I miss you terribly if I don't see you for a day.
The clanging tram passed by on the street, and a gentleman in a gray long gown and a lady in a striped cheongsam politely got on and off. Inside a medium-sized barbershop by the roadside, a pair of shiny leather shoes stepped in, followed closely by two pairs of military boots.
The gramophone in the shop was playing sweet songs. The shop was spacious and bright, and the walls were covered with all kinds of beautiful pictures. When the owner saw a customer coming in, he draped a towel over his shoulder. When he saw that it was an acquaintance, he immediately greeted him warmly: "Oh, it's Mr. Xu. Come, come this way."
"These two are my older brothers, they're getting a full haircut and treatment together. Are you busy today, boss?" The speaker was Xu Xi, and behind him were Chen Yao and Gao Junxiao.
"Alright, alright, gentlemen, this way please. I was so busy I was about to faint. Everyone comes to get their hair cut after the second day of the second lunar month. You're lucky, a group of people just left." The boss rubbed his hands together as he led the two soldiers to their seats, shouting for the shop's staff to come out and greet them.
A moment later, five or six barbers poured into the barbershop and stood in a neat row, looking quite serious.
"What kind of hairstyles would you gentlemen like?" The owner wasn't very familiar with the new customers, so he needed to understand their needs first.
"Could you please trim it a bit shorter for me?" Gao Junxiao blurted out without hesitation; his hair had grown a bit long since he hadn't had a haircut in months.
In contrast, Chen Yao pouted and asked, "Boss, what new hairstyles do you have? Let us introduce them to you."
Then he turned to Gao Junxiao beside him and said, "Your 'head' is decided so easily. You should at least apologize and change your appearance so that she can see the light of day on your date and forgive you immediately."
The shop owner, quick-witted as ever, immediately pulled out several large catalogs and began introducing various hairstyles to Chen Yao. Watching Chen Yao and the shop owner's enthusiastic discussion, Gao Junxiao coldly observed their interaction. These two grown men were dawdling; he just wanted a haircut!
Xu Xi had already communicated with his master and also advised Gao Junxiao, saying that his second brother was right, Qingcheng had studied abroad and had a great sense of style.
Every magazine wants to invite Qingcheng to be their cover girl because of her immense influence. Ever since she wore a suit that Gao Junxiao wore to the last banquet, all the ladies are now asking tailors to make suit jackets, and even adding thick shoulder pads to imitate menswear. So, big brother, you'd better dress up a bit.
"Did you hear that? Don't cry when people look down on you. The boss gave him this hairstyle." Chen Yao also chimed in at the right time, "Don't dress like an old man who's about to die at such a young age. Don't forget that your image also represents the image of our revolutionary soldiers. The military has no shortage of old men."
Perhaps seeing that Gao Junxiao still acted nonchalantly and indifferently, Chen Yao had no choice but to escalate the matter further.
Xu Xi took the catalog, looked at it, and gave Chen Yao a thumbs up: "Very good. Boss, find a skilled craftsman to give my brother a makeover. He's going on a date later."
Gao Junxiao, with his head propped up by his hand and legs crossed, looked utterly dejected. He really just wanted to cut his hair short...
Once the hairdresser removed the white apron and diligently brushed away the stray hairs from the customer's clothes, Gao Junxiao looked at himself in the mirror and felt like he had come back to life. Hmm, his hair was shorter now. Then he looked at Xu Xi on his left, who was holding a magazine and getting his hair permed. Apparently, he was imitating the wavy curls of a Hollywood star.
Chen Yao was still getting a shave between the two men, and the stylist had already started lathering the foam in the bowl with a small brush. The chair had been turned into a recliner, but Chen Yao was still restless even after lying down: "Ah Xiao, when you get back, take out your leather jacket that you've been keeping at the bottom of your trunk. I've never seen you wear it."
At this moment, Xu Xi looked up from the magazine and said excitedly, "A leather jacket is good. I also have a motorcycle in my garage, and with a pair of sunglasses, how about a full biker gang look?"
"That's too inappropriate. He Qingcheng will think I'm going to steal a bride." Gao Junxiao shook his head vigorously. Suddenly, the barber pressed his head down, applied some hair oil, and combed it. Well, he admitted that there seemed to be a difference. He really wanted to show Qingcheng right away.
“Hehe, you can give it a try, big brother. Based on my understanding of girls, Qingcheng is the kind of girl who likes a little excitement. She’ll get bored if she always has the same look. Trust me.” Xu Xi winked at Gao Junxiao.
Chen Yao, who was lying down, also wanted to join the conversation, but his face was covered in foam and he couldn't speak. He kept moving around, but the barber held him down, and that's when he finally calmed down.
“Let’s go eat first, Third Brother. Today is the day your Second Brother Chen is getting paid. He’s the kind of guy who never pays when we drink together, but he won a battle this time, so he should at least show some appreciation.” While Chen Yao was unable to move, Gao Junxiao took out his wallet and started counting the money.
"To be honest, I've been treated to meals by so many classmates and teachers, big and small, but I've never had a meal with you, Second Brother," Xu Xi said with a smile to Chen Yao.
Chen Yao still couldn't speak, he could only convey with his eyes that today, brothers, eat as much as you want.
“Alright, he said there’s plenty, so we won’t stand on ceremony today. Xu Xi, you order later, bring a few more hearty dishes, don’t let Chen Yao’s good intentions go to waste.” Gao Junxiao smiled slightly at Xu Xi, unable to hide his smugness.
Xu Xi immediately understood and patted Chen Yao's hand sincerely, saying, "Second Brother, don't worry, I will make sure everyone is satisfied."
Feeling oppressed from both sides, Chen Yao couldn't speak or cry. Lying on the chair, she felt like a live fish waiting to be slaughtered on a chopping board. She thought to herself, "Gao Junxiao, don't be so smug. After dinner, I'll rush to your house and have Xu Xi give you a complete makeover."
Today, Qingcheng conducted an exclusive interview with Lady Huang. Principal Huang was very polite and invited her to relive the afternoon tea at the campus before letting her leave. Then, various miscellaneous things in the editorial department kept her busy until almost the end of the workday before she had time to organize today's interview. Fortunately, this article is not in a hurry.
Just as Qingcheng opened her notebook to organize the content of today's interviews, the telephone on the table rang at just the right time.
"Hello, He Qingcheng from Shenbao." Qingcheng flipped through the notebook in his hand and picked up the microphone to introduce himself.
A short laugh came from the other end of the microphone, followed by a few seconds of silence: "...When does Editor He get off work?"
The familiar male voice made Qingcheng forget to breathe for a moment. Joy welled up in her chest like a burst dam, and she asked in surprise and delight, her voice rising abruptly, "You're back? Where are you?"
"Yes, I'm back. Look down." Following the man's instructions, Qingcheng put down the receiver and leaned out of the window to look for a familiar figure. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. In the green phone booth downstairs, Gao Junxiao also leaned out halfway, looked up, smiled, and waved to her.
A gentle breeze brushed past her ear, and Qingcheng felt a slight warmth on her neck. Even with half her face obscured by the microphone, she could still clearly see the man's gentle smile, a smile as sweet as honey.
She never expected Gao Junxiao to have this side to him. He was only wearing a leather jacket today, but he was still so eye-catching standing in the phone booth. My god, how could he be so handsome? She shyly looked away and sat back down.
"Why...why did you suddenly think of picking me up from get off work?" Knowing that Gao Junxiao was downstairs, Qingcheng became shy, even though she was so happy that she wanted to grow wings and fly downstairs.
"I just received my salary and would like to invite Editor He to have dinner together. What do you think?" Gao Junxiao's tone was light and cheerful.
Qingcheng shifted to a more comfortable sitting position, hooking the telephone cord with her index finger, and slowly said, "Oh, I see. Then I won't stand on ceremony. Let's go eat at Yipinxiang."
“Okay, let’s go with Yipinxiang. When are you coming down?” Gao Junxiao readily agreed.
"I'll finish up here, wait a moment." After receiving Gao Junxiao's affirmative reply, Qingcheng hung up the phone, decisively took out her makeup mirror to touch up her makeup, tucked her slightly curly hair behind her ear with a pearl hair clip, winked at herself in the mirror, perfect!
The red sun gradually sank into the horizon, and the streets were full of pedestrians eager to go home after get off work. Two children carrying satchels ran past Gao Junxiao, laughing and joking.
Amidst the hustle and bustle, a graceful figure in blue and white, wearing white T-strap shoes, slowly approached. With a gentle glance, he felt the world quiet down, so quiet that he could hear his own heartbeat.
He raised his arm in a daze, letting her gently take his arm, until she opened her lips and spoke softly, pulling him back to the noisy reality: "Shall we walk or take a car?"
"I have to take a car; I drove here." It would be a shame to get such light-colored clothes dirty. He was glad he hadn't listened to Chen Yao and the others' advice to take a motorcycle, otherwise, how would Qingcheng ride? Gao Junxiao's Adam's apple bobbed as he regained his composure and hesitantly said, "Um, you... you're a little different today."
Hearing his words, Kiyosumi quickly changed the subject: "My hair has grown long, so I'm going to get my hair done."
"It's not her hair, it's her clothes... she's dressed very elegantly, you can tell she's from a well-to-do family." Gao Junxiao hesitated for a long time before finding the right words to describe her, and then added a compliment to avoid upsetting her.
This elegant look is so unlike He Qingcheng. Doesn't she usually like to wear brightly colored dresses? Why is she dressed so plainly and covered up so much today? Of course, she looks good in anything, and the light blue cheongsam suits her especially well.
Qingcheng smiled gently: "I'll take it as a compliment. Today I'm going to interview the principal of my middle school, so I naturally have to be gentle and refined. It's a matter of etiquette."
"Oh, so you're going to see your elders. You'd better pretend to be dignified and elegant." Gao Junxiao couldn't help but laugh out loud. So she has people she's afraid of too. All that talk about etiquette is nonsense.
"What are you talking about? I'm usually very dignified, okay? I'm just a tiny bit lively. Besides, our school is very strict. You can't show any skin when you wear clothes. The slit in your cheongsam can only go up to your calf, otherwise you can't even get through the school gate." Gao Junxiao listened quietly to Qingcheng's complaints, the smile in his eyes lingering for a long time.
Under the sycamore tree with its new buds, the two walked hand in hand slowly along the street, just like any ordinary couple.
"That's because your school has a strict academic atmosphere. So, where should a normal cheongsam slit go? Show me." Gao Junxiao had barely finished speaking when he earned a glare from the beauty. Knowing that his flirtatious intentions had been seen through, he could only silently shut up.
Qingcheng pouted: "Hmph! I won't tell you. You haven't even told me what you've been up to lately!"
As they walked, they reached the car. Gao Junxiao opened the car door for his girlfriend and waited for her to sit down before walking back to the driver's seat. He said in a flat tone, "I was afraid you would find it boring if I told you. I just went to the area along the Beijing-Shanghai Railway to suppress bandits."
"Whether it's boring or not is up to me. Maybe you'll be the male lead in my next book?" Qingcheng circled around him, refusing to give in.
"Then thank you in advance. In a little while, I'll give you a brief report to Editor He on what I need to report to the Commander tomorrow, okay?" Gao Junxiao's lips curled up slightly as he opened the car door and got in. Of course, he wouldn't tell you everything. He knew that Qingcheng didn't really want to hear it; she was just worried about his safety.
The two people in the car exchanged a smile; some things were understood without being spoken. Outside the car, the sunset painted half the sky red, and the leisurely chimes drifted from the banks of the Huangpu River before being quickly drowned out by the bustling streets.
The exterior of Yipinxiang is entirely in the traditional Chinese style. People who have never been here before may think that this is a Chinese restaurant. However, when the waiter led the two to their seats, the interior was decorated in a Western style, with gilded and ornate frames on the walls and intricate floral patterns cast in plaster on the ceiling.
This was actually an elegant Western restaurant, so the two of them didn't study the menu much and simply ordered two chef's recommended set meals.
"You didn't come to see me as soon as you got back to Shanghai, did you?" Kiyosumi asked curiously.
"Yes, I didn't even have time to go to headquarters. I went to get a haircut, changed my clothes at home, and came to find you." Gao Junxiao readily admitted that they had taken the military pay directly to the foreign firm today, and after counting it, they called Commander Xiong to give a brief report. The commander, understanding their hard work in suppressing the bandits, told them to go back tomorrow.
"Oh my, I'm so flattered!" Kiyosumi said, her eyes gleaming with joy.
Gao Junxiao said jokingly, "Then eat more to calm your nerves later."
"Don't blame me if you eat too much and don't have enough money." Kiyosumi reminded him, half-jokingly and half-seriously, her eyelashes fluttering gently, her expression showing a touch of innocent childishness.
"Eat as much as you want, and if you don't have enough money, I'll just sit here and wash the dishes." Gao Junxiao's humorous remark successfully made the beauty laugh.
"Oh, I can't bear it. The governor has returned in triumph and should be rewarded properly. How can he do such rough work?" Kiyosumi rested her chin on the back of her hand, and the little prickly pear on her cheek looked quite cute.
“I like hearing that. Editor He, you’d better think carefully about how to reward me.” Gao Junxiao had been smiling the whole time, but now his smile had a hint of “malice” in it, making people wary.
Qingcheng tilted her head and retorted, "Huh? I'm rewarding you? What kind of logic is that? Shouldn't rewarding the army after a victory be the responsibility of the Nanjing government? How could it be my place as a commoner?"
"The government rewards the army, so you reward me, that's fine. But how did you know I won the battle?" Gao Junxiao asked, squinting.
He Qingcheng glared at him and said matter-of-factly, "What do you mean by not looking like you've won a battle? You're practically strutting around like a madman. The government's share is one thing, but does Inspector Gao want double the benefits? Isn't that a bit greedy?"
“But even though I’m a government official, I’m also your boyfriend. As an official, my share is naturally given by the government. Shouldn’t I ask you for my share as your boyfriend?” Gao Junxiao’s eyes seemed to reach out with two small hands, gently plucking the strings of Qingcheng’s heart. A blush slowly crept up the beauty’s snow-white cheeks.
"Robber logic. Suppressing bandits is your job, it's your responsibility. What does it have to do with whether you're my boyfriend or not? At most, I'm just a concerned citizen of Shanghai cheering for the supervising official." Qingcheng laughed and directly exposed him. "Then according to your logic, my eyes are almost blind from reviewing manuscripts, shouldn't I ask you for compensation?"
"You know bullets don't go in circles. To bring myself back to see you intact, I got up earlier than the chickens, slept later than the dogs, and worked harder than the oxen. As a kind-hearted citizen, Miss He, don't you feel sorry for me? Or do you have to see how much blood I have on me..." Gao Junxiao grabbed Miss He's slender hand and played the victim.
Upon hearing this, a hint of panic flashed in Qingcheng's eyes. Before he could finish speaking, she covered his mouth and said sternly, "Shut up! Do you think my heartache is wholesale? Stop talking nonsense."
Gao Junxiao slowly took Qingcheng's soft hands and placed them on his heart, saying gently, "I'm in the business of big deals, I don't take small orders, but if it's you, I'll take care of both wholesale and retail."
"Hehe, Director Gao, you have great ambitions. I am honored by your kindness. I would like to offer you a toast." Qingcheng raised her glass and lightly touched his glass.
"Miss He, actually I'd like to drink a toast with you. How about we practice first?" Gao Junxiao teased Qingcheng nonchalantly, but he had a strange feeling that He Qingcheng was standing on the edge of an abyss, abyss filled with endless darkness.
Even though she was right in front of him, even though he was holding her hand, an indescribable anxiety gnawed at Gao Junxiao's mind. His right hand suddenly tightened, and the fullness in his palm reassured him a lot.
By the time the two finished eating, the silver moon had already climbed to the treetop. The street was like a calm river, winding through the dappled shadows of the plane trees. Qingcheng, being considerate of her boyfriend's long journey, wanted him to go home and rest early, but Gao Junxiao noticed that Qingcheng seemed preoccupied and insisted on taking her shopping. He asked with concern, "What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"
Looking at the nameless flying insects swirling in the light under the streetlights, Qingcheng took a deep breath, lowered her head, and said slowly, "I'm thinking about my novel. I'm stuck again. I haven't been able to write a single word for a whole month."
"It's not the one you promised to write for Xu Xi about Lord Chunshen, is it?" Gao Junxiao asked with a smile. The two held hands tightly, but he seemed a little nervous and kept pulling himself closer to him.
Sensing Gao Junxiao's unease, Qingcheng quickly put on a smile and said in a light tone, "Yes, it's that Wen. Why exactly does Miss Li Huan want to take revenge on Lord Chunshen?"
Without hesitation, Gao Junxiao blurted out, "It's nothing more than national and personal vendettas. I can give you some material. One of my new subordinates had his senior sister kidnapped by bandits and made into a bandit's wife. His senior sister is his master's own daughter. His master felt that since the deed was done, it didn't matter who she married. And coincidentally, the big bandit also took a liking to his master's skills in traveling the world."
"The two hit it off immediately. The bandit leader gave his daughter a title, and the old man worked for the bandits. But my subordinate was not happy. He felt that his senior sister had already been violated, and now he was going to marry her off to a ruthless killer. So he infiltrated the bandit's den, waiting for the opportunity to rescue his senior sister."
"Is this old man out of his mind? He married his daughter off to a rapist just to save face, without even asking his daughter's opinion. He even ruined his own reputation by becoming a bandit in the mountains," Qingcheng said, frowning.
“Who can argue with that? It’s all due to the evils of feudalism. Our revolution still hasn’t penetrated the hearts of the people. In the countryside, clans still hold sway, the law of the state is no greater than the law of the family, private punishments are everywhere, and the people are suffering terribly.” Gao Junxiao looked frustrated and resentful, which made Qingcheng feel that the time was almost right.
“Actually, it’s not entirely without a solution.” Qingcheng said cautiously, looking at the man. “As far as I know, in some rural areas of Hunan, villagers spontaneously gather together to form farmers’ associations to fight against local tyrants and landlords.”
"Have you read any articles about the Hunan agricultural movement?" Gao Junxiao's eyes lit up, as if he was pleasantly surprised.
"Oh, so you've read the articles about it too. Tell me your thoughts?" Qingcheng asked, shaking Gao Junxiao's arm.
"I've read some articles, but I haven't studied them in depth yet. The articles mentioned that mistakes on the revolutionary path must be corrected quickly; we can't go further down the wrong path. I agree with that." Gao Junxiao realized what was going on. "Hey, why do I feel like you're trying to trick me?"
"Tch, if you don't want to talk about it, fine. I'll go see for myself why clans are in power in other places, but peasant uprisings are happening in this place. I'll have a good debate with you then." Qingcheng said happily. Gao Junxiao's attitude wasn't as resistant as she had imagined, which would make her work easier in the future. She might have been overthinking things before.
“Alright, I’ll be waiting for Miss He’s insightful opinion.” Gao Junxiao accepted the challenge.
The further they walked, the fewer people there were, but the road seemed unusually quiet, and the atmosphere was somewhat eerie.
"Hehe, I'll bring you some books next time, so you know what I'm reading." Qingcheng was talking to herself when she turned around and saw Gao Junxiao's unfriendly expression. She then cautiously observed the shadows around her.
She also felt a vague unease; the street was unusually quiet. Several pieces of information flashed through her mind, and her eyes unconsciously looked up—searching for a vantage point.
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