Chapter Thirty-Five

  In the morning, Li Huaying had just washed her face and was preparing to go to the library - because she didn't have any classes that afternoon. At this time, a slender, brightly dressed young woman with a broad face and big eyes rushed into the room wearing high heels.

  "Xiao Lizi, you're up!" As soon as she entered the door, this woman grabbed Li Huaying's hand and said excitedly, "Come on, accompany me to the train station! Hurry up!"

  "Huang Mei Frost - Little Plum, what's up?" Li Huaiying smiled calmly at Mei Frost.

  From the pink-colored leather bag, Huang Meifeng pulled out a telegram. "You this queen without a crown, don't understand anything! Look at this, what is it?" Huang Meifeng spoke quickly, with sharp eyes, and it was clear that she was a straightforward and forthright woman.

  Li Huaiying read the telegram and smiled at Huang Meifeng with a hint of a smile.

  "Alright! The person you've been longing for day and night is finally coming. Little Meizi, of course I'm willing to go with you to pick him up!" As soon as she said "him", Li Huaiying gently poked Huang Meifeng's delicate face with her little finger and chuckled. Huang Meifeng also laughed.

  Two female students wearing fur coats sat in a rickshaw. On the way to the front gate station, Huang Meisheng turned back and told Li Huaiying: "After Little Liu graduated from Tokyo Imperial University, he sent a letter saying that he would return home soon, but he kept delaying it and didn't know what he was busy with. Last night at 11 o'clock, I suddenly received this telegram, saying that he got off the ship at Qinhuangdao and took the train to Beiping at 10:01 today." Huang Meisheng glanced at her wristwatch and quickly finished what she hadn't said yet, "Now it's still 38 minutes away from 10:01. I have two classes this morning that I didn't attend. To be honest, when he comes, even God is not important to me." She turned her head back to Li Huaiying with a smile, and suddenly, as if she remembered something, she stomped her high heels on the rickshaw's pedal several times, urging the driver in a loud voice: "Faster! Pull faster! The train is about to arrive!"

  Two female students had not yet entered the east train station's large gate when they saw from a distance that something big seemed to have happened near the station. As they walked closer, they saw many black-clad police officers, each holding a thick leather whip. These whips were above the chaotic crowd, like countless brown snakes - some raised high, some flying about, and others viciously swirling... Underneath these whips was a sea of people surging forward. The whips drove the crowd, and the crowd panicked and ran wildly. Women and children cried out, and the crowd shouted loudly... Amidst this cacophony, police officers fiercely yelled: "Get back! Get back! Everyone get to the waiting room! Get far away! The front gate is now under martial law."

  People on the road ran away quickly, countless passengers carrying luggage and boxes rushed into the waiting room, crying and shouting women and children also hid in a corner. At this time, no matter whether they were workers, farmers, civil servants, or big-bellied businessmen, people's eyes were all puzzled by a strange anxiety: "What's going on?" "What's going on?" "Is some big shot coming?" Many pairs of eyes looked at each other with suspicious glances. But nobody could figure out what was happening.

  Li Huaiying and Huang Meifeng squeezed into the station amidst the panicked crowd. Huang Meifeng calmly pulled her girlfriend, striding towards the ticket window, when a whip suddenly appeared above their heads, almost striking Huang's shoulder. Huang got angry, glaring at a young policeman beside her, "What do you want?"

  The policeman was initially full of ferocity, raising his whip even higher, looking as if he was about to lash out at the two women standing close together. However, he suddenly came to his senses and realized that the victims under his whip were not rustic villagers or poor peddlers, but rather two elegantly dressed and refined young ladies, whereupon his raised hand fell back down.

  "Sorry!" The policeman smiled apologetically and said, "It's curfew now, please go to the waiting room for a while."

  Huang Meifeng and Li Huaiying simultaneously looked up towards the waiting room next door, only to see that the usually empty waiting room was now packed with people. The crowd surged forward in disorder, while at the entrance, large groups of people were still pushing their way inside under the supervision of police wielding batons.

  Huang Mei's eyebrows arched in disgust as she spat out, "Filthy! Stinky! Who dares to go in there? Huaiying, come, let's wait here at the exit and see how they deal with us. The police are too brutal, I don't know which one of them is more despicable...". She glared fiercely at the policeman holding a whip.

  It didn't take long for the entire train station to fall silent. It was as if a solemn and eerie atmosphere had enveloped the whole place, like a deep winter's night. The police officers' leather whips were gone, replaced by short white wooden batons. From the platform to outside the station, they stood in two rows, face to face, standing at attention like an honor guard.

  The whistle of several trains, the train arrived at the station.

  The police were still standing respectfully. At this time, a team of gray-clad gendarmes was temporarily added to the police to guard. As a result, the train station looked even more majestic and solemn - as if the emperor had arrived.

  The sound of the train arriving at the station was heard, and the people who were locked in the waiting room, like prisoners and livestock, responded with a mixture of surprise and curiosity: "Let's take a look at what kind of noble guests have arrived."

  "He Yingqin didn't even make such a big fuss when he arrived in Beiping!"

  "Even Director Chiang has arrived, but he doesn't allow such a big show!"

  The angry murmurs and sarcastic remarks spread in the foul-smelling, crowded waiting room. Suddenly, a middle-aged man who looked like an officer slammed his fist on the glass window and shouted at the "prisoners" in the room: "Friendly troops are arriving, no more shouting! Anyone who speaks again will be dragged out and shot!"

  "Ally?......"

  "Friend?......"

  People lowered their eyelids. Like crops that had suddenly been frostbitten, they withered and painfully hung their heads in shame.

  In an instant, such a miracle appeared on China's territory: teams of Japanese soldiers with red shoulder badges and big boots got off the train, strutting along with their heads held high. Team after team arrived. They were fully armed - machine guns and rifles slung over their shoulders, bayonets gleaming brightly in their hands. And what about the "guards" - the Chinese police?

  The black-clad police had only small white wooden batons; the gray-clad gendarmes had only short box guns at their waists. As these Japanese troops strode past the timid and cowardly Chinese police with the victor's stride, the prisoners looked up at the red shoulder badges, looking at the bright red sun flag like a big pill... These eyes were angry and puzzled. How would the situation develop? The Japanese occupied China's Northeast without firing a single shot or bullet, and now Beijing - China's cultural ancient capital for thousands of years - had also quietly fallen?

  Li Huaiying and Huang Meishuang were finally driven to stand at the 'door' of the waiting room.

  As the Japanese army passed by, both of them shuddered and involuntarily squeezed their bodies towards the 'door'. Huang Meifeng didn't mind the stench anymore, no, she still couldn't stand this smell, sometimes using a handkerchief to cover her nose, and sometimes using a leather bag to brush away the stench in front of her nose. Li Huaiying also disliked this smell, but not as much as Huang Meifeng, she frowned and looked at those self-satisfied Japanese people, feeling an inexplicable sense of oppression in her heart, as if something was blocking her 'chest'. The people in the waiting room saw the Japanese army passing by with their heads held high, and clearly understood that the reason for their captivity was the arrival of these "friendly troops". Suddenly, a burst of noise erupted, starting from small to large, and from slow to fast.

  "What's going on? What's going on? The Japanese army has arrived in such large numbers - isn't Beijing finished?"

  "You don't know, North China is going to be 'autonomous'! He Yingqin came to Beiping just for a cheap sale!"

  "Damn it! Chinese are descendants of Sunzi, Japanese are descendants of eight generations of ancestors!"

  "Do you kids know? This is China's territory, not your three islands of the East! Hmph, target practice - it's time to do some target practice on Dong Chang'an Street again!"

  "What's all the commotion?! What's going on?! Are you looking for trouble?!"

  In the crowd, some showed indignation on their faces; others ignored these phenomena and waited patiently for their release; more people shouted in anger... The gendarme walked to the window again - at this time a Japanese person was passing by, he didn't dare to scold loudly, but glared into the waiting room with wide eyes and shouted in a low voice: "No noise! Silence!"

  But the house was not quiet. The murmurs and whispers even made strangers talk to each other in a low voice. Li Huaying was originally staring at the Japanese army passing by outside the window, but her shoulder was suddenly patted by someone. Turning back, it was Deng Yunxuan, a classmate from Jiangxi Province's Chinese Department. He squeezed beside her with a big sweat on his head, shaking his head gently and saying: "How can this be! How can this be! Little Li, how did you also come here?"

  Li Huaiying rushed towards Huang Meifeng and pouted: "Accompany her to pick up people. Old Deng, why did you come too?"

  "My aunt from Northeast is coming, I'm going to pick her up..." He said this and then leaned in close to Li Huaiying's ear, speaking softly, "'Flower' Wang, you're always well-informed, what's the story with these Japanese troops?"

  Li Huaiying shook her head and smiled vaguely: "How would I know! I heard that North China is also becoming Northeast China soon. Don't you usually read the newspaper?"

  "Don't look." Deng Yunxuan smiled awkwardly. It was obvious that he was a diligent student, "What's the point of looking at it? Not looking is more comfortable anyway."

  Huang Meifeng was also staring blankly at the red epaulets and shiny helmets. But she didn't think about what was happening in front of her; instead, what occupied her entire mind was that Liu Wenchu hadn't arrived. Liu Wenchu was the son of a wealthy comprador, and they had been classmates at Fudan University in Shanghai before falling in love. Later, he went to Japan for further studies, while she transferred to Fu Jen Catholic University in Beiping to continue her education. She waited for him for three whole years, eagerly anticipating marrying this rich capitalist's son. Moreover, he was studying politics in Japan and would surely make a big splash in the political arena after returning home. They were about to have a happy and comfortable little family, with Western-style arrangements rather than Japanese ones... But he hadn't arrived, and those hateful Japanese soldiers had occupied the train - he had explicitly said he would be taking this very train to Beiping! Huang Meifeng was lost in thought when suddenly her whole body shook violently, and her two eyes bulged out as if they were about to pop out while staring at one of the passing Japanese men...

  "Little Li, he - he's here!" She panted and turned to tell Li Huaying, then jumped up and rushed towards the Japanese man without being stopped by the guards.

  Liu Wenguang wore a handsome suit with a pen sticking out of his pocket and blended in among more than ten Japanese people.

  These dozen or so Japanese were dressed in high-ranking military uniforms, while others wore suits. Huang Meifeng took three steps and pounced on Liu Wenchu's side, grabbing his hem with one hand.

  "Wen Wei! Wen Wei! You've finally arrived!" She smiled coyly, panting slightly. Not only was Liu Wen Wei stunned, but the Japanese person walking with him also stopped in his tracks, staring at this beautiful Chinese 'woman' blocking their path. "Wen Wei, I've been waiting for you for half a day... and who is this?" She glanced at the Japanese person walking alongside Liu Wen Wei, her expression subtly revealing surprise.

  Liu Wenwei had a pale long face. As soon as he saw Huang Meifeng block his way in front of many Japanese officers, a look of panic appeared on his face. He nodded hastily to Huang Meifeng and quickly turned to a Japanese man in casual clothes and whispered a few words in Japanese. The Japanese man, showing off several gold teeth, smiled and nodded at Huang Meifeng, only then did Liu Wenwei feel relieved. This small group of Japanese people walked past, leaving Liu Wenwei behind, it was only then that he approached Huang Meifeng, speaking softly to her about something, while following the Japanese towards the outside of the station.

  Li Huaiying was completely forgotten in the waiting room. She saw Huang Meifeng walking out of the station with a group of Japanese people, and felt somewhat uneasy. Wanting to leave, but Chinese police were still blocking the 'door', she had to stay here with other Chinese people in the same house. In this dull and boring moment, Deng Yunxuan started chatting with her again.

  "Have you seen Lin Daojing recently?" he asked Li Huaiying seriously, "She has looked for me several times in the past few days, talking about this and that. Li Huaiying, I think she's a very pitiful woman, still wearing thin clothes in this cold weather. A few years ago when she was intimidated by that guy, I felt sorry for her, didn't you help her too?" He shook his head in the crowd, as if overwhelmed with emotion, gazing at Li Huaiying.

  "You bookworm!" Li Huaiying turned her head and smiled slightly, "She's not the kind of poor and pitiful 'woman' you imagine. She has goals, she has brains. They are exactly opposed to...” She nodded towards the Japanese soldiers walking at the back, “You fool, only knowing poetry and classics - more muddled than me!"

  Deng Yunxuan nodded repeatedly, as if suddenly enlightened. "Right! Right! Your one sentence reminded me." He leaned in closer to Li Huaying's ear and said, "She has a 'color' to her, doesn't she? Good guy!" Deng Yunxuan shook his head repeatedly, then laughed with a mix of horror and delight.

  Li Huaiying gave him a warning look, signaling him to stop talking.

  Around noon at twelve o'clock, the Japanese army that had entered Beiping had already vanished without a trace. This group of unfortunate Chinese travelers - those coming from the south and heading north - were finally driven out or released from the waiting room, luggage storage, and other corners.

  "Come on, old fellow! Our sentence is up." Li Huaiying stood in the crowded street, anxiously patted Deng Yunxuan's shoulder and pulled him along, "We'll settle accounts with Little Mei when we get back!" She muttered to herself as she walked.

  During the day, Li Huaying was somewhat annoyed with Huang Meifeng for leaving her to mix with the Japanese. However, at night, she was dragged by Huang Meifeng to a strange and unfamiliar place she had never been to before.

  The grand hall, with its colorful lights, luxurious carpets, and rare antique jade decorations... But what was most striking were the people. The guests who arrived here gradually surprised Li Huaiying - first came a dozen or so men dressed in satin robes, embroidered vests, and wearing tall hats, looking like relics of the Qing dynasty; next came twenty or so noblewomen, dressed to the nines, their perfume wafting in before they even entered; finally, when the evening's host invited the "honored guests" to enter, the old men and noblewomen in the hall all stood up respectfully, silent as cicadas...

  During the day, Japanese officers who were swaggering in the East Station still wore red shoulder badges and shiny command sabers. Accompanied by their personal interpreters - such as Liu Wenluo - they strode into the grand hall with its dazzling lights, their demeanor majestic and their footsteps neat and tidy.

  Li Huaiying and Huang Meishuang sat in a corner, when everyone in the house stood up to welcome the Japanese, they also had to stand up. But a purple silk curtain blocked half of their bodies, Li Huaiying quietly pulled Huang Meishuang's velvet cloak and pouted her mouth, whispering: "What are we looking at? I didn't want to come, it's all because of you!"

  "I didn't know they were here!" Huang Meifeng glanced at the Japanese officers who kept coming in, slightly furrowing her curved eyebrows. "Little Liu didn't make it clear either... Sigh, never mind."

  She also pulled Li Huaying's skirt, "Life is like a play, let's go and have some fun with those ladies."

  "I won't!" Li Huaying adjusted her clothes - she was wearing a pale green sweater with a floral pattern, and a dark green pleated skirt that set off her snowy white face and slightly curly black hair, making her stand out as exceptionally beautiful among this group of ordinary-looking noblewomen.

  "What's the name of that old man with a goatee, who seems to be the owner of the house?" Li Huaiying asked impatiently.

  "King, King Tang Ba... ... probably him. The fat one is Gao Lingyu, the fat one with black glasses is Wan Fulin, and I don't know who else. Hey, why doesn't Little Liu come find us?" Just then, Liu Wenyu walked up to them with his shiny oily hair. As soon as he saw Li Huaying, he bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle...

  With an air of being Japanese.

  "Miss Li, sorry, would you mind joining our honored guest over there?"

  As he spoke, he bowed deeply again. His shiny black head gleamed brightly in front of Li Huaying.

  Before Li Huaying could speak, Huang Meifeng grabbed her arm and followed Liu Wenchu's back, swaying her waist into the crowd.

  In the hall, a dozen or so large round tables were covered with white tablecloths, and in the center of each table was placed a bottle of rare and beautiful roses on a winter's day. Noble ladies, ruling officials in long gowns and Japanese military officers, as well as interpreters, sat mixed together at the dinner tables.

  Li Huaying and Huang Meishuang were also divided into two tables by Liu Wenchu.

  At first, both the host and the guest were somewhat reserved. Wang Yi, Tang, Gao Lingyu and others simply respectfully offered wine, humbly nodding their heads and bowing. Those Japanese high-ranking military officers who regarded themselves as "masters of East Asia", on the other hand, sat proudly with their eyes cast down, eating solemnly. Although some charming Chinese women kept glancing at them with courtesy, using their snow-white hands to offer wine, they seemed not to have noticed, sitting upright with their chests out and backs straight.

  "These people are still quite dignified...” Li Huaying sat on the edge of a chair, looking at the people around the table with unease and thinking to herself. She had always felt uncomfortable in her heart. After all, she hadn't forgotten that she was Chinese. Seeing the enemy's arrogant and domineering attitude, she naturally felt anger and shame. But "play along" - she thought of Huang Meifeng's words and smiled lightly again. Why be so serious? Sitting for a while wouldn't make her any shorter... So she continued to sit patiently, but in her heart, she still felt very uneasy.

  "The deep gratitude for the distant and arduous journey to aid China..." The same table, an old Chinese man raised his cup and nodded repeatedly in thanks to the Japanese officer, startling Li Huaiying out of her chaotic thoughts. Then came a chorus of thank-yous, like a whirlwind carrying a ghostly air, gloomily sweeping across the entire grand hall. She couldn't help but shiver with a chill.

  At this time, the Japanese lieutenant general, a man in his fifties with a short stature, slowly stood up from the table in the center of the hall, stroking his whiskers. He held up his wine glass and scanned the room with a stern gaze, saying a few words in a steady and dignified tone. Next to him, Liu Wenchu translated in a similar male voice, albeit slightly softer: "We have come to your country based on the three major principles of Foreign Minister Hirota, hoping to cooperate hand in hand with you gentlemen. These three major principles are simply put as follows: first, to eliminate China's anti-Japanese activities; second, to establish a cooperative system between China, Japan, and Manchuria; third, a common anti-communist policy among the three countries. You gentlemen are renowned in China for your virtues and talents, and our military hopes to work together with you."

  A round of applause, neither warm nor cool, marked the end of the dinner party's main event. The atmosphere below gradually eased and relaxed.

  But Li Huaiying, who was sitting on the edge of the chair, felt the air getting heavier and more tense.

  The Japanese officer sitting next to her, who was initially stern and dignified, didn't even glance at Li Huaying at first. However, as the wine flowed, he gradually became more lively, politely nodding to the women at his table, passing dishes and pouring wine, occasionally turning around to steal glances at Li Huaying. As the drinking continued, his attitude became increasingly flirtatious. Meanwhile, all the Japanese officers in the hall were behaving similarly - under the influence of the hot wine, they removed their hats, unfastened their swords, and began to flirt with the hostesses, completely ignoring the old men who had invited them.

  The officer standing next to Li Huaying gradually ignored other women, drinking large glasses of brandy while constantly smiling lewdly at Li Huaying alone, revealing a mouthful of gold teeth. He handed a peeled apple to Li Huaying and said in broken Chinese: "Miss, eat the apple! What's your surname? Thank you..."

  Li Huaiying's face turned bright red with embarrassment. She didn't know whether to accept it or not, and hesitated for a moment before finally taking it over. However, she immediately put it on the table and stood up to look for Huang Meishuang. Huang Meishuang was sitting at the same table as the lieutenant general who had been speaking earlier. The lieutenant general was saying something to her in Japanese, while Liu Wenchu acted as their interpreter. Li Huaiying stood beside Huang Meishuang, impatiently nudging her with her elbow. Huang Meishuang turned around and grasped Li Huaiying's hand, laughing and saying: "Little Li, isn't it fun? Did you hear that? Little Liu is translating so smoothly!"

  She didn't wait for Li Huaiying to open her mouth, and turned her face to smile at the Japanese Major General and other men: "This is Peking University's 'flower' king - Queen, you see, isn't she pretty enough?"

  Li Huaiying's face turned red with anger and she said, "What is this?!" She wanted to say something else, but unexpectedly the officer who gave her an apple also followed. He stood between Huang Meifeng and Li Huaiying, and before anyone else could speak, he suddenly stretched out his thumb to Li Huaiying and smiled in admiration, saying: "Miss, beautiful! Indeed...the Empress..."

  Li Huaying could no longer stay. She walked to the cloakroom, took out her own coat, and without even telling Huang Meisheng, she walked out of the grand mansion's large gate. As she was walking, not far from the cold and deserted street, a small car suddenly came flying over. The car stopped abruptly beside her. And the person who jumped off the car was the Japanese man who had given her an apple earlier. He was drunk, didn't say a word, with a beast-like smile on his face, and forcibly lifted Li Huaying, who was screaming wildly, onto the car. In the deep of night, on the cold and empty street, after the car drove away, everything returned to silence.