Chapter 24: A Bystander in the World of Espionage during the Republic of China Era
Jiang Yue drove for a while, looked at the map, and still wasn't sure where she was. She discussed it with Aunt Fang and decided to drive a little further to check. After driving for a while without any landmarks, and not knowing if she was going the right way, Jiang Yue pulled over to the side of the road to ask someone for directions. She waited for half an hour before she saw a car. She waved for a long time, but the car drove off without stopping.
Left with no other choice, Jiang Yue could only grit her teeth and continue driving forward. Time passed by, and after about ten minutes, she finally saw the silhouette of a house on the roadside in the distance. A sense of hope welled up in her heart. When she got close to the house, Jiang Yue stopped the car and walked over alone, spreading her hands to prevent the other side from shooting her dead.
The people inside the house were an elderly couple. When they saw Jiang Yue, they quickly told her to stop. Jiang Yue saw that the old man was still standing behind the door with a gun. Jiang Yue hurriedly said, "Hello, I just wanted to ask for directions. I came to the United States to stay with relatives, but I can't get through to their phone. I only have an address and a map, so I'm asking for directions to see if I'm going the right way."
The old man looked at Jiang Yue, then at the car not far away, and figured that she was alone and didn't have a gun, so she shouldn't be a threat. He lowered the muzzle of his gun, opened the door, and his wife came out. Jiang Yue showed her the envelope and address, pointed to the red line on the map, and said, "This is the route the staff at the X Hotel drew for me, but there are very few markers along the way, and I don't know where I am now. Could you please help me take a look?"
The old lady took the letter, looked at the address on it, and checked the map. It was correct. It turned out that Jiang Yue had taken the wrong turn at the last intersection. The old lady went inside, got a pen, and said to Jiang Yue, "You took the wrong turn at the last intersection. Go back and take another road. Keep walking until you see a small town. The farm you're looking for is in that area. Just go to the town and ask."
After the old lady finished speaking, Jiang Yue thanked her repeatedly. Then she turned around, got back into her car, and set off again.
This time, the journey was exceptionally smooth. As the evening glow appeared, Jiang Yue arrived in the town. This was the place the old lady had described. After walking for a while, she saw a restaurant. Jiang Yue got out of the car, went into the restaurant, took out the address on the envelope, and asked if this was the place. The waiter gave an affirmative answer and said that the farm was about half an hour away. He also told Jiang Yue how to get there. After he finished speaking, Jiang Yue thanked him and left.
Jiang Yue breathed a sigh of relief as she left the shop. They were finally almost there. She told Aunt Fang about it in the car, and Aunt Fang also breathed a sigh of relief. The two of them looked tired after a day's drive. They rested for a while and then set off again.
Jiang Yue unconsciously sped up her car. Fortunately, there weren't many traffic police, and no cameras on the road caught her. She continued driving along the road for about half an hour before seeing another house not far away. Jiang Yue did the same thing, got out of the car, and walked over. She found a Chinese couple inside. Jiang Yue tentatively said in Chinese, "Hello?"
To my surprise, the person on the other end also looked delighted: "Hello, hello, are you a new fellow countryman? I've never seen you before."
"Hello, hello, I just arrived in the United States and came here to find my relatives. Do you know this address XX? The owner's name is Chen Tianxiang."
"Old Chen? Are you her daughter? Which daughter? Are you here to see them?"
As soon as Jiang Yue opened her mouth, the other party bombarded her with a barrage of questions. Jiang Yue quickly replied, "My name is Jiang Yue. Yes, I just arrived in the United States. My sister Xin Xin is still in China and hasn't come yet."
"Oh, you've finally arrived! Old Chen's wife has been missing you terribly. Wait a moment, I'll take you there."
After saying that, the couple went inside to get their car keys, not giving Jiang Yue a chance to refuse. A moment later, they came out and said directly, "Get in the car, just follow us."
After they finished speaking, the two cars headed south and arrived in front of a house in about ten minutes. Inside, Aunt Chen and Uncle Chen were wondering who had come. They had never seen a car before. Were they strangers? Then they saw Mr. and Mrs. Qian in front of them. Were they some relatives of Mr. and Mrs. Qian? Then Jiang Yue, Aunt Fang, and her young apprentice came out. When Aunt Chen and Uncle Chen saw Jiang Yue, their eyes immediately lit up with a mixture of surprise and joy.
She quickly ran out of the house. Aunt Chen's face had more wrinkles, and she looked a bit older than before.
Tears streamed down her face like a burst dam, her lips trembling uncontrollably, so overwhelmed she could barely utter a sound. Her father was the same; he walked slowly and heavily to Jiang Yue, extending his calloused hands to grasp hers tightly, his eyes glistening with tears, murmuring, "I've finally waited for you! I thought I'd never see you again before I died..."
With tears welling in her eyes and a choked voice, Jiang Yue whispered, "Uncle, Aunt, I miss you so much..."
The elderly Mr. and Mrs. Qian, who had brought Jiang Yue, saw them recognize each other and quietly drove away without saying a word. None of them noticed. It wasn't until Mr. Chen and the others calmed down and were about to go inside that they realized they had already quietly left. Mr. Chen smiled and said, "It's alright, I'll treat him to a drink another day."
After entering the house, Jiang Yue told them about her experiences over the years and handed Chen Xin's letter to Uncle Chen. Jiang Yue did not know the specific contents of the letter, but the mental state of Chen's parents had visibly improved.
Afterwards, Jiang Yue asked about Aunt Fang's daughter. Uncle Chen said that the American child was still young when they came to take care of her, so Aunt Chen arranged for her to continue her studies. She met her current husband at school, got married after graduation, and gave birth to a pair of mixed-race twin babies who are very cute.
After listening to Uncle Chen's story, Aunt Chen suddenly remembered something, went inside to take out a photo album, flipped through it, found it, and handed it to Aunt Fang. It contained a family photo of Aunt Fang's daughter. Aunt Fang looked at it and burst into tears. She felt guilty towards her daughter. Uncle Chen said, "She is doing very well now. We have met her husband and thought he was good, so we let them get married."
She also said she would take Aunt Fang to town tomorrow to call and tell her to come back. Mother and daughter should be able to meet. After talking for a while, the little apprentice started to doze off. Aunt Chen quickly said, "Let's eat first. After eating, we can rest and talk. The child is almost asleep."
After dinner, the young apprentice went to bed, and everyone sat together chatting, reminiscing about the past. Jiang Yue asked the Chen couple why they left Hong Kong to live in the United States.
“It was okay at first. After staying at home for a while, I thought I would find something to do, so I opened another business. The first two years were fine, but as the business grew, people started to target us. Later, a friend told us that someone couldn’t resist and was going to make a move against us. They even hired some thugs to come to our house and cause trouble every day.”
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