Monet's Water Lilies
The red brick walls, the majestic outline, and the decorative cross on top standing alone against the blue sky; the stone path in front is the road to the temple, and also the road to the secular world, where one must pass by both the worldly and the spiritual realm.
Qingcheng stood at the church entrance, checking the advertisement for Baby Brand cigarettes in the evening paper one last time. Now it was up to Lao Li to see if he would receive the message.
While she was lost in thought, Qingcheng heard the creak of the door opening. Looking towards the sound, she saw Father Tong beckoning her to come in quickly. Without hesitation, Qingcheng resolutely followed in the footsteps of those who had gone before her and entered the church. Whether she was in the world or in the afterlife, it was all for the sake of pursuing the sacred realm in her heart.
In the hall, Qingcheng smiled and nodded to Father Tong, who nodded slightly with a blank expression. Father Tong was indeed a clergyman who had been baptized by the Vatican, but he was also the person in charge of this church's liaison point.
Moreover, Father Tong is too serious. He rarely smiles and even blinks, which is quite frightening. This is completely different from the gentle and humble image of the priest in Qingcheng's mind. He doesn't look like a priest but more like a gangster's henchman.
However, Qingcheng was more curious about how a theist could live up to both God and the Party. She'd wait for Lao Wang to return and try to get some answers from him.
The clock hands ticked slowly, and Qingcheng sat in the church with a furrowed brow, occasionally looking up at the clock on the wall, her hands rubbing together as if they were burning.
Even Father Tong couldn't bear to watch, and silently poured her a glass of water. Qingcheng carefully accepted it and thanked him. With a tick, the minute hand finally landed at 12. Thump, thump, thump…
After twelve chimes, Old Li still hadn't appeared. The rendezvous time had passed, meaning the rendezvous had failed. Qingcheng slumped into her chair in frustration. The exhaustion and tension of the past few days exploded at this moment. She felt as if all her remaining strength had been drained away, and she fainted.
When she opened her blurry eyes again, the first thing she saw was Li Shifa's round belly. She excitedly tried to get up, but was stopped by Father Tong next to her. He was still expressionless, but there was a hint of pity in his eyes.
"Comrade Xiao He, don't worry, I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere." After saying that, Li Shifa covered her with the quilt.
Upon seeing Li Shifa, Qingcheng finally felt relieved. She took off her watch from her wrist and handed it to Li Shifa's kind hand, then tapped the watch strap. Li Shifa, being a seasoned underground worker, examined the watch for a moment, then asked Father Tong for a pair of tweezers and pulled a small piece of paper from the crevices of the watch strap.
Qingcheng sat up, cleared her dry throat, and said, "The news of the international Soviet representative's visit to China has been leaked. Commander Xiong has already sent out a large number of spies to investigate. This is a deployment map that I copied. I have put the original in a safe place."
For a moment, Old Li and Father Tong looked at each other in bewilderment. Qingcheng took in their shock. Did they not know?
"Xiao He, is your source reliable? I just received news this morning that a representative is coming to China and I'm in charge of receiving him." The calm voice startled Qingcheng; so this was Father Tong's voice.
"It was our comrades who infiltrated the headquarters who risked exposure to deliver the message. He also suspected that the message was leaked from within our ranks, so he didn't even dare to activate the communication station," Kiyosumi sincerely explained the source of the information to the two.
Li Shifa added, "CC has not received any news about representatives coming to China. At that time, not only international representatives but also many representatives from various parts of our party will participate."
"Why didn't the CC, an intelligence agency, know about this, but Nanjing did?" Kiyosumi twisted the blanket, puzzled.
“It’s not surprising. Besides the CC Clique, they also have independent intelligence agencies like the Chicken and Goose Alley Secret Investigation Team and the Whampoa Military Academy Alumni Liaison Group. The problem now is how to notify the representatives who are already on their way without alerting the mole.” Old Li stroked his double chin, deep in thought.
“We now have two options. First, we can send a message through the transportation station to inform everyone that the meeting is canceled, and the delegates will naturally have special protection. But this would expose our comrades who have infiltrated the headquarters,” Father Tong said, still expressionless, as he discussed the possibility.
Li Shifa didn't mince words and asked, "What about the second one?"
“The second option is to use this opportunity to expose this pest, which might even help that comrade at headquarters achieve a great merit,” Father Tong continued, explaining the plan. “The downside is that it might expose our radio station and telegraph operator.”
Upon hearing this, Kiyosumi immediately thought of herself: "I can send messages, and I have a backup radio in my safe house. I don't have any important position, so it doesn't matter if I'm exposed."
Father Tong quickly made the sign of the cross: "Please forgive this girl's nonsense. I only said there's a chance of being exposed. It depends on whether Xiao He's telegraphic skills can fool everyone."
At this moment, even the usually kind Old Li was sweating profusely with anxiety: "Oh dear, Father Tong, stop keeping us in suspense, things are really urgent."
However, Father Tong, still with an detached expression, said, "Yes, we will proceed as planned. But the primary task is to narrow down the scope of the investigation, since we don't even know whether the mole is from the South or North district."
Since Father Tong had not yet decided on the final meeting location, he still needed to send the specific meeting address in Shanghai to various transportation stations. He asked Qingcheng to send a real address and a fake address to the South District and North District respectively, thus narrowing down the scope in turn.
“But that’s too slow. By the time you’ve identified them, the representatives will have already arrived.” Li Shifa shook his head, feeling that this was inappropriate.
"Then just spread fake news," Kiyosumi suggested with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Li Shifa and Father Tong both looked at Qingcheng.
Qingcheng asked Father Tong to bring her handbag. She took out a data book and a map of Shanghai's administrative area. The map was marked with English letters in red ink, and even the streets were marked in detail.
Actually, she didn't sleep all night, she was just trying to figure out how to find that pest. Qingcheng's idea was quite similar to Father Tong's.
She first compiled a set of data, such as administrative district A where the meeting is held and administrative district B, etc., and then assigned numbers to the road names in administrative district A: meeting road name 1, meeting road name 2, meeting road name 3, meeting road name 4, etc.
By following this process, a complete meeting message can eventually be generated. After all, it's a telegram; a difference of just one letter can drastically change the meaning.
Finally, depending on which message reaches Commander Xiong's ears, he will definitely increase the surveillance density at that point in advance. This way, using pre-programmed data, they can immediately deduce which areas are problematic. We can resend the real addresses to the safe areas, but the representative in the locked area will still be at risk.
"We can only try our best to protect as many representatives as possible," Li Shifa said helplessly.
"My method has a drawback: the amount of data is quite large. To save time, we need at least four telegraph operators to take turns sending messages," Kiyosumi summarized.
After hearing this, Li Shifa excitedly said, "No problem. Let's be ambitious this time and take it all. We won't use our own radio; we'll use the CC's radio and telegraph operators to send messages."
Father Tong added, "We can also let CC and headquarters steal the credit and muddy the waters completely. It would be best if headquarters sent a message first, saying, 'Old Li, you deliberately intercepted this and presented it to Xu Qiao. The transmission area can be locked in the Longhua area.'"
“Sure, I’ve heard Lao Qi say that Xu Qiao is having an affair with an officer in the headquarters. At worst, we can just pin it on that mole in the headquarters.” Li Shifa chuckled and pulled out his pipe.
Since Kiyosumi had visited the headquarters in detail last time and had a certain spatial concept of their office layout, and in order to protect Comrade Mudan, the fewer people who knew about her, the better, everyone discussed and decided to send her to carry out this mission.
Li Shifa said to Qingcheng, "Comrade Xiao He, come to the CC Shanghai station for a two-day internship to practice your telegraphing skills. I'll help you get your identity sorted out, and I'll have the comrades at headquarters arrange a time for you to go to headquarters to send a telegraph. I'll report the plan to the higher-ups."
Father Tong then said to Qingcheng, "In order to avoid exposing your public identity, I think you shouldn't go back to your apartment for a while. You should also find an excuse to take leave from your work at the newspaper and stay in a safe house for a few days."
“Okay, I just got kidnapped recently, and my boss was worried about me, so he gave me a week-long leave.” Qingcheng said to the two seniors, resting her chin on the back of her hand.
"What? Who kidnapped you? I didn't hear a thing." Li Shifa stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
“It has nothing to do with us. It's just internal strife within the Songhu Command, and I got caught up in it.” Kiyosumi forced a smile. “But it's strange, how did they manage to find me when I went to their office on short notice?”
"Sigh, you've worked hard." Father Tong sighed expressionlessly.
“I suspect that the person who kidnapped you is the officer who was secretly in contact with Xu Qiao. The information was provided to him by the CC, but I didn’t know it,” Li Shifa said seriously.
"This shows that you haven't fully taken control of the Shanghai station yet, Lao Li. When Lao Qi comes back from the Northeast, find out if there are any other spies in Xuqiao," Father Tong analyzed.
"Hmm, judging by the time, Kejun should be back around now. Then Kejun and I will discuss the plan again." Li Shifa took a couple of puffs of his cigarette, his mind preoccupied.
As Qingcheng slipped out of the church through the back door, accompanied by prayer, the sun was already half-hidden in the sky, casting its last rays. The streets were still bustling with traffic and crowds.
When Qingcheng returned to her apartment building after a hearty meal, she found the hallway bustling with moving workers going up and down. She hadn't paid much attention to it; after all, it's an apartment building, and people coming and going is normal.
After going upstairs, a familiar figure stood at the door. When did Gao Junxiao arrive? This couldn't be worse than this.
"Ah Xiao, are you waiting for me?" Qingcheng greeted him generously.
"Hmm." Gao Junxiao pursed his lips, seemingly struggling with how to start the conversation, before finally tentatively saying, "I moved."
"Oh, congratulations on moving to your new home. I'll prepare a gift for you next time." Qingcheng's face remained expressionless. Couldn't she say something like that over the phone?
"Actually, it's like this. My original apartment needed renovations, so... um..." Gao Junxiao's ears were tinged with a suspicious red, and he stammered for a while before continuing, "They assigned this place to you, no, to the apartment below yours in the same building."
The sunset glow shone on the windowsill, and Qingcheng stared in astonishment. Suppressing her wildly beating heart, she glanced at the man and asked, "What are you planning?"
"Please let me in first; it's not convenient to talk in the corridor." Gao Junxiao's grinning appearance made Qingcheng even more uneasy. As the saying goes, "A smiling face is never a good thing," and who knows what bad ideas he might be plotting.
However, Qingcheng still opened the door and invited the man into the house. When Gao Junxiao saw the "water lily" he had given him hanging directly above the fireplace, his smile widened.
Qingcheng recalled Lao Wang's two interpretations of "water lily". The first was about Gao Junxiao's original name, Gao Lianxing. Qingcheng represents water, and he represents lotus. The lotus is in the middle of the water, and he wants to stay in your heart and share the journey together.
However, Kiyosumi felt it was too far-fetched. Since his original name was Gao Lianxing, why didn't he just give her a picture of the starry sky or the Milky Way? Wouldn't that be more appropriate?
Another interpretation concerns the painter Monet. Monet's greatest skill wasn't painting landscapes or portraits, but rather light. The lotus, growing in mud yet remaining untainted, is a flower of nobility. For a noble person to be illuminated by light signifies that you are the light within them, that you have illuminated them.
This explanation is interesting, but she can also be a gentleman. Why does it have to be a man to be called a gentleman?
Forget it, I'm too lazy to think about it. Her mood has been so volatile these past few days that she doesn't have time to dwell on such trivial matters. Qingcheng made tea for Gao Junxiao and told him to get to the point.
“We’ll be neighbors from now on, but we’ll be going in and out together. I’m worried people will gossip about you.” Gao Junxiao’s voice trailed off as he spoke, sounding less confident.
"What's there to criticize? Just because a male resident moves into the apartment doesn't mean I have to get involved with him. I'd be exhausted if I did," Kiyosumi said magnanimously, indicating that she didn't care.
This left Gao Junxiao speechless. He awkwardly patted his pockets and muttered, "But I'm not just anyone."
"I know, so you can buy me breakfast in the mornings from now on and say 'Good morning, darling.' But don't do it too early, or I'll get angry if I'm not fully awake," Qingcheng said, half-jokingly.
"I can buy you all three meals, no problem, but don't give me money afterward. You're already my girlfriend, I can't afford to lose face like that," Gao Junxiao warned seriously.
"I'm sorry, I refuse. You don't need to buy it either. We can just do what we usually do." Qingcheng coldly refused. Did he think he couldn't be independent? He had already tried to pursue independence three times, and the first two times were disastrous failures. Only the third time did he make some progress.
"Don't be angry, let me finish. I won't take the money, but you can bring something else." Gao Junxiao smiled and looked at Qingcheng with an ambiguous and suggestive look.
"Hehe, I don't know what you're charging for a 2-cent breakfast." Qingcheng squinted and asked back. This man's intentions were obvious to everyone. If the bastard dared to make any unreasonable demands, she would immediately gouge out his eyes and kick him out.
"Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not the kind of person you think I am." Gao Junxiao said with a smile as if he could read minds. "Take me to visit your aunt and uncle. I'll cover your breakfast this year, plus a daily wake-up call service."
"I don't believe you for a second. He wants to move in now and then he'll force me to marry him," Qingcheng teased. "Why did you suddenly think of this? Are you going to tell my aunt?"
"No, I just felt I should visit your elders," Gao Junxiao said, holding his teacup.
He's the kind of person who won't give up until he gets what he wants. Qingcheng thought for a moment and realized that Gao Junxiao's visit to his elders was perfectly legitimate. If she stopped him, he might take some crooked path. It was better to accompany him: "No need to bring breakfast every day. I want to sleep in on my days off."
"Then, excluding weekends and the days I'm out on fieldwork," Gao Junxiao said, looking at Qingcheng expectantly.
"Deal!" Qingcheng readily agreed. "However, I've been invited to visit a friend in Chongming this week, so we'll talk about it again when I get back from the island."
“Sure, it’s good for you to go to the countryside to relax.” Gao Junxiao subconsciously touched his pocket and said with emotion, “If I didn’t have something to do, I would have come to keep you company.”
"It's okay, you should take care of your work first." Qingcheng suddenly approached mysteriously. "Also, here's a little tip for you: my aunt likes Western art, Rococo style, or contemporary art."
"Oh, is that the kind of music box foreigners give you?" Gao Junxiao glanced at the music box on the side table and snorted contemptuously.
Seeing Gao Junxiao's disdainful look, Qingcheng knew he was a little jealous, which was kind of cute. She deliberately teased him, "Yeah, it's so beautiful. Aren't you studying painting? You don't even know that?"
"I studied traditional Chinese painting, not Western painting." Gao Junxiao's aggressive gaze shot towards Qingcheng, as if he had suffered a great injustice.
Buying something unrelated to his major made Qingcheng even more curious to find out his thoughts. She looked directly into the man's eyes with her bright eyes and asked, "Then why did you give me a Western painting? Aren't you afraid of being ripped off?"
"Don't worry, a good painting can resonate with people and is not limited by its form of expression," Gao Junxiao explained confidently, his arms crossed over his chest.
"So what resonated with you that made you think of giving me this painting?" Kiyosumi asked with a smile, voicing the question that had been bothering her.
Gao Junxiao moved his lips, staring at Qingcheng's face, and after a long while said, "I saw the light."
Hearing him admit it himself, Qingcheng felt like a frog was croaking and jumping in her heart. She suppressed her laughter and choked back her words. How annoying! She felt like she had shot herself in the foot. She used the excuse that it was getting late to kick the "frog" out. She was afraid that if she laughed in front of him, he would become proud again.
In the corridor, Gao Junxiao stood inexplicably at the door, reflecting on what he had said wrong. He took out a ring box from his pocket and lamented to himself, "She seems a little resistant."
Just as he was about to knock on the door again to explain, Chen Yao called him from the stairs to go quickly to the bandit suppression team. Chief of Staff Tang demanded that all personnel in the bandit suppression team re-register their enlistment forms, including those brought from Nanjing, those who were new recruits, and those who were captured bandits.
The man surnamed Tang couldn't hold back any longer, and he started to use his power to cause trouble. If An Fu's information was correct, Xu Xun had more detailed accounts. Unfortunately, that kid was incredibly stubborn and foolishly believed that Chief of Staff Tang could rescue him, even though he was a fairly intelligent person.
But it doesn't matter. Once the team I sent to Zhejiang to investigate finds out the details, I'm not afraid he won't back down.
There's also the small mountain and sea creature that can subtly reveal their true intentions. Will they bite such a large bait or not? If they don't bite, should you cast an even bigger bait?
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