Chapter 397: The Farewell

That evening, the sunset clouds gradually faded, and a new moon rose.

Zhuo Yifan had met with Sima Qiudao again that day. Sima Qiudao had produced another letter from Old Man Shi. After reading it, Zhuo Yifan was greatly vexed. Even Sima Qiudao felt that Old Man Shi was going too far.

However, burdened with a heavy responsibility and in a precarious situation, he could think of no brilliant strategy and could only follow Old Man Shi’s arrangements.

But this act of going with the flow, though born of “necessity,” completely contradicted the principles he had always held, leaving him in a state of turmoil. After dinner, he went out from the inn alone to clear his head.

He had only intended to walk alone and calm his mind, but as if guided by a phantom, he found himself near the Dongmen Market Police Station again.

In recent days, he had been in frequent contact with Lian Nishang to gather information. Although they didn’t agree with each other’s views, over time, a subtle affection had grown between them.

With the operation just a few days away, Zhuo Yifan hadn’t come to see her. He hadn’t expected a casual stroll to lead him here.

Looking at the police carriage in front of the Dongmen Market Police Station, he couldn’t help but laugh at himself. I’m acting like a lovesick youth. Lian Nishang had probably already left work and gone home, yet here he was, coming to see her like a fool.

The thought that once the operation began tomorrow, he and Lian Nishang would be enemies, and that regardless of whether they met face to face, they would likely never see each other again in this life, filled him with a sense of heartache. He had met many women from the jianghu, from all walks of life, but none had left such an impression on his heart as Lian Nishang.

He wanted to bid her farewell, but he was afraid of accidentally revealing his secrets. He could only harden his heart and not seek her out.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, someone called out, “Yifan!”

Zhuo Yifan was startled. The voice was Lian Nishang’s. He turned to see her, already changed into a casual dress. Her usually neat short hair had grown a little longer and was held back by a black barrette studded with small diamonds, which glittered faintly under the streetlights.

It was clear she had put more effort into her casual attire than before. Zhuo Yifan naturally understood the saying “a woman adorns herself for the one who pleases her,” but now he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sorrow.

Zhuo Yifan and Lian Nishang walked side by side, slowly heading from the police station towards the river embankment. They often strolled and chatted in this area.

It was here that Zhuo Yifan had his first taste of kvass, ate ice cream, and had grilled skewers… The familiar street scene now filled him with a sense of melancholy.

Lian Nishang leaned against Zhuo Yifan, her eyes full of emotion. She suddenly swept back her hair, as if about to speak, but hesitated. Zhuo Yifan felt her orchid-like breath and his heart skipped a beat. He quickly moved away.

Lian Nishang smiled. “Are you still afraid of me?”

Zhuo Yifan said, “I don’t know why you would want others to be afraid of you.”

Lian Nishang said, “Didn’t you say I was raised by the Australians? I have no intention of making people fear me. Perhaps it’s because I don’t follow the rules of the Ming Dynasty that you’re afraid of me.” Zhuo Yifan suddenly sighed, thinking, Lian Nishang is beautiful and intelligent, like a natural piece of jade. It’s a pity no one has guided her onto the ‘right path’.

Lian Nishang asked, “Why are you sighing all of a sudden?”

Zhuo Yifan said, “With your skills and intelligence, why must you serve under the Australians?”

Lian Nishang’s expression changed. She said, “What’s wrong with the Australians? Lingao is much cleaner than the Ming Dynasty!”

Zhuo Yifan looked down without a word. Lian Nishang continued, “You’re not yourself today. You look like you have a lot on your mind. Is something wrong?”

Zhuo Yifan knew he couldn’t hide it. He said, “I received a letter from home. I’m going back to the mainland.”

Lian Nishang’s beautiful face furrowed slightly. “Didn’t your whole family move here? Why are you going back now?”

“I came here to settle my mother. My father is still an official on the mainland, so of course I have to go back,” Zhuo Yifan said, following the script he had prepared.

Lian Nishang was silent for a long time before asking, “Will you come back?”

“I don’t know…” Zhuo Yifan’s mind was in turmoil. He was speaking a mouthful of lies, yet he was saying them as if they were the truth. He couldn’t help but think to himself, Zhuo Yifan, oh Zhuo Yifan, I never thought you would get so deep into character!

“Is it not good here? Why do you have to go back?”

“Although this place is good, it is not my homeland.” Zhuo Yifan also felt that Lingao was good in every way, a veritable “paradise on earth.” No wonder the wealthy were willing to endure the harsh treatment of the Aussies to move here. Yet this paradise also made him feel very strange and fearful. The world the Aussies were creating in Lingao was one he was completely unfamiliar with and could not understand.

The common people, who only cared about being fed and clothed, naturally wouldn’t mind. But he knew what the true purpose of this band of Aussies was.

Not to change dynasties, not to become emperors, but to turn the Chinese into barbarians!

“What are your plans for the future? Do you still want to be an official, like your father, and sell your life for the old emperor?”

Although the reason for his return was fabricated, Zhuo Yifan’s father was indeed a “court-appointed official.” Hearing Lian Nishang speak this way, he couldn’t help but feel a little angry. “Being an official is not something just anyone can do. I don’t have that kind of ability.”

Lian Nishang sneered. “I think being an official in the Ming Dynasty is the easiest thing in the world. You just have to bully and exploit the poor to please the emperor.”

Zhuo Yifan shook his head. “You’ve gone too far. There are also great sages among the officials who truly care about the country and the people…”

Lian Nishang sneered. “Even if there are, they are pitifully few. As the saying goes, he who touches pitch shall be defiled. What kind of good person can survive in that environment?”

Zhuo Yifan said resolutely, “In this life, I will never be an official, but I will not be a robber or a thief either.”

Lian Nishang was furious. If anyone else had said this, she would have slapped them across the face long ago. She sneered, “Isn’t your father a robber?”

Zhuo Yifan said angrily, “How can they be robbers?”

Lian Nishang said, “Officials rob the poor to enrich the rich. The chiefs rob the rich to help the poor. They are all robbers! But our kind of robbers are much better than your kind!”

Lian Nishang paused for a moment and said, “My father was a Confucian scholar. He had a small piece of land and made a living by teaching and farming. Unexpectedly, a local powerful family coveted our land and also had designs on me. They colluded with the government and took our land. My father, being a man of integrity, was so angry that he died. I fled to Guangzhou with my old mother. It happened that the chiefs were doing charity work in Guangzhou and took my whole family in. Even the name ‘Lian Nishang’ was given to me by a chief. My independent personality was even accepted by a chief who was willing to hire me as an officer. My life now is much better than it was in the Ming Dynasty.”

Zhuo Yifan said, “I have heard of corrupt officials harming the people, but after all, they are only a minority. The current emperor is striving to govern well…”

Lian Nishang sneered. “A minority? Just look at all the poor people from all over the country who have come to seek refuge in Lingao. What have they all experienced! Which one of them hasn’t climbed out of the eighteen levels of hell?”

Zhuo Yifan said, “Fine, have it your way! But people have their own aspirations, and we shouldn’t force them!”

Lian Nishang’s body trembled slightly, deeply hurt. Seeing her eyes redden and tears welling up, Zhuo Yifan felt a surge of pity and couldn’t help but gently take her hand. “Our aspirations may be different, but our friendship will always be there.”

Lian Nishang asked sorrowfully, “When are you leaving?”

Zhuo Yifan said, “Tomorrow!”

Nishang sighed and said no more. After a long while, Zhuo Yifan changed the subject, asking Lian Nishang to talk about the strange and interesting things in Lingao, while he talked about the sights of the capital. Like old friends, they strolled and talked under the moon. Although neither dared to reveal their innermost thoughts, they came to understand each other much better. They talked late into the night. Seeing that it was almost ten o’clock, Zhuo Yifan bid Lian Nishang farewell. Knowing his determination to leave, Lian Nishang did not try to stop him. They said their goodbyes and parted with tears in their eyes.

“This situation is a hundred times more complex than we anticipated,” Li Yiyang said anxiously, standing on the top floor of the “Fire Prevention Command Tower” in the “Dongmen Market Emergency Response Headquarters,” looking at the stream of people flowing towards the stadium outside the large glass window. “It’s not a rest day today, is it? How can there be so many idle people?”

This five-story tower, built mainly of red brick with stone trim, was 30 meters tall, the tallest building in both Dongmen Market and Lingao County. Located almost in the center, its main purpose was to provide 24-hour fire and security surveillance for the entire Dongmen Market, coordinating resources through telephone, light, and flag signals. It was the security hub of the entire Dongmen Market.

“You forgot that most naturalized citizens and natives don’t rest on Sundays, but on the first and fifteenth of each month,” Mu Min said, leaning over a large-caliber telescope to observe the distant streets. “Today is the fifteenth. Many enterprises are on holiday, and besides, commercial enterprises have a rotating shift system.”

“The crowd entering the restricted area has already exceeded ten thousand. The streets approaching the warning line are Stadium Avenue, Competition Street, Friendship Street, and Championship Street.”

As the communications officer reported the latest crowd monitoring situation, a police officer operating on a transparent glass map marked the areas with orange markers.

“What should we do? The event hasn’t even started yet. This is far beyond our expectations.” Li Yiyang was already wiping sweat from his brow. His garrison battalion had already canceled all leave. Except for the sick who couldn’t be deployed, even the kitchen staff were on duty.

The strength of his garrison battalion was usually just “sufficient”—and that was including the National Army and Security Army companies under the command of the Garrison Command. There wasn’t much surplus manpower. In recent years, with the increasing number of Elders being sent on assignments and business trips, a large number of personnel from the garrison’s escort company were “stuck” on “official travel duty.” The number of personnel in the camp was less than fifty percent of the authorized strength. This resulted in a serious shortage of guards for the Elders. With a large number of Elders going out for this event, he had to temporarily transfer personnel from the garrison company to guard posts.

The selection of soldiers for the escort company was the strictest, with many rigid requirements and regulations. The military and political quality of the garrison companies was not as high. Li Yiyang had been worried that something would go wrong. But he couldn’t use Security Army personnel who couldn’t even speak Mandarin fluently to serve as guards for the Elders.