Chapter 48: Cauliflower Bass

  It was already dark at four or five o'clock, a German-style "pipe" military vehicle carrying two women slowly drove towards the city center. The two people in the car were both silent due to the sudden and yet seemingly long-awaited closeness, a sweet silence mixed with the sound of heartbeat.

  Dong Zhiyu hung her head, and in her heart, she couldn't shake off a phrase - "grinding glass party". Every time this phrase emerged, she would feel embarrassed in her heart, and her face would flush red and white alternately. In those years at St. Mary's Girls' School, the girls were either openly or secretly enthusiastic about such ambiguous feelings, constantly gossiping in private, only some were joking, while others couldn't tell what was true or false.

  "I think it's no big deal, if I were to meet a worthy woman, I would also go with her to be a mirror polisher." She said languidly as she lay in the canopy. That year, she was sixteen years old.

  At that age, saying such things was stubbornness, was romance. Nowadays, I don't dare to say it out loud, and can't help but turn my head to take a look at this beautiful woman, what is she thinking?

  It's almost time to part ways at Sipailou, is it farewell now? It seems like they're all reluctant to leave, after all, they don't have many chances to be together.

  Hua Jin slowed down her pace, feeling the gaze she had thrown over, "What's wrong?"

  Dong Zhiyu turned her head back, sinking her body down slightly. The more the chair wrapped around her, the less tense and flustered she became. "No, nothing."

  Huaijin stretched out her hand, warm and gentle, and lightly placed it on Dong Zhiyu's hand that was hanging over the armrest of the chair. "Hungry?"

  It was as if an electric current had passed through his fingers, "Ah, I'm not hungry, a little hungry..."

  Huai Jin turned her head to look at her face, and surprisingly, she was frowning, as if trying to solve a rather difficult math problem. She stopped at the side, smiled and looked at her, "Is this a very difficult question?"

  Dong Zhiyu also burst out laughing, she didn't have the mood to think about food, but felt that Huai Jin's question had a follow-up, so she changed her words and said she was hungry, so that the conversation could continue.

  "Uh... are you hungry?" Turning the tables.

  "It was I who asked you first."

  "Then..." Dong Zhiyu played with Huai Jin's slender and good-looking hand, "I'm hungry, take me to eat something."

  Huai Jin smiled lightly and reached out her finger to gently scratch her nose.

  "Don't keep scratching my nose, you'll scratch off the bridge."

  "Oh? Let me take a look." Huai Jin turned around abruptly, holding that beautiful face in his hands.

  Dong Zhiyu gazed into her eyes, which were layered and beautiful, so good-looking that it was as if they would suck him in, unbearable to look at directly. He averted his gaze, "Don't allow yourself to look at others like that," the voice was soft, as if whispering.

  Huai Jin didn't respond, her long index finger lovingly slid across her face, "I'll take you to eat something."

  Dong Zhiyu grasped her hand, "You... like me?" he asked, and then felt a bit silly.

  Huai Jin looked at her and said, "Mm, yes."

  "Which one do you like?"

  "You want me to be what kind of person, I'll be that kind of person."

  "I hope... I hope you like me as much as I like you."

  "That's just like you." Huai Jin's eyes were narrowed with a subtle smile, gentle and quiet.

  "Huai Jin," Dong Zhiyu whispered her name, she had never called her that before, the two words flowed from her lips, giving her a sense of belonging and happiness, "But my liking for you may not be normal..."

  "My liking for you is not normal either," Huai Jin turned her hand over and grasped it, "You have been living in my heart for seventeen years. Whether it's normal or not, as long as you're happy, I can give it to you. If one day you decide to be sisters with me, or marry a man, I will also support you."

  Dong Zhiyu raised her hand and rubbed her fingertips on her lips. "I won't let you say that, if you don't get married, I won't get married either."

  Huai Jin smiled, "Alright, for two nuns who will never marry in their lifetime, I'll take you out to drink!"

  They drove all the way to Douyunfang, which was just lunchtime, and it was bustling. After entering, Huaijin said to Tu Laoban, "Today there are only two of us, so we won't occupy 'Twenty-four Bridges'. Just find a quiet table." Dong Xuan also rushed over and chatted with Dong Zhiyu about family matters. Huaijin didn't say much, just exchanging pleasantries. After a while, Dong Xuan left to attend to his business, and the two sat down. The best Bi Luo Chun was served, and Tu Laoban came over to greet them with a smile.

  "Director Wang, Miss Dong, it's just the right time in this first month to eat cauliflower fish, I wonder if you two like it or not?"

  "Are you eating?" Huai Jin asked Dong Zhiyu.

  "Not bad, give it a try."

  "Steamed, with vermicelli and braised in soy sauce, or stewed in soup, which one would you prefer?"

  Huaijin looked at Dong Zhiyu, who shook his head.

  "Steam it."

  "Good! Steamed cauliflower fish!"

  Then he ordered three dishes and a soup, after finishing the order, Boss Tu didn't leave yet. "Officer Huai, these flower pomfrets are all jumping around in the tank, would you please follow me to pick some yourself?"

  Hua Jin slightly condensed her gaze, then got up and said to Dong Zhiyu: "You drink tea here first, I'll be right back."

  Dong Zhiyu nodded, from the first time she saw this shopkeeper, she felt that he was very close to Huaijin. This time, only Huaijin was invited to pick fish, firstly, someone had to stay at the table, secondly, Huaijin's official position was higher than hers and also familiar with Shopkeeper Tu, so she didn't mind much.

  Tu Laoban led Huai Jin, passing by the fish tank without stopping, and went straight to a hidden small room in the kitchen. Huai Jin didn't ask much, following him, she knew that he must have something important to say.

  "Let's get down to business," said Old Man Tu, closing the door. "We've asked you here for a favor, and of course, we won't ask you to do it for nothing. We'll make a deal."

  "What kind of deal?"

  "We urgently need a piece of intelligence, and I know you're the only one who can help us with this. However, I also know that you never sell intelligence, so we plan to exchange an important piece of intelligence that is beneficial to Chiang's army for what we need from you. The intelligence I need concerns only one person, while the intelligence I provide will concern one of your regiments. What do you say?"

  She held her breath and thought for a moment, "Who is this person?"

  Dong Zhiyu waited by the table, and Xiao Ge had already refilled the tea. She felt very bored, so she got up to look for something.

  This corner walked past was a narrow corridor, only two oil lamps at the head and tail, Dong Zhiyu tried to walk over, she saw that Gu Zhanggui had just brought Huaijin into this corridor.

  "I'll let you in on a secret: this man is none other than Ye Ting, the commander of the Fourth Army who was captured by you during the Anhui Incident last month."

  "What intelligence do you want about him?"

  "It's very simple, his escort route, train number, and guard situation. And in return, my intelligence will save the lives of over 500 soldiers from your regiment. Colonel, this trade is absolutely fair for you."

  At the end of the corridor, the space became more spacious. On the ground sat several large fish tanks, but there was no sign of Tou Zhanggui and Huai Jin's figures. Various fish and shrimp swam back and forth in those tanks, feeling carefree, yet unaware that they would become people's food on their plates the next moment.

  Dong Zhiyu bent down to look at the cauliflower fish in a large vat, the water was sparkling, and the light from the lamp reflected on her face. A network diagram gradually emerged in her mind, clear and distinct. She wasn't sure what kind of relationship each person in the diagram had with each other, but there was a vague idea that connected them all together like a thread.

  Huaijin and Zhenji, Zhenji and Dongxuan, Dongxuan and Douwenfang. Huaijin passed on the antique dealer's information to Gong. The people in the painting kept intersecting with each other. Dong Zhiyu stretched out his jade-like index finger and pointed at the water surface. The slippery fish swam out two fan-shaped fins and disappeared without a trace.

  "Know Yu."

  Turning back, it was Huai Jin and Tu Zhuanggui, "Have you chosen yet? I got bored waiting, so I came to take a look."

  "En, I've chosen, and followed Zhu Zhanggui to the kitchen to take a look. By this time, everything has been prepared for cooking."

  Dong Zhiyu smiled, "That's great, I'm starving."

  "Ah, then, Counsellor, you'd better take Miss Dong and sit down properly. The dishes will be served according to your instructions soon, and we won't disappoint you!" said Tou Zhanggui.

  The author has something to say: Dong Zhiyu originally attended St. Mary's Girls' School, one reason being her good foreign language skills, and the other being the school spirit issue mentioned in this article. Everyone can take a look at Ms. Zhang Ailing's "My classmates were not cheap" which took place at Zhang Ailing's alma mater, St. Mary's Girls' School, where the whole article is filled with either vague or clear same-sex feelings, and it explicitly states that "the school's lesbian atmosphere was prevalent..."

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