Chapter 96: Night 12
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
He raised his hand to the height of his lower lip, measured a distance between his two hands, and said with a smile, "You've grown a lot taller."
He bent down to look at her again, and suddenly moved closer. Her eyelashes trembled, but she calmly let him look at her; he just held the candlestick farther away to avoid burning his hair.
"She's changed a lot." After a long while, he suddenly came to the conclusion. I don't know if it was because of her face or her slightly indifferent eyes, "I can hardly recognize her anymore."
"It's been two years. You haven't changed much."
"You don't even look at me, how do you know I haven't changed?"
She raised the candlestick high, waved it in front of his face, and said, "Now I see, it really hasn't changed."
Yan Sang smiled and reached out to pinch her nose. She noticed the movement and took a step back swiftly.
His hand froze in mid-air. He caught a glimpse of the doorman in the dark, curiously observing him, his small eyes gleaming like a mouse's.
He could only smile dejectedly and put his hands behind his back.
"Why are you here so late?"
"I wanted to come find you as soon as I got to the dock, but something unexpected happened, so I came just now."
"How did you get here?"
He laughed again, "How else can I get here? I walked here."
"...It's too late. This is Shanghai, where the law is just a decoration, not Oxford, where personal relationships are valued."
He squinted at her and said, "How do you know that people in Oxford are so kind?"
"..." She was silent for a moment before realizing she had spoken out of turn. "I read it in a book."
"Why do people specialize in studying in Oxford?" His eyes gradually narrowed into a smile.
She sighed, "Uncle Si didn't allow you to come to see me, right?"
"It was he who asked me to marry you."
"He has his own difficulties, you have to be more understanding. If he knew that you sneaked out in the middle of the night without caring about your own safety, he would still blame me."
He was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I was reckless. I'll go back now and not embarrass you."
Seeing that he seemed to want to say something else, she paused and said, "Mr. Xie may be leaving too. I'll ask him to take you there."
He looked up the dark stairs, was startled, and said, "He...he lives with you?"
She replied, "He's a patrolman in the concession. I'm all alone in Shanghai, and my aunt asked him to take good care of me."
He nodded, "Yeah."
"How many people, because of a little more contact between men and women, rely on their dirty imaginations to exaggerate suspicions and misunderstandings."
He suddenly panicked: "I'm not. I always believe in you. As long as you explain, I trust you unconditionally."
"I'm not talking about you," she glanced at the blushing concierge next to her, and added, "But what if I'm lying? Do you know me?"
"You're the most important person in my life. Father, brother, biological mother... even my father said that when we get married, you'll be more important to me than him. Nothing else matters." He was eager to confess, a little flustered. "Do you understand?"
"You think I'm so important to you, but what if I'm not worthy? I don't understand you, I hurt you, I stigmatize you and embarrass you, I disregard your trust; I repeatedly do things that violate your bottom line without considering your feelings at all. What do you want me to do?"
He was a little at a loss, "Isn't it that I should accept all of you?"
She said, "But who am I? If we hadn't been engaged, we would have been no more than siblings from aristocratic families with a slight acquaintance. We could even have married each other for the rest of our lives and barely exchanged a single word. The only interactions we've had in the past two years have been a few letters. There are so many people in this world who are even closer to you. Why should I be worthy of your complete trust?"
"But..." He found it hard to believe, "You are you. Since I was fifteen, I knew that you would be the one to spend my life with."
"Do you understand me? If I really had something shady with someone else as others say, and I lied to you now, how would you deal with it?" Her lips became dry as she spoke excitedly. After pursing her lips, she said, "Mr. Smith, please think about it carefully."
Seeing him standing there in silence, she said again, "Please go back."
He nodded blankly, then turned around and left in a daze.
Seeing that figure from behind, he suddenly felt sorry for him and took two steps forward to call out to him, "Mr. Si."
He turned and stared at her.
The words came to her lips, but she could only say, "It's too late today. If you come again during the day, please come sit upstairs."
He forced a smile, nodded, turned around and left.
She stared at the figure from afar for a long time.
He hasn't changed, he's still that young boy, nothing has changed at all.
But in her eyes, she had seen his entire life. The young man who was full of ambition and success, the man who was determined to be with someone until his death; the man for whom countless people were willing to live and die; the man who was misunderstood, lonely, and begged for understanding; the man who was frustrated and destitute, the man who was displaced and crazy; the man who cried and laughed wildly...
He finally committed suicide by lying on the railway tracks during a long snowy night in Siberia.
Fallen.
Now he is still smiling, full of vigor and ambition as a young man with great success.
There's still time.
——
I went upstairs with a candle. The draft was already quite strong, and the candlestick suddenly went out. Standing on the second floor, I could already feel the light. Looking up, I saw someone had opened the door on the third floor, and the kerosene lamp inside was vented, streaming down from above. Climbing the stairs was not difficult at all.
When I got to the third floor, I saw Xie Zeyi standing outside the door, holding a kerosene lamp in his hand.
She said, "Thank you very much."
Xie Zeyi said, "It's okay. I'm just more afraid of the dark when I'm alone. It's not just for you."
Although it was to excuse her, after she had said that, she felt even more guilty. The room was hastily tidied, and it was almost the same as when he left.
She had thought Xie Zeyi would casually ask about what was going on downstairs, but he didn't say a word. When she entered the room, closed the door, and was about to leave, she subconsciously reached out to block the door. The two of them, one inside and one outside, were separated by a crack just wide enough for one person to pass through, and both were stunned.
Xie Zeyi asked, "What?"
Why are you such a nice person?
She really wanted to ask, but she felt like a young girl being complacent because of her good looks. He seemed to have some feelings for her, she could sense it; perhaps it was because Mrs. Ge had asked her to do so, so she paid extra attention to her, but it was a little too much.
No reward without merit. Accepting it like this doesn't make you feel at ease.
What can he give back? He seems to have everything he needs.
While thinking, his eyes wandered to Xie Zeyi's face through the crack of the door.
There was light inside, and he also had a kerosene lamp in his hand. She tilted her head back, her eyes reflecting him, though a little unfocused. If he hadn't known that she often lost her mind for unknown reasons, he would have thought she was asking for a kiss.
He endured it, and where she couldn't see, he pressed his fists against the door frame.
Still with a faint smile on his face, he said, "There's one more, do you want to hear it?"
"What?" His eyes brightened again.
"I'm afraid of you."
She thought about it for a moment, and suddenly realized that he seemed to be calling her a dog in various ways. She immediately kicked him through the crack in the door. But Xie Zeyi was quick and swift, closing the door like a flash. She kicked the door again, and it banged, and she doubled over in pain.
Xie Zeyi could be heard laughing outside even through the door.
He laughed for a while, then seemed to feel bad and asked quietly, "Does it hurt?"
She was so angry: "You try it?"
The other end laughed again. Then he knocked on the door and said, "Remember to lock the doors and windows."
She responded, "I know."
She waited at the door for a while, but there was no movement outside.
Xie Zeyi went downstairs to drive, his palms sweaty as he gripped the steering wheel. The long, dark corridor of Fukaisen Road seemed to make it easy to lose self-control. When he saw that bright look in her eyes, he almost couldn't help but pull her out of the house, press her against the door, and kiss her until she was breathless.
Why aren't you afraid of her?
In front of her, he didn't even realize that he was a pervert.
——
Even though she asked Yan Sang to "come back another day during the day", she didn't have much chance to stay at home during the day.
Although the institute's boiler was being designed and constructed simultaneously, the furnace structure had been largely finalized by this point: its final diameter was twenty-six feet, and the cadmium rods that controlled the reaction were also twenty-six feet long; it was ultimately spherical in shape, with a platform on top, weighing one thousand four hundred tons, a total of fifty-two tons of metallic uranium and uranium oxide, with fifty-seven layers of overlapping graphite layers and embedded uranium blocks.
The construction was completed on March 27th, exactly five weeks later.
After the Meiji Restoration, Japan was deeply influenced by Europe, and therefore had a strong sense of ritual for major events. Therefore, although the boiler was completed, the actual launching ceremony was scheduled for five days later, at 9:00 a.m. on April 1st.
The Japanese even specially prepared a grand dinner on the evening of April 1st, under the banner of "Friendly Scientific Research Cooperation among Japan, China and Britain", and invited many academic, social and military celebrities from inside and outside the concession.
After checking the boiler's data again, Chu Wang said to Sakuma, who came to congratulate him, without even looking up, "There are too many uncertainties in this experiment. It might not actually succeed by Friday morning. If it fails, who would be in the mood to attend the dinner?"
Sakuma raised his eyebrows and said, "It's exactly six weeks until Friday. I wasn't the one who vowed that it would be completed in six weeks."
Chu Wang also raised his eyebrows and glanced at Sakuma with a smile.
"The agreement for Japan to withdraw from the concessions and the Municipal Council has been signed. If this fails, how will you apologize to your motherland?"
"You have little confidence in me, yet too much. It's as if success is certain to happen this Friday. Between today's completion and Friday, I won't even have a chance to test-start or debug. What exactly are you so confident about?"
Sakuma's smile faded for a moment, then he smiled even brighter again.
Japan will not give up this piece of Chinese land easily.
She always knew that if she really failed, they would be able to kill her with more impunity.
Although she had symbolically gone through five weeks of experimental construction and calculations, she always had a reliable standard answer memorized in her mind. This answer had been successfully run and completed, and there was no error.
But when she stood on the platform at the top of the boiler, she suddenly realized that this matter concerned the safety of the country and the lives of countless people; if there was any mistake, it would be far more than a death could make up for it.
After everyone in the research institute had left, she still sat on the experimental platform to review the calculation draft to ensure that there were no mistakes.
March 27th was a crucial day for her. She would always remember the construction of the Shanghai slow reactor and its first test run five days later.
With this incident before her eyes, who would still remember that a few months ago, someone had told her sincerely that on March 27th, a cruise ship from France would slowly dock at the Huangpu River.
——
When it was heard that Mr. Si had returned to Shanghai from Europe, invitation letters were sent to his residence from various newspapers in Peking and Shanghai like snowflakes, and the number of letters was even greater than Si should have received.
Mrs. Smith smiled and said, "The Yangtze River's waves behind push the waves ahead, sir."
Si Ying snorted and laughed. "Don't you see how those newspapers out there are mercilessly criticizing him? Out of the letters in the mailbox out there, seven or eight out of ten say that 'foreign land cannot support Chinese intellectuals.'"
Mrs. Smith said, "I saw this kind of talk. After reading it, didn't he immediately publish a piece of classical Chinese, 'The Beings of the Underworld,' filled with allusions and phrases, satirizing these sects?"
"Some people also said that 'the country is now devastated and desolate, so scholars should write to criticize current ills, rather than writing about overly entertaining commercial matters for their own selfish gain.'"
Mrs. Si found an article in her collection of magazines and handed it to Si Ying with a smile: "Look, what is this?"
Si Ying looked carefully and found that a newspaper had published an impassioned article he had written in English, satirizing the warlords' infighting and the harm it was causing to the country and the people. The article was captioned at the end: "Si Yansang was born in Peking in 1924."
He was only fifteen years old at that time.
Although Si Ying often pretended to be strict and serious when educating his son, he couldn't help but smile when he saw how promising his son was.
Mrs. Smith struck while the iron was hot: "He's grown up now and has his own opinions and ideas. If he really likes writing, then let him do it."
Si Ying suppressed his laughter and said, "He has only just learned to write a few words. What future can he have!" Then he took out another invitation letter and handed it to Mrs. Si, saying, "He is the leading figure in "Yusi" and "Modern People", and the editor of the most popular publication condemning him. Now he is invited to a "dinner party" at the Shanghai Grand Hotel. If he goes, it will be a one-sided Hongmen Banquet. If he doesn't go, he will never be able to have a place in China in the future just by writing articles. If he were my son, he would be free to do whatever he likes. The Si family is not unable to feed a mouth. But the Si and Lin families have an agreement in advance. He is not only my son, but also the only husband that the precious daughter of the Lin family can rely on. No matter what Brother Lin thinks now, I have to give an explanation to the Lin family."
Mrs. Smith was a little confused: "Didn't the newspaper advertise the engagement?"
"The Si family cannot lose the Lin family, and the Lin family cannot lose the Si family. The engagement is just a pretext. Although the engagement with the Third Miss is fine, I think Brother Lin may have other ideas."
Mrs. Si wondered: "Mr. Lin wants to..."
"Many years ago, on my way to Shaoxing, I saw him speak with a feeling of pity for the young Third Miss, but in reality, he seemed to be intent on marrying the Second Miss to Yan Sang. I wonder if the hidden reason behind his breaking the contract in the newspaper was related to this."
Mrs. Si's eyes lit up: "When will the Lin family's ship arrive in Shanghai?"
"today."
"Then could I please take the initiative and write a letter inviting Miss Third and Miss Second to come to the Shanghai Hotel on the day of the 'dinner party' and reserve a table next door so that we can all sit in on this Hongmen Feast together?"
Si Ying stared at his wife for a while, not quite understanding what she was saying.
"If he can carve out a niche for himself, let him pursue his literary pursuits, and you must promise me that you will no longer interfere with his career. If he's not up to the task, let the two ladies see him at his most dejected and miserable, and perhaps they'll realize he's not a good match. If he chooses to abandon literature for science, that's his own decision. If he remains stubborn, perhaps someone will still be willing to share his joys and sorrows, and spend the rest of his life with him. Perhaps the Si and Lin families can call off the engagement, each knowing their own reasons, without any resentment or burden."
Si Ying's eyes lit up and he praised it highly. He immediately nodded in agreement, took out paper and pen, wrote a letter, and asked someone to deliver it to the Lin family next door.
——
A Buick followed by several luggage shuttles slowly drove into the International Settlement and stopped at the gate of Lin's house.
The head of the Lin family had been away for two years, and the house had been left idle, and was handed over to the old housekeeper brought from Shaoxing to take care of.
The Buick door opened, and Lin Yu stepped out of the passenger seat first. He used to love wearing Chinese-style gowns, simply because he had studied military affairs in Japan. Many of those who returned from Japan became officials, hence the term "official" (guanpai). These high-spirited, high-ranking officials with successful careers all favored fine satin gowns, perhaps because wearing them was considered a good omen, and it seemed to bring good luck.
Now, after a few years in Europe, he has a beloved wife who takes care of his daily life and irons his shirts and suits every day. From then on, he can wear the suits and ties that students studying in Europe and the United States wear appropriately and stylishly, and has forgotten about the more than ten sets of gowns.
The water in Europe was not good, and after two years of drinking it, his hair had fallen out a little, with a sharp bald spot on the top of his head, making him look even more rat-like. If he had been a skinny horse before, now he was a fat rat with a red face from eating too much beef.
He was initially a little unhappy with his appearance, but his beloved wife couldn't stop him from saying, "A rat face signifies nobility." This was more pleasing to his ears than anything else. Every time he looked in the mirror, he liked his face more and more, and seemed to truly believe that he could be "noble."
He smiled and, with the utmost gentlemanly courtesy, opened the Buick's rear door. A graceful, beautiful woman emerged. She hadn't been to her motherland for a long time, and seeing the muddy, filthy ground from the recent rain, she complained, "Chinese people really don't pay much attention to hygiene."
She carefully found a cleaner surface to get off the car, holding the hem of her long windbreaker. She had been vomiting for several days on the boat, and she was thinner and paler than she had been in Europe; but she had been on a diet recently, which was exactly what she wanted, and she was actually quite proud of her own thinness and paleness.
When her father opened the other door to ask his wife to get out, Yunyan happened to see the housekeeper holding two letters. With her father's permission, she went forward to take the letters.
She couldn't wait to tear open a letter signed "Sincerely from Brother Lin" and signed "Si". After quickly reading it, her eyes lit up and she said with a smile: "Mom! Dad! Mrs. Si invited me to the Shanghai Grand Hotel tomorrow..."
The lady in the car laughed and said, "The point isn't Mrs. Si, it's Young Master Si, right? In Europe, you kept calling him Young Master Si so often that your ears are covered in calluses. Now that you're back in China, everyone else knows what you mean when you speak Chinese. Don't dare do that again."
She blinked, smiled and continued to open the second envelope.
After reading just two lines, she froze, her lips turning pale as she cried out, "Dad!"
A woman wearing a deep lake blue cheongsam and a black cloak, her bare calves and ankles covered in pointed high-heeled leather shoes, got out of the car and asked angrily, "How many times have I told you that girls should be elegant and reserved, and not make a fuss when encountering things? How many times have I told you that? What's wrong?"
She swallowed and handed the letter to Lin Yu.
Lin Yu took the letter with confidence, and after reading a few lines, his expression changed.
It was a lawyer's letter with extremely detailed description of the object and a tracing period of seventeen or eighteen years; it was a deliberate attempt to bankrupt him.
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