Chapter 65 The Moon of Yesteryear

"Teacher, this is some pear soup I made. Please have some." Seeing that Xie Ning was dressed so thinly, Yun Aiyuan frowned, picked up a shawl from the rack next to her, and draped it over Xie Ning's shoulders.

"It's chilly in autumn. Teacher, you just recovered from a cold a few days ago. Please don't catch another cold."

Xie Ning thanked him softly, glanced at the time, saw a crescent moon hanging outside the window, and there was still no sound from downstairs, so she asked, "Why are they coming back so late today?"

After the incident failed, Zhang Mingyuan went to the United States, and Cai Huai followed Commander Cai to Hong Kong Island. They continued to travel around promoting resistance against Japan and national salvation. They both wrote to Xie Ning asking if he was interested in going to their place, and that they could protect Xie Ning's safety.

After Xie Ning refused, Xiao Yang and Liu Zi, the seriously injured man who stayed behind, did not choose to go south to find Cai Huai after thinking it over. They were successfully turned by Aunt Liu and were willing to join the Communist Party to fight against Jiang and resist the Japanese.

They settled down in this small town, quietly carrying out anti-Japanese propaganda and secretly developing comrades. Because they were embarrassed to always let Xie Ning pay for their living expenses, Aunt Liu and the others borrowed capital from Xie Ning to open a small restaurant in the town to earn money to share everyone's daily expenses.

There are many business people coming and going here, and Aunt Liu's cooking skills are excellent, so her restaurant is thriving.

Only Ping An and Yun Ai Ai did not go to the restaurant to help. One of them went to a private school to teach children to read and write, while the other stayed by Xie Ning's side as an assistant to help with calculations and verifications.

When it was time to go out, Xie Ning and Yun Ai'ai would go out to teach.

Just as Xie Ning was asking the question, a commotion arose in the courtyard. He went out to see what was going on and found that Aunt Liu and Xiao Yang had not only returned, but had also brought someone with them.

From a distance, the man was dressed in a gray long robe, wrapped in a thick black scarf, and carrying a wooden box. Upon closer inspection, he turned out to be an acquaintance.

"Fu Zisi?"

Xie Ning looked somewhat surprised, not because he was surprised by Fu Zisi's appearance, but because he was astonished by Fu Zisi's haggard and thin appearance. Even when Fu Zisi was seriously injured, he was not this thin. Even though he was wearing thick clothes, he could not hide his frail appearance.

Upon seeing Xie Ning, Fu Zisi's eyes reddened, and his weathered face was filled with remorse. "Miss Xie, we have failed your expectations, we..."

Building an arsenal in the Soviet area was a huge undertaking for them. Even with some financial assistance from Xie Ning, it was far from enough. The organization also did its best to allocate funds for the construction. The project started last year.

They had no skilled workers or technicians, and built it up little by little under Xie Ning's remote command. Then, under Aunt Liu's arrangement, they sent people to the arsenal in the Shanghai area where Xie Ning was located to learn the technology.

Once they are fully prepared and have purchased the equipment and machinery, they will have the confidence to hire Xie Ning as their chief designer. Otherwise, with just a few empty factory buildings, they would be too ashamed.

However, the project was only half completed when several machines were secretly purchased and transported in. Under the encirclement and suppression, everything was lost, and they were forced to withdraw from the Soviet area and move to western Hunan.

Xie Ning waved his hand and invited them into the main room, comforting them, "These past few years have been tough for you too. You finally managed to build up the basic structure, and now you're facing the siege of the city, surrounded by enemies on all sides. It's a blessing that you're alive. If those things are gone, they're gone. As long as you're still alive, that's all that matters. Are you afraid of the hardship of starting all over again?"

Fu Zisi understood that Xie Ning was referring to more than just the arsenal.

“Not afraid!” Fu Zisi shook his head firmly. How could they be afraid of hardship? If their hardship could bring about the liberation of the oppressed people, defeat the Japanese invaders and recover the lost territory, and make the motherland strong and self-reliant, what did it matter if they gave their lives?

This is their noblest ideal! They are willing to dedicate themselves to it!

When this young man, who was only in his early twenties, spoke, his eyes were very bright, like a dazzling galaxy.

The fire of the heart can be passed on.

Xie Ning broke off a sprig of red plum blossom and placed it in Fu Zisi's palm, saying, "Without enduring the bitter cold, how can the plum blossom exude its fragrant aroma?"

They knew the future was going to be, they knew they would succeed, but they didn't know, they never knew if there was light ahead, what sustained them was only the belief in their hearts.

After talking with Fu Zisi for a long time, Xie Ning stopped talking when it got late at night. "It's time to rest. Aunt Liu made some ginger soup. Drink it before you go to sleep."

Even though Fu Zisi appeared to be in high spirits, Xie Ning could tell that he was physically and mentally exhausted, so Xie Ning did not want to further deplete his energy.

At the appointed time, everyone in the household stops their activities and goes to sleep.

Xie Ning changed into a thicker cheongsam and overcoat before going out, with Aunt Liu and Yun Ai'ai each carrying a bucket of things behind her.

Their destination was a dilapidated house not far from the west end of the town's main street. New planks were stacked on top of old wooden planks, blocking the drafty openings. Inside, there were a dozen or so old desks. When Xie Ning arrived, the people inside had already lit the stove. The house wasn't very warm, but it was much better than being outside in the cold wind.

"Teacher Xie, I made you a sleeve." The little girl, who only reached Xie Ning's chest, timidly handed Xie Ning a blue sleeve. Her chubby little face was red from the cold, and her eyes held a hint of expectation and trepidation.

Xie Ning took the sleeve from the little girl, then reached out and patted her head. "I like it very much, thank you, Wu Ya."

The little girl has four older brothers, and as the only girl in her family, she lives a better life than most children.

Wuya smiled shyly, looked up at Xie Ning's fair face, and asked the question that had puzzled her for a long time, "Teacher Xie, I went to my aunt's house in the next town today. My little sister, who I used to play with very well, was still in bed with long strips of cloth wrapped around her feet. Her feet used to be about the same size as mine, but now they are as small as my hands. Her grandmother, Grandma Wang, said that girls have to have their feet bound. Only with small feet can they be liked by men and marry into wealthy families. It cost a lot of money to have my little sister's feet bound."

“But,” Wuya bit her lip, “my sister said she’s in so much pain. She can’t run as fast as me anymore, and she can’t work in the fields anymore. Grandma Wang said that if you marry into a wealthy family, you don’t have to work. You’ll be served by maids. Only people of lower classes have big feet and have to work.”

Teacher Xie, was foot binding really a good thing?

There was too much to say in those words for Xie Ning to explain all at once, so he patted Wu Ya on the shoulder and told her to go drink some ginger soup to warm her stomach, and he would answer her questions in class later.

After sitting quietly for a while, Xie Ning sorted out his thoughts before glancing at the women in the room. The oldest of them was in their thirties or forties, while the youngest was only ten years old.

Xu Ping'an earned his tuition by teaching children to read and write at a private school, but Xie Ning didn't want to focus his energy on that. Besides, with Xu Ping'an, his needs were already met, so Xie Ning stayed at home to study and research, occasionally asking Xiao Yang or Liu Zi to send things out.

The reason Xie Ning started this late-night school was that on his way home, he saw a little girl squatting outside a door eating a black steamed bun. Her pants were still dripping with blood, and inside the door, men and women kept shouting and cursing, calling the little girl a bad omen, saying that if something unclean came into the house, she would bring bad luck to the family.