ã€ŠThe Bittersweet Days of Our Youthã€‹


 CH 1

    The dawn sky was still colored with tranquil gray-blue color, but the streets under it were already lively with activities. The stalls were selling their vegetables, the rickshaws were shuttling back and forth, while the clothing shops and cake shops around had all put up their respective signboards.

    At the gate of Ye Xin Girls¡¯ Middle School, there were groups of girls in twos and threes walking. They were neatly wearing their blue coats, black skirts, and white socks. The sound of their footsteps cluttering together and the peddlers¡¯ shouts to promote their wares, all of these disturbed the initial tranquility of the area. At this time, from some distance away, a carriage appeared as the first ray of sunlight in the morning slant on top of it.

    Since I liked to ride the carriage, my father asked a craftsman to make the carriage very exquisite with a size twice the ordinary one. Because of its enormous size, when there were too many people on the road, the carriage with two horses, red and brown, had to slow down for fear of hitting someone accidentally.

    Meanwhile, the peddlers who had set up their stalls did not step aside because they wanted to gather their wares so as to prevent them from the wild animals rushing over blindly and trampling. Because of this situation, the carriage slowed down even more.

    ¡°It is the carriage of the Second Young Lady from the Ye Family.¡± Someone muttered.

    The carriage then stopped at the gate of Ye Xin Girls¡¯ Middle School. Before the housekeeper could get out of the carriage and bend down to put a foothold for me to step on, I had already jumped out of the half-meter high carriage and rushed into the school. Due to the dash, my white dress fluttered from the rushing wind. But I ignored that and shouted at my housekeeper, ¡°Uncle Zhao, go back¡ª¡ª¡±

    Quite helpless, Uncle Zhao could only say, ¡°Young lady, slow down a bit and don¡¯t run.¡±

    However, if you looked at the wrinkles adorning his face, apart from the obvious love lining reflecting in his smile, you could see the helpless doting affection he had for me, the naughty young lady.

    Uncle Zhao was the one who watched me grow up. Although he had a son, who also worked for Ye Family, in his old age, he had always felt that having a son was not as intimate as having a daughter. Alas, he did not have the fortune of having his own daughter.

    In spite of Uncle Zhao¡¯s gentle reprimand, I still ran inside the school until I found Yue Xiaoman, holding her English textbook and reciting the content while sitting on the swing. And I burst out laughing, making her notice my presence. She then closed the book and knocked my head with it while asking, ¡°Silly girl, what are you laughing at?¡±

    ¡°Did you really go on a blind date with Yu Ziyang from Jingde High School during the weekend?¡±

    At that, Yue Xiaoman¡¯s face immediately bloomed, looking like a ripe cherry. She awkwardly twisted the corner of the book in her hand and said, ¡°Well, it was arranged by his parents and mine. However, I just read my Song Ci book and did not even look him straight in the eyes the whole time.¡±

    ¡°Yu Ziyang¡¯s family is a famous silk merchant in Shanghai. Last time, at the end of the year, they had sent a lot of silk and satin to my family. My mother, Mother Yun, and Mother Ling all laughed so much that a whole jar of powder couldn¡¯t even cover the laugh lines on their faces.¡±

    Listening to my words, Yue Xiaoman couldn¡¯t hold back her laughter and she said, ¡°If you like the Yu Family so much, you may as well marry in.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the point of me marrying into the Yu Family? It¡¯s not like I am the one they put into their eyes! Besides, Yu Ziyang is very gentle. Be careful that the son-in-law your father, that old teacher, was eyeing is going to be stolen. At that time, it would be weird if he didn¡¯t get mad!¡± I kept joking with Yue Xiaoman, talking and laughing until the school bell rang. After that, I had to rush to the classroom.

    But I suddenly remembered something Principal Wang had mentioned at the end of the school last Friday. He said that Teacher Qin from Jingde High School would be dropping by to teach starting this Monday. And he also said that he hoped the students would pay attention to their appearance and make a good impression on the teacher.

    Recalling that, I was not surprised that when Yue Xiaomen and I arrived at the classroom, Teacher Qin was already standing on the podium. When Principal Wang saw us rushing into the classroom, he was about to get angry. But, seeing my breathless self, he forced down his anger and spoke with a non-aggressive voice, ¡°Those two students, please go to your respective seats quietly.¡±

    Hearing that, I quietly stuck out my tongue at the nervous Yue Xiaoman. Unfortunately, this small gesture happened to fall into the eyes of the man standing on the podium.

    ¡°That student, please stay behind.¡±

    ¡°Ah?¡± I looked back at the podium, uncertain of what the teacher wanted. But when my eyes fell on the so-called Teacher Qin, I was startled. Most of the teachers teaching us were all middle-aged people or above, but the new teacher in front of us today was incredibly young.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Ye Bingqing.¡±

    ¡°There is a rule in the school that states that each student must wear school uniforms while they are inside the school premises. Why is it that all other students obey the rule, but you don¡¯t?¡±

    This teacher was not good news to me. He¡¯s just the same as the other teachers picking on me at the beginning, but once he knew I¡¯m Ye Guangrong¡¯s daughter, he would immediately become humble. This kind of sanctimonious person made people angry. So, I raised my chin, laughed cleverly, and spoke.

    ¡°I don¡¯t like the school uniform. It¡¯s too ugly. I like to wear dresses, that¡¯s why I wear them. And I dislike braiding my hair, so I didn¡¯t. No one can ever force me to do what I don¡¯t like.¡±

    At this point, Principal Wang was already taking out his handkerchief and wiping his cold sweat. I knew that he was afraid of offending me, in case I complained to my father. After all, Chairman Ye could easily give him a hard time. So, I was not surprised when he spoke to this new teacher.

    ¡°Mr. Qin, you see¡­Mr. Ye Guangrong, Student Ye¡¯s father, is the investor of our school¡ª¡±

    At this, Qin Shuyue also smiled and looked at me while saying, ¡°So, if this is the case, then, student, please listen to my class while standing on your seat.¡±

 CH 2

    While I was waiting for Uncle Zhao¡¯s carriage to arrive at the school gate, my mind was still thinking about that new teacher, Qin Shiyue. I realized he was really special since I didn¡¯t hate him even though I was forced to stand up all morning. Not even when I felt the soreness on my legs.

    I estimated that he was only twenty-two or twenty-three years old. And to tell the truth, this teacher was truly a handsome man with beautiful eyebrows and eyes. Furthermore, considering our school only accepts girls, we seldom had any contact with men.

    It went without saying that we had never seen such a handsome man in our school so naturally, everyone¡¯s face was red as if painted with rouge. Not only was he pleasing to the eyes, but his voice when he read poetry to us was also nice to listen to. And he didn¡¯t shake his head in disapproval when we made mistakes.

    At this time, the boys from the opposite school were not afraid of whistling at us, their counterparts. Alas, when the girls heard their whistles, they scattered like birds. Only I was left still standing there in a daze, my mind still stuck on the new teacher.

    Suddenly, the sound of a gunshot reverberated in the air. At first, the passersby and vendors were stupefied when they heard the sound, unable to immediately realize what exactly was happening. Soon they seemed to realize what it was and began to gather their belongings hurriedly.

    The married women were running away with their children as they cried out in fright. The shops were also busy closing their doors in a rush. For a moment, everything in the street was in chaos as people ran for their lives to a place where there was no sound of gunfire echoing.

    My heart thumped. I frowned as I accidentally walked toward the direction the gunshot came from. After all, although I had been studying at Ye Xin Girls¡¯ Middle School for half a year, I was still unfamiliar with the surrounding environment. As such, I walked straight into a deserted alley.

    However, I found that it led to a dead end. Realizing this, I stomped my feet and tried to walk out. When I turned around, there was a man standing there in the middle of the alley. The man was wearing a shabby white coat that had oil all over it. Aside from the oil, there was also a large amount of blood staining his clothes.

    He then fell down, covering his chest. Seeing that, I didn¡¯t have the time to think about anything. I immediately ran over and asked, ¡°Are you alright?¡±

    From what I had heard, the revolutionaries were being hunted and killed. Perhaps this man I had run into was also one of them.

    ¡°Help me¡ª¡±

    The man¡¯s voice as he spoke was very weak. Being soft-hearted, I tried to help him up, but he was covered with blood. If I took him away from the alley like this, his pursuers would find him for sure. After all, I could hear the sound of gunfire coming closer from far away. Just as I was wondering what I was supposed to do to get us out of this situation, the man suddenly smiled with relief evident on his face.

    Before I could ask if he had thought up a way to get us out of this situation, he swallowed something, causing his body to convulse. Not a moment later, with two last kicks, he died. Everything happened so fast that I could only look with a dumbfounded expression.

    While I was stunned, the sound of the gun suddenly seemed to approach closer and closer to me. It was also accompanied by the cluttered sound of horses¡¯ hoofs and footsteps.

    Suddenly, someone grabbed my hand. But, before I could see who it was, the person had quickly pulled me out of the alley and dragged me into a corner to hide there. Not a second later, the unknown person and I saw a few people riding on their horses looking at the trails of bloodstains on the ground. Following it, they soon entered the alley.

    Without a doubt, they would find the dead body there. Sure enough, when they came out, they dragged the dead body along with them. I overheard a senior officer hurling curses at the dead body before he ordered someone to tie the dead man¡¯s feet to the horse with a rope. Then, the body was dragged away as the officer urged the horse to move, leaving a long and wide bloodstain on the ground.

    When they were gone, all the strength in my body seemed to escape as great relief surged into my heart. It honestly felt as if all my strength had been used up in the past few minutes. So, I sat down leaning on the wall, and patted my chest, trying to calm myself down and regain my strength.

    ¡°Thank you.¡±

    I finally said to the person who had saved me.

    ¡°It was so dangerous just now. If they see you, those officials will probably take you as an accomplice.¡±

    The voice sounded nice. It also sounded familiar to me. Thus, I couldn¡¯t help but turn my head around to look at the face of my savior. And what I saw surprised me. It turned out my savior was Qin Shiyue.

    ¡°Were you following me?¡±

    Qin Shiyue only let out mocking laughter as he said, ¡°People run away from the sound of gunfire when they hear it. Instead of doing what is common sense, you go toward the sound where the chaos reigns. If it hadn¡¯t been for the blood dripping all the way at the entrance of the alley, I wouldn¡¯t be able to find you.¡±

    Still, despite his disagreeable words, the fact that he involved himself in this kind of muddy water just to save a student he didn¡¯t particularly like was enough for me to feel slight admiration for him. As such, I stood up, patted the dirt on my skirt, and didn¡¯t feel burdened when I invited him.

    ¡±Mr. Qin, in order to thank you for saving my life, I¡¯d like to invite you to dinner at my home tonight. Please¡ª¡±

    However, Qin Shiyue only pursed his thin lips at my invitation. He pointed at Uncle Zhao, who was looking around anxiously at the school gate and said, ¡°The carriage of the Ye Family has come to pick you up. You go home early and attend classes on time tomorrow. And as long as you abide by the school rules, I will consider you to have repaid me.¡±

    After he said that, he tidied his messy hair and walked out. His every movement was natural and unrestrained. And I was stunned for a long time, especially as I saw the afterglow of the setting sun shone on his light gray suit. With a pace that was neither fast nor slow, I had an illusion that the place he was heading to was a fascinating paradise.

 CH 3

    These days, there was no peace and security in Shanghai¡¯s shoal. If it wasn¡¯t Qing Bang causing trouble everywhere, it was news about how the Japanese were ready to attack. The gunfight that broke out near the gate of Ye Xin Girls¡¯ Middle School also caused my father to feel that the situation was getting serious, so he decided to personally pick me up from school.

    My second mother was the most verbose out of all family members. After dinner was over, she spoke to my mother. ¡°Alas, look at how the Master is treating Bingqing. It¡¯s truly different from how he treats Xiao Feng, our son. Really, even though he is the only son of the Ye Family, I¡¯ve never seen the Master treat him as if he is holding a treasure in the palm of his hand.¡±

    At that time, Third Mother was fiddling with the embroidery needles in her hand. Hearing the vague hint of complaint in Second Mother¡¯s voice, she couldn¡¯t help herself from interrupting with a smile.

    ¡°Second Sister, Bingqing was seriously ill when she was a child. She almost lost her life if Master didn¡¯t send her to a foreign country for medical treatment. Furthermore, she has just come back from studying in a foreign country. Of course, Master will treat her like a lost treasure. Don¡¯t be jealous.¡±

    Second Mother was a little annoyed at being caught red-handed, but she still maintained the smile on her face and said, ¡°Third Sister, in fact, I¡¯m no better than you. Although you are a tailor¡¯s daughter, my wedding was still grander than yours. However, your family background is pure, unlike my own unfortunate background. At best, people will call me a movie star; at worst, they will call me in the same way they do an opera singer. I only have this one son, Xiao Feng, so I expect him to bring honor to his ancestors¡ª¡±

    ¡°Second Sister, although the status of a woman can¡¯t match with a man, Yujie is about to marry Captain Du, a young and promising man whom Master praised as a rare talent. So, won¡¯t she be able to bring glory to her ancestor as well if she marries the boy?¡±

    Hearing that, Second Mother¡¯s displeasure was about to explode, not even caring about the fact that they were still in the hall downstairs. Sensing this, her fifteen years old son, Xiao Feng, and her six years old daughter, Tao Tao kept their mouths shut. They didn¡¯t dare to make a sound due to the brewing flames of war that appeared without rhyme or reason.

    At this time, my sister, Yujie went over to Second Mother and put her arms around her neck intimately and she said smiling, ¡°Mother Yun, don¡¯t get angry and harm your smooth skin. Excessive anger might lead Mother Yun¡¯s skin to wrinkle over time! Anyway, Yujie couldn¡¯t properly watch the movie Mother Yun acted in last time. Could Mother Yun lend it to me again?¡±

    Second Mother had no other hobbies aside from bragging about the films she had acted in. As such, when she met someone who liked the movies she was in, she would forget all her troubles. That was why she happily followed Yujie upstairs without bothering Third Mother any longer.

    It was only after her figure had disappeared from sight in the stairway that my mother sighed and said, ¡°Ling Yue, it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know Ah Yun¡¯s temper. She can be rather preposterous when attention is on her. If you ignore her, then she will naturally calm down on her own.¡±

    This was something I didn¡¯t know. Frankly speaking, my presence in this family was a bit similar to a stranger¡¯s presence. Even though I felt like my parents¡¯ doting of me did go a little too far, I was still their daughter they hadn¡¯t seen for ten years. As such, to me, their reaction didn¡¯t feel out of bound in the slightest. Because I didn¡¯t come back to Shanghai until last year.

    Don¡¯t assume anything. This didn¡¯t mean that I didn¡¯t want to return during the whole ten years of being away. I did want to come back more than once. However, China wasn¡¯t a peaceful place. Wars were brewing everywhere with no pause. While other people were busy avoiding the disaster that was war, I was instead in a hurry to go back home; the very place where wars were brewing everywhere. In the end, I had to give up my plan under my father¡¯s strong opposition, thus causing me this current situation.

    Fortunately, my brothers and sisters had simple characters. To them, it wasn¡¯t unusual to have sisters coming out of thin air. As such, they weren¡¯t shy at all in pestering me to ask inconsequential questions about foreigners, such as what those blue-eyed and yellow-haired people liked to eat and drink.

    Time passed, and by the time Father came back, it was already very late. He came back while I was doing my homework downstairs. I knew it simply because I happened to overhear the sound of the housekeeper opening the iron door for him. However, when I laid eyes on my father, I noticed his brows were tightly locked together.

    It was not only me who noticed, but my mother and Third Mother also noticed. While Third Mother quickly brought the pair of children upstairs to sleep, my mother ordered someone to make a cup of Bi Luochun1 for Father. She presented it to him and asked, ¡°Master, is there something troubling you? If there is, please have a cup of tea first to calm yourself so your mind will be clear.¡±

    ¡°Nothing is peaceful in this troubled world.¡± Father sighed heavily, obviously troubled as he continued speaking, ¡°Do you remember the other night? There was a murder of a revolutionary member near Ye Xin Girls¡¯ Middle School. The revolutionist died in the alley, but there was a Chinese textbook with Ye Xin Girl¡¯s Middle School¡¯s stamp beside him. Here comes the worst part. Although he was only a simple revolutionist, he has the secret information Colonel Lu needs, but they can¡¯t find the information on his body! So, they figure that it must be on the person who last saw him, the person who left that Chinese textbook with Ye Xin¡¯s stamp on it. As such, the colonel has laid down an order for me to search for the owner of this textbook. If I can¡¯t find the owner, then the school will be searched.¡±

    It was only then I realized how I had lost my Chinese textbook. Fortunately for me, I only used my textbook for reading and had never written notes or my name on it. If there were, then the matter would be very troublesome.

    ¡°Bingqing, normally I wouldn¡¯t ask this of you, but now I have no choice. You should pay attention to your schoolmates and check whether there are any female students who have lost their Chinese textbook.¡±

    ¡°I understand,¡± I responded quietly while carefully masking my true feelings so no one would know what I was feeling underneath. Then, I bid them good night one by one before going upstairs to my room to have a rest. To be truthful, the only thing I remember clearly of that time was the relieved smile on that man¡¯s face before he died.

    However, I could interpret that smile as one of relief that everything was finally over or one of accomplishment that he had completed something important. At that thought, a flash of insight suddenly appeared in my mind. I finally recalled that he seemed to have yanked my handbag twice. Since it was stained with blood, when I got home, I threw that bag to the corner of my room¡¯s wall.

    The bag was still in the corner where I had thrown it. I took it and looked through it carefully, trying to see whether my speculation was correct or not. When I was about to give up, I found a small bamboo stick in the bag. Taking it in my hand, I found its center had been hollowed out and was stuffed with a small paper ball. Opening the paper, I read.

    Sky Dog:

    Qin Shiyue was a nationalist party¡¯s spy who broke into our organization. Please report to the higher authorities as soon as possible.

    Right Black Cat.

 CH 4

    Qin Shiyue was still teaching at Ye Xin Girls¡¯ Middle School every day, and I was still wearing my dresses to school. In the beginning, I could sense that he always felt uncomfortable with my choice of attire, but he got used to it after a long time passed.

    As far as I had found out, his daily itinerary was very simple. Apart from walking between Ye Xin Girls¡¯ Middle School and Jingde High School, there were only a few places he ventured to. For example, his apartment, where he resided in. Occasionally, he would go to the movies or ask a few friends out to the song and dance hall to pass the time.

    These were the conclusions I found after observing for a while. Now, despite the fact that the lanterns were already lit this early in the evening, I still persisted in my effort and called a rickshaw to follow Qin Shiyue in comfort.

    Then, I saw him turning into a dilapidated alley. Seeing that, I hurriedly followed him, but there was no sign of him that I could see. Unwilling to give up, I proceeded forward. However, there was no light or source of light like fire in the alley. And the further I walked, the quieter it was. I even had an illusion that the alley seemed to have no end and had swallowed people up.

    When this thought entered my mind, my heart began to beat erratically as if there were a small drum playing inside my rib cage. Although I believed in Christianity, owing to the time I lived abroad, I knew that God couldn¡¯t save me at this moment.

    There seemed to be a group of dark things moving in front of me. The addition of moonlight shining in the alley further reminded me of the tale of a hundred ghosts¡¯ parade. When I thought of this, I was so scared that I became out of breath and about to run back with a scream in my throat.

    However, at this time, I felt like there were more ghosts behind me. At this thought, my legs softened and I immediately collapsed against the wall.

    Suddenly, a beam of light shone on my face. At this moment, a stray thought came to mind about my face. It must be paler than the moonlight, mustn¡¯t it? Still, concern for my potentially unsightly appearance didn¡¯t cross my mind. Instead, my eyes were trying to see past the light, hoping to see something reassuring beyond it.

    ¡°It was you?¡± The moment Qin Shiyue saw me, his initially tense expression relaxed. He was no longer as vigilant as he was. However, I paid no heed to this change as I grabbed his jacket as if he was my last hope and stared at the ghosts around him. Under the light of the flashlight, I finally saw their true forms. Turns out, those ghosts were simply dirty children, who were looking at me curiously.

    These children lived in this dirty house deep in the alley, where there was only a dim little oil lamp to light up the space. Then, twenty or thirty children would crowd together on the old mattress they had there. When they were hungry, they would boil some dirty vegetables and eat leftovers from the garbage heaps.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been much better ever since we met Uncle Qin. At least, we haven¡¯t been hungry or cold, and no one has died of illness,¡± The older child said.

    ¡°And your parents?¡±

    ¡°Most of us were separated from our parents when we were on the run, and some of us were abducted and sold by the human traffickers. We only have this place to live in, so when someone came in by mistake, we pretended to be a ghost to chase them away.¡±

    I then turned toward Qin Shiyue¡¯s direction only to see he was giving a large bag of pastries to the children. However, looking at the way the children wolfed down their foods without table manners, the slight disgust that I had initially weakened rose up again. This made me very upset, so I stuffed the silver coins I had on me into the child¡¯s hand and told him to buy something to eat.

    After that, I turned around and went out of the door.

    ¡°Second Young Lady Ye, since you¡¯re here, why don¡¯t you sit down a little longer?¡± Qin Shiyue said as he closely followed me with a rogue-like behavior. On his face, I could see the pride that was shining brightly from the fact that he was able to put me in this difficult situation.

    ¡°Mr. Qin, will you please show me some respect? Who says that I was following you?¡± I said, concealing my guilty expression from view. After all, he was a secret agent from the Nationalist Party. If he knew that I had seen through his true identity, he might just fly into a rage out of humiliation and silence me permanently.

    ¡°Ye Bingqing, what¡¯s up with your blush? Don¡¯t tell me you have a crush on me?¡± Qin Shiyue opened his big mouth and spoke. But at this time, the only thought I had in mind was about how the alley was so deep and that I might just be unable to get out. Frightened, I turned around and pushed the other man hard.

    Alas, the result was me being pressed against the wall by him. With the moonlight highlighting his face, and with his face so close to mine, I was able to see him clearly. However, looking into his eyes, I only felt that those eyes were lined with shadow; one that was deep enough to make people dare not look too deeply into it.

    ¡°Let me go.¡±

    ¡°Say, why are you following me?¡±

    Qin Shiyue must have studied the art of changing face instantly. Otherwise, how would he be able to behave frivolously at one moment then change to serious the next moment? That was something no normal person would be able to do.

    Anyway, that aside, I was in a pinch right now. After all, even if I were to make up a random excuse, I wouldn¡¯t be able to fool him, let alone myself. But still, I couldn¡¯t let myself die under the hands of this kind of person. At this time, perhaps because his face was too close to me, my attention was drawn into his eyes as his deep and shallow breath swayed my hair. That kind of fierce eyes also encouraged my next move. So, almost without letting myself have half a minute of hesitation, I ruthlessly kissed those thin lips.

    At this, he looked at me, bewildered. While feeling so, he heard my shy and resentful voice saying, ¡°I like you. Is this reason enough?¡±

    I thought I won this time.

    After all, to search the school at this time would mean giving a physical examination towards the older sisters in Ye Xin Girls¡¯ Middle School.

    He had only ever seen himself acting brazen and had never seen someone else act as thick-skinned as him. Thus, Qin Shiyue insisted on sending me home. And since I said I liked him, there was no reason for me to refuse his offer.

    Meanwhile, the Ye Family was in a mess because they didn¡¯t receive a word from me. And my father was so worried that he almost called the police station to search the city overnight. However, before he could do so, I had already returned with a man in the middle of the night.

    It was always easy to guess what people were imagining when they saw this kind of circumstance.

    As such, it was natural that Mother was somewhat unable to keep a composed face, but she also didn¡¯t dare to neglect the guest. In the end, she offered the other good tea and water to entertain him. Qin Shiyue also acted like he believed those hypocritical words that were used to entertain a guest and sat for a while.

    Seeing this, I could only sit across him, unable to scold or blame him outwardly. I could only listen to the family interrogating him while feeling as if I was sitting on pins and needles. It wasn¡¯t until the clock in the hall struck twelve o¡¯clock that he got up and excused himself. The moment he took his leave, the big stone in my heart finally fell to the ground.

    At this time, Second Mother spat out the skin of melon seeds and said, ¡°I have to say, Master, the young lady who came back from abroad is really different. In the dead of the night, she went out with a man and even brought that man home¡­What if, by any chance, she caused a scandal that brought ruin to the family principles? At that time, don¡¯t blame me, this second mother, for not reminding you.¡±

    ¡°Shut up!¡± Father slapped the table fiercely and ordered, ¡°You go back upstairs. My daughter isn¡¯t someone to who you could teach those filthy lessons to!¡±

    ¡°Humph!¡± Second Mother was so angry that the color of her face changed to that of a pig¡¯s liver. However, she didn¡¯t dare to contradict the head of the family so she simply went upstairs in a displeased mood.

    I gently pulled the corner of my father¡¯s clothes and decided to spare no effort in acting lovable. ¡°Dad, don¡¯t be angry. It¡¯s all my fault. I¡¯ve been abroad for such a long time that my manners are like those of foreigners. That¡¯s all I¡¯ve learned. But if Dad doesn¡¯t like it, I¡¯ll change it so as to avoid angering you with some gossip.¡±

    Listening to my words, my old father¡¯s face softened. He clasped my hand and said, ¡°I can become accustomed to it. I, Ye Guangrong, am also a person who has seen the world. How can I wrong my daughter because of such trifles? Moreover, a man marrying a woman is natural, and that Teacher Qin can also be regarded as a young talent. It¡¯s also pretty good to have a relationship with him.¡±

    ¡°Dad, I understand.¡±

    ¡°Oh, in addition, the driver will take you to the countryside early to visit your ancestors¡¯ graves tomorrow morning. As such, you don¡¯t have to go to class.¡±

    ¡°Go to the grave? But isn¡¯t ancestor worship supposed to be held next month?¡±

    ¡°You haven¡¯t been following ancestor worship rituals for ten years, so you go alone first. That way, perhaps, your ancestors won¡¯t blame you for missing so many worships.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know why, but father looked a little absent-minded. However, when he hastily told me to go back upstairs to rest, I obediently followed. Passing by Tao Tao¡¯s room, I saw someone peeping through the crack of the door with a bright eye.

    ¡°Tao Tao? Why are you still up?¡± I asked, taking her back to bed and settling her there.

    ¡°Second sister, what is ¡®school search¡¯?¡±

    ¡°My dear Tao Tao, from whom did you hear this from?¡±

    ¡°In the evening, an uncle in military uniform came. He said he would search the school tomorrow. After he left, papa dropped a teacup.¡± Tao Tao blurted out, eyes wide in fright as she asked, ¡°Second sister, what on earth is ¡®school search¡¯?¡±

    ¡°Searching the school here means to check up on the elder sisters in Ye Xin Girls¡¯ Middle School. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s nothing bad.¡± I patted her face, assuring her. At my assurance, the little girl put down her frightened heart and obediently got into the bed. Meanwhile, my mind was swirling.

    It turned out that tomorrow was the day for Colonel Lu to search the school. No wonder my father used such a shoddy excuse to keep me away. He must be afraid that my advanced thinking would make trouble for him again.

 CH 5

    On the way to Ye Xin Girls¡¯ Middle School, the car made a detour. The driver, Xiao Chen, said, ¡°Master Ye¡¯s daughter is studying at Ye Xin.¡±

    The corporals, however, didn¡¯t attempt to slow down. When the car pulled up to the school, I stepped out and saw my father and a fat old man from a distance. His military uniform bundled around his fat body like a walking meat dumpling. The students were gathered in the playground with the soldiers surrounding them with their guns. It was a sight they had never encountered before and they were all pale with fear.

    ¡°Dad-¡± I couldn¡¯t hide the exasperation in my tone.

    ¡°Bingqing?¡± Father¡¯s face had a momentary look of embarrassment but quickly covered it up with a smile.

    ¡°Come, Bingqing, let me introduce you, this is Uncle Lu, and this is my second daughter, Ye Bingqing.¡±

    ¡°Hello, Uncle Lu.¡±

    Towards a military commander, I dared not offend him so I greeted him with a small salute in a good manner.

    The Colonel looked me up and down from head to toe and nodded in satisfaction with a smile appearing on his shadowy face.

    ¡°I have long heard that Brother Ye has a pair of beautiful daughters. Unfortunately, the eldest has long been married, and the second has stayed abroad. I wonder when my niece has returned from studying abroad?¡±

    ¡°I came back last year and now, I¡¯m studying at this Middle School,¡± I answered absentmindedly. I saw a small-ranked officer along with a few soldiers hurrying over from afar, with an unconcealed joy and triumph on his face. Father and I looked at each other. He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his head.

    ¡°I have a report¡­on the road to the school, I found this in the books of a student called Yue Xiaoman!¡±

    Almost as if he was pandering, he brought the pages filled with words to the Colonel¡¯s face.

    After a few hasty glances, the Colonel smiled. ¡°A good patriotic young woman, trying to save the country and the people from the fire, but well??¡±

    ¡°But what?¡±

    ¡°But, isn¡¯t this idea of overthrowing the national rule pushing the people into the fire?¡±

    ¡°Uncle Lu, I think you have misunderstood. Yue Xiaoman is a good friend of mine. This is not her handwriting, I think she must have seen it from somewhere and casually stuck it in a book. Uncle Lu is a man of great justice, don¡¯t let this trivial matter hurt the peace.¡±

    I was nearly prepared to put on a smile, but the fat man didn¡¯t show his attitude and frowned instead.

    ¡°You are wrong, niece. The female students nowadays are not like the women in the past. But if this is not Yue Xiaoman¡¯s handwriting, as you say, then she must be an accomplice! Don¡¯t worry, Uncle Lu won¡¯t make things difficult for your good friend and will treat her well at the office.¡±

    He said and winked at the little captain next to him. ¡°Why don¡¯t you find the one called Yue Xiaoman and take her away?¡±

    Before I could stop her, Yue Xiaoman had already walked out of the group by herself for fear of dragging others into it, and many of the girls fled in a flurry.

    I walked over and gave one of the men a slap on the wrist who was forcefully trying to hold her arms. I sneered, ¡°I don¡¯t care about myself but if your hands dare to touch her, I¡¯ll make you suffer for it.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, Second Miss Ye, we would obey your instruction!¡±

    ¡°What is your name?¡±

    ¡°I am Zhang Shun, the leader of team four.¡±

    I gave Yue Xiaoman a reassuring look and returned to the colonel. ¡°Then please take good care of her, Uncle Lu. I¡¯ll visit her at your mansion soon.¡±

    ¡°My mansion always welcomes a visit from my virtuous niece.¡±

    As the army began to withdraw from the school, the students from the boys¡¯ school across the street came over and finally gathered around. I hated myself for being negligent and causing Xiaoman to suffer. A figure in the distance seemed to be following the procession, unhurriedly. The lean figure was familiar, only I couldn¡¯t recall for a moment where I had seen it before.

 CH 6

    I went to Yue Xiaoman¡¯s house first to settle everything. Her old father behaved like a neurotic. One moment he was cursing his daughter as a sweeper, another moment he was saying that the school is responsible for what happened, and another moment he was crying on his knees and begging my father to save Xiaoman.

    I thought Yue Xiaoman¡¯s dad only had a straight face. It turns out that when faced with the wellbeing of his own children, any father has a side to him that people normally don¡¯t see.

    On our way back, I was silent but my father kept grumbling. ¡°Bingqing, you¡¯ve caused a lot of trouble this time. There¡¯s always a reason to spend for you. The reason why I hastily married your sister to Captain Du was because the Colonel came to the house to propose marriage. Only after I told him that I had already promised someone, and it was the son of Major General Du, he was willing to give up.¡±

    ¡°Come on, Dad. Let¡¯s not talk about it. Let¡¯s think about how we can rescue Xiaoman.¡±

    I was annoyed and turned my head away. Through the glass window of the car, Qin Shiyue¡¯s figure flashed by. I hurriedly ordered the driver Xiao Chen to stop and told my father to go home first as I met an acquaintance.

    When I got out of the car, I lost sight of Qin Shiyue. In front of me was a government office of the nationalist party. I wondered if he had come to report some information. I sat helplessly on the opposite step. Although I knew that Qin Shiyue was a secret agent infiltrated into the revolutionary party, I was pondering how to get in touch with the man whose code name was Tengu.

    ¡°Miss, do you want to buy flowers?¡± On the steps in front of me were a pair of black cloth shoes with edging. When I looked up, there was a young girl of my age, with big greasy braids wearing a white blouse with red flowers.

    ¡°Oh, good.¡±

    ¡°This magnolia flower is white and fragrant. It suits the young lady most. Would you like to smell it?¡±

    The enthusiastic flower girl didn¡¯t wait for me to refuse and brought the flower to my nose. The flowers did smell good, but the fragrance was so strong that it made me drowsy. I shook my head off. The girl in front of me had a sweet smile that looked too eerie.

    It was too late for me to push the magnolia flower away. I felt my eyelids begin to sink and a voice in my ears seemed to be coming from the sky, further and further away.

 CH 7

    The water dripped against the boulders. I strained my ears to detect any other sound, but it was in vain. It was silent, dead silent. My eyes were blindfolded so tightly that I didn¡¯t know whether it was night or day and my mouth was sealed. Only the smell of damp, rotting moss permeated the nostrils.

    This would have been a stone hut, so well enclosed that a loud echo could be heard when a small stone was accidentally kicked.

    If it was a kidnapping case for money, there would be nothing complicated about it, nothing more than a trip to the Ye family to extort money. However, my instincts told me that this was all purposeful and premeditated. An iron door creaked, like the old groan of a broken phonograph, echoing eerily in my ears. I couldn¡¯t help but shrink back and tried to make my voice sound as unruffled as possible.

    ¡°Who is it? What the hell do you want?¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be afraid. I¡¯ll ask you anything, just answer truthfully and I¡¯ll let you go.¡±

    It was the voice of the flower-selling girl, who was very close to me, her body smeared with the scent of magnolia flowers.

    The cat really did smell the fish and just followed the trail to find it. The secret letter was like a time bomb, and as long as the matter remained unresolved, I would have no peace of mind. I just didn¡¯t know whether the flower-selling girl in front of me was an enemy or a friend, which made me extremely anxious.

    ¡°Just ask, if you want money. Our Ye family has plenty of money. I¡¯ll write a note for my father to pay the ransom.¡±

    ¡°Second Miss Ye, we don¡¯t talk in plain sight. Black Cat¡¯s information has been lost. You were the last person he came in contact with before he died. So I want to ask you, have you seen that thing?¡±

    The last person to come into contact with him?

    I sneered in my heart. What a good Qin Shiyue, usually calm but sneaky behind the scenes. I knew that I was the last person to come into contact with the black cat, and the only other person who knew was Qin Shiyue. I¡¯m afraid he must have been following the Black Cat, but he didn¡¯t expect he would be killed out of nowhere.

    Seeing that I did not reply, the flower-selling girl added, ¡°That letter of information will only cause trouble for Miss Ye. It is better to leave it to me.¡±

    I sighed, ¡°I was only doing it for fun, but I never thought I would get into such trouble. I threw away that inexplicable piece of information after reading it, so I can¡¯t hand it over either. All I can tell you is that it was sent by the Black Cat to a man called Tengu, and it only had one sentence on it, ¡®By the Willow Bridge on the seventh day of the seventh month¡¯.¡±

    ¡°By the Willow Bridge on the seventh day of the seventh month?¡± The flower-selling girl was stunned. ¡°What does that mean?¡±

    ¡°How should I know what it means?! I thought it was a love poem from the man who was going to die, to the girl he loved!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Now you should let me go, right?¡±

    The sudden silence in my ears made me feel more and more uncomfortable, and my heart was like a small drum. If they found out the contents of the secret letter and killed me, then I would¡¯ve died for nothing. Before I could think about the horror of killing and dumping the corpse, I smelt the fragrance of magnolia flowers. It was the same strong scent that made me drowsy.

    It was a very long dream.

    I struggled against the sea, salty water filling my nostrils, my eyes, my ears.

    I woke up with a dozen children surrounding me in a dilapidated courtyard that looked familiar. A small pot propped up with a few bricks was gurgling and steaming. A girl child of only six or seven years old was using a worn towel to wipe my face.

    ¡°Sister Bingqing, you¡¯re finally awake.¡± The oldest child came over happily. ¡°Do you remember me? I¡¯m a ghost.¡±

    ¡°Little ghost?¡±

    ¡°Have you forgotten? The last time Uncle Qin was here, you gave us a dozen coins. We went and bought shoes to wear and bought the fish girl back from the human traffickers.¡±

    ¡°How did I end up here?¡±

    ¡°When I came back from polishing my shoes in the evening, I found you lying at the entrance to the alley.¡±

    It was dark outside. I wondered how long I had been unconscious and thought the Ye family must have become a swarm of chaos by now. I struggled to sit up and thanked the little child and the others for taking care of me. I went out of the alleyway, hailed a yellow cab, and hurried back to the Ye family.

 CH 8

    I lied to my mother that I had gone to the countryside with my classmates for two days, and thus, she only scolded me for being naughty and did not suspect much. Yue Xiaoman was still in custody at the school by the road, and it seemed that the fat bastard was not asking for money this time, but had to get to the bottom of it. Dad had no better solution than to stall, hoping that if there was no movement for a few days, the Colonel might let her go.

    I sat in the living room drinking tea with my third aunt while my elder sister and Captain Du went to see a movie, and it was a new film by Zhou Xuan. When my third aunt heard it, she covered her mouth and smiled. ¡°Yujie went to watch a film last time. When she came back and I asked her what she had seen, she said she was bored for the majority of the time and that she would never see it again, because two foreigners were cuddling and kissing each other. Don¡¯t ask her about it this time.¡±

    The second aunt took her son back to her mother¡¯s house, and with the entire Ye household missing such a sparrow-like croaking woman, it was so clear that people felt uncomfortable. All that remained in the hall was the sound of tiny silver needles rubbing against silk.

    Third Aunt was thirty years old and already had fine lines at the corners of her eyes when she smiled. She always laughed when she heard the occasional story about her and her father, but she did not complain. She lost her mother when she was a child and followed her father to run a tailor¡¯s shop at the entrance to the alleyway; half of their family¡¯s business came from the Ye family. Third Aunt was so good-looking that my father once passed by the tailor¡¯s shop and couldn¡¯t help but look at her twice, just as her money-obsessed father caught sight of him.

    Ten years ago, Ling Yue was wearing a flowery dress, with bangs and a pearly dimple when she smiled. In her spare time, she would help the neighborhood ladies embroider a handkerchief. A woman with a good heart naturally attracted people¡¯s attention. However, her father¡¯s neck was as hard as a rock, and he wouldn¡¯t give her a nod. He often asked Ling Yue to deliver clothes to the Ye family. As time went by, father took a liking to Ling Yue and finally followed that wealthy old man¡¯s wishes.

    ¡°Aunt Ling, your embroidery of the summer lotus dragonfly is so beautiful, it¡¯s really handy.¡± It was just a piece of white silk with dense pink silk threads as if it was done by the hands of a fairy looking so magical.

    ¡°When you get married, I¡¯ll embroider the dragon and phoenix. I am only a tailor¡¯s daughter, and the gold and silver jewels belong to your Ye family, so I can only send you my heart.¡±

    I understood Aunt Ling¡¯s feelings. She was a side wife with a daughter and did not want to vie for favour, as such she was always at a loss.

    I reassured her, ¡°What are you talking about, Aunt Ling? As the saying goes, a married daughter is like spilled water. Since you have already entered the Ye family, you are a member of the Ye family, so don¡¯t say such unkind words.¡±

    ¡°How dare you act ashamed? Isn¡¯t that Mr. Qin your lover?¡± Third Aunt giggled as she covered her mouth, the embroidered flowers adorning her sleeve flutter.

    I sighed inwardly. That Qin Shiyue was indeed pleasing to the eyes, but I didn¡¯t like him at all. It seemed that fate had taken its toll on me, but the man who seemed so nice was a secret agent.

    I grunted, ¡°I, Ye Bingqing, still can¡¯t look up to that poor teacher.¡±

    ¡°Yes, yes, yes, yes, our Bingqing is going to marry that greasy young master from the school on the road.¡±

    I stomped my foot in annoyance and said, ¡°Aunt Ling¡¯s mouth is like a needle and thread that sticks people in their head making them dizzy. That big fat Lu wants it all. How can a rotten toad produce a white swan? His son is not even worthy to carry my shoes.¡±

    I heard from the family¡¯s talkative mother that he had come again a few days before, saying that I was invited over for a meal during the temple fair, and I had to dress up appropriately. He said it was a banquet, but in fact, he was arranging a blind date with his unworthy son. I almost lost my breath when I heard this, but it left a bad taste in Third Aunt¡¯s mouth.

    As I was talking, my maid, Xiaoqing, pushed in and said, ¡°Third Mistress, Second Miss, there is a gentleman named Yu outside the door looking for the Master. I told him that the master was not at home. He said that if the Master is not here, then he is looking for the Second Miss.¡±

    I was stunned. I had spent so many years abroad, and I could even count the number of men I knew with my hands, but I didn¡¯t remember any Mr. Yu. I condemned the maid for asking Mr. Yu in. As soon as we saw the man¡¯s face, Third Aunt let out an audible ¡°Ah¡±. He was a man of my age, with a melancholy look on his clean brow.

    ¡°Ziyang, why didn¡¯t you let us know you were coming?¡± Third Aunt greeted him warmly as she sat down.

    Yu Ziyang smiled lightly, ¡°Sister Ling Yue, I¡¯ve come to see the Second Miss on an urgent matter this time.¡±

    Although Third Aunt didn¡¯t know what the urgency was all about, she still had the sense to go back upstairs. I sat face to face with Yu Ziyang without revealing any misgivings.

    Third Aunt¡¯s family owned a tailor¡¯s shop and had been buying goods from Yu¡¯s family¡¯s cloth shop. At the end of the year, he came with his father to deliver the annual gifts, walking behind him with his thin back. The man whom Yue Xiaoman was matched with was called Yu Ziyang. The thin figure that flashed by on the day of the school search was also Yu Ziyang.

    ¡°You¡¯ve come to see me about Yue Xiaoman, haven¡¯t you?¡± I was the first to break the silence.

    Yu Ziyang, who was probably struggling with how to talk to me, nodded at my words, ¡°I heard from Xiaoman that you are her best friend. I wrote that article, but Xiaoman thought it was good and took it to read. Do me a favor, Miss Ye. Go and explain the truth to the school by the road and ask them to release Xiaoman.¡±

    Seeing how anxious he was, I couldn¡¯t help but be happy for Yue Xiaoman, that stupid girl who always took all the blame on herself. She didn¡¯t like the wrong person after all.

    I laughed, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you rush out that day, and now you¡¯re crying like a cat, who knows if you¡¯re sincere or not?¡±

    Yu Ziyang¡¯s face flushed red and white, like a Sichuanese face-turner, and he clasped at the corner of his shirt. ¡°If they trace it, the teachers and students who opposed their rule with me will suffer. In the past few days, I have arranged everything and destroyed all the evidence before I rushed here to ask for your help. Xiaoman said that you are the best woman in the world and can definitely tell the truth, if money could get rid of it, I wouldn¡¯t have troubled Second Miss.¡±

    Yu Ziyang was really a handsome young man who was patriotic and responsible. If Yue Xiaoman hadn¡¯t already taken the lead, and if it were any other woman, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to guarantee that I wouldn¡¯t have gone after him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t send you to be Xiaoman¡¯s replacement. However, I promise you. I will get Xiaoman out.¡±

    I could no longer wait for Fatty Lu¡¯s invitation to the temple fair; I was going to make my own doorstep visit.

    Additional notes:  Happy New Year, everyone! May you all have a great year ahead unlike the annoying messed-up 2021. Thank you all for reading this novel, hope you all enjoy this so far. Please continue to support us in the future as well, since you all are our main source of vitamins.  xoxo

 CH 9

    Third Aunt¡¯s old man sent two sets of narrow little cheongsams1The cheongsam, also known as the qipao, is a type of Chinese form-fitting garment of Manchu origin. It is a high-necked, closely fitted, and often short-sleeved dress with the skirt portion slit partway up the side. with big white gardenias on a pale blue background that blossomed down to the knee, revealing a white sliver of the calf. In early spring, Dad gave him money to expand the shop again, and the old man recruited two new embroiderers and two new tailors. The old man did know how to curry a favor and somehow ended up giving cheongsams to me and my elder sister to wear. When my parents saw them, they thought they looked good and gave him a gift back, enough to buy dozens of cheongsams. He really did not do business to lose money.

    The entrance to Fatty Lu¡¯s public house was heavily guarded by soldiers, all armed with guns, and ordinary people would shudder to look at it. When the carriage stopped at the entrance, the soldier at the door shouted gruffly, ¡°What are you doing?¡±

    Before Uncle Zhao could answer, a man came out quickly and slapped him across the face. ¡°Are you blind? This is the Ye family¡¯s Second Miss, what the hell are you yelling for?¡±

    After that, he turned his head around and bowed over. ¡°Second Miss Ye, don¡¯t blame me, my brother doesn¡¯t know what they¡¯re doing??¡±

    I only thought he looked familiar and asked, ¡°You are??¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m Zhang Shun, the captain of the fourth squad, Miss Yue is well taken care of, don¡¯t worry, Miss Ye.¡±

    The flattering face in front of me was so disgusting that I cringed, and I immediately remembered my one-sided encounter with him when I was in the Night Heart Girls. I smiled and shoved a handful of silver coins into his hand and said, ¡°A reward for your wine money.¡± Immediately, Zhang Shun thanked me profusely and led me into the Lu family.

    The servants said that Fatty Lu was meeting with guests in the back garden and asked me to wait in the front room for a while. While the maids were making tea, I quietly ran down the stairs to the first floor. I heard Zhang Shun say that Yue Xiaoman was locked up in a room on the first floor. It was just that there were too many rooms on the first floor, and each room door was vermilion lacquered with silver inlaid handles. I put my ear to the doors one by one, and because I leaned in so close, I didn¡¯t even notice that one door was hidden, and my whole body fell in embarrassingly.

    ¡°Oops!¡±

    I exclaimed as a half-naked man lay before me on the large carved bed. His eyes were half-squinted, giving off a lazy, evil glow. I was embarrassed and was about to go out when I suddenly heard shuffling footsteps at the top of the stairs and the sound of a maid on the verge of tears was heard. ¡±I had only gone to pour a cup of tea and the lady was gone.¡±

    I was so frightened that I hurriedly closed the door, with only one thought in mind ¨C to hide. To barge into Fatty Lu¡¯s house was already a huge crime, and to be in the same room with a half-naked man was worse. If word got out, it would make Father lose face.

    The footsteps outside the door were even more chaotic, and it seemed that it was not a single person. I could only stare and gesture to the naked man to put his clothes back on. But the man took his time putting his pajamas on like he was watching a good show.

    ¡°Xingjiu, open the door??¡±

    The voice of the big fat man from the road sounded outside the door and I was so nervous that my brain went blank. I saw that the man had come over and leisurely opened the door and said, ¡°I¡¯m not going to do anything to your VIP, I¡¯m just showing this lady around the room, what¡¯s all the fuss about?¡±

    Fatty Lu¡¯s tense face immediately eased up. ¡°Dear niece, you are not familiar with this place so I was afraid you would get lost¡­Anyways, this is my son, Lu Xingjiu.¡±

    I didn¡¯t know why Fatty Lu¡¯s son was covering up for me. Besides, he didn¡¯t look gentle at all. He looked very dangerous. I could only play out this tour in silence, pretending to be confused and saying, ¡°Uncle Lu, your mansion is so big, if Brother Xingjiu hadn¡¯t shown me around, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯d get lost.¡±

    That day, I didn¡¯t see Yue Xiaoman at all.

    The Lu family¡¯s cook prepared a huge table of expensive dishes, which I ate without much interest, then pretended that I was not feeling well and went back to the Ye family early. All along the way, I wondered what Lu Xingjiu¡¯s intention was. He had no reason to help me at all, and he gave me the creeps.

    In the morning, someone from the Lu family sent a post, saying that after the temple fair, they invited the Second Miss to come to the feast at their house. I was worried about how I was going to handle it, but in the afternoon, someone from the Lu family sent another letter saying that Yue Xiaoman had been released to go home, so I should be able to go to the banquet. I was shocked, thinking that the infatuated boy had run off to be a substitute. I hurried to Yue Xiaoman¡¯s house only to find Yue Xiaoman on her knees, with her old-fashioned father beating her on the palms with a bamboo stick.

    Mother Yue sat on the side and just cried but couldn¡¯t stop him. ¡°The child has suffered and knows she¡¯s wrong, father, please forgive her.¡±

    The old curmudgeon was so angry that he even shivered. ¡°She is the only one in the school who dares to take responsibility for this headache, your father¡¯s old bones are almost broken! You¡¯re an unfilial child!¡±

    When the stick came down again, I intuitively used my hand to block it, but I didn¡¯t know that Old man would really strike down, and my four fingers immediately had red marks. Yue Xiaoman frowned. ¡°Bingqing, why are you doing this?¡±

    ¡°Uncle Yue, if you want to hit me, hit me, it¡¯s all because I caused Xiaoman to be imprisoned.¡±

    If I hadn¡¯t been nosy, Xiaoman wouldn¡¯t have suffered this calamity. I just felt bad inside, but I couldn¡¯t speak up. After all, it was not just my life or death that was at stake. When the old curmudgeon saw that he had hit the wrong person, he was so angry that he threw down his bamboo stick and went into the inner room, and Mother Yue followed him in to calm him down. I looked her up and down, she hadn¡¯t lost weight and she wasn¡¯t hurt, so it seemed that Fatty Lu had indeed not given her a hard time.

    ¡°How come he gave up and let you back in?¡±

    Yue Xiaoman shook her head and said, ¡°I was wondering too. I had been locked up in the innermost room on the first floor. That day, through the window, I saw Teacher Qin and a man named Lu chatting in the back garden. They looked quite cordial.¡±

    ¡°Qin Shiyue?¡± I bit my lip. ¡°Him and Fatty Lu?¡±

    ¡°Maybe it was Teacher Qin who saved me and got me out!¡± Yue Xiaoman said happily.

    ¡°Him?¡± I snorted coldly, ¡°He¡¯s bad, he¡¯s a traitor.

    I immediately shut my mouth. I could not tell her the truth because whoever knew about this matter would be in danger. In these days of war and chaos, I didn¡¯t know what else to do for them except to keep it a secret. I told Yue Xiaoman to go to the temple fair on the weekend with the schoolboy on the road, and to go to the tailor¡¯s store of the father of the third aunt, to cut clothes. Yue Xiaoman opened her mouth but did not say anything.

 CH 10

    The car of the Lu family was parked in front of the Ye family. Mother¡¯s never-stopping words almost made my ears grow calluses.

    ¡°Do not offend the young master of the Lu family, think twice before doing anything. After all, they are officials. Do not give your father trouble.¡±

    Her words sounded as if I had scissors hidden in my body and would die with him if necessary.

    I dressed up like a lily, had my hair done, and pinned it with a white magnolia flower. The driver of the Lu mansion invited me several times, but I stood stubbornly under the sun at the gate. The maids around me were jittery and were pinching the corners of their clothes in a restless manner. For these maids who were sold to big families, their wish was just to have peace and stability in the present world and not to make any mistakes.

    Not long after the appointment time, Qin Shiyue came. He was wearing a gray coat, and he looked elegant. He did not know what I had planned. I just asked him to accompany me to the temple fair and did not tell him that there was also the young master of Colonel Lu accompanying us.

    I smiled a little too smugly before looking away from him.

    ¡°What the hell are you thinking, you little fox?¡±

    ¡°Mr. Qin must be joking. Even if this little fox, Bingqing, is cunning, she would not dare play tricks in front of you, the old fox.¡±

    ¡°If you didn¡¯t dare, your name wouldn¡¯t be Ye Bingqing.¡± Qin Shiyue¡¯s eyes closed on me. ¡°What do you mean by the seventh day of the seventh month by the willow bridge? You can only use this kind of trick to deceive children.¡±

    ¡°You??¡± I stared, I did not dare draw attention to my bewilderment. I thought to myself, This is bad, he actually saw a flaw, but there is no need to fear him. Look at this situation, he already knew that I deliberately concealed it, but there is no harm to my intention. Otherwise, he would not have left me in the slums but would have dumped my body on the street.

    This time, Qin Shiyue was pleased, his thin lips pursed into a line. ¡°You must really like me, I can see. So even if you know who I am, it doesn¡¯t matter.¡±

    This guy was really overconfident. Although I, Ye Bingqing, grew up among foreigners, I also cultivated a strong sense of patriotism, unlike him who appeared decent, but was doing something that corrupted his conscience. I immediately put on a sorrowful expression.

    ¡°Less of this, our Ye family¡¯s money can kill a hundred Qin Shiyue, don¡¯t you dare look down on me with those discriminating eyes. It¡¯s good working for the Nationalist Party. In the future, you can serve as an official or a part-time official to qualify to be my Ye family¡¯s son-in-law.¡±

    ¡°Last time someone kidnapped you, I did not know.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you.¡±

    I laughed and gnashed my teeth like a cat crying at the mouse¡¯s fake compassion. If I was still feeling guilty before making this decision, all that was left for today was the mood of watching a good show.

    This city¡¯s temple fair was really lively. I just got out of the car and saw a candy man, jugglers, singers, and heard mobile flower sellers shouting, ¡°Jasmine, gardenia, magnolia¡ª¡±

    The maid of the Lu family greeted me and said, ¡°Young Master Lu has been waiting upstairs at the Nine Fragrance House for a long time¡ª¡±

    I took Qin Shiyue¡¯s arm affectionately and made my way to the Nine Fragrance Building. Lu Xingjiu was sitting at a carved mahogany round table, dressed in a horseback riding outfit. Beside him was a woman who was wearing heavy makeup with cheap beaded flowers adorned in her hair.

    ¡°Brother Xingjiu, is Uncle Lu not here?¡±

    I squinted at Qin Shiyue, who looked stunned, his eyebrows knotted with worry which I couldn¡¯t read.

    Lu Xingjiu¡¯s expression was also strange as hell. At first, he was impatient with sipping his wine, but now, had an expression of him watching a good show.

    He said, ¡°Mr. Qin, we met again.¡±

    ¡°The sky is the limit.¡±

    Qin Shiyue was not very formal as he nonchalantly sat down to pick up his glass of wine and drank from it

    I was not even surprised. Like I suspected, they really did know each other and got along strangely enough. If they are friends, I must expose them and make them tear off their pretenses. If they are not friends, that¡¯s good, it solves the problem without much fuss.

    I was only thinking of playing my own little game, and Lu Xingjiu smiled calmly. ¡°My sister Bingqing just came from abroad, I did not expect her to have a friend like Mr. Qin so soon.¡±

    ¡°Brother Xingjiu, you and Qin Shiyue should not be so out of touch. He likes me a lot, maybe my father will marry me to him.¡±

    I secretly snickered while the woman with thick makeup actually guffawed. ¡°Miss Ye is really a naive and beautiful person. I only heard from the Colonel that Young Master Lu and Miss Ye are a perfect match, so what kind of good thing is this Mr. Qin thinking?¡±

    Lu Xingjiu glared at the woman, but the woman continued as if she did not see, ¡°I am not afraid of this Mr. Qin jokes. My nine fragrance building was built with money from the school on the road. Almost all the ladies of Shanghai who want to marry into the Lu Mansion have come here. Even the most beautiful and famous lady in Shanghai, Tang Yu Xiangxiang, has come to match with Young Master Lu. But Young Master Lu was not interested as he had fallen in love with Miss Ye. So, what are you, a poor teacher, doing here?¡±

    ¡°Miss Jin, you talk too much??¡± Lu Xingjiu reprimanded softly, but his face showed a smile of satisfaction. The Jin girl really must be the young master Lu¡¯s beloved. She cast a wink before gracefully opening the bead curtain and went out. My face was on fire, as if those taunting words to Qin Shiyue fell on my heart, hot and painful.

    ¡°Mr. Qin, Miss Jin is straightforward, I¡¯ll apologize for her.¡± Lu Xingjiu elegantly clasped his fist.

    ¡°I, Qin Shiyue, am indeed a poor teacher, so Miss Jin was not wrong.¡±

    Qin Shiyue returned the salute without being condescending. But the two men seemed like they were secretly competing with each other. Originally, I only wanted Lu Xingjiu and Qin Shiyue to be in conflict because of me, but it seemed that they were already in conflict without my help. I was on pins and needles as if I saw myself being swept up into a huge vortex.

    When I got home in the evening, I was still worried about Qin Shiyue, who had left the temple fair in a hurry, as if he had fled on purpose. I sat in front of the copper mirror to look at my own face, slightly pale face, petal-like small lips, a black waterfall cascading at the shoulders. Just that the eyebrows were slightly clustered, indescribable guilt written over it, causing distraction.

 CH 11

    The seventh of July was the Qixi Festival1The Qixi Festival, also known as the Qiqiao Festival, is a Chinese festival celebrating the annual meeting of the cowherd and weaver girl in mythology. The festival is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh lunisolar month on the Chinese calendar. The festival was derived from the worship of natural astrology.. Yue Xiaoman and Yu Ziyang went to see a movie, leaving me alone. At noon, I went inside the shrine to buy the four treasures of the writing room. As I went out, I saw a large number of soldiers surging towards the direction of the school which was located in the south of the city. Many people were pointing in that direction, saying that they heard the students of Jingde High School had committed a crime.

    I hastily called a rickshaw and rushed down to the school. The army had surrounded the Jingde High School. Similar to the last search of Ye Xin Girls¡¯ Middle School, many of the female students were curiously looking toward the boys¡¯ school. I immediately saw Yu Ziyang and Yue Xiaoman, who were being poked by a gun in their spines. The corners of Yu Ziyang¡¯s mouth were bleeding, staining the front lapel bright rose. Yue Xiaoman was crying and couldn¡¯t catch her breath. I was anxious to rush over but was stopped by the soldiers.

    ¡°Let go of Second Miss Ye??¡±

    Following the source of the voice, I saw Lu Xingjiu who was wearing a straight military uniform with a teasing smile hanging on the corner of his mouth.

    I had forgotten to act innocent and stupid and raised my chin in anger. ¡°Lu Xingjiu, what are you doing?¡±

    Lu Xingjiu also raised his chin. ¡°I¡¯m just doing my routine job, just catching two rebels.¡±

    ¡°They are not rebels. Xiaoman has been released by your father, which means she is innocent. They are my friends, I¡¯m going to tell Uncle Lu??¡±

    I tried to be nice again.

    Lu Xingjiu began to laugh. ¡°Bingqing, you are wrong. It was not my father who released Yue Xiaoman. It was me who did. Qin Shiyue came to tell my father about the 7th of July by the Willow Bridge, saying that the traitor was someone else. My father believed him, but I did not. However, I still let Yue Xiaoman go. This is called using a long line to catch a big fish. The handwriting on that letter was Yu Ziyang¡¯s. I had someone to follow him. A few days ago, he went to Qin Shiyue¡¯s apartment to thank him for saving his lover. It¡¯s July 7th by the willow bridge. Do you want us to block all the bridges with willow trees along the Shanghai River?¡±

    The man in front of me was not the oily-haired, untalented man that the outside world had made him out to be. Every time Fatty Lu arranged a date between him and a rich girl, it was at the Nine Fragrance House. And he always hid behind the curtain and made the oily-haired, sissy-looking singing man replace him as he hated those pretentious ladies. He also sent people to the Ye family with freshly baked pastries and a note saying hoping not to see you in the Nine Fragrance House next time.

    I was dumbfounded for a moment, seeing Qin Shiyue being escorted out of the school being tied by rope.

    Lu Xingjiu clasped his fist elegantly. ¡°Mr. Qin, you are not a poor teacher. It is I who underestimated you. You can break into us as a secret agent, what an astonishing ability.¡±

    Qin Shiyue¡¯s mouth was covered tightly, and he stared at me fiercely, as if he was accusing me. I just felt my whole body go cold, and it took a lot of courage to even breathe.

    Lu Xingjiu looked at me askance, revealing an evil aura. ¡°My little Bingqing, you should not plead anything for him. Your father should now be invited by my people to be a guest at the Lu mansion. Since he had committed a crime, the students and teachers in his school have also committed crimes. They can¡¯t escape from it.¡±

    Lu Xingjiu was completely crazy, I had no idea what he was trying to do. It seemed that in a flash, everything changed. The crisis lurking in the calm surface erupted, and we were all tightly bound like silkworms, powerless to break free.

    ¡°What do you want to do?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know what I want.¡± He came over and flirtatiously picked up my chin with his fingers, admiring it carefully. ¡°But I kind of want you now.¡±

    I took a frightened step back. I knew that Lu Xingjiu was not joking, and the look in his eyes told me that any woman he wanted, he must obtain. I¡¯d rather stick to guns.

    Additional Note:

 CH 12

    Yue Xiaoman¡¯s old father fell ill when he learned that his daughter had been arrested again. Her superstitious mother said the mansion was in total disarray and spent a large sum of money to hire a Taoist priest to perform a spell, causing the whole street to be perturbed. Father asked Mother to send precious herbs and tonic, and they were returned intact by the old antique. He also told her to convey a message: ¡®Anyway, their daughter may not escape death, they should forget about it since there was no hope.¡¯

    I wanted to take the gift to them personally, but as soon as I came out, I ran into the Lu family carrying the bride price at the entrance of the alley. Attracted by gongs and firecrackers, children rushed out of their homes, chasing them all the way to ask for money. The leader was the captain of team four, Zhang Shun. Lu Xingjiu was sitting in the back of the foreign car. Through the glass window, one could see his smiling face.

    I was so frightened that I ran home in a panic, my heart was perplexed. I thought Lu Xingxiang was just joking. I didn¡¯t expect to see the family so soon, or such an exorbitant display. Mother told the housekeeper to go outside and block the door, saying that the door would be opened when I was ready. Father went to the store to collect the bills, leaving a house full of women with no one to take charge.

    ¡°My little ancestor, just stop shaking, Mom¡¯s head is spinning.¡± Mother¡¯s eyes carried a deep anxiousness. The white silk handkerchief had long soaked with sweat from her hands.

    ¡°The bride price of the Lu family has already been carried to our entrance. Whether you agree or not, you should at least give a reply, the whole family is waiting for you!¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡± Second Yitai smiled and said, ¡°Since ancient times, when a man is married to a woman, it is under the order of a woman¡¯s parents that the matchmaker speaks. Once you open your mouth, the matter will be settled. Bingqing is young and doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s important, so if she offends someone like Colonel Lu, I don¡¯t know how much trouble she¡¯ll cause for the Master.¡±

    Third Yitai was about to say something back when a man suddenly walked into the outer hall. The housekeeper wiped his cold sweat and said, ¡°Madam, this young lady insists on coming in?¡±

    The woman who came in had high eyebrows and was only lightly powdered, but she was really attractive. She was wearing a uniquely intricate cheongsam with a golden silk brocade base covered with rich pink peonies paired with the golden high heels which made her legs straight and slender.

    She giggled and said, ¡°Second Miss is really a noblewoman who forgets things. The other day at the Nine Fragrance House, I, Jin Ruyi, met you, and yet, she does not recognize me now.¡±

    I said, ¡°How so kind, Miss Jin.¡±

    I greeted her warmly and sat down, and the servant made tea. I explained the reason to the family, and Yu Jie, despite being a well-educated lady, went upstairs holding up her skirt like an uncultured wild child.

    The golden girl didn¡¯t seem to care much about masking her amusement and smiled brightly. ¡°Just heard this wife say the words of the matchmaker were parent¡¯s orders. The young master and the second young lady are in love. Young people these days do not like those old traditions, but the Ye family and the Lu family are both dignified and can not let people gossip. We still have to follow the rituals for the official marriage and choose an auspicious day to complete the deed. This iron needs to be struck while it is still hot1.¡±

    Third Yitai couldn¡¯t resist saying, ¡°Our Bingqing met Young Master Lu just once, how can they be in love?¡±

    Miss Jin sighed in a decent manner. ¡°This is what happens when young people get together, isn¡¯t it all about love at first sight now?¡±

    All the inquiring eyes drifted toward me. My heart was like a nest of ants, crawling with restlessness. I told myself, I must be calm. Now Yue Xiaoman, Yu Ziyang, and Qin Shiyue are all in his hands. If I reject the marriage in such a hasty manner, it will definitely make the Lu family lose face. When the time comes, it will be difficult to help them. I think I must be crazy, Qin Shiyue is a real secret agent. He sent someone to kidnap me to set up the seventh of July by the willow bridge, and he told all of this to the road school. And here I was worried about his safety.

    ¡°Bingqing, what the hell is going on?¡±

    Mother¡¯s face was a little embarrassed. To meet once and then become lovers, in their old-fashioned minds, was only a frivolous woman from an uncultured family that could do that.

    I lowered my head and mumbled for a long time before I flung out a stiff sentence, ¡°Mom, this marriage, I shall accept.¡±

 CH 13

    Six large boxes of dowry lined up in the outer hall, filled with jade jewelry, silk, gold bars, and bricks, ancient paintings, precious herbs, several land titles, and acres of property. Lu Xingjiu talked well and courteously, and in just a few minutes, he captured the hearts of the Ye family women. Especially Second Yitai, who was never so aware of the big picture, only focused on praising me but did not say any mean words.

    I felt overwhelmed by everyone¡¯s praise of ¡®Our Bingqing¡¯.

    Lu Xingjiu was indeed hypocritical enough, pretending that we were in love, casting affectionate glances at me, and said to my mother, ¡°Aunt Ye, you can rest assured. I will help you take good care of Bingqing.¡±

    Mother was so coaxed by him, and as if I was going to marry tomorrow, she even incited a few tears. Only the third yitai was still sensible and sent the housekeeper out to reward the group of soldiers who followed the bride price. When Father came back, it was already about half an hour since Lu Xingxiang had left. Second Yitai was smiling and discussing jewelry with me, and when she saw Father, she shouted, ¡°Master, the Lu family has a huge family fortune, Bingqing would not suffer from marrying into that family.¡±

    Third Yitai sneered, ¡°As soon as these boxes of bride price were pushed through the door, it became our Bingqing in the second sister¡¯s mouth when we usually do not see that much affection before.¡±

    Without scolding anyone, Father watched his mistresses fighting and then simply went upstairs.

    Mother came out to round up the situation. ¡°I don¡¯t want to say anything much. The business of the store has gone wrong, foreign goods are all over the market, so Master¡¯s heart is already bothered enough. Bingqing¡¯s marriage is too sudden. When we are married to the Ye family, the bride price sent by the Master was not less than these. Don¡¯t be like those who haven¡¯t seen the world and ask for this and that only to disgrace yourself. Housekeeper, carry the things upstairs so that they would not become an eyesore.¡±

    Immediately, Second Yitai¡¯s face had an unnatural dark hue when scolded. She turned her head back upstairs and went to sleep, not forgetting to take two pieces of jewelry before leaving.

    After that, I went to the back garden swing, sitting listlessly. Didn¡¯t know when Yujie also came out and joined me sitting beside me to enjoy the flowers together.

    ¡°That Jin Ruyi is not a good person.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Sister, you know Miss Jin?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen her. She¡¯s been in and out of Shanghai and parliament all day, and almost all the young masters from rich families have been involved with her. She is pretty and also has some sleight of hand. Previously, some rich merchants wanted to marry her as a concubine but all were refused by her.¡± Ye Yujie said indignantly, ¡°She also seduced my Du Yi, but he had no interest in that kind of polluted girl.¡±

    I sighed, my features squeezed together in despair. ¡°I also hope she seduces Lu Xingjiu away, but that little sneaky boy, I really don¡¯t know what kind of evil possessed him, really came here to propose marriage. Now both my good friend and my¡­ teacher are in his hands. If I refuse him, it will be difficult to save them.¡±

    ¡°You mean Qin Shiyue?¡±

    ¡°Um.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t he a secret agent? Bingqing, why are you still so attached to him? Maybe it¡¯s Fatty Lu¡¯s bitter ploy just to make you the daughter-in-law of the Lu family.¡±

    Ye Yujie¡¯s words took me by surprise. Shocked, I almost fell off the swing, my mind went blank. Yujie looked at me before covering her mouth, and laughed. ¡°You, a clever girl, did such a stupid thing. How could you throw that kind of thing casually into the waste paper basket? That day my earrings fell into the paper basket. I only looked a little more carefully as I searched for them and became curious when I saw your torn-in-half secret letter.¡±

    I was so anxious that I almost jumped up. ¡°Sister, don¡¯t talk nonsense about this kind of thing. Otherwise, Qin Shiyue will surely die.¡±

    Yujie shook her head. ¡°It seems that you are really attached to that Qin Shiyue, that¡¯s why you committed this stupid act. Since someone from the revolutionary party reported him as a nationalist party, and it¡¯s the nationalist party that¡¯s arresting him now, what are you afraid of? I¡¯ve been with Du Yi for so long, I know some of the rules of their higher levels. The identity of these secret agents is absolutely confidential, except for the top leaders. I just need to tell Du Yi the content of the secret letter. His father is a major general so it is not difficult to ask for a person from Fatty Lu.¡±

    With that, my heart was enlightened. As long as the people who arrested him were not from the revolutionary party, I was not helpless.

    ¡°Yeah, how did I get so stupid?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because you care about him, so you can¡¯t analyze things calmly when you meet them. If you¡¯re in love with someone like I am, you should not let go of what you should do. Even knowing that it is wrong, you will still keep making mistakes blindly.¡±

    A cloud of gloom suddenly rose between Yujie¡¯s eyebrows, and her beautiful eyes seemed to be lit by starlight.

    ¡°Are you saying that because you are in love with Du Yi, you have restrictions?¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything.¡±

    Yujie suddenly smiled again, her eyes were suddenly bright and dark.

    Before, Third Yitai had said that Yujie was like a ripe red cherry, sweet-mouthed and well-behaved and sweet. And she was like a green plum, looked cute and delicious, but stubborn and cold hard.

    Just now, in front of me, Yujie looked like she was just using the blushing face to cover her astringency. Once you take a bite, you find it sour enough to spit it out.

 CH 14

    The old maid of the family boiled chicken soup and made a few luxurious snacks. I took my maid and rushed to the Lu family mansion to see Qin Shiyue and Yue Xiaoman. On the way, I carefully calculated that, if someone blocks my path, I would take the stance of a Lu family¡¯s future young mistress to curse them bloodily. Those rascals should know how to behave and should allow me in cheerfully.

    Upon reaching there, the cell was quite quiet, separated by iron bars one by one, and many people lay either dead or dying inside. The air was filled with an intense smell of burnt fumes and blood.

    This was a paradise for flies, mosquitoes, and cockroaches.

    Fat rats roaming on the ground frightened my poor maid.

    Yue Xiaoman and Yu Ziyang were locked in the same cell. Neither of them was tortured, they just smelled rancid because they hadn¡¯t bathed for days.

    Yue Xiaoman saw me and pounced on me nervously. ¡°Bingqing, what are you doing here? Is there any news about Teacher Qin?¡±

    ¡°Qin Shiyue was not locked up with you?¡±

    ¡°Originally, yes, but the other day, some Frenchmen came and took him away. When he was leaving, he said that he told us not to worry and that someone would surely come to save us.¡± Yue Xiaoman said, ¡°Could it be that Teacher Qin has met with an accident and is now dead?¡±

    The muscles on my face twitched twice with difficulty at that possibility. Maybe Qin Shiyue was killed secretly and died soundlessly. But at this moment I could not blindly guess what was going on. So I comforted her and said, ¡°No, eat the snacks first and reserve your strength. I am now the future young mistress of the Lu family. I would have to go back and discuss with my father if I want to save you.¡±

    Yu Ziyang, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly raised his head. ¡°Second Miss Ye, I would like to beg you to run to our Yu family, and when you see my big brother, please help me tell him not to come back here. It¡¯s just a waste of money for those sons-of-bitches guards.¡±

    It seemed that those guards also got a lot of benefits. No wonder even a torture device was not used.

    Naturally, I had never gone to the Yu house so I went back home to ask the third yitai. She used to be in the tailor store and had dealt with the Yu family. The tailor shop asked for a small number of goods, and the Yu family master refused to send them so she had to go to fetch them herself. When she heard I was going to Yu¡¯s house, Third Yitai gave me detailed instructions. ¡°Don¡¯t stay too long, just finish what you have to say and come back. It¡¯s been a long time since Master had dinner at home, and he¡¯s rarely free. Your Mother and Second Yitai have taken the children to the Baxian Bridge to watch a play and will be back early for dinner, so don¡¯t delay too long.¡±

    ¡°The Yu family is not something out of this world. Besides, I only met with them on New Year¡¯s Eve, so I would come back after conveying the message, so don¡¯t worry, Ling Yi.¡±

    The Yu family store was located at the entrance of the alley, and the red paint on the signboard was already battered. Although foreign cloth was more expensive than local clothing, Shanghai people, who liked new and fashionable things, always thought that things shipped from the other side of the sea were more expensive but better.

    Looking inside, the old shopkeeper was sleeping on the case, and the lack of business was indeed uninspiring.

    ¡°Old man, is Yu Zifan here?¡±

    The old shopkeeper raised his head to pick up the old-fashioned reading glasses and wiped them slowly while asking. ¡°Is it an order? Our Young Master is busy, if the quantity is small, I can handle it. The prices are clearly marked.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for him for something else, is he in?¡±

    The old shopkeeper put on the old-fashioned glasses, squeezed his eyes hard, trying hard to hold up the sagging eyelids, and let out a gasp in his throat. ¡°Yo, isn¡¯t this the Ye family¡¯s Second Young Lady? What brings you here? My old man¡¯s eyes are so clumsy, I¡¯ll ask the young master to come out.¡±

    Before the old shopkeeper went in, I heard a woman¡¯s shrill voice coming out from inside, ¡°It¡¯s an evil wind that does no man any good. Uncle Fu, you doze off as soon as you look at the store. It seems that you really have to go back to the countryside to retire!¡±

    She was a typical Shanghai woman, with a pair of thin and shrewd phoenix eyes, wearing a cheongsam revealing a small waist that looked like you could grab with your hands. Her lips were very thin, like two blades, so the old boss did not dare to say anything or come back to settle scores.

    ¡°Zifan just went out, I am his wife. I go to Master Ye and Mrs. Ye to pay my respects on New year¡¯s Eve. I heard you just came back from abroad, so naturally, you haven¡¯t seen me.¡±

    The first young mistress of the Yu family covered her mouth and smiled without the slightest intention of inviting me in. ¡°I wonder what Second Miss is looking for Zifan for?¡±

    ¡°Yu Ziyang asked me to send a message not to go see him, so as not to waste money.¡±

    The sound of a teacup breaking suddenly came from inside the house, and the young mistress Yu¡¯s face immediately turned white as she scolded. ¡°It must be that unlucky cat that knocked over something again. We have troubled the Second Miss to make a trip here. I¡¯ll tell Zifan when he returns.¡±

    I felt that this woman¡¯s face was much disturbed as if she was hiding a secret. There were obviously some people in the house but they were hiding from the guests and sent the woman out to talk.

    As I looked at the woman wiggle her butt and go in, the maid beside me also noticed that the reception was not warm. She rolled her eyes and said, ¡°It¡¯s a waste for Master to take care of their business every year. Our Second Young Lady came over and was not even invited to have a cup of tea. This home is surely stingy.¡±

    ¡°Forget it, I can¡¯t drink this kind of crude tea either.¡±

    The horse with silver hooves was walking on the clear stone road as if playing the piano, which sounded very nice. But my mood was as heavy as the rainy sky.

 CH 15

    On our return, the old maid who others to the Eight Immortals Bridge stormed into the hall and pulled the butler¡¯s sleeve, even her nails were embedded in the flesh. The sweat on her forehead and the undulating flush on her face looked unusual. She then asked in a trembling voice, ¡°Housekeeper, has the Little Miss returned?¡±

    The housekeeper was taken aback when he saw her being so reckless in front of the Second Miss and the third yitai and unnaturally shrugged it off. ¡°Didn¡¯t you accompany Little Miss and follow the madam, the second yitai, and the young master to the opera?¡±

    Mother and Second Yitai then followed in. As soon as they came in to inquire whether Tao Tao had returned, the old maid sat on the floor with a thud and cried while muttering, ¡°I can¡¯t live, I can¡¯t live, this is truly going to cost my life.¡±

    It turned out that halfway through the play, Tao Tao made a fuss about wanting to eat the walnut cake of the Eight Treasure House. Thus, the old maid took Tao Tao out to buy it. But the roadside of the Eight Immortals Bridge was full of vendors selling candies and bamboo dragonflies. The child was just playful and sat on the roadside to watch cricket fights. The old maid saw that Little Miss was usually well-behaved and never wandered off so she left her and went into the Eight Treasure House to buy snacks. However, when she came out of the door, there was no sign of the Little Miss.

    Upon hearing this, Third Yitai¡¯s body swayed twice and almost fainted. The maid quickly went over to lead her inside to rest, but she shook her hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s getting dark. That child is lost and can not find her way back home. All should quickly go and look for her. Will definitely be able to bring her back.¡±

    After that, the whole family went out in a hurry. The housekeeper ran to the police station with Tao Tao¡¯s photo. Father also called the chief, ¡°Money was not a problem as long as my little girl was found.¡±

    That night, the whole family sat in the living room throughout the night. The sumptuous dinner prepared by the cook was hot and warm, but no one bothered to eat. In the early morning, Du Yi sent Yujie back and was shocked to see so many people. When she heard that Taotao was lost, her eyes turned red with anxiety. She said, ¡°I thought a lot of police officers outside were arresting prisoners. It seems that money makes it really easy to do things and that the director is not a fool.¡±

    When it was almost dawn, Second Yitai could not stay up any longer and went upstairs to rest. The underlings who had searched all night returned with a look of disappointment on their faces. Seeing this, my heart sank little by little as I felt that this was a bad omen. A thick layer of dew had fallen on the swing in the garden and the air was bone-chillingly cold.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Du Yi has gone back and sent someone to look for her too. He¡¯ll get her back for sure.¡± Although Yujie was reassuring me, deep down, she was also too worried to sleep.

    ¡°I¡¯m just afraid it¡¯s not as innocent as getting lost.¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s a kidnapping case, there¡¯s even less to fear as the kidnappers will just ask for money.¡± Yujie said angrily, ¡°Only, if they kidnap a child that young, they must be really snake-hearted.¡±

    I sighed, ¡°The world is getting worse. People¡¯s hearts are no longer good, these hearts have long transformed into jackals and tigers1.¡±

    As the two sisters pitied themselves, the moon faded into the deep blue of the velvet sky, leaving only a single star in the sky. Probably this atmosphere was depressing, and Yujie¡¯s voice was like swaying water plants rippling through the waves of dawn, ¡°Let me tell you a strange thing. When I went to Lu¡¯s house with Du Yi yesterday, I just sat in the car while Du Yi ran off to deal with my future brother-in-law.¡±

    ¡°Peh, who¡¯s your future brother-in-law?!¡±

    ¡°Young Master Lu!¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Lu Xingjiu told Du Yi that Qin Shiyue had been picked up by the French consulate. He certainly wouldn¡¯t joke with his father¡¯s official job. Just when did Qin Shiyue get involved with the Frenchs?¡±

    ¡°Then where did he go?¡±

    ¡°He has legs on him, how should I know where he went?¡± Yujie said, ¡°Now you can rest assured that your Mr. Qin is out of danger. It¡¯s just that Fatty Lu must hate the Du family to death. At first, Du Yi snatched his promising daughter-in-law, which was already a nuisance enough, and then he was blocked again by Du¡¯s residence to demand people. They¡¯re the kind of villains who will certainly not give up. But even if he died of anger, he can¡¯t help it. No matter how much he holds a grudge, a colonel still has to nod and bow when he sees a major general.¡±

    ¡°Careful sailing of the ten thousand-year boat2Careful sailing of the ten thousand year boat means: the fisherman can drive a boat for ten thousand years if he grasps the rudder carefully. It usually means that life tells us to be careful and cautious in everything we do in order to maintain a certain success. It also generally means that no matter what you do, you must think about it comprehensively, and take into account both negative and favorable factors., Sister, please tell Du Yi to be more on guard.¡±

    ¡°Naturally.¡±

    The sun was shining brightly, which made one dizzy, and the feeling of staying up late is really unbearable. One felt queasy so it¡¯s better to take a rest peacefully. Yujie and I went back to our rooms and slept for a long time only to hear the rain outside the window and then, the autumn breeze blew the window open and came into the white mosquito net.

    I didn¡¯t even put on my shoes and ran downstairs hastily to ask, ¡°How is it, has Tao Tao been found?¡±

    Third Yitai stayed up until mid-afternoon, and when she heard Tao Tao¡¯s name, she burst into tears again. Mother glared at me, gesturing to keep my mouth shut. Yujie had also gotten up and reeled me back upstairs.

    It was almost noon when a letter arrived through the postman, saying that 50,000 cash had to be deposited in a designated account and this would ensure Tao Tao¡¯s safety. Father directly went off to the bank and didn¡¯t dare to alert the police.

 CH 16

    Third Yitai¡¯s father came over in the evening and brought Father a coat and new cheongsams for the two wives and two girls. They were made of fashionable foreign cotton and had bright colors. Yu Zifan and his wife also came over to greet Father, saying that the Little Miss was blessed so she would be fine.

    Originally, I saw Yu Zifan leave through the front door with his wife, but when I went to the backyard to get my clothes, I saw him come in through the back door again. The third yitai had trouble talking to the second yitai and couldn¡¯t get used to hearing her babbling and singing about dancers. So she moved out to live in the big house in the backyard. The big house was originally mine and Yu Jie¡¯s when we were young, but since I had gone abroad, Yu Jie felt scared to live alone and moved in with her mother.

    Yu Zifan took a furtive look through the doorway. Seeing that no one was around, he slipped into the big house by the side of the wall hidden by trees.

    I heard the maid say that Third Yitai was about to collapse from exhaustion and had gone to her room to rest. My heart got flustered and I followed him.

    Yu Zifan went straight into the third yitai¡¯s bedroom and, outside the door, I heard a short cry of alarm from the third yitai, followed by a lowered voice; ¡°How did you get in here? Get out now!¡±

    Through the window paper, Yu Zifan leaned against the edge of the bed, his face full of panic. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I saw no one, thus came in. Yu Zhen has already gone back to the shop. I was worried about you, so I came to take a look.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m the wife of the Ye family. I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯re barging in like this without any discretion, if the maids were to bump into me, it would certainly be to my detriment. You are the one who pushed me through the Ye family¡¯s door with your own hands. It¡¯s been more than ten years. I don¡¯t know what kind of heart you can¡¯t let go of, but it¡¯s better to sweep the snow in front of your door, don¡¯t make people laugh1.¡± Third Yitai snorted coldly.

    ¡°Ling Yue, you still hate me.¡±

    The melancholy in Yu Zifan¡¯s eyes could indeed touch a woman¡¯s heart. On closer inspection, he must have been a luscious young man with white teeth and a bright smile ten years ago. At that time, Third Yitai was in the early stages of her love affair and hadn¡¯t seen many handsome young men in her tailor¡¯s shop, so it made sense that she would be charmed by him.

    ¡°Don¡¯t blow one¡¯s own trumpet2. Call me Third Yitai respectfully, and please kneel down when you come to pay your respects on New Year¡¯s Day. Don¡¯t come back in the future.¡±

    ¡°That day when Second Miss came to my shop and I wasn¡¯t there, Yuzhen lost her manners. I hope the third yitai will send a message of apology for me.¡±

    ¡°Humph, why should I apologize to you? Get out and let others hear what you just said.¡±

    Yu Zifan was scolded so much that he withdrew from the room with a white face, and seeing that no one was around, he slipped through the wall and went out through the back door again. If other people saw him, it would be hard to explain. Third Yitai was a person who knew the rules and would not do anything that would ruin the family¡¯s reputation. But she was also a good-looking person, and her youthful flings were, after all, a thing of the past; if it was a scar, it was better not to uncover it and let it fade away that way.

    Tao Tao¡¯s ransom had already been paid, and the messenger sent another letter while delivering the newspaper. The letter said: ¡®2 am at Liangqiao Hutong, you couldn¡¯t bring people or else the Little Miss will die¡¯.

    The whole family was terrified after reading it, but in any case, Tao Tao was still alive. The old maid was so frightened that she became ill and only spoke nonsense in a demented manner. Mother was good-hearted and did not blame her. She told the housekeeper to send her back to the country to recover from her illness. There was a new maid, Zi Tao, who was very clever, had long eyebrows, was a good cook, and spoke sweetly, so she was liked by the Master and Mistress as soon as she entered the house, and the other servants could not be more jealous.

    Zi Tao prepared the breakfast, so the family could finally have a meal in peace.

    The housekeeper took the newspaper and asked in a tense voice, ¡°Master, the newspaper says that there was a shooting at the Lu Mansion and many people died. Two of the Second Young Lady¡¯s friends were saved. The two families are now in-laws so should we go over and take a look?¡±

    I grabbed the newspaper. The sign of the Lu Mansion was riddled with bullets and a few puddles of murky blood outside the door, it looked messy.

    ¡°Great! Great!¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s great? That¡¯s your husband¡¯s house. How can my Ye Guangrong¡¯s daughter be so rude?¡±

    Yue Xiaoman, Yu Ziyang, and the aspiring men who were deep in prison were all rescued. I stuck out my tongue and packed my bag and went to the Lu Mansion with my father. People who died were all soldiers. Others were unharmed and well at home sipping Biluochun.

    I excused myself and said that I had school to attend since nothing happened, there was no need to stay there any longer.

    Lu Xingjiu still asked rhetorically, ¡°Didn¡¯t you take a break from school?¡±

    I told him that I was studying piano and etiquette, so I still had to attend classes.

 CH 17

    Liang Qiao alley.

    A dilapidated, rustic alley, inhabited by the local poor. It was a dead alley, even the old man who sold candy in the alleys didn¡¯t bother to go around inside twice.

    ¡°Ye Bingqing, what a coincidence, out to enjoy the moon?¡±

    It was the same damp night, the same narrow alleyway, the same bright moon overhead, and the same man in front of me. Where had he popped up from? He came and went without a trace as if he had been blown away by the wind. He was still so clean and good-looking, like the moon in the sky.

    The moon in the Qin period.

    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, too happy to see me speak?¡±

    ¡°What are you anyway?¡± I cocked my head, forgetting my disguised fake coy fondness, and looked at him innocently. ¡°You don¡¯t look like a secret agent, but you also don¡¯t look like a good person. Moreover, you¡¯re not just an ordinary teacher. You were even rescued by the French Consulate, you must be something more than that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never said I was a secret agent. Since you like me so much, I¡¯ll tell you.¡± Qin Shiyue put his hand behind my ear, and the faint smell of green tea wafted out. ¡°I¡¯m a French Chinese, so the Nationalist soldiers have no right to kill me. I¡¯m a liberal, and I can help whoever I want. Didn¡¯t I send a message to the revolutionaries to get Yue Xiaoman and Yu Ziyang out of here?¡±

    ¡°You¨C¡±

    ¡°Ye Bingqing, no, now it should be called Young Mistress Lu. What are you doing here in the middle of the night?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not Mrs. Lu. What about you, are you pretending to be a ghost and scaring people here in the middle of the night?¡±

    ¡°This is the French Concession, of course, I¡¯m here. Why don¡¯t you pretend to like me now, you little liar?¡± Qin Shiyue leaned against the wall and lit a cigarette. The scarlet fire flickered and the thin smoke choked me into a cough. I coughed so hard that tears spurted out of my eyes, like a spark under the cool moonlight.

    Qin Shiyue silently put out his cigarette and said, ¡°My flat is nearby, go up and take a rest.¡±

    I suddenly remembered why I had come to Liang Qiao alley and pushed him away. ¡°You should go, I have things to do. My father is around here, and he¡¯ll be here at two in the morning. It¡¯s nearly midnight now, so you¡¯d better go.¡±

    ¡°Did something happen?¡±

    ¡°My sister has been kidnapped and will be handed over at two in the morning.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s too dangerous for you to be alone.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll stay with you.¡±

    ¡°No! This will get my sister killed.¡±

    Qin Shiyue looked at me in exasperation, one hand clenched into a fist. ¡°Am I that useless in your eyes?¡±

    Thud!

    There was the sound of something hard crashing to the ground, coming from the deepest part of the alleyway. It was a dead-end, so it looked like someone had thrown something across the wall. Qin Shiyue and I looked at each other, then slowly walked deeper into the alleyway. At first, it was a small, shadowy mass, huddled under the root of the wall. Only when we got inside did we see a little girl tied up in knots, sitting under the wall, her tongue sticking out, her face blue, her eyes rolled up to show only the whites of her eyes as if she was accusing her murderer.

    That little girl was none other than Ye Tao Tao.

    I screamed and threw myself into Qin Shiyue¡¯s arms, tears pouring out like a breach of dyke.

 CH 18

    Tao Tao¡¯s body was carried back to the Ye family at dawn. The third yitai saw her daughter¡¯s tragic condition and fainted with a cry of grief. Father looked gloomy as the family sat in the hall crying and sighing, Qin Shiyue sat on the sofa, his brows furrowing in thought. The butler entered with red eyes and said, ¡°Little Miss¡¯s funeral hall has been arranged, please rest assured, Master.¡±

    Father nodded, took off his eyeglasses, and wiped them carefully with a soft cotton cloth, squinting his eyes. I knew father was just trying to hide the tears that were about to gush out. He was the head of the family, if he appeared too dejected at this time, it would only make the women in the family more scared.

    ¡°Mr. Qin, thank you for bringing my daughter back. After such an incident, the Ye family can¡¯t entertain the guest right now. Please don¡¯t take offense, Mr. Qin.¡±

    ¡°Uncle Ye, don¡¯t feel too bad. If there is anything I can do to help, I will do it.¡±

    ¡°My daughter, Ye Guangrong, cannot die in vain, I must find out this murderer, he must pay in blood!¡± Father slapped the table in anger and tea splashed out immediately, scaring the women in the hall to scurry together, curb their cries and sob cautiously.

    ¡°Uncle Ye, I heard Bingqing say that the 50,000 dollars requested by the murderer have been deposited into the bank. Generally, kidnapping is for money, but he won¡¯t tear up the ticket and get into trouble for himself after getting the money. Now it seems that there are only two possibilities. First, the murderer has a grudge against the Ye family, and their purpose is to create panic and empty the Ye family¡¯s wealth. If it is the first case, then the murderer will likely not stop here¨C¡± Qin Shiyue meaningfully looked at me and said,  ¡°The next target is likely to be your other daughter¨C ¡°

    The women in the hall cried even more. Mother was scared about losing more people. ¡°Then, Yujie and Bingqing are in great danger?¡±

    Father gave Mother a stern look and said to Qin Shiyue, ¡°Nobody should interrupt. Didn¡¯t Mr. Qin say there is also a second possibility?¡±

    Qin Shiyue curved his mouth. ¡°Aunt Ye, don¡¯t worry. The probability of the first possibility is still smaller. If Uncle Ye has an enemy, it must be a rival in the market. The Ye family has strong financial strength in business. The first lady¡¯s husband¡¯s family has power and influence, and the second lady¡¯s fiance¡¯s family has connections both ways. This almost accounted for the timing, location, and people. If it is really the business opponent, he would never even dare to think about it.¡±

    I sulked and said, ¡°Don¡¯t keep us guessing, go straight to the point.¡±

    ¡°The second possibility is a little simpler. That is, this murderer and the Ye family are very familiar. He knows the whereabouts of the Ye family, so it is easy to find the opportunity to take the little miss. After the murderer got the money, most likely the little miss saw his face. Because the murderer is an acquaintance, he was afraid that the little miss will reveal his identity, so he had to silence her.¡±

    I stood up from the chair, pulling Qin Shiyue on the way out. My mind suddenly flooded with broken and messy images.

    The letter asked for money, the bank account, the 50,000 present dollars, and the oddly colored cloth tied to Tao Tao¡¯s body.

    Tao Tao¡¯s funeral hall was located in the backyard. The housekeeper had written a letter of mourning for the servants to send back home to several grandfathers. In accordance with the ancestral tradition of the Ye family, if the unmarried daughter, unfortunately, died prematurely, she had to be buried in the ancestral grave of the Ye family. But, Tao Tao being the daughter of a concubine, could not enter the ancestral shrine, nor could she set up a spiritual hall. Father insisted that the spirit must be kept for seven days and then sent back home to the ancestral tomb for burial. I¡¯m afraid that when those old stubborn grandfathers would know, they would definitely make things difficult.

    Seeing me startled, Qin Shiyue comfortingly patted my shoulder and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be sad, your last gift to Tao Tao now is to find her killer and avenge her death.¡±

    I nodded, dried my tears, and said to the housekeeper, ¡°Where did you throw the little lady¡¯s torn clothes?¡±

    The housekeeper sighed and said, ¡°It has been burnt according to instructions given by the second lady. Why do you want it?¡±

    Qin Shiyue held my shoulders and said, ¡°You mean the cloth that tied Tao Tao¡¯s hands and feet? I remember the color of the flower. If I see it, I will be able to recognize it. We should go to the bank now to check that account to see if the money has been withdrawn.¡±

    I knew that what I needed right now was not sadness, but to use sadness to inspire inner strength. Qin Shiyue¡¯s good-looking eyes swirled like the moon. Although I still couldn¡¯t figure out the mystery in him, I firmly believe that the answer would be rewarding. I couldn¡¯t help but smile at him with tears in my eyes.

    I believe in him. This fact opened up my own eyes.

    Dwelling on established concepts is a prison that prevents the search for the truth, and the key to the prison is the heart, not the eyes.

    ¡°I thought who could make my fianc¨¦e laugh this time, it turns out to be Mr. Qin.¡± Lu Xingjiu, who I didn¡¯t know when he stood behind us, said that the words he uttered were not as friendly as the smile on his face. ¡°Qin Shiyue, a French-Chinese, how many secrets do you still have in you? If those secrets will bring you death, I advise you to hide them for a longer time.¡±

    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± Qin Shiyue¡¯s smile intensified. ¡°I am a French citizen. Chinese laws can¡¯t bind me yet. I am protected. If I run back to the consulate now and yell that the young master of the Lu Mansion has shot at me, guess what will happen?¡±

    Lu Xingjiu narrowed his eyes. ¡°You¡¯re afraid?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just afraid that you¡¯re not capable.¡±

    ¡°When the rat is hiding from the cat, he also has to be careful of the rat traps in the corners and the rat poison on the bread.¡± Lu Xingjiu said, ¡°Something happened to the father-in-law¡¯s family, so I won¡¯t keep you much longer. Mr. Qin, please.¡±

    ¡°Qin Shiyue and I are going to the bank.¡± I raised my chin to respond to him coldly, ¡°Young Master Lu, just keep your father-in-law company!¡±

    ¡°My little Bingqing is finally going to show her claws, but they need to be sharpened. Now they are so dull that they can¡¯t hurt anyone.¡± Lu Xingjiu¡¯s evil face fiercely enlarged in front of my eyes, his eyes were full of desire. Before I could look away, his lips quickly grazed my forehead.

    I was so angry that I turned blue seeing him go to the hall with a smug face.

    It was like being, kissed by a pig.

    I was so disgusted that I wiped it with my sleeve roughly and awkwardly dragged Qin Shiyue outside.

    Lu Xingjiu, I will let you know one day, even if you are a cat and Qin Shiyue is a mouse,  I, Ye Bingqing, is not a fish in your mouth.

 CH 19

    ¡°Sorry, Miss Ye. The information left by the customer is fake so we can¡¯t find the owner of this account at all. I can only tell you that the money has not been withdrawn.¡± Governor Liu said regretfully, ¡°Your father and I are old friends. Don¡¯t worry. If someone comes to withdraw this money, I will have him detained. About the murder of Little Miss, I feel very sad. I will definitely pay a visit someday.¡±

    ¡°I will pass on the message to my father. Thank you, Uncle Liu.¡±

    Without bothering to be polite, I pulled Qin Shiyue out of the door of the bank in a rush. The building full of money was so depressing that one could not breathe. I covered my chest and squatted on the curb gasping for air.

    ¡°Are you okay?¡± Qin Shiyue said with concern, ¡°If you don¡¯t feel well, go home and rest.¡±

    I forced a smile and said, ¡°I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t want to go home yet. The air outside is much fresher than at home.¡±

    ¡°Have you thought about it? Maybe, the murderer didn¡¯t kidnap Tao Tao for the 50,000 yuans, otherwise, how come he hasn¡¯t come to get it by now?¡± Qin Shiyue sneered: ¡°In my own opinion, the murderer, I¡¯m afraid, will not come to get the money.¡±

    ¡°Why? If they don¡¯t want money, is it really a feud with our Ye family?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps, it is for something else.¡± Qin Shiyue¡¯s gaze was so far and forlorn. His eyes were bloodshot with worry lines on his brows.

    Perhaps, because it was a night without rest, coupled with shock and sadness, at this time, my whole body felt like a person stepping on a ball of cotton. The dark circles under my eyes were so heavy that he insisted on sending me home first before he went back to the French Concession.

    The next day the maid sent a letter up. The envelope had this written on it: ¡®For Ye Bingqing¡¯s eyes only¡¯.

    I curiously opened the envelope. In it was a white paper on which was written: Xi Lai Teahouse left. The rest was a series of messy numbers.

    From downstairs, my mother called me to come down for dinner. I panicked and folded and stuffed it into my arms sleeves.

    In the stairway far away, I heard a woman¡¯s wailing cry, ¡°What a poor child. Master, do not feel too sad, it is the way of life¨C¡±

    The Yu family¡¯s youngest master Yu Zifan and youngest mistress Yu Zhen had come. Compared to the second yitai, this woman was a natural-born actress, tears flowing with extra sadness.

    Yu Zifan also had red eyes and looked at Ling Yue, who was sitting on the side with no expression, and said, ¡°Third Yitai is in mourning.¡±

    Third Yitai glanced at him lightly as a response.

    Mother told the couple to eat at home. Third Yitai was extraordinarily uncomfortable, but could not be angry. She could only hold the dishes in front of her. I naturally knew in my heart that there was a love affair between them, so I said indifferently, ¡°Young Master Yu is really thoughtful. Yu Ziyang seems to be wanted by the Nationalist Party, and you still have time to run here twice in three days.¡±

    ¡°Second Young Lady, a big thing had happened in the Ye family. Our family has enjoyed the patronage of the Ye master for so many years. It would be discourteous not to come.¡± Yu Zifan laughed awkwardly twice, still glancing at the third yitai out of the corner of his eye. ¡°I wonder if¡­any clue of the killer¡­¡±

    ¡°Not yet.¡±

    ¡°Oh.¡± Yu Zifan¡¯s face twitched oddly twice. ¡°The murderer shall not die well.¡±

    The words silenced the family, and the third yitai covered her mouth with a handkerchief and cried again. The dinner table was too depressing to stay when the housekeeper ran in and said, ¡°Master, Young Master Lu is here, and that Mr. Qin is here too¡­ They said they found the murderer¨C¡±

    ¡°Quickly invite them in!¡± Father¡¯s eyes instantly got a glow. The maid made tea and served it, and the two men sat facing each other looking at each other with playfulness on their faces. Yu Zifan and Yuzhen got up and said goodbye saying the store was busy. Lu Xingjiu asked, ¡°How come as soon as I come, someone wants to leave?¡±

    Yu Zifan was full of panic. ¡°Young Master Lu is quite serious, we were going to leave now.¡±

    ¡°That store of yours is deserted all day long, probably one old fellow is enough. Sit down, you and your wife sing the lead role of this play, how can we do it without you?¡±

    My heart had a bad feeling. Yu Zifan, Yu Ziyang, the third yitai, Tao Tao, 50,000 yuans. These seemingly unrelated people and things, if strung together, seem to be a complete clue.

    Why didn¡¯t I think of it?

    I quietly walked over to Qin Shiyue, who smiled at me and whispered, ¡°Since he wants to grab the credit, let him have it first.¡±

    Lu Xingjiu proudly looked at Qin Shiyue and said, ¡°Father-in-law, this matter really has to start from the seventh of July. On that day, I led people to arrest Qin Shiyue, Yu Ziyang, and Yue Xiaoman. At that time, I misunderstood Mr. Qin so I would like to apologize to Mr. Qin. I also blame my brothers who do not know the rules. WhenYoung Master Yu went to see his brother, The brothers asked for some money for drinks, so Young Master Yu thought he could handle some money. So, he went to bride a scum in our Lu mansion. That scum asked for 50,000 yuans to release Yu Ziyang¨C-¡°

    ¡°It¡¯s you¨C¡± The third yitai¡®s expression was like seeing a stern ghost. ¡°It¡¯s you!¡±

    ¡°Third Yitai, don¡¯t be in a hurry, just listen to me.¡± Lu Xingjiu¡¯s face fell a bit. ¡°I naturally do not know whether Yu Zifan kidnapped the young lady, but this 50,000 is not a small amount of money. Probably, with your Yu family¡¯s current situation, you can not get that much money. I always rely on evidence. This is all too coincidental, so we might as well ask Yu Zifan himself whether these two things are related or not.¡±

    Yu Zifan¡¯s legs went limp and he knelt on the ground loudly. He was so scared that his tongue was tied in knots and he stammered, ¡°No, no, I didn¡¯t kill Little Miss. I didn¡¯t kill Little Miss at all. I did kidnap Little Miss to extort money from Master Ye, no, Little Miss was kidnapped by someone else. I didn¡¯t mean to kidnap, I really did not kill Little Miss.¡±

    ¡°Then how did she die?¡± Lu Xingjiu smiled sarcastically.

    Yu Zifan was already incoherent, and his wife, Yu Zhen, saw that the matter had been revealed and knelt on the ground crying with pearly tears. ¡°Master and Madam, you have to believe us. Little Miss was really not killed by us. We just want to get 50,000 yuan to save Ziyang.¡±

    The third yitai suddenly lunged up like crazy but was stopped by dad, his hands shaking slightly. ¡°Ling Yue, don¡¯t dirty your hands. Lu nephew, send them to the police station. I want them to bury with my daughter!¡±

    Yu Zifan was at a loss for words and yelled at the third yitai, ¡°Tao Tao is my daughter. How could I kill her? Ling Yue, you have to believe me! She was still alive when I took her to Liangqiao Hutong.¡±

    Third Yitai¡®s face suddenly went white, her body was trembling like a broken leaf in the wind. ¡°What are you talking about¨C¡±

    Yu Zifan realized that he had said the wrong thing, but the words were already spilled water, and the despair on the third yitai¡®s face had completely betrayed her. Father¡¯s face was twisted with rage. ¡°Take him away from me, cut his tongue out, I want him dead!¡±

    Such a change of events was difficult for me to digest for a while. Yu Zifan was quickly dragged away and the hall was instantly quiet. Third Yitai timidly called out to Father. She knew that she could no longer hide, so she simply sat on the floor and stopped defending herself. After all, her daughter was already dead and her heart was already ashamed.

    ¡°Bitch!¡± Mother, who had always been very close to Third Yitai, suddenly snapped, ¡°Housekeeper, lock this bitch up in my room and send two people to keep a good eye on her!¡±

    The housekeeper took the word and went away. Third Aunt looked back at Father and sighed quietly.

 CH 20

    I first thought that the third yitai would be swept away and was considering whether to go and intercede for her when I saw Yujie coming out of Father¡¯s study. She must have been there for third yitai. She came out and said that Father was in a rage and said he would break her legs. I simply didn¡¯t go in either. Bringing up Ling Yue¡¯s name again must be adding fuel to the fire.

    Mother just nagged to the second yitai over and over again, ¡°Master is so good to her, how could she do something like that to degrade the family?¡±

    The second yitai¡®s face was a bit more comfortable, sneering and fiddling with her freshly done hair, saying, ¡°She was obviously a girl in love and that Yu Zifan was also a handsome childe at that time. The two of them cottoned to each other. How could it be that there is no affair between them?¡±

    ¡°I was wrong about her.¡± Mother said dejectedly, ¡°I persuaded Master to marry her, but I didn¡¯t know that Ling Yue already had someone else¡¯s seed in her belly when she married him. I thought Tao Tao was born prematurely, I didn¡¯t expect¡­¡±

    ¡°Forget it, her life is too hard to enjoy the blessings.¡± The second yitai pursed her mouth in contempt. ¡°I don¡¯t know what Master will do to her yet. But knowing that Taotao is a wild child, and has to be buried in our Ye family¡¯s ancestral grave, what kind of reasoning is this?¡±

    ¡°How can such a scandal be publicized? Where would we put our Ye family¡¯s face if this matter is revealed? The child is already dead. Don¡¯t be so full of nonsense. Her surname is Ye, so she is our Ye family¡¯s child. Of course, she should be buried in the ancestral tomb!¡±

    The second yitai sneered, ¡°However, Master was still cuckold. Bury it, it¡¯s none of my business. It¡¯s not that Master will feel aggrieved when he thinks about it? Sister is the backbone of the family. You still have to take care of everything yourself, who are you upset with?¡±

    The words were unpleasant, but Mother saw that it was a way to scold her for being a coward, for being bullied at the doorstep of the house and having to wipe someone else¡¯s ass. She was so angry that her face turned blue. She turned around and went upstairs, throwing out the words at the entrance of the stairs. ¡°No wonder Master doesn¡¯t treat you well, you deserve it!¡±

    Although the second yitai did not move on the surface, her fingertips trembled slightly, and she almost could not even squeeze the sunflower seeds.

    The housekeeper said that Mr. Qin was outside the gate and asked the second young lady to go out. Yujie heard it and giggled: ¡°Bingqing, you are an engaged person. Is it proper for you to go to Mr. Qin¡¯s house for tutoring?¡±

    ¡°What do you care about?¡± My face turned red as I ran out of the back garden as if fleeing.

    Qin Shiyue didn¡¯t look so happy. His plaid shirt was covered with dust. When he saw me, he said, ¡°I went to Liangqiao Hutong again. I suspect Tao Tao wasn¡¯t killed by Yu Zifan. The handprint on Tao Tao¡¯s neck is smaller than Yu Zifan¡¯s hand and bigger than his wife¡¯s hand.

    I gave him a blank look and said, ¡°Who do you suspect with the evidence?¡±

    Qin Shiyue was also deflated. We walked slowly along the street. He kicked the stones on the bluestone street, his hair slightly covered his eyes, and the fine light spread into his deep pool-like eyes. The young girl in his eyes wore a white dress, her long hair blowing in the wind, her pale lips slightly open, like a lily in its first bloom.

    I was so focused on looking at him that I didn¡¯t notice the car with its horn blaring. Qin Shiyue almost held me in his arms, only to hear the sound of the strong wind. The car driver rained curses at us about our not wanting to live anymore.

    It was so warm, his heart beating powerfully in his chest. As if it was the world¡¯s most beautiful melody.

    I could not stop smiling.

    ¡°Ye Bingqing, a car has scared you silly?¡±

    ¡°Huh?¡± When I came back to my senses, he was already laughing, laughing so much that I vainly bowed my head embarrassedly. My heart kept beating wildly. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid, it¡¯s you who¡¯s stupid.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not stupid.¡± Qin Shiyue narrowed his eyes and fiercely came to my face. I was so scared that I closed my eyes, thinking he was going to kiss me. My heart was in turmoil and I was at a loss for words as I bit my lip. I didn¡¯t expect him to just blow on my face and say, ¡°Why are you engaged if you don¡¯t like that little white boy? Is it because of the power of their family?¡±

    He did say this in a joking tone and had a cynical smile on his face.

    My heart seemed to be torn open. The wound was bleeding, and it hurt so much that I had tears running down my face. ¡°Power? I don¡¯t care about power! Isn¡¯t all of this because of you? I was worried that I wouldn¡¯t be able to save you if I refused him. Who knows you were rescued by the consulate people without even a grunt. It was all so unworthy! I really hate myself. After reading the secret letter, I thought you were a secret agent, but I still couldn¡¯t hate you. I really hate this feeling. I really hate myself for liking you¨C¡±

    ¡°Bingqing¡­¡± Qin Shiyue hesitantly stretched out his hand, a hidden struggle in his eyes.

    I took a big step back and lowered my head and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have said that to you, I should go¡­¡± I turned around but Qin Shiyue grabbed my hand. ¡°Bingqing, your appearance is really disrupting all my plans, what do I do with you?¡±

    I broke away from his hand and ran up along the street, tears spreading to the corners of my skirt, fainting into the shadows.

    If love is God¡¯s way of giving me sin, I have sinned beyond forgiveness.

    Qin Shiyue, if you are the only one who can save me. Are you willing to take my hand? Loving someone is so hard, it¡¯s all a sin given to us by God.

    Just walking aimlessly like this, suddenly, I remembered there was an important thing I had not done. I, Ye Bingqing, must be brain burnt out to be sad here for a man.

    No matter.

    On the left of Xi Lai teahouse was an opened bookstore. Wearing a green cloth coat was a girl sitting at the door reading a book. This was a very ordinary bookstore. I really didn¡¯t know what it had to do with that strange letter.

    ¡°Miss, do you want to buy books? The small store has a new batch of books. Do you want to see them?¡± The girl in the green cloth smiled back at me. ¡°Miss, if you have a book you want to buy, just look for it on the shelves. Each type of book is on a different numbered shelf, the shelves are labeled.¡±

    The bookshelves were indeed labeled with numbers, and upon closer inspection, each book was also labeled with a number.

    ¡°What¡¯s this number on the book for?¡± I asked curiously, ¡°It looks so chic.¡±

    A shy pear swirl appeared on the girl¡¯s face: ¡°There are too many kinds of books, so customers can¡¯t find them. It¡¯s easier to find them in separate categories. The number on the book is to prevent mistakes with a number. It was my grandfather¡¯s idea, he is a gentleman who teaches arithmetic.¡±

    I was so happy that I took out the letter and checked it carefully. That¡¯s right, it was a simple numbers game. On the 5th shelf, the number 275 book. I pulled out the book, and just reading the title took me by surprise.

    The Tengu.

    It¡¯s a mythology book about a heavenly dog eating the moon. I found the book, but I didn¡¯t know how to find the rest of the numbers. A letter full of numbers, it would really take some work to find the answer.

    Did the revolutionaries, codenamed Tengu, want to tell me something?

    I bought the book and hurried home, hoping to find what I was looking for in the book. I stopped a yellow cab and just got in it when I saw a handsome man in military uniform and a slender woman in a white cheongsam walking down from the car. The man was familiar to me, it was Ye Yujie¡¯s fianc¨¦, Du Ai, and the woman wasn¡¯t new either, it was the eight-faced Jin Ruyi of the Nine Fragrance House.

    Du Ai and Jin Ruyi consciously looked very intimate, talking and laughing, and disappeared in a flash at the entrance of the ballroom.

    I felt so strange in my heart, but I had no reason to follow. According to Yujie¡¯s words, that Jin girl had tried seducing  Du Ai, but Du Ai did not even glance at that dusty woman.

    I gritted my teeth and cursed at men for not being good things.

    This was just to think about it. Should I tell Yujie or not? I¡¯m afraid that she¡¯s so immersed in the ideal love that she may accidentally break her heart, but this is not what I want to see. Perhaps she might not believe it. She may think that I was dazzled.

    Women always like to deceive themselves.

 CH 21

    Tao Tao¡¯s mourning hall has been guarded for seven days. The grandfathers of the family were angry, saying that Father did not follow the rules of the ancestors. The third yitai¡®s betrayal was enough to break his heart, and he had to be reprimanded by the elders for guarding the spirit of a wild child. It¡¯s just that my father couldn¡¯t afford to lose face so he didn¡¯t send the third wife out.

    Since I went abroad, I have not returned to the Ye Family estate to worship my ancestors. The elders heard that I had returned to the country and wanted to see me. According to the custom of the old family, the betrothed should also send greetings to the elders.

    I had thought that Lu Xingjiu would reject it coldly because the Ye family estate was not a fun place to go and going there didn¡¯t make one an emperor. It was completely feudal to greet the elders every day in the morning to pay respects. But, the Ye family was a big family in the Ye family estate. This ancestral rule is absolute and must be followed.

    The next day, Lu Xingjiu asked the driver to drive over. He dressed up gracefully, making me anxious like an ant on a pot. Having to spend a week with him was more painful than going to jail. Mother said, ¡°Don¡¯t make a face like a dead person. Xingjiu is so good to you. You should cherish the blessing.¡±

    I suddenly missed Qin Shiyue a lot. If he knows that I am going to the Ye family estate with Lu Xingjiu to greet the elders, will he be sad?

    I sighed and leaned helplessly against the car. Lu Xingjiu went with the housekeeper to help carry food boxes. When did he get so easy-going, totally unlike that dangerous male animal?

    ¡°Bingqing¡­¡±

    Qin Shiyue? I looked back around nervously. I thought I heard his voice. There was no mistaking it, it was definitely his voice. The leaves at the corner of the tree were vaguely stained with blood. He did not dare to come out into the open. Behind the bushes, Qin Shiyue¡¯s shoulder was covered with blood. His face was a ghastly white color from the loss of blood.

    ¡°Qin Shiyue, how are you?¡± I was so scared that tears were about to fall.

    ¡°Someone is after me¡­ quickly¡­ hide me in the trunk of the car. The people who are after me might be coming¨C¡±

    Qin Shiyue¡¯s veins were rippling from the pain. I made sure no one was around before hiding him in the trunk. I calmly wiped clean the blood that had flowed outside the car.

    Lu Xingjiu¡¯s family servant came out of the Ye house with food boxes and went straight to the trunk. I was so scared that my heart almost jumped out of my throat and I fiercely attacked him. ¡°Hey, what are you doing?!¡±

    ¡°Second Miss, these are the food boxes that are bringing to the Ye family.¡±

    ¡°Take it away, take it away!¡± I blocked the front of the trunk door pretending to be angry. ¡°Don¡¯t think I do not know. These are all to be taken to the ancestors. They are for the dead to eat. These things should not be put in the same car where I and Lu Xingjiu would ride. How inauspicious? Just put it on the carriage and pull it over.¡±

    Lu Xingjiu curved the corner of his mouth with sarcasm. ¡°A lady who came back from overseas is still so superstitious. Interesting.¡±

    This guy was very alert. I was afraid I couldn¡¯t hide from his eyes for a long time so I pushed him to get into the car, winking and smiling. ¡°I like it. Brother Xingjiu, you are so generous. Although you are broad-minded, take good care of your woman. Do not let her run outside to hook up with men!¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be quite self-aware.¡± Lu Xingjiu laughed.

    ¡°I¡¯m talking about Jin Ruyi. She¡¯s cuddling with my brother-in-law-to-be, how indecent is that?¡± I panicked to hide my anxiety. Qin Shiyue looked like he was bleeding so much. I was so distraught I couldn¡¯t breathe. He must be okay.

    Lu Xingjiu frowned for a long time before saying, ¡°She¡¯s not my woman, you are.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not! Not in your dreams!¡± I yelled loudly. After yelling I regretted it. Was this for Lu Xingjiu, or for Qin Shiyue to hear?

    I lowered my head and sighed helplessly. I could only hope that Qin Shiyue would be fine and that nothing would happen to him.

    The driver had just left the gate of the Ye family. Through the window, a group of people wearing black masks with guns were running madly, while shooting and coming after the car. They must have discovered the blood by the place where we parked just now.

    ¡°Young master, someone is chasing us!¡± The driver said unhurriedly.

    ¡°Drive quickly and get rid of them!¡± As Lu Xingjiu said, a bullet grazed my ear and flew past. I was so scared that I screamed and was pinned to the seat by Lu Xingjiu.

    ¡°Damn, who are they?¡± Lu Xingjiu tightly shielded me.

    ¡°Young master, could it be the revolutionary party¡¯s assassination group? They only have two legs, they can¡¯t catch up with the car.¡±

    ¡°Revolutionary Party? Good, drive towards the Lu mansion. Let¡¯s see how many of them have the guts to chase! There are guns waiting for them there!¡± Lu Xingjiu was pleased with himself. If we really drive to Lu mansion, then Qin Shiyue will be in danger. No, I won¡¯t allow that to happen!

    ¡°Please, don¡¯t turn around.¡± My whole body flang into the arms of Lu Xingjiu with teary eyes. ¡°I¡¯m afraid of bleeding¡­ I¡¯m afraid¡­ Tao Tao is already dead. I¡¯m afraid to see death¡­ Xingjiu¡­ I am afraid¡­¡±

    Lu Xingjiu looked into my eyes, his eyes cold and harsh, like a snake quietly swimming into my heart to see which grass is fresh.

    He was a powerful hunter. Any uneasy expression on the face couldn¡¯t fool him.

    Through my tears, I saw him smile like a ghost. At this moment, I stopped breathing because his hands were choking me.