Chapter Twenty-Six: Small Wontons

Lin Tang quickly regained her composure and said, "You can't stay here with me for long. Tonight at ten o'clock, there's a coal delivery truck at the back gate. The driver is Old Zhang's nephew, and he'll bring you to Fuxing Lane."

Chen Mo continued with his earlier suggestion, "Miss Lin, you can't be soft-hearted when dealing with someone like Qiao Yuan! I hope you can join us and provide strong support for the assassination of Qiao Yuan."

Lin Tang looked at him, her eyes clear. "Mr. Chen, even though Mr. Qiao and I were once husband and wife, and he did save my father and me, do you have any concrete evidence to prove that he is a traitor? As far as I know, he has also provided assistance to comrades underground!"

Chen Mo was probably surprised that Lin Tang would speak up for Qiao Yuan, and immediately showed a look of regret, "Comrade Lin, I originally thought that your initiative to separate from Mr. Qiao meant that you were prepared for battle, but I didn't expect you to be misled by these small favors! And even lose your sense of right and wrong!"

Lin Tang stopped arguing with him, thinking to herself that this person was rather cute. Wasn't he afraid that she would turn around and report him?

She then said, “Mr. Chen, there are countless ways to be patriotic. At the moment, I only want to focus on my business. I’m sorry I can’t participate in your actions. But please rest assured, I will keep your affairs confidential and provide the necessary assistance.”

Seeing her insistence, Chen Mo didn't press her any further. "Boss Lin, if you've thought it through, come find me."

Lin Tang said calmly, "You should take care of your own life first!"

...

That night, the factory clock struck nine, and the last workshop light went out. Even the shadows in the corridor looked like ink soaked in water, flowing down the beams.

"Boss Lin." A soft sound came from behind. Chen Mo leaned against the dormitory door. The gauze on his shoulder had been replaced with a new one, which Lin Tang had soaked in mugwort water.

"Let's go," Lin Tang said. "I'll escort you to the side gate."

Chen Mo followed silently.

The hinges of the side gate were rusted long ago, and they made a grating creaking sound when pushed.

Xiao Shun was squatting by the car, holding a bamboo whip in his hand. Seeing them arrive, he quickly stood up: "Boss Lin, Uncle Zhang has given the instructions; the car is ready."

Lin Tang asked, "What if we get stopped for questioning? Is it safe?"

Xiao Shun patted his chest and said, "Miss Lin, don't worry, I've already delivered a lot of things. There are several layers of coal piled up here, and there's even dry grass underneath."

He lifted the coal pile, revealing the gaps inside, where a layer of cotton quilt was laid. "My uncle said that if there is an inspection, just say that this coal is being delivered to a foreign company in the concession, and that we have a pass."

Lin Tang nodded and patted his shoulder, "Thank you for your hard work."

Xiao Shun smiled, revealing a set of white teeth, "I'm only grateful for Mr. Lin's care all the time."

Chen Mo crawled into the coal pile, leaving only his head sticking out, and said to Lin Tang, "Boss Lin, come find me if you've made up your mind."

Lin Tang was pragmatic and didn't like talking about dreams when life and death were uncertain. He simply said with a straight face, "Let's come back alive first."

Chen Mo laughed fearlessly: "Don't worry, I'm lucky."

Xiao Shun covered the coal pile, patted the truck bed, and said, "Boss Lin, I'm leaving."

Lin Tang watched as the coal cart slowly drove out of the side gate, its wheels rolling over the bluestone slabs, until its shadow disappeared at the bend of the alleyway, before turning and walking towards the front gate.

The wind blew in with raindrops, and she wrapped her padded jacket tighter around herself, suddenly feeling a bit cold.

The streetlights at the front gate were broken, and only the crickets chirping by the wall were making noise; their voices were like tiny needles, pricking one's ears painfully.

...

"Jintang!"

When Lin Tang saw that it was Chen Kan, she was first taken aback, then smiled, but there was a hint of disappointment in her eyes that she herself was not clear about.

What brings you here?

Rain clung to Chen Kan's glasses, making them look fogged up, and his expression was worried. "This road hasn't been safe lately. I just called the old house, and Ah Xiu said you weren't back. And no one answers the security office phone..."

Lin Tang noticed that his face was covered in fine rain, so she casually pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and wiped it off for him, saying in a low voice, "Something came up at the factory today, so I was late. I'm sorry I forgot to tell you beforehand."

Chen Kan was somewhat surprised by her gentleness today, and softened his tone, saying, "There's nothing to apologize for, I was just worried that you might encounter some danger."

Lin Tang smiled faintly, "There's only one road. Don't worry, there's no danger."

The two walked side by side.

Lin Tang left in a hurry, wearing only a cheongsam and forgetting to put on her coat, so she was a little cold. She sneezed and felt a little embarrassed.

"You're such a grown woman, don't you know how to take care of yourself?" Chen Kan walked to her side, took off his coat, and draped it over her shoulders, his tone slightly reproachful, "Why don't you wear something warmer? It's so late, you'll catch a cold."

Lin Tang wrapped her coat tighter and said, "I was in such a hurry that I forgot."

The two continued walking forward.

"Now that your marriage decree with Qiao Yuan has been issued, to avoid any unforeseen complications, the asset transfer should be completed as soon as possible. If you feel you don't want to face it, then let me handle it!"

Hearing him say the same things again, Lin Tang felt a little disheartened. Just then, she saw the wonton stall in front of her and said, "I'm a little hungry. Let me treat you to some wontons!"

When the two were still poor students, eating a bowl of wontons was a luxury. Although it wasn't this particular stall, they had basically visited all the small stalls in Jiangcheng.

Chen Kan's expression softened as he looked at him.

The light at the wonton stall was still on, and the old lady sat by the stove, fanning the steam from the pot with a palm-leaf fan. Seeing them arrive, she quickly stood up: "Gentlemen, what would you like to eat?"

"Two bowls of shepherd's purse wontons." Lin Tang found a small table and sat down. "Make sure to add plenty of cilantro."

The old lady smiled and agreed, then turned to cook the wontons. Lin Tang sat opposite, looking at Chen Kan, whose glasses were fogged up with steam.

"Lin Tang." Chen Kan looked up, saw her looking at him, and smiled. "What's wrong?"

“Do you remember when we were at Tongji University? Back then, you said that faith was the courage to ‘go against all odds,’ and I laughed at you for being too idealistic, saying I only believed in positivism.” Lin Tang looked at him. “And now?”

"Now..." Chen Kan took off his glasses, but didn't finish his sentence for a long time.

When the wontons were served, the aroma of shepherd's purse wafted into her nostrils. Lin Tang picked up a wonton and bit into it, savoring the freshness of the shepherd's purse mixed with the fragrance of pork. However, Chen Kan merely stirred the wontons in his bowl with his chopsticks, not putting them in his mouth for a long time.

"It doesn't taste good?" Lin Tang asked.

Chen Kan snapped out of his daze, shook his head hastily, picked up a wonton, but the soup splattered onto his crisp Zhongshan suit. He hurriedly pulled out a handkerchief.

"No, it's..." He wiped the stains off his clothes, his voice a little unnatural, "It's been a long time since I've eaten at a street stall like this, I'm not used to it."

“Amu,” she said softly, “do you remember? Back when we were at school, you said you wanted to use your pen as a knife to stab the enemy’s heart.”

Chen Kan's fingers trembled slightly. He picked up his glasses and put them on, the lenses fogged up with heat. "I remember, but now..." He paused, looking towards the distant concession, where the lights were much brighter than in Jiangcheng. "Now I realize that sometimes a pen is less useful than money, less useful than power."

Lin Tang didn't say anything. She picked up the last wonton, put it in her mouth, and it still tasted fresh, but her heart felt like it was being soaked in cold water.

Lin Tang lost interest upon hearing about the dance. She was not fond of such activities in the first place, and even more so after her leg injury, she did not want to expose her weakness in front of others. She declined lightly, saying, "Amu, you know about my leg injury. What would I do there? Just become a laughing stock?"

Chen Kan then remembered her leg ailment. Afraid she might misunderstand him, he became a little flustered and leaned forward. The hem of his Zhongshan suit brushed against the edge of the table, knocking over a teacup. Tea spilled onto his trouser leg. He hurriedly took out his handkerchief to wipe it, but the more he wiped, the dirtier it became.

"Jintang, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant."

“Amu,” Lin Tang lowered her eyelids, “I didn’t mean anything by it, but right now I really don’t want to do these empty social niceties anymore.”

The old lady at the wonton stall came over with a pot, smiling, and said, "Would you two like some more soup?"

“No need,” Lin Tang stood up, picked up her coat from the back of the chair, and said, “Let’s go.”

Chen Kan could only stand up as well.

Lin Tang stopped and turned around. The raindrops hit her face like countless fine needles.

“Amu,” she said softly, “let’s stop here! I’m afraid if we keep going, we’ll both hate each other.”

Chen Kan's face stiffened. He opened his mouth but couldn't say anything, so he could only continue walking with her.

When Lin Tang arrived at her doorstep, Ah Xiu was standing there waiting for her.

“Miss,” Ah Xiu took her coat, touched the raindrops on it, and frowned as she said, “How did you get so wet? I’ve warmed up some ginger tea for you.”

Lin Tang shook her head and went into the room.

Ah Xiu glanced at Chen Kan following behind. Seeing that the young lady had no intention of letting him in, and considering that it was so late at night, it would be inconvenient to entertain a male guest like him. So she could only nod apologetically to him and close the door.

Lin Tang sat in front of the dressing table. In the mirror, her face was pale, and her eyes were a little red, like a cat that had been drenched in rain.

When she turned around, she saw a trace of red on the bed, still visible after washing, like the broken pieces of rouge in her heart.