Chapter 38 Unbearable Memories

  When the lanterns were lit, Yu Xinru knocked on the door of Lu Sihao's room as promised.

  Under the desk lamp, Lu Sihao's expression was focused, waiting for him in front of the bookcase.

  After entering the room, Lu Sihao locked the door: "Xin Yuan, the college entrance examination is approaching, and the graduating students are all tense. After the evening self-study, many classmates will come here to ask questions, so we have to make it quick," he said, squatting down and opening the small copper lock on the bedside cabinet with his key, slowly taking out a package. Xin Yuan recognized it at a glance, it was the one that Oshima Michiko had entrusted him to give to Lu Sihao before she returned to Japan.

  Ruth slowly opened the package and gently stroked the exquisite silk cheongsam with a plum blossom pattern, her eyes filled with tender emotions.

  Seeing this scene, I suddenly felt a sense of doubt in my heart. I thought to myself: Could it be that Siu Jai invited me here today to express his longing for Oshima Michiko?

  At the moment when Yu Xin Yuan was indulging in fantasies, Lu Si Xia had already opened the private **photo album of Yamada Jiro. He quickly flipped to the last few pages, pointing to a yellowed and blurry photo, his voice low and slow as he said to Yu Xin Yuan: "Let's start with this photo!"

  This photo was once seen by Yu Xin Yuan when he inquired about the beautiful island of Mei Zhi. Due to its age, the photo had turned yellow and was blurry. After careful observation, Yu Xin Yuan recognized that it was two women who were bound together. To be precise, they were Chinese women dressed in the style of the Republic of China era. Although the photo was old and blurry, Yu Xin Yuan's sharp detective eyes could still make out: this was a middle-aged woman and a young girl, both tied to a flat tool-like object with large characters, most pitifully their feet were bound together, facing each other in private parts, extremely humiliating.

  Yu Xin Yuan, a veteran detective of several decades, had seen many crime scenes involving sex crimes and was aware of the dark underbelly of society. But this photo made his blood boil and his face flush with shame. It's not hard to imagine what fate had in store for these two poor women.

  What does this photo mean? Yu Xin's inquiring gaze fell on Ruth under the lamplight.

  "Ruth seemed to have been prepared for this and with a calm face, slowly said: 'This is my wife Mei Xia and my mother-in-law!'"

  Like a thunderclap in his ear, he was shocked and lost color. He subconsciously "slammed" the album shut, not daring to look again.

  "That day, when you were flipping through the album at Oshima Michiko's place, I recognized them as mother and daughter at a glance!" Despite Ruth's efforts to keep her tone calm, there was still a hint of trembling.

  It suddenly came to mind: when he flipped to this photo, he suddenly felt a heat in his hand, and Ruth's hot tea spilled onto his hand. It turned out that Siyou had glimpsed the photo and recognized it as his wife, which was why he suddenly lost his composure!

  "'The fragrance of orchids and the elegance of a high eyebrow, gone with the water; the scent of plum blossoms and the beauty of peach flowers, also for all eternity!' He suddenly thought of the stone archway beside Cuicui An. But what he didn't know was that beneath the archway lay a story so tragic and humiliating."

  Ruth continued slowly: "Let's start with what old housekeeper Lu Ning told me!"

  Time rewound to more than 40 years ago...

  When the "Ma Dang Chen Jiang" project was about to be completed and Lu Xuehua was preparing to return to Lei Jiang, news of Lei Jiang's fall came. Lu Xuehua was suddenly anxious, worrying not only for his parents' lives but also for Mei Xia's safety. At this time, he regretted not having taken Mei Xia with him when she asked. He wanted to sneak back into Lei Jiang, but the Wuhan Defense War had already begun in full force, the largest battle between China and Japan during the Anti-Japanese War, with millions of troops gathered on both sides of the Yangtze River engaging in a bloody fight, the enemy lines were like a tug-of-war, making it impossible to cross the front line again.

  What's even more severe is that the Japanese army, in order to open up the Yangtze River supply line, launched a land and water attack on the Madang fortress, putting the Madang defense line in a precarious situation. To protect these precious engineering technicians and foreign friends, the Wuhan Military Command ordered the "Madang Sinking into the River" command post to immediately withdraw with the troops. Lu Xuehua followed the command post, retreating westward. First arrived in Wuhan, soon retreated to Yichang, waiting in Yichang for the Minsheng Company to arrange a boat class on the Chuanjiang River, and then transferred to the great rear of Chongqing as a whole.

  In October 1938, when the Battle of Wuhan was about to end and the National Government was about to abandon Wuhan, Chinese refugees who had experienced the Nanjing Massacre had a deep-seated fear of the brutality of the Japanese devils. Escaping with their lives became the only hope for the refugees. And the dividing line between life and death was Yichang, which has been known as the "throat of Hubei" since ancient times.

  The ancient city of Yiling, with an area of just over two square kilometers, was overcrowded. The streets and alleys were filled with the shadows of refugees. Inns, tea houses, schools, temples, hospitals and other places that could accommodate people were all packed to capacity. Many people couldn't find a place to stay and had to sleep on the streets.

  In addition to the refugees, all sorts of relief supplies were also urgently needed in Sichuan. There were nearly 130,000 tons of military equipment and materials stored in Yichang. Moreover, machinery, chemical, electrical, food, shipbuilding, printing, textile and other equipment and facilities from nearly 80 enterprises were also transported to Yichang by steamships and wooden boats during the Battle of Wuhan, and piled up on the docks along the Yangtze River.

  Although the city of Yichang was in a state of utter chaos, Ma Gang's command post was still given special attention by the local Nationalist government and was accommodated at the best hotel along the river, where they rested and waited for the arrival of the Minsheng Shipping Company's ships.

  In late May and early June 1940, the German army blitzed France, trapping British and French forces in the coastal city of Dunkirk, which is across the English Channel from Britain. The British and French authorities carefully planned and executed an operation that took nine days and nights to transport 330,000 troops and equipment across the English Channel to Britain, laying the foundation for a future counterattack victory. This is the famous "Dunkirk Great Retreat" in the history of world warfare.

  But long before the "Dunkirk Great Retreat", a similar great retreat had taken place on the Yangtze River in China. In Yichang, Lu Zuofu, the general manager of the Minsheng Company, commanded his only 24 ships to transport wartime materials and personnel into Sichuan under the artillery fire and aerial bombing of the Japanese army, thus saving the lifeline of China's national industry. What is even more worthy of special mention is that the "Dunkirk Great Retreat" was accomplished with the power of the state, commanded by the military department; while the Yichang Great Retreat relied entirely on Lu Zuofu and his Minsheng Company fleet.

  The window of Lu Xuehua's house faces the Yangtze River in Yichang. Every morning, six or seven ships set sail from the dock, and every afternoon a few ships return. As soon as the ship drops anchor, the flatboat is towed to the side of the ship and begins to load cargo busily. The lights for unloading goods shine on both banks, and the lights for loading goods shine on the boat, reflecting in the river all night long.

  Dockworkers on the shore formed a long queue, carrying heavy machinery, constantly shouting labor slogans, trying to alleviate physical and mental pressure; The tugboat's whistle kept blowing, the crane on the ship creaked under the weight, playing a majestic symphony of fate, bursting out with the Chinese people's unyielding will and strength in resisting aggression.

  According to the ship schedule, Minsheng Company first transported wounded soldiers and orphaned children who had lost both parents, and only later were they, the technical backbone, transported. In the helpless wait for the ship's arrival, Lu Xuehua's mood was also extremely heavy. Once he entered Sichuan, when would he be able to return to his hometown again? Were his relatives in his hometown still doing well amidst the war and chaos?

  Although Lu Xuehua was in the rear, there was no enemy situation and no need to camp, but every night, Lu Xuehua still couldn't sleep soundly, thinking back and forth, having nightmares all the time. This night, in a daze, he seemed to have followed the Yangtze River and returned to Leijiang, which had been haunting his dreams.

  As soon as he arrived at Lei Jiang, he saw Mei Xia in the flower cluster. Mei Xia seemed to have seen him too, and ran towards him excitedly, and he also rushed towards Mei Xia excitedly. Suddenly! A group of people in yellow clothes rushed out from somewhere, grabbed Mei Xia, and she struggled desperately, scolding them, but it was no use. The group of people were frantically tearing at Mei Xia's clothes, and Mei Xia was already revealing her chest, looking at him with tears in her eyes, opening her mouth as if to say: Xue Hua, come quickly to save me! Lu Xue Hua was immediately at a loss, hastily looked around, wanting to find a weapon, but there was nothing. He then rushed up bare-handed and empty-fisted, wanting to rescue Mei Xia.

  Suddenly, a fierce and sinister figure with a green glow on his head and a thick beard blocked his way. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break through the obstruction of this fierce figure, and could only watch helplessly as his wife was pinned down by someone else in front of him. Mei Xia kept her head turned to one side, staring at him with pleading eyes, while Lu Xuehua was both angry and anxious. In desperation, he bit the fierce figure hard, which clearly enraged him, causing him to lift his leg and kick Lu Xuehua squarely in the chest.

  "Bang!" Lu Xuehua suddenly woke up with a start, only to find herself lying on the ground. She had apparently rolled off the bed in her sleep. Looking around, everything was pitch black, except for the sound of the ship's engine and the snores of her colleagues nearby. Lu Xuehua couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, thank goodness it was just a dream!

  Lu Xuehua lay back in bed, but he couldn't fall asleep again. The dream he had just now was still vivid in his mind, and thinking about it made his heart skip a beat. Had Mei Xia really encountered some mishap? He couldn't help but think wildly. At the same time, he also made up his mind: no matter what, tomorrow at dawn, he would leave the command center and return to his hometown on his own.