Chapter Thirteen: Finally Not a Black Household Anymore

  The first floor west side of the National Government Building on Yuehua Road is the office of Deputy Director Gong's Party Department 2, with a simple and spacious interior. The high western-style floor-to-ceiling windows allow sunlight to enter from outside, making people feel warm.

  "Xiao Yi, come here."

  Vice Director Gong, sitting behind the large office desk, raised his head and naturally brushed aside a few strands of hair that had fallen down, making his forehead look even whiter and smoother: "Sit down, you need to fill out this form, as detailed as possible."

  An Yi sat in a guest chair in front of the desk, looked at the four treasures on the desk and pointed to the blue porcelain pen holder: "Can I borrow a steel pen?"

  Vice Director Gong smiled slightly, picked up the pen and handed it to An Yi: "I didn't expect Little Yi to be a new youth. Many of you who work in business are used to using fountain pens, which are convenient to carry and write much faster."

  An Yi smiled honestly: "Maybe I'm an exception, my brush calligraphy is not good yet, still in practice."

  Vice Director Gong's eyebrows were slightly raised, and she smiled warmly as she watched An Yi carefully fill out the form. Her gaze was gentle like water, revealing a hint of concern. The beautiful lips under her straight nose were slightly closed, with a subtle smile at the corners of her mouth. Her chin was slightly raised, white as jade, making her look elegant, refined, and serene. If it weren't for the high bun that made her look like a young woman, no one would believe she was already 31 years old, let alone the deputy director of the Nationalist Party's confidential bureau.

  Her gaze shifted from An Yi's pen tip to his slender fingers, then from his fingers to his neat and tidy deep blue youth uniform, finally settling on the tip of his nose and between his eyebrows. She had never seen a young man with such an unusual aura, with tightly closed lips that were both gentle and clear-cut, a high-bridged nose, and a slightly long chin with a faint vertical line in the middle, with a clear outline that exuded a sense of determination and perseverance. Especially An Yi's focused eyes, which had given her a sense of pleasure from the first glance, few men had such beautiful long eyelashes, but paired with a pair of suitable and slightly upturned eyebrows, these delicate features did not give off any weak feelings, instead they exuded a sense of heroism and vitality. All of this, combined with An Yi's tall stature and his slightly low and gentle voice, made this unusual woman feel extremely close to him, even a little fond, as if she were looking at her own younger brother. Before this, she had only read about such complex and strange feelings in romance novels, but now that they had suddenly appeared in herself, she felt a little surprised and bewildered.

  "Here you go, thank you."

  An Yi took off his pen cap and politely pushed the form over to Deputy Director Gong with both hands.

  Vice Director Gong's eyes were slightly flustered, but she quickly regained her composure. She stretched out her slender hand to pick up the form and smiled as she examined it. The neat and tidy handwriting, which was as uniform as printed text, greatly surprised her: "It's too beautiful! Little Yi, are you fooling me? With such good handwriting, yet you said you were so uneducated, I really thought you had never attended school before. But looking at this, even a graduate from a prestigious university can't produce such neat and beautiful imitation Song Dynasty script."

  An Yi explained with embarrassment: "Actually, this is related to my profession. As an apprentice, I started by looking at the design drawings of spare parts under the guidance of my master. After becoming familiar with it, my master taught me hand in hand. Slowly, I learned to write processing programs and make drawings. From the beginning, my master strictly required me to follow the standard format, not a single mistake was allowed. Over time, it became a habit. As for brush calligraphy, I'm not good at it. The old master said that my brush calligraphy is like a dog gnawing on a bone, no meat."

  Vice Director Gong smiled and said: "How interesting. Who would describe it like that? You say the old Taoist is who? Won't be from the Taoist temple, will it?"

  "No, no! He's the one who saved my life. I fell ill as soon as I arrived in Guangzhou and lost consciousness. It was he and another brother named Luo Shaodong who cured me. The elder's name is Lao Shoudao. He sets up a fortune-telling stall at the entrance of a small alley next to Hongfa Silk Store on Nanxi Road. Usually, I call him Old Dao." An Yi explained in detail.

  Vice Director Gong nodded. Actually, for a month and a half, she had been trying to find An Yi, letting her subordinates do in-depth research, very clear about the current situation of that old place. She also knew Dongzi, who worked as an office clerk at the Guangzhou Provincial Civil Affairs Bureau's garment factory. Some time ago, when making large party flags, she went to that garment factory and quietly observed the honest and diligent Dongzi under her subordinates' reminder, leaving a pretty good impression. However, she didn't reveal anything, but stood up, leaned forward, pointed at the "Hometown" line on the form, and asked in a soft voice: "Little Yi, this 'Sichuan Dujiangyan' is not standardized. Dujiangyan is an embankment, not a place name. It should be Sichuan Guanxian County instead. And for the column of direct relatives, your father An Shiping was written correctly, but why didn't you write down your mother?"

  "Huh? This... I'm confused."

  An Yi hastily picked up the pen and twisted off the cap. A gentle breeze blew in, a strand of silky hair lightly brushed against An Yi's high nose tip. A faint fragrance like orchids drilled into his nostrils and seeped into his heart and lungs, making him feel dizzy and unable to concentrate. Those few strands of fine hair fluttered again, the ends just poking into his nose. Under the stimulation, An Yi embarrassingly let out a "hatchoo". He startled Vice Director Gong, who only realized the awkwardness when she saw the pen drop onto the desk. Her pretty face flushed slightly as she picked up the pen: "You talk, I'll help you fill it in."

  An Yi pressed down his surging emotions: "Deputy Director Gong, I...I don't have a mother, I am...my father picked me up from the trash can outside a clinic, so..."

  Vice Director Gong was shocked and looked at An Yi's eyes with hidden pain, feeling very distressed: "So that's how it is... Alright, I understand. Let your sister make some changes for you."

  Vice Director Gong used a pen to modify the place of origin, and added dozens of words in the two columns below. He stood up and walked out of the door: "Xiao Yi, you sit for a while, I'll help you with it in a moment. If you're thirsty, pour yourself some water. If you want tea, there's a can of West Lake Longjing on the low cabinet, don't be polite!"

  An Yi didn't pour water or make tea, but silently sized up the simple and bright office. A calligraphic scroll with Sun Yat-sen's handwriting "Tian Xia Wei Gong" hung on the pure white wall in the middle. The bookshelf on the left was filled with books, including some foreign language ones. The iron cabinet on the right was neatly arranged and all closed. Two pots of lush and thriving spider plants adorned the back of the Western-style leather sofa and the red wooden frame in the corner. The entire space looked elegant and simple without losing vitality, not a hint of femininity or luxury.

  He took a sip of the white open water and gently put down the tea cup. An Yi's gaze returned to the office desk, and he suddenly became interested in seeing a six-inch red wood frame on the left side. He carefully picked up the frame and examined it closely. A man wearing rimless glasses and a dark three-piece suit smiled sincerely and elegantly in a black-and-white photo, which surprised An Yi greatly. He found that the person in the photo looked similar to himself, which was unbelievable. Upon closer inspection of the small text at the bottom corner, An Yi immediately knew the name and identity of the man in the photo: "Loving memory of my wife, Ming Yang, Spring 1913, San Francisco".

  The sound of Deputy Director Gong's footsteps came from outside the door. An Yi hastily put the photo frame back in its original place and picked up his teacup, taking a random sip.

  Vice Director Gong had already seen An Yi's actions, she calmly returned to her seat and placed a leather envelope in front of An Yi: "It's done, from now on you won't have to worry about your identity anymore."

  "Isn't it too soon? Don't we need to go to the police station's household registration department?"

  "Handle special matters in a special way, take a good look and keep it well, it's troublesome to reissue." Deputy Director Gong couldn't help but glance at her husband's memorial portrait and picked up the teacup to add water.

  An Yi took out the roughly printed paper card and examined it carefully, discovering that his address had been changed to a small alley behind the "Tai Chang" commercial building, which was the warehouse of the commercial building's backyard. His place of origin, Xikang Guan County, was also clearly listed. The issuing authority happened to be the Nan Ti Police Sub-bureau. An Yi thanked him sincerely: "Thank you, Deputy Director Gong, I can finally bid farewell to my days as a black person and a black household."

  Vice Director Gong chuckled: "It's interesting to hear you talk, always unexpected and refreshing. Although you said you haven't read any books, I still don't believe it, sister. You must be hiding a lot from me... never mind, have it your way."

  "Sister, is Nan Ti Branch Bureau where Li Tiegui is?" An Yi didn't want to say more about himself.

  Vice Director Gong returned to his seat: "That's right, your Li brother is an extremely exceptional shooter. He has the ability to shoot out a candle flame 50 meters away in the dark with just one shot, which not many people possess. Although he came from the Paoge gang in Sichuan, he followed several old comrades of the Tongmenghui and served as their bodyguard very early on. Later, due to internal divisions, he chose to stay in Guangzhou. After the incident at the dock last time, I looked into him and thought he was a talented individual, wanting to transfer him to our party department. However, Director Wu Tiecheng refused to let him go, saying that the public security in Guangzhou is chaotic and needs more police force. Your Li brother is a rare shooting instructor, and now he has been transferred to the military police training camp at East School Field, officially promoted to Police Captain with the rank of Lieutenant."

  An Yi nodded: "No wonder I said it's been a long time since I saw him."

  After saying that, An Yi fell silent and didn't know what to say next. He hesitated for a moment before thinking of taking his leave, but somehow he glanced at the photo frame: "Just now when you weren't here, I looked at the photo, the person in it is very handsome and affable, like a professor who has studied abroad..."

  Vice Director Gong glanced at the photo and turned to An Yi: "This is my husband Li Mingyang, one of the last batch of government-sponsored students sent abroad by the Qing government. He studied mechanics. His hometown is in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, very close to the home of that female hero Qiu Jin. He was also an early member of Mr. Sun's Tongmenghui. After returning to China, he devoted himself to revolutionary work and developed many revolutionaries in Zhejiang. Mr. Sun held him in high esteem and often summoned him to his side, but he always said he needed more practical experience. Ten years ago, just two months after our wedding, he was killed by the Beiyang government..."

  "Sorry! Sorry Deputy Director Gong, I didn't mean to, I didn't know..."

  "It's nothing."

  Vice Director Gong pretended to open the drawer and secretly wiped away the tears that had overflowed, and after a while, he took out a brand new black German-made pen: "Come on, Xiao Yi, your handwriting is so good, I don't have anything else to give you, so I'll just give you this pen. This was given to our party department by the German embassy last time, it's of very high quality, and it's said that the tip is made of real gold with a small diamond inlaid, it's extremely durable. I already have one, so you can take this one."

  "No, no! I couldn't possibly accept it, just getting an ID card is already more than I can thank you for..."

  "Listen! Come here!"

  Vice Director Gong took a step forward and inserted the pen into An Yi's breast pocket: "This looks much better, young people should match their outfit with a pen to be complete, it makes them look more elegant."

  An Yi could only gratefully accept, and suddenly thought of a way to repay: "Deputy Director Gong may not know that I originally had a pen in my breast pocket. One day, the big sister in the store said I looked like a university student, and I was so excited that I borrowed Accountant Ji's pen and put it on. I walked out of the store to see how passersby would react? As a result, a female student from the Provincial Normal University saw me with two pens and looked at me with admiration, asking which school's professor I was. It made me so happy! I immediately ran back to the backyard and borrowed General Manager Ou's pen to put on. Thinking that three pens would make others call me a great writer? So I put on three pens and went out to stand on the main road again. Immediately, a group of young students passing by surrounded me, and the scene was very grand at the time. Guess what?"

  "What's wrong?"

  Vice Director Gong found it very interesting, with sparkling eyes shining brightly with amusement.

  An Yi let out a exaggerated sigh: "Men and women enthusiastically gathered around, one after another taking out their pens to hand them over to me. Seeing such a touching scene, I felt proud! Thinking that everyone regarded me as some kind of celebrity, all wanting me to sign autographs for keepsake, I immediately loudly instructed: Come one at a time, don't rush. As a result, after everyone spoke from the heart, I was shocked - they said: Master, my pen is broken, can you fix it? You see, everyone took me for a pen repairman."

  Director Gong was taken aback, then burst out laughing, the more she thought about it, the funnier it became, until she laughed so hard that she had to hold her stomach and bend over, almost falling down, barely holding onto the edge of the table as tears streamed down her face. An Yi was worried she would laugh herself into a fit and stood tightly by her side just in case.

  After a while, Gong Mei Ren, who was laughing so hard that her hair was disheveled and her sleeves were fluttering, struggled to catch her breath. She coughed as she straightened up, her pale left hand tightly covering her flat stomach, which was aching from laughter. Her right hand instinctively clenched into a fist and punched An Yi: "You little scamp... you're going to laugh me to death... haha... I'm dead... You look so serious on the outside, but inside, you're hiding so many tricks... just wait till I get my hands on you..."

  An Yi laughed and took a few punches: "I regret it, I regret it!"

  "Hmph... What are you regretting? You smooth talker..."

  Gong Deputy Director finally calmed down, with bright and clear eyes, smiling sweetly at An Yi: "All these years, big sister has never been as happy as today, Xiao Yi, thank you."

  "No, no... it's getting late, Deputy Director Gong is busy with work, I'll take my leave first. Thank you, thank you!" An Yi bowed politely.

  Vice Director Gong hastily stopped him, took out a business card from the small wooden box on his desk and handed it to him: "Xiao Yi, you are alone in a foreign land with no relatives or friends, it's not easy. If there's anything you need help with in the future, just come find me. And we're old acquaintances now, don't be so formal, from now on, just call me Big Sister."

  "How can this be? No, I'm just a small shop assistant... it's not suitable, haha! Thank you very much, Deputy Director Gong, I will never forget your help to me. You're busy, I see someone standing at the door, probably waiting for you, I... bid farewell!" An Yi said, bowing again and turning around to leave quickly, not daring to look again at the sadness and expectation in Gong Mei's eyes.

  Aunt Zhong, nearly fifty years old, walked in with a stack of files and saw the dejected look in Gong Mei's eyes. She smiled slightly: "Girl, I've never heard you laugh so freely and cheerfully. What fun thing do you have to tell me?"

  Gong Meiren took the file back to her seat and asked Clock Auntie to sit down, saying helplessly: "The young man who just left is An Yi, whom I told you about last time. This guy is not simple, he has a wealth of mechanical knowledge and skilled driving skills, but he never shows off. Our old friend Mr. Ou Yaoting values him very much and gives him a generous income every month. However, he dresses plainly and unassumingly, and at first I thought he was too poor to spend money. But then he took out half of his monthly salary without hesitation to treat his fellow students from Huangpu. Just now when I helped him with an ID card, he was so grateful that he told me a joke about a pen, which made me laugh uncontrollably. However, when I asked him to call me 'sister', he refused, although there was a humble smile on his face. From his eyes, however, I seemed to see a deep-seated wariness. Alas! I reckon he already knows what our Party Department Two is doing and has reservations about getting close."

  "Ah, so clever? How old is he anyway? I remember you said he just turned 18 and was about to turn 19. Where did this mind of his come from? I think you're worrying too much, maybe he's just young and doesn't know how to handle himself."

  "No, Aunt Zhong, I have a premonition that this kid is not simple. At the age of 18, few people are as composed and mature as he is, nor do they have his quick thinking and reaction. I don't know what's in his belly, but I can be sure that he has received good education, either formal or from a famous teacher. Otherwise, how could he have such upbringing and intelligence? I must dig deeper, if we can recruit him into our Intelligence Bureau, with just a few years of training, he will definitely be able to hold his own. Talents are hard to come by..."

  P.S: Three chapters are coming! With such good quality, I don't believe you guys won't collect and vote for it! Hehe!