da's walking route to the Kuomintang agents and deliberately removing the security personnel, allowing the agents to kidnap Zong Da... Anna's accusations against me are cutting to the bone; each wound could have been fatal, but due to the lack of any evidence, the organization naturally would not believe them.

After this incident, my relationship with Anna completely broke down. Soon after, I divorced Anna and formed a new family.

When the Cultural Revolution broke out, Anna worked at the Provincial Broadcasting Bureau and was the "foreign expert" posting the first big-character poster in Dongjiang Province. At that time, I had not yet been purged, and I had read her big-character poster:

We want equality, not privilege!

Foreigners working in China, regardless of their class or attitude towards the revolution, have received the "five no's" and "two yes's" treatment:

Five without:

1. There is no physical labor,

II. Without ideological transformation,

III. Without the opportunity to interact with workers and peasants,

Fourth, we will not engage in class struggle,

5. No production struggle.

There are two:

1. Enjoy an exceptionally high standard of living

Secondly, there are various specializations.

May I ask: Who are the countrymen who instructed foreigners to receive such treatment? What kind of ideology drives the establishment of such treatment?

This is not Mao Zedong Thought!

This is Khrushchev's ideology!

We reject the "five nos" and the "two yeses". We renounce all privileges and aspire to be a thoroughly selfless proletarian revolutionary!

Shortly after the onset of the Cultural Revolution, my former subordinate once again exposed my so-called "betrayal," and even Anna joined in, writing posters accusing me of betraying Zong Da. This time, I finally couldn't escape my bad luck and was soon imprisoned under the two labels of "capitalist roader" and "traitor and spy."

Dramatically, when I returned to a leadership position a few years later, Anna was imprisoned for "espionage" and was not released until 1977.

I met Anna once when she was released from prison, and she told me she wanted to go back to England. I advised her to stay, as she had no relatives in England and living alone there might not be much better than staying in China. But after a few words, I noticed that she was more stubborn than before. Perhaps because she had spent too long in prison, she seemed a bit neurotic, suspecting that I had put her in jail for revenge, and her mind was still full of "world revolution" and "rebellion". Seeing her like this, I had no choice but to give up.

Shortly after Anna's release from prison, she returned to the UK. Since then, we have had no contact. In the early 1980s, I led a delegation of party and government representatives from Dongjiang Province to visit the UK. Ambassador Zhang from the embassy told me that after Anna returned to the UK, she wrote a memoir titled "The Twists and Turns of My Life with Two Chinese Husbands," in which she attacked and abused me, calling me a "capitalist roader" and a "traitor and spy." Ambassador Zhang asked me if I wanted to write an article to refute Anna, and the embassy could help translate the article into English and publish it in the UK newspapers. I smiled bitterly, shook my head, and declined Ambassador Zhang's kindness.

Wang Sheng quickly scanned the article. He noticed that it also included a photo of Zong Da and Anna. In the photo, the two stood side by side on the top of a mountain, leaning on each other, appearing very intimate. Behind them was an antique pavilion with a rectangular stone tablet in the center. Due to the black-and-white photo, the text on the tablet was blurry, but it could be faintly recognized as a poem.

Below the photo is a signature: "Taken by Song Qiankun at Mount Pipa in the summer of 1938.".

7. Du Wei's Philosophy

Towards noon, the two came out of Song Qiankun's villa. They walked out of the tree-lined courtyard and passed the sentry box at the gate when they saw the sentry changing shifts. The naive-looking young sentry had vanished, replaced by a tall, robust soldier with a face full of acne. Wang Sheng noticed that the soldier's beret was askew, his dress buttons were not fastened properly, and his military demeanor and temperament were far inferior to that of the younger sentry.

Just as he stepped out of the gate, the iron gate of the compound slowly opened, and a silver-gray car silently drove into the courtyard from outside. The pimply-faced sentry, with his legs together, saluted with a clap of his hand on the ground, and only after watching the car drive deep into the courtyard did he lower his hand from beside his hat brim. The car windows were tightly covered with black curtains, making it impossible to see who was sitting inside. However, judging from the car driving straight in without being inspected by the sentry, the person sitting in the vehicle must have lived in this compound. Wang Sheng thought, "Probably Song Qiankun usually enters and exits the compound in a car like this, right?"?

"You seem quite nervous," Du Wei glanced at Wang Sheng. "When I first entered this courtyard, I was just like you. But later, I got used to it..."

"Did you really ask Mr. Song to appraise that cultural relic? What was it called? Yes, it was the bronze urn..." Wang Sheng interrupted him and asked.

Du Wei looked at Wang Sheng with a peculiar gaze and snorted disdainfully, "How could you ask such a naive question?"

When Du Wei asked this question, Wang Sheng couldn't answer. Seeing that he was stumped, Du Wei softened his tone and said, "Brother, you've read more books than me, but you're too unrealistic. Just think about it: if ordinary people don't even have the chance to meet a big leader like Song Lao, how could he casually accept gifts from others? If I hadn't asked him to 'appraise,' would Song Lao accept it?"

Wang Sheng admitted that Du Wei's words made sense. Recalling the "Peony Painting" on the wall of Song Lao's house, he asked, "If you give all your father's and godfather's treasures to Song Lao, will they be willing to accept them?"

"You don't understand my father and godfather," said Du Wei nonchalantly. "If my father were still alive, he might even wish to deliver it to Old Song personally! As for my godfather, it was his idea for me to give the bronze box to Old Song... He is truly wise!"

"Didn't you say your godfather is practicing in Pigu Mountain?"

"Yes, he hasn't been to our house for several years. Ever since he started practicing, he has always refused to see strangers. But I'm not a stranger; I'm his godson. My godfather allows me to go into the mountains to see him once a year... My godfather hasn't been to my house for many years. Whenever he visited, he would bring me some turtles. The turtle soup he made was delicious and nourishing for the muscles and kidneys... Forget it. I won't talk to you, a bookworm. You wouldn't understand anyway!"

Du Wei's words made Wang Sheng feel a bit clueless. The two walked in silence for a while, exiting the shady lakeside path. At this time, Du Wei saw a Lanzhou Lamian Noodles restaurant not far ahead and said, "It's already noon; let me treat you to some Lamian Noodles!"

So, two people walked into the ramen shop, a head wearing a small white hat, face like a fire burned as a black and red Hui man was pulling noodles in front of the plate, next to a steaming cauldron, behind the cash register stood a woman wearing a flowered headscarf with a high nose, is lowing his head to calculate the accounts. Although it was noon, there were no customers in the store; it seemed a little cold, saw Du Wei and Wang Sheng went in, the man stopped the work in his hands and greeted them with a smile on his face: "What do you eat?"

"Two bowls of beef Lamian Noodles!" Du Wei said, turning to ask Wang Sheng, "Do you want cilantro?"

Wang Sheng hesitated for a moment and said, "No."

"Alright, I don't like cilantro either," Du Wei said, raising his voice. "Boss, no cilantro!"

"Okay, two bowls of beef Lamian Noodles, no cilantro!" the Hui man replied loudly.

The scene before him reminded Wang Sheng of many years ago when Zong Tianyi invited him and Ba Dong to eat pork noodle soup at a small restaurant next to the supply and marketing cooperative in Pi Town. While eating, Ba Dong made a grand vow to treat them to a big meal when he became wealthy.

"Do you know what other position Song Lao holds?" Du Wei suddenly asked out of the blue.

"What position?" Wang Sheng asked absent-mindedly. He felt that Du Wei had not yet recovered from the excitement he had experienced during his meeting with Song Lao just now.

Du Wei said, "Honorary Chairman of the Dongjiang Provincial Literature and Art Publishing House."

Wang Sheng couldn't understand why Du Wei mentioned this position to him. Could the "Chairman of the Literature and Art Publishing House" be more critical than a deputy governor?

Du Wei said, "Although the position of Chairman of the Literary and Art Publishing House may not seem significant, it oversees more than a dozen associations, including the Provincial Photographers Association..."

Wang Sheng wondered what on earth was he going to say?

"Let me tell you, I've already joined the Provincial Photographers Association!" Du Wei pulled out a black "pass" from his backpack as if announcing major news, waving it in front of Wang Sheng's eyes. "Here, this is my membership card! Joining the Photographers Association is just the first step. The second, third... One day, I will become... Do you believe it?"

Seeing Du Wei's confident expression, Wang Sheng didn't know how to respond.

"The measure of a person's talent lies in whether he can seize the opportunities that come his way," Du Wei said, deliberately making things mysterious. "Do you know who said this?"

Wang Sheng felt that the words sounded familiar but couldn't immediately recall who had said them. Du Wei often liked to copy and record famous quotes, such as "A soldier who doesn't want to be a marshal is not a good soldier," "Give me a fulcrum, and I can support the entire earth," "Weakling, your name is a woman," and so on.

Wang Sheng was thinking about how to respond to Du Wei's words when the woman wearing a floral headscarf came over with two bowls of Lamian Noodles.

Two big bowls of Lamian Noodles, with scallions floating in the soup, a strong aroma drilling straight into the nose. Wang Sheng felt a bit hungry.

Du Wei grabbed the condiment bottle on the table, added two spoonfuls of chili sauce to his bowl, and asked Wang Sheng, "Do you want hot sauce?""

Wang Sheng shook his head and said, "I've been suffering from toothache for the past two days, so I dare not eat spicy food."

In a short while, the two people finished the Lamian Noodles in their bowls. Du Wei wiped the greasy smudges from his mouth and lit a cigarette. He took a deep puff. Not smoking all morning had made his addiction worse.

"What do you think of Gu Zheng?" Du Wei suddenly asked, exhaling a series of smoke rings from his mouth.

"What... how is it?" Wang Sheng didn't understand his meaning.

"I mean... is she beautiful?"

Wang Sheng didn't expect him to ask this and was Momentarily at a loss for an answer.

"You're not convinced even though I called you a nerd!" Du Wei's face habitually showed a hint of sarcasm. "Zong Tianyi asked us to take care of his sister, but you don't care at all. You can't even tell if she's beautiful or not. Is this how you take care of her?"

Wang Sheng felt that Du Wei's statement was a conceptual shift and logically untenable, but he refrained from retorting.

"Have you met Gu Zheng's mother?" Du Wei suddenly asked.

"I've seen it before..." said Wang Sheng, "but it was so long ago that I can't remember clearly."

"What a beautiful woman! Unfortunately, my godfather failed to cure her, and ultimately, she was lured away by evil spirits," Du Wei muttered to himself, a strange smile playing across his lips. "Gu Zheng bears a striking resemblance to her mother, both charming and intimidating. I genuinely like her, but she's too aloof and proud. Yet, the more she acts like this, the more I cannot stop..."

"Du Wei, how can you think like that?" Wang Sheng's eyes widened in surprise. He remembered that Du Wei had personally told him that he had long had a girlfriend, the daughter of the secretary of the Workers' Cultural Palace in Chuzhou, named Jiang Lili, and that Du Wei had dipped into the light of Jiang Lili's father to work as a photography specialist at the Workers' Cultural Palace, and was now taking off his job to study in the photography class at Dongjiang University with pay. But at the moment, Du Wei even kept chanting the name of Gu Zheng, like in a bewitched ......

Chapter 2

1. May Flowers

Song Qiankun sat on the sofa with his eyes closed, nourishing his mind for a while. He seemed to have fallen asleep and didn't even hear the nanny bring in the bottle of boiling water.

Actually, he wasn't asleep. His mind was unusually active, akin to a tranquil lake disturbed by a stone, sending ripples in all directions. Many long-forgotten memories flooded back. Having served as a leading cadre for a long time, he was accustomed to a routine life. But at this moment, everything felt chaotic and incomprehensible, as if the pages of a book had been suddenly shuffled. This included his memoir, which he had just started writing. He had only written a few chapters, but Wang Sheng's remarks about Zong Da had caused content originally belonging to later chapters to intrude into his mind prematurely. Like dealing with an unexpected guest, he felt somewhat caught off guard.

"Song Lao, lunch is ready. Would you like to go downstairs to eat or shall I bring it up to you?" The nanny's voice was low, almost like a whisper.

"Hmm, no. Let's wait for Xiaofan to come back and eat together," Song Qiankun muttered. His daughter was studying in Dongjiang University's writing class and usually lived on campus, but she always came back on weekends.

"Oh, okay." After saying that, the nanny placed the thermos bottle beside the coffee table, picked up another empty thermos bottle, and walked out quietly.

Only Song Qiankun remained in the room. He picked up the restored old photos sent by Du Wei from the coffee table and flipped through them one by one. He picked out a few and spread them out on the coffee table. Then, he picked up a magnifying glass and moved it slowly over the photos. Through the magnifying glass, he saw several long-lost faces emerging from the thick fog of time, gradually coming closer and more apparent in his mind

Song Qiankun first met Zong Da and Anna in Yan’an.

At that time, he was studying in the fourth session of the Anti-Japanese War University. On the May Fourth Youth Day evening, the school organized a celebration party named "May Flowers." The program presented by the third brigade, where Song Qiankun was, was a chorus of "The Song of Mao Zedong". During rehearsal, the school specially invited a music instructor surnamed Ling from Lu Yi (Lu Xun Academy of Art) to be the director. Song Qiankun learned this song at the front, and he sang the best during rehearsal, so Director Ling asked him to be the lead singer.

The evening party was held on the small square in front of the Auditorium of the Anti-Japanese University. In early summer, Yan’an experienced alternating warmth and coldness, and the recently thawed Yan River water was still somewhat chilly. In the evening, the students prepared three large bonfires at the venue. After pouring sheep fat on the firewood, the fire ignited instantly. The blazing bonfires illuminated half of the night sky, casting a glow on Chairman Mao Zedong's inscription "Unity, Tension, Seriousness, Liveliness" on the walls on both sides of the Auditorium of the Anti-Japanese University, making it shine brilliantly.

The party that day was originally intended to invite Chairman Mao to attend, but he couldn't attend due to a last-minute meeting. Many students felt disappointed. Not long ago, Chairman Mao also came to the Anti-Japanese University to lecture the students on On Protracted War. That was the first time Song Qiankun met Chairman Mao. Due to excitement, his hands were shaking non-stop. As a result, after the lecture, he barely wrote down a few words in his notebook and had to copy his classmates' notes after class.

Chairman Mao was not invited to the party, but several leading comrades, including Zong Da, were. Zong Da was the prominent leader of the Dongjiang Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. They had just returned to Yan’an from the front to attend the Central Committee Plenary Session.

Zong Da was a widely recognized theorist within the party and the translator of the English version of The Communist Manifesto. Song Qiankun had previously read many of Zong Da's works, and his name had long been a household name. However, when he first met Zong Da, he couldn't help but be taken aback. He never expected Zong Da to be not only knowledgeable but also strikingly handsome, a classic handsome man.

That night, Zong Da came with his wife. Zong Da's wife, Anna Louise, was a blonde and blue-eyed foreigner. At first sight, Song Qiankun felt she looked like Garbo, the foreign film star he liked. Although Song Qiankun knew that Zong Da studied in the UK in his early years and later worked at Communist International, and was said to have met Lenin and could speak several foreign languages, he never expected his wife to be a foreigner either.

The first program was the choral performance of Song of Mao Zedong featuring Song Qiankun. As he stood in the front row as the lead singer, facing the bonfire and the passionate faces around it, he felt his body lift with the singing…

Clouds of secrecy cover the ocean, and seabirds summon storms. You are the bravest one, never halting your call to battle, never folding your strong wings, despite the boundless darkness and vast fog of night.

In the south, in the north, from the Central Plains to the frontier, your resounding voice inspires the people in struggle and warms the hearts of those who have suffered.

Dear Comrade Mao Zedong, we are honored to live in your era, learn from your example, and follow your torch toward a bright and happy new world.

Dear Comrade Mao Zedong, you are the banner of victory and the symbol of light. We are honored to live in your era, learn from your example, and follow your torch toward a bright and happy new world.

After the students' performance, Principal Luo suggested, "Shall we invite Comrade Zong Da and Ms. Anna to perform?"

As soon as Principal Luo finished speaking, the students responded in unison, with some adding, "Please have Chief Zong Da and Ms. Anna perform for us together!"

Zong Da was a prominent intellectual who had studied and worked in the West and the Soviet Union for a long time. He also married a foreign woman, and everyone was eager to see their elegance.

Sitting on the ground around the campfire with several other leaders, Zong Da stood up and waved to everyone while extending his hand to Anna beside him, making a gentlemanly invitation gesture. Anna took Zong Da's hand and stood up gracefully.

"It's okay for me to perform, but you must correct the title now. Please don't call me Ms. Anna, call me Comrade Anna!" Anna said in slightly stiff Chinese. Seeing Anna's serious attitude, everyone was at a loss for responding when she added, "I joined the Communist Party of China in Yan’an this spring. We are comrades fighting side by side. Shouldn't you call me Comrade?"

Everyone responded with enthusiastic applause, and cheers immediately filled the air:

"Well done, Comrade Anna! Congratulations!"

"Welcome, Comrade Anna!"

Subsequently, Zong Da and Anna both sang a Russian song, Katyusha:

Just as the pear blossoms spread across the horizon

A soft and misty veil floats over the river

Katyusha stood on the steep shore

The singing sounds like a bright spring scenery

She is singing about the eagles in the grassland

She is singing about her beloved

Katyusha, love will always belong to him

……

Zong Da's voice was rich and deep, while Anna's was clear and crisp. Their singing was both expressive and moving, winning the applause of the entire audience.

After the performance, it was time for ballroom dancing. Most of the students at the Anti-Japanese University were former Eighth Route Army cadres who had returned from the front lines, and not many of them knew how to dance ballroom. To liven up the atmosphere, Principal Luo personally went to the Lu Yi a few days ago to "borrow" several female students to come to the Anti-Japanese University to "teach literacy" to the students. The band for the evening party was also borrowed from the Lu Yi.

During this literacy campaign, Song Qiankun learned to dance ballroom dancing. However, as he had just learned it, he couldn't help but feel nervous on such a grand occasion. After mustering up some courage, he still didn't dare to approach the female students to ask them to dance. Instead, he had to shrink to the side and be an observer.

At first, all the dancers were students. These people accustomed to holding guns daily were not bad on the dance floor. When they caught a dance partner, they would tightly embrace each other, acting like they were wrestling, with movements that were all askew and twisted. It didn't look like dancing but more like a group fight. Song Qiankun watched from the side and felt embarrassed, thinking it was fortunate he didn't go up and make a fool of himself.

Later, several leaders, accompanied by their wives, took the stage. The most eye-catching couple was Zong Da and Anna. They danced to two dance songs: one rumba and one tango. Compared to the Yan’an social dance, which always had a hint of Yangge flavor, they looked much more elegant and fashionable.

It was the first time Song Qiankun had appreciated the charm of real ballroom dancing. He saw Zong Da and Anna dancing like a pair of birds with wings, flying across the dance floor with such ease and grace. Their movements were so fluid and beautiful that they seemed to have become one, making it hard to distinguish them from each other. Gradually, they became the center of attention in the dance hall, drawing everyone's gaze towards them. The entire dance party seemed to be their exclusive performance.

Song Qiankun's gaze lingered on Anna's face, which resembled Garbo's strikingly. For a fleeting moment, he thought he was watching the Hollywood films Morning Glory and Little Women. Had it not been for Anna's Lenin-style female revolutionary attire, Song Qiankun might have mistaken her for Garbo

The dance floor erupted into warm applause after Zong Da and Anna danced two songs. Anna pinched her skirt and curtseyed, blowing a kiss as she held Zong Da's hand and returned to the bonfire. However, as soon as they sat down, a student who usually danced well asked her to dance. Then, another one. Later, Principal Luo stepped in and said, "Alright, comrades, if we keep dancing, Comrade Anna will be exhausted, and Commander Zong Da won't agree!"

Principal Luo's humor made everyone laugh heartily. Anna's face also turned red, whether from the campfire's glow or embarrassment.

If I could dance with Anna, how blissful it would be! Song Qiankun couldn't help but think. He raised his head and gazed at the sky. In the vast azure night, a few stars were faintly visible, shining like diamonds, resembling Anna's eyes.

For the first time, he realized that the May night in Yan’an was unexpectedly beautiful.

2. Comrade Zong Da

Song Qiankun never expected that after graduating from the Anti-Japanese University, the organization would not let him return to his original army unit. Instead, he was sent to work at the Dongjiang Bureau of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, serving as a security staff officer.

His immediate superior was Zong Da, the Dongjiang Bureau's principal leader.

Song Qiankun hailed from Chuzhou, Dongjiang. This was his first return to Dongjiang after joining the revolution. As the provincial capital of the Nationalist Government's Dongjiang Province and the location of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China's Dongjiang Bureau. Dajiang City gathered political and cultural elites from all over the country. Not only did various political groups, chambers of commerce, and banks from different factions converge here, but even the Central Intelligence Bureau and the Military Intelligence Bureau relocated some of their essential institutions from the occupied capital, Nanjing, to Dajiang. Therefore, Dajiang effectively became the wartime capital of the Nationalist Government, with a complex political environment.

At that time, the Japanese army had occupied the entire Northeast and most of North China and successively captured Shanghai and Nanjing. As the whole of the southeast region fell into the hands of the enemy, the Japanese army began to encircle Dajiang City. As China's most significant metropolis after Beijing and Shanghai, Dajiang City was strategically central, serving as a crucial choke point to prevent the Japanese army from advancing into the Chinese hinterland. A decisive battle concerning the nation's fate was imminent and could break out at any moment.

On the afternoon of the day, after Song Qiankun reported to the Dongjiang Bureau, Zong Da talked with him.

As a principal leader of the Dajiang Bureau, Zong Da’s office was in the first room on the second floor. Due to the shortage of accommodations, all the leaders of the Dajiang Bureau had to use their offices as their living quarters. If they had families, the office would also become their family “home.”

Zong Da’s office was like this: a large room divided into two, with the outer room as the office and the inner room as the living space. Zong Da’s wife, Anna Louise, served as his confidential secretary. The couple worked in the same office. When Zong Da needed to talk to someone or had visitors, Anna would “hide” in the inner bedroom beforehand.

That was the situation that day. When Song Qiankun arrived at Zong Da’s office at the appointed time, he was the only person in the room.

"Reporting to the commander, the newly appointed security staff officer Song Qiankun reports to you!" He stood at attention towards Zong Da and saluted with a snap.

"Oh, don't call me 'commander'. Just call me 'Comrade Zong Da,' and please take a seat!" Zong Da said amiably, without any air of a commander. He poured him a glass of water and asked with concern, "You must have suffered a lot on the journey from Yan’an to Dajiang, right? How long did it take?"

"Comrade Zong Da, I walked for 25 days on the road, passing through three Japanese blockade lines..." Song Qiankun took the teacup and said, "Originally, my superiors arranged for me to come on a plane from the US military observation group next month, but the situation is urgent, and I couldn't wait!"

“Yes, the situation is indeed quite tense.” The smile on Zong Da’s face disappeared, and his expression became serious. “Although the Nationalist Government has mobilized heavy troops and put on a stance of a decisive battle, the traitorous forces within the Kuomintang are rampant. According to our latest intelligence, Chiang Kai-shek, under pressure, is already preparing to abandon the Dajiang and retreat to Chongqing, the provisional capital…”

"When I passed through the downtown area in the morning, I saw students and citizens marching and shouting 'Defend the Yangtze River, defend Central China, defend China.' The crowd was in high spirits!"

“It’s all just a show.” Zong Da waved his hand, speaking with a sneer. “In reality, it’s a farce co-acted by the Japanese army and the pro-Japanese forces within the Nationalist Party. As the Japanese army approached with great force, they aimed to force Chiang Kai-shek to withdraw from Southeast China, further giving up Central China, in an attempt to achieve their goals without firing a shot.”

"Comrade Zong Da, the Japanese are really ruthless with this move!" Song Qiankun's palm, which was holding the teacup, broke out in a layer of sweat.

“The ruthlessness goes even deeper.” Zong Da stood up from his desk and began pacing around the office, “The Central Statistics Bureau and the Military Intelligence Bureau have also joined forces with the Japanese intelligence departments, attempting to subvert some of our important cadres secretly…” He stopped before Song Qiankun, “Comrade Song, that’s why the higher-ups decided to transfer you to work in the Dongjiang Bureau. Just a month ago, your predecessor, the security staff officer, was assassinated by Japanese puppet agents. Therefore, you must be fully prepared; in addition to performing the security work for the Dongjiang Bureau, you also need to work closely with the intelligence department, staying vigilant about the infiltration of Japanese and puppet agents into our party's cadres…”Sensing the gravity of the situation, Song Qiankun put down his teacup and stood up. At this moment, he remembered the small bag of Shaanxi millet he had brought with him. "Oh, Comrade Zong Da, this is what Vice Chairman Zhou and Elder Sister Deng entrusted Principal Luo to give to Ms. Anna when I left Yan’an. They said it was to nourish her body..."

“Haha, they are always so considerate, still remembering that Anna needs ‘strengthening’…” A smile appeared on Zong Da’s serious face, “However, the millet from Yan’an is indeed delicious; every time I go back to Yan’an, I eat and take some!” As he spoke, he turned and called into the inner room, “Anna, Enlai, and Yingchao specially sent someone to bring you millet. Aren’t you going to come out and take a look?”

Before the words were even finished, Anna lifted the curtain and walked out from the inner room. Song Qiankun noticed that Anna seemed to have gained some weight compared to the last time he saw her in Yan’an, but her blue eyes were still bright and beautiful, reminding him of the May night in Yan’an.

"Hello, Ms. Anna." Song Qiankun stood up and saluted Anna as he would have done to Zong Da. Just as he finished speaking, he recalled what Anna had corrected in public back in Yan’an and quickly corrected himself, saying, "Sorry, I should call you Comrade Anna."

"Are you a graduate of the Anti-Japanese University?" Anna smiled, "In that case, it's not the first time we've met."

"You and Comrade Zong Da sing well and dance wonderfully!" Song Qiankun said. He wanted to add, "Your Chinese is also excellent!" But he swallowed the words back before they could come out.

"Really?" Anna's gaze briefly met Song Qiankun's before turning to the bag of millet. She clapped her hands and shouted excitedly like a child, "Oh, Andre! There's a Chinese proverb that goes, 'Sending goose feathers over a thousand miles, the gift may be light, but the sentiment is heavy.' Vice Chairman Zhou and Sister Deng sent us a millet from Yan’an, which is more than a thousand miles away. This is called 'sending millet over a thousand miles, the gift is heavy, and the sentiment is also heavy'..."

"Haha, Kaja, you've made a good change, but from the perspective of Chinese poetry, it's not very symmetrical!" Zong Da also laughed.

Based on the conversation between Zong Da and Anna, Song Qiankun guessed that "Andrey" and "Kaja" were their Russian names. While at the Anti-Japanese War University, he had heard that many Chinese comrades who studied or worked in the Soviet Union liked to give themselves Russian names.

3. A Storm is Brewing

In late August, the situation in Dongjiang became increasingly dire.

According to military sources, the Nationalist government mobilized 1.2 million troops to defend the Yangtze River, facing off against the 410,000 Japanese troops stationed on the periphery. The shadow of war loomed ever closer. Many key military and political figures from the Kuomintang began evacuating from the Yangtze River area. Unscrupulous merchants took the opportunity to raise prices, causing prices to skyrocket in the city. Hoarding and panic buying intensified, spreading fear among the citizens. Conversely, the Kuomintang military did not cease its preparations for war. On the streets of the Dajiang, troops carrying supplies could be seen marching continuously to the front lines every day. Young students and people from all walks of life lined the streets with small red flags, shouting slogans such as "Persist in resistance, defeat the traitors" and "Defend Dajiang, defend Central China, defend China." Progressive groups organized unprecedentedly active parades and performances

Meanwhile, the work of the Dongjiang Bureau also entered a tense state that was only seen during wartime. As the prominent leader of the Dongjiang Bureau, Zong Da was busier than ever before. His daily schedule was packed. In the morning, he finished a report on the current situation analysis at the Dongjiang Bureau office. In the afternoon, he hurried to the "Eight Offices" (short for the Eighth Route Army Office in Dongjiang) to guide the preparation work for war. In the evening, upon returning to Maple Garden, he had to rush to write an editorial for the Dajiang Newspaper titled Marching Forward Under the Banner of the Anti-Japanese National United Front.

This morning, the People's Paradise held a concert featuring Xian Xinghai's anti-war songs. The Third Department of the Political Department of the Kuomintang Military Commission and the Dongjiang Anti-Enemy Literary Association jointly organized the concert. Zong Da was invited to deliver a speech at the event. According to the wartime work regulations of the Dongjiang Bureau, it was not appropriate for Zong Da, as the prominent leader of the Dongjiang Bureau, to attend such a mass event. However, the director of the Third Department was Guo Moruo, a renowned cultural figure and an old acquaintance of Zong Da. He could not afford to miss it. Considering the complexity of the recent situation, the Dongjiang Bureau security department specially assigned additional security staff to this event, and Song Qiankun personally took charge and accompanied Zong Da to ensure his safety.

As the security staff officer, Song Qiankun arranged all the security work for Zong Da. Recently, he had been eating breakfast half an hour earlier than others every morning and coming to Zong Da's office and bedroom on the second floor. Usually, he saw Zong Da sitting at the desk with peeling paint, writing furiously, while Anna prepared breakfast in the inner room. They had lived abroad for a long time and were accustomed to eating Western food. Their daily breakfast was milk and bread with a bit of butter on top, which was more straightforward than the Chinese breakfast in the cafeteria. The milk and bread were ordered from the nearby Anglican Church and only needed to be heated up when eaten. They had a toaster, which Anna said was brought back by Zong Da from the Soviet Union.

"I bought this toaster in a bakery in Petersburg. It has broken several times, and I've wanted to throw it away for a long time, but Andre disagrees, saying it can still be used after being repaired. He's an excellent toaster repairman!" Anna said as she placed two slices of toasted bread and a glass of milk on her desk. She had obviously just gotten up and hadn't had time to dress up yet. A few strands of messy blonde hair fell across her forehead, covering half of her eyebrows, and a white apron tied around her chest made her look like a diligent and virtuous housewife.

Zong Da was still writing furiously as if he hadn't heard her.

"He barely slept last night. He spent the first half of the night proofreading the Chinese translation of Gorky's novel Mother and the second half of the night rushing to write a speech. Look at the bloodshot in his eyes..." Anna shrugged, stuck out her tongue, and made a helpless expression.

Zong Da put down the pen in his hand, raised his arms, and did some chest expansions before noticing Song Qiankun. "Oh, is it time?" he said, about to get up. But Anna held his shoulder and reminded him, "You haven't had breakfast yet, Andre!"

"Really? I haven't had breakfast yet?" Zong Da muttered, only then noticing the bread and milk on the table. But he still asked Song Qiankun, "Isn't it time to leave?"

"Yes, Comrade Zong Da, it's still early enough for you to finish your breakfast," Song Qiankun said.

Zong Da picked up the glass on his desk, drank the milk in it in one go, picked up two slices of toasted bread from the plate, took a bite, and said, "Let's go. We'd better arrive first. We can't let Mr. Guo Moruo wait for us!"

Song Qiankun had no choice but to bid Anna goodbye and hurried out the door with Zong Da.

The People's Paradise was a popular theater established during the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty. Initially, it mainly featured circus acts and local operas. After the Xinhai Revolution, it began to stage civilized dramas. Renowned Peking Opera masters such as Mei Lanfang and Qiu Shengrong have performed here. After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, as many progressive literary and art groups relocated to Dongjiang, some modern literary and art performances with the theme of the war, including concerts and musical performances, also emerged, attracting the attention of all sectors in Dongjiang.

Zong Da was riding in a silver-grey Chevrolet sedan. As usual, Zong Da sat in the left seat in the back row, with his bodyguards Xiao Zhang and Xiao Wang sitting next to him. Song Qiankun sat in the seat next to the driver. Usually, Zong Da only had one bodyguard for his travels, but now it was wartime, so in addition to adding another bodyguard, his security staff also came along. However, it was a bit crowded with five people in the Chevrolet, including the driver.

The People's Paradise was located at 325 Zhongshan Road in the city center, in a bustling commercial district, just a street away from the Customs Building, a landmark of Dajiang. The War Zone Command, which was responsible for the defense of Dajiang, and the Kuomintang Dajiang Provincial Headquarters were on the same street. The "Eighth Route Army Office" was not far ahead, which Zong Da had inspected a few days ago. However, Song Qiankun did not accompany him on that occasion. As soon as the Chevrolet sedan stopped at the entrance of the center, the security guards Xiao Zhang and Xiao Wang in the back seat quickly jumped out of the car and stood back-to-back on both sides of the vehicle. Song Qiankun jogged from the back of the car to the other side, opened the door, and held one hand over the top, waiting for Zong Da to come out.

Several people approached him as soon as Zong Dang stepped out of the car. The first person wore a navy blue Zhongshan suit and glasses, with an entire forehead and a receding hairline, and spoke with a strong Sichuan accent. This person was none other than the great poet and playwright Guo Moruo. Not long ago, Guo Moruo had visited the Dongjiang Bureau as the director of the Third Department of the Political Department of the Military Commission of the Nationalist Government, so Song Qiankun recognized him at a glance.

After exchanging greetings with Zong Da, Guo Moruo introduced a slightly thin man in a suit and leather shoes beside him, saying, "This is the renowned musician, Mr. Xian Xinghai. He has brought several new works to this concert, including The Yellow River Chorus, On the Taihang Mountains, Go to the Enemy's Rear, and more!"

"Oh, oh, Comrade Xinghai, we met in Yan’an..." Xian Xinghai came from Yan’an, so Zong Da called him "comrade," which sounded cordial.

"Mr. Xian Xinghai's wife is from Dongjiang," Guo Moruo said beside him.

"Oh, so Comrade Xinghai is half a Dongjiang person?" Zong Da pointed at Xian Xinghai and then at himself, saying, "I used to teach at Dongjiang University, so I'm also half a Dongjiang person!"

While the group was talking, Song Qiankun noticed a middle-aged man in a black Zhongshan suit standing silently beside them. His face was sallow, his chin pointed, and his gaze seemed somewhat gloomy. Although Guo Moruo did not introduce him, Song Qiankun recognized him as Bai Shouhe, the Major General and Director of the Third Division of the Military Intelligence Bureau. Last Monday, when he accompanied Zong Da to a meeting at the Party headquarters in Dongjiang Province, they happened to sit next to each other at a table during the meal, and this man even gave him a business card.

Song Qiankun didn't go over to greet Bai Shouhe, but he wondered in his heart: How did he end up on this occasion?

Seeing Zong Da with Guo Moruo, Xian Xinghai, and others walking towards the gate of the People's Paradise, Song Qiankun signaled to Xiao Zhang and Xiao Wang, and the two followed closely behind.

At the entrance, Song Qiankun whispered to Xiao Zhang and Xiao Wang, "Keep close to the leader and don't let him out of your sight for even a minute."

The two security guards nodded alertly and followed Zong Da through the entrance to the center. Just as Song Qiankun was about to follow, his arm was grabbed by a hand. He turned around in a hurry and saw Bai Shouhe's face, which was as dry and sallow as a woodcut.

"What are you... doing?" Song Qiankun watched him warily.

"This kind of follow-up work should be left to the soldiers. Why bother to have you, the senior staff officer, personally take charge?" Bai Shouhe said with a dry laugh. "Shall we find a quiet place to have tea?"

Song Qiankun felt that Bai Shouhe’s words were veiled and had hidden meanings. He did not have time to ponder it, so he brushed off the hand that was pulling his arm. As he was about to turn around and head for the entrance, he was blocked by two burly men in top hats. He glared at Bai Shouhe and was about to speak when Bai Shouhe made a gesture of invitation and said, “Please, Staff Officer Song!”

At this time, Xiao Zhang and Xiao Wang had already followed Zong Da into the People's Paradise. Song Qiankun hesitated momentarily and then had no choice but to follow Bai Shouhe.

The group turned from the bustling entrance of the People’s Recreation Center into a secluded alleyway. After walking for a short distance, they entered a teahouse.

At the entrance of a private room on the second floor, two men in black stood guard on either side of the door. Bai Shouhe made another inviting gesture to Song Qiankun, and the two went in, one after the other.

"Director Bai, are you kidnapping me?" Song Qiankun slammed the table in anger. "Don't forget that it's the period of cooperation between the Kuomintang and the Communist Party, a united front to resist Japan jointly..."

In the middle of the private room was an eight-immortal table. The tea on the table was freshly brewed and still steaming, and a few drops of tea splashed onto Bai Shouhe’s clothes as Song Qiankun hit the table. He pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and lightly wiped the tea off, “Staff Officer Song, please don’t misunderstand; I only want to make friends with you, or rather, we were friends, to begin with…”

Song Qiankun heard the hidden meaning in his words, “What do you mean?”

"No rush. Let's have tea first," Bai Shouhe gestured, sitting down beside the square table and speaking leisurely. The concert would last at least two and a half hours. We can chat while drinking."

Song Qiankun sat down opposite him, suppressing his anger.

"If I remember correctly, your father, Mr. Huang Yaozu, was an old party member who joined our party in the 16th year of the Republic of China. In the same year, he joined the Blue Shirt Society led by Mr. Chen Lifu, which is now known as the Military Intelligence Bureau. In the 23rd year of the Republic of China, Senior Huang was appointed as the commander of the Chuzhou Anti-Communist United Civil Corps. He once cooperated with the Nationalist Army's Xia Douyin unit to eliminate a band of Red Bandits entrenched in the Pigu Mountain area. Unfortunately, the female leader of the Red Bandits, Han Ying, narrowly escaped. Before that, on the way back to Pi Town from Chuzhou, Senior Huang's unit was almost captured alive by the Red Bandits led by Han, who had set an ambush. The one who betrayed Senior Huang was the youngest son of the Huang family, who had just turned fifteen..."

Song Qiankun interrupted him and asked, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"I'll tell you what I want to say in a moment, Staff Sergeant Song. No, perhaps I should call you Staff Sergeant Huang..." Bai Shouhe said with a forced smile. "That's right, you are the third young master of the Huang family. However, you were then called Huang He, and the name Song Qiankun was changed after you joined the Communist Party. So, why did the third young master betray his own father? It all starts with the last concubine taken by Senior Huang." Bai Shouhe paused like a storyteller, took a sip of tea, and continued:

" Senior Huang had four wives; when he was over fifty, he took a fifth. This fifth concubine was named Cui Ying, who was fifteen years old when she married Senior Huang and studied at Chuzhou Middle School. The age disparity made them seem like they were from two different generations. At that time, the third young master, Huang He, was also studying at Chuzhou Middle School, and the fifth concubine happened to be in his class. Cui Ying was born into a small merchant family in Chuzhou City. She was naturally beautiful and had a gentle demeanor, and she had won the title of the school beauty of Chuzhou twice. It is said that the third young master, Huang He, and Cui Ying once co-starred in a drama called Thunderstorm, with Huang He playing the role of Zhou Ping and Cui Ying playing Fan Yi. It is also said that Huang He and Cui Ying fell in love during the performance. However, soon after, Cui Ying’s merchant father, out of greed, married his daughter to Senior Huang, the father of Huang He.”

“Was it because his father robbed him of his love that the third young master, Huang He, angrily joined the Red Army and betrayed his father, or was there another reason? Only Huang He himself knows the answer to this question. However, one thing is certain, Huang He was bewitched by Han Ying before he joined the Red Army. Han Ying is Huang He’s cousin. She studied in Japan and was influenced by the leftist communist ideas of Soviet Russia. During her time in Japan, she joined the Chinese Socialist Youth League. After returning to China, she has been involved in communist propaganda activities. After the communists established a Soviet base in Jiangxi, Han Ying was sent to the Soviet base for training, and she secretly returned to the Pigu mountain area to organize a peasant uprising and establish the first Red Army force in the Pigu mountains. It was during this period that Huang He joined the Communist Party, probably under Han Ying’s bewitchment... Staff Officer Song, no, Staff Officer Huang, am I right?”

Song Qiankun couldn't sit still anymore and wanted to get up and leave, but Bai Shouhe waved his hand, raised a finger, and laughed dryly twice, "Calm down, Staff Officer Song. Listen to me and let me explain slowly."

Song Qiankun glanced at the two men in black outside the door and realized that he couldn't escape if he resisted. Since that was the case, he had no choice but to sit down again and ponder what these secret agents were up to.

"The National Army soon annihilated the Red Bandits in the Pigu Mountain Soviet area. As the commander of the Chuzhou Anti-Communist United Militia, Senior Huang Yaozu made outstanding contributions to suppressing the Soviet area and was personally praised by Chairman Chiang. However, the Red Bandits considered him a nail in the eye and a thorn in the flesh. Soon after, the female leader of the Red Bandits, Han Ying, who was hiding in the Pigu mountains, sent a so-called assassination squad to sneak back to Pi Town, where they assassinated Senior Huang and hung his body on a ginkgo tree at the edge of town, seeking revenge for the Red Bandits that Senior Huang had previously beheaded there. What is strange is that although the Red Bandits captured and killed Senior Huang, they made an exception for the fifth concubine, Cui Ying, who was captured at the same time. They let her go and even sent her back to her family’s home in Chuzhou City without a scratch. It is said that the third young master, Huang He, guided the ‘assassination’ operation. In other words, he led the people to kill his own biological father. Afterward, the National Army under Xia Douyin launched an even larger suppression scale against the Red Bandits in the Pigu mountains. The female bandit leader Han Ying had no choice but to flee with the remnants of her troops to the Henan-Sichuan-Shaanxi area and later joined the Zhu-Mao Red Army, who had fled to northern Shaanxi from Jiangxi. Han Ying and her cousin Huang He, this pair of siblings, were praised by the Communist Party for killing their own relatives for the greater good. Han Ying was given an important role and married Hong Hu, a Red Army general who had participated in the so-called ‘Long March.’ Their wedding witness was the Red Army general Lin Biao. Hong Hu was one of Lin Biao’s most trusted subordinates. At this time, the third young master, Huang He, officially changed his name to ‘Song Qiankun’, to show that he was cutting all ties with the past. He followed his brother-in-law Hong Hu to the front lines of the war against Japan. Soon after, Song Qiankun was sent back to Yan’an to study at the Anti-Japanese University, which specialized in training military and political cadres for the Communist Party. During his studies, he went through the Communist Party’s vetting movement. His family was labeled as ‘local tyrants and evil gentry’ by the Communist Party. Furthermore, his father’s position as the commander of the Chuzhou Anti-Communist United Militia made him an important target of investigation. However, because of the protection of his cousin and brother-in-law Han Ying and Hong Hu, who were holding high positions in the Yan’an Communist Party and the Eighth Route Army, and also because of his act of killing his own relatives for the greater good, he was able to pass the vetting process with ease. After graduating from the Anti-Japanese University, he was given an important position in the Dongjiang Bureau of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, working under the important leader Zong Da…”

Hearing Bai Shouhe recite such a long list like a textbook, Song Qiankun found it somewhat ridiculous and couldn't help but sarcasm, "These archival materials were provided by the spies you sent to infiltrate Yan’an, right?"

"Tit for tat, haven’t you also planted quite a few undercover agents in our higher echelons?" Bai Shouhe said smugly, resting his pointed chin on the finger adorned with a ring.

"Don't beat around the bush, Director Bai. What exactly do you want to do?" Song Qiankun interrupted him.

"Nothing, I just want to catch up with you and reminisce about the old times…"

"What 'old times' do we have to reminisce about?"

"Staff Officer Song is really forgetful. Your father, Senior Huang, is a veteran of our party and the commander of the Chuzhou United Civil Corps who sacrificed his life for the country... Speaking of which, we are friends and family..."

"I broke up with Huang Yaozu a long time ago. Don't forget that I personally led the people to kill him!" Song Qiankun interrupted him again.

"After all, Senior Huang is your father. While political stances may change with time and circumstances, your father-son relationship cannot be altered. Just as bones may be broken, the tendons that connect them remain intact!"

Song Qiankun couldn’t take it anymore. He was worried about Zong Da’s safety. A few days ago, Zong Da had revealed that the surrender faction within the Nationalist Party and the Japanese puppet spies were attempting to divide and subvert the main war-advocating factions within the KMT and CCP. A strong sense of unease welled up in his heart: Could Bai Shouhe be trying to draw me away from the mountain and target Zong Da? He became alert and bluntly declared at this thought, "Are you trying to plot against Chief Zong Da?"

Bai Shouhe was momentarily taken aback when he heard Song Qiankun’s words, but he immediately burst into laughter, “Staff Officer Song, you are overthinking things. We are currently in a KMT-CCP cooperation. How could we possibly do anything disrespectful to an important leader of your party? Besides, Mr. Zong Da is also a friend of our party. Chairman Chiang highly appreciates his ideas about everything being subordinate to the united front!”

However, Bai Shouhe's words did not dispel Song Qiankun's concerns. On the contrary, his evasive speaking only added to his doubts. He looked at his watch and saw that it was already eleven o'clock in the morning, and the concert was about to end. Therefore, he suddenly stood up and rushed out of the private room, not caring about anything else. Bai Shouhe was stunned for a moment and then hurried after him…

When Song Qiankun returned to the People's Paradise entrance, the concert had just ended, and the audience was pouring out. He was about to push his way in when he saw Zong Da coming out of the side door, protected by the two guards, Xiao Zhang and Xiao Wang, on either side of him. The heart hanging in the air finally fell back into place. He quickly rushed over to greet him.

In the Chevrolet sedan parked in front of the People’s Paradise, Song Qiankun asked quietly, "How was it? Was the performance a success?"

"I was originally planning to leave after watching the beginning, but I ended up watching the entire concert; it was so wonderful!" Zong Da said, unable to hide his excitement, "Mr. Xian Xinghai is a great artist. Listen, Defend the Yellow River, North China, and all of China! The wind is howling; the horses are neighing, and the Yellow River is roaring! The Yellow River is roaring… Such stirring songs, this is the kind of art that our nation needs!” He clapped his hands to the beat as he spoke, humming softly. Even Xiao Zhang and Xiao Wang started to sing along: "North and south of the river, the sorghum is ripe; among the mountains, there are so many heroes fighting the Japanese…”

The mood unconsciously infected Song Qiankun, and he regretted missing this wonderful concert. He thought about the strange entanglement with Bai Shouhe just now and felt he should report it to Zong Da. But then again, Bai Shouhe had only pulled him into a teahouse for some tea and small talk; there didn’t seem to be any nefarious intentions, so how could he report it? He worried that the Chief would think that he was being too sensitive!

As the Chevrolet drove out of the city and onto the riverside road to the Dajiang University, Song Qiankun noticed in the rearview mirror that a black sedan was following them at a not-too-close, not-too-far distance. He subconsciously thought of what Bai Shouhe had said in the teahouse, and a layer of shadow was cast over his heart…

4. Leica 3D

On the one hand, the authorities made high-profile propaganda to "defend Dongjiang, defend North China, and defend the whole of China." On the other hand, various military and political leaders, as well as high-ranking officials and dignitaries, evacuated one after another. This chaotic situation persisted for some time, and it neither improved nor worsened. The once tense nerves of the people gradually relaxed.

As summer drew close, Zong Da was ordered to return to Yan’an for a meeting. Unlike usual, Anna did not accompany Zong Da back to Yan’an as his wife and confidential secretary. Zong Da was traveling on a military aircraft belonging to the US military observation group, indicating that the time was highly urgent.

Within just a week, Zong Da flew back to Dongjiang from Yan’an, still aboard the same US military observation group aircraft he had taken there.

Song Qiankun accompanied Anna to the airport to greet them. When they met Zong Da at the airport, they saw that he looked gloomy and gray, as if covered with a layer of dust from the Loess Plateau. The young people in the Dongjiang Bureau knew that Zong Da and Anna had met and fallen in love in the UK. From the UK to the Soviet Union, from the Soviet Union to China, and then from Yan’an to Dongjiang, they have always maintained Western lifestyles. They all envied Zong Da and Anna's romantic experience of "revolution plus love," including Song Qiankun. At that time, he was only in his early twenties and was still a bachelor. But what is confusing is that Zong Da usually hugged and kissed Anna goodbye even if he left his home for a half-day meeting. This time, he came back from Yan’an, thousands of miles away, and was so cold that he even forgot the etiquette between husband and wife. Song Qiankun felt that it was a bit unreasonable.

Two days ago, someone in the Dongjiang Bureau spread a rumor that the Central Committee severely criticized Zong Da at a meeting because of conflicts with the Party Central Committee during his work in the Dongjiang Bureau. Song Qiankun did not believe it initially, but now that he saw Zong Da's abnormal demeanor, he began to consider it a little. He thought it was normal for people to feel depressed after being criticized by the Central Committee, not to mention that Zong Da was an intellectual and had a sentimental character.

Two days later, Song Qiankun passed by the confidential department's entrance and bumped into Anna, who was coming out with a file bag. The two almost collided.

"Oh, it's Anna... Comrade, " Song Qiankun quickly took a half step back, thinking that Zong Da had been resting at home for the past two days after returning from Yan’an, so he asked casually, "Is the leader resting well?"

"Not bad, basically recovered, but emotionally..." Anna hesitated to continue. "By the way, Song, I want to accompany Comrade Zong Da to outdoor activities this afternoon. It's good for him to adjust his state as soon as possible. Are you free to join us?"

"Of course, Comrade Anna," Song Qiankun agreed without hesitation. "Do you need a car arranged?"

"No need, just strolling around the riverside and the mountains." Anna finished speaking and turned to head for the staircase. Song Qiankun gazed at Anna's back from behind, feeling that despite wearing a gray military uniform, she still exuded a graceful charm and even more so, a heroic demeanor unique to female revolutionaries.

After a quick lunch, Song Qiankun arrived at the Office and Dormitory No. 1 entrance, where he saw Zong Da and Anna, the couple, already packed and ready to leave.

Perhaps due to a good rest, Zong Da's complexion was no longer as gloomy as when he had just stepped off the plane two days ago. He wore a white shirt on top, navy blue suit pants on the bottom, and his leather shoes were polished to a shine. He wore a black top hat and carried a camera over his shoulder, looking like a gentleman.

Zong Da usually wore the uniform of the Eighth Route Army, just like other leaders in the Dongjiang Bureau. When Song Qiankun saw him dressed like this for the first time, he felt very fresh and couldn't help but take a few extra glances. He exclaimed, "Comrade Zong Da, you look dashing today!"

"Really? Anna dug out the clothes I used to wear abroad from the bottom of the box and insisted on making me wear them..." Zong Da said, extending his hand to Anna, who was walking over.

"Today is Andre's 36th birthday; according to traditional Chinese belief, it's his zodiac year, so he must wear new clothes, right, Song?" Anna reached out to hold Zong Da's arm. Today, she also made a special effort to dress up, wearing a violet silk cheongsam, her hair tied up in a bun like Chinese women, her face powdered lightly, and standing with Zong Da in high heels, which made them appear about the same height. Song Qiankun watched from the side, and the phrase "a match made in heaven" popped into his mind.

"Xiao Song, can you take pictures?" Zong Da took a few steps and turned around to ask.

Song Qiankun hesitated momentarily and said, "I know a little." Just as he finished speaking, Zong Da took the camera off his shoulder and handed it to him, smiling and saying, "Autumn is here. Today is an autumn outing, so you can take more photos..."

Zong Da always gives people the impression of being very serious, rarely showing a smile, and it's rare to see him so relaxed today. So, he took the camera and replied happily, "Okay, chief, I'm afraid my skills aren't good enough..." As he spoke, he held the camera in his hand and examined it: "It's a Leica 3D!"

"What, have you ever used Leica?" Zong Da glanced at him.

"Oh no, I only saw it when I participated in the Pingxingguan Victory. It was a war trophy my brother-in-law captured from a Japanese brigade commander..."

"Who is your brother-in-law?" Zong Da asked with interest.

"His name was Hong Hu. He served as the deputy brigade commander in the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army while I was a staff officer in the brigade headquarters and played around with a camera for a few days..."

"Oh, I've long heard that your cousin, Comrade Han Ying, is a heroine in the Red Army. I even met her once in Yan’an. I never thought your brother-in-law would also be a war hero!"

As if he had heard someone praising him, Song Qiankun blushed slightly and shifted the topic back to the camera, "Chief, your Leica 3D camera is a genuine German product, which is rarely available on the market..."

Before Zong Da could answer, Anna cut him off and said, "This camera is old. I bought it when Andre and I were traveling in Germany. At that time, we had just met, and I spent the royalties from his book on it." She said this to Song Qiankun. Then, she turned her face to Zong Da and asked, "Honey, I forgot. What was the name of your book?"

"To be precise, it's a translated book, Revolution or Social Reform, by Rosa Luxemburg," Zong Da corrected.

"Oh, yes, look at my memory, I forgot!" Anna Louise clapped her hands and laughed happily like a little girl, "I started to admire Rosa Luxemburg from reading that book..."

As they talked, the three of them unwittingly walked out of Maple Garden and followed the winding path of Pipa Mountain, winding its way upwards. Both sides of the path were covered with thorns, and the incessant chirping of cicadas filled one's ears like a tidal wave. Although summer had passed, the afternoon sun was still somewhat fierce, shining on people like a basin of fire on their backs.

As they approached the mountainside, Song Qiankun spotted a pipa forest ahead. The pipas on the trees were so golden yellow that they almost bent the branches. In the middle of the forest, a thatched cottage could be faintly seen, presumably inhabited by a fruit farmer who grows pipas.

Song Qiankun took the lead and picked up a bunch of Pipas, handing them to Anna as she walked over. "Here, Comrade Anna, this is the freshest fruit. Give it a try!"

Just as Anna was about to take the pipas, Zong Da waved his hand, saying, "Xiao Song, how can you pick up your fellow villagers' pipas? Where have you learned the Three Main Rules and Eight Points for Attention.”

Although Zong Da said this with a smile, Song Qiankun's face involuntarily blushed. He retracted his hand and stood there awkwardly, holding the pipas.

Seeing his bewildered expression, Anna turned to Zong Da and scolded, "Andre, a bunch of pipas is not worth such a fuss. You're too dogmatic!" She took the pipas from Song Qiankun's hand, peeled one, and tasted it in her mouth. "Ah, it's sweet! Try it!" Saying this, she peeled another pipa and offered it to Zong Da. Zong Da couldn't dodge in time and had to open his mouth to take the pipa.

Song Qiankun quickly raised his camera and pressed the shutter to capture the scene. He took several shots and felt that this Leica 3D was much more user-friendly than the trophy his cousin-in-law Hong Hu had captured.

Anna was evidently pleased with Song Qiankun's "acting according to circumstances". As if as a reward, she fed him a peeled pipa like she would a child. He held the pipa in his mouth, not swallowing it immediately, but savoring it carefully. He felt a sweet taste slowly spreading in his mouth, penetrating deep into his heart

They took a brief rest beside the pipa forest before resuming their climb up the mountain. Before leaving, Zong Da took out some banknotes from his pocket, put them in the open space in the forest, and pressed them with a stone. When he did all this, his expression and actions were solemn. Song Qiankun and Anna Louis watched silently beside him without saying a word, but both showed a respectful expression.

Seeing Zong Da staggering, Song Qiankun picked up a branch from the roadside that a fruit farmer probably cut, cut off both ends and handed it to Zong Da as a walking stick. Zong Da thanked him and took it

Mount Pipa's elevation was less than 500 meters, and coupled with its relatively gentle slope, the three of them quickly climbed to the summit. At this time, the sun had already set, and the trees on the mountain shimmered in the sunlight, resembling a colorful oil painting. Looking far away, the Dongjiang River flowed like a jade belt under Mount Pipa, and a cargo ship sailed from west to east, trailing a long trail of soot that painted the sky black and messy.

Song Qiankun was the first to reach the top of the mountain. Soon after, Zong Da and Anna also arrived, panting and sweating. Zong Da's face was pale, while Anna's face was flushed. This contrast between the pale and flushed faces created a peculiar contrast.

Song Qiankun was just about to sit down and take a breath when he saw an octagonal pavilion not far away. Due to years of disrepair, wind, and rain, several red lacquer columns were mottled and had long lost their original color. In the pavilion's center was a rectangular stone tablet with words engraved on it. He walked over curiously and carefully identified the inscriptions. At this time, Zong Da also walked to the front of the pavilion with a cane.

"Xiao Song, is this your first time on Mount Pipa?" Zong Da wiped the sweat from his forehead and pointed to the words on the stone tablet with his cane, saying, "This stone tablet was erected in the late Qing Dynasty. The poem Mountain Pipa by Bai Juyi is engraved on it. He pondered for a moment and recited slowly:

Deep in the mountains, the past years fade away,

"Situations are like the wild loquats by Dongxi Creek.".

The fire tree is agitated by the wind, causing the crimson flames to flicker,

The sun rises, casting a red glow on the delicate branches.

Looking back, even the peaches and plums seem pale in comparison,

The reflection of a lotus flower is not a flower.

But alas, its roots are deeply embedded in the stone,

Impossible to move to someone’s home."

"When the predecessor of Dongjiang University, Dongjiang Normal School, was established, the school's preparatory committee specially sent someone to invite the great calligrapher and painter Wu Changshuo to copy this poem and engrave it on this stone tablet..." Zong Da introduced the origin of the poetry tablet to Song Qiankun as if he knew it by heart.

Song Qiankun exclaimed, "Chief, you are truly familiar with the history of Dongjiang University!"

Zong Da said, "Not long after I returned from studying abroad, I worked at Dongjiang University for some time."

At that moment, Anna also entered the pavilion. Song Qiankun suggested, "This stone tablet is memorable. Comrade Anna, would you like me to photograph you and Comrade Zong Da together?"

Zong Da and Anna readily agreed. Therefore, Song Qiankun raised the Leica 3D camera and took another group photo of them.

That afternoon, Song Qiankun took numerous photos of Zong Da and Anna, nearly using up an entire roll of film. As they were about to descend the mountain, Anna, seemingly as a reward for his efforts, suggested, "Andre, take a photo of me and Song together!"

Zong Da hesitated for a moment and said, "Alright!" He took the Leica 3D camera from Song Qiankun's hand and photographed him and Anna Louise together. Behind them was the vast Dongjiang River. The cargo ship trailing soot had already passed, and the sky and river surface were clear as jade as if they had been washed.

Before Zong Da pressed the shutter, Anna reached out and affectionately put her arm around Song Qiankun's shoulder.

Then, they went down the mountain.

A week later, the event that would later shock Dongjiang occurred: Zong Da disappeared! Zong Da went missing while walking along the Maple Garden River after dinner one day. The day before, Song Qiankun had heard from the intelligence department that there were signs of Kuomintang agents operating near Maple Garden. Zong Da had a habit of walking along the river every evening, sometimes alone with Anna Louise, and usually had one or two security guards around him. However, on the day of the incident, there was no security guard around Zong Da. Anna Louise went to the Eighth Route Army office to deliver a confidential document without accompanying Zong Da for a walk as usual.

The accident just happened like that.

After Zong Da's disappearance, the entire security team of the Dongjiang Bureau was dispatched to search the surrounding area for two days, but no trace of Zong Da was found. Some speculated that the Kuomintang or Japanese puppet agents might have kidnapped Zong Da.

A few days later, the Central Daily News published a "My Confession" signed by "Zong Da," accompanied by a recent photo of Zong Da. At the same time, KMT newspapers of all sizes reported Zong Da's "breakaway" from the CCP under the headlines of "Zong Da, leader of the CCP's Dongjiang Bureau, was dissatisfied with the internal struggles of the Party and voluntarily defected to the KMT," "Renouncing his communist beliefs and converting to the Three Principles of the People," etc. The KMT also reported Zong Da's "breakaway" from the CCP. He "renounced his communist beliefs and converted to the Three People's Principles."

This incident alerted Yan’an. Soon, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China urgently reorganized the Dongjiang Bureau. A group of cadres directly responsible for the "Zong Da Incident" were dismissed. As a security staff officer, Song Qiankun, who was directly responsible, was soon transferred back to Yan’an

Shortly after returning to Yan’an, Song Qiankun and Anna were subject to organizational scrutiny. Together with other cadres returning from the Dongjiang Bureau, they were concentrated in a row of cave dwellings at the Northern Shaanxi Public School. In front of the caves stood several tall locust and jujube trees, whose shade covered most of the sky above the caves, providing exceptional shade in summer and shelter from the wind and sand in winter.

At that time, Zong Da had already been labeled a "traitor" by the central committee and faced severe criticism within the party. As his wife and the guard staff were directly responsible for his security, they naturally underwent stricter scrutiny than others. In addition to carefully recounting various details before and after Zong Da's "betrayal", they also had to trace the ideological roots and draw a clear line with Zong Da. Over time, the materials written by the two of them piled up to form a thick stack.

The investigation was finally over. On that day, when Song Qiankun and Anna Louise walked out of the cave, they felt a sense of liberation sweeping over them. As they returned to Yan’an, summer had just passed, and now it was mid-autumn. Looking at the dwindling Yan River nearby and the autumn scenery on the plateau in the distance and thinking about the political upheaval triggered by the "Zong Da incident," both were emotionally overwhelmed.

Song Qiankun looked at the row of locust trees before the cave and said, "Comrade Anna, I saw the divorce announcement between you and Zong Da published in the Liberation Daily..."

"Song, am I doing something too extreme?" Anna's voice was low, like a pupil asking a teacher a question.

"Comrade Anna, you didn't do anything wrong," Song Qiankun said hesitantly. "It was Zong Da who made the mistake. It was he who betrayed the revolution, not you..."

"Perhaps I was wrong from the very beginning," murmured Anna. "When I first met Zong Da, from the moment we met until we got married, it was because he was a mature and steadfast revolutionary, admired even by comrades Lenin and Stalin. Over the years, I followed him from Europe to the Soviet Union, and then to China, always regarding him as the embodiment of the revolution, as an idol. But who would have thought that he would betray the revolution..." As Anna spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, trickling down her cheeks like two small streams.

Seeing Anna's sad expression, Song Qiankun couldn't help but feel some sympathy. He took out a handkerchief and handed it over, comforting her, "In my mind, I have always respected Zong Da as a revolutionary and leader. This is not our fault. Revolution is harsh, constantly testing everyone and forcing us to make our own choices on major issues of right and wrong. You have already made the right choice, so there's no need to blame yourself too much..."

When Song Qiankun said this, it was not just about Anna Louise; it was a revelation of his own inner feelings over the past period.

"Dissolving the marriage with Zong Da is certainly easy, but..." Anna Louise paused here as if she had something difficult to say. Song Qiankun immediately understood. He gazed at Anna's slightly protruding belly and was suddenly touched by something. He had already heard that Anna was pregnant with Zong Da's child. This was a tricky problem, he thought. He turned his gaze again to the row of locust trees and saw two skylarks flying from afar, perching on the treetops. From afar, they looked like two notes on a musical staff.

"In a couple of days, I'll be heading to the front," he said. "Comrade Anna, will we meet again?"

Anna didn't say a word. The next morning, as soon as Song Qiankun got up, washed up, and returned to the cave, he saw Anna standing at the door, holding a camera. He had sharp eyes and immediately recognized it as Zong Da's Leica 3D.

"Song, since we're about to part ways, I'll give you this camera as a souvenir!" Anna said, forcing a smile on her slightly pale face. "Please don't treat it as a traitor's personal belongings."

After saying that, she thrust the camera into Song Qiankun's hands, turned around, and left.

Soon, Song Qiankun returned to the front line of the anti-Japanese war with this camera. In the Taihang Mountains and the Central Hebei Plain, he fought fierce battles against the Japanese invaders alongside his cousin's husband, Hong Hu's troops. He used that camera on the battlefield filled with flames and smoke to record one heroic scene after another. Every time he pressed the shutter, Anna's face, which bore a striking resemblance to Garbo's, flashed across his mind

Half a year later, Song Qiankun accompanied his injured brother-in-law Hong Hu back to Yan’an for treatment and made a special trip to visit Anna, who worked at Yan’an Women's University. It was spring, and Song Qiankun picked a bunch of winter jasmine from the cliff by the roadside and presented it to Anna when they met.

That day, he formally proposed to Anna, and she accepted. The baby in her belly was already nine months old at that time. A little over two weeks later, the baby, a boy, was born. Anna didn't let her son take his biological father's surname, Zong, but instead chose to give him his stepfather's surname, Song

5. Father and Daughter

It was already past noon when the nanny came up from downstairs, took small, quick steps into Song Qiankun's room, and whispered, "Mr. Song, Xiaofan hasn't come back yet. Would you like to eat something first?"

"Xiaofan said she would come back for lunch, so she will definitely be back. Just wait a bit longer!" Song Qiankun leaned on the sofa and said without turning his head, his gaze still fixed on the stack of photos in front of him. He picked out one of them and examined it closely.

The photo showed a portrait of Song Qiankun and Anna Louise. Both of them are dressed in the uniforms of the Eighth Route Army, standing on the edge of the Yan River. The clear river water flowed like a jade belt behind them, with the majestic Pagoda Mountain and the rolling Northern Shaanxi Plateau in the distance. The sun shines on the river, creating dazzling ripples that reflect on the faces of the two people, making them appear exceptionally bright.

Song Qiankun closed his eyes for a while, leaning his head on the back of the sofa. His sparse white hair drooped from the sofa back, and he appeared asleep, but his mind was particularly active. Scenes from the past flashed through his mind like slides, then quickly disappeared. He seemed to be back in his youth when studying at Chuzhou Middle School. The posters of the drama Thunderstorm, in which he played Zhou Ping and Cui Ying played Fan Yi, were posted all over the campus, attracting admiring glances. The scene suddenly changed to a wedding procession, with a sedan chair covered in red silk passing through the streets of Chuzhou. The bride sitting inside the sedan chair was pale and tearful. The groom riding on horseback in front of the sedan chair was an old man in his fifties. This man was his father, Huang Yaozu. Then, the scene shifted to a dark and windy night. He was leading the assassination squad into the deep mansion in Pi Town where he had grown up. Several Red Army soldiers tied up his father, who was wearing a silk sleeping gown, and dragged him out of the bedroom. They took him to the old ginkgo tree at the east end of the town. Soon after, two gunshots rang out in the silent night, as crisp as firecrackers during the New Year. He posted the slogan he had personally written on the thick ginkgo tree: "Sentencing Huang Yaozu to death to avenge the Red Army martyrs!" "Long live the Worker-Peasant Red Army!" "All power belongs to the Soviets!" The scene changed again, and he was sitting between two cadres in People's Liberation Army uniforms at a simple table in a cave dwelling of the Central Department of Social Affairs. The two cadres had serious expressions. He looked a little nervous. “Back then, when you led the Red Army assassination squad into the Huang residence and shot your own biological father, Huang Yaozu, was it because he stole your lover, Cui Ying, to vent your anger, or was it truly to avenge the Red Army martyrs?” “You embarked on the path of revolution. Was it because you believed in communism, or was it to seek personal advancement?” He had heard similar questions from Bai Shouhe, a Military Intelligence Bureau chief. After the "Zong Da incident," during the "Dajiang Traitor Case" in the late 1950s, and during the Cultural Revolution, he was interrogated countless times... Did he answer them? How did he answer them? He couldn’t remember. But he was sure that he did answer them, or else he wouldn’t have been able to pass all the organizational reviews. However, although he passed the organizational reviews, he ultimately failed to pass Anna Louise’s “test.” In the late 1950s, both were transferred from Beijing to work for the Dajiang Provincial Party Committee. He was the head of the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda Department, and Anna worked at the Provincial Radio Station. Soon after, he was suddenly subjected to review. The review was because someone had reported that he had betrayed the Party's secrets when he was the head of the Dajiang Provincial Party Committee's City Work Department before the Liberation. The report was written to the Central Committee, and the Central Committee and the Dajiang Provincial Party Committee jointly set up a special investigation team. When he was taken away from home by the investigation team, he was only allowed to bring a few changes of clothes and a copy of Gorky's Mother, which had been translated by Zong Da, who had long been labeled as one of the biggest traitors in the history of the CCP. Zong Da gave him this book, and on the flyleaf was his signature: "To Comrade Qiankun! Zong Da, July 1939." However, after the "Zong Da incident," he erased the flyleaf's signature with an eraser. But when the comrades on the special investigation team found out that he had brought Gorky's Mother with him, they sternly questioned him: "Why did you keep a book translated by the big traitor Zong Da? Are you Zong Da's accomplice? Otherwise, how could he have easily fled to the Nationalist side? On the day that Zong Da disappeared, why was there no guard by his side? Could you deliberately arrange it to create an opportunity for the spies….” “You not only married Zong Da’s ex-wife but also raised his son, which proves that you are in league with him…” The questions bombarded him like a barrage of bullets, making him dizzy and unable to answer. After two months of interrogation, the special investigation team failed to find any conclusive evidence of his betrayal, and they had no choice but to let him go home. But as soon as he entered the house, he saw a divorce agreement. “I’m sorry, Song, I came to China for the sake of the revolution. I can’t continue living with a traitor to the revolution…” Anna stared at him blankly. He vaguely remembered that Anna’s expression was the same when she announced her divorce from Zong Da in Yan’an. “But the organization hasn’t reached a formal conclusion yet…” he stammered, but Anna didn’t let him finish. She shrugged, “But I can’t face the discrimination and distrust of my colleagues, and also Song Zhe, who’s already graduated from elementary school. Don't forget that he has your surname, Song; his classmates call him traitor son behind his back!” He saw a few tears welling up in Anna’s eyes, and he couldn’t help but lower his head. After divorcing him, Anna took her and Zong Da's son. Because they couldn’t find any conclusive evidence of his “betrayal and defection,” after nearly half a year of investigation, the Central Committee decided to reinstate him as the head of the Propaganda Department of Dongjiang Provincial Party Committee. Soon after, he married Luo Yi, a nurse at the Provincial Sanatorium. A year later, his daughter Song Xiaofan was born…

"Xiaofan is back?"

"Well, I was delayed by some things. Aunt Zhao, have you eaten?"

"Not yet. The food has been ready for a long time. Song Lao said he had to wait for you to come back..."

"Oh, it's almost two o'clock. What are we waiting for? The old man must be starving!"

A series of thumping footsteps sounded on the stairs. The room door was pushed open with a bang, and a string of pleasant calls came along with the footsteps: “Dad, Dad!”

It was his daughter, Song Xiaofan. Xiaofan was back.

Song Qiankun opened his eyes slightly as if he had just returned from a journey through another world. In his hazy vision, he saw his daughter walk towards him like a gust of wind. A trace of a kind smile appeared on his relaxed face. But before the smile lines on his cheeks could spread, he deliberately straightened his face, frowned, and pretended to be angry, "Hey, didn't you say you would come home in the morning?"

"It wasn’t because of that TV documentary; a few people were discussing it, and the time just flew by!" Song Xiaofan’s speech was as fast as a machine gun, perhaps subconsciously a little coquettish in front of her father. "Dad, are you dozing off on the sofa again? I told you before that you’ll easily catch a cold that way, but don’t listen!” She said while helping her father, who was about to get up from the sofa.

"Don't help me; I haven't gotten so old that I can't walk!" Song Qiankun waved his hand, although he said he had already taken Song Xiaofan’s hand. He felt that his daughter’s hand was still as small and slender as when she was a child, like a piece of warm jade.

Father and daughter walked hand-in-hand toward the stairs.

"By the way, Dad, did that Du Wei from Dongjiang University’s photography class come this morning? How’s the photo restoration coming along?” Xiaofan suddenly asked.

"Hmm, he has been here before; it's not bad." Song Qiankun nodded with satisfaction.

"Hehe, Dad, did I recommend the right talent to you?" Song Xiaofan said smugly. "Didn't you want to find a young person who knows photography to accompany you on a trip to inspect the places where you fought in the past? How about this, Du Wei?"

"Well, let me think about it..." Song Qiankun said ambiguously. Actually, he had this idea in his mind, but his long-term habit as a leading cadre made him reluctant to easily share his decisions with others, even his own daughter.

Song Qiankun had always been very fond of this daughter. He was at a low point when he married his second wife, Luo Yi. After Anna divorced him due to the “traitor case,” he lived alone for a while. Before long, he was reinstated, but the constant investigations had taken a toll on his mind and body. So, after his reinstatement, the Provincial Party Committee arranged for him to go to the provincial sanatorium for recuperation. At that time, Luo Yi was a nurse at the sanatorium and was responsible for his care. This young nurse with a pair of beautiful phoenix eyes was outstanding in her work and took care of him with special attention. Her attitude was always so kind and gentle, and she was never impatient like some nurses. Before giving him an injection, she would always lightly press her slender index and middle fingers on the spot that had been wiped with alcohol. After the injection, she would repeat this motion once again. Every time she did this, Song Qiankun’s body would tremble slightly as if it had been electrocuted. When he left the sanatorium, he felt a sense of reluctance. Later, Song Qiankun understood that what he was reluctant to leave was not the comfortable conditions or the picturesque scenery of the sanatorium but the nurse, Luo Yi.

Soon after, Song Qiankun remarried. His second wife was Luo Yi, and a year later, their daughter Song Xiaofan was born. Luo Yi was only twenty-two that year, while Song Qiankun was already in his forties. From then on, he had a happy family, a beautiful young wife, and a lively and adorable daughter. This happiness was invaluable to a middle-aged man who had escaped war and endured complex political trials. He gradually forgot about Anna and his adopted son, later renamed Zong Xiaotian, and poured all his love into Luo Yi and his daughter Xiaofan. Whenever he went on a business trip, he would bring back some gifts they liked. During every holiday, no matter how busy he was, he would take his daughter to the park, the youth palace, or the museum. At that time, Luo Yi had been transferred to the inpatient department of the Provincial People's Hospital as a head nurse. She was so busy that she often didn't even have time for holidays. His daughter spent more time with him, her father than with her mother. Over time, the daughter seemed to rely more on her father and became distant from her mother. This continued even after she entered middle school. Even Luo Yi was a bit jealous and teased him behind his daughter’s back, “Old Song, you only see your daughter; you’ve almost forgotten about your wife!”

When Luo Yi said this, her phoenix eyes were actually filled with the tenderness of a wife and mother. This made Song Qiankun experience the joy of his success again: he had a beautiful wife and a loving daughter, and his career was also reaching new heights. He had just been promoted from the head of the Provincial Party Committee’s Propaganda Department to the Secretary of the Secretariat of the Provincial Party Committee and the Vice Governor of the Province. His work was more busy and more important than before. His full-length novel, The Megestic Song of the Great River, was published then. Through this work, he earned the title of a writer and won the reputation of a “talented man” within the party. No matter how you looked at it, he was in his life's best and most successful period. But a few years later, the Cultural Revolution broke out, and Song Qiankun was once again swept into political turmoil. The “traitor case” of the 1950s was brought up again. This time, not only did he lose his position as the Secretary of the Secretariat and the Vice Governor, but he was also labeled a “traitor” and thrown into prison. Although his wife, Luo Yi, was also implicated, she did not divorce him like Anna had. But Xiaofan, who he considered the apple of his eye, demanded that she cut all ties with him. To show her complete break from him, she even changed her name to “Song Weihong.” After graduating from junior high school, she went to the countryside to live and work with the peasants. When Xiaofan went to the countryside, Song Qiankun was in prison and could not send her off. His wife, Luo Yi, told him about it during a visit. “The countryside is so hard; how can the child handle it…” In the visiting room, Luo Yi’s eyes welled up with tears as she spoke. Song Qiankun could only comfort her, "It’s good for her to get some experience in the countryside…” Although he said so, he was not feeling well either. After all, she was still a girl who wasn’t yet fifteen years old! So, a few years later, when he was reinstated and returned to a leadership position, the first thing he did was to transfer his daughter from the countryside to Dajiang Iron and Steel Factory’s Cultural Troupe. Xiaofan had shown a talent for literature and art since middle school. She was a pillar of the school’s propaganda team. Working in the cultural troupe was considered a good fit for her talent. After his daughter returned to the city, although she no longer demanded a break from him, her relationship with him remained lukewarm. Instead of living in their big house at home, she preferred to live in the cramped and crowded dormitories of the steel factory’s cultural troupe. But that was not all; Xiaofan had secretly begun a relationship with a rebel at Dajiang Iron and Steel Factory. For this, Song Qiankun lost his temper for the first time and told Xiaofan that she had to break up with the “rebel” or never return to this house again! But Xiaofan still paid no attention to his words and married the rebel. Because of this, father and daughter had a complete “falling out.” Xiaofan had not come home for several years. When they met again, it was after the “Gang of Four” had been crushed…

Song Qiankun clearly remembered that it was New Year’s Day in 1977. After returning home from a meeting of the Provincial Party Committee Secretariat, he saw his wife, Luo Yi, and his daughter, Xiaofan, sitting together on a simple sofa in the living room. Both mother and daughter had red eyes, and tears were still clinging to their eyelashes. After years apart, Xiaofan was much thinner than before, and her phoenix eyes, which resembled Luo Yi’s, seemed even bigger. When she saw him, she got up from the simple sofa and timidly called, “Dad…” Song Qiankun still had some resentment in his heart, but his heart softened when he saw his daughter’s pitiful look as if she was a child who had made a mistake and was waiting to be punished. “Hey, you’re back? It’s good that you’re back…” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Xiaofan threw herself into his arms, tears streaming down her face. At that moment, he completely forgave his daughter. Young people are prone to impulsiveness and easily get carried away, just like when he broke away from his feudal family to join the revolution. And he had gone even further than Xiaofan. He had led the “assassination squad” to kill his own biological father… Soon after, Song Qiankun transferred Xiaofan from the steel factory’s cultural troupe to the Provincial Song and Dance Troupe as a writer. Although Xiaofan had only graduated from junior high school, she had loved literature and art since childhood under his influence. She had already published several works in the provincial newspaper and Dajiang Literature. So, working as a writer at the Provincial Song and Dance Troupe was considered a good fit for her talent. The key was that Xiaofan had divorced the rebel who had been sentenced to prison. He should let her leave the shadows of the past as soon as possible and start a new life. In short, Xiaofan's life, which had once deviated from its track, returned to the right path. Not long ago, as a rising “young writer,” Xiaofan entered the writer's class at the Chinese Department of Dongjiang University, fulfilling her dream of going to university, which, of course, could not have happened without the help of Song Qiankun. But as the daughter of the Deputy Provincial Party Secretary and Executive Vice Governor, wasn't everything Xiaofan possessed a long overdue compensation for her?

"It's been a long time since I've had Aunt Zhao's pork rib and lotus root soup!" When Xiao Fan saw the big bowl of lotus root soup the nanny had brought, she couldn't wait to pick up the spoon. She scooped a big bowl for herself and then tried to scoop some for Song Qiankun, but he blocked her. "Scoop a little less. My blood sugar is high, and the doctor advised me to limit meat..."

"Yes, Song Lao doesn't eat meat usually. The soup is cooked for you when you come home!" Aunt Zhao also told Xiaofan, "If you want to drink lotus root soup, come home more often to eat so that Song Lao won't nag you all the time at home..."

Aunt Zhao was Luo Yi's cousin. She used to work in a large collective factory in the city and was a few years older than Luo Yi. Due to the factory's downturn, she took early retirement just after turning fifty and was idle at home. Luo Yi asked her to help with household chores. Since Luo Yi was transferred to the provincial foreign affairs office as a director, she had been busier than before when she was in the hospital and couldn't attend to household matters at all. She needed to hire a nanny. Aunt Zhao was not only tidy but also kept the house in order. She was also a good cook, especially her stewed pork rib and lotus root soup, which Xiaofan always drank several bowls of. Since she came, Luo Yi hadn't been in the kitchen again. Unfortunately, since Song Qiankun was diagnosed with diabetes two years ago, he had to control his diet strictly, and he could only taste the best delicacies.

The dish had already cooled. After Aunt Zhao reheated it and served it, she returned to the kitchen, leaving Song Qiankun and his daughter Song Xiaofan alone in the dining room.

Song Qiankun went to Beijing for a meeting and just returned a few days ago. After his retirement, he rarely intervened in the province's work, except for some documents circulated within the party or when individual leaders actively sought his advice. However, as a member of the Central Advisory Commission, Song Qiankun still attended the annual plenary session of the Central Advisory Commission, mainly to take the opportunity to meet General Hong Hu, his cousin's husband and former leader. His cousin, Han Ying, passed away many years ago, and his cousin's husband is not in good health, spending almost one-third of the year in the 301 Hospital

"Your mum called yesterday, wanting to buy some clothes for you in Japan, but she forgot your size and asked me about them. How would I know? Fortunately, your Aunt Zhao still remembers..." Song Qiankun said while sipping the lotus root soup.

Song Xiaofan teased, "Dad, ever since my Mum became a director, she's been busier than when you were the governor. She's been traveling abroad and conducting inspections. I'm afraid she's only going to rise higher!"

Song Qiankun glanced at his daughter and said, "Your recent popularity is not far behind your mother's."

Song Xiaofan sensed that there was more to his father's words than met the eye and quickly asked, "Dad, what did you hear in Beijing?"

"Your uncle by marriage has also heard that your novel won an award..." Song Qiankun said, "Even Taihang and Yanbei gave you a thumbs-up when they mentioned you, and they asked you to send them a couple of copies of your new book!"

Taihang and Yanbei were the son and daughter of Han Ying and Hong Hu.

Song Xiaofan said, "No way? They usually act arrogant and never even bother to look at me..."

Song Qiankun said, "Don't let a little success go to your head. You're just getting started!"

Seeing her father's serious tone, Song Xiaofan playfully stuck out her tongue and said, "In front of you, an old writer, how dare I stick my tail up in the air!" With that, she buried her head and gulped down the soup. In the blink of an eye, she had finished the bowl of lotus root soup.

"Hasn't anything new happened at Dongjiang University recently?" Song Qiankun asked.

Every time he returned home, his daughter would tell him about the major and minor events at school, which gave him a lot of information about the university scene. Although he had retired, research and investigation were still necessary. Unexpectedly, Song Xiaofan cried out "Ah!" and almost choked on the lotus root soup she had just drunk. She quickly covered her mouth and said, "Dad, don't tell; there is something!" She paused, lowered her voice, and said, "Principal, He has been in trouble recently..."

Song Qiankun responded, "Oh?" "The education reform at Dongjiang University had recently been very successful. What trouble could he have gotten into?"

"Dad, let me finish first," Song Xiaofan said mysteriously. "Not long ago, Principal He went to the State Education Commission for a meeting. When boarding the Beijing Railway Station train, he ran into Lu Dongjin..."

Lu Dongjin was the newly appointed Party Secretary of the Dajiang Provincial Committee.

"What's so strange about running into him?" Song Qiankun mumbled and listened to his daughter's story with an indifferent tone --

"...... That time, Principal He bought a soft sleeper ticket. After boarding the train, he followed the regulations and exchanged his ticket. But just when the train was about to depart, several public security officers rushed him off his berth. Principal He argued with them, repeatedly saying that his berth number was correct, but the public security officers said, regardless of whether he was right or wrong, he couldn't use this berth! Seeing that the public security officers were so aggressive, Principal He had to swallow his anger and pick up his suitcase to move elsewhere. Soon after, a big shot cadre with a prominent air was welcomed. Principal He later asked the train attendant and learned that this big shot cadre was Lu Dongjin, who had just been transferred from the National Audit Office to be the Secretary of the Dongjiang Provincial Committee. Secretary Lu's berth was located near the bathroom of the soft sleeper car, where people were always coming and going, and it was noisy and smelly, so he had the public security officers force Principal He, who was in the middle of the car, to change his berth..."

"Oh, it was just changing a train berth," Song Qiankun said dismissively. "Such a small matter; what's there to make a fuss about?"

"It's not that simple; listen to me!" Song Xiaofan cleared her throat like a storyteller. "Not long after Principal He returned from Beijing while receiving a Hong Kong cultural and education delegation, he revealed this incident. The incident quickly made its way to the major and minor media outlets in Hong Kong, its spearhead directly pointing towards Secretary Lu Dongjin, labeling him with several hats, like ‘bureaucratic style,’ ‘privilege mentality,’ and ‘not respecting intellectuals.’ Secretary Lu was furious. He personally called Principal He and ordered him to write a statement against the anti-Communist views of the overseas forces to eliminate the negative impact. But Principal He kept dragging his feet and refused to write it. And what do you know, the State Education Commission originally intended to promote the experience of Dongjiang University’s education reform to the whole nation. Even the Xinhua News Agency was preparing an interview with Principal He, calling him a ‘reformer in education who dares to eat the first crab,’ but it all fell through because of this. Tell me, is this a significant matter or not?"

Song Qiankun remained silent for a while after listening to his daughter's story, but his mind flashed back to what his cousin-in-law Hong Hu had said to him at the 301 Hospital in Beijing. "The Central Committee originally planned to extend your retirement and have you succeeded Lao Yuan, who was transferred to the Central Committee, to be the Party Secretary of Dongjiang Province for a term," his cousin-in-law had said, "With your experience, if it weren't for that so-called 'traitor case,' you would have been given a much more important leadership position a long time ago. Besides, you've been the Deputy Party Secretary and Vice Governor of Dajiang for so long....... But just at this crucial moment, someone wrote a letter to the Central Discipline Inspection Commission, saying that in the past two years, you had built dozens of villas for retired cadres on the shores of South Lake in Dajiang, not only using the state funds allocated to the old revolutionary areas but also forcing a school to move away from the shores of South Lake, which created a terrible influence. As the Executive Vice Governor who approved this project, you should take the main responsibility......"

His cousin-in-law Hong Hu had long been a military and national defense department leader. Although he didn’t usually ask about local affairs, he was a member of the Central Advisory Commission, so he was relatively familiar with the Central Committee's decisions and personnel changes.

"But in the end, Secretary Yuan decided on this project, not me..." Song Qiankun said as if he was defending himself.

"That's the reasoning, but the problem is, the person who reported you to the Central Discipline Inspection Commission was your former subordinate." His cousin-in-law said, and once again brought up the “traitor case” before the liberation of Dajiang, accusing him of leaking the intelligence about the Dongjiang Provincial Party Committee and the military hospital being surrounded by the local security force at Niangzi Lake, which resulted in the death of more than a hundred cadres, soldiers, and the wounded..."

"My subordinate’s fiancée was killed in the Phoenix Island Massacre. He was in extreme grief and was also eager to avenge his fiancée. He developed a form of paranoia,” Song Qiankun said with a wry smile, "I have reported these circumstances to the organization several times...."

"But, with the ‘South Lake  Villas’ incident, the situation has become more complicated," his cousin-in-law said with a frown, "The Central Committee leaders are furious, and Comrade Xiaoping has also issued a directive demanding a serious investigation..."

Later, Song Qiankun retired from his position as the Deputy Party Secretary and Executive Vice Governor of the Provincial Committee. Although he was given an honorary position as a member of the Central Advisory Commission, it was merely a consolation. On the soft sleeper car of the train back to Dajiang from Beijing, Song Qiankun’s mind was filled with the image of that “old subordinate.” A shadow passed through his heart. Could it be that this man would be chasing after him for the rest of his life?

At that moment, Song Qiankun heard his daughter talking about the new provincial party secretary, Lu Dongjin; Song Qiankun couldn't help but think: that position should have been mine! But what came out of his mouth was: "It’s no wonder Secretary Lu was just appointed and was immediately pushed to the forefront of controversy. It would be a big deal for anyone.” As soon as he said this, he immediately realized that his words hinted at schadenfreude, and he changed his tone, "Principal He is, after all, an intellectual, he doesn’t understand politics!" Although he said this, he still sided with Principal He. Not only because of his friendship with Principal He during their time at the May 7th Cadre School but also because, during his tenure, he had always strongly supported Dongjiang University's reform plan and recommended Principal He to be the president of Dongjiang University. Now, the new Provincial Party Secretary was making a big fuss over this matter, which made him very uncomfortable. But what could he do? Lu Dongjin was a Beijing official, barely in his fifties, and was from a technical background. He met the Central Committee's requirements for "younger and more professional" cadres. Compared to those old comrades who had a military background, his edge and style were much more aggressive...

A sour feeling welled up in Song Qiankun's heart, but he didn't let this subtle emotion show in front of his daughter. Instead, he changed the subject, "How's that TV show of yours, The Great River Flows East, how's the preparation going? When will filming start?"

The Great River Flows East was a large-scale TV drama initiated by Song Xiaofan and several classmates from Dongjiang University's writers' class. With Song Qiankun's and Principal He's support, it received special funding from the provincial treasury and Dongjiang University.

"I wrote the initial draft of the script for The Great River Flows East, and I pulled Lang Tao in for the second draft." Song Xiaofan said, "We recently invited several scholars for a discussion. We have finalized the script, everything is ready, and as soon as the special funding from the Ministry of Finance is in place, we can start filming!"

“Oh, isn’t the theme of this film ‘From Inland Civilization to Maritime Civilization’?” Song Qiankun said approvingly, "It's good that you brought Lang Tao in. He's a PhD who came back from overseas. His academic expertise and vision are much better than you “amateur” writers….”

“What’s wrong with us “amateurs”!” Song Xiaofan pouted. “Dad, you are too much of a foreign worshiper. Back then, the Japanese devils and the Kuomintang called you ‘Communist bandits,’ and didn't you defeat them anyway?”

“Haha, you can’t put it that way. Now is the reform era; we can’t copy the old methods from the war years. Education and cultural arts must face the world, face the future!”

“Lang Tao will be pleased to hear you say that…”

“Oh, he’s happy. What about you, are you happy or not happy?”

Hearing her father’s words, Song Xiaofan’s face turned red.

While the father and daughter were talking, lunch was over without them realizing it. At that moment, Aunt Zhao came in to clear the table, and they got up and walked out of the dining room.

As Song Xiaofan linked arms with Song Qiankun and walked upstairs, she suddenly said, "Cheng Guojun... he's out of prison."

Song Xiaofan’s voice was low. Song Qiankun didn’t hear her clearly and asked, "What did you say?"

Song Xiaofan repeated it once again. Song Qiankun didn’t say anything. Song Xiaofan glanced at her father and saw that his face had turned gloomy. She also remained silent.

Cheng Guojun was Song Xiaofan’s former “rebel” husband. Back then, it was because of him that the relationship between father and daughter had been strained for a long time. After Song Xiaofan’s divorce, although her relationship with her father had returned to the intimacy it had been before, the whole family had always avoided the name "Cheng Guojun" like it was an old wound. Now, Song Xiaofan had suddenly brought it up, and the harmonious atmosphere between father and daughter had instantly shattered.

6. Dating

After her divorce, Song Xiaofan stayed at the Donggang Cultural Troupe for some time. After being transferred to the Provincial Song and Dance Troupe, she was assigned a single room of less than ten square meters, which she moved into. Although it was much closer to her home than before, she didn't often return. When she did come back occasionally, it was like visiting relatives, and she would have a meal with her parents before returning to the Provincial Song Troupe. She never stayed overnight. At that time, her family still lived in the old provincial party committee compound. Since she had been sent to the countryside to work and settle down before returning to the city and being transferred to the Dongjiang Iron and Steel factory, she rarely stayed overnight at home. However, her parents still kept a separate bedroom for her, with furniture and bedding that she had used before entering junior high school. It seemed as if time had stood still, and even the music box and Russian doll she had played with as a child were still there. However, Song Xiaofan's relationship with her parents could never return to what it was.

This situation changed after she enrolled in the writer's class at Dongjiang University.

At that time, her parents had already moved into this luxurious villa in the South Lake  Community, with upstairs, downstairs, and front and back gardens. The house was much larger than before, and the environment was incomparably more secluded and spacious than the old provincial party committee compound. On their move-in day, she walked into this magnificent villa for the first time, feeling mixed emotions. Just like in the old house, her parents had reserved a bedroom for her. Standing in the bedroom, Song Xiaofan thought that the wall between her and her parents for so many years had suddenly collapsed. Amidst the dust and smoke, she seemed to see herself wearing a red armband on her arm, looking so naive and ridiculous, even more absurdly, when she walked towards the "vast world" with the heroic sentiment of breaking away from her "traitorous" father, she even felt proud of herself for betraying the feudal family just like her father did back then. At that time, she could never have imagined that a person who led the "anti-traitor squad" to eliminate his counterrevolutionary father would actually betray the revolution.

That night, Song Xiaofan made an exception and stayed home all night. She felt a sense of returning home that she had not experienced for a long time, as if she had returned to her childhood, laughing and acting spoiled with her parents without any constraints. No matter how heavy the rain was, her parents were always there to shield her from the wind, rain, and lightning like a big umbrella. Originally a greenhouse plant, she insisted on treating herself as a wildflower and weed, responding to Chairman Mao's call to "experience the wind and rain and see the world." Who could she blame for the suffering she suffered?

Song Xiaofan felt like a prodigal who had strayed for many years and returned to her hometown, and a sense of shame unlike any she had ever felt surged up in her heart.

Fortunately, it's all in the past, and everything had returned to its original track, Song Xiaofan thought. She was living under the big umbrella of her parents again, just like when she was a child. It's not an exaggeration for her to think this way. From being transferred from the countryside to the Dongjiang Iron and Steel Factory Cultural Troupe, publishing her first work in the provincial newspaper, to being transferred to the Provincial Song and Dance Troupe, attending the writer's class at Dongjiang University, and even the TV series The Great River Flows East, she planned with Lang Tao this time, wasn't every step and every path paved by her father for her?

However, no matter what, she was no longer the little girl who would only act spoiled around her parents but a divorced woman who had passed the age of thirty. She had always been very strong-willed since childhood, similar to her father. “But my father is getting old, and I can't hide under this big tree for the rest of my life,” Song Xiaofan thought. “I should have my independent career and life.”

Song Xiaofan certainly had her own independent career and life. Not long after joining the writers' class at Dongjiang University, she published her novel Xiangchun Street in a national publication. Although it sparked some controversy, it also received ample recognition in the literary world. Several renowned critics even wrote review articles, hailing her as a notable new literary star.

She had become a genuine writer.

If this were her first step out of her father's "shadow," then the TV series The Great River Flows East, which she planned with Lang Tao not long ago, would be her second step. Song Xiaofan spent the most effort on the script, project approval, and fundraising for this film. She had to grind and soak with her father to secure provincial financial funding for quite some time. At first, her father was very reluctant. As a retired cadre, he did not want to be tainted with the stigma of using backdoor channels to seek benefits for his children after leaving office. To dispel her father's concerns, Song Xiaofan vigorously promoted the historical and practical significance of The Great River Flows East, using some trendy terms she learned from Lang Tao, such as "yellow civilization," "blue civilization," "agricultural civilization," "commercial civilization," "modernization," and "modernity." She bombarded him with these terms. She knew that her father had always firmly supported reforms and was most afraid of being called conservative, just like he was scared of being called unrevolutionary during the Cultural Revolution. This tactic worked, and her father agreed to write a note to the newly appointed provincial party secretary, Lu Dongjin. Secretary Lu showed her father some respect, and soon after, the financial funding report for the TV series was approved. In the past six months, Song Xiaofan had devoted all her energy to this TV series, striving to complete it as soon as possible. Song Xiaofan believed that after taking these two steps, her career could truly become "independent." Otherwise, she would always be seen as a good-for-nothing who relied on her father, the governor, to get by

Then, it's "independent life"!

Yes, she was already thirty-one years old. As a woman, she was not yet old; after all, her youth had passed. The best years of her life and the most precious first love of a young girl were dedicated to a "rebel" who had become a prisoner. What a painful loss! Could she still recover this loss? Or could she still find her love and happiness?

Such concerns were not only held by Song Xiaofan herself but also by her father and mother. Every time she returned home, she could sense it from a subtle look or an inadvertent remark from her parents. They all hoped she could rebuild a family as soon as possible, but they dared not be too blatant about it. Back then, when Song Xiaofan broke up with her "traitor" father, she showed a rebellious character, which made them somewhat wary when facing her personal problems now, not daring to inquire, let alone interfere directly

Song Qiankun always had the habit of taking a nap in the afternoon. After escorting his father to the bedroom, Song Xiaofan went back to her room.

Song Xiaofan's and her parents' bedrooms were on the second floor, separated by her father's office and study. When the curtains of the bedroom were drawn, one could see the rippling waves of the South Lake, the water birds on the lake, and the pine forest on the shore. The afternoon sunshine filtered through the pine forest by the lake, casting dappled and blurred light on the light green velvet curtains, making one feel as if they were in a dream. All the furniture had been replaced with new ones, except for the toys that Song Xiaofan played with as a child. Her favorite Russian doll and music box were placed on the most prominent bedside table, alongside an exquisite frame with a photo taken when she was in kindergarten.

Song Xiaofan remembered that her father took this photo using a German camera, the Leica 3D. In the photo, she had short pigtails and wore a pink blouse, and her face was filled with an innocent and radiant smile. Due to the long time since the photo was taken, it has slightly faded.

On the wall opposite the bed was a mirror that was tall enough to reflect her entire body. At this moment, Song Xiaofan was standing in front of the mirror, examining herself with a scrutinizing gaze. Hmmm, you haven't aged. Compared to that naive and romantic young girl from more than ten years ago, you've added the charm of a mature woman. And such charm can only be appreciated by mature men... Song Xiaofan's mind flashed back to her father's ambiguous expression when mentioning Lang Tao during lunch. She understood her father's thoughts. He suggested that she was getting too close to Lang Tao, suspecting that they were in love!

Since Song Xiaofan joined the writers' class at Dongjiang University, her interactions with Lang Tao had become more frequent, even intimate. This philosophy PhD from overseas, the youngest professor at the university, his erudition and sharpness, as well as his dashing appearance and elegant manner, all made Song Xiaofan admire and even like him. She didn't want to hide this at all, but this was only out of respect for knowledge and had nothing to do with romantic feelings. Whether from the courses Lang Tao gave to the writers' class or during the scriptwriting process of the TV drama The Great River Flows East, Song Xiaofan, who only had a junior high school education, learned much from him. Moreover, Lang Tao was several years younger than her. As a mature woman, she still saw him as a greenhorn! Besides, her father and Professor Lang Yongliang used to be "comrades in arms" at the May 7th Cadre School, so their families could be considered acquaintances. Lang Tao and He Shouwu's daughter, He Li, were childhood sweethearts, and their parents had already betrothed them to each other. Therefore, it might be more appropriate to think of her fondness for Lang Tao as that of an older sister to a younger

Only Song Xiaofan herself knew what kind of man she truly liked. But this was a woman's secret. Could she tell her father?

Of course not.

At the thought of their evening date, Song Xiaofan's heart skipped a few beats, and her face began to burn slightly. This feeling akin to first love filled her heart with both confusion and excitement: Could it be that I was really falling in love again? She glanced at herself in the mirror, her cheeks flushed like they had been painted with rouge. She was hesitant to face herself and checked the time on her wristwatch. It was just after two o'clock, still plenty of time before the appointed time. So, she stepped away from the mirror, sat down at the desk by the window, and opened a novel. It was The Lover by French female writer Marguerite Duras, which she had borrowed from the Dongjiang University Library.

Among her favorite foreign female writers, besides Woolf, was Duras. Not long ago, she had just finished reading Woolf's To the Lighthouse, and recently, she had started reading Duras. In the past two years, Duras's two novels, Hiroshima Mon Amour and The Lover, have become very popular in Chinese literary circles, especially among female writers.

The Lover is an autobiographical novel that tells a sad and melancholic love story between a 15-year-old French girl and a young Chinese lover. The girl's family background was somewhat tragic. She grew up in Saigon, a French colony in Vietnam, and because her father had passed away when she was very young, the family was supported only by her mother's meager salary. Her mother tried everything she could to support the family, all sorts of desperate measures, but the family's poor situation never changed. She had two older brothers, and her elder brother was idle and addicted to gambling. He did not change his bad habits due to her mother’s favoritism. At the age of youth, when girls loved to be beautiful, under such family circumstances, although the girl's clothing could not be said to be too shabby, she did not have any money for makeup. Before meeting the wealthy young man, she had only a vague understanding of love. This young man from northern China fell in love with her at first sight, became obsessed with her, drove her to and from school, spent money on her, and gave her endless, illusory glory... "I'm old. One day, a man came to me in the lobby of a public place. After introducing himself, he said: I have known you for a long time. I am here to tell you that everyone said you were beautiful when you were young, but I think you are even more beautiful now than you were when you were young..." Every time Song Xiaofan read this passage, her heart would throb as if she had become the protagonist or the author Duras. Song Xiaofan was interested in not only the indescribable sadness and aesthetic mood in the novel but also the writer's own experience. When Duras was 66 years old, she fell in love with a lover who was 38 years younger than her. This romantic love story, which seemed absurd in ordinary people's eyes, also attracted Song Xiaofan, even though she was far from 66 years old and was at the height of her youth...

But now, facing the open book, Song Xiaofan could not read a single word. Her mind was filled with the image of the man she was about to meet.

That man's name was Li Xin.

Not long after the "Gang of Four" was crushed, a group of writers labeled rightists in the 1950s resurfaced and became the leading figures in the literary world. Turning the pages of the country's scholarly publications, one could see their names and works everywhere, especially in those authoritative magazines, which were almost entirely occupied by them, taking up the headlines of every issue. The literary world called these writers the "re-blooming flowers." Their works would attract countless praises as soon as they were published, and all kinds of awards were always given to their works in prominent positions. The "scar literature" they led became a literary trend that took the lead in the times. Soon, while winning over tens of thousands of readers, they successively took up leadership positions in the literary and art federations and writers' associations at all levels, as well as in publishing houses and magazine offices. They each became influential figures who controlled the power of the cultural world.

Li Xin is one of them.

When Song Xiaofan was just a young literary writer who began to publish works in the supplement section of the provincial newspaper, she already knew the name Li Xin. She was not only familiar with this person but had also read many of his works. In the beginning, Song Xiaofan had some resistance to "right-wing writers." You had to know that during the Cultural Revolution, "rightists" were the targets of criticism by Red Guards and Little Red Soldiers! But after reading some "scar literature" novels, Song Xiaofan was gradually conquered by them, as if a huge force had pulled her out of the mire of history. She increasingly felt that the sufferings depicted by the "right-wing" writers not only belonged to themselves but also belonged to everyone, including her and her father. What era does not have its own "scars"? Therefore, she wrote a story based on what her father had told her, Xiangchun Street. Unexpectedly, although the story was artistically a bit immature, it caused a minor sensation in the literary world...

It was under such circumstances that Song Xiaofan met Li Xin.

Last autumn, Song Xiaofan went to Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, to participate in a writing conference organized by the Literary Youth magazine. In addition to young writers like her who had made their debut in the literary world, two renowned writers were also invited to give lectures. One was Deng Keng, a veteran writer from the military, and the other was Li Xin.

The conference venue was the city committee's second guest house in the suburbs of Wenzhou. The guest house also had another name, the "Snow Mountain Hotel," which sounded very poetic and made people think of the phrase "white snow." However, it was rare to see snowfall in Wenzhou, which is located in southeastern China. Because the hotel was built on a mountain, the environment was quite peaceful and beautiful, suitable for literary gatherings.

The lectures by the two famous writers were scheduled for the second day of the conference. Deng Keng gave the lecture in the morning. Deng Keng was known for his short stories that reflected the Long March of the Red Army. In the early 1970s, one of his short stories was adapted into a film, which became popular nationwide. However, after the "Gang of Four" was crushed, his specialized themes were a bit outdated. In the eyes of many young writers, Deng Keng had long been a has-been. Some people even wondered why the organizers had invited him to the conference: "He's an old relic; what can he tell us!" Therefore, fewer than half of the people were in the audience at the morning lecture. It looked relatively deserted, and some people left halfway after listening to only half of the lecture.

The afternoon was a completely different scene. The young writers not only all attended, but even the staff of the conference organizers joined in. Many people came for Li Xin's reputation. They had only read Li Xin's works before but had never seen him. When Li Xin went to the meeting, many people, including Song Xiaofan, could not help but be surprised. A man of around sixty years old appeared in front of them. His hair was almost all white, like a snow peak with a silvery shine. It made people feel that it was not a sign of aging but what he was supposed to be. His face was like a piece of weathered land, rough and textured, and underneath his high cheekbones were a pair of sharp eyes. His chin was slightly upturned, like the side of a high cliff. He was about six feet tall, with no sign of the hunching typical of older people. He stood as straight as a young man. It made Song Xiaofan think of a poem written by Zeng Zhuo, a famous poet classified as a rightist, called The Tree on the Cliff Side......

That day, Li Xin's lecture was titled "How I Created Farm Love Stories. Farm Love Stories was a prize-winning story by Li Xin. It was also the work that made him famous. It told the story of the protagonist who suffered all kinds of torture in a labor camp after being labeled a rightist and of his acquaintance and love with a female protagonist from a working-class background. Song Xiaofan had read it several times and was deeply moved. Now, when she heard the author himself talk about the creation process of the novel, especially Li Xin's slightly southern-accented Mandarin, she felt particularly close to him. "Back then, when I was in the labor camp, there was a great famine, and the inmates were only given four ounces of food a day. I was always hungry. When I went to get food from the cafeteria, I always used an enamel bowl to fill my stomach. Because of the visual effect, the chefs in the cafeteria would always give me a bit more food. It wasn't that the chefs were intentionally taking care of me, but that enamel bowl was narrow at the bottom and wide at the top, which was easy to cause a visual illusion... I used this geometric principle to tempt the chefs successfully, and that is how I survived that famine and won a soul-stirring love story..." When Li Xin said this, it caused a burst of knowing laughter. Because it is very detailed in Farm Love Stories, the chef is the heroine in the novel and later becomes Li Xin’s wife.

Li Xin's lecture was humorous. At first glance, it seemed to contain little profound content. Yet, it harbored a revelation of having experienced the vicissitudes of life, which reminded Song Xiaofan of  The Gulag Archipelago by Solzhenitsyn, a Soviet exiled writer who had recently won the Nobel Prize in Literature.

……

Li Xin's lecture was met with rounds of applause, and the enthusiasm starkly contrasted with Deng Keng's lecture in the morning. Many young writers rushed forward to ask Li Xin for his signature, crowding around him. Song Xiaofan was a step behind and was blocked at the periphery. After waiting patiently for the crowd to disperse, Li Xin was about to leave the venue when he realized that Song Xiaofan was still standing in the same place with her notebook. "Oh, I haven't signed your notebook yet, have I?" Li Xin said, walking over to Song Xiaofan. Before he could approach, Song Xiaofan greeted him and handed over her notebook.

"What are you writing?" Li Xin took out a pen from his coat pocket, unscrewed the cap, and wrote a few lines on the notebook, as if asking Song Xiaofan, but also as if asking himself. After a moment's thought, he quickly scribbled down a few lines in the notebook:

"Soak in clean water three times, bathe in blood three times, and boil in lye three times - excerpted from The Course of Suffering by Leo Tolstoy. Gift..."

He stopped writing, raised his head, and glanced at Song Xiaofan, "What's your name?"

"My name is... Song Xiaofan," she replied, a little flustered.

"To Ms. Song Xiaofan. Li Xin."

He signed his name, returned the notebook to Song Xiaofan, and then, with one hand tucked into his pocket, he made his way through the crowd, walking out of the venue with the light and nimble gait characteristic of young people.

The next day, the writing association arranged a visit to Yandang Mountain. Located on the northeastern coast of Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, Yandang Mountain was a rhyolitic caldera in the volcanic belt along the Pacific continental margin. It was historically known as the "No.1 Mountain in Southeast China" and was renowned as a famous mountain on the sea and an unparalleled scenic spot worldwide. The most famous attractions in the picturesque area include Dalong Pool, Xiaolong Pool, Three-Fold Waterfall, and Fuqi Peak.

Most of the young writers who participated in the conference were visiting Yandang Mountain for the first time. They were in high spirits, and they wanted to take pictures as a matter of course. They did not want to miss any of the scenic spots. The Wenzhou City Federation of Literary and Art Circles, which was the conference's organizer, especially hired a photographer from the Photographers Association. Because there were too many people taking photos, he was swamped. To take pictures, everyone had deliberately put on the most fashionable clothing. Regardless of gender, everyone was dressed in flamboyant and dazzling colors. Before Song Xiaofan came to the conference, her father originally wanted her to bring his old German Leica 3D camera. Still, when she thought that the camera was too old and often broke down, she put it back before leaving the house. Now, seeing that everyone was scrambling to take photos, she couldn't help but feel a bit regretful.

The most beautiful and moving scenery in Yandang Mountain was the Couple Peak. It was not so much due to how beautiful the natural scenery was as it was due to that beautiful legend. From the moment they entered the scenic area, the tour guide kept telling everyone the legend:

Thousands of years ago, the Shishai Cave area was the home of the Bo people. Among the Bo people was a diligent and courageous young man named Shiwa. He was not afraid of wolves and tigers to treat his old mother’s eye disease. He crossed mountains and ridges, looking for doctors everywhere. The Jade Niangzi of Heaven was on tour with the Jade Emperor. She looked down upon the beautiful human scenery of Shishai Cave. When she learned that Shiwa cared for his old mother alone, the Jade Niangzi was deeply touched. She quietly came to the human world, transformed into a beautiful woman called Yugu, and married Shiwa. Yugu found Ganoderma on the cliff and took water from the Tianquan Cave to make a concoction. She fed it spoon by spoon to her mother-in-law. Her mother-in-law's eye disease was quickly cured, and the family of three lived a happy life of farming and weaving. But good times did not last long. The “Red-Eyed Monster,” hidden deep in the Tianquan Cave, returned to the Heavenly Palace and secretly reported the news of the Jade Niangzi eloping to the human world. The Jade Emperor was furious and immediately sent heavenly soldiers and generals to capture the Jade Niangzi. In an instant, the Shishai Cave area was shrouded in darkness; lightning flashed thunder roared, and torrential rain swept over the area. But the two of them were not afraid. They hugged each other tightly and would rather suffer lightning strikes than return to the Heavenly Palace...

After listening to the guide's story and looking up at those two towering stone peaks, they looked like a pair of lovers embracing each other, reluctant to part. The young writers who participated in the conference, especially the sentimental female writers, were moved to tears. Everyone took photos at the Couple Peak. After taking their own pictures, they wanted to take photos with Li Xin.

Originally, Li Xin and the veteran writer Deng Keng from the army had come to visit together with everyone. However, the young writers only wanted to take photos with Li Xin, as if Deng Keng didn't exist. Feeling guilty, Li Xin took the initiative to remind them, "Don't just take photos with me. Take one with Teacher Deng, too!" But the others insisted on pestering him, leaving Deng Keng on the sidelines.

Song Xiaofan originally wanted Li Xin to take a group photo, but everyone wanted to be in the picture, crowding around Li Xin like stars around the moon. It was difficult for her to find an opportunity, so she turned to Deng Keng, standing alone and looking lonely on the side, and asked, "Teacher Deng, may I ask you to take a photo with me?"

Gloomy and unhappy, Deng Keng was smoking. Surprised by Song Xiaofan's invitation, he quickly put down his cigarette, saying, "Of course... I can."

Then, Song Xiaofan and Deng Keng took a photo together at the Couple Peak. After taking the picture, she politely said "thank you" to Deng Keng. Just as she was about to leave, she saw Li Xin casting an approving gaze from the crowd.

The conference activities were always rich and varied. There was a dance party in the evening, and perhaps because of the excitement from the sightseeing, many people danced. Li Xin became the main attraction at the dance, and the female writers were vying with each other to ask him to dance. Deng Keng did not attend the dance party. He knew his limits and was worried about experiencing that embarrassing scene from the day again.

During the day, Song Xiaofan did not join the competing crowd in asking Li Xin to dance. After dancing a few rounds with some male writers, she sat down at a teahouse on the side, quietly watching everyone's dance moves.

After some time had passed, she heard someone say in her ear: “May I have this dance with you?”

Song Xiaofan saw a tall, straight old man standing before her. He was politely offering his hand to her.

It was Li Xin.

Without much hesitation, she stood up from her seat, extended her hand to the other person, and together, they stepped onto the dance floor.

The Voices of Spring was a slow and graceful waltz being played. Li Xin's dance steps were steady and yet agile. His arm was powerful, and as he lightly held her waist, she spun around like a butterfly fluttering and dancing. Her entire body seemed to take flight. Song Xiaofan could not help but close her eyes, enjoying this rare pleasure.

"You have a lot of personality; you’re very unique,” she heard Li Xin say in her ear, “just like that story of yours…”

“You’ve read my story?” She was a bit surprised. “Which one?”

"Which one... let me think, Xiangchun Street -- the famous critic Ye Xiaoyan recommended it to me, so I was very impressed with it..."

Ye Xiaoyan was her father's old friend, who had written a review of her new story, Xiangchun Street. It seemed like Li Xin was not just being polite; he had read her story. Song Xiaofan thought.

"The national short story selection work has already started, and I plan to recommend your story..."

Li Xin was the vice chairman of the national short story selection committee. His opinion was undoubtedly significant. Song Xiaofan’s heart could not help but feel a bit excited. She lifted her face, and in the dim light, Li Xin’s sculptural face was like an engraving, appearing faintly like a twinkling star in the night sky. She felt the hand holding her waist was like a vine entwined around a tree trunk, so thick, strong, and warm...

Li Xin left the conference ahead of everyone. For the next six months, Song Xiaofan had no contact with him. She sent Li Xin a New Year's card only before New Year’s Day of this year. Other than the words “Happy New Year,” she didn’t write a single word. About two months ago, she suddenly received a letter from the Chinese Writers Association. Or rather, it was a notification:

Comrade Song Xiaofan:

Your story, "Camphor Street," has won the national short story award. The award ceremony will be held in Beijing on × month × day. You are cordially invited to attend.

National Short Story Award Selection Committee of the Chinese Writers Association

× month × day, 198×

Song Xiaofan couldn't believe her own eyes. She read the thin letter with the big red seal several times and finally believed it was real. The scene of meeting Li Xin at Yandang Mountain six months ago emerged in her mind, and Li Xin's words seemed to echo in her ears. A sense of gratitude couldn't help but arise in her heart.

Not long after, Song Xiaofan went to Beijing to attend the award ceremony. The venue was the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection Guest House on Di'anmen East Street, near the China Writers Association on Beach North Street. The award ceremony was grand, with several key leaders of the China Writers Association and most of the judges in attendance. However, Li Xin was not seen. Upon inquiring with the comrades of the conference organizing committee, it was learned that he had led a delegation of writers to visit abroad. Song Xiaofan felt a wave of disappointment. As she was eager to return to school for classes after receiving the award, she did not have time to visit her uncle General Hong Hu, her cousin Taihang, and her cousin Yanbei, and hurried back to Dongjiang.

For a long time afterward, Song Xiaofan felt a sense of loss for not being able to meet Li Xin at the award ceremony. She always felt as if she owed someone a debt, her heart feeling empty, and she harbored secret hopes, though she couldn't pinpoint what they were. It wasn't until this morning that she suddenly received a phone call, which was routed to the Maple Garden Writers' Class dormitory through the main switchboard of Dongjiang University.

"Is it Xiaofan?" She picked up the phone and heard a deep and friendly male voice.

"It's me..." The voice sounded familiar, but Song Xiaofan couldn't immediately recall who it was.

"I'm Li Xin." Upon hearing these two words, her heart immediately began to beat rapidly. "I'm passing through on my way to a meeting in Nanjing and will stay in Dongjiang for one night... Do you have time?"

"Yes, where do you live?" she said, almost in a hurry.

"Mount Pipa Hotel, Room 204..."

After answering the phone, Song Xiaofan remained lost in thought for a while, her heart still pounding rapidly. It wasn't until she returned home for lunch with her father at noon that she gradually calmed down. However, at this moment, as the time for her appointment with Li Xin approached, her heartbeat once again quickened.

At around 4:30 in the afternoon, Song Xiaofan came out of her house. She didn't go next door to greet her father but informed Aunt Zhao that she had something to do in the evening and wouldn't return for dinner.

When Song Xiaofan left the house, she felt Aunt Zhao's gaze trailing her from behind. It wasn't until she stepped out of the courtyard that Aunt Zhao's gaze disappeared. She knew that Aunt Zhao was curious about her appearance. It had been a long time since she had dressed like this. She wasn't very particular about her dress during her studies in Dongjiang University's writers' class. Sometimes, she even forgot to put on makeup when busy with her studies. However, because she was already beautiful and had once been an actress in the cultural troupe, even a casual dress couldn't hide her elegant and refined temperament. Such a temperament, if carefully dressed up, would undoubtedly have a certain charm

Song Xiaofan walked through the secluded South Lake  Courtyard, and as she stepped out of the gate, the sentry at the guardhouse fixed his gaze on her for quite a while, following her all the way to the road. Usually, she rarely paid attention to the sentry's gaze when passing by the guardhouse, but today, she exceptionally smiled at the sentry, who blushed and shyly turned his face away.

It was mid-March, and despite the setting sun, the spring atmosphere was still warm and balmy, with a gentle breeze blowing in their faces. Song Xiaofan boarded a bus. There weren't many people on the bus, but almost everyone's gaze was fixed on Song Xiaofan as if the entire spring had converged on her. A strong sense of confidence and pride filled Song Xiaofan's heart. She hadn't felt this way in a long time.

The Pipa Mountain Hotel was located on a secluded road at the entrance of Dongjiang University, adjacent to the Provincial Women and Children's Health Hospital. When Song Xiaofan walked into the hotel, the lobby was tranquil. There didn't seem to be any guests staying there. A young receptionist was lying on the service desk, watching TV. The TV was showing a volleyball game.

In the past few days, the world volleyball tournament was in full swing, and fans were all paying attention to the final match between China and Japan. Even Song Xiaofan, who usually didn't pay much attention to volleyball, had occasionally followed it.

When Song Xiaofan walked through the lobby and headed upstairs, the receptionist turned her gaze from the TV to her, looking at her with a somewhat wary expression.

At the door of room 204, Song Xiaofan stopped and couldn't help but feel a little nervous. Li Xin's face, full of vicissitudes and male charm, flickered in her mind like an engraving. Those deep eyes were like the stars in the night sky, twinkling and bright.

She knocked on the door.