Chapter 53
"That..." Li Cheng stood nearby, shivering in the cold winter air. He sniffed, his voice nasal, "I asked someone about it, but they don't know anything. In fact, it's been so long, you still don't know her name, there's no photo, and no address."
"I know that, but my father only had this one wish. He's been looking for it since my grandfather's generation, all the way to my father's time." Chen Yuan sighed, his eyes falling on the shadows on the ground stretched by the street lights. "My son is going to study in Singapore this year, and the family's visas have been processed. But before he left, my father wanted to give my grandfather this favor, which can be regarded as the fulfillment of a wish that has been long in his heart."
Yang Ye turned his head and looked at the two people who were talking under the street light. They were deliberately keeping their voices low and it was unclear what they were talking about.
She stood at the intersection, watching the cars coming and going on the street. On a night like this, looking at the red taillights, feeling the cool breeze blowing past her, and hearing familiar voices, she had been away for so many years, but standing here, she could still feel a sense of peace.
It is a kind of belonging and peace that comes from the bones.
"When are you going to Singapore?" Li Cheng asked.
"If it's fast, it should be March," Chen Yuan replied. "My son has a competition in the UK in March."
"Will you come back later?"
"I will definitely come back, but I won't be too often. At most I'll come back and stay for a few days during the Chinese New Year," said Chen Yuan, kicking away the stone at his feet.
"Can you help me find out more?" His voice was calm and restrained. Standing under the street light, the words he just said turned into a ball of white mist and disappeared in the air in front of him.
Li Cheng rubbed his hands and nodded in response, "Okay"
Even so, Li Cheng felt uncertain. He had nothing. Relying on a few vague memories from the old man, after all these years, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack. He stole a glance at Chen Yuan, who was standing nearby, the orange streetlight falling on him. Li Cheng wanted to say something, but ultimately kept silent.
Out of the corner of his eye he caught sight of Yang Ye standing not far away. Suddenly he thought of something and walked over.
"Boss Chen wants to find someone," he came to Yang Ye and whispered to her, "but he has been looking for her for decades and still hasn't found her."
"Hmm?" Yang Ye tilted his head and looked at him strangely.
Li Cheng came closer and said, "I heard that the person he wants to find is also an officer in the former Beiyang government army. Can you help me? Go back and look through your pile of old things. You may find a connection."
Yang Ye raised her eyebrows slightly. She did have some old things piled up in the warehouse, but she never thought that those things would have anything to do with finding someone.
"Do you have any specific information?" Yang Ye turned and asked Chen Yuan.
"Yes," Chen Yuan nodded and came over. "The old man left some things behind. I'll dig them out and show them to you later."
Yang Ye asked, "Any details like name, previous address, etc?"
Chen Yuan shook his head, "Just some letters, objects and the like."
"There's no address on the letter?"
"The letter was originally meant to be delivered to the division commander's wife along with the death list, but the battle situation was urgent and they were evacuated in a hurry, so they only took the death list during the escort. The letter has remained with my grandfather ever since."
Chen Yuan paused, as if remembering something, "The old man seemed to have said before that the person was from the Manchuria Zhenghong Banner, and her surname was Niuhulu before she got married, but she changed her surname later."
"Lang?" Li Cheng said.
"No, she changed her surname to Yang, and she chose it herself."
"He thought of changing his last name back then. It seems this person has quite a strong sense of thought." Li Cheng smiled and saw Yang Ye again, jokingly saying, "This person has the same last name as you."
Yang Ye's body suddenly froze. She stood there and seemed to stop thinking for a moment.
"What else?" she asked impatiently.
"I don't know much else. There was a war going on then, and after sending her out of Beijing, the old man lost contact. After liberation, the old man went back to Beijing to inquire about her, but there was nothing. The old man thought she had died in those years and was distressed for a long time. In the 1990s, my father went to Shanghai on a business trip and happened to hear some clues, but he searched for her in Shanghai for more than half a month and still couldn't find her."
"Oh, right," Chen Yuan remembered something more, "I heard the old man and my father say that his former commander called that person Zhao Zhao. That should be her name, right?"
Yang Ye's breathing almost stopped.
Li Cheng said: "It sounds like a nickname, or a nickname."
Yang Ye stood there. It was clearly flat ground, but she felt dizzy from head to toe. She felt like she was falling. The traffic in front of her became blurred, and the sound of horns drifted into her ears from far to near.
"So your name is Zhao Zhao." Xue Shangyang suddenly came closer, the sunlight hit him, and his eyebrows seemed to be covered with a layer of soft amber. Yang Ye looked straight at him, probably because he was attracted by the sunlight on him.
"My name is Xue Shangyang." He stood up straight, the sunlight slid down his shoulders, and cast two connected silhouettes on the stone road in the courtyard.
Yang Ye took a step forward, but didn't notice the step under her feet, and she fell forward.
He quickly grabbed the lamppost next to him.
"What's wrong?" Li Cheng heard the noise.
"No, it's okay." Yang Ye forced a smile
*
Yang Ye was still sleeping when Xue Shangyang got up.
She curled up beside him, like an insecure cat. She came back a little late yesterday, and didn't even say hello to Yang Ye before she lay down. Yang Ye seemed to wake up for a moment, and asked a vague question in his half-asleep state, but Xue Shangyang didn't hear it clearly. But based on his familiarity with Yang Ye, Yang Ye should have known he was back.
Xue Shangyang looked at her carefully. Her breathing was light, but her brows were slightly furrowed, as if she was troubled by something in her dream. Xue Shangyang looked at her for a long time before he helped her cover the quilt and carefully got out of bed to put on her clothes.
In the spring in Peking, it is still a little chilly in the morning.
There were hurried footsteps downstairs, and Xue Shangyang frowned. He glanced back at the bed. Yang Ye was huddled under the covers, only a small part of his face visible, breathing evenly and slowly. Xue Shangyang chuckled softly, picked up his coat draped over the foot of the bed, and gently closed the door. As he reached the stairs, he saw his adjutant standing in the hall, his face solemn.
Xue Shangyang's heart tightened and his pace slowed down. He looked back at the closed bedroom door and hurried downstairs.
The adjutant of the division lowered his voice.
Xue Shangyang walked straight to the study, followed closely by his adjutant, who closed the study door after entering.
"What happened?" Xue Shangyang took out a cigarette from the drawer.
"Tianjin Encrypted Urgent Telegram" The adjutant pulled out a telegram he had just received that morning from his pocket. "The National Revolutionary Army broke through the Jinghai defense line last night. My training regiment suffered over a hundred casualties. The commander-in-chief orders you to set off immediately for assembly."
Xue Shangyang took the telegram and stared at the decoding code for a long time.
"When do we leave?" He lit the cigarette that he had been holding in his hand.
"The special train is at noon," the adjutant said. "Commander, news has arrived from Baoding that the Shanxi Army has crossed Liuli River, and the Communist Party troops in the south are fiercely attacking Yangliuqing. The Prime Minister's Office has issued a handwritten order for our troops to defend Tianjin until the 15th."
Xue Shangyang looked out the window at the old locust tree in the yard. Its trunk swayed gently in the wind, and a few yellow leaves swirled down. He suddenly remembered last year, at this time, when Yang Ye stood beneath the tree, reaching out to catch a leaf. That day, she was wearing a light blue cheongsam, and her every frown and smile was heart-warming.
The door of the study was gently pushed open, and Yang Ye stood at the door.
The adjutant, Madam, took a half step back and saluted him.
Xue Shangyang dropped the cigarette in his hand, walked over quickly, held her cold hand and asked, "Why don't you sleep a little longer?"
"I can't fall asleep after waking up." Yang Ye's eyes moved between the two of them, "What happened?"
She was asking the adjutant and also Xue Shangyang.
"It's just a small matter," Xue Shangyang said vaguely.
But seeing his expression, Yang Ye knew exactly what he was talking about. She asked, "Are you leaving again?"
Xue Shangyang didn't answer, but just pulled her to sit on the chair next to him.
"There's some movement in Tianjin, I have to go check it out." Xue Shangyang squatted in front of her, avoiding the main point.
Yang Ye seemed to have anticipated this, "When are we leaving?"
"This afternoon," Xue Shangyang said, adding, "I'm just going to check out the situation first. There might not be a fight."
She looked at Xue Shangyang quietly, her eyes fixed on the dark circles under his eyes that hadn't faded. He had just returned and hadn't even had time to drink a cup of hot tea. Yang Ye lowered her eyes, her fingers stroking the hem of her nightgown. She sat in the chair, silent for a long time.
"How long will it take this time?" she asked.
"I don't know," Xue Shangyang couldn't answer.
She is no longer the Yang Ye of the past. No matter what people say outside or what she has witnessed in the city, the world today is like a string stretched to the extreme, which will break completely in the middle with the slightest touch.
Xue Shangyang hesitated and said, "Zhao Zhao, I want you to live in Shanghai for a few months. I have a house on Xiafei Road. The furniture is ready. You can move in there."
Yang Ye asked: "What are you going there for?"
"Safe," Xue Shangyang replied.
This was the safest place he could think of at the moment.
Yang Ye shook his head, "I'll just be hiding there, it's better to stay here. This is your house, no one dares to cause trouble."
Xue Shangyang frowned. Although Peking was stable now, it would be chaotic if a war broke out.
"Zhao Zhao, be obedient." Xue Shangyang held her hand.
"You told me to be obedient, but did you listen to me carefully?" She stood up and said to Xue Shangyang seriously, "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere."
Xue Shangyang could only stand up and said, "You know what's happening in Tianjin now. Those shells could explode at any time..."
"I know," Yang Ye said, raising his voice. "I know what's happening outside, and I also know what you're going to do. You think you'll be safe if you send me to Shanghai. Shangyang, there's no safe place right now."
He stood in front of Yang Ye, his tall figure, as if he could hug her completely as long as he bent down. Xue Shangyang raised his arm, but stopped in mid-air, and finally just gently held her hand hanging by her side.
"Zhao Zhao"
"You want to say sorry to me again?" Yang Ye raised his face and looked at him steadily, his eyes a little sore. "It's always like this, leaving without a word and coming back without a word."
"This is what I have to do," said Xue Shangyang.
"I know, so I won't stop you, but I don't want to leave, so don't force me, okay?" Yang Ye's voice softened.
For a moment, the room was eerily quiet, the only sound being the ticking of the wall clock. Xue Shangyang's breathing grew heavy. He pulled Yang Ye into his arms, holding her tightly with both hands, so tightly that it nearly choked her breath. Yang Ye could smell the familiar scent of tobacco and leather, along with a hint of gunpowder. Xue Shangyang's arms around her seemed to tremble. At first, he managed to control himself, hesitated, then tightened his grip, as if he had to rub her into his bones and blood to feel at ease.
"Zhao Zhao," Xue Shangyang's voice came from above her head, "I swear, this time I will..."
"Don't," Yang Ye interrupted, breaking free from his arms, "I don't want to listen now."
When Yang Ye turned around, he wiped the corners of his wet eyes with the back of his hand and said, "I'll go pack some clothes for you."
"Zhao Zhao" Xue Shangyang called her
Yang Ye stopped but didn't look back.
"I'm sorry," Xue Shangyang said.
Yang Ye's eyes felt a little sore, and she blinked hard a few times, trying to suppress the soreness. When she turned around, a smile was already on her face. "If you come back alive, I will forgive you."
Xue Shangyang strode forward, grabbed Yang Ye, and lowered his head to kiss her lips. The kiss carried a faint smell of tobacco, and Xue Shangyang's lips were dry and hot. At first, he just rubbed it roughly, but after a while, he softened his pressure. The hand on Yang Ye's waist slowly tightened, and he held her lower lip in his mouth and gently sucked and bit it.
Yang Ye's hand grasped the sleeve of his shirt.
When they separated, their breathing became disordered.
"I promise you," Xue Shangyang said.
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