Chapter 99 The Moon Over the Past
From afar, the noise coming from the square could be heard. Music poured out from the gramophone. Among those dancing were leaders and students. Most of the female students were invited by the male students they knew.
One of the foreign women in military uniforms stood out. Xie Ning recognized her; she had wanted to interview Xie Ning before, but Xie Ning declined, feeling it was best not to be too high-profile. Nevertheless, the two became acquainted.
According to Xie Ning, Agnes Smedley was more of a political activist than a professional journalist. She actively used her international connections to secure aid for Yan'an, and this Western-style ballroom dancing was a new form of entertainment that she introduced.
She is a very enthusiastic and interesting lady.
She launched a campaign to control birth rates, a rat extermination campaign, and important public health campaigns. Prior to this, Zhao Le had already published articles on birth control, but none had the same impact as this reporter.
"Erniu! I, I'd like to invite you to dance!" The dark-skinned young man flashed a bright smile, revealing his pearly white teeth. Xie Ning glanced between the two men; one was her bodyguard, Shuanzi, a southerner who had participated in the Long March of Hongjun in the Fuzhou Soviet Area and had come all the way there. Like Erniu, he was only sixteen years old.
He knew some characters and was the most accurate shooter in the guard platoon, only slightly less accurate than Xiao Yang.
Erniu glared at Shuanzi and said irritably, "Can you dance ballroom dance?" She wasn't here to dance with anyone else, but to learn to dance from Xie Ning!
She already has someone she likes. Once she learns, she'll teach that person!
"Sister Changning, can you teach me to dance?"
Xie Ning was still enjoying the show when he was suddenly called out.
"Oh, shall I teach you?"
"Uh-huh!"
Meeting Erniu's bright, sparkling eyes, Xie Ning smiled helplessly. She didn't mind being Erniu's partner to teach her. Anyway, she wasn't really interested in the dance; she was just there to relax and hadn't been thinking about dancing with anyone.
While Xie Ning was dancing with Er Niu, Ms. Smedley, who was dancing with a certain leader on the other side, stared wide-eyed. How could there be girls dancing with other girls?
Because of this, many female students and older women came to Xie Ning to dance, mainly asking Xie Ning to teach them to dance, since there were still quite a few people here who didn't know how to dance ballroom.
When they got back to the courtyard, Xie Ning felt her legs shaking. Er Niu had been dancing for a long time on her own, not feeling tired at all. Even after they got back, she was still practicing.
Xie Ning lay on the kang (a heated brick bed) to relax. He had a good night's rest, but he was going to be busy. Now that he had moved to Yan'an, he needed to control the coal and iron mines there. But the forces here were still bandits, even without the Kuomintang.
She can't even take a break from her work.
The next day, just as Xie Ning was about to go to the armory, two people arrived at the door.
One of them was Zhao Le, and the other woman Xie Ning also knew was Qin Hong, the political commissar and director of the Women's Federation at the hospital. However, Xie Ning had thought of many things, but she never expected this person to act as a matchmaker.
Qin Hong has a kind and gentle appearance. Under her mediation, no dispute is unsolvable. She is a very good communicator.
"Comrade Xie... is a division commander, thirty-seven years old this year, young and promising, and tall and handsome..."
Anyway, he showered her with compliments, and Xie Ning's mind went blank. How old was she today? Twenty-four, I think.
It's not about age; she never believed that age was a limitation of love. But for her, there was no such thing as love at all.
Of course, the political commissar didn't talk about love with him; he only talked about practical things. These were things that could be used to coax some young girls, and they might agree. After all, everyone has needs, and life here is tough, so they wouldn't mind if they could live a better life.
Many of the female students still harbor a hero complex, and their experience and age are actually a plus.
"Political Commissar Qin, there's no need to say anything more, I refuse."
She remembered who this person was; one of the people who had come to the square yesterday to invite her to dance, but whom she had refused.
"Comrade Xie..." Qin Hong was still smiling, and was about to say something more when Xie Ning looked down at his watch and said apologetically, "I've already wasted a lot of time, and I have to go to work now. As for the marriage, I think I've made my refusal very clear, and I hope Political Commissar Qin won't come to talk to me a second time."
That's quite a blunt statement.
After Xie Ning left, Qin Hong was still smiling, but she was still somewhat displeased. "Director Zhao, look at this, Comrade Xie refused too decisively, didn't he? The division commander I mentioned is really a good person."
Zhao Le remained silent. She brought Qin Hong here because she didn't know how to refuse, since they were colleagues who spent every day together. She also wanted to see Xie Ning's attitude. If Xie Ning was firm, she would never agree to anyone's request again.
"Alright, Political Commissar Qin, Comrade Xie is only focused on the revolutionary cause. You should refuse their offer."
"Alright, by the way, Director Zhao, do you know what Comrade Xie does for a living?" She looked around the courtyard and saw that not only were there orderly soldiers living there, but there was also a guard platoon. It was clear that Xie Ning's rank was not low, which explained why he wasn't interested in what she was saying.
Zhao Le warned in a low voice, "Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask." She didn't know Xie Ning's specific job duties yet, but she could vaguely guess a little, as this was a highly confidential matter.
Even when Snow took the photo, he only captured a side profile of Shening as he fired.
Qin Hong immediately understood and stopped dwelling on Xie Ning. Instead, she asked Zhao Le, "If you ask me, Director Zhao, you're not young anymore. Don't you really want to consider finding someone? I have a lot of photos of you. Would you like to take a look?"
Zhao Le's face darkened. "Political Commissar Qin, are you addicted to playing matchmaker? If I wanted to get married, I would have been married long ago. Why would I be here?"
Her fiancé came from a good family, and the two had a childhood sweetheart relationship. However, the marriage fell through after she went abroad. She hasn't been home since, so we don't know how she is doing, but we can guess that he must be married by now.
I just hope everyone is doing well.
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