Chapter 36

36

Shen Po slept until he woke naturally.

He glanced at the clock; it was 11:38 AM.

Shen Po sprang up from the bed like a leaping carp, then froze in place.

After several seconds, he slowly lay back down and stretched lazily.

Last night, Shen Po hadn’t gotten home until three in the morning. As usual, he had been hanging around the Commercial Press with Zheng Sheng and the others until midnight, and the three of them had gone to Old Yang’s for a late-night snack before parting ways.

Over the span of ten-odd days, the three of them had organized and relocated fifty crates of books in total.

Because they had to line the crates with layers of oiled paper and soft cloth to prevent moisture and damage from bumps, while also keeping them easy to carry, a crate held at most twenty-odd volumes.

Compared to the entire Oriental Library, this quantity was naturally just a drop in the ocean.

But that was already the limit of what they could do.

After all, this relocation of books was kept entirely secret from Zhang Yuanji from start to finish.

Old Mr. Zhang cherished books like his own life. He inspected the place every two days, knowing down to the exact detail which books were added or missing.

Shen Po and the others had to disguise empty crates as filled ones to pull the wool over his eyes, but if they did this too often, it would undoubtedly arouse Zhang Yuanji’s suspicion.

What was more, all of this also had to be concealed from Japanese informants.

No one knew whether a pair of eyes was watching them from the shadows.

This task seemed simple, but executing it imposed a heavy psychological burden. High-strung every day, jumping at shadows at the slightest stir, having to act normal before others, and constantly checking whether they had slipped up, their mental pressure was enormous.

Shen Po had it relatively easy; he usually fooled around, and his family was long accustomed to it. The fact that he went to school on time during the day was already a blessing in Madam Shen’s eyes, and Father Shen had been leaving early and returning late lately, with no time to pry.

But a model student like Zheng Sheng returning home in the dead of night every day inevitably drew the attention of the Zheng family. The Zheng family strictly managed its household and never allowed its younger generation to loiter about outside. Fortunately, he invoked his maternal grandfather’s name to explain, and even had his elder brother come see for himself that he spent every day after school buried in the library, preventing any unexpected complications.

Zheng Sheng had no idea what might happen at the end of the month.

He felt there was still time, and that they could move even more books.

Even if they couldn’t relocate all of them, they could inform Zhang Yuanji about the rest later. Even if the old man was forced to compromise with the Japanese, in his heart, he would certainly prefer that whatever the Japanese “borrowed” were the less valuable volumes.

So, while he was also tense, he did not share the anxiety that plagued Shen Po and Wen Yan.

As for Old Chen, though he hadn’t read as many books as Zheng Sheng, nor did he come from a family of officials who had seen grand scenes like Shen Po, he simply judged from his own family’s experiences and his years of life that the Japanese would never let things rest, and thus supported Shen Po and Zheng Sheng’s actions.

Three people, different backgrounds, different mindsets.

As for Shen Po, he rolled across the bed with his quilt in his arms, preparing to catch a little more sleep.

A knock came at the door.

“Young Master, it’s time for lunch. Madam is asking if you’d like to get up and eat?”

Shen Po buried his face in the quilt without moving an inch.

“No need, don’t wait for me.”

Right after answering, he felt something was off.

Usually around this time, Madam Shen would have already gone out to play mahjong with her friends. Why was she still at home having lunch?

Could her wealthy lady friends have come over for a gathering?

No, if those ladies were here, it would never be this quiet; their chattering racket would have reached him long ago.

A few minutes later, the servant knocked again.

“Young Master, the Master is here too, and he wants you to come downstairs for lunch.”

Shen Po: …

He knew it! His mother wouldn’t call him down for lunch for no reason!

But the old man usually left early in the morning. Especially over the past few days, leaving early and returning late, father and son hadn’t crossed paths once. Why was today so abnormal?

Shen Po suddenly recalled that the last time the whole family had gathered around the dining table was when they received the terrible news about his eldest brother, and his heart sank.

【What do you think the old man wants with me?】 he couldn’t help asking Wen Yan, unease gripping him.

【Probably nothing,】 Wen Yan replied absently, lost in his own thoughts.

Finding that unhelpful, Shen Po dawdled as he got dressed before ambling downstairs.

He thought he was in for another scolding, but surprisingly, none came.

His father and mother sat by the dining table. Seeing him walk down, the latter shot him a meaningful glance.

Shen Po understood. It meant Father Shen was in a foul mood, so he shouldn’t talk back.

Two hot dishes were already on the table, freshly served.

Having slept past mealtime, Shen Po hadn’t felt hungry, but at the sight of his favorite sweet-and-sour ribs, his stomach began to stir again.

He glanced at Father Shen.

His face was dark, but he wasn’t paying attention to him.

Excellent.

Shen Po quietly reached out with his chopsticks and struck with precision.

“You’ve been leaving early and returning late every day lately. Where have you been going?”

Father Shen spoke abruptly, startling Shen Po so badly he nearly dropped his chopsticks.

“Huh?” Feeling guilty, Shen Po uncharacteristically stammered, “N-nothing. I was at the Commercial Press, at Granduncle’s place.”

He thought the old man would definitely interrogate him, but surprisingly, he didn’t. He seemed to have asked offhandedly, not even caring what Shen Po answered, and promptly began spacing out at the dishes before him.

Madam Shen chimed in, “The boy has grown much more sensible lately. He often goes to the Commercial Press to help Old Zhang, and Old Zhang values him too. Look, even Zheng Sheng spends time with him now. What do you still have to worry about?”

Father Shen didn’t say a word, only sighing.

“School is on break anyway, so stay home as much as possible right now. You too, stop gathering with those mahjong partners of yours, and keep quiet!”

The latter half was naturally directed at Madam Shen.

Madam Shen didn’t understand how the fire had spread to her.

“Has something happened outside? You’ve been frowning for days now, and you barely eat anything each day.”

Father Shen hadn’t intended to say anything. He had no habit of discussing current affairs with family, and felt Madam Shen wouldn’t understand anyway. But the vague undercurrents today triggered his businessman’s intuition that trouble was brewing. His mood ebbed and flowed with worry, yet he had no one to confide in, which only troubled him further.

“Did you read yesterday’s newspaper?” After some thought, he decided to share a bit with his wife and son after all.

“I did. Something happened over in Harbin, and the report sounded quite horrifying. But it shouldn’t affect Shanghai, right? I heard people saying the Japanese warships are anchored outside the Huangpu River now. What are they trying to do? It’s probably just a bluff, right?”

It was not that Madam Shen was ignorant of current affairs; she simply lacked the opportunity to discuss them. Once Father Shen opened the topic, her questions came in an endless stream.

Father Shen did not answer these questions. Instead, he said, “A few days ago, after Minister Shigemitsu’s residence caught fire, the Japanese launched relentless protests, claiming the Chinese did it. They’ve been hurling insults and threats nonstop. Mayor Wu was terrified. I heard he sent an overnight dispatch requesting instructions from Nanjing, and he even summoned representatives from the various district chambers of commerce for a meeting.”

Shen Po could not hold back. “Wu Tiecheng isn’t planning to get on his knees, is he?!”

Father Shen opened his mouth as if to scold him, but realizing his son was like a dead pig unbothered by boiling water, he settled for giving Shen Po a fierce glare and continued, “The Japanese made four demands: an apology, compensation, arrests, and the banning of anti-Japanese organizations. The compensation and arrests are easy enough; Mayor Wu can manage those. But making a public apology wouldn’t just disgrace him alone. There are plenty of prominent and influential figures within those anti-Japanese groups, so all he could do was invite figures from all walks of life, hoping to reach a consensus so no one blames him afterward. Your father still carries some weight in the business world, so I was invited to attend and state my stance as well.”

Shen Po blurted out, “Wasn’t it because of Uncle’s influence?”

Father Shen: … If this son were not his own flesh and blood, he would have strangled him on the spot!

Unfortunately, Shen Po, acting like the foolish son of a landlord^[1], had no sense of reading the room. He pressed on, “And then? Dad, stop keeping us in suspense!”

Father Shen said, “At the time, I thought the Japanese were pushing too far. Even regarding an apology, Mayor Wu might agree to offer amends privately, but publishing an open apology in the papers would severely damage our dignity, so it seemed unlikely. Who would have thought Mayor Wu would set the tone right from the start? He stated that Nanjing had already approved accepting the four demands, and hoped everyone present would understand the painstaking efforts of the Party and State^[2], going back to persuade the workers and students not to stir up any more trouble.”

What surprised Father Shen even more was that the vast majority of the community figures present actually agreed with Mayor Wu’s stance. They believed that as long as they kept the peace and avoided provoking the Japanese, the other side would take a step back in turn, allowing everyone to get along fine and keep making money.

People like Father Shen, who held dissenting views, believing that compromising would never satisfy the other side and that taking a firm stance before looking for an opportunity to negotiate terms would be better, turned out to be the outliers in the room.

“Afterward, I caught wind of something from Eldest Brother. Supposedly, Nanjing determined that the Japanese might be aiming to control the Yangtze River basin and push toward Nanjing, with Shanghai merely being their preliminary outpost. Terrified of sparking a conflict, they sent repeated telegrams ordering Mayor Wu to be patient and accommodating, warning that we must under no circumstances be the ones to initiate hostilities.”

Hearing this, Madam Shen was shocked. “Does that mean they really intend to make a move against Shanghai?”

Father Shen shook his head; clearly, he had no answer to that question either.

“I didn’t support agreeing to the four demands, but one hand alone cannot clap. A few others agreed with me, but none of us could change their minds. I even got into an argument with Eldest Brother over it.”

Shen Po’s uncle, Vice Mayor Shen, was obsessed with officialdom. He marched strictly to Nanjing’s tune. Though devoid of any real competence, the fact that he had held firmly onto his seat as the vice mayor of Shanghai for so many years was undoubtedly due to his knack for acting like a roly-poly toy^[3] that never tipped over.

Vice Mayor Shen would never go against Nanjing’s directives. Moreover, just like Executive Yuan President Wang^[4], he feared the Japanese’s burgeoning might. Thus, the moment he heard his younger brother raise objections, he sought to nip the idea in the bud immediately.

After so many years navigating the business world, for the first time, Father Shen felt an unpredictable helplessness, unsure of where to even begin.

Madam Shen only half understood, but she still urged him, “Eldest Brother means well for us, and he’s the pillar of our Shen family. Besides, this isn’t just about our household alone. Master, you should listen to Eldest Brother more.”

Father Shen shook his head, not wanting to say anything more.

He felt there had been no need to bring this up with his family in the first place; they did not understand at all.

If his eldest son, Shen Chong, were still alive, perhaps they could have discussed it a bit.

Just as he was about to stress that they shouldn’t run around outside over the next few days, he heard Shen Po speak.

“Compromise and concession will only show them China’s weakness, that we don’t want to and dare not go to war. The Japanese Monks Incident and the four demands before this were ultimately just probing actions. Now that the results of their probing are clear, they will definitely make a move, and they will surely cause massive turmoil!”