Chapter 95: Nineteenth Night Eleven

Two cars stopped outside the Si Mansion. The father and son got out, their faces dark and their expressions identical, and walked into the house without saying a word.

The door slammed shut, locking everyone out. Mrs. Si, holding Yan Bo's hand, came closer, looked at the violently closed door, and asked, "You haven't been home for so long, why are you so angry when you come back?"

The group waited outside for the housekeeper to open the door. In recent months, many of the Si family's servants had been dismissed. It wasn't because, as some outsiders had said, the Si family had fallen on hard times, but simply because Si Ying preferred quietness and disliked the constant presence of others. He simply yielded to the gossip and reduced his extravagance and display. His personal affairs were now handled by his Japanese wife.

People always like to see some grand spectacle, so in the eyes of outsiders, the Si family has been "declining" since 1928. It's not that they can't prosper. The south has invited him many times, but he has refused them all, simply because he has to serve one master in this life and cannot serve another.

He snorted coldly, "You thought he'd suffered a lot abroad these past two years. Actually, he wasn't focused on his studies. He spent all day playing literary games and hanging out with radical youths. Not only did he delay his studies, but his communications were blocked several times and he was refused permission to leave Europe. It doesn't matter if he doesn't come. I thought my son had made it big and was going to be a 'Bai Hua' in Europe!" He was so angry that he couldn't speak for a while. Mrs. Smith hurried to calm him down before continuing, "This time, we can return home smoothly, but we have to ask Bai Hua in the concession to negotiate peace with Nanjing. It's really a great shame!"

Si Ying had never told her about any of this. At first, he'd often sent her letters, asking friends to help him take care of their eldest son, but then he hadn't mentioned anything for over a year. At first, she'd assumed Yan Sang had a girlfriend in Europe, and that his father and brother had lost much of their affection. So, whenever Si Ying brought him up, she was so angry she couldn't speak, and she'd secretly laughed for a long time.

After all, mother and son share the same heart. Mrs. Si was thinking about it when Yan Bo raised his head and said for her: "Brother, is it true that you didn't have a girlfriend in Europe?"

Mrs. Si smiled and hurriedly covered Yan Bo's mouth.

The old housekeeper opened the door. A fire was burning in the fireplace. The group took off their coats and sat down in the living room. Si Ying glanced at his youngest son and sighed, "You're still thinking about that little girl from the Lin family."

Mrs. Si was stunned: "Which one?"

Si Ying glared at her, "Who else could it be?"

"I met her once before I left the Lin family. The third young lady looked rather unremarkable then. Although not as striking as her sister, she was unforgettable and quite likable. I don't remember the second young lady, who is prettier now, very well, but I still remember the third young lady very clearly," Mrs. Si recalled for a moment. "A while ago, Mr. Lin seemed to be furious about something. He published an announcement in the newspaper threatening to expel that girl from the Lin family and to cancel the engagement. Have you discussed this with me?"

Si Ying shook his head, obviously still upset about this matter.

Mrs. Smith was puzzled: "What's the matter?"

"It is said that she had an affair with her teacher when she was studying physics in Hong Kong. I later called the Minister of Education to ask about the truth. Xu Lai was recommended and appreciated by Cai Yuanpei. Mr. Cai highly praised Xu Lai's character and knowledge. He sent three telegrams back saying that Xu Lai was a person who valued family very much and would never do such a thing. So I still feel it is strange: given the friendship between the Si family and the Lin family, even if the girl really made a mistake, she can just reform herself. From now on, you and I will still regard her as a good daughter-in-law of the Si family. The only difficulty is He was afraid Yan Sang wouldn't agree. But now it seems he couldn't be more fond of that girl," Si Ying sighed, clearly feeling both pleased and regretful about the son he had raised. "Even if we were like you and me, we'd take the Third Miss seriously and make inquiries to prevent her from being wronged or wronged by malicious actors. She's still so young, how could Brother Lin be so biased and blind, choosing the most insidious method to ensure this girl can't see anyone for the rest of her life? Is there something else going on?"

Mrs. Si frowned and thought for a moment before asking, "Did Mr. Lin ever intend to marry the second daughter to Yan Sang?"

Si Ying shook his head. "Several years ago, before we went to Shaoxing, Master Lin proposed it. Before I even met the two girls from the Lin family, I asked Yan Sang to make the decision first. After he made his choice, I told him to never let me know he changed his mind again in his life." He sighed again, "Who knew he'd remember that promise for so many years?"

Seeing her husband so worried about their son's marriage, Mrs. Si couldn't help but laugh. He was heartbroken and angry about his son, and Yan Sang was no different. He refused to let Yan Sang pursue a literary career, knowing that everyone in the Si family was a man of few words, whether it was politics or love. If not, he would have gone to Japan after his first wife's death, and she, at the prime of her youth, wouldn't have pursued him for twelve years before finally winning him over. The Si family was so wealthy and powerful that if he married her, she would be his only wife, forever.

He knew that Yan Sang's personality would easily lead to setbacks in his career. He had suffered enough from this, and he would never let Yan Sang suffer the same pain again. He had deliberately chosen for him to study at a university in a country with a diligent and down-to-earth academic atmosphere, far from political activities, and also selected a subject that had little to do with political writing. Moreover, since Chinese scholars now use their pens as a weapon, a powerful weapon for spreading rumors and stirring up public opinion in political struggles, they often hold gatherings of literati and scholars, and regard themselves as "pillars of society." They are also the most suppressed group in Nanjing. Therefore, Si Ying would never let him study literature.

But wasn't he also a stubborn old man who cared about national affairs, occasionally "ignoring current events" and acting without regard for the situation? Last year, when the Nanjing government's monthly magazine suppressed the "New Moon," he actually wrote a letter to the government monthly magazine, accusing Chiang Kai-shek of "ignorance, weakness, and incompetence." Fortunately, a friend at the magazine saw the letter and quickly intercepted it to discuss a solution with her. Because they both knew that Si Ying was a rebellious middle-aged man in his thirties, they deleted all the criticisms in the letter, leaving only a masterpiece of classical Chinese military theory filled with brilliant words, which prevented a major disaster.

Mrs. Si covered her mouth and laughed. "Even if Master Lin removed his daughter from the family tree, he wouldn't let her marry your son. So what are you going to do?"

Si Ying remained silent.

"How about sending a telegram to ask Mr. Lin what he thinks?"

"No."

"Why?"

"He's already on the ship returning to Shanghai. Wait a little while and then invite him over to question him."

Mrs. Smith glanced upstairs again and asked, "What if the final result is not as expected?"

"He always finds a way to make himself happy. This son, you can lock him up but not his heart," Si Ying said without even looking up, taking a sip of tea. "If you don't believe me, go upstairs and see if he's still home."

Mrs. Smith was puzzled. She went upstairs and opened the door of Yan Sang's room. The window was wide open and the wind was blowing in, making the pages of books in the room a mess. Where was there anyone?

Si Ying stared at Xiao Yanbai, who was sitting upright on the sofa, and said seriously, "I can't teach you like this in the future. You should be more active in your thinking."

——

When Ms. Xu came that night, the child initially refused to answer any of her questions. Ms. Xu wasn't impatient, but patiently thought for a moment before saying, "He must be sick, that's why he refuses to talk. I'll take him to the hospital and he'll be fine." She then took the child and left, saying, "Let's go to the hospital."

At the word "hospital," the child immediately cowered behind Chu Wang in alarm. Miss Xu pressed him again, and he burst into tears. They exchanged a glance, and Miss Xu pressed him with a few more questions. He answered them obediently, tears streaming down his face.

Chu Wang understood that people like Miss Xu had their own patience and judgment. Although it was a bit extreme, sometimes extremes also had their benefits.

Ms. Xu said, "I've found out the address, but I can't share it right now. I'll have someone go there and inquire about it someday. They're all professionally trained, so if nothing goes wrong, they'll have the details this week. Just wait at home, and I'll have someone personally deliver the information to you."

She nodded.

"Even though he can't speak Mandarin or Shanghainese, he can actually understand a little bit. I think he has some context. But it probably wasn't taught by his parents," Ms. Xu patted the child's head. "So what should he do?"

Chu Wang knew what Miss Xu meant and replied, "Just stay with me."

Miss Xu was slightly stunned and replied, "You...Okay."

For the next few days, he waited at home for news from Miss Xu. When she went to the research institute, he locked her in the house to prevent any mishaps. The first time he returned, he found the house like a bandit invasion. From the kitchen to the bedrooms, even Xie Zeyi's room, napkins and writing paper were torn and scattered everywhere. At first, she thought someone had broken in, but upon closer inspection, she realized it was the mischievous little boy in the house.

She wasn't a very active person, and she was exhausted from the research institute, so she just let him go. Only when her mother arrived did she get startled and yell, "Miss, has the house been robbed?" She helped clean up once, but then gave up. After all, she was only responsible for cooking, and her employer didn't pay her for housework.

She had first seen Xie Zeyi that day at the research institute. With him around, Sakuma couldn't tell if he'd become more restrained or more unrestrained. Although he no longer engaged her in small talk, he particularly enjoyed watching from afar. Every time she felt as if she were being secretly observed, she'd find herself meeting Sakuma's gaze in the blink of an eye.

However, everyone was busy with their own things, and she didn't say a word to Xie Zeyi until the evening. After getting in the car, Xie Zeyi was unusually quiet and drove home in silence, contrary to his usual behavior.

It was rare to feel so awkward with him. For a moment, she could hardly believe that this was the same Xie Zeyi who had teased her over the phone a few days ago. After driving a long way, she couldn't help herself and tentatively asked, "Mr. Xie, are you okay?"

Xie Zeyi did not answer.

After a long silence, he suddenly woke up like a sleepwalker, first saying "Ah?" and then "Hmm".

She laughed and said, "The power is out. Be careful not to hit passers-by while driving so absent-mindedly."

"Has the power gone out?"

"Yeah. What were you thinking about?"

"Oh. Well, the moon is beautiful tonight, don't you think?"

"What?"

Xie Zeyi continued driving in silence, neither answering her nor looking at her. After a long moment, he suddenly asked, "Miss San, how long can I stay with you?"

She was a little confused. While she was dazed, the car suddenly stopped and she had arrived home.

When there is a power outage, the elevator cannot be opened.

The two of them went up the hallway in the dark. As they passed the second floor, Mrs. Zheng heard some noise and came out holding a candle, complaining, "Mr. Xie is finally back. What's going on these past two days? There's been these banging and banging noises all day long. It's been unbearable... I'm not blaming you, but I'm really worried. Did Miss Lin lock the door before she left? Every door in this building is connected. I hope she doesn't get robbed."

Xie Zeyi smiled, a rare moment today, and said, "My distant nephew has been staying here lately. He's from Guangdong, after all, so he has quite a few relatives. Madam Zheng, please bear with him... By the way, Madam Zheng loves Dingji bread, right? When you order some bread next time, please ask them to order some for Madam Zheng every day."

Chu Wang was stunned and looked up at Xie Zeyi in the candlelight.

Mrs. Zheng laughed cheerfully, the candlelight in her hand swaying with her. "No, no, of course I have to bear with you...Mr. Xie is so polite. I just heard the sound and knew you were back, so I lighted the way for you. Can you see clearly?"

After thanking Mrs. Zheng, the two of them went upstairs, one in front of the other. When they opened the door, Xie Zeyi wasn't surprised by the devastating state of the room. The child, tired from playing, had fallen asleep on the sofa. He bent down to make room for her. After she stepped inside, she said, "I don't know where to find someone to clean it up."

"It's okay, I'll do it."

After thinking for a moment, she said apologetically, "I broke the coffee machine again."

He still said, "It doesn't matter."

She lowered her head. "The door hinge, the water stove..."

When she stopped talking, he smiled and asked again, "Anything else? Tell me all at once."

"And then there's the bell to the concierge downstairs. It used to stop ringing after one press when someone came. But one day, no matter how hard I pressed it, it wouldn't ring at all. It just kept ringing, like a ghost in the middle of the night..."

As soon as she finished speaking, the bell above her head began to ring. They both stared at the bell, as if it was a nightmare.

I pressed it, but the bell continued to ring. The concierge's voice came through the battery-powered loudspeaker: "Ms. Lin, someone downstairs wants you to come down. They say they have a gift and need your signature."

She exclaimed, "So late? What could it be?"

Xie Zeyi stared at her without saying a word.

She also stared at Xie Zeyi, feeling a little worried.

After a long while, Xie Zeyi said softly, "Go down by yourself, it's okay."

Looking at Xie Zeyi's expression, she suddenly felt relieved. She nodded and said "hmm".

"Wait." He found a candlestick, lit it with a lighter and handed it to her. "If you need me, ring the bell to call me."

"Um."

I walked downstairs in a daze, candlelight in hand, my mind filled with Xie Zeyi's knowing expression when he saw the child. Why did he know? What was his connection to the child he had saved from the spinning mill?

She felt for the gun through her coat pocket.

What is he planning?

After going downstairs, the lobby was dark, with only a candle lit in the small glass-covered corner of the lobby. She approached and asked, "Excuse me, where is the person who is looking for me?"

The concierge nodded toward the elevator.

She walked closer, holding the candlestick. There was a full-length mirror on one side of the elevator. In the dim candlelight, her figure in the mirror seemed to be becoming clearer and clearer.

She should have been wearing a black high-necked sweater dress, a deep rose-red tweed coat over the sweater, and a pair of brown round-toed lace-up leather shoes under gray stockings;

She has grown a lot in the past two years. She was only about 1.5 meters tall when she was thirteen, but now she has grown more than ten centimeters.

But not as high as the reflection in the mirror.

When she got closer, she found that the shadow was not in the mirror, but standing outside the mirror; it was more than half a head taller than her, so the dark gray coat that was longer than the knees looked very pleasing to the eye; even in the dim light, the skin of the person outside the mirror was extremely delicate, and his eyes were bright, swaying with the candlelight, as if there were some candlelight stars in his eyes.

As he saw her approaching, the man narrowed his eyes slightly and his smile grew wider.