Chapter 323: Night Entertainment
In Lingao, the “moonlight clan”—those who spent their entire monthly salary—was a rarity. Whether naturalized citizens or natives, the vast majority came from impoverished backgrounds. It went without saying for those with families to support, but even single individuals were often diligent and frugal, saving every circulation coupon they could. In truth, life in Lingao was not easy. The wages paid by the Senate were quite “miserly” by the standards of the old world. However, in the “race to the bottom,” most people in this era were barely surviving, which made Lingao seem exceptionally superior, almost a paradise.
Li Yongxun’s life generally followed a pattern of “living lavishly in the first half of the month, and frugally in the second.” Ke Yun would always meet her at the end of the month, just before payday when money was tight, treat her to a good meal, and take her out for a stroll.
During these meetings, Ke Yun would always inquire in detail about her work, the operations of her department, and her colleagues. Li Yongxun would report everything truthfully. After the meeting, Ke Yun would, as a rule, give her a small “gift” as encouragement.
Li Yongxun worked in the National Police’s Household Registration Department for over two years like this. As the situation in Lingao expanded, her work became increasingly busy, and she was “temporarily seconded” to other departments for tasks more and more frequently, no longer limited to the interrogation department.
Overall, Li Yongxun performed excellently in the National Police, fully playing her role as a “re-educated former public servant.” Although she was still “used with caution” and remained an ordinary household registration officer without a formal position, her rank had been promoted to Probationary Commander, equivalent to a “warrant officer” in the military. In terms of administrative level, she was almost on par with Ke Yun.
Li Yongxun was quite satisfied with her current life: she was free, didn’t have to listen to her family’s nagging, and naturally, no one was forcing her to get married. Yet, she was still very homesick, missing her parents and fantasizing about whether she could bring her family to Lingao to live happily together.
But let alone going home, even writing a letter was impossible.
Besides, what could she even say if she did write a letter? The thought of her life in Lingao made her heart flutter with anxiety. Her father would surely be furious, and a severe beating with the family cane was a certainty. Just her skirt, her hair, and these clothes… That was one thing, but the crucial point was that she was now working for the Australians, which was tantamount to “betraying the court.” Although the Australians hadn’t officially turned against the court, the current situation was no different from a regional secession, and war with the court was inevitable sooner or later. Li Yongxun was not an ignorant peasant; she had a basic political understanding. Her actions were of the same nature as soldiers in Liaodong defecting to the Tartars. Her father, though a low-ranking official with a minor hereditary post, had always prized “loyalty” above all. If he knew she had “defected to the,” he would be beside himself with anger…
“I can only take it one step at a time,” Li Yongxun sighed once more. She opened a file, about to start work, when she heard footsteps. A clear voice spoke softly:
“Team Leader Li, I don’t quite understand this item…”
The speaker was a beautiful woman with a graceful demeanor. Her every word and action bespoke a good education. She was a graduate of the former Maid School, now the Women’s College of Arts and Sciences.
The work in the Household Registration Department was mostly routine, requiring literacy and meticulousness but not much else. Thus, after the Maid School was reformed into the Women’s College of Arts and Sciences, a large number of overdue “maid trainees awaiting assignment” who had been accumulating at the school were distributed. The National Police received a significant portion of them, most of whom were assigned to bolster the Household Registration Department.
With her seniority, Li Yongxun, though lacking a formal position, was appointed a team leader, responsible for a small group. Guiding and supervising these “newcomers” was her primary task.
“Let me see.” Li Yongxun took the document and began to explain the meaning of the item and how to fill it out. As she spoke, she suddenly noticed the girl’s skin was delicate, fair with a rosy undertone, and even with a focused expression, she looked utterly charming.
Li Yongxun’s heart felt as if it had been struck by something, and she was suddenly lost in a daze. This feeling lingered until it was almost time to get off work. As usual, there was no temporary overtime notice for today.
But just as the large pendulum clock in the office showed ten minutes to closing time, a messenger delivered an overtime notice.
Li Yongxun was stunned for a moment. She took it and saw it was an overtime order from the Public Order Department, notifying her to participate in a county-wide public security sweep that night.
“Come on, let’s go out for a stroll tonight, find some fun.”
Inside the Haixing Store, Wang Xinglong, having just received his pay, stuffed the envelope of circulation coupons into his pocket and winked at Lin Ming.
Lin Ming, of course, knew what he meant. The two often chatted when they had nothing to do, and inevitably, they would talk about the various novelties of Lingao. Wang Xinglong had said he wanted to take him to “open his eyes” and “see the world.” Lin Ming had no objection—familiarizing himself with the city’s conditions was also quite important.
That said, his pockets were far from full. He had only been working at Haixing for a few days, so he naturally wasn’t getting this month’s wages. Moreover, he had already taken an advance on his salary and would have to pay the shopkeeper back from next month’s pay. He had exchanged for some circulation coupons when he landed, but the amount was small, and he had to save it for emergencies.
However, he couldn’t very well refuse a colleague’s invitation. After all, this clerk Wang was his living map of Lingao. He had to rely on him for many things he didn’t understand.
“Will your sister be alright?”
“Haha, the places we’re going are not for women. But besides that, there are many other things to enjoy,” Wang Xinglong laughed. “Besides, Brother Lin, you’ve come here alone across the sea, you probably need to relax a bit.”
Lin Ming gave a dry chuckle. That was indeed true. It had been nearly half a year since he left Foshan. In the past, it was a life of nightly revelry, with a wife and four concubines taking turns to accompany him. The past six months had been exceptionally hard: heavy work, poor food, and not even a full night’s sleep on the ship. He hadn’t even “favored” his own five fingers, let alone a woman.
Now that he had settled down, the long-suppressed desires surged forth. He really did want it.
“Even so, I don’t have my salary this month…”
“No matter, it’s my treat. Next month, you can treat me, and we’ll be even,” Wang Xinglong said nonchalantly. “Don’t you worry, it won’t cost much.”
Since Wang Xinglong put it that way, Lin Ming no longer refused.
After work, the two returned to their respective dormitories to freshen up a bit, then set out together. As Lin Ming stepped out of his room, he saw Wang Jinchun hanging laundry in the courtyard. He felt a little awkward and gave a hasty greeting, just as Wang Xinglong also came out.
“Brother Lin, why didn’t you dress up a bit more? The girls will laugh at you if you go like this.”
“What? Going out to sow your wild oats again?” Wang Jinchun said, flinging a wet piece of clothing onto the bamboo pole.
“Not at all. I’m taking Brother Lin to see the sights,” Wang Xinglong said, not sharing Lin Ming’s embarrassment. “Brother Lin has been at sea for over half a year, he needs to relax and rejuvenate himself, doesn’t he…”
“Hmph, I’m talking about you,” Wang Jinchun snorted. “Big Brother Lin is a single man here, he can do whatever he wants. But you? Do you plan to just keep living in the shop and messing around?”
Wang Xinglong quickly said, “Don’t you worry, I have a plan, I have a plan.”
“A plan my ass,” Wang Jinchun spat. “Have you seen how much a square meter of housing costs here in Dongmen Market? Any land or house near the urban railway has its price going up daily. Even for an apartment, you’ll be saddled with a twenty-year loan. How many twenty years do you think you have in your life?”
“That’s why it needs long-term planning…”
“Long-term planning and still no results. Do you still think you’re the young master of a merchant family in Laizhou Prefecture, with plenty of money and grain at home? We siblings don’t have a single tile over our heads or an inch of land under our feet here. We’re living a rootless life. Don’t you feel anxious?” Wang Jinchun became agitated as she spoke.
“We’ll talk when we get back, we’ll talk when we get back…” Wang Xinglong, unable to win the argument with his sister, quickly grabbed Lin Ming and left. Lin Ming also felt extremely awkward, and the two fled as if escaping.
Once on the street, Lin Ming said uneasily, “I think maybe we shouldn’t go today…”
“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Wang Xinglong wiped the sweat from his forehead. “She was just angry for a moment. By the time we get back, she’ll have calmed down.”
I’m afraid she’ll be even angrier when we get back, Lin Ming thought. But since the man was so enthusiastic, he didn’t want to spoil his mood. He said, “Your sister has quite a temper.”
“She’s used to being wild,” Wang Xinglong said. “She’s my third uncle’s child, and from a concubine at that, so the family never raised her as a proper young lady. My third uncle has an estate in the countryside, and she grew up running wild with the boys and girls on the estate. She’s as feisty as they come. Otherwise, how could she have escaped from Laizhou with me? The ground was covered with mutinous soldiers and corpses, we couldn’t even find a clean drink of water! My poor family of over sixty people… by the time we reached Jinan, only the two of us were left.” He couldn’t help but sigh at this point, then smiled again. “Let’s not talk about such depressing things. At least we survived a great catastrophe and came to this paradise on earth, Lingao. Life is short, like the morning dew, the past is full of sorrows. We should enjoy it to the fullest, that’s the truth…”
“Brother Wang, your words are a bit too pessimistic…” Lin Ming had no real understanding of the Deng-Lai Rebellion. He only knew that rebellious generals had caused chaos and devastation. As for what that devastation was like, living in the prosperous and peaceful Foshan, he could not comprehend it. The most tragic sights he had ever seen were just starving corpses by the roadside and famished people with sallow faces. Thinking of the miserable plight of Wang Xinglong and his sister, fleeing all the way from that war-torn, ice-and-snow-covered land of Deng-Lai, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.
“Yes, yes, Brother Lin is right to lecture me.” Wang Xinglong nodded repeatedly. “So, the house can wait for now. We must seek our fun first.”