Chapter 69 Patient Thirteen
The four of them seemed to be betting on Mr. Jiang and Miya's wedding date and Mrs. Ge's right to supervise the International Settlement Apartment. Before the game even started, Sui Xi was standing outside the room. Seeing Chu Wang return, she smiled and called out to her.
The new game hasn't started yet, and the four people playing mahjong in the room are looking outside.
Mrs. Ge leaned back in her chair and said, "It's just right. Chu Wang, come play a game for me. I have an important call."
Chu Wang stood at the door and laughed, "Auntie won the whole night of cards, I'm afraid she will lose all the games in this one."
Miya also shook her head: "Don't ask her to come, I'm afraid of her."
Mr. Jiang looked up and smiled at Chu Wang. "Let Mrs. Ge go. She has something important to do. Relax. I won't bet on the next round."
Mrs. Ge thought for a moment and said, "Since Chu Wang is taking my place, it just so happens that the apartment in the French Concession is due for renovation. It's a restless place, and the foreign patrol officers there are truly abominable. I'm really worried. There are about ten people, young and old, living in the building, a mixed crowd. With the door open to let people in and out every day, it's definitely not a safe place. If he loses, I'll let him go back and help supervise it."
Xie Zeyi laughed and said, "I haven't lost the game yet. You're going too far."
Mr. Jiang laughed and said, "Do you really want the lady to lose the game?"
Chu Wang sat down opposite Xie Zeyi. Xie Zeyi stared at her and said seriously, "That won't do. I don't behave like a gentleman at a card game. This is my life principle."
After he said this, even Suixi and Miqiu couldn't help laughing.
Mrs. Ge said, "Oh, to be a patrol officer in the concession is really a big deal. You even have a code of conduct for life."
Xie Zeyi smiled, "That's right."
Xie Zeyi claimed to be ungentlemanly, yet he was secretly giving cards to women. Chu Wang, a dabbler, was constantly picking up and hitting cards for the first time in his life—all of which were cards given to him by Xie Zeyi.
Mr. Jiang was amused: "You really don't keep any cards for yourself."
Chu Wang was also amused: "Is being a patrol officer in the International Settlement so free? He's so eager to find things to do."
Xie Zeyi played a card and said, "I'm not that idle."
Chu Wang was about to draw a card when Mr. Jiang suddenly said, "Did Miss San win the big three?"
When she looked at the cards, she found that the only missing card was the Fa card played by Xie Zeyi, which meant she would win three of a kind.
She stroked the "hair" and laughed for a long time, saying, "Mr. Xie will not be able to sit idle again when he returns to Shanghai."
Xie Zeyi said calmly, "Thanks to the Third Miss."
Miya was so happy, "Zoe, just tell me, are you frustrated with Daddy? That's why you came here to fight with Mrs. Ge today. Under the pretext of looking after her apartment, Mrs. Ge gave you a place to live in the concession so you have an excuse to go out all the time."
Mr. Jiang laughed and said, "The Chinese police in the concession also have accommodations. How can the British government be so stingy?"
Xie Zeyi said, "Not really. It's just that I have to serve as an instructor to junior soldiers and college students for the first year. I have to eat and live together, so it's not convenient to go out."
Mr. Jiang was puzzled: "Why does Mr. Xie have to go to Shanghai?"
Miya said, "I don't know what's wrong with him. He had a huge fight with Dad over this and cut off all his money and food. If he hadn't fallen on hard times, he wouldn't have failed in love, right?"
Xie Zeyi smiled but did not answer.
Chu Wang glanced at him and was about to speak when Mrs. Ge hurried back after answering the phone, looking annoyed: "...this Fourth Young Master Ye!"
"Who made our Ge Tai so angry?" Miya looked up: "Fourth Young Master Ye? That Ye Wenyu?"
Mrs. Ge was very angry and just snorted coldly.
"That Ye family from the Chaoshan rubber plantation in Singapore? What's going on? Are they planning to enter the Chinese market?"
Ge Tai chuckled: "You're right."
Mr. Jiang was puzzled. "Two years ago, I went to his rubber plantation. There was still a couplet posted on the door that read: 'The emperor's grace is vast in spring, and the words are glorious in the day.' I was thinking, hasn't the Republic of China been established for more than ten years? How can the emperor's grace be so vast?"
Everyone was very happy.
Mrs. Ge had something on her mind. She stopped laughing after a while and went out with a frown on her face.
Seeing that her aunt was in a bad mood, Chu Wang naturally couldn't sit still. When several of her roommates asked for leave, the three of them were understanding and just told her to go and talk to Mrs. Ge.
Chu Wang went out, but saw Mrs. Ge standing under the doorpost smoking in the middle of winter, wearing only a black cloak over her cheongsam, with bare legs and slippers.
Seeing Chu Wang coming out, Mrs. Ge did not hide her worries and asked, "Zhenzhen hasn't been here for a long time. What's going on between her and Ye Wenyu recently?"
"I've been too busy lately and haven't been back to the Qiao Mansion much, let alone spoken to her. What happened to the Ye family?"
Mrs. Ge frowned and took a puff of her cigarette. "The Ye family's foreign trade business has expanded into mainland China, and they've been trying to find ways to get their fourth son engaged to the daughter of the newly appointed Deputy Director of the Shanghai Maritime Bureau. They've been trying to match their horoscopes and getting acquaintances to act as matchmakers. Finally, they've finally gotten the two families to agree. His family asked him to go back home for Christmas, but he seems to have heard some rumors and refuses to go back to Singapore. His father heard that he'd been visiting me with friends recently, so he thought he'd let his heart wander, and he called me."
As Mrs. Ge spoke, she gradually became more and more angry.
Chu Wang knew that Mrs. Ge wasn't angry that the Ye family was blaming her. Besides, the Ye family wouldn't do anything so disgraceful. The Ye family had called simply to find out who the girl who had tripped up their son was and what her family did.
Although the Xue family is rich, being rich is one thing, and being able to facilitate sea transportation and foreign trade for the Ye family is another matter. If Ye Wenyu tells his family about his love for Zhenzhen, the Ye and Xue families may not be able to get married, and it will inevitably damage Zhenzhen's reputation. If he doesn't tell them, the Ye family will definitely want to capture Ye Wenyu and get married.
In reality, she was also worried about the two children. Even if she secretly wanted to help, she didn't know what they were thinking. Secondly, she had no relationship with them, no authority, and no need to make decisions for them.
Chu Wang thought for a moment and said, "Don't worry, Auntie. When the time comes, we can find a formal place with many people, call both of them out, and let you test the waters, right?"
Most of the occasions at the Ge Mansion were not formal, and were not suitable for Zhenzhen and Ye Wenyu to appear on the same stage. Mrs. Ge thought for a moment and asked, "Are you afraid that if Zhenzhen finds out about this and gets involved in her wedding, she'll be mad at you?"
Chu Wang thought for a moment and said, "After all, it was Miya who orchestrated this from the beginning, so she deserves it. She won't be angry if I plot against her a little bit, right?"
Mrs. Ge was happy and let her go.
Back inside, Chu Wang asked Suixi to get a scarf for Mrs. Ge. After giving the instructions, he returned to the long corridor. In the middle of the hallway, a tall, thin figure stood alone, also smoking a cigarette through the open window. Chu Wang and Mrs. Ge must have gone out. As a single man, Xie Zeyi didn't want to be fed by their affections, so he left the room and smoked a cigarette, feeling melancholy.
As if sensing someone passing by, Xie Zeyi turned his head and saw that it was Chu Wang, so he held the cigarette in his hand farther away.
Walking closer, Chu Wang said, "Mr. Xie has very good brand reputation."
"Hmm?" Xie Zeyi tilted his head, pretending not to understand, and continued, "I'm new to playing cards, and I'm generally pretty good at it."
Chu Wang smiled and said, "Mr. Jiang will be the banker next time."
"oh?"
Chu Wang continued to smile, "Maybe I'll have to trouble Mr. Xie again."
"Oh," Xie Zeyi finally understood, "Then how are you going to thank me?"
Chu Wang was thinking about how to thank him, but Xie Zeyi smiled and threw the cigarette butt into the ashtray.
Without waiting for her reply, he turned around, opened the corridor door, and invited Chu Wang into the house.
——
That day, Chu Wang and Xie Zeyi teamed up at the poker table to make Mr. Jiang win three times, successfully moving up Miya and Mr. Jiang's wedding date to the day after Christmas break, the day after the New Year. Miya was furious and cursed Chu Wang and Xie Zeyi for their collusion and betrayal. Mr. Jiang tried to comfort his young wife and smiled and promised to give Chu Wang and Xie Zeyi a generous gift.
Mr. Xie, having been knighted and returned to Hong Kong in high esteem from England, wanted to be more respectable in Hong Kong, so he donated his garden villa and land in Yuen Long Town to the Christian Church, which was considered temple property. Mr. Jiang heard about this and, to make his father-in-law look more proud, he specially arranged for the engagement ceremony to be held in Yuen Long Town.
Because of the incident between Wenjun and Leon, Chu Wang already felt a little guilty towards Xie Zeyi. Hearing that Xie Zeyi was temporarily too poor to find a place to live, Chu Wang thought about it and said to Mrs. Ge, "My house has been renovated, so why not let Mr. Xie stay there temporarily? I'm not going to Shanghai anyway, so I can't bear to rent it to anyone else. It's empty anyway. Didn't he come to you because of this? Auntie, just let him stay there temporarily in your name. Don't say it was me who said it."
Mrs. Ge was puzzled and amused: "You haven't even lived there yourself, so why would you let someone else live there first?"
Chu Wang thought about it seriously and added, "Just tell him not to bring his girlfriend back."
Miya's wedding date was set, but Mrs. Ge kept nagging Chu Wang, "You'll be fifteen in a few months. So when do you plan to let Auntie have your wedding banquet?"
Chu Wang laughed it off: "Don't be upset, Aunt. Besides, I can't make the decision on this matter."
Mrs. Ge said, "When did Mr. Si graduate? It's been so long, and he hasn't replied to my letter. It's so frustrating. How about I send a telegram to his school to ask?"
Chu Wang was amused: "Why didn't Auntie ask someone to put an advertisement in the Times urging me to get married?"
Mrs. Ge stared at her and said, "That's a good idea. Let's ask Suixi to put the advertisement in the newspaper."
Mrs. Ge was about to leave when Chu Wang hurriedly grabbed her and grabbed her, laughing. "Aunt, please spare me! He's pursuing a double degree, and I still have to wait until after the holiday exams to officially graduate. What's the point now?"
Although the aunt and niece were just joking, Chu Wang also understood that England had not replied for a long time, but the story in the "Yi Bao" had been published. Although she didn't say it on the surface, Mrs. Ge also wanted to provoke her to see if she was really not anxious or just pretending to be arrogant.
To say there's no rush isn't entirely true. Even a century after the advent of advanced communications, two idle people still need to communicate due to a seven- or eight-hour time difference. If they're both busy, they might not be able to talk for three or two months, let alone in this day and age.
It's just that I haven't heard from you for a long time. I want to know how you're doing but I don't know where to start, so I can't help but feel a little worried.
However, Chu Wang also had many things of his own to do. Occasionally, he would learn from "Yi Bao" that this person was still active on the other side of the earth, which was better than anything else.
——
Xu Shaoqian informed that "all work in the nuclear physics laboratory must be temporarily stopped before the new president arrives in Hong Kong." Although the experimenters were quite dissatisfied, they were forced to stay at home, so Chu Wang had not seen Xu Shaoqian for two weeks.
During these two weeks, Xu Zhai did not call to ask her to teach Latin.
Chu Wang was worried about whether Cambridge would respond, and at the same time he was worried about Zhenzhen's matter. He thought that maybe he could get some information about Ye Wenyu's family from Mrs. Xu, so he found a time to call Xu's house.
The operator took the call and it took a long time before the call was connected.
There was a long silence on the other end of the phone before Xu Wenjun's voice rang out. As usual, he said coldly and concisely, "You'd better not come over recently."
His voice was very soft and a little muffled, as if he was covering the receiver with his hand. Although the receiver was covered, he could still faintly hear the woman's screams and wails coming from the other end, accompanied by dull sounds of falling and sobbing, which sounded very creepy.
Although the voice had changed, Chu Wang could still recognize it: it was Mrs. Xu.
She took a deep breath and asked, "What's wrong, ma'am?"
Xu Wenjun did not answer.
She asked again, "Where's Professor Xu?"
"I answered the phone and went out," he paused, "you should call me another day."
After Xu Wenjun finished speaking, he hung up the phone.
After the phone call was hung up, Chu Wang's ears were still filled with the shrill cries and the distorted roars.
She held the receiver, her heart pounding.
Just as she hung up the receiver, the phone rang again, making her heart jump to her throat.
When I picked up the phone again, it was still Xu Wenjun.
He had barely managed to maintain his composure just now, but now he was shaking with sobs of fear, his voice broken and incoherent.
"... Could you please come over now? She's gone crazy... Wen Ma, Wen Ma, and I can't tie her up... I'm a little scared. I don't know who to turn to..."
Chu Wang whispered to him and comforted him for a while. After hanging up the phone, he ran to find Mr. Henry and called the driver of Ge Mansion.
As she got in the car, the wind howled outside. On the second call, the yelling had turned into curses, cursing Wen's mother and Wen Jun. The curses were so nasty that even Chu Wang, an outsider, found them unbearable, let alone Wen Jun. The vicious curses played over and over in her mind, and even the sound of the wind outside the car window seemed to have transformed into a woman's scream.
I guess it's because I'm craving for cigarettes.
She had read some drug-free propaganda and had only seen slightly exaggerated drug addicts in magazines—but she had never actually seen an addict in person. She was dreading seeing Mrs. Xu, but she was also worried that Xu Shaoqian wasn't home, and Wenjun and Wen's mother wouldn't be able to do anything to her. She was also a little nervous, fearing that Mrs. Xu might harm innocent people.
When the car reached Lianhua Road, the driver, having received instructions from Mr. Henry, saw her burying her face in her elbows and asked with particular concern, "Miss San, do you need any help?"
Chu Wang shook his head and tried to calm himself down.
It was just because it was someone else's family affair. Although Wenjun had requested her, she was already an outsider and it was not appropriate to let others get involved. She just told him to wait for her outside and come to him if there was really no other way.
I got out of the car and rang the doorbell. Wen's mother, with her clothes and hair disheveled, trotted over the fence.
Seeing that it was her, he looked anxious: "Why are you here?" While sobbing, he opened the door for her and welcomed her in: "The master can't come back for a while, it would be good for you to accompany Master Wenjun."
Although the Xu residence was an old house, the rooms were interconnected, and each room could be accessed directly from the courtyard. Wen Ma took Chu Wang across the courtyard and knocked on the door of Wen Jun's room. As soon as they entered the house, they heard Mrs. Xu cursing Wen Ma: "You became my family's daughter when you were ten years old! If I hit my head and die here today, you will know that you will never have a peaceful life in the future--"
Wen Jun stood inside the room, tears streaming down his face. He stared coldly at the door and roared, "The doctor has already given you a verdict: if you smoke another cigarette today, the ghost won't be far away..."
Then I heard a shrill scream from next door: "...You can kill me! I don't want this life anymore -"
All she could hear was the wooden door being banged, and she didn't know which part of the body was being used. It made Wen Ma so distressed that tears streamed down her face. Chu Wang tried to comfort her through the wall, "Mrs. Xu, they won't tell me. Can you tell me where they hid the cigarettes first?"
As she spoke, she winked at Wen Jun wildly.
The room next door gradually quieted down. Chu Wang then pretended to whisper, "Mrs. Xu, I'm looking for it for you. Don't worry—let me look for it for a while."
The person on the other side of the door was almost breathless: "...Then... find it quickly..."
Chu Wang asked Wen Ma to guard the door, then pulled Wen Jun to a corner and asked quietly, "Has it always been like this recently?"
Wen Jun wiped away his tears. "At first, we tied her up with ropes. She struggled and bit until her hands and feet were covered in blood. Uncle felt bad, so he locked the door and watched over her. Sometimes she was better, and she would lie quietly in bed and poop and pee. Sometimes she was worse, like now... Before dinner, she was lying there quietly. Uncle gave her some soup, answered the phone, and went out. I didn't expect her to go crazy again as soon as she left."
Under normal circumstances, women's upper limb strength is only 30% of men's; Mrs. Xu went crazy and didn't care about anything. Wenjun was only ten years old, and Wen's mother was old.
I heard early on that Xu Shaoqian didn't like having too many servants at home; secondly, Mrs. Xu's health was not very good, and hiring people from outside would always mean having too many gossips; therefore, when Mrs. Xu came to Hong Kong, she only brought Wen Ma with her.
Therefore, in the entire Xu residence, only Xu Shaoqian can restrain her; even so, it is still a physical job.
Chu Wang thought for a moment, then asked in a low voice, "Is there a rope in the room?"
Wen Jun nodded and took out a bunch of cotton ropes from the drawer.
"In a moment, Wen Ma and I will go hold Madam's hands and feet, and you tie her up. We'll stay by her side until Professor Xu comes back and then untie her. Is that okay with you?"
Wen Jun shook his head. "When she gets mad, she's incredibly strong and keeps throwing things. Everything: vases, chairs, scissors... When we can't catch her, she throws things at us."
Chu Wang thought for a moment, "My driver is outside. Men are stronger. I'll invite him in. I'll give him some extra money and give him a few more instructions to make sure he doesn't tell anyone about this..."
Before Chu Wang finished speaking, a sharp voice suddenly said from the other end of the door, "You're not looking for cigarettes. What are you doing? I heard you talking."
Wen's mother was anxious: "Aren't they looking for it?"
There was silence for a moment, then a shrill laugh broke out, making Chu Wang's hair stand on end. Mrs. Xu finished her laughter and cursed fiercely, "You all conspired to deceive me! I'm about to die, and I'm going to make sure you all die a miserable death—"
The door was slammed again, and tiny cracks were created in several closed wooden panels.
Wen Jun was also terrified, shivering as he leaned against Chu Wang. Wen's mother sighed and muttered, "I'm going to die anyway! At worst, I'll just get hit again!"
Seeing her trembling and about to open the door, Chu Wang rushed over to the door and blocked Wen Ma's way: "You've been abstaining from sex for so many days, and now it's all over?" Before Wen Ma could say anything, she continued, "My driver is outside. He's much stronger. Please ask him to come and help. He will definitely keep the wife tied up and safe until the husband comes back."
"How can we let outsiders see my wife in this state..." Mother Wen shook her head with tears in her eyes, staring at the cracked door.
He sighed, turned his head, and finally compromised with Chu Wang: "Please call him in."
Chu Wang pushed the door open and ran out. It was pitch black outside. The black car outside the yard was lit up, but the backlight made it impossible for her to see anything. It had rained the night before, and the ground was slippery and squeaky. Chu Wang ran outside, calling the driver's name. As she ran, she bumped into someone in the yard and nearly fell to the ground.
The man grabbed her arm tightly, and Chu Wang was able to stand up straight and not fall down.
She still couldn't see anything clearly, but the person who came pulled her and asked in confusion, "Lin Zhi? Why are you here at this time?"
The man stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly realized what was going on. He let go of her and strode into the house. Chu Wang rubbed his eyes and suddenly realized that it was Xu Shaoqian. He turned around and ran back after him.
Xu Shaoqian turned the key to open the door, and a dark shadow was about to pounce at the door, but he blocked it with his outstretched arm.
Mrs. Xu, with her hair loose, her pupils dilated, and her clothes disheveled, bit his arm, making Xu Shaoqian groan. He grabbed her other hand and pinned her down. Xu Shaoqian glanced back at Chu Wang, his forehead dripping with sweat, shining in the night. He tilted his head and gritted his teeth, saying, "Go to the next room and don't come out."
Chu Wang nodded and quickly ran into Wen Jun's room.
The door of the next room slammed shut, and from time to time there were mournful cries and curses directed at Xu Shaoqian.
Xu Shaoqian kept soothing her in gentle whispers. Then, accompanied by a burst of violent vomiting, the crying gradually faded.
The room was eerily quiet. Wen Jun trembled as he held Chu Wang's arm. Chu Wang's heart was pounding. He didn't know whether Mrs. Xu was feeling better, had fainted, or had passed away.
After a while, a smell of excrement, along with the fishy and sour smell of vomit, drifted in through the door. Chu Wang's stomach churned, and he almost vomited.
After a while, Mrs. Xu's sobbing could be heard from next door: "...I...I am in so much pain, I wish I could die..."
Xu Shaoqian said softly, "How can you die? Isn't it good to be well? Didn't the doctor say that after you quit smoking and get better, I will take you out for walks often. Haven't you always wanted to go to Malaya?"
Mrs. Xu sobbed softly, "I...how could I say such vicious words? I don't know how many times I've been like this..."
"It's okay. If you're better, apologize to Wenjun and Wen's mother, and they won't blame you."
"How can I be okay?" Mrs. Xu sobbed. "I'm three parts human, seven parts ghost. Why do you still keep me around? Just let me go and become a wandering ghost."
"Who was it that solemnly swore to our ancestors: 'In life I will be a member of the Xu family, and in death I will be a ghost of the Xu family'?"
"I didn't even leave behind any children. How could the Xu family ancestors recognize me?"
Xu Shaoqian laughed at her again, "Then get well soon and give birth to more children for me."
…
Mrs. Xu was safe and sound, and Chu Wang felt relieved. But she felt a little embarrassed when she overheard the couple's private conversation.
Xu Wenjun stood in the corner, whispering with resentment, "Wouldn't it be better to die earlier?!"
Only Chu Wang heard what he said. Even Wen Ma didn't hear it clearly, and there was no possibility that the people next door could hear it.
Chu Wang turned around and was about to teach him a lesson, but he saw him curled up in a ball, throwing himself on the table and crying loudly.
But he was still a child. At such a young age, he suddenly had to endure so much stimulation, and Chu Wang couldn't help but feel a little distressed.
Chu Wang watched over him and cried for a while. When she felt better and didn't hear any noise from next door, she asked Wen Ma to say goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Xu with her later.
As soon as I walked out the door, I saw a person sitting under the eaves.
Seeing Chu Wang go out, Xu Shaoqian raised his head and glanced at her. Chu Wang happened to be looking at him. Just one glance, she was immediately startled.
In the moonlight, his face was clear and bright, with a faint glow.
Xu Shaoqian was crying.
His usually spotless white shirt was now stained with dirt and yellow stains. He sat there in a state of disarray, looking dejected and helpless.
Xu Shaoqian sat there, not avoiding her, but just looking at her blankly.
In Chu Wang's image, Xu Shaoqian should always be a man of sharp and profound thoughts, with a clean and elegant temperament. In the past, Chu Wang would never have believed that he would be associated with words like dirty, smelly, or down and out.
Before today, if someone had come and told her, "Xu Shaoqian was wearing a filthy suit covered in feces, urine, foam, and vomit. He was sitting on the ground crying in such filthy clothes."
She would definitely kick this man away.
But she saw it with her own eyes, but she was still a little unsure that the person sitting under the eaves was Xu Shaoqian.
Chu Wang had never seen Xu Shaoqian like this before. He stood there in shock, not knowing where to go.
As she stood in the middle of the yard, she suddenly remembered what Mrs. Xu had said about the first time she went to Marseille with Xu Shaoqian on a ship. The sixteen-year-old Xu Shaoqian thought that his wife and children were going to die on the ship, and in despair he searched the whole ship for help - it was probably the same as today.
She recalled her first time abroad, around the same age. It was just a ten-hour flight, and everyone was safe and healthy. Even if she was separated from her family for months, they could still video chat. She cried all the way from customs to the plane, tears streaming down her face, and slept for over ten hours.
He was still just a young child, but he had to experience the separation of life and death that no one else had experienced, and he had nowhere to turn to.
Chu Wang just stood there quietly, not knowing how long he had been standing there, when he finally heard a very light sound—
"Did it scare you?"
Chu Wang shook his head.
Xu Shaoqian smiled as if trying to comfort her and said, "I'm really sorry for dragging you into this today and letting you see this situation."
"Wenjun was frightened, so he called me here. I'll just pretend I didn't see anything that happened today." After a pause, Chu Wang asked again, "Is Mrs. Xu okay?"
"It's okay, I'm already asleep."
"That's good."
"When you're addicted to smoking, it happens all the time. If you see her next time... don't be afraid of her."
"I'm not afraid."
"She's just in a lot of pain."
"I know."
Xu Shaoqian sat there silently, but Chu Wang could still feel that he wanted to talk to someone, so he moved a little distance away and sat down next to him.
When he sat down, he saw that he was stroking a colorized photo in his hand. He had taken the photo from his wallet on the ground.
Seeing her sit down, Xu Shaoqian showed her the photo. It showed a young man with a bright smile, dressed in the style of the late Qing Dynasty, but with his hair unshaved, styled in a Ming Dynasty style, complete with a hairpin. Chu Wangyuan thought it was Xu Shaoqian as a teenager before the founding of the Republic of China, but upon closer inspection, she realized the person in the photo was actually Mrs. Xu, dressed as a man, a young woman.
Chu Wang uttered a sigh, and Xu Shaoqian laughed, saying, "Although she comes from an old-fashioned wealthy family, she's a little brat at heart. I often tease her about this, saying, 'When the matchmaker came to propose marriage to my mother, he was talking about a gentle and elegant lady. Why is it you?'"
Chu Wang smiled, but didn't know what to say.
There was a long silence.
After a while, Xu Shaoqian asked again, somewhat unsurely, "Will it be okay?"
"Quit smoking and take care of yourself and you will be fine." Chu Wang himself was a person who was reluctant to see a doctor and was even more skeptical about the medical level of this era, so he could only comfort her casually.
Xu Shaoqian nodded and hummed. He seemed a little tired, his head lowered. He put the photo away and handed her a telegram.
"A telegram arrived from England tonight. The school called and asked me to pick it up. I didn't expect something bad would happen to her in such a short time." Xu Shaoqian forced a smile. "Their ship will be here soon. Thank you for coming so late today. Go back early. Later... there are still many important things to do."
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