Chapter Nineteen

  In a small study in a 'flower' garden, the books on the shelves were reflected with mottled light by the sunlight coming through the bamboo curtain, reflecting a quiet glow. Luo Dafang, who had just been released from prison and returned home, was lying on a bamboo recliner, talking to Lu Jiachuan about his experiences over the past few days. Lu Jiachuan sat in the swivel chair in front of the desk, silently gazing at Luo Dafang as he listened to him speak.

  "The night I arrived home, my father and I started arguing right away." Luo Dafang laughed, waving his big fist, "He stroked his small mustache and hummed in our hometown's northeastern accent, saying: 'Fatty - don't laugh, this is my nickname - I've exhausted all my connections and spent thousands of dollars to bail you out. From now on, you'd better behave and study hard for me! Let me tell you some good news: I'm going to send you to Japan to study abroad; if you're willing, you can also go to America. Before you leave the country, if you dare to associate with those *** parties again or hook up with those fugitives, I'll...I'll..." He took off his gold-rimmed glasses and glared at me, as if he wanted to dig out my internal organs and eat them."

  "Hey, Old Lu, guess how I responded? I said: 'Dad, you've lost your investment! I'm not worth a thousand dollars, nor am I worthy of the kindness and generosity of those friends, and even less deserving to go to America to make a fortune. "A rotten wood cannot be carved", why don't you just send me back to prison?' This really infuriated him, he scolded my mom for being disobedient and unfilial; scolded me for being blind and having eaten the Communist Party's ***; scolded me that I would eventually end up on the guillotine. ...I didn't get angry, just smiled and said: 'Dad, it's not necessarily who's unlucky, this brilliant gold you and Dr. Hu went to America to make a fortune with might one day turn into dirt...' Haha, Old Lu, he was so angry that he took my stepmother to Lushan to escape the heat."

  Lu Dafang was transferred from the garrison command to the court detention center and spent three months in prison. Although his ruddy face had thinned out a bit, he looked a bit pale, but there was no sign of frustration or hardship after being frustrated. He was still witty and humorous, with big eyes shining brightly, and his fists waving constantly.

  "You're really something, Lu!" Lu Jia-chuan laughed loudly. He jumped over to Luo Da-fang's side and gave him a heavy punch - this was their usual way of showing affectionate friendship. "What do you plan to do from now on? Are you going to stay at home and be a young master?"

  "This bowl of rice is not for the likes of me!" Luo Dafang leaned his head against the glass bookcase, shaking his head with a faint smile. "My father's official position has been rising higher and higher, he's about to go to Nanjing's Administrative Court as some kind of director. I've already decided to cut ties with such a family forever, so I absolutely cannot stay in Beiping to study anymore. Old Lu, I sincerely request that the party trust me, assign me to the most brutal struggle to test me..." His broad face gradually became shrouded in a serious and heavy emotion, he stopped smiling, quietly gazing at Lu Jiachuan.

  Lu Jia-chuan paced back and forth on the bright floor, his head bowed in thought. Occasionally he would raise his head to glance at Luo Da-fang, but before long, he would resume his original posture.

  Outside the window, the bright red pomegranate flowers and jasmine are arranged in a row in the garden that has been watered with clear water. The gentle breeze blows through the curtains, bringing in the intoxicating fragrance of the flowers. Although the weather is already hot, this small flower garden in the mansion is exceptionally cool, clean and quiet. Lu Jiachuan wore a coffee-colored suit, his hair slicked back, looking more like the owner of the house than Luo Dafang, who was wearing an old cotton-padded jacket with disheveled hair. He thought for a moment, when he had figured out a problem, made up his mind, and then looked up with a resolute expression after deep contemplation, saying: "Old Luo, the situation is like this, you can't stay in Beiping anymore. Now, the Chahar People's Anti-Japanese Alliance Army is fighting bravely against Japan, and we are also sending people to join the battle one after another. How about you go there to work?"

  "Good!" Luo Dafang grabbed Lu Jiaxiang's collar and shouted, "Good comrade, thank you! Please go and tell the organization as soon as possible, the sooner the better!"

  At this moment, Lu Jia-chuan saw big drops of sweat trickling down Luo Da-fang's forehead.

  He seemed to have just gone through a long-distance running, excited and flushed with sweat. Because he ran victoriously to his destination, he showed a kind of heartfelt joy and relaxation.

  He loved the Party and the cause of Marxism to which he had dedicated himself, and when he came out of prison, he was afraid that the iron gate of sin would separate him from the Party. Now, through Lu Jiaquan's words, he knew that he and the Party were still closely tied together, how could he not be excited? Because he was so happy, he didn't even joke around, he asked Lu Jiaquan about the situation of the Northeast Anti-Japanese United Army, they talked about the war situation at that time.

  In May 1933, after the Kuomintang and the Japanese invaders signed the humiliating "Tanggu Agreement", people across the country became even more united in their outrage. On May 26, a self-organized anti-Japanese armed force - the Chahar People's Anti-Japanese Army was established in Zhangjiakou. This army, led by Communist Party member Ji Hongchang and anti-Japanese generals Feng Yuxiang and Fang Zhenwu, consisted of not only some Northeastern Volunteer Armies and local militias but also a student battalion organized by North China students. A large number of patriotic intellectuals, in order to save their desperate motherland, were enthusiastically rushing to the battlefield under the leadership and call of the Communist Party.

  At this point, Lu Jia-chuan seemed to have just thought of it and said to Luo Da-fang: "Xu Ning also expressed his willingness to go to Chaobei, but it seems that he is still hesitant."

  "After returning from the south, he sometimes 'exposed' his head and sometimes didn't even show his head. This is truly a typical representative of the petty bourgeoisie - wanting to be a hero but fearing hardship and danger."

  "Bai Liting is still the same! The two of them... Hey, Old Lu, after I was caught, didn't they get even better?" A faintly discernible pain flashed across Luo Dafang's face.

  "It's probably like that, it will pass after a while. Xiao Xu might also have been affected by Bai Liying. However, Xiao Bai has already gone to Shanghai, if we help Xiao Xu well in the future, he will get better."

  "I'll go try it out." After a pause, Lao Luo narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Can I take on this task?"

  "What, you want this task?" Lu Jia Chuan was slightly surprised, leaning against the edge of the desk and staring at him, "Your 'heart' and your appearance are quite 'similar'. Doesn't it affect your emotions?"

  Lu Dafang quietly walked up to Lu Jiaxiang and suddenly gave him a punch: "What do you take me for? Love, love - can it be compared with our career?"

  At that moment, Lu Jia-chuan's mind flashed back to Yu Yong-ze's eyes, which were enraged by jealousy, and also flashed back to Lin Dao-jing's pale and painful face. Originally, he was willing to get close to her and help her more, but in order not to affect the relationship between Yu Yong-ze and his wife, he had not gone to find her for a long time. He controlled his emotions with willpower and avoided contacting her too much.

  Lu Jia-chuan suddenly fell silent.

  Luo Dafang sat in the swivel chair in front of his desk, took out a gold pocket watch from the drawer, opened it and slowly repaired it. Seeing Lu Jiachuan standing by the table without saying a word, he raised his head and asked: "Old Lu, what are you thinking about?"

  Lu Jia-chuan seemed not to have heard, still gazing out the window at the sparse bamboo forest in a daze. After a while, he suddenly muttered to himself in a low voice: "It's been so long since I've seen you..."

  "Is it for her - Lin Daojing that you're getting anxious about?" Luo Dafang was a rough but perceptive person, good at observing changes in people's thoughts and emotions. At this time, he used his small finger to gently wind the watch spring again, then looked up at Lu Jiachuan and said: "I think you have some feelings for her - why not boldly express them?"

  Lu Jia Chuan turned back and lay down on the bamboo bed, holding his head with both hands, and only replied after a long time: "Don't talk nonsense! Don't you know that someone has a husband?"

  "Is that Yu Yongze? Go to his place! How can they stay together for long? Old Lu, this move of yours is not right."

  "No, I don't want to see others' tears, nor do I want to think about it. So, I've consciously distanced myself from her."

  Lu Dafang put down the table, walked to the bamboo bed, looked at his friend's face seriously, and said in a gentle and sincere tone: "Don't torment yourself. I don't think this is a moral issue. Even if you don't love her, she won't last long with someone like Yu Yongze."

  "Nonsense! You don't understand the situation at all." Lu Jia-chuan closed his eyes and said in a low voice, "Their feelings for each other are very deep. And... anyway, I'm not willing to."

  "How can you build a new one without destroying the old?" Luo Dafang retorted, "Can you bear to let this 'girl' be destroyed by Yu Yongze? You should be a swift and fierce thunderbolt that destroys withered trees, not...not an apprentice of Confucius!"

  Lu Jia Chuan opened his eyes and smiled slightly: "Look at what you're saying, so simple and easy... Don't mention these anymore, it's boring."

  After finishing speaking, he closed his eyes again and remained silent for a long time.

  Lu Dafang returned to the table and continued to repair the broken pocket watch. He occasionally stole a glance at Lu Jiaxiang's worried face, which was propped up on the couch, thinking of something to say to break the dull atmosphere, but for a moment he couldn't find a suitable topic.

  "Old Lu, didn't you pawn that watch? Besides, it's too old. Yesterday, I found this gold watch in my father's drawer, the brand is good, probably he thought it was still not good enough to throw away. I'll temporarily fix it up for you as a clockmaker." He looked at him with wide eyes, and when he still didn't speak, he said again, "Old Lu, do you remember? For Xiao Bai, you advised me - 'Love is just love.' Today I want to use this sentence to advise you too. You, are you going to suffer for love?..."

  "Get out, what advice!" Lu Jia-chuan jumped up from the bamboo bed. He rubbed his eyes, as if wiping away dust, and wiped away the gloom in his heart, smiled and said: "Don't worry about me, actually, this is nothing... Come on, Old Luo, sing a song. Your 'Marseillaise' sounds great, sing it."

  "We can't sing, neither of us can express our emotions."

  Then the two good friends started chatting about everything under the sun. Lu Jiachuan was hot, took off his suit jacket, and saw that the sleeves of his shirt had two big holes in them. He winked at Luo Dafang with a smile: "Can I take a bath at your place? Don't look at this beautiful suit that Comrade gave me, but my shirt, underwear, and socks are all torn to shreds, can I exchange them for yours?"

  "Alright!" Luo Dafang pressed the electric bell, and after a while, a plump woman in her 40s with a housekeeper-like appearance walked out from the inner courtyard. She was wearing a white apron, had her hair tied up, and looked neat and tidy. Before she entered the room, Lu Jiachuan quickly put on his suit jacket again, hiding the tattered sleeve that couldn't be shown in polite society.

  The woman servant carried a tray with a pot of hot tea and several sweet pastries, placing them on the tea table. Luo Dafang put on a serious face and said to the woman: "Ah Ma, thank you! Put the things here. Come, let me introduce you: this is Mr. Wu, he is Master's student, just returned from studying in America, and will soon take office as the Minister of Rong Hall in Beiping."

  The woman hastily bowed deeply to Lu Jia-chuan and smiled warmly, saying: "Mr. Wu, you're early! It's hot today."

  Lu Jia-chuan suppressed his smile and nodded in response. Meanwhile, he used his eyes to stare at Luo Da-fang's pretentious appearance.

  "Mother, the weather is very hot. Mr. Wu has a bit of a cold, so I invited him to take a comfortable bath at our house. Please prepare some things, bring out several sets of Father's best shirts, underwear, and socks for Mr. Wu to choose from - they pay attention to details in America, so we must pick the best ones." He looked at Mother's respectful attitude towards Lu Jiachuan and added, "He is Father's favorite student, Mother should be careful serving him!"

  Mother nodded and answered in a low voice as she walked out.

  As they watched her walk away, the two of them burst out laughing at the same time. Lu Jia Chuan laughed so hard that he was wiping away tears and raised his fist: "Kid! Where did you learn this set of skills?"

  Lu Dafang grinned, "Wait till my father comes back, anyway they won't be able to find me. Let them curse and spit - bad kid, cheat, not doing the right thing... whatever! Don't underestimate this Ah Ma, she's the most trusted person by my parents - a slave of slaves. They asked her to keep an eye on me, so I have to fool her like this."

  They ate and drank, Luo Dafang took down a phonograph from the bookcase: "Come on, listen to the record before taking a bath." He opened the turntable, put on a record without looking, and immediately floated in the room A soft and charming song:

  Good brother, believe me!

  Don't believe what others say...

  "What the heck!”, Luo Dafang slammed the record to the ground, shattering it with a loud crash. He rummaged through another stack of records, “What the heck, all American trashy music. Alright, let’s just listen to Madonna then!”

  The phonograph was playing a solo from "The Queen of Spades". They listened, all smiling. Later on, Luo Dafang nodded his head and clapped his hands, saying: "If only we could have a day like that! - We'd play 'The Internationale' loudly, play the songs of the workers and peasants fighting loudly, how great it would be!"