Chapter Five

  The heavy black night, the sea angrily hit the rocks, issuing a shocking yet monotonous and desolate sound. Dao Jing fell on the sandy beach under the heavy rain - she was not dead. Just as she was about to plunge into the sea, a pair of warm arms hugged her.

  At the same time, a low voice sounded in her ear: "Don't... don't do this! ... Think... think of a way." The person's whole body was also trembling. The rain was so fierce that it seemed to want to sweep them away, and the person hugged Dao Jing's upper body tightly, struggling to lift her up.

  Dào Jìng seems to be in a terrible nightmare - why did she have to die?

  Who came to her rescue?... Her tired and dizzy consciousness had already blurred, only subconsciously struggling out of that person's arms, weakly falling onto the beach.

  "Go back! It's heavy rain, cold... Go back..."

  That person's voice echoed in Dao Jing's ears again. It was a young man's voice, warm and intimate, as if it were in a dream.

  After a rest, Dao Jing became clearer. Under the flash of lightning, she turned her head to look at the person beside her - a dark and thin face, eyes shining brightly with a burning intensity. Wasn't that the young man who often patrolled the seaside? In the evening, he had even talked to Dao Jing about poetry.

  A warm current flowed slowly through his cold and icy body. His frozen heart met with this warmth, and the thought of death suddenly collapsed like an iceberg in spring. He slowly got up and sat on the sand, rainwater flowing down his hair to his whole body, feeling a chill to the bone, his whole body trembling, his teeth chattering, he struggled to stand up, and the young man spoke again: "It's cold, you can't bear it, I'll take you back."

  Dao Jing couldn't say a word. She silently walked alongside the young man back to school in the gradually subsiding wind and rain.

  They returned together to the side hall where Dao Jing lived, and the young man brought over a kerosene lamp from another room. Dao Jing could tell from his movements that he had also stayed in this temple tonight. He carefully placed the lamp on the table, stood for a moment, looked at Dao Jing and said softly: "You change your clothes, I'll come back later."

  It's strange, at this time Dao Jing suddenly became a very obedient little kid, she quickly found her clothes and changed into them, took up the water bottle and drank a few mouthfuls of cold boiled water. The young man then walked back in again. He was still wearing his wet yellow student uniform, but on his face he had a happy smile. Standing by the door for a moment, he nodded at Dao Jing and introduced himself saying: "You don't know me; but as soon as you came I knew who you were! Are you Lin Daojing? My name is Yu Yongze, I'm from this village. Yu Jingtang is my cousin. I study at Beida University. Lin... today was really too dangerous!..." He said fluently like reciting lines, slowly sitting down in the armchair by the table.

  Dào Jìng also sat at the edge of the table, with her head down, looking as weak and feeble as if she had just recovered from a serious illness. After a pause, she lifted her head, looked at Yú Yǒngzé with embarrassment, and said in a low voice: "Thank you, otherwise... but living is also meaningless!" As she spoke, she lowered her head again and fell silent.

  Yu Yongze stood up and walked closer to her, remaining silent for a moment before saying: "Can you tell me? What's troubling you? If I can help you in any way, it would be my greatest happiness."

  At this time, the rain had subsided, pattering gently outside the window in the dead of night; the kerosene lamp in the house seemed even dimmer and more lackluster on this cold and rainy night. Dao Jing perked up, smiled, and said: "Of course I can tell you - I can see that you're not the same kind of person as your cousin Yu Jingtang."

  In the midst of difficulties and dangers, she suddenly met someone who sympathized with her and saved her life. It was as if she had met an old friend in a foreign land. The young Lin Daojing straightforwardly and wholeheartedly told Yu Yongze about her family background and experiences. She even told him what she had overheard when Yu Jingtang played cards. As she spoke, her pair of melancholic eyes suddenly sparkled with a strong, resolute, and unyielding light that was not in line with the quiet and reserved young woman.

  "I hate! I hate everything! I hate society, I hate my family, I hate myself... Why can't a person just live an ordinary life, but instead 'gets' to the point of having no way out?..."

  "I knew it. Your pain is that you don't say, and I can guess more or less." Yu Yongze nodded, looking at Dao Jing's eyes with a smile, "Since you came to our village, I saw your appearance, watching you stay by the sea every day, I knew you must have had great misfortune and pain. But at that time, we didn't have the opportunity to talk." He glanced at Dao Jing, slightly uneasy, pausing for a moment, "But, did you notice? I was worried that you would have an accident, so I often followed behind you. Tonight, when I saw you running out of the village office with that look on your face, I became even more worried, so I stayed in the temple across from you." He said this, his shining eyes smiled, and suddenly stopped speaking.

  Dào Jìng suddenly realized. Since coming to the North戴河 seaside, she often saw him like a shadow appearing and disappearing around her. It turned out that he had been intentionally caring about her... Thinking of this, she secretly glanced at Yú Yǒng Zé and unconsciously blushed.

  "Lin..." He seemed to consider her appellation for a moment, but still didn't continue. "What do you plan to do from now on? You know I'm very... sympathetic..."

  Yu Jing Tang is indeed of ill intent, I have no choice but to leave!

  "Where is he going?" Yu Yongze hastily asked another question.

  Dai Jing looked at Yu Yongze with a pair of restless little eyes, and said heavily but innocently: "Where to go? Don't know! Drifting everywhere, the four seas are home."

  "How can that be!" Yu Yongze sat in the armchair opposite Lin Daojing, hastily shaking his head. "All crows under the sun are black, it's dark and treacherous here, but elsewhere is no different. You, a young 'girl', cannot go on taking risks."

  "What should we do then?" Dao Jing asked the young man who had suddenly burst into her life, with the utmost respect and trust, as if he were a heroic knight from a legendary story.

  "Lin... don't be polite, we're old friends. As for the Tang family, there's no problem - my father has a lot of prestige in the village; he used to be a county magistrate outside and now he's retired back home, so the Tangs will listen to him; besides, County Magistrate Bao also knows him. If I talk to my father, we can also talk to the Tangs, they won't bother you. As for the tricks of the Tang family, just rest assured, it's all nonsense. Now that your brother-in-law is gone, the primary school here still lacks a teacher, so why don't you stay and teach? Isn't this better?"

  Dào Jìng listened silently to Yú Yǒngzé's words, thinking to herself: This university student is not only kind and enthusiastic, but also quite capable. However, she furrowed her brow, shook her head, and with the recklessness of youth, refused saying: "No, I'd rather starve to death than compromise my integrity for a handful of rice."

  "This can't be considered as yielding. Jing Tang is also a scholar...” Yu Yongze smiled, refuting Lin Daojing in a gentle and indirect manner.

  But Dao Jing cut him off: "He's not even worthy of being called a scholar - people like that disgust me!"

  Yu Yongze stared at the pale and beautiful face in front of him with his bright, shining eyes. In this soft, weak appearance, a strong and stubborn soul was hidden! Why was she so obstinate and childish about pursuing an unattainable ideal? He wanted to persuade her, but when he saw her stubborn and hard-to-persuade eyes, he fell silent. The two people fell into silence.

  The sky was almost bright, and the rooster was loudly crowing. Lin Daojing lay on the table, exhausted, with a chaotic mind that didn't want to speak anymore. Yu Yongze stood up and looked out the window, the rain had stopped, and the sky was clearing. In the milky white morning light, he silently stood beside Daojing for a while, then hoarsely said: "I'm leaving, you should rest now. When you see Yu Jingtang, don't mention what we heard from them, and don't discuss what we just talked about... Also, you can't leave now. As for what to do next, we'll discuss it later. How about going to the seaside this afternoon? I know you love the sea."

  Dào Jìng stood up and nodded. When Yú Yǒngzé walked out the door and turned his head back, their eyes met unintentionally, and both of them blushed.

  In the late afternoon, the ocean was spitting out white foam and pounding against the soft sandy beach. Seagulls were flying overhead, occasionally letting out cries of "Ah, ah". The slanting sun shone down on a large, rugged rock, where Lin Daojing and Yu Yongze sat together in a small flat area near the water's edge. Lin Daojing was looking down at the sparkling golden waves, lost in thought; while Yu Yongze gazed out at the distant horizon, taking in the pale blue sky that seemed to blend seamlessly into the sea. Every now and then, he would turn back to steal a glance at Lin Daojing. After a moment, he spoke up. He still sounded like a young man skilled with words. "Lin... I hope you can trust me. Although we just met by chance, I think you're an extraordinary girl with determination, so from the bottom of my heart... my sympathy and admiration for you make me forget everything else and care about you deeply. I'm asking you to stay here and not go anywhere else. I guarantee that no one will dare bully you again. Yu Jingtang has already agreed to let you teach here. You'll definitely be able to handle the third-grade class with ease. How about it?"

  She raised her head, looking at Yu Yongze's dark face with a gloomy gaze, and said: "Thank you, I know... I often think of Gorky's words: 'The most glorious and great duty is to be a human being in the world.' To maintain human dignity, I don't want to live carelessly in this world." As she spoke, her voice rose, and this shy and silent young woman suddenly became enthusiastic. The naive and heroic expression on her face made Yu Yongze take another surprise. "If it were for material enjoyment, I would have become a concubine or a mistress long ago, and I wouldn't be wandering around like this. But what kind of life is that? A soulless zombie!"

  He stared at her in amazement, unable to utter a word for a long time. The two people fell silent again. After a while, Yu Yongze suddenly changed the subject: "Do you like literature? Have you read many books?"

  "I like it. Haven't read much. -- By the way, haven't asked you: which department are you in at Beida?"

  "We like the same thing, Chinese literature."

  Then he found a good topic of conversation, and Yu Yongze calmly talked about literature and art, talking about Tolstoy's "War and Peace", talking about Hugo's "Les Misérables", talking about Little Tchaikovsky's "Camellia" and Heine, Byron's poetry; Chinese writers talked about Cao Xueqin, Du Fu and Lu Xun... He seemed to know a lot, and remembered it very well. Lin Daojing opened her eyes wide and listened attentively to the beautiful and moving words that flowed slowly from his mouth, and those rich romantic characters and stories. Gradually, she was moved, and her face unconsciously revealed a joyful expression. In the end, he turned the topic around again, and turned it back to Lin Daojing: "Lin, you must have read Ibsen's 'Nora'; Feng Yuanjun wrote a book called 'Isolation', have you read it? The theme of these works is all about resisting traditional morality and advocating for women's independence. But I think you are even braver and more determined than they are. You're only eighteen, aren't you? Lin, you really have great prospects, you're an extraordinary person..." His thin lips spoke calmly and slowly, making Lin Daojing listen as if she were in a trance.

  The crescent moon had already arched over the horizon, and except for the sound of waves crashing against the rocks, the beach was eerily quiet. Yet these two young people continued to stroll along the sandy shore, chatting away. Lin Daojing's heart gradually filled with a youthful joy, a thrill of being reborn. Towards Yu Yongze, she not only felt gratitude and admiration but also added a deep respect for their shared values. In just one short day, she had come to regard him as her ideal hero.

  The next evening, they met again on the beach.

  The moon had come out and they were still strolling along the beach.

  A gentle sea breeze blew softly, and dark clouds floated at the horizon. Lin Daojing and Yu Yongze were tired from walking, so they sat down together on a rock. Yu Yongze started talking about literature and art again. But as he spoke, he suddenly became infatuated with Lin Daojing, staring at him as if he wasn't even speaking. Lin Daojing was listening intently, but when Yu Yongze stopped talking and stared at him with that intense gaze, he felt embarrassed and looked down...

  "Lin, do you remember Heine's poems?" Yu Yongze realized he had walked into a trap and quickly found a topic to cover up his embarrassment. "This great German poet, I especially liked his poems when I was in middle school, and I memorized many of his poems - especially those about the sea."

  "Can you still recite it?" Dao Jing seemed to hear his own voice as if in a dream.

  Yu Yongze nodded and began a low recitation in an enthusiastic voice:

  Dusk creeps in, the tide becomes more violent, I sit on the shore watching the snowy dance of waves.

  My heart is swelling like the ocean, a deep homesickness makes me miss you, your beautiful portrait is lingering everywhere around me, calling out to me, it's omnipresent, in the wind, in the roar of the sea, in the sighs of my bosom.

  I wrote with a slender reed on the beach: "Agnes, I love you!"

  ……

  Yu Yongze's back couldn't take it anymore, as if he wasn't reciting someone else's poem, but was quietly confessing his own love. Dao Jing heard this and saw Yu Yongze's passionate eyes burning like fire, she turned her head away in embarrassment. The faint happiness and joy made Dao Jing temporarily forget all the dangers and pains, indulging in a wonderful imagination. When she and Yu Yongze walked slowly back to the village along the coast under the moonlight, Yu Yongze whispered to her again: "Lin, why don't you just stay in this village and not leave? Look, this seaside village is so beautiful!"

  Every word of the person you believe in is weighed, and Dao Jing answered Yu Yongze's request without hesitation.

  In a few days, Yangzhuang's primary school will start; Daojing also sent Yu Yongze to Beiping for school.

  Early in the morning, they waited for the eastbound train at the quiet station. Since it was still early, they strolled side by side on a vacant lot outside the station.

  Although they had only known each other for a few days, and their long conversations by the sea were just some vague discussions about art, life, and society, yet in this moment of parting, both of them felt an indescribable attachment. Especially Dao Jing's heart was filled with a sense of loss and panic, like that of a child who had lost its mother. With Yu Yongze's help in Beidaihe, Yu Jing had given up his despicable plan, but now that he was leaving, she couldn't help but feel the same loneliness and hardship as before.

  As they walked, they stopped.

  Yu Yongze gazed at Dao Jing's melancholic eyes, gazing at her dense short hair slightly swaying in the autumn wind, and couldn't help but feel a heartbeat. Since he first saw this beautiful young woman by the sea, he had been infatuated with her like a spell. He was a cautious and stable person who knew that premature exposure was dangerous, so he had been suppressing his emotions, only talking to Dao Jing in a measured tone, saying things that would please her. Now, he had seen that Dao Jing had feelings for him, and they were sincere. So he wanted to reveal the secrets in his heart to her. But he hesitated, fearing that if he didn't say it well, it would ruin everything. Thus, he was anxious and uneasy, gazing at Dao Jing's simple white clothes, thinking to himself: "Ah, a lovely young woman like a bashful flower, how happy I would be if I could have her!..."

  Dào Jìng turned her face, discovering that Yú Yǒngzé's bright eyes were again gazing at her intensely. She suddenly felt a violent heartbeat as well. She quickly squatted down to pick up a small wild flower by the roadside. After a while, when she stood up, Yú Yǒngzé was smiling quietly as usual. He looked inside the station and said: "You go back, the train is about to arrive."

  "No, I'll leave after the train departs." Dao Jing shook her head and smiled childishly at Yu Yongze.

  They were waiting for the train to arrive at the station, Yu Yongze instructed Dao Jing: "In the future, no matter what Jing Tang says, you have to be patient. He won't do anything to you because...". He looked at Dao Jing and smiled, "Because I told him we became good friends. Isn't that right?"

  "Good friends or bad friends, tell him what's up!"

  "Tell him it's beneficial and he will take care of you."

  "I'm not a kid, I earn my own living, what does he need to take care of?"

  Yu Yongze was afraid of Dao Jing getting angry, and gently looked into her eyes, saying in a low voice: "Lin, don't worry, you know how much effort I've put in for you... in all aspects! ... For you... Ah, never mind, that's just how society is. 'Having someone on the inside makes it easy to be an official.' Jing Tang knows we're friends and will only bring benefits. Just don't mind these things."

  Dao Jing lowered his head and replied: "Anyway, I'd rather starve to death than try to curry favor with him!"

  "What a difficult-to-tame little horse!" Yu Yongze said silently in his heart, but he didn't dare to say another word.

  The train arrived, and Yu Yongze got on with his luggage. Dao Jing stood on the platform, gazing at him. Through the noisy crowd, she saw Yu Yongze's face looking very sad as he stood by the train door. As the train started moving, he still stared blankly at her, his eyes unmoving.

  "Ah! Sentimental knight, talented young man." The train departed, the crowd dispersed, and Dao Jing still stood at the station, lost in thought.