Chapter 35

35

Just as Wen Yan had expected, the calm was merely a superficial facade.

The three of them walked for about ten minutes. Sweat beaded thicker on Old Yang’s forehead, yet not a single rickshaw was in sight.

Perhaps spooked by the earlier gunshots, the rickshaw pullers had stayed far away, unwilling to risk their lives for a few coins.

Shen Po had been hauling books all day and was utterly exhausted. Normally, he would refuse to walk for ten minutes, let alone lift a foot, but by now he was completely numb, lacking even the energy to lose his temper.

【I remember, doesn’t Shanghai have public telephone booths now? Why don’t you call home and have your driver pick us up?】 Wen Yan suggested.

Shen Po said, 【Starting last year, four phone booths were installed across the city, but they’re all over in Zhabei and Jiangwan, nowhere near here. If only we had that gadget of yours, a cell phone, where you can just pick it up and dial whenever you want. How convenient would that be!】

No sooner had he finished complaining than his eyes lit up.

“There’s a rickshaw over there, quick!”

Without waiting for Old Chen and the others to react, he let go, dashed forward, and flagged down the passing rickshaw.

But seeing that someone among them was injured, the rickshaw puller looked even more panicked. Waving his hands frantically before Shen Po could say a word, he took off like a shot with his carriage, running as if rushing to be reincarnated.

Shen Po was left dumbfounded.

Old Chen walked over. “They heard the gunshots too. Everyone just wants to avoid trouble and steer clear of any mess. I remember there’s a medical kit at the Commercial Press. Why don’t we take him there? You two shouldn’t try heading back either; you won’t find anyone to take you anytime soon.”

It was a sensible plan.

Shen Po was terribly reluctant, being particular about sleeping in his own bed, not to mention that the Commercial Press would have no proper beds and the conditions were bound to be miserable.

But in the middle of the night, there was no alternative; it was not as if he could walk all the way home.

While Old Chen supported Old Yang by the roadside, Shen Po headed back to the small shop to let Zheng Sheng know and have him bring Old Yang’s daughter to meet up. The five of them would make do for the night at the Commercial Press. Taking Old Yang back to the shop after treating his foot would be troublesome and dangerous, so it was better to bring his daughter along as well.

It was not a long distance. Taking turns supporting Old Yang, they soon arrived at the Commercial Press.

Once the doors were shut, the thick walls seemed to shield them from the danger outside, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Back when Old Chen had fled all the way from Jinan, he had picked up a bit of bone-setting skill. Fetching the medical kit, he began examining Old Yang’s foot.

“The bone might have a slight hairline crack, but thankfully it’s not a full fracture. Still, you need to rest it properly. Don’t set up your stall for the next few days…”

“If I don’t set up my stall, how will I make a living…”

“Think about it. If it doesn’t heal right and you end up crippled, what will become of your daughter? You know how hard it is for a young girl in times like these. I speak from experience; my hometown was back in Jinan…”

Facing Old Yang the wonton vendor, Old Chen grew surprisingly talkative. The two spoke in low, rambling tones. Old Yang had initially felt awkward and guilty that so many people were bustling about in the middle of the night just for his foot.

Gradually, as their conversation deepened, Old Yang relaxed. He realized that Old Chen, just like him, was a man who had suffered a hard life.

Old Yang’s daughter nestled beside him, listening to the two elders. Even if she only half understood, she listened intently, showing a precocious maturity beyond her years.

Meanwhile, Shen Po was grumbling about the place where he was supposed to spend the night.

Old Chen offered up his own room, but the accommodations were truly nothing to boast of.

A tiny bed, cramped quarters, and stale air.

Not only Shen Po, but even Zheng Sheng frowned.

【This room is even shabbier than your faculty dorm! At least I was willing to lie down on your bed!】 Shen Po couldn’t resist complaining to Wen Yan.

“How about this, I’ll just make do in the front library tonight and won’t fight you for the bed,” Zheng Sheng said slowly.

“Thanks for your generosity, but what a coincidence, I was planning to sleep out front too!”

Shen Po sneered outwardly while his thoughts churned inwardly at the same time.

【Look at this guy! You kept praising him for his good grades and good manners, yet here he is being picky with Old Chen and turning his nose up at the living conditions!】

Wen Yan was speechless. 【What does getting good grades have to do with not being used to sleeping here? Aren’t you just as picky?】

Shen Po replied self-righteously, 【You praised him as if he were completely flawless, so he ought to do better than me. I’ve always been picky, so what is there to compare?】

With the five of them there, the library was noticeably livelier after all.

Old Chen brought out bedding, giving some to Old Yang’s daughter first, then handing a blanket to everyone else. Shen Po and Zheng Sheng found the blankets smelled too strongly and refused to use them, preferring instead to wrap themselves in their heavy coats and shiver in the front library.

Filled with books as it was, they could not use a charcoal stove, so they sat side by side beneath a row of bookshelves, using the books to block the draft.

Outside, another gunshot rang out, followed by a piercing scream.

The earlier cry had belonged to a man; this time, it was a woman’s voice.

Shen Po and Zheng Sheng stopped bickering and exchanged glances, falling silent at the exact same moment.

Pricking up their ears, they listened through the glass window to the sounds outside amidst the wind, temporarily oblivious to the chill seeping into their bones.

They listened for a long while, but nothing followed, as if that single scream had brought every story to an abrupt end.

Shen Po was itching with curiosity to know what had happened, but he understood that he could not step outside. Turning on the light, he pulled a novel off the shelf at random, yet after flipping through a few pages, he could not absorb a single word and had no choice but to chat with Wen Yan to pass the time.

【I just remembered, isn’t Old Chen always insisting on guarding the library? When that major event happens at the end of the month, will he still be staying here? Should we figure out a way to lure him away? Did you ever see what happened to Old Chen on your end?】

Wen Yan froze.

He searched his memory thoroughly, but after thinking for a long time, he could only shake his head.

In that cataclysm, aside from the world-shaking bloody battle and the bombing of the Commercial Press, what else was there?

There was also the desperate struggle of the 19th Route Army and the 5th Army, and a Shanghai subjected to relentless, indiscriminate bombing.

Among the tens of thousands of military and civilian casualties, so many bodies were never recovered, listed as “missing” even to this day. Whether Old Chen was one of them, who could possibly know?

【I don’t know.】

That was the only answer he could give Shen Po.

But Old Chen guarded the library day and night, and on that fateful night, he would surely be sleeping here. By all reason, how could he possibly be spared?

Shen Po understood the subtext of his words, yet surprisingly, he did not jump up shouting and clamoring as he usually would.

Zheng Sheng, of course, had not heard what Wen Yan said, but whatever thought crossed his mind left his expression grave. Clutching the book in his arms, his mind adrift, he stared blankly out into the pitch-black night.

No more gunshots rang out, but neither of them could sleep well.

Near dawn, the two of them dozed groggily against the table, padded cotton coats draped over them at some point by Old Chen.

Even so, when shaken awake, Shen Po still sneezed several times.

Old Chen set fried dough sticks and soybean milk on the table.

He had just gone out to buy them.

The fried dough sticks were still piping hot and crispy, bursting with rich oil at the first bite.

Shen Po felt as though he had come back to life.

Right after, he heard Old Chen speak.

“I went out and asked around. Things definitely went down last night, and more than one, at that.”

Shen Po and Zheng Sheng could not help pricking up their ears.

The gunshots were supposedly over a personal feud between a man and a woman, right outside the entrance of an underground dance hall.

A so-called underground dance hall was run by people with ties to both the underworld and official circles, though nothing too influential. They secretly opened the ballroom and slipped bribes to the police station, who would usually turn a blind eye.

“They said it was a crime of passion. When the patrol officers arrived this morning, there were two corpses on the ground, a man and a woman.”

Shen Po scoffed, “The shots were fired in the early morning hours, but they didn’t show up until broad daylight! The bodies were already cold as ice!”

Zheng Sheng also voiced his doubt, “We both heard several gunshots. In the end, only two people died?”

Old Chen said, “That’s what everyone’s saying. Some folks who went over to watch the commotion early this morning said the patrol dragged the two bodies away, and there were two pistols left on the ground.”

Shen Po said, “It’s too obvious. They just had to leave two guns at the scene!”

Old Chen shook his head. Who could say for sure?

Even if those two hadn’t died over a lovers’ quarrel and there was another motive behind it, would anyone step forward to clear their names?

Having lived for more than half a lifetime, what kind of bizarre affair had he not seen? Shanghai today was merely prosperous and peaceful on the surface.

“There’s another matter. Late last night, a fire broke out next door to Old Yang’s. The flames spread to Old Yang’s wonton shop and burned down half of it. Luckily, Old Yang and his daughter came over here, otherwise they’d have been in grave danger.”

Shen Po and Zheng Sheng were both shocked.

“Why didn’t we hear anything? That shop isn’t far from here at all!”

Old Chen said, “The fire started in the wing next door. Their younger son was afraid of the cold, so he placed a brazier by his bedside. When he got up in the night, he knocked it over without realizing and just went back to sleep. That room happened to border the room of Old Yang’s daughter, and both rooms caught fire. The flames weren’t large and were put out quickly, but their son got burned and has already been sent to the hospital.”

Last night’s gunshots had come in rapid succession, leaving many people on edge. Even if someone heard cries for help, they wouldn’t have dared to run outside. What was more, the library was upwind, with the wind blowing toward Old Yang’s shop, and the windows were tightly shut, carrying the noise away in the process.

It was fortunate the fire had been small. Had it been a raging blaze, the neighbors would have been forced to come out and fight it, and Shen Po and the others surely would have heard.

Through Shen Po’s perspective, Wen Yan quietly listened to their conversation.

It truly was fortunate.

If Old Yang’s daughter had been caught in last night’s fire, even if she had escaped serious harm, the medical bills for burns alone would have been a heavy blow for a family like Old Yang’s.

The joys and sorrows of millions of ordinary households like this were the unnoticed mist and dew on the eve of a tempest.

Old Yang also knew he had narrowly escaped disaster, and with lingering fear in his heart, he led his daughter over to express his thanks.

After breakfast, Zheng Sheng had to go to class, while Shen Po planned to head back and catch up on sleep.

Just as Zheng Sheng stood up, he seemed to remember something. “If I remember correctly, don’t you have class today too?”

Shen Po: “…”

Zheng Sheng asked, “Are you planning to skip class again?”

Shen Po replied, “Why do you have to say ‘again’?”

Zheng Sheng said, “Why do you think I said ‘again’?”

Shen Po said, “…I’ll go! I’ll go, alright!”

The main issue was that Zheng Sheng was a relative of his family. If Zheng Sheng turned around and complained to his parents, Shen Po would be in for a world of trouble.

To avoid his parents’ nagging, Shen Po rushed home, changed clothes without even taking time for a bath, told his family he had plans with Zheng Sheng, and dragged his driver, Xiao Wu, straight out the door.

Along the way, Xiao Wu half-complained and half-joked, “Young Master, did you find some new spot last night? Why didn’t you bring me along?”

Shen Po answered evasively, “After having dinner with the old man yesterday, I went to hang out with Zheng Sheng. We’re not conjoined twins, how could I bring you every single time?”

Xiao Wu said, “Lucky for me. If I were around, you definitely would’ve had me drive to a ballroom.”

Shen Po asked, “What do you mean by that?”

Xiao Wu said, “Young Master, you probably don’t know yet, but there was an explosion at the Firenze Ballroom last night.”

“Huh? What?!”

Half of Shen Po’s drowsiness vanished in an instant, and he felt as though he had plunged into an icy abyss.

“What happened? Who did it?”

Xiao Wu didn’t notice his strange reaction and kept his eyes on the road ahead. “No idea. Apparently someone smuggled explosives inside while Feng Xiaolu was singing on stage. You know Feng Xiaolu, right? That newly rising singer. Florence Ballroom brought her in for a residency from Monday to Thursday, so they say there were quite a lot of guests in the audience. Out of nowhere, one of the tables suddenly blew up, injuring several people on the spot. The patrons were terrified and scrambled to get out, and some got hurt in the stampede. Not sure how things are right now.”

Shen Po fell silent, growing restless and uneasy.

【Do you think the Japanese found out about Florence Ballroom’s connection to us?】 he asked Wen Yan.

Wen Yan: 【Mr. Feng is the type who walks the line between the underworld and legitimate circles. He has no shortage of friends and enemies. If the Japanese really wanted to send a warning, wouldn’t it be faster to target you directly? Unless…】

Shen Po was also somewhat puzzled: 【Unless Mr. Feng and Mr. Wang offended someone over another matter, but the timing is just too coincidental.】

The gunshots last night, the fire next door to Old Yang’s, the explosion at Florence Ballroom.

Regardless of whether it was a coincidence, one incident after another inevitably stirred suspicion and tension.

【Make sure to tell Old Du later to leave the books in the dock warehouse once they arrive. Don’t rush to make contact with Mr. Feng’s side, lest Old Du get dragged into this as well, putting the books in jeopardy too.】

Shen Po: 【I understand.】

After going through all this, he seemed to have matured quite a bit. He no longer had the heart for fooling around. Once he got to school, he obediently sat through an entire morning of classes. He listened to his classmates talk about how the Japanese had beaten the workers from Sanyou Industrial yesterday. A few campus activists wanted to stage a protest march, but in the end, it fizzled out into nothing. After all, no severe consequences had occurred, so everyone just vented a few curses and dispersed.

Countless drifting catkins and tiny petals were floating toward a single spot, gradually converging in the direction Wen Yan was so familiar with.

He knew full well that this day would eventually arrive, yet he still hoped it would come a little slower so he could do just a bit more.

Shen Po agreed to meet Zheng Sheng that evening to continue moving books. His excuse to his family was that coursework had become tight after transferring departments, so he was going over to Zheng Sheng’s place to study. Naturally, the Shen family was delighted to see their son turn back to the right path; spending time with a good student like Zheng Sheng was far better than going out to fool around with taxi dancers^[1].

For several days in a row, Shen Po headed to the library right after class. Zhang Yuanji thought he and Zheng Sheng were invested in the library’s repairs and construction. Touched by their dedication, the old gentleman had a hearty dinner cooked and sent over to them. That way, they no longer needed to order food from outside, and sometimes they could even invite Old Yang’s daughter to join them.

In the middle of the night, Old Yang would often cook a few bowls of steaming hot wontons and bring them over as a midnight snack.

The days were tense yet peaceful.

Minor incidents, like gunshots in the dead of night, happened occasionally.

On the twenty-third, a gang of thugs passed by the library, using alcohol as an excuse to cause trouble and trying to break inside to vandalize the place.

Old Chen couldn’t stop them on his own, and Zheng Sheng was just a frail scholar. At the critical moment, Shen Po’s quick wit saved the day. He dropped Old Du’s name, shouted a few underworld code words, and claimed to be Old Du’s sworn younger brother. That completely dazed and baffled the thugs, ultimately scaring them away.

Regardless of whether it was a coincidence, Old Chen and Zheng Sheng gradually came to accept Shen Po’s claim: the library was indeed unsafe. Leaving these books here was like leaving jewels unlocked, practically inviting crime.

While trying their best not to draw Zhang Yuanji’s attention, they could only move at most three crates of books a day, the vast majority being carefully selected, out-of-print editions.

When the calendar turned past the twenty-seventh, even the dull Zheng Sheng finally caught wind of something unusual in the air.